Why I am hyped for Solium Infernum

Any Twitter followers will be aware that I am looking forward to a indie turn based, card based, hex based strategy game called Solium Infernum. I am looking forward to it for a number of different reasons, but this quote from a live blog at Quarter to Three by Ben Stones pretty much epitomises it:

"SI isn't ... a game about making loose pacts to not attack one another. It's a game in which the players are all beholden to a set of strict political rules that govern their interactions, and each tries to twist the rules to their favor without actually breaking them. It's a give and take sort of deal where there are very granular consequences for everything that you choose to do.

For example, one diplomatic action you can choose to do is spend a number of your Prestige points to insult one of your opponents in front of the Conclave. If you do this, the Conclave's rules of conduct take effect and govern how your opponent can react. If they accept the insult, they lose face, and you get your original Prestige investment back, as well as an equal number of Prestige points from the insulted player. The other player can also refuse the insult and force you to lose your Prestige investment at no cost to themselves, but if they do, then they are required to claim Vendetta against you, which means that they have go to war for a certain number of turns. In that time period, they must achieve a certain objective (capture X number of Cantons, capture a certain Place of Power) or they lose Prestige (usually more than they would have lost if they had just accepted the insult).

So it's more of a back and forth, action and reaction sort of diplomacy, governed by rules. In that respect, it's not at all like Diplomacy."

I cannot wait, I will definitely be writing something about it when it comes out.

Peter Molyenux Interview - Fable 3 to use Natal

Peter Molyenux has given an interview (which you can view here, first 30 seconds or so in Dutch, but the interview is in English)

Among other things, Molyenux states that, while Fable 3 will use a standard Xbox 360 controller, it will also make some use of Natal, Microsoft's forthcoming camera controller. As I said when Fable 3 was originally announced, I think the Natal element will be in communication. I think it is clear from their work with Milo that Lionhead believe they can make some sort of communication model work in Natal. Also, given that Fable 3 requires you to start a revolution and run a country, talking to people could be central to the actual gameplay. You only have to look at real politics and see that charm and good public speaking skills can be more important than actual policy.

Obviously, Fable 3 is still some time away, and Peter does have a tendency to promise things which don't wind up in the game. None the less, I am already excited about this release.

How Embarassing

Gamespot have stuck up the Star Wars: Forces Unleashed. As I personally, predicted, the 360 version got an average score (7.5) However, the Wii version got a disappointing 6.

Yes, I know it was naive of me to hope, but I really thought this was going to be the game that showed everyone how to make an awesome Wii game. However, they messed it up, like everyone else.

I might try and rent the 360 version at some point, as the story looks quite interesting and chucking stuff was quite fun in the demo. But this is me disappointed.

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii is coming out this Aprile exclusive to, as the name suggests, is exclusive to the Wii. I very much enjoyed Mario Kart Double Dash for the Gamecube as it was great fun in multiplayer and was very accessible to all markets. Surly this would make a perfect game for the Wii, as the whole point about Wii is the accessibility to different markets. I didn't think Mario Kart was perfect however, so here is a wish list of what I want to see improved upon in Mario Kart Wii

Non-Scripted Physics Engine
What made MK so much fun, was the fact that the game would get crazy. Karts would be flying every which way, slipping on bananas, going up jumps, speeding on boost-pads and chucking objects at each other. However, what detracted from the craziness was the linearity of the spinning and crashing. For those who have played the game, picture, when you get hit by a shell, instead of using the pre-animated spin, how you span depended on the incline of the track, the angle at which you were hit etc. Furthermore, with the inclusion of a true physics engine, when you crash in to other cars, there could be huge pile ups. One of the best things about Forza is, when you are racing at 200MPH, you slip and there is a huge pile up. However, in Forza, this is cool, but then, it is basically the end of the race and you have to restart because it is "realistic". In MK, however, there could be massive pile ups and then everyone just drives on.

Increase in Speed
Once again, this comes down to the crazy factor. It is a racing game, so make it possible to go really fast. Obviously, this makes it harder, so make it possible to tone up/down the speed depending on requirements. Sucessfully dodging shells in Double Dash was one of the personal highlights for me. It was a really nice feeling when you see a red shell coming towards you and then you drift just before it hits you and it crashes in to the opponent in front of you. That situation would be so much cooler if it were all taking place at 200MPH and when it hit the opponent in front of you, you would see him shoot behind you (as well as you being forced to doge him thanks to the aforementioned physics engine)

Online Multiplayer
This feature has been pretty much confirmed anyway, but, lets face it, as good as Double Dash Single player was, the multiplayer was where it's at. So, in line with the craziness, lets have lots of people online. For once, I am not at all fussed about lack of communication options or having to have friend codes. It really doesn't matter, maybe let us save fastest times, so people can try and beat them and ranks so non-gamers aren't playing gamers. However, aside from that, you don't need to talk to people while racing, you don't need to add them as a friend because races don't really allow you to pick out favourite opponents. Once again, this is an element that would be enhanced by increased speed and physics.

These features I believe are realistic. Obviously, this title is one Nintendo is going to make non-gamer friendly, but I don't think these features make it and less or more accessible, they just make it better. Obviously, I could ask for the ability to customise cars, or paint them, or have tournaments and leader boards and damage models. But all that isn't going to happen in a non-gamer friendly game. If you want that, play Forza. I will, assuming the reviews aren't terrible, be getting Mario Kart to quench my thirst till Brawl. For anyone who is confused about Brawl's release date, you are not alone. IGN says May 1st, as does Game. Gamespot on the other hand, says June 6th and Nintendo, the publisher and distributor, has not confirmed any release date. So, ignore anyone who says "They KNOW when it is coming out," just ignore them, because unless they occupy a high position at Nintendo, they don't

Brawl is Mental

This has gone beyond a joke, anyone who thought Halo was big, should see the amount of stuff being put on to Brawl. The size of anticipation for this game is literally only rivalled by the sheer amount of content going in to it. In case you haven't been keeping up with Dojo updates, I suggest you read the latest post:Vault.

They filled up a huge post with one section of the menu. Also, on Friday, they announced the game would include Virtual Console demos (including Super Metroid!!!) I genuinely do no know how they can fit all this on one disk, or how I am going to be able to wait for this games, as of yet, unannounced release. Super Smash Bros' Brawl comes out in Japan on the 31st.

Also, just read a preview of The Forces Unleashed, mainly focusing on the 360 and PS3 versions. I don't know which console I am going to get this game on, as all the cool graphical and technical stuff on the 360 sounds awesome, but Wii Remote light-sabering sounds UNMISSABLE. I might actually end up getting both; ridiculous.

On a completly irrelevant note, I just finished my first proper website, a driving school in Thame. If you are considering learning to drive, I suggest you go with the Drive Masters: www.mgschoolofmotoring.co.uk If you have any suggestions or are interested in a website, email me @ thekileyenator@gmail.com

Dojo Update [Start-05/06/07]

This is your first update of what has been published in the Dojo. I will aim to publish every Sunday, however, I have missed the first one as I was in Cornwall. This week[ish] has had no major updates. There are a couple of music tracks and some characters that we already knew about. Also, there are some items, which are probably the most exciting updates. So here is what has been announced.

Battlefield - Map

This is the simple map. The maps structure does not change has the battles goes on. It features just a simple set of platforms that can provide a very simple, but none the less fun, game of SSBB. To counter the relative dullness of the map, as the battle progresses, so does the time of the day. You can start in the afternoon, fight right through the night and in to dawn. This will probably be the most long term played map in the game.

The Musicians - Music

This item lists the musicians that will be behind the soundtrack in the game. Also, there is the most iconic piece of Smash Bros music ever. Almost anyone who has shown the slightest interest in video games will recognise this epic piece of music. This music is, and will remain until the Dojo trumps it, on the sidebar at the top. All future music updates will have the player embedded into the post.

Mario - Character

The most famous character is, unsurprisingly, in the latest Super Smash Bros. Some cool images are revealed in this post but not very many details. He is said to be the balanced character that will be easy to get to grips with, combining good attacks, with good jumping and good everything else. His Smash Move (see later) has been announced. Basically he will catch fire and damage everything near him in a massive attack.

Link - Character

The character taken from the Zelda series will also be featuring in this game. The model will be based on his latest adventure, Twighlight Princess, you can read my review for that here. This character will be more weapons heavy than Mario, and will require a little more practice to get the best performance

Gooey Bomb - Item

This weapon is similar to the likes of a plasma grenade in Halo. You throw it and it will stick on most things in the game. I will then explode, causing serious damage. However, if you get one stuck on you, all is not lost as it is possible to stick it back on to the person who "tagged" you.

Pit - Character

Pit is a character from Kid Icarus. No details have been released about how he fits in with the rest of the characters, two special moves however, have been announced. Firstly, he will be able to fire a "Palutena Arrow" This can be controlled after fire, but this will require quick reactions as the arrow moves at the speed of light! Also, he can enter a free flight mode, which is basically a superior jump with much greater freedom. However, be warned, it will end, so make sure you are over the ground

Final Smash - Game Feature

Final smash is a unique move that exists in each character. Although only Marios has been officially announced, Warios appears to be a gigantic fart and Kirby appears to cook people. You can find out more speculations in this post. It will be a move that each player can conduct once throughout the whole game. It can only be executed if you get the Smash Ball. I imagine that many of these attacks will be amusing to say the least.

Moving and Shooting - Game Feature

Automatic firing weapons have been brought back to the game. This time round you can move and even jump whilst shooting. Power to the people!

Cracker Launcher - Item

This is basically a rocket launcher. You pick it up and fire. Simple, but effective. Some of the pictures in this update really show off the graphics.

Delfino Plaza - Map

This map will fly you around the beautiful city of Delfino. Every so often the map will fly you to a different section of the map. This can be very distracting, making it a much harder map for veteran players. As for the set up of the map, it changes as you fly around but none of the screen shots make it look to complicated.

Yoshis Story Ending - Music

This song is very good. It is not as good as menu 01, but is certainly worth a listen. Check it out here:

Civilization 4: Beyond the Sword - Preview

Civilization 4 is one of my favourite games of all time. I recently posted my review of it. In July, the game will be receiving its second expansion pack, Beyond the Sword. This time it is making some major changes to the gameplay, particularly, as the name suggests, beyond the sword.

The first of these features is something called "Corporation." Basically, these are companies that you can found in one of your cities. You then, based on what the company is, assign it resources. From these resources, the company provides you with huge bonuses. An example Firaxis gave was one company that takes grain, and can provide you with Oil. This could be very useful in the late game if you don't have oil. Furthermore, the more of the same resource you have, the bigger the bonus. This I think is very good as it means there is an advantage to gather many resources, something I do quite often and end up having to trade them for minimal prices. So what is the drawback? The city you found the company in must pay it a small maintenance fee for its services. I am looking forward to this feature and it could change the game dynamics, allowing for more peaceful players to hold out until beyond the sword, and then produce units very quickly.

Another main change is that espionage has been made more important. You will now be able to funnel some of your income in to spying in much the same way you can with research and culture. Once you have done this, passive spying will start occurring, allowing you to see your enemies demographics, cities and stop their spies entering your territory. Also, the Spy unit has been given more abilities and now can conduct various tasks in a city. On top of this, there will be Great Spies to compliment your forces. No details have been released as to what they will be able to do. This could potentially have a very big effect with veteran players who will know how to use this information to their advantage.

There are of course many new wonders for the game but one of the more noticeable ones is one that will be tied with your religion. Basically, it will give you more influence over people following the same religion as you and also helps to spread your religion. Some of the powers it gives you include being able to start Holy Wars (awesome!) and win diplomatically before the UN is built. This will deffinitly encourage me to try and get a religion before everyone else.

One of my favourite changes is actually one I thought of quite a while back. The idea is that, some of your far flung cities may start their own civilization, much like America did. I think this is a very good because before, if your economy was sturdy, there wasn't much of a punishment for having cities miles away from your capitol. Also, it will prove very interesting to see what the AIs opinion of you is and it will be another person to keep on your side. Combine this with the vassalage update in Warlords will create a much more dynamic and interesting diplomatic game.

Furthermore, the game will come packed with many additional scenarios. Some of these will just be your standard recreation of a historical event, but some of them a re-writing the Civilization game as we know it. One such example is Afterworld. It has been created by the guy who did Omens for Warlords. Omens changed the game greatly, in Afterworld, he wants to demonstrate what can be done with Notepad and Civ 4 Mods. It is set in the future on a distant planet. I will not go in to detail about the story, but it ends up with you controlling 5 elite men against a planet full of mutated alien things. There are no cities or technologies in this game. Another one is actually set in space. Not much information has been revealed, but it looks like it will be set across multiple planets. See this image.

On top of all this the game will be packed with the usual extra units, civs, leaders and technologies. This time with a particular focus on the later half of the game. One of the most noticeable units is paratroopers that can parachute somewhere. This expansion pack is looking fantastic. There is far more than in Warlords, some of the scenarios looking incredible and will give people online ideas that will spawn in to more Mods. This game with hit stores July 23rd and I can't wait.

Read the two IGN interviews here and here. You can also read about Afterworld here

The Dojo is Online

This week has been a big week for Nintendo. Some of the things in this article are mixed, however it is good to hear from Nintendo again. I will start with the most significant and work my way through them. There are a total of 8 updates so I have tried to summarize them in the title.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Has Been Confirmed for August 25th
That's right, the most anticipated game for the Wii now has a launch date. This launch date covers both the Wii and DS versions. A series of screen shots were also released, the game is looking very good with graphics rivalling Halo 2. Although no additional details have been released about the gameplay, expect something big at E3 as I get the impression that it is trying to compete with Halo 3.

The Dojo is Online for SSBB
A couple of weeks ago, the Super Smash Bros website was taken down and replaced with a counter. Yesterday, that counter ran out and the Dojo is now present. This site will contain all the information about the upcoming and much anticipated SSBB. The site will contain detailed information about everything from character to maps.

SSBB has been reconfirmed for 2007
No one thought that 2007 was going to be a dry year for Nintendo, so no one was devestaed at the delay of SSBB. However, it has been moved back in to the last quarter of 2007. Expect more details to be revealed at E3 and definitely a hands-on.

The Dojo is getting daily updates from now until launch
The official site of the SSBB will be receiving updates every single working day from now until launch (supposedly). Although so far they haven't revealed anything new, it is only a matter of days until they do. I will be summarising what they have revealed every week.

Mario Strikers is coming this Friday in the UK
For the first time in quite a long time, a game will be coming to the UK before the US. This game, although not making heavy use of the motion sensing controls, will have online play. This will feature ranked matches and friendlies. The single player will have a world cup mode. All the characters are of Nintendo property (no David Beckham) and it is not really based on football. You will be able to execute mega kicks that smash the ball in to six pieces, the opposing player then has to try and save each one with the Wiimote. It will be interesting to see if the online works well, I am hoping to get this game because...

BWii Has Been Pushed Back to November
One of the games I was most looking forward to this summer has been moved back till November. This took some of the sweetness from finding out Metroids release date. Hopefully, this will give them time to perfect the game and make it really good.

Nintendo have no plans for a Wii headset
Nintendo revealed, when in a discussion about Mario Strikers, that they were not making a headset for the Wii. The reason was to make it more children friendly. I find this quite stupid as the console has parental controls, so parents could block it, the DS has it and things like Xbox Live have never had any problems relating to complaints. On the note of Xbox Live...

Geometry Wars might be coming to the Wii and DS
It is wildly rumoured that the hugely popular mini game from Bizzare creations, first featured in PGR 2, may be coming to Wii and DS. It will make use of the Wiimote and stylus respectively to drive the ship. It will feature a more in-depth single player and a multiplayer modes. It will be interesting to see how these turn out.

That was your Nintendo news update. I hope you find something in their that interests you. Also, it is worth noting that in the release list that Nintendo revealed, there was a new Tiger Woods, but I didn't think that was news worthy enough to go in the main bulletin. Make sure you check in every week to get the latest updates from the Dojo.

Halo 3 Beta Analysis

Last Sunday I got the chance to play on the new Halo 3 beta trial. My first impressions that I got from the GS video were quite critical of the game. It looked very similar to Halo 2, the graphics didn't look like they had changed much, the voices were the same and the gameplay looked the same. You can read my full analysis of the video here. h

However, when I actually got to play it, I saw that it was different. The graphics have been greatly improved since Halo 2 with a lot of extra detail in the water. Also, the physics engine has been revamped. The explosions look a lot better. Finally, where in Halo 2, if you zoomed in on some textures you could see them repeating, however, in the Halo 3 they looked realistic. You can see dents in metals and reflections in the water. Overall, the graphics have in fact been improved since Halo 2 and there is still some time to polish them.

The gameplay has not been changed very much. This is quite predictable as Halo 2 multiplayer is regraded as one of the greatest online shooters. The most notable change is the items you can "deploy" These include the much famed bubble shield, as seen in the trailer, and grav boosters. These are very cool and quite fun. However, they are very rare and so do not actually effect the gameplay very much. I picked up 3 in about 4 hours of playing. Although this could change, they do not have enough impact at the moment. Also, there are other subtle changes such as the guns now track the enemy. However, the game still feels the same as Halo 2. This is not a problem as Halo 2 was fine.

The game still retains the fun, tried and tested, gameplay. One of my highlights was when I was defending the flag. The map was completely silent, there was no sign of the enemies. We stood their, guns trained on the flag. Then, one by one, silently, you would see "X has killed someone on your team". Each death would be slightly closer to the flag, but there was still no sign of the enemy. I was really scared, you got the impression that there was an assassin moving slowly towards you. Fortunately, they pushed the time limit too far and so they had to make a dash for it. We mercilessly cut them down.

As to whether this game is good will come down to the single player and whether the MP is continued to be played and supported to the same degree as Halo 2. In conclusion, the multiplayer is a strong as ever, providing instant action with good quality graphics and no lag problems.

Halo 3 Online Beta Analysis

In a week today, Crackdown owners will log on to Xbox Live to play the Halo 3 Beta. However, today GS and other game news companies got their keys to log in. GS are broadcasting there's online here. Here is my analysis.

First of all, you should probably bare in mind I watched this in Full Screen mode over a wireless internet connection so the quality isn't fantastic. However, the graphics don't look much better than Halo 2. Yes, you can see some extra details like weeds blowing in the wind. However, if it didn't say "Halo 3 Beta Trial" I might not have noticed. If some had hadn't played Halo 2 a lot would definitely not notice. Some of the textures look better.

Also, all the sounds are recycled from Halo 2. The voices saying "Headshot" and the beeps counting down to re-spawn are still there. This is good and bad. Good is the sounds were fantastic in Halo 2, bad is they could still have been improved.

New content is limited. There are a few new weapons, there are pieces of equipment that can be deployed by pressing X. These have a selection of uses, such as the bubble shield as seen in the TV advert, to a thing which when you stand on, sends you flying. Quite a lot of these things feel like they could have been included in a map pack. The game also features a semi-tracking thing on your gun. This doesn't appear to have much of an impact on the gameplay.

I don't know what I was expecting to be improved, but there isn't much that I can see that has actually been improved. The whole game feels like extra content. Quite a lot of the new stuff is map specific, most of the global changes are quite small. All in all the game looks an upgraded version of Halo 2. Fair play to Microsoft, people are going to go out and buy it in droves, but I guess I was expecting something more for the most anticipated game for 2007 possibly for ever.

Weather this game is worth getting or not will come down to the single player. The multiplayer will stand up to inspection, but doesn't look like enough of an improvement from Halo 2 for it to get my stamp of approval just on its own. It is slightly worrying that the future of the Halo franchise rests on the single player. Remember, this is just a beta on a wireless internet connection, all could change.

Preview: Super Smash Bros BRAWL

Super Smash Bros is one of Nintedos most esteemed games. It features mental button mashing so perform moves. What differentiates this game from every other combo fighting game is one very important difference. To kill someone you must push them off the edge. Attacking them makes them weaker and thus easier to push of the edge, but you must ultimately kick them. The skill becomes timing your jump to get back on the map. The latest instalment, SSB Mellee featured the majority of Nintendos much loved characters from Kirby to Samus and Mario to Zelda and some truly crazy maps that distract you from what is already confusing game play. So, what can we expect from the new title in the series, Super Smash Bros Brawl?

This game is for the Wii, and is due out later this year. Among other things it will have a collection of new characters including Wario, Zero Suit Samus and, as a true surprise for most, Snake from Metal Gear Solid. However, one of the most obvious question about any Wii game is how will it use the motion sensing features? It won't. They are not planning to include any motion sensing. This to me is a disappointment as I was looking for a level playing feild against my friends but it isn't particularly surprising given the nature of the game. To counter this, the main selling point is on-line play. This will be crazy as the off-line play is pretty intense when you get 4 players who are quite good. I belive that if they can get decent lobby support and maybe a headset this could turn around the internet side of the Wii which has had a slightly weak start, see Wiiview.

As with every Nintendo game, all the details are quite shady and will remain so until the launch. However, no one can stop everything from being leaked so here is a summary of what everyone combined knows:

Characters:

• Fox McCloud from StarFox
• Kirby from, yup, Kirby
• Link from Legend of Zelda
• Mario from any Mario
  
• Meta Knight from Kirby
• Pikachu from Pokemon
• Pit [NEW] from Kid Icarus
• Samus Aran from Metroid Prime
• Solid Snake [NEW] from Metal Gear Solid
• Wario [NEW] from WarioWare
• Zero Suit Samus [NEW] from Metroid Prime 3

There will be a new stage for every new character. There is also speculation based on the two videos released for this game that there will be some others although that is unconfirmed.

The game will feature on-line play through the built in wi-fi. Also each character has a "Brawl" special move. Most are un-announced but some have been revealed. Links will be a special tri-force thing that traps people. Mario seems to be able to charge at people on fire. Kirby seems to put on a chefs hat and cooks people, it is rumoured that Samus will have a huge laser gun, however I am sceptical of this as the trailer it just looks like they are blowing it out of proportion, and finally, Warios is a huge, nuclear sized fart!

One final note to the character list, Nintendo have stated that there are many more things to come, possibly more characters. Most notably Sonic. Particaully with the Mario and Sonic new Olympics game it is possible that Sonic could be joining the ranks.

Updates are bound to follow E3 which is fast approaching.

Halo 3

This game has had huge hype, ridiculous anticipation and now, they may have just justified it. I watched this documentary on the MP for Halo 3. This is obviously going to be this games biggest selling point and, to say it looked awesome would be quite a considerable understatement. This is not pre-rendered, this is now an advert, this is Halo 3.


It looks incredible, to playing is so intense, Halo 3 is looking to bring the Halo franchise back on track, which is incredible giving the incredible MP before. In other Halo 3 news, the release date is set for October this year, making it the biggest game for 2007.

In other news, a new Peep Show series is starting tonight, 10:30pm. This is the funniest thing ever.

Civilization 4 : Beyond the Sword

A new expansion pack has just been announced for the critically acclaimed Civ 4. It is set to come out July 2007. The expansion pack will include:

• 10 new Civs - This is predictable but still good none the less, particularly if you have mastered a way to beat all the civilizations currently included.

• 12 new scenarios - Not really bothered by this, the scenarios are fun but I prefer the main game.

• 16 new leader - Once again, predictable but good.

• 5 Wonders - Meh

• Expanded Space Victory: Winning the race to Alpha Centauri will now require more strategic planning and tactical decision making. - Meh,I don't normally go for this route, this should be interesting to see what they have changed though.

• Corporations: A new gameplay feature similar to religion that allows players to found companies and spread them throughout the world. Each corporation provides benefits in exchange for certain resources. - This sounds pretty cool, and good for me because I never could be bothered with religion so maybe this will be an alternative more suited to my style of play.
  
• Espionage: Now available much earlier in the game, this expanded feature offers players many new ways to spy on opponents, stir citizen unrest and defend your own government's secrets. - Not too worried about it, I never use spies, if the AI uses them I could be in trouble
  
• Events: New random events - such as natural disasters, pleas for help, or demands from their citizens - challenge players with obstacles that must be overcome for their civilizations to prosper. - This sounds very good and will mean I can play the game without needing to go to war for incredible tenseness.
• Apostolic Palace: The United Nations will become available earlier in the game providing a way for players to win a diplomatic victory earlier. New resolutions will also be added which will expand the available diplomatic options. - YAY, I really want to use the UN but I have never got the chance because by this point I am usually at war or desperately trying to get in to first place to worry about this. Bringing it forward means I might be able to use it.
  
• Advanced Starts: A major fan request, this new feature will enable players to "buy" components of a custom-tailored empire and begin play in the later part of the game, allowing them to experience many of the new features of the expansion in a shorter amount of time. - This sounds cool, although I am not 100% sure what it means.
  
• Enhanced AI: The AI has received many enhancements making it tougher to beat on the higher difficulty levels. The ways in which the AI will attempt to achieve victory have also been expanded. - This is never a bad thing, but then I never had a problem with the AI being stupid before.
You can view the full press release and see the art work here. I am looking forward to this release and will probably get it for my birthday or something.

Art work for the future Civ 4 Beyond Swords

In blog news:
I have added Google Analysis to this blog as my old site meter was deleted when I re-did the design. So now I know where you (or at least your server) live.
Also, you can now view this blog at www.veterangamer.co.uk, I registered this domain to see how it worked for a website I am doing. That URL should be a lot easier to remember.
I am breaking up for easter tomorrow, so expect more posts, maybe even a Civ review. Yeah, right...

Lego MMO

Two days ago Lego announced it would be teaming up with NetDevil (creator of Auto Assault) to create a Lego themed MMO. Although no details have been released I think I know what might happen. I think you will be able to create a Lego character by mix and matching through the hundreds of pieces that make up Lego figures and maybe some exclusively for on-line. Once you have done this, you will be put in to a world. You will be able to buy bricks and land and build. One would be able to build houses, cars planes etc. You would give it properties so you could actually use it in the way you intended. You then drive around the Lego world looking at other peoples creations. This would also be a way for Lego to advertise new products as they could have them on display.

Also, as this would not make a very interesting game, all the different ranges would have missions to play through. You would be able to play through in cooperative mode. In essence, I think the game would be a step up from Lego Star Wars and on-line. This will be the right direction as the Lego Star Wars games were very good (my brother is getting one on Xbox so you will get a review!) . Lego is well known for really quite good computer games so this is definitely worth keeping a eye on. I have subscribed to receive news and I will make sure to keep you posted. In terms of pricing I don't think there is any chance of a monthly subscription as it is aimed at a younger audience. It is due 2008.

Related links:
Lego site
NetDevil
Gamespot

Forza Moter Sport 2

There is going to be a new Forza Moter Sport for the Xbox 360. The first one was a increibly realistic driving game where you could customise your cars to no end, whilst still retaining the realism that Need for Speed lacked.

Also, Microsoft announced the following add ons for the Xbox 360 at Lepizig, the games convention in Germany. They are making:

• Wireless steering wheel - it looks soo cool.
• A wireless headset that looks just like the thing in Dr. Who ie. a Blue Tooth headset.
• A wireless HD DVD player, I personally thought the Xbox 360 played HD DVDs but apparently not.
• The webcam - comes with 1 month/year of Xbox live gold subscriptio.
• New face plates (Master Cheif, Forza 2 and some weird clowd thing?)
  

On the PC front they are releasing the world most sexiest mouse ever, sadly it will cost you £35. It has 7 customisable buttons, blue neon strips and interchanable face plates?!
Also, there is a device you can plug in to your computer and allows you to use wireless Xbox 360 controllers.

Nintendos confrence apparently went terrible as the article puts across. However I can confirm it will be less than 250 euros, £168.903. I doubt it will be that much though.

I could not find any news on Sony, I think they were ill or something because belive me I looked.

Splinter Cell 4: Double Agent

Splinter Cell is a popular 3rd person stealth game that is published and created by ubi soft. It will feature a intense single player but with a twist. You are a double agent working for the bad guys. You have to choose how far you are prepared to go. If you don't go far enough they start to suspect you, however if you go to far... well I will leave that to your imagination. Furthermore the already stunning Multiplayer is going to be drastically improved. The game is expected to hit the store September 10th. Currently there have been 3 titles Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell Pandora Tommorow and Splinter Cell Choas Theory. However, I am not hear to tell you about the game I am here to discuss the games rating.

A un-offical source tipped me off that the game may be reciving a 18+ certificate. The previos 3 titles have recived 11+,12+ and 16+ respectivly. At Gamespot there has been no offical annoncement as to the games rating and the box image still says Rating Pending for both Xbox and Xbox 360 versions. However at Game, my local game shop, it claims to be 18+ on both consoles.

At ubisoft, it also says rating pending, and preumably this is the most reliable source. So in conclusion Double Agent may well be a 18+ but at current there is no reliable source certifing this. I will keep you posted.

AoE 3 Expansion

For all of you who bought Age of Empires 3 I have news. There is a new expansion coming along fairly soon after E3. It will include 3 playable native factions, new units/techs etc. for European civs, a new single player campaign and improved home cities.

The Native factions are designed to play differently to the European factions. They will not have the technology of the Europeans but each one will have a unique way to deal with them. Ensemble Studios did not make it clear if they would have a home city but I think they will have an equivalent. They will have an entirely new building/tech/unit charts as well.

As with every expansion pack there will be numerous new stuff. The new stuff will include a range of military units, mercenaries, new cards for your cities and some other stuff.

The new campaignis going to be based around history this time round. Apparently last time it was mostly fictional.

They did not say how the cities were going to be improved, merely said you will find out @ E3.

I will do a post like this for the Civ 4 Expansion when more information is available. Oh yeah, the expansion is called 'WarCheif" Which is one of the special units available to the natives.

Age of Empires 3 Preview Update

I finally got my hands a demo of the forth coming Age of Empires 3. I can now give more details on the game.

Graphics:
Well, I don't know what to say. I was expecting breath taking graphics, there alright but everyone keeps saying they are amazing. All these people probably get a new computer everyday, my PC has, at time of posting, average computer abilities and the graphics come out like this:




And they claim to look like this:


There is a subtle difference.

Once you get past the average graphics the game is amazing. The gameplay is a massive improvement from AoE 2. Some of the major changes are:
1)Villagers don't have to go to and from drop off points to gather resources.
2)Home City - I will discuss this later.
3)Treasures are found across the map and will give you experience points, see later on.
4)AI much better, they actually attack you, not early on but they do at the end. Also they get angry and if you attack them they attack you. Furthermore they ask for your forgiveness when you start crushing them and they talk to you when key things happen.
5)Physics are included, if you shoot a tower a bit of it will come flying off!
6)Only 3 resources, wood, food and coin. Coin is gold and stone combined.

Home cities is the latest innovation in the world of Age of Empires, it is, as the name suggests, the city which you, the explorer(discussed later), come from. As you gather experience points for all of the things you can do, from collecting wood to building a building or discovering a hidden treasure you will receive experience points which will be added to the circle, at the bottom left of your screen. It is rather similar in appearance to the one in the LOTR games. When it fills up you may order one of your 'cards' from your home city. These can range from villagers to resources or even free flat back forts in a wagon! As you get more experience points your city will level up and for each level your city gains you can by one more card for your deck. Although you can have a maximum of 20 cards in your deck you may by many more and create custom decks to suit a particular strategies or map. SP and MP games count towards this.

The explorer is a hero style unit because he is far superior to any other warriors and has special abilities. He can never die, he will lie on the ground slowly recovering health. If your explorer gets captured by the enemy then you can try and batter him back. He can build town centers and trading posts. Trading posts are used to ally with the native Americans and to get experience points from trading routes. They can only be built in certain places.

There are of course many new units, army's and buildings. One of my favorites is the factory which is only available through your home city. It can be configured to create any one of the 3 resources or create heavy artillery. The resources are useful when in peace time and heavy artillery when preparing to attack. Although the resources it creates isn't enough to cover that resources, keep villagers collecting it too.

I am strongly looking forward to this game and is coming out 10/18/2005 and I will be getting it that week.

Coming up RTW BI(Rome Total War Barbarian Invasion) is coming out 27 September.

Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion

Seeming as I gave a preview for Age of Empires 3 it seems only fair to do one for the expansion pack for the critically acclaimed Rome Total War. I downloaded the demo of it and have played through both of the supplied levels. Both were an enjoyable experience, as to be expected with Rome Total war, they did enlighten me about some of the changes. It showed off some more armies, in fact every army in the two battles was new.
Here is a list of some(or all) of the new armies:

Western Roman Empire
Easteren Roman Empire
Germanic Frankish Tribes
Romano Brittish
Alemanni
Huns
Goths

As the name implies, and these armies reveal, it is based more on the barbarians. An interesting thing to know would be if they are expanding the campaign map to include northern countries such as Scotland. I think it would be very fun to defend Hadrian's wall. They might not improve on the campaign though, which would be a great shame. Even if they don't increase the size of the campaign map there will still be new armies to play with.

Another thing that has been changed is, in the original, there was a information box so when you but your mouse over the unit it would tell you the name of that troop, the energy levels, moral and a couple of other things. Now the box is a lot more informative. For instance it used to say: Shaken. Now it says: Shaken- Because they have suffered heavy casualties or something like that. This may not seem like a particularly important change and it isn't but it could well be one of many little changes that come together and make the game a much more enjoyable experience.

A further change is when you fight at night, one man from each squad carries a burning stick to light up the battle field. I am yet to discover if this can be used as a weapon but it makes the battlefield look cool.

Onagers have been changed. They are far more accurate(or at least it appeared that way when they were firing at me) And maybe because it was at night but when they fired with the fire load it looked IMMENSE. There really isn't a better way to describe it. It is a shame there were not flaming pigs in the battle.

Overall I think this will be a worthwhile expansion regardless of whether you have finished the campaign or not. An interesting thing is it is published by Sega, not Activision. I didn't even know Sega did publishing. It is interesting that Activison have dropped out of the boat when there is the expansion pack and Spartan: Total warrior.(Preview coming soon[maybe]) Both of which are bound to make money. Oh well, all fool Activison.

Age of Empires 3, A revelation or some more of the same

Age of Empires is the original RTS and now the third one is coming out. Microsoft have the power to make this a really good game or some more elephants smashing people unrealistically and bowmen shooting down stone walls. Like most gamers, I own a copy of a AoE. I own the first one but have played on the second. I enjoyed both experiences but compared with Rome Total war, it is really simplistic. Now I never played the campaigns in AoE 1 simply because they were boring. RTW on the other hand involved you and you choose the missions you did. It was revolutionary which many strategy WW2 games have followed suit. The question is will Microsoft risk being sued by Activision and use it or not. Activison did not sue the WW2 games simply because they were one, not good enough to pose any threat and two, there's was a different audience. Microsoft on the other hand one AoE already has a reputation to make people buy it, they are drawing a lot of attention to the themselves and finally this is aimed at the same target audience. I personally believe it a risk worth taking because people like me will give it better review and it is hardly like Microsoft are short on cash. Or even if they are at the moment they'll recoup it all when the 360 comes out.

I have only seen screen shots of the game, and they claim to be real. Well, they look Miss's b Miss's e Miss's aut Miss's i Miss's ful my friend. NB. I can spell it is to emphasize how good they are. Picture halo 2 graphics and they combine them with mercenaries then you begin to get a idea on the graphics. Un-fortunately for us the camera is not free control you can just zoom in and out. The water looks amazing but then so does most games water now a days.

Until Microsoft release a demo of the game, which won't happen until closer to the game launch, I can't comment on the gameplay. Microsoft have said that the gameplay will be more advanced than in previous AoEs witch is no achievement. They have only mentioned 1 feature which is 'Home towns.' Home towns is the town you came from and as you gain experience points they send you creates which you choose what you want in them. It sounds like an alright function, and experience points implies they have changed the campaign for the better, but it is hardly revolutionary. I have now seen game footage though and it looks suspiciously similar. Charge...Bowman take the down that massive iron building etc. The trains look quite good though and judging by the video, play quite an important part.

The release date has no obvious implications other than they are trying to beat down the little amount of the RTW expansion pack, which is also coming out then. But it being a expansion pack will mean it won't get much coverage. As if the third AoE isn't going to get enough any way. Ah well.