The Mongol Invasion : Shogun Total War Expansion Review

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(More customer reviews)Such a great game!!A+A+A+A+!!!!! It makes Total War a more exciting game, more moves, more strategies!!! A+A+A+A+!!!!!

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Ageod's American Civil War 1861-1865 Review

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(More customer reviews)I've seen varying reivews about this game from various sources, and I can see both sides of the argument. Personally, as a long standing fan of strategy games this is right down my street. A word of warning to start with, however. The game is extremely high in memory use and once you load the game onto your PC you don't need the CD in to play, which explains the high useage. PCs with lowish memory and graphics cards not entirely suitable will crash out.
The 'board' map is huge, covering from the west the Indian / Kansas territories and going east to the Atlantic, and south from the Gulf of Mexico to virtually the Canadian border. It takes time to scroll across and lagging can be frustrating unless you got a high-spec machine that works out PI in 3 seconds.
Those concerns aside the game is great. If you're into shoot-em-up or battles, forget it. Battles are done by the PC and all you get are the results. Basically, you're the guy who moves the units, assign generals and armies, ships and boats. Its a grand strategy game with at its heart the Ledger. Its here you determine the economy, resources, diplomatic and army building course of your side. Its close to the scenario of real life so that the South can win even if they appear to be losing. The North has to keep on conquering to keep the 'War' party in power and not lose the election of 1864.
Generals appear only when they are supposed to, so that the North starts with McDowell and McClellan and the South with Beauregard and A.S. Johnson. Those of you who like the 'building' aspect of strategy games, such as planning long term industry and reinforcements, will take to this part of the game. The manual is helpful but what you also need to do to begin with is use one of the inbuilt 'tuition' scenarios. Attention must be given to building armies, corps and divisions in order to avoid severe battle penalties.
Its about time someone came up with a big strategy game for this war and if you can bear the problems inherent with high memory useage then I recommend this one.

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The Last Remnant PC Review

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(More customer reviews)Had to ship from the UK but it was worth the extra 2 weeks. The only ones I could find in the US were 4 times as much $$$ for the same game. Updates on steam as soon as you install with US updates.

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Empire Total War: Special Forces Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Gameplay Positives:
============
- Good graphics
- Interesting scenarios
- Improved Campaign and Battle AI (over MTW2)
- Field battles are fun and on occasion the AI does some clever things.
- detailed sea battles
- Suicidal general problem seems to have been improved (over MTW2)
Gameplay Negatives:
===================
- Siege battles are horrible and almost impossible to lose. This in itself makes the game a cinch to win.
- The AI artillery frequently fires into the backs of its own troops.
- AI artillery inside settlements demolish their own walls.
- More issues but somewhat minor in overall nature.
*BUGS*
======
- Major memory leak being reported that causes your game to eventually crash reported. You will need an occassional reboot of your system if your performance starts to decline on your system.
- performance issues even with high end PC's due to some choppiness with the animation textures. Turns are very slow.
- ATI Graphic card owners need to be aware of some graphics issues.
- MAJOR activation and install problems!! It took me over 4 hours to get the game installed/running without crashing. This only after I read lengthy posts at the company web sites. The sheer number of bugs being reported at their site is staggering.

Conclusion:
============
For this game to be released in this condition is disgraceful. It is evident that the game was rushed out with little or no testing. This game is in need of an immediate patch before it is playable.
Is it worth buying? Yes and no. All Total War games are worth buying. In its current state I can't in good faith recommend buying it right now so waiting for the patches to be released is your best bet.

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Empire: Total War (Special Forces Edition) by Sega features grandturn-based campaign map and rich historical flavor while introducingfor the first time 3D naval combat. Set in the 18th century,an era filled with global conflict, revolutionary fever andtechnological advances. Empire: Total War features the debut of 3Dnaval combat; you will be able to command vast fleets or single shipsupon seascapes with extraordinary water and weather effects that play ahuge role in your success or defeat. Use your cannons on enemies, andclose in to grapple their ship and prepare to board and fighthand-to-hand on the decks.

Synopsis Prepare to wage war on your enemies, relying on the firepower of six powerful Special Forces units. In Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition,you'll travel back to the 18th century, an era of relentlessterritorial expansion and near-perpetual war. The Age of Imperialismreigns, and around the world the seas are filled with ships belongingto the superpowers of the day. This ambition, however, inevitably leadsto conflict. Take to the high seas for extraordinary 3D naval combat asyou prove you have the daring and determination it takes to conquer theglobe. Key Game Features:
Draw on the fierce power of six additional Special Forces units: theHMS Victory, Rogers' Rangers, the Ottoman organ gun, Ghoorkas, theCorso Terrestre Guerrillas and Bulkeley's Regiment
Explore empire-building in greater depth with bonus materials, suchas a fold-out single-player campaign map, the History Channel's The Revolution on DVD and The Art of Empire: Total War art book
Dominate the sea, command an army and strive to conquer the globe as you go to battle in the 18th-century Age of Imperialism
Take command of a single ship or a vast fleet, all with fully destructible sails, and engage in real-time 3D naval warfare
Savor the stunning power and majesty of real-time seascapes, dynamicweather and an advanced landscape and flora system, courtesy of theDX10 graphics engine
Engage in cannon and musket warfare as well as brutal hand-to-hand combat
Fight in locations around the globe, including India, Europe and America
Gain access to advanced features gradually in a tense, episodic campaign
See how you match up against other players in the rankings, and join leagues and ladders for additional challenges
For 1 to 8 players

The Next Installment of the Total War Franchise Takecommand of single ships or vast fleets for exhilarating real-time navalwarfare. Pound your enemies with the power of your mighty cannons, thenboard enemy ships and engage in exciting hand-to-hand combat. Battleboth enemies and the elements as the new DX10 graphics engine rendersseascapes and dynamic weather to stunning effect. Experience war on aglobal scale with any of more than 30 in-game factions encompassing anarray of major world powers, including the United States, then take thefight online to battle with far-off friends in a variety of newmultiplayer modes. This expanded Special Forces Edition provides you with access to the elite skills of six exclusive SpecialForces units, including Lord Nelson's 104-gun flagship, the HMS Victory;the highly trained elite light infantry unit Rogers' Rangers; theOttoman organ gun, a powerful field gun capable of inflictingincredible damage; Nepalese Ghoorkas, each armed with a deadly 18"curved knife known as a kukri; the Corso Terrestre Guerrillas, anindependent light infantry guerrilla regiment known for its skirmishand stealth tactics; and the fearsomely hardy Bulkeley's Regiment, aFrench unit of Irish mercenaries. With the Special Forces Edition, you'll also receive a fold-out campaign map, a DVD of the History Channel's The Revolution series and a book of concept art.

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Defense Grid Review

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(More customer reviews)This year indie groups seem to be the ones keeping PC gaming alive. After the brilliant World of Goo and the innovative iFLUID and CRAYON PHYSICS, DEFENSE GRID comes along and reminds me how much fun an intelligent PC game can be!
The basic idea is simple enough: you have a power supply with a limited number of cores. Aliens will try to walk (and some fly) in and out with one or more of them. Your job is to place defensive towers to kill them off before they reach the exit. The more aliens you kill the more credits to spend on towers you get. Wave after wave even more aliens will come - so you better choose wisely where to place your towers. It seems simplistic but I assure you it is not.
Different aliens require different types of defenses. From projectile and field to short and long range (and numerous upgrades), there is no short supply of defense towers. And since their deployment and upgrades are not instantaneous, you need to plan ahead (there is a tactical screen on top that foretells what kind of aliens are incoming).
As the game progresses there is more freedom in where to place your towers and, subsequently, reroute the aliens' influx. That is really fun! Make them serpentine around your more powerful towers (and delay them with the Temporal Distortion ones) to wipe them out before they even reach your power cores.
The graphics are very well done, with full zooming capabilities. The camera gets a bit jumpy when fast zooming in, a feature I particularly liked because it reminded me of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA external shots. The environments are beautifully designed with attention to detail and (contrary to full-priced releases such as SPACE SIEGE) never get boring.
I really liked this game. If you decide to bite the bullet too, be prepared to get really hooked. This is the most ADDICTIVE game ever since Civilization II!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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Emperor: Battle for Dune Review

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(More customer reviews)All right, I've heard all the complaints I ever want to about how Westwood never does anything new with its C&C franchise. But hey, it works, doesn't it? Time and again, experiments have shown that changing a tried-and-true formula usually ends in disaster. Just look at Force Commander if you don't believe me. Additionally, with Emperor, they really have done something new.
Obvious things first- the graphics. You'll immediately notice this, unless you are blind. They are more than impressive, but utterly astonishing in detail and workmanship. You can zoom, pan, and rotate to see the different vehicle models, all done in gorgeous 3-D. Aside from the structures and units, combat looks fantastic. I was almost tempted to blast my own base after missions, just to see the fireworks.
The single player campaigns are far more interesting, since you can ally yourself with any of five different sub-houses, each offering tempting units. You can also attack and defend at will, and when you defend, your old bases will be reactivated. It's an interesting touch, and one that makes the campaigns much more fun than any previous Dune or C&C-type game. You'll also get various secondary objectives, some of which can be pretty fun to carry out.
The balance is excellent. Each house has its strengths and weaknesses, as do the sub-houses. I don't think the debate will ever end as to which combination works best, since it's really just a matter of favorites.
Of course, no game is without it's problems, and Emperor is no exception. I found that defending in the campaigns is laughably easy if you just attack your intruder right away. You'll also probably know the map, so you can exploit its advantages to better destroy them.
Path-finding can be a pain at times. Although it does work, it seems they tried to make units have realistic 'space' to take up, which means they don't bump into each other. This is cool to a certain extent, and that limit is when you can't move something from point A to point B.
The acting is a bit forced. I'm not one to complain too much about cinematics and actors, since they're only there to augment the game, but at times it was really quite bad. The Atreides mentat in particular struck me as an evil person, which just doesn't fit the House.
The plot is weird. I can't really explain it otherwise, other than to recommend you read the books (they're great, anyway). I know the folks at Westwood are leaning more towards the movie version of Dune, not the novel. However, the way they have taken the story seems an amalgamation of elements from God Emperor of Dune, the movie, and... well... something. For example, they never really explained how the Atreides recovered from being handily slaughtered by the Harkonnen and Sardaukar. This will probably be of concern only to a Dune purist, though, and should not deter you from playing the game.
All in all, Emperor was a pretty riveting experience. If you were disappointed by Dune 2000 (basically just a remake of Dune 2), then you will want to check this one out. It surely won't disappoint.

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Emperor returns gamers to Dune, land of sand, home of the spice and the first real-time strategy title. This all-new game presents the Dune universe in full 3-D. As in the classic Dune 2, players can command three unique political houses: noble Attreides, evil Harkonnen, and insidious Ordos. Five powerful subgroups add to the volatile political climate. There are four game worlds to battle on, and players can choose large-scale strategic advances or ground-level tactics. Gamers can wage war online both head-to-head and cooperatively.

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Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms Expansion Pack Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, first off about the multi-player hotseat thingie..don't really know about it and not my cup of tea so in this review I won't touch on it because quite frankly this is a game I really wouldn't want to play with anyone else. It's a "me" game.
With that being said, this is a nice addition to the Total War franchise. Sure, there are mods you can pick up to tweak it, but nobody makes a mod better than the folks that actually designed the game. In each of the campaigns you have cool triggers that add a dynamic flavour such as Richard and Philip II reinforcing the crusades in the Holy Lands and the Baron's Alliance in the Brittania campaign.
I had some preconceived notions about Kingoms, in that I fully expected some dinky little maps and about 5 hours playtime per campaign. Ohhhhhh no sir, these are full fledged campaigns with lots of territories and tons of time to eat up. They are all quite large, but the Americas campaign map is vast and was extremly fun playing the Apachean tribes. Nothing says "yippie" when your apache dog soldiers are charging and doing that Indian war cry you've heard in every John Wayne movie.
There is no big upgrade over Total War II...ergo, there is no major graphic or engine overhaul, it's simply more campaigns to play - a lot more. One of the nicest things I liked on the new campaigns is that you get a few of the top end units to start so you don't have to wait years to see how that Greek Fire Thrower works or get the uberest Templar Cavalry.
I have had no technical problems on Vista 32-bit with Dual core 2.13ghz, 2gb RAM and NVIDIA 7600 video card.
Not much more to say that hasn't been showcased in previews and you can read from the description up top (which is accurate except the multi-player thingie which I really don't care about) other than if you liked Total War 2 then you are going to really love Kingdoms.
Pros:
- Same good looking graphics as Total War 2
- Sound is amazing with new songs for each of the factions and campaigns
- Tons more units
- Very big campaign maps
Cons:
- Ummm...perhaps the multi-player capability which apparently isn't that great.


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Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Review

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(More customer reviews)The game is fun, but it had the potential to be amazing, and fell short. Originally I said to wait before buying, but the bugs have been ironed out, and now it's a good time, specially at the discounted prices.
Things to know:
- Requires Games For Windows Live (GFWL) account
- Steam installation and account required
- No base building (departs from traditional RTS)
=== SUMMARY ===
I just realized the review has gotten pretty long as I've added other information, so I wanted to write something for those people who want a quick overview:
If you don't mind few units, Steam, Games For Windows Live and lack of base building, you will enjoy the game a lot. The loot/items, unique characters, combat right from the start, persistent troops throughout the single player campaign, and an engaging and different 4 races make this game a great departure from traditional RTS. All wrapped up with great graphics, sound and animation to boot. The single player campaign does become very very repetitive after mission 30 or so. (there are probably 80 plus missions - I'm on 75 and counting)=== THE BAD STUFF ===
- Steam (more details below)
- You need to be connected to the internet to play the single player campaign.
- You need to be logged in to Windows Live to play the game... ugh...
- [[EDIT February 27: While the game crashed quite a bit when I first got it, it has been very stable with the last 2 patches, improving things dramatically. I only have 1 BSOD right after a February 23 major patch. So it looks like the crashing issues have been ironed out. But it was a serious issue at first]]
- Single player campaign ONLY for marines... This is just plainly a bad decision. There are 4 fun and distinct races, with multiple heroes each, and they just do 1 (albeit quite long) campaign with only 1 faction, involving just 1 hero. Very disappointed. I hope they add more campaigns for cheap, like 9.99 for a long campaign for the Eldar or Tyranids.
- Can't restart a mission. Got distracted and lost your units? Too bad, you can't restart it to get that reward you wanted. The game goes on even if you fail, which means you have to always be careful of what you're doing.
- [[Edit: My wireless internet connection dropped while I was playing, and the game didn't stopped, just a little pop-up came up for a second letting me know the connection to GFWL was dropped - this is just a sigh of relief, as I didn't really know what would happen]]
== Steam (why I don't like it) ==
1. No resale value. Period. The software is attached to your steam account upon installation, and you cannot transfer the software or your steam account per the agreement you need to accept. (Kills the second game market - also a word of warning: Do not buy this game used - if someone is selling you one, it either won't work, or it's somehow a cracked version.)
2. You have to log in to Steam to play the game. (offline mode is there but pointless for the game, since you need to log in to windows live anyhow, still needs to run steam though, even in offline mode).
3. SLOW. Opening a game takes forever, since it first has to load up steam, then it needs to connect to steam online, then it starts launching the game. (At least 5 times as long as non-steam games.)
4. You can't play your games if the server is busy (unless you do the walk around every boot up to set it to offline mode). This was a most unpleasant surprise, I did not know Steam would actually go that far, and honestly I cannot think of a worse thing, not even DRM is that annoying. I click on my game, then after about 30 seconds trying to connect to steam, it just tells you something like: "Our servers are busy, try again later"... I could go on and on about how dumb this decision is, but I digress. How hard can it be for them to do implement the logic: "If server is busy, launch the game in offline mode". Note, this wasn't for a minute, I couldn't play it for about half an hour of trying to connect to their servers. Also, if there is a patch, you cannot run your game. My internet connection is not blazing fast so a 150MB patch also leaves you without playing until that's done.... This is unacceptable, period. It is a single player game installed in my local computer, I don't want your server to tell me when I can play it or not.
Note: Steam is not securom or a rootkit or malware like some reviewers are suggesting. It's just an extra software layer, some people love it (you can buy games online, it keeps track of your friends, so you can see who is online and play with them, etc. So there is stuff to like about Steam.
=== THE GOOD STUFF ===
- Co-op single player campaign. You can progress through the campaign online with a friend.
- Graphics are really good, animation is great.
- Loot. (there are white, green and purple 'drops' to powerup the crews from the campaign. So you can customize your characters with new weapons.
- Leveling. You level up both in the single player and the multiplayer games. In the campaign you even get to enhance your stats by spreading those points around. In multiplayer it just increases your attributes, making a veteran squad much more powerful than a new one.
- Tactics are all about combat. (Even though I like base building, it was nice to depart from it - more info below).
- Smaller number of units - (you cannot just outnumber your opponent to victory, you need to plan and use your units accordingly)
- 3 levels of cover (standing behind rocks makes you harder to hit/damage at a maximum level, while standing behind say, a fence gives you only a medium level of cover protection.
- Destructible environment
- The 4 races play very differently, making the game more unique.
- Even though I am disappointed the campaign is only for the Marines, I have to commend the developers, because it's actually a long campaign. I haven't finished it yet, and played through at least 35 missions, if not more. Granted you have the option of finishing it sooner, but I am doing all the optional missions too.
=== NO BASE BUILDING ===
Since these 3 items are new for RTS games, I wanted to expand on Relic's implementation as far as the single player campaign goes:
- I have come to really, really enjoy not having a base. It works superbly along with the small number of units. In typical RTS I found myself building a well defended base, while "teching" so I could unload lots of powerful units and overwhelm the enemy. So basically, it took a while to complete a mission, and most of the time was spent building defenses and teching up, while the actual battle took very little, since the enemy was outmatched. In this game, you start fighting right away.
=== SMALL NUMBER OF UNITS ===
Most of the time you control 4 squads (in single player, multiplayer is 100 units per race, which depending on the unit type can be 12-15 squads)
What I like about it:
- You learn to care more about your units. (you cannot afford to lose squads in an important battle) You get to experience each squad's personality through their leader, and they are always with you - they are with you through the entire campaign.
- War tactics become most important. Using cover wisely, using the special items wisely (like a grenade to quickly clear units inside a structure)
- And what I like the most: I know my squads 1 - 4 hot keyed, so I can call upon each squad when I need them. I am not managing 100 units where I just select all and click attack - in order to be successful, you need to plan out your attack, heal your quads when needed, and basically be able to quickly call upon any squad when the need arises. (My sniper squad is being attacked by stronger melee units, I need to quickly hit the hot key of my jump squad to jump there and save them)
=== LEVELING ===
Commenting only on the single player campaign.
Do I want my hero to be melee based, or do I want him to be a range damage type? (through the levels and experience points you can choose a path). Do I want my all purpose squad to be stronger in melee? Or do I want to make it into a range squad? Do I want my sniper team for this mission, or should I go with my melee team?
=== BOSS FIGHTS ===
They are fun, and a lot of them really hard. They can quickly wipe out your squad if you are not careful. They drop powerful items some times, which you can then use to bolster your squad. I think they did this very well, since bosses have special abilities, all the boss fights (so far) have been different from each other.
=== LOOT ===
I like having to make decisions as to how to equip the squad, which squad should get which powerups, which armor is better suited for x, y or z. However, it also suffers the same problems of most loot systems:
- An item will drop that I can't use for 2 more levels (which could take about 4 missions to do at the latter stages).
- Right now I have 6 extra pretty good armor drops level 6-9 green drops (sit unused, or switched in for some missions). While my commander has a level 0 gun, and a level 4 sword (there just haven't been good weapon drops for me). My supression squad meanwhile has like 4-5 great guns to choose from. Basically, it is what it is with random drops. I just wish my hero had better weapons at this point, my sniper team is also pretty weak in the weapons department, as is my all-purpose squad.
- The reward items for completing missions stink at first (white items, and the random drops from the mission are better). In the latter stages the reward items become very powerful. On a side note, a lot of blue drops seem worse than green drops...
- One annoyance is changing the...Read more›

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Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II transports players into Games Workshop's vast Warhammer 40,000 universe, where an intergalactic war between ancient races has raged on for countless millennia. Featuring vicious front-line combat, destructible environments, a fully cooperative multiplayer mode, four unique playable races and an epic single-player campaign, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II delivers the ultimate sci-fi fantasy Real-Time Strategy (RTS) experience.
The Story Continues It is the distant future and the Imperium of Man has spread across the entire galaxy. But our days of expansion are long past. Once, when the Emperor of Man led us in battle, we were unstoppable, but no longer. The Emperor has withdrawn to Earth to rule from his Golden Throne, leaving us to fight a thousand wars of attrition in his name where our defenders die by the billions. We have little hope for support from Earth and we are losing the battle for human survival. Our only chance lies with the Space Marines, genetically modified warriors of superhuman ability and the pinnacle of human potential. But the Space Marines are few, the galaxy is large and our enemies are countless. The situation is most dire in Sub-Sector Aurelia. It is from this cluster of worlds on the very edge of the Imperium that came the Blood Ravens, a chapter of the Emperor's own Space Marines. Now savage aliens seek to overrun the sector, and break the Blood Ravens once and for all. Captain Davian Thule and a handful of Space Marines lead the raw recruits defending these worlds. Yet, another Space Marine prepares to join this desperate battle, a newly promoted Commander, ready to lead in our darkest hour. You are this Space Marine.

Playable Factions

Key Game Features:

Simplified Entry Point - Whether you're new to the genre or a seasoned veteran, Dawn of War II gets you into the action quickly and easily. Learn the game at your own pace and get ready to save the galaxy.
Brutal Frontline Action & Tactics - Get straight into the action and experience intense melee & devastating ranged combat. Use vicious melee sync-kills to obliterate your enemies. Outsmart your opponents - using dynamic and destructible environments to suppress, flank and destroy your foes.
Epic Single Player Campaign - Command an elite strike force, developing the skills and abilities of your squads and commander as you progress through the game.
Persistent Long-Term Goals - Customize your Space Marines with persistent leveling and unlockable special abilities. Equip them with the hundreds of unique weapons and items you earn through mission rewards and battlefield drops.
Co-Op Multiplayer - Play through the entire single player campaign co-operatively with a friend, at any point in the game, anytime.
Next Generation RTS Engine - Utilizing Relic's proprietary Essence Engine 2.0 to deliver cinematic visuals, detailed graphics & special effects.
Gameplay Dawn of War II is split between campaign-based gameplay playable as a Space Marine, supporting singleplayer and co-op action, and skirmish gameplay in which players can play as any of the four playable factions in singleplayer or multiplayer battles. In the case of these multiplayer conflicts, gameplay and matchmaking is supported via the Games for Windows LIVE gaming service. In addition, unlike previous Dawn of War games or expansions, Dawn of War II features an increased and more realistic acknowledgment of the importance of cover. To that end players will notice that some environments in-game are now fully or partly destructible by certain units in their arsenal, adding to the battlefield carnage and the need for players to plan their strategy and choose their playable units and battlefields wisely.


System Requirements:

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Tropico 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)Every regime turns old and stale. Every banana-republic runs out of national resources to sell-out for kickbacks. And every dictator can hide only so many populist aces up his sleeve. So in the end he calls for ...degenerate capitalist image-makers to reinvent his persona and make the beard hip again. It's the same old story.
Power corrupts - and absolute power corrupts absolutely. True - but aren't you tempted? Not even a little?
The original Tropico and its expansions were of those rare RTS games that manage to blend absurd stereotypes with classic gaming genres and reinvent them with humor. From the old Dungeon Keeper to the unsurpassed Evil Genius most of these games are hard to fail. And how could they - what is there not to like?
The economy must be tended to: from agriculture, fisheries and tourism, to oil and mining, you must decide on how to keep your regime solvent and well into the black. On the other hand, neglect the well-being of your citizens at your own risk. Both superpowers as well as brewing guerrillas are always at your heels, ready to dispose of you and install their puppet in your boots.
So make sure to strut around and let your subjects take a good hard look at their leader. If that is not enough to discourage dissidents, making a long-winded populist speech surely will. Push come to shove, you can always rig the elections of course...
This installment's sin is that it offers little new besides improved graphics and minor gameplay touch-ups. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
If new to the series, buy all means buy it! Not only will you greatly enjoy the gameplay but you will also experience it in its best incarnation. If you already have experienced the previous installments of TROPICO, I know you have to see what the original game looks and feel like in 3D and Shader Model 3 graphics.
The game comes free for any intrusive DRM nonsense. Neither online activation nor any limit on installations, just a serial key. What you know, even ruthless tyrants have more sense than game publishing executives...
Thwart those insolent revolutionaries before they gain traction!
Send them for cultural re-education to the banana fields.
RECOMMENDED!

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Story and Gameplay In Tropico 3 players take on the role of "El Presidente," the leader of a millitary coup that has recently taken power over the Banana Republic island nation of Tropico. Simulation aspects of the game play out in a heavy emphasis on civic, residential, millitary and institution building across the island, as well as resource management, with the player given the choice as to how to economically facilitate this growth. Regardless whether you turn Tropico into a vacation paradise, a police state or a modern industrial nation - you will always have to defend your actions before your people. Players wander through Tropico as El Presidente in order to intimidate political opponents, hold populist speeches or just to enjoy your country's own Caribbean flair. The strategy angle of the game requires players to keep a sharp eye on the dangers and side-effects of your absolute power. Built on the precedant of your own coup, danger lurks on every corner, be it militant revolutionaries plotting to supplant you, or the machinations of the superpowers USA and the Soviet Union, both of whom would like to see a more amenable ruler in strategically important Tropico. Within the game's 15 missions history takes its course with events such as the Cuba crisis, papal visits and other actual decisive historical events. The choice of the means of governing, and persuasion is entirely yours, and the only question is whether or not your vision of Tropico will survive to play a role in history. Key Game Features
Comprehensive campaign with 15 different missions.
A variety of business sectors: Tourism, petroleum, mining, agriculture, etc.
A timeline editor allows you to create your own fictive historical events or enter real ones.
Avatar functionality allowing players to wander the island as El Presidente and change the course of play.
Political speeches, edicts and "other" means of influence.
A wide range of editing and modification functions.
Mission generator for random map creation.
The cinematic, highly detailed graphics perfectly reflect.
A variety of online-functions such as high scores or visiting islands belonging to other players.
Latin music soundtrack.

System Requirements:

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Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance Review

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(More customer reviews)Supreme Commander (SC) was an exceptional game, and highly engrossing for myself and others who grew up with Total Annihilation. SC had its flaws, though nothing I'd consider game-breaking.
Forged Alliance (FA) is the "kinda" expansion to SC. It does, indeed, stand alone as a game, however many of the options are locked out unless you own SC. This could easily be a bit of a disappointment to those picking it up and not knowing the half-truth.
With that out of the way, should you own SC and FA, you are in for a treat. FA fixes many of the issues experienced with SC. Many of these issues come down to balance. The new faction is a nice addition to LAN games, and the extra units helps the distinction between the existing factions. One thing you'll notice, though, it the new faction's units are less numerous than the old faction's bolstered ranks. Perhaps not being a story-mode available faction was the reason, but it's rather silly. It makes the new faction, already functionally generic, even less identifiable to tactics and strategy.
Regardless of one faction's unit count, the other features of the game are an exciting addition, though players of SC may find the new interface a tad bit odd at first. It quickly becomes apparent the new interface is vastly superior.
If you own SC, I can easily recommend picking up FA. If you don't own SC and are an RTS fan, I highly recommend picking up both.

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Homeworld 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)This game was a must-buy for me since I also owned the original Homeworld. The story of HW2 is a lot less compelling than the story of the original Homeworld, but still not bad. The gameplay is however better.
If you are unfamiliar with the Homeworld series, it's based on fighting your way through levels, where you bring your resources and space fleet from the previous mission (level) to the next. They are all interconnected, and if you do poorly in one, chances are you'll be at a disadvantage in the next one.
You command the mighty mothership in your quest to save the galaxy by retrieving an old hyperspace gate. The mothership is able to build ships, including carriers that in turn can build most types of ships. You will be tasked with developing technology, building a viable fleet, mining for resources, completing mission objectives, and fending off the enemy - all in a nice concoction of organized chaos. The pace can be pretty high at times, and although the battlefields are nicely laid out and the navigation relatively simple, it's still a mess to get through some of the missions. Chances are you'll play each mission somewhere between 2 and 20 times before you succeed.
PROS:
* Excellent concept and gameplay
* Beautiful graphics and sound
* Hours and hours of fun and challenging gameplay
* Multiplayer option, and option to play against the computer
* Large fleet of different ships - friends, allies and foes
* A lot of improvement to make to your fleet through research
* Nice storyline to follow
CONS:
* Extremely hard - only one difficulty level. It's a good idea to either read online strategy guides and walkthroughs, or simply buy the official strategy guide.
* Hours and hours of challenging gameplay - It can get a bit tedious and frustrating to play the same mission over and over again.
* Not a game for relaxing in front of the computer.
I highly recommend this game, and it's sure to give you days and days, probably weeks and weeks of active gameplay. I was considered giving this game a 5, but since there's quite a bit of room for improvement, and the difficulty level is a bit on the high side, I give it a still very enjoyable 4 STARS!!!

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You reclaimed your home.Now reclaim your destiny. Long go you returned from exile, but now fate will not be so kind. Your struggle has only just begun. The saga continues in the sequel!

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Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Review

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(More customer reviews)Since it is the number one consideration I make in choosing if I'm going to buy a game, I have to talk about the copy protection. Yes it's not the game, but it is a part of the overall product. If you can't play the game, then it's of no use to you. Dawn of War 2 is more intrusive than the CD keys of the old days. Those keys were perfectly reasonable and fair, but nowadays I can't understand why companies punish their paying customers with annoying activations. I purchased Max Payne 2 and the protection couldn't recognize my CD drive so I couldn't use it; their response was tough luck. I have almost entirely stopped buying PC games because the protection adds risk.
That said, the protection scheme that Relic went with is at least not as bad as it could be. You have to install Steam by Valve software and there is a CD Key too, but as far as I can tell Steam isn't evil and it doesn't do anything to screw with your system. You do need to have an Internet connection the first time you install the game, but after that you can put everything in offline mode and not connect. While this isn't as bad as it could have been, if you're a US Army trooper stationed in a country without access to the Internet to validate your copy or if you just don't have a connection, you're out of luck. You also have to have a Games For Windows Live account, but you can create an offline one. When playing single player it's slightly annoying to be asked/reminded multiple times if you want to be in online mode.
So, on to the game. The first thing you'll notice is that this is NOT Dawn of War. The first game was kind of like StarCraft or most RTS games where you build a base, then units, then fight it out. At least in single player, Dawn of War 2 is more like those StarCraft levels where you had a small group of soldiers and your goal was to reach the other side of the map. Whether you like this change or not, well that's a matter of taste. I kind of like not worrying about the base development. At the same time, it does make the game a little less interesting because you lose that base defense and resource management aspect.
The characters are great. You get a little bit of RPG angle to things because you can customize the armor, weapon, and special bonus that each squad gets. This isn't all that deep, sort of like X-Men Legends 2 character tweaking. There is an interesting touch where you can gain certain bonus skills if you reach milestones adding points in certain areas. For example, if you add points to the scout's "will" (mana) attribute you can get a skill to not drain energy if concealed while standing still. You get the idea. I liked it since you get to choose whether to round out your squad or take a risk and get some benefits for focusing in on one or two areas.
Dreadnoughts are back and just as fun as ever. They'll still pick up the bad guy sometimes and toss them around the map. Plus, they don't need cover; they ARE cover. In single player, he's about useless until you get the "self repair" ability. Unlike your normal characters, he won't heal over time. Once you get that ability, he'll can fix himself and becomes a major player. You can revive fallen comrades if you have at least one guy left, but I couldn't ever get him to revive anybody so it's probably a limit to balance the abilities of this unit type.
Controls are tight and the characters will generally do what you want them to. I occasionally had problems selecting all units at once, though. Graphics look good. Sounds fit the game nicely and the voice acting is quite good. You've got a good story and entertaining Multiplayer. Overall though, to me it just didn't meet what I was expecting. I do enjoy it, but I'd have rather had more of an enhanced version of the previous game with some levels like this thrown in. As with the first game, you only get Space Marines campaigns. Too bad. I probably won't stick around too long after I finish the single player campaign, but I'll have fun until then.
This package is perfect because you can import your DOW2 campaign into CR and start off with your earned skills and some of your equipment. DOW2 and CR differ signifigantly in their mechanics. DOW2 is easier; you have a lot more chance to play random missions to level up or for goodies and supplies boost everybody's special equipment. Chaos has fewer random missions and throws in tasks that leave you more pure or more tainted by Chaos. It's an interesting idea, but does make things annoying at times when you have to use a specific character or replay a mission just to avoid corruption. Supplies are type specific so you get fewer uses. Both games are fun.
Check the system requirements well before you buy it. It requires significantly more power than Dawn of War did. You also need a decent video card. My system beats the suggested specs, I have an Athlon 5600+ CPU, 3 GB of RAM, and a GeForce 8400 GS video card and it's a little jerky at times. The game has a cool feature that rates your setup and can automatically configure for best performance. My card apparently isn't up to snuff even at the lowest settings, so I can still play but it thinks I'd lag out of online play. Just as well, I have no interest in that.
I did find one trick that can help a little in Vista. Right-click the Steam icon (since Steam has to run to play the game) and choose Properties. Now go to to the Compatibility tab and check to Disable desktop composition. This will shut down the Aero features and should give a little bit of a graphics boost. If you have a nVida card you can go into nVidia Control Panel, view Advanced Settings, manage 3D settings, and change the "Texture filtering - Quality" to "Performance". Do a search online if you need more detailed instructions how to change that setting. Those seem to have helped a bit for my setup. Really though, you need a decent card if you want to play online or if you care about it being super pretty.

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Defend the Imperium of Man It is the distant future and the Imperium of Man has spread across the entiregalaxy, but our days of expansion are long past. Once, when the Emperorlead in battle, and the Imperium was unstoppable. Those days are no more.The Emperor has withdrawn to Earth to rule from his Golden Throne, leavinga thousand wars of attrition in his name where defenders die by the billions.There is little hope for support from Earth and humanity is losing the battlefor survival. The only chance lies with the Space Marines, genetically modifiedwarriors of superhuman ability and the pinnacle of human potential. Butthe Space Marines are few, the galaxy is large and enemies are countless.The situation is most dire in sub-sector Aurelia. It is from this clusterof worlds on the very edge of the Imperium that came the Blood Ravens, achapter of the Emperor's own Space Marines. Now savage aliens seek to overrunthe sector, and break the Blood Ravens once and for all. Captain DavianThule and a handful of Space Marines lead the raw recruits defending theseworlds. Yet, another Space Marine prepares to join this desperate battle,a newly promoted commander, ready to lead in our darkest hour. You are thisSpace Marine. Key Game Features
Simplified Entry Point – Whether you're new to the RTS genre or a seasoned veteran, Dawn of War II gets you into the action quickly and easily. Learn the game at your own pace and get ready to save the galaxy.
Brutal Front-line Action and Tactics – Get straight into theaction and experience intense melee and devastating ranged combat. Usevicious melee sync-kills to obliterate your enemies. Outsmart your opponents- using dynamic and destructible environments to suppress, flank anddestroy your foes.
An Epic Single Player Campaign – Command an elite Space Marine strike force, developing the skills and abilities of your squads and commander as you progress through the game.
Persistent Long-term Goals – Customize your Space Marines with persistent leveling and unlockable special abilities. Equip them with the hundreds of unique weapons and items you earn through mission rewards and battlefield drops.
Online Multiplayer – Play through the entire single playercampaign cooperatively with a friend, at any point in the game, anytime,or go it alone as any of the four factions against online competition.
Next Generation RTS Engine – Utilizing Relic's proprietary Essence Engine 2.0 to deliver cinematic visuals, detailed graphics and special effects.
Stand Against the Forces of Chaos Your Blood Raven Space Marines have saved the sector from the ravenous Tyranid hordes, but can they save themselves in the conflict to come? In Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising, the sequel to the acclaimed Dawn of War II RTS franchise, you return to sub sector Aurelia where a long lost frozen ice planet has reappeared from the Warp, bringing with it new secrets to uncover and foes to face. Here you must take command of the Blood Ravens and defend the sector against the forces of the Black Legion. Purge the chaos filth and hold the chapter together as traitorous forces work from within to try bring down the Blood Ravens. Key Game Features
New Single Player Missions – Continue your fight against the enemies of the Emperor and use your Space Marine squads' wargear, abilities, and experience to battle Chaos in 15 new missions.
New Environment and Multiplayer Maps – New ice planet graphics set increases visual diversity and adds 7 new multiplayer maps. Six-player multiplayer support available online.
Aspire to Glory – Build your existing squads up to level 30 and unlock even more devastating abilities.
Chaos Corruption Mechanic – New single player mechanic allows you to equip incredibly powerful equipment that corrupts your squad and will guide the story towards or away from the corrupting influence of Chaos.
Five Multiplayer Factions – Swear loyalty to the Chaos Gods and play as the bloodthirsty Chaos Space Marines or any of the other four factions in multiplayer battles against both Chaos Rising and Dawn of War II owners.
New Units – New units for the Space Marines, Ork, Eldar, and Tyranid armies.
2 New Last Stand Heroes – Face off against the relentless hordeas either the Chaos Sorcerer or Tyranid Hive Tyrant.

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Napoleon: Total War Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a big Empire: Total War (hereinafter referred to as ETW) fan, and a few months ago, was wondering whether to get Napoleon: Total War (NTW). $39.99 for an "expansion pack" seemed rather exorbitant. However, since I am a huge fan of Napoleonic history (I read David Chandler's "Campaigns of Napoleon" front to back) I decided to take the plunge and pre-order off of Steam.
I would also like to address the oft discussed topic of Steam. This review will NOT solely discuss the criticisms of Steam; if you want to do that, start a topic in Amazon's discussion forums. This is a review of the game itself, not of the distribution system. That being said, I would like to add that I'm not sure why there is such furor over Steam. I've used it for the past four years, and never had a problem with it. Anyone who's played Counter-Strike, the Half-Life series, or Day of Defeat Source will agree that Steam is a very convenient content distribution system. I prefer not having to physically store my game CDs; Steam is a popular system, and I don't see Valve suddenly folding up shop over the foreseeable future.
Back to the review, installation from Steam took a few hours and 20 GB to download. The game requires Steam, so even if you purchase the physical DVDs from Amazon, Steam will be required for activation. Happily, the game is rock solid so far, no crashes of any kind. For comparison, here are my system specs:
Core i7 920
4 GB Ram
Single Nvidia GTX 260, Core 216
I'm running all settings on ultra, with the exception of a few token details. HDR is turned off, because frankly, I never liked the look and it unnecessarily burdens my system. Video optimization seems particularly smooth, and whereas the Campaign map would lag in ETW, I see no such problems here.
The differences between NTW and ETW are many, some slight, but even the smallest modifications make a big and improved difference in Napoleon: Total War. NTW is what ETW should've been. Here are the main differences, which I've summarized in 4 main categories.
VISUALS (Campaign map, battles, soldiers)
GAMEPLAY (Shorter turn time, Campaigns like Road to Independence)
ORGANIZATION (Historical Battles, Campaigns)
MULTI-PLAYER
First, the VISUALS. NTW is vastly upgraded over ETW in terms of visuals. There are now more soldier types per unit, some sporting brown or blonde hair, others with muttonchops or none. When you adjust the settings to the maximum, yes, there really are 64 face models as Creative Assembly boasts. Each engagement is a thing of beauty, with brightly besmocked soldiers, shakos and tri-corner hats, bayonets glistening in the air. Revolutionary Infantry soldiers march into battle barefoot! Napoleon's Old Guard Grenadiers look particularly resplendent in the new game engine. With white tunics, bear-skin caps with red plumes, and imposing figures, the Old Guard is brought to life and every bit as accurate as the history books. Heck, you can even make out the individual threads on the red epaulettes of the Guard.
Cannon shells leave explosions bursting in the air, and cannon-balls leave deep furrows in the ground. The camera view rocks from nearby blasts. A few new unit animations have been added, including a horse dragging a dead rider away, foot caught in the stirrup. Battles are amazing, to say the least. Now, muskets fire with greater flash and smoke. The Campaign map has also been upgraded, showing greater detail. There are also a plethora of short cinematic clips, which help to cement the 19th century feel as well as teach you a little Napoleonic history. Naval battles have also been improved, with clouds in the sky, and sun glinting off the ocean. The battle interface bar is sleeker, and the battle control menu from ETW has been replaced with a translucent menu. Soldier portraits are larger, and more intricate. Battle landscapes feature environmental effects which in turn have an effect on unit statistics. Battles feel faster and more magnificent. Units upgrade their veterancy in real-time as well, so you often survive a hard-fought battle with elite units.
Next, the GAMEPLAY. The biggest overhaul is to the Single-Player Campaign. It builds on ETW's "Road to Independence", featuring three linear campaigns which closely follow periods in the Napoleonic Era, from his early years with the Republican armies in Italy/Austria, to the forays into Egypt, and then the European theater. I think this type of linear storyline makes sense, given the focus on Napoleon's life. Additionally, the tutorials are more detailed, with three tutorials (land, naval, campaign) also illustrating early events in Napoleon's life on Corsica, and his travel to mainland France and subsequent rise to success. One huge change on the Campaign map which I really appreciate is the ability to speed up unit marching, which used to drag the single player turn time. Turn time is now two weeks rather than ETW's six months. Additionally, the campaign maps themselves are much more focused. Weather now impacts your strategic planning, so march your armies carefully! Troops must be supported by supply lines, and even the grandest of armies can be crippled by desertion and sickness. Rakes have been replaced by spies (good decision!) and greater flexibility is given to gentlemen. Spies have the ability to build up spy networks as well, if enough time is spent in an enemy city. When capturing a city, occupying forces finally have the option to either loot and kill the inhabitants or peacefully occupy. This option was sorely missed in ETW, even though it was present in the Rome and Medieval series.
In naval battles, ships now have the ability to make repairs at sea, and further health bars on added to show the hull strength on left and right sides of the ship. Naval battles with large numbers of ships were already hard enough for me to manage in ETW, so while the new health bars are a nice touch, I probably won't be able to monitor them unless engaged in one-on-one combat. For land combat, units' morale is shown in real-time with a morale meter by each unit, and generals may rally or inspire select units. Each general is based on a historical figure (another nice touch), and are irreplaceable, so conserve them carefully. Generals level up, but their veteran experience gives them a nice touch in NTW. Higher ranked generals can deploy their men after lower ranked generals have already deployed, thus increasing your tactical superiority. This presents a tremendous tactical edge; during one memorable battle against the computer AI, I was able to place my Grand Batterie of artillerie a pied and completely enfilade his entire left flank, crushing the infantry and routing them before contact. Depleted units also automatically replenish when in friendly territory.
Lastly, on the battlefield, there are additional inset video screens that bring your attention to critical news flashes, like when your general is in danger of being killed, or when a particular unit is in danger of routing. I could've done without the inset screen; it sounds helpful in principle, but in reality, the inset screen is too small and too low-resolution to discern anything useful.
Next, we have ORGANIZATION. As previously mentioned, NTW builds on the Road to Independence Campaign featured in ETW. NTW also has a greater number of historical battles, which I thought ETW was severely deficient in. To add some excitement (or consternation), the historical battles must be unlocked one by one, and some major battles are featured, such as Borodino, Austerlitz, and of course, Waterloo. I would've liked to see some additional major battles, such as the Peninsular confrontations, the giant bloody square at Wagram or Napoleon's return to brilliance with the Six Days Campaign in 1814, which featured tactically brilliant demonstrations with his Old Guard. Or event Murat's enormous 10,000 strong cavalry charge against the Russian center at Eylau, or General Senarmont's brilliant use of case-shot against the Russians at Friedland? Alas, we will have to wait for a fan-made mod to relive those battles, I'm afraid. The Grand Campaign aka Campaigns of the Coalition allows play as one of France's enemies; Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia. However, the campaigns end around 1813; why not 1815 with the surrender and capture of Paris following Napoleon's abdication and permanent exile to St. Helena?
Lastly, the MULTIPLAYER has been heavily hyped. Since I was never interested in multiplayer for ETW, the same is true for NTW, and I'll just briefly mention some of the new additions, some of which are quite significant. Besides the usual Steam achievements and hyped uniform editor, friends can drop into campaign battles in the single player campaign! Some online review sites have said that the new multiplayer feature is the icing on the cake, but I'll let you find out for yourself.
In summary, here are the pros and cons:
PROS:
-Vastly upgraded graphics
-Gorgeous battles
-Improved interface and playability
-Napoleonic theme
-Multi-player (if you're into that)
-Stable build, no crashes
-Shorter load times
CONS:
-Need to shell out more cash
-No fife/marching music?
-No additional unit formations, e.g. mixed order formation?
-Sieges are best auto-resolved
-Minor AI Quirks
-Cannons shooting into the backs of own troops, !$#@%
Just a brief note about the cons; I noticed they added a fife playing soldier to each infantry unit, however, he doesn't seem to play any particularly famous historical tune. I used to play a...Read more›

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Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising Review

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(More customer reviews)One caveat first. This is a Windows Live/Steam game, so if you have objections to either of those things then stear clear. That said, I'm going to provide a brief review of the game with scoring not weighted by those factors.
I have a fairly uncommon perspective on this game, I imagine, which is that I played it before I played the original (which I just completed last night), so I can rate it both as a stand alone experience untainted by preconceptions, and as a continuation of the original.
As a stand alone experience I found the game to be quite addictive and fun. The first level is designed as something of a tutorial to the game's basic mechanics. You're introduced to various ideas like explosives, the cover system, bunkers, the strengths and weaknesses of the different squad types, etc. Not having read the manual I found myself scratching my head at a few things but if you click the little quick tip icons on the left side of the screen and pay attention you can figure out most of the game's major mechanics fairly quickly. I was able to beat the first level of the game at the medium difficulty setting on my first try. Don't forget to use the "x" button frequently to retreat your squads that have lost members. This way you can replenish them to full strength and bring them back into the fray without any of your squad leaders requiring revival. This works especially well during boss battles. Since the bosses don't heal you can chip away at them and win by sheer persistence. Once you learn the mechanics you are fairly quickly thrust into the thick of things and the game ceases to coddle you.
Your squads carry through from one mission to the next, gaining levels and experience much like an RPG. You can and will upgrade their equipment multiple times. Though individual members of each squad can die (and easily be replaced at any control point), the squad leaders persist and stay with you for the whole game. You'll have to play through a few missions before you find Captain Thule, or unlock your Terminator armor, though.
You lose stars on your mission rating for each squad leader that becomes incapacitated during the mission (whether you revive them during that mission or not). I find this mechanic works well. You can plow through most missions by attrition, even if you have to revive your squad leaders multiple times, but to earn the highest rating (and the most experience), you'll need to be smarter and more methodical. It can be quite a challenge to get a 5 star rating in all three categories (number of enemies killed, squads that didn't become incapacitated, and speed with which you complete the mission).
There are a few changes to the game as compared to its predecessor, but nothing major (with the exception of the corruption system). Mostly, you just don't have to worry about defending your foundries and such any more. You'll probably also appreciate the new abilities you can unlock. Some of them are truly amazing such as converting signum use to energy. Talk about blasting the enemy to smithereens! Good stuff. I particularly enjoyed the section of the game where you get to explore an ancient space hulk. I had flashbacks to the board game. Also, at a certain point you unlock a new unit type, the Terminator Librarian. This guy is extremely versatile and effective if specced out right. Controllable mini "black holes"? Yes, please. The game includes an additional enemy type, chaos marines, which are pretty evil and fun to blow up. I'm sure there's some change to the tactics required to defeat them, but I found that they died pretty "hand"ily to Davian Thule's massive Dreadnought claws. Long live Captain Thule! Additionally, there's a corruption system whereby you can let your team become more and more evil, thus unlocking the ability to use special "corrupted" weapons and armor, which are fairly univerally better than the uncorrupted stuff. I didn't try it this way yet, so I don't know exactly how it would change the story, but intend to do this on my 2nd play through.In summary, if you liked the original, you'll like this. I can't imagine why you wouldn't. If you haven't played any DoW II but you like tactical style RTS games with no base building (much like World in Conflict) then you should definitely give this one a try.

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Story Your Blood Raven Space Marines have saved the sector, but can they save themselves? In Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising, the sequel to the acclaimed Dawn of War II RTS franchise, you return to sub sector Aurelia where a long lost frozen ice planet has reappeared from the Warp, bringing with it new secrets to uncover and foes to face. Here you must take command of the Blood Ravens and defend the sector against the forces of the Black Legion. Purge the chaos filth and hold the chapter together as traitorous forces work from within to try bring down the Blood Ravens. New Missions, Units, Multiplayer Race and Corruption Mechanic Dawn of War II struck a new chord in the RTS genre with its focuson specific unit based strategy with limited reinforcement options andlimited RPG elements, as opposed to the generally repetitive RTS tacticof resource gathering-base building-and swarming maneuvers. The ChaosRising expansion to the franchise follows suit with 15 new singleplayer missions centered on the players' strategic choice of units; uppingthe ante further by including new units for each of the returning in-gameraces and even introducing a new race, the traitorous Chaos Space Marines,who are a playable faction in online multiplayer action. In addition,players must navigate a new corruption mechanic built into in single playercampaign, which consists of access to new and dangerous destructive powers.Designed to allow for variation in completing mission objectives, thesepowers also carry the possibility of drawing units closer to the influenceof Chaos, which affects both the mission possibilities as the game progressesand the overall outcome of the game. Key Game Features
New Single Player Missions – Continue your fight against the enemies of the Emperor and use your squads' wargear, abilities, and experience to battle Chaos in 15 new missions.
New Environment and Multiplayer Maps – New ice planet graphics set increases visual diversity and adds 7 new multiplayer maps. Six-player multiplayer support available online.
Aspire to Glory – Build your existing squads up to level 30 and unlock even more devastating abilities.
Chaos Corruption Mechanic – New single player mechanic allows you to equip incredibly powerful equipment that corrupts your squad and will guide the story towards or away from the corrupting influence of Chaos.
New Multiplayer Faction – Swear loyalty to the Chaos Gods and play as the bloodthirsty Chaos Space Marines in multiplayer battles against both Chaos Rising and Dawn of War II owners.
New Units – New units for the Space Marines, Ork, Eldar, and Tyranid armies.
2 New Last Stand Heroes – Face off against the relentless hordeas either the Chaos Sorcerer or Tyranid Hive Tyrant.

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Command & Conquer 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)It is always sad when a great historic game franchise comes to the end of its road. But it is depressingly sad to watch it do so in this condition.
KANE IN DISNEYLAND?
The graphics are laughable. True, EA has been steering the C&C franchise towards the ...cartoon direction ever since the RED ALERT 3 installment. But the RED ALERT series had always been more playful. Even so, what was barely palatable for a RED ALERT game is outright insulting for a TIBERIUM one.
If his tanks could still run-over infantry units, have no doubt, he would hunt down whoever did this to him.
Because, you cannot mock Kane and avoid having your lungs infused with Tiberium fumes!
MORE UNITS? PLEASE WAIT BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE. FOREVER.
One of the most annoying features of the new C&C4 is the units cap. You cannot produce more units above a (very low) number. Upgrading your tech-tree with such a unit cap in place means you have to kill and replace most of your units - and make painful decisions as some units are more equal than others. It feels like having to deal with a (small) Diablo-like inventory: whatever does not fit within the grid must be left behind to rot.
And to add insult to injury, extra units are bestowed with a dropper. A tiny one.
This cap reeks of one thing: an attempt to turn this series into a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (fewer units means less lag). And no one seems to care that this took away one of the most fun tactics in a C&C game: tank rushing.
SORRY, ALL OF OUR TIBERIUM-HARVESTERS HAVE BEEN RECALLED. WOULD YOU CARE FOR A SENSIBLE COMPACT?
A COMMAND & CONQUER game without harvesting? It could be an RTS game of any name (and there have been baseless RTS games before), why did it have to be a C&C game? Because, once again, EA proves to have no respect for this beautiful art-form. If it means exploiting a classic title in its swan song to sell a few more units, so be it.
Moreover, game publishers seem to have an ever declining expectation of their targeted customer IQ. Hence the ever simplified games released. So, yes, this feels like C&C-for-Dummies.
BATTLEFIELD CONTROLS OFFLINE? YOU'RE SCREWED COMMANDER!
Yes, this must be the most inconvenient DRM scheme ever.
If you hate STEAM for requiring endless updates, this is worse.
If you hate games that require online activation because they never actually become yours, yes, this is worse.
And if you hate games that come with Limited Activations and become worthless the moment you pop the box, well yes, this is worse.
This inconceivable scheme demands for the owner of this game to always be online to verify that the copy he payed for is legitimate. That's right, not just activation, ALWAYS ONLINE. Yes, even for a single player game.
Will it deter piracy? No, pirates will be playing the game without all those DRM hassles. Legitimate gamers are left complaining - and, once more, EA will turn a deaf ear.All in all, C&C4 will not appeal neither to old friends of the series nor younger gamers. And (for as long as it will keep working), it will have you jumping through hoops for the privilege of having ...bought it. And I thought it was the other way around.
This Tiberium field has been depleted long ago.
Move along Commanders.

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Story In the year 2062, humanity found itself on the brink of extinction. Tiberium, the mysterious, alien crystalline structure that infested Earth for decades and caused years of relentless conflict between the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod, was close to rendering the planet uninhabitable. In the midst of this crisis, Kane, Nod's prophetic leader, emerged from seclusion to deliver GDI the message that he had developed a system that could control Tiberium and harness its power. But he could not build this "Tiberium Control Network" without GDI's cooperation. Thus, the two opposing factions—GDI and Nod—found themselves in a desperate and unlikely alliance to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind. Now, after 15 years, the network is nearly complete. Tiberium is under strict control and the revitalized Earth is on the cusp of a new age of prosperity and progress. It is only now that the world's citizens begin to seriously ponder why Kane chose to help, and what he will want in return. Kane. GDI. Nod. Tiberium. How will it end? These questions and more lead to the dramatic final act of the 15-year Tiberium saga in Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. Gameplay Command & Conquer is a real-time strategy gaming franchise,and Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is no exception.Players assume color-coated versions of the GDI or Nod factions and uncoversegments of the map, where they must manage Tiberium and other resourcesin their possession or that they they mine or commandeer in the field.Other factions occur in the game, but are not playable, and differentsingle player campaigns are available to players depending on which ofthe two factions are chosen. The energy that Tiberium crystals possessis used in the manufacture and upgrading of mining and combat units, weaponsand support infrastructure in preparation for impending conflicts withother players on the same map that are doing the same. Each faction hasits own distinct unit types, both land and air based, which although unique,are overall more or less balanced against those of opposing faction. Inaddition, certain units can be captured on the battlefield and used tosupplement your arsenal. The overarching task though is to combine theright number and type of units with the right battlefield strategy forthe conflict and terrain at hand. Historically, C&C matches have been won by completely eliminating all enemy units that stand against you. Although there is certainly plenty of this within Tiberian Twilight, the game also is different in that players need not eliminate all enemy units, instead capturing control nodes throughout the game and holding them for a minimum amount of time. Doing so leads to earning enough points to win the match. Tiberian Twilight also differs from earlier games in the series with the addition of certain RPG game elements. Players overall orientation within their chosen faction is class based, with units falling generally in offensive, defensive or support classes depending on your play style. These units can be upgraded with experience points, which are gained through success against enemy units, with more advanced enemy units earning the conquering player more points, and thus potential unit upgrade opportunity. 5-on-5 Online Multiplayer Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight allows PC gamers to team up and battle like never before. Join your fellow commanders online and tackle your opponents in the biggest C&C multiplayer to date, featuring 5 vs. 5 objective-based battles. Choose your favorite class and take online strategy action to the next level as you conquer objectives while pummeling your enemies. In addition, an all-new party system lets you move with your party of friends from one online battle to the next. Key Game Features
The Epic Conclusion to the Tiberium Saga - Kane returns in the thrilling conclusion to one of gaming's longest running storylines, told through gritty live-action cinematics. Choose to take on the campaign solo or team up with a friend and play cooperatively.
Persistent Player Progression - The more enemy units you destroy, the more experience points you earn to progress your player profile. Level up to unlock new units, powers, and upgrades to make your army more powerful.
Always on the Move - For the first time ever in the C&C series, a massive, mobile, all-in-one base, The Crawler, lets you pack up and move your base with your army for a new layer of strategic depth. Build units as you move across the field, and deploy whenever and wherever you choose.
Choose Your Class - Choose from three unique classes from both GDI and Nod, each with its own specialized units and powers, for more strategic and combative options that match your play style of choice. Offensive, Defensive, or Support classes-which will you pick?
Online Multiplayer Support – Sign on for 5-on-5, online objective based battles which also features an all-new party system that lets you move with your party of friends from one online battle to the next.

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Supreme Commander 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)WARNING: It has come to my attention that there is an organized campaign to manipulate the review scores for this game, with posters on the official forums attempting to recruit others to create multiple accounts and write 5 star reviews. Obviously it hasn't been very effective, but be aware that the review scores have been slightly increased by this shilling. I highly encourage you to download the demo and find out the truth.
Supreme Commander 2 is the latest game in a disturbing trend gripping the gaming industry: more and more developers simply have no regard at all for the fans who put them on the map. If you enjoyed Supreme Commander and Forged Alliance for everything that made them unique, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. It is complete and utter rubbish, in essence a parody of the masterful original. The game has been dumbed down to be almost unrecognizable, although some of the good elements like extreme map zooming and a good unit patrol interface remain. Those who prefer more micro-heavy games like Command and Conquer may still get some enjoyment out of it, but if you want a small scale RTS there are many of them better than Supreme Commander 2.
The problems start with Tiers. In Supreme Commander 1, there were three tiers of units, plus experimental units. The first tier units were like little ants, useful for little other than early game harassment but incapable of dealing any real damage. Second tier units were capable fighters, and third tier units were pretty powerful. By the end of the game, you could have hundreds upon hundreds of units out, yet it was still possible for a single experimental unit to slice through your entire army and kill your commander. It was thrilling to devote your entire economy for a protracted period of time just to get that experimental out, and you would cheer for it as it completely shifted the battle. Supreme Commander 2 throws all of that away. The units now fall roughly along the lines of the dozens of C&C style RTS games, with experimental units being roughly as powerful as Mammoth Tanks. I saw an experimental unit get taken down by five gunships. FIVE. Now there is no longer any strategy in deciding what to build. Whereas before, you would need to make hard choices about whether to devote significant resources to tech up and devote a large portion of your economy to build single units or structures, now you can pump out experimental units in under 5 minutes from the start of a game. In other words, Supreme Commander 2 is now just your standard RTS, but with units far more generic than most. The macro has been scaled back dramatically, yet most units are still one-dimensional so there is little need for micromanagement since you won't affect the outcome of a skirmish.
As for resources, the great system where you used mass to build things and power to, well, power them is gone. Structures and units no longer use up power by being in play. Instead, power is just like mass. When you build something, power is deducted from your cache and that's it. In other words, you can build shield generators and artillery all over the place with no consequence since it costs nothing to support them. This means even more incentive to turtle since a surgical strike on any one area of your base isn't going to damage anything you can't easily replace. In Supreme Commander 1, it was at least a possibility that your generators would be taken out, rendering you defenseless as the shields and turrets shut down. To make matters worse, the old system where resources were deducted as units and structures were built is GONE. Now resources are deducted immediately when you queue up unit production or structures, which means you can no longer queue up a massive base and then let an engineer do his thing. This was one of the two or three most important aspects of Supreme Commander and it is completely ruined.
Now there is a third resource: research. Points are produced by buildings and can be spent in one of five overly convoluted tech trees. This is a terrible system that replaces the tiers from Supreme Commander. Unlocking the best units is too easy, and the pace of the game is killed by having to constantly open up the tech menu to unlock things. It also discourages adapting your tactics to the situation because there are so many minor upgrades that you'll need to choose between specializing in ground, air,or naval units since it will take a very long match to power up all three. It was just flat out stupid to have a menu-based system instead of tying upgrades to buildings. Some games like Battle for Middle Earth make it work because they don't have as many upgrades and don't require constantly accessing the menu, but it doesn't work here.
Normally a sequel is supposed to be bigger, badder, and better in every way. Supreme Commander 2 takes a step back in almost every aspect. The graphics are scaled back. There are far less unit types and the unit cap is far lower. The maps are much smaller. They aren't small just in comparison to the original, they're actually some of the smallest maps I've seen in a RTS. The campaign is very short, with 18 missions that take around 10-30 minutes each. Normally a RTS with such a low mission number will at least have 1-2 hour missions. And as for the much vaunted "story" and "cinematic experience" that was supposedly added? It's terrible. The CG is just video of the normal in-game assets, so it actually looks worse than the gameplay if you have a decent computer. The characters are insufferable, the dialogue terrible, and the story paper thin. The only positive thing I can say is that the art design of the maps is improved.
There is very little to recommend Supreme Commander 2. If you like the original, you're better off playing that, and if you didn't, there are many better RTS to spend your time and money on. To add insult to injury though, once you own this terrible game, you OWN it. That's right, Steam is required for this game, and it will be tied to your account forever. I look at this as a shrewd and cynical move by a developer that knows the market would otherwise be flooded with used copies because most who buy this game will not want to keep it.
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Addendum: If I could revise my score down to 0 stars after what I've seen of the online play after writing the original review, I would. Matches end one of two ways almost every time. In a 2 v 2 or larger match, multiple players will rush with their commanders at the start and kill one of the enemy commanders 2 on 1. Then repeat with the other players. Total match time is around 5 minutes. Otherwise, the match will end in a swarm of gunships due to the weak anti air options. There is no reason to build anything else because there aren't any units or structures in the game that, for the same resource cost, can kill a swarm of gunships faster than they can kill a commander. Also, to clarify something I said earlier, in SINGLE player it is very easy to unlock the best experimental units and pump them out in mass quantities. In online play however, they barely play any role at all. Anyone who tries to build them will probably lose because they are not as effective as normal units, dollar for dollar. There is no point in trying different strategies. Online play is ruled by basic units and whoever has the bigger blob of them wins.

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Set 25 years after the events of the original game, Supreme Commander 2 begins with the assassination of the newly elected president of the Colonial Defense Coalition. The CDC members - the United Earth Federation, the Order of the Illuminate, and the Cybran Nation - deny involvement, blame each other, and a galactic war ensues!Experience brutal battles on a massive scale! Players will wage war by creating enormous customizable armies and experimental war machines that can change the balance of power at any given moment. Take the role of one of the three enigmatic commanders, each representing a unique faction with a rich story that brings a new level of emotional connection to the RTS genre, or fight the battle online. Where do your loyalties lie?

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Empire - Gold Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I waited a long time before picking up Empire Total War, Ive been a fan since the History Channel presented Rome Total War. This game is very different from past Total War games, but it is already a classic in my book and I would recommend future generations to look into this game.

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