Christmas nears and so, as happens every year, we are suddenly swamped with many more new titles than usual. Of course, a large number of these titles are pitiful stinkers, so as well as letting you know the latest quality titles released this month, this version of the monthly games guide will, as usual, let you know which titles to avoid buying on impulse just because the box art or screenshots look cool (admit it – we've all done it). Thankfully, there are, as usual, a lot of great games to enjoy this month, and here they are in no particular order.
As expected, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 has stormed into the top of the sales charts, with even the collector's edition of the game sitting comfortably in the top 10, a rare thing to see indeed. However, unlike the decidedly dull and uninspired Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, it actually deserves to sell well. While the graphics engine hasn't changed much from that used in Tiberian Sun, the unit and building art is so well done that you're bound not to notice or care. The units are all inventive, ranging from Giant Squid controlled by Russian psychics, to units that can warp to any location on the battlefield using Chrono technology and erase enemy units from time. It's not revolutionary and it's not 3D (even though the voxel technology can make some units seem like they're 3D) but it is most certainly fast paced and entertaining, and surprisingly balanced despite some incredibly powerful units. Fans of Command and Conquer games who were disappointed with the slow-paced and uninspired Tiberian Sun will enjoy this one. I certainly did despite being unimpressed with Tiberian Sun.
Dark Reign 2 may not have the weird and wonderful units of Red Alert 2 but it's easily one of the best RTS titles in recent months. The 3D graphics are gorgeous and steadfastly refuse to slow down, even when there are hundreds of units on screen, thanks to the wonders of Level Of Detail technology. The music is also some of the best in gaming this year, and in fact I'm currently listening to it as I type this. If you're an RTS fan, buy Red Alert 2, then buy Dark Reign 2. You'll be occupied for weeks. Of course, I still can't help but recommend Starcraft, but that's been mentioned since the beginning of this newly revived game guide, so I'll make this the last mention of Blizzard's masterpiece. Safe to say, if you haven't played it, do.
I recently placed Homeworld: Cataclysm, in the top spot for this year's RTS Shootout. While Sacrifice, which recently went gold, is looking like a solid challenger to this throne, for now Homeworld: Cataclysm retains the crown. While the original Homeworld was excellent, Cataclysm proved even better thanks to numerous well thought-out additions. The most glaring fault in Homeworld was the two races that were rather similar, something that has been fixed in this sort-of-sequel. Now the foe is The Beast Virus. Fighting this enemy in the single player campaign is quite a unique experience as you have to be careful not to let too many of your ships get taken over by it, or you'll be fighting against your own ships as well as those of the enemy. Barking Dog also added a number of interface improvements such as the Sensor Manager that made controlling what could become a confusing game a lot easier.