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Stormrise
Australia's Creative Assembly have tried to rewrite the real-time
strategy genre in their latest science fiction epic entitled Stormrise
which is set in the distant future where Earth's atmosphere has been
destroyed by a cataclysmic event. The story follows two opposite factions that are linked in their
origins, however in the present, they are two totally different races.
The Echelon are the militaristic aspect of the game and are
quite powerful at long distant attacks, whereas the Sai are more suited
for close combat or for sniper style of attacks. In its essence,
Stormrise is a real-time strategy game with certain micromanagement
aspects that has been cutback for the console world. The game does
contain some resource management abilities which assists with your
"bases" and units.
Features
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Lead from the front
- Control units and issue commands while viewing the battle from the
3rd-person POV of any unit on the battlefield. The 3rd-person camera
offers unprecedented immersion in the game world and presents
warfare in a more visceral, emotional, and epic manner than ever
before.
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The first fully 3D
RTS - Gone are the flat levels of traditional strategy games. Engage
in warfare on battlefields comprised of sprawling cities and
towering skyscrapers that let you play in a truly 3D environment
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Revolutionary
Console RTS Features - Groundbreaking control method for quick and
intuitive controls. ‘Tactical Playbook’ which gives players all the
strategic choice they get from a traditional RTS, but with the
simplicity and accessibility of a playbook
Stormrise is an interesting concept that unfortunately tries to be too
clever for its own good as you control the game from a group of units
perspective. For instance, the view of the game changes from each of the
different units, whether it's land or air based. Switching
between units is done through the "whip select" which gives you a line
from your current unit to your intended unit and then you flick the
right analog stick. Although quite a clever conception, it's actually
quite tricky to master due to the fiddle some nature of the control
system, especially in battles which becomes even more complex when these
squads are not onscreen.
The units in the game for both sides are quite diverse and each have
their pros and cons. Apart from your stock standard perishable units,
the gamer has access to hero units that you must at all costs protect
throughout the game because if they die, you will need to restart your
mission.
The AI of the units also range from poor to good, depending on what
objects are in their way and you often find that units will get stuck
which means the player needs to intervene with their decisions and when
a battle is in progression, this becomes frustratingly quite irritating.
It's actually quite amusing when a bottleneck occurs as they are
attempting to navigate their allies through the same small hole and
thankfully this occurs with the enemy as well.
Where the game does excel is through the impressive level design that is
quite 3D and detailed and really assists in portraying this futuristic
environment of different terrains. Unfortunately the navigation
abilities of the units hampers this impressive design. The developers
ensured that the gaming environment is quite diverse as battles take
place in the open or through narrow corridors that often have the enemy
lying low. The greatest asset of the game as mentioned before is the
ability to have a birds eye view of your location, provided you have
units that can fly or reach high places in the game. Definitely an
advantage when you are attacking your enemies.
Graphically, the title feels a little rushed, even though some of the
gaming environments are visually quite impressive. The units are well
animated that unfortunately get stuck with obstacles in their way and
clipping also plays a part. There is some decent special effects and
lighting, however the low resolution textures does make this game seem
like a PS3 game that was released a few years ago as opposed to today.
The musical score of the game is great as is the professional voice
acting which really assists in the story. Match that with a plethora of
sound effects from the guns to units and it goes hand in hand with the
gameplay.
Apart from the single-player campaign mode,
the multiplayer aspect is quite good and allows you to play with up to eight
players worldwide. The game plays quite well in this aspect, although
the navigation issues is still a problem, however gone are the
convoluted missions which are replaced with some great multiplayer
skirmishes. Add in some leader boards and the developers have attempted
to create a sense of community with this game.
At the end of the day,
Stormrise may have been better on the PC than the PS3, however it does
have its moments from the clever RTS views and some twists and turns. It
does feel a little beta-ish at times, however if you're after something
DIFFERENT, than it's worth an investigation. |
