RSSMajestic Takes Gaming to New Level
By Nate Mook and Mykel Nahorniak | Published July 20, 2001, 12:00 AM
In its third and final beta stage, EA's Internet-based Majestic has set the benchmark for other game developers by immersing a player within a plot more than ever before. In the pilot episode, participants must find clues leading to a conspiracy involving mind control devices and aliens using Majestic's homepage, which is full of links pointing to actual Internet locations. The closer the player comes to solving the mystery, the more real it becomes.
When first setting up an account on Majestic, players may optionally fill out their phone number, fax number, and e-mail address. Brining the game into the real world, Majestic will often make phone calls and send faxes, e-mails and instant messages providing tips and inside information. Reminiscent of The Game starring Michael Douglas, Majestic blurs the line between reality and fiction.
Communication with other players is strongly encouraged and sometimes necessary to complete each task. Majestic makes heavy use of AOL Instant Messenger as a venue for participants to interact with their allies. But as the game warns, be careful of who you trust.
To keep track of their progress, players center around the Majestic Web site, which also offers several resources to aid players in solving the mystery. The 'Links' page contains key Internet sites with factual information pertaining to the current situation. The 'Progress' section keeps a log of how far players are to completion and summarizes each important event during the game's ascent. In addition, a 'News' area gives visitors up-to-date information on each topic in Majestic.
Majestic will be offered on a subscription basis, with new episodes appearing each month. An episode can take up to four weeks to complete, depending on the time dedicated to investigation. Because the game works in the background, it perfectly caters to those who normally cannot sacrifice work for entertainment. If things get too hectic, you can also pause Majestic and return to the same spot at any time.
To join Majestic before its release, first play the pilot episode by signing up at ea.com before July 23. Selected testers will then be asked to join the full beta. Those not invited however, must subscribe to EA's Platinum service at a cost of $9.95 per month. For more information, visit majestic.ea.com.
I have reviewed games for some time. Here's my review of Majestic:
http://www.geeknews.net/...p=showcontent&id=36
Score: 0
|looks like a lame knock-off of the A.I. game, i'd have more fun eating
the nine hundred and ninty-five pennies just to see what they looked like when they came back out...
Score: 0
|you're a fool
majestic has been in the news waay before the AI game even started
Score: 0
|but, agreed, AI is much cooler (not the movie; the movie sucks! I cried about it)
Score: 0
|I've played the piolet episode and while i was very excited at first..playing the actual game killed that excitement. IT seems fun....random IM, phone calls, emails, ect. from within the game giving clues and such towards the game, but if you sit back and take a look at things, its very linear and 1 dimensional. The phone calls you get are recorded messages, the IM are pre typed and pretty much anything you say to them doesnt matter because its set what is said. The game guides you to the clues you need making it incredibly easy to figure out. The concept is amazing and could very well improve, but as of now, i wouldnt pay electronic arts $10 for this
Score: 0
|Very good points. But even with it's flaws, I think Majestic has definitely taken gaming to a new level. While 10 dollars per month is a bit steep, for an ongoing game that doesn't require my 100% attention while I'm playing it's not a bad deal. I can play it at my own pace and as long as I'm willing to accept it's not perfect - of course you know you are playing a game - it's a hell of a lot of fun. The twists and turns are what keeps the game interesting, even if the phone calls and IMs get old.
Score: 0
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