02/18/07 |
PC | Jamie Gergen
So you want to be King, eh? Then get a taste of the regal life in Medieval 2: Total War, the next generation of real-time strategy from the folks at Creative Assembly and SEGA. The AI is much improved, the clone armies are gone, and you\'ll wince with every bone-crushing impact of sword and shield. Welcome the latest addition to the GF! team, Jamie Gergen, by checking out his review of one of the most highly anticipated RTS titles of the year.
02/15/07 |
XB360 | Chris Martin
Capcom has been firing on all cyllinders when it comes to the Xbox 360 and gamers with that small white box could not be happier. Following their critically received efforts of Dead Rising, Lost Planet is a third-person shooter set on the fictitious ice-planet E.D.N. III where there are snow pirates around every corner and loads of alien Akrid. This unique IP blends a \"vastness\" found in sci-fi novels like Frank Herbert\'s Dune with an overly complex (the word would be: incomprehensible) storyline. What you get is an action-filled shooter that manages, once or twice, to even shoot itself in the foot.
02/14/07 |
PC | Amanda Bateman
We probably don\'t even have to publish this review, because World of Warcraft is a game that carries its own legion of fans. The ever-popular World of Warcraft\'s first expansion, The Burning Crusade, is here, and WoW players will absorb it into the fold simply because it\'s more of what they already love: World of Warcraft. If you managed to pry yourself from the game, then don\'t get the expansion...because you might find it hard to walk away again. The powers that be have opened new doors to adventure, and it\'s hard to turn your back on that a second time.
02/03/07 |
PC | Sean Hilliard
The Gothic series has been a cult fave for quite awhile, rivaling that RPG juggernaut, The Elder Scrolls, for the hearts and minds of hardcore PC gamers. The latest, Gothic 3, has drawn a lot of (mostly unfavorable) comparison to Oblivion, but our man Sean Hilliard thinks there is another popular game that Gothic 3 draws from: World of Warcraft. Check out Sean\'s review of one of the most derided cult favorites of 2007.
01/31/07 |
Wii | George Holomshek
The golf featured in Wii Sports introduced a lot of casual gamers to a virtual sport many of them would never have touched on their own. Yet Wii Sports Golf is hardly a complete game, and has only one full course. Tecmo has stepped forward to offer Super Swing Golf, a more complete golf title that combines an odd mix of more challenging golf elements and overly-stylized presentation. Without online play, Super Swing may be missing a key element, but with a dozen courses and more golf features it serves as competent follow-up to what Nintendo started back when the Wii launched.
01/25/07 |
XB360 | Chris Martin
With Viva Pinata, Rare has produced their first truly standout game since going to bat for Microsoft. The pinata-rearing simulation may look like a child\'s game, but it turns out to be one of the most addictive and deep games to ever grace the Xbox 360. Reminiscent of simulation and collection titles like The Sims and Animal Crossing, Viva Pinata is open and never ending, addictive and compelling, and one of the best games of the year. Because of its unusual style it\'ll never have a fan base the size of games like Gears of War, and most Xboxers will probably never buy a copy even though they almost certainly should. Read the full review for details on what makes this game so great.
The story behind the first Eragon book, movie, and video game is an interesting one, starting with a home-schooled student that published his book at 19 years old. Now, with a movie that is being universally trashed by reviewers, the Eragon video game has come forward to redeem the franchise from embarrassment. Sadly, its repetitive gameplay and incoherent storytelling don\'t do Eragon much justice, portraying the world as nothing but an endless stream of bad guys with frustrating gameplay. The movie and book have been accused of being derivative of classics like Star Wars; the video game doesn\'t present a coherent enough story to be accused of being derivative of anything.
01/09/07 |
NDS | Laurie Taylor
The success of Brain Age has helped to launch an entire genre into the public mindset. While video games will probably always revolve around high action and high intensity, games designed to make you smarter have established a slower, more serious side of gaming. Yet even games that are designed to make you smarter have to be fun, and Majesco\'s Brain Boost series for the Nintendo DS simply doesn\'t make the cut. We take a look at Brain Boost: Beta Wave and Brain Boost: Gamma Wave to see if there\'s a winning combination of entertaining puzzles and something to improve the mind; we\'re not entirely convinced we found either.
01/04/07 |
PC | George Holomshek
Space Empires V doesn\'t exactly revolutionize the world of 4X gaming, but it does offer a multitude of micromanagement options, if that\'s your thing. The space empire building title lets you explore the universe and meet strange races with one of the most extensive diplomacy systems we\'ve ever seen, but is plagued with bugs that often get in the way. If you like micromanaging politics and investigating branching technology trees, Space Empires V might be for you, but only if you can survive the learning curve and a lot of frustration.
12/28/06 |
XB360 | Jeremy Kauffman
Tony Hawk\'s Project 8 attempts to expand the series while catering to fans of the THPS classics. With improved graphics and physics, and a quirky new Nail the Trick mode, does it succeed? Read Jeremy\'s review to find out.
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