Nicholas Bale
When Company of Heroes was first released by Relic, it was praised by critics and fans alike, and was generally thought to be the best real-time strategy game ever created. Despite being set during World War II, a period that, in videogames, has been done ad nauseam, the game created a unique experience that combined deep strategy, unit management, and, most importantly, fun. Read More.
It seems these days there's no end to the number of games that try to integrate repetitive hack and slashing, but still making it fun. This is no easy feat to pull off because it's, well, repetitive. Still, there are things that make these kinds of games fun to play, like the enjoyment of making your character stronger, giving him or her more and more gear, or facing bigger and tougher foes (with the ability to defeat them, of course). Read More.
When a game like Kane & Lynch: Dead Men spins in my computer, expecting a review, I run into something of a conundrum. The problem here is that what the game does right, it does very well. High production values and cinematic presentation is obvious to anyone who plays the game, but while the game excels in some areas, it falters heavily in others. Read More.
During World War II, SMERSH was the counter-intelligence agency of Soviet Russia, and with a name that translates to "Death to Spies," who's going to argue with that? In the likely-titled PC release, you take control of a counter-intelligence agent as he infiltrates enemy territory, roots out traitors, and protects Mother Russia from the Nazi threat. Read More.
When Supreme Commander was released in Februray of 2007, it redefined the scale of the real-time strategy genre. Large-scale battles took place on enormous maps that were over 40 kilometres squared with units dwarfing others, as high-powered lasers criss-crossed the battlefield. Read More.
The Call of Duty series has long been set in the theatre of World War II. The fourth instalment seeks to change this and alter the formula by taking place in modern times, where the good and bad guys are harder to define, the weapons are more powerful, and the plot is more complicated than just pushing back the Third Reich. Read More.
The Budokai Tenkaichi series has been pretty successful in the past by duplicating the style of the battles that people have seen in anime and manga. The third instalment of the series, for the PS2, goes for the gold once more by adding more characters, modes, and moves to play with as you fight your way around large battlefields at blinding speeds, delivering powerful blasts and defeating evil. Read More.
Starscape is an interesting game to play, at least in the beginning. At a first glance, it looks like a game of Asteroids on steroids. However, the inclusion of mining, resource management, a story, and a couple of other modes quickly dissuades this thought. Still, the addictive nature of arcade games makes its mark here, though other issues tend to bring the game down. Read More.
Classic RPGs are often a treat for nostalgic gamers to play, and games that hearken back to the originals can be fun, but they walk a thin line between being enjoyable and feeling like there's nothing new offered. Gods: Land of Infinity takes the latter road, though it is not without some positive qualities, albeit minor. Read More.
Hello there readers, it's time for a quiz: Which of the following was not present in Soviet-era Russia? Was it A) Russians, B) Communism, or C) Bloodthirsty mutants who want nothing more than to tear you apart? If you guessed C, then you may have figured out what's offered in the PC shooter You Are Empty, which takes place in the totalitarian Soviet Union. Read More.
When my editor handed me a nondescript brown packing box, it was pretty obvious there was some sort of video game waiting inside. Which one? Who could tell? The possibilities were endless. "Open it," he said. Apparently he wasn't sure either, and I obliged. What I first saw once I had fumbled enough with the packing tape was something that hit me like a twenty year old sack of potatoes. Read More.
The life of a ball of mercury is not an easy one, even more so for one that's subjected to the tests in the Mercury Meltdown series of games. Every lab is a torture scene of colors, electricity, and extreme temperatures. But this little blob doesn't let up. The latest title in the series, Revolution, brings the experience to the Wii, adding a whole new method of control that completely changes the game and adds a little more to it too. Read More.
Orange Box is a great package, filled with excellent games that are instant classics.
Oh wait, I was supposed to lead up to that statement. Damn. Okay, let me start again. Read More.
Some games try to be more than they actually are, or attempt to revolutionize genres. Some games are made, instead, to merely add a little more to the gameplay and keep it enjoyable. Loki: Heroes of Mythology doesn't really fall into either of these categories, instead finding itself repeating a formula that has been used ad nauseam. Read More.
I know what you're thinking. Video games are fun, but there just aren't enough worms exploding on the screens. Well, worry no more: the worms are back to blow each other up in the latest installment of the Worms series. Fans of the games will immediately slip into the old steps of blowing up the worms of others, while newcomers will question what they are doing, before slipping into the groove of blowing up other worms as well. Read More.
