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Safecracker (DS)
• Publisher: DreamCatcher Interactive
• Developer:
• Release Date: October 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
This is an adventure/puzzle game without too much pretense – it’s all about safecracking, not some lame story. Gameplay consists of wandering around a static, pre-rendered mansion, finding safe/combination puzzles and solving them stat.
• What We Think:
Danielle: It looks like a bit of a snoozer, honestly – though the right person may be enthralled with the prospect of cracking safes open. The puzzles looked a bit obtuse, and the presentation was no-frills, but I had a better gut feeling about this than the Hardy Boys game, that’s for sure.

Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny (Xbox 360)
• Publisher: Ignition
• Developer: K2
• Release Date: November 2009
• What We Saw:
This Xbox-exclusive sequel to the 15-year-old fighting franchise is moving in a new direction: accompanying the shift to 3D from 2D is buckets of blood and dismemberment.
• What We Think:
Mitch: Having not played a Samurai Shodown title in a few years, I didn’t realize how different Edge of Destiny felt from its ancestors. The fast feel of the 2D versions has slowed to a grinding halt with this new console version, and the unnecessary addition of arm-removal and geyser-like blood spray is a contrived way of giving a graphically-awful game a bit of visual flair. Seeing the old characters made of polygons is cool, but the lack of detail makes it look like a PS2 game that was poorly ported. Rather than Edge of Destiny being an impressive new SamSho title, it feels like a rejected version of Soul Calibur with a bit of Bushido Blade inspiration.

Scribblenauts (DS)
• Publisher: Warner Bros.
• Developer: 5th Cell
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Trailer
• What We Saw:

Scribblenauts is a Nintendo DS game that tasks you with entering words on a virtual keyboard as a means of creating objects in the game world as a means of solving over 220 different puzzle levels. Yes, that was a mouthful.

These levels, of which I got a hands on demo, range from the ultra-simplistic (getting a star out of a tree) to the complex (navigating an obstructive environment and creatures to get to said star) and can take anywhere from a few seconds to 10-20 minutes to complete. The visuals are incredibly simplistic, but the vocabulary the game understands is anything but. The developers claim the game can understand “tens and tens of thousands” of words and can graphically create any object you can think of to type into it. Try as I might, I was unable to stump the game as I tried everything from “scuba gear” to “grill” to “chimera” only to have the game pop each and every object onto the screen and allow me to interact with it. (You can, for example, produce the chimera and then enter “meat” to produce something for it to eat.)

• What We Think:
Todd:

As basic as the visuals are, the notion of using words to get objects to solve puzzles proved to be incredibly addicting just in the short time I had with the game. In the aforementioned star in the tree scenario, for example, you could type “ladder” to get a ladder you can use to climb up the tree, you could type “wings” to get wings that let you fly up to the top of the tree, and there are probably a few dozen other plausible solutions that could be tried. I just about had to be dragged to watch the game’s demo, but I ended up walking away monumentally impressed.

Secret Saturdays (Wii, PS2, PSP, DS)
• Publisher: D3Publisher
• Developer: 1st Playable Productions, High Voltage
• Release Date: October 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
My time at D3’s booth began with Secret Saturdays, a 2D/3D platformer based on a popular Cartoon Network property that I’ve never heard of. The demo showed a fast-paced, cartoony game that combined platforming with light puzzle elements. Players can swap characters and use Cryptid powers to aid in their hop’n’bopping pursuits.
• What We Think:
Danielle: It looked cute and fun, but more than a little generic. As I’m not a fan of the series, nor do I have a child who is, I think I may be outside of the target audience here.

Section 8 (Xbox 360, PC)
• Publisher: SouthPeak
• Developer: TimeGate Studios
• Release Date: Late August 2009
• What We Saw:
This is a very polished-looking sci-fi FPS, based on the sort of arena multiplayer that Tribes was famous for. I was able to demo the game right up until the last minutes of E3 2009. The game is loaded with customizable features – prior to hitting the battlefield, you can designate areas of strength (you have points to spend on attributes). You don’t just spawn either – you actually “burn in” from high up in the planet’s atmosphere, allowing you to strategically jump into a particular area. I saw jetpacks (very fun), a few dynamic combat missions (keeping multiplayer interesting) and some very fun-looking fragging.
• What We Think:
Danielle: Section 8 looked pretty nice. I loved all the customizable features and the “burn in” ability – it’s cool to have such specific choices in a big bad shooter of this nature. I actually held on to the Xbox 360 controller until they had to kick me out and turn all the TVs off – so I think that’s a good sign for the game.

Shadow Complex (360)
• Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
• Developer: Chair Entertainment
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We didn't.
• What We Think:
We don't, normally.

Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage (Wii)
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
• Release Date: Late 2009
• What We Saw:

We took to the slopes again on the Wii Balance Board in Shaun White's upcoming snowboarding game. The game sports the same clean, cartoony look as its predecessor and has you, Shaun and your friends traveling around the world to up your ranking. In a welcome change from the previous title, any progress in the single player mode carries over to multiplayer, meaning that you can shred mountains in hotseat mode without having to tackle them in co-op first.

• What We Think:
Brandon:

The original Shaun White Snowboarding for the Wii was an absolute blast to play, and probably represents the best game for Nintendo's Balance Board. I'm all for having more mountains to tackle, but at the same time, I'm not sure there's enough new stuff here to warrant a full price purchase. We'll have to see what additional information about the title gets released in the upcoming months.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
• Publisher: Atlus
• Developer: Atlus
• Release Date: June 23, 2009
• What We Saw:

Despite the impossibility of such a feat, Tokyo has been put on lockdown. Demons freely roam the streets, slaughtering innocents with no fear of rebuttal, and to make matters worse, the city has one week before total annihilation. Devil Survivor is an offshoot into the tactics sub-genre, although Persona players will be more than familiar with the cast of “demons” to summon and fuse, and the weakness-based combat. Time management plays a large role, as it did in Persona 3 and 4, but the consequences of your decisions go far beyond making friends and studying. The Death Clock let’s you see precisely how long each character has to live, including yourself.

• What We Think:

Brian: I have yet to play a Shin Megami Tensei game that I didn’t like, and consider Persona 4 to be a favorite RPG in general, so the stakes are high for Devil Survivor. I’m not worried. In fact, this could prove to be an exciting new direction for the series as long as the story and battles don’t get mired with complicated movement schemes or character loadouts. Even on the DS, the signature art-style looks fantastic, and I was able to pick up on the controls and flow of gameplay without a single instruction. It’s not that Devil Survivor is dumbed down by any means. It’s accessible, which is going to be an important factor if it is to succeed on the DS in the US.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)
• Publisher: Konami
• Developer: Climax Studios
• Release Date: Late 2009
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:

Disturbing, frightful things. Shattered Memories is a flashback, an alternate perspective of the original as told by Harry Mason, but dictated by your mind. It begins with a few harmless questions, or not so harmless if your significant other is around for the ‘cheating’ question. This is the framework for your psych profile, which constantly updates with every major and mundane decision you make, that determines the world you will explore. A diner becomes a dingy bar; an old hag becomes a young vixen, and the monsters… Konami is keeping quiet on that one. The most noticeable shift from the series as a whole is the complete lack of combat. When you hear the monsters coming, you best get running. Objects can be toppled behind you and walls can be scaled, but when a beast grabs you, all you can do is use the remote and nunchuck to throw it off.

• What We Think:

Todd: I have zero history with the Silent Hill series, but this re-imagining of the original was instantly compelling. The Wii controls seem tailor made to the type of game they’re developing and the notion that it psychologically interprets every action you take in the game and then tailors the experience to better scare you could be amazing if it works as advertised.

Brian: This could be the revitalization that fans have been craving for so long. Everyone has been so focused on trying to force the combat into the gameplay that they ignored the perfect solution. Harry’s weakness, combined with his newfound agility and the lack of loading screens, turned a 20-minute demo into one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. (Brian needs to get out more, I agree. -- ed) There was no time to think or assess the situation. All I could do was run through the darkness, flashlight bobbing wildly, in hopes that the door on my left was the proper choice. It was, but whether or not it always will be is a mystery. If Climax is good to its word, even small choices like turning left instead of right have an effect on the psych profile, making Shattered Memories one of the most frighteningly personal games to date.
Mitch: Silent Hill’s horrendous controls have always been the impassable barrier for me. I’ve taken a stab at all of the games, and even though the stories sounded absolutely incredible, I couldn’t handle the nonsense camera angles and awful combat. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories eliminates both of those in this complete reimagining of the first Silent Hill, but not without adding a few awesome-sounding features. A game that tracks how you’re playing and exploits it to scare you? That’s genius.
Various decisions at the start of the game and the decisions you make throughout the course of the story are supposed to dictate the kind of experience you have with this new version of Silent Hill, and if that works out, this is going to be a phenomenal adventure game. Shattered Memories’ focus on exploration and investigation instead of combat adds a significant amount of tension to the eerie world, giving you a real sense of helplessness. I’m already planning out different ways to experiment with the game’s “psychological horror” goals. Shattered Memories is going to be the Silent Hill game for anyone who didn’t like Silent Hill, and it’s going to floor everyone else who has.

Sin and Punishment 2 (Wii)
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Treasure
• Release Date: Early 2010
• What We Saw:

We had an on hand session with a demo level of this long awaited sequel in the Nintendo booth where we were able to spend time flying, dodging and splitting shots between armed soldiers and wall climbing, mutant crabs. We played with Kachi, the female member of the playable duo. Movement is controlled with the Nunchuck's control stick with shooting assigned to the B button and super attacks assigned to the A button. The game looks great and the frame rate never shuddered, but honestly I was too busy trying not to get shot to pay a lot of attention to the visuals. There's no multiplayer, but online leaderboards will be in full effect for all you score whores.

• What We Think:

Brandon: The Wii's controls seem like a natural fit for shooters as pointing is inherently more responsive than trying to move a control stick (at least for me). I did have a hard time handling things like jumping, dodging and melee attacks which may be more me than the controls, but still, it is a concern. Then again, shooters aren't really my thing, so this may be de rigeur for the genre. Still, flying around on a hoverboard and blasting creatures was a hoot, so I'm putting this one in the maybe column.

Danielle: Good lord, this game is fast – and hardcore too. It’s bullet hell mixed with Treasure’s usual quirky/genius mechanics. I know it won’t be a massive seller – but I’m definitely glad Ninty will grace the old-school shooter fans among us with this one.

Singularity (360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Raven software
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• What We Saw:

In 1950, during the Cold War, an experiment tore a hole in the fabric of space and time, killing everyone in an island facility. It’s been 60 years, and a Russian radical seeks to rekindle those experiments. You are sent to investigate, but exactly what you are searching for, and in what time period, is not clear. Other games have toyed with the notion of time, but none have taken it as far as Singularity, or looked like a horror-inspired trip with Doctor Who. I watched as the protagonist used his Time Manipulation Device (TMD) to fast-forward time on a precise spot, causing a wall to crumble. He went through, turned around, and reversed time to reveal that the debris formed a staircase on that side. The TMD also makes an effective tool for combat, allowing the player to make cover erode, rekindle rusting barrels of flammable

• What We Think:

Brian: As someone who begrudgingly slogged through another, semi-recent time-altering FPS, TimeShift, my enthusiasm for Singularity was tepid to say the least. Now, I’m as jazzed for it as I was for BioShock back in ’07, and the two share some distinctive commonalities. The dirty, neon colors, the stranded protagonist, the blend of action and horror, and the presentation of the island’s sordid history make me think of Singularity as a spiritual successor. The section shown was early in the game and the Time Manipulation Device was already being used to great effect in combat and bypassing environmental hazards. Since the TMD is so powerful to begin with, the key to capturing players for the long haul will be allowing them to express their ingenuity and discover new ways to utilize the TMD.

SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 (PSP)
• Publisher: SCEA
• Developer: Slant Six
• Release Date: Holiday 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
Fireteam Bravo 3 is offering four-player campaign co-op, but we rocked it solo. Slant Six is reverting back to what made SOCOM popular by making FTB3 a third-person shooter rather than a tactical strategy game. We got to stalk a forest with three AI allies as we infiltrated the enemy's HQ without any nonsense story segments to get in the way.
• What We Think:
Mitch: SOCOM is and has always been an incredibly awkward shooter. It's clunky and slow, but that methodic pace is what makes it such an engrossing tactical shooter. The PSP versions have always relied on the lock-on system, and FTB3 is no different. You can still crouch and snipe and toss grenades, but I found myself locking on and shooting as a means to blast through level with guns blazing. It's incredibly easy to zip between terrorists and drop them dead instantly, which makes for a faster version of the slow-moving shooter. It just doesn't make for the Navy SEAL-like experience the series has always aimed for. The multiplayer options will no doubt be the shining beacon of greatness, but FTB3's "Kill Everything" objectives, at least in this demo, left me wanting more from it.

Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny (PSP)
• Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
• Developer: Project Soul
• Release Date: Q3 2009
• What We Saw:

Broken Destiny is still in development, but is growing nicely into the shoes of its older brother. Broken Destiny is not a direct port of Soul Calibur IV, but it is shockingly close, right down to soul crushes, armor breaks, and the stages. Only a handful of character were available to play at the moment, such as Mitsurugi and Astaroth, but Namco Bandai is touting at least 20 for the final release, fully-featured character creation, and one very special guest star – Kratos from God of War. Sadly, he wasn’t playable. There has been no word on whether or not we can venture into the Tower again, but Namco Bandai has promised an exclusive, single-player mode. There has also been talk of a smoother learning curve and lessened difficulty to ease new players into the series.

• What We Think:

Brian: Forget the newcomers. Since when has there been a “casual” market for Soul Calibur, or any fighting game for that matter? The people who buy Broken Destiny are going to be the ones who can’t stand to be apart from IV when leaving the house, and folks who don’t yet own a 360 or PS3 (because they keep buying PSP ports?) but want in on the action. Either the A.I. still needs to be fully implemented, or the difficulty may have taken a bigger hit than expected. In the first battle, my opponent struck twice. One of those came after five seconds of idling unguarded to see if she was actually doing anything. I hate to rant like this, but the rest of Broken Destiny is right on track and looking gorgeous.

Space Marine (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Publisher: THQ
• Developer: Relic
• Trailer
• Release Date: TBA
• What We Saw:

We saw a trailer, basically. A long, meaty trailer with gameplay footage but we didn’t see anyone actually playing the game. It’s a long, long way from release so there’s plenty of time to discuss how it plays. This is Relic’s Action-RPG (heavy on the action part of that phrase) set in the grim Warhammer 40K universe. In the demo the squad was the Ultramarines but that hasn’t been set in stone. There were also a lot of dead Orks.

• What We Think:

Bill: Well, it looks somewhat gorgeous. Other than that we didn’t get a lot of info. I asked about why the Blood Ravens were no longer the chapter of choice, and was told Relic wanted “something different.”

You’re going to be using one marine but you’ll be travelling with your squad, so I assume that means a lot of AI controlled companions and hopefully a co-op mode. I say hopefully because Relic isn’t ready to say a whole lot about the game other than that they are making it and that it has Orks, and a lot of bad ass 40K weaponry.

The demo showed tons of classic unit types and weapons like jump packs, chainswords, power fists, and heavy bolters. There was also a screen with attributes such as strength, defense, and attack – how that works in the game is anyone’s guess at this point.

So, I think I want to see more but I also think it won’t be out until 2011. So cool your heels fellow ‘Hammer fans.

Brian: Relic has already proven that it can do right by the Warhammer name. The developers are known fans, so they know better than to hint at squad-based multiplayer, playable Chapters besides the Ultramarines, and prominently feature a Titan in the background, unless they plan to incorporate them in some way. Ironically, I think that Relic’s background is also the main cause for alarm. Take a look at Relic’s past and you’ll realize that the company isn’t exactly known for non-RTS titles. Except for The Outfit, RTS is all that Relic does.

Before I go, I would like to correct the egregious misconceptions of a few coworkers. “Space Marine” is a good name, a badass name, filled with masculine vigor and honorable glory. That’s why, during the trailer, I kept my arms folded and my face in a stern position of analysis. I didn’t want anyone to see the fanboy inside, galloping through fields of mirthful lavender and joyful brooks of glitter as… waitwaitwait, I mean, blood, death, and boobs, yeah.

Split Second (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: Disney
• Developer: Black Rock
• Release Date: 2010
• What We Saw:
Watching Split Second is like watching a plane crash – and we don’t mean that simply because there are plane crashes in the game. The linearity of fast-paced, aggressive racing is busted wide open with the ability to trigger events with accumulated power. As you “drag, drift and jump” you’ll build up three trigger levels to wreck your opponents and physically change the layout of the track. Split Second boils down to schadenfreude at will, and the lone course during the playable demo was absolutely filled with it.
• What We Think:
Mitch: Split Second would have been a great racing game without the trigger powers. It’s insanely fast, ridiculously pretty and as chaotic as a Burnout title. You’ll be smashing into opponents and off of walls jumping off of ramps and slipping through shortcuts, which is rad in and of itself. The twist of being able to detonate a wall and destroy your opponents, crush them with a chopper’s suspended cargo crate, or topple entire structures with the press of a button is positively exhilarating. Seeing a passenger plane come skidding across the runway as a half-dozen cars swerve into and around it is a rush, and it’s even more satisfying to know that your destruction of the air control tower caused it.
Building up your trigger juice is easy, and recognizing a prime opportunity to take out an opponent only requires that you look for the appropriate icon – if an opponent is bee-lining through a gas station as your prompt pops up, tap the A button to trigger an explosion that will wreck him. It’s weird to see random events happening at the will of a race car, but hey, the glee that comes from squishing other cars (and even becoming a victim to a crashing airplane) is immeasurable. After three races I still wanted to keep playing. And that was only one track.

Splinter Cell: Conviction (360, PC)
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
• Release Date: Late 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
Ubisoft showed the same Splinter Cell Conviction mission during the Microsoft press briefing as they did publically on the show floor, and in a private booth, but it wasn’t playable. The level we saw displayed Sam Fisher’s newfound brutality and disregard for complete stealth. Sam still uses his super sneaking powers, but there’s a heavier emphasis on action than the franchise has ever seen. As he hunted his daughter’s murderer, he infiltrated a mansion, took out the guards inside, and detained the killer in his office… but not before getting arrested by government operatives.
• What We Think:
Mitch: This game is borderline copyright infringement – Jack Bauer would like to have words with you, Sam Fisher! The style of Splinter Cell has been radically changed, and it has become more of a third-person shooter and action game than a realistic stealth simulator. That realism was always a barrier for me, but influences from other Ubi properties like Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia have given this version of SC an entirely new feel. Fisher is clambering up buildings and dropping on to enemies like an urban ninja. As if he wasn’t a big enough badass, the new Mark and Execute system is going to make for some pretty sweet moments – tagging an enemy with a mark lets you get an instant kill on him when you burst through the door or get a clean shot. I couldn’t get enough of watching Sam silently kill an enemy from above and then snapping around to stylishly shoot his new assailants. Jumping out of windows and running along ledges isn’t something I remember the old Sam Fisher for. This new one? We’re best friends.
Brandon: Game. Of. Show.
Bill: This was easily one of the best demos of E3 – if not the best, period. I have to admit, I haven’t been a huge fan of this series but Conviction looked stunning. The word that pops to mind when I think about this game is “slick” – everything was done with a sense of style, from the way the mission objectives appear on screen, plastering the curtains or the wide side of a building, to the sweet features like the silhouette hiding, which shows you where the AI thinks you are. There are no load times – everything transitions seamlessly. Finally, the Mark and Execute feature was just plain bad ass – marking your target for termination then entering the room and offing them in a matter of seconds. The kills were vicious, quick, and slick. Great demo.

Spore Hero (Wii)
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Developer: Maxis
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:

Spore Hero brings the burgeoning Spore franchise to the Wii. In this game you start off with a limited creature who has journeyed through space on the back of an asteroid to crash on a new world. But our li’l bugger didn’t crash alone, another creature has landed as well and he’s a lot more malevolent than our fledgling hero. Your creature’s task, should you choose to accept it, is to collect various items (fruits, asteroid fragments, etc.) to help him explore and protect this new world from its corruptive tormenter; evolving your own creature in the process, of course. All the creature parts you might be familiar with from the PC game and its add-ons are here, so anything you’ve been able to construct there can eventually be reflected in your Spore Hero creature. Ultimately, the best way to think of Spore Hero is as a significantly expanded version of the Creature Mode from the PC.

• What We Think:
Todd:

This one should have a lot of entertainment value for younger players, but despite being a fan of the original Spore, I think it’s hard to imagine older audiences getting more than a momentary diversion from this game.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC)
• Publisher: Lucasarts
• Developer: Krome Studios
• Release Date: September 2009
• What We Saw:

This Star Wars game is designed to fill the gap (it’s canon) between seasons 1 and 2 of the current running Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series (not the one that first aired prior to the release of Revenge of the Sith). Using art assets, voice talents and even the same writer as the animated series, Republic Heroes tasks you with taking on the role of either a jedi or clone trooper (you can switch between the two at various points) in an effort to defeat a new villain, named Kul-teska (who will appear in season 2 of the series).

There are multiple unlockable characters from the series ranging from Anakin and Obi-wan to some newer characters found in the series. There are 40 levels that you can complete either on your own or with the aid of the game’s hotseat co-op play that allows a friend to jump in and out of the game at will. In addition, when playing co-op, there are competitive mini-games that appear at various points that let you compete with your partner for extra point rewards (that lead to in-game bonuses).

• What We Think:
Todd:

For fans of the animated series this game will probably offer an entertaining diversion, and certainly the fact that it’s canon doesn’t hurt. But, let’s be honest. The Star Wars brand is tarnished as it is, and thanks to the horrid movie from last year, The Clone Wars has more than its share of detractors already. Combine that with a rather simplistic gameplay model that isn’t likely to attract players beyond die-hard fans and casual players, and it may have a tough time moving units.

Supreme Commander II (360, PC)
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Developer: Gas Powered Games
• Release Date: 2010
• What We Saw:

The first Supreme Commander was all about the epic scale of its classic RTS gameplay; gameplay in which you could zoom in to see the tiniest unit detail or zoom out enough to take in the entirety of the world. Based on the hands-off demo we saw, this entry in the franchise looks to continue that grand condition, only with much more (and much needed) refinement to the gameplay. Among those refinements is the fact that the game is being designed to run capably on much more modest hardware (while still looking great), by using fewer polygons for units than in the original and overcoming that loss by making better use of shaders. We were told the demo was being given on 2-year old hardware, which is unheard of for a PC game during an E3 demonstration. Even on a giant projector screen the smooth running demo we watched looked stunning.

Among the new features are 90 campaign maps, a multi-category research tree for each of the game’s three factions (one of these factions is new), the ability to use that tree to boost, mass upgrade or unlock new units, 25 new “experimental” units that are classified as Major or Mini Experimentals, and an improved economic model that lets you “buy builds” and eliminate deficit spending that was (we were told) problematic in the original game.

They’ve also developed a new pathfinding technology, FlowField, that should make for improved and more efficient (in terms of system utilization) unit movement. When you select a destination for your units, instead of drawing a new path for each unit, the game is able to determine a single path for all of them, while still allowing them to individually navigate (or flow around) any obstacles in the terrain. The overall AI has also been redone using a “neural net” design that allows it to learn from its own failures when finding new ways to beat you.

• What We Think:
Todd:

I missed out on the first Supreme Commander due to its steep system requirements, so the notion that this one is being designed to both look even better while still running great on modest hardware is a welcome one. The level of detail in the individual units (especially the Major Experimentals) is eye-catching to say the least and it certainly seems like control of your armies has been given a lot of attention. What I’m uncertain of is how much of this game is geared towards casual to intermediate RTS fans versus how much hardcore fans of the genre might gravitate to it.