Stormrise
The Stormrise is a PS3 game that falls under the Genre of Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game and it was officially released on the 24th March, 2009 by its publisher, Sega. The game is rated as M for Mature content (sexual themes, more intense violence and/or strong language) which means that it is suitable for players who are more than 17 years old by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), while the game’s developer is Creative Assembly. The Stormrise offers players the experience in leading troops through a battle from the front line view point. The game enables players to command their units in the air, on rooftops, on the earth’s surface and even underground. This is a multiple layer game play concept and its control system is designed specifically for consoles which enables players to easily select the unit, rapid navigation and precise deployment. The story begins on a barren earth that was devastated by a catastrophic event that happened centuries ago. Stormrise involves the battle between the Echelon and the Sai trying to survive in a hostile and uninhabitable world. The Echelon who has superior technological knowledge, survived the catastrophic event through self-educed hibernation, while the Sai, a more tribal faction, still exist having learned to adapt to their surroundings and the new environment. Both of the fractions evolved differently, thus the differences create hatred among them and the future of the planet is in danger.
Review
In the Stormrise PS3 game, player will be able to play the role of Commander Geary, who is a member of Echelon Special Force who was put into a cryogenic sleep right after the firestorms hit on the Earth that killed most of the population. Not everyone was lucky enough to survive from the firestorms, and from hereon the survivor started to evolve and becomes two fractions of tribes which are known as the Echelon and the Sai. The Stormrise uses a control scheme which is called the “whip-select”. With a simple flip of the right analog stick in the direction of the units, players will be able to control a particular unit that has been chosen. This provides players with a standard top-down perspective where you will be able to view the battlefield and issue command from the viewpoint of an individual squad. To switch to another unit, players need to rotate a line that emanates from the centre of the screen with the right thumbstick, then hover it over the target unit, and release the stick. Apart from doing battle against opposition, players also need to get control of the nodes which are spread throughout the battle-field. By taking control of the nodes, you will be able to fortify them with shields and powerful turrets for maintaining your grip within the area. Extra resources can also be generated like building refineries at the nodes, thus enabling you to get more energy that can be used to pay for upgrading the node. Players can also build warp gates at some nodes to enables you to warp in reinforcements directly to that node.
The Stormrise also support online gaming where players can enjoy playing with friends or opponents (from 2 up to 8 persons in a game) from all over the world. Its multi-player mode allows players to join in the game at any time or any level of the on-going game. The PS3 game features a Skirmish mode where players can choose from either faction to engage in a quick battle, plus you can also take on up eight AI opponents for overall victory on ten maps used in the single-player campaign. The game also features a level known as prowlers which is an anti-infantry vehicles level. Units need to navigate through tight roads, spiraling walkways, and also navigate through incredibly confined underground tunnels. The Stormrise allows you to group any three squads together, creating a triangular arrangement of three tiny icons. Grouping is assigned to the right bumper on the 360 by default and holding it down while the cursor is over the group and using the whip select to disband the group. Players can also place snipers (Infiltrators) on ledges or move infantry behind cover, and once familiar with each unit’s attack range, careful positioning provides strategic options through out the game. In terms of character design and animation, The Echelon uses aerial attack similar to the Terminator, a host of buggies, helicopters, artillery and Hero-unit mech suits. Meanwhile, as for the Sai, the game provides unique characters like the acid-spewing, multi-headed Hydra, the lumbering bipedal Rage unit and the crab-like Matriarch. Although there are only eight unit types, the game gives you a wheel of abilities for each of the units.
