Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Genre: RPG
Platform: PS2
Developer / Publisher: SCE

Left in the shadow of high-profile releases from Square, Namco and Capcom, a fresh portion of Arc the Lad was almost the most unclaimed JRPG of the year. And in vain. Unlike other projects of this genre, unreleased directly Sony Computer Entertainment, Arc the Lad can no longer be called unpretentious crafts, a means to hold out until the release of a new big hit.

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
If you remember, one of the last major release for the PS one in the U.S. was Arc the Lad Collection, a collection in which the company Working Designs brought together all the previous parts rolevushki. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits has to project a very indirect relation - game events unfolding after hundreds of years after the Arc the Lad 3, will not meet you and familiar heroes. World is divided into two parts - populated by ordinary people, moving towards freedom and democracy, and the habitat of the monsters and Deimos (deimos), not too friendly to the neighbors belonging to the planet. In addition, humans and Deimos are not united. Life is filled with foreboding impending war, baseless hatred only breeds more hatred. Will it come in such conditions the two brothers who are living on opposite sides of the border understand each other? That will result in a love triangle? Starting out as just another "not-too-serious" rolevushka in the spirit of 32-bit or 16-bit JRPG, Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is a great example of how to move the actual real-world problems in the beginning of the XXI century fairy-tale universe, mask typical for the genre jokes and sentimental stories, express ideas developers unobtrusively, but convincing. justifies the expectations of fans in one word. Perhaps, Arc the Lad - not too well known to you the episode to draw any conclusions, so I will give another clue. Hypothetical Lunar 3 is likely to be similar name to the Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits.

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Basics of Gameplay - exactly the same as any other classic JRPG. City, shops, NPC, inventory, party of heroes, ranging from monsters - all familiar to fans of the genre, and even the beginners will not cause problems. Another thing - combat system in the spirit of the tactical RPG, similar to what we've seen in a fresh Breath of Fire. Heroes can move freely across the field, go to the rear of the enemy, use the features of the terrain. Killing monsters leave behind gold and items you can pick up right during the battle. Of course, there is also another option of leveling characters, getting new abilities and upgrade weapons, but, fortunately, does not suffer from excessive tricked. However, while Arc the Lad and boasts a varied and original features, the complexity of the passage is too low to ensure that gamers have had to use their full potential.Same secret locations and optional quests almost no, unless you can try to add an additional team of two heroes.

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Speaking about the appearance of the game, I want to note that the gamers were expecting the worst and got something ... ambiguous. Locations are usually made at the present level, but the characters resemble the model that we saw in squalid rolevushkah first-generation PS2. However, in battle and story scenes of all the shortcomings of hiding a good job with the camera and quite decent animation. Strange for a JRPG music is like an experiment in the spirit of "we'll go another way", soft classical tunes too often replaced by the howling bagpipes and jumpy rhythms of electric guitars. Superbly voiced dialogue contrasts sharply with the wretched cries of heroes during the battle. The list of advantages of sound can be expressed support for Dolby Pro Logic II.

Perhaps not the most interesting summer release, but the principal opponents of experiments such as Breath of Fire V, Unlimited SaGa, and the series. Hack, has long been read thoroughly the length and breadth of Xenosaga, will like. This game wants to go to the end.

Brothers in Arms DS

Brothers in Arms DS
Game on the Second World attended until recently, all current platforms besides Nintendo DS. Even the PSP owners could force one's way through hell ruthless battles of the last century in the Medal of Honor, Call of Duty or Brothers in Arms. But the DS all this time, developers have passed it by. What exactly do they bother - is unclear. After all, everyone knows that the possibilities of DS-processing of 3D-graphics are at acceptable levels: as a proof of this can lead Metroid Prime: Hunters. Control scheme is also easy to come up with - again, keep in mind the said portable version of Metroid. Yes, and difficult to have to call Nintendo DS entertainment exclusively for housewives and young players (as well as young housewives) - most now is the destiny of Game Boy Advance.

Tom Clancy's; Splinter Cell: Essentials

Unsinkable Sam Fisher had to learn almost all popular platforms from the PlayStation 2 and mobile phones. But on the PSP the best agent Ubisoft did not show up for a long time, until it finally got Splinter Cell Essentials. This project can be regarded as a portable complement to the latest Double Agent, and along with the entire TV series in general. Fischer, in captivity, and during questioning recalls various episodes of his own career. Some of them you probably know, the other has to do first.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
On the PlayStation Portable is not very powerful enough exclusive games. Can you name even a single episode, born and matured on the PSP? So we can not, and the console between two and a half years. PSP does not buy for a game. On the contrary, you first buy a PSP, and then think what a cropped version of the "big" hits on the soul. Metal Gear series on the handheld console from Sony - one of the champions: Portable Ops is the third release in two years (fourth if you count an interactive comic Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel). Stuffed his hand in two parts acid rationing strategy Metal Gear Ac! D, wards Hideo Kojima finally undertook a serious continuation covered with legends series. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Opsdolzhna was to become a first-rate hit. And you can not even look in the last paragraph: it was them brilliantly.

Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles

Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles
Huge cities from the original Assassin's Creed on the portable console does not fit. DS is not the strength to show the crowd of townspeople filled the streets. There were no seats and was loved by many acrobatic tricks. All that fame Assassin's Creed, in Altair's Chronicles had to be removed. There are only unpretentious fights and jumping across rooftops. But can this game stand out from the console, for which, and so released a lot of great platformer?

Glory Days 2: Brotherhood of Men

Glory Days 2: Brotherhood of Men
For completely inexplicable reasons, the first part of Glory Days of our country are simply not noticed. Nice graphics, easy management, and entertaining gameplay somehow not only made the game a bestseller, but did not contribute to the emergence of at least some reviews in the Russian gaming press. Meanwhile, Western critics often exhibited Glory Days 8 points out of 10. The second part - the second attempt, the authors redesigned and improved the original, reduced complexity and made several innovations without interest.

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
Platform: PC
Genre: RTS / RPG
Developer / Publisher: Blizzard
Publisher in Russia: SoftClub

At one time, StarCraft: Brood War demonstrated to the world that the expansion to the original games are not always merely a means for earning easy money. The Frozen Throne (hereinafter - TFT) successfully continues this tradition. As in the case of the Brood War, we are dealing with a kind of work on the bugs, a selection of updates and additions to the gameplay, as designed to improve balance (and even the interface!), And just to show something new. In addition, we received a new campaign (and, accordingly, a new subject) and a bunch of fresh cards. Whether it's a shooter, adventure game or RPG, TFT might well be called a full-fledged sequel, but still the basic principles of gameplay (and graphics) are borrowed from the original. Yes, and WC3 is required to install add-ons required.

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
Somehow, in the press most often mentioned is absolutely minor innovations; so actively discussed neutral heroes (in particular - Pandariysky brewer). In fact, the existence of a tavern (which is also home to the Queen Snake, Beast, Dark Hunter and Destroyer) has little effect on the gameplay - the real benefit is only in that here the hero can be obtained instantly. Balance, of course, does not violate the neutrals, and estimated many of the players are less experienced in fighting old men. Roughly the same case with the other newcomers, the heroes (one for each race). In a game on Battle.net, they are used quite frequently, but only out of curiosity. I honestly tried to use teleportation looking at the night as a way to surprise attacks on the "island" maps, but its weakness in open battle, all these attempts failed.

In contrast, the new units to the balance of influence, softening the shortcomings of each of the races and making it easier to fight with many of the classic strategy. In particular, now all races are treated properly and to remove the effects of spells - previously had to use improvised means such as items from the shops and neutral creatures. Fighting with magic spells significantly expanded such as "stealing magic Witcher and spell blood forest dragons. Past due to its mobility can be used as the trump ace, at the right moment is on the battlefield, suddenly turning off from fighting the enemy, or Necromancers Shamans. Nevertheless, in practice the new units are rarely used - to win enough and tested oldies.

From new types of troops would be worth noting not only the proverbial race naked (zmeelyudey) - because of her play is possible only in campaigns - but a huge number of new neutrals, of which one could easily make up another three or four full-fledged race.In single player you will also have to war for the high elves and dwarves without people, to visit an ally race Draenei, meet in a battle with the Alliance, of which there were only people ... But it is not surprising that the multiplayer out of all this wealth were only neutral mercenaries, because think about the balance between the four races - already a difficult task, let alone threaten to here more!

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
As is the case with BroodWar, adding new warriors and spells did not stop - completely changed the price and speed of construction of most units and buildings, and widened the limit on the number of soldiers. This allows you to quickly rebuild the base and clone army, but the rush tactic, in most cases does not pass - the enemy is also evolving rapidly and may be repulsed. Several enhanced defenses (added special towers, designed to combat mage), but this is not too important. But if before the economic development in the beginning of the game ensured by beating the monsters, now it brings too little money, almost nothing on impact. But get more valuable items, and experience needed heroes anyway.

Seriously enhanced functions to objects. First, there were the so-called runes - in fact the same subjects, but used on contact. Likewise, now work and books that improve performance. Runes are particularly useful for beating the monsters - they restore health and mana, cast spells useful or valuable revive the monster and send all at your disposal. Second, the widespread re-usable items that provide extra characters available spell, but still not spent mana. Of course, is particularly active artifacts and relics used in single user mode, however, and in network battles can get a lot of delicious things.

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
With regard to campaigns, then surely it is worth noting the significant progress on the subject. If the original WC3 with his ridiculous leaping princes and horribly banal story was a step backwards compared to StarCraft, everything here is okay - the writers composed a full-fledged fantasy novel, the events of which we are to follow. The focus is constantly shifted from one hero to another, unexpected twists await at every turn, and so on, to anticipate future developments, we are not even attending. If a player has a question - then surely it turns out that his hero is tormented by it - a sign that the logic of what is going on there. Fashionable and not too peculiar to the American scheme of fantasy, where there is practically no "white" and "black", but only "shades of gray, rather would be relevant in a good anime series. Quality CG-movies (only two in the entire game) and last story scene on the engine and cause similar thoughts. probably work on StarCraft: Ghost Blizzard has taught leadership to ensure that the game needs to be done perfectly and always on all platforms.

WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
In campaigns, even more than before, highlights the fact that TFT - a strategy with elements of RPG. In most missions, development of the database do not need, and often the base and none at all.In such cases, controlling heroes and a group of common units, you need to clean up the map from the enemies and get to a certain point in a very confusing route with numerous traps and plot scenes and side quests (including the secret). Perhaps it would be very boring, but wait for a response to the question, "what will happen next," makes moving farther and farther away. The fourth campaign (for Orcs), standing alone, and did offer us a unique role-playing game where the characters acting on their own, sometimes with a few assistants. It also shows and a new feature - portals between the cards that allow free movement across a huge game world. All is good, but long to download and spawn monsters irritating - to the extent that the additional quests to accept no longer want.

Of the innovations is also worth noting the many changes in the interface, basically - in Battle.net. In particular, gamers now return to the chat window while the search for the game, you can organize your own clan, has automatic support for tournaments. In the battle helpful that the neutrals (including heroes in taverns!) May employ not only heroes, but also any units - even though the workers. In addition, some ordinary soldiers were able to carry on his subjects - useful when you do not want to leave them to the enemy. So all those minor inconveniences, irritants in the original play, in TFT corrected.

Russian version of the game as the original WC3, was released by Soft Club. Translation, as the last time, causes only positive emotions - a localized version appeared on the market the day the world premiere, with the literary merits of the text and the quality of dubbing is beyond doubt. This is one of the few (they can be counted on the fingers!) Examples of how to translate from one language to another (from English into Russian or Japanese to English - no difference!) Make the game better (not worse!). Still, good voice acting when engaged in professional actors, and not random people. Claims can be really something to present to the fact that there is no synchronization of voice and lip movements, and looks sometimes even involves a different timbre. But it is a problem of the original game, and not a full TFT RPG, so ask him a too cruel. The main thing that pandariysky brewer speaks as curly as the wino Vasya from next door - and this effect was achieved not so easy!