StarDestroyer.Net BBS

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/26415.html

WW2 Tactical RPG? Ace!
Wait it's got supernatural elements worked in to? Wicked!
Graphics.. eh they're okay..
Shermans vs. Dragons! Win!

Squee reactions aside I'd love to have another TRPG to play around with, and as a fan of Weird War 2 style settings that's got another hook on me.

So... it's Silent Storm but instead of kinda-wacky European stuff it's completely absurd Japanese stuff?

I'm not going to get my hopes up.

Gagh. Huge fucking Java/Quicktime plugin nearly crashed my browser! A fucking warning might have been nice.

The MPLayer plugin handled it without a problem.

Looks cool. Too bad it's for X-Box.

Whoa. 1:58. Big Jin Roh homage.

Ugh, what's with the massively-breasted snipe girl? Does she use those to steady the rifle or something? She also looks Japanese. Is Japan now against the Axis, rather than allied with it? That was, for some reason, a massive turn-off. I'll take Ring of Red and Wolfenstein for my historical fantasy, thank you very much!

I would have liked if this was more 'set in WW2' than 'completely made up in WW2' sorts of stuff. Plus... are those Nazi Vampires hanging around in the sun? Isn't th at... bad for Vampires? And the Dragons had no wings! Gaaah!

Okay, I can ignore the titty-soldier, the Mechaninazis (Normal Nazis are portrayed as robots anyhow), the noninstagib of the guy hit by a cannon shell, the Nazipires, dragons, and the Werenazis, so long as melee weapons are really crappy in comparison to ranged weapons, I could even forgive the magic; though a Righteous Fist of God spell is rather awesome.

Covenant wrote:Plus... are those Nazi Vampires hanging around in the sun? Isn't th at... bad for Vampires? And the Dragons had no wings! Gaaah!

Well the vampires could be out on a really cloudy day I suppose and I'm pretty sure Linnorms come from nordic mythology, and considering the often hugely overstated pagan practices, we could blame it on that.

General Schatten wrote:Okay, I can ignore the titty-soldier, the Mechaninazis (Normal Nazis are portrayed as robots anyhow), the noninstagib of the guy hit by a cannon shell, the Nazipires, dragons, and the Werenazis, so long as melee weapons are really crappy in comparison to ranged weapons.

Judging by the scene at the very end, I wouldn't bet too much on that.

I noticed that the game seems to actually involve Hitler to some extent, which is a bit surprising. Media of this sort generally shys away from portraying him.

Noble Ire wrote:

General Schatten wrote:Okay, I can ignore the titty-soldier, the Mechaninazis (Normal Nazis are portrayed as robots anyhow), the noninstagib of the guy hit by a cannon shell, the Nazipires, dragons, and the Werenazis, so long as melee weapons are really crappy in comparison to ranged weapons.

Judging by the scene at the very end, I wouldn't bet too much on that.

I'm hoping that's there to show the variety of weapons, besides the majority of the thing was guns and cannons, whereas in your typical TRPG it's Swords & Magic

I noticed that the game seems to actually involve Hitler to some extent, which is a bit surprising. Media of this sort generally shys away from portraying him.

Google Image 'Nazi Cosplay' and look at how many japanese that turns up.

As long as the Shermans prove more than able to blast those pesky dragons into so many pounds of barely-identifiable flesh and bone, I'm sold.

Covenant wrote:Ugh, what's with the massively-breasted snipe girl? Does she use those to steady the rifle or something? She also looks Japanese. Is Japan now against the Axis, rather than allied with it? That was, for some reason, a massive turn-off. I'll take Ring of Red and Wolfenstein for my historical fantasy, thank you very much!

Who said that the big-breasted sniper chick was a Japanese national? She could just as easily be a Nisei Japanese-American, which would make a hell of a lot more sense given the circumstances.

They may or may not. I recently got a hold of Metal Saga. In that RPG, you get tanks that pretty much out class your PCs in every way possible but action speed. (Though it's still possible to take out Enemy tanks on foot... but the PCs are real fragile.)

It depends on their rank in the unit higherachy and the game designers intention. (If they're normal side units, no way in hell if the dragons are bosses, or even minibosses...)

But that's what RPGs do... It's all numbers with varying equations and pretty, pretty pixels and grandiose prose to cover up the real quest for bigger numbers.

You know, when people say Silent Storm, that really isn't what I expect. Go clumsy interface and Nazi furries! Needs more skeletons, though, and the dragons looked pretty lame. Sitting down in battle?

Stark wrote:You know, when people say Silent Storm, that really isn't what I expect. Go clumsy interface and Nazi furries! Needs more skeletons, though, and the dragons looked pretty lame. Sitting down in battle?

You know, Stark, your double-speak is becoming increasingly difficult to decipher. I'm not even sure which game you're bashing anymore.

I don't get games where you have, say, a "Level 1 tank" that dies to a flyswatter and harsh language, all the way up to a "Level OVER 9000!!!" tank that instagibs your entire team... And they both look the same! Why not have the level 1 tank be, like, a tricycle, and the OMG tank be a Bolo?

Brother-Captain Gaius wrote:You know, Stark, your double-speak is becoming increasingly difficult to decipher. I'm not even sure which game you're bashing anymore.

Hey I liked Silent Storm, aliens and mechs and laser guns and all. This game looks like Front Mission-era Jap-Tac with flash graphics, but the same mechanics they've been using for 25 years.

I am so totally buying this game.

And now I want to replay Shadowhearts: Covenant.

Shinn Langley Soryu wrote:Who said that the big-breasted sniper chick was a Japanese national? She could just as easily be a Nisei Japanese-American, which would make a hell of a lot more sense given the circumstances.

I didn't know we allowed them to serve during WWII? A quick search showed that there were extremely few chances for them to serve, but they did serve with distinction, and in an infantry unit. I suppose she could be a Nisei, and that'd make me happy--except for the massive freaking torpedos she has hidden under her shirt. Let's blame it on the US diet.

Covenant wrote:Ugh, what's with the massively-breasted snipe girl? Does she use those to steady the rifle or something? She also looks Japanese. Is Japan now against the Axis, rather than allied with it? That was, for some reason, a massive turn-off.

i'm pretty sure the Cynthia Rivele isn't japanese
i should get it this week. i'll make a quick review.

got it: toyed a little in the first mission; seems runs of the mills RPG:
- graphisms are ok
- english subtitle: yay
- camera sucks

will make some quick caps tonight.

Mobius wrote:

Covenant wrote:Ugh, what's with the massively-breasted snipe girl? Does she use those to steady the rifle or something? She also looks Japanese. Is Japan now against the Axis, rather than allied with it? That was, for some reason, a massive turn-off.

i'm pretty sure the Cynthia Rivele isn't japanese
i should get it this week. i'll make a quick review.

Yeah, she didn't seem like she was necessarily even Asian to me.

Uraniun235 wrote:

Mobius wrote:

Covenant wrote:Ugh, what's with the massively-breasted snipe girl? Does she use those to steady the rifle or something? She also looks Japanese. Is Japan now against the Axis, rather than allied with it? That was, for some reason, a massive turn-off.

i'm pretty sure the Cynthia Rivele isn't japanese
i should get it this week. i'll make a quick review.

Yeah, she didn't seem like she was necessarily even Asian to me.

Really? C'mon, look at that face! Asiany anime features--not the tiny 'western' eyes or blonde hair... Here's a shot from the trailer. Tell me if this isn't an anime cue that she's at least 'Half Japanese' or something like they often do.

She's obviously not Japanese fully because her breasts are at least a metric fucktonne too big for that.

Also, she seems to have the one rifle in WWII that can't kill someone in one shot. And she has a scope. Either the world's worst sniper, or it's firing .22 cal.

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Also, she seems to have the one rifle in WWII that can't kill someone in one shot. And she has a scope. Either the world's worst sniper, or it's firing .22 cal.

Like as not it doesn't matter, since she can probably "Charge" the bullets with some kind of technowank magic stuff.

Stark wrote:This game looks like Front Mission-era Jap-Tac with flash graphics, but the same mechanics they've been using for 25 years.

Strangely I can cope with nazi werewolves and tanks fighting dragons just fine, but having turn based mechanics with this level of graphical realism just kills my ability to suspend disbelief. It's not that it's turn based exactly; if you gave everyone orders, then the action progressed for five seconds, then you gave everone more orders (as in BG2 with autopause on) it would be fine. But instead it literally does looks like everyone is just standing around waiting for their turn to move, i.e. stupid. It's rare that SoD issues would be bad enough to make it actually difficult for me to enjoy a game, but I think this one might do it.

Starglider wrote:
Strangely I can cope with nazi werewolves and tanks fighting dragons just fine, but having turn based mechanics with this level of graphical realism just kills my ability to suspend disbelief. It's not that it's turn based exactly; if you gave everyone orders, then the action progressed for five seconds, then you gave everone more orders (as in BG2 with autopause on) it would be fine. But instead it literally does looks like everyone is just standing around waiting for their turn to move, i.e. stupid. It's rare that SoD issues would be bad enough to make it actually difficult for me to enjoy a game, but I think this one might do it.

No, I can agree with this too. I played Front Mission 3 and various other RPGs which use turn-based tactical and strategic elements. While it worked then, for this it just looks, as you say, like a load of people, armour and mystical beings sitting there in some crazy Mexican stand-off until one person gets their turn to shoot.

It's shiny, yes. It's also unsettlingly bizarre when it's no different to what I've seen before. I'd prefer real-time issuing of team orders to decent AI or human players than do it all myself in turns.