Reinstall Review: Empire Total War

The quiet is unbearable but I wait. Then a cannon fires and within seconds all my cannons open fire. The enemy appears out of the fog and my cannons continue to fire at them as they advance at a run. They get close enough and my soldiers behind the small farm fence take aim and open fire cutting down hundreds of the advancing Spanish soldiers. It doesn't take long as my carefully placed regiments each take easy shots at the Spanish who haven't even had time to return fire. They never get it as they turn and run. Another victory for the Dutch as my conquest across Southern Europe continues. Welcome to Empire Total War!

The Total War Series started out as a new idea that was received with raised eyebrows and not everyone jumped for it. But by the time Medieval Total War came out everyone was all too happy to jump on the bandwagon for it. It introduced a simple idea, the massive campaign map with cities and such, all turn based and looked at like political map. You manage the cites from afar. The engagements with troops are on a separate battle map but instead of other games with 60 troops on 60, its more of 600 on 600. Total War was just that, complete and utter Total War.


Medieval II Total War was also very good and after they were done with the swords and catapults, Creative Assembly and SEGA moved to the time of muskets and cannons and took the world map from Europe and Asia to Europe and Africa with stops in the Caribbean, India, and the Eastern coast of North America. Along the way they added almost 15 new nations to the playable list so the player can take any nation or faction and become a world power. While running down archers with knights was fun, cutting down hundreds of soldiers with one well timed "FIRE!" order is loads of fun.

Being someone who grew up in the Netherlands I have always enjoyed strategy games in Europe and I try to be the Dutch when I can. Empire Total War gave me the chance to put that into play. After securing treaties with nations to the West I was able to turn all my forces to the southeast. After my friendly advisor suggested the Spanish as a target I marched right in and launched an attack on them. This brought their French allies into the fray. Not a problem, my Austrian allies joined on my side. While the Austrians kept the french busy in the south I succeeded in destroying the Spanish and untied the Netherlanders under one flag. One that was done I turned South and helped Austria finish off France. Once I had secured ceasefires and left the French and Spanish crying in the corner I headed to the Caribbean and showed the pirates what pain means as I sunk almost every ship they had (or at least the ones I could find), take that Jack Sparrow!


My second time I started as little Austria or Österreich. Your all alone when you start with them, no problem. This time I reversed my path of destruction. I secured treaties with the east and headed West. What is now Poland fell quickly and I headed South into the Balkans. Too easy so I stopped halfway and headed east into Ukraine and Russia. I tried to grab a colony or two in the Caribbean but Austrian sea power was no match for the English and Dutch who made sure to put me in my place when I showed up. That is another thing Empire introduced. Ship combat was very much just point, click, and pray in the earlier games. It came down to numbers, my 20 ships will beat you 16. In Empire you are taken to the sea map where you can personally direct each ship in battle. I can't count how many times I went in with four ships against nine and came out as a winner with three of my ships still left thanks to my good maneuvering and well timed broadside cannon barrages.

As with the previous games you can play a nice long campaign and the number of nations provides so many replayability options that you will be occupied for plenty of time. However, if you get tired of Europe then Empire introduces a new mode called Road to Independence where you take control of the new colonial forces and fight from the creation of Jamestown to the creation of the America as you fight in the Revolutionary War.


Road to Independence was very rewarding as I enjoyed playing through it. I enjoyed watching my colonists transform from simple colonists to soldiers and then to citizens of the new America. It made the game fun and challenging as you often find yourself launching small attacks that do nothing more then stall the British Army and then you smile as your two regiments of line infantry join your army just in time as the British catch up with you. Many of the battles I fought I was outgunned but being a strategy veteran I was able to use my tactics to win battles that I should have lost. Regardless, if your new to strategy games you still can do well, they have a tutorial to help you along and as long as you pay attention to your advisers you can do fine, just don't start off with the Road to Independence, it is a hard one for new players.

Graphically the game is still very shiny and pretty and smooth getting rid of the clunky old map from the other games. The problems with the game stem from the AI. Sometimes it is far too easy to win. Although challenging it at times it becomes easy. I found myself surprised at times as the AI would launch hopeless attacks against me. The Spanish at one point thought sending 150 line infantry against a well rounded army of 800 Dutch was a good idea. I lost two men while killing 146 before they surrendered. The politics and diplomacy system is also cruel to new players and veterans alike. The entire diplomacy system has changed and I can't count how many times I thought I had done well only to find out I came out way behind in the negotiations, I accidentally one time gave up three cities and had to reload and try again before finally coming to an agreement that allowed me to keep what I had gained in a long and bloody war.

Review
Grade-Harvest It!
Highs-Strategy veterans will love that tactics are back and the new players will fall in love
Lows-AI is dumb and the diplomacy system is cruel and hard to navigate
ESRB Rating-T for Teens, Ages 13 and up
Kid Friendly?It's a bit complicated and it can be violent, respect the rating
Where Can I Get It?Amazon has it, they sell the game for about $19.99 but you can also get it in some stories
Overview-Still good and enjoyable, RTS is alive and well!

Episode Playthrough: Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty

A huge explosion rocks the base and I let out an evil and gleeful laugh as the entire workforce of the base moves to repair the damage while continuing their mining process. No such luck as once the dust clears I order my 20 marauders, 15 marines, and 10 tanks into the front of the base to start the invasion. The enemy moves their alien forces up to defend against my small force I spring the trap and drop 20 marines into the back of their base and start destroying their workers to starve them of resources. The attack is much more effective then I anticipated and I make quick work of the base as the soldier who kicked off the assault slips out and heads home. That entire paragraph is the description of about two minutes in Starcraft 2.

So the next installment of Starcraft 2 is on its way. Episode 2 to the game, this one being known as Heart of the Swarm. While the game launched with access to all races(Terran, Zerg, and Protoss), it only launched with the Terran campaign known as Wings of Liberty. Being a Terran player I was all to happy to dive in but I felt bad as the Zerg and Protoss players were left without a campaign. But in the end that is not a problem at all! Starcraft has always shined in multiplayer, the first one did, the expansion pack did and so does the second game. In didn't take long for Starcraft 2 to get a spot and bring prizes in the World Gaming Chapionships in South Korea. The game has been patched and is now ready for the second episode, the Zerg campaign known as Heart of the Swarm.


Heart of the Swarm will follow the Zerg and the Queen of the Blades. For those who played Starcraft 1 and Brood War, you know who the Queen of the Blades is. For those of you who didn't(or were closed off to the world), I will explain. In Starcraft 1 there was a specialized soldier named Sarah Kerrigan. Kerrigan is fighting the Zerg on a world that is being evacuated and about halfway through her battle the general she is working for decides to leave her behind. Some of his soldiers disobey his orders and try to rescue her but they fail, she is presu,ed dead. The reality is she was captured by an alien race known as the Zerg and through DNA modifications and other things they turn her into one of them along with all her specialized abilities she had as a genetically super human soldier.

Heart of the Swarm follows Kerrigan, she has now killed all competitors and has become leader of the Zerg. Heart of the Swarm is the story as she starts her invasion and war against the Terran. Zerg and Terran have had a long running rivalry. Wings of Liberty was enjoyable because it heated it up. The whole campaign was killing Zerg. Forget other enemies, while you did find yourself fighting a small civil war, the largest battles were reserved for the Zerg.


While burning up Zerg was fun and blowing them to smithereens made me smile, the entire battle felt one sided. The Zerg will now have their shot to fight back and I am glad even though I have always found them to be ugly. Considering everything they build is a living organism and their deaths are quite disgusting. Ew! But I am looking forward to where they go with the story. I will not spoil the ending of the Terran campaign but if you have not finished it, now is the time to! The storyline is great and will get you prepared.

The first campaign follows Jim Raynor. He was met in the first Starcraft as well. He was a Terran soldier to the core, he was the warrior's warrior. He joined the rebel cause in the first one and helped overthrow the old Terran Confederacy. But he has found that the new management is worse then the old management. And you join him in battling against the old management and Zerg. Most of the time you are rescuing civilians from the Zerg who are left to die by the evil new management. And you follow his story as he does jobs to get money, rearm, upgrade, and send his forces out to fight the Zerg and weaken the Terran Dominion.


The end was a big twist and what they do with that now is going to be a joy to watch. Hopefully they don't change the game very much. It works well now, it allows you to play against A.I. and it keeps the game balanced. The biggest fear all players have is that the Zerg will get overpowered and break the game. But knowing Blizzard, chances are they will keep it good and based on the first game, the Zerg need some help, because currently they are easy to beat. Whether controlled by a human player or a computer.

Not to mention all the choices you made in the Wings of Liberty will carry over into Heart of the Swarm. Adding to that, Heart of the Swarm will allow you to destroy planets and places however you want. Blizzard is keeping a good lid on the release date but it is very soon and the Starcraft community is ready for it. As the Terran marine says, "Jacked up and good to go!"

Review
Grade-Harvest It!
Highs-Missions are good, the storyline is compelling, voice acting is good, and the multiplayer is still just as good.
Lows-Sometimes you just can't see the reason for urgency and some missions are unnecessary.
ESRB Rating-T for Teen, Ages 13 and up
Kid Friendly?The storyline is for older gamers.I would respect the rating on the game
Where Can I Get It?Amazon has it and local stores still carry it
Overview-Very good and worth the money

Co-op Gaming

Co-op gaming is not valued on a regular basis. For some odd reason people are more interested in playing a game where they can take down other players. Even in games where teamwork is needed, often no one works as a team. Although there have been exceptions to that with older games and some new games have made maps and match types that are designed to punish players that go lone wolf and thus forces them into the team aspect.

One of the main problems is that people who play the deathmatch games where it's a free for all forget how to play nice with others. They jump into a multiplayer game requiring teamwork and have no idea what to do. The result is they get frustrated and shoot their own teammates in the back, they are warned, then they do it again and it is only a matter of mere minutes until the host kicks them out of the game for it.


Teamwork games are one of the best parts of co-op gaming though. Return to Castle Wolfenstein had an expansion called Enemy Territory that is one of the best examples of teamwork. Axis vs Allies basically and the maps all have objectives. Apart from that each person chooses a class they want to be. And in order to complete missions you will need all the classes different talents and skills. Not to mention having someone cover you will you plant a landmine is always a good thing.

Fantasy sword fighting games have always lagged behind in co-op though. The problem with the fantasy sword fighting games is that archers often are left out because they can't get as many kills. They also are good at accidentally shooting their friends when they send an arrow at the enemy everyone is focused on. Thankfully World of Warcraft has brought all of those people into the mix.


Of course one of the best co-op games around is Army of Two. The Army of Two games are made for co-op play. While you can play the game alone it is not any fun. Anyone who has played Army of Two with a friend can recount some fun co-op moments. You are two elite soldiers with big guns running through war torn places taking out bad guys and both of your characters have smart mouths, what could be better? Sadly not a lot of games have taken Army of Two's methods and used them.

The key is getting players to want to work together. Some games force it and others require it but making want it is almost impossible. Some say it is impossible. What could make players want to work together. Some think that in a game where it is necessary makes it a want. Sadly those types of games are of the required brand, the medic heals me because it is necessary for me to be healthy to help the team, they didn't want to heal me possibly but they want to win, not a want to heal, a requirement.


Wanting to work together comes in the form of sports games though. Who doesn't love passing the ball up the floor to your friend so he can dunk it. Or tag in your buddy in a WWE game so he can take out the other team because his character is fresh and rested. Madden is one of the best examples, having a friend as a lead blocker is always a good thing when you running for a touchdown.

As more games bring in co-op the time of lone wolf and free for all gaming is coming to an end. Of course. don't forget strategy games, some of the best free for all gaming moments are strategy games. Starcraft 2 is the best example. The strategy communtiy is alive and well and at times evil. Starcraft 2 keeps spirit with the its predecssor and allows players to sitll go head to head in great matches. Age of Empires wasn't bad eiether allowing people to build their armies and have huge clashes in the middle of the map over resources, some of the best Age of Empires battles were over that small pile of gold. And now gamers wait for the next pile of gold in multiplayer gaming, just one question, will co-op be left out?

Review: DC Universe Online

I fire off two guns bursts but the robot seems unfazed by it, not good. I jump over him throwing a fire shield around myself and landing as close as possible to the robot inflicting tons of damage as he catches fire. I roll forward then turn and fire both guns at the back of the robot's head as he clanks and falls forward hitting the ground hard. He starts to climb up but I jump onto his back and finish the job with a point blank shot to the head. No time to revel in the glory, the ship I am on is going down, time to leave.

Welcome to DC Universe Online, be a superhero, or close to it. Through some strange twist of fate Lex Luthor killed all the superheroes and then submitted to work for Brainiac, a huge villain who made Luthor his slave. Luthor saw Earth die so he went back in time and warned the superheroes, the good ones and he told them his plan. He released a bug into Earth's atmosphere helping ordinary become super to fight Brainiac when he comes to take over Earth. And you play as one of these new supers. Hero or Villain, the choice is yours.


I decided to be a good super and went the hero route. After going through a long but enjoyable character creation (trust me it's fun) I went to the game. You start on the one of Brainac's ships and you proceed to break out. A respective hero or villain from DC Comics is trying to get into the ship to help you for when you get out. The opening teaches you the basics about how to kill, loot, and level up. Once done you show up in the city on Earth. From there you take contracts or jobs to help people, or hurt them it depends on your alignment, You also choose a mentor from among the current heroes and villains.

I went villain the second time through and found it to be much more enjoyable. As a hero I found myself bending over backwards to please people and save them from harm. as a villain I could walk into a job and do whatever I wanted and chalk up hiccups as collateral damage. But it's all about playing the way you want to. And as you progress your powers grow and as your powers grow so do the enemies. While running into a starting area and decimating small time enemies is fun the reward is greater when you team up with three others and all four of you work to take down one giant enemy.


Not to mention that at times a hero well help you out. In the early levels and help areas it will be your mentor coming to your aid. Other heroes will show up to help you out and it is great fun to fight along a character you might have seen in a movie, in a comic, or both. And some of the best moments are when you notice the similarities and huge differences between your mentor and you.

The mentor you choose is the one who can train you to enhance your skills the way you want them to be, you will probably pick up something from them while adding your own spin to it. Your moves all look distinct and while there will be some overlap, your character is your own and with the combos possible you probably will never look like someone else unless you try to. Your moves will also look different as the combos for those are also nearly endless.


Occasionally the hero will need help of his own. And that is when you run off with them to help. Chances are you have the same or close the same skill set as the hero your assisting. The reason for it being that his mission he needs help on will require the skill set. The game does this part great, you will never find yourself bringing flying abilities to a super speed fight.

The graphics are cartoon like and the gameplay can get stale but other then that the game is a joy to play. Plenty of fun and lots of replayability. It's free on Steam and free to play but the free only gives you two character slots. Want more characters and content? Your going to have fork over money.

Review
Grade-Harvest It!
Highs-Free and you get to be super with the supers! What's not to like? And very fun
Lows-Stale fight sequences and limited choices in free mode
ESRB Rating-T, for Teen, Ages 13 and up
Kid Friendly?To a point, respect the rating
Overview-It is free and fun, give it a shot and be SUPER!