Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.4 GHz Pentium IV/AMD 3500+ or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 8800/Radeon X1900 or better graphics card, 2 GB hard-drive space, DirectX-compatible sound device, DirectX 9, Victoria II (base game) and A House Divided expansion pack
Genre: RTS
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Victoria has always been a franchise I’ve loved, and it’s one that has always been built on complexity. When your game is built around an economy that tracks the purchases of every single person, business and government in the world, you’re not catering to those with poor attention spans. The catch, though, is that no matter how complex Victoria II gets, there’s always something more I want from the game. It’s been a year since the last Victoria II expansion was released, and Paradox has decided that there are enough people like me who want even more from Victoria II to justify another expansion. Heart of Darkness focuses on four main areas of gameplay: colonies, navies, armies and diplomacy. Any fan of the franchise, while happy with improvements to warfare, will no doubt be intrigued more by the possibilities offered by diplomacy and colonization. And I’m happy to report that, aside from a few warts, HoD delivers the goods.

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Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7/Win 8, 2.4 GHz Core2Duo/2.8 GHz Athlon X2 or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 8800 GTS or better graphics card, DirectX 9.0c, 16 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Resident Evil is one of the industry’s most financially rewarding franchises. Say what you want about Call of Duty, but Capcom has managed to sell books, movie rights and spin-offs of its popular series of zombie shooters for years. While the word “multimedia” gets tossed around a lot these days, basically the only form Resident Evil doesn’t come packaged in is a vacation cruise (although I’m betting the idea for a Resident Evil getaway has been discussed). With the release of Resident Evil 6 on consoles late last year, critical opinion was divided, but consoles and PC are not the same kind of platform. How does the latest iteration of this venerable franchise stack up on PC? The short answer is this: it ain’t survival horror anymore. The long answer is a bit more complicated.

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Recently Adrenaline Vault writer Jason Pitruzzello had the chance to fire off a few questions to David “Darkrenown” Ballantyne (pictured left), scripter and designer at Paradox Development Studio, about Heart of Darkness, the developer’s new expansion pack for their historical strategy game Victoria II. The expansion will be available April 16, 2013.

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So, I decided to give the free-to-play Star Trek Online a try. I figured with no money to pay upfront, the worst that could happen is that I waste a day of my life and decide I don’t like it. As I’ve played for the past two months, though, I’ve been surprised by something I never thought I’d consider: the online store. See, for most of the time I’ve played MMOs, I’ve always been a paying subscriber right around the time they went free-to-play (LOTRO, SWTOR), so I had no real incentive to care much about the goodies in the store. I did a blog about how Turbine basically set their game up so that it could steal revenue back from the gold spammers, but as for using the service myself, I never really felt that excited about it. As for Star Wars, other people in the industry have already commented on how badly the game was monetized; I mean, honestly, who thought giving free players a bad interface, then charging for more quick bars, was a good idea? Needless to say, very little about SWTOR inspired me to make purchases from the store.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, Pentium IV 2.4 GHz/AMD 3500+ or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, 512 MB GeForce 8800/Radeon X1900 or better graphics card, Direct X-compatible sound device, DirectX 9, 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

It’s been two weeks since March of the Eagles was officially released, and I keep coming back to play despite the deadline for this review. I’ve found myself carving up the Ottoman Empire as Austria, conquering North Africa for Spain, dividing Prussia in half with France as Russia, and even trying (and failing miserably) to return Sweden to greatness. Paradox Interactive labels March of the Eagles as a game that brings the Napoleonic Wars “to life in this war-focused strategy game.” I admit I was skeptical at first that a company known for its epic grand strategy games could create a tightly focused product covering only a small historical period. But after playing the preview and the full version, I can say that Paradox has hit the mark with this strategy game.

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I know it’s been in gaming news all week, but I wanted to chime in on the release of Aliens: Colonial Marines. No, this isn’t going to be a game review; it’s just going to be an editorial rant. And yes, I’m going to vent some anger and frustration at Gearbox.

First of all, I have to say that I didn’t get a review copy, so I only started playing two days after it was out (and I pre-ordered, but more on that later). So, game sites that had reviews out on release day beat me to the punch. That’s not normally a big deal, but in this case, if you’re wondering why I’m only now saying anything, it’s because other reviewers got the jump on me in terms of time. And, in this case, I was just a normal, paying customer like the average gamer who bought it on Steam.

So what’s wrong with Aliens: Colonial Marines? I’m glad you asked, because I have an itemized list (major spoilers ahead).

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Publisher: Perfect World
Developer: Cryptic Studios
System requirements: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP2/Win 7/Win 8, 2.8 GHz Core2Duo or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, 512 MB GeForce 8800/Radeon HD 2900GT or better graphics card, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound device
Genre: MMO
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Early 2013

If you’ve been keeping up with D&D news, you’ve no doubt heard some stuff about the upcoming Neverwinter MMO. This week, I was given a chance to muck around in the city of Neverwinter in the first of several beta weekends. I spent a lot of time killing enemies, setting off traps, forming groups with other players, and screwing up my group runs because I suck at healing. In other words, another day in the life of an MMO player.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.4 GHz Pentium IV/AMD 3500+ or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, 512 MB GeForce 8800/Radeon X1900 or better graphics card, DirectX 9.0, 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: February 18, 2013

Last year, I got a chance to see March of the Eagles up close during the Paradox Strategy Tour. The game depicts the Napoleonic Wars, with the help of developer Paradox’s Clausewitz engine. I recently received a preview copy, and I’ve been marching my armies across Europe for the past couple of weeks. It’s shaping up to be a fine strategy title, offering you a very realpolitik experience on top of its emphasis on warfare and military campaigns.

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Publisher: Soldak Entertainment
Developer: Soldak Entertainment
System requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/Win 7/Mac OS10.4, 1.5 GHz Pentium IV or better CPU, 256 MB RAM, GeForce 2 or better graphics card, 200 MB hard-drive space
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

Every once in awhile, I get something new and interesting across my virtual desk. Drox Operative is one such game. In many ways, it plays like a space version of Diablo, but it has victory conditions like any of a hundred RTS games. It also has espionage action with planets that brings to mind some older CRPGs. My experience with Drox Operative was interesting, and while not the most addicting game I’ve played, it certainly has appeal for those looking for something altogether different.

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First of all, let me just say this: when talking about favorite games of the year, I can only talk about stuff I’ve played. I missed a number of titles that came out this year because of scheduling conflicts and budget considerations, so I don’t want anyone to look at me and say, “Why did you forget X?”, because I might not have had a chance to play it. People might claim that PC gaming is dying, but there’s still more than I have time to play floating around out there.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Zeal Game Studio
System requirements: Windows Vista/Win 7, Dual Core 2.4 GHz or better CPU, 4 GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce 8000/AMD Radeon 2000 or better graphics card with Shader Model 4 support, DirectX-compatible sound device, DirectX 10, 3 GB hard-drive space, broadband Internet connection
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

What would it be like to run a kingdom of dwarves? This is the central question posed by A Game of Dwarves. As it turns out, it takes some real effort to run a kingdom of short, ill-tempered, mythological sentient beings with a penchant for digging their way through the world. In the tradition of memorable games such as Dungeon Keeper, A Game of Dwarves asks you to manage your people, build them a home that satisfies their needs, and lead them to victory against their enemies, while digging to find riches and materials for them to use and trade.

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Publisher: BlueGiant Interactive
Developer: BlueGiant Interactive
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, dual-core or better CPU, 512 MB nVidia 9500 GT/Radeon 3650 or better graphics card, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 10, 6 GB hard-drive space, broadband Internet connection
Genre: RTS
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

RTS games are not going away; no matter what else happens in the strategy portion of the gaming industry, they’re going to continue to be produced. Bringing something new to the genre is difficult and, in many cases, unnecessary. Those looking for the adrenaline rush to be found in RTS games are looking for a good experience, even if it’s very similar to the last 10 games they’ve played. Tryst strives to give players this experience. Despite its odd name, Tryst is another RTS game that brings standard gameplay to the table. Relying on fast action rather than novelty to keep players interested, it’s a game that goes through the motions without being phenomenal.

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So there I was, in San Francisco, walking down the street in 50-degree weather. It was a welcome change of pace from the 80s I had experienced during the week in my native Texas. And I was happy to be in San Francisco. Seeing the sights, eating the food, chatting with the locals, invading Brunswick, launching nuclear strikes against Italy, and examining 15th-century trade routes from India to Europe. I had been invited by Paradox Development Studio to take a look at some of their new games. I spent a number of productive hours talking to designers and looking at the games themselves.

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Publisher: Team 17
Developer: Team 17
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, dual-core CPU, 2 GB RAM, 256 MB GeForce 8600 GT/512 MB Radeon HD 3650 or better graphics card, 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

I’m probably the only reviewer who got a copy of Worms Revolution and said, “Hey, I’ve never played a Worms game. I wonder what they’re all about.” Somehow the franchise has passed me by over the years, and it turns out I’ve been missing some lighthearted strategy fun. While it doesn’t take itself too seriously, Worms Revolution aims to give players a fun 2D turn-based strategy experience with its own peculiar brand of whimsy.

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Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: From Software
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 3.0 GHz Intel Core2Duo E6850/AMD Phenom II X2 545 or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 9800 GTX/Radeon HD 4870+ or better graphics card, DirectX-compatible sound device, DirectX 9.0c, 8 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

My console colleagues have had a lot of good things to say about Dark Souls. It’s been praised for its difficulty, its multiplayer, and its terror-inducing gameplay. While games such as Skyrim are designed to be friendly to new players and scale their difficulty in a variety of ways, Dark Souls does nothing of the sort. It’s unabashedly designed so that even trash pulls are an exercise in playing your A game. Now that it’s been ported to PC (and dubbed the Prepare to Die Edition), we can play the game in its entire splendor with our favorite custom rigs. And I have to say that the game lives up to its hype in terms of difficulty and game design, but was ported in a way that makes no sense, disappointing and frustrating me to no end.

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