Breeching the walls, again

One of the greatest things about being a reviewer is that sometimes people actually listen to you. Stronghold: Crusader is the follow-up title to the original Stronghold game reviewed by GiN about a year ago. Anyhow, just about everything that I said needed fixed from the original title has been improved here. Of course I am sure I was not the only reviewer who brought up some missing features, but at least I was among the crowd calling for change. The Stronghold series bills itself as a castle-building simulation. While this is a good description, it is worth noting that … Continue reading Breeching the walls, again

Kickin’ with GTA3 PC

When Grand Theft Auto 3 was being shown at E3 running on a PC, my interest was peaked a bit. I had played the game on the PlayStation 2 and had a pretty good time. But my lack of console savvy really kept the game from becoming a top favorite for me. So when the game arrived for the PC, I figured I would give it another go. Basically, GTA3 on the PC is essentially the same game as on the PS2, with a few notable exceptions. If you are a PS2 whiz and went all the way through the … Continue reading Kickin’ with GTA3 PC

Something Smells Fishy

Fishing? I’ve never understood the lure (excuse the pun) of fishing and deer hunting games. To me, they are as exciting as watching grass grow, however, I am going to be as fair as possible. Big Bass Fishing from Take 2 Interactive is a fishing sim for the Playstation 1. In Big Bass Fishing, players can hook 14 different types of freshwater fish, using twenty assorted fishing lures, in three separate game modes and five different fishing events. In Big Bass Fishing, the three game modes are challenge, competition, and arcade. The challenge mode contains varying trials which, when successfully … Continue reading Something Smells Fishy

This Wonder Takes The Throne

The development of wargames over the past few years has followed two distinct tracks. The far more popular one has been in the direction of real-time strategy games, with a role-playing modification being the feature of note lately. The road less traveled is turn-based. Despite wonderful real-time games, I have remained a steadfast fan of turn-based games. The genre almost died out a few years ago, but was saved mostly by the Might and Magic, and perhaps the Warlords series. (Does anyone still remember when Might and Magic was an RPG?) Today, turn-based strategy remains popular, though I doubt it … Continue reading This Wonder Takes The Throne

Martian Gothic: Unification is still kicking

In the year 2019, Vita 1, the first manned base on Mars, sent this mysterious message to Earth and was never heard from again, "If you send a manned craft, warn the crew to stay alone, stay alive." This is the beginning of Take 2 Interactive’s nightmarish mystery, Martian Gothic: Unification, for the Playstation 1 game console. You control a three-person crew sent to Mars to investigate the fates of Vita Base One’s crewmembers, only to find that the station is overrun with the undead. Each member of your team enters the base through a different airlock, following the "stay … Continue reading Martian Gothic: Unification is still kicking

Spec Ops: Covert Assault

Once again, Marxist guerrillas, communist dictatorships, and the mafia are threatening world security, you, and your crack squad of highly skilled rangers is charged with thwarting their twisted plans. This is Spec Ops: Covert Assault, the second Spec Ops game released for the Playstation 1 game console. In Covert Assault, you control two rangers at a time through four different stages executing stealth attacks on enemy strongholds, rescuing hostages, disarming explosives and missiles, and fighting scores of bad guys. The game starts off in Sicily where you battle the mafia whilst trying to recover personnel and top secret documents from … Continue reading Spec Ops: Covert Assault

Stronghold is Strategy and Structure Amid Medieval

A man’s home may be his castle, but if you want to keep your Middle Ages home safe, then it better be a stronghold. Fans of the old Castles series will be overjoyed to discover a new realtime castle building sim for their PC. Players become the chief architect for wooden Motte and Bailey castles, advanced stone concentric designs or even fortresses never before seen. Of course you also have train archers, crossbow men, pike men, knights and others to man your defenses against armies that would like nothing better than to fill in your moats, climb over or bash … Continue reading Stronghold is Strategy and Structure Amid Medieval

Spec Ops: Ranger Elite Takes Aim

Militias, terrorists, and communist dictatorships are threatening the security of the free world. You, and your squad of army rangers, are all that stands between them and conquest. This is Spec Ops: Ranger Elite for the Playstation game console. Spec Ops: Ranger Elite is part of Take 2 Interactive’s $9.99 line of games. In Ranger Elite, players control two rangers through four different stages, rescuing hostages, stealth attacks on enemy strongholds, disarming missile and bombs, and fighting scores of bad guys. The game starts off in Alaska where you must stop an extremist militia from blowing up the Alaskan pipeline. … Continue reading Spec Ops: Ranger Elite Takes Aim

Outlive is no Starcraft Killer

I normally rate games based on how much fun I have with them while I am playing them, and then I factor in all the other things like whether or not it is a neat or new concept. So while Outlive is nothing to email all your gaming buddies about, based on some of the games I have been playing lately, it is not a bad title. And as you will see, I really enjoyed the first few missions. Outlive is a real-time strategy game set in the 21st Century where the population is outgrowing the planet and we are … Continue reading Outlive is no Starcraft Killer

Max Payne is Pure Pleasure

Max Payne had a lot of things going against it when I decided to give it the once-over for review. I, like all other professional writers, try to keep my bias out of reviews. But off the bat, things did not look good. I have seen so many variations on shooters this past year that I doubted I would find anything new with this title. Also, I am not a big fan of third-person shooters, mostly after having been poisoned to them by lackluster – and some very bad – titles like Eradicator (anyone remember this one?) and Soldier (based … Continue reading Max Payne is Pure Pleasure