It’s been a long day at the THQ presentation event in north London and, in a moment of typical gaming journalist existence, I’ve forgotten half of what I want to ask my interviewee about the sequel to one of the lesser known but better appreciated RTS titles on PC, Company of Heroes.

Quinn Duffy sits in one of two comfortable chairs, with me taking the other. An experienced Canadian games designer whose enthusiasm for the RTS genre becomes more apparent as we talk, Duffy has had a long day too. Most of it’s been spent answering questions, so in my haste to find something interesting to latch on to I stumble rather spectacularly into the old ‘PC versus console’ subject.

“Do you think in terms of keeping Company of Heroes with the PC crowd you are selling the RTS as a ‘PC only’ product or do you think it’s something you could port to consoles in the future?” I manage, after much preamble.

Duffy doesn’t seem to mind. “I think that the purity of the experience in an RTS is best supported by a PC; people have tried a number of things on consoles with voice command or with controller commands or changing up the control scheme. But the RTS experience – because of the depth of the gameplay, especially in Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes 2 – and the involvement and the intensity of the experience, I think, would be very challenging to develop for console. And until we can build the same experience and give console players the same experience PC players have, I don’t think it would be worth us doing.

“But there are some things I’m personally very excited about for the future, when we talk about the next generation of what PCs will look like – tablets and slates – and how that gives players a chance to engage with a much more tactile gaming experience, so I think that’s really exciting and we’ll see what happens there.”

I’m more relaxed by this point and encouraged by the fact that Duffy is unafraid to state his thoughts on a touchy subject without ambiguity, so we move on directly to Company of Heroes 2 with a question about its content. Relic Entertainment has chosen to depict real nations; real people who were real soldiers in real conflicts. Does Duffy think that by removing the player to the role of directing the combat, rather than participating, something of that pure experience of what it was like for the people involved in these real conflicts and situations is taken away?

“It’s a really interesting question and we approached the development of the game, both the original and the sequel, to counter that very feeling of removal. But so much of what we do in the game is about the presentation of the game; it’s about high fidelity units and thousands of animations, engaging with those soldiers the way an officer would,” Duffy asserts, “An officer has to be similarly removed from the experience. I mean, they’re ordering people to do actions and they’re sometimes ordering people to their deaths, and there’s that burden of command that weighs heavily on those guys.

“We wanted to get just a bit of that into our game. That’s why we put so much effort into helping the player identify with the game, with the controls, that’s why we put so much effort into the audio, so it immerses the player and engages them. Unlike any other RTS, we give the player a deeply emotional experience. I know when I played Company of Heroes and I finished the game, and I had to pry my fingers off the mouse and I sat back – PHEW! – That’s an incredible experience.”

He smiles. “We’re not abstracting; we’re trying to get the player as deeply engaged as possible for the experience, even though it is an RTS.”

Following on from that, then, why not use a completely fictitious setting? Why use troops and nations who are known as being real? Couldn’t you use something else and have that same level of emotional engagement?

“I know people can identify really strongly with fictional environments,” Duffy nods slightly, acknowledging the point but not conceding to it, “I’m always a firm believer that truth is stranger than fiction…and history is so compelling, and as somebody who loves history I love being able to pick the time to set this game, and hopefully people will be interested in the outcome and the experience. We built unique IPs. We built a much-loved world in Homeworld, but we built a much-loved experience in Company of Heroes. And the attraction of that is its authenticity, its history.”

It’s hard to argue with that logic and Duffy’s belief in the material that makes up Company of Heroes 2 as a hard-hitting experience rather than a trip through wonderland is compelling.

So what about the gameplay mechanics themselves?

Obviously now people expect the RTS to become more than the RTS has been in the past, I point out. Players no longer build everything themselves, they’re expected to use every facet of the landscape, any buildings and every piece of situational context that they can. By squashing all of that detail into an RTS model, are there any particular balancing issues that developers have to address with learning curves for new players? Can new players pick up a sequel to something like Company of Heroes and be sold on the controls alone?

“We looked at new systems that felt immediately intuitive. Line-of-sight is intuitive, so there’s really nothing new to learn, it actually feels more accurate and closer to real life expectation than the standard RTS line-of-sight system.

“The new system feels like a natural evolution from Company of Heroes; things like ‘vaulting’. When we looked at the original we were thinking, “Why can’t I get over that wall? Why can’t I climb those stairs?”, because we expect to be able to. In Company of Heroes 2, things like the ‘vaulting’ system match player expectations. By placing these things in the game we’ve created a lot more tactics, a lot more submerging gameplay, but they’re very natural-feeling systems.”

It’s a short interview and he doubtless has a few more to go before the day is done. I thank Quinn Duffy for his time and shake his hand, expressing a vague hope that I asked some questions he hadn’t been hearing all day. “Um, I think you have,” Duffy states in a tone of voice that suggests all interviews eventually bleed into each other.

It’s customary to tell developers you love their work and you’re looking forward to their games, even if you’re not, but after meeting the man who’s put quite a bit of his mind into how Company of Heroes 2 operates I am genuinely enthused. We could all do with something that demands the use of our brains instead of raw killing instinct, and if it’s anywhere near as intelligent as Duffy makes it sound we’re in for a proper treat and it can’t get here soon enough.

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As a true sequel, this game moves the battle away from the common Western Front focus of World War II and refocuses on some of history’s most brutal and devastating conflicts on the Eastern Front, challenging players to take command of the iconic Red Army and repel the Nazi invaders from the very gates of Moscow.

Company of Heroes 2 utilizes Relic Entertainment’s state of the art proprietary Essence 3.0 Engine to bring new technological advancements to the strategy genre in the form of innovative Dynamic Battle Tactics, increased graphical fidelity and new environmental destruction, ultimately putting the player in control with new Commander Abilities.

Greg Wilson, Producer at Relic Entertainment commented, “Company of Heroes 2 is a true successor, introducing a new front, new protagonists and new technology while retaining the unique mix of strategic gameplay and competitive multiplayer that made the original Company of Heroes such a success.”

Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President of Core Games commented, “We are excited to announce a sequel to one of THQ’s best loved properties. Company of Heroes 2 will deliver an amazing strategy experience along with a strong post-launch digital content plan that enhances and expands the product’s lifecycle.”

The original Company of Heroes was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and is currently the highest rated strategy title on Gamerankings.com (with more than five reviews) with an average of 93.82% based on 56 reviews. The game features similar acclaim on Metacritic.com with a Metascore of 93% based on 55 reviews.

Company of Heroes 2 is scheduled to be available for PC in early 2013. For more information check www.companyofheroes.com

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Delivering a unique art style and unrivaled multiplayer, “Fable Heroes” is a game that demands to be played again and again. The title is available now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points.

The highly anticipated “Fable Heroes” takes playful competition to new heights with four player co-op, time trials and leaderboards on Xbox LIVE. Featuring hack-and-slash gameplay, the title features recognized heroes from the Fable series, working together to defeat enemies while also competing against each other to collect gold coins. Collected coins will level up characters and unlock unique items in “Fable: The Journey” when it launches later this year.

Loaded with adventure, “Fable Heroes” includes:

• Heroic Challenges: Band together with up to four friends to defeat enemies or compete against them to collect gold coins. Players who dominate the competition will unlock items and level up.
• Albion with a Fun Twist: “Fable Heroes” originates from the imaginations of Lionhead employees who have been fans of the franchise since its inception and delivers a fresh take on Albion with unique art and aesthetics. The world includes familiar regions, enemies and cheeky characters from the “Fable” series.
• Skilled Progression: Players can battle to become an unstoppable force in Albion by crushing friends and foes to level up. As heroes advance, game features will unlock, such as finishing moves, flourishes and power ups.
• Ever Changing Gameplay: Prevail in minigames to gain new powers and unlock increasingly difficult levels to beat previous scores and climb the Xbox LIVE leaderboards. In addition, set the difficulty level from the start to challenge both experts and novices alike.

Furthermore, Fable fans can pick-up a host of new “Fable Heroes” inspired avatar gear, from pet chests and Hero heads to costumes. Check the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for more information.

Our review is also live and can be read here

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It’s pretty hard to do something based around Albion that hasn’t already been done as Fable, for the most part, includes God like features that span every genre.

In Fable Heroes though, Lionhead Studios have opted to to bring some multiplayer fun into the mix by marrying hack and slash ethics into some healthy grab what you can competition and the idea is so simple that gameplay prevails as the driving factor behind what makes this title a success.

The premise is simple.  You control one of many puppet characters based on the characters of Albion to hack and slash your way through various locations within Lionhead’s imagined world whilst collecting as much gold as you can along the way.  At the end of the level you will see two paths in which you will play either a mini game or fight a boss to finish and collect as much loot as you can too.  The rub?  Well, you have another 3 players in the form of A.I. or friends along for the ride doing exactly the same thing and jostling for position on top of the podium becomes the fun factor in all of this.  A little healthy competition didn’t hurt anyone and Fable Heroes serves up that formula perfectly as you strategise of whether it is worth waiting for coins to drop from other players doing damage or if you would be better served getting stuck into the heart of the fight.

Different classes of puppets are also present so deciding whether you want to go with a ranged character or something that is well versed in the close attack are also needed to be thought about.  You can also poer up your puppets at the end of each level by playing a mini board game. Roll a dice, land on the required space and decide whether you want to buy the upgrade by spending all of those coins that you have collected also adds a little twist to proceedings.  Once everything has been collected on the outside path an inner path becomes unlocked which wields more bountiful goodies.  The problem is though that once you have taken the time to land on all of the outside spaces your money has built up to such a point that it makes purchasing anything you want easy.  Its a great idea but one that is slightly flawed and needs a rethink.

Now, you may think the game has no depth as there is only so many times that you can fight Hobbes and the like in a standard way but fear not.  Lionhead have introduced a few of the gems from the Fable series and introduced them into here.  The moral choices for example that go hand in hand with your hero are represented here with good and evil chests placed in certain parts of a level that have positive or negative effects.  Choose the good chest and a positive effect will happen to either you or one of the players.  This could be a  cloud that rains coin drops onto them or choosing evil may create a cloud that zaps them with lightning, dropping coins everywhere.  Effects can also be transferred from player to player so watching  what is happening is very important as you may see your character start to leak coins.

Other chests are placed around each level that also contain various effects but stuff that is not as dramatic as the good or evil ones.  Examples of which are growing or shrinking, receiving cash or a bonus multiplayer and offer up a way of breaking the monotony that may present itself after and elongated gaming session.

The big sticking point for me was how hollow the experience felt when playing on your own.  Having 3 A.I. puppets running around with you served no enjoyment at all and seemed to move away from the unique selling point of the title.  However, when you team up with some of your buddies to go marauding through the landscapes of Albion, the game feels alive and you soon forget the little bugs that annoy you and the added gloss of local 4 player competition sets itself up for a game that can be played through the night, enjoyed with a couple of beers and have a few belly laughs with some of your mates at home.

Overall, Fable Heroes is worth the 800n Microsoft point asking price and although there are a few bugs here and there, a few gripes about playing on your own,  the competitive nature and simplicity of the gameplay will give you hours of fun among friends online or off. Being able to transfer all of your coin into Fable: The Journey when it eventually releases has to also add a little weight.

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Under the terms of the agreement, Nintendo will be responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of the game throughout EEA, Switzerland, Russia, Turkey and South Africa territories, with Square Enix Europe remaining as publisher. Heroes of Ruin will be released across Europe on 15^th June this year.

Heroes of Ruin pushes social and online interaction to the forefront of gameplay through innovative use of the Nintendo 3DS hardware. Players can trade rare and powerful items through an in-game shop which has an inventory updated through creative use of StreetPass. Connect your 3DS console online to download fresh daily challenges which allow you to earn rewards as you play. Heroes can choose to take the battle to the next level by connecting locally or over the internet to fight alongside their friends in cooperative multiplayer.

In Heroes of Ruin, your adventure begins in the grand city of Nexus where a fragile peace has been shattered when a curse is placed upon the city’s ruler. Unable to find a cure, a call is sent out across the lands, promising rewards beyond measure to anyone who can find a cure. Choose from one of four unlikely heroes to answer the call and find the cure to save the city.

Heroes of Ruin challenges players to carve their own adventure as a Gunslinger, Alchitect, Vindicator or Savage. Create and customise your character and battle the elements and an array of fearsome and dangerous creatures through an environment with routes that change every time you play. Choose to form an alliance with other heroes, through four-player drop-in/drop-out multiplayer either locally or online, or go it alone, venturing forth into the wilderness to ultimately do battle with the mysterious force behind the curse.

Check out Heroes of Ruin from Nintendo and Square Enix when it comes to Nintendo 3DS on 15th June!

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In A Heroes Guide to Amalur: Skills & Crafting, go deeper into the immense world and explore the many skills available to make your heroes journey exciting and unique!

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After Agents, Racing, Party, Kingdom and others that I may have forgotten, MySims are now entering the Danger Zone with SkyHeroes; a flight combat game that reminisces of titles like Snoopy Flying Ace and Crimson Skies. Let me begin by saying that whoever reads this review should know that SkyHeroes can be easily enjoyed by adults, but the whole point is to please the younglings first and invite their parents to join the fun. If you suffer from ADHD and already skipped to the bottom of this review, the chances of our final score surprising you are high.

A nameless pilot finds himself stranded on a beach after his plane crashed. Afflicted with memory loss, he gets recruited by a rebel group known as the SkyHeroes, who seek to clean the skies from the Chaos Pirate organization led by the evil Morcubus. From there, players are tasked with defeating Morcubus and his acolytes and earn victory in the different aerial combat set-ups and racing challenges.

I won’t spend much time making you believe that the storyline presented in SkyHeroes is groundbreaking and amazing because it isn’t. It’s highly forgettable, so much so that even the cleverest kid will end up losing any interest in the characters or the main plot. However, SkyHeroes scores positively on everything else…given that you understand that this game is strictly aimed at a young audience. The story mode is made of several plane races and dogfights that award the player with unlockables which allows for creating, modifying and improving the planes as well as customizing the main character at will. The rewards are based on how high players rank on each given mission and how fast they’re completed. Finish a mission, return to base, talk to the obnoxious characters, find out that you’re being sent to another dogfight or race…rinse and repeat. Even though the mission structure becomes repetitive quickly, the simple and straightforward combat is what makes this game somewhat fun. Controls are responsive and intuitive. The respawn system is almost instantaneous. Planes don’t explode when hitting structures. Defensive and offensive power-ups (which act as a secondary weapon) are scattered across the maps and can be picked up at any time.

To increase the game’s appeal, a Quickplay mode as well as a two-player local and 10-player online multiplayer mode is also available. Unless there are people on your friends list playing, finding random pilots online might be a difficult task since no one is playing the game (at least during my review time). I don’t know if the £30 price tag has something to do with it, but if a game like Snoopy Flying Ace (a £5 game mind you) has trouble filling its matchmaking lobbies nowadays, EA shouldn’t be surprised to see this game get snubbed. I’ve said it countless times, if a developer is going with a simplistic experience while aiming at kids and families, the price should reflect that. Games like these don’t get the same budgets other AAA games do. So why not go the budget-title route? By the way, MySims SkyHeroes isn’t better than the aforementioned Snoopy Flying Ace. Knowing there’s a £25 gap between the titles (one being retail and the other downloadable), the purchasing choice between the two is painfully obvious.

Of course, when evaluated from an experienced gamer point of view, MySims SkyHeroes is a disappointing title. Enemy AI is cheap and has overpowered aerial manoeuvres. You are able to pull off evasive movesl with the right thumbstick but compared to what the AI can do, your moves aren’t that efficient against the enemy. The targeting system isn’t very precise either. Matter of fact, power-ups makes it easier to get rid of enemies so make sure they’re used as often as possible.The gameplay has a hard time following the story too. It seems to be a bit confusing when not finishing first is considered winning. As long as you finish in the top three – in spite of the enemy ranking above you – you’re a winner. The game does suffer from its giving nature and it could have certainly been handled differently. SkyHeroes doesn’t take advantage of the Xbox 360/Playstation 3 hardware capabilities either. Despite the large and diverse environments, the visuals are extremely simplistic and won’t ‘wow’ anyone. Keep in mind that this is looking at it from an experienced gamer’s point of view. Kids – which is the target audience here – won’t be concerned about most of these issues. Oh, if you haven’t played a MySims game prior to this one, be ready to get annoyed by the Sinmlish dialogue. Just saying…

Despite its negatives, MySims SkyHeroes does a good job at keeping the young and/or inexperienced player interested. Its solid level of customization and intuitive flight combat mechanics make it a worth checking out, but not at the current price point. Pricing a game at the same level as other, more adult oriented and full featured AAA titles, even though the game in question is clearly target for kids and stripped back a bit in certain areas, is a fail in my book. If it’s geared toward the younger set, then it should be priced accordingly. As for the hardcore gamer, don’t go in expecting a story-driven Crimsons Skies-like experience. You’d be better served keeping your £30 for something else.

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Released exclusively for Nintendo Wii, Western Heroes will be bundled with a unique Wii Remote and Nunchuck compatible rifle peripheral – based on the famous Winchester rifle – when it is published this November.

In a setting inspired by the great Spaghetti Westerns of the 20th century, Western Heroes tells the story of four seasoned compadres on a mission to foil the devious plans of the sinister Molina, who threatens to turn the rugged prairies into an industrial wasteland. Up to four players at a time will blast their way through classic ‘Wild West’ scenarios including a steam train, a cattle ranch, an old mine and many more. Completing story mode chapters will unlock additional challenges and survival mode levels for extended play to test players’ accuracy and reactions.

The accompanying rifle peripheral is unique to the game, having never been available in the UK before. Its innovative design houses the Wii Remote in the barrel and the Nunchuck in the stock to provide an added level of immersion to budding cowboys and cowgirls. The gun’s lever action beneath the trigger will reload in-game, to replicate the repeater action of ‘the rifle that won the West’.

“We are renowned for our innovations in videogame peripherals, but the Winchester is one of the very best we have put our name to,” commented Mark Liddle, Head of UK Business Developement, Bigben Interactive. “With Western Heroes, we are confident that we have secured the perfect accompanying title to offer a Wild West experience like no other.”

Western Heroes will be published by Bigben Interactive for Nintendo Wii this November.

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Designed with the concept  of a traditional RPG brought up-to-date with the best of today’s technology, the game goes back to the basics and origins of the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes Of Light, for the Nintendo DS system will be released on 8th October, 2010.

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The title is available in high definition for the Xbox 360, PS3, and on Wii and Nintendo DS.

“MySims SkyHeroes strikes the right balance for players of all skill levels with three levels of difficulty, making it an ideal game for everyone from fathers and sons to play together, to hardcore gaming fans looking for high-speed aerial maneuvers, boss battles and multiplayer action,” said Scott Evans, General Manager of the The Sims Studio. “This makes the game a must-have for any gamer this holiday season, especially as the MySims franchise expands to new platforms to bring even more fans into the fold.”

Players begin the game as a pilot who has crash landed on an island, waking up with amnesia. He joins a group of fellow stranded pilots in a quest to take down the villain Morcubus, who is doing everything in his power to prevent anyone from flying in an attempt to rule the skies.

MySims SkyHeroes pilots jump right into the action in Single Player Campaign mode, flying through 42 different missions over 12 vastly different environments as they gather power-ups and assorted unlockable upgrades while trying to rack up the best score along the way. With each accomplished mission, the player becomes an increasingly high profile and feared hero by defeating deadly enemies, testing his mettle in high-speed challenges, or facing down huge bosses. While progressing through the game, players use power-ups such as radar jammers and giant laser attachments to temporarily punish the enemy. They can also use unlockable elements to customize their planes and outwit foes. For instance, players can swap in a new engine or upgrade wings to create a faster, more nimble aircraft; paint and detail planes to blend and disappear into the environment to evade combatants; or upgrade weapons as well as the pilot himself with new facial features and hats. The customization combinations are endless, which is part of the MySims SkyHeroes strategy and fun.

Branching storylines also keep MySims SkyHeroes interesting at every looping turn. For example, if a player is engaged in a mission that has him facing off with a difficult boss, he can temporarily leave the battle to rescue a fellow MySims character who may be able to assist in the battle against that boss.

MySims SkyHeroes also offers two Quick Play modes — Dogfighting and Racing. Dogfighting allows players to challenge foes in dangerous aerial maneuvers like barrel rolls and loops against a cityscape backdrop or a lush tropical paradise, complete with an active volcano. The Racing mode tests a player’s twitch reflexes during high-speed solo or team challenges. Both styles ratchet up the adrenaline when players click into online multiplayer action allowing up to 10 players on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, six on the Wii or four on the Nintendo DS. The game becomes even more riveting by viewing the action in local split-screen format on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 33, allowing players to team up in co-op play against eight AI opponents, or go head-to-head against each other in competitive play.

MySims SkyHeroes for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS is rated 3+ by PEGI. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions carry an RRP of £39.99 while the Wii version has an RRP of £29.99 and the Nintendo DS version has an RRP of £29.99.

We managed to get hands on with the game a month ago and must say that it was a lot of fun.

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