Dark Avatar Preview Bonanza!

Drengin oppression spreads through the gaming press

Published on January 29, 2007 By Zoomba In GalCiv II News

Last week was a good week if you're a Galactic Civilizations II fan eagerly awaiting the release of Dark Avatar. Two great previews went up that are packed with a lot of information.

The first comes from 1UP.Com, posted last Wednesday. Writer Mike Nelson took a crack at the latest beta build and is personally comforted by the Drengin's continued dominance in the interstellar culinary field. But Drengin Fire Chili aside, Mike took some time to look closely at some of the new features of the game such as the new espionage system, asteroid mining and the ability to create your own computer opponents. A nice touch to people looking to really customize their sandbox games. This brief preview closes with:

"According to Stardock and its fan-based surveys, a multiplayer component will still not be found here, since that's not what the fans want. But with this much single-player content, you might not even miss playing with other humans. Stardock is set to release Dark Avatar next month, which will also be found in a Gold Edition of GalCiv II."

Check out the preview here.

Next up is a preview from UGO, which landed in the top slot on their gaming section this past weekend. The preview itself is penned by staff writer Adam Swiderski and is fairly in-depth, coming in at 3 pages long. The preview notes that the game changes such as planetary terrain types and asteroids you can mine require completely new early-game strategies. He sums up his preview with:

"It'll be interesting to see the reaction from fans to some of the more gameplay-altering changes the developers have made, but if Stardock has demonstrated anything since the release of GalCiv II, it's a willingness and drive to work with their fans to make their product better over time. If they keep that up after the release of Dark Avatar, this already awesome-looking expansion should become the icing on the proverbial cake that is one of the best strategy games of the past decade."
Check out the preview here.

There you have it, two outstanding previews that are full to the brim with great information and insights for anyone who hasn't tried their hand at the beta and is starting to drool with anticipation as the release draws near.

Comments

Feud

on Jan 29, 2007

On the third page of the UGO article they mention the Epic Generator as being one of the included features. My understanding was that the Epic Generator was cut, was I mistaken?

Mighty Mongoose

on Jan 29, 2007

No I don't think so, I asked and Frogboy said on a thread somewhere that it was out.

ScottTykoski

on Jan 29, 2007

Ugh, it breaks my heart every time the menton the Epic Generator No, it didn't make it into Dark Avatar, but what did get accomplished WILL eventually see the light of day, but it really needs the beta cycle of a full game to work out all the kinks.

Vivisector9999

on Jan 29, 2007

Does anyone have any idea how big Dark Avatar will be when you're downloading it? I can't seem to find that information...if it's too big, I might have to order the CD version.

Seilore

on Jan 29, 2007

I don't know who they survey or if I'm just alone, but I think if they would look into a multiplayer option it would set this game up with some of the classics out there. That is one of the main things this game is missing.

dystopic

on Jan 30, 2007

there were several polls and forums dedicated to this topic when the game was first released. those in favor of adding multiplayer made up a loud but relatively small percentage of the fan base, and the developers decided it would be better to invest in making a stellar (pardon the pun) single player game. the number of people that'd pay $20+ for multiplayer didn't justify the amount of work they'd have to put into making it (and making it well). it's very possible this policy may have changed, but last i heard multiplayer hadn't been completely ruled out: if it's done, it'll be done as its own expansion. personally, i wouldn't mind trying an MP game here and there, but i support their decision.

now what the heck was i going to post? oh, yeah. i'm not beta testing, and all these previews are killing me. all the additions sound great, but i'm really looking forward to the graphics overhaul as much as anything.

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