Loading ...
If there is one line that I were to choose to show awesome in all of games, those simple words from General Sturnn would easily fit somewhere in the top five. Although there are, indeed, many more memorable quotes to be had from many, many other games, there’s just something incredibly unsettling, yet at the same time slightly amusing about those words – something which most individuals acquainted with Warhammer 40,000 and the Imperial Guard in particular should know. The quote is from Dawn of War, one of the most insanely fun games I’ve had the pleasure of playing (at least in Single Player mode) and more specifically, from its second expansion pack: Winter Assault. Granted, the fact that I haven’t had the opportunity to play Winter Assault just yet is a black, horrible sin from my tarnished record - one, that will be soon wiped out, thankfully.
Now your probably asking yourself, why is Singh mentioning a really, really old expansion to the Dawn of War series, especially when its probably better to review or write something about the somewhat newer expansion, Dark Crusade? But bear with me here. The main point is the news that Relic has announced a new expansion to the Dawn of War series, aptly titled Soulstorm. Articles can be found here and here.
Breaking through an enemy by punching them so hard they traverse the entire globe before crashing back into place, teaming up with upto four party members to unleash a massive beating on an unluckily cornered foe, having a bipolar frog, semi-suicidal underage shinobi and a gun-wielding princess with a monster sealed inside her join your party as you pummel through level 100 minions and bribe powerful Dark Council members with either treasure or a closed fist; heaving exploding penguins at unsuspecting foes to send ‘em sky-high, and blocking an earth-shattering attack from a towering, Satan-like monster with your bare hands…If the above sentences couldn’t describe the sheer madness transpiring in Nippon Ichi’s Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories(sequel to Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, the immensely popular Turn Based Strategy RPG free-for-all), then the upcoming paragraphs may not get the job done either. However, if you had to bet you’re hard-earned EXP points on one thing, it’d be this—Disgaea 2 is the be-all, end-all of such games on the PS2, a frighteningly hilarious and laid-back dippy head-trip into the domain of character skills, classes, stats, levels, weapons and pizza-delivering cell phones.
We’d already given you the heads up on the new expansion to the hit EA RTS Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Here’s a bit more official annoucement from EA, along with three awesome images from the upcoming game. Enjoy!
“The reaction to Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars has been tremendous. Fans and critics alike appreciated the combination of fast, fluid, and fun RTS game play with a deep story and the classic full-motion video sequences that are a hallmark of the Command & Conquer series,” said Mike Verdu, VP and Executive Producer at EA Los Angeles (EALA). “I’m excited that we’re able to return to the Tiberium universe with Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath. This expansion has an impressive new single player campaign, a new global strategic layer that adds depth to the familiar Command & Conquer style gameplay, and several fun, all-new toys that range from versatile combat soldiers to giant armoured walkers.”
The single player campaign will allow players to experience a new story that spans 20 years – from the rebirth of the Brotherhood of Nod after the Second Tiberium War through the dramatic events of the Third Tiberium War and beyond. The story is told through a new set of high-definition live action video sequences starring a celebrity cast. Joe Kucan, the original actor who portrayed the character Kane in Command & Conquer™ games over the last decade, will reprise his role as the megalomaniacal leader of the Brotherhood of Nod. Other details of the cast have yet to be announced.
So, nope, you won’t know if the lovely Tricia Helfer and the LOST superstar Josh Holloway will be reprising their roles until EA decides to open its mouth again, which should be pretty soon.
(Click images for higher resolution versions)
I usually scream at the money-hungry gold-eaters at EA and how they’re killing creativity and good gameplay with every iteration of their sports and racing games, but then, there are some great gems to come out of their studios as well, like this year’s RTS extraordinaire, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars.
For those of you that missed the first episode of the Command & Conquer 3 TV’s Battlecast premiere last night, EA has announced that not only is a new patch for the game on its way, but so was an expansion. Now, with EA, milking franchises by making one expansion after another is usual, but in this case, I welcome it, since the game is by far one of the best RTSes I’ve had the privilege of playing. Titled Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, the expansion details the story of the NOD leader Kane’s rise to power from the previous game, all the way through Tiberium Wars and beyond. Talking about the new global domination mode that will find its way into the upcoming expansion, producer Jim Vessella called it “Risk on steroids”, and added that new units will be introduced for each faction, (Yes, the Scrin are back in the expansion) and on top of that, each faction will also be getting two sub-factions with unique units for each.
The expansion is scheduled to hit both the Xbox 360 and the PC sometime early 2008, and to sort out the control issues that plagued the Xbox 360 version, making it literally impossible to win later Acts on the console version, the developers have promised that a new “radial interface” will be made available for the Xbox 360, to make console RTSers lives a lot more easier. Now if they would only throw in a couple of more super weapons, just so I can use the Ion Cannon and the Rift Generator some more.
Command & Conquer TV: BattleCast Primetime Episode 01:
Watch / Download (Flash Video, requires player / 165 MB)
What the…. is there some kind of release-date frenzy bug going around developers’ offices these days? The latest addition to the “I am about to be released soon. Pre-order me now” pimpmobile is Sierra and Massive Entertainment’s “not so RTSey” RTS, World in Conflict, which will be available in stores across North America on September 18, 2007. With the standard edition and collector’s editions of the game going for $50 and $60 respectively, World in Conflict should provide a great RTS experience for fans who got hooked on to the micromanagement-less sub-genre with last year’s blockbuster from Relic, Company of Heroes. With the multiplayer beta having just ended a couple of days ago (impressions here) it looks like players who want to try the game before plonking down a couple of dollars for a pre-order can get to try their hands on a demo sometime around the end of this month, when the game is showcased at the Leipzig Games Convention, beginning August 22, 2007. Hit the jump for the official press release from Sierra Entertainment.
“Mr. Frodo! Look! It’s an oliphant!” Well, no, not exactly. But we have elephants! After not having the awesome mammoth creatures to squish, gore and destroy enemies in Ensemble’s Age of Empires franchise for a long time now, the upcoming expansion to the third AoE game, The Asian Dynasties, is all set to bring the mighty elephants back in the Indian campaign. Being an Indian myself, I can’t put into words how awesome it is to see my 8th grade history lesson come alive on my PC and how, years after that forced-labor camp called school (I kid, I kid..) I am learning more history through a PC game made in the United States… hmmm.
With a new bunch of hi-def videos touching upon the Japanese and Indian civilizations in the game, Big Huge Games’ CEO Brian Reynolds talked about how players would get six different elephant units, two camel units and a number of other special units like the Gurkha, the double-sword wielding Rajput, the Mansabdars and the Sepoy musketeer to take the fight against the East India Company in India’s first struggle for independence. Talking about the elephant units, Brian detailed the mahouts, with their powerful “splash damage” melee attack, howdahs full of archers, flail elephants that take on buildings and siege units and the all powerful siege elephants, with cannons mounted on their sides.
The interview spills a number of details about the Indian campaign, including how it’s the last of the three campaigns in the expansion, (hence seeing some of the most dramatic and challenging chapters in the game) the unique Home City cards system for India and the Indian wonders including the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort and the Charminar Gate. Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties is scheduled for an Autumn 2007 release date.
The Asian Dynasties Updated Q&A - Details on India [GameSpot]
The Asian Dynasties Updated Q&A - Details on the Japanese [GameSpot]
HD Video - The Indian Civilization [GameTrailers]
HD Video - The Japanese Civilization Featurette [GameTrailers]
After enjoying a tremendous run, the public beta for Massive Entertainment’s super-awesome RTS World in Conflict has come to an end. In an announcement sent to all beta players, Massive Entertainment has announced that the demo for the game would be released by the end of the movie, probably at the Games Convention at Leipzig at the end of the month:
August will be a busy month for World In Conflict! Our 1st singleplayer previews will hit online and in select gaming magazines. We then look forward to releasing our demo by the end of the month. In addition, we’ll be at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Games Convention in Leipzig, and i31 in the UK. Come see us if you are in the neighborhood!
Seeing how good this game was, from what little time we got to spend in the beta, World in Conflict should be one of the most enjoybale RTSes that 2007 has to offer, along with the other upcoming games and expansions such as Universe at War, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance and of course, the grand daddy of ‘em all, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts.
If you have played the beta and don’t mind spending a little time to make the final product better, take a short survey here. Or, alternatively, if you haven’t played the beta, take the survey anyway to mess with their data. For more information, check the Massgate Forums, or visit the World in Conflict website for the latest news.