rts
Latest
Rise of the Witch-King box art revealed
Electronic Arts has released the box art for The Battle for Middle-earth 2: The Rise of the Witch-King, and it looks like the top game publisher hasn't yet bought into the whole Games for Windows promotional strategy. EA continues to use the standard bland, redundant bar label that has adorned their PC packaging since earlier this year -- which most likely means their games don't meet all the branding guidelines set forth by Microsoft (widescreen, parental controls, 360 controller support, etc.). Competing standards basically defeats the purpose of easier product recognition for consumers, and you have to wonder if Microsoft should have just called their marketing initiative what it really is, "Games for Vista".Witch-King is scheduled for a Nov. 28 release, but an Xbox 360 version hasn't been confirmed. Read GameSpot's recent interview with EA producer Amir Rahimi for more details.See also: Middle-earth expands to the Middle Kingdom Steve Gray discusses LOTR: The White Council
Halo Wars trailer gives us goosebumps
Okay, so you missed the X06 briefing and the Halo Wars trailer. Your 360 crapped out on you and you couldn't download it from Marketplace. To top it all off, your slavish devotion to X360F prevents you from looking it up on one of the internets. It's okay, friend, we understand your pain. You need merely click "continue" to see the video embedded after the break. And by the way, that headline is not a joke. It gave us goosebumps (well, maybe not Ken, but he is made of sterner stuff than I). So, who wants this game? Raise your hand.
MS announces Halo Wars, a new RTS [update 1]
A real-time strategy game based in the Halo universe has been announced. The project, entitled Halo Wars, will be designed by Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) "exclusively for Xbox 360" (read: no PC). This announcement comes weeks after Bungie issued a cease-and-desist to the Halogen project, a C&C: Generals mod based in the Halo universe. It was at this time that 1UP's Luke Smith predicted an official Halo RTS in collaboration with Ensemble Studios. Somebody buy this man a drink, because he nailed it. After bringing Scott Henson, Director of the Game Development Group at Microsoft, up to speed on the Halogen incident, he assured us Halo Wars "has absolutely nothing to do with that" (whether he meant the mod's shut down or the game's inception is vague). The original Halo: Combat Evolved, in earlier stages of development, was a real-time strategy game in the vein of Myth, another Bungie RTS. You can read all about it in the pages of Bungie's lore. While we're very intrigued by the thought of a Halo strategy title, we're a bit concerned about how it will play on an Xbox 360 controller. Must ... use ... mouse ... [Update 1: The Halo Wars official website has also just gone live, with a pretty (yet entirely pre-rendered) trailer. The FAQ explains that Halo Wars takes place before the events of Halo 1 and its controls have been built "from the ground up" to work with the Xbox 360 controller. We have also embedded the trailer below, via Game Videos.]
Rumor Mill -- Final Fantasy XII side story hitting the DS? [Update 1]
Those NeoGAFfers are up to it again. They always find something to get our heart rates jumping, but this time they have really done it. Apparently there might be a side story for Final Fantasy XII that is making its way our beloved DS. This whole story seems to be quite the buzz. Shortly after the original blog was posted, the author edited it and information vanished. It originally had a little more info about the DS game but now it only shows a sad "FFXII." Sounds like the Square-Enix mafia is doing its dirty work. We understand that half the information passed along is usually all playground talk, but this particular blogger seems to be very trusted. This is the same blogger that leaked the news about Chocobo's Magic Picture Book and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. The Final Fantasy XII side story details remain shrouded in mystery and we hope that these aren't sirens singing. We would love to see a mixture of the two systems with one of our favorite dominant RPGs. Join us in secretly praying to Bahamut or any other summon of your choice. Just make it come true! [Via Go Nintendo] [Update 1: Typo check!]
New 360 controller in the works?
Speaking at Gamefest, Microsoft hardware guru, Robert Walker Texas Ranger, spoke of a possible redesign of the 360 controller. This "advanced" -- and optional -- control would be in lieu of keyboard and mouse support -- something Microsoft still has no intention of doing. Thus, the new control would feature a redesigned right analog stick to allow for more precision, mouse-like movements. Naturally this controller would appeal mostly to gamers who prefer first person shooters and possibly RTS games. Also worth mentioning, Walker again brought up the possibility of Mircosoft copying Nintendo designing a motion sensing controller as well, since they seem to be hot stuff these days.So, what should Microsoft do to make their new pad more FPS friendly?[Via Xbox-Scene]
Blizzard Working on Multiple Games, Including Another RTS?
Maybe it's the fact that Blue only releases games seemingly once a millenia (I think we're almost finally approaching Starcraft: Ghost's original release date), but it seems like there's nothing Blizzard's fans love more than rampant speculation about what they're up to next.In that vein, we present the news that Blizzard has updated their Employment Opportunity board once again this past weekend, this time looking for "a talented level designer with experience building levels using any popular 3D Real-Time Strategy game toolset." Did you hear that? "3D Real-Time Strategy"? That almost sounds like it could be Starcra-- nah. Or maybe the next round of Warcra-- nahhhh. Or you never know, Blizzard could even be working on a completely new type of genre, something that combines its success with WoW with its strategic past. Could you imagine a Blizzard MMORTS? It could be anything! Isn't speculation fun?Adding to the fun is another press release that Blizzard dropped today stating that the company will "strengthen its current development efforts by refocusing key members of its console team on other projects within the company." They didn't say much more than that, but I'm guessing it means Starcraft: Ghost is taking even more of a back seat than it had before. The only good news is that the press release also stated that the company will eventually tell us everything we need to know, about all future projects, at a future time. And when it comes to speculation fuel, it doesn't get much more vague than that.
BFME2 expansion bewitches
So far EA has only announced the Battle for Middle Earth II: The Rise of the Witch King expansion pack for PC, but that doesn't mean we can't read the details and look to the future. Besides Lord of the Rings stuff, what other RTS experiences belong on the 360?
LOTR:BFME2 ringing up demo
Reader Matt points out that "demo walkthrough" video for LOTR: The Battle For Middle Earth II, now available on XBLM, likely indicates a playabe demo of this ring-rocking RTS isn't far off. Nice deductive reasoning, Matt. No seriously, thanks for the tip. Would you like to see more real-time strategy games on your favorite console?
Ubisoft loves Nintendo, RTS on the way
Remember the days when the DS was being ridiculed for its ridiculous design and doomed fate as a gimmick device? Nintendo fans worldwide desperately defended themselves with many arguments, one of the strongest being that the DS was the first non-PC platform in existence that might do the real-time strategy genre justice. Ironically, as we sit in a year full of DS successes, one can't find a single critically-acclaimed RTS title for the system. Hmmm.Ubisoft, however, is determined to change all that. While they've shown strong support of the Wii (see: launch title Red Steel), their acceptance of Nintendo's two-headed gaming wonder has been a bit slower...but they've come around. They're bringing the formerly PC-only title Settlers to the DS, chock full of awesomeness such as multiple campaigns, thirty different occupational groups, an easy-to-use stylus control scheme, and Chuck Norris. Well, okay. Maybe not that last one, but we're still excited.(Seriously, how awesome would a Chuck Norris RTS be? I'm calling Ubisoft.)
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.]
Metareview - Rise of Legends
The double-edged sword of success must have weighed heavily on the minds of Brian Reynolds and his creative team at Big Huge Games. In developing Rise of Legends, they were faced with the challenging, yet unenviable task of following up the game's hit predecessor, Rise of Nations. So what do you do for an encore? First, retain Nations' user-friendly interface, and then overcompensate for some poor audio choices by introducing three oddly original, and exceptionally balanced races. Those looking for a unique twist on traditional RTS civilizations will appreciate Legends' blend of classic fantasy, myth, and technology, as well as the visual quality Big Huge has become known for. 1UP (90/100) gives kudos for balance and diversity among the Vinci, Alin, and Coutl races: "Whereas Rise of Nations had a bunch of historic civilizations with relatively minor distinctions in their units and technology, Rise of Legends throws only three races into the fury, but they're both unique and incredibly well balanced." IGN (82/100) likes a good fight in campaign mode: "The AI is generally very good. The enemy knows how to use its hero units and, though it still suffers from the trickle tactics of most RTS' AI, it can still manage to put together a sizable enough force to make you break a sweat. If the challenge level isn't just right, you can actually adjust the game's difficultly at any point during the campaign." Gamespot (76/100) warns of a potentially difficult transition from standard RTS fare: "Each of the civilizations is so offbeat that there are no reference points, no similarities to RTS conventions that you can latch onto and use to dip a toe into the weirdness. The story in the campaign is decidedly convoluted, as well." [via Metacritic]
PC impressions: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Unlike many RTS titles, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos only has a very basic level of base building, instead choosing to concentrate on tactical planning and the outfitting of very ornate helmets. The visual aspect of the game is heavily touted and, for the most part, they deserve to be--the level of detail present in each unit making up your army is impressive, right down to the customizable armour and clothing that gently glistens in the harsh sun. Of course, a lot of it's just cosmetic, a fact made especially clear once a flaming rock hurled from a catapult lands amidst your troops and sends them flying in all manner of directions. It's an amusing sight, to be sure, but the sad reality is that it probably means you're losing the battle.Mark of Chaos actually places you in charge of the evil invading force, so the pitiful humans are the ones that usually find themselves on the losing end. It's easier when you effectively command your powerful hero units to lead the charge, as they often boast a very welcomed level of customization and plenty of useful spells. It's by no means an original concept, but Mark of Chaos is hoisted above its "me too" level by some truly excellent presentation, perfectly capturing the look and feel of epic battles erupting between the game's powerful factions. A particularly nice touch is how the very environment begins to change as you march across the land, with grass dying and the sky growing dark. It drives home the illusion of a full, living world caught in the grips of war, something that very few real-time strategy games can claim to have accomplished.
EA E3 lineup includes playable Wii & PS3 Madden
EA will be showing off playable versions of Madden for Wii and PlayStation 3 at E3 this year. The catch? Those sessions will be held behind closed doors. Also reserved for VIPs are demos of Army of Two, Command & Conquer 3, and a taste of this year's sports roster, including NBA Live, Tiger Woods, and FIFA. The publisher's promised, "never-before-seen technology that delivers authentic athletic performance." More sweat! Here's the complete list of announced titles: Army of Two (PS2, Xbox 360) Battlefield 2142 (PC) Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (PC) Crysis (PC) Def Jam: Fight for NY: The Takeover (PSP) LOTR: The Battle for Middle-earth 2 (X360) Madden NFL 07 (DS, GBA, GC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360) NASCAR 07 (PSP) Orcs & Elves (mobile) Spore (PC) Superman Returns (DS, GBA, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360) Tetris (mobile) Various sports titles (mobile) [Thanks DLB]
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.
Adams on the state of RTS
IGN's Dan Adams is the kind of guy who lives and breathes real-time strategy games. This is evident in his comprehensive overview of the genre, where he discusses everything from the DOS-based Ancient Art of War to today's top sellers and beyond. For RTS newbs and veterans alike, this article can serve as either a fascinating introduction, or a nostalgic trip down memory lane.Over the past decade, consoles have attempted to capitalize on the genre's PC popularity by porting games like Warcraft, Warhammer, and Command & Conquer (with mixed results). There have also been console exclusives such as Goblin Commander, Pikmin, Kessen, and the last two Kingdom Under Fire titles. However, these offerings haven't enjoyed the success of their PC contemporaries, which is somewhat ironic, given the console roots of RTS classics, Herzog Zwei and Dune II (also a PC title). EA is hoping for permanent crossover success when they bring The Battle for Middle-earth 2 to the Xbox 360 later this year.What are your favorite RTS games of all time? If you haven't already, would you consider playing strategy titles on a console?
EA developer talks RTS
One of our concerns about the upcoming RTS for Xbox 360, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II, was the integration of the Xbox 360 controller with traditional RTS controls. Fortunately, we haven't had to worry for long. Gamasutra have interviewed EA's Louis Castle, a RTS veteran whose credentials date from Dune II and Command and Conquer, and it's reassuring:"I said, 'Let's go back to the beginning.' Let's look at these strategy games, as if they were new. How would we approach it now? Let's pretend that there never was a mouse, and all we had were consoles. How would we bring this about?"It looks like EA have really focused on the 360's strengths, including voice communication and high-definition graphics as well as a control system designed around the gamepad rather than ported. Hopefully Castle's hype will live up to the implementation.
Lord of the Rings RTS headed to 360
Great news for real time strategy fans! EA is bringing their upcoming PC title, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II, exclusively to the Xbox 360 console. The big question is how will a traditionally click heavy RTS control with a gamepad. EA's press materials try to assuage these fears: "The game boasts a new and intuitive console-specific control scheme that will allow novice players to enjoy the game's signature strategy gameplay while giving expert players the flexibility needed to engage in a deeply complex strategy experience. Players will directly control hundreds of units in an attempt to defeat enemy armies, conquer new lands, and seal the fate of Middle-earth."The game will also support high definition graphics, surround sounds, and Xbox Live so you "will be able to challenge friends online and engage in intense, action-packed real-time battles."[Via Joystiq]
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]
