Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Star Wars - Empire at War Reviewed.
Before I reviewed yet another star wars game I wanted to review world of war craft for my readers. However first I brought the $2 game and they wanted me to download 3.5 GIGA bytes of data which would have blown my broadband budget and probably cost me big dollars so I didn't bother. I then brought the game at EB games with Empire at War in a 2 for $50 bundle and WOW needed me to downline a 450 MB patch. Two days later with the patch down loaded there are still problems. I am waiting for a response to my nasty e-mail to the WOW people. I will update you with results.
Enough of that. Empire at War is a GREAT game. A combination of rebellion with galactic battlegrounds Empire War is a great play. I like the fact you can play both a space battle and a land battle. Building troops is easy to do but you spend cash faster than it generates which can leave you waiting around a while for more money.
I also found it weird that for the rebellion the hero characters included Obi Wan but not princess Leia? I suppose it was necessary for the story option where you can follow a path of either the rebellion or empire pre-death star. Another surprise is Luke is more important as the leader of Red Squadron rather than a young Jedi - it might have been interesting to have him and the emperor go hammer and thong on the battlefield.
You can also choose to just go the galactic option and battle for control of the galaxy - although a massive raid on the capital with killing the emperor can end things kind of quickly.
Overall the graphics and sound are excellent. The space battles are good, but I would have liked more ships available and always battling a space station can get boring. More fleet on fleet action would be good.
The ground forces are a real struggle and perhaps take to long to resolve. Thanks to the limited reinforcement options you can bring an overwhelming force but still be defeated. Not nice but can give the underdog a chance if they plan well. The A.I. doesn't appear to be too bad. It can be frustrating waiting for your ground troops to catch up with your front line. Particularly foot soldiers versus vehicles. It would have been nice for them to include a transport option vehicle. The AT-AT gives you a special ability of dropping squad of storm troopers.
You need to make the most of your hero special traits as they can make achieving your goals a lot easier. Individual types of vehicles, space ships and troops each have a special "attack or ability"
A nice touch is hitting the cinematic button which turns the battle into a movie - but don't get too involved or you might miss making some crucial battlefield decisions.
Most of the main vehicles and space ships are there but certainly not the selection that was available in rebellion. I presume there are more available in the expansion. There is no b-wing fighter in this version and only six types of capital ships.
The game is easy to use once you get the basics. The interface simple and logical.
Some things in the game seem not so well thought out. E.g. a smuggler cost 500 credits, but when you get them set up smuggling they are quickly taken out hardly repaying the cost at all. Not worth the effort.
Also 35 planets is a bit limited for those of us who like a saga. More characters would have been interesting as well.
Overall 8 out of 10. Worth buying at $25.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Star Wars:- Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
One of the classics and a favorite I like to return now and again. Jedi Knight is a simple to play fun game (especially after reading a few walk through guides!).
You get to have numerous powers both light side and dark. My personal favorite is choke - picking someone up and then throwing them off the edge and listen to the scream - obviously a tribute to Darth Vaders choking of any one who got in his way. If I'm in a hurry a level three lightening bolt is a quick way to clear a room. Other dark force powers include force drain and force rage.
The light side of the force is not so much fun with force heal being not only useful but a necessity. Other light side powers include mind trick, force protect and force absorb. There are also lots of neutral powers, like force pull, push, sense. Over time and on completing missions you can choose which powers you want to upgrade up to level three. Each level increase the strength and lessen the recharge time.
The multiple different worlds and scenarios means the game doesn't get boring with the overall story flowing to keep the game together even if you do missions in different orders. There are lots of familiar Star Wars worlds and the odd tribute to the movie scene with a few inside jokes. If you take your time you can over hear the odd funny conversation between various troops - "they'll execute you for sure/ they don't know it was me/ of course they do every blaster has a log/ I think I've just got to go".
The other thing that gives the game great variety is the ability to chose different combinations of light sabers. Customizable colors and in later stages a choice of dual light sabers or a cool double bladed light saber. Mastering certain moves means you can quickly defeat other light saber welding dudes. No always the easiest of tasks, particularly if you take on three at once.
There are lots of other weapons available - non-Jedi blasters, missiles, thermal detonators, etc. I rarely use them as I find using my Jedi powers much more fun and much more effective.
There are a couple of tricky levels particularly in the metal forge which requires careful timing and jumping onto the right place.
The final level is great because you can chose to be good and fight the evil knights or fall to the dark side and fight everyone. The final showdown can be a touch challenging but if you keep on the move and do rush attacks you can win.
In final tribute for Star Wars I've included a 3 minute video from U-tube - Star Wars in 3 Minutes with Action Figures!!!
What is a MMORPG?
By: Alastair Harris
What is a MMORPG? In short it is a massive multi-player online role playing game.
Online gaming has continued to increase in popularity. So much so that gaming income is now greater than the income earned by Hollywood. The future of entertainment is no longer in the hands of the pretty people from Hollywood but is more likely to be determine at the hands of the geeks and nerds working on the next big computer game.
MMORPG's are played online, 24 hours a day throughout the world and now have millions of players - massive is the only correct word for them.
Many people would have become aware of the world of online gaming through parodies in tradition forms of media, newspaper, television and movies. Perhaps one of the most popular was South Parks take on World of Warcraft which poked fun at the addictive nature of world of warcarf and MMORPG's, yet also paid homage to the power in the world of entertainment.
World of Warcraft or WoW is a complete online fantasy world - a bit like the old dungeons and dragons on steroids. You can take on the character of one of eight races and even within that there is further choices like a wizard/mage, warrior, paladin and the list go on. So popular has these games become that their is a demand for provision of some of the supplies in the game - namely Gold. So much so that people in China are making a living playing online 12 hours a day and selling the 'earned' Gold to Gold hungry players in the US, Japan and Europe. How much money potential is there in online games - well WoW has 8.5 million players each paying a monthly fee of $9.95 a month to play means someone or some company is a billionaire.
The addictive nature of these games is so dangerous that people have died as a result of playing for too long. In S.Korea they estimate 10 deaths a year - mainly for a person playing online for 80 hours straight and developing deep vein thrombosis - i.e. dying from blood clots. A word of caution if you love playing online games, in fact if you love the internet, get up every hours and go for a walk or do a short set of exercises.
The are numerous companies willing to jump on the bandwagon with so much money at stake. Another popular program is second life. Second life is literally that - it offers you a second life. Some people find their own real life so suckie that they get online where there life can be as they imagine they want it. Second life is interesting in that it has even created an online currency - Linden dollars - which exchange with real currency - $L 270 to $1 USD. Some people are so successful at there online fantasy businesses 'malls, casinos, shops, nightclubs' that they are earning thousands in REAL money.
These online worlds are only likely to multiple as the graphics and experience becomes more realistic. Where this will lead time will tell.
This is a funny video of a character call Leeroy Jenkins who goes berserk during a raid.
Medieval II Total War
By: Alastair Harris
Anyone into computer gaming would be well aware of the Total War Series, Japan, Mongol Invasion, Rome, Alexander, Medieval.
The latest incarnation is a remake of Total War Medieval Two.
Basically its the same game as the original except the graphics and sound quality have been shot up into hyperspace. The graphics are so good its almost picture quality.
In fact if I had any complaint is that the battlefield fighting is so smooth and the colors of the uniforms, etc so overpowering its almost difficult to know where to look. You take a look at a fortress and you really get a sense of scale, how big the things really were. The imagery, the scenery, the sunsets, fog, snow, rain, this game has it all and sets a new gaming world standard for atmosphere. To give to a hint at how far they had gone when your men walk over hill and dale their little shadows move with them in relation to where the sun is - amazing details. The individuals in the unit no longer look identical with differences in uniform, heads, helmets, etc.
As far as game play from the original they have two types of populations centers - castle based and city based, with each building different types of units. High end knights, armor, etc are build at the fortresses which generate less money, whereas the cities have more commercial buildings and more money and more civilian type based troops. Archery have less impact compared to the original and knights aren't able to run over all units like in the original. In fact against heavy infantry once the charge is spent that can be cut down. Though I have seen one heavy cavalry cut down a whole unit of bill men. Some archers can lay stakes in front of them to protect them from horse. Armor has a longer series of developments from leather to advanced plate. Fortresses make for a longer siege now that they can have up to three walls. There are also a quite a few new unit types - highland nobles, witches, heretics, new artillery and a couple of new kingdoms - Scotland, Portugal and new enemy kingdoms from the east. Each kingdom England, France, Spain, Milan, etc have strengths and weakness and a main unit type. The crusade operates in a different way. Distance from the capital doesn't seem to make much of a difference to order however religion does.
Also new is the new world .... and new kingdoms to conquer. Although unfortunately boat travel makes this a very slow process. Thankfully you can hire mercenaries in the new world as well.
If you enjoyed the original, you'll will love this. Whilst the game play is essentially the same there are some nice improvements, including some in game movies. The game end is better with fireworks.
My only complaint is during a siege the AI is a bit thick in its assault. If you have all your troops in the center wall they just seem to sit at the outside wall not knowing what to do next. I'm sure they will fix this in a patch. Overall the graphics, sound and environment make this a great game.
You will required a Pentium 4, 1.8GHz; 512MB Ram, DVD-Rom Drive, 11 GB of hard drive, 16-bit sound card, 128 MB Video Card running directX 9.0c.
Dawn of War Anthology
By: Alastair Harris
Anyone who loves getting a white dwarf magazine is going to love this computer games package. Dawn of War Anthology is a package that includes the original Dawn of War and its two expansions. THQ produced a great series of games in the command and conquer style of battle but strongly set in the world of warhammer 40000.
Dawn of War gives you the opportunity to play 4 armies - space marines, chaos marines, orks or eldar. You have the ability to play online or play a campaign story. The introduction film is the best computer game intro. I have ever seen. There is a opportunity for an animator to make a killing if they produce a TV series based in the warhammer world similar to the quality of the intro. clip. Dawn of War Winter Assault adds a new army - the imperial guard - with very much the feel of a traditional human army. Dawn of War Dark Crusade adds the Tau and the Necrons and a new campaign map allowing the battle for a whole planet.
Each race, its army and buildings it very much inline with there portrayals in the white dwarf magazine. As such the developers THQ have been fantastically true to the franchise. This means you can feel the differences in playing each race. The Tau for example (saving for their kroot allies) are best at long range attack and stealth. The Imperials their tanks and squads. The Marines are just tough especially with their hard core dreadnoughts. The Orks are the masters of hand to hand combat. Eldar have an esoteric feel with mystic gates etc. The Necrons likewise with temple fortresses, etc.
The playing experience it generally top class with great graphics, sound. My only criticism is that sometimes the bigger equipment can get stuck behind buildings and can be abit thick in finding their way around the battlefield.
There is also no self destruct mechanisms. You require windows 2000/XP, 2 Ghz Intel Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c, 64MB AGP Video Card, 9GB Free hard drive space, DVD-ROM Drive, Sound Blaster.
Friday, June 30, 2006
"Well its three in the morning again and once again I am hiding in the highest window. My objectives are fixed and my target is clear. The scope is lined up and I'm ready to waste my enemy, vengeance is mine .......(Concentrating so much on the target in front Solider Sam didn't hear the pistol trigger nor the bullet which exploded his brain!)"
BATTLEFIELD 2 Special Forces:-The battlefield series has come along way since 1942 and the slow capture the flag style of play. The originals in the series were a bit light on landscaping and other features, concentrating on the vehicles and weapons.
However Special forces has a superior landscape and better game play. I love being able to go from building to building on the zip line. Using the grappling hook climb up to my favorite sniper positions. I struggle between choosing to be a sniper or a special ops. Just love blowing sh!t up.
These games are definitely built for online play. Playing solo is just not an option. Once you've played online you never go back to solo play. Computers can never simulate the need for revenge and the tracking down of one player just to execute him from behind with a pistol. A computer would take the shot straight away, whilst the sick human beings we are wait behind the target waiting for him to turn around, see us and know his fate - bang. Come on you gamers know exactly what I mean, the satisfaction of taking that knife and killing in silence. When even once have you seen the computer AI do this????
I rate battlefield 2 special forces a must have. Don't pirate - be a lawful citizen and buy it. If you can't afford retail then go the link above and click on getfinancialfreedom4u and join ebay through the link. Good 2nd hand games are a bargain online.
Some of the many Battlefield 2 Special forces include - helicopters (a real challenge to fly), ATV, Tanks, Cars, Hummers and Jet ski's. Some of the interesting 'weapons' include tear gas, night vision goggles and knives.
One of the things I was disappointed in were the night vision goggles, for the penalty of seeing everything in green you don't get much of an increase in range of vision on the night missions. Real night vision goggles are much superior than this.
One other complaint I have is the need for more maps. Once you have played online for awhile they get a bit repetitive. Especially as people get to learn the must control spots to win the battle i.e. be the first to get the helicopters, blow your opponents bridges, in fact once some of these goals are completed by smart teams the game is a effectively over. Perhaps air power in the form of jets would have given a way to overcome this imbalance on certain maps.
In order to enhance my gaming experience I like to surf the net to find sites that are dedicated to serious gamers, I think if you've like this site you will also like Click Here!
Rome – Total WarOne of my personal favorites is Rome Total War. For the strategic commanders out there, this is a top game.
A short description of the game is - you take on one of the powers in the post-Alexander world, still dominated by Hellenistic powers including Ptolemies Egypt, the Selluicid empire, Macedon and the Greeks and then there are the Pathians, Carthage, Gauls, Britains, Germans and of course Rome. Each empire has specialize units and the game has a great combination of empire building and battlefields combats.
One of the favorite things has to be taking an armored Elephant unit charging through rows of soldiers - look at those pixels fly!
My only complaints of the game would be - the navy battles lack any combat action, the traveling time of the armies is extreme (Roman armies could march far further than that in six months!), making large empires difficult to manage. A specialize garrison unit would be helpful and I would have liked to have an option to play every nation - i.e. you can't play Spain, Armenians, Numidians, etc.
The sequel - Barbarian Invasion - was an interesting attempt at realistically portraying the fall of the Roman world, the impact of religion and the widespread use of the horse dominating the battlefield. My only faults with this game is the following - The game ends too early, you don't have enough turns to build an empire and once again you can't chose to control every available nation, it would have been nice to play as the Celts, or the Romo-British.
I hoped you enjoyed visiting this site if you still hunger more more game related stuff then
When is a game company going to remake the classic Amiga game North and South???
(legal disclaimer: this is a personal review of games and nothing should be inferred that any of the mentioned companies are affiliated with getfinancialfreedom4u or in anyway endorse said business, getfinancialfreedom4u produces many different websites and blogs for the general enjoyment of the general public, some for profit, some to build the internet community)
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