Category Archives: Game Review

A Decent Quest

It takes some guts to put out a puzzle game in a declining market that is rife with them. But it really takes guts to put one out that is based on a movie that was put out almost twenty years ago…and your name isn’t Lucas, that is. Auryn Quest is just that, and it is in many ways not what I expected. Based on The Neverending Story (it’s even hailed as Part I), this game takes you to various places in Fantasia to retrieve the Auryn and help the child-like Empress fight back the nothing…again. Must be like a … Continue reading A Decent Quest

Entomb this sleepy raider

At this point I could make loads of crass "Is that Lara Croft in your pocket or are you pleased to see me?" type gags, but I shall resist. Nevertheless, Lara Croft has clambered and grunted her way onto the small screen, courtesy of Ubi Soft. GBA owners everywhere can rejoice because they’ve got their very own Tomb Raider to slip into bags and the pockets of combat trousers – hoorah! In true Tomb Raider fashion the story is based around some fabricated legend. Lara has an ancient text to decipher, which leads her from Switzerland to South East Asia … Continue reading Entomb this sleepy raider

Snake Meets His Match

It’s no surprise to anyone who has read my reviews and commentaries that I am a huge Metal Gear fan. Something about tactical espionage and stealth infiltration just piques my interest. Nothing is more suspenseful than sneaking up on an unsuspecting guard, where the slightest noise could mean the difference between taking a hostage or being a corpse. Solid Snake may have been the innovator of the stealth genre, but his successors add their own special skills to the mix (the lead character from Thief using shadows to hide in, and Hitman #47 disguising himself as an innocent courier). Last … Continue reading Snake Meets His Match

Real Time D-Day

A real time simulation of the Allied invasion of France in 1944 sounds VERY interesting. Too bad Matrix Games and Lamb Software did not end up with a product fitting of the intended scope, possibly due to the scope itself being too large. Problems start right at installation. No manual came with the game so there is no immediate help in getting started. I installed the game and no icon came up on the desktop. No problem, just open and close the CD door to get the CD to run. Hmmm, seems like the only option is to install the … Continue reading Real Time D-Day

Shrek is big, but stupid

One day some fat suited types sat around a boardroom table and said, "I really love this idea about the big, green, farting ogre. I reckon we’re onto something here." I expect there was some kind of golden handshake. They all left the room with dollar signs in their eyes, high on the prospect of major marketing tie-ins; lunch boxes, bed spreads, games, maybe even a TV show. This could be the next Toy Story, they promised themselves. Shrek was good. I liked Shrek. But the same cannot be said for the string of games it has spawned. This time … Continue reading Shrek is big, but stupid

The Sims Online is Addiction Squared

Adding online playability to the immensely popular Sims series is like throwing gasoline onto a bonfire. For fans of the game, it is an excuse to permanently enter the ranks of the addicted. Maxis has created an inviting and friendly online world, more so that I have ever experienced before. The world’s rules are completely stacked to foster cooperation between players. The end result is that it is unlikely that you will have a bad experience when you start playing. When you first begin your Sims experience, you will have to first create the person, your avatar if you will, … Continue reading The Sims Online is Addiction Squared

An RTS with a Twist!

I can hear the cries already "Jeesh, not yet ANOTHER RTS with a twist!" But wait until you have tried this new offering from Microsoft Games and Ensemble Studios before ye judge to harshly. Anyone remember that old classic – Populous? Remember how you had god powers granted based on the number of followers you had? Well, Ensemble Studios has worked this into Age of Mythology quite nicely! What you have is a world dominated by three cultures – Egyptian – Norse – Greek. Each is quite unique and each has their own pantheon of gods with their own ways … Continue reading An RTS with a Twist!

Good and Cheap

There are times when a peripheral’s only purpose is to be a cheaper alternative. Such is the case with Phoenix Xbox controller from Gamester accessories. The controller is a carbon copy of Microsoft’s Controller S, featuring a nearly identical button layout, grip, and joystick/trigger functionality. Of course, being a third-party peripheral, all of this is offered at a slightly smaller price than Microsoft’s Controller S. Is the Phoenix Game pad worth your gaming dough? Shaping itself like Microsoft’s Controller S, which was specifically made for people with smaller hands, is it any surprise that the Phoenix controller is small? Nevertheless, … Continue reading Good and Cheap

A Great, but Difficult, War

So close, yet they missed the mark. Hopefully the review that follows will make this statement clear. Iron Storm begins in March of 1964 and World War I (yep that is not a typo) is still in full swing. You play the part of Second Lieutenant James Anderson, who has grown up with this war being all he knows, and he knows it VERY WELL. Anderson is called on to undertake a series of missions that will stop the leader of the opposition from unleashing a terrible weapon on the good guys. And YOU are responsible to make sure he … Continue reading A Great, but Difficult, War

Tribunal Adds Creativity to Creation

I was so happy having just completed about 300 hours of role-playing, easily the largest amount of time I have spent on a single non-online only game in my life. Super bad guy Dagoth Ur fell to my blade, well, actually he fell to an earthquake after I completed the game-winning ritual, but I’ll take the credit for his death. I sat back to breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing to do now other than travel around the world fighting minor baddies like bandits living in caves or the occasional marauding Kagouti. And my manor home is decked out in … Continue reading Tribunal Adds Creativity to Creation