Looking Ahead to 2008
Strategy Games, Continued Futuristic strategy game Lost Empire gets an updated boxed release in 2008 On the turn-based tip, Paradox Interactive adds to their third-party line-up by signing independent developer Pollux Game Labs to rework their 2007 download-only Lost Empire for a boxed version, due sometime in the first quarter of 2008. Titled Lost Empire: Immortals, the brick-and-mortar release will add more than fancy cardboard packaging. According to Pollux Game Labs, the entire game engine is being re-written from scratch, but the premise - intergalactic battle on a large scale - remains unchanged. Like a lot of smaller projects, the download-only edition of Lost Empire was rough around the edges, so the months spent honing the game for a boxed release will likely be time well spent. Turning to a game of a different pedigree, the Jagged Alliance series will usher in a new era with Jagged Alliance 3. The isometric, turn-based tactical shooter was first introduced in 1994, and in recent years the series has bounced between a number of publishers and developers. Jagged Alliance 3, listed as a third quarter 2008 release, is being published by Akella, with Russian developer F3 Games handling coding duties. The series has never achieved widespread success, and has spent most of its life in bargain bins and bundles. First looks of JA3 show increased production values across the board, and the unique mercenary theme still forms the foundation of gameplay. The turn-based genre may have earned a reputation as a niche product, but Jagged Alliance 3's unique take on strategy gaming may turn out to be a refreshing departure from the norm.
Lest you think the strategy genre is for nerds among nerds, rest assured that the big studios are still willing to squeeze a few dollars out of RTS games with big releases. Sega is throwing their hat into the ring with Empire: Total War, another entry in the Total War series (and the second Sega-produced Total War title). Creative Assembly, the team behind the exceptional Rome: Total War and Medieval II: Total War, is once again at the helm of development. And I use 'helm' without irony, as Empire: Total War will feature real-time naval combat, as well as firearms (albeit 18th-century firearms), both firsts for the series. With plenty of talented resources working on the game, Empire: Total War seems destined for critical and commercial success when it hits shelves sometime next year.
Ubisoft have dipped their collective knife into the Tom Clancy jar more times that I care to count, and the license is starting to spread a bit thin these days. But Tom Clancy's EndWar is an ambitious first entry into the RTS market, and Ubisoft are handling publishing as well as development duties (Ubisoft Shanghai garners the development credits). The plot is, of course, standard Clancy-inspired fare (Energy market crisis! Rogue states corner oil supplies! Diplomacy fails! Nuclear warheads!), and it's sure to have links to other Clancy-branded games. Most interesting, though, are the game's technical aspects. First, preview shots have it looking great; with the Unreal Engine 3 driving the visuals, the game may rival current RTS beauties in the graphics department. The game's voice command system is being touted as revolutionary, and if it works effectively, EndWar may be the first RTS that's truly playable on a console. Expect to see the game sometime after April 1, as EndWar was one of a number of Ubisoft titles to earn a little extra time in the oven thanks to the success of mega-hit Assassin's Creed.
There's hardly a more appropriate game to round out the RTS discussion than a sequel 10 years in the making: Blizzard's Starcraft 2. Now that Blizzard has teamed up with Activision and Vivendi to form gaming powerhouse Blizzard Activision, there's no question who will be publishing the title. As all of South Korea will tell you, Starcraft is the one true RTS. And just like the Highlander, Starcraft 2 is poised to slay the competition on brand recognition alone. Thanks to World of Warcraft, Blizzard is sitting on a pile of cash roughly the size of Everest, and the development team has been working on the game for nearly five years. With ample time and resources to polish assets and fine-tune gameplay, Starcraft 2 is the RTS game that all others must beat in 2008.
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