Tom Clancy's EndWar

Tom Clancy’s EndWar is the first title in the Tom Clancy franchise to take the form of an RTS. In the vein of other titles in the franchise, it attempts to blend realistic storytelling with strategic action, all for the pleasure of military game geeks across the world. The game recounts a not-so-distant future, where dwindling oil supplies have driven major world powers toward heavy militarization. In EndWar, the three primary factions include the United States, the European Federation, and those classic Clancy baddies, the Russians. Interestingly, the “universe” of EndWar is built around the same world where all those other Clancy games took place. That means you’ll find former Rainbow Six operatives planning strikes against groups led by former Rainbow Six team members. If the general leading the U.S. Joint Strike Force sounds familiar to longtime Clancy fans, they might want to consider breaking out the latest Ghost Recon game to get reacquainted with Scott Mitchell.

The underlying story is surprisingly thin after the game begins, however. The player is tasked with capturing satellite uplinks in major cities, which are essentially control points, in locations all over the globe. As you progress, new abilities and upgrades can be earned; nothing says “successful strategist” like the unleashing of air strikes or a WMD upon one’s foes, the very prospect of which will likely attract casual players to the RTS genre. Hardcore RTS gamers might be a bit stymied when first approaching EndWar, however. For one thing, the game focuses more heavily on fighting than resource management. This can be partly attributed to the previous release of the game on consoles, where players are presumably more interested in loud noises than thoughtful tactics. Some may find this “dumbing down” to be an annoyance, but in truth, the game is still quite fun to play. Another distinctive feature – and certainly EndWar’s most touted one – is the voice command system. Find yourself a good headset, and you’ll be able to control just about every element on the battlefield with words alone. Barking commands at your forces and seeing the units blast enemies at your bidding is probably the most rewarding experience EndWar has to offer. Granted, no voice recognition software works perfectly all the time, but EndWar does it better than any other game I’ve experienced thus far. An onscreen command menu also branches out as you speak, guiding you through all possible commands so you can learn the voice mechanics in a quick and fluid manner.

Each faction offers the same basic unit organization, though some players might find themselves attracted to factions based on differences in their individual characteristics. The Russians typically have the bulk of heavily armored vehicles, while the European units have the best speed, leaving the US as a fairly “balanced” bunch. The arsenal contains a nice mixture of futuristic goodies from robotic drones to high-energy lasers, lending a slick, sci-fi appeal to the game. The gameplay modes themselves offer some nice variety, as well. One moment you’ll be leading a tactical assault on JFK Space Center, the next you’ll be scrambling to defend Paris from invading armies. The online play even offers persistent battlefields to some extent, where players will no doubt be eager to pit themselves against each other in a bid for world domination. The possibilities for skirmishes in each game mode are fairly wide, although it would have been nice to see greater focus on storytelling. With Call Of Duty ames offering a strong narrative from multiple factions in a war, it seems like something similar could have been implemented in EndWar, at least on a broad scale if not on a personal level.

While most Tom Clancy games deliver excellent aesthetics, EndWar is an inexplicably disappointing standout. The aural landscape is rather drab, and lacks much of the solid sounds players have come to expect from other Clancy titles. The camera keeps the player close enough to the action that some sense of the battle’s scale should be present, yet there is very little beyond the chattering of soldiers that stimulates the ears. Like its simplified gameplay, PC RTS fans will likely blame the console roots of the game for its bland visuals. There is no reason the draw distance should be so deeply affected on modern hardware, yet distant geometry is extremely prone to pop-in. The animation’s weaknesses show easily at the close camera distance, and there is little detail to admire on the units themselves. Granted, the RTS was meant to draw players to the game based on its mechanics rather than its visuals, and EndWar manages to at least offer up some enjoyable gameplay.

Gameplay: 8.0
EndWar handles itself nicely, and using the voice commands is certainly a pleasure.

Graphics: 7.0
Things are pretty simple at the visual level, but at least it’s easy to tell what’s going on.

Sound: 7.0
Lots of dialogue, but where’s the thunderous battlezone we wanted?

Difficulty: Medium
The mechanics are pretty easy to pick up, and the game provides some decent challenges.

Concept: 8.0
Voice commands provide the obvious distinction in EndWar, but there is still a pervasive feeling that the title didn’t quite live up to its full potential.

Multiplayer: 8.0
There’s certainly some fun to be had in the online Theater of War modes.

Overall: 7.8
Tom Clancy’s EndWar is certainly not a crowning achievement for the franchise, but it works well as an RTS and may help to draw new players to the genre. Hardcore RTS fans will likely be disappointed by the game’s lack of depth, however.

Penumbra

If your long-lost father sent you a note telling you not to search for him in an abandoned mine, what would you do? Well, I suppose it would depend on how you felt about your father. In Penumbra: Overture, we can safely assume Philip was close to his dad, or at least has an interest in his fate. So great is his determination, Philip travels to a creepy old mine in Greenland where he combats monsters, madness, darkness, and puzzles all in an effort to learn the fate of his missing parent. Sounds like a typical Hallmark scenario.

The Penumbra Collection contains three games, beginning with Overture. The majority of the gameplay can be split into two elements. The first mechanic you’ll be using is that of puzzle-solving. This is actually quite fun, particularly in the pitch-black, what-the-hell-will-I-see-next environments of Overture. What makes this particularly immersive is that the mouse mimics the hand, so if I want to push a door open, I must literally push forward on the mouse. I realize it doesn’t sound like much on paper, but it really does make the puzzles feel more fluid and natural. The bad news is that the second game mechanic, combat, uses the same elements. Taking a swipe with a melee weapon using the mouse may sound fun, but the weapons (whether intentionally or not) feel heavy and sluggish. For this reason, players will likely favor stealth tactics whenever possible. Mysterious voices and scrawled documents help to keep the story going, if you don’t mind a bit of reading to complement your puzzle-solving. Of course you won’t mind that; you’re a PC gamer, and that makes you an indisputable genius. The soundtrack keeps the hairs standing on end, but the graphical power of the game is a bit underwhelming. Overture might not be a very old game, but it’s important to remember that this was the product of a small, independent development studio. It is not Crysis in the dark. Overture’s ending will leave players wanting more; fortunately, the Collection allows the next chapter to be just a few clicks away.
The Collection’s second offering is Penumbra: Black Plague. Rather than finding a way to repair the clumsy combat of the first game, the developers seem to have decided to remove most of the combat situations entirely. I suppose this is preferable to extending the combat, so you won’t have to worry about enemies nearly as frequently in this follow up. This is probably Black Plague’s strongest point, as it allows greater focus on puzzle solving and navigating the haunting caverns throughout the game. This means greater use of the physics system, and an overall improved experience for the player. Again, there is just something about rummaging through drawers that is more enjoyable when you are physically pushing and pulling them around. While the first title might help to flesh out the storyline a bit, it isn’t a necessary prerequisite for enjoying Black Plague. Audio is once again far superior to the visuals, with drab geometry and low resolution surfaces feeling very much out of place in such a genuinely frightening game.

The third and final game in Penumbra Collection is Requiem. Here lies something which can certainly be considered an excellent puzzle-based adventure game, although its place within the collection makes it feel a bit awkward. The game settings also serve to reinforce this bizarre title within the series (even the voices are different). Story elements appear to have taken a backseat, and that’s a real shame, because it was a major draw and incentive for player progress. With characters seemingly loses their minds, there should have been greater potential for storytelling. Gameplay is largely the same, but playing around with the physics and puzzles has become the primary activity. Players annoyed with frequent attacks from dogs and zombies will find Requiem to be much more to their liking. There is little to speak of in terms of graphical developments. This game, like the others, sounds much better than it looks. Still, Requiem functions for what it is at the core: a pleasant, puzzle-solving spookfest. The game is still on the easy side, but noticeably shorter than the previous installments.

All combined, the Penumbra Collection won’t quite get you to the twenty hour mark that some players arbitrarily seek. It doesn’t have much depth to speak of, but the accessibility and fun of the puzzle-solving is something even non-adventure gamers can enjoy. Having a good sound setup and a dark room to yourself are definitely going to make this game a memorable experience. Admittedly, many of the game’s thrills are of the cheap, startling variety. Interesting mechanics and an eerie atmosphere create a distinction for the Penumbra Collection that makes it a good buy, even if the experience is a brief one.

Gameplay: 8.0
The interactive physics really enhance gameplay, rather than simply making things look good. If only the combat could be fixed.

Graphics: 6.0
This is not “cutting -edge”, but it gets the job done.

Sound: 8.0
An impressively spooky aural experience.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
This is a generally quick and easy set of games, but satisfying nonetheless.

Concept: 7.0
The puzzles are very nicely executed, though the story could be better. Any game that lets you throw ketchup earns respect in my book.

Overall: 7.5
Simple, scary, and satisfying. Aside from object collection, there’s little in the way of replay value, but Penumbra Collection is an enjoyable romp while it lasts.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Vol II, Book 7

March 12, 2009 - Later this month, the team over at Turbine will be releasing Leaves of Lorien, Book 7 in their current volume of The Lord of the Rings Online. After braving the depths of Moria, players will finally have a chance to catch their breath and reunite with the Fellowship in the tranquil glades of Lorien. Of course, it's not all lounging about under the mallorn trees; there are orcs (and creatures worse than orcs) who have been stirred up by the Fellowship's passage through Moria and are now threatening the security of The Golden Wood. We recently had the opportunity to tour the new areas, from Nimrodel all the way to the banks of the Anduin.

As with many aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online, creating compelling MMO gameplay while staying faithful to the details and mood of the books presented a challenge to the designers at Turbine. Lorien is, in the books, a very peaceful area of great security and hope. Just throwing random conflicts in there for the sake of player interest and advancement wouldn't quite work. So, while there's still a fair bit of combat found here in fighting back the orcs along the borders, a lot of the content in Lorien is more focused on exploring the history and culture of the elves and interacting with the Fellowship.

In fact, the arc of Lorien isn't about toppling some powerful enemy or claiming some ancient treasure. The story here focuses on rebuilding the trust between elves and dwarves, and it uses Legolas and Gimli as a focal point. In fact, players who enter Lorien without having completed the Volume 2, Book 6 quest in Moria will be able to pick up the threads in Nimrodel. There they will meet Legolas and Gimli and journey with them as they go orc hunting in a solo-friendly epic quest.

Whether you do it in Moria or Nimrodel, you'll need to complete Book 6 in order to gain enough favor to enter Lothlorien proper. The entire area is closed to players who haven't earned sufficient reputation with the elves, which means if you want to explore the beauty of Caras Galadhon, you'll need to make sure you're helping the Galadhrim as much as possible. And since the elves of Lorien don't use money, you'll need the tokens earned through quests if you want to barter for goods while you're here.

Once in Lorien, you'll be in a world of soft light, golden leaves and treetop platforms known as flets. The whole area has a sort of gauzy filter over it that softens the visuals and contributes to the peaceful, quiet mood of the place. The beauty of the natural world really shines through in Lorien, and even the bits of architecture that the elves have constructed -- fountains, docks, flets, and such -- are in harmony with the natural world around them. Some of the best views of The Golden Wood, of course, are found at the higher flets, accessible by ladders reaching down to the ground.

After climbing up and surveying the world around us from the flets, we dropped back down to the ground to survey the Imlad Lalaith, or Banquet Lawn. This broad bit of land sits in the angle where the Celebrant joins the Anduin and is the site of many elven feasts. Just down at the river's edge is the Hythe, the docks of the Lorien elves and the transition to the next part of the Fellowship's voyage. Players can stop here to get a look at the ornate swan boat, or even swim across the river to visit the vineyards on the opposite bank.

And you're not likely to be the only one swimming the waters of the Celebrant. We were joined by a pair of moose, who, like many of the other animals in Lorien, enjoyed protective status under the supervision of the elves. If you hunt these animals, you'll lose reputation with the elves, but there are some compelling reasons to be tempted. There's a dwarf poacher nearby who's offering tremendous rewards to players who are willing to hunt a bit in the woods. Of course, you can turn him in and claim favored status among the elves, but the decision is up to you.

The ultimate destination in Lorien is Caras Galadhon, the sublime treetop city of the elves. This is the first real working hub east of the Twenty-First Hall. You can find banks and trainers, crafting stations and even travel routes back to the other locations you've visited. This large multi-leveled city will offer many of the same routing challenges of Moria, as you try to determine how to get from A to B. There are even some fun, timed quests that offer rewards to players who can negotiate the treetop flets quickly. Caras Galadhon offers much to see as well, from the home of Celeborn and Galadriel to the Fellowship's pavilion where Aragorn broods and Pippin naps.

The Hunter

The Hunter is looking to be, by far, the most accurate hunting game ever made. I know, a pretty bold statement to be made for a game that isn't fully made yet, but I have to tell you, the preview game I have been playing is incredibly accurate. Now this may be off putting to some, specifically those gamers who want lots of things to happen and lots of different animals to hunt and kill. No, in The Hunter, you will need to learn the nuances of stalking prey once tracks have been found. Moving quietly through the forest and even setting up for looonnnggg periods of time just to get that one shot.

Now before I get all crazy about the things I found in this early version of the game, you should know that you actually select your hunter avatar and then begin the process of emailing Doc, the senior game specialist in charge of basically everything and the game begins with Doc issuing you some hunting style missions, which are more like tasks. Pretty soon you find yourself trying to track an animal, spot it, and then take it down. This is longer then you may expect. In fact, like real hunting, you can potentially walk around for hours without seeing a darn thing. And just like in real life, you have to be aware of your walking direction in tandem with the wind because your scent will scare animals off long before you ever see them.

Sins of a Solar Empire

Sins of a Solar Empire successfully did what other games have tried for years to do. The developers were able to merge the strategy of 4X games with the instant gratification of RTS games. Sins of a Solar Empire became a huge hit with its vast gameplay options and its highly addictive nature. It was only a matter of time before an expansion pack was released, which is entitled Entrenchment. Unlike most expansions, Entrenchment only comes with a couple of additional units for each race, which the developers call a "Micro-Expansion."

The only real additions to Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment is defense-oriented improvements. Each of these additions will help fight off the feared pirates as well as enemy capital ships. The new inclusions are mines, new platform upgrades, and the addition of a star base. Mines are the cheapest of the new additions. Players will be able to lay mines down in hopes of slowing down the enemies from getting too close to their planets. As with all of the new upgrades, each mine really reflects the personality/play style of the faction. For instance, one has mines that slow enemies from coming close to the planet, while others have mines that go all out for destruction of the invading ships.

The next update is the new platform upgrades, which were the major defensive platform in the original game. The Advent platforms boost the shields of other platforms which make it harder to bust through. The Vasari platforms are very expensive but do a lot of damage to any enemy ship. The TEC cannons how do a short-range attack that shred through enemy armor like butter on a hot piece of toast. These new additions will really help out in the defense of the planets, and is made even better due to the relatively low cost they incur.

The biggest and most talked about upgrade is the new star bases. These new bases will make players quake in fear if they run into them by accident. What makes the bases so powerful are players have the ability to place them anywhere in the game, from planets, stars, worm holes, and even the enemy planets. The only issue is the amount of resources it takes to actually get one fully operational. Another good thing about star bases is that players can build as many as they want, or as their tactical slots allow.

Each star base can only accept a handful of upgrades that players will have to choose upon, such as trade wells, armor, weapons, repair docks, and more. This means that players can have many star bases depending on the circumstances that they need. As with the platforms and mines, each of the game's factions has their own unique type of bases. The TEC can use their bases to build new ships and have a special dock that will repair their ships. The Advent bases that spread their culture to nearby worlds which makes them easier to take over. The Vasari bases are extremely tough to take out and will dish out tons of pain to any incoming enemy ship.

These three items are not the only upgrades in this game, but the most prominent ones. There are also various new technologies to research that will help boost the effectiveness of player's trade income, defense, or offensive for the structures. In actuality this is not a full "expansion pack" as players are used to. Instead the developers opted to create several "micro-expansions" for players to pick and choose what upgrades are most important to them. Hopefully they will bundle all the future upgrades into one for a full expansion pack that most players are used to purchasing.

The graphics for Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment are still good looking. The new star bases are very impressive and scary depending on who owns the star base. What will continue to amaze players is how stable the framerate is; especially with all of the zooming in and out players will do during the course of one game. The framerate stays extremely stable even with all of the intense action going on.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment is rated Teen and requires Sins of a Solar Empire to be installed on the computer. The cost for this "micro-expansion" is $9.99

Gameplay: 9.0
This game will still keep players from sleeping for months to come. The newest additions are great and will really make games even more intense.

Graphics: 9.1
The graphics for the new star bases are really impressive, and a site to behold. This game still has stable performance and great framerate during the entire course of the game.

Sound: 9.3
The music and sound effects are really still wonderful and help immerse players while they are playing the game.

Difficulty: Medium
Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment still has a deep learning curve. The thing is that most people that will pay for this update already play the game and have a deep understanding of how the game is played.

Concept: 8.8
Players will really love the star bases as well as the other defense oriented items.

Multiplayer 8.9
The multiplayer for this game is still very tight, and players love the fact that they can save a game session and come back at any time to complete it, instead of trying to complete it in one sitting.

Overall: 8.7
Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment is a pretty good, and any die-hard Sins of a Solar Empire will definitely obtain. The only thing that might shun players away is the $9.95 price point for only a couple new upgrades and units. Although playing with the new star bases makes this purchase well worth it.