Well, it looks like Zuxxez / Reality Pump had the same idea in mind when developing their latest real-time strategy game, EARTH 2160. To set the record straight, Earth 2160 is the official sequel of the fairly popular Earth 2140 and Earth 2150 series.

With its massive tech tree, rich story line, customizable armies and awesome 3D eye candy, Earth 2160 looks set to be one of the year’s best RTS titles. Could it be that the new King of Real Time Strategy is finally arriving?
Well, let’s start from the beginning. Earth 2160′s plot starts off after where Earth 2150 left us: only a few thousand humans managed to escape from the Earth before its collapse in 2150 A.D. They then spent the next few years building up their civilization on Mars and conquering new planets (therefore, the game is no long based on planet Earth…).

Each of the three human factions “Eurasian Dynasty”, “United Civilised States” and “Lunar Corporation” did this independently and separately from each other, resulting in them having different basic technologies and abilities.

The fourth and last group is, as you may have already guessed, the Aliens who are seeking to take revenge on all of the non-Martian inhabitants occupying their planet. Needless to say that it is up to the player to take control of a faction and to become the sole ruler of Mars, if possible.

At first, the basic gameplay may seem to be the same as most real time strategy titles: collect the 3 main material types (water, metal and silicon), build the biggest army possible and send them off to the enemy’s camp. However each faction has technological differences which add a twist to the game by providing very different game styles.

For instance, the Lunar Corporation’s buildings are built one on top of the other, similar to a skyscraper, whereas the Eurasian Dynasty’s base is a large building comprising of smaller variable parts. In other words, you will have to plan your defence and attack strategies accordingly.

Regarding unit types, they are virtually unlimited as units are customisable. Each unit can be created by a mix and match of various modular parts such as chassis, armour, engine, boosters, cannons and shields. All this certainly adds a much appreciated variety to the battles. Best of all, designs can be saved and used both in the single player mode and online.

There are also a dozen hero characters, called virtual agents, with special abilities (help with research, unit commands, increasing mining efficiency, spying out enemies, stealing technology, etc.) that can be hired. Hiring agents is done during an auction where different players can make their bids for the desired agent. This opens the door to multiple opportunities, such as the ability to economically defeat an opponent by raising the price of the agent he strongly wants to hire.

In terms of visuals, Earth 2160 deserves praising all the way. As surprising as it may seem, the impressive cut scenes are actually displayed by the game engine and rendered in real time. It is obvious that the developers tried very hard to create an RTS game that can compete with the latest first-person shooters in terms of eye candy – needless to say that this game will certainly push your hardware to the limit. Magnificent water effects, great looking explosions and gunfire, top-notch zoom modes, and detailed environments make this game a real joy to look at. In fact, per-pixel shading has been so extensively used in the game that the windows of your buildings will dynamically reflect the sky and you can even view the passing clouds roll over the beautiful landscape.

The downside is that depending on your hardware, you may have to lower the graphics settings in order to have an acceptable framerate. That said, even with the lowest graphics details, the game looks astonishing with very detailed and sharp textures and great lighting effects. It is impressive to see the level of detail the developers managed to squeeze into the game even on low end systems.

If you have a high end system, get ready for a visual treat as the game supports the latest graphic technologies (such as Shader Model 3.0), so if you own such a card (Geforce 6 or higher) or are planning to get a next-generation hardware (such as XGI’s upcoming Volari 8600), the game will look even more spectacular, making the whole thing almost look like a “playable technological demo”.

The sound effects are very good and the soundtrack is catchy and truly immerse you into the action of the game. The control system is very simple to use thanks to the use of simple keyboard combinations.

To sum up, Earth 2160 is shaping up to be an excellent real-time strategy game that any RTS fan should definitely look at. It is already distributed in Germany by Zuxxez Entertainment and getting rave reviews from both Germany’s online and paper press.

It certainly looks like the new King of Real Time Strategy has arrived.

Gameplay 92
Graphics 94
Sound 92
Impression 93
Final Score 93

Well, Ubi Soft has developed the third installment of this stealth action series. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is due to release in March of this year and looks set to live up to the Splinter Cell reputation for being one of the most innovative stealth action gaming series on the market.

The year is 2008. Information Warfare has evolved into the most dangerous threat to global stability. You are Sam Fisher, Third Echelon’s most skilled Splinter Cell operative. You are assigned to execute a hazardous series of operations to investigate and eliminate a new source of information attacks, originating in North Korea. To succeed, you will employ a host of unconventional counterintelligence activities to gather intel, disrupt enemy operations and neutralize adversary targets.

As Information Warfare evolves so must the Splinter Cell. You must penetrate deeper into hostile territory and operate undetected, closer to the enemy than ever before. At your disposal is a lethal array of tactics ranging from Combat Knife techniques, experimental prototype weapons skills, and more radical hand to hand techniques such as the Inverted Chokehold. Experience the thrill of acting as a lone operative fighting tomorrow’s threats in the field, and of cooperating online with a partner to accomplish crucial missions. Die in action, and the free world dies with you.

Below are some screenshots taken of the multiplayer beta version of the game. All the screenshots were taken using an XGI Volari Duo graphics card.

I’m not going to describe World of Warcraft in full since you can get that sort of information elsewhere. Instead, I’m going to talk about my first impressions of this Stress Test Beta. Keep in mind the version tested is simply a beta, so quite a few things may change in the final version. Needless to mention that I played the game on a Volari Duo card (hence the user name, lol)- the game was smooth all along in High Detail mode, even in outdoor scenes.

The download was a huge one. The zipped installer weighed nothing less than 2,5 Go. Once installed, this beta weighs over 2,95 Go on the hard disk. Surprisingly though, the loading times for the game were extremely short, barely a few seconds.

There are eight playable races in World of Warcraft : four (humans, dwarves, night elves, and gnomes) belong to the human alliance and four (orcs, taurens, trolls, and the undead) belong to the horde. The game also features nine different classes, including paladins, rogues, priests, hunters, warlocks, druids and warriors. An interesting point is that certain characters are reserved for certain races. Also, depending on which race you choose, you will begin the game in different parts of the world. As you start up the game and start killing some wild animals (wolves, boards, rabbits, etc.), you rapidly gain experience points.

Graphically, World of Warcraft looks very good, as you can see from the screenshots. The game features a lot of eye candy and great visual effects. The sky dynamically changes and each zone seems to have different weather patterns. The character models are rather detailed and the ourdoor areas are very large. The environments are very rich and colorful, and each zone looks completely different from the other. I also appreciate the “cartoonish” style of the game.

When you die, you become a ghost and appear to a Spirit Healer. This Healer gives you the choice to remain as a ghost (and roam around haunting people) or the Healer can revive you so that you can have a body again. However, choosing the revival means you loose some hard earned experience points, but the Healer said that if you manage to find your original dead body (at the place where you died), then you will not loose any experience points.

The game is very easy to get started with and the game interface is also very simple to use. In fact, almost all the interaction with the world will be handled through the mouse, with a cursor change to show what action is possible. Opening a door, attacking, or trading are all accomplished with the mouse, so there is no combinaison of keys to learn by heart in order to play.

I did come across an “issue” in this beta though. I was indeed able to go through through every characters and animals, even though they were not ghosts. Anyway, I did not find this annoying and will certainly be adressed in the near future.

All in all, I certainly had a positive impression after this Stress Test Beta session.

We were lucky enough to be allowed to play a test version of the game and were very impressed with what we saw…

This is the basic storyline behind Alpha Black Zero : Intrepid Protocol :

The year is 2366, and the Solgov federation faces turmoil. Lieutenant Kyle Hardlaw, leader of specialized commando unit ‘Alpha Black Zero’, stands accused of multiple illegal assassinations against his own
government.

In the courtroom on Qahira, the politically influential planet formerly known as Mars, a military tribunal asserts Hardlaw killed numerous Solgov officials during a secret mission on a rebellious world. Many local populations are hostile to Solgov, having been indoctrinated for years by ultra-right separatist groups.

Olympus City, the Qahiran capital brims with intrigue and suspicion. Hardlaw’s work is always dangerous, but what actions have resulted in his trial? Behind the courtroom drama, a series of missions are played out that reveal a sinister story of counter espionage and treason in an explosive climate. Hardlaw must fight through a military and political minefield to clear his name. Unravel the conspiracy, and he wins his freedom. Fail, and his team will be silenced forever…

Let’s start off with the graphics. The game is top-notch : the maps are very large (just look at the screenshots, you can really see thousands of kilometers in the distance – the maps really deserve to be called “extensive”) and the graphics are realistic indeed. For the record, we have to mention the game uses a tweaked version of the Serious Sam engine. The game ran very well on my system with all settings on maximum (AMD Athlon 64 3200+ and XGI Volari Duo).

One of the first things I noticed was the impressive AI of the game. The squad members reacted surprisingly well in all occasions and actively cover you. For instance, when I was ambushed by some opponent characters, my team swept in and took card of the enemy before I had time to reload my weapon. When my character was injured, I could even “hide” behind some of my team members while they took care of the enemies for me. I was really surprised how well they reacted. To be honest, I half expected them to be sitting ducks (as in many other game titles), but they did not.

As for the enemies, they will retreat when attacked, try to find cover when a shootout takes place and then counterattack. It was really refreshing to see the characters react intelligently. Surprisingly, path-finding was reliable too. The squad team reacted well even though the maps were full of long drops and steep slopes. It seems as though the game’s AI is not scripted at all.

ABZ uses a system of keyboard shortcuts to command the squad members individually or as a group. For instance, the Regroup command will have them follow you, you can order them to hold position, to hold fire or to fire at will. It’s too bad though you cannot tell them to fire at a particular target or to start firing only when you begin. It is possible however to switch between team members.

We mentionned earlier that the game is a team-based tactical shooter, but you do not need to play as a team if you do not want to. Nothing prevents you from playing like in a first person shooter and be a lone gunman. Only one person is required to accomplish mission objectives so you can choose how you want to play.

One thing I would have liked is a map in order to know exactly where I am. As we mentionned, the maps are pretty huge, and it is not obvious to find your way around : you can’t just walk straight without paying attention to the terrain especially since it is very mountainous and riddled with high cliffs. On the other hand, adding a map would probably make things too easy and there would be no surpise element left.

Last but not least, I found the difficulty level of the preview version that we tried not easy at all, quite challenging in fact. Granted, I’m just an average player, but I don’t think many people will find finishing the game a piece of cake.

All in all the game looks and sounds great. It definitely looks like a promising tactical shooter. Kudos goes to GMX Media for their great work and kudos to Khaeon as well, a company which seems set to become be a serious threat to other FPS developpers in the near future.

I’ve had a unique opportunity lately to try out an early version of an upcoming MMORPG called “The Saga of Ryzom” which I found very interesting indeed.

Paris-based Nevrax is currently working on The Saga of Ryzom, a fantasy MMORPG that adds in science-fiction elements to create what could very well be an exciting game world.

The Saga of Ryzom is an immense story that takes place in the future, our future. It begins on the living planet of Atys, which grows and evolves on its own, sending tendrils into the sky and covering the lands with new life. Explore this lush and vibrant world and work towards unlocking its secrets. The Saga of Ryzom is the mystery of a forgotten past and an unknown future, history has yet to be written in this world, so it could very well be you doing the writing.

First you start by creating your character : you select one of four races (three are currently available in the open beta), then your sex, body type, facial features, and skills. The character customization system really allows you to create your very own character, which explains why every character in the game looks different.

What is interesting is that your skills are not limited right from the start : unlike other RPGs, you don’t have to choose at the beginning you want to be a warrior or a magician and be stuck later with that decision. Want to be an expert animal slayer? All you have to do here is kill many animals and you will become one. Skills are increased simply through use, just as in Morrowind for instance. You also start off in a different location depending on the character you choose.

The Saga of Ryzom takes place in the future on a planet called “Atys”, with its deserts, lakelands, forests, and jungles.

Even in the desert, the graphics details are very rich : trees, vegetation, wild animals ready to pounce on you once your back is turned (yes, I know what I’m talking about, some of those beastly, overgrown scorpions attacked and killed my character).

Since we are talking about graphics, I would like to point out that all the screenshots on this page were of course taken on a XGI Volari Duo card.

There also is a rather nice looking oasis. If you look closely at the screenshot below, you will see a female character which is supposed to be a “Welcomer” : this is absolutely not true, I tried to talk to her and ask for some help and directions and did not get ANY reply, not even a mere “hello”. Some welcome, huh…

As you can see from the screenshots, the game uses some neat 3d effects such as Pixel shaders for the water rendering. Great water effects, high resolution textures, high polygon count, Ryzom offers a real visual treat. It’s great to see such attention to detail in an online game.

Below is a screenshot from one of my fellow companions. As you can see, the character faces are quite detailed

There are also some training rooms where you can learn how to master skills like magic or sword fighting

Look at the monsters that I have slain by myself – my trophees. They were certainly no match for someone like me, lol.

All in all, I truly enjoyed Ryzom (and I don’t usually like MMORPG!) : great graphics, nice online experience, good gameplay. Definitely a refreshing breath of fresh air in a world filled of Everquest clones.

VolariGamers had the chance to catch up with Corey (also known as mYm|coRey), who is well known for his real time strategy prowess and is one of the few true professional gamers. Corey recently won the Danish Acon4 LAN finals and got the second place in the Scandinavian Acon4 finals. He will as a result represent Denmark at the ACON4 Finals in Shanghai, China.

Interview

First of all, could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello, my name is Kasper Jacobsen, im 19 years old and Im from Brøndby, Denmark.

How does it feel like to be a professional videogame (eSport) player?

Feels pretty good, I like playing the game and I like competing on a higher level.

When did you first encounter computer games? How did you come to professional gaming?

I’ve played computer pretty much my entire life, I first started online playing in warcraft 2 – later SC/BW and now warcraft 3 At first I just played alot of ladder and then the proffesional part just came all by itself. Practice is the key word in esport gaming.

Why did you choose Warcraft3 as you main game?

I always liked RTS games, and I’ve always liked Blizzard games – especially Warcraft 1 and Warcraft 2, so it was a pretty natural choise for me.

What race do you play? And why?

I play orc. I play them because I’ve always played them, I’ve played them since warcraft 1 – and I really like their units and cool design.

How do you feel MeetYourMakers compares to the other great teams on the Warcraft3 scene?

I think we can beat any team out there on a good day and I think we will go far in wc3l this season.

You WON the Danish Acon4 LAN finals and got the second place in the Scandinavian Acon4 finals – thereby winning a ticket to CHINA, how do you feel about going to China to play Warcraft?

I’m happy that I won, pretty much everything just went my way in the two finals – and I’m looking forward to the tourney in China, where I’ll defend the mYm flag at the best of my abilities!

What do sponsors mean for you? And what do you think they mean for a team in general?

Sponsors are the second most important thing in esport, the most important thing is interest for the game. No crowd that follows the games then no sponsors for the teams, no sponsors for the teams no professional esport. So sponsors are a vital part of esport I think.

How much of a hardcore gamer were you before you went pro?

Hardcore and hardcore, I think I played 3-4 hours a day, some days I played 8 hours – while other days I played less.

What hardware do you use?

Volari V8 Ultra Duo card, Pentium 4 2,8ghz, Asus mainboard, 512DDR RAM, 120 GB HD, Orion Flat Screen, fUnc mousepad, Logitech 550 mouse, Logitech keyboard.

How much of a difference does hardware make in gaming?

Well, you have to have hardware that can make the game run at 100% at all times and perform the best, like the XGI Volari V8 Ultra Duo does!

Can you tell us how much Volari has impacted your gaming experience?

It has impacted it allot. I can now play Warcraf3 in the highest resoloution with all details enabled, this improves my game.

How do you feel about XGI Tech, supporting you and your team?

Im honoured that a major company like XGI Tech would sponsor me and my team, and I look forward to a long a good cooperation with XGI Tech.

What do you do before a tournament? Do you train a lot?

Usually I relax the day before and try not to stress myself too much, I wanna keep everything cool and play my game as good as possible. And ofcouse win.

How do you feel like when playing in front of an audience? Do you ever feel nervous?

No not really, I used to play allot of table tennis in front of pretty big crowds, and the last thing you want to be in a table tennis game is nervous. So I pretty much learned to ignore those feelings – not completely but to some point.

Is it hard for you to strike up a friendly game in Warcraft III? I’d imagine everyone runs for cover when you show up.

Hehe  no, allot of people wants to play with high level players – to learn and/or practice, but I usually just play ladder since its the easiest way to get a opponent of equal skill.

Do you still happen to play games just for fun When you’re not getting ready for a tournament?

I just play ladder mainly, so I guess you can say I play ladder for fun.

What do your parents think of all this? And what do you friends think?

My family and friends are very supportive – I was even late for my grandmothers 80 year old birthday since I had to play the Scandinavian Acon4 finals, and they still gave me a standing applause when I came to the party later  If that isn’t support I don’t know what is.

Do you sometimes wonder how you got up to where you now are?

Sometimes, but then I just remember how many hours I played and then it makes sense to some degree.

Do you ever have thoughts about retirement?

Not really, as long as I like the game I will play it.

What is cybersport’s future in your opinion?

Hard to tell, but I think esport will eventually become a ‘real’ sport… someday..

Thank you for your time and patience. Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Watch out – this isn’t just a reactor!

KnightShift is the latest game developed by Reality Pump Studios/ZUXXEZ Entertainment (in North America, Knight Shift has been renamed into “Once upon a knight” by ATARI). For those of you who haven’t heard, Reality Pump Studios is already well known for creating the impressive Earth 2150 real time strategy series.

The story goes like this : once upon a time…err, excuse me, I meant, once upon a knight called Prince John. One day, the power hungry wizard named Valtamand kidnaps him in order to take his place. Just as Valtamand is about to throw a spell on Prince John in order to kill him, Valtamand’s room window opens and the wind turns the page of Valtamand’s spell book, of course without Valtamand even noticing it. As a result, he reads the wrong spell causing the prince to teleport instead. Needless to say that gaining the support and trust from your royal subjects and defeating Valtamand is the aim of the game.

Basically, the single-player is divided in three parts : campaign mode, pure RPG mode and skirmish mode .

The campaign mode is what first time users should start with as it turns out to be an excellent tutorial and teaches you all you need to know before you start your quest. At the beginning of the first campaign you will just control Prince John and only have an ordinary sword as well as a shield to protect yourself. As you keep progressing through the game, you will find better weapons and armor to replace what you currently have. The more enemies you fight, the more experience you will gain. This will in term increase your level and increase your attributes that will make you even stronger. You will have to face along the journey wolves, bears, as well as other wild beasts. Eventually you will come across stronger foes such as archers or even witches. Also, you will get to control other characters just like in other strategy games: you can create teams that can be arranged in formations, you can order them to attack, sneak or sleep. Just like in an RPG, each character can advance through levels by gaining experience and improving qualities like health point, armor, damage, range.

I really enjoyed the cutscenes during the campaign mode as they are rather humorous. For example, you witness the acts of a wizard that appears to have no clue of what he is doing. The cutscenes here are not some boring video sequences the developper added just to fill up some left over space on the disc (that’s the impression I honestly had with some games…), instead in Knight Shift, I found myself laughing at these scenes and really enjoyed the lighthearted humor in them. My only regret is that there weren’t more of these cutscenes (okay, maybe I’m too greedy…)

Knight Shift can also be played from a RPG perspective which somehow reminded me of Dungeon Siege or Neverwinter Nights, but with far better visuals (we’ll come to the graphics later on).

Last but not least, Knight Shift also offers a Skirmish mode which in my opinion can easily face the comparison with popular games such as Warcraft III. The strategic part of Knight Shift is reinforced by the fact there is only one civilization, so you are fighting in equal terms and there is only one ressource (milk), which makes things a lot easier.

As though all this wasn’t enough, Knight Shift also offers lots of multiplayer features (both RTS and RPG), such as a co-op mode allowing you to play with a team mate.

In terms of visuals, Knight Shift deserves praising all the way. Nice character animation, detailed and vibrant backdrops, and colorful spells make this game a real joy to look at. For instance, spells, explosions and fire can produce some neat-looking lighting effects and shadows. Buildings are very neatly rendered, especially the magical ones which have lots of lighting effects.

Knight Shift offers two different graphic modes : HW T&L and Shader depending on your hardware, the Shader mode being available only to DX8 (and above) capable cards.
The T&L mode is designed for slower machines equipped with 2nd generation graphic cards which only support T&L: even in this mode, the game blows away Dungeon Siege or Neverwinter Nights as the textures are very detailed and sharp and the lighting effects are very well done.

Needless to say the Shader mode is a real visual treat, making the whole thing look almost like a “playable technological demo”. KnightShift indeed uses in a very good manner effects of modern 3D graphics cards, most noticeably Pixel Shader effects : water foam, reflective water, animated trees, highly detailed shadows, etc. The water effects are magnificient, even with fish swimming happily inside, a bit like in the Nature 3D Mark test.

Watching your character walk at sundown on a bridge, with the magnificent reflections of the torches on the water and the cloud shadows moving is a real visual treat. Simply put, the graphics literally blow away all popular titles in the same genre, such as Dungeon Siege, Neverwinter Nights, Warcraft III or even the upcoming Spellforce from what I’ve seen of it so far. We’re delighted to finally see pixel shaders put to very good use in a game.

The world you travel in is full of life as well : you can watch birds fly overhead, fish swim through the water of a lake or ducks glide upon its surface. As if that was not enough, the world that you travel upon is just as impressive with mountains, villages as well as other detailed areas that you will come across. The weather changes and the cloud shadows moving are pretty astonishing as welll. Trees also move in the game as if wind was gently blowing through them. Graphically the game is lush, with rich environments and solid character animation.

The gameplay is pretty good – the interface is clear and simple. The sound effects are good and the soundtrack is rich and catchy. I truly enjoyed the sound track which is pretty well done, especially the main menu soundtrack. As we are talking about the main menu, I appreciate the idea of showing some ingame scenes in the main menu through a rotating camera (like Command & Conquer : Generals).

Knight Shift is distributed in Germany by Zuxxez Entertainment, in France by Arxel Tribe and in Northern America by Atari (Atari renamed Knight Shift into “Once upon a knight”). It’s too bad that the same game has two different titles and two different game boxes in different parts of the world, as this will may stirr some confusion (the Atari box being in my opinion much nicer looking than the German “Black Silver” one, but this is just a minor detail).

I think it’s pretty obvious from all the above that we are pretty excited with Knight Shift. The variety of gameplay styles and different options definitely offers something for everyone’s taste. The game basically takes you through a solid RTS experience as well as a separate RPG experience that are easy to get into and even is addictive. With its style, its originality, breathtaking graphics and concept, Knight Shift definitely is a game any RPG or RTS fan should look at. Recommended.

Gameplay 89
Graphics 92
Sound 90
Impression 91
Final Score 91