It feel so soon, but here we are already at the second Monday of March! It was really difficult to select games for this month, since I’ve almost exclusively been playing the Starcraft II beta. Anyway: I”ll be reviewing Aliens vs. Predator, Shattered Horizon, and the demo for Supreme Commander 2. Let’s kick this pig!

Aliens vs. Predator

The new Aliens vs. Predator feels like it exists wholly to prove a point: that the Alien and Predator franchises are still awesome, and when they work together to make a game, the product of that is also still awesome. And, well, that’s true. The three relatively short campaigns are all very well done, very enjoyable, and very classic. If you haven’t played the old Aliens vs. Predator games, do yourself a favor and make some time for that soon. Multiplayer in this new installment is fun, but you have to be careful not to take it too seriously. This isn’t Starcraft: The FPS, even though the races are very similar, so don’t expect a balanced, competitive atmosphere. Hop online, fight some people, and just bask in the brutality. It’s a unique experience, but it sadly doesn’t last that long.

Very positive meh.

Shattered Horizon

Three grenade types, two teams, and only one gun. Put it in space, make it drop-dead gorgeous, and there you go. Enemies can come from literally any direction, and they’re all just as fragile as you are. See, in space, it’s easy to die. Your suit has thrusters on it so you can go any direction you want. In fact, you only show up on radar if you’re using your thrusters. You drift around, die a lot, find out that ice grenades are basically smoke grenades and EMP grenades shut off enemies’ suits, and get frustrated by techniques you don’t yet understand. Keep playing, however, and you’ll come to love this game for its brutal equality and unclouded purpose.

Love.

Supreme Commander 2 demo

I didn’t want to do a demo for this, but as I said, I’ve been basically only been playing the Starcraft II beta. The original Supreme Commander is a game I really respect. The “strategic zoom” allows you to examine anything from the details on trees to the entire 81 by 81 kilometer playing field. It tread new ground for the RTS genre, and it made even matches that lasted four or more hours worth it. My friends and I can tell stories about Supreme Commander matches in much the same way that other people can tell stories about their weekend going clubbing. Supreme Commander 2 seems to be more of the same. The demo only allows access to a little bit of the single player campaign, and the first one wasn’t really a game I played for the single player.What I can say is this: the new tech structure (research points carrying you along tech trees instead of upgrading each individual land/air/naval factory) works really well, the enormous new array of units is awesome, and the game seems to be less taxing on my system than the first game. I wish the demo was longer and showed off the other factions, (you really only get a feel for the UEF) but it still feels like Supreme Commander, and that’s a very, very good thing.

Love.

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