Posts Tagged ‘ability’

Supreme Commander 2 PC Review


Posted in Gamechangers

Tech levels are entirely gone, too, as now your units can be upgraded through a separate Tech Tree window. As you build Research structures you’ll gain tech points faster and faster, and you can then spend them to upgrade units, your ACU, or your structures. You’ll also unlock new units like gunships or shield generators, and eventually on to the powerful experimental units. One of the best parts of the tech system is that once you have the research points, they can never be taken away by a nuke or a throng of enemies breaking stuff in your base; the tech you research is always available to you, and it doesn’t increase the cost of the units you pump out from your factories. What this means is that you’ve got some chance of recovery if your base is nuked, although you’ll likely need help from a friend to get you back on your feet.

The removal of tech levels also means that the number of units in the game has been reduced. Now, any upgrades you achieve immediately switches your force over entirely. Gas Powered Games also tried to differentiate the races more with entirely different tech trees, unique abilities like the UEF’s focus on artillery, the Illuminate’s hovering land units (they have no navy at all), or the Cybran navy’s ability to sprout legs (all of them, this time) and walk on land. This is a disappointment for some fans, especially those who like to make lists of everything that has been removed from the first game. And frankly, it’s a very long list, although I think it’s debatable whether most of the items on that list actually made it better. (more…)

On MMOGs and Skill


Posted in Gamechangers

It’s not uncommon to see MMORPGs criticized for being games that are decided solely on the basis of how much time you put into leveling your character, rather than your incredible skill as a player. We’re all familiar with this argument, raised once again in a recent article on GamerDad. The author extolls the virtues of PlanetSide because it brings the manual aim and fast reflexes required by shooters into a massively multiplayer online environment. Even if it’s not entirely fair to say that RPGs require no skill, it does bring up some interesting points about what makes a game enjoyable.

Before I go any further, I should point out that game “skill” is not necessarily limited to one’s proficiency with mouse, keyboard, and joystick controls. Knowledge of what works best in different situations, team organization, even the ability to be diplomatic with enemies, could be considered valuable skills in many games. Nevertheless, it is apparent that a lot of gamers find typical RPG combat somewhat lacking, so it’s worth looking at the relative strengths and weakness of combat in these very different types of games. Advertorial info : Printed Promotional Umbrellas (more…)

Battlefield Vietnam Review


Posted in Gamechangers

Let me begin by saying, no, it’s not an expansion pack, I repeat, NOT AN EXPANSION PACK for Battlefield 1942. Battlefield Vietnam, though it bears more similarities to Battlefield 1942 than just its name, is an entirely new stand-alone game and Battlefield 1942 is not required to play.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, you may have noticed that military themed first-person shooters are everywhere these days. Given the flood of titles and expansion packs that have been released in this area lately, one has to wonder how many such games the market can support. I couldn’t help marvelling at the ad for Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault on the back of the Battlefield Vietnam CD case.

Subsequently, your first impression of Battlefield Vietnam is likely to be one of deja vu. Battlefield 1942 players will find most of the features and game modes they are familiar with in a very immersive jungle setting. If you haven’t played BF 1942, the appeal of the game, in a nutshell, is that you can commandeer a wide variety of vehicles, including tanks, ships, and planes, on the front line. For the most part, this is accomplished with a very simple set of standard FPS controls which minimize the learning curve.

Advertorial info : Promotional Pens (more…)