New York, USA (May 22, 2008) – Paradox Interactive today announced the release of Dark Horizon, a stark and atmospheric space combat simulation that aims to hurl its audience through an action-packed adventure, piloting its own ship through the perils that only space could have to offer.
“Dark Horizon follows along the same lines of classics like Wing Commander and Freelancer, and it will be a great addition to our portfolio this year,” said Paradox Interactive Executive Vice President Fredrik Wester.
Dark Horizon is a plot-rich experience; 22 challenging missions, laced with special features such as full ship customization, original weapon creation, joystick support, and several modes of combat.
Dark Horizon is scheduled to ship worldwide during Q3, 2008. To learn more about this game or other Paradox releases, please visit http://www.paradoxplaza.com
Sounds interesting. What else has Paradox done?
Ah the dying twitches of my once favorite genre. It’s a shame that this game sounds like it’s going to be PC only. I think the only way Space Sims can ever make a true come back is if someone develops a truly excellent space sim for the consoles. A game that would make it as fun to play on a gamepad as it used to be to play on a joystick. I just don’t think there is any way to make the mechanics of a space sim fun with a mouse and keyboard. But that seems to be what PC developers are trying as the genre is currently in its “undead” state.
Dark Sector, the last space sim I played, made it really awkward because even though they supported the joystick, they made it easier to do certain things with the mouse, so I was always trying to switch back and forth between joystick and mouse. And that just wasn’t comfortable. But the truth is if you’re going to attempt a revival on the PC, you’re going to have to support the mouse well, because most people don’t have joysticks anymore. And that’s why I’m not sure if its a genre worth saving anymore. I wonder if anyone can make a space sim fun with a 360 controller. I wish a big developer like Volition would come back and give it a try. Project Slypheed is ok with the 360 controller, but it’s a bit awkward compared to playing it with the Flightstick+throttle from Ace Combat 6.
Dark Horizon is scheduled to ship worldwide during Q3, 2008. To learn more about this game or other Paradox releases, please visit http://www.paradoxplaza.com
So these are the Europa Universalis guys. I wonder if that’s a good sign for a space sim. On the one hand it could mean an old school joystick interface that’s excellent and targeted at a niche audience. But it could also mean a poor indecipherable interface like X2 and X3.
I love Paradox’s games, but I had never pictured them developing an action-centric space sim. Hopefully they can pull this off, it’s a favorite genre of mine as well.
