Another evolutionary leap for RTSs :D
So lets look at those kinks in the system:
- Slightly unstable frame rate; at times it gets a little choppy but never really messes with game play when it really counts.
- Oddly enough once in a while, sometimes this happens when an alert sounds, the menu closes on you but there so fast to reopen it barely matters.
- Sometimes your units get a little confused and forget to fire back but I've seen little of this, easily rectified by an attentive commander.
-Other then I personally didn't care for the Masari Race as a culture or really their style but this purely personal preference.
Now for the good stuff, the improvements in the genre's stand control layout:
- Left stick controls your cursor, right stick controls camera, nothing new there but if you hold the right trigger it enlarges the mini map in the upper right corner and now the left stick moves the camera and the right stick issues move commands to units over the map.
- Setting/selecting unit groups; big improvements here. 1st all you have to do to make the group is press the back button and the system gives it a number and clears old groups who's members are dead or now part of other groups. Selecting is basically as simple; hold the right bumper and a wheel comes up with an icon for each hero, unit type, and groups by number, cycle either way to the desired icon and press A to select.
- Selecting units on the battle field is again a simple duty: either hold A down and sweep the units you want (sometimes if you go really fast it skips a frame of two) or double tap A on a unit type.
- Accessing unit special abilities has never been easier: hold the left trigger and cycle through the abilities of all the units in a selected group, targeted or effect abilities work equally efficient.
- Petroglyph did a really good job creating 3 very different and balanced races; each has its style, look, and advantages. Masari have powerful units but are slow to build and have a slower resources gathering system. The Hierarchy use huge walkers as base/assault units; they build most of their smaller units from the walkers and can upgrade them to be effective war machines. The Novice have many more numbers then the Hierarchy, not so great a difference over the Masari though. The two biggest advantages the Novice have over the others is the Flow Network and their recycle centers. The Flow Network is a series of connected "antennas" that let Novice units and gathers move quickly across the map. This lets the Novice gather resources quickly and safely but also lets them defend themselves more effectively.
So as the game as a whole it's really fun and well balanced, the story isn't awesome but it's comparable to most game plots today. The updated control layout way out weighs the few faults, improvements like this are what makes later games even better. I bought this game because I love RTSs and I love my 360 and I can say I wasn't disappointed. I fully recommend this title to anyone with a 360, it's more then worth $60.