Hardwar
The Software Refinery / Gremlin Interactive
Graphics have improved since Elite:
When you think about it, computers are
babies but they age fast. A computer from just 2 years ago is almost useless these days,
well recently the same can be said for graphics. You try playing Privateer 2 or
Tie-Fighter next to someone playing Freespace or Wing Commander: Prophecy or try Quake
next to Unreal, Half-Life or Blood 2, not as good as the memory is it. Well the graphics
in this game are nice, not the greatest we have ever seen but nice enough. The best
graphical element is the general cityscape or even the ships, both are nicely drawn
(although a little odd) and nicely textured. The game runs fast and the lighting effects
and day cycling are good, plus the game environment is huge. The way they get away with
this is by fogging the view distance off at a certain point (which can be set) however
because the game is set on Titan, they can get away with the fact that it is a foggy place
(lots of pink fog). Overall though the game is not a graphical eye orgy but it is nice and
pleasing and when you have that, you don’t need extra thrills.
I don’t miss hearing
"BLEEP" when I fire a missile:
Like Graphics, sound has come a long way
since ‘ye days of old’, gone are Midi music (almost) and bad samples, in comes
Redbook audio and high quality samples all in stereo. The Music in this game fits it
perfectly; this has a wonderful effect on the atmosphere and really helps the scene.
Seeing as the music is in Redbook you can play it on your CD player if you want, also
proper musicians produce it so you don’t need to feel ashamed about listening to game
music. The rest of the sounds are good and clearly sound like what they represent, plus
the actors in the films are good, surprisingly good infact, definitely not what I expected
outside of Westwood (I can’t believe they got James Earl Jones for Tiberium Sun).
However the camera angles have a huge art school approach although it does actually work.
I would have preferred a better engine noise though as the ones they use sound a little
tame in my opinion, same goes for the explosions that need more bass to them, otherwise,
it’s all good.
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