Reviews & Articles

With the 2K Sports release Major League Baseball 2K10, producer Ben Bishop and gameplay designers Jonathan Rivera and Sean Bailey were eager to sit down and discuss the details of the game. They had more than just the excitement of a game release to discuss; they had an urge to set the record straight. After all, MLB 2K9 has become something of a critical disaster for the team. With their latest installment in the MLB series, they went back to the fundamental design elements that made other 2K games a success. Their promise: MLB 2K10 not only exceeds expectations but also completely knocks expectations out of the ballpark.

The Omega Stone — along with its predecessor The Riddle of the Sphinx — is well-known adventure game that I never had a chance to play when it was released in 2003. Timely as ever, only a mere 7 years after The Omega Stone was released, I decided to play it. I just couldn’t help but wonder what an old adventure game would have in store and how it held up over time.

Enter Pandora: a seemingly endless desert full of dangerous wild animals, men who are in search of treasure, and other men who look like they’re straight out of the Mad Max movies and are out to kill for the fortunes they seek. That’s why people come to Pandora: to find treasure. As I played Borderlands for the Xbox 360, I felt the sense of a California gold rush — except on another planet and in the future. And with lots of guns.

Audition Online is an online dance game that’s all about music, fashion and dance. Dancing is a social activity, and what better game to take online than a dance game? Transplanting the mechanics of Dance Dance Revolution to a keyboard and providing a social network to support the gameplay is what Audition Online is about, and the 300 million users worldwide that it boasts prove the success of the game.

Alexander the Great and I have many things in common. We have nine letters in our first names, we like world travel and we have a weird desire to conquer stuff. As for the latter, I play videogames. When For the Glory: A Europe Universalis Game gave me the opportunity to play out my Alexander-inspired fantasies and conquer the world from the comfort of my PC, I was more than thrilled. All those years of studying politics seemed to finally be worth the tuition money.

King’s Bounty has been a fixture for a long time in the computer gaming world. Unfortunately, I’ve never played any of the series. I don’t know why I’ve never shelled out greenbacks for what is considered a very popular title. But I’ve jumped right in to see what the hoopla was all about. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised at what I had missed all these years.

For those who enjoy playing role-playing games, Dragon Age: Origins is the game for you. Dragon Age: Origins is packed with a massive amount of gameplay. You will spend many hours playing this game. I will confess that I am only 20 hours into the game and have yet to touch all the adventures that await me, but I have put a decent dent in it and enough to share a little.

Although I have not been fortunate enough to play the first game, Mass Effect 2 surely did not disappoint the hype. The story is set in the year 2183. During a routine patrol, my ship, the Normandy, comes under attack. The crew and I are forced to evacuate; only, I don’t make it. I am hit by flying debris while trying to save a crew member and am propelled into space, floating aimlessly until death.

Expanding the world from the first Guild Wars game, Guild Wars: Factions adds new classes, new skills and new ways to play the game, as well as beginning an entirely new storyline. Following the example of the original, once the game is purchased, there are no additional fees to play online, and although there are always “cool” things to purchase in the NCSoft store, they don’t affect gameplay. Also, there is a connection between Factions and the other Guild Wars campaigns, so cross-campaign play is possible if you own other campaigns.

There is something inherently special to me about the role-playing game genre. RPGs tend to connect with me on a deeper level than any other genre. I think the ability to choose your path and direct actions that help shape the world are what vibes with me. On the downside, I think I have a hard time giving a bad review to any game that provides that experience. My dilemma is Risen, a game that has as many good points as bad. But which points are the most important to you?

Seven years ago, one month after its July release, I received a copy of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for my birthday. The copy was for the Xbox, which I didn’t own. Lucky for me, a friend of mine allowed me to borrow his prized Xbox for a few weeks so I could play through this amazing storyline from “a galaxy far, far away.”

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was a huge success. It had a great story and was different than other first-person shooter games on the market. It was also different than all the other Call of Duty games, as it was the first removed from the World War II setting. Infinity Ward continues to prove it knows what it’s doing with the sequel to Modern Warfare: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

What can I say about Mass Effect 2? Well let’s see ... let’s start with my overall experience. I had a great time playing the first game. My experience with the second game was even better than the first. The story in the first game is good, but the story in the second is better; that’s one reason I am so hooked. Here’s the thing with Mass Effect: The story is always changing.

After our recent interview with Steven Peeler of Soldak Entertainment, I was able to get a preview of his current game in development, Din’s Curse. This action role-playing game promises to contain advanced character development along with dynamic and progressive enemies.

It is a little hard to believe that it has been eight years since the release of the original Tropico game. Eight years since I’ve been a ruthless dictator, foiling coup d’etats and paying people pennies for days of grueling labor. Ahh, where has the time gone? Oddly enough, as soon as I started playing Tropico 3, my first thought was “haven’t I already played this game?”

I’m a big fan of survival horror. I like testing my survival instincts against all sorts of hideous enemies. It can, however, get fairly repetitive as a genre. Zombies are always the No. 1 enemy, and everybody knows that against zombies, headshots are the best way to go. It’s exciting, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve done it plenty of times before. Dead Space manages to give me all the horror I can handle in a brand new way.

Have you ever heard of Zeno Clash? You probably have since it’s considered to be one of the indie gaming community’s darlings. It garnered attention thanks to its surreal story and visuals. And thanks to Atlus, Zeno Clash soon will be available via Xbox Live Arcade. Aram Jabbari was kind enough to show us some snippets of Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition.

Lay waste to your enemies without remorse. Decimate all threats with anything at your disposal. As someone deeply entrenched in the conflict between man and machine, you are one of the few able to command humanity against the threat that is artificial intelligence. Or else, technology will have been the human race’s greatest achievement but also the cause of its inevitable downfall.

Steven Peeler founded Soldak Entertainment in 2004 and released Depths of Peril, his first indie game, in 2007 to favorable reviews. Since then, Steven has released his second game, Kivi’s Underworld, and created Mac and multiplayer versions. I got a chance to talk to Steven about being an independent developer and the development of his third game, Din’s Curse.

Silent Hill ... the mere mention of the forbidden hamlet is enough to send shivers down most horror gamers’ spines. The creepily thick fog, the empty yet rundown streets and the well-done music create an atmosphere thick enough to get lost in. Over the years, the horrific hamlet has had two different sides: a place that calls out for people to purge their souls and a town that is perverted by its inhabitants vile violations. One of the more recent additions to the series is Silent Hill: Homecoming.

From the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century, there was a breed of entrepreneur that profited from exploiting the competition between the eight respective trading nations. East India Company: Privateer, published by Paradox Interactive and developed by Nitro Games, brings to light what it was like to be a privateer on the African and Indian trade routes. This is an expansion and requires that you have East India Company installed. Since I had tried and reviewed East India Company, I wanted to see what was different.

Once again, I’m reviewing the newest expansion to Elven Legacy, which is Elven Legacy: Ranger, brought to you by 1C Company and Paradox Interactive. With 16 new missions and 12 new spells, I wondered if this would bring improvement to the original gameplay. I would say it does, bringing additional innovation to the turn-based strategy game. Like I’ve indicated before, I’m always looking for a good turn-based game. This one fits the bill.

Two role-playing games staring dragons released just months apart. What are the odds? Dragon Age: Origins might have beaten Divinity II: Ego Draconis to release and stole some of its fire, but can Divinity II coming roaring back?

BioShock was one of the most highly acclaimed games of the decade. The graphics, story and gameplay were all praised universally for going above and beyond the standards set by story-driven first-person shooters up to that point. Now, the sequel to one of the best games of recent years is set to be released this week. BioShock 2 will be hitting stores Feb. 9, but you don’t have to wait until then to get the details. Developers and designers from 2K Marin and Digital Extremes recently gave an interview in which they explained the ins and outs of their highly anticipated sequel.

First-person perspective role-playing games are almost as old as the personal computer. Wire frames and simplistic monsters created an intriguing game. However, back in those days these types of games were difficult to play. It was complex as complex could be. Manuals were more than 70 pages of thickness that was necessary to play well. I honestly do not know how early PC gamers were able to play most of them. Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven serves as a bridge between old-school PC gaming and modern accessible PC games.

I think my fellow role-playing gamers know about those love/hate relationships a lot of us suffer from some of our favorite games. We can’t stop playing them, and they enter our thoughts and dreams more than we really want. If this is what defines a game as legendary, something we talk about years from now, then Dragon Age: Origins is definitely one of the most epic; I still can’t stop thinking about it.

Assassin’s Creed was a double-edged sword to many people — myself included. For all the thrilling executions, there were repetitive missions. For all the breathtaking scenery, there were annoying beggars getting in your way. For all the complex machinations, there were repetitive missions. And for all the nonstop action and adventure, there were repetitive missions. Assassin’s Creed II is a sequel in every way imaginable. Luckily, it isn’t a film, so that is a very good thing.

Classic role-playing games have sort of become cliché in indie gaming circles. Many indie developers have attempted to create games that are reminiscent of yesteryear, because those games greatly influenced modern RPGs as well as their developers. But as you have probably guessed, some do a better job of this than others. Some feel too stale or fail to live up to expectations. Here is another entry into this RPG category: Aveyond: Lord of Twilight.

Placed near the end of the American Civil War, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is the story of Ray McCall, the preacher from the original Call of Juarez, and his two brothers. From the original game, I knew that Ray was once a gunslinger and an outlaw before becoming a man of the cloth, but this game gives you the how and why. Which brings me to the perils of prequels: in order for a prequel to work, the events should be as big if not bigger than the original story. In my opinion, Bound in Blood was not as epic or as entertaining of a tale. Already knowing what the culmination of events was leading to left me with a lack of suspense throughout this title.

The 17th century brought to the world exotic goods and competition between eight companies supported by their respective nations. East India Company: Director’s Cut, published by Paradox Interactive, and developed by Nitro Games and brings to life what it was like to be that trading company. The Designer’s Cut version is actually an upgrade to the original game and makes some improvements. When installing the game, it will ask if you want to upgrade. I’m not a really big fan of naval games, though I have tried a few in the past. This one caught my eye due to its different game style.