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The Symposium is On

December 6th, 2008 by Troy Goodfellow · Media

A couple of days ago, I pointed you to some questions Shawn Elliott was going to pose to a symposium on game reviews that never quite got off the ground.

Well, it’s on.

And he has gathered some of the best and most interesting writers in the business. My respect for Tom Chick, Kieron Gillen and N’gai Croal needs no further comment. Leigh Alexander is one of the best minds writing about gaming today, and is always provocative without being annoying. Robert Ashley was Elliott’s partner in crime at 1up, but he’s contributed a bunch of great features to Ziff.

And all the rest. Really no second stringers in that lot. It’s not Murderer’s Row, but maybe the Gashouse Gang.

Even though I’m exhausted by discussion on this topic, the line up here makes me curious as to what will come out. I know some of these guys/gal through their work and other comments, so I don’t expect a lot of surprises. But if one pops up, I’ll be sure to comment.

Mostly, I’ll follow the conversation where it transpires and encourage you all to pay attention, too.

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Classic Game Music Chosen for You

December 6th, 2008 by Troy Goodfellow · Crispy Gamer, Music

I’ve written before about my general barbarism when it comes to game music. I could probably come up with an alternate rock/folk/showtune soundtrack for any game that would be superior to whatever the game producers stuck on the disc. One reason I love the period music of say,Bioshock or HPS’s Civil War games is that the music fits perfectly with the setting.

But when Kyle Orland asked me to contribute a suggestion to a Crispy Gamer staff list of classic game tunes from the pre-NES/Playstation era, I had no trouble coming up with a favorite.

Use the comment box there to fill us in on your aural pleasures.

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Empire: Total War Q&A

December 5th, 2008 by Troy Goodfellow · Creative Assembly, Gameshark

I sometimes flake on linking my Gameshark stuff, but here’s my recent Q&A with Creative Assembly about the upcoming Empire: Total War. This is the game highest on my radar for 2009.

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Bruce Shelley a Hall of Famer

December 5th, 2008 by Troy Goodfellow · Awards, Ensemble

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. I spoke to Mr. Shelley a few weeks ago, and he was very generous with his time when I was writing my series on ancient games.

Of the twelve inductees, six have reputations in the strategy game arena – Meier, Wright, Molyneux, Bunten, Morhaime and now Shelley. The genre has declined, relatively speaking, as new genres and platforms have taken hold of a mass audience. So eventually the raft of big strategy names from the 80s and 90s will fade.

So let’s enjoy while we can.

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Malory: Total War

December 2nd, 2008 by Troy Goodfellow · Medieval, RPGs, RTS, Wargames

Developer Neocore Games has been slowly unveiling more information about their medieval strategy game King Arthur, a game they are calling a Role Playing Wargame.

Judging from the shots of both the battle engine and campaign maps, it looks a lot like a Creative Assembly game. But so did Imperial Glory, and it wasn’t much good.

The RPG aspects seem to be the core difference. Armies will be centered around Knights, superhero figures that can explore new realms and provide battle bonuses. Like Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, this will not be an historically appropriate King Arthur, a Dark Age chieftain, but the Arthur of High Middle Age legend – plate mail, sorcery, giants, troubadors.

From the press kit:

Knightly quests are tied to the POIs on the Campaign Map. You have to send heroes to the special locations so they could participate in the adventure. Quests are short stories where the chosen knight has to make decisions somewhat similar to the classic style made famous by the Fighting Fantasy books. Some adventures end in real-time battles.

In the Saga gameplay mode the Morality of King Arthur has a huge impact on the storyline. Every decision that the player makes will determine the Morality and the future of King Arthur: he can become a Christian or a pagan king, a rightful or a ruthless monarch. These choices unlock special contents, allies, heroes, units and developments and it also influences the possible alliances.

Neocore’s most recent game was last spring’s Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come. I have no idea whether it was any good. But it was also an historical strategy RPG thing. If any of you have had any experience with it beyond that review linked above, please give me a clue as to what to expect here.

King Arthur saves the day early next year.

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While You Are Waiting

December 2nd, 2008 by Troy Goodfellow · CGW, Wargames

As I try to make sense of the games that I have to play, I recommend reading one of my favorite Tom vs Bruce articles. This month they’ve uploaded a classic from the past, Gary Grigsby’s World at War.

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