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`ACSR DAILY`: JUNE 30TH, 2003
(1 July 2003, 22:35 | Misc) The June 30th, 2003 edition of "ACSR Weekend" is now available for broadcasting live on-demand.
Encoded in RealAudio format, total length is 4m:47s. - DanQ
`JUST A WONDERFUL GAME`
(1 July 2003, 16:51 | GalCiv) So says Tyler Sager from Gaming Nexus in his review of Galactic Civilizations. The glowing review touches all the usual bases in terms of describing the game’s features and ultimately gives GalCiv a score of 9.3/10.
The reviewer acknowledges that GalCiv is not among the first rank of modern games when it comes to graphics or sound effects. However, he is fulsome in his praise of the addictive gameplay, solid AI, customization options and especially of Stardock Systems` developer support.
The review, which is awarded the site’s `Editor’s Choice` award and includes 12 screenshots, can be found here. - FrustratedPoet
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
(1 July 2003, 13:27 | RoN) The second paragraph of Jeff "Finger" Buckland`s review of Rise of Nations for Telefragged (TF) provides a prime example of his most positive evaluation. Quote:
[Publisher] Microsoft [Games] is pitching [RoN] as a strategy game for all types: hour-long-lunch-break warriors, turn-based geeks, Starcraft experts, and complete strategy newbies. On top of this, they are also touting the game`s historical realism, which is pretty much a false promise. I don`t blame [developer] Big Huge Games for this, though, as they have made a game even better than what Microsoft has hyped so far.
Further discussion of RoN by Buckland is broken down by sub-heading as will the rest of this summary. First, on `Technology` (89%): [m]any strategy games are now making the move to true 3D graphics with decidedly 2D interfaces -- hey, it worked for Warcraft III and Age of Mythology, right? It works here as well... As for the `Interface` (94%), the said TF reviewer writes that this game is an absolute joy to get started with, as it`s obvious that the developers spent lots of effort making it easy to get into. [..] [I]f there is any one revolutionary thing about this game, it`s the very easy-to-handle learning curve. [..] [This is] a very complicated game [which] burn[s] off much of the standard [real-time strategy (RTS)] tedium, and then walk[s] players through how to play step[-]by[-]step. `Graphics` on their own recieve a 90% rating.
On the `Single Player` environment, this TF reviewer gives RoN a 90% score. [T]hey took [Age of Empires] as a base game, added in the ability to advance all the way to the modern age like Empire Earth, and then threw in technology, wonders, and other less-military elements from Civilization. It`s a pretty interesting combination overall... The game`s `Multiplayer` components took home a 91% grade. There are thousands of different combinations of options for changing how the game works, and the very capable computer AI can be thrown in to make it even more interesting. 88% marks the `Sound & Music` rating. `Overall`, Buckland evaluates RoN at the ninetieth percentile on the dot which he calls a great fusion of several recent and classic strategy titles that results in a well-balanced gem is sure to keep RTS fans playing for weeks.
Fifteen screenshots are both dispersed throughout the three-page article and are also presented in a separate image gallery. - DanQ
RON POST MORTEM WITH TIM AND BRIAN
(1 July 2003, 13:26 | RoN) Brian Reynolds and Tim Train of Big Huge Games spoke to Gamasutra about what they feel were the successes and failures of their recent genre-spanning game Rise of Nations. The article offers some insights into the development process and identifies ways in which Big Huge Games feel they can improve for their second title. You can find the article, which is the latest part of Gamasutra’s `Post Mortem` series, here. (Free registration required).
Thanks to HomeLanFed for the news tip.
As a side note, this is my first news post for Apolyton. Thanks Dan for appointing me, it's a pleasure to be on board. :)
- FrustratedPoet
TOWERS OVER COMPETITION
(1 July 2003, 13:12 | RoN) Videogames Italian Center review of Rise of Nations, illustrated with sixteen screenshots, concludes with a `Total` score of 8.5/10 for this debut title from game developer Big Huge Games. `Gameplay` came out with the higest categorical rating with a 9.5/10, followed closely by a 9/10 for `Longevity`. Both `Graphics` and `Sound` are tied at 7/10 apiece.
`Xilema`, who wrote the one-page piece, described RoN as the Mount Olympus of [the real-time strategy genre]. A rough translation of the document is available if need be via Google Translation Tools. - DanQ
STRATEGIC INTEGRITY ABOVE ALL
(1 July 2003, 13:03 | GalCiv) `[P]yre` was the writer assigned to tackle Galactic Civilizations for GameAxis` (GA) review of the game.
Traditionally, empire building games are not known to challenge the graphical technology of computer gaming and thankfully [deveoper] Stardock [Systems] have kept to that tradition, this GA reviewer writes. With a simple game interface and graphics that are not flashy in nature, GalCiv retains the charm that strategic players would love. [..] [It] revive[s] many aspects of the [turn-based strategy] genre through its simple yet complex gameplay of strategic planning and management.
An 8.5/10 final score is given along with an "Editor's Choice" award. Categorically, `Gameplay` and `Value` topped the rankings with 9.5/10`s each. `Graphics` and `Audio` took a 8/10 and a 7/10 respectively. The article is four-pages in length accompanied by twenty-one screenshots. - DanQ
