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/

Don't Starve: PAX East 2013

From the creators of Shank and Mark of the Ninja, Klei Entertainment takes a new route and take a more open-world sandbox approach to their next title: Don’t Starve. As the title implies, the entire premise of the game is to survive as long as you can while not starving. Don't Starve has as simple an interface as it does a premise. It’s up to the player to figure out how to progress and increase their chances of survival. While the basic items do show what components are needed to create them, it’s not always clear how to obtain those components. Some of the most basic items that are first crafted are the Axe and Pickaxe. From there wood can be gathered to build fire, rocks can be smashed to create a firepit and logs can be added to extend the life of the flames.

Full Article: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/03/31/dont-starve-pax-east-2013/

D&D and NeverWinter Party - PAX East 2013

The floor show is not the only place that PAX East action takes place. Some of the best places to meet people, play games and socialize are the parties that take place after the Expo Hall closes. Some are large loud affairs akin to the raves or clubs, while others - which I prefer - are more intimate affairs that allow actual conversations while still having a great fun vibe to them.

One of these more subdued parties was the D&D and Neverwinter Party. Taking place in a a private room of a popular local Boston restaurant the party had everything: MMO game demos, D&D creators and even the famous writer R.A. Salvatore.

MMORPG - Neverwinter Saga Demo

While the lines at the Neverwinter Sage Demo on the PAX East show floor stretched around the booth for much of the weekend, here we had easy access to two laptops. Each one had a different character model - one was a warrior the other was a mage. Now, I'm normally not a MMO player, but I was immediately struck with the easy of accessibility that Neverwinter Saga presented. There are the standards for MMOs present, such as cool-downs and abilities that were beautifully rendered and smooth. What really stood out to me was the little tweaks to the formula: gone is the endless comparing of loot to decide if the tiniest of differences will give you one more damage per second (DPS). In Saga these numbers are still there, but there is also a simple summary under the two items that breaks down the differences in an easy to see and quickly decide format. Being at the Neverwinter Party also offered me the opportunity to talk with the CEO of Cryptic Studios to discuss all the features and direction that their game hoped bring. Again, I'm not a MMO player, but seriously, even after playing as the Warrior for nearly an hour I really just wanted to hop back in and re-roll as the Mage.

Dungeons and Dragons

I'll probably get some flack for this, but again, I'm not a huge TableTop gamer either. Still, the impact and influence that Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) has had on the RPG genre can not be denied. Here at the D&D and Neverwinter Party people had the chance to sit down with two of the creators of the D&D Tabletop game and discuss the next iteration of the game. The most stand-out feature of the next rule-set was when they told me that in a unique twist, players will have the chance to submit the rules THEY want in the game. This is exciting and daunting at the same time. Some of these fans have been playing for decades and truly invested in the stories, camaraderie that ensues and adaptive nature of a tabletop RPG. There are also those who are not as invested. It's an interesting experiment that is sure to shape the future iterations of D&D for better or worse.

R.A. Salvatore

Of course, as the creative writer and mastermind behind the lore of the Neverwinter series, R.A. Salvatore was present at the party. This offered the unique opportunity to meet one of the most well-known writers of the fantasy genre. I don't know how many other times the chance to sit down and chat with Salvatore for hours would present itself. As an avid reader, especially of the fantasy and sci-fi genre, this was a great moment.

As you can see, events such as the D&D and Neverwinter Party offer something not found on the PAX East Expo Hall floor. While this event was invite-only, they often keep a few extra spots for fans from the show floor. So remember, it's HIGHLY recommended that if you see something great on the show floor ask if they are having a party. I really enjoyed this party and the intimate atmosphere allowed me to really enjoy everything offered - something a more crowded and loud event would not be able to do. It was also a great place to meet new people and make friends. The people at D&D and Neverwinter have just made a constant attendee of their future parties and I can't wait for another one, hopefully next year at PAX East 2014.

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/

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/

Rigonauts Review (PC - Steam)

“A physics-based strategy game inspired by Frozen Synapse and Gratuatious Space Battles.”

If that sentence makes you smile, then Rigonauts – award winner of Activision’s first Independent Games Competition – by Engient, will be one to look forward to. For those unfamiliar with this genre, think of Rigonauts as an old “windup and release” car and replace it with “loadup and release” battleship.


Read the full review: http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2012/08/06/ftg-review-rigonauts-pc/