Computer Games

Recently I bought a new real time strategy game for my computer. It is called the Sins of a Solar Empire. They call this game RT4X, for real time exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination. From the name, you can guess that it has to do with spaceships and planets, and that's correct. This is like other real time strategy games like Starcraft that you have to gather resources to build up a fleet of war-fighting machines, and destroy the opposing forces. Unlike Homeworld, this game doesn't have much of a story. It doesn't have a single player campaign, and it doesn't let you control the ships in its z-direction. Everything is still controlled in a plane. I think that's the right thing to do, because it's a game, and being able to go up or down in the space doesn't add too much strategy but complicates controls a lot. In a way the game is less realistic because your planet defense is laid out in a circle rather than a sphere, which should be the case in real life. In terms of artistic values, Homeworld did a better job. The Sins is a true strategy game. It is almost like chess with a spaceship overlay. After playing a few games, I am getting the hang of it, but I also feel it can get boring quickly. I probably won't be able to win against many computer players, but it probably will get boring at some point. I am not sure if I want to go online playing because it will probably take too much time and there's no way to pause.

Upcoming games that I am looking forward to are: Star Wars the Old Republic, Call of Duty 7, and Diablo 3. These 3 games will be out 2010 or later, but they look like they will have high entertainment values. The Old Republic is an online mass multiplayer game similar to World of Warcraft. Personally I like the Sci-Fi genre a bit more than swords and magic. There was a Star Wars MMOG before and I have watched a friend play, and I thought it was not too sucessful. Hopefully this time they will make a great game out of it. Call of Duty 7 is a sequel to Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, which I played and enjoyed immensely. The Call of Duty series is a first person shooter that is made like a movie, and that's the main reason I like it so much. It really makes you feel involved and actually fighting on the battle field. I played Diablo 2 when I was in high school, and it was a fun game. It is like an RPG with a lot of action, and it also has a very involved story line. The new game looks like it will be as much if not more fun. It look as grotesque as ever though, so it is definitely inappropriate for children to be close by.