.
Gaming Picks
A
game has to kick plenty of ass in order to win the 'Big Kahuna Kick Ass
Approval' seal. Winners have to be Kick Ass Approved by at least 2 out
of 3 of our game reviewers: BigKahuna, BigBear and HerbalSon. And then there's the coveted but rarely
awarded 'Unanimous Kick Ass Approval' - a Kick Ass rating by all three reviewers.
Our game picks are all top notch, but when you see the 'Big Kahuna Kick
Ass Approval' seal, you know the game is dialed to the max with great action,
graphics, innovative gameplay, and, well, it majorly Kicks Ass!
Gaming Picks as of July 2007 -
.
Shooter Pick:
The
Battlefield franchise steps into the future with Battlefield 2142. The game is
set in the year 2142, and the dawn of a new Ice age has thrown the world into a
panic. The soil not covered by ice can only feed a fraction of the Earth's
population. The math is simple and brutal: some will live, most will die. Two
military superpowers, the European Union and the Pan Asian Coalition, go toe to
toe in an epic battle for survival. The weaponry includes assault rifles,
cloaking devices, sentry guns and EMP grenades, not to mention massive battle
walkers and futuristic aircraft. There's single player and multiplayer for up to
64 players. The graphics are stunning and the game play is fantastic.
Check it
here.
Demo
here.
Action-Adventure Pick:
.
.
Okay,
we've been re-fighting WWII over and over for the last few years - Medal of
Honor: Allied Assault, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Call of Duty, Pacific
Assault, Brothers in Arms, and countless expansions. Could there be any material
that hasn't been covered? And yes, there have been some WWII shooters that
made me wanna thrown down my trusty Thompson in disgust and go AWOL. Then along
comes developer Infinity Ward, kickin major ass with Call of Duty 2. Sticking
with the formula that made the first game a hit, COD2 manages to remain
immensely exciting and entertaining from its first shot to the last. The
frenetic pace of battle is awesome. With one sprawling, chaotic battle after
another, it's filled with set pieces that play out like a WWII movie and yet has
enough openness and variety to stand repeated replays. Add in jaw dropping
graphics and some satisfying multiplayer action, and you have what's arguably
the best pure PC action game of 2005 (issued near the end of the year). Your
gonna need some horse to run this baby dialed - required specs: P4 1.4GHz, 256mb
RAM, 64mb 3D card, 4GB HD space - of course that's gonna give you the
nickelodeon effect in bigger battles. More reasonable specs: P4 2+GHz, 512mb DDR
RAM, 256mb 3D card. There are separate campaigns for Russian, British and
American troops where you fill the combat boots of various grunts. Each of these
soldiers has a name and a small bit of backstory, but it's really about fighting
as part of a larger squad. Occasionally it's you and a squadmate or two; more
often, you're part of a massive fighting force trying to take a larger area or
repel a gigantic onslaught. What's most different about the missions in CoD2 is
the level design. Instead of the narrow pathways and city streets of COD, you'll
find huge town square with enemies crawling all over it, demanding you dart back
and forth from cover to cover, looking for a way to get the perfect angle on
that MG42 nest in the distance. One interesting tweak is the new health system.
In a trend that's been gathering steam lately, there are no health packs or
armor kits in CoD2. There isn't even a health bar. In fact, there isn't any
on-screen display at all when you're not firing a weapon. Instead, there's a
transparent system that gives you visual clues to how much damage you're taking,
or how much danger you're in. You can survive a few nicks, and then you're back
to full health. Get caught in a hail of gunfire, and the screen will tint red,
as if splattered with blood, and your character will start to breathe heavily -
this means you need to retreat and recover, or else another shot or two might
end you. Another key ingredient in the action is the friendly AI that fights by
your side, and there's a delicate balance achieved where they'll help you kill
enemies without doing all the work for you. The 'shell-shock' effect is back and
the sound effects are incredible. This is a must have. Check it out
here.
Arcade Pick:
MIDWAY ARCADE TREASURES
DELUXE EDITION
This
is the second PC entry in the successful Midway Arcade Treasures series which
features the best games from part 2 and part 3 (only
the first Midway Arcade Treasures compilation came to PC, so these are all new
classic games). Complete with multiplayer
competitive experiences (in the
arcade games that apply), the package
includes APB, Arch Rivals, Cyberball 2072, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3,
Gauntlet II, Spy Hunter II, Xybots, NARC, Timber, Total Carnage, Pit Fighter,
Wizard of Wor, Xenophobe, Primal Rage, Rampage World Tour, Kozmik Krooz’r,
Championship Sprint, Hard Drivin’, Wacko, Badlands, Hydro Thunder, Off Road
Thunder: Mud, Sweat ‘N Gears, Race Drivin’, San Francisco Rush the Rock:
Alcatraz Edition, San Francisco Rush 2049, S.T.U.N. Runner, and Super Off Road (with
bonus Track–Pak). If you're an arcade fan,
this collection is for you. Check it
here.
"Hidden
Gem" Pick:
.
EXTRACTION
POINT - Here's a great expansion pack for the sweet ass shooter that took over
the scene with rave reviews earlier this year. It picks up where the original
game left off and gives you new weapons, new environments and another juicy load
of white knuckle fire fights and other worldly spooks. It's seems to be slipping
under the radar, but check it
here.
Demo
here.
Adventure/RPG Pick:
.
After
a three year intermission, Bethesda Softworks has brought back their ES series
the debut of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Last time out, in 2002, Elder Scrolls III:
Morrowind took the PC and console markets by
storm,
earning praise from RPG enthusiasts and mainstream gamers alike. Now it looks
like Oblivion is garnering some great reviews. First off, this is a single
player RPG. Whoa! The graphics engine has been updated with next-gen GPU
capabilities in mind. No wonder the graphics are drop dead gorgeous. The physics
engine has also been updated, convincingly handling gravity and thermodynamics.
The combat system in Oblivion can be accessed in both the third and first person
(actually the whole game can), and the same Radiant AI system that gives the
town NPCs their own dynamic personalities and actions will also enhance
creatures and opponent NPCs in battle. Oblivion gives you an incredibly dynamic
and detailed virtual world to play in. And for those modders out there, the TES
Contruction Set is included in the PC version. Of course, all this gaming
goodness requires a big ass rig. Dig it: Minimum requirements include P4 2GHz,
512MB
RAM, 4.66GB
HD, 128MB
ATi 9000 series or GeForce FX series. Recommend - P4 3GHz,
1GB
RAM, GeForce 6800 or Radeon X800. Check it
here.
Strategy
Pick:
.
Ensemble
Studios has put out a fantastic new expansion for Age of Empires III called The
War Chiefs. The expansion adds a number of native cultures to the widely popular
AoE3 as well as expanding the units and capabilities of the European
civilizations already included in this game system. Three newly added
civilizations are the Iroquois (who are woodland dwellers who lived in the
eastern part of North America), the Sioux (who lived in the American Midwest)
and Aztecs (the powerful empire of Mexico). The Iroquois historically were
farmers and lived in well-settled villages and in the game they are quite
similar to the European civilizations in makeup. The Sioux are similar to the
Huns of AoE II in that they require buildings for population and can always
build units to the population limit at start. The Aztecs are quite different as
this civilization never used the horse so they rely on infantry armies familiar
to players of AoE II. The game includes an entirely new campaign that takes up
the story of the fictional Black family, but the scenario is quite realistic
playing out a sweeping part of America's early history. The voice acting is
quite good and the sound effects are also very well done. And, the graphics are
great. Check it
here. Demo
here.
Sim Pick:
.
The
Sims II : Open For Business opens the Sims experience up to a whole new
dimension, bringing the work a day world to your thus far slothful Sims. Sure
they had jobs, but did you ever see them do anything? Now you get to watch your
Sims at work, from running the cash register, to sweating it out behind a
workstation making merchandise. Combined with the Nightlife expansion pack, the
Sims can now run an inordinate amount of businesses, from garden centers to
nightclubs, and they're going to have to have their little Sim noses to the
grindstone in order to make their businesses a success. The expansion adds 125
new items. And, Robots have been added to the mix. The new items add an extra
level of customization to the game, which means it looks better than ever. The
sound ranges from some great music to the funniest effects ever, and is, as one
expects, an integral part of the game experience. This is what expansion packs
should be about. Check it
here.
Sports Pick:
The
new Madden 2007 is out and this version was polished for the Xbox 360. But, in
the rush to put out that primo Xbox 360 version, EA forgot to polish the PC
version. Sure, the graphics are great - impressive lighting effects, detailed
players, fluid animations - but, like the old saying goes, looks can be
deceiving. There are some sore spots, like the secondary doesn't always respond
fast enough to swat commands, Superstar mode blows goats, lead blockers will
occasionally run past defenders to lay a pointless hit downfield, and shoddy
blocking schemes can't adjust to unexpected defensive fronts (which translates
into too many QBhungry blitzers). However, 07 's big ticket gameplay addition
works great - taking control of your lead blocker and pancaking an aggressive
linebacker can do wonders for your running game, especially when trying to break
one outside. Overall, if you've got a version older than 06, 07 is an excellent
upgrade. Check it
here.
.BigKahuna
rates 
Titles:.
*Madden
2007 Rating: Excellent
*NBA Live 2007
Rating:
Good
*FIFA 2007
Must! Rating:
Excellent
*NHL 2007 Must! Rating: Excellent.
*Tiger Woods 2007
Rating:
Excellent
*MVP Baseball 2005 Rating: Awesome
*NASCAR Sim Racing
Rating: Excellent
0 Editor's
Choice for June - August in
PCGAMER
Review Briefs:
Tiger Woods 2006 brief-
It's
possible that Tiger Woods will become the first ever billionaire athlete. Tiger
has a knack for putting his name on some quality stuff. So it's no surprise that
the Tiger Woods EA franchise has produce yet another standout game. This is the
series that put down the venerable Links franchise, and the 2006 version is
looking better than ever. The graphic detail has been noticeably upped and the
course look gorgeous. If you've got enough horsepower (and I do ;), you can see
the individual blades of grass in foreground. It's a jaw dropper. The play
animations have been improved and look more natural. EA claims high-definition gameplay will allow you to realistically interpret approach shots or a crucial
putt on a rolling green. I'll confess, I found it easier to judge the relative
elevations and slopes of the terrain, especially noticeable when trying to line
up a put. The bulk of gameplay should be similar to what series veterans know
and love
(albeit much better looking), but EA has made an effort to tweak the swing
controls and gives a couple more options. This year, the big new addition to
Tiger is a "Rivals" career mode. The concept: after a few up-and-down years,
Tiger is out to prove he can go head-to-head with anyone, from any time. You'll
compete through five historical eras, starting with the late 1800's, through the
days of Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer all the way to present-day.
Indeed, it's a bit more fantasy-based than last year's "Legends" mode, with
characters dressed appropriately for each time period, including Tiger himself,
at one point decked out in old-style knickers and cap. The unbelievably
customizable Game Face character creation tool is back, but you'll also be able
to play as any of nine top pros in the game, including John Daly, Retief Goosen,
Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods, of course. All in all, this is one hell of a golf
package. Check it
here.
Recommended 9/10
LotR, The Battle for Middle-Earth
II brief-
With
the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy more than two years in the past now, it
seems a bit weird that EA is still pushing ahead with its Lord of the Rings game
franchise. After all, 2004's The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth
already covered all the ground from the movies. EA's solution, though, was to
unify the movie franchise with the general Tolkien license, so now the games can
feature content from both the movies and the many Middle-earth books that J.R.R.
Tolkien wrote. Armed with this unified license, EA has gone about and created
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, a real-time strategy game
that features all of Middle-earth, and not just the stuff we saw in the movies.
There are two single-player campaigns in Battle for Middle-Earth II, one for
good and the other for evil. Things get really interesting when you play with
the new War of the Ring mode. Essentially, War of the Ring links all the
real-time battles to an overarching deep strategic campaign. The multiplayer
suite is great, but be prepared for some brutal and wild matches online. You can
play in the customary skirmish game in one-on-one matches or in teams. The
graphics are fantastic. And the sound and voice acting are top notch. Overall
this is the LotR game fans have been hoping for. Check it
here.
Recommended 8/10
Sniper Elite brief-
Oh
man! Sniper Elite is the shit!! Stealth, action, sweet ass head shots, bullet
time, and gorgeous graphics (albeit
a bit dated). The scoring system is
interesting as you get more points for head shots, more points for distance and
even more points for hitting a moving target. The scenario: World War II is
drawing to a close and the Soviets and Nazi's are caught in a furious battle for
Berlin. You take the role of an American sniper sent into the chaos of war torn
Berlin by the Secret Service to complete a series of vitally important missions
to thwart Soviet nuclear ambitions. You must prevent them from stealing
information and hardware that might help them to develop nuclear weapons. Sniper
Elite came out flast year, but the PC demo only recently became available. The
single player demo selection gives you three missions. The first one has you
infiltrating a town and rescuing a resistance fighter. The second has you
infiltrating the town square and covering the escape of a captured ally from
your perch high up in a church tower. Yeah baby!! It's killer as you rain death
down on the Nazi scum below!!! The third mission has you infiltrating train
station to secure it and then setting up the escape of some scientists.
Definitely snag the
demo (680MB).
Then you'll want to play the full
game.
Recommended 8/10
F.E.A.R. brief-
I knew with Monolith's track record for making sweet ass games (Shogo, TRON 2.0
and the No One Lives Forever), FEAR had a chance of being great. Welp, the boys
at Monolith did not disapoint. The graphics are bleeding edge, figuratively and
literally - the graphics are awesome and there's one is bloody fire fight after
another. The dynamic lighting effects are cool as hell. Sparks fly everywhere
during combat and dark areas are light up as if with a strobe. In SlowMo,
bullets carve their way through the air and blood hangs in space. Physics
effects cause enemies to flail and jerk about when about when shot, and debris
to go flying in every direction. Explosions are particularly enjoyable - the
entire screen lights up every time you throw a grenade or
something
flammable goes off, and it all adds up to the kind of combat that opens your
mouth and drops your jaw to the floor. All of these cutting edge effects require
a pretty hefty rig - required: P4 1.7GHz, 512mb RAM, GF4/ATi9000 or better video
card - PCGamer recommends a P4 3.5GHz rig. Whoa! You play the anonymous
rookie point man of an elite military squad specialized in dealing with in the
paranormal. You're tracking Paxton Fettel, the subject of a classified research
experiment by the Armacham Technology Corporation. Fettel is best described as a
"psychic commander," capable of controlling an army of cloned soldiers, and he's
gone apeshit in spectacular fashion. You navigate various complexes trying to
track him down and neutralize him. This proves to be complicated, however, as he
comes and goes like a ghost, appearing to you in strange visions when you get
too close. Even more baffling are the visions of a small girl you keep seeing
throughout the different locations: who is she? Why does she keep appearing to
you? At times, it seems your character slips in and out of reality, hearing
voices and seeing shadows without owners, and it doesn't take long before you
start wondering what's real and what's not. Yep FEAR has a big ass creep factor.
The advanced graphics and physics create a string of firefights that are amazing
to watch, and creative level design and advanced AI make them equally engrossing
to play. FEAR topped just about everybody's best shooters of 2005 list. A must
have. Check it
here.
Recommended 9/10
Serious Sam II brief-
Yes, I admit it. I was a huge fan of Serious Sam, and the expansion Serious Sam:
The Second Encounter. The run and gun. The mindless mayhem. Chunks of guts and
gibs flying all over. Yeah baby! Welp, Serious Sam is back with more mirth and
mania. The game still has the wild, free flowing structure and unconcerned
nature that made the first two games such a pick-up-and-play blast. This edition
pumps up the visuals and physics by incredible degrees with a brand new graphics
engine. There's all-new gameplay elements and new ways for Sam to cause mayhem.
The sequel allows Sam to drive vehicles, and the co-op mode returns for multiple
players to cause even more of a ruckus in the game's open and enemy-filled
environments. Yes fans, as seemingly impossible as it sounds, Serious Same II
looks to be even more over-the-top and action-packed than its predecessors. It's
all-out carnage, with wave after wave of bad guys charging from all sides, the
more ridiculous, the better. The new engine looks great and the graphics are as
colorful as ever. All the weapons feel tight and satisfying to use, especially
the more bizarre ones like Klodovik, the bomb-carrying parrot, and the
blow-up-everything-in-sight Serious Bomb. This is a must play for all serious
shooter fans. Check it
here.
Demo
here.
Recommended 9/10
GTA: San Andreas brief-
GTA: San Andreas took over the scene this and it's yet another notch in gun
handle of this controversial series. Grand Theft Auto was originally released in
1997 by British developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), and published by
Rockstar Games. Rockstar has really pumped out the sequels, including six
stand-alone games and one expansion pack for the original, GTA: London 1969. The
games have been best-selling blockbusters which are also critically acclaimed.
The series has won many awards, including several game of the year awards from
various sources. In addition, the series has emerged as being so popular and
profitable that a long list of Hollywood stars have lent their voices to the
games. Gangster film veterans such as Michael Madsen, Samuel L. Jackson, James
Woods, Joe Pantoliano and Ray Liotta have all voiced major characters. Other
famous voices that have been incorporated in the games include Luis Guzman,
Danny Trejo, Gary Busey, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, Miss Cleo, Philip Michael
Thomas, Tom Sizemore, Ice-T, Chris Penn, Robert Davi, Deborah Harry, Shaun
Ryder, David Cross and Faizon Love. Okay, enough with the history lesson. San
Andreas grabs the baton and makes yet another winning run. GTA:SA sports top
notch graphics, new roleplaying features, incredible replayability, five
enormous maps, distinctive regions, as well as terrific script and dialog. Check
it out
here.
Recommended 9/10
FlatOut brief-
Here's a little arcade driver that's more fun than a barrel of monkeys. It's a
very entertaining version of down south, Saturday night speedway, complete with
hicks, rednecks, and good 'ol jalopies. You get fast cars, abandoned circuits
and all kinds of destructible trackside objects. Plus, you get plenty of sweet
ass dirt track smash 'em up and strong doses of demolition derby. You can bust
through fences, billboards and road construction equipment. The weather effects
are cool too. The fish tailing physics are done well and the graphics are solid.
This one is just plain fun. Check it
here.
Demo
here.
Recommended 8/10
SW: Knights of the Old Republic
II brief-
This sequel to the original terrifically popular game came out a mere year and a
half later, with a different developer and with three months shaved off its
development time. With that in mind, it's nothing short of a minor miracle that
Knights of the Old Republic II turned out as well as it did. It plays a lot like
the original did, blending the same addictive gameplay with quite a few more
options and several added features. As with the last game, KOTOR2 offers you the
chance to play on either the Light or Dark Side of the Force. If you fall to the
Dark Side, your goal is probably to systematically hunt down and murder each of
the Jedi responsible for your exile; if you're on the Light Side, you'll want to
find the last remnants of the Jedi Order and organize them to deal with the
revitalized Sith. As you progress through the plot, you can sweet talk,
manipulate and browbeat allies in order to gain influence and get your way. This
intricate conversation system is one of KOTOR II's greatest triumphs. And in a
huge improvement over the first game, your actions (particularly your choice
between the Light or Dark side) greatly influence the personalities of your
fellow party members. By carefully selecting your actions and dialogue, you can
sink deeper into the Dark side and watch your teammates grow increasingly
corrupt, made ghoulishly fun thanks to the smart, witty writing and some
enthusiastic voice actors. The Jedi fighting is awesome and the graphics have
been improved, so you'll need some horsepower to play it maxed. Without the
horses, the performance is disappointing - the frame rate sometimes sputters
even on a high-end PC. Ultimately though, KOTOR II is kick ass and a must play
for adventure/RPG fans. Check it
here.
Recommended 9/10
Imperial Glory brief-
Imperial Glory is from the creators of Commandos 3: Destination Berlin. It's a
big, sprawling Napoleonic era epic offering in-depth management as well as
graphically stunning real-time land and naval battles in full 3D. Choose from
five of the great 19th century Empires to lead: Great Britain, France, Russia,
Prussia or Austro-Hungary. Command your troops in large-scale battles across the
globe, from the green fields of England to the icy wastes of Russia and sweeping
deserts of Morocco. However, ultimate glory will depend on your utilizing
politics, trade, diplomacy, resource management and technology research. The
pageantry of Napoleonic war really shines through here, from the brightly
colored cavalry uniforms to the smoke clouds of a well-coordinated infantry
volley to the dirt kicked up by your cannon shot. All of it comes through
beautifully. Check it out
here.
Demo
here.
Recommended 9/10
Battle of Britain II brief-
In 2004, GMX Media bought the rights to Rowan’s Battle of Britain flight sim,
and began working on a sequel. The fruit of their labor is the beautifully
rendered Battle of Britain II: Wings of Victory. It's all about authenticity and
the developers have taken measures to ensure that this will be the most
realistic WWII combat experience that you'll ever take part in. The campaign
system has been tailored to recreate the BoB campaign as faithfully as possible
at the same time as being as dynamic as possible. You’ll be able to get up and
mix it with hundreds of other aircraft in the air at the same time. Both you and
the enemy will be taking off from historicly accurate airfields, and hitting
those airfields will reduce your ability to combat incoming aircraft. Added to
that lot is a dynamic weather system which is based on historical records as
well as giving real time, in-flight weather changes and the usual effects of
that such as turbulence and reduced groundspeed. The AI has had some work put
into it too, so the AI suffer the same physical and flight limitations that you
do. No more watching an AI do a 9g inverted loop to then accurately blow your
wing off from 3 miles away. It appears that Battle of Britain's missions will
plunge us into some of the largest skirmishes ever seen in a videogame. Enemies
take off from their actual bases and hundreds can be in the air at one time. All
of the engine noises (which includes sputtering, stalling, and overheating) are
authentic, as well as the explosions and machine gun fire. Wings of Victory is
without question visually stunning. All of the planes sport a high level of
detail and the explosions, both in the air and on the ground look fantastic. The
sky renderings are gorgeous. It's really a sight to see tons of aircraft in the
air at one time. Having said all of that, BoB2 is gonna take some horsepower.
Out of the box, there will be some occasional stuttering and touchy flight
controls. But, this game is worth the effort of dealing with a couple of minor
problems. Check it
here.
Recommended 9/10
GTA: San Andreas brief- GTA: San Andreas took over the scene
this and it's yet another notch in gun
handle of this controversial series. Grand Theft Auto was originally released in
1997 by British developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), and published by
Rockstar Games. Rockstar has really pumped out the sequels, including six
stand-alone games and one expansion pack for the original, GTA: London 1969. The
games have been best-selling blockbusters which are also critically acclaimed.
The series has won many awards, including several game of the year awards from
various sources. In addition, the series has emerged as being so popular and
profitable that a long list of Hollywood stars have lent their voices to the
games. Gangster film veterans such as Michael Madsen, Samuel L. Jackson, James
Woods, Joe Pantoliano and Ray Liotta have all voiced major characters. Other
famous voices that have been incorporated in the games include Luis Guzman,
Danny Trejo, Gary Busey, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, Miss Cleo, Philip Michael
Thomas, Tom Sizemore, Ice-T, Chris Penn, Robert Davi, Deborah Harry, Shaun
Ryder, David Cross and Faizon Love. Okay, enough with the history lesson. San
Andreas grabs the baton and makes yet another winning run. GTA:SA sports top
notch graphics, new roleplaying features, incredible replayability, five
enormous maps, distinctive regions, as well as terrific script and dialog. Check it out
here.
Recommended 9.5/10
Far Cry brief- It
came out of nowhere - a small studio in Germany, but Far Cry is easily the
best-looking game on any platform. The graphics are jaw dropping awesome and the gameplay is great. This baby snagged an unheard of 95% from PCGamer. The storyline is
a little familiar: genetically engineered monsters, private armies, and heavily armed,
square-jawed mercenaries, but the gameplay - a heady mix of Tomb Raider and Soldier
of Fortune - more than makes up for it . The setting is a forested island atoll and the portrayal of tropical
islands and jungles is head-and-shoulders above any other game available. Trees
and vegetation are notoriously difficult to model, but they're presented in such
a lifelike way here. The game engine gorgeously portrays a large number of
different environments. The water effects are spectacular, the textures and
character models are first-rate, and the game performs fine on maximum detail
settings on PCs below the recommended specs. The islands would be a phenomenal
place for a vacation
if it weren't for the armed mercenaries populating them. Far Cry raises the bar
for graphical excellence, and this is the standard that long-delayed Half-Life 2
and Doom 3 will have to meet. The sound effects are also first rate and the AI
is solid. The gameplay is derivative - no new ground here, just blast away - but
the way you have to adjust to the changing environments keeps the gameplay
interesting and fun. Vehicles are
included, but restricted to a few machine-gun-jeeps, boats, and a hang glider.
Unfortunately, the helicopters and VTOL planes available to your enemies aren't
playable. Unlike most PC-based shooters, the game saves at pre-defined
checkpoints throughout levels (à la Halo), which some may not care for. However,
all things considered, the graphics, gameplay, AI and imaginative set pieces
easily make Far Cry the best
single-player first-person shooter of the last few months if not years. Check it out
here, demo
here.
Recommended 9.5/10
Games People Play:
*Top
Selling PC Games (as
of June 30, from
GameSpy).
.
August 2007 
Playlist:
(Staff's personal favorites)
.
#1.-Supreme
Commander.. Others:..-Battlefield
2142..-StarCraft...-Spiderman
3..
-System
Shock 2..-Sam
& Max..
Gaming Links:
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News - Great gaming news site.
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Domain - Info, links, downloads.
* Yahoo:
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Index,
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Walkthroughs,
New
Releases.
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Puppy - Popular game page.
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-
Info, codes, links, downloads.
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Gamer Online - Plenty of things to check out,
downloads.
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