Category Archives: Reviews

Age of Wonders is still somewhat of a question mark

A world of high fantasy and adventure awaits you in the Age of Wonders. You are the supreme ruler of the race of your choice ( Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, High Men, Azracs [desert dwelling humans], Frostlings [cold dwelling goblin like race], Humans, Lizardmen, Dark Elves, Goblins, Orcs or Undead ). Your goal in Age of Wonders is to lead your race to supremacy over the others (your choice of computer and / or Internet opponents ) in this turn-based city centered simulation of the times of wizardry and warriors. Players of the Warlords series will notice a similarity when they … Continue reading Age of Wonders is still somewhat of a question mark

Carnivores 2 takes a bite out of hunting simulations

Ok, let me get this out in the open. I’m a closet hunting simulation fan. There, I’ve said it. That out of the way, if anyone thinks this makes me soft, you can find my e-mail at the bottom of the page if you want to challenge me to a game of Half-Life. I know these hunting games are mostly aimed at the non-traditional gamer and perhaps I am a bit of a 3D environment freak, but I have in the past enjoyed stalking virtual mule deer in Texas and bringing home a nice computerized 12-point buck from the woods … Continue reading Carnivores 2 takes a bite out of hunting simulations

Lego Mindstorms Droid Developer Kit is pure family fun

If I could envision a box of family fun, this would be pretty close to what I would imagine it to be. The Lego Mindstorms Droid Developer Kit is a seamless marriage of tactile exploration and computer enhancement. The computer component of the product does not get in they way of the building phase, but instead is used to enhance the overall experience. When you first open the box, there is going to be a moment looking at the hundreds of small pieces where you wonder what the heck you have gotten into. I mean teams of scientists at laboratories … Continue reading Lego Mindstorms Droid Developer Kit is pure family fun

Gamers will answer Asheron’s Call

The beauty of Asheron’s Call is difficult to describe. Having been a devoted fan of the reigning champion of online-only games, Origin System’s Ultima Online, for years, I was used to a somewhat lower standard. Play Asheron’s Call just once or twice and you will never want to go back to Ultima. Asheron’s Call was not the first online-only game to use a first-person interface, which until recently was nearly impossible due to bandwidth constraints as well as the difficulty of programming a fully interactive 3D environment. That honor goes to Sony’s EverQuest, which we reviewed just before it went … Continue reading Gamers will answer Asheron’s Call

Intensor LX is intense

The advances in sound technology over the last several years have tried to do one thing – bring the sound closer to the user. One only has to look at an ordinary desk chair to envision the obvious next step. The Intensor LX is a specially designed chair the has speakers placed in strategic locations to give the user a sort of ‘sensaround’ feel. The subwoofer sends its sounds through the base of the chair right into your spine, giving your sound experience that extra punch. The unit that interfaces with your computer’s sound output is a small box that … Continue reading Intensor LX is intense

At its core, Septerra Core rocks–leisurely

Septerra Core arrived at GiN headquarters with a special request: Let Michael Cheek review it. I don’t think this was an example of "Let Mikey review it; he’ll review anything." You see, I’m not the role-playing game reviewer. I look at DVDs and puzzle games for the most part, and Septerra Core is neither. In fact, I’m not that fond of RPGs since many tend to be complex and unforgiving for a methodical player like myself. Moreover, when building characters, I can never get the balance just right between character’s attributes. But I launched into Septerra Core and found I … Continue reading At its core, Septerra Core rocks–leisurely

Touring Car Challenge doesn’t lose horsepower in translation

When I was first given Touring Car Challenge, one of the first products released in the United States from European-based Codemasters, I figured it had a few strikes against it right off the cricket bat. For one, the product was a simulation of British racing. And like Dr. Who and boiled beef, its not often that British games take off in the fickle U.S. market. But forget all that. Touring Car Challenge is more like The Beatles than Dr. Who. It’s an amazingly beautiful and highly detailed game that has the potential to climb the ranks of racing simulations and … Continue reading Touring Car Challenge doesn’t lose horsepower in translation

Wild, Wild West: The Steel Assassin is on target

Anyone who has seen the movie Wild Wild West, or been a fan of the television series, can appreciate the wonderful action-packed nature of this game, and how it couples both humor and puzzle solving to make an excellent package. Those of you who are unfamiliar with either the movie or the show can still enjoy this delightful title, but it may take a few scenes – what the game calls chapters – to get a feel for the game world. The setting for Wild, Wild West: The Steel Assassin takes place a few years after the Civil War and … Continue reading Wild, Wild West: The Steel Assassin is on target

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a ruler

My first experience with Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings went like this. I left work and went home and installed the game then I went to Greg Crowe’s (GiN Features Editor) house warming party. I got home about 10 or so and sat down to play. There I was playing away and really having a great time, next thing I know my alarm is going off. I would have sworn it was at the latest 2 in the morning and it’s 7:30. I admit I did not stop playing at that point, I continued playing until about … Continue reading Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a ruler

Fly! is extremely realistic, highly complex fun

Okay, so ya want to fly a plane without really getting in one? Well Fly! is for you, maybe. Let me first start off by saying that after you install Fly! on a Mac please go back to the CD. Here you will find folders that are very important if you want this game to run on your Mac. I want you to open the QuickDraw and Sprockets folders, and dump all those items into your extensions folder. Now, go to the Fly! folder and grab the three items called TRIRAVE.dll, TRIGlide.dll, and ATI RAVE.dll. Dump these into your extensions … Continue reading Fly! is extremely realistic, highly complex fun