Be the commander - demolish the enemy with clever tactical maneuvers. Experience the nerve-jangling thrill of strategic gaming - in Codename: Panzers! She has left behind all her worldly possessions with the express purpose of joining the heir of the Voralberg family on his journey. Together, through mystical and enchanting lands, they will find their way to the mythical Syberia, land of the forgotten mammoths.
Thus Syberia II begins The train leaves Aralbad under a quiet snowfall. Kate, Hans and Oscar, the loyal, humorous automaton, are heading to Romansbourg, the first of the four worlds to be explored in Syberia II. The motley crew will clear the last bastions of Russian civilization followed by the Frozen North before arriving at Youkol Village, from where they will try to reach their final destination: Syberia.
Along the way, they will have to overcome many obstacles and deal with shady characters to uncover clues vital to the continuation of their quest. Kate's timeless journey through Valadilene, Barrockstadt, Komkolzgrad and Aralbad has sparked an evolution in her character, from an ambitious lawyer to a curious and tenacious adventuress.
Kate's role has undergone a remarkable change. From being the pursuant, she becomes Han's main acolyte, his support in attaining the forgotten realm of the mammoths. How will she react to this new situation? Can she live up to the choices she made? Medal of Honor Pacific Assault gives players a sense of the courage it took to fight the Imperial Japanese Army from the shock of Pearl Harbor to triumph on the shores of the Tarawa Atoll.
Set in the Pacific Theatre of Operations from , players will assume the role of Marine recruit Tom Conlin as he survives the attack on Pearl Harbor, leads the assault on Guadalcanal, and finally charges up the beaches for the climatic battle at Tarawa. Armed with their wits and a variety of authentic weapons, it's up to players to stop the Japanese war machine in its tracks.
Medal of Honor Pacific Assault follows the tradition of previous Medal of Honor products with a brand new arsenal of weapons, new enemies, and new storyline. In addition, Pacific Assault features new multiplayer modes in which up to 32 players can choose soldiers from American, British, Japanese, and other armies.
Full Spectrum Warrior is based on a game commissioned by the U. Army to train light Infantry troops in urban combat situations. Soldiers are placed in a tense, hostile, and claustrophobic environment where they must complete a variety of military objectives. Players act as the Squad Leader, providing direction to Alpha and Bravo fire teams.
The successful Squad Leader effectively uses cover in the environment and moves his fire teams in a coordinated fashion so they can protect themselves from possible attacks that could come from any direction. Full Spectrum Warrior puts you in the dirt with your men, where danger lurks around every corner.
Prepare for Battle. The game mainly focuses on explosive combat missions where the player will control squads of infantry, tanks, artillery and helicopters as the story unfolds. Fritz Chess 8, written by Frans Morsch, is identical to the one that fascinated the world in the man vs Machine duel against the human world champion. Millions of chess fans watched the games live on the Internet - the match ended in a tie.
But don't be afraid, Fritz is not just a chess playing monster. It is a friendly chess partner for beginners and amateurs. It will teach you to play chess from scratch, and can automatically adjust its playing strength to suit your needs. It will warn you when you go wrong in a game, giving you hints on how to play better. Presenting Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, a visually stunning first-person role-playing adventure that combines intense first-person action with an open, non-linear world, rich character development and an immersive storyline.
The game plunges players into the dark and gritty vampire underworld of modern day L. Players assume the role of Torque, a man convicted of a horrible crime that he may or may not have committed. He's sentenced to life in Abbott State Penitentiary, a haunted place that hides a terrible secret, one that threatens both the prison guards and the hardened criminals that call this isolated hell home.
Torque's tale unfolds in nine terrifying levels, where grisly mutated creatures, sadistic prisoners and guards lurk around every corner. A variety of deadly weapons are at his disposal to help him survive and escape from prison. In addition, Torque has a "rage meter" that, when filled, transforms him into a hideous and bloodthirsty creature that looks and feels right at home with the other dozen monstrosities stalking his every move.
Torque will be able to interact with other inmate NPC's and enlist their help in escaping, or take them out if they get in his way. The Suffering also features three distinct endings based on how the game is played.
In revealing Torque's story, he could be a cold-blooded killer, a man wrongfully accused, or something far, far worse. Gish isn't your average hero, in fact he's not your average anything.. A Sunday stroll with his lady friend Brea goes awry when a shadowy figure emerges from an open man hole and pulls Brea into the ground below.
Following Brea's calls for help Gish suddenly finds himself in the subterranean sewers of Dross, a long forgotten city filled with twisting corridors, evil traps and some of the most demented creatures imaginable. With his gelatinous structure as his only means of defense Gish must follow the echoing cries of his damsel in distress deep into the earth bellow.
What freakish creatures dwell in this subterranean land? Who is Brea's captor? And just how far down does the rabbit hole go? Life isn't easy when you're a 12 pound ball of tar Return to Mysterious Island follows Mina, a strong young woman alone on a round-the-world sailing expedition. Caught in a tremendous storm, she becomes stranded on the shores of a wild and apparently uninhabited island.
As she explores her new surroundings, she uncovers artifacts, living spaces and technologies left behind by the people who came before her to this uncharted island. Creating a new life, Mina builds a home from the remains of Granite Rock and uses her survival skills against the wilds of the jungle. She soon becomes aware of a figure in the shadows who, seemingly aware of her troubles, offers her assistance.
She eventually identifies this figure as the unsettled ghost of Captain Nemo, whose body is located in the Nautilus deep below the island shore. Piecing together the hints and clues he provides, Mina must travel to the Nautilus, retrieve his body and give him a proper burial in order to free his tortured soul. Players will solve a variety of clever puzzles and use the various technologies found on the Nautilus to help on their return to civilization.
The EA Sports Freestyle Control continues to revolutionize your ability to play simulation basketball? In addition to all-new dunks, alley-oops, and adjustable jump shots in mid-air, new user-controlled put-back and tip-in technologies reward players who box out, wipe the glass, and go back up for a quick bucket.
On defense, take more control over shot blocking to own the paint. With thousands of unique dunk scenarios? Freestyle Air lets you express your game on the court, and above it.
Be the architect of your own unstoppable dynasty, and watch your franchise flourish for 25 seasons. Jump into games with simulation intervention and use the customizable PDA to stay updated with important league news, team information, and other announcements. New free agency logic allows users to negotiate contracts and manage the salary cap using real dollars for the first time.
The game's map spans the entire world and allows players to take the War to any new front of their choosing. Any nation in the world is playable, but the game focuses on the struggle between the great alliances of the new world orders: Fascism, Communism and Democracy. Hearts of Iron is developed by the team behind the award-winning sales success "Europa Universalis I" and "II" and brings the same depth of gameplay and historical accuracy to a modern day gaming experience. The conflict in Indonesia has spilled over to other parts of Asia where rebel troops have gained support in the war against Joint Ops Forces.
Set against the lush backdrop of South East Asia, enlist once more to take part in intense large scale modern FPS combat, in games of up to players online. Use new weapons, vehicles, team tactics and strategic gameplay to dominate the battlefield. An expansion pack to "Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising. Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy is an expansion pack to Stardock's award winning space strategy game, Galactic Civilizations.
The expansion pack adds a host of new features, content, and other enhancements to the game to add depth and much greater replayability. In the late 22nd century, humanity came into contact with 5 major alien civilizations. Of these 5, the Altarians were the most curious to us. Not for their cultural traits or their technology but because they happened to look human. How was this possible?
The "Altarian Prophecy" is a campaign that takes the player on a multi-game journey to solve the mystery alluded to in Galactic Civilizations. In doing so, it introduces two new civilizations: The Dominion of the Korx and the Drath.
These two civilizations hold the secret to Altaria's past, but worse, they know the Altarian Prophecy that for tells the destruction of the galaxy that is connected to Altaria's past. Soldiers is a third-person tactical action game that plays out like a blockbuster war movie. Pitching the player headlong into the war-torn battlegrounds of Europe. Direct control for targeted shots to take out a tank track or execute a headshot for the quick kill.
Real ballistic physics and truly destructible environments. Group control a team of elite special forces soldiers. Advanced AI - the enemy will attack in formation; retreat if necessary; look for cover; ambush you, etc. Over different human animations in the game providing realism and detail!
Arena Wars is a completely new kind of 3D Real Time Strategy game, combining the gameplay principles and interface from RTS games with the fast pace of action-based shooters. Arena Wars is a single and multiplayer game. Multiplayer supports up to 8 players, who can fight against each other and challenge other players from all around the world via the AW Server, whilst the single player mode is loaded with action-packed single player missions against one or more computer opponents.
In AW the goal is not simply to destroy the enemy's base or units. To score points in the various scenarios you must complete objectives that range from stealing the enemy flag, carrying a bomb into your enemy's base or seize and hold Domination zones for a period of time. The winner is the player who satisfies that particular game's objectives. For example, in a Capture the Flag game with a 'capture limit' of 5, the winner is the first player to capture 5 enemy flags.
A quality first touch is the key to success for the world? A player? An all-new animation system now makes every button-press react with authentic, responsive and realistic speed. FIFA Soccer is the only complete, authentic, and intelligent soccer experience. All-new fluid player kinetic system that recognizes and then directly translates the speed, vision and awareness of the world? The Absolute Broadcast: With new in-game camera angles, smooth and continuous cut sequences for replays, and improved contrast and lighting for players and stadiums.
The World's Ultimate Roster: More than official licenses, including 20 leagues, 40 national teams, and 12, players are available. Build and shape your roster by trading players, signing free-agents and drafting promising youngsters while managing your team towards glory.
Select your team, set up practice schedules, select tactics, re-negotiate contracts and scout players from all over the world while interacting with your current stars and the media in order to appease the fans and the owners. The detailed in-game engine will let you see the game events unfold in the form of play-by-play commentary while also providing a wide range of statistics to analyze your team's performance.
Build a dynasty; manage your local team to success and build your reputation in pursuit of developing your career at the bigger leagues; or you can remain faithful with the smaller teams and nurture generations. Perimeter is a ground breaking real-time strategy game which brings, a range of fresh ideas to the RTS genre. Use strategic Terraforming to acquire resources, project a impenetrable perimeter force shield to protect from attack and marshal your forces though manipulation of nano-technology.
These key gameplay elements deliver a new challenging and rewarding experience for single and multiplayer. Perimeter is set in a universe where the earth is dying and multiple civilisations are in a race across a newly discovered galaxy to colonise the only suitable planet.
This epic journey will involve exploring many new worlds, battling against other civilisations and indigenous species, all to acquire energy to continue the search for a new home. This highly anticipated addition dramatically expands the "Star Wars Galaxies" franchise by providing players more than 15 different vehicles for space exploration and combat. Starfighters and other starships are featured in the expansion that can be used for both space exploration and combat, allowing players to join up with allies and fly familiar X-wings and TIE fighters into battle against faction-aligned opponents and AI-controlled ships.
Transport ships similar to the well-known Millennium Falcon are also added into the game, allowing players to venture through space with friends aboard. Set in the Star Wars timeframe between Episode IV and Episode V, this first extension to the "Star Wars Galaxies" foundation opens 10 vast and distinct space sectors, spanning from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim, for players to explore while engaging their opponents in intense real-time combat or uniting with friends in battle or exploration.
Players can embark on more than new missions, venturing through asteroid fields, nebulae and space junkyards while honing skills in four new space-specific professions. The game also features two new and completely customizable species. Players will need to search the crime scene, analyze evidence, solve puzzles, interrogate suspects and make arrests alongside Detectives Lennie Briscoe and Ed Green.
After a suspect is in custody, the player will need to put a compelling case together with A. Serena Southerlyn in order to convince the jury to return a guilty verdict. With many more interviews and clever puzzles seamlessly integrated into the storyline, this third installment promises to be an even longer, more fulfilling gameplaying experience than the previous versions. Throughout the living, breathing environment of Las Vegas Boulevard, you will find customers notoriously difficult to satisfy and a huge range of exciting attractions, all designed to bring you maximum money.
Players can select one of a number of different soldier types, jump into any vehicle, man any turret on the battlefront and conquer the galaxy planet-by-planet online with their friends or offline in a variety of single player modes. Single player modes include "Instant Action," "Galactic Conquest" and the story-based "Historical Campaigns" mode that lets gamers experience all of the epic Star Wars battles from Episodes I-VI, fighting from the perspective of each of the four factions within the game.
Backed by the Oleg Maddox development team, Pacific Fighters allows you to participate in the most compelling air-war experience ever created! Fly missions for the Allied forces or become an ace pilot for the deadly Japanese empire?
Select from a large variety of flyable aircraft such as the lethal Japanese Zero, U. Target enemy ships, vehicles and aircraft on one of the 16 maps featuring famous historic locations. New to the series will be the emphasis on flyable bombers and aircraft-carrier action. Players can arrange and play friendly matches against other nations or play through the tournament going from qualifying, to playoffs and into the finals.
In addition to tracking injuries and suspensions, a new dynamic morale system will track players' morale, which will fluctuate based on individual and team performances and affect player abilities on the field. Trade with over 60 towns and create your own production facilities.
Increase your trading empire, and influence development of the New World. Trade is not everything though: pirates and military fleets threaten your trade convoys.
Build and command escort ships for the convoys. Turn the tides and hunt for pirates or capture the military ships. Become famous and expand your own fleet as well as your stocks of goods. If that is not enough, take on missions for merchants, diplomats and other characters.
Use a letter of Marquee to gain the most desirable missions of the vice-kings; to attack and conquer enemy towns. As a sign of gratitude you will be awarded land, to be used later for the building and growth of your own towns. Accept the MTX: Mototrax challenge: beat the pros and become the ultimate MX athlete in the fastest, most complete motocross game offering a thrilling career mode to boost your fame, fortune and adrenaline! Earn more cold hard cash from contest wins and sponsorships.
Use the money to modify your rider's attributes, purchase equipment upgrades or buy access to freeride environments complete with new goals and objectives. Make your way to the X Games and push your bike to the limit. Intense online racing action for up to 8 players. Offers the fastest motocross gaming experience that will have you accelerating around corners and flying through the air at an incredible 60 frames per second.
Immerse yourself in a new, deep non-linear career mode that tests your skills and savvy as you progress through all the motocross disciplines-motocross, supercross and freestyle - to become the ultimate MX athlete.
You're a malevolent mastermind bent on achieving global domination through the construction of the ultimate doomsday device. Build a secret base, gain notoriety by completing daring missions, repel the forces of justice in real-time combat, and develop evil super-weapons to complete your nefarious master plan. Evil Genius is a tongue-in-cheek take on the spy thrillers of the '60s, offering you the unique opportunity to play the villain as you control a secret island fortress complete with powerful henchmen, loyal minions, ice-cold beauty queens, and a host of hilarious gizmos.
Picking up right where the game's story left off, Battle out of Hell includes an additional single-player chapter 10 levels, as well as new multiplayer modes, maps and models. It offers an amplified arsenal of un-deadly weapons, bigger and badder bosses and the map editor Software Development Kit. They just killed Cash. Now, they want to kill him again. America is full of run down, broken rust-belt towns where nobody cares and anything goes.
In Carcer City, nothing matters anymore and all that's left are cheap thrills. The ultimate rush is the power to grant life and take it away, for sport. This time James Earl Cash, you are the sport. They gave you your life back. Now, they are going to hunt you down. You awake to the sound of your own panicked breath. You must run, hide and fight to survive. If you can stay alive long enough, you may find out who did this to you. This is a brutal blood sport. Children of the Nile is the next generation of city-building game, where, as Pharaoh, you lead the people of ancient Egypt, uniting them as you elevate your status, striving to become a supreme and god-like ruler.
You design and build glorious cities in which hundreds of seemingly real people live and work in an interconnected societal web, each facet of their lives played out in vivid detail. Eventually you will forge the most advanced civilization of the ancient world, achieve works of wonder and build a lasting and unique empire to stand for the ages with you as its personification.
You'll dispatch your armies and navies to all corners of the known world, and erect monuments of splendor, including your own magnificent tomb. Come, enter your realm: the black land, Egypt. Burning Horizon offers a huge missions-campaign around General Rommel, giving you the opportunity to play famous battles like Ardennes, Tripolis, Tobruk, El Alamein, Sicily and, of course, Normandy. Furthermore, the add-on contains 8 single missions, with an entire new nation at war: Japan.
Burning Horizon gives the parties a better AI: the enemy seeks weak spots in your lines, clears minefields, handles his air force cleverly. The mission objectives offer a wide range, e. Journalist, Jack Lorski, and his companion disappear while investigating a string of gruesome murders.
Soon after their disappearance, Jack's agency receives a disturbing CD-ROM containing footage he captured during his investigation. More than just a CD, this disc is in-fact the beginning of a terrifying game with a maniacal killer known only as "The Phoenix. Receive actual e-mail from virtual characters and The Phoenix himself offering important clues.
Visit a wealth of real websites and fictitious sites created solely for the game to obtain valuable information vital to solving the case. Hitman: Contracts takes you into the mind of Agent 47, the most ruthlessly efficient contract killer in history. The game begins in Paris as Agent 47 finds himself wounded and trapped in what is a dangerous situation, even for him.
Hitman: Contracts explores the dark psychology of killing for a living and promises to be the darkest, most disturbing episode in the series. In their immeasurable greed and constant thirst for power, the thirteen most powerful Mages of all time doomed the land, hurling it into an endless spiral of chaos and despair. Entire countries were wiped out in the blink of an eye when the devastating power of the Elements was unleashed?
Elements summoned by dark rituals. Continents shattered like glass, the pieces strewn about like leaves in the wind. Huge armies, bound by the the power of ancient runes, brought war and destruction to the lands that survived the initial onslaught.
All that was left were a few islands, connected by magic portals. Now, only a few years after the end of the Convocation, evil is back - stronger and more powerful than ever before? Yet there is still hope. The prophecies tell of a human. A human damned to immortality, bound forever by the power of the blood runes Soon, the time will come when the power of one may change the destiny of many. For better or for worse. Bad Mojo has evolved into an unqualified cult classic, lauded by critics and fans alike.
A testament to its originality, the game is still being reviewed by the gaming press. In this truly unique tale, "mad scientist" entomologist Roger Samms has been temporarily turned into a cockroach, leading to gritty discovery and exploration that sucks you in with great visuals, and keeps you playing with a poignant story. Half-Life 2. Although a few very impressive looking games have come out since Half-Life 2 was presented at last year's E3, the Source engine remains gorgeous.
High dynamic range lighting, interactivity, materials, and physics are all still, at the least, competitive with the current triple-A shooters. Delays aside, there's been an electric feeling from this game starting with the first batch of screenshots sent to the press for E3 coverage. We also hear that CS and the original Half-Life will probably be bundled with HL2 for free at retail, another impressive technical feat.
So Digital Extremes is making another shooter, but, unlike the overwhelming majority of their lineup, this one has a strong, story-based single-player side, where you play a drug-addicted doctor in a post-apocalyptic scenario.
It also has some intriguing gameplay mechanics, like weapon energy cores that you can take out of a weapon you don't need and use the cores to upgrade what you do use, or even boost your health and armor. Plus, the game looks quite luscious. And, unlike almost all of the big-name games we saw at E3, it's not a sequel or spun off of a franchise. Runners-up: F.
Aside from these two games, almost a total lack of new intellectual property Nearly Everyone, Inc. For shame! This year's E3 was strong. While this year's E3 didn't really hold any major surprises for us, it was full of quality titles. But one stood above the crowd for us and has gotten us more excited than any other title in the show and it isn't a shooter, it's a strategy title Rome: Total War is brilliantly massive with both huge scale battles and a complex campaign structure.
This game has so much going for it, it's impossible to really express in a mere words. We just can't wait to get our hands on this game. That and it has flaming pigs. Flaming pigs! Colin McRae Rally The best in PC gaming direct from the big show. Have you played Rome: Total War? YES NO. Was this article informative? In This Article. A revolutionary new title in the best-selling RTS series that carries players into the midst of ancient history's most intense conflicts.
Violence, Includes online features that may expose players to unrated user-generated content. Release Date. Cobra Kai Season 4 on Netflix Review. Top 10 Anime of Presented by truth. IGN Logo Recommends. Kirby and the Forgotten Land Logan Plant 8. Steam Deck George Yang Pokemon Blue Matt Kim God of War Michael Thompson Pokemon Legends: Arceus Matt Purslow And the jubilation you feel when the ball hits the back of the net during a tight encounter is the same ecstatic impulse that surges through you when it happens in real life.
Maybe not to the same degree, but once Konami gets its arse in gear and sorts out the disgraceful failings of the Xbox Live aspect, and real leagues, friends leagues, with real significance start to emerge, who's to say that feeling won't be amplified? Oh and, while this may be slightly weaker than some of the Japanese editions, it's still the best football game I've ever played on a PAL format, and if you don't have a Japanese or a chipped PS2 then you don't have any better option at the moment, and won't do until next October.
All of which surely justifies its selection for the first team? Kristan : Nnnnnnnaaaaagh! Buy this game you There is something actually quite wrong with a country that ignores a game as good as Echoes.
In with a bullet at No. I was so depressed I took a week off and refused to review the game until my sulk had dissipated, taking two hours over each boss to savour each one like the finest mouthful of food you've ever tasted.
In many ways I actually got more out of Echoes than even the great Half-Life 2, as it sated my thirst for a join-the-dots storyline which HL2 left enigmatically wide open, much to some gamers' displeasure and also tested my reserves of skill and patience further than any other game managed in Admittedly I did resort to using a guide occasionally, but that was more down to the exhaustion levels at the end of a year of reviewing over games.
Some games are designed to break you, and this is one of those, but my god is it satisfying once you've won. Genius design, wonderful atmosphere, stunning visuals, and a game that's stands alone as something genuinely unique.
What more could you possibly wish for? Ronan : I haven't played Half-Life 2. And you know what? After Metroid Prime: Echoes, I just don't care. My game of the year. I love it like a sister.
Kieron : Still haven't played it, but was amused by all the screenshots of women covered in goo which proved that Bukkake Game Science progresses at an ever-increasing pace. Kristan : Like the Gillen, I'm not bitter. Ahem, no, that's not right. Must be all the talk of Bukkake [isn't this a family website? I've not played it either well, not for more than about five minutes , but although it looks like my kind of game I've played the Onimusha trilogy, for my sins , with truly glorious benchmark visuals, and hack and slashing action to the nth degree I fear its difficulty level.
I really don't have a huge tolerance for games that demand superhuman levels of skill unless I'm completely into the concept in the first place, and sadly I was never much of a Ninja fiend anyway. Maybe Tom and Rob have a better understanding of why it's that good. Ronan : For some reason, I refer to this as Ninja-guy Den. Not many people in my life earn affectionate and inane nicknames, nevermind a game. But Ninja-guy Den did.
I'm like Kristan, in that inordinately hard games turn me off sometimes, but not once did I get frustrated with Ryu Hayabusa's amazing dance of death through the Vigoor empire. I played through again immediately after finishing it, just because I'd unlocked a lightsaber.
That's not something I tend to do. Tom : I think I rated this one so highly because it was just impossible. And that's also why a number of people didn't rate it. What was impossible about it from their perspective, however, was actually making progress - and I can sympathise, as I certainly came unstuck plenty more often than I would have liked - but what was utterly impossible about it from my perspective was that I had about two days to review it, and despite being tortured by its unfairness more than any other game in living memory I still managed to finish it, and still managed to fall in love with it.
That just is not possible. It shouldn't have happened. But when I realised why it had I was totally in awe of it, and marked it accordingly. It was because, I think, a combination of factors weighed on me heavily.
Firstly, Ninja Gaiden is the whoriest game in history. Ignore the characters. Rachel dripping in beastie-ooze is one of the least PC sights of the year, but that's not what I mean. It's the graphics whore factor that compels to begin with - you don't know too many moves, and it's pretty hard, but it's so beautifully done, animation is so detailed and fluid, and it's so ridiculously violent. It lays that down. It makes you feel like a fledgling ninja.
Then it layers it up with increasingly complex moves that blend into one another as part of complex, but always controllable, combinations that are as visually arresting as they are satisfyingly deadly.
Teaching yourself to be good at it is something you'll want and need to do because you want and need to see more of the increasingly impressive spectacles you just know the game has prepared for you, and being good at something this beautiful and balletic is compelling enough to have you persist despite the sometimes-absurd difficulty level. I think it's so good because it makes you feel like a ninja, graft and all, rather than just giving you extraordinary powers.
I've controlled ninjas before, but I hadn't felt like a ninja until I finished Ninja Gaiden. And, though it's a little worrying to admit, the gratuitous violence is marshalled in the sort of way that's utterly empowering. Righteous even. To make you feel like a ninja is enough of a recommendation, but a righteous ninja?
Rob : I'm a videogames wuss. There, I've admitted it. Much as I'd love to be able to clout my rather-too-skilled pal around at Guilty Gear XX, it's just too damn hard; and my Counter-Strike obsessed buddies left me behind at the point where mere guile was no longer enough to win, and actual skill became required. It's fair to say, then, that I approached Ninja Gaiden with a certain degree of trepidation. And then I approached it again, and again, and again, after the first boss handed my brutalised arse to me on a plate repeatedly.
But somehow, the whole affair was compelling enough; the graphics beautiful enough, the combat satisfying enough, the whole ninja thing just god damned cool enough; that I kept hacking at it until I won. And then I did the same to the whole game, over the course of about two months, and drank in the perfectly balanced, hard as nails but yet immensely satisfying glory of Team Ninja's finest hour.
Magnificent, even for wusses like me. For now, this is as populist and emergent as games get. Kristan : The most amazing thing about this game is how many people have called me up to tell me how much they dislike this game.
Either they're just burned out with the concept or just deranged, I don't know, but really, if you can't enjoy yourself playing a GTA game, then there's a very serious chance you need medical assistance. It means different things to different people, but the one thing it does better than any other game is unite so many different gaming tastes, and for that major, almost impossible feat alone Rockstar deserves its success. Ronan : Haven't bothered yet.
I think what Kristan says applies to me. When you've got a lot of games to play, another GTA becomes one for a rainy day, or a rainy month more like. Having taken a four-hour gander at it, San Andreas is clearly spectacular though.
I'm sure it deserves its place. Tom : This doesn't do as much for me as either GTA III or Vice City did, but I still think it's worthy of a place in the top ten because it's just so continually enjoyable and there's just so much of it. It's not relentlessly entertaining - sometimes it gets too hard, sometimes it's too easy, sometimes it's too basic, sometimes you wonder whether anybody really cares about this group of wannabe crims anyway, and sometimes you feel like a long-haul truck driver cruising vast distances between the electronic equivalent of back alley blowjobs.
But most of the time you're having fun, with lots of other sorts of fun available if you're not satisfied with the bit you're doing.
Rob : I don't think I'm deranged, so I guess I'm just burned out with the concept. There were a whole lot of different games out there this Christmas which just appealed to me a hell of a lot more.
Still, the four fifths of the population of the universe who bought it can't ALL be wrong, I guess. In short, the game crept up behind the tired old concept of a movie license, shot it in the face with its own gun, dragged its limp corpse into the darkness, hopped in a Mech suit and shot the Status Quo into bloodied mulch. But what did the public want instead?
Oh yeah, GoldenEye. Don't even get me started.
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