I’ve been playing Shogun 2 as much as I can in order to get a review out. Herein lies the “problem”: Shogun 2 may very well have too many features for me to finish writing a review within a reasonable amount of time. Nevertheless, I have been developing a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of the game. Today I'll deal only with some positive changes from previous games.
This is a followup to my previous article, Top 5 Starcraft II Features. This is an attempt to demonstrate that I value the game for certain reasons, dislike it for others, and that I feel both are worth talking about. Let's jump right in.
Three very distinct and balanced races. While I was never a fan of the first Starcraft, I have always felt that this was the game's strongest element. The three factions have drastically different mechanics and playstyles, and Starcraft was the first game to achieve this. While balance is always an ongoing issue, given that Blizzard is constantly re-tuning the units' stats and abilities, it nevertheless holds together at every level of play.
I downloaded the demo of the named game overnight. It's 6GB, which is pretty standard for demos of modern day video games. While the scope of the demo is quite limited, it gives us a wonderful taste of what to expect in the Total War series.
Chris Taylor of Gas Powered Games claims that the upcoming RTS title Kings & Castles has been put on hold. The legendary RTS designer (Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander, Demigod) spoke to Big Download, saying, "Well... We've put the project on hold for now, but the moment I know more I will let you know..."
The last strategy/technique post was about Circulate, so it only makes sense to discuss the Shoot power this time around. The wonderful thing about Swarm: Arena is how diverse these two abilities are. There are clear visual differences between the two powers, but they play differently in less obvious ways. Once again, let's start at the basics.
I am proud to bring you the world's first Swarm: Arena show match. I'm honoured to have Pikaaa, the world's current #1 on the ladder, do battle against me (Evilmeat) and allow me to record it so that the community can see some top-level play. Enjoy!
