GameStorm Games
Games on the service are organized into five categories: Action & Strategy, Adventure, Classic Card, Puzzle & Board, and Sports. The Engage arm of GameStorm provides, or will provide in the future, RoleMaster: Bladelands, Darkness Falls , Rolemaster: Magestorm, and Splatterball, Silent Death, plus support for third-party games such as Diablo, Descent, Castles II, , Claw, Caesar's Palace Casino, U.S. Chess Federation, Improv Comedy Trivia, Billboard Live Trivia., Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, and Virtual Pool. Note that some of these are forthcoming, or still in development. HEAT.NET's contribution to the package will consist (eventually) of Quake (I&II), NetFighter, Hexen II, WarBreeds, Deathdrome, Diablo, Total Annihilation, Postal, Take No Prisoners, Warlords III: Reign of Heroes, Vigilance, and Scud: Industrial Evolution. Also, virtually any networkable CD-ROM game is playable over HEAT.NET.
The premier slot in GameStorm's lineup is held by the venerable Air Warrior. Available soon in three flavors, ranging from "classic" dogfighting action to 3D-accelerated state-of-the-art flight simulation, the Air Warrior family is both venerable and venerated. A multiplayer flight simulator that's been around for about a decade in one form or another, Air Warrior is currently up to version III with 3D support, though as of this writing this version is still in beta. Originally a feature of the GEnie network, on a pay-per-hour basis, the game migrated to AOL where it maintains a presence along with the remnants of Kesmai's once dominant lineup there. Air Warrior has matured under the tutelage of Kesmai and shrinkwrap publisher Interactive Magic into a solid, mature online game with a very strong (in version III particularly) offline, solo mode. One of GameStorm's biggest selling points may well be the ability to play Air Warrior as part of the $9.95 a month fee.
According to producer Jonathan Baron ("Blue Baron" to his flying buddies), the most attractive aspect of the Air Warrior experience is the sense of community and shared exploits that long-time players enjoy. Air Warrior remains a powerful presence in the online game world, mainly because of its history, quality, and cadre of long-time veterans. The opening up of the game to the flat-fee masses has, according to Baron, changed the community somewhat. In the beginning and for many years thereafter, those who could afford to spend several dollars an hour, several days a week, to fly in the online skies formed an exclusive club. Composed largely of men with substantial salaries (many in the $80,000 a year range), the original Air Warrior community often denigrated anyone playing on a free account. Now, with the unwashed (and much less affluent) masses pouring in via AOL and GameStorm, the Air Warrior universe has to adapt. One reason why there are so many different versions of the game seems to be the desire to segregate the casual gamers from the serious veterans, in order to maintain some of the exclusivity (of talent, if not of wealth) that characterized the game in past years.
Another game with big potential for GameStorm, and one that will be a crucial factor in attracting new subscribers (or not, as the case may be), is Aliens Online, a 3D first-person shooter that puts players in the roles of Colonial Marines or icky alien critters. Unlike most shooters, this partnership with Fox (the owners of the Alien movie property) emphasizes cooperation and team play. In the beta at least, solo Marines are usually Alien food, while individual aliens are no match for the heavily armed leathernecks. Another unique feature is the ability of players to progress through the ranks, with the ultimate prize being the ability to run one's own arena (game session) as an Alien super queen or to coordinate the actions of all the fireteams in such an arena as a Marine officer. Though still rough around the edges, Aliens Online will be a cornerstone of Kesmai's GameStorm efforts.
One of the reasons this game is so important for GameStorm is that it represents one of the first of the new generation of online action games with a persistent world. Similar to KAON's Terra: Battle for the Outland, Activision's Battlezone, or Trilobyte's Extreme Warfare, Aliens Online tries to blend fast twitch action with something more enduring, and with more of a team emphasis. Though a familiar first-person shooter at its core, Holden claims the game is one of the first purely online offerings to approach CD-ROM games in terms of action and graphics quality. While not nearly as sophisticated in terms of 3D engine as something like id's Quake II, Aliens Online hopes to offer more than mere fragfests: a persistent world where players can come and go yet still have a gaming experience that plays out over time, thanks to character advancement and team-oriented gameplay. Whether that will be enough to outweigh the somewhat dated engine remains to be seen.
Rounding out the big three on GameStorm is another third-party product still in beta. Jack Nicklaus Online Golf Tour brings the graphics and detail of the Jack Nicklaus retail golf games to an online environment. While fast action isn't the point here, competition is, and golf seems like an ideal sport for Internet play, given it's often glacial pace. Using Accolade's highly-regarded game engine and graphics, the online version merely adds human opponents in a virtual clubhouse-style environment; it's supposed to be just like going to the country club, only a lot less expensive and probably not nearly as snooty. Certainly, the core golf engine is excellent, and while other golf games have provisions for Internet play, none has a fully integrated multiplayer environment like GameStorm is planning.
Right now, the Adventure section of GameStorm's Kesmai offerings is limited to one game, Legends of Kesmai. Like Air Warrior, Legends is a veteran of many (in Internet gaming terms) years. An isometric, top-down view third-person perspective traditional RPG, it doesn't have the spark and sparkle of more modern releases like Ultima Online or the forthcoming Asheron's Call or EverQuest. Then again, it's pretty straightforward, less susceptible to lag than more action-intensive games, and possessed of a fairly large and dedicated population of gamers. Legends is not on the cutting edge of gaming, but it's nonetheless fun. Plenty of monsters, lots of items, a populous world (like most of these games, occasionally too populous), and decent graphics make it an enjoyable romp. It wouldn't support $10 a month on its own today, but as part of the vast GameStorm offerings, it's a welcome addition to the line up.
Still, Legends is something of an enigma. While it holds up well enough even when compared to some very recent online RPGs that are being shown around the web, it is definitely dated. Pure, hard-core role-players will likely not find this game the reason they come to GameStorm; if it's a RPG and a RPG only they want, they'll go elsewhere. The learning curve, though, is high enough that non-dedicated RPG fans will likely find the game a bit too obtuse, and might rather spend their time doing more intuitive things. Legends remains a legacy of an earlier time. Like MPG-Net's Kingdom of Drakkar, it has a great history but a cloudy future.
The rest of the GameStorm collection of games is a mix of old, new, and in-between. Multiplayer Battletech™ is another game that, like Air Warrior, has been around for a while. Featuring dueling giant robots fighting it out on the planet Solaris, this game is a heavily streamlined version of the Battletech pods found at a few FASA gaming centers around the country, without the funky hardware and high cost. While popular among a dedicated core of gamers, the game can't really stand up to accelerated versions of Activision's MechWarrior games, nor does the dueling environment really provide the tactical diversity players of the retail games might expect. Still, it's perhaps the only place where gamers can duke it out with giant robots over a reliable, proven multiplayer network.
Harpoon Online takes the popular wargame that debuted on the PC nearly a decade ago and adds multiplayer capability. Players take command of fleets or portions of fleets and fight out simulated modern naval battles. Graphics are little changed from their EGA origins, though this has always been a game series that emphasized gameplay rather than eye candy. Like most online conversions of existing games, it is more awkward than it should be, and is unlikely to attract gamers not obsessed with high-seas warfare in the missile age.
Stellar Emperor, still in beta, is one of those conquer the galaxy games that every online service seems obliged to offer. Similar in concept to VR-1's Ultracorps, or any number of ancient play by mail or early mainframe space exploration games, Stellar Emperor adds a spiffy windowing interface, scads of planets and players, and a variety of ship types and controls.
Starship Troopers: Battlespace is another forthcoming Kesmai game, this time drawing from the special-effects laden 1997 movie Starship Troopers but focusing on action-oriented space combat rather than terrestrial bug hunting. Kesmai and GameStorm have proven assiduous in courting big-name licenses, and this is but the latest in the tradition that goes back at least to Multiplayer Battletech. Oddly enough, whereas film and non-computer game licenses in the mainstream computer game industry have had a spotty record of success at best, Kesmai seems to know how to make them work. That, or the standards of online gamers are different from their solo gaming counterparts.
Finally, there's the usual assortment of parlor and casino games that are popular on every service, and which vary only in their presentation and slickness. Casino Blackjack, Poker (Windows and Mac versions), and Classic Cards (bridge, hearts, spades, and whist) make up the Classic Card section of Kesmai's GameStorm collection. Classic Boardgames, forthcoming, is supposed to add backgammon and later chess and checkers to the mix.
The Verdict
GameStorm is perhaps the most ambitious online game service ever launched. Born of desperation, the bastard child of a lawsuit and economic necessity, it stands ready to claim its birthright as the king of online gaming. Like many a distaff hero of old, however, it faces numerous challenges. The twin dragons of AOL dominance and lackluster Internet revenue models stand ready to incinerate the fledgling warrior. The evil witches of free matchmaking services, ubiquitous free betas, and the Internet-should-be-free culture lurk in the gloaming, prepared to ensnare the noble knight in their webs of unprofitability. Still, this child has strong parents, a clear vision, and some good weapons. Only time and the gods will tell whether that will be enough.
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