FiringSquad:What are some of the team's current favorite units to use in the game?
Mathew Nordhaus: For me, it’s the Lightning HERC, and the Robo-soldier. I can’t say too much (because I want to leave the readers wanting more) but I will mention their special powers: Lightning Sphere and Jump Jets!
FiringSquad:We've also heard that the game will have missions that will be more than just "blow the other side up". What can you tell us about that?
Mathew Nordhaus: There’s a wide range of interesting diplomacy options that you have available to you in World Domination (and Multiplayer Skirmish as well). “Native Tribes” are small AIs that only inhabit a single map, and they can be crucial to your conquest of the globe. Often they will ask for your help: Rescue our princess, defend our city center, etc. When you come to their aid they reward you with resources, units, or just their undying loyalty. This can be very useful later in the game when the big bad guy invades and your armies are somewhere else…
FiringSquad:What multiplayer modes will be put into Empire Earth III?
Mathew Nordhaus: At this time we are focusing our efforts into making sure that basic MP gameplay will be rock solid and balanced. We will be implementing Ladders, Random teams and arranged games. It’s not out of the question that we will add some other modes for MP (or SP), but right now we want to make sure the games that people play are fun and balanced.
FiringSquad:We've heard about the new graphics engine that the game will have. What can you tell us about the graphical features and art styles and also if the game will support DirectX10?
Mathew Nordhaus: We support normal mapping, ambient occlusion, a brand new particle system, detailed shadow model, full screen anti-aliasing, much higher texture resolution and more polys, Shader model 3 support…too many buzzwords to mention. Suffice it to say the game looks great. When we ship we will require DX9.0c.
The art direction is definitely a departure from the previous EE games. We decided to take the units and exaggerate them a bit more. This makes the game very easy to play, because you can see what types of units you are using in an instant…they all have large outlines that make them easy to identify. Futhermore, the animators have been having a great time and are adding a number of very amusing idle animations. Overall, I think we had more fun with the game than we did before. Every unit has a historical basis, but we just took the appearance a little further out there. (Except the future units…some of them are just WAAAAAY out there…but you will have to wait and see those).
FiringSquad:What is the current status of the game's progress and when will it be released?
Mathew Nordhaus: We are currently on track to ship in Fall of 2007
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
Following up on our hands-on preview from earlier this month, here's an interview with Supersonic Software, creators of Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. The game's coming out on XBLA and PSN in a matter of weeks, but for now, Luke chats with the developer about its predecessors Mashed and Micro Machines, how difficult it can be to get an indie game published, the closure of Codemasters' Guildford branch, and more!
Orcs Must Die! PC Review Orcs Must Die! is the first release from an independent developer named Robot Entertainment. Fans of classic real-time strategy games may have heard that name before, as the outfit is comprised of many veterans from Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires series.
Equal parts action and strategy, this is a tower defense game that not only puts you in command, but on the front lines of combat, as well. Slaughter thousands of orcs, ogres and other vile creatures of fantasy that invade your fortresses through 24 levels of the story-based campaign. With high levels of replayability thanks to its scoring and leaderboard functionality, multiple difficulty levels, and various styles of play, it sounds a steal at only $15. Does it deliver on all that’s promised, though? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Hands-on Preview
FiringSquad’s new correspondent from across the pond, Luke Kaile, takes us hands-on with Supersonic Software’s upcoming downloadable racing combat game Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. Coming soon to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, this charming 4-player free-for-all is the spiritual successor to cult classic Mashed, released seven years ago for PC, PS2, and Xbox.
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