Welcome to my Day Two report from EGX 2015. Today’s Report is brought to you by the power of Domino’s, Strongbow and Netflix. A hearty mix if I might say so myself. I dragged myself out of bed at a decent time today and was at the NEC by 10:15, and from there, my journey began… …
Rome II is the game that just keeps on giving, though admittedly a stream of updates was to be expected following the initial launch which was greeted with shouts of anger and frustration about bugs and poor balancing. Things have certainly come a long way with five major patches having been delivered thus far and more certainly on the way.
We haven’t only seen patches though as the game has been changing with more than just bug fixes. …
I have fond memories of the Total War series, I spent many an hour playing the original Rome and the two Medieval titles. Empire was interesting, but I was never able to sink my teeth into it like I would have liked. The Shogun title meanwhile never really stuck with me, I just don’t have the interest in the history or the understanding of the culture to really invest. Rome II then is a welcome return to the time periods which initially got my attention. …
With a gentle whisper the embargo for coverage of Total War: Rome II has lifted and I would assume that many sites are going live with their reviews. We here at The Reticule are in no rush to deliver our Verdict’s right away, and thanks to my flat moving and two job shenanigans I’ve only managed to play about 8 hours of the game so far. In a game of this size, that really isn’t enough time to really dig into everything. What I have done though is gather some brief early thoughts together, which you can read after the break. …
Welcome to The Reticule’s definitive roundup of gaming releases throughout September 2013. All release dates stated are for the EU, across all currently available platforms. Keep this page bookmarked for easy access, as we will link all previews and reviews when we post them on the site.
Still catching up with this months games? August’s release schedule can be found here.
3rd
Total War: Rome II
PC
Become the world’s first superpower and command the most incredible and vast war machine of the Ancient world. Dominate the enemies of your glorious empire by military, economic and political means. Your rise will bring admiration from your followers but will also attract greed and jealousy, even from your closest allies. Will betrayal strike you down, or will you be the first to turn on old friends? How much are you ready to sacrifice for your vision of Rome? Will you fight to save the Republic, or plot to rule alone as Dictator — as Emperor?
Diablo III
PS3, Xbox 360
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
PS3
Rayman Legends
PC
4th
Killzone: Mercenary
PSV
6th
Farming Simulator 2013
PS3, Xbox 360
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
PS3, Xbox 360
Football Director
PC
Final Exam
PC
I Am Alive
PC
10th
The Sims 3 Movie Stuff Pack
PC
11th
DuckTales Remastered
Xbox 360
12th
Arma III
PC
ARMA 3 is set in the near-future during the mid-2030s, where NATO forces deployed in the Greek islands of the Aegean Sea are trying to hold off a massive Iranian military offensive from the east. During the singleplayer campaign, the player will take the role of a British Special Forces soldier, Captain Scott Miller. Initially, the player must survive on their own after friendly forces are defeated in a failed NATO operation. During the campaign, the player will face everything from lone wolf infiltration missions to the commanding of large scale armored operations. The player will also be able to choose different objectives and weaponry (such as UAVs, artillery, and air support) according to their play style.
13th
Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection
PS3
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
PS3
Puppeteer
PS3
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner – Soul Hackers
3DS
NHL 14
PS3, Xbox 360
16th
The Elder Scrolls Anthology
PC
17th
Grand Theft Auto V
PS3, Xbox 360
Los Santos: a sprawling sun-soaked metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets and fading celebrities, once the envy of the Western world, now struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap reality TV. Amidst the turmoil, three very different criminals plot their own chances of survival and success: Franklin, a street hustler looking for real opportunities and serious money; Michael, a professional ex-con whose retirement is a lot less rosy than he hoped it would be; and Trevor, a violent maniac driven by the chance of a cheap high and the next big score. Running out of options, the crew risks everything in a series of daring and dangerous heists that could set them up for life.
MechWarrior Online
PC
18th
Dragon’s Prophet
PC
19th
Angry Birds Star Wars II
iOS
20th
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014
PS3, Xbox 360
Recovery: Search and Rescue Simulation
PC
24th
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
PS3
25th
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+
PC
26th
Train Simulator 2014
PC
27th
FIFA 14
PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Career mode in Fifa 14 has been revamped. Additions include a Global Scouting Network through most countries, which allows hiring a scout to search for talent all season from various clubs globally. The Career Mode hub navigation has also been redesigned, with fewer interruptions and live scouting reports. Managers are now able to develop, build and refine their network of scouts, gathering details on the attributes and traits of players. This way of playing Career Mode also moves away from the concept of player overall rating as an on-demand metric of a player’s abilities. Instead, communication with scouts determines what type of player is wished.
Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness
PS3
The Guided Fate Paradox
PS3
Rise of Venice
PC
Alien Rage
PC
Inazuma Eleven 3: Bomb Blast/Lightning Bolt
3DS
Deadfall Adventures
PS3, Xbox 360
Girls’ Fashion Shoot
3DS
While Nick was busy actually playing Rome II, I wimped out. I’ve never been one to get stuck in the nitty gritty of the real-time battles in the Total War series and the fear of getting obliterated caused me to sit back and let Nick get involved. Of course, Nick got a bit blown away too. The key difference, rather than being wiped out by the army with a clear strategic advantage, had I played, I would have taken that advantage and squandered it. …
Sun Tzu has very little to say about attacking an entrenched force that holds high ground, consists of greater numerical superiority and contains elephants, chariots and what can only be described as ‘great balls of fire.’ What he does say about the matter basically boils down to ‘don’t bother.’
This post is spurred by the recent comment in ‘What Next for Total War?‘ by Spiral Architect, who raises a very valid point of the startling moral conundrum of verisimilitude (or realism for everyone not doing a literature degree) in the next Total War game, which could very well deal with the 20th or even 21st century. Before I start out I’m going to throw the blanket of safety over myself by saying that all within here is merely speculation, and Creative Assembly could make a brilliant game that covers these moral problems without making it tasteless, sickening or muted. They are, however, going to face some very real problems when even considering this game, not least its scope.
The Total War games are ones that have come to define PC gaming, since the release of Shogun in 2000, this series has interwoven both grand turn-based strategy and awe inspiring real-time fights in majestic fashion. The next instalment in the series; Empire: Total War (due for release in March) promises to do the same, but what can we expect to see after this?
Will developers The Creative Assembly revisit an earlier game, perhaps a new Shogun or Rome? I say no, all signs point towards the next game being based in the modern era, the 20th Century seems right. The new engine for Empire features naval battles and all-out rifle warfare, both of which are defining characteristics of anything major conflict since World War One.
Further support for this theory comes from Mike Brunton, someone who has worked on every Total War game as a writer and designer. In a piece by Jim Rossignol (PC Gamer 197) which analyses the history of the Total War games Brunton gives us a hint of what to expect.
“Let’s just say we have some staff that have tiny joygasms over Tamiya and Trumpeter plastic tank kits and leave it at that. We won’t be able to restrain them forever.”
It is surely fair to say that there is a strong likelihood of the next game from The Creative Assembly bringing us into the modern era; they have a game engine that can deal with the combat and a team that has some strange fantasies about plastic tanks. What more of a hint do we need?