Kemco Games

[MisterToad]

[MisterToad]

As for the poll, I didn't vote yet. I'll reserve judgement until I try Shattered Union. This is the funny part. I was excited about the prospect of another turn-based strategy title for the Xbox. I planned to pick up SU when it was available Tuesday. But I didn't. I hadn't played DS VII for months on account of being burned out on wargaming and also deeply immersed in Forza Motorsport (LOL, drove about 700 races on Live).

So I dusted off and fired up DS VII last week in anticipation of SU, and darned if I haven't been having such a great time rediscovering DS VII that I never went out to buy the new game.



But here's my take on this issue, FWIW. I think the games will complement each other nicely. I love the abstract chess-like flavor of DS VII. The variety and flexibility of being able to play as 8 different countries gives the game lots of replay value. Not to mention that the AI puts up a decent fight and doesn't make you wait around for your next move. LOL, anybody played People's Tactics ? You can balance your checkbook or wash the car while you're waiting for the AI to complete its moves.

Shattered Union looks to have a more "realistic" feel to it, if we can say that about a game where giant tanks dwarf cities, like People's General. In fact, the screenshots remind me a lot of People's General. And as was pointed out Daniel, the fighting is part of the overall strategic picture and so the game should transcend DS VII's realm of pure tit-for-tat tactics.

I think SU vs. DS VII will be somewhat akin to Gran Turismo 4 vs. Forza. But I think strategy gamers are a more introspective breed and any fanboy bickering over which is better should be minimal. It's we the gamers who will benefit. There's plenty of room for both games, and if SU sells well and spurs Kemco to respond with a new effort in the DS series, so much the better.
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Steve

[ROBERT]

[ElricJC]

[JVGFanatic]

I shouldn't even be replying (again) to this thread. I've still not gotten SU however I've been reading a bit and the reactions don't seem all that great. Apparently there are some serious interface issues--gah, I'm the most "Adrian Monkish" person about interface on the planet, this could kill the game for me.

It's kind of scary that the company hasn't even sent review copies to any of the usual sites and thus it's patently obvious there is some measure of shame, or "hush hush" about the release. From the screenshots I've seen post-release I can see why. It appears Take 2 was doing the typical "misleading render" in their advertising.

Of course could not Kemco be charged with a smiliar misleading screenshot? On Kemco's main page it shows a picture of the freakin intro video. That video says *nothing* about the game, why would Kemco choose to use that image to represent what the game is about? Gotta love marketing, not.

lol, Just a bit of a vent about nothing really. Carry on.

[Asgardian]

[ROBERT]

[JVGFanatic]

Wow, that Kemco line of mine came out MUCH harsher than I intended.

I agree that the movie, when played, does show the "war to game" effect quite nicely even in its simplicity *however* the picture of one tank roaring across the desert does not in any way symbolize what Dai Senryaku is about "for me."

That being said, Kemco could have paid an artist to render an entirely appropriate still image. Something that would combine the War to Game concept in an image that conveys more than "is it a sim? is it a real time strategy game? is it a shooter?"

Alas, thank you for the props. I hope to release a final version of that FAQ some time before the year is out. That will be in preparation for a much larger project that is in the cooker as I write. I am completely mum on the subject but know that if I were a dog my tail would be wagging

[SemperFi2382]

[DanielRuoss]

Ahhh, the joys of advertising and marketing! Video games are certainly not exempt from that BS. It's the same with movie trailers. They show you 30 secs. of the most dramatic scenes in the whole movie and then when you sit down and watch it it turns out the preview had all of the good stuff in the whole crappy picture.

The opening intro to DS VII is awesome. I still watch it everytime I turn on the game. I guess I dig the soundtrack.

I voted in the poll for DS VII. I'm loving the multiplayer of SU though. It's neat to finally play another live person. I guess my main reason for voting for DS VII is that when I bought the game I was overwhelmed and said "Finally! The game I've been waiting for! Tons of modern units, map editor, no RTS BS, and great replayability." SU is going to be underwhelming for anyone who is a fan of DS VII. I think that speaks more to the greatness of DS VII than anything being terribly wrong with Shattered Union. Shattered Union though is a good game and will provide many lessons for future console strategy games. Hopefully, someone will find a way to combine the graphics of SU, its neat story line with the depth and playability of DS VII.

Games like DS VII and SU are good news for us strategy gamers. The 'powers that be' are finally realizing we're out there and paying attention. And yes we own consoles as well as PC's! Hopefully designers will use the potential of the Xbox 360 to finally make the breakthrough TBS game that we're waiting for. Good theme, great graphics, map editors, multiplayer, huge unit catalogs, and replayability. Both of these games give me hope that this will happen sooner rather than later.

By the way.....

I can't wait to meet some of you on the SU multiplayer. Maybe we'll have a "DS VII All-Stars SU Open".

[The_Sacrament]

Though i like DSVII alout,Shattered union feels so more,real knowing your fighting in real areas.Also the graphics helped alout.(Dakotas territory,look for rice lake.)
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I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

[Guest]

Those of you who have Shattered Union, are you playing the PC or the Xbox version ? Is the Xbox version an exact port of the PC game, or have certain things been compromised to work on the console ? If you have the PC version, what are the minimum specs ?

Are the tactical battles part of a scripted sequence of scenarios like in the Panzer General series, or is the relation of the tactical level battles to the overall srategic progress of the game more free-form in nature ?

[MisterToad]

Oops. My post above, forgot to log in...
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Steve

[jojo pumpkin]

I see Shattered Union as a gateway to Strategy Games on the modern console. It (indirectly) brought me to DS so I guess it worked.

Kemco should be thrilled and should make a push to get DS back on the shelves in greater numbers. I went through a few hoops and 1/2 a gas tank to get it. I live within range of 3 Gamestops, 3 EBGames, 2 WalMarts and 2 Targets and out of the 10 game puchasing locations only one had it and it just so happened to be the last one I called and the furthest one from my house.

I'll say that SU will be a sleeper hit for the Xbox. It just takes the right person with a big enough mouth and whammo all the cool kids are getting it!

I said it in another post, a game like SU is excellent for online play on a console. The length of a DS game would be a challenging all thos kids with ADD would make it difficult to ever finish a game!

I'd like to add that my Androids in SU will crush you! Yes I said androids. There is a Political Reputation bar for your behavior in battle. If you are careful and considerate, meaning you just don't pound the hell out of a city leaving it in ruin, your approval goes up and you get "power-ups" for the greater good. Androids, Armor/Morale Boosts,Cruise Missles, Unit upgrades ect. If you do choose to go to the dark side you can too. Destroy your enemies with no regard to the cities, roads and bridges and your approval rating drops giving you more maniacle upgrades like, Nukes, Carpet Bombs, Dirty Bombs, Napalm ect...

There really is no comparing the two games other than the genre they are in. DS is a battle strategy sim (Smart and Fun) and SU is a battle strategy game (FUN, FUN)! Both games are awesome and each game compliments the other.
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~Steel Rain~
JoJo Pumpkin - XBOX Live Gamertag

[ElricJC]