Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock is a 2012 action-adventure video game based upon the BBC television series Doctor Who. It was intended to be the first of a series,[6] but it was announced in 2013 that the sequels have been put on hold.[7]
| Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for the game | |
| Developer(s) | Supermassive Games[4] |
| Publisher(s) | BBC Worldwide Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (physical media) |
| Producer(s) | Angela Hunt |
| Writer(s) | David Bryher |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3[5] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 (PSN), PlayStation Vita |
| Release | PlayStation 3 23 May 2012[1] PlayStation Vita 10 October 2012[2] Microsoft Windows 15 November 2012[3] |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
It was released in digital stores by BBC Worldwide and in physical media in Europe for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
Cast
editMatt Smith reprises his role as the Eleventh Doctor. Similarly Alex Kingston returns to her role on the show as River Song.[8]
Plot
editThe plot is promised as allowing the player to take on the role of the Doctor and River Song as they travel across space and time in an effort to save Earth by gathering pieces of the eternity clock, an object that is a record of everything that has or will ever happen in all of existence. Along the way is decision making which leads to "multiple possibilities" and puzzles. Players will encounter Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians, and the Silence.[9] The game had previously been confirmed for release on 30 April 2012, but was later postponed to 23 May 2012.
The game takes place just before the events of "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead" in River Song's timeline as indicated by various notes within her diary as well as the use of her title of 'Professor'. For the Doctor the game presumably takes place between "A Good Man Goes To War" and "Let's Kill Hitler" or after the events of "The God Complex". It is sure that the events in the Doctor's timeline are not after series 6 finale because The Silence tell the Doctor that one day he will find his doom, referring to Utah in "The Wedding of River Song".[10]
Reception
editAccording to review aggregating website Metacritic, the PS3 version of the game received an average review score of 39 out of 100, based on 21 reviews.[11]
The game received a 3.5 out of 20 from the Australian game critics Stephanie Bendixsen and Gus Ronald on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television program Good Game: Spawn Point, later describing what they truly wish a Doctor Who game would be like.[12]
IGN editor Mike Bell gave The Eternity Clock a 5.5 out of 10 stating that "Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock is a game that is filled to the brim with good intentions and does a lot of things right, but that even the Pandorica couldn’t fix the amount of technical issues present."[13]
Developers have responded to some criticisms and released an update. This update addresses bugs, AI issues and adds additional save locations.[14]
References
edit- ^ "The Eternity Clock will be released globally for PS3 on the 23rd May via PSN. #DoctorWhoTEC". twitter.com.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock on PS Vita next week". Blog.eu.playstation.com. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Twitter / DoctorWhoTEC: We're happy to announce that". Twitter.com. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock". Supermassivegames.com. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock powered by Unreal Engine 3". Eurogamer.net. 22 February 2012.
- ^ "BBC Worldwide set to launch major new Doctor Who gaming franchise". BBC Worldwide. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
Two further Doctor Who console game titles are planned to follow this release with details to be announced next year.
- ^ "'Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock' planned sequels cancelled by BBC". Digital Spy. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
Originally planned as a trilogy of releases, executive vice president of digital entertainment and games Robert Nashak revealed that the Eternity Clock series has been put on hold.
- ^ "BBC Worldwide set to launch major new Doctor Who gaming franchise". BBC Worldwide. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ "The CURSE of WHO: WHY has there never been a decent videogame with the Doctor?". theregister.co.uk.
- ^ In the context of subsequent seasons of the series and on-screen appearances by River, it is unclear where this takes place in relation to the 2015 episode "The Husbands of River Song" which chronicles her final meeting with the Doctor (in this case the Twelfth Doctor) prior to the events of "Silence in the Library".
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock". Metacritic.
- ^ "Good Game Spawn Point - Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 October 2018.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock Review". IGN. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Twitter / DoctorWhoTEC: Patch update for Doctor Who". Twitter.com. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
