For the past few months speculation regarding the new generation of consoles has been at an all time high. With claims of new hardware to be announced within the next twelve months – that will lead this generation to a close – and into a whole new exciting era entirely.

Without a doubt it’s a bit early to jump the gun and say there’s nothing big left in the tank. But it got us thinking about how much this generation has pushed the limits of the industry and launching gaming into the fastest growing entertainment median – and with that, a collaborative entry about some of our hand chosen special memories this generation has provided.

Your best Gaming Memory of this Generation – What would you pick?

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Andy – Routine Gears of War Multiplayer

In 2006, it become routine to come home at the end of the day, turn on the Xbox360 and join the guys for a session of Gears of War multiplayer. It was the first game on the console that kept me coming back time after time – it wasn’t just the story, it was the overall experience. Some of my fondest memories online were spend with friends on Gears of War. The mad rush at the start of the match to get possession of the power weapons. The way you learnt other players movements. That quad kill with a sticky frag grenade. Never have I felt to mad at a game, but so satisfied moments later. It was a hard game to get in to the groove – but once you did, it was fantastic.

Gears of War 2 has all the necessary ingredients to be an even better all around package compared to the first – but somehow it felt a little off. Perhaps it was the lag, or even the weapon changes. Or maybe we just got too attached to those classic maps in the original. While it was still a fun game, the spark the original had wasn’t as prominent.

It was 5 years since I felt that spark again – but on April 18th 2011, upon receiving a press beta pass for Gears of War 3 Beta, I felt it. Roll on September 20th.

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Sean – The World of Warcraft Investment

My most treasured modern day gaming memory stem from a game that I hold with some prestige. World of Warcraft was my first major investment (in both time and money) in a MMORPG. Logging in and creating my first character from a selection of familiar races and lore (I was a big Warcraft fan before the days of WoW) was a fulfilling experience and set the mood perfectly. Walking around familiar locations and talking to familiar characters within the game was something that instantly appealed to me, it’s an odd experience seeing all the environments from a new more detailed perspective. The best part   of WoW (back then anyway) was the social aspect of the game.  I started the game with a few friends I knew from school so I began the game within a very small community as it was.

As I invested more time in the various fun and engaging activates within the game the feeling of community vibe intensified and soon people who knew each other only through game were freely chatting on Ventrlio like they’d known each other for years. The game core quality was undeniable with high quality content such as dungeons and quests but the games quality was improved tenfold when experienced within a strong community. While I loved the game’s content its the community I remember. The banter in guild chat, the chat on Ventrlio and the mixture of a group of people from all walks of life coming together to enjoy a game we all loved, this is my fondest modern video game memory.

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Alex – Street Fighter IV Bringing back Memories

I had a little bit of a hard time thinking of this one, but honestly I think my favourite memory would have to be playing Street Fighter IV online for the first time… then being beaten almost instantly.

Of course not for that reason, though. I have been a big fighting game fan, especially a Street Fighter fan since the early days.  So when I heard about Street Fighter IV I flipped, it was enough reason to pay for XBL membership. I remember as soon as I got it, I immediately put the disc in and started an online lobby. The feeling of competing against somebody across the world filled me with memories of playing its predecessors with friends for hours on end.

Needless to say I bought Super Street Fight IV and enjoyed every moment of it.

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Jorey – Gears of War Leading in to the Next Generation

Picking my favourite gaming memory from this generation is probably one of the easiest choices I’ve ever had to make. Sure, there’s several memories that I look back at fondly; the launch of Street Fighter IV in particular was the catalyst of a long foray of sleepless nights that lasted long after the sun had already set and risen, but there’s one memory so simple that stands high and tall above everything else: the launch of Gears of War.

I’m not even anything remotely close to a crazed Gears of War fan, but its launch clearly stands out to me for one specific reason: It was the first game that truly felt like the next generation was finally here. The jaw-dropping visuals, the fear-inspiring Kryll, the chilling atmosphere and soundtrack – it was unlike anything I had ever played, but the thing that I remember the most fondly was the unique bond shared with my friends while playing Gears of War co-op. I’m not just talking about regular old Xbox Live headset co-op, I’m talking about two or more friends sitting in the same room with a big HDTV taking turns playing a game that just absolutely blew our minds. While the memory of having a group of friends huddled around the TV shouting out enemy locations, yelling for assistance, and cheering for joy may be one of my earliest memories of this generation, it’s also the one that’s resonated with me the most.

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Brad - Achievement Unlocked

My best moment of current generation gaming is a hard choice. I’ve had many good moments, from being in a top 3 world ranked guild in World of Warcraft, to the Gears of War 2 days, to, well, lots of other moments.

But one stands out above all for me, and it happened whilst I was playing Aliens vs Predator on the 360. I decided I was going for the full 1000g on it, as not many had done it because it was too hard. There was my challenge. I did all the hard parts, the nightmare campaigns, max rank online, and it left me one online achievment left – The Uninfected. The premise was simple – be the last to survive in an 8 man mode (with the other 7 hunting you as Aliens), and last 30 seconds. It was harder than sounds – if people didnt make it near the end, they quit. And that voided my achievement. Then one day, I got it, with about 2 seconds to spare. I could see 3 Aliens running at me, and I was doomed. Luckily, the timer went and my achievement popped. I actually danced around my living room for joy.

And ever since then, achievements give me far more joy than they used too – now I go for all of them.

Activision said the reason they decided to drop Guitar Hero was not only because it failed to meet expectations, but because it simply made no profit. With it’s later (some might say ‘failed’) attempts to re-invent the franchise, it appears that it just could not compete with the likes of Rock Band.

Originally set for release on 1st November last year, True Crime: Hong Kong was pushed back until Q1 2011 before yesterdays cancellation. When asked, an Activision representative said the game “just wasn’t going to be good enough.” It is unclear whether the whole franchise has been axed or not.

On a brighter note, Activision did announce however that there will be a new Spiderman game this year, even though last years release (Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions) saw poor sales figures.

Source: IGN

“Titan is… the media is not meant to know anything about that,” Pearce said. “It’s our next gen MMO and we’ve only started talking about it in a limited fashion because we want to leverage the fact that we’re working on something like that for the purpose of recruiting – getting some of the best talent in the industry on that project.”

As of yet, it is unclear if “Titan” is a working or final title.

The leaked schedule also provided other news. Diablo III was given an expected release window of late 2011, and new Starcraft II expansions were mentioned.

Source: IGN

Before launch Blizzard received a lot of criticism for deciding to split StarCraft II’s campaign into three separate campaigns: Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, and Legacy of the Void – each catering specifically to one of the game’s three distinct races: Terran, Zerg, and Protoss. It would be easy to cry foul to something such as this, especially when you consider that the original StarCraft and its expansion featured an overarching campaign that consisted of all three races. However, unlike the original game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty’s campaign is a much more expansive and thorough campaign than any of its predecessors.

Focusing exclusively on the Terran faction, Wings of Liberty spans across a total of nearly thirty missions – which is essentially the combined total of all three of the campaigns in the original StarCraft. Being free from the constraints of having to focus on all three races at once, Blizzard has essentially been given the freedom to craft what can easily be considered the greatest real-time strategy campaign ever created. The original StarCraft’s characters were very well done but for the most part you only had ten missions to get to know them and that was pretty much it. Later you would occasionally witness their endeavors through the eyes of one of their enemies as you’d continue on with the other campaigns. However with StarCraft II the added campaign length gives significant breathing room for expanded character interaction and development. You will really get to know these characters much better than you ever would have in the past.

Blizzard actually managed to take a franchise with such a legendary reputation and dedicated fanbase and actually craft a sequel that truly lives up to its name.

Blizzard has a strong knack for storytelling and they’ve really put that on display here. You’ll take on the role of Jim Raynor and his ragtag group of rebels known as Raynor’s Raiders as they attempt to overthrow Emperor Mengsk and his oppressive dictatorship that Raynor himself unwittingly helped establish in the original StarCraft. Things don’t always go according to plan however and you will soon find yourself partaking in numerous other missions. The campaign culminates toward the end in an epic battle against Kerrigan and the Zerg and last few hours are easily some of the best moments in the entire game. It’s easy to wish that the climax of the campaign lasted longer before the inevitable conclusion but the brevity makes the excellence of the final missions even that much more apparent. While Wings of Liberty is for the most part a self-contained story and doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger, it still leaves a lot of things left up in the air. Perhaps a little disappointing for people who have been waiting twelve years to see how the events of Brood War would play out only to have to wait once again, but Wings of Liberty’s lengthy twenty hour campaign will more than likely satisfy all of your StarCraft II story needs.

Throughout your journey to overthrow Mengsk you’ll encounter a wide variety of different characters that will offer up a lot of different missions that will shape how your adventure unfolds. Tychus Findlay in particular is a stand-out addition amongst the cast and gives the Terran faction a much-needed likable character who in many ways can’t really be accurately described as a hero. It’s amusing to see his rank in-game labeled as “Scoundrel” instead of an actual infantry rank. Matt Horner is another great addition and while he seemingly comes across as a bog-standard heroic character, there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. He serves as a great foil to Jim Raynor, the hero of this story who isn’t always so heroic. He’s an ever-loyal, optimistic voice that keeps Raynor going when the universe has him down. He’s an infinitely likable character that anyone with a strong sense of justice can easily relate to.

The missions offered to you by the characters are presented in a non-linear format and can be tackled in any order you see fit. While everyone who plays Wings of Liberty will ultimately end up at the same predestined conclusion, the way in which you get there is entirely up to you. The vast majority of the campaign missions will grant access to new units and upgrades, thus each person’s playthrough of a specific mission will be different based entirely on the order they have gone through the campaign.

. StarCraft II's multiplayer mode is a completely different animal from its single-player sibling, featuring tightly balanced and highly competitive gameplay.

The missions themselves are extremely varied and often focus on unique objectives that make them consistently fresh and unique. In many circumstances you will be required to do the traditional base building where you gather resources and acquire a formidable army, but mission scenarios are often much more interesting than simply wiping out your opponent’s base. One mission in particular will have you facing off against a horde of infested colonists during nighttime while attempting to neutralize the infection during daylight hours in a zombie apocalypse-like scenario. Another will have you racing against Zerg forces to reach orbital drop pod reinforcements before they’re annihilated. There’s even a train robbery mission, which makes specific use of a campaign-only unit known as the diamondback – a unit with unique properties that can attack while simultaneously moving. In fact, many of the missions which grant access to new units make some sort of specific use of said unit being granted, often making for scenarios that make interesting use of a unit’s unique gameplay properties.

Before and after each mission you’ll navigate the Hyperion – Jim Raynor’s battlecruiser that he acquired during his exploits in the original game. Navigation of the Hyperion operates much like a point-and-click adventure game, where you will be able to talk to other characters, and click on objects in the environment to examine them in further detail. There are several areas of the Hyperion with each one focusing on a different aspect of gameplay. Each mission rewards the player with cash, so you can visit the armory on the Hyperion to spend it on permanent individual unit upgrades such as stimpacks and combat shields for marines. Likewise you can also tackle optional mission objectives during missions that provide research opportunities that can be advanced in the ship’s laboratory. Eventually you will gain access to both a Zerg and Protoss research trees where you can choose between various different upgrades. Each level of research will require you to choose between one of two upgrades, such as being able to create a planetary fortress (weapon-fitted command center) or being able to build perdition flamethrower turrets that conceal themselves in the ground when not being used. Wings of Liberty even consists of a few key moments that require you to make a choice between two things presented to you by different characters that will change the way a part of the story plays out. These choices do not affect the overall storyline but they add a nice dimension to the campaign that also provides even further replayability. There’s no real right or wrong choice either as no matter what you choose the event’s aftermath will always justify your decision.

Not only does StarCraft II come with an absurdly complete and feature-packed campaign, but it also comes with its widely most sought-after aspect: multiplayer. StarCraft II’s multiplayer mode is a completely different animal from its single-player sibling, featuring tightly balanced and highly competitive gameplay. Thankfully StarCraft II’s multiplayer has been designed with a lot of improvements with the new battle.net service in mind. No longer will anyone be too intimidated to venture online, as the new battle.net will gauge your skill level through a series of placement matches and then match you up with a league of similarly skilled players. Battle.net consistently monitors your progress, so even if you place in the lowly bronze league you can eventually climb your way out of it with a bit of hard work. It’s a great system that encourages players of all skill levels to play and compete. People of lesser skill will no longer be alienated out of fear of being continuously dominated by high-level players, and high-level players won’t have to worry about having difficulty finding challenging opponents. The only regret is that there is currently no support for viewing online replays with your friends, so you’ll unfortunately have to save your replays and send them to your friends manually if you want to share them.

"After everything we've been through... past all the fire and fury... the one thing I know - is that we can count on each other to get the job done. Or die trying, if that's what it takes... because some things are just worth fighting for."

As with all Blizzard games, StarCraft II’s audiovisual presentation is astounding. It’s easily Blizzard’s most graphically intensive and best-looking game to date. With a powerful PC the in-game cinematics are almost CG quality, but the game is also highly scalable to a wide variety of configurations, so people with less powerful machines will still be able to play and enjoy a fantastic-looking game. Even on the lower settings StarCraft II still looks great thanks to its magnificent artistic design – a staple of every Blizzard game.

Purists will be glad to know that StarCraft II’s soundtrack remains faithful to the original game. Several motifs that will be instantly recognizable to longtime fans return and the general feeling and atmosphere of the soundtrack is very similar to the original game. Longtime fans are bound to get a great sense of nostalgia as they hear familiar Terran, Zerg, and Protoss themes as they play. The voice acting is some of the best in the business, with quite a few of the original actors reprising their roles, such as Robert Clotworthy as Jim Raynor. Unfortunately some of the original voice actors do not return due to various circumstances. The original voice actor of Zeratul passed away during the time between StarCraft and its sequel, but thankfully replacements do a good job for the most part. The feeling of unfamiliarity with some of the newer voices may irk some at first, but given enough time you’ll come to see them as respectable performances in their own right.

Twelve years is a long time to ask anyone to wait for a sequel – and it’s doubtful that Blizzard ever intended for a StarCraft sequel to actually take such a ridiculous length of time to ever be released. It’s hard to believe that Blizzard actually managed to take a franchise with such a legendary reputation and dedicated fanbase and actually craft a sequel that truly lives up to its name. StarCraft II is an absolutely magnificent game with almost absurd replay value and an extraordinarily immersive campaign. StarCraft II doesn’t live in the shadow of its predecessor or bank on its past success to pave the way; there’s enough changes both significant and subtle that make StarCraft II stand on its own legs as both an amazing sequel and an incredible stand-alone game. While it’s true that StarCraft II’s significance is probably not anywhere near as profound as its forebear, it’s still safe to say that twelve years from now StarCraft II will more than likely be just as legendary.

“Bans are license specific unless it’s from bad accesses to a Battle.net account. We can lock down a Battle.net account when it happens but if you do something goofy in a game (like Backstabbing, poor Mugaro), we can apply temporary or permanent bans on just the game itself depending on severity. Details aren’t fully available at this time.”

Here is the official Battle.net English Forums so you can take a look for yourself.

I wouldn’t take this to heart too much, as it seems he is just demonstrating the potiential authority they will be overlooking the games with. As he says it with a touch of humor, i’ll take this with a touch of salt.

Though he could totally be serious – but I won’t be the scapegoat testing it out.

Unfortunately, upon recieving our reviewer copy from Blizzard this morning, we found a disheartening message stating that it “cannot install Starcraft II” as “Starcraft II has not been released” then advised us to “come back on 27/07/2010 [release day].”

Damn! *sigh*

After experiencing this unfortunate knock-back, we emailed Blizzard to see if reviewers could bypass this, as we needed to review it after all. The response read:

Hey Andy,

Applies to everyone, sorry to say, even me <sigh>.

Cheers,

Even though disappointment runs through my veins, I can’t totally fault Blizzard for doing this. For such a big release, surely they would do everything in their power to keep unauthorized personnel from weaving their way in illegally. Though, I kind of presumed we’d be “authorized personnel.”

The countdown till 27th July starts once again.

]]> http://gamereuphoria.com/2010/07/23/platforms/pc/nobody-will-be-able-to-play-starcraft-2-till-release-not-pirates-not-reviewers/feed 2 http://gamereuphoria.com/2010/07/18/competition/competition-get-a-free-copy-of-starcraft-2 http://gamereuphoria.com/2010/07/18/competition/competition-get-a-free-copy-of-starcraft-2#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:40:46 +0000 Staff http://gamereuphoria.com/?p=4121 Are you a PC gamer? Are you looking forward to arguably one of the biggest PC launches in recent years? Then enter the below competition and have a chance of winning your very own copy of Starcraft 2.

• We have only ONE copy to give away!
• The competition will run until 10pm (GMT) 30th July 2010

To enter simply follow us on Twitter, then retweet this tweet. Alternatively you could follow us on Facebook and link this competition on your Facebook status then comment in here.

Good luck, and keep your fingers crossed that your name is picked out of the generator!

When speaking with Techland, Rob Pardo, executive vice president of game design at Blizzard, explained the reasoning behind such a delay.

“We always announce all of our games too early. We realize that and go, ‘You know what? Next time we’re not going to do that.’ And then we always fail at that. But I’d rather fail at that than fail at making the game great. I think it’s safe to say that, yeah, [Diablo III] is not going to be out next year.”

So now we know not to get our hopes up for a 2010 release – we want to know what the reasoning is for such a delay. Well, we are assured it is not down to lack of focus or commitment.

“We just have a different process and approach than a lot of other studios, and it makes it a very difficult process for us to predict street dates when we’re multiple years out,” Pardo added, “We’ve been wrong [about release dates] for as long as I can remember. So that’s why don’t do release dates anymore.”

At least we know its they are not going at it half-hearted. Instead of blaming Blizzard for the delay, we should divert our hate-mail to whoever decided to announce it back in 2008. As it’s their fault we have had our hopes up ever since.