Fri, Jun 21, 2002 page19

• A new generation of games

  No matter if you prefer slaying beasts, building an empire, playing golf or replaying the World Cup to have your tean win, there's a game for you

  • By Lin Chieh-yu / STAFF REPORTER
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  War Craft III: Reign of Chaos

  After four years of waiting, Blizzard has finally announced that War Craft III: Reign of Chaos will hit the shelves on July 4. It will be released simultaneously in Taiwan, and among players, retail outlets and distribution companies, this is the big event of the year.

  In the run up to its release, War Craft III has generated massive press. It already leads the rankings as the most anticipated game on such gaming Web sites as Gamebase (遊戲基地) and Gamer, and those who have had the chance to test the game are busy discussing it in numerous online forums.

  

  COURTESY OF UNALIS

  For Taiwan's retailers, the release of War Craft III at this time is a blessing. May and June are traditionally a period of weak sales and this year has been no different. Stores are looking to War Craft III to be the savior of their economic woes, for it is almost guaranteed to sell strongly. Already you can't miss the huge advertising posters that adorn stores in Kuanghua market or computer hypermarts.

  "Since Unalis started taking advanced orders for War Craft III on May 25, orders for 200,000 units have already been placed by retail outlets, and individual Internet orders have exceeded 100,000," said Lee Chen-han (李承 翰), marketing division manager of Unalis Corporation, which is authorized by Blizzard to publish the game in Taiwan.

  "Taiwan's enthusiasm for the game has really made an impact with the people back at Blizzard headquarters. They made Taiwan the first stop for Bill Roper, chief designer of the game, during a tour of Asia to promote the game and will be inviting three local gamers on an all-expenses-paid trip to Blizzard headquarters in Los Angeles," Lee said.

  

  COURTESY OF UNALIS

  In order to give gaming fanatics an outlet for their ardor, Unalis opened a War Craft III competition in Internet cafes across the island last week using a beta version of the game to select a team to represent Taiwan in a championship match against South Korea in July.

  The game has also attracted a number of celebrities. Shih Wen-bin (施文彬), a three-time best male singer in the non-Mandarin category at of the Golden Melodies, and top teen idol of the moment Jay Chou (周杰倫), are both fanatical War Craft players. Shih has enrolled in the national competitions and hopes to represent Taiwan, and Jay wrote the lyrics for the game's Chinese theme song.

  War Craft III uses a graphic engine similar to that used in Empire Earth, which places it a step ahead of most other real-time strategy games. Using the mouse, it is possible to zoom in and out of the scene and the characters and monsters are incredibly life-like.

  

  COURTESY OF ELECTRONIC ARTS

  The development of War Craft III has not been without its problems despite Blizzard's strong track record. With characters of two different races in the first and second editions of the game, Blizzard managed to keep a remarkably high level of balance. Jumping to four races in the third edition, game testers worked long and hard to scale down the overwhelming superiority of the night elf race that marred beta versions of the game.

  "We have tested War Craft III extensively over LAN networks and can guarantee that it does not have the imbalance that marred Microsoft' s Age of Empires and Age of Kingdom series. Even though Age of Kingdom has 13 races, experienced players always chose to use the Mongol race to the exclusion of every other type," said Gamebase senior editor Antonio Lu (呂維振).

  The logic for this new trend of combining RPG and RTS gaming systems first made an impact on the gaming community with Warlords Battlecry released by Interwise, the first edition of which has already achieved a significant fanbase in Taiwan. The second edition released in Taiwan last month, while superficially more complex, having a total of 12 racial types, isn't really all that different. In War Craft III, the orc, night elf, human and undead racial types are totally distinctive.

  

  COURTESY OF SID MEIERS

  2002 FIFA World Cup

  The 2002 FIFA World Cup is already into the quarterfinals and many top teams have already been knocked out. If your favorite team is already out of the competition, 2002 FIFA World Cup by US firm Electronic Arts (藝電), may be the answer. With its high degree of realism and detailed information, it has the added option of letting soccer fans cheer themselves up by changing history.

  2002 FIFA is the only computer game formally licensed by FIFA. It contains detailed information about all the players taking part in the current event, even down to gestures favored by individual players when they score a goal -- blowing kisses to the crowd, throwing up their arms -- so that gamers can get the real feel of being part of the competition.

  

  COURTESY OF TAKE2

  Games by Electronic Arts's have proved popular with Taiwan gamers, and 2002 FIFA maintains this strong record, garnering five stars from Taiwan's oldest gaming magazine PC Gamer, and accolades from other gaming journals.

  The music, scenery and artificial intelligence-driven soccer technique, is a total re-creation of the actual event. For many Taiwanese who are unable to see the actual games, 2002 FIFA offers a chance of controlling some of the world's best soccer stars. It even gives gamers the opportunity to create their own dream team with which they can sweep every other team that they meet.

  Trade Empires

  If you find killing mythical beasts adolescent and don't have the patience to sit through a soccer game, playing at business or a couple of rounds of golf might be more your scene. Trade Empires released by Take2 and distributed in Taiwan by T-Time Technology gives you the chance to build a commercial empire while Electronic Arts' Simgolf, another in the series of "city building" games from the master of turn-based strategy, Sid Meiers, lets you create your ideal golf course.

  Trade Empires combines aspects of Railway Tycoon and Civilization, taking the gamer from ancient history through the Middles Ages and into the Industrial Revolution as a member of a trading dynasty.

  The aim is, as they say in the movies, total world domination, but rather than military, Trade Empires aims at economic preeminence. Scientific and cultural development, as in Civilization, sets the pace and forces the play to adapt to a changing environment. Overall, it is a well-designed game, and although the pace is somewhat slow, it manages to convey the feel of global trade.

  Sim Golf

  Sid Meiers' Simgolf is described as a "turn-based sporting game with role-play." This might seem rather cryptic, but really the concept isn't difficult to understand. The golf course itself is rather like a country in Civilization. The gamer develops the facilities of the course (fairways, rest facilities), organizes work teams (cleaners, kiosk attendants), and can even play a few rounds with the pros. In effect, you are the designer, CEO and manager and your aim is to create the golf course of your dreams.

  You can hold competitions, or even compete yourself (improving your skill along the way), but if you'd rather stick to the design aspects, the sky's the limit as you add helipads and other luxury facilities. It is an ideal way for someone who enjoys sports but has no love for exhausting computer gaming, or someone who likes to play at strategy but doesn't want to deal with mayhem and magical beasts.
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