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'Warcraft III: Reforged' modernizes another real-time strategy hit
Blizzard isn't about to stop its trip down memory lane with a remaster of the original StarCraft. The studio has unveiled Warcraft III: Reforged, a top-to-bottom refresh of the landmark real-time strategy title and its Frozen Throne add-on. As Blizzard is updating a 3D game this time around, there's a lot of room for improvement: the company has redone all the characters and environments in much greater detail, complete with reworked in-game cutscenes. You'll also find a modernized interface (including an updated World Editor), up-to-date multiplayer match creation and "hundreds" of gameplay tweaks.
Microsoft delays its 'Age of Empires' remaster to 2018
Were you planning your gaming calendar around Age of Empires: Definitive Edition's release on October 19th? You'll... need to find an alternative. Microsoft has pushed back the launch of the remastered real-time strategy collection at the last minute, anticipating a launch sometime in early 2018. The developers pin the sudden delay to a desire to tweak the game as much as possible. They want to invite "thousands" more people into the closed beta to adjust everything from the multiplayer balance to the lobby system.
'Age of Empires' is getting a 4K upgrade
Hey, Blizzard: you're not the only developer that can remaster a classic real-time strategy game. Microsoft has unveiled Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, a rework of Ensemble Studio's history-based conquer-the-map title. Graphics and sound get the obvious improvements with 4K resolution support, higher-detail visuals and a remastered soundtrack, but there are some functional improvements, too. There's a new narrative, Xbox Live multiplayer, new zoom levels (no more panning around to see a large-scale fight) and other unspecified gameplay improvements.
'StarCraft: Remastered' upgrades a real-time strategy classic
Blizzard is legendary for keeping old games alive, but it's going the extra mile this time around. The studio has unveiled StarCraft: Remastered, an overhaul that drags the 1998 real-time strategy game (including the Brood War expansion) into the modern era. It's getting the obligatory fresh coat of paint, including higher-resolution graphics (with support for 4K resolution), improved audio and support for Blizzard's current game launcher and multiplayer network. However, the team is also using this as an excuse to 'fix' the game by adding content and features you take for granted. There will be reasons to play even if you've played the classic title to death.
Gearbox's beautiful 'Homeworld' remake reaches PCs February 25th
If you're a long-time PC gamer, you probably have a soft spot for the Homeworld series. Relic's epic saga was both eye-catching and proof that real-time strategy could work in the void of space. However, time hasn't been kind to the games -- the first came out when 3D graphics cards were relatively new, and THQ's acquisition of Relic (plus its eventual bankruptcy) made follow-ups difficult. At last, though, you'll have a way to relive the Mothership's journey while doing justice to your modern gaming rig. Gearbox, which bought the rights to the series, has revealed that its previously teased Homeworld Remastered Collection will reach Windows PCs on February 25th. The remake spruces up just about every aspect of the two Homeworld games, ranging from much better-looking ship models and effects to reworked cutscenes. You also get a beta multiplayer experience that merges the online modes of both titles.
SRK contest produces a 26-button Starcraft II arcade controller, probably won't stop Zerg rushes (video)
Almost as a dare, Shoryuken (SRK) challenged its fans to produce a fighting game-style controller for Starcraft II. Mauricio Romano took them up on that contest and won with a surprisingly polished arcade stick of his own. Its cornerstone is a heavily modified Ultrastik joystick that's turned into an on-controller, two-button mouse. You didn't think a PC gamer would cling to a plain joystick, did you? In the process, the usual 101 keys of a typical keyboard have been pared down to a set of 26 buttons most relevant for Blizzard's real-time strategy epic. Packaged up in a single, polished USB peripheral, the one-off prototype's design is good enough to imagine a Major League Gaming pro taking it out on the road. We'd put that idea on ice for now, though: as Mauricio shows in the video below, the learning curve is steep enough that most players won't be fending off diamond-league marine and zergling blitzes anytime soon.
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Parking Dash
I've posted about the "Dash" time management games before -- traditionally, they're just basically tap-and-wait titles that have you managing a diner or a spa. But Parking Dash, out today on iPhone, is the most involved one I've seen. The app still has a plucky female heroine (these apps tend to appeal to women, a fresh moneymaking audience on the App Store) working for more and more pay. This time, some parking-style puzzles make things more fun for hardcore players. You're still just tapping and waiting, but now you're also tasked with parking colored cars, and combo-ing colors in various spaces can earn you lots of points, lending a little bit of strategy to the mix. I like it -- like the other Dash games, the gameplay is colorful and ramps well, and pulling cars in and out of their spots is a lot of fun. I like the direction of these time management games -- originally, they were basically cheap repeats of popular PC titles (and there are certainly still plenty of those to go around -- Parking Dash itself originally started on the PC). But more and more, the games are being designed for the App Store and the iPhone's audience and UI, and I think the genre as a whole is improving because of it. Parking Dash is available now for US$2.99.
Metareview - LOTR: The Battle for Middle-earth II (Xbox 360) [update 1]
The PC game already debuted in March to decent reviews so, instead of recapping what's right and wrong with the game as a whole, let's get right down to the issue we're all wondering about: the controls.EA's Los Angeles studio contains the venerable Westwood Studios, well known as RTS pioneers for titles like Dune II and Command & Conquer. So it is, under their watchful eye, that they sought to deliver the heretofore mouse-centric experience of real-time strategy games to the console world. So, how did they do? IGN (82/100) is equivocal in their praise saying: "The controls aren't perfect and they're by no means the equivalent to the quick, precision controls of the PC's mouse and keyboard duo, but they do in fact work. I'll even go so far as to say they work better than any other console RTS -- period." GameDaily (80/100) wonders where the tutorial is (and apparently missed it): "While the control scheme is listed in the manual and through the in-game pause menu, there's no tutorial mode. The control scheme works extremely well once you've adjusted to it, but the moment you pick up the game, you won't know what you're doing. A training mode of some sort (at least as an option) would've been nice for a game of this nature, but Xbox 360 owners should be adjusted to the control scheme by the second or third mission." Yahoo! Games (90/100) seconds the manual recommendation and steep learning curve: " So yes, you need to read the manual. You're probably going to want to have it on your knees for the first few hours of play, and within arm's reach for a day or two more. The controls are well thought out and comprehensive, but the advanced functions are not intuitive. Many commands rely on double or triple combinations of face buttons and triggers or bumpers. You'll need to learn them." So, it sounds like EA Los Angeles has done the impossible; they've delivered a console RTS with controls that are almost comparable to its PC counterpart. For console gamers (many of whom were former PC gamers) this is a praiseworthy innovation. Now that the path has been revealed, will other developers target the RTS-less console gaming world?[Update 1: whoops! GameDaily missed the tutorial mode, as Major Nelson helpfully points out here. He says, "scroll left on the D-pad from Single Player->Tutorial." Sounds easy.]
Lost Magic preview raises some questions
1up is running a preview of Lost Magic, a game which promises to bring role-playing and real-time strategy together in wedded bliss. The superb Warcraft III certainly pulled that off with aplomb, though this game's take on that genre juxtaposition is somewhat different. For one thing, casting spells is a tad more involved than merely selecting the appropriate command from a menu. I have to wonder if that's a good thing or not. Obviously, I want the game to use the capabilities of the DS whenever possible, but only if it comes naturally from the design and not as a forced bullet-point to add to the back of the game's case. The concept should be fitted to the hardware, not the other way around. Lost Magic has the player drawing different runes in order to cast spells (with over 350 types available), with each rune triggering anything from healing spells to more pleasing fire spells.Do I really want to draw some sort of shape every single time I want to heal my magical princess? Why is that I am now forced to use the touch screen in order to accomplish something that worked just fine (and arguably more easily) with traditional controls? I think these are good questions to ask, especially in the light of many great DS games like Mario Kart DS or Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time that didn't really make full use of the stylus. I'm not judging Lost Magic by any means (yet), but 1up's preview doesn't really give me enough information to decide whether or not the rune system is inspired or gimmicky. Let me know what you think.
Homebrew RTS hits DS
For those of you into the homebrew scene - and don't think we haven't seen you mulling about in those suspicious trenchcoats - here's an intriguing little RTS that an armchair dictator developed as a proof-of-concept. It clearly has a long way to go before competing with the likes of StarCraft, but at least it has the control method down. By tapping on an unsuspecting worker unit or dragging a box around a group of them, you can order them to perform menial and unfulfilling tasks that serve no reason other than to expand your empire of evil and oppression. If anything, this should get you excited for the forthcoming Age of Empires DS game. If, however, you don't consider yourself a slave to capitalism (and good for you, by the way), it should get you excited about all the possibilities that can be found in the world of homebrew. This game isn't the only one that shows just how well the DS can handle real-time strategy games and first-person shooters, games that were mostly constricted to the PC until now. Now if only someone would conjure up a decent online instant messenger...[Thanks xfiles fan]
