Well, if you're just looking for something new which you can play for a couple of hours and nothing else, then I can recommend 8-bit Armies and Act of Aggression. They're not bad, it's just you don't get that much invested like the old games did.
Else, if you're looking something more different, just not needing base-building, then either Total War: Warhammer (Though I bashed it only because of the DLCs decisions, it's still worth taking a look) and Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Which GREATLY recalls the Treasure Planet game and Nexus: The Jupiter Incident)
Well, one thing is ripping off Blizzard models and assets to learn how they work. Putting them in another game and calling it your own is something completely different.
That's literally nothing, dudes. REAL embarassment came from my homeland in the form of OutLive, remember? Even Atrox, Armageddon: For the Crimson Glory, Impact of Power: Destroyers and Submarine Titans had a bit of an effort put to them. OutLive literally had NOTHING backing it.
You mean the Tosh-ish lava mission? Nothing new. If there'd be something real fresh it'd be a chaotic mix between Outbreak and the Kaldir mission with flash freezes freezing the undead instead of killing them. The final mission would be to kill all infested structures, but that'd mean getting past normal enemy troops. Bonus objective could be killing radar spires.
Call it crazy, but it's literally the first superhero movie where everything's pushed to the limit from it's predecessor, which was, for the lack of a better word, lukewarm. The pacing, the intriguing plot development, the gritty feeling, the character development, the drama, the fight against all odds, it's everything you'd demand from Marvel. And for those who'll ask, I haven't seen Civil War, yet, but from what I've been seeing the reception and even the trailers, I can definitely confirm CA really beats Batman in the issue 'best hero movie trilogy'.
This was before the supposed 'Disney 3d Renaissance' with Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia, but I'm surprised there's not many people to call it a criminally underrated gem, like I do. Unfortunately, it was because it came out the same year as the worst animated movie also by Disney, Chicken Little... Ugh. Other than that, this movie has all elements you'd expect from the upcoming ones, just undiscovered - A simple but solid plot, character development, a strong message and some cheesy humor you'd expect from a kids' movie. Maybe a very smart kids' movie. The ending, though, it can make you drop a tear, so well built it was.
This movie is the bizzarre case of how Jason Statham could prove to be a solid actor, but most of it, I admit, is backed by other talents like De Niro, Clive Owen and Mr. Echo. The plot is nothing special, the supposed 'romantic' lead doesn't get much space and side characters aren't that interesting, but the ending virtually redeems it all, in how strongly planned and executed it was. In particular the very unknown lesson we get, the soundtrack and the dialogue, you'd swear EivindL wrote the script. Sort of.
I REALLY must be a minority on this, but I'm one amongst the few that thinks The Hobbit, the first at least, was better than LotR. While LotR has the advantage of being big, a masterpiece and such, you can't deny the flaws that kneecap it. This one, however, does remedy some of them, I guess - The protagonist is likable and you can relate to him, the journey is believable, the cameos are some fun, but the action scenes scenes are what take the cake as well as the soundtrack and the humor, most of it made by the interaction between the Bilbo and the Dwarfs. On the other hand, the second is at best OK, but they really screwed it up on the third one. It's only the first one I'll stand on it's side, no one else.
The reason why should hardly need explaining - This is the first kids' movie I've seen in a VERY long time to touch a very adult matter: Moving on and growing up. How you shouldn't deny sadness because of reasons, how you can get angry and apathetic as you can't seem to fit in, how you wished to return to the happy place, but you can't, EVERYTHING is dealt with in a cohesive, easy and mature way. The soundtrack, especially the 'climax' of the movie, is what brings me to tears every time, in how beautiful it was. If I ever have children, this is the one I'd definitely recommend to them, speaking to them honestly "This one is for you. You'll understand it, someday."
P.S: Talking about movies, anyone seen the recent Overwatch shorts, recently? I think they were just fantastic. And you?
A strong suggestion would be to change Micro-Filtering for Automated Refinery, making it 'Orbital Depots vs Automated Refinery'. That'd create a conflicting choice between choosing either easy supplies or easy vespene.
Hope to see some intense B&D segments, particularly utilizing some of the aggressive AI from Annihilation. Also let's see how the Purifiers will be done justice.
WARNING - Under the Dominion Articles of Allegiance, I'm obligated to inform of potential SPOILERS related not only to this DLC, but the based expansion (Legacy of the Void), additional StarCraft-verse material and even books. Read by your self-discretion and risk.
It's a few years since the EndWar. Aiur was reclaimed. An alien would-be god is dead. Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan are off the picture, peace is among Protoss and Terrans for the first time, the Zerg are on their lone corner, and everyone seems to be living happily ever after. Well, just not Emperor Valerian Mengsk, Admiral Matt Horner and the remainder of the Terran Dominion... Typical.
I'm DeltaCadimus, your beloved reviewer, and if there's something 'The Force Awakens' clearly taught us (Besides that virtually kitbashing three Star Wars films in one works fine), is that just because the big evil is done for, it doesn't mean all other problems just vanish into thin air. The aliens have calmed down, a bit, but the humans... Oh, the humans... This is the Nova mini-campaign DLC for Legacy of the Void, and just from the previews and what was delivered, what I can safely declare, now, is that I guess Heart of the Swarm was simply Wings of Liberty's hangover. *Ba Dum Tss*
Talking about DLC is pretty much like picking peanut butter (No, I'm not making any funny remarks of the latest Overwatch short, [P.S. That was awesome]). Some labels are the créme-de-la-créme, others are just downright mandatorily forgettable. Because of companies like EA, Ubisoft, THQ and others, DLC almost became like a synonimous to blasphemy, especially when it comes down to a single skin or animation being charged twice it's worth. I tire of using these examples I used before, but they are about the best and the only ones I have: Warhammer: Total War had locked an entire core faction, that should be included in the game, to be unlocked in pre-launch sales so to get an early profit. Star Wars: Battlefront has expensive editions which merely unlock a couple of Season Passes, weapons that can be unlocked across the game (i.e. Han Solo's Blaster and Ion Grenades) and a few victory dance animations. And Batman: Arkham Knight released some side-character campaigns that feel more like mini-games, the only exception worth mentioning being the Season of Infamy collection, for it's story.
Fortunately, the rule of 'an exception to each rule' goes out strong, at times, and these times we're often rewarded with much more than what we paid for. Stuff like the expansion to Anno 2070, the 'Cold, Cold Heart' DLC for Arkham Origins... And now Nova Covert Ops.
You heard it right, kids, this DLC, though just being the first third, IS worth buying. Not only that, it makes you want to buy it, a very rare instance and a much more profitable strategy than 'buy this because it's cool' or 'it's needed to progress'. And for the cheap investiment of the three-part bundle I've pre-bought, I'm thinking, for the first time, that this DLC should've been charged more, for the involved persons' efforts in it! Yes, this is the purest insanity I'll speak on the web, but this DLC deserved to be expensive.
Story and a bit of a Conspiracy Nut
The resume of the story, above, virtually sets about what's going on. But while Nova at least appeared a bit in WoL and HotS, she was mysteriously absent in LotV, even prior to the final fight. That's because she's just woke up in an unknown facility without any memory of the assignment that brought her there as well as the current situation. What she finds out is that the Dominion is at a crisis, as the Zerg inexplicably have resumed their attacks against humanity, while Valerian's rule is also challenged by a separate paramilitary force, the Defenders of Man, claiming to protect humanity but openly defying the Dominion that helped saved a whole universe at a big expense. It's up to Nova, fighting for her life, to escape her captivity, remember and complete her original mission all the while uncovering a dangerous conspiracy that, as per obligatory cliché, could mean the end of the Dominion that saved and recruited her in the past. All while also exploring parts of Nova's backstory (Made already exposed by the number of books and comics) and her past life and connections.
The plot, as you expected, is about as standard 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' and 'Mission Impossible' as you can get - You have the lone operative (Or not so lonely, given you can command other soldiers) being forced to survive on her own, aided by her government or not, the smokescreen organization and the real threat behind it, the shady plot, the past getting in the middle of it, intentional or not and you have the battles in between. But what's apparent, judging by the first missions, is that what actually matters is the execution and not the planning, and here it happens to actually work. This is something that takes a character that I didn't even find that interesting, even with the books and comics dedicated to her, and puts to work what 'StarCraft: Ghost' kind of attempted, but was cancelled because obviously the story, no matter how detached from StarCraft II it was, would be a troubling game changer. Here, it makes sense to carry on from her point of view because the main story is done for and there are other possibilities to explore, even classic ones we've already seen in the first game.
I say this based on the very setting that the DLC establishes, in which 'Emperor Valerian struggles to address a resurgence in Zerg attacks'. Call me a conspiracy theory nutjob, but this far easier to deduce even prior to the release - let's consider, in a logical sense, how this is out of place, especially for the Zerg Swarm: Even though it was a few years since LotV, this is a force that just came out of an apocalyptic war and was too depleted and exhausted in numbers and resources to simply start to pick up a fight with the Dominion or even the Protoss shortly after. And the Swarm is definitely different from what the Dominion faced when Arcturus was in charge, where they attacked Terran colonies indiscriminately and infested and killed whole populations. This Swarm definitely sounds one that'd only react if it were ever provoked or worse, lured. This leads to the obvious, semi-spoiler conclusion: Through Psi-Emitters or some similar gimmick, the Zerg attacks are being manufactured, pretty much in the same style Arcturus did against the Confederacy. History repeating itself.
In a way, this also links to the informations Raynor exposed back in WoL, as the recordings prove two things: That Arcturus had found a way to lure Zerg where he wanted, the Psi-Emitters and Ghosts, and he used it to destroy an enemy right at the head and take over everything. With these informations made public, especially the Emitters, anyone with the resources could manufacture it and use it as a weapon. And the convenient disappearance of multiple Ghosts, not just Nova, lends further strength to this theory.
And, lastly, because there's little info, yet, the convenient formation of the 'Defenders of Man', pretty much like the Sons of Korhal. Are they the obvious villains and culprits behind the Zerg attacks, in an ironic sense of history repeating itself? They definitely could be, or even not, maybe they're just a smokescreen to the real villains, or maybe they were a true reaction to the Dominion's difficulty in handling the Zerg, and are merely being used as either convenient useful tools or scapegoats by using people within their ranks. Now, this last one would be fun to explore because even if they didn't do it and the Dominion is innocent, there'll always be the divide between these groups because one has true intentions but no power, but the other has power but dubious intentions and there's the famous 'Who watches the Watchmen' thing. This is sort of the divide that the upcoming 'CA: Civil War' movie pretends to explore, and the gray zone that's actually difficult to figure out. But hey, they can still be the real responsible for all needless deaths across the Sector, maybe they have the intention of taking down Valerian and taking over, but until the whole scene is exposed, it all remains in theory, and that's what's best in these sort of stories, you know the villain will show up and you'll fight and defeat him, but you don't know whom he clearly is or his motivations.
Conspiracy theories aside, since it's a Nova campaign, a flurry of new characters, solely Terran, are introduced, along with the old comebacks like Swann, Valerian and Horner. One in particular I could safely bet should be included, taking from the novel's universe, is Malcolm 'Mal' Kelerchian, the wrangler. Not only does he play a core part in Nova's backstory, given he 'recruited' her for the Ghost Program, but also serves as a semi-sidekick, being a pilot, a former detective and being able to recognize and bring in other telepaths for the Dominion ('Teeps' in the Starcraft slang). As for Tosh, he could be alive or not, but definitely we'll need a final answer on the WoL choices dilemma. But given Blizzard stated they'd personally go for the option-A route (Meaning Raynor saved Haven from the Protoss and helped Tosh bust New Folsom), I'd bet he'll be, if only a chaotic third-party ally, like Catwoman to Batman in Arkham City.
Gameplay
Since I've mentioned the 'Captain America' movies, one could safely assume that while this is not the 'dream dreamy' Covert Ops gameplay you'd expect, but remember, it's just a third of the way, and a lot can happen from here to there. But the way it's done makes you look like you're actually playing a stealth agent (With a few additions I'm sure EivindL would wish he delayed his Amber Sun campaign), at least on the installation scenery, while on the macro set you look like you're actually playing as the Dominion SHIELD. Not only you have Siege Tanks capable of jumping up and down cliffs, but also Reapers which can set up Spider Mines and even Stimpacks that actually *heal* soldiers instead of taking a few damage as a price for the attack speed boost. There are also other fun additions like installation-meant infantry, flame turret obstacles and even a minigame are presented in so much content for so few maps. But hey, Whispers of Oblivion, the Zeratul prologue campaign to LotV, also gave a lot more than we expected, so we're okay with that.
The levels themselves, except the first one, have a special feel to them, almost reminding me of Mental Omega, one of my favorite and highly recommended Red Alert 2 mods/campaigns, but in a good way - Not only your macro, but your micro skills are somewhat put to the test, like how you'll use Nova to an extent (Fortunately not as unbalanced as Kerrigan was...), how well can you sneak in without killing anyone, how can you clean a bonus objective with only Reapers and Nova in a jetpack or how well and quickly can you clean positions without having to depend on Nukes.
Speaking of new additions, we also get a flurry of new doodads and assets we didn't think would be that *gigantic*. Installation cliffs, an iceworld almost like Braxis (Though it's not, why not make it a cool cameo while you're at it, Blizzard!?), and even Tarsonis, with it's own bridges, destroyed buildings and even interiors. It seems half of a work is done for a modder to make the un-destroyed versions and thus already plan his own version of Rebel Yell. There are also a plenty of new skins for both the Nova faction units, winter skins we didn't see since the glory days of WarCraft II, and new portraits to play with. StarCraft II, you can feel, is literally pushing it's boundaries to become bigger and bigger and even better. And if the Nova DLC already gave us this sweet flurry, I wonder what the next DLC (No, I'm resisting my fanboy side, here!) will bring up...
Well, where else can I go from there? It's only three missions, but the plot is sure to thicken up and what we have here will keep us entertained enough 'til the launch of the second trio of missions. But the way it was done here, geez, what can I say but 'Strap on the seatbelt, 'coz it's pitching to be a hell of a ride'.
NOTE - 3.75/5, only because it's incomplete. The remainder I'll leave when the other two episodes are available, then I can do a more thorough review with more content.
there is a cutscene or a playable part where nova is riding a vulture shooting at cars in traffic...it looks amazing!! it was a commercial in basetrade.tv last night
0
@DuckyTheDuck: Go
Well, if you're just looking for something new which you can play for a couple of hours and nothing else, then I can recommend 8-bit Armies and Act of Aggression. They're not bad, it's just you don't get that much invested like the old games did.
Else, if you're looking something more different, just not needing base-building, then either Total War: Warhammer (Though I bashed it only because of the DLCs decisions, it's still worth taking a look) and Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Which GREATLY recalls the Treasure Planet game and Nexus: The Jupiter Incident)
@Delphinium1987: Go
Well, one thing is ripping off Blizzard models and assets to learn how they work. Putting them in another game and calling it your own is something completely different.
P.S: KKND was really awesome.
0
That's literally nothing, dudes. REAL embarassment came from my homeland in the form of OutLive, remember? Even Atrox, Armageddon: For the Crimson Glory, Impact of Power: Destroyers and Submarine Titans had a bit of an effort put to them. OutLive literally had NOTHING backing it.
0
@ksnumedia: Go
You mean the Tosh-ish lava mission? Nothing new. If there'd be something real fresh it'd be a chaotic mix between Outbreak and the Kaldir mission with flash freezes freezing the undead instead of killing them. The final mission would be to kill all infested structures, but that'd mean getting past normal enemy troops. Bonus objective could be killing radar spires.
0
@SamsaraNoMas: Go
That won't be needed. The assets are already downloaded, the purchase is just to unlock them in official Blizz co-op maps.
0
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Call it crazy, but it's literally the first superhero movie where everything's pushed to the limit from it's predecessor, which was, for the lack of a better word, lukewarm. The pacing, the intriguing plot development, the gritty feeling, the character development, the drama, the fight against all odds, it's everything you'd demand from Marvel. And for those who'll ask, I haven't seen Civil War, yet, but from what I've been seeing the reception and even the trailers, I can definitely confirm CA really beats Batman in the issue 'best hero movie trilogy'.
4. Meet the Robinsons
This was before the supposed 'Disney 3d Renaissance' with Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia, but I'm surprised there's not many people to call it a criminally underrated gem, like I do. Unfortunately, it was because it came out the same year as the worst animated movie also by Disney, Chicken Little... Ugh. Other than that, this movie has all elements you'd expect from the upcoming ones, just undiscovered - A simple but solid plot, character development, a strong message and some cheesy humor you'd expect from a kids' movie. Maybe a very smart kids' movie. The ending, though, it can make you drop a tear, so well built it was.
3. Killer Elite
This movie is the bizzarre case of how Jason Statham could prove to be a solid actor, but most of it, I admit, is backed by other talents like De Niro, Clive Owen and Mr. Echo. The plot is nothing special, the supposed 'romantic' lead doesn't get much space and side characters aren't that interesting, but the ending virtually redeems it all, in how strongly planned and executed it was. In particular the very unknown lesson we get, the soundtrack and the dialogue, you'd swear EivindL wrote the script. Sort of.
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
I REALLY must be a minority on this, but I'm one amongst the few that thinks The Hobbit, the first at least, was better than LotR. While LotR has the advantage of being big, a masterpiece and such, you can't deny the flaws that kneecap it. This one, however, does remedy some of them, I guess - The protagonist is likable and you can relate to him, the journey is believable, the cameos are some fun, but the action scenes scenes are what take the cake as well as the soundtrack and the humor, most of it made by the interaction between the Bilbo and the Dwarfs. On the other hand, the second is at best OK, but they really screwed it up on the third one. It's only the first one I'll stand on it's side, no one else.
1. Inside Out
The reason why should hardly need explaining - This is the first kids' movie I've seen in a VERY long time to touch a very adult matter: Moving on and growing up. How you shouldn't deny sadness because of reasons, how you can get angry and apathetic as you can't seem to fit in, how you wished to return to the happy place, but you can't, EVERYTHING is dealt with in a cohesive, easy and mature way. The soundtrack, especially the 'climax' of the movie, is what brings me to tears every time, in how beautiful it was. If I ever have children, this is the one I'd definitely recommend to them, speaking to them honestly "This one is for you. You'll understand it, someday."
P.S: Talking about movies, anyone seen the recent Overwatch shorts, recently? I think they were just fantastic. And you?
0
@OutsiderXE: Go
No more slower than me. I didn't even finish my first campaign, yet! :p
0
A strong suggestion would be to change Micro-Filtering for Automated Refinery, making it 'Orbital Depots vs Automated Refinery'. That'd create a conflicting choice between choosing either easy supplies or easy vespene.
0
Hope to see some intense B&D segments, particularly utilizing some of the aggressive AI from Annihilation. Also let's see how the Purifiers will be done justice.
0
Let's not forget the Brazilian Cameo...
0
Merry Post-Easterlypse, everyone. xD
0
[1ST IMPRESSIONS] The Nova DLC
WARNING - Under the Dominion Articles of Allegiance, I'm obligated to inform of potential SPOILERS related not only to this DLC, but the based expansion (Legacy of the Void), additional StarCraft-verse material and even books. Read by your self-discretion and risk.
It's a few years since the EndWar. Aiur was reclaimed. An alien would-be god is dead. Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan are off the picture, peace is among Protoss and Terrans for the first time, the Zerg are on their lone corner, and everyone seems to be living happily ever after. Well, just not Emperor Valerian Mengsk, Admiral Matt Horner and the remainder of the Terran Dominion... Typical.
I'm DeltaCadimus, your beloved reviewer, and if there's something 'The Force Awakens' clearly taught us (Besides that virtually kitbashing three Star Wars films in one works fine), is that just because the big evil is done for, it doesn't mean all other problems just vanish into thin air. The aliens have calmed down, a bit, but the humans... Oh, the humans... This is the Nova mini-campaign DLC for Legacy of the Void, and just from the previews and what was delivered, what I can safely declare, now, is that I guess Heart of the Swarm was simply Wings of Liberty's hangover. *Ba Dum Tss*
Talking about DLC is pretty much like picking peanut butter (No, I'm not making any funny remarks of the latest Overwatch short, [P.S. That was awesome]). Some labels are the créme-de-la-créme, others are just downright mandatorily forgettable. Because of companies like EA, Ubisoft, THQ and others, DLC almost became like a synonimous to blasphemy, especially when it comes down to a single skin or animation being charged twice it's worth. I tire of using these examples I used before, but they are about the best and the only ones I have: Warhammer: Total War had locked an entire core faction, that should be included in the game, to be unlocked in pre-launch sales so to get an early profit. Star Wars: Battlefront has expensive editions which merely unlock a couple of Season Passes, weapons that can be unlocked across the game (i.e. Han Solo's Blaster and Ion Grenades) and a few victory dance animations. And Batman: Arkham Knight released some side-character campaigns that feel more like mini-games, the only exception worth mentioning being the Season of Infamy collection, for it's story.
Fortunately, the rule of 'an exception to each rule' goes out strong, at times, and these times we're often rewarded with much more than what we paid for. Stuff like the expansion to Anno 2070, the 'Cold, Cold Heart' DLC for Arkham Origins... And now Nova Covert Ops.
You heard it right, kids, this DLC, though just being the first third, IS worth buying. Not only that, it makes you want to buy it, a very rare instance and a much more profitable strategy than 'buy this because it's cool' or 'it's needed to progress'. And for the cheap investiment of the three-part bundle I've pre-bought, I'm thinking, for the first time, that this DLC should've been charged more, for the involved persons' efforts in it! Yes, this is the purest insanity I'll speak on the web, but this DLC deserved to be expensive.
Story and a bit of a Conspiracy Nut
The resume of the story, above, virtually sets about what's going on. But while Nova at least appeared a bit in WoL and HotS, she was mysteriously absent in LotV, even prior to the final fight. That's because she's just woke up in an unknown facility without any memory of the assignment that brought her there as well as the current situation. What she finds out is that the Dominion is at a crisis, as the Zerg inexplicably have resumed their attacks against humanity, while Valerian's rule is also challenged by a separate paramilitary force, the Defenders of Man, claiming to protect humanity but openly defying the Dominion that helped saved a whole universe at a big expense. It's up to Nova, fighting for her life, to escape her captivity, remember and complete her original mission all the while uncovering a dangerous conspiracy that, as per obligatory cliché, could mean the end of the Dominion that saved and recruited her in the past. All while also exploring parts of Nova's backstory (Made already exposed by the number of books and comics) and her past life and connections.
The plot, as you expected, is about as standard 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' and 'Mission Impossible' as you can get - You have the lone operative (Or not so lonely, given you can command other soldiers) being forced to survive on her own, aided by her government or not, the smokescreen organization and the real threat behind it, the shady plot, the past getting in the middle of it, intentional or not and you have the battles in between. But what's apparent, judging by the first missions, is that what actually matters is the execution and not the planning, and here it happens to actually work. This is something that takes a character that I didn't even find that interesting, even with the books and comics dedicated to her, and puts to work what 'StarCraft: Ghost' kind of attempted, but was cancelled because obviously the story, no matter how detached from StarCraft II it was, would be a troubling game changer. Here, it makes sense to carry on from her point of view because the main story is done for and there are other possibilities to explore, even classic ones we've already seen in the first game.
I say this based on the very setting that the DLC establishes, in which 'Emperor Valerian struggles to address a resurgence in Zerg attacks'. Call me a conspiracy theory nutjob, but this far easier to deduce even prior to the release - let's consider, in a logical sense, how this is out of place, especially for the Zerg Swarm: Even though it was a few years since LotV, this is a force that just came out of an apocalyptic war and was too depleted and exhausted in numbers and resources to simply start to pick up a fight with the Dominion or even the Protoss shortly after. And the Swarm is definitely different from what the Dominion faced when Arcturus was in charge, where they attacked Terran colonies indiscriminately and infested and killed whole populations. This Swarm definitely sounds one that'd only react if it were ever provoked or worse, lured. This leads to the obvious, semi-spoiler conclusion: Through Psi-Emitters or some similar gimmick, the Zerg attacks are being manufactured, pretty much in the same style Arcturus did against the Confederacy. History repeating itself.
In a way, this also links to the informations Raynor exposed back in WoL, as the recordings prove two things: That Arcturus had found a way to lure Zerg where he wanted, the Psi-Emitters and Ghosts, and he used it to destroy an enemy right at the head and take over everything. With these informations made public, especially the Emitters, anyone with the resources could manufacture it and use it as a weapon. And the convenient disappearance of multiple Ghosts, not just Nova, lends further strength to this theory.
And, lastly, because there's little info, yet, the convenient formation of the 'Defenders of Man', pretty much like the Sons of Korhal. Are they the obvious villains and culprits behind the Zerg attacks, in an ironic sense of history repeating itself? They definitely could be, or even not, maybe they're just a smokescreen to the real villains, or maybe they were a true reaction to the Dominion's difficulty in handling the Zerg, and are merely being used as either convenient useful tools or scapegoats by using people within their ranks. Now, this last one would be fun to explore because even if they didn't do it and the Dominion is innocent, there'll always be the divide between these groups because one has true intentions but no power, but the other has power but dubious intentions and there's the famous 'Who watches the Watchmen' thing. This is sort of the divide that the upcoming 'CA: Civil War' movie pretends to explore, and the gray zone that's actually difficult to figure out. But hey, they can still be the real responsible for all needless deaths across the Sector, maybe they have the intention of taking down Valerian and taking over, but until the whole scene is exposed, it all remains in theory, and that's what's best in these sort of stories, you know the villain will show up and you'll fight and defeat him, but you don't know whom he clearly is or his motivations.
Conspiracy theories aside, since it's a Nova campaign, a flurry of new characters, solely Terran, are introduced, along with the old comebacks like Swann, Valerian and Horner. One in particular I could safely bet should be included, taking from the novel's universe, is Malcolm 'Mal' Kelerchian, the wrangler. Not only does he play a core part in Nova's backstory, given he 'recruited' her for the Ghost Program, but also serves as a semi-sidekick, being a pilot, a former detective and being able to recognize and bring in other telepaths for the Dominion ('Teeps' in the Starcraft slang). As for Tosh, he could be alive or not, but definitely we'll need a final answer on the WoL choices dilemma. But given Blizzard stated they'd personally go for the option-A route (Meaning Raynor saved Haven from the Protoss and helped Tosh bust New Folsom), I'd bet he'll be, if only a chaotic third-party ally, like Catwoman to Batman in Arkham City.
Gameplay
Since I've mentioned the 'Captain America' movies, one could safely assume that while this is not the 'dream dreamy' Covert Ops gameplay you'd expect, but remember, it's just a third of the way, and a lot can happen from here to there. But the way it's done makes you look like you're actually playing a stealth agent (With a few additions I'm sure EivindL would wish he delayed his Amber Sun campaign), at least on the installation scenery, while on the macro set you look like you're actually playing as the Dominion SHIELD. Not only you have Siege Tanks capable of jumping up and down cliffs, but also Reapers which can set up Spider Mines and even Stimpacks that actually *heal* soldiers instead of taking a few damage as a price for the attack speed boost. There are also other fun additions like installation-meant infantry, flame turret obstacles and even a minigame are presented in so much content for so few maps. But hey, Whispers of Oblivion, the Zeratul prologue campaign to LotV, also gave a lot more than we expected, so we're okay with that.
The levels themselves, except the first one, have a special feel to them, almost reminding me of Mental Omega, one of my favorite and highly recommended Red Alert 2 mods/campaigns, but in a good way - Not only your macro, but your micro skills are somewhat put to the test, like how you'll use Nova to an extent (Fortunately not as unbalanced as Kerrigan was...), how well can you sneak in without killing anyone, how can you clean a bonus objective with only Reapers and Nova in a jetpack or how well and quickly can you clean positions without having to depend on Nukes.
Speaking of new additions, we also get a flurry of new doodads and assets we didn't think would be that *gigantic*. Installation cliffs, an iceworld almost like Braxis (Though it's not, why not make it a cool cameo while you're at it, Blizzard!?), and even Tarsonis, with it's own bridges, destroyed buildings and even interiors. It seems half of a work is done for a modder to make the un-destroyed versions and thus already plan his own version of Rebel Yell. There are also a plenty of new skins for both the Nova faction units, winter skins we didn't see since the glory days of WarCraft II, and new portraits to play with. StarCraft II, you can feel, is literally pushing it's boundaries to become bigger and bigger and even better. And if the Nova DLC already gave us this sweet flurry, I wonder what the next DLC (No, I'm resisting my fanboy side, here!) will bring up...
Well, where else can I go from there? It's only three missions, but the plot is sure to thicken up and what we have here will keep us entertained enough 'til the launch of the second trio of missions. But the way it was done here, geez, what can I say but 'Strap on the seatbelt, 'coz it's pitching to be a hell of a ride'.
NOTE - 3.75/5, only because it's incomplete. The remainder I'll leave when the other two episodes are available, then I can do a more thorough review with more content.
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@Bilxor: Go
Not just you, bud. Certainly the mission maps are local files, but it seems we can't access them as standard as the campaigns. :(
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@SamsaraNoMas: Go
Decently animated and skinned, though a bit too late: As I recall, SoulFilcher beat Blizzard to it, like CENTURIES ago... xD
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@OutsiderXE: Go
The only thing we can't access easily are the mission maps themselves. :(
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Was it something like this?