worth importing? - Defunct Games

Preview by 4th Letter
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: April 18, 2006
Genre(s): MMORPG
Category: Medieval Fantasy
# of Players: 1-1,000,000
You didn’t really think that they were going to let you go, did you?
Squaresoft, and later Square Enix, have had you in their pocket since 2003,
haven’t they? You’ve been through vanilla Final Fantasy XI, and you’ve been
through both Rise of Zilart and Chains of Promathia and you’re wanting
something more. You need a fix.Consider Square Enix your pusherman.
Treasures of Aht Urhgan (say it like a sneeze) is the latest expansion for
Final Fantasy XI and it’s got what you need. It brings new classes, enemies,
and environs for your pleasure. Blue Mages are fighting magicians with a
distinctly Middle Eastern style. They’re good at both up close and far away,
thanks to their use of curved blades and being able to learn the spells that
their enemies cast. They hail from the titular Aht Urhgan and are sure to be
formidable. The other new class is the Corsair, perhaps better known as a
pirate. While it’s doubtful (read: impossible) that Treasures is going to add
ship to ship battles, the Corsairs are sure to be interesting regardless. They
use a revolver called a “Hexagun” and luck-based skills. How that works in
gameplay is at the moment unclear, however.
There’s an entirely new continent to explore, in the form of Aradijah,
that lies under the control of the Empire of Aht Urhgan. Look to explore
the Imperial Palace, the undead-infested Arrapago Reef, and Mamook, the
city that’s burned down and rebuilt regularly, in April when the expansion
launches for PS2 and Windows-based PCs.
18_FFXI: TREASURES OF AHT URGHAN_PREVIEW HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 1_ISSUE 9_WARM BUN
Publisher: JoWooD
Developer: Phenomic
Release Date: April 21, 2006
Preview by Jeremy
Genre: RTS/RPG
Category: Hybrid
# of Players: #-#
When Spellforce first hit in 2004, it was praised for its fusion
of RTS and RPG elements, and lambasted for its interface
problems and blasé visuals. Two years later, its sequel is set to
hit stores, with fixes and new features implemented to entice
veterans and newbies alike.
Our preview build shows off a streamlined interface
making navigation simpler compared to the original’s clunky
and bloated menu setup. You no longer have to jump through
needless hoops to get something done, and it does wonders
for keeping the interface from getting in the way of the game.
Character creation is simple but effective, while spellcasting
and character emphasis have been improved.
The previously acceptable visuals have been overhauled
as well. While they weren’t shabby before, they did look a bit
bland. That isn’t a problem now, as character and background
detail has been increased. Character animation has also improved
a bit. These enhancements may have come with a high
price, as there is major slowdown in this build. Hopefully it’s
just limited to the early state of the game. If it isn’t, it’ll be a
crippling problem.
Given that, I’m rather thankful that the audio isn’t affected.
The music actually has some dimension to it now, although
the voice work hasn’t improved much. In spite of these
apparent shortcomings, Spellforce 2 manages to be enjoyable.
If they can handle the problems with slowdown before the
game ships, this’ll be fun.
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 1_ISSUE 9_WARM BUN
SPELLFORCE 2_PREVIEW_3