So any PC games to look forwards too?

[Ghost]

Hello all,

A bit of a difficult question, this one.
All of us have their own tastes when it comes to games what they are looking forwards too.
I could have tried to fill in what games I specifically mean but then the title of the topic would have become to long.

So do any of you know of any upcoming science fiction shooters or RPGs like Planescape Torment that are still in development?

All I have on my list is Half Life 2 Episode 3 which I hope will be announced soon (only for its release date to change again as the date gets nearer)

[Harrison]

Not actually an RPG, but Games Workshop are currently working on an official Bloodbowl game that is schedules for release in 2008, so I'm really looking forward to that one. Chaos League was good, but not official or licensed by GW so to finally have an official game will be good.

Another Games Workshop game, Dawn of War, is getting another expansion pack, Soul Storm, next year too, so I'm looking forward to that one.

[Ghost]

I recently bought the game Tarr Chronicles for a friend of mine, has any of you played it?

I also soon will have NWN2 Mask of the Betrayer.

[Harrison]

I've got NWN2 Mask of the Betrayer, but although I've installed it, I'm still playing through the original game. It seems like a nice expansion, adding quite a few extra hours of gameplay, plus introducing some new character races to the game for you to play. It's also had some good reviews.

Tarr Chronicles is quite a good space shooter, similar in gameplay to old classics like X-Wing or Wing Commander. The graphics are nice, but the game is quite an arcade like space shooter, with only basic piloting and weapons selection commands possible. But for the type of game is good. Just don't expect anything as complex as Freespace, or open like Freelancer or X.

[Sharingan]

Haven't kept in touch with the PC game scene that much lately, but there's one game I'm really looking forward to, and that's the next version of Sim City (not Sim City Societies). That's when they'll (probably) make the transition to full 3D scenery. Rumour has it that development is well underway.

[Harrison]

I've not read anything about the next Sim City. I always love that series.

A couple of games out this month I've been interested in are Hellgate: London and TimeShift. I've played demos of Timeshift throughout its development and it has evolved and changed direction a number of times, but the end result looks like it should be good. And Hellgate should be great multiplayer, as it played a bit like a FPS RPG.

[Ghost]

Hello Sharingan,

I have tried to play Sim City just as I have tried to play the Civilization games, I have plenty of copies of both series, from Classic Sim City to the latest, and from Civ1 (Net Civ I think) to Civilization 4: Beyond the Sword.

I love the concepts behind both game series but I really suck at playing them because I never take the time to truly learn the games.
Often I just want some quick action, that is when I am playing games and not just hanging in front of my PC and just surfing the net.

Somewhere in the beginning when I started to play games I must have made a mistake when I tried to learn strategy games, and I am keep making the same mistakes.


Hello Harrison,

Well my friend was very happy with Tarr Chronicles, he enjoys it a lot and even upgraded his PC in order to play it properly.
Unfortunate the game magazine I usually read is rather negative about the whole game.

I have to say that I am starting to question the independence of said game magazine as you hear more and more often that game publishers extend a lot of control in the game review business to make sure that their games get favourable grades.

Sites like RPGcodex are very negative about sites like Gamespot, Gamespy and others, feeling that these sites are biased and run by people with only a limited experience in the field of gaming, thereby more easily impressed by software which qualities are seriously questionable compared to games in the same genre released years earlier.

I can't say that this is just hate mongering (don't know how to write the exact word) as these people do have a point.

These years I buy a lot less newly released games than years before when almost every month an exciting new game was released.


The Witcher seems to be doing very well.
Fantasy in general doesn't interest me but I have been looking for a Christmas gift for someone, I hope he will like this.

[Harrison]

That is true of many games magazines and it has long been questioned by many. Some Amiga magazines such as Amiga Action were even guilty of this. The biggest issue is when magazines review pre-release code that has been "fixed" especially for the reviewers. Or in some more recent cases some magazines have even reviewed a game without even ever seeing it running.

There are a couple of magazines I do believe and subscribe to. PC Gamer is good for PC games as they definitely tell the truth about the games they review, and will also even admit in a later issue when looking at a game again if their original scores were too high or should have deserved an even higher score. And they are not frightened to give key games an average score, with even the best games often not getting a score over 90%

Another is Edge, as they tend to be over critical of a game, rather than singing it's praises. So when they really do give a game a score of 8 or higher you know it has to be good.

[Sharingan]

Yeah, Sim City (especially part 4) is somewhat of a monster. It's easy enough to pick up and play right away, but to get the most out of it, you really need to spend ages and ages on it. The fun part is continually discovering ways of improving things, be it implementing a brand new public transport system that solves all the traffic problems you've been having, or finding methods of jump-starting languishing commercial growth. The most satisfying thing is seeing a seemingly small decision translate into huge results.

It's kind of daunting to get started on the game though, I agree. Unless you have copious amounts of time, I wouldn't even get started. I used to play SC4 quite a bit, and have built some pretty good cities, but the time it takes to actually get things running is obscene. I've tried getting back into it several times, but always stopped because I just couldn't get myself to learn everything all over again.

Hopefully, SC5 will be just a touch easier to get into. Being able to delegate some tasks to A.I. controlled decisionmakers would be nice, for example.

[Demon Cleaner]

Perhaps the remake of Speedball which will be released soon.

[Harrison]

I could never get into Sim City 4, instead still being a big fan of Sim City 3000, which was pretty much a directly updated version of 2000. I just preferred the graphical style of the game as it was much easier to navigate and manage the game. In Sim City 4 I found the new control system and closer game view tended to just slow everything down and make it harder. Still good, but for me SC3000 is currently the best version.

When I originally bought Sim City 2000 on the Amiga I also bought a really good strategy guide book for it that went into great detail on city planning and running. It really helped as it showed you exactly the consequences for everything you did in the city.

Sim City games definitely make you appreciate how hard it must be to run a real city, and does make you take a step back and think being moaning about something in your actual local community.

[Harrison]

On the teletext gaming news today they mentioned that the rights to the Homeworld games has been bought up by the publisher who now owns the original Homeworld development team. Could this mean a new Homeworld is in the planning? Now that would be cool.

They also mentioned that Bethesda have registered the domain name elderscrollsonline.com and that they are also currently working on an MMO. So we might be seeing the first online Elder Scrolls game. Oblivion online? Now that would be cool.

[Puni/Void]

They also mentioned that Bethesda have registered the domain name elderscrollsonline.com and that they are also currently working on an MMO. So we might be seeing the first online Elder Scrolls game. Oblivion online? Now that would be cool.

Do you think they will focus on Cyrodiil or another area in such a game? Maybe we will see a return to Morrowind? Could it be that the action will be put to Skyrim, or maybe the whole world will be available for adventuring? It sounds interesting with an Elder Scrools Online game. If such a game ever gets released, I'm sure I'll get addicted if I buy it. ;)

[Ghost]

Hello,

I also read about the Homeworld franchise being sold to THQ, but remembering how pis poor the story of Homeworld 2 was compared to Homeworld 1 I am not as intrigued any more in the game universe.

I couldn't stand all that crap about magical hyperdrive and I think the writers were trying to mimic Star Wars in order to create some 'mythical' background.
If I connect a man to a nuclear reactor I am pretty sure he will not end up becoming immortal.


From what I hear some of you have the same problem as I have with larger strategy games, well Sim City 4 at least.
While the concept of running a city is fun, running a city properly without cheating is quite an assignment, learning all the mechanics and ins and outs of the gameplay.

I am not so attracted to Sim City Societies of whatever it is called, for some reason it doesn't really work for me.


As for Bethesda, after the butchering they have done on Fallout I hope some asteroid is on a direct collision course with their offices.
The idea of Pete Hines and Todd Howard being vaporised by a piece of cosmic debris somehow makes me smile.

* * * *

These days a lot of magazines and sites seem to be the mouths of the publishers which makes me wonder how objective the reviews are.
If every game gets praised as "you have to get this as soon as you have your monthly income" it becomes a bit difficult to tell which games truly are gems and which are just hype sold by a publisher bent on making some bucks for a lesser quality game.

Hey Harrison, in what way could a pre-release code be fixed?

[Harrison]

Hey Harrison, in what way could a pre-release code be fixed?

Well, they can alter the game structure so the reviewers only get to see the parts of the game that actually work correctly.

This happens in all industries. In design, if a client wants to see their project you dedicate a couple of people to "fixing" the product so that parts of it look finished and polished, but others that haven't had much work done to them are hidden or inaccessible. It happens all the time and I can't imagine it's any different with pre-release game code.


The idea of Pete Hines and Todd Howard being vaporised by a piece of cosmic debris somehow makes me smile.

I think I'm sensing a slight dislike for Bethesda from you I think! :unsure: :lol:

The problem with any gaming series or franchise is that as technology and what is possible moves forward it is very hard for any developer to stick to the original formula and designs that made the very first game a hit. If you stay very close to the original gaming look and feel it can end up feeling very dated. Equally the same is true with gameplay mechanics. You have to move forward or nothing evolves. Die hard fans of the original will hate change, as in your case, whereas others who just liked the series will probably still enjoy the sequels, and others that haven't encountered the series before will love the new releases and then go back to explore the older titles for retro enjoyment. Sadly you can never please everyone all of the time.

[Ghost]

Hello Harrison,


The problem with any gaming series or franchise is that as technology and what is possible moves forward it is very hard for any developer to stick to the original formula and designs that made the very first game a hit. If you stay very close to the original gaming look and feel it can end up feeling very dated. Equally the same is true with gameplay mechanics. You have to move forward or nothing evolves. Die hard fans of the original will hate change, as in your case, whereas others who just liked the series will probably still enjoy the sequels, and others that haven't encountered the series before will love the new releases and then go back to explore the older titles for retro enjoyment. Sadly you can never please everyone all of the time.

I heard this one from quite some people, and I do NOT agree.

First of all turn based RPGs or simply turn based is not something of the past, despite what people like Todd Howard wants you to think, the whole Real Time with Pauze has always been a compromise between Turn Based and Real Time and sometimes its a rather half assed one because the mechanics haven't been thought out well.

Improving the original Fallout would mean that developers would continue to refine the existing gameplay, work out the last kinks to optimise game enjoyment, not toss it out of the window because you don't know what it is and replace it with something you do.

Despite what people might say, gameplay is a part of what makes Fallout Fallout, and not just the said atmosphere which Bethesda couldn't even get right, going for EXTREME wasteland rather than trying to honour the weird twisted retro post apocalyptic future.

Bethesda didn't need to purchase Fallout, it could have peacefully waited for the time that some developer, preferably Obsidian decided that they had the budget to try a title that didn't fit the standard mold of today.
But Bethesda did buy it, and with that they also got a load of fans who actually kept the flame alive and kept asking for a sequel, not the Xbox 360 and PS3 crowd who couldn't give a damn less about some obscure game from ten years ago.

What Bethesda, or to be exact Todd and the gang have been doing is pretty much ripping out most of what made Fallout, leaving something like post apocalypse setting filled with mutants and left over technology.
That is not that far from developing your very own franchise with your own backgrounds and ideas.

Something that now feels almost similar is the rather disastreous Fallout Brotherhood of Steel for the PS2 and Xbox360 which also failed to appeal to most of the console gamers despite also being EXTREME wasteland, doing away with such boring things like solving quests through ways other than shooting things.

In the end to me this is just another Fallout disaster, yes the game will appeal to the GoW and Halo fanboys as that is Bethesda's target fan group, but not the fans of old.
I hope this will be the last step on Fallout's road to disaster so that the franchise can finally rest in peace, far away from the Tod Howards who really have no clue what makes classics tick.

Now lets have that asteroid.

[Harrison]

There is one thing though that you failed to mention. Return of investment. Today's games cost a lot more than they used to to develop and produce. Sadly you have to cater for the current gaming demographic to guarantee the game will sell. If they had left the game using the same gameplay and style as the original games it would have pleased the original fan base, but that would not have been a big enough number of sales to make a decent return from the investment spent. They have to develop games that they are more certain a wide range of gamers will buy.

Think of it much like an artist or designer. They all want to paint or produce a design for themselves, using their own ideas and imagination, but those won't have much commercial value or interest due to the work being individual and personal. They instead need to produce work for others that cater for their needs and ideas, even if the artist or designer doesn't personally like it. It's how money is made.

[Ghost]

Hello Harrison,


There is... is made.

I know that these days there are more restrictions on game developers than ever and that the primary purpose on game development is to make money.
And yes, I do realise that offering gameplay that didn't exactly swept the complete gaming community the first time is not automatically successful.

But Bethesda did not need to buy the Fallout franchise, there was no public outcry for a sequel, only of a handful of fans.
Most of the people were more looking forwards to a sequel to the Elder Scrolls, not some sequel to an obscure game series they had neverheard of before.

They could have made their very own new futuristic franchise with their own rules and background, but instead they choose an existing series they have no actual development experience with other than perhaps playing it and hearing rave reviews about it.

Well they got the franchise anyway, and as a part of that they also got the community, which might not have an actual say in the development but does make a judgement of the game in the end.
And on the moment as a fan I am deeply disappointed in what Bethesda is making, I have no problem with telling as much people as possible not to buy this game, giving them information why this isn't a sequel and more of a spin off.

[Harrison]

As with anything, I never pass judgement until the final product is out and available to test and use for myself. And from the official Fallout 3 site, and from the many magazine previews I've seen, I'm looking forward to Fallout 3.

OK, it might not be the same as the previous games, but I don't personally think that is necessarily a bad thing. Yes, the existing games are great, and they are still some of the best games in their genre, but technology and game development moves on and allows developers and fans to experience something far greater than was possible 10 years ago, but you have to remember that for this to be realised, the way a game is played and functions has to change.

I know the key reason for your concerns isn't really the mechanics of the game (shifting from an isometric game to one more like a first person shooter), but instead is the game's universe and the story's narrative. But we haven't actually been shown a great deal relating to this yet so I'm keeping an open mind until I get to play the finished game.

[Ghost]

Perhaps its best we let it rest for now Harrison.

I wouldn't want any negative contact between us just because we differ on opinion regarding this game.

[Harrison]

:lol: You shouldn't take it all so seriously mate, but I know how dear to your heart Fallout is. One of the dedicated fans that Bethesda must now be dreading the "fallout" from once the game is released! ;)

[Ghost]

Hello all,

Yesterday a copy of NWN2 Mask of the Betrayer came with the mail, a gift from a friend of mine in Guam.
Unfortunate my current video card can't handle it but I am looking forwards to playing it as I have heard quite some good stories about the expansion pack compared to the OC.

Also, if any of you see any cheap offers on Star Trek Bridge Commander, please tell.
I am looking for this game for my friend, but they tend to become very expensive quickly.

[Harrison]

Is Bridge Commander quite rare now then? I bought it on launch for about £14 I think.

[Ghost]

Is Bridge Commander quite rare now then? I bought it on launch for about £14 I think.

Hi Harrison,

Quite rare on the moment, if you might remember; the whole mess between Activision and Paramount started quickly after the release of Bridge Commander, but apparently Starfleet Command 3 was still released before it truly got out of hand.

Production of Bridge Commander CDROMS stopped.

But if you happen to know a cheap copy somewhere, do contact me.

[Harrison]

If I see one I will let you know. :)

[Harrison]

Have any of you read the reviews for SimCity Societies? It's been getting quite bad reviews, and from reading a couple of the reviews it isn't up to the standard of the rest of the series. And having a different developer has to be to blame.

One game no one has mentioned is Crysis. This game has now been released and it is every bit as great as expected. It easily surpassed FarCry. If you have a machine powerful enough to run it then it's a recommended purchase.

Interestingly there is also Far Cry 2 in development, so it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

And a couple of other recent releases for FPS fans are Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, and Hellgate London. Both very good, and both focusing a lot of their gameplay multiplayer online. Hellgate is actually a FPS RPG. I've not played it yet but it looks interesting.

[Ghost]

Hello,

Well I tried to find that space game Harrison brought up some time ago for that friend of mine, but apparently its sold out in both the US and Europe.
I guess there really was a very limited number of boxed editions of this game produced.

Does anyone here know a list of what PC games will come out in December?

[Harrison]

Sure, here is a list for you. But there isn't much that is very good being released in December, do I've also done a list of recently released games so you can see what has just been released, as a lot of great games have just come out.

Here is a list of some of the best games released in the past few months:

Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare
Crysis (if and when anyone has a system able to run it, this is a much have game).
Unreal Tournament III
Football Manager 2008
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box
Championship Manager 2008
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Expansion Pack
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (expansion pack)
Company of Heroes Gold Edition
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men
World of Warcraft: Battle Chest (worth getting just for the collecting aspect of it)
Need for Speed: ProStreet
PES 2008
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (expansion pack)
Civ IV: Complete edition
Gears of War
SimCity Societies (avoid, really bad game)
The Settlers VI: Rise of an Empire
Hellgate: London
The Witcher
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (exp pack)
Colin McRaie: DiRT
Tom Clany's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
Bioshock
Medieval II: Total War - Kingdoms (exp pack)
FEAR - Perseus Mandate (standalone Expansion pack)
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Empire Earth III
Tabula Rasa (great new Sci-Fi based MMO)
Painkiller: Overdose
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
Medal of Honor: Airborne (great game)
Race 07 (a good racing game)
World in Conflict (brilliant RTS)
Command and Conquer III (one of the best in the series so far)
Timeshift (nice FPS with time shifting abilities. pause time mid battle, steal all the enemies guns and shoot them with them, and then unfreeze time and watch them all fall, or slow time, shoot them all with exploding arrows, speed time back up and watch them all explode!)

And coming at the end of November and in December are:

Blacksite: Area 51 (big shooter based on the famous Area 51 arcade game)
Sudden Strike 3: Arms of Victory
Real Estate Empire
Stranger
Spaceforce: Captains (interesting looking space RTS)
Solider of Fortune: Payback
Juiced 2 (I've got the PS2 version, and while it is an OK racer it doesn't do much new, and the graphics are very bright and neon like, and very unrealistic. Quite a fun racer but also very easy if you have played a few racers in the past).
The Golden Compass
Galactiv Civilization
Rush to Berlin (nice RTS)
World of Chaos (RPG advanture, but I don't know much about it)
Heroes of Might and Magic: Complete Edition
Winter Challenge 2008
Frontlines: Fuel of War
Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
The Suffering
Pirates of the Burning Sea (out just into Jan, this is meant to be a good pirate game).
Universe At War: Earth Assault
Aurora: The Secrets Within (interesting horror adventure game)
SunAge (this looks interesting. Sci-Fi based future setting post-apocalypse. fighting between three races)

[Ghost]

Hello Harrison,

You're right, there really hasn't been anything much of interest released lately.
So far the only game I am looking forwards too next year is Half Life 2 Episode 3, well if Valve don't postpone it.

[Harrison]

Well, if you are into FPS or RTS games then many of the games I listed in the recent releases are some of the best ever made, but I don't see much that is "must have" in the December release schedule. Pirates of the Burning Sea is about the only one that really interests me and that is out on the 8th Jan.