Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
The original Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, by Bohemia Interactive, was a revelation at the time. Huge, expansive levels with realistic terrain, interesting, if quirky AI, and great multiplayer made up for the incredible frustration of actually making multiplayer work. On top of that, you really, really didn’t want to die in-game, mostly because the level size. Later, Bohemia released ArmA: Armed Assault and ArmA 2, their own spiritual successors to the original game. But the same weird quirks existed in these not-sequels. What was acceptable in the first game really isn’t in today’s environment.
The game is a tactical military simulation that will support multiplayer co-op through the campaign. That, all by itself, makes this one a hot topic in my gaming group. On the other hand, Dragon Rising is being published by Codemasters, but not developed by Bohemia. That means it could be better – or not. So while I’m looking forward to this, it’s with some trepidation. But it has to be more, well, usable than ArmA, right?
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat
This one may be the flip of a coin for me. The original STALKER (I’ll leave out the periods, thanks) had my undivided attention for several weeks. The ambition was there, although incomplete. And the game was pretty hard, even on normal difficulty. Toss in the fact that if you missed out on a couple of missions about halfway through the game, there was really no way to get to the game’s primary ending – and you might never actually know that.
Still, it was absorbing, impressive and great fun.
Then came STALKER: Clear Sky. I grabbed this when it first came out, only to be pretty disappointed. The difficulty level was ratcheted way up, which moved the game from the “absorbing, serious fun” column to the “this is frustrating, I quit” column.
Game developer GSC Game World has suggested in interviews that they learned some valuable lessons, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed about Call of Pripyat, but I may read some reviews first.
Solium Infernum
To reign in Hell...
In 2007, a slick Indie game dropped out of a clear blue sky: Armageddon Empires. The game is an engrossing, turn-based strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic world. The AI is smart, brutal and unforgiving – and doesn’t seem to cheat.
Like most indie game, it had its share of oddities. Developer Vic Davis uses Macromedia Director to build the game, which results in fixed resolution graphics and the occasional bizarre error message Davis apparently spent some of his youth playing with HP calculators, because the user interface has a sort of reverse Polish notation feel. (No, it’s no literally RPN, but just feels like RPN. Got that?) However, it’s a consistent user interface, and once picked up, navigating the game is pretty straightforward.
Now Davis is working on his follow-up, Solium Infernum. The game seems to take Milton’s quote, “It is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven” as its starting point. You play an Archfiend in Lucifer’s kingdom, but the Prince of Darknesss seems to have taken a powder. So you’re competing with other Dukes, Princes and Rulers of Hell to take the Infernal Throne for your own.
Solium Infernum is a hex-based strategy game in the same tradition as Armageddon Empires, but Davis promises multiple resolution support (including wide screen. The game will also have play-by-email multiplayer, which is made possible by using simultaneous turn execution after each player issues their move or other orders. As with Empires, there’s also a collectible card mechanic that allows you to boost the capabilities of your units, or play new units.
All in all, it looks like a blast, and I’ll be very open to play-by-email with a bunch of human… once I’ve beaten the AI, that is.
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5 comments
Mot Eugaetkt says:
August 26, 2009 at 5:47 pm (UTC -7 )
Good article, very informative, but I’m sad to say that I’m years behind in my game play due to neglect, life’s little setbacks, and my continuous addiction to old DOS based games. I will never grow up. If I told you what games I was playing now ( besides the DOS games), you would laugh. Perhaps next year at this time when you start looking ahead to the upcoming games for late 2010 and early 2011, I will be able to participate.
Mike Pisarczyk says:
August 26, 2009 at 7:20 pm (UTC -7 )
Definitely Dragon Age.
I’ve not played a MMORPG since they changed the combat systeme in Star Wars:Galaxies. I was pretty close to being a Jedi when they screwed up the entire thing… So, I wait, with much concern, for “The Old Republic.” I know I don’t have time for a MMORPG, but if the game is cool enough, and it is something that I can pick up and play for an hour or two here and there, I know it will be worth the $12 bucks a month. What with a busy job and 3 kids of my own, I just can’t keep up with the twelve to fifteen year olds playing seven hours a day.
The game looks awedome, and as described above, BioWare usually gets it. I’m hopeful. And skeptical.
Paul says:
August 27, 2009 at 2:24 am (UTC -7 )
I particuarly like RPG, probably becasue I like the idea of self improvment
I remember playing the original Baldur’s Gate on a Commodore 128, now that was a game, lightyears ahead of the later versions which I played and hated. Just finished playing WIzardy 8, yeah I know it’s an oldy, but I had been wanting to play the wizardary series but never got round to it. Currently playing Kings bounty, which is a poor game, but once I get started it has to be really bad for me to stop. Looking forward to starcraft II I loved starcraft I although I have to admit I was (am) a very bad player, even with hacks…….
Tim says:
September 4, 2009 at 2:06 pm (UTC -7 )
I’m with you in eagerly awaiting Mass Effect 2! Unfortunately I do not believe that I still have my saved game file from Mass Effect 1. I do plan to pick up the new STALKER game; however, I still have not completed playing through Clear Sky (I’d estimate I’m about 70% through at least) as I lost the disc when I moved (though I do still have the case lol). You also brought up a few games I was not aware of, and I’ll be sure to look into those!
Max Heim says:
October 13, 2009 at 3:12 pm (UTC -7 )
IIRC, the main thing that was broken with NWN2 multiplayer was the NPC interaction interface, but this is precisely the sort of detail that makes the difference between enjoyable and unplayable. When the entire party is interrupted and “frozen” every time one player stops to chat with an NPC or use a vendor, that’s unplayable. Dungeonsiege did it right. I don’t know how you can playtest a game and get it so wrong. It’s a case where the requirements for multiplayer are qualitatively different — it’s not just adding network code.