WorldShift Demo Review - PC - CheshireCatStudios.com

GAME TIME! Hey I'm back to do one of my favorite things that you guys like reading about. That's right I'm going to bitch again and hopefully I'm going to be wrong but for right now I would like to give my two cents on a game that is going to come out soon.

I have been spending my free time lately doing a few things: being bored out of my mind on Eve online, playing some old school NES games (Mega Man 2 and Legend of Zelda 2), doing way too much Facebook (time waster) and trying to find new games that I can play online with friends that aren't going to break my bank for a poor dad. Enter my friend:

Nate (aka 'Drakkenwarr'). Nate is in the same boat as me as me as being a poor dad. He is a Linux guru and penny pincher extraordinaire. He plays games for what they are and not for the drama so he went out looking for possible games to play online that aren't going to suck and that are free. For people that like counter-strike I would encourage to take a look at Urban Terror. But, he reads up on this game, tells me to download it, and we will start taking cracks at it.

Story

This is probably one of the better story lines I heard and makes it a great placement to do other things with (like MMORPG). The scene takes place thousands of years after the 21st century when this mysterious object called the Shard Zero collides with Earth ending our current civilization. The world is infested with this plague and almost starts over while still retaining some of its technology. Evolution combined with the plague ends up splitting the human race into two different species (Humans and Tribes) and then they introduce a third race called the Cult. With a story like that how is it not possible to get Mini Me to salute?

The game is called WorldShift and just looking at this game and reading about it gave me wood for a while. The graphics are awesome, the story line is great and it's a new RTS that you don't have to build up and use tech-trees! That's awesome, since I suck at real time strategy games and tech trees are an Achilles heel to me. I also suck at RTS games but enjoy taking my time on them.

Gameplay

So after reading the story and taking a look at some of the screen shots I download the game, install, and find a few minuets to test it out. Now this is just the demo so I don't have everything that a full game should have but just starting it up looks so pretty. They did an awesome job with the start up graphics. But, you can't play a local game on the computer. You need the internet (Ugh!). O.K. it's a demo, I will let it pass since I want to see what this game is about. Back to the site:

The site also explains about the three different races that you can play. The Humans, the Tribes, and the Cult. The only real difference between the Tribes and Humans is that the Humans live in 5 Major Cities while the Tribes live more humble lives in the wastelands of the shattered Earth. The Cult however is supposed to be this evil race that just kill or slave everything they see.

So, I create an account go online and find that I can practice with myself (yay, I can win) against the computer. I do some more searching around for a demo on how to play but can not find anything to help me out so I go to a practice round hoping that I learn as I do. I put the computer on easy (since I do suck) and start my game not really caring what race I am or the computer. As far as I can tell I get a few starting troops including a hero and start the game. 30 second later I get kicked in the giggle stick and find that one thing is true: Worldshift is quick. I get my ass handed to me. Within those thirty seconds I find out that I have workers who cant build anything, a main base that all it does is spit out troops. No upgrades, no building, and fast game. Am I sure that I picked an RTS?

I go back to the main menu thinking that I picked the exact enemy that would crush my race and start again. This time I make sure to walk around with my workers and try and find something to do, fight, build, or build upon. 30 seconds later they give me another man check by kicking me in the one eyed trouser snake: game over, I suck, and died.

OK, now I'm pissed. Who the F*** would think that it would be a good idea to put out a demo game and not include a demo ON HOW TO PLAY? I realize that most games are point and click but I'm not that retarded that I don't understand how to play games. Learning how to play this game SUCKS since there were no rules, demo, or a simple how-to that I could get to. I call Nate up and tell him the news. This thing blows. I tell him my experience and let him know that I have not given up yet but, I think it is on the road to disaster and put it in the piss-off bank and never play it again. He said that he would give it a try.

The third time I actually last longer and build up my troops and start exploring places. I actually find a place that is something different than where I am located at but, it is guarded by NPC (not the computer enemy). My troops get waxed, then my defensive troops get waxed. I get midget punched in my love tackle and loose again. I lasted for about 5 minuets but, 5 minuets of barely keeping alive while the computer waste me and for kicks and grins beat the crap out of the NPC's and built something on the thing I was going for.

That's it, I'm done with this piece of shit. This game was a total cock tease. It looked oh so pretty. The story line is interesting and would make for a good RPG later if they did the story right. But the gameplay is just so awful! It's like your girl (or boy depending on the case) saying lets go have sex. She has the lingerie on, the candles lit, and says those words that any man would love to hear. Right as you pop wood, she kicks you in the crotch so hard that she makes you taste your own junk. Rinse and repeat as many times as you would like until you get the idea that it's not going to happen.

Graphics

Good lord this game is pretty. Of course I think Blizzard set the standard for cut scenes in any game but this is nothing to shy from either. When in the LAN lobby the background flows and it feels like you are watching earth from an orbital station. In game graphics aren't bad either. Of course you can only get them so small or big without some of it becoming a little rough around the edges but, I wont ding it for that since almost all the RTS games I have played do the same.

Sound

Having plugged in my skull candy headphones, I really get a good quality of sound when there is sound. For the most part Worldshift is silent except when you are getting attack or attacking someone. When that happens the music kicks in and sometimes it can sound like you are in the Matrix just, not as good as the music in the Matrix. The announcer's (that what I will call him since he sounds like one) voice will get annoying since he will tell you everything that is happening and soon you will be able to ignore it since you wont care any ways.

Replay / Multiplayer

Kick me in the jimmy. No seriously, out of the gameplay mentioned above I really don't think I need to re-hash this point. Without some sort of help or instructions on how to play your patience and excitement for this game will soon vanish like Brad Pitt's balls. I think the multiplayer aspect could be good if either of you know how to play but, having your nuts handed to you because Worldshift is so difficult to learn will turn you off.

Final Thoughts

For Worldshift's sake I hope they come out with some tutorial, help, or a 'how to' for the game, or this game will fail. I will keep an eye out on it in hopes that it will help me find a way to actually play and not watch myself get owned in 30 seconds.