Category Archives: Reviews

Purge Aims High, Misses

When technology fights sorcery, which side will you choose? The plot of Purge, as written in the online manual is: "Science is in a golden age: decades passed since the first android and genetically modified humans were developed. These beings of scientific perfection are several magnitudes stronger and smarter than normal man. They are collectively known as the Order. Eventually, the Order creates a one world government, and world peace. This "worldwide order" comes at a high cost. A great social divide develops between the Order and ordinary humans. Rejected from the utopian society of the Order, some turn to … Continue reading Purge Aims High, Misses

The Force Strikes Back

With the pending release of Star Wars Episode III, Star Wars fans the world over have been whipped into a veritable frenzy with the promise of further adventures and merchandise based on that famous Galaxy far, far away. With great anticipation, I like many other gamers awaited the release of the new game Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy from the creative minds at Raven Software and Lucasarts. The game is a 3D shooter that is set ten years after "Return of the Jedi" when the New Republic is being menaced by the evil remnant of the Empire that seeks to reclaim … Continue reading The Force Strikes Back

Mace Marries Shooters and Space Flight

In the deep recesses of space, a man has come looking for answers and seeking revenge. The man is Mace Griffin, a former member of the elite Ranger squadron has just returned from prison after being framed for the loss of his team ten years earlier. Mace takes work as a bounty hunter in an effort to gain information on who has set him up. The game unfolds in a series of missions that are punctuated by cut scenes as missions are assigned at various locations such as space stations that are teaming with activity. Innovatively blending the action of … Continue reading Mace Marries Shooters and Space Flight

Gettin’ Jango With It

More Star Wars fodder is offered up for those die-hard fans. Up until now any game with "Star Wars: the something, something" (insert as applicable here) was left with the bitter taste of disappointment. But this time Lucas Arts actually realized that Boba Fett was every Star Wars nerd’s favorite character and came up with the next best thing; a game featuring Jango, father of Boba. We never really wanted to play Obi Wan and we definitely don’t want to be Anakin, but playing a Fett, now there’s a prospect. Here’s a game that offers us the opportunity to play … Continue reading Gettin’ Jango With It

I’m Going Back In!

The IGI, or I’m Going In series proves that you don’t have to own a console to get a good stealth shooter. The IGI series in its original incarnation is far older than either Metal Gear Solid or the Johnny-come-lately Splinter Cell. Unlike most stealth shooters on the console, you can resort to mindless violence to solve levels in IGI2, but you are going to have a much harder time if you play this way. The situations you are put in are nearly impossible. You are sometimes outnumbered 100 to one, which in a game featuring realistic damage levels means … Continue reading I’m Going Back In!

Postal 2 Kicks Butt

Many people probably remember when the original Postal came out a few years back. The little 2D top-down shooter had everyone in a tizzy because it featured a guy who basically "went postal" and decided to go around town mowing everyone down in a hail of gunfire, napalm and whatever else happened to be handy. Although the graphics for the original looked like something circa Atari 2600, the sheer violence got the game a lot of press and quite a few enemies. As the sequel to one of the most controversial games of all time, you probably know what to … Continue reading Postal 2 Kicks Butt

Jedi Outcast Makes the Grade

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

A New Hope or Clown Wars?

Star Wars fans must be sick of being taken for a ride when it comes to games. For some reason, known only to George Lucas himself, good Star Wars games are hard to find. The Clone Wars is one of the latest contenders, but could it be ‘a new hope’? Clone Wars follows on from Rogue Squadron – you know, that game all Cube owners had to buy due to a lack of anything else, plus the fact that you got to blow up the Death Star. This game starts where Attack of the Clones leaves off in the movie … Continue reading A New Hope or Clown Wars?

Panzer Reborn!

When Panzer Dragoon was released during the Saturn’s early launch, many people missed out on a very unique title. While everyone was playing the other launch titles (Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter), the unorthodox Panzer was the true showcase of the system, an impressive 3D Rail Shooter that truly brought out the power of the Saturn, and eventually became a cult favorite. An even more impressive sequel was released a year later which improved on the original in every conceivable way, followed by an RPG released late in the Saturn’s life cycle (so late in fact that I was unable … Continue reading Panzer Reborn!

Get Shaken and Stirred with Nightfire

Whether attending an elite cocktail party for a billionaire madman or storming the beaches of his private fortified island, today’s elite superspy needs to be deadly and well-dressed. 007 Nightfire does an excellent job of capturing the flavor of the James Bond world, and providing a lot of action to boot. Basically, the game is a shooter, with some extra elements added in to give the game a bit of flavor. Each mission has certain Bond-like things you can do that will give you extra points and trigger the way-cool theme song. You don’t have to perform the Bond-moves to … Continue reading Get Shaken and Stirred with Nightfire