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SpellForce 2/Gothic 3 Preview April 03, 2006 John JCal Callaham |
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Summary: At GDC last month we got to see some builds of JoWood and Aspyr's upcoming titles.
 Introduction | Page:: ( 1 / 2 ) |
Spellforce 2
Spellforce 2-Shadow Wars is a sequel to the original title developed by Phenomic Interactive that had a somewhat unique blend of role playing and real time strategy. The sequel continues the original's hybrid style of gameplay and sometimes you will have to switch between those two different gameplay styles in a single mission. The storyline is fairly typical for a fantasy game; the Dark Elves have teamed up with a mysterious group known only as the shadows to take over Spellforce's fantasy land and of course its up to you to stop them. While the game's plot is pretty average stuff, Spellforce's 2 gameplay is anything but average.
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For one thing, the sequel allows you to create your own hero with tons of different options to choose from just like an RPG title. Choosing from one of several races you can customize the look and skills of your hero (or heroine) from different weapons and amour choices to choose from. Another RPG aspect is controlling up to five different characters in your party, each with their own abilities.
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However, as we mentioned earlier RTS elements are also a part of Spellforce 2 as you get to lead one of three different factions (The Realm, The Clan and The Pact) to build armies and collect resources. The RTS aspect has been thankfully streamlined in comparison to the original. Spellforce 1 had a whopping seven resources to collect and manage but the sequel only has three. The menu system has also been improved and streamlined to allow for better access to your units and their abilities.
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We were particular impressed to hear that in addition to the main 30 mission single-player campaign there will also be a separate co-op campaign as well, along with over 30 multiplayer maps that will also include single player skirmish modes. Spellforce's original graphics were quite good looking in 2004 when it was first released but Spellforce 2's graphical looks have gotten an upgrade with excellent visual effects and impressive character animations and models.
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Based on our GDC demo time Spellforce 2 is almost certainly going to be an improvement on the original with more streamlined gameplay and impressive graphics. A demo is already out for people to try out the game and the final product is due to be shipped to stores later this month.
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| Gothic 3 | Page:: ( 2 / 2 ) |
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FiringSquad was also treated to a brief demo of Gothic III, the third game in the acclaimed fantasy RPG series from developer Piranha Bytes. The first two games were known for thei open-ended gameplay and the third will be no exception. The big difference is that in the first two games you fought on the Khorinis island against the bad guys. Gothic III takes place in the fantasy world's mainland where a huge orc invasion is commencing.
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Because the gameplay is open ended your player character actually has a choice; Do you defend your fellow humans against the orcs or do you turn traitor and fight with the bad guys?
One aspect of the game that is being played up is Gothic 3's combat system. The developers stated that this new system will allow for "unprecedented control over melee attacks" and while we were not allowed to actually sit down and play the game for ourselves, the demo at GDC certainly looked like the combat system has gotten some improvements with some smooth combo moves being made on enemies with the character's weapons. We were told to expected over 50 monsters in the final game along with over 100 weapons and over 50 spells, so Gothic III shouldn’t lack for variety in this area. We were also told to expect a large amount of NPC dialogue and impressive AI as well.
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The build we saw at GDC was still early but overall Gothic III is shaping up to be one of the more interesting solo RPGs coming out in 2006, but with Oblivion already setting the standard for this kind of game this year we have high expectations for Piranha Bytes' RPG follow-up. We can expect to see more of Gothic III at E3 in May before it ships to stores this fall.