Crysis

Remember when everyone was in a gamer’s haze over the next-gen videos at E3 two years ago? For awhile, console gamers got bold. Claims that console gaming would soon catch PC gaming in terms of visuals fired up quickly, and many stated that the PC as a gaming platform was dead. Just as console gamers felt like they were catching up, here comes the FPS Crysis playable the following year to show how far away they really are. Set to be the most lifelike game ever created, if PC gaming was dead, Crysis aims to be a Phoenix Down.

You can tell that these guys love their own name, as Crysis is developer Crytek’s followup project after 2004’s FarCry. The game takes place in 2020 when a mysterious asteroid crashes on the Spartly Islands in the South China Sea. You and your US Special Ops group are sent to investigate, only to find out that the Korean military has beat you to it. Korea closes off the island and tensions build between countries as your team tries to infiltrate the crash site. Just when things really start to get heated, the asteroid cracks open and an alien the size of 20 football fields/pitches rises from the rubble. The ship creates a huge sphere-like perimeter where everything inside becomes a frozen wasteland, including a part of the islands. US and Korea quickly forget about their little fued and become buddies to try and stop the alien invasion. The main objective: Get to the top of the ice sphere where it’s weak, enter, and blow up the alien ship inside. The story changes throughout the game depending on how you complete certain objectives. When squad mates die, they die for good. This can lead to difficulty when you need them later on.

Because Crysis’s groundbreaking graphics are so integral to the game’s gameplay, you must talk about it first to fully explain how gameplay works. Crysis uses the newly created CryEngine2 to introduce fresh elements never before seen in gaming. The attention to detail makes the comparison to real-life uncanny. Clouds are created in real-time and act like they would in reality, so expect great battles in the sky. Other elements recreate the effect of the human eye towards objects allowing the game world to look better then ever before. When things move, your eye sees a slight split-second motion blur beginning from where it starts and ending with where it stops. This effect is not usually used in gaming, and thus objects moving instead go just frame-by-frame. It’s appears here, then it’s there. In Crysis, moving objects use that blur to make everything look eerily lifelike as if you were seeing it in person. There’s also Depth of Field, which is a term for how your eye reacts to objects close or far away. The example used in a tech demo was looking at an enemy soldier through a cover of foliage. You could see the soldier clearly, but the foliage around you is slightly blurry. Shadows blur based on their distance from the object instead of being the same all around. Everything in Crysis is fully interactive/destrucable. If you walk through a fern it will react to your character. Shoot any leaf, on any tree, and it will react to your bullets. Trees and buildings can even be knocked down, which can create some interesting battle situations. The islands are under a dynamic day/night cycle, so while you’re doing things time will change. Natural disasters and weather will also produce during your mission, creating infinite scenarios. Crytek wants Crysis, like real-life, to be all about variables and dynamics.

In 2020, you and your squad are equipped with Nano-Muscular Suits, or suits with microscopic robots that can arrange themselves to alter your abilities. The suit configurations are things like Speed, Strength, and Armor, and can change your situation greatly if you use them correctly. They can all be switched in the field also, but don’t try fumbling with your suit while aliens are picking off your buddies. Weapons are fully customizable, and you can choose everything from your gun’s bullets, to attachments like a flashlight or grenade launcher. You’ll have to choose wisely to complete your objective, but your weapon is completely under your command.

The final build of Crysis is set to feature 32-player online combat. Solo and team-based Deathmatches, along with Capture the Flag come as no surprise. What may though, is the new Power Struggle mode which is targeted towards veteran FPS gamers. Power Struggle will have you getting resources to buy weapons and vehicles, and will result in long battles. It will be interesting to see if this mode will work, as it could become the next staple in online FPSs

Crysis has some pretty visuals, no doubt about that. Eye-candy can only take you so far though, a game to back it is the key. It’s also going to be a pain on most modern computers. Predictions at nearly 3.0ghz processors minimum, it’ll take nothing short of SkyNet to run. EA and Crytek need to deliver one hell of a game to make it all worthwhile. If we can find a space station that fits the requirements, we’ll review next spring.

Call of Duty 3

It’s official, the Call of Duty franchise is now the console king of WWII shooters. An argument could have been made for the Medal of Honor series until the highly-anticipated Call of Duty 2 hit the 360 like a storm at launch. So now for the time being, the CoD titles are gamers’ main fix for the realism of historic World War II. Epic set pieces, frighteningly realistic sounds and visuals, and intense situations are what makes them work. Developer Treyarch is attempting to take these elements to the next level with Call of Duty 3 for the PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, and Wii.

The Call of Duty team is using painstaking detail to add new material for the third installment. Core gameplay elements, like the control scheme, are to remain the same. The key improvements in CoD3 are things that add more realism to the overall feel of battle and can potentially add whole new aspects to the game. With a well-aimed grenade you can destroy an enemies’ cover and vice versa.This could change gameplay dramatically, because like in real war, you can’t hide behind a crate for a too long. Smoke is now highly detailed and reacts according to environment. Throw a smoke bomb under a tank and the smoke will rise up the sides instead of through the vehicle. These are the type of things that you probably didn’t notice were missing from CoD2, but you’ll be grateful for in CoD3.

The biggest addition to the series are the new “Battle Actions”. The term can apply to the new one-on-one tussles with enemy soldiers, or the new actions you make in order to get past a scenario. For instance, rowing a boat takes the use of both analog sticks to get a steady flow going. Instead of just pressing X to set a mine, you actually have to go through the motions. Battle Actions and the other changes are meant to add a new dynamic to the game and add even more realism to the WWII setting.

Call of Duty 3 is set during the Normandy Breakout of WWII, which takes place after the momentous D-Day. The Normandy Breakout lead the Allies into the dash across France and became one of the Axis’ greatest losses. All four of the Allied Armies played a big part in the breakout, and you will be playing as each throughout the game . In CoD3 you take the role of English, US, Polish, and the rarely seen in gaming Canadian soldiers. As you play each campaign you’ll notice some characters effecting and even appearing in other campaigns. The acts of the Canadian army may directly effect the US army, for instance, and you may see the soldier you just played as helping your new character. The CoD3 team is also attempting to make the games more dynamic by giving the player different means of taking out an enemy. Before, if you were told to snipe, you had to snipe. Now, you can instead choose to ambush your opponent if you feel it’s the better way.

Treyarch is really pushing multiplayer in this one with 24-player single and split-screen internet modes. In teams-based battles or on your lonesome, you be able to play all the classic modes and the additional War mode with new vehicles like jeeps and motorcycles. In team battles, some of these vehicles support multiple riders, so expect some fun moments to spawn from side-car drive-bys. The new War mode pits the Allies and Axis against each other as they try and hold certain positions in order to win the match. Everyone plays as a specific class like Riflemen or Medics who each have their own special abilities. These abilities improve throughout the match if you use them, so people who do their job are rewarded. The CoD3 team wants the battles to be as in-depth as PC shooter and top previous expectations of the franchise’s multiplayer.

Call of Duty 2 was the 360’s best-selling launch title, and developer Treyarch is trying to live up to expectations with the third sequel. With success like that, they could have chose to just add new missions and let the game be as it is. Instead, they are trying to add new elements to make this the most realistic WWII game ever made. With a deep single-player mode and ambitious online multiplayer, our trigger fingers are itching already. For now, feast on our videos and screens for the Wii version and the 360/PS3 version. We’ll review at launch.

Dead Rising

Guys, you know you’ve done it. At some point in your life you’ve been in the mall and imagined being trapped alone, having the full arsenal of mall goodies at your disposal. Do not be ashamed, you are not alone. Another, or perhaps even the same time of your life you’ve imagined a zombie scenario where you had to make it out alive. Capcom’s Dead Rising goal is to let you live out your fantasies. At least those two, your others are best kept to yourself.

You play Frank West, a Shrek-like photojournalist with a sense of danger, investigating rumours of zombies at the local mall. It becomes pretty clear on the helicopter trip down that the rumour is true, and Mr. West decides to solve the mystery on his own. The helicopter that drops you off is due to come back in 72 hours. Your mission is to save as many people as possible and make it back to the rendezvous point on time. Once inside you find security guards with a barricade of park benches against the front doors, holding back clawing zombies. People are throughout the mall with guns and other makeshift weapons, taking positions and getting ready. As you’re exploring the mall, suddenly an old lady sees her poodle outside with the zombies and makes her way past the security guards. She pushes the barricades out of the way, runs out to save her poodle, and I’ll give you two guesses on what happens next. It sounds campy because it should be. Dead Rising is more of a humorous zombie gore-fest than a Silent Hill type scare. The game’s plot has somewhat of a B-movie feel to it to help out the theme.

Once the zombies break through it’s all about surviving those 72 hours. These 72 hours are not real-time, but actually an in-game time system that’s really about two hours. Yeah, Dead Rising is two hours long. Capcom wants Dead Rising to be a game that’s as replayable as one like GTA, where every time is a new experience and it never really gets old. Though you can just attempt to survive by yourself, the goal is to save as many others as possible. In the bottom right-hand corner of the screen there is also a kill meter so you can rack up how many zombies you’ve slayed. Take great pictures of the zombies with your trusty camera and your stats will boost. Another similarity to GTA is the fact that even though there are some side objectives, they aren’t mandatory. These side-quest help unravel the mystery of the zombies and completing them while saving other people in the mall will unlock a better ending. Dead Rising is made to play like an arcade game or an adventure, whatever floats your boat.

Everything you can get your hands on inside and outside is at your disposal. See that park bench over there? Pick at up and whack some zombies upside their decaying heads. Head into the sporting goods store and grab a football so you can have fun watching it rebound off of them and their surroundings. Grab a guitar from the music store. Pick up a watermelon from the grocery. Take a car from outside or a pair of hedge clippers. Head into the toy store and and don a play Mega-Man suit that shoots tennis balls. Speaking of Mega-Man, a lot of Capcom references dot the Dead Rising mall and finding them is a great extra. Just about everything from the mall plants to even coffee cups can be used as a weapon. If you can see it, it is most likely you can sling it a zombie.

A zombie slayer’s got to eat, and in order to keep your life up you’re going to need to raid the mall eateries for some food. There are over 50 items you can eat and drink and some give you a life bonus if you heat them up in the microwave, for example. Down time will be split eating and in the security “safe area” where you can save your progress. The most impressive thing about the game is our real the mall feels. It’s the first game to really get down the feel of a big mall with all the stores and the layout. You can have fun for 45 minutes just goofing around the mall.

This is what Capcom is going for. Eating to survive, grabbing the nearest item, having fun knocking zombie’s blocks off, running amok in a realistic shopping mall. If Dead Rising comes out and everything flows together, it’ll be as close as you’ll ever be to being trapped in a mall full of zombies. Just saying that sounds awesome. As always you can expect Club Skill to have a review before the undead strike Europe in September.

Final Fantasy XII

It’s been awhile since the world’s had a normal Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy X-2 dumped the conventional RPG system and turned it into a game of dress-up. Final Fantasy XI dropped the normal RPG all together, offering instead a Massively Multplayer Online experience. Both games have their fans, FFXI has a strong online community and there were people who appreciated FFX-2 , but a lot of Final fantasy players want to see their gameplay to so well remembered in FFX returned. Square-Enix believes they have a better idea, a new, more active battle system with the same story epics you’ve grown to expect to from them. This is the basis around the new Final Fantasy XII for PS2.

Do not be afraid FF fans. FFXII’s system is new, but not so different that you can’t recognize your beloved series. All the original commands return; such as Magic, Attack, Items, etc. In combat you control Vaan, FFXII’s main hero, as you choose a target to bring your smackdown upon. A small trail of light connects your character and your target, and Vaan will then position himself accordingly. The main difference in the gameplay lies in the animations. You and your enemy move around and adjust to each others positions, rather then attacking from afar or simply running up to attack each other and then resuming positions. The user can also pick from Passive and Active modes, which offer fighting with and without pauses while giving commands respectivly. Don’t expect Dynasty Warriors-esque battles with people constantly moving and flying. The action in FFXII gives a nice median between it’s older brothers and the traditional action game. This is meant to give FFXII a more realistic feel, and the fans a nice breath of fresh air.

Naturally, controlling a whole party this way would be cumbersome, so Square-Enix has added the new Gambit system. Each party member has a certain number of Gambits they can hold which increases with new levels. A Gambit is a specific action, or routine, assigned by the user which an A.I. controlled character can make. Each Gambit requires a target and an action and are listed by priority. For instance, let’s say one of my party members has four Gambits. The first one has attacking as the action, and the nearest enemy as the target. The second one may have “Cast cure on target if he/she/it drops below 40% HP” as the action and Vaan as the target and so on. This way, as soon as the character enters battle they will first attack the nearest enemy, then heal Vaan if neccesary. You can also use this system on Vaan himself, so all you have to do is sit and watch some battles if you please. If you have Vaan’s assignments up you can switch characters and mid-battle. This can help save some battle you were just letting the A.I. fight, or give you even more control over your party members. The Gambit system makes sure that the user has influence over what the A.I. is doing. Think it’s too complicated? You can always just leave the “attack closest enemy” action on your party member’s list so they just hack and slash until you decide to interject, though this would be a lot harder to pull off.

Leveling up has minor changes. You get experience with each battle, but now you also get license points, or LP. Experience still upgrades your HP, MP, defense, etc. But in order to use different weapons, armor, spells, or skills you need an license. You may need 25 LP to get a license that upgrades your healing spell or allows you to use a bow and arrow. Then, you will need to buy that spell or weapon at a store in town. And while we’re talking about buying, wild creatures don’t drop Gil, The FF world currency, anymore. Instead you’ll have to sell the stuff the drop for money, like rare items. Some stuff will never change, like chocobos or irrestibly cute talking things. The plot for FFXII is also gearing up to be solid as usual.

Square-Enix is attempting something new with Final Fantasy XII. With a mix between 70% turn-based RPG and 30% Zelda in the battles, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s a stew of love that the fans appreciate. Keep in touch, we’ll be hitching a ride on a chocobo later this year.

Lost in Blue

Hunt for your food, manage resources, make fire, survive as long as possible. Oregon Trail this is not. This is Lost In Blue for the  Nintendo DS, a new innovative game for the Tom Hanks at heart who want to see what it’s like to be cast away on a desert island.
Lost In Blue is the sequel to the barely-heard-of GBA game Survival Kids. After getting washed ashore, a teenage boy tries to survive by himself on this island. You must keep yourself (and your little marooned girlfriend) healthy, full, fit, and hydrated. This translates into compeleting minigames for you, which are made to utilize the DS’s Swiss army-like features. Aim your arrow and hunt ‘yerself some deer with the touchscreen in first person, rub sticks together to make a fire and use the Mic to blow some sparks, Milk animals and much more.
Graphics this time around are 3D, a selling point in and of itself with it comes to current DS games. Though not exactly KOTOR, the 3D is a nice boost from the regular Gameboy-esque fare from past titles. Skip past waterfalls and nice little landscapes which help the game give the feel of your own little island.  Hopefully, to add to the experience, the developer won’t add music; Just atmospheric sounds to add to the feeling of being on the island.
Lost in Blue is aimed at the more patient type of gamer, following allowing the same lines of the cult favorite farming/life sim Harvest Moon and the Gamecube’s classic animals-with-rosy-cheeks sim Animal Crossing. Action fans will likely point and laugh but fans of other games similar will be picking this one up when it hit’s the shelves.
With games like Lost In Blue, Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney, Trauma Center: Under the Knife, and Nintendogs all ready to launch on the DS; Every gamer that ever saw those quirky Japanese titles and wished to their fairy godmother that they could land stateside is in heaven right now. Along those lines they also have a new Harvest Moon and a port of Animal Crossing mentioned earlier coming up later on. The DS, I believe, as officially earned the title ‘ Best Console For Japanese Wannabees’ like myself. Lost In Blue gets it’s goat milk lovin’ self onto your DS this September.

Madden 07

When you say football in the U.S. of A, this is what you’re talking about. Men knock the daylight out of each other and pull off amazing feats with the pigskin. All complete with fifty different camera shots, slow motion replay, halftime shows, and commercials. The perfect sport for a man of short attention span. Which is why the sport is so popular in America versus the rest of the world’s football, which we know as soccer. We Americans you see, are the pinnacle of laziness, and therefore we want our entertainment on-demand. Which could help explain the popularity of the National Football League’s official game franchise: Madden. You can knock the daylight out of other men and pull off amazing feats without ever getting of your lazy behind. EA’s Madden NFL 07 hopes to improve upon past installments so gamers can truly feel like athletes.

The seventeenth installment of the best-selling American football franchise of all-time, Madden NFL 07 has a bunch of new features this time around. The running game has improved greatly, with twenty new runningback animations. Instead of generic animations with adjusted speeds for each player, runningbacks run like they would in real life. So, Jerome Bettis will look different running then LaDamian Tomlinson. The biggest edition to to the ground game is lead blocking. Before the snap, you can take control of any player on the offensive and use him to block on a run play. The A.I. controls the runner for a split-second as you position the blocker so you can create a hole in the defense. If you tap the right analog stick as soon as you block someone you’ll pull off a bone rattling shoulder block. The control shifts to the runningback as soon as the blocker you’re controlling makes contact with your opponent. The main frustration with Madden since the beginning of the franchise was that the A.I. would not always block where you wanted it to, so your controller would be thrown farther then the ball in some cases. In Madden NFL 2004, you could control a blocker during a play with the right analog stick’s playmaker on PS2. This felt unnatural and was too much of a distraction though, so many never used it. The lead blocking feature could potentially be the biggest improvement to Madden since the leap from 2002 to 2003.

Another gameplay change is further proof of EA’s love affair with that analog stick: the highlight stick. The highlight stick replaces the truck stick this year, and it allows specific players to have specific moves. Tap up on the highlight stick during a play with beefy TE Bubba Franks and he might do a shoulder charge. On a smaller, more nimble player like Steve Smith or Terrell Owens, the highlight stick may be used for a juke or to tiptoe on a sideline catch. All the gameplay modes that were mysteriously missing from the 06 version have returned in 07. There is also a new Hall of Fame Mode, where you control one player’s journey from rookie to legend. The mini-camp is back with different, more enjoyable mini-games like bench pressing and 40-yard dashes. Playing these during a franchise can increase player attributes, so it’ll be interesting to see how much it effects the game.

This may seem small, but for the first time ever Madden NFL 07 will have 3D grass (which is not seen in these screenshots yet). Instead of just a flat plane like before, grass sways and moves in real-time. During a game or bad weather the grass will form ditches and puddles. Physics on the player jerseys have improved, and now you can also see the surrounding area around a stadium when the camera pans before a game.

Madden 07 could very well be the Madden we wanted 06 to be. EA is trying to take advantage of next-gen visuals and power to quench the thirst of all the American football fans. Club Skill will have a review when the game comes out in August.

Tales of Phantasia

“Name the great RPG series of our time. Final Fantasy, Xenosaga, the Mana series and too many others to condense into an opening paragraph. Another in Japan is right inbetween that cult and mainstream status of RPGs, and that’s the Tales series. Tales of Phantasia is finally coming from across the pond to the United States and is mixing the RPG scene up with a new real-time control scheme. No more waiting for turns. This time around, the Tales series comes to the Gameboy Advanced and could turn out to be a memorable little adventure.

The story is straight fantasy-fare. Young Cress Albane finds out his village is destroyed and goes on a journey through space and time to find the evil doers who commited this crime. So far this is normal stuff. As said earlier, what sets this apart from normal RPG’s is the new Linear Motion Battle System. Namco’s new battle scheme has the player using the directional buttons to fight instead of waiting to press the “attack” button. You move tCress and attack while the other characters in the party are controlled by the CPU. This may lead to a few annoying deaths but is meant to give the game more of an action feel then that of the traditional RPG. Another new approach is the use of the addition of cooking. Instead of stocking up on potions from the local item shop, you must find recipes and gather ingrediants so you can create your own healing items. Finnaly if you meet an enemy in-game it’s added to the Monster Dictionary, a file that includes all the information on a creature including strengths and weaknesses.

So far the graphics are normal for the GBA, with little sprites running around the screen like colorful cottonballs. In-battle animations are top-notch though, and impressively fit onto the small cartridge Our hero Cress isn’t the only character by the way. He’s joined by his neighbor: archer Chester Barklight, and Mint Adnade, the girl of the group is to no surprise: the white mage.

Roleplaying games are welcomed on the Gameboy and titles with a name behind them even more so. Namco wants Tales of Phantasia to break out of the pack and offer a new type of RPG to gamers. Real-time battles and cooking up your health items? It will be interesting to see how this one goes. More info closer to release.”

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

“Lawyers are a hard bunch to make out to be cool, unless you’re the kind who watches Law & Order regularly. Can they work as as video game heroes, without the addition of spiky hair, weoponry or powerups? Well no, because the lawyers in this game have spikey hair. But that’s besides the point. Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney for the DS is trying to become a fast-paced text scrolling adventure that will keep it’s players on it’s feet.

Fast paced and text scroller usually results in a oxymoron in the minds of gamers. Text scrollers are usually a big turnoff to anyone who doesn’t enjoy reading dictionaries in their spare time. So, Pheonix Wright attempts to make up for this by adding a little humor to the mix.

You play the role of anime hairdo’ed, tux-clad Phoenix Wright, an attorney looking for his big break in the world of law. Playing thorugh many different court sessions, you must call forth witnesses and ask the right questions so you can defend your client (or prosecute your opponent) to win the case. Before cases, you gather up evidence and read a profile of the people involved. Walk around the city and interview witness to gather the proof you need. Statements, questions, and rebuddles are shown on the bottom screen while the speaker’s mug dominates the top during court. When it’s your turn to talk, three statements will appear on the dialog screen and you must choose the correct one to stifle a response from whomever you’re drilling. Choices range from blunt to stupidly humorous: as in A.) “Do you deny it Ms. Johnson?”, B.) “Ah HA! I’ll take that as a confession!” or C.) “My, what big teeth you have!”

The obvious problem here will be that with choices such as these, the game will be too easy and predictable. Hopefully difficulty will range so players don’t end up feeling like they’re watching an episode of Dora the Explorer.

Graphics seem to be from Gameboy Advanced-fare. 2D sprites with random anime occurences and effects like giant sweat drops and flashing backgrounds. Not much goes on the the top screen where all of these images occur other then sprites moving their mouths to dialog. If your witness gets shaken up, you’ll be able to see it in thier face and deliver the finishing blow.

If Pheonix works it will be toted as one of the DS’s hidden gems. If not, it will be more fodder for DS haters to point out when bashing the system. Either way, original ideas in games are good these days when sequels rule the store shelves. Everyone needs to be able depart from the nazi/alien/prostitute killing sprees every once in a while. Prepare to open your briefcase’s and practice those witty comeback lines . Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney comes out for the Nintendo DS later this Fall.”

Monster Hunter Freedom

When the original Monster Hunter was announced for the PS2, many people’s expectations soared. In-depth character customization, online multiplayer, and hacking away at gynormous monsters to sell their bones and skin, what could go wrong? Try everything. Though the game was well designed and the idea had merit; the controls, camera, and overall execution were pretty weak. Like all games, Monster Hunter has it’s cult followers, but it didn’t live to the hype. Capcom wishes to change that with the new Monster Hunter G, the currently Japanese-only sequel. Monster Hunter G is aiming to be everything the original should have been and more. Along with Monster Hunter G comes the simultanious release of Monster Hunter Freedom for the Playstation Portable.

The basics remain: First you must create a character from scratch by picking hairstyle, color, face, voice, etc. After your little humble hunter as been made you’re given a hut in a small town. Like most roleplaying games, the town is the game’s center. This is where you’ll get yourself together or sell some monster hide to earn some extra cash, which is used to buy armor and weapons. Weapons range from axes, to swords, to crossbows, and all have thier strengths and weaknesses in different situations. After your character is right and ready to go, you must set out to one of the many environments in the wild. Scout different locales and climates from deserts to woods and plains, looking for giant beasts to slay.

 

Monsters range in size from horse-like to, “Man, that’s pretty big”. Most resemble dinosaurs or dragons, giving the game a Final Fantasy meets Jurassic Park type of mood and atmosphere. The new cats that run the town resturants and such help out that image, constantly reminding me of those darn FF moogles. Slicing and dicing is not only what you do in Monster Hunter. Often you’ll have to go Emeril-style and start barbecuing that dragon you just beat down. The chirpy music during these little scenes can turn some people off, but others may actually appreciate the break from the action.

 

Monster Hunter Freedom could prove to be a vital addition to the Playstation Portable’s library.The graphics may yet prove the, “as powerful as a PS2″ slogan. Character models and creatures look good enough to eat, environments promise to be wide and epic. If this one can do what it’s older console bro could not and live up to the hype, don’t be surprised if this one turns out to be the real killer app for the system. Check back at Club Skill for more info closer to release.

Star Wars Empire at War

Don’t even get me started. When people mention Star Wars around me I’m known to go into a quote-reciting state of nerdom. I apologize in advance for any corney puns. That’s what Star Wars does to it’s fans though, immerse you into a world where good and evil is set in stone and it’s easy to know which side you’re on. It’s the perfect modern-day mythology. So why is it so damn hard to make a game for it? Some SW games have merit (Battlefront, KOTOR, and Rouge Sqaudron) others are embarrasing (Super Bombad Racing, Obi-Wan, and any portable title) but I think all fans can agree that even KOTOR and Battlefront have their flaws. Star Wars is practiclly made for videogames, yet we haven’t seen one that takes it to the next level.

Lucasarts and Petroglyph hope to change that with the highly anticipated Star Wars: Empire at War. EaW is another take on Star Wars gaming. Instead of the player wielding a lightsaber and becoming thier own one-Jedi wrecking crew you control entire armies. Petroglyph isn’t the first plunge into the Star Wars well and pull out a RTS game. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds was decent but felt so little like Star Wars it isn’t worth mentioning again. Empire at War on the other hand is trying to blend space and ground battles, keeping you in the SW experience. The controls are normal to RTS junkies with standard click-and-drag slection to pick your units. The game features three modes: Galactic Conquest, Campaign and Skirmish.

Galactic Conquest is the showcase mode. First, players must choose between a 5 or in a impressive 44 planet galaxy. Similar to Battlefront’s Galactic Conquest mode, the goal is to capture every planet until you have conquered the galaxy. Unlike Battlefront, the map is in real time so you must be fairly quick about how you go into battle. Playing Emperor with the planets isn’t easy, you also must watch your opponents moves and buy new supplies. This is a nice twist on the usually mundane Conquest modes found in other games. The galaxy map has a day and night system and everyday you collect money from the planets you’ve captured. Conquering a planet is not a simple task if a fleet is defending it, first you must take the battle to space. Select some bomber units, like the Y-wing, to take out the big ships while the other ships take down incoming fighters. Once a space fleet is destroyed you must take the battle to the ground.

Ground battles take a different view of traditional RTS games. Instead of just building up and going to attack the enemy forces, you must capture reinforcement points. At the beginning of a battle you start with a small number of reinforcements, or how many units you can have on the field at one time. Units include all infantry and vehicles like AT-ATs AT-STs. As you progress through the map you must capture reinforcement points in a king-of-the-hill type of way. Once a point is captured your unit limit will increase and a small perimeter will form around the captured point. Inside this perimeter is where new reinforcements will spawn. This is a unique approach that puts more skill and less luck into the normal RTS maps. Campaign games work the same way except you follow the story of your faction, like the creation of the Death Star. Heroes also join the battle, so be perpared to see Darth Vader open up a can of darkside on some Rebel scum. Skirmish is old school RTS-style: create a spacestation or army base, build up your army and go. It plays just like Age of Empires with stormtroopers.

Star Wars: Empire at War’s graphics are impressive, detailed terrain and impressive lighting when the time changes during battles. Battles are intense, a word that is seldom used in RTS games because of the speed and flow. EaW is shaping up to be one of the greatest Star Wars games ever. Lets hope my fellow Star Wars fans, I have faith. The force is strong in this one. Star Wars: Empire at War comes out next month.