We have all been dictators of a sort in simulation games before, but now is your chance to be a True Dictator. You have just been ‘elected’ President of Tropico, a small third world island nation. Will you be a kind ruler, someone the people love and respect, or a total despot, hated and feared by the people? Tropico is a welcome change from some of the games I have been playing lately. I knew from the moment I saw the box that I could not wait to play the game. And for once I was not disappointed by the … Continue reading Tropico Will Rule Your PC→
Four games and several years ago, the Baldur’s Gate saga was born in this fine nation. The original game caused a revolution in the way people, especially PC gamers, thought about role-playing games. It was probably the first RPG to sell over a million copies, and it did it in less than three months. The follow-on pack, Tales of the Sword Coast, was not met with the same critical acclaim, but none-the-less added something to genre, namely the now popular "super-huge-you-can-play-for-weeks-inside-dungeon." Then came the actual sequel, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. All these titles were fun to play and … Continue reading Baldur's Gate Series Ends Gloriously→
Disney makes movies children love, but unfortunately they don’t seem to spend the same kind of time and attention in their game division, which results in uneven game packages based on movies. Most children will want the games because of whatever movie characters are displayed on the box, but often the game is discarded shortly thereafter because it just isn’t good enough to hold their attention. The Emperor’s New Groove: Groove Center is just such a game. It has one good game, one really weak game, one mediocre game, and a ridiculous so-called creativity center. The game opens with Evil … Continue reading Emperor's New Groove is Not So Groovy→
Not too long ago, I was watching Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals. However, when I watch my TV, I am unfortunately stuck with a small 13-inch screen. For a big event like Game 7, this would not suffice. I needed to have something bigger. I could have made a trip to Rent-a-Center and loaned out a big screen TV but, who can afford that? Thank God for Olympus when they sent me one of their Eye-Trek face mounted displays. Claiming to be able to simulate a 52" screen from 6 feet away, I decided to give it a … Continue reading Eye-Trek is a Visual Feast→
When I first played Myst so many years ago, I enjoyed myself so thoroughly I thought that one could not improve upon this greatness. When Riven came out years later, I was certain of it. Now, after much hype (which even included a film trailer at last year’s E3, no less), Myst III: Exile is here. Would this new chapter in the Myst saga be as great a puzzle experience is its initial predecessor, or would this be another cheap attempt to cash in on the Myst legacy? Only some serious playing time would reveal the truth. First off, I … Continue reading Myst III: Exile is Puzzle Vengeance→
Mission: Humanity is a misnomer for this dud; a more accurate name would be Mission: Inhumanity. It’s inhumane that this game would be foisted upon the game-consuming public as a completed product. M:H is a real-time strategy game in the mold of Starcraft, although that is as far as the comparison holds. Visually, the game is a good five years out of date, maybe more. Realistically, it is on par with the original Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. The units are small and indistinct and the terrain is relatively featureless. Given their tiny size and lack of serious animation, it is … Continue reading Mission: Humanity is Inhumane→
A couple months ago the Sci-Fi Channel released a three-day miniseries based on Frank Herbert’s Dune. Needless to say, I was not impressed with it. Being a fan of the 1984 David Lynch movie, the new color schemes, the whiny version of Paul Atreides (where’s Kyle MacLachlan when you need him?), and the way too elaborate costumes were too much for me. Not to mention the fact the miniseries DVD lacked key features that were promised on the back of the case. If only the David Lynch movie would have a special edition DVD, as opposed to the barebones release … Continue reading Emperor's Spice Flows Strong→
First let me say that I am a huge World War II fan. I play tabletop games based on the war, have a subscription to World War II magazine and have a father who fought in the war. I also purchase about every realtime strategy game that comes out for that genre, in addition to the never-real-but-always-fun first person shooters. When I heard about WWII Online, with a persistent world, a constantly changing frontline and thousands of players fighting the war, I was in heaven. At E3 this year I made it a point to check out the game, and … Continue reading Johnny May Not Come Marching Home Again→
Once upon a time there was this game reviewer who played a first person sword game and was so disappointed in it that a massive, evil and powerful skepticism grew over his hopes of ever enjoying the genre. This dragon of negativity hung heavy over his heart, but there was always hope a champion would arrive one day to slay the foul beast. Not to bust on another game, but this event occurred a long time ago – in game industry terms anyway – when people still wrote with runes, if you get my drift. Anyway, back to the story. … Continue reading Blade of Darkness Cuts Deep→
Those of you who read our original review of Deus Ex know that the term is part of a Latin phrase used to describe a person or thing that appears out of nowhere and unexpectedly resolves a great conflict. Ironically, this Game of the Year Edition is the Deus Ex for this fine title. The main difference between the standard version of the game and this one is that you can now play multiplayer, which is a must these days for any shooter. While the original Deus Ex was a fine single-player experience, nothing beats matching wits against an actual … Continue reading Deus Ex: GOTY Edition Improves Perfection→
