Europa Universalis IV Review (PC)

Strategy games have come a long way since their origins. As with the rest of the gaming industry, they’ve advanced as both technology and gamers continued to improve. In the current market, there is a progression towards grander and more realistic experiences while maintaining a certain level of accessibility. One of the few outliers in this process has been Paradox Interactive’s series, Europa Universalis. Against the grain, this series has continued to grow its scope and hyper-realism while forgoing mainstream accessability in favor of these two areas. For its fourth iteration, Europa Universalis IV continues the long tradition and holds out as one of the toughest, realistic, historically accurate simulators while taking small steps towards welcoming new players.

There are four basic components for most empire building strategy games: finance, diplomacy, military, and technology. In Europa Universalis IV, the technology tree has been further broken down by the concept of Monarch Points. These points are influenced by the leader of the countries’ affinity for three leadership roles – Administrative, Peace, and Military points – that are accumulated to spend on technology upgrades and Ideas. Hiring advisors costs monthly income but offers bonuses, in addition to increasing one of these Monarch Point categories.

As the most evident change from previous Europa Universalis titles, Monarch Points still follow the theme of balancing tough decisions while presenting yet another layer of choices that fit the series well. While points can be spent on increasing the Technology Level, they are also used to advance bonuses within singular concentrations which unlock upon certain levels of advancement. This means that during the course of learning new technologies (which discover new concepts and unlock bonuses) are also used to unlock mindsets called Ideas which have their own specific bonuses related to their theme. Each Idea represents a mindset, such as the quality and quantity approaches in the military section, which offers increased damage or decreased costs respectively. Choosing one of the five mindsets in the Administrative, Peace, or Military sections can be hard enough, but when upgrading an Idea to unlock specifically related bonuses comes at the cost of setting back a technology unlock, it can be agonizing – even more so, as these Monarch Points gather slowly over time. A decision has lasting – though incremental – effects.

The inclusion of these points, while thematically appropriate, has the negative effect of adding yet another point of potential confusion. More detail in components add to the realistic decision making that Europa Universalis IV has become required to include, but this further breakdown does nothing for accessibility. Along with these Monarch Points, another change to the formula in the calculation of building bonus and their effects has effectively neutered the often costly investment in financing infrastructure. In an attempt to make these buildings and their effects more understandable though, Paradox Interactive does overlay a financial indicator, which shows the change in each province were a building placed there. These two changes have been called out by some long-time fans as steps backwards, while also causing an overstepping of the accessibility expected in modern games for new players.

To read the full 1,500 word review on Europa Universalis IV read it here: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/09/01/europa-universalis-iv-review-pc/

Drox Operative Review (PC)

What images come to mind when people imagine captaining a spaceship (I can’t be the only one)? Do they imagine researching planets? Conducting trade with strange new species for the betterment of the galactic community? Or, would they rather captain a battleship of the stars and turn the tide of galactic battle for their own profit? Soldak Entertainment set out to offer the chance to live out these fantasies in their latest endeavor, Drox Operative.

The history is simple: the Drox once ruled the galaxy, conquering millions of planets and ruling for over 100,000 years thanks to the powerful elite starship captains, the Operatives. As with all empires though, they began to splinter and crack, eventually believing the very Operatives who helped prop them up were a threat. The Drox attempted to have the Operatives assassinated. Not only did they fail, but the Drox were eliminated in the ensuing Galactic Civil War. The Drox Operative still survive, though now they swear allegiance to no race or state. As such, the Operatives are not interested in the minutiae of running an empire, only controlling the trade market. The goal of a Drox Operative is simple: build up as many credits as possible while customizing and building the best starship.

If that story is enough to pique your interest, that’s good, because that’s all there is – no story-line and no campaign. That’s it. What Drox Operative lacks in its own story it allows for the creation of a more dynamic and evolving tale. The story is told by the actions and influence exerted upon it. The galaxies, worlds, and races that exist in the Drox Operative‘s sector will even continue to trade and wage war with or without the Operatives’ help. The Operative influences and adapts to the sector of their control. Will they be a beacon of hope and peace, or facilitate the next Galactic War, picking sides and determining the victors before the fighting even starts?

Full Review at: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/01/04/drox-operative-review-pc/

Jet Set Radio HD review

In the glorious good ol’ days of the SEGA Dreamcast console, Jet Set Radio became something of an underground favorite – even spawning a sequel in 2002  on Xbox as Jet Set Radio Future.  As one of the first cell-shaded graphic art games, Jet Set Grind – as it was originally known – had left an impression on an entire gaming generation for its revolutionizing visuals, groovy soundtrack and quirky story.

There have been other recent re-releases of SEGA “hits” that have garnered varying levels of graphical and integral upgrades that have removed the nostalgic glow. As the next part of SEGA’s recent High Definition line-up, Jet Set Radio HD learns from the mistakes of their earlier HD attempts, but is it enough to match memories’ rose-tinted haze?


Read the full review: http://www.psnfans.com/jet-set-radio-hd-review-8214.html

Unmechanical Review (PC)

Does a sweeping story and large budget make a great game? Many smaller developers like Teotl Studios and Talawa Games believe a great game – a great experience – can be found in the simpler things. Made on the Unreal Engine, their downloadable PC game Unmechanical is just that – simple.

Contrary to some beliefs, simple does not mean a game has to be unpolished. Quite the opposite in fact. Unmechanical is a beautiful puzzle game set in a 2.5D world. While the foreground is in two dimensions, there are vast areas and stunning levels of detail in the background. Through the five or so hours of gameplay, Unmechanical takes our unnamed flying robot from being lost from being deposited in an underground cavern to strangely biological segments and beyond. The story is simple: keep moving and exploring.


Read the full review here: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2012/09/17/ftg-review-unmechanical-pc/