Day: September 28, 2006

Name That Game!

September 28, 2006
Name That Game!
3 Comments

Now why didn’t I think of this? The best thing about doing it this way is that you can’t Google a screenshot.

Well, never let it be said that I don’t steal every good idea I see! Welcome to our first installment of Name That Game! And there’s really no sense in doing this if you’re not going to do it right, so we’re starting with a toughie.

(Right-click and choose “View Image” for a full-sized version.)

What the hell is THAT?

I’m looking for the name of the game and the name of the studio that developed it. The prize? A shoutout on my next video blog! Good luck!

Halo Wars

September 28, 2006
Game DesignGamesThe Game Biz
2 Comments

Doh. I really think Ensemble has dropped the ball on this one.

For one thing, this feels like something mandated from above, rather than something they came up with on their own. “It takes too long for Bungie to make a Halo game,” I can hear the Microsoft execs saying. “Surely we’ve got another studio who can be working on another Halo game somewhere….” Hell, it’s conceivable that Microsoft ordered Ensemble to get working on this because they knew that if they didn’t, they wouldn ‘t have anything Halo-related to show at X06.

Second thing: the FAQ states that this game is an RTS and it is 360-only. I’ve never felt that real-time strategy games belonged on consoles. Of course, I’ve never felt that first-person shooters belonged on consoles either, which is why I never really got into the Halo games.

Third thing: this is why Microsoft stepped on Halogen. Which is fine, its their right, but they did it in the worst possible way – with a cease-and-desist right before Halo Wars was announced. Very ham-handed, and just the type of thing that can create a fan backlash.

This will probably end up being the first Ensemble game that I don’t buy. Which makes me sad.