Rock, Paper, Shotgun

First up, a disclaimer: Sacred Citadel is not Sacred 3. If it was, the entire planet would be rent asunder by a volcanic eruption of enraged fans that’d spew out into the streets and converge on developer Southend Interactive’s offices. That’s because it’s a self-described “co-op side-scrolling brawler set in the world of Ancaria,” which is quite the far cry from the Sacred series Diablo-ish ARPG lineage. As a prelude to the in-development Sacred 3, then, it’s a bit of an odd choice. Honestly, though, it doesn’t look half-bad. Different? Sure. But I’m up for hacking and slashing from a side view as well as a top-down one. I am, in that respect, an incredibly versatile human being.

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Financial squabbles between Southpeak Interactive and CDV had made some people wonder what would happen to the games being produced by the corporate couple, and somehow we missed the confirmation last week that Stronghold 3 is unaffected, and will still hit its 2011 release slot. Eurogamer have the news, and some affirmation by Southpeak’s CEO that they have confidence in the title. And they should have confidence, because it’s one of Germany’s biggest selling strategy titles and as such is likely to sell half a squajillion copies. No major details on the game yet, but a smattering of screens show a new 3D engine, which should make for spangly castle-construction when the game arrives next year.

I’ve never played Sacred or its add-ons, so unfortunately this’ll be another one of those “Here is a game. Er.” posts. Sorry! I’m given to understand it’s highly appreciated by a sizeable fanbase however, and that doubled-edged sword of “big in Germany” can certainly be applied to it. The sequel‘s been in the offing for what feels like ages, but finally we have a demo to judge it by. Features T-Energy and High Elves, apparently. Hmm. I’ll return to Multiwinia for now, I think.

If you fancy a gander at this fantasy action-RPG prequel (it may have 2 in the title, but it’s set two millenia before the original game), grab all 1.71 hnnnng gigabytes of demo from here. It features one of the six playable races, the entire High Elf region and leeway to take your dude up to level 10. The most recent, and unintentionally comedic, trailer’s beneath the cut, in case you can’t stomach that frighteningly large demo download. Features skellingtons and a man playing the drums, while another man sings into a magical microphone that looks like a big green willy.
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Seemingly motivated by nothing in particular, CDV have circulated some new screenshots of the recently-released World War II strategy Sudden Strike 3. What struck me about them is the artistry involved in making this kind of game: making so many tiny men, trees, and archaic vehicles. It’s a little like videogames are preserving, even exemplifying, the kind of impulses towards miniaturization and realistic representation that is otherwise only found in model railways or the peculiarly idealised exploit of constructing miniature villages. I think it’s one of the things I respect most about RTS games generally: their unusual perspective, and the idea of designing a world that is intended to be seen from above. There’s something essentially gamey about being an eye in the sky over some intricately constructed terrain, and having partial but far-reaching influence over events, rather than simply being in there, in first-person, or flying over it all in a polygonal aeroplane.
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