@mersmackmasterThis is my main concern. I really do not know how you could avoid this kind of repetitious gameplay, even if the planets are procedurally generated. I suppose that if the programming is sophisticated enough to mix up the ingredients and variables in a way that avoids you visiting the same identical planet template 5 times in a row, that might be okay. However, if it is correct that planets with any signs of life or advanced civilizations will be rare (1 in a million?), then this might get old quick. And if there is any kind of grinding dynamic required for getting ship upgrades and other resources, then it could get really boring fast. Personally, I'd rather have a thousand planets with their own character and uniqueness than a quintillion cookie-cutter ones, the vast majority of which I'll never visit.
Anyhow, I'm still interested in the game and will reserve judgment until release, but I'm only cautiously optimistic at this point.
@BassMan: I completely agree as well. As someone old enough to remember the Atari 2600 games of the early 1980s, I have no interest whatsoever in revisiting that technology and its limitations.
@nikon133: Actually I'm 48 too, and this game--which I admit to not having played yet--just comes across as very retro. I'm old enough to have endured the Atari 2600 days, and really have no nostalgia for them. I've noticed a trend recently to glamorize such games with throwback graphics and controls. Maybe this appeals mostly to younger gamers who find it interesting to play games with visuals and mechanics that pre-date their births by decades. I don't know--kind of like people who think that playing vinyl records on an old record player, with the gritty static and all, is cool. Anyhow, I know that some will claim that gameplay trumps graphics, but I would argue that poor graphics can actually hinder immersion and thus the gameplay experience.
Again, I freely admit to not having played this game, and thus basing my opinion simply on the videos. But I'm still at a loss for why this would be appealing to anyone on this side of 1993.
This review disappoints me. I'm a huge fan of the Hitman franchise, and it's truly regretful that the developer would release an apparently buggy game using a piecemeal, episodic model. It's really beneath the reputation of the series. Anyhow, I may take another look at this once a complete campaign is available, and the glitzes get worked out. But still, it's painful to see a great franchise degenerate in this way.
@Sefrix: Good point. However, at least in the LotR movies (I don't know about the books), I thought that Frodo came off as much more effeminate than Luke ever did in Star Wars movies. Maybe it was just the ring.
Just make a good movie that honors the epic tradition of the original movies (episodes IV, V, and VI).
Personally, I'm fine with a gay character. However, it would be unnecessary backpedaling to make Luke gay, since he clearly had the hots for Leia the first time that he saw her in that grainy hologram that R2D2 fatefully projected so long ago on dusty Tattooine. If they were not siblings, I could easily imagine Luke running off with Leia and letting carbonite-encased Han Solo become a permanent ornament in Jabba's palace. Unless the force indeed moves in very strange ways, there's no need to rewrite Luke's heterosexuality, which was clearly evident in previous movies.
If this game can avoid monotonous samey-ness and maintain its sense of discovery and wonderment over hundreds of hours (a VERY tall order), It'll be a must-buy for me. I am most concerned about how the AI races and creatures perform and whether the universe feels "lived in" and vibrant. The idea of the game is intriguing, and I'm definitely following it.
The first Dawn of War is one of my two favorite video games of all time. I still play it. I hope there is a DoW3. My preference would be a mix of the larger armies and (limited) base building of DoW1 with the emphasis on hero development of DoW2. I like the strategic, system-wide campaign maps of the DoW1 & DoW2 campaigns, but would like to see this better developed for the sake of replayability.
And please, Relic, spend more time on the skirmish AI. There is no reason why a company that specializes in RTS games can't make a decent skirmish AI at this point.
Other items:
-Should have six races right out of the box
-Needs more than just another Space Marines campaign (let the Blood Ravens finally take a seat)
-Keep the map editor and provide dedicated modding tools and support
-A non-DRM version would be lovely (perhaps a release on Gog.com)
the_hunger's comments