It's been an interesting year for games in 2007. It saw the resurgence of the real-time-strategy genre, the resurfacing of many familiar names, and the savage mutilation of Activision.
No other year in recent memory has seen so many promising RTSs released so closely. It kicked off (last year) with Dawn of War: Dark Crusade (still a favorite of mine!) and just rolled from there. I'll break down each and my impressions:
Supreme Commander: the (spiritual) sequel and successor to the Total Annihilation crown, this one intimidated many with its scale, strategic intensity... and steep system requirements. Hundreds of units battling it out on enormous battlefields with weapons capable of leveling cities can eat a lot of memory and CPU power. I predict the game will slowly gain popularity as systems capable of running it to its full potential come down in price.
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars: He's baaaack... everyone's favorite messiah/madman resurfaced this year in the latest C&C installment. Whether you're a long time fan or a newcomer, you can't deny that C&C3 brought back that fever for Tiberium. Unfortunately, buggy multiplayer, deliberate sabotage from within (aka: "balance tweaks") and anti-EA propaganda have largely eliminated any and all enthusiasm for it from me. If the expansion (set for Q2 next year) doesn't rectify some of the horrible decisions EALA have made balance-wise, I'll be very sad.
Universe at War: I looked forward to this B-movie RTS for a long time. Three absolutley different races, three distinctly different play$tyles... almost like 3 different games in one box. It's a crying shame that tech issues (glitchy start-ups, awkward camera, and the need to sign in on-line for single player enhancements) have marred what could still be the sleeper hit of 2007. I'm having a blast playing it... it reminds me of Total Annihilation: Kingdoms with much better design, sound, graphics, and balance.
I have not played World in Conflict yet... mostly because the Cold War was tough enough to deal with in real life (I still remember "nuclear bomb drills" from kindergarten... even though school was a mere 2 blocks from an A-list military target, the Watervliet Arsenal). I hear it's radically different from the traditional RTS in almost every way, and many of you (raven and hokies for starters) have highly recommended it.
I also didn't get CoH: Opposing Fronts or SupCom: Forged Alliance. These are deliberate omissions because CoH is not the game to play around the kids (F-bombs drop more frequently than real ones) and SupCom almost won't run on my PC, despite meeting more than minimum requirements.
A familiar name resurfaced with StarCraft 2 announced back in the spring. I very much wish Blizzard had kept their********* mouths shut.
Gordon Freeman also returned in an Orange Box. I want that box, even if the cake is a lie.
Finally, Activision, who were one of the first 3rd-party publishers I can recal for the Atari 2600, and have Doom and Quake to their publishing credit, were absorbed by Vivendi and turned into (*supresses gag reflex*) Activision Blizzard. My prediction? World of Doom, World of Quake, World of Pitfall...
Anyway... I just thought I'd get all that out of the way :lol: . With the holidays, I won't be on as much, what with kids running rampant, souped-up on sugar and new toys. Also, I have a resume to re-write (I'm not "student" anymore, and I have to figure out how to fit in all the honors I recieved Thursday without sounding like I'm bragging :shock:) and some preliminary scouting for a developer job to do... not to mention saving the Earth from the Heirarchy and reviewing the game properly (was Jason Ocampo writing a real review there? I felt he did a thouroghly horrendous job in every facet of his take on UaW).
In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas (even if you don't celebrate it, doesn't mean it has to be anything less than Merry... after all, you still get the day off, right? :lol: ), a joyful New Year, and a favorable statistical outcome in the coming year!