Oblivion Interview Podcast is up!

http://www.poweruser.tv/podcasts/neowin/Neocast3.mp3

From the podcast:

Playing the game on a X1900 is "the bomb". You don't have to turn anything down!

Awesome! That is the card I just got for my rig.

He kept saying that the absolute most important thing was the video card. The game is majorly limited by what video card you have, due to the HEAVY use of shaders.

I'd hope it would run great on a $600 video card. That's almost half the price of the machine I just ordered.  :lol:

I just ordered an AMD64 x2 3800, 1 gig ram, Geforce 6800GS machine. Hopefully I'll be able to run Oblivion decently.

Stardock has put up the first video detailing some of the gameplay and UI.

http://www.galciv2.com/databank/galciv-1.wmv

Ack, that's not good from IGN at all. Game Informer only gave it an 8.25 and their review text indicated it should have been lower.

Oh well, there is still GalCiv2.

Gamespot's review is up now.

http://www.gamespot.com/ds/strategy/ageofempiresiiageofkings/review.html?sid=6144202

8.2


The Good: Engaging turn-based strategy effectively translated from the classic PC series; five compelling campaigns pack in many hours of gameplay; dozens of different unit types and unique technologies to research; great presentation features lively battle sequences and good music.
The Bad: Gameplay's pace can get sluggish in larger battles; visuals sometimes get too cluttered.

Does anyone know if this is the same thing as the beta?

It is.

Yikes! That's one of the more cheesy intros I've seen. However, I don't think anyone plays these games for the story.

I didn't like the demo for Empire at War at all, so I automatically suggest GalCiv 2. From what I've read, it sounds as if it's going to be a great game.

Gone gold.  

Another write-up by Brad on the Galciv forums.

http://www.galciv2.com/Forums.aspx?ForumID=164&AID=99854#782221

Details plans for bonus packs on and after the release of the game, among other things. One thing they're considering is a high resolution texture pack (1024x1024) for those with monster machines. Really unheard of for this genre.

Sounds as if they really got it right with GalCiv2. Can't wait.

I see no mention of stalker or supreme commander anywhere on that page.

Sorry. Wrong link...

http://www.gamecloud.com/article.php?article_id=3323

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=96376&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=812464&highlight=

 

Looks like I'm gonna have to buy a 360. The minimum requirements means running it at the complete lowest in terms of detail and this is defintely a game you want with all the bells and whistles on.

Everything about GalCiv2 excites me except that I couldn't get into GalCiv.  Part of that was the lack of a tutorial scenario.  Anyone know if GalCiv2 will include a tutorial?

(I'm a long-time 4X player so I'm not a newb but for some reason GalCiv just won't hold my attention for long enough to figure it out.)

Yes, there will be a series of video tutorials.

Anyone know if you pre-order, do you still get to play with the beta version of the game?

No. The beta is over.

Check out http://www.galciv2.com/Forums.aspx?ForumID=161&AID=99234#776781 for Brad's latest preview. The screenshots look amazing. Can't wait for this one.

Uhh, why would you advertise that your guild is Gay friendly in WoW? It makes no sense. The point of the game is to kill monsters and collect treasure. The same would go if there was a heterosexual only guild. Anything of sexual orientation has no place in the game.

Blizzard aren't anti-gay, they are just enforcing common sense.

I think a big reason they want to delay it is...well, it doesn't even work. After about 20 attempts to get a game going, I was never able to get past the first persons turn before being booted back to the lobby.

The games performance is pretty poor as well. For a TBS game, you expect it to run a bit better than it currently does. The graphics are just barely above that of Etherlords, of which is by the same developer. It looks very similiar in style.

The beta is now open to anyone on Fileplanet.

It's quite possibly the biggest piece of crap I've ever had the displeasure of playing.

I don't trust Game Informer. I remember them saying they rated Paper Mario 2 lower because they didn't believe their audience would like it.

They are most defintely anti anything Nintendo.

Hadn't heard of this one until today, but it looks rather interesting. Releases Feb 7th on the Gamecube.

http://www.nintendo.com/gamemini?gameid=dc322774-057e-4fbe-aba6-8d7ae51d72ce

A trailer: http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/e_4QnnDLdyopht2q6r9n4IAHWzh1Awlx.mov

Yes, it does use Starforce, as does every Ubisoft published game.

I was excited until I found out the beta is multiplayer only. Never was a fan of multiplayer in Heroes or any other TBS game.

The game is really really good.  :shock: Defintely picking it up next month.

A couple of notes:

You can rotate the camera by holding ctrl and clicking the middle mouse button.

The AI has been dumbed down for the demo. In the full version, it will actually attack you on the Galactic map.

The ground tactical maps may seem small in comparison to the typical RTS, but you have to remember that in the full version, the map is basically 40+ planets.  :wink:

Multiplayer in the full version will include 2-player Galactic Map play and up to 8-player skirmish mode.


The game reminds me of a mix of the Total War series, Ground Control, and Dawn of War with it's own unique element being both land and space combat amongst an entire galaxy. Weather elements affecting land combat, different bonuses given to planetary control, targetting of ships subsystems in space combat, and no goofy resource management.

One of the things I love is how massive the game is (once we have the entire galactic map,) but still retains a fast pace nature that is typical of the genre. The size of the tactical battle maps are perfect and really keep an emphasis on the battles while still having some of the deep characteristics of a turn based game on the Galactic map.

Graphically, it's great for the genre, but won't blow anyone away. There are a lot of little details that stand out like footprints left from AT-AT's and the weather effects are pretty snazzy. Most importantly, it runs great and has the shortest load times I've expierenced in a game in quite some time.

My only complaint would be that I thought the Hero units ability to go invulnerable was a bit overpowered. Balance issues will most likely exist until a patch or two, but that's really par for the course within the genre.

It's an announcement, so it's not going to be any game we already know of.

My money is on Diablo III.

I'm really liking what I've read about this game so far. It looks and sounds great.

Also pleased Stardock are self publishing it and have announced there will be no copy protection, cd checks, etc. Defintely a game to support if it turns out well.

Holy smokes!  Where did this come from?

I thought I'd play around with it for a bit and an hour later I'm also hooked!  It looks really nice once I bumped up the resolution.  How is this free?

I noticed the Tournament option is greyed out.  What's that for?

Are there lots of online players?

I believe Tournament mode opens up after you level up once. It's a really awesome feature. Allows 30 people to play simultaneously for trophies.

The game is free, but they just introduced a "cookies" system that allows you to spend real cash on some of the items.

As far as the number of people playing, I never have a problem finding a game the moment I login. There is usually a hundred or more on at any one time. People from all over the globe play.

http://www.albatross18.com

Free online golf game that is similiar to Hot Shots, but better. I've been playing this thing non-stop and advise everyone to check it out if you've got the time.

+1 to depward - Great communication and fast transaction.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/movies/review.html

8.2

It's still available. If you don't want it for $30, I'm open to trades for other PC games or Gamecube games.

It's probably the most realistic shooter I've played online.  I mean, yeah, CS feels realistic, Operation Flashpoint is like, the God of realistic shooters, but I really feel like a normal soldier when I play online.

Can you kill someone with 1 headshot with any weapon?

Yes.

Civ IV. Over 8 hours of music in the game and it's excellent.

I'd also be willing to trade for some Gamecube games. Shoot me a PM!

If anyone isn't enjoying their copy of Civ IV and would like to give Call of Duty 2 a try instead - I'm up for making the trade. Just give me a PM.

I hate the health regeneration system, but I still wanna pick this one up. It runs great on my older machine in forced DX7 mode, while still looking good.

I wish people still played it online. Even when it first came out, it never had an awful lot of people, but man was it a blast.

LE is spot on.  Have we not learned anything yet?  IGN tells the gaming masses what they want to hear.  If the game has sufficient hype and IGN perceives that gamers want it to be good, it'll get a 9+.  

SWAT 4
Guild Wars
Freedom Force 2
Brothers in Arms
Nascar SimRacing
FEAR
GTA:San Andreas
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

The short list of games that have scored a 9 or higher this year from IGN PC.

Good review. I was disappointed to read that the old problem of knights taking out helos, spears taking out tanks, etc., is still present.

Supposedly it's a lot more rare than before. Still, disappointing to hear none the less.

http://pc.ign.com/articles/660/660495p1.html

9.5    Presentation
The most approachable game in the history of the series. Stays true to the original without feeling like a sequel.
8.0    Graphics
Beyond the standard we expect from the 4x genre. Great animations and personality and a (mostly) elegant interface.
8.5    Sound
The sound effects are pretty good. The music and Leonard Nimoy's voiceover work are amazing.
9.5    Gameplay
Complex but not complicated. Streamlines the exhausting elements of the prior games without sacrificing detail.
10    Lasting Appeal
There's a nearly endless variety in the single player game. Multiplayer is as convenient and enjoyable as ever.
9.4    OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

GOTY?

Day one purchase for me as well. You won't have to wait long for the reviews though. According to a 2kgames representive, the IGN review will be posted on Friday and the rest of the sites are allowed to post theirs on Monday.