Category Archives: Reviews

Explore Mars with Lego

When Pathfinder touched down on Mars and began exploring the red planet, it was a milestone in human history. But assembling a Pathfinder robot in your living room will be a milestone in family history. The Lego Exploration Mars builder kit is basically an expansion pack for the Robotics Invention System, version 1.5. That means you have the huge box of parts and motors that come with the main robotics kit and a smaller box that enables you to construct interesting vehicles whose big brothers have explored Mars, such as Pathfinder and Carl Sagan station. Looking at all the pieces … Continue reading Explore Mars with Lego

Dream Master Controller improves on Sega standard

Normally I don’t write reviews about controllers. In fact, the last review I did for a controller was for the Gravis Xterminator back in 1998. However, when I was at E3, I had a meeting with a Los Angeles based company called Nyko. During the session, I was introduced to a little Dreamcast controller entitled the Dream Master. At first, it looked to me like your ordinary Dreamcast controller, and I didn’t really think that it would amount to much. Imagine my shock when I returned to my hotel room that same night, attached the Dream Master to my Sega … Continue reading Dream Master Controller improves on Sega standard

Gromada: A Child’s First Strategy Game

Many of us have played strategy war games where we take command of an entire army and do as we please with them in order to complete certain objectives — whether they may be to totally demolish the enemy or to perform specific strategic activities. Well, picture a game just like that, but instead of directing an army, you alone are on the battlefield against the enemy. You don’t have any army backing you up or buddies to clear the way for you. It’s just you and your vehicle plowing down the enemy. That is Gromada. Sounds pretty cool huh? … Continue reading Gromada: A Child’s First Strategy Game

Digital Leisure does Laser Disc

I’m sure that everyone knows about the Laser Disc game craze that took place back in the early to mid 80s (before the big crash). When Dragon’s Lair was released to the arcade masses, it took the country by storm, raking in over $30 million in revenue during the first six months. Dragon’s Lair was the creation of former Disney animator Don Bluth, whom you might know as the animator for classics such as The Secret of NIMH, The Land Before Time, An American Tail, and the recently released Titan A.E., and the game concept was developed by Rick Dyer, … Continue reading Digital Leisure does Laser Disc

Tuskegee Fighters brings honor to MS Combat Flight Simulator

Tuskegee Fighters is one of the new breed that blends intense gaming with intense realism. Most of us "cultured and seasoned" gamers (ha ha) are bored with shooting at everything on the screen and need more reward than seeing the villain destroyed at the end. So who were the Tuskegee Fighters, you ask? A highly-skilled group of African-American World War II fighter pilots from Alabama that set plenty of records in their day. The missions included in the game, which is an expansion to Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator are historically accurate re-creations of some of their actual missions. Most of … Continue reading Tuskegee Fighters brings honor to MS Combat Flight Simulator

Motocross Madness 2 is highflying fun

Warning!! This game has been known to inflate the ego in lab rats and sport video game junkies, causing them to talk shmack to all their friends that can’t perform as many cool stunts. I’ve been critically infected, and as such am forced to repeat my 9300-point single stunt record to several people including my mother, who still doesn’t understand what I’m talking about. Microsoft’s Motorcross Madness 2 delivers cool stunts and great graphics. It was easy to install and just as easy to figure out. You better have a good graphics card, but then again my PII 300 with … Continue reading Motocross Madness 2 is highflying fun

Risk II Globally Dominates

"Risk, the Game of Global Domination?!" Now, I know what you are thinking. "Another board game adaptation?! Jeez, what a novel concept." Yeah, I was thinking the same thing myself when I got this in my inbox. Generally, you expect a classic board game adaptation to fall into one of two categories. Either it’s so completely untrue to the original that you wonder why they named it after the game in the first place, or it’s such a painstaking duplication that you might as well just break out the actual board game. Sure, there have been a few exceptions, and, … Continue reading Risk II Globally Dominates

Space Channel 5 is a dance party

Sega’s first attempt in the dance/rhythm genre comes right off their impressive showing at E3 last month. Space Channel 5 was hyped by Sega with an elaborate setting, complete with cage dancers, future-retro backdrops, and an LED display simply stating "Launching June 6, 2000!" After seeing this display, I started to gain interest in the title although the dance/rhythm games don’t really appeal to me. Granted, I went through both Parappa and Bust-a-Groove on the PlayStation, but they were finished in only a matter of hours, resulting in a short, shallow experience. I had a gut feeling that Sega would … Continue reading Space Channel 5 is a dance party

Century of Warfare has war covered

Century of Warfare (CoW) is the latest iteration of the The Operational Art of War series, widely considered the most comprehensive wargaming system ever created for the computer. CoW combines the original TOAW, TOAWII and their expansion packs in a single game. The attendant scenarios (with several exceptions) are updated to the current version of the game engine. Additionally, CoW includes a variety of World War I (and pre-WWI) scenarios, rounding out the great conflicts of the Twentieth Century, hence the name. For those of you unfamiliar with the TOAW series, it’s the modern version of the traditional board wargame, … Continue reading Century of Warfare has war covered

Flying Heroes is a pleasant diversion

I know that I shall meet my fateSomewhere among the clouds aboveThose that I fight I do not hateThose that I guard I do not love.— Yeats Flying Heroes is a 3D combat game that mixes science and magic in arena-style combat scenarios. The game brings to mind the air-to-air duels found in games like Sierra’s Red Baron, only instead of a biplane, you ride to battle mounted on top a dragon or other fantastic creatures. Players start the game by joining one of four leagues that compete in various combat arenas dispersed throughout the known fantasy world. The plot … Continue reading Flying Heroes is a pleasant diversion