Need newer game, please recommend.

[CrossLOPER]

I need a game from the last year or so. This is my list:

*Sins of a Solar Empire (Install limit)
*World in Conflict (SecuROM)
*Prince of Perisa (???)
*The Witcher: EE (Tages)
*Fallout 3 (SecuROM)

The things in the parenthesis are reasons not to buy. If someone can convince me why, for instance, SoaSE is so awesome that it is worth installing two times before the CD becomes a shuriken, I'll get it. If you have other suggestions, please feel free to contribute. Thanks.

[Kekvit Irae]

Neverwinter Night 2, with both expansions.

[TevashSzat]

Umm....

Bioshock
Supreme Commander
Unreal Tournament 3

There are plenty, I'll recommend some more when I remember them

[Crandaeolon]

Sins of a Solar Empire (Install limit)

That sounds odd, I installed SoaSE on two desktops and a laptop. Granted, I haven't played the game since 1.04 so I might be a bit behind the times, but as I understand it the game has no DRM except for patch downloading, which requires internet validation. And, patches are available in self-installing exe packages - you can patch multiple installations with them.

[Vladimir]

Neverwinter Night 2, with both expansions.

Seconded. While not as easy to mod (and therefore a smaller modding community) it is nevertheless a very good game.

But what do I know? I've been itching to play a modded version of MoOIII.

[Mailman653]

Mass Effect has an excellent story and the character custimization is pretty fun, but I think it has some odd copy protection issues.

[frogbeastegg]

*Sins of a Solar Empire (Install limit)

Stardock is the publisher, and they're very vocally against things like install limits. There's not so much as a CD check on Sins.

Copy protection is provided by the somewhat unusual system of providing huge patches and updates, but requiring players to get them via Impulse, Stardock's online download service. It's somewhat like Steam, except that you only need to run Impulse when you want to check for updates. You do not need to load it or connect to the internet otherwise. You don't need to validate your install before you can play your game; you can play the unpatched game as much as you like.

It was a good game but missing something IMO. I'd try the demo before you buy.

[Kekvit Irae]

It was a good game but missing something IMO.

Like a campaign? Or a story?

[Martok]

*Sins of a Solar Empire (Install limit)

Sins doesn't have an install limit. Unless you're referring to the fact that you can "only" install it on two different machines at any one time (which is more than what you can say for most PC games)?

Like a campaign? Or a story?

Yeah, I do think Ironclad/Stardock messed up in that regard. I understand their reasons for not including a proper campaign, but I still think it was a mistake nonetheless.

Personally, however, the major reason Sins just isn't my cup of tea is because it lacks the depth I crave in 4x games. Yes the combat is great, but otherwise it's a rather shallow experience for me -- it doesn't *feel* like a true empire-builder, and that's what I need.

[CrossLOPER]

Sins appears to have a transcendental type of limit/DRM. I don't mind the two per machine install as much as I mind the fact that if I resell it, that person will not be able to patch it. Correct me if I am wrong.

[Martok]

Now that, I honestly don't know. You may well be right, although I don't remember how it works with Stardock (re: reselling). I guess it never occurred to me since I've no intention of ever reselling my copy of GalCiv 2 anyway.

[frogbeastegg]

Like a campaign?

Yes, though it's not what I'd consider to be the big lack. Games like Civ4 and Galciv2 don't have campaigns and work well without them. Sins doesn't have the variety to be replayed as many times as those games, so it needs to have something else to bring variety to play.

Or a story?

You can see that the developers have cooked up some backstory, and then their choice of game modes left them without any way to pass it along. It's impossible to tell a story with an endless series of random map games. I'm not so bothered about storylines in my strategy games though; many of my favourites make no effort at all to have one and are better for it.

The big lack IMO was that indefinable something. On all technical levels it was a fine game, and it played very well. There were certain things it did very well indeed, and I was impressed with aspects such as the fleet AI being good enough to handle your smaller battles without any player guidance. What it failed to do was catch my imagination and keep me playing. Sins is still on my HD. I patch it when Impulse prompts me, and keep saying that I will load it up again one day. Truth is I haven't touched it since before the first big patch.

The second big lack is easier to quantify. Sins was designed with a strong lean towards the MP community. That rarely makes for a good SP game - all that's there is a sandbox for training future MP players. I don't do MP, don't want to, and never will.

Sins appears to have a transcendental type of limit/DRM. I don't mind the two per machine install as much as I mind the fact that if I resell it, that person will not be able to patch it. Correct me if I am wrong.

You would have to give that person your entire stardock account and stop using it yourself. That means you would lose access to any other games you had registered, and the other person would gain them.

[Veho Nex]

Newer game eh?

Thats hard if you dont have a list of games you currently own or are more likely not wanting to play.

[FactionHeir]

I need a game from the last year or so. This is my list:

*The Witcher: EE (Tages)

Get the non EE version and patch it up to EE. Then you have no protection on it and can play without disc too.

Alternatively, get the EE and install the game without EE patch. Then download the "download" EE patch for same effect.

[CrossLOPER]

Newer game eh?

Thats hard if you dont have a list of games you currently own or are more likely not wanting to play.

I'm pretty sure all I have from the recent crop is Quake Wars and the Orange box. Then we make our way back to Doom 3... The most recently released game I am getting soon is Quake 4. It would have been Prince of Persia had it not had that yellow tag on the back of the DVD case... Again, if someone clarifies the purpose of that tag ("contains software... may interfere with drives...").

You would have to give that person your entire stardock account and stop using it yourself. That means you would lose access to any other games you had registered, and the other person would gain them.

Wait... so it's like Steam in that I can sell my account? OK, that sounds better. I use Steam, but I plan on capping my purchases of games that run on Steam after Half-Life 2: Episode Three comes out.

Get the non EE version and patch it up to EE. Then you have no protection on it and can play without disc too.

Alternatively, get the EE and install the game without EE patch. Then download the "download" EE patch for same effect.

BUT THEN I DON'T GET THE AWESOME MAP AND OTHER SWAG DAWG.

Actually, looking here, it appears that all it does is check the disk. As long is Tages is about as mild as SafeDisk, I'm fine...

[FactionHeir]

Sure you do, if you buy the EE but install the game without the EE patch only. Then update using the downlaod patch as I described.

[CrossLOPER]

Sure you do, if you buy the EE but install the game without the EE patch only. Then update using the downlaod patch as I described.

My reading skills shot out after my last final. Thanks.

[BigTex]

Could use a few suggestios in the ways of hardcore strategy games. After finding the remake of Colonization to be pretty flat compared to it's predicessor, I want to find something else. Are there even any decent strategy games out there anymore?

Most I've run across have scrapped most of their depth for pretty color's and making the game "more accessible" for players. Debating just loading up Sierra's Civil War II or Ghengis Khan2, PTO even, and spurning the new.

[frogbeastegg]

Wait... so it's like Steam in that I can sell my account? OK, that sounds better. I use Steam, but I plan on capping my purchases of games that run on Steam after Half-Life 2: Episode Three comes out.

If you don't mind said person having access to private information like your email address, user name, plus access to every single game you have registered with impulse. Stardock don't officially approve of selling or passing on accounts so they will not support in any way or help if you or your buyer experience difficulties. They won't move to block you though, AFAIK.

I have been slowly making my way through The Witcher since the enhanced edition was released. It's very good. Think classic PC RPG in terms of main quest and side quest structure, with an action RPG style combat system which is heavily based on an almost Diablo-esque character building system. It's very mature in its tone, both in the truly mature grown up plot and characterisation for adults sense, and in the ratings mature blood and breasts sense. It can be a challenging game on the default level. It's good enough that I would have finished it much sooner if it were on a more comfortable system. I get tired of my PC after an hour's play.

RE the prince of Persia sticker, why not take a look on the Ubisoft forums and see if anyone has asked about it?

[frogbeastegg]

It would have been Prince of Persia had it not had that yellow tag on the back of the DVD case... Again, if someone clarifies the purpose of that tag ("contains software... may interfere with drives...").

I found a handful of comments on the PC version's box and DRM while reading a review. It seems like the decision to drop DRM was made very late in the day, after the box had already gone to print. I'll quote the comments over for you:

Poisoned Sponge: I checked the box of the PC version of PoP today at work, and it says that it requires at least the disc and a cd-key, so it’s definitely not without DRM, but there’s a chance that’s all that there is.

The package designers didn’t get the memo it seems. I own the retail box version, and while the box states that the game “contains technology intended to prevent copying”, I can confirm it has no DRM whatsoever, not even a disc check. Part of what sold me on the game. Goodness knows I’ve saved enough money skipping Bioshock, Mass Effect et al since the current incarnation of Securom pitches a fit when trying to read a disc off my DVD drive.

Link: Installed it, put away the disc, and played it on a completely offline PC with no issues whatsoever. Even made a backup disc, and I haven’t done that since the days of Planescape.

[CrossLOPER]

Thanks guys. Oddly enough, The Witcher won this round. I really did not think about bothering with the game until I made that list. Still, Amazon screwed me over by letting me know that it won't be shipping until Tuesday. I ordered it on Thursday, and for whatever reason in the world, they would not let me do anything to the order.

As of now, it will arrive around Russian Christmas...

[Jolt]

Play this game: http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=G1KAtuiKfL8

You'll love it. :D

EDIT: Players of this game who haven't seen the video will definetly die from laughter.