Sequels take over video game market

Real time strategy (RTS) games have been a dominant force in the market for a while now. This season brings the return of the title that defined a genre, "Command and Conquer," with its sequel, "Tiberian Sun." The long awaited title should be flying off store shelves faster than leaves from the trees.

Courtesy Blizzard Software The Paladin and the Amazon do battle in Diabo 2.

The episode returns to the conflict between the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod. This game has stuck very close to the original in terms of game play. You are the commander of an army and have to oversee the creation and deployment of your troops, and once built, use them to crush the opposing general.

The major improvements this time around come from a 3D-modeled battlefield and pseudo 3D units. Smaller, but no less important improvements come in the form of a much better AI, multi-objective missions and full-motion cut scenes.

Another RTS sequel, scheduled to be released in October, is "Age of Empires II." Like its predecessors, the game is set in the past. The huge scope of this game is its most impressive highlight. Its features 13 different civilizaitons - all with specialized unites and buildings, at least four single player campaigns and huge multiplayer terrains.

The original game, although popular was limited to only single player play. Microsoft may have problems in the legal realm, but they can still put together a great game.

This past year has seen the transformation of first person shooters from pointless gore fests to more realistic and intense tactical simulation games. This subtle evolution of the genre was brought about by the success of games like Rainbow Six.. These games take the first person view, a la Quake, and add realistic elements like single shot kills and area specific damage. If you get hit in the arm, you can't shoot. If you get hit in the head, its all over. This adds greater depth in detail to the game and makes it more intense.

"Rainbow Six" is a game based on a Tom Clancy novel by the same name. Its sequel, "Rainbow Six 2: Rogue Spear," boasts more pulse pounding, adreniline laced missions. To make this game better than the original, Red Storm Entertainment took all the feedback it got from its fans and incorporated it into the new game.

These improvements include better character control, allowing the player to crouch, crawl and kick through doors. Also included are missions requested by players, such as the super popular airline hijack mission. This scenario is made even more complex due to the face that there are still passengers on the plane that must not be harmed.

Of course, the shooter classics like "Doom" and "Quake" never die - they just go multiplayer. "Quake III Arena" is the descendent of a long line of shooters from ID Software. This futuristic multiplayer only first person shooter will include intelligent 'bots' that play against human competitors. The AI used to control the bots' behavior is so good that it will be difficult to distinguish the bots from their human competitors.

Another title that is spawning a great deal of buzz is "Diablo 2." This year seemed to be the comeback of the computer role playing game after many years of repetitive and boring titles. This renaissance was largely jump-started by the success of Baldur's Gate and the original "Diablo." Although the "Diablo" games may be considered "role playing light," they are very fun and extremely replayable.

The premise of the sequel is the same as the original - players run around a dungeon and hack up monsters for gold, all while trying to solve quests. These games offer the occasional gamer a chance to jump in and play a quick game without complex rules or a steep learning curve.

Give yourself plenty of free time because you'll definitely want to play these games.

09-16-99