Bringing Ultima Online out of the shadows? Don’t think so. Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of PvP (player vs player) games. I avoided the previous Ultima Online releases due to their lousy reputation for being a PK (player killer’s) paradise. I did not even consider playing the game so I could do this review until I read that there was a 40 hour ‘young’ status during which you could not get Pked AND you get a free month (I can play 40 hours in a month no sweat!). Imagine my surprise when I found … Continue reading New Ultima is More of the Same→
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is a cross between the original dark forces shooters and Obi-Wan (http://www.gameindustry.com/reviews/020422obiwan.asp). Once again you step into the shoes of Kyle Katarn a one time imperial, mercenary, Rebel Operative, and Jedi Knight. With the help of his friend and pilot Jan Ors they travel the galaxy working for the republic. At the start of the game, Kyle has renounced his Jedi title, turned his light saber over to Luke Skywalker, and let his ability to control of the force fade away. He did this for fear of turning to the dark side. The … Continue reading Jedi Outcast Makes the Grade→
Maxis and EA Games have released Sim City 4, the updated version of its hugely successful Sim City series. I will now go over the basics of Sim City game play just in case you’ve been in a cave the last decade or so. In Sim City 4 you are the mayor/city planner. The goal is to take a plot of land and build it up from a one-horse farming town to a bustling mega-city. To do this you have to zone the land for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. You have to supply the zones with water and electricity. … Continue reading Take it to the Maxis!→
When I first received Hearts of Iron, I was kind of expecting a strategy game along the lines of Axis and Allies, where you could fight World War II on a strategic scale. What I got was that and a whole lot more. Hearts of Iron is the most complex game I have every played. It took three days of reading and re-reading the manual coupled with copious experimentation to become even mildly proficient with the game. At one point, I nearly gave up in frustration. But, I am so thankful that I didn’t. There is a lot to learn, … Continue reading Complex Combat→
The DUKE is back and in rare form indeed. For any that have played a Duke Nukem game before, this will be familiar territory. For any that have not had the pleasure of meeting Duke yet, do not expect a complex story line and intricate plot – this is Duke Nukem. The guy tells all that will listen that he has the best job in the world. He loves saving the world. It is what he was born for. He also loves big bosomed scantily clad women and plenty of them flock around him yet again (ok so they are … Continue reading A Classic reborn→
Prince of Qin is a bit like the ancient Chinese culture the game revolves around. It’s interesting, mysterious and a bit confusing at times. Played in a top-down Diablo-like interface, the game follows an interesting Chinese story and adds a "what-if" factor. The story goes that in ancient China there was a great warrior who was the son of the emperor. His name was Fu Su and he was the Prince of Qin. Charged with defending the northern boundaries, he was far away from the throne when his father died. Plotters who did not want him to take the throne … Continue reading The Mighty Qin→
When I first started playing Arx Fatalis, I was hoping for an RPG along the lines of Morrowind. I was looking for a huge non-linear campaign world that would keep me entertained for weeks at a time, maybe months. I also wanted sheer beauty, incredible sound and an engaging plot. I guess my sights were set a bit too high. Arx Fatalis is a good game, but it is very short-lived and the many flaws with both the game interface and the mission outlines were constantly competing with my ability to enjoy the game. I ended up playing the game … Continue reading Flawed Beauty→
I’ll make this clear up front: I’m not a great advocate of ‘collectible card games.’ I’ve played Magic: The Gathering and some of the other ones. But the sheer volume of knowledge required to even handle the basics seemed like too much squeezing for the juice. All the accounting required to keep everything straight killed the fun of it for me, and there would always be questions that arose during play, such as cards with seemingly opposable powers and situations that arose that required the intervention of a referee to determine what the correct course of action was. But now … Continue reading It’s a Kind of Magic→
All I can say is – WOW! If all of the next generation of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, popularly called MMORPGs, are as good as this then we are indeed in for a real treat. Asheron’s Call 2: Fallen Kings (herein after called AC2) takes place in a land called Dereth which is comprised of three Islands. Osteth is ancestral home of the Humans. Omishan is the ancestral home of the magic using Tumeroks. Linvak Massif is the ancestral home of the lumbering Lugians. You start your life, after choosing race, sex and how your character will look; … Continue reading Follow the Call→
It’s no big secret that I like puzzle games. I love to spend my computer game time solving riddles, fixing machinery, and finding solutions. And if I can learn a thing or two while I’m at it, so much the better. Chemicus was right up my alley. Chemicus is a puzzle game, but you get to (some would probably say "have to") learn so much about chemistry and related fields that I was seriously tempted to declare this a cleverly disguised educational game instead of a puzzle game. The introductory movie and background in the manual are certainly melodramatic enough. … Continue reading Chemicus: Above the Learning Curve→
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