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12.16.01 by ScottC @ 3:41 pm  Overall (not an average): Developer: Firaxis Games In the movie business, it is a rare thing when sequels are as good as the original. But in the video game industry, the reverse is true. One of the latest examples is Civilization 3, the turn-based world conquering strategy game from Sid Meier. For those who think Pong is the height of computer games, the Civilization series has you start with a band of settlers that found a city. You gather resources, build city improvements, research scientific progress, train troops, and interact with other nations through diplomacy and warfare. Through building Great Wonders, committing espionage, and trading luxury goods, you work to make your civilization the greatest in the world. This game has special significance to me because this was the first game I ever stayed up all night playing. I remember thinking, "Why is the sun up? It's only...Damn!" Categorized as: Games and Reviews
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12.14.01 by Doc @ 10:48 am  Overall: Developer: Black Isle Studios / Snowblind Studios With the overwhelming success of the Baldur's Gate franchise on the PC and Mac, it was perhaps inevitable that sooner or later, Black Isle would attempt to jump the fence into console gaming territory. The result of this endeavor, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a visually stunning execution, with excellent sound, intuitive gameplay, and a better implementation of the Dungeons & Dragons rules set than any other recent attempt (Pool of Radiance 2, anyone?). Dark Alliance starts innocuously enough - as a neophyte adventurer, you wander into the city of Baldur's Gate to seek your fortune, only to be mugged and left for nearly dead in the street. Your quest to exact retribution against those that robbed you uncovers a plot stemming from a decades-old conflict that threatens the very existence of the city and its inhabitants. Aided by various individuals within Baldur's Gate and without, your quest takes you to the sewers of the city, rugged mountain cliffs, murky swamps, and icy caves, all in an attempt to find the source of the threat to Baldur's Gate and put it to the sword (or axe, or spear, or what have you). The story, while stock epic-fantasy fare, is actually quite good, and furthered by some remarkable voice talent. Every individual you interact with (except those that merely attempt to kill you on sight) is voiced, unlike so many other text-driven RPGs. The visuals in this game are unbelievable. Dark Alliance pushes the capabilities of the PS2 platform as high as I've seen. Of particular fascination are the water and explosion effects, both of which kept me entertained for quite some time by themselves. (Hint to prospective players: if you find yourself facing invisible foes, find some water and stand in the middle. Tracking them by the wake they leave makes it much simpler.) Gameplay is quite simple, and makes good use of the controller to handle all major tasks without having to pop in and out of endless menus, which disrupts the flow of gameplay. The approach taken to the spell and feat systems of Dungeons & Dragons is a clever interpretation that suits the mechanics of console gaming very well. The only hitches in the game (and the only thing keeping it from the prestigious 5-Cup Rating) are the limitations on character selection (you have your choice of three - Human Archer, Dwarven Fighter, or Elven Sorceress), and the relatively short time it takes to beat the game. At the Normal difficulty level (middle level of three available), I clocked in at 11 hours, 30 minutes to complete the entire scenario. That's a little slim, particularly since there didn't seem to be a large number of "side quests" or "easter eggs" to make replaying the game all that different from the first time through. The multi-player option might add a little depth to that, though it looked like it just added more monsters to each screen. So, in short, I'd say rent it until the price comes down. If you're a true CRPG junkie, you might get more kicks out of playing through the game with each available character. If you ever spot a copy on the cheap, the graphics alone make this one worth owning. Black Isle has raised the bar for what the PS2 console is graphically capable, and I look forward to seeing other developers rise to that challenge. Eye Candy: Categorized as: Games
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11.01.01 by Doc @ 11:36 am  Overall (not an average): Developer: Capcom Entertainment When word first came out about Devil May Cry, I was pretty excited. A big fan of the Resident Evil series, and just about any other action/adventure game that doesn't rely on little anime-ish tykes with too-big heads, I couldn't wait to see what happened when they took a dose of Blade, a dash of ResEvil, and a little touch of the gunslinging Western movie and made a game out of it. Having played it now, I can only say that it was close, but no cigar. While stylistically the game is definitely tops, the gameplay concepts are nothing new, the mechanics clunky and awkward in places, and the story all-too-familiar. Categorized as: Games and Reviews
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10.14.01 by Doc @ 11:08 am  Overall: Developer: Stormfront Studios The words "pool or radiance" serve as a kind of litmus test for hardcore computer role-playing gamers. Equally powerful is the phrase "gold box game." If you remember when a badass machine had VGA graphics and a 286/16 processor, and are a fan of CRPGs, then you likely know of and probably played at least one of SSI's legendary "gold-box games." A series of games based on the popular Dungeons & Dragons pencil-and-paper game, the gold box games were a serious evolution of what role-playing meant on the PC. Along with the Bard's Tale and early Might & Magic games, they set the standard for decent computer role-playing. Categorized as: Games and Reviews
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03.21.01 by ScottC @ 3:39 pm  Overall: Developer: Croteam First off, don't worry if you haven't played the first Serious Sam. I hadn't and it's not necessary. Second, while it's called Serious Sam, the game is in fact, very silly. The chainsaw-wielding maniacs with jack-o-lantern heads are a big clue. There is a plot, but it's not that important to your gaming experience. You're killing alien invaders in pre-Columbian South America, ancient Babylon, and medieval Europe. And killing lots and lots of alien baddies. Did I mention the killing? On paper, Serious Sam 2 sounds like another Duke Nukem clone. Clearing levels of bad guys, picking up keys, ammo, and power ups, and taking out the boss creature at the end while talking trash. However, within that formula the development team from Croatia (yes, Croatia, really) has worked in a lot of originality and style. The enemies have definite attack strategies that require the player to use the various moves and weapons available. And their design runs the gamut from silly (the above mentioned pumpkin headed maniacs with chainsaws) to the scary (bigass demons that toss massive fireballs at you). From the towering Incan pyramids to the slick floors of the Tower of Babel to the looming castles of Europe, the levels of Serious Sam2 give off the suitable atmosphere. And there's a good balance between cramped interiors and vast exteriors to play in. The weapons are pretty standard (knife, shotgun, minigun, rocket launcher, etc.), but the cannon that shoots lead-coated uranium balls is nice. But some of the weapons do overpower some of the others. I found I was using the flamethrower, minigun, and rocket launcher almost exclusively. But you need all the help you can get. At certain points, the game throws raging hordes of baddies to kill your ass. While this is very cool, it will affect performance on less powerful systems. If these concerns make you hesitate to pick this game up, here's one more selling point. Most new games cost around $49.99 to $59.99. Serious Sam 2 costs $19.99. That's right, $19.99. So run to your game store and pick up Serious Sam: The Second Encounter before the Croatians realize how much more they can charge in the US. System Requirements:
Eye Candy: Categorized as: Games
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