VM writes: "Stormrise rekindles many memories of EndWar, not least in the slightly generic aesthetic and unit design. Although the graphics have come a long way since the game's showing at trade shows last year, and are impressive in parts (the maps themselves are eye-catching) it still doesn't stun. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by this. The game, after all, almost wasn't a game at all. Stormrise's genesis can be traced back to that classic PC versus console RTS argument.
Creative Assembly Australia's head of technology, Ken Turner ("dude's a genius"), was convinced the genre could work on console, so he concocted a Whip Select prototype and laid it on top of the Kingdoms dev code. It was shown to SEGA, and SEGA said yes. The meat of Stormrise was then built around the control scheme. The units, the premise, the plot, the graphics, the look - none of it would be here if it hadn't been for Ken and his prototype."
The RTS genre has had a rough ride on consoles through the years, but which are the 7 best games available today?
The Black Panel writes: In this (very special) Christmas episode of Australia’s grooviest gaming podcast, the team tackle Sadistic Santa, The Year in Review, Reader Recollections and much more!
Kim Sellentin, Producer behind Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms at SEGA Studios Australia, discusses her start as a QA tester, her approach of cultivating a learning culture in the studio, and strategies for current and future producers.
