When I was growing up, my friends and I would be the first in line to buy any new games put out by Lucas Arts because we knew they would be a lot of fun. Over the past couple of years, if I was not reviewing the game, I have found myself waiting to see what my fellow reviewers had to say before deciding to go to the store. Playing Knights of the Old Republic reminds me of the good old days when I would be waiting in a long line at the game store. This is the best game … Continue reading Knights Rule→
When I first heard that the classic Temple of Elemental Evil D&D module was being made into a computer game, I was enthralled. This was a module that took about an entire summer vacation to complete, back in school when a summer vacation meant an entire summer off, and not just a week or two. Starting at first level, our entire group was at least fifth by the time we were done. So of course I was ready to return to Greyhawk and find out if everything was as I remember it from those many years ago. The biggest change … Continue reading Evil is so Good→
Depending on your point of view, Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader is either a thinking-man’s Diablo, or an action gamer’s version of Baldur’s Gate. Lionheart is an RPG that places you in Europe in 1588. Historically speaking, many things look as they should in Barcelona, where you spend much of this single-player adventure. Even the Spanish Armada is getting ready to invade England out in the harbor. But the coolest aspect of this RPG is that it is an alternate history setting, so lots of things are different too. The main difference between the Lionheart world of 1588 and the … Continue reading Lionheart Has Lots of Heart→
As movie sequels go, Pirates of the Caribbean is not too bad. I played it on the PC and despite little flaws, managed to have a pretty good time. My review will be based solely on my PC experience. However, I want to put up front that the Xbox version of the game is nowhere near as good. It was pretty buggy, with disappearing quests and crashes during FMV sequences. In fact, our Xbox review console broke while playing the game. We won’t blame Pirates for this, but the combination of an old Xbox and a disc-intensive game was apparently … Continue reading Pirates is Ships and Swordplay→
PlanetSide is a bit unique among massively multiplayer online games. Instead of role-playing a character, the game is all about battle. And on battle, it has plenty. Set on a futuristic world, the plot of the game is that humans from the Terran Republic have set down on a new world bristling with alien technology. They are connected to their empire only by a wormhole. But when the wormhole collapses, the humans begin to fight. One group decides it wants to remain loyal to the republic. One group generally likes the laws of the republic but wants a bit more … Continue reading PlanetSide is Hardcore Perpetual Action→
The many Star Wars games that have come out over the years have let us play many different people in that universe. We have been Jedi knights, rebel pilots, bounty hunters, planetary biologists, wartime strategists, imperial officers, trade federation droid handlers and just about everything else imaginable. But now LucasArts is letting us be something completely new – ourselves. Well, you can be yourself if you want. Or you can be a Wookiee, Mon Calamari, Bothan, Rodian, Trandoshan, Twi’lek, Zabrak or simply a human completely different than yourself. The point is that the only massively multiplayer game devoted to the … Continue reading A Strong Force for Fun→
I just can’t get too much Morrowind. And considering that 80,000 readers voted it the PC game of year and game of the year in the environment category, I’m not at all alone. Bloodmoon is the second expansion pack for the Morrowind game, and builds out the massive single-player RPG even further with an entire new land to explore that is alien and strange to those of us who have spent hundreds of hours adventuring on the mainland. Gone are the soupy hot swamps and dusty, dry mountains most of us call home. Bloodmoon features the island of Solstheim, home … Continue reading There’s a Bloodmoon on the Rise→
The space flight genre has always been a fascinating one for most PC gamers. It is one area where the PC will probably always be ahead of the console world, at least in terms of massive universe type games that would really be too advanced for most consoles, even the vaulted Xbox probably. Freelancer is yet another entry into this genre, and follows in the tradition of Wing Commander, Privateer and even – going way back – Starflight. Freelancer most resembles the Privateer series – Privateer II will always have a soft spot in my heart – in that you … Continue reading Freelancer is Alpha 1-1→
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→
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→
