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Coming Soon: Cradle of Rome 2
Cradle of Rome is one of my all-time favorite match three games. I played it for days and hours trying to get the last trophy and finish the 100th level. I never reached either goal. Alas, I had to move on as games needed to be played and reviewed.
Of course, I am excited about the upcoming release of Cradle of Rome 2, which is due out in the spring of 2010. Here’s a preview from Awem Studio:
Awem also posts its developer’s diary for those wanting details.
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Game du Jour: Week of 20 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 20th: 50% off on The Clockwork Man
Mon. December 21st: 45% off on Gemini Lost
Tue. December 22nd: 65% off on Nat Geo Adventure: Lost City of Z
Wed. December 23rd: 50% off on Little Shop – Memories
Thu. December 24th: 50% off on HdO Adventure: Secrets of the Vatican
Fri. December 25th: 65% off on Farm Frenzy 3
Sat. December 26th: 50% off on Zuma’s Revenge! – Adventure
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PC Game Review: Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
Anyone looking t
In England, you run into a snowstorm where you come across an abandoned car with a video camera just outside of Dire Grove. Naturally, you can’t help but become curious and investigate the four friends’ claim that the legend of Dire Grove is real. While you won’t see a big leap between this one and Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, it takes on a whole new story that comes together nicely with a satisfying ending. I wasn’t too happy with the ending Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst. Return to Ravenhearst is good, but it’s not a stand-alone story like Dire Grove.
Some scenes require you to find items that appear in the list — like in hidden object games, but then you’ll be rewarded with something you need for your travels. One of the strengths of the series is that you can go any place you wish. The only time “order” matters is when you need to find something before you can move forward. You’ll see sparkles appear in scenes, which indicate you need to explore the area.
I’m not a fan of horror films, so I can promise you that those who feel the same won’t have a problem with this one. The films only make up a part of the action and I’m grateful they came with closed-captions. When I first heard about the game and its use of video, I freaked because my experience has been that most things don’t come subtitled.
A couple of short phrases that didn’t have captions, but you can find out what was said with a little research. These little quotes aren’t detrimental to the story. Do pay attention to the videos because they give you clues that can help as does your casebook, which captures your notes of what you’ve seen. The film also has some jerky action, not too agreeable for this gal who gets dizzy easily.
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove is a superb game that will entertain you for a full day, a wonderful way to spend a winter day huddled around the computer and staying warm even though the most of the scenes are frozen.
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Game du Jour: Week of 27 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 27th: 50% off on Kino One
Mon. December 28th: 43% off on The Cake Mania Mega-Pack
Tue. December 29th: 65% off on Build It! Miami Beach Resort
Wed. December 30th: 65% off on Escape the Museum 2
Thu. December 31st: 45% off on Hotel Dash: Suite Success [My review]
Fri. January 1st: 50% off on Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery 5
Sat. January 2nd: 65% off on Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High
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DiRT 2 Review
DiRT 2, developed and published by Codemasters.
The Good: Improved driving physics, interesting racing modes, more exhaustive multiplayer features, GRID's rewind feature makes races less frustrating, slick presentation with appealing graphics
The Not So Good: Inconsequential damage, inconsistent AI
What say you? Enhanced in every area, this racing sequel is a far more complete product: 7/8
MY POORLY WRITTEN INTRODUCTION
I did not care for DiRT. Between the handling of the race cars that certainly fell on the arcade side of things, with completely unrealistic grip and braking, and the lame multiplayer features, there was certainly room for improvement. Say hello to improvement! DiRT 2 is the appropriately named sequel that continues Codemasters's's's crusade to control all racing games with four-letter names. Held out for three extra months to add shiny new DirectX 11 features that nobody will notice, this off-road racing game concerns itself primarily with rally (personal favorite), buggy, and truck adventures through the sands. Has the game done as a true sequel should?
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
DiRT 2 continues the trend of recent Codemasters racing titles by featuring some outstanding graphics. Every aspect of the graphics is top-notch, starting with the detailed and varied environments with lots of animated (and destructible) trackside objects. The crowd visually reacts when you get too close for comfort, and the background blend well with the exotic locales. There are also some nice lighting effects that impact the gameplay (shadows makes driving more difficult). Each of the game’s cars are detailed as well, although they respond a bit too dramatically to damage. The graphics package is surrounded by detailed texturing and nice special effects involving the water and sand you will be driving through/in/around/over. The slick menu transitions are a bit unnecessary, but they do give you something to look at during loading times. The sound design has also received some improvements, with less repetitive voice acting bits from the roster of real drivers lending their likenesses to the game. Your mentors calling you by name is an added bonus that adds to the overall immersion of the title. The cars also sound plausible enough while you are roaring around the track. Overall, the presentation in DiRT 2 has improved since the original game by an acceptable margin.
ET AL.
The first thing you'll notice when you start up DiRT 2 is that you need to have the disk in the drive. Sigh. This is why I almost prefer getting my press materials digitally. You also can't skip the opening movie sequences the first time you play; there's nothing like entering your first race before you've had the opportunity to change your controls or the graphics options. The single player game is the DIRT TOUR (capital letters makes it more EXTREME), where you complete a semi-linear series of events on your way to racing supremacy. Experience earned during races for finishing well or completing missions (for damaging objects, driving distance, passing, or drifting) are used to increase your level and unlock new tracks and venues at additional difficulty levels. DiRT 2 also has Games for Windows LIVE! achievements on top of the missions for no apparent reason whatsoever. You can also form relationships with other drivers that will produce one-on-one or timed challenges and team events to compete in.
DiRT 2 takes a couple of standard racing modes and adds a couple of innovative wrinkles. Traditional one-car rally and trailblazer (hill climb, basically the same thing) are present and accounted for, along with straight-up multi-car (usually eight) races in landrush or rally cross mode. You also get the last man standing mode, where the last place car is eliminated every once in a while. Additional and more interesting modes include raids, multi-car rally events with split routes and multiple paths, gate crasher, which gives you targets to hit during a rally race, and domination, which rewards points for the fastest times in each sector. This is a much more complete package and makes going through the career mode much less repetitive. Playing a race at a higher difficulty level decreases the amount of replays but rewards you with more cold, hard cash to use on new automobiles. Eventually, you'll advance to the X Games and earn notoriety among the fifteen people that watch the event worldwide. The menu system (which does not support a mouse...bah!) has a slick presentation that makes it easy to see events you've completed and with neat-o stats that display while loading, though it displays locked achievements in a clear act of mocking.
The multiplayer features of DiRT were, for lack of a better term, “crap.” Thankfully, DiRT 2 has actually become a real online racing game as you can now bump into other vehicles! Yes, all of the single player modes are available for your enjoyment over the wonders of the Internet. You can do this in ranked pro mode, where the magic of Games for Windows LIVE! matches you up with other drivers and randomly selects events that can be vetoed down. I do not like being prevented from selecting the opponents I want, as the matchmaking will always select the first server. You will supposedly be matched up with gamers with similar driving styles (meaning wreckers race against wreckers), but since the online populations are so low I ended up seeing the same people over and over again. Things open up in jam sessions, where you can customize the events at your discretion. I dislike the thirty-second time limit for last place finishers, especially since the online racers seem to only play DiRT 2 all the time and I always finish more than half a minute behind. Sigh. Still, multiplayer is significantly more interesting and complete this time around.
Track designs have also been improved. Gone are the wide open spaces of Colin McRae games of old, replaced by realistically narrow layouts with plenty of things to get in your way. You have to be on your toes in the world of DiRT 2, and the varied terrain and exotic locations makes for some visually stimulating racing. Each of the game's nine regions gets somewhere between ten and fifteen races each, except for Utah, because they suck. The cars are also much more realistic in their handling attributes: they brake more slowly and have less grip, almost like you are driving on dirt. Weird, I know! Trucks, buggies, rally cars, and Baja vehicles are all available with different ratings in top speed, acceleration, and handling for each of the different makes and models. You can also unlock additional liveries (paint schemes) and horns for your customizing enjoyment. Setup options are very basic: just five settings each for gear ratio, downforce, suspension, ride height, differential, and brake bias. But this is the type of game where fine-tuning your setup isn't your primary concern, so these limited options are not a concern.
The game's HUD does a good job keep you informed of your car's position, damage, and the distance left in the race in graphical form. I found that my usual viewing perspective, the driver camera, was far too restrictive despite a more immersive experience. Unfortunately, I found the behind and above view to be far more effective in seeing what's around and coming up. Feels like cheating, though. The AI provides a good challenge, although they are not terribly aggressive and won't usually pass you unless you make a mistake. They can also be quite inconsistent: they are much better at pack races than the rally events. The same issue plagued the first DiRT game, so maybe it's just me and my l33t rally skillz. A significant addition to DiRT 2 is the replay feature, borrowed/stolen from GRID. Anytime you royally mess up, you can enter the replay mode and choose any place within the past ten seconds to start from. It's a very nice feature and I don't think this is much of a “cheat,” since you are limited in the number of times to do it and you'd just press “reset” anyway in other racing games; it's just saving you time and/or money. It certainly makes playing DiRT 2 much less frustrating, as I would much rather re-drive five seconds than an entire three minute long race. You won't really need to restart because of damage, though, as DiRT 2 is very forgiving: you can run into many objects before receiving a scratch. This is fine, but I would still like to have the option to require more precise driving at higher difficulty levels that reward more experience points and cash.
IN CLOSING
DiRT 2 improves upon the original game in every area. The two primary areas of concern from before, the bare multiplayer features and the unrealistic driving model, have both undergone significant changes for the better. You can actually race against human opponents over the Internet in real time (like a real racing title!), and all of the wacky game modes from the single player campaign are available, from the precise gate crasher mode to points-based domination races. Of course, you can also engage in more classic rally races and more traditional eight-car events. The narrow, realistic tracks take place in varied environments that showcase the graphics well, from superb textures to exaggerated damage and watery special effects. The single player dirt tour unlocks new tracks and cars as you complete events: nothing innovative here. You can earn additional experience by completing missions (like driving a certain distance) in addition to simply finishing well, so there is always a chance to advance even if you aren't constantly winning. Most importantly, DiRT 2 has found a happy medium between hardcore simulation and generic arcade game: the cars actually drive like cars on dirt, instead of having instant-stop brakes and superb traction. This is certainly not a realistic game because of the heavy amount of damage you can receive before feeling any adverse effects, but it is fun and not trivial to do well in a race. Borrowing/stealing the flashback replay feature from GRID is a smart move: this greatly reduces the time and frustration associated with completing races. The AI can be a challenging opponent, but they aren't terribly aggressive and are inconsistent opponents. Still, those looking for a quality half sim, half arcade off-road racer won't be disappointed in DiRT 2.
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Game du Jour: Week of 27 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 27th: 50% off on Kino One
Mon. December 28th: 43% off on The Cake Mania Mega-Pack
Tue. December 29th: 65% off on Build It! Miami Beach Resort
Wed. December 30th: 65% off on Escape the Museum 2
Thu. December 31st: 45% off on Hotel Dash: Suite Success [My review]
Fri. January 1st: 50% off on Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery 5
Sat. January 2nd: 65% off on Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High
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PC Game Review: Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
Anyone looking t
In England, you run into a snowstorm where you come across an abandoned car with a video camera just outside of Dire Grove. Naturally, you can’t help but become curious and investigate the four friends’ claim that the legend of Dire Grove is real. While you won’t see a big leap between this one and Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, it takes on a whole new story that comes together nicely with a satisfying ending. I wasn’t too happy with the ending Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst. Return to Ravenhearst is good, but it’s not a stand-alone story like Dire Grove.
Some scenes require you to find items that appear in the list — like in hidden object games, but then you’ll be rewarded with something you need for your travels. One of the strengths of the series is that you can go any place you wish. The only time “order” matters is when you need to find something before you can move forward. You’ll see sparkles appear in scenes, which indicate you need to explore the area.
I’m not a fan of horror films, so I can promise you that those who feel the same won’t have a problem with this one. The films only make up a part of the action and I’m grateful they came with closed-captions. When I first heard about the game and its use of video, I freaked because my experience has been that most things don’t come subtitled.
A couple of short phrases that didn’t have captions, but you can find out what was said with a little research. These little quotes aren’t detrimental to the story. Do pay attention to the videos because they give you clues that can help as does your casebook, which captures your notes of what you’ve seen. The film also has some jerky action, not too agreeable for this gal who gets dizzy easily.
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove is a superb game that will entertain you for a full day, a wonderful way to spend a winter day huddled around the computer and staying warm even though the most of the scenes are frozen.
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Zombie Driver Review
Zombie Driver, developed by EXOR Studios and published by Akella.
The Good: Violent, car upgrades, simple controls
The Not So Good: Repetitive, limited to a linear single player story mode, annoying camera, disorienting city layout with no mini-map
What say you? About $10 worth of silly fun: 5/8
MY POORLY WRITTEN INTRODUCTION
While playing Left 4 Dead 2, it made me think: wouldn't it be easier just to drive through all the zombies? That’s what developers EXOR Studios thought, too, as Zombie Driver is just that: you drive through the zombies. The car-running-over-pedestrian game has been been done before, but replacing real people with the undead makes the carnage seem less offensive. That’s what we’ll tell the lawyers, anyway. Priced about half of a typical budget title, does Zombie Driver provide enough thrills to fulfill its reduced cost?
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Zombie Driver’s graphics quality is above its $10 price tag. The city has a nice level of detail, with plenty of fencing, houses, tanks, trains, and industrial centers to accidently run into on your way to the zombies. Zombie Driver uses the PhysX® engine to produce some® appealing destruction® along the way. The zombie destruction is pleasingly bloody, but since you are usually viewing the action from so far away, everything is usually just a simple red blob of redness. Unfortunately, Zombie Driver features a very annoying camera that I truly hate: it does not zoom in and out smoothly enough, and the height adjusts instantly when your speed changes: this becomes really disorienting when you are plowing through the zombie horde, as your view sickeningly goes in and out and in and out and in and out. You get used to it after a while, but initially Zombie Driver delivers some amount of motion sickness. The sound design is almost non-existent: there’s some music and the occasional crunching bones, but usually only simple car engine effects and weapon sounds dominate the game. Still, Zombie Driver delivers more graphical quality than its $10 price tag suggests.
ET AL.
In Zombie Driver, you are not a zombie driver: rather, you are a driver running over zombies. The game features only single-player action over seventeen missions; cooperative play is all the rage, especially with the zombie setting, but it is not available here. Each mission comes with primary and secondary objectives; the former involves typically driving to a house to pick up survivors and driving back to base. Secondary objectives are far more interesting, featuring stat-based goals like a time limit or a zombie death count. You must eliminate all of the zombies in the safe house area before you can pick up the survivors, and zombies are helpfully outlined in a bright red circle to easy pickings. Unfortunately, the missions are quite linear: although you can choose your particular path through the city to the objective locations, they don’t vary and the zombie concentrations are always the same. Since the single player game is on the short side (the seventeen missions only take a couple of hours), replay value is essentially non-existent with a lack of mission variety on subsequent replays. There are also no difficulty settings available; the game isn’t hard, but having additional options is always a nice feature.
Controls are typical for a driving game: WASD for moving and the keyboard or mouse for shooting. You’ll need to progress through each level without sustaining a high amount of damage, earned by having zombies bang on or throw things at your car. Pick-ups can be found scattered around the map (always in the same locations, though): repair, ammunition, and cash. Cash is also earned by running over zombies, and combo multipliers for even more cash can be earned by chaining together a bunch of kills. Cash is important because it is used for upgrading your sweet ride, which makes you a more efficient killing machine. Upgrades include improved armor, ramming power, and speed for your automobile; these upgrades do not carry over to other models you unlock, and since they are expensive, you’ll be “stuck” using one vehicle for most of the campaign. Your car can be outfitted with a number of different weapons: machine guns, a flamethrower, rockets, and a railgun. Unfortunately, all of these weapons come with a very limited supply of ammunition, so you will be using your front bumper most of the time. This significantly impacts the gameplay in a negative manner, making Zombie Driver far too repetitive than it should be. The large city location could reduce the repetition somewhat, since each mission has you travelling to another portion of the urban area, but the lack of a mini-map and a disorienting layout makes for some less than appealing gameplay. I get lost a lot and run into static objects as the roads curve in unpredictable ways; the train tracks near your base are the worst offender. The locations you need to reach are indicated on the side of the screen, but there is no navigation arrow (like in Grand Theft Auto) to assist with actually getting there in a timely manner. Because of the confusing city layout and abbreviated weapon use, Zombie Driver becomes too frustrating and too repetitive to fully recommend it, even at a cheap price.
IN CLOSING
What’s to be expected for $10? Zombie Driver does let you run over zombies, so on that simple level the game succeeds. But, of course, there is a good amount of repetition, as all you’ll be doing is running over zombies. You are allowed to make upgrades and given some weapons, but the ammunition supply is so small that you can only really use them when taking on large groups near objectives. The game’s seventeen-mission campaign takes place over the same city, just with different locations. There is no mini-map, so you will commonly run into things and get turned around, wasting precious seconds, as the town layout is anything but intuitive. Zombie Driver is also limited to single player combat, so there is no cooperative fun to be had here. The game is fun for a little while, but the combat is repetitive and the strategies are few, since all you can really do is run over things, which takes no strategy whatsoever. The advantages of Zombie Driver, like the graphics and enjoyable carnage, balance the disadvantages, the camera and repetitive combat, so it’s difficult to say whether Zombie Driver is right for you. Please, consult your physician.
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Awesome Soccer Review
Awesome Soccer, developed and published by Red27 Studios.
The Good: Simple controls make it easy to bend shots, many teams with real players, custom tournaments, formation and team editors
The Not So Good: Terribly imprecise one-button controls are too simplistic, frantic game speed, no online multiplayer, low resolution graphics
What say you? Your basic arcade soccer game: 5/8
MY POORLY WRITTEN INTRODUCTION
With the World Cup field set, it's now time for SOCCER FEVER (this term must always be displayed using all capital letters). It's like swine flu, but sweatier and with more goals. With interest in the world's most popular sport increasing with every passing hour, it's about time for a flurry of soccer related software to come storming in, hoping to cash in on the fervor. Enter Awesome Soccer, a modestly titled arcade football game that uses the proper name for the sport. How will this soccer product differentiate itself from the tons of other soccer games available for the personal computer, the grandest of all gaming platforms?
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Awesome Soccer features some very basic graphics, as you might expect of a game that's offered for a sub-budget price tag. The game displays the field from the classic almost-overhead perspective, using the game player model for all participants. The animations are poor and do not invoke any sense of realism. There are a couple of goal celebrations, but that is the limit of variety here. The pitch is a simple mowed green that is used for all venues. There are no weather or lighting effects that I saw during gameplay. The highest game resolution that was functional on my computer was 1024x768, and you can only play the game in full-screen because of performance reasons (so I am told). The sound design is also elementary: some occasional crowd songs, game effects like whistles and tackles, and menu music. In terms of graphics and sound, you get what you pay for.
ET AL.
Awesome Soccer features a typical assortment of soccer game modes: quick games with automatically selected teams, friendlies using more customized options, and tournaments for more seasonal action. You can use one of the pre-set tournament formats or create your own, customizing the teams, divisions, and schedule, even going so far as to select randomly chosen teams: a neat feature. Awesome Soccer has replicas of teams from all of the major leagues: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Scottish, Spanish, American, Euro Cup, and countries for international play. There isn’t a display for overall team quality, even though the players have individual ratings. Speaking of the players, Awesome Soccer actually uses the real athletes: a significant feat considering the sheer number of teams included in the game. Awesome Soccer does not have online multiplayer, although you can play against someone else on the same computer. Achievements can be earned for completing certain tasks (like scoring a goal or winning by a specified score), but they do not unlock anything extra. Awesome Soccer is available for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems: a plus. Finally, all of the teams and players can be edited using a program included with the game, in additional to coming up with new formations to dominate the competition with.
The control scheme is designed around using a keyboard, which makes it simple and also explains its significant limitations. You’ll only ever use the four directional keys and one button to do everything. The in-game tutorial explains the nuances of the controls, but they are very easy to pick up: tap the button to pass or tackle and hold to shoot. More “advanced” controls include bending a shot using the directional keys and quickly reversing direction to initiate a lob pass. This compromise makes it very easy to learn how to play Awesome Soccer but it also causes a lot of unintentional actions, specifically regarding the lob passes. You are also unable to make precise movements as you can only travel in eight directions: this makes the players look like robots and perform with no feeling of momentum. There also isn’t a change in the control indicator (changing players is done automatically on defense) if you posses the ball, leading to some additional confusion. The game’s really fast pace doesn’t help matters, either: the frantic nature of Awesome Soccer makes it difficult to keep track of what’s going on, and one wrong command can easily lead to defeat. The AI is a decent competitor at the highest difficulty setting; at lower settings, they generally just stand there (obviously making the game much easier). Whether Awesome Soccer will appeal to you depends on whether the limited control scheme is an issue; for me, it’s a definite weakness.
IN CLOSING
Awesome Soccer has the potential to be a decent soccer title, but the simplified control scheme works to the game’s advantage and disadvantage. On the plus side, it makes Awesome Soccer extremely easy to learn and control, since one button is used for all game actions. On the negative side, the controls are imprecise at best, and unintended actions are completed all of the time: lobbing the ball when you simply wanted to change direction, passing instead of shooting, et cetera. The directional controls only allow for movement in eight directions, which results in some strange-looking and limited gameplay. The game does have a decent amount of features, with teams from all of the major leagues around the world and the actual players (with ratings) in each team, whom can be altered using the team and formation editors. While Awesome Soccer does offer customizable tournaments, the game lacks online multiplayer; you will be playing against the AI, which, on the highest difficulty level, provides decent enough competition. Still, the soccer of Awesome Soccer seems much more stiff than other indie soccer titles, due mainly to the control scheme. The fast pace of the game does not help matters, as one wrong move will doom your team to last place. Still, for only $15, you get an arcade soccer title that will hold your attention for at least a little bit, assuming you are less critical of the controls than I am.
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Game du Jour: Week of 20 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 20th: 50% off on The Clockwork Man
Mon. December 21st: 45% off on Gemini Lost
Tue. December 22nd: 65% off on Nat Geo Adventure: Lost City of Z
Wed. December 23rd: 50% off on Little Shop – Memories
Thu. December 24th: 50% off on HdO Adventure: Secrets of the Vatican
Fri. December 25th: 65% off on Farm Frenzy 3
Sat. December 26th: 50% off on Zuma’s Revenge! – Adventure
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Games on Sale for Holidays
Save 50% on all downloadable Mac Games from PopCap.com
Five Cake Mania Games for $19.99.
10 Reflexive Games for $54.99.
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Europa Universalis III: Heir to the Throne Review
Europa Universalis III: Heir to the Throne, developed and published by Paradox Interactive.
The Good: Specific war goals, more definitive battle results, enhanced dynasties with ruler legitimacy and lines of succession, HRE has more powers, no more silly bribing of cardinals for Papal control, spheres of influence for regional authority, trade leagues, national focus for increased benefits, improved AI uses diplomacy and military more aggressively, tweaked interface, explorable permanent terra incognita
The Not So Good: Too much freedom in recruiting new advisors, magistrates spawn too often resulting in decision spam, no decisions for the Papal Controller
What say you? The grand strategy series finishes (probably) with a must-have expansion: 8/8
MY POORLY WRITTEN INTRODUCTION
After the release of the In Nomine expansion for Europa Universalis III, the “Complete” version of the product became available, which includes the base game and both expansions. Now, you would think that the “Complete” version of a game would be, you know, “complete.” Not so fast! Paradox Interactive has decided that Europa Universalis III is not yet complete enough (and that they want some more money) and commissioned the (possibly) final expansion, entitled Heir to the Throne. Significant changes include royal dynasties (hence the title) and more definite war declarations, along with the usual assortment of more minor tweaks and enhancements. Do players of Europa Universalis III need to fork over some more cash? Yeah, pretty much.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
While this expansion does not obvious overhaul the graphics engine of Europa Universalis III, Heir to the Throne does make some minor changes to the map’s appearance and the interface in general. First, there are some slight improvements in the land and sea textures, although since most people play with one of the colored map modes on, I doubt many will witness this. You do get three more map modes to ascertain rebel revolt, national influence, and colonial range more efficiently. There are also some modified starting conditions to be more historically accurate, and a handful of new countries (most notably Jerusalem) added to the mix. Finally, there are shiny new gold selection buttons (not made of real gold). The interface has gotten some new pieces as well: a list of all modifiers currently in use, unit detail on the military screen, and additional alerts for military upgrades and disputed royal successions in other countries. All of these new features are right along the lines of what I would expect in an expansion, so no complaints here.
ET AL.
The new shiny shininess of Europa Universalis III: Heir to the Throne will be discussed in order of importance as determined by the ultimate authority: me. I'm only egocentric because I'm so awesome! First up is the vastly expanded casus belli system. Before Heir to the Throne, wars were fought without specific objectives, so once you took all of the provinces, you could get anything you wanted. Well no longer! Now, there are thirty (thirty!) precise war declarations, each with cause-specific terms of peace. For example, a “cancelled loan” casus belli gives you double prestige and half infamy for asking for money in a peace treaty, and a “colonialism” nets a quarter of the infamy and half the cost for requesting overseas provinces. There’s a complete list here; basically any reason to go to war is included. The system makes so much sense, and wars are less generic now. Honestly, I would like to see an even more severe penalty for going away from the initial terms of the war (particularly annexing provinces when the casus belli had nothing to do with conquest), but this is something that could be easily modified in the extensive text files. Related to the new casus belli options are longer battles: there are now two phases of combat at a minimum, which results in more definitive battles and less bouncing of units from province to province. Typically, two battles is all it takes to eliminate any size army; the annoying protracted battles of Europa Universalis III finally seem to have gone away. The side effect is that you need to recruit new units much more often, rather than relying on reinforcement. This does create more micromanagement, but I’m willing to give up some automation for a better battle system.
The namesake of Heir to the Throne is the new dynasty model, which adds a couple of new enhancements to kings and queens. Succession (who gets the throne when the current monarch dies) is more detailed: you have legal heirs that will inherit the throne (children of the monarch first, followed by family members). These heirs can inconveniently die, opening the door for less legitimate rulers; there can be a disputed succession if their claim on the throne is not strong enough. If royal marriages are involved, other nations can actually inherit the throne; this is where the danger lies in improving your relations through the use of royal marriages. It is important to keep your prestige high to be first in line for a personal union. A more manual approach to ownership is to claim the throne of another nation, granting one of those new casus belli and allowing you to form a personal union where you reap all of the monetary benefits of owning a country without actually having to run it. Countries can also share bloodlines forming a dynasty, where the same family has rulers in multiple nations; this tends to improve relations. The new dynasty elements are nice, but they do not impact your day-to-day empire like other improvements in Heir to the Throne do: you only notice the new features when your king or queen dies, although you can position yourself for a peaceful annexation through inheritance using diplomatic means.
Heir to the Throne has also changed how advisors can be hired. Before, potential cabinet members were semi-randomly born in your country, and you could hire them to your three-person court. Now, you can use cultural tradition, earned through certain buildings and decisions, to hire quality men to help lead your country. You can choose from any of the thirty-six advisor types, as long as you have the very minimal tradition requirements. Because of this, there is a high degree of freedom in choosing the exact advisor that’s right for you. Less luck is involved, but I feel that you are given too much freedom: I would much rather have to choose from a pool of, say, ten candidates, instead of having access to the entire roster of advisors. Of course, the AI countries have the same options, so everyone benefits from the imbalance. Advisors are still “born” in your nation the traditional way, but the access to high-quality advisors makes the bonuses much more important.
The Holy Roman Emperor gets some more powers. Imperial authority, earned by helping out member nations, can be spent on reforms, improving relations with members, or granting casus belli against non-members who intrude your exclusive club. While the Emperor gets all these fancy new reforms, the Papal Controller gets…nothing. It’s kind of a letdown that the Papacy only has the powers of excommunication and crusades when you consider all of the other new tidbits in Heir to the Throne. Well, maybe next expansion (ha ha, I think). What Heir to the Throne has done for the Papacy is eliminated bribing cardinals: now, your probability of having a cardinal represent your country is dependent on following Catholic-like policies (narrowminded policy, namely) and being friendly with the Papal State. Less micromanagement equals good.
Guarantees are useful little declarations that allow you to declare war on any country that declares war on the country you guaranteed (huh?). But what if the bad country merely does a spy or diplomatic action against your little buddy? Say “hello” to sphere of influence! You can now spend prestige to expand your influence, allowing you to gain a casus belli on any country who messes with one of your dependents. You can only select those countries with a less significant military and economy that are close enough to your country, but this is a nice, somewhat automated way of declaring war against other superpowers that get a bit too brazen. Speaking of prestige, it now takes a more significant role in the game thanks to the spheres of influence. You can also earn more prestige thanks to more specific peace treaties, and it seems to decay more slowly, keeping more powerful countries large and in charge.
Monarchies don’t get all of the fun, as trade leagues are added for merchant republic to finagle. Now there is something for everyone! Except for tribes: they suck. In a trade league, there is no competition among members and all business is directed through the league center of trade. The result is a lot more income for all, since the income of the center of trade can be much larger, encompassing regions that would have normally been outside of the range. Nations can request that specific goods be traded through a center of trade instead of having all goods, if a trade league is out of the question. These expanded options result in more interesting trade, as nations fight for control of the world’s economy.
Heir to the Throne lets you define a national focus, which provides positive bonuses (tax, colonial, growth, missionary, revolt) to any province. You can switch it once every twenty-five years, and it’s useful for growing colonies and making your neighbors angry by placing it on a border. The importance of this feature is not very high, though, as the bonuses are generally minimal and the frequency you can change it is low.
Instead of just declaring decisions left and right, Heir to the Throne makes you use magistrates. This tends to slow down the use of provincial and national decisions, although the high number of magistrates you get really makes the use of them silly: you can almost constantly spam decisions and pretty much execute all of the decisions you need in every province anyway, if you are a large enough country. In fact, some decisions make more magistrates, further expanding the oversaturation. Personally, I'd like to see the frequency of magistrates to be halved (which, of course, I could easily modify in two seconds if I wanted). Also, the province decision ledger page should be better organized: using a single number for the same decision would be very helpful (like all “embassies” are decision #1), instead of displaying them in some semi-random order.
OK, we’re almost done. You can waste your time exploring permanent terra incognita, as Heir to the Throne adds wastelands that can’t be colonized; dedicated players will have memorized all of the permanent terra incognita zones anyway, so this is a superfluous new feature. Trade winds provide faster movement (and greater colonial range) through certain sea provinces, which is supposed to produce more historically-accurate colonization; the results are essentially invisible. Pirates require less micromanagement as a fleet in a port will automatically scout the surrounding sea provinces without being told to do so: I like it. Finally (whew!), the AI has been noticeably improved: they are smarter with diplomatic actions, being more active and more aggressive when the opportunity arises. This means you can’t be as isolationist as in previous versions of the game. I think it’s still impressive you can actually play this intricate game with and against the AI, considering the ever-increasing complexity of the series.
IN CLOSING
Simply put, if you have Europa Universalis III, you need Heir to the Throne. I mean, look at the length of this review…for an expansion! That alone should tell you that there is a lot of new stuff! The changes introduced here all alter the gameplay for the better, and are significant enough to clearly justify $20. Heck, downloadable content (all the rage) usually introduces a couple of needless maps for $10, so Heir to the Throne is definitely worth the investment. Why, you ask? Most significant is the addition of thirty specific casus belli; these give a real nice objective for each war, other than generic “capture provinces” and whatever other demands you can squeeze out of your war score. Battles are also more decisive thanks to increased minimum length; you will have to spend a lot more money building new troops during and after a war instead of simply reinforcing existing units. The dynasty model is a nice touch, adding more detail to what happens when a monarch dies. You don't really notice it until a leader dies, though, so it does not impact normal gameplay too much. Merchant republics get trade leagues instead of ruler succession, as a way to band together with allies and make fat stacks of cash. Specific advisors can be recruited, utilizing a more directed and less random approach to country-wide bonuses. It seems a bit unfair to be able to say what kinds of people are born in your country, but since every nation has this ability, I guess everyone benefits equally. Controlling the Holy Roman Empire has gotten more interesting with empire-wide edicts, though the Papacy is the same minus bribing for cardinals. You can gain a precious casus belli for any country under your sphere of influence (a use for prestige) and define a national focus for increased bonuses. Magistrates are now required for national and regional decisions, permanent terra incognita can be explored but not settled, and guarding against pirates is easier as fleets have a larger scouting influence. Finally, the AI is improved yet again, providing a much more active and aggressive foe, both in combat and in diplomacy: thumbs up. Most of my admittedly minor game balance complaints listed up in the header (advisors, magistrates) are personal preferences that could be easily modified in the game's extensive text files given a minute or two, so I frankly can't justify taking points off for them. In the end, Heir to the Throne adds a litany of features that easily justifies another expansion, one that any fan of the Europa Universalis series will appreciate.
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Game du Jour: Week of 29 November 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. November 29th: 65% off on Dream Sleuth
Mon. November 30th: 65% off on Science Girls!
Tue. December 1st: 65% off on Save Our Spirit
Wed. December 2nd: 50% off on Delicious: Emily’s Taste of Fame
Thu. December 3rd: 65% off on Season Match 2
Fri. December 4th: 60% off on Mysterious City: Vegas
Sat. December 5th: 65% off on Real Crimes: Jack the Ripper
PC Game Review: Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal
Valerie starts her job with the local newspaper. Even though a female is a star reporter there, she paid her dues, and she’s no ally of Valerie’s. Valerie ends up in plenty of hot water as she pokes her nose where it doesn’t belong. She digs deep into the case involving a famous starlet, the mayor, the chief of police, a boxer and a director.
In the search for the truth, Valerie schleps around town visiting police station, mayor’s office, the gin joint, her apartment and other spots. She’ll study the scenes for clues that appear in the list of things to find. A lot of them, however, have nothing to do with the story. The game also tries to make the object finding harder by describing items instead of giving you their names, such as “hand warmer” for gloves and “cuts things” for scissors. If an item’s name or description perplexes you, click it to see its silhouette.
You’ll also search for two batteries in every scene to receive additional hints as well as 100 bells. When using up a hint, you still have to wait for the light bulb to fill back up before you can use another. If you don’t find all 100 bells by the end of the game, you’re out of luck unless you have the patience of Job and can replay the entire thing.
Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal lets you feel like a reporter as Valerie types up stories with your help. The typewriter enters a few words, and then you select the word or phrase — from a list — that should come next in the story. Once you finish the story, you set the headline filling in the blank slots with the metal plates like they did in the old days. So pay attention to the story or else you’ll end up guessing the words until you get them right. What a clever way to ensure you follow the story.
When you have interactive conversations with the suspects and city officials, sometimes you’ll need to figure out the next line for Valerie to say. Rather than guessing, you have a puzzle where you trace the “correct” answer to the right statement by following the curvy lines. It’s a nice way to involve the player in the dialogue. You also do word searches based on conversations you’ve had and other mini-games. Most of the mini-games do repeat, but at least it’s not to the point where it becomes tedious or monotonous.
You revisit scenes and see the same objects when you revisit, but you rarely (if ever) have to find the same objects you’ve found before.
The scenes reflect the culture and design of the 1920s with gorgeous graphics with a touch of art deco. Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal is an excellent production that’s a pleasure to play. While not without a few annoyances, Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal keeps you captivated through all aspects of the game — something few games manage to do.
Download and try the game from your favorite site:
Big Fish Games
Playfirst
FTC Discalimer: Copy received from publisher.
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Coming Soon: Gotcha: Celebrity Secrets
Gotcha puts you in the shoes of Gaby, a green but intrepid celebrity blogger, on a mission to uncover the juiciest gossip. Instead of searching for objects, players search for people. Plays hunt for special informants bursting with potential news at jet set events, jam-packed parties and red carpet galas. Gaby tries to unearth the details surrounding celebrity secrets like hush hush nuptials, new nip and tuck surgeries, who is having who’s baby (and what is it named?) and more. Locating these influential insiders is no easy task, as players need to scour over 40 crowded scenes throughout town.
Players will also face unique Tinsel Town challenges as they hunt for gossip, such as maneuvering past security guards, moving limos and crowd-clogging confetti. And of course, players will need to contend with camera-shy personas who don’t want Gaby digging up their secrets. A collection of all-new mini-games challenge sleuths to piece together clues from informants, leading to salacious stories about the most sought-after personas in the biz.
Gotcha will have players looking for over 1,000 different characters, ranging from crazy and cool, to everything in between, each with a one-of-kind take on Hollywood. All of which ends up on Gaby’s celebrity blog, which players can customize with an array of styles and upgrades. Player’s will dish on the hottest happenings at venues including a Night Club, Airport, Charity Functions, Reality Shows and more. Players will turn the town over looking for spicy rumors, gossip and more on their way to the top of the celebrity blogosphere.
Watch for the game on Playfirst.
Game du Jour: Week of 6 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 6th: 65% off on Aztec Tribe
Mon. December 7th: 50% off on Posh Boutique 2
Tue. December 8th: 65% off on Fishdom: Frosty Splash
Wed. December 9th: 60% off on Coconut Queen
Thu. December 10th: 65% off on Masters of Mystery: Blood of Betrayal
Fri. December 11th: 50% off on Bookworm Adventures: Astounding Planet
Sat. December 12th: 65% off on Find Your Own Way Home
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Game du Jour: Week of 13 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 13th: 50% off on Super Jigsaw Puppies
Mon. December 14th: 65% off on Westward IV: All Aboard
Tue. December 15th: 50% off on Mystery P.I. – Lost in Los Angeles
Wed. December 16th: 65% off on The Treasures of Montezuma 2
Thu. December 17th: 45% off on Avenue Flo
Fri. December 18th: 65% off on 1912 Titanic Mystery
Sat. December 19th: 65% off on Hostile Makeover
PC Game Review: Hotel Dash – Suite Success
Like a typical dash game, Hotel Dash: Suite Success includes five hotels with ten levels each in its story mode. Lots of upgrades, of course, are available so you can renovate the hotels and the rooms raising their star level from zero to three stars. You collect stars when customers leave the room happy. If the room has two stars, you get two stars every time a customer leaves. In other words, if occupy a two-star room twice, you’ll earn four stars that go toward decorating the VIP rooms that exist in every hotel. The opportunity to redecorate the VIP rooms comes at the end of a level.
Guests come with single-color outfits. If you match them with the color on the door, you get bonus bucks. To reach the guests rooms, everyone takes the elevators and Flo is first in line. She starts out carrying the suitcases herself, but she can upgrade to carts so she could eventually carry up to six bags in one set. It gets frenzied when you have Flo riding the elevator to get where she needs to go and sometimes she has to take two elevators. After a while, you become used to it and figure out the different customer preferences.
Hotel Dash: Suite Success customers have unique traits. One brings a dog, another brings six bags (!!), the honeymooners ask for pillows, the lumberjack-looking dudes always request room service twice, the celebrity whose bodyguards block the hallway and so on. Their tolerance for patience also varies. The professional woman has little patience while the bookworm has more patience. Clowns are very clumsy that Flo needs to be ready to come after them with a mop.
Some people won’t feel challenged in Hotel Dash: Suite Success as it’s one of the easier games in the dash series. You can’t help but want to complete the story mode. Those who like endless mode will be challenged plenty. I never play those as they don’t sit well with my stomach, but expert players will appreciate the challenge.
The biggest irritation was the game crashing. I have a newish laptop with a good graphics card. Nonetheless, the graphics are worth it as they’re the same high quality cartoon style most of us love in Playfirst games. And of course, the story has humor and comes together nicely, for the most part.
Download the game from your favorite site:
Big Fish Games
PlayFirst
FTC Discalimer: Copy received from publisher.
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Coming Soon: Gotcha: Celebrity Secrets
Gotcha puts you in the shoes of Gaby, a green but intrepid celebrity blogger, on a mission to uncover the juiciest gossip. Instead of searching for objects, players search for people. Plays hunt for special informants bursting with potential news at jet set events, jam-packed parties and red carpet galas. Gaby tries to unearth the details surrounding celebrity secrets like hush hush nuptials, new nip and tuck surgeries, who is having who’s baby (and what is it named?) and more. Locating these influential insiders is no easy task, as players need to scour over 40 crowded scenes throughout town.
Players will also face unique Tinsel Town challenges as they hunt for gossip, such as maneuvering past security guards, moving limos and crowd-clogging confetti. And of course, players will need to contend with camera-shy personas who don’t want Gaby digging up their secrets. A collection of all-new mini-games challenge sleuths to piece together clues from informants, leading to salacious stories about the most sought-after personas in the biz.
Gotcha will have players looking for over 1,000 different characters, ranging from crazy and cool, to everything in between, each with a one-of-kind take on Hollywood. All of which ends up on Gaby’s celebrity blog, which players can customize with an array of styles and upgrades. Player’s will dish on the hottest happenings at venues including a Night Club, Airport, Charity Functions, Reality Shows and more. Players will turn the town over looking for spicy rumors, gossip and more on their way to the top of the celebrity blogosphere.
Watch for the game on Playfirst.
Game du Jour: Week of 6 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 6th: 65% off on Aztec Tribe
Mon. December 7th: 50% off on Posh Boutique 2
Tue. December 8th: 65% off on Fishdom: Frosty Splash
Wed. December 9th: 60% off on Coconut Queen
Thu. December 10th: 65% off on Masters of Mystery: Blood of Betrayal
Fri. December 11th: 50% off on Bookworm Adventures: Astounding Planet
Sat. December 12th: 65% off on Find Your Own Way Home
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Armada 2526 Review
Armada 2526, developed by Ntronium Games and published by Matrix Games.
The Good: Varied races to choose from with diverse victory conditions, informative user interface, huge randomized maps, optional computer control of colonies, decent AI opponents
The Not So Good: Offers no drastic gameplay innovation, bland real-time combat, uninspired research, generic diplomatic options, no online multiplayer, brief tutorial
What say you? An introductory 4X space strategy game that lacks the “hook” of more robust offerings: 5/8
MY POORLY WRITTEN INTRODUCTION
The space 4X strategy genre is certainly in the midst of a renaissance (that's French for “baguette”). Just look at all the quality titles of late: Sins of a Solar Empire, Galactic Civilizations II, Sword of the Stars. Competitors such as Space Empires V, Supernova 2: Spacewar, and Lost Empire (not to mention any of the games I haven't personally reviewed) have struggled to find a place within the increasingly crowded genre. Well, add another game to the mix with Armada 2526, from a developer of the Total War series of games. Hey, that pedigree should be enough to check out this new entry, so let's do just that!
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
The graphics of Armada 2526 are just OK. The game is presented in top-down 2-D, both on the main star map and during the tactical battles, and the results are underwhelming. In a setting that prides itself on stunning visuals, Armada 2526 comes up short. The background is a drab black and the ship models, though varied, do no contain much detail. The planets and stars are typically small glowing orbs that lack fine detail. The battles do involve some lasers and explosions, but nothing that compares to the pure carnage of Gratuitous Space Battles (also a 2-D game). Armada 2526 does have animated 3-D portraits of all the alien races, but they are nothing above the quality found in Galactic Civilizations II. Armada 2526 is best comparable to Weird Worlds, and this game actually looks less spectacular (at least the map does) than that four-year-old title. The sound design is very predictable and quite basic: just some simple battle effects, notification alerts, and suitable background music. Armada 2526 certainly looks like a wargame in space with its simple graphics.
ET AL.
In Armada 2526, victory is attained by having the most victory points when time runs out (arbitrarily set when the game is created). Your victory conditions will change depending on which race you have chosen; this is a really neat feature, as some races will focus on happiness, others population, and others technology (plus more variations). It’s probably the best aspect of the game, and it results in some very interesting gameplay since players will all be attempting different goals. Alien races also come with a large number of starting bonuses (or penalties), like poor research or varied behaviors (such as warlike). You need to take advantage of your strengths, which can be difficult since I can’t find where your starting bonuses are listed in-game. Custom games can support up to twelve players and you can set the game length, difficulty level, and map attributes. Armada 2526 supports some really huge maps of any size, as long as your processor can handle them, since you can freely input any dimensions for the galaxy. If randomized maps are not your thing, Armada 2526 also comes with a map designer for a more planned feel. Newcomers will find a brief but effective tutorial and a starter scenario to give you time to grow before being attacked by those pesky extraterrestrials. Sadly, Armada 2526 does not feature multiplayer other than same-computer hot-seat action, an odd shortcoming for a turn-based game.
The second-best aspect of Armada 2526 is the user interface: it gives easily accessible information through a couple of key features. The first is the advisor, which gives helpful information on star colonization (suggesting which newly-scouted stars are good candidates) and other in-game actions. The list view displays all of your fleets (location and current action) and colonies (population, construction orders) in a handy location; this makes managing a large, sprawling empire actually possible. The game’s reports don’t give the amount of economic detail I desire (you need to visit individual planets for that information), but the tool-tips are useful to determine how star attributes will affect colonies. Movement in the game is restricted to between stars only (similar to Sins of a Solar Empire) initially; orders are executed by left-clicking a star and right-clicking a destination, then selecting which ships you want to travel. This method makes it easier to select a specific composition of craft than the usually box-selecting method employed in other strategy games. The restriction of movement also makes travel more predictable and easier to manage overall. Units can be instructed to repeat orders (useful for shuttling cargo between systems) as well. There is one caveat, however: you have to actually issue a move order before you see which ships are at a particular star. This is a minor annoyance, however, as the remainder of the interface is quite excellent.
The first step in any 4X game is to expand (although shouldn’t they be “4E” games, since all of the terms start with “E” and not “X”?). Founding colonies is done through an ark ship, sent to neutral worlds and colonized with a simple click. While the population will increase slowly on its own, it is important to shuttle transports full of citizens back and forth (relatively easy to do thanks to the “repeat” function) in order to increase the population, and your tax income, more quickly. You will need to manage each of your colonies in several aspects: income from taxes, structure and ship upkeep expenses, happiness (affected by pollution from industry), popularity (affected by native population, tax rate and empire size), security (used to counter low happiness and popularity), population growth, and biologic infections. This is done mainly by setting the tax rate and constructing buildings, like mines, research labs, entertainment, security, and planetary defense. Unlike most 4X games, you most certainly do not want to max out your construction slots because you will not be able to afford the upkeep; this counter-intuitiveness is not clearly explained in the tutorial or manual, and it’s only after your first game or two wallowing in debt that you realize that restraint is the best option. Once available planets are fully colonized, it’s time to invade. Once you destroy the enemy forces, you have a variety of ways of dealing with the native population: you can simply take it over (but have to deal with unhappiness), exterminate the natives, loot the economy, spread a plague, or cause massive damage. While having all of these options are nice and all, they are superficial decisions that really just hinge on whether the colony is profitable or not.
Before you go around blowing stuff up, you’ll have to entertain some diplomatic action. The diplomacy in Armada 2526 is basic: non-aggression treaties (for a number of turns) and the exchange of money, technology, map information, buildings, and colonies. The game shows the balance of each agreement, although this does not necessarily mean your partner will agree to an arrangement. The AI is a sporadic negotiator, offering some insane counter-offers involving inflated amounts of cash in exchange for simple technologies. Speaking of technologies, there are seven fields to choose from, like weapons, defense, information, and biological. You can research one technology in each field at a time, and you can adjust the funding level of each field in accordance to your goals. The game has a linear technology tree that is generally the same (save for some unique high-level techs) for each race. The only original aspect of the technology model is the skunkworks: it’s faster, but it produces a random technology that you might already be researching. Other than that, though, research is nothing we haven’t seen before.
Armada 2526 features a decent selection of ships, from small and fast scouts, to medium corvettes, to powerful destroyers, to massive dreadnaughts and carriers. The selection in not as varied as you would like, however, because there is no ship design or custom parts available through research. In fact, all of the races have the same ships, except for some super ships at the top of the tech tree. Partly because of this, combat in Armada 2526 is a drab affair where the side with the most ships wins. The real-time battles are really disappointing, as you are only given simple move/attack commands and formations; there is nothing tactically interesting about it. Once you have selected your ships, it’s all over but the cryin’. The battles have a timer and there is one interesting formation to choose from (the rotating circle of the caracole), but with no cover, no obstacles, and no map variations, you’ll be resorting to automated combat most of the time. The AI of Armada 2526 provides decent competition, although it is generally not too aggressive and its diplomatic skills could be improved. The game is easy if you have defensive victory conditions; most races (apart from the couple of aggressive ones) will leave you alone, even if you have a significant lead in victory points. Since you can only play against the AI, it simply does not provide enough long-term challenge to make Armada 2526 a recommended 4X strategy title.
IN CLOSING
Armada 2526 has two good things going for it: the user interface and varied alien races. Other than that, though, it’s a generic space 4X title, and in order to become a notable game in this competitive and oversaturated genre, you need more. The map options are nice, as you can create a game world as large as your computer can handle. The alien races are also quite distinct and offer different strategies for victory with a wide range of starting bonuses and victory conditions. The AI is a competent opponent, and since Armada 2526 lacks any multiplayer offerings other than simple hot-seat contests on the same machine, you’ll be playing exclusively against the computer. The interface is excellent, providing easily accessible information on all your colonies and ships, a helpful advisor, and tool-tips to aid in colonization. Managing your colonies can be quite difficult as Armada 2526 does not want you to build, build, build: you need to pace yourself or you will soon become broke as pollution from industry causes widespread turmoil. The diplomacy and research aspects of the game are generic, offering nothing new other than the faster-but-random skunkworks technology group. The real-time battles are very simplistic: there are no obstacles or terrain to use for a tactical advantage, which makes Armada 2526 simply a test of who has the best and most numerous ships. In the end, Armada 2526 is just another space 4X strategy game that places behind genre leaders Sins of a Solar Empire, Galactic Civilizations II, and Sword of the Stars.
Classic Car Racing Review
Classic Car Racing, developed by Xbow Software and published by 1C Company on Gamer’s Gate.
The Good: Pleasing relaxed simulation driving, aggressive but fallible opponents are fun to compete against, a number of cars and tracks, graphics aren't terrible
The Not So Good: No multiplayer, doesn't take long to unlock everything, a bit overpriced
What say you? Solid driving physics and human-like AI highlight this racing game: 6/8
MY POORLY WRITTEN INTRODUCTION
Go grease lightning, you’re burning up the quarter mile. Grease lightning, go grease lightning. Go grease lightning, you’re coasting through the heat lap trial. Go grease lightning, go grease lightning. As I am getting sued by Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement, please enjoy this review of Classic Car Racing, a game inspired by those more innocent times when men were men and women wore poodle skirts, possible made from poodles.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
The graphics of Classic Car Racing are actually not bad, which was a shock to me. While the environments are repetitive (the races take place in what is apparently coastal California), they are populated with enough track side objects (houses, people, fencing, et cetera) to make it seem at least somewhat varied. The sundry (an odd synonym) track layouts help matters are well. The car models are also well-done, with a nice attention to detail. While damage effects are minimal (shattered windows, mostly), your driver is animated and you can see shifting in the cockpit. That said, there is severe pop-in with distant trees even with all of the graphical options turned up, which obviously takes away from the immersion. The game also resets all of my graphics settings each time I start: an annoying bug. Still, though, Classic Car Racing looks better than most low-priced racing games. The game is complete with period-specific music that is marginally enjoyable, and your typical effects for racing games. The tire screeching sound is the least plausible of any of the sound bytes, but the remainder of the package delivers. Classic Car Racing does hold its own in terms of both graphics and sound.
ET AL.
Considering the uneven pedigree of Russian import games (awesome followed by terrible followed by OK), my expectations were lowered from the outset. I was initially a little worried when I had to sit through the opening videos: this is usually never a good sign. The main crux of Classic Car Racing is the career mode, where you race on the game’s twelve tracks, earning cash to upgrade your sweet ride. You can do a single race on any track that has been previously unlocked; this has absolutely no point, since you can race them again in the career mode and earn money that way. Single races would have been necessary if Classic Car Racing had multiplayer, but it does not: an important missing feature in any racing game. Every race features only four cars, and you must finish third or better in each race to unlock the next set of four tracks. There is no cost for entering races and you always earn cash, even if you finish in last. You can also re-enter races as many times as you want, so the career mode is just a matter of grinding through the races long enough to upgrade your car and make it superior to the AI drivers. The races take place on point-to-point tracks (meaning no laps on a circuit), which I feel fits the theme of the game well. What 50's muscle car races had people turning laps? It was the first person to the beach/aqueduct/natural history museum. Because there are only twelve races and each race takes around three minutes to complete, you can finish the entire game in under an hour; the lack of multiplayer offerings eliminates any reason to go back and play Classic Car Racing again.
We get eighteen generic cars that are visual knockoffs of classic American muscle vehicles from the period. Once you choose your winning car, it depreciates in value dramatically (just like in real life). The cash you earn from races can be spent on shiny new parts in several areas: engine, suspension, brakes, transmission, body, tires, and paint. In fact, the upgrade options are identical to Xpand Rally, and then I figured out why: Classic Car Racing uses the same game engine, so I guess the developers decided to plagiarize the upgrades as well. The identical options extend to the car setup, where you can tweak the suspension, brakes, steering, and gearing. Now, this is where using the same options is silly: why would I want an off-road setup with a soft suspension when all the tracks are paved?
Now for the racing: it’s actually pretty enjoyable. This is thanks in large part to the AI, which strikes a good balance between being good and not acting like a robot. Your computer opponents will stick to the track, but will also run into you (and each other) for position and occasionally lose control when taking a turn too fast: just like a novice driver would. Once you upgrade your car, things get a lot easier (almost trivially so), but I still can’t consistently finish in first, so there is still some challenge involved. They are not immune to stupidity, however, occasionally flipping their cars by running into each other. The driving physics is also well executed, assuming you select “simulation” settings like a real PC gamer would. You actually have to brake in order to navigate turns successfully, in stark contrast to a lot of arcade racing games that require no skill in this area. The cars are very loose with no downforce, at least before you upgrade them. Physics could be improved when you run into other objects, especially guard rails, which stop your vehicle cold instead of allowing you to glance and slide along side. There is a severe penalty for crashing into objects, and damage affects car performance slightly. You can occasionally find magic wrenches to instantly repair your car, though (there are typically one or two per track). Coins can also be collected that will add some additional cash for upgrades. You will also respawn if you hit a pedestrian: no GTA-style carnage here. As short-lived as it is, Classic Car Racing offers some fun racing against competent AI that’s above your typical racing title.
IN CLOSING
I was pleasantly surprised with Classic Car Racing: the graphics are good, the AI drivers are capable opponents that exhibit human-like behaviors, and the physics (for the most part) deliver solid driving. The game is short, though: only twelve races fly by, and the lack of multiplayer options means once you are done, you are done. There is a good number of cars and you can spend money on upgrades, although the upgrades were stolen from another racing game and some of the setup options are pointless as all of the races take place on pavement. The AI drivers will keep you busy, as one bad wreck where you are turned around will relegate you to fighting for last place. There is the occasional AI quirk, to be sure, but for the most part they hold their own. The physics also strikes a good balance between arcade and simulation: cars are a bit loose and crashing into objects has inconsistent results, but the racing overall is quite pleasant. $30 is a little overpriced for the content ($20 would have been much more reasonable), but Classic Car Racing clearly falls in to the “not bad” racing game classification: a solid podium finish.
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Game du Jour: Week of 13 December 2009
The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:
Sun. December 13th: 50% off on Super Jigsaw Puppies
Mon. December 14th: 65% off on Westward IV: All Aboard
Tue. December 15th: 50% off on Mystery P.I. – Lost in Los Angeles
Wed. December 16th: 65% off on The Treasures of Montezuma 2
Thu. December 17th: 45% off on Avenue Flo
Fri. December 18th: 65% off on 1912 Titanic Mystery
Sat. December 19th: 65% off on Hostile Makeover
PC Game Review: Hotel Dash – Suite Success
Like a typical dash game, Hotel Dash: Suite Success includes five hotels with ten levels each in its story mode. Lots of upgrades, of course, are available so you can renovate the hotels and the rooms raising their star level from zero to three stars. You collect stars when customers leave the room happy. If the room has two stars, you get two stars every time a customer leaves. In other words, if occupy a two-star room twice, you’ll earn four stars that go toward decorating the VIP rooms that exist in every hotel. The opportunity to redecorate the VIP rooms comes at the end of a level.
Guests come with single-color outfits. If you match them with the color on the door, you get bonus bucks. To reach the guests rooms, everyone takes the elevators and Flo is first in line. She starts out carrying the suitcases herself, but she can upgrade to carts so she could eventually carry up to six bags in one set. It gets frenzied when you have Flo riding the elevator to get where she needs to go and sometimes she has to take two elevators. After a while, you become used to it and figure out the different customer preferences.
Hotel Dash: Suite Success customers have unique traits. One brings a dog, another brings six bags (!!), the honeymooners ask for pillows, the lumberjack-looking dudes always request room service twice, the celebrity whose bodyguards block the hallway and so on. Their tolerance for patience also varies. The professional woman has little patience while the bookworm has more patience. Clowns are very clumsy that Flo needs to be ready to come after them with a mop.
Some people won’t feel challenged in Hotel Dash: Suite Success as it’s one of the easier games in the dash series. You can’t help but want to complete the story mode. Those who like endless mode will be challenged plenty. I never play those as they don’t sit well with my stomach, but expert players will appreciate the challenge.
The biggest irritation was the game crashing. I have a newish laptop with a good graphics card. Nonetheless, the graphics are worth it as they’re the same high quality cartoon style most of us love in Playfirst games. And of course, the story has humor and comes together nicely, for the most part.
Download the game from your favorite site:
Big Fish Games
PlayFirst
FTC Discalimer: Copy received from publisher.
