Wed Mar 12, 2003 6:55 am
Early Impressions of the Full Version
Hey all,
Already posted my impressions on the trial version, but I got the full today from Amazon (exceptional timing considering I ordered it the day of release and went with the free shipping option). Only got to play a little bit (only halfway through the first mission), but I already noticed a few things and just wanted to pass along how it's working.
First of all, without spoiling anything, the intro. was (I thought) incredible. I didn't even realize there was one in addition to the in-game CGI beginning, but I really felt like I was watching a high-budget movie with this. I can already tell I'm going to really enjoy this story.
There seems to be a little more variety in both the character models and voices, which is refreshing. The trial version was VERY redundant, and while I'm sure the full game also has a lot of redundancy, it does seem noticeably better in the full version.
The addition of news and a ticker is really clever and really fleshes out the universe. That combined with the journal entries go well with the in-game cutscenes so you get a deeper sense of the story and also don't miss anything (ie. if you didn't understand something that was said, often it'll reword it so you don't miss it in the text services - important since unless you save often you can't go back and review cutscenes).
The more I experience this game, the more I wonder what reviewers are smoking when they say the graphics are good but not great, etc. Granted this is subjective, but I think the graphics are GORGEOUS. The full menu background (in-game graphic scape) varies, and some of the scenes are just breathtaking. Granted the last new game I played was Jedi Outcast, which was a little while back, but I think the graphics in this game are just gorgeous.
I was a little nervous moving from the full to the trial version as some people in the forum had problems (trial worked fine, but full wouldn't, etc.). Well, no such issues here. So far (again, limited play, but still enough for a general feel), no crashes...no sound glitches...solid as a rock. I'm sorry for any of you experiencing problems. I haven't gone through any intersystem jump gates yet, so I'm not totally out of the woods yet, but it's looking good so far. For those curious of my system config, I'll post it at the end of this.
To sum it up, very impressed. The manual was a bit skimpy, and they could have at least given us a jewel case. But anyways, the manual portion is not really necessary - the game sets up the story very well and teaches you what you need to know as you go. Anyways, can't wait to move further into it.
Here's my system config for those having problems and interested (well, at least everything important). Everything has the latest drivers, and I'm running Windows XP Professional. I have an Audigy soundcard and haven't yet experienced any problems despite soem people having some with this card. And 3D sound acceleration is currently enabled in the game, by the way.
Asus P4T-E Motherboard
P4 2.4 GHz
1024 MB RDRAM (PC800)
Sound Blaster Audigy
nVidia GeForce Ti4600 128MB (LeadTek brand)
USB Microsoft Intellimouse Optical
Edited by - guptasa1 on 12-03-2003 07:16:28
Edited by - guptasa1 on 12-03-2003 07:31:35
Already posted my impressions on the trial version, but I got the full today from Amazon (exceptional timing considering I ordered it the day of release and went with the free shipping option). Only got to play a little bit (only halfway through the first mission), but I already noticed a few things and just wanted to pass along how it's working.
First of all, without spoiling anything, the intro. was (I thought) incredible. I didn't even realize there was one in addition to the in-game CGI beginning, but I really felt like I was watching a high-budget movie with this. I can already tell I'm going to really enjoy this story.
There seems to be a little more variety in both the character models and voices, which is refreshing. The trial version was VERY redundant, and while I'm sure the full game also has a lot of redundancy, it does seem noticeably better in the full version.
The addition of news and a ticker is really clever and really fleshes out the universe. That combined with the journal entries go well with the in-game cutscenes so you get a deeper sense of the story and also don't miss anything (ie. if you didn't understand something that was said, often it'll reword it so you don't miss it in the text services - important since unless you save often you can't go back and review cutscenes).
The more I experience this game, the more I wonder what reviewers are smoking when they say the graphics are good but not great, etc. Granted this is subjective, but I think the graphics are GORGEOUS. The full menu background (in-game graphic scape) varies, and some of the scenes are just breathtaking. Granted the last new game I played was Jedi Outcast, which was a little while back, but I think the graphics in this game are just gorgeous.
I was a little nervous moving from the full to the trial version as some people in the forum had problems (trial worked fine, but full wouldn't, etc.). Well, no such issues here. So far (again, limited play, but still enough for a general feel), no crashes...no sound glitches...solid as a rock. I'm sorry for any of you experiencing problems. I haven't gone through any intersystem jump gates yet, so I'm not totally out of the woods yet, but it's looking good so far. For those curious of my system config, I'll post it at the end of this.
To sum it up, very impressed. The manual was a bit skimpy, and they could have at least given us a jewel case. But anyways, the manual portion is not really necessary - the game sets up the story very well and teaches you what you need to know as you go. Anyways, can't wait to move further into it.
Here's my system config for those having problems and interested (well, at least everything important). Everything has the latest drivers, and I'm running Windows XP Professional. I have an Audigy soundcard and haven't yet experienced any problems despite soem people having some with this card. And 3D sound acceleration is currently enabled in the game, by the way.
Asus P4T-E Motherboard
P4 2.4 GHz
1024 MB RDRAM (PC800)
Sound Blaster Audigy
nVidia GeForce Ti4600 128MB (LeadTek brand)
USB Microsoft Intellimouse Optical
Edited by - guptasa1 on 12-03-2003 07:16:28
Edited by - guptasa1 on 12-03-2003 07:31:35