Finally took some time to finish the campaign in Crackdown and wrote a few words in a short review. I really like the game and roaming around the city. I realised too late though that I had neglected my driving skill (gotta love jumping!) and it's a pain in the ass to advance the skill once you defeat all the baddies, since there are none to run over in the streets... Other than that a kick-ass game imo, could've been a bit longer though...
I gave the Settlers 6 Beta a run to see if it was another shameful pile of bile like Settlers 5 but I really liked that they seem to be shooting for something more similar to Settlers 4. The Beta is very restricted though it seems, only a short tutorial for SP and four MP-maps. Some annoying things like not being able to disband your military (I put that into the feedback) and a few bugs but other than that it feels kinda solid. I was a Beta-tester for Settlers 3 back in the days (closed beta) and I've loved the game since the very first iteration of the Settlers on the Amiga.
About a week ago, GTA 4 got pushed into 2008 but I can't say I'm either surprised or distressed. There are so many cool games coming out this fall so I actually feel a bit relieved. Another huge title also got pushed into 2008 (around March I think), The Age of Conan. Now this is more interesting... With this delay some other MMO's might benefit. Quite a few gamers have been waiting for Conan for some time and they might look elsewhere to quench their thirst. WoW-fans get a new expansion soon, LOTRO keeps on rocking with another free chapter soon, Tabula Rasa is wowing gamers as well and is slated for release this fall.
Another game that people has been waiting to get their greasy and chubby little hands on is Warhammer Online from Mythic, who made one of my favourite MMO's to date, Dark Age of Camelot. Now this game is also due for release Q1 2008 which make me wonder if we are going to have a clash of the titans early next year. The games have little in common but having heard what friends have said and reading on boards, most people who wanted to play Warhammer was going to settle for Conan since they didn't have to wait til next year. Now the tables have turned. This could be very bad for Age of Conan in my book. Some fans might even have jumped ship already, playing LOTRO or WoW as we speak.
Also read that Spore will be playable in Leipzig! We are getting there, people, we are getting there! I (and many others) was a little put off that Spore was a no-show at E3, I even got a little nervous but it seems Will has been hard at work instead which is good for us. Can't wait to see it in action again (if even only as a video here on Gamespot...). Good times!
Enough rambling for this time. Safe travels.
- r4z0r out