Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: 1C Publishing
System requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista; 2 GHz dual-core CPU; 1 GB RAM; 512 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 2.0 or better; DirectX-compatible sound card; 4 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Real Time Strategy
Release date: Available now

A lot of folks used to think their real-time strategy beds would be made the same way with each purchase. They expected resource gathering, troop management and a certain degree of base building that comes standard with the genre. That rule-set changed in 2000 when Cyberlore sent out their RTS offering Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim to store shelves. Its bounty-based, above-the-limits-of-troop-management style quickly gathered a healthy following, selling more than 500,000 copies and spawning an add-on pack called The Northern Expansion, which many regarded as a pseudo sequel. Nobody expected Majesty to go anywhere for awhile. Then, everything went black. Where was the fully expected Majesty 2?

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Publisher: Crave Entertainment
Developer: FarSight Studios
Genre: Pinball
Release date: September 22, 2009

Who doesn’t like pinball? Just the thought conjures up the glory days of the arcades, smoky bar rooms and bowling alleys of my childhood. When games like Ghosts ‘n Goblins and Final Fight were occupied, you could always find me belly-up to the nearest machine, anxiously paying too much attention to where the ball was, instead of where it was going. Thankfully, Crave Entertainment and FarSight Studios were paying full attention, and released Pinball Hall of Fame: the Williams Collection on the PS2 and the Wii to solid reviews. Why stop there, though? Current generations need their silver ball, too, right?

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Crave Entertainment has crazy flipper fingers! Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is set to tilt stores September 8th for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Much like the PS2 and Wii releases from 2008, the game features classic William’s pinball tables from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, recreated down to the bumpers in high-definition with authentic lights, sounds and screen graphics. Players flip the chrome on 13 arcade favorites like Pinbot, Funhouse and Black Knight and can unlock extra content and bonus items along the way by completing different table-specific goals. There’s also a multiplayer tournament mode that supports 4 players. Expect a full review of Pinball Hall of Fame here on the Adrenaline Vault soon.

So, I guess I’m aiming at doing a “Remake It” once every two years or so, because from checking the date, 2007 was my last (or was that first?) entry.

2007?

Wow, that IS a long time. Sorry ‘bout that.

Well, the good news is that I’m finally back with Part 2, and although it may not be everyone’s cup of grog, I’d like to point out that it’s about time we get an upgrade to the Mutant League series. Remember? Gore, ghouls and field hazards aplenty, released upon us in the prime of 16-bit gaming?

What baffles me is why this Electronic Arts property isn’t already on the shelves! I never considered myself much of a football fan at all, but when I popped the cart into my Genesis, all things were suddenly understood. All of the hits I watched when my dad commandeered the TV for “Monday Night Football” made total sense to me in that what I was seeing and hearing after Hank Williams Jr. sang was essentially a watered down version of the sport, made suitable for television audiences.

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Publisher: N3V Publishing
Developer: Auran Games
System requirements: Windows XP SP2 or Vista SP1, 2.2 ghz Intel Pentium IV or Athlon XP CPU, 64 mb graphics card supporting DirectX 9.0, 1 gb RAM, 2.55 gb hard-drive space, DirectX 9-compatible sound card, DVD-ROM drive, Internet connection
Genre: Simulation
Release date: Available Now

At some point in our lives we’ve all been to a function or a store that had a model train set on display. The insane amount of detail that goes into such a labor of love is always a mesmerizing sight, and even though we were essentially watching a toy circle the track over and over again, we still watched, completely enthralled, and perhaps even considered the thought of building our own H.O. scale haven at home. Yet, not all of us have the real estate to allow for a 200-square-foot re-creation of Gary, Ind. That’s where Trainz Simulator 2009 comes in.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System requirements: To be confirmed
Release date: August 2009

Don’t talk to me about war. I’ve got a bulletproof vest made out of purple hearts I’ve earned, bent together with my teeth and barely sound enough to stop an incoming rubber band assault. Suffice it to say, as a soldier, battle isn’t my strongpoint; yet given the chance to set up camp in the war room, my eyes get a little wider for a moment. BattleGoat’s Supreme Ruler 2020 was my initial foray into large-scale strategy, and ever since, I’ve put a little bit more thought into every game I play. And if that’s the case, then I get to prove it with Paradox Interactive’s Hearts of Iron 3.

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Publisher: cdv Software Entertainment
Developer: Ascaron Entertainment
System requirements: Windows XP SP3 or Vista SP1, 2.6 ghz Intel Pentium IV or Athlon XP CPU, 256 mb graphics card supporting DirectX 9.0 and Pixel Shader 2.0, 1 gb RAM, 20 gb hard drive, DirectX 9-compatible sound card, DVD-ROM drive, Internet connection
Genre: RPG
Release date: Available now

I feel sorry for those that have a “loot addiction.” It’s RPGs like Sacred 2: Fallen Angel that prey on the compulsive collector’s already depraved mind, sapping it of any remaining rational thought. RPGers across the globe feel this ache, and be it a large-scale affair like World of Warcraft or a more solitary medium, there’s no denying that killing en masse and accessorizing oneself has a certain addictive appeal. Is there help? I’m afraid not. The loot monger will never stop until the level cap is reached, or the next big offering is released.

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Publisher: Atari
Developer: Terminal Reality
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now

I stumble blindly back to my feet after suffering a stomping that could only have come courtesy of the embodiment of evil (in the shape of a 100-ft-tall Sumerian marshmallow). A familiar “ching-whiiiiirrr” emanates from my proton pack, and I eagerly unleash a stream of nuclear energy at the white giant, crisping his outsides and spawning a fully blown craving for graham crackers and chocolate. After 25 years of waiting, I’m finally a Ghostbuster, and it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed it would be…almost.

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Publisher: Tale of Tales
Developer: Tale of Tales
Minimum requirements: Windows XP or Vista; 2 GHz CPU; 2 GB RAM; 256 MB Radeon or Geforce video card of at least x6xx type (integrated video cards are not supported)
Genre: Action/Horror
Release date: Available now

It’s not too often that one finds a game so quick to lie to you from the outset. We’re accustomed to following some sort of rule-set in games, so when you play one that issues a failing grade for just doing what you’re told; you rear back a bit in surprise. This is exactly what happened to me the first time I played The Path, a pseudo horror/action offering from oddball publisher, Tale of Tales.

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Publisher: Aspyr
Developer: Best Way
Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista; 1.7GHz Processor; 512MB RAM; nVidia GeForce 3/ATI Radeon 9600 video card or higher; DirectX 9.0b compatible sound card; 4GB free hard drive space; DVD drive
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Release date: Available now

I often talk about the game Dungeon Keeper 2 as being one of my favorite PC games of all time. I think what stood out to me the most about the Bullfrog RTS/sim mash-up was that your minions were in your capable hands at all times. If you didn’t like how the AI was handling itself, there was always the option of possessing the henchmen and taking care of business yourself. This is perhaps the most tantalizing part of Best Way’s Men of War, and the main reason I requested the opportunity to review it.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: 1C Company
Minimum requirements: Windows XP; 2.4 GHz Pentium IV or AMD 3500+ 2.2Ghz; 1 GB RAM; nVidia GF 6800 or ATI Radeon R850XT 256 video card; DirectX-compatible sound card; 3 GB of free hard drive space; DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Release date: Available now

Odds are you’ll never see me sit down to play a hex-based strategy game of my own accord, yet I find that as more of them are assigned to me, the more my aversion to them subsides. With that personal aside out of the way, I’ll say that while not ideal, Elven Legacy does further whet my appetite for geometrically based strategy. Maybe these kinds of games aren’t so bad after all…

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Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Genre: FPS
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

Killzone 2 is one of the most anticipated PS3 games released so far. The “too-bad-it-wasn’t-true” E3 ’05 trailer might’ve been spun a bit too much, but after the smoke cleared, even after the first “real” screenshots were released, the hype machine continued chugging along like some gargantuan generator, hardly scathed. So it’s here now, and I have it. Perhaps I should just break out the Seal of Excellence and get it over with.

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Publisher: TikGames, Creat Studios
Developer: TikGames, Creat Studios
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

There’s grandma, quietly putting together a jigsaw puzzle by the fireplace, listening to Bing Crosby and yelling single-syllable curses at the fichus plant. Flash forward two generations to Tetris; two lines from the top and all you want is a @#$%! straight piece. I could go on further about color matching, role-playing elements and a host of other complications that can cause unpredicted swearing in the puzzle genre, but I won’t. I’ll just say that Cuboid is a dirty little %#@$ and its simplicity is beautiful.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: BattleGoat Studios
Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista; Pentium III 800+Mhz; 512 MB RAM; 3D Graphics Card with 16MB+ Video RAM; DirectX 8.1 or Higher; DirectX Compatible Sound Card
Genre: Strategy
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

I’ll begin by saying this: The folks over at BattleGoat had better be wrong about the “near future” setting in which their games take place. Every passing day leans more and more to a potential world collapse…a “global crisis,” if you will. Tanking economy; budding, unfriendly nuclear powers—it’s all being thrown into a big steel bowl buttered with instability and corruption. So if the mixing blade drops, I guess it’s good to know that Supreme Ruler players will have the experience necessary to lead us back to normalcy.

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I check Avault a couple of times a day to see what’s new. It’s become a habit now. I open Outlook, then Firefox, and while my computer is dry-heaving trying to come up with the resources to do both at the same time I light up a cigarette. Another habit, yes, I know, and I’ve been trying to cut back. (Hey, if our President can have the same habit, then so can I, right? Right??) Either way, my ritual was thrown off track the last month when the AV greeted me with a stark white screen and not the usual bounty of gaming goodness. I paid no mind, until hours had passed, then a day, and then…

My eye twitched..

“Oh s***, we’ve closed shop! What about the games?! Will we get a government bailout?!”

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