At Last! New Doctor Who Computer Game!

[Si Hunt]

One comes around every decade or so. Eventually one of them has got to be not crap. It's only fair.

A computer game based on the popular BBC drama Doctor Who is reportedly in development.

Sci Fi Wire states that computer game manufacturer Eidos has begun work on the title after securing the rights from the BBC. An announcement about the release date is said to be imminent, with the game to be made available for the PC, PS2 and DS.

Previous games that have revolved around the long-running science fiction series include 1993's 'Dalek Attack' and 'Desting Of The Doctors' in 1997, both of which were available for the PC.

The capacity of computer game developers to miss the point of the series in the past has staggered me. The Doctor is a famously anti-violent hero - so in the 90's we got a shoot-em-up. The concept of having "lives" in computer games has been around for 20 years, and here we have a series where the lead character has actually had ten different 'lives' - yet no-one has developed something where you control a different Doctor each time you die. The TARDIS is the ideal vehicle for an adventure game where you can fly to different time zones... but no-one's ever done this.

Please, please, please make it good!

Si.

[Perry Vale]

The Fourth Doctor, and the Tardis make a cameo appearance in this great game from the past too.....

http://www.cimweb.co.uk/E-F-M-A.htm

But you're right, the concept of the show seems lost on all games developers.

[Paul Monk]

There was quite a good demo going round the net for a Lucasarts style point and click Doctor Who game. Don't know if that was ever finished though.

[Paul Clement]

The fact that it is Eidos who are making it is a positive sign as far as I'm converned. They have generally got genres pretty much spot on in most computer games I've played by them, and I tend to think that the RTD brand of Doctor Who has, for the most part, been franchised out fairly well.

[Simon R]

I liked "Dalek Attack" and it was nice that you could choose to be the 4th, 2nd or 7th Drs. Or Ace. Or The Brigadier.

Or have I made the last one up?

[enzo1701]

There have been Doctor Who games made in the past: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_...Computer_Games

However these games were brought out when the computer game companies were primarily British (Ocean, Gremlin, Code Masters, etc) for the Spectrum, C64, Amstrad, Amiga, Atari ST, etc.

However any game being released now has to cater for the worldwide gaming industry so needs to sell not just in the UK but the rest of Europe, North America and Japan. So I can see games of TV shows and movies like Lost, Jumper, Star Trek, Star Wars, etc selling around the world but Doctor Who is still primarily a British passion.

Yes it IS being sold around the world but more than half of people in America or Japan wouldn't know what a Tardis was if it materialised in front of them. However everyone round the world knows what the USS Enterprise is. However, given careful marketing a Doctor Who game could be as world-beating as Tomb Raider. After all, Eidos created Lara Croft, about as British a video game character as you can get.

[Alex]

There was quite a good demo going round the net for a Lucasarts style point and click Doctor Who game. Don't know if that was ever finished though.

Yeah, I liked that one - Jeff started a thread on it here - http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/forums...ead.php?t=1005 - but unfortunately the link to the download has disappeared now. There's a bit more info here - http://millenniumeffect.co.uk/games/ - but again no link unfortunately.


Edit: Ignore all that, I've finally found a link to it: http://www.duckbutcher.damproductions.org/index2.html - it's due to be completed this month too, which makes me happy.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Not wishing to rain on anyone's parade, and I'm not sure how recent this announcement is, but the last I heard Eidos are in dire financial straits at the moment, have failed to find anyone to buy them out at a fair price, and have consequently been cancelling loads of projects in development and rush-developing others (like the next Tomb Raider game) to get them released sooner (possibly before they're actually ready, like they have done before) just to make a quick buck to keep the company afloat.

So yes. Be warned

[Pip Madeley]

It's definitely on the way, but it's looking rather crap:

The videogame, which promises to be an electronic re-imagining of the classic Top Trumps card game, will allow players to battle it out in rounds that can last as long as 15 minutes.

The developers (Eidos), have also included minigames that require feats of memory and observation.

Further fanboy thrills are to be had winning and collecting 38 cards for storage in the TARDIS’ data banks. Each of these collectibles profiles a character from the series complete with images from the live-action show.

[Rob McCow]

which promises to be an electronic re-imagining of the classic Top Trumps card game,

[Si Hunt]

Oh dear God.

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

It looks more like something that should be on the BBC website.

[Dirk Gently]

It may well end up there if it doesn't sell.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Hahaha. Well that's that then.

[Dave Tudor]

The videogame, which promises to be an electronic re-imagining of the classic Top Trumps card game, will allow players to battle it out in rounds that can last as long as 15 minutes.

So, basically, it will be a £40 version of a game which you can already buy for less than a fiver...?

[Zbigniev Hamson]

You're paying for the privelige of being able to play it with a mouse. As well as the privelige of having to supply it with electricity in order for it to do anything. Just two of the many disadvantages of cardboard.

[Rob McCow]

So, basically, it will be a £40 version of a game which you can already buy for less than a fiver...?

£40? This'll be hitting the bargain bins faster than a CD of pan-pipe music.

[Simon R]

Bring back Dalek Attack!

Many moons ago I used to make my own Doctor Who inspired levels for "Worms". That was much better.

[Pip Madeley]

It's not £40 anymore, it's a more reasonable £19.99 RRP. Here's the cover:



Surprisingly DWO and OG haven't noticed it yet. So it's a PLANET SKARO EXCLUSIVE.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Lucky lucky us.

[Kaybee Bailey]

Bright side people! At least the risk of physical sickness is lower with Top Trumps than it was playing Destiny of the Doctors. Graphics were

[Pip Madeley]

Destiny of the Doctors may have been crap, but at least we got those clips of Ainley at his best.

[Si Hunt]

So it's a PLANET SKARO EXCLUSIVE

Apart from the full-page version of it in Tuesday's Radio Times

This seriously makes me want to weep. So much wasted potential!

Si.

[Kaybee Bailey]

Destiny of the Doctors may have been crap, but at least we got those clips of Ainley at his best.

True, though I think some I saw a hundred times because the controls were so bad I kept dying, and some I never saw because I couldn't cope with the motion sickness!

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

I really like Destiny of the Doctors.........but then I always was easily pleased!!!
Seriously though, it's not that bad, is it?
Ok, the graphics aren't brilliant but they aren't terrible either. The sound effects are good and having the different Doctor's voices speaking throughout is a nice touch.
As has been said Ainley is great also.

I'm sure the New Series could do a better quality game if they had wanted to, but what's the bet that nothing pre-Ecclestone would be featured!!!