Universe at War Impressions
I’ve always been a fan of Westwood’s RTS’s, but the past few from the Electronic Arts assimilation have been…just okay. When Petroglyph formed from scattered Westwood remnants, I knew not all was lost. I didn’t enjoy Star Wars: Empire at War. But in all fairness, it was a different kind of RTS. Earlier this year Univers at War: Earth Assault was revealed, and I just knew Westwood had to be back.
Just this week I picked up my copy of UaW:EA. And so far…meh. I don’t know why, but it’s not pulling me in at all. I’ve only messed with two of the factions, and while I dig their design and tech, the actual gameplay seems primitive. The graphics aren’t even that great and the HUD is lacking. And I think I have an answer for this. Consoles. UaW was also designed to be played on the 360. And not just designed to be played on, but also designed to be played with the consoles. So with out a doubt, some comprimises had to be made in order for the cross-platform between PC’s and consoles to work. Could this really be the reason why I find UaW so…dull? This is not my final word by any means, but there are a few things that need to be done.
First, fix the HUD. It’s just messy. Go back to classic style RTS HUDs. We all love them. Oh, but this is designed to work with a gamepad, you say? Well, know wonder.
Secondly, the text. I guess this is another ‘console’ thing, but the text for anything is just obnoxious. Even Relic’s latest CoH patch shrunk their text down. We’re playing on LCD’s, man…we need that text small and descrete.
Lastly, graphics/animations. While this solely shouldn’t be an issue, coupled together with the first two, I feel like I’m eating a Key Lime Pie while having a cold. Sure, it might taste good…but right now, I can’t tell. The graphics are decent for some things, but the animations seem just silly. And cutscenes…let’s not zoom in on those models. There’s a reason night clubs are so dark. Oh, I could probably add in there the controls too….why did they stray away from staple RTS mouse controls? Oh yeah, consoles.
I really want to like this game, and I won’t give up. I’ll be sticking with it through the campaign, or at least try to since it is pretty boring. But what might be keeping me going is a great thing, really: Frank Klepacki. So far these tracks have been pretty rockin’. But that’s what expect from the man….I guess the same should go for the Petroglyph devs.
This might sound all negative, but I won’t give up.
