It is finally here! I have been waiting for this moment for years!
Let'st start with the positive notes.
The graphic has been updated in a very respectful way of the original. I was surprised to see so much fidelity to the old pixel art for the ships and pilots pictures... and find that it works charmingly! It does not have a 'forced retro' feel at all. It could have all been created anew this year, and it would still have looked great. That's a confirmation that the original SC2 is timeless.
Sound-wise, the music is very nice and a good match with the overall experience, at least as far as combat demo could be expected to go.
All the familiar sound effects are back in a greatly enhanced version. Again, I think that having enhaced but not changed these sounds was the right choice. In this case, it has been better to 'remaster' rather than 'remake'. If it is not broken, don't change it! (perhaps give it only a shine)
The gameplay is fun and immediate to pick up. The old ships are all there (but the Slylandro probe! Can we have it back?) and the rooster has been greatly expanded.
The new entries offer a range of new abilities to explore and study to master their best tactical use in every occasion.
I have spent a few hours doing solo matches against the AI on the normal difficulty and I found already a good and fun challenge. Of course my experience is biased by the fact that my reflexes are not snappy anymore what they used to be, but it was not frustrating and good fun.
Now for some more critical insight.
The graphsics of some of the new alien species is more 'cartoonish' than the series has ever been. There is nothing wrong with the ships. It is really the pilot characters that in certain cases feel a bit out of place.
I am referring in particular to the 'cats' or the 'double-headed' worm-like alien (please forgive me as I have not started memorizing the proper names yet!).
Don't get me wrong, they are nice and funny, but I feel a big gap in the style that rubs me on the wrong side. Maybe I just have to get used to it.
For the sound, I have no criticism. I will just wait for the full game to bring more variety of music styles and tones.
For the gameplay itself, I agree with some of the criticalities identified in other reviews.
The use of the screen real estate is a little odd. To be honest, I am less concerned with the big side panels. After all, the original game was played on a 4:3 ratio screen, so the panels basically turn my 16:9 monitor back in something like my old CRT of yore.
No, the odd feeling comes from how the playing area is managed. It is deinitely different in comparison in how it used to be and not in a better way.
It is difficult to pinpoint, but I believe that ic comes down to a number of factors.
The whole 'arena' seems to be smaller than it should be and the largest distance that can separate the two ships, before they cross the border and reappear on opposite sites, feels too short.
This makes tactial use of long range weapons ineffective. Or in some cases too effective: the Mycon podship's plasma lasts so long that one could be hit by it when it unexpectedly emerges from the opposite border of the screen!
Also, the planet is not anymore in the center of the arena and its influence can barely be felt. This results in slow ships being unable to tactically use the gravity slingshots, which was an integral part of the gameplay.
The minimap feels like an afterthought. After all, it has never been there, and no one felt the need for it. Now, it could be useful for some of the new ships abilities, like the wormholes or the barriers, so I will hold my judgement here. Still, I am skeptical.
For the actual action, possibly, I am biased by the fact that I have only played against the AI, which has some peculiar behavious, at least at the low difficulty level i used.
The AI displayes a very precise (almost frustrating) aim with long distance weapons, while being less challenging at close quarters.
It also has the habit of basically always either fleeing or attacking, with little or no manouvering tactics.
When I use the Ilwrath avenger and turn invisible, the AI just continues to flight straight in the path it was flying before I disappeared, until I reappear.
I may just have to try higher AI levels, or better against other human players.
I agree with the previous reviewer that moving from sprites to full 3D ship rotations changes the rules of engagement, in comparison to the original. However, I am not yet convinced that this is necessarly a step back.
At least if the tactical use of firing in fixed directions could be replaced by something else of equal value.
In conclusion, I still have not played the game enough to make any too strong comments. I write this review to capture my feelings at this very early moment.
And the feelings are generally positive.
There is for sure still a lot of balancing to be done - and I think this is why the demo is here. Nobody has really played the new ships enough and it would not be fair to draw conclusions just by comparing the contents in common with the previous game.
To be honest, if I wanted exactly the same experience as the old Super Melee, then I would just boot The Ur-Quan Masters and stick to that!
We, as players, have just begun to explore the new possibilities offered by the new ships and the new game engine.
I am sure that the final game will be superb. It would be a shame if the spaceship combat was not on par.
Go for it, Pistol Shrimp!
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