Home » Articles » Convention Coverage

E3 2005: Best of Show

	Author: Staff Article Type: Convention Coverage Publication Date: 7/12/2005 Related Categories: Business and Industry, Convention Coverage

E3 2005 Best of Show Winners (continued)

Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends – The most striking game at E3 was undoubtedly Rise of Legends. Bucking the popular trend, Brian Reynolds and company returned to the drawing board after their hugely successful Rise of Nations, creating not another historical RTS, but instead a beautiful universe in which flying contraptions from da Vinci merge with mystical dragons. This steampunk setting is a ballsy move, but the results speak plainly for themselves. We’re not yet certain how the game will fair with mainstream RTS fans, but the fresh approach and the developer’s established resume makes Rise of Legends an easy pick for Best of Show.

Rome: Total War Barbarian Invasion – We hope no one in our audience is surprised to see us raving about the expansion pack to our Game of the Year. Creative Assembly’s expansion pack turns the tables on the great Roman Empire, adding new campaigns and some amazing new night battles to its proven gameplay formula.  The superb Rome: Total War should be complete with this expansion pack.

Rise of Legends	Barbarian Invasion

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – RPGs have almost gone the way of wargames and flight sims: few developers exist that push for acceptance in the mainstream market. So when Bethesda unveiled its next-generation RPG at E3, we were surprised to see the mainstream media flock to this title. Yet the fundamental design and gorgeous graphics seem to explain themselves. Like the previous Morrowind, Oblivion will be an open-ended RPG in which a world is left to be explored at the player’s discretion. Populating that world are new NPCs powered by an artificial intelligence which Bethseda proudly demonstrated as its crown jewel. Able to live on its own 24-hour cycle, each of the game's AI makes decisions on its own, dependent on the evolving game world around them.  There's a ton of promising features here.

WW2RTS/Wartime Command – Grognards may lament the lack of true wargames at E3, but hope still exists thanks to Russian publisher and developer 1C. WW2RTS (aka Wartime Command) has captured our imagination ever since we first saw the game in 2002, but because of some problems with UK publisher Codemasters, the game’s development seemed to stall in 2004. We’re extremely pleased to see the game still in development, as its hardcore grognard appeal is undeniable. The World War II strategy game strikes us as a mix of Combat Mission’s authenticity with the gameplay of Close Combat. Yes, every unit is exquisitely detailed based on endless amounts of research, from armor properties to crew strength and even the loading time for tank rounds. Armor penetration is only scratches the surface of the game’s detail: at one point, the developers had modeled rounds ricocheting through tank cockpits in order to accurately simulate injuries at each specific crew station. While some of the simulation has been scaled back and rough edges remain, WW2RTS is easily the most ambitious tactical-level wargame we’ve seen since Combat Mission.

Oblivion	WW2RTS

War Leaders: Clash of Nations – Our final Best of Show winner is still years from release, but the potential CDV’s War Leaders carries is undeniable. It’s similar to the popular hybrid strategy titles defined by Rome: Total War, but with a World War II setting. Players will be able to take turns moving troops from territory, engaging in tactical battles as they see fit.  The game is still ages away from completion, but we think CDV and developer Enigma have already discovered an excellent formula which could lead to great things.

War Leaders

About The Wargamer

The Wargamer has been recognized as the leading web site for the coverage of war and strategy gaming by numerous international PC gaming magazines and publications. In addition, Wargamer.com has received nearly two-dozen accolades and awards for content and design excellence from such organizations as Encyclopedia Britannica, PCGamer, Computer Gaming World and PC Magazine.

The Wargamer was founded in September 1995, as a vehicle for locating and pairing up potential opponents for the play of computer and table based war and strategy games. Since then, under the domain name Wargamer.com, the site has more than doubled annually in terms of web site scope, content, functionality, readership, and traffic.

Led by Editor-in-Chief Jim Zabek, the web site is managed by a team of six professionals with diverse backgrounds that span military service, e-commerce, journalism, information technology consulting, financial services, and human resources. Most importantly, each also has an extensive background in designing, playing, reviewing, or evaluating board, miniature, and PC games that focus on war, strategy, history, and military simulations.