[Sinatar]

New clue on the main page - "Be the best cyberpunk sleuth" Omikron: The Nomad Soul was published by Eidos and fits the bill. Not sure if it fits any of the hero clues though.

Deus Ex could fit that as well.

[Of All Trades]

Deus Ex could fit that as well.

And he fits the earlier clues.

[jaundicejuice]

Watch it be Rise of the Dragon.

[RedSwirl]

Oh, please let it be Silent Hill 2. I'd really like to play SH2, but its PC version doesn't appear to be available anywhere nor work on modern systems. If only they were prepping the PC market for the Silent Hill HD Collection. I'd personally love to see Road Rash.

I might go for the PC version of Shadow of Destiny if it showed up there.

[Dog Problems]

Nevermind, forgot Westwood was bought by EA.

[RedSwirl]

If it's Eidos I would definitely go for Thief. No one has been selling Thief II digitally at all.

[Sinatar]

Didn't they pull this last time they revealed a major publisher? Like all the clues clearly pointed to one and it ended up being someone totally different.

[Grayman]

New clue on the main page - "Be the best cyberpunk sleuth" Omikron: The Nomad Soul was published by Eidos and fits the bill. Not sure if it fits any of the hero clues though.

was konami out? Snatcher?

[Lafazar]

Hero 2: Will you be the kind of hero that prefers not to use guns?

Source

Hero 2 shares something with Iranian scholar and polymath Al-Biruni.

Source

Abū al-Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Bīrūnī (born 5 September 973 in Kath, Khwarezm, died 13 December 1048 in Ghazni)
Agent 47, Born September 5th, 1964

Well, I guess that's settled. It most definitely is Agent 47 now. Then the other one has to be JC Denton.

I must say, the "Publisher decided making PC games in 1982" hint was very misleading if it is really SquareEnix/Eidos...

[RedSwirl]

I don't think there's any doubt now that one of this company's major franchises is a stealth game.

Come to think of it I'm surprised Eidos ISN'T on GOG yet. But if it's them, does that mean Square Enix comes along too? If that's true, then I wouldn't completely rule out the FFVII and VIII ports appearing. Apparently SE tried to get them on Steam but he port quality wasn't good enough for the approval process. Something about the games crashing too much on Windows 7.

[JaseC]

If it's Eidos I would definitely go for Thief. No one has been selling Thief II digitally at all.

Thief and Thief II sit behind System Shock 2 as the GoG releases I'm most anticipating.

[RedSwirl]

Thief and Thief II sit behind System Shock 2 as the GoG releases I'm most anticipating.

Would you install Origin to get SS2? EA technically still owns that license.

[Lafazar]

Okay, time for another overview of all hints so far:

Be he best hidden hero Be the best Cyberpunk Sleuth

He/She is not a hidden hero ... Our Hero 1 is cold, solid, and a bit of a loner. Also, he "works" for a huge organization. Can you find him on the list?

The list mentioned above ("The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters (Empire)"):

50. Ryu Hayabusa 49. Dirk the Daring 48. Donkey Kong 47. The Horned Reaper 46. Vault Boy 45. Marcus Fenix 44. Leon Kennedy 43. HK-47 42. Sam & Max 41. Pyramid Head 40. Dr. Fred Eddison 39. Mr X 38. Dante 37. Pac Man 36. Big Daddy 35. Prince of Persia 34. Alucard 33. The Announcer (Unreal Tournament) 32. Miner Willy 31. Kane 30. Manny Calavera 29. Garrett 28. Harman Smith 27. Ryu 26. Samus Aran 25. Arthus Menethil 24. Sabre Man 23. Bowser 22. Nathan Drake 21. Agent 47 20. Duke Nukem 19. Solid Snake 18. Alice 17. Illidian Stormrage 16. Brucie 15. Kratos 14. Sonic 13. Cloud Strife 12. Glados 11. Minsc & Boo 10. Sephiroth 9. The Lemmings 8. Master Chief 7. Guybrush Threepwood 6. Link 5. Lara Croft 4. The Nameless One 3. Shodan 2. Mario 1. Gordon Freeman

JC Denton (from Deus Ex) is not on this list, but Garret, Cloud Strife and Agent 47 are. So either they mean Garret (but "He/She is not a hidden hero ..." contradicts this), or they made a mistake and used the list for the wrong hero (Agent 47) or they mean Cloud Strife. Can Final Fantasy 7 be considered cyberpunk?

Either way, hero 1 does not add up at the moment.

Hero 2: Will you be the kind of hero that knows how to stay unnoticed? Hero 2: Will you be the kind of hero that was friends with a rabbit? Hero 2: Will you be the kind of hero that can speak French and Russian. Hero 2: Will you be the kind of hero that prefers not to use guns? Hero 2 shares something with Iranian scholar and polymath Al-Biruni.

So far everything about hero 2 fits to Agent 47, including the same birthday as Al-Biruni (September 5th).

Publisher hint: The company decided to make PC games in 1982, but its beginnings date several years back.

Source

[JaseC]

Would you install Origin to get SS2? EA technically still owns that license.

Yeah, I'm aware of the situation surrounding the System Shock IP (this G4TV article is an interesting read). I have no qualms with Origin; I even registered my retail copy of Alice.

[Stallion Free]

Would you install Origin to get SS2? EA technically still owns that license.

I was pretty sure EA can't sell System Shock games as all they do is own the name.

[JaseC]

I was pretty sure EA can't sell System Shock games as all they do is own the name.

Yeah. The actual rights to the series are being held to random by an insurance group, and have been for over a decade. From the aforementioned article:

As Spector had mentioned, an insurance company got the rights to System Shock after Looking Glass Studios shut down [in 2000]. I tracked down the insurer, Star Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Michigan-based Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc., and confirmed that the rights are available for sale. George Borkowski, an outside counsel for Meadowbrook, said the company would consider selling the rights to a game publisher or developer. "The idea would be to enter into some kind of arrangement where the game would be developed and that Meadowbrook would be compensated,” he said.

Presumably, the "compensation" Meadowbrook would seek in the event of the rights being sold is a cut of sales across the IP - something I doubt EA would be willing to agree to, and indeed declined, if the rumours that System Shock 3 was the genesis of Dead Space are to be believed.

[gabbo]

Yeah. The actual rights to the series are being held to random by an insurance group, and have been for over a decade. From the aforementioned article: Presumably, the "compensation" Meadowbrook would seek in the event of the rights being sold is a cut of sales across the IP - something I doubt EA would be willing to agree to.

In theory, CDP could buy it themselves, then.

[JaseC]

In theory, CDP could buy it themselves, then.

Theoretically, sure, but without EA's cooperation it would be a fruitless endeavour. :p

[wazoo]

It has to be Eidos (which is now Square).

Hero 2 is Hitman.

Hero 1 can be anything from Thief to Omikron to Deus Ex.

[ctrayne]

Theoretically, sure, but without EA's cooperation it would be a fruitless endeavour. :p

Such a shitty situation for such a legendary game. If I had the money, I would buy the rights myself (and share the love, of course).

[Dead Man]

Just bought Syndicate, damn I love GOG. They are not helping with my backlog though!

[wazoo]

Thief is still on my radar for Hero1.

It seems the settings are a bit steampunk.

Garett is also described as alone and cold and quite solid to its friends.

Fit the hints of Hero 1.

[Evlar]

Bought FreeSpace 2, gonna try to play I keyboard only.

[wazoo]

nevermind.

[daviyoung]

New clue on the main page - "Be the best cyberpunk sleuth" Omikron: The Nomad Soul was published by Eidos and fits the bill. Not sure if it fits any of the hero clues though.

It could be Anachronox

[ctrayne]

It could be Anachronox

Yep, realized that later. I think it's more likely than Omikron.

[wazoo]

Yep, realized that later. I think it's more likely than Omikron.

except that both heroes should be on the Top50 list posted the page before.

[Lafazar]

except that both heroes should be on the Top50 list posted the page before.

It could also be that they are trying to intentionally mislead us with that list:

Note: the wording "Can you find him on the list?" might also yield the answer "No" (this is right up Enigmatic's alley...), so we can't automatically assume he's on the list It's almost like you think I deliberately mislead you people from time to time.

Source

Edit:

Source

Hmm, now it looks like the images and heroes reference separate games.
Image 1 (Be he best hidden hero): Thief
Image 2 (Be the best cyberpunk sleuth): Anachronox
Hero 1: JC Denton (Deus Ex)?
Hero 2: Agent 47 (Hitman)

[mclem]

Omikron: The Nomad Soul was published by Eidos and fits the bill. Not sure if it fits any of the hero clues though.

Would this require some negotiation with David Bowie, though?

If we consider Hitman confirmed, I don't think Hero #1 can be Thief - I'd argue that the two franchises are too similar. Okay, different overall goals (one leads to assassinations, the other leads to loot), but they're both first-person games with a heavy emphasis on stealth.

It'd strike me as foolish to release both such titles on the same day. Space 'em out!



Edit: Anachronox, eh? That fits the bill, and I think it's one of the games I've been wanting on GoG for a fair while.

[Joseph Merrick]

but they're both first-person games with a heavy emphasis on stealth.

hitman is third person. but yeah, hero1 and hero2 are not both hitman and thief. remember the hints on the gog frontpage are not hero1 and hero2 related, but publisher overall. thief and anachronox will be later.

edit: lafazar has the right idea

Hmm, now it looks like the images and heroes reference separate games. Image 1 (Be he best hidden hero): Thief Image 2 (Be the best cyberpunk sleuth): Anachronox Hero 1: JC Denton (Deus Ex)? Hero 2: Agent 47 (Hitman)

this definitely is the case

[Lafazar]

hitman is third person. but yeah, hero1 and hero2 are not both hitman and thief. remember the hints on the gog frontpage are not hero1 and hero2 related, but publisher overall. thief and anachronox will be later.

I think we may get Thief and Anachronox this Thursday (because it would make sense that they already finished the frontpage banners and then just pixelated them for the countdown) and Hitman and whatever the other game is later.

[Jenga]

i love deus ex as much as everyone else but isn't that redundant

deus ex GOTY is available everywhere

[Lafazar]

i love deus ex as much as everyone else but isn't that redundant deus ex GOTY is available everywhere

So are the Hitman games, but a DRM-free version is always welcome.

Hero 2 might be a cold blooded-killer, but he's a sharp dresser.

Source

Well, just more evidence for Hitman and the new image pretty much confirms it...

[wazoo]

If Eidos is confirmed, we will get all 4 games one day or another.

Anachronox would be fine for me.

At least, this is a great start for the year at GOG.com

[mclem]

At least, this is a great start for the year at GOG.com

Agreed. Syndicate and two new publishers, one of which is massive? That's not a bad January, all told.

[Lafazar]

Still wondering who will be our mystery Hero 1? You can definitely find him on this list. I can also tell you he's/she's American and knows how to handle a pistol, shotgun or an assault rifle.

So it's JC Denton after all?

I think GOG messed up and dropped hints to Agent 47 at first on both Twitter and Facebook, because Agent 47 is on the first top 50 list and he does work for a huge organization (ICA), and now they're trying to save it by pointing the remaining hints to JC Denton instead.

That would also explain the lack of hints on Facebook compared to Twitter.

My bet is that they originally wanted to reference world's worst archaeologist, Lara Croft as the first hero. Let's face it: As good as Deus Ex is, Lara is a much more iconic character.

If we get a fourth pixeled image referencing the Tomb Raider games, then I'll take that as a confirmation for my hypothesis. :)

[ctrayne]

I think it's funny that people on the GOG forums say "I want this game to be the one, so I am purposefully ignoring the other clues". *head explodes*

Eidos is huge and I'm really excited to have DRM-free, cheap, readily available versions of some of their stuff, especially if they do all the Thief games. But I will also be excited when they hook up with LucasArts and whoever else. Every additional publisher on GOG is a win for the consumer, I say.

[StarEye]

Watch it be Rise of the Dragon.

I'd like that, although not sure who owns the right to Dynamix's games nowadays. It was part of the Sierra family, as stated in their logo.

Then we'd get The Adventures of Willy Beamish and Heart of China as well.

[JaseC]

I think it's funny that people on the GOG forums say "I want this game to be the one, so I am purposefully ignoring the other clues". *head explodes* Eidos is huge and I'm really excited to have DRM-free, cheap, readily available versions of some of their stuff, especially if they do all the Thief games. But I will also be excited when they hook up with LucasArts and whoever else. Every additional publisher on GOG is a win for the consumer, I say.

LucasArts could join GoG, offer only Grim Fandango, and I'd be perfectly happy.

[Of All Trades]

I'd like that, although not sure who owns the right to Dynamix's games nowadays. It was part of the Sierra family, as stated in their logo. Then we'd get The Adventures of Willy Beamish and Heart of China as well.

I'd be pretty surprised if all of Dynamix's content wasn't under Sierra.

Being reminded that there are still major swaths of good games under publishers with GOG agreements makes me sad when I see the G3 expansion as a release.

[charlequin]

I'd like that, although not sure who owns the right to Dynamix's games nowadays. It was part of the Sierra family, as stated in their logo. Then we'd get The Adventures of Willy Beamish and Heart of China as well.

These go with the giant pile of unloved Infocom and Sierra titles that Activision have the rights to but have thus far failed to license to GoG.

[walking fiend]

wuhuhu! just found out the counter and the whole deal.

I don't about multiple heroes, but on the website it says the coolest cold-blooder killer? That HAS to be Hitman!

[Stallion Free]

LucasArts could join GoG, offer only Grim Fandango, and I'd be perfectly happy.

I just want Lucasarts so bad. I still have a bunch of the disks for their older games, but they are a total bitch to either install or just run due to incompatibilities. GOG would bring community focus to these issues.

I recently managed to install Rogue Squadron 3D despite the 16-bit installer and then was left broken-hearted when it had issues with my videocard being to high-tech.

[ctrayne]

I recently managed to install Rogue Squadron 3D despite the 16-bit installer and then was left broken-hearted when it had issues with my videocard being to high-tech.

I feel your pain with the videocard issues. There's a game-breaking shadow bug with Pandora Tomorrow that makes it unplayable on anything remotely modern.

[wazoo]

Hero 2: Is not a member of International Clarinet Association.

haha :)

[Stallion Free]

I feel your pain with the videocard issues. There's a game-breaking shadow bug with Pandora Tomorrow that makes it unplayable on anything remotely modern.

Actually Pandora Tomorrow seemed to work just fine on my 460 GTX. I got dropped some super-sampling on it which looked delicious.

[wazoo]

I bet on Deus Ex.

there is a Hires texture pack and a DX11 renderer to try as a mod.

[Lyonaz]

So no No One Lives Forever games? :(

[ctrayne]

Actually Pandora Tomorrow seemed to work just fine on my 460 GTX. I got dropped some super-sampling on it which looked delicious.

You sure about that? Active shadows/lighting won't appear on modern graphics cards, making certain levels almost impossible because you can't visually judge how hidden you are, you have to go off of the light meter alone. I've never heard of anyone fixing the issue, and Ubisoft has done fuck all about it (shocking, I know).

If you have the magic answer, I want in. :)

Regarding NOLF, obviously that's not in the picture since it's pretty clear the new pub is Eidos/SE, but aren't both the NOLF games deep in copyright hell?

[wazoo]

system shock is in copyright HELL.