Guild Wars: Prophecies, released in 2005, was the first game ArenaNet ever developed. It's an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that shares many traits with other games in the genre, but also introduced some interesting things; most importantly maybe that there's no monthly fee for playing this MMO.
If Guild Wars (GW) would've been an offline RPG, its story could've been considered a bit shallow. It is however an online RPG, where story is somewhat less important than the actual online interaction with other players. You start out as a new recruit of Ascalon, which has been at war with the Charr for years. The Charr are a bunch of savage creatures from the North, who look like upright walking tigers with horns. Suddenly disaster strikes as the Charr launch a massive, magic-fed attack and almost completely overrun Ascalon; an event later called "The Searing". You regain control over your character two years later in the now post-apocalyptic Ascalon where the story further unfolds...
This story is what it should be and drives the main missions well. However, you already get to play with your character before the Searing, all of which serves as a big tutorial. In this tutorial (which can easily take up 10 hours) you learn the basics of combat for all professions and have to choose your secondary profession before you'll get thrown into the actual game.
As with most MMO's, you first get to create your character: male or female, tall or short, brown or blond hair. Also, you immediately have to decide which profession you want to be: ranger, warrior, monk, elementalist, necromancer or mesmer. This is a choice that'll profondly effect your further gameplay, so it's wise to try a few professions first before investing too much time in one that doesn't suit your style of play.
GW features pretty standard gameplay. Each profession can wield any type of weapon, but can only wear its own specific armor. The attributes of each profession are different though, which is why it's best sticking with weaponry suited for you. A ranger, for example, has an attribute called "Marksmanship" which improves damage done with a bow. You gain attribute points every time you level up, until level 20, the maximum level. Different than in most MMO's, getting your character to the maximum level doesn't take hundreds of hours, but can be completed within 50-60 hours on your first playthrough. (Incredibly fast for a game of this type) Also armor and weapons which feature maximum stats aren't that rare, giving GW quite a unique perspective on achievements compared to most MMO's.
In GW, the real goals are titles which you can display under your name. These can range from obvious ones as "Champion", "Hero" or "Explorer" to "Drunkard", "Party Animal" or "Unlucky". Some of these are relatively easy to complete but most take tens or hundreds of hours, some almost a thousand hours to complete. Craziest title of all is "Legendary Defender of Ascalon". To achieve this title you need to get to level 20 in the tutorial area (before The Searing) which requires you to make enemies level up by letting yourself die over and over again. A perfect example of playing the game without actually playing it, something that can be said of alot of the titles in this game.
To advance through the world you'll have to explore Explorable Areas (what's in a name) by yourself or in a party, making your way from outpost to outpost. Some of these areas are linked to specific missions, which also push the main story along. Don't worry though, because the other areas are filled with NPC's giving you lots of FedEx quests to gain some more experience. GW's world map is huge; exploring it alone takes hundreds of hours.
In these explorable areas, you'll come across the unavoidable monsters, which drop some gold or items for you to pick up. Every profession has different abilities, which you collect along the way. Only 8 abilities can be used at the same time, making for some strategic tactics when putting together the ultimate set of abilities.
Graphically, GW is great, with nice characters and monsters and interesting and diverse scenery. I think the water is particulary nice, even maybe by today's standards. Music and sound are pretty standard, same goes for the voice work; although there are some catchy musical themes. It's not mind-blowing, but never gets on your nerves aswell. (Very important for a game that never ends)
Now to discuss my theory on MMORPG's as a genre, and something that GW suffers from too. The problem with an MMO is you're either addicted or you're not. There's no middle way. (Atleast not for me)
When you're addicted, the game you're playing is the greatest game ever and you don't want to play anything but that game. With objectives (in GW's case: titles) taking hundreds or thousands of hours to complete, you can easily spend a whole year on an MMO, completely submurged in the game and everything about it.
However, once that addiction fades it's hard to stay interested, because games like GW or WoW are specifically made so they're only fun when played alot. Finding the motivation to perform these long, tedious tasks becomes much harder without that obsessive drive aswell.
As a conclusion I can say that Guild Wars is a great game in its genre, but it's still an MMORPG, so beware! Once you're hooked, you might not play another game anymore for months. Don't say I didn't warn you... 8.5/10
Lego Rock Raiders is a 1999 PC game based on the popular Rock Raiders franchise. The game is aimed at children who like the actual Rock Raiders Lego but can also entertain teenagers or adults looking for a way to spend a couple of hours.
Story of the game is simple: While cruisin' in their Lego Spaceship, the Rock Raiders get trapped in a space storm and have to make an emergency stop at the nearest planet. Only way to make it back home is by digging into the planet's caves for energy crystals to repair their ship.
Each of the 33 missions starts out with Chief briefing you in about what needs to be done. This can range from gathering X amounts of energy crystals to saving a group of stranded Raiders. Although the missions seem to embody enough variaty, the actual gameplay does not.
Rock Raiders is a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game where you spend most of your time looking for resources. What differentiates Rock Raiders from a typical RTS like Warcraft III is that gathering resources is all you do.
Like in any RTS game, building up your base is one of your primary concerns. Each building has its specific function like processing crystals, supplying your cave with air or for teleporting Rock Raiders and vehicles. Building one of these usually takes a number of ores and one or two (of the rarer) crystals. To find ores and crystals, your Raiders need to drill in the walls surrounding them. This will not only reveal the resources inside but also expand your playable area further and further, when you discover more caves, underground lakes or even lava streams. Occassionally, you'll run into a Rock monster that can destroy your base if you're not careful. However, placing some electrical fences or giving a couple of your Raiders lightguns will solve the problem easily.
Biggest problem of the game is that the Rock Raiders don't listen to your commands directly. You can, for example, click on a wall and request it to be drilled. Sure enough, some moments later a Raider will do so. This has probably been done to make the game easier for children (so they don't have to select a Raider individually and give him an action), but it can make the game very frustrating in the later levels. Especially when requesting a wall to be dynamited (this is required for stronger walls) it can take several minutes for it to actually happen. Also sad is that you can't save during a mission, so you need to finish missions in one go if you want to make progress.
Good thing is that graphics & sound for this game are good. Especially the graphics will appeal to the younger audience with sharp and colorful textures. Buildings and Raiders look exactly like you would expect and animations of buildings being build, raiders running around and monsters scaring your Raiders are generally good. Music is limited to some forgettable techno beats, but the sound effects and voices of the Rock Raiders are funny and informative. Graphical variation is being offered in the form of three different cave types: normal, ice and lava. Walls and monsters also come in these three variaties.
All in all Lego Rock Raiders is an average game which could've been much better if the gameplay wasn't so repetitive and frustrating. Although the Lego fan might enjoy this, I can't reccomend it for regular RTS players, looking for a diversion. 6.5/10
There was a time seven or eight years ago, when PC gaming occupied most of my leisure time. Windows ME was new, USB controllers were taking over from game port ones and optical mice were replacing ball. All in all it was a great period for PC gaming technology as precision and accuracy was better than ever.
During those early years of the Millennium, the rigorous demands of the games I had played, in particular Mechwarrior 4: Vengeance, killed many joysticks from many different brands. It seemed like every month I was returning a broken stick back to the store I bought it from. I always took good care of them but they just couldn't take the hard use. Plastic buttons snapping, broken levers, sometimes the drivers just simply sucked. It was a widespread problem that was quite common for players of that particular game. My favored tool of attrition at the time being the Microsoft Sidewinder Precision 2 and the Logitech Wingman Extreme series.
Then one day as I was returning yet another broken stick, a shiny gold and black monster was sitting on the shelf in the Saitek selection, catching my eye and begging to be held. I had never really seriously looked at a Saitek before and that should speak volumes for it's first impressions.
It's possible that you may enjoy the Command and Conquer series. If you do, it's even more possible that you think that Red Alert is the best game in the series, like myself. Seriously, who didn't have fun playing as the Red Army, killing people with massive amounts of Tesla Coils and MiGs? Certainly, I did, it was a blast to play that game. Oh how better times have passed. Since that game was released EA has become an evil empire, and killed Westwood Studios. But fear not! I have good news! Red Alert 3 has been officially announced.
Unfortunately, not much is known at this time about the game, other than it has been announced via PC Gamer, but hopefully by the time March 4 hits, we'll know a bit more. Between this and a official release date for Spore, this has been a good day provided by the Evil Empire.
PC gamers rejoice! This May, Electronic Arts will be publishing Mass Effect for the PC. The kick-ass award winning "western" RPG that Fox News loves so much will be available in a mere 3 months from now.
As with BioWare's usual standard, this won't be a straight up port. It has several enhancements and optimizations for the PC platform, among them:
Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
High resolution visuals - Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed textures, characters and environments.
Fully customizable controls - PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way they like.
Run & Gun Control - Players can assign biotic powers or skills to 'hot keys' allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
New decryption mini-game.
New inventory screen GUI and functionality - The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor.
Of course with it being such a great looking game with further enhanced graphics, it'll be a pig to run on a decent system. So don't expect to get your game on or see all of the great hardcore pr0n on your 486 DX or Pentium 90.
Valve has announced that they will be distributing Dylan Fitterer's critically acclaimed AudioSurf on its digital distribution service, Steam.
AudioSurf, for those of not in the loop, is an independently developed game that allows you to "ride your music". In essence, it's like Amplitude crossed with a puzzle game. However, you can import your own music or play songs off of a CD, it will create a chart based on the difficulty you choose. In the game, you try and match three blocks of the same color in a row, or go for combos as your ship flys along to the music. I played the game last month when it was in open beta, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Apparently other people feel the same way as I do, because the game is up for three awards, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, at the Independent Games Festival main competition, which will be held on February 20 at the Game Developer Conference.
AudioSurf will be released over Steam on Friday and will sell for $10, but since Valve kicks all kinds of ass, they will give you a dollar off the price if you preorder the game before Friday. BUT WAIT! With the purchase of AudioSurf, Valve will also throw in The Orange Box soundtrack, which you can use in the game! That's right, you will be able to ride through Still Alive, 9000 Degrees Kelvin, or one of the many other selections from The Orange Box in the game when you buy it from Steam! Also, the game will make use of Steamworks, allowing support for Steam Achievements that will be on your profile page.
Not convinced? There will be a demo available on Friday so you can make up your mind.
So, dear readers, fire up Steam and get your credit card out! What's that? You don't have Steam?! Well, then go make a free account over at www.steampowered.com! Or, if you have an ATI video card go here to get some free games when you sign up (Nvidia owners, you go here and get more than ATI owners...sorry). Oh and while you're at it, join the RF Generation group on Steam so we can share achievements!
EA has just announced a new installment of DICE's Battlefield series. It's called Battlefield Heroes, and it's yet another World War 2 first person shooter...but wait a minute, it's a cartoony game. Hmm, I wonder where EA got that brilliant idea from. Regardless of whether or not they totally ripped off Valve's style, it's pretty cool to see that they are trying something new in the WW2 FPS genre.
However, the biggest news about this game is that EA is doing something that could change the game industry as we know it. They are going to be giving the game away for free! THAT'S RIGHT! EA IS PUBLISHING A GAME FOR FREE! How will it be funded though? Well, it will make use of every gamer's favorite new gaming trends: in-game advertising and microtransactions. The exact nature of the in-game ads and the microtransactions are unknown at this time, but I wouldn't be shocked if EA charged you for bullets. Hopefully it will be at least pretty well featured without having to download or pay for any add-on content. The other huge concern I have about the game is that they are saying "Battlefield Heroes™, an all-new Play 4 Free cartoon-style shooter that will bring classic Battlefield gameplay to an all new mass audience." I just hope that advanced gamers will be able to enjoy it too.
And apparently, this is only the beginning of EA's venture into free games. In the press release announcing the game, they kept referring to this new business model they have called "Play 4 Free". No other games are known to be part of this plan, but I am very interested to see where EA takes this in the future.
Nothing else is known at this time, but more about the game will be revealed in the March issue of Games for Windows magazine.
Ed Note: Damn, this one hell of a well written, thorough review. I encourage you all to read this up.
I haven't listened to any Pink Floyd since quite a while before I re-ripped it at 320kbps. I'm now listening to some of it through the headphones I got for my birthday in November. It sounds so good.
The headphones are called Sharkoon X-tatic 5.1, I think rebranded as Tritton AX360 in the USA. I got halfway through writing a review of them but moved on, as I always do. I'll discard that one and start fresh...
Mitch Gitelman, manager of FASA Studios has confirmed that today was the last day for operations and that half of their employees will transfer to Microsoft Gaming Studios and other positions within Microsoft.
It's still not known whether their latest release Shadowrun had anything to do with it, by all accounts it was a success regardless of it's criticisms. Fortunately it's intellectual properties were bought by Microsoft in 1999 so they may live on yet and benefit from a fresh start. Just to give you an idea of who they are, here's a small list of some of their most notable titles:
MechCommander
MechCommander Gold
MechCommander 2
MechWarrior 4: Vengeance
MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Shadowrun
I've been waiting for a Mechwarrior 5 for what seems like forever. Mechassault is a nice little diversion but I want a sim with a mechlab Maybe Microsoft will take the series in a new direction. Maybe just maybe, I'll get a MechCommander 3 and a Crimson Skies 2 as well.
If your one of the many unlucky gamers who uses Windows Vista and has been having major problems with your gaming then take note: Help is on the way.
According to an article posted on www.gameindustry.biz, Microsoft among other issues pertaining to Vista's operation, will focus on improving compatibility and proper function of it's newest operating system. This SP1 which is expected to be released in Q1 2008 (late 2007, early 2008) will address the virtual memory issues which have plagued Vista gamers since release.
For those of you who haven't heard of this issue before, Windows Vista uses more virtual memory for gaming than Windows XP does. When these games max out the 2gig virtual memory size it crashes the user's computer. Apparently higher-end graphics cards further complicate the problem. August 23rd Microsoft published a hotfix for it on their site, but unless your in dire straits you should hold off, as hotfixes are beta patches which are still undergoing testing.
In the meantime folks, keep your chin up and make the best of your situation and the POS operating system your using. I'm sure by the time SP8 comes out all of those XP games you love so dear will be running smoothly.
Here's a nearly 15 minute video of the upcoming Settlers VI: Rise of an Empire from Ubisoft that's heading to PC's this fall, again courtesy of Gametrailers.com's GC2007 coverage:
Now that game looks gorgeous. An RTS with a good plot and polished look that may actually compete with Age of Empires. After Age of Mythology I didn't care much for the direction they took the series in terms of changing it's feel and gameplay, but now there's an alternative for traditional fans like myself who want nothing more than a new look to an old game. If it truly plays as good as it looks then Settlers VI will get a release day buy from me for sure. Check out those Lions chasing down those Zebras, that's independent environment for you.
For more info check out the official game page from Ubisoft:
Here's a new trailer for Spore from GC2007 courtesy of Gametrailers.com:
Space colonization and exploration. Wow they are really ramping up the heights of creativity and gameplay of this title. It still sounds almost too good to be true that you can do all of the things they claim you can in one game. Keep an eye on this one if you haven't been already, it'll either be the laughing stock that makes Peter Molyneux seem modest, or one of if not the, best PC game ever created.
From the category of EXTREME RUMORS, Kotaku mentioned that The International House of Mojo, a LucasArts/Telltale Games/Double Fine fansite, ran a story talking about the new game from Double Fine that will supposedly be revealed at Leipzig during Tim Schafer's (head honcho of Double Fine and designer of Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandago at LucasArts) keynote speech on creativity in the games industry. The new game is reportedly called Brutal Legend and will star Jack Black as a roadie who dies, is banished to hell, and must get to rock heaven. Since that story was posted at IHOM, Double Fine requested that they take down the story, which we all know means that there must be some merit to it.
Personally, I think this rumor has a rather large amount of merit to it even though IHOM retracted the story. But of course, I'm a big fan of Tim Schafer and Jack Black, and it would be the most incredible thing ever if they were to team up. Maybe I think it's got merit because of how much of a fan I am of them.
According to 1up, it was revealed at Microsoft's XNA GameFest 2007 that the company plans to bring Xbox Live Arcade to Windows as part of its Games For Windows Live initiative. That's right, now you'll be able to play Uno on your PC...or wait a minute...you already can. Or, what about Geometry Wars on Windows? Well, there's Grid Wars (I'm not linking to a download site because MS did a cease and desist on the creators. If you want it, Google it), or you can get the real Geometry Wars on Steam.
Despite all my sarcasm in the last paragraph, I think this is a good idea for Microsoft, if they actually do it right. By that I mean Microsoft should allow you to play games on your PC that you have already bought on your Xbox and vice versa so that you aren't stuck buying the same game twice. That would be a great move for current Live subscribers. However, I do think XBLA on Windows may not be a good idea because people who don't have an Xbox Live subscription because there's already a great service that does what XBLA would do, GameTap. But still, props to Microsoft for not forgetting the PC gaming market.
In celebration of the release of Stargate SG-1's final season (season 10) on DVD, take a moment and check out this trailer for the cancelled PC, Xbox and PS2 game Stargate SG-1: The Alliance.
A gorgeous game with everything a Stargate fan would ever want. In fact so much half of it couldn't even be shown in one trailer. Full voice acting from most of the cast, all the gadgets and weapons seen in the show, as well as alien races and plenty of Jaffa. Check them out:
<a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=6328" target="_blank">http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=6328</a> and the second one: <a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=5062" target="_blank">http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=5062</a>
What a shame. I was looking forward to that game so much I was thinking about buying the PC version for online and one of the console versions just because. Then they announce they've scrapped it for a MMORPG. *sigh*
Guild Wars: Prophecies, released in 2005, was the first game ArenaNet ever developed. It's an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that shares many traits with other games in the genre, but also introduced some interesting things; most importantly maybe that there's no monthly fee for playing this MMO.
Lego Rock Raiders is a 1999 PC game based on the popular Rock Raiders franchise. The game is aimed at children who like the actual Rock Raiders Lego but can also entertain teenagers or adults looking for a way to spend a couple of hours.
There was a time seven or eight years ago, when PC gaming occupied most of my leisure time. Windows ME was new, USB controllers were taking over from game port ones and optical mice were replacing ball. All in all it was a great period for PC gaming technology as precision and accuracy was better than ever.
It's possible that you may enjoy the Command and Conquer series. If you do, it's even more possible that you think that Red Alert is the best game in the series, like myself. Seriously, who didn't have fun playing as the Red Army, killing people with massive amounts of Tesla Coils and MiGs? Certainly, I did, it was a blast to play that game. Oh how better times have passed. Since that game was released EA has become an evil empire, and killed Westwood Studios. But fear not! I have good news! Red Alert 3 has been officially announced.
PC gamers rejoice! This May, Electronic Arts will be publishing Mass Effect for the PC. The kick-ass award winning "western" RPG that Fox News loves so much will be available in a mere 3 months from now.
Valve has announced that they will be distributing Dylan Fitterer's critically acclaimed 
Brace yourself, EA did something great here...
Maybe Microsoft will take the series in a new direction. Maybe just maybe, I'll get a MechCommander 3 and a Crimson Skies 2 as well. 
If your one of the many 
From the category of EXTREME RUMORS, Kotaku mentioned that 
According to 
