http://www.computergamesdb.com/new-console-game/
This time around SEGA and Creative Assembly have had a crack at re-creating the RTS on the console. The big deal with Stormrise is the unit selection system and the removal of the now-entrenched fog of war in favor of what the developers are calling verticality. The unit selection on the console is laughably simple but does take some getting used to for PC RTS players.
The left analogue stick controls the camera for a unit while the right stick can be manipulated to select units. Moving in the direction of another unit with the right stick flicks the view and control to that unit or group.
Verticality is tied to the new unit select and the vantage point changes that Stormrise has brought to the genre. Unit control takes place from the perspective of the unit(s) being manipulated, really negating the need for the fog of war and a true isometric view. It is a lot tougher to get a unit through an area from a close-up view where enemy units could be unseen around the next corner. Adding to this is that units can be above or under others on the 3D maps, or even camped inside buildings with a weak squad nearby acting as bait. This is verticality, where units can be in several places or on different levels in the same area.
Sadly, Creative missed the mark with the control method. Controlling the newly-awoken Commander Geary inside his gigantic mechanical suit of armor should have been more exciting than this. Geary was the supposed savior of a large number of humans after the calamity that stripped away the Earth’s atmosphere. Just prior to being cryogenically frozen, he had to watch as those who could not be admitted to the safety of the facility he’d established were killed.
This was a great start to the game but sadly it does not carry through. Control is the major factor here. It is manageable throughout the tutorial section and the early stages of the game but as more units are acquired, control degenerates to a hit-and-miss affair. Accurately selecting a single unit becomes a trial rather than the rapid shift it should have been.
Play will consist of mostly capturing nodes on the way to objectives and laying ambushes and generally being as sneaky as possible. The down-side is that Geary HAS to survive every mission. Lose him and you head right back to the most recent save point. This is a shame since it forces players to act a little too protectively over employing what should be the most powerful unit in their arsenal.
The online multiplayer does have some potential to lift this game out of the mire though. This is more due to the fact that the other human opponents will be messing with the same controls as are the player, evening the match somewhat. The 3D world does offer a lot in the way of sneaky play mechanics and the eight-player online may find itself a bit of a niche following because of that.
For the general RTS player, there really are titles out there that are worthier of notice than Stormrise. The developers’ intentions do shine through and had they achieved what they’d set out to do, Stormrise would have been a rare gem.
Unfortunately coming on the heels of Halo Wars, Stormrise will likely be edged out of the running for this one.
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