PC & Mac Reviews

I remember when the original WarCraft was released. Blizzard, a relatively unknown company by the public, attempted to create a Real Time Strategy game that would rival all competitors. They succeeded with WarCraft and later went on to revolutionize the genre once again with WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness. Not content to continue making WarCraft games, Blizzard's next Real Time Strategy title was StarCraft. Originally thought to be "WarCraft in space," Blizzard surprised us all with an original game that improved upon the RTS formula and revolutionized the genre yet again. In fact, players still actively participate in StarCraft multiplayer games on Battle.Net. But no matter how good StarCraft is, Blizzard will always be known for the WarCraft franchise. While they could have gotten away with making another StarCraft game, Blizzard has gone back to their roots in WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos. To ensure the best possible RTS experience, Blizzard has had War 3 in development for over three years... While the wait has been long, the final product is yet another classic Blizzard title that totally redefines the genre.

Monkey Island, Kings Quest, Myst, Space Quest, Zork, Leisure Suit Larry, Quest for Glory, and Sam & Max. These titles conjure up images in my mind of the golden era of PC gaming. This was an age of adventure games?Äîgraphic adventures that ranged from funny to serious. Everywhere you went, there was a new adventure game to play. As PC gaming moved from floppy disks to CD, developers were able to add elements like voices, photo-realistic environments, and longer games, without worrying about running out of space. And since CD's are so cheap, they could continue adding elements to their titles, even if it filled up more than on CD. However, people soon began to get a little bored of hundreds of mindless clone Myst games. The gaming industry quickly moved towards First Person Shooters and Real Time Strategy Games. While there have been a few memorable adventure titles in recent years, they have been few and far between. Is the adventure genre doomed? Russian developer 1C is banking that there is still a little life in the genre with their first title released in the US--Jazz & Faust.

So what would be your worst fear? Do you fear the government might soon make four years of college mandatory for all citizens? Perhaps you fear a Female ambulance driver rushing you to the hospital? Maybe you fear the long-awaited return of a certain idolized Jew from Bethlehem? How about a nuclear bomb detonated at the site of the Super Bowl? Now we're getting somewhere. This idea is the catalyst behind the latest tactical FPS from Red Storm.

Sorry, folks, it's been awhile since I've had a review. But don't blame me, it really wasn't my fault this time. If you're going to blame something, blame Morrowind. The biggest news at last year's E3 is even better than the hype, as the dozens of fan sites around the 'net will tell you. If you're looking for a cookie-cutter RPG, save the princess, kill some baddies, then go somewhere else. However, Morrowind is here, and hopefully it's here to stay.

I can truly say that the developers went out of their way to research and produce a game worthy of a realistic first person shooter. The game is set in 1985, at a point many could consider the height of the Cold War. The game drops you as an American soldier in midst of a brewing conflict in Europe with the Soviet Union. After some quick training exercises at camp, your squad is sent on a variety of missions where the story begins to unfold. With Gold Edition, the player gets to explore many more of the story lines as they develop. Your success in the field also has an outcome on your career and the war itself.

The fine line between strategy and RPG has always been a delicate one. Although some games have merged the two with moderate success, this has always been a difficult goal for any developer. Warrior Kings is a driven by a plot, but drops out to a strategy environment. In a way, it gives us the best of both worlds in a well defined world. It does lack the flair of a game specific to each genre.

In this latest installment in the Heroes of Might and Magic series, New World Computing has managed to set it far apart while still holding on to what make's this series a classic. It's a turn-based RTS with several RPG elements that will slowly take over your life.

What does one look for in a good role-playing game? A dramatic storyline involving a loveable hero and a despicable villain is always nice. Plenty of imaginative items and an assortment of flashy spells can help give the game character. A simple but effective battle system that allows the player to totally kick the stuffing out of unbelievably tough bad guys would also be a top priority. Grandia II is an RPG that delivers all the above in an attempt to win your hard earned gaming dollar.

I have to admit that this game was more fun than I expected. It's an upgraded version of the original Ultimate Ride. It includes everything that the original had, plus new track types, props, and puzzles. For those of you who don't know, this game is not like Roller Coaster Tycoon. That game focuses on the economic side of building and maintaining an amusement park, as well as designing roller coasters. Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe focuses on designing your own roller coasters for just for fun, or to complete certain objectives.

If you are a fan of the robot fighting television shows like Robot Arena, then you'll probably enjoy trying your hand at RoboForge. Just like the shows you try to build the granddaddy of all bots and battle it against all takers to prove who has the biggest set of servos on the block--well, on the net. Instead of controlling your bot remotely, you have to preprogram it with an artificial intelligence (AI) to govern how it will break bad on your competition.