White Gold: War in Paradise
| White Gold: War in Paradise | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Deep Shadows |
| Publisher(s) | CIS: Russobit-M |
| Engine | Vital Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | First-person shooter, Role playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Distribution | DVD, Download |
White Gold: War in Paradise (Xenus II: Белое золото, Xenus II: White Gold) is the sequel to the 2005 video game Boiling Point: Road to Hell. White Gold was developed by the Kiev-based game studio Deep Shadows. The Microsoft Windows version was released in CIS territories by Russobit-M on October 24, 2008,[1] with the Xbox 360 and other Windows regions seemingly cancelled. The game runs on the Vital Engine 3, which also powers The Precursors. In December 2010, an English version was made available via digital distribution on GamersGate. The game is also available for purchase via online retailer Beamdog.[2]
Setting
The game's events take place in water-separated islands in the Caribbean basin, in contrast to the single land mass called Realia in Boiling Point. The hero arrives on the islands to investigate a series of mysterious events connected with poisonous cocaine. He finds himself in the middle of a socially unstable and politically volatile environment, with 7 different factions including Civilians, Government, Mafia, Guerrillas, Bandits, Natives and CIA operatives. The protagonist is called Saul Meyers like the hero in Boiling Point, but he looks younger so story wise the game may actually be some kind of prequel to Boiling Point.
Plot
The main character is a retired veteran of a special military squad. He is a former-soldier of the Caribbean region. At the time of one fateful mission, many of the main character's squad was killed, leaving only him and his friend alive. His friend gradually lost his mind, whilst the main character succumbed to drinking heavily.
Whilst this was going on, a new drug surfaces in Europe and America. It is indistinguishable from other drugs, such as cocaine, but it has an incredibly high mortality rate. The Government is shocked regarding how many young people are now dying, or are in danger. The drug-mafias are under heavy fire from dead relatives of drug users, who blame them for the drugs release. The Special Services send men out, only to receive them back in body bags.
The government then recall the main character, and they offer a proposition which he can't refuse. Consequently, the main character finds himself on one of the Caribbean islands, where he starts his investigation.
Development
The game was developed in the Deep Shadows studios, along with the latest version of the in-house game engine, Vital Engine 3. The engine makes use of the latest real-time rendering techniques, such as Shader Model 3 and other post-processing effects like HDR, Depth of field and Motion blur. The physics system has been improved in comparison with the Vital Engine 2, with better vehicle handling and destructible objects, and a huge unified game world, avoiding the need for loading screens and level switching.
Deep Shadows recognizes the importance of eradicating any bugs before release, the same issue that triggered an initially heavy criticism from game reviewers for Boiling Point: Road to Hell. Despite that, after the last official patch there were remaining issues which were tried to address by the game's community with unofficial patches.[3]
Promotion
Trailers
The first trailer was released on February 27, 2007, it reveals improved vehicle handling, a better inventory and a more interactive environment, with the hero engaging in fierce, fast paced battles using weapons that range from a stealthy knife to airborne machine guns. The trailer also featured a ridable shark.
The second trailer, released October 12, 2007, is a gameplay demonstration of different types of vehicles in the game.
Gameplay
While not having a direct connection to the Boiling Point: Road to Hell storyline, it retains similarities to the atmosphere and gameplay mechanics, and the mixture of RPG elements and FPS combat. Players will enjoy a free-roaming world, with vast open areas, diverse weapons and a multitude of land, air and water vehicles. Hand to hand combat was also implemented. The character development system has been extensively altered and improved upon to provide more flexibility than previous versions. One of the major overhauls being the new perk system. Such features will diversify the ways in which the players can customize and improve their character, and give them more freedom to personalize the game experience to their own desires.