Get a glimpse of the game by hitting the following link below, and stay tuned for its upcoming release (among other highlights from TNL) next month!

Herdy Gerdy Trailer

Last Updated: 2/16/02

With just a little under a month away, it's been ages since we've reported new highlights on Eidos' animated adventure in which players take on the role of a adventurous "master" cow herder. Eidos has release the first of its special feature, aptly named the Herdy Gerdy Species Blast: Episode One (we can only assume what phantom menances are within this game).

This week, we take a look at the Doops - unintelligent creates that occur in relatively large numbers. Their natural behavior is to graze in flocks, but individuals may stray from the group. It is advantageous to herd the Doops into flocks as this makes them easier to maneuver. Doops taste just great (Hm...they better stay away from Reno), so take precautions, or they're liable to become an easy snack for predators.

Below is a breakdown of how the Doops behave in accord with objects and respective characters in the game, in addition to a few screenshots capturing them in their um, natural habitat. Stay tuned for more highlights to follow.

How Doops behave...

• Gerdy - They run away.
• Flute - The flute has no effect.
• Stick - They will flock in groups around the stick.
• Horn - Any flocks will break and all the Doops run away.
• Other Doops - When Doops meet they form circular flocks.
• Bleeps - They ignore Bleeps (Heh...got an interesting in-joke for that, but I'll leave it be).
• Gromps - They are incredibly stupid and ignore Gromps, allowing them to eat as many as they like.
• Water - They will try to avoid water, but if pushed they will jump in and float downstream.
• Falling - They can withstand a small drop, but falling off cliffs or high ledges will kill them unless they land in water.

   

Last Updated: 8/30/2001

The PlayStation 2 certainly has a much stronger lineup of games this year, including the recent acclaimed releases Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, and Twisted Metal: Black. Each game, in their respective right have demonstrated a solid evidence that the system is begin to mature and deliver higher quality gamers worth your money and time. Among other highly anticipated titles scheduled for release, Core Design has been working on Herdy Gerdy, a loose pun on the primary premise of the game which revolves upon herding animals. But this integral element forms only part of a marathon adventure that encompasses exploration, platform, strategy and puzzle elements. These dynamics are integrated within a vibrant world that features a delicately balanced eco-system.

As Herdy Gerdy enters its final stages of development, TNL presents a series of screens and highlights of what is sure to be another warranted purchase for PS2 users.

Story

The character responsible for completing the game's challenges is a young boy named Gerdy. As the opening scene unfolds, the player learns that Gerdy is about to embark on a rather unusual quest - he must avenge the island's evil Dictator who has been repeatedly winning the herding tournament, held every four years. The tournament winner is traditionally entrusted with the Acorn of Power, an item that has magical properties and is required to maintain the island's natural balance. The Dictator has been misusing the Acorn, namely to ensure he perpetually wins the tournament and therefore keeps control of the island.

Now the time has come for the tournament to be held again. The island has pinned all its hopes on Gerdy's father - commonly acknowledged as the only person skillful enough to defeat the Dictator. However, on the morning of the tournament Gerdy discovers that somebody has cast a sleeping spell on his father!

The responsibility now falls upon Gerdy's young shoulders to take his father's place, win the tournament and overthrow the Dictator. Initially inexperienced and overconfident, Gerdy has much to learn before he reaches the tournament. He must explore landscapes, gather the tools of a herder's profession and complete numerous tasks and puzzles in order to increase his skills and gradually transform into a master herder.

Gameplay Synopsis

Herdy Gerdy's environments are expansive and visually diverse, comprising over thirty 3D graphic sets. All textures and objects are hand-drawn to a unique cel-type style. Exceptionally high levels of animation also feature throughout the title's fauna and flora, reinforcing the concept of a living world.

One of the title's defining characteristics is the 'personality' that is applied to the creatures that roam its landscapes. Each set of animals has it's own characteristics which are applied not only on an individual basis but also to a group rationale. An understanding of these behaviour patterns must be gained in order to successfully control the animals, guide them through the landscapes and maintain general balance. Characters comprise both predator and prey, of varying levels of intelligence. As such, interaction between animal groups must be carefully managed. A single distressed animal has the potential to create an unpredictable ripple of chaos that can result in disaster and in the worst case, fatality.

Herdy Gerdy certainly is shaping up to be an impressive game; one which I personally find highly original and unique from the typical style of games designed for the PS2 platform.

    

   

· · · Bahn