E3 Games from EA
RTS, the stuff of generals
BFME II teaser
The Rohirrim cavalry rides gloriously into battle once again, only this time they’re combined with the Gondorians in Battle For Middle Earth 2 against bigger and badder enemies. They’re due for release later this summer for console, but somehow the BFME experience just seems underwhelming to me. Not much enthusiasm left in me after playing the first BFME though. It’s just essentially bigger armies to play with and a Risk like style of battle. Custom heroes? Nah, that takes the fun out of the LOTR storyline. I’d rather stick to Gandalf anytime! 
Not something worth raving about. Been there and done that. The battle of good versus evil starts this June on consoles. For PC, it’s already out. Maybe I’ll get it if I’m bored enough.
No, this is not Risk on PC, it’s BFME II!
Next is something worth drooling over. C&C Tiberian Wars!
Unfortunately there’s nothing much to add from my previous coverage. This time round, there’s more eye candy (one trailer, plus screenshots) to drool over. The good news is, you’ll get to see GDI strutting its stuff (from the grunt to the fighter pilots, pretty much everybody gets a part in the trailer). Oh, and it’s back to the sidebar interface too. I’ll need to adjust later on I suppose, having gotten used to the Generals interface. As for the campaign, it’s going to be like Starcraft style, where you’ll have to play the 3 factions in sequence for the story to unfold. And this time, there are more strategic decisions to take than before. The oft quoted example is that if you choose to retake an airfield, you’ll deprive the enemy of air support and you gain some bonus. Now what about NOD? We’ll have to wait a bit before we see them in action. But one thing didn’t escape my notice. Where did the GDI mechs vanish off to? No dates given, but I’m betting that the alien crystals will engulf Earth in Q3-4 2007.
Come on grunts, pose for the camera. Then we’ll need to chase the flyboys!
FPS, the one man show
We’ll begin with a WWII FPS, Medal of Honor : Airborne! Hooray! Thumbs up for EA for developing it for PC! And it’s already the 8th in the series! I didn’t realise that it had come such a long way since the original MOHAA. That said I haven’t seen much except the opening sequence for Operation Varsity, supposedly the final mission. Quite nicely done I’d say. The audio included Sally on Radio Axis taunting the airborne troopers and boasting that the flak is thick enough to walk on, so those parachutes aren’t needed. The visuals are quite impressive, but not spectacular. The environment is bound to be immersive (if you can play at max. settings), but some parts are just plain unrealistic.
Like it? Wait till you hear this! According to the game developers, from the moment you jump out, you can control where you land, and hence the development of the mission objectives! Plus, you can customise your virtual body and weapon! First up, I’m getting an extra set of grenade satchels. Second, I’ll capture some German rifles and start taping extra cartridges all over it. And if I could, perhaps add a scope to a MP44. 
MOH: Airborne takes off in the Q1 2007, so it’s quite a wait soldier!
From the action of WWII, let’s move on to the future!
Potential US Marines recruitment poster in the 22nd century?
We shall move on to 2142, into the next Ice Age and the colossal battle between the American-EU Alliance and the Pan Asian Coalition for ground left unclaimed by ice! Before the trailer showed the action, it displayed the announcement ‘Actual game footage’. For those who never saw BF2: MC, they’ll need the reminder since the graphics are at least as equally good compared to its predecessor. In short, it’s just like BF2: MC but with all the weapons ‘upgraded’. Hmm, EMP grenades, standard issue pulse rifles, mechs, personal turrets and more! Not much in story (it’s a melee game, so why bother so much with it?) but the eye candy and the multiplayability are going to make this a worthy addition to my list. Now the AI better be good or else I’ll need to find 63 online players. The next world war starts in Q4 2006.
Actual game footage, believe it!
So, what we’ll all need to start doing is to start saving up for a graphics card if we’re to survive the next round of battle! In the meantime, if you still want more you can go visit Gamespot, IGN, Gamespy or CNCDen. As for the trailers, I got them from Gamespot since I got the basic membership. It’s free, and the low-res isn’t exactly that low-res. Now, let’s entrench ourselves for the long wait…
Images are copyright of Gamespot, seriouszone.com and CNCden.
