Manufacturer: Raptor-Gaming
MSRP: 34.99

The Raptor-Gaming LK-1 is a gaming keyboard produced, appropriately enough, by Raptor-Gaming. Their slogan is “Ultimate game devices designed by gamers for gamers…sooner or later, we get u!” The unit advertises itself as a high-end gaming keyboard, designed to avoid signal loss from multiple simultaneous keystrokes and built with a water-resistant frame. This keyboard aims to make itself part of your gaming arsenal.

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Ed wrote a wonderful review of Skyrim for the Xbox recently. I don’t want to steal his thunder, but I thought I would chime in on how the game feels on PC.

First, let me just say that I agree with Ed’s overall assessment of the game. It certainly merits the Seal of Excellence from Adrenaline Vault. And let me also indicate that I think Skyrim balances the demands of gamers for an open-ended experience with the needs of others for a CRPG with real structure. Skyrim is pretty darn open-ended; if you don’t even begin the major narrative arc, it’s like there isn’t even a threat of dragons at all. You can immerse yourself in the Byzantine politics of the region, pursue wealth and riches, or even become a hated villain who murders people for fun and profit (with all the attendant consequences). In fact, your actions outside of the main narrative of dragons attacking Skyrim still have a large impact on the world around you. The game is not only open-ended, but you can change the status quo while not pursuing your destiny as the Dragonborn. (I’d say more, but I don’t want to spoil anything related to certain quest-lines or stories.)

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Kerberos released yet another patch for Sword of the Stars II today. The patch fixes several problems, but the game still has a number of “known” issues, as discussed at the Kerberos forums.

The release of the highly anticipated 4X sequel has been plagued by significant problems since its release in October. The developers have acknowledged the problems, but it remains to be seen what the final outcome will be.

Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7, Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB free hard drive space, NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon® X1900 video card, Direct X-compatible sound card, DirectX 9, 3-button mouse, keyboard, speakers, Internet connection for multiplayer
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Pending
Release date: February 7, 2012

In the wake of Paradox Interactive’s release of Sengoku, it shouldn’t surprise anyone in the game industry that Paradox is looking to create a sequel to the game that started them down the path of dynastic struggles and medieval warfare: Crusader Kings. While Sengoku is a budget offering depicting the Warring States period in Japanese history, Crusader Kings II advertises itself as a full price title that offers players the chance to “Increase your lands and fill your coffers, appoint vassals, battle traitors, introduce laws while interacting with hundreds of nobles, and create the most powerful dynasty of medieval Europe.” Luckily, I was given the chance to preview it for the past few weeks. And I have to say that even in its unfinished, beta condition, it is an engrossing game filled with the kinds of difficult choices historical medieval rulers would have faced, albeit with a slicker interface.

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Manufacturer: Cooler Master
MSRP: $49.99

After my wonderful experience with the NotePal LapAir, I was a bit surprised to have another Cooler Master product sent to me in the mail. I figured that with such a fine laptop cooler like the LapAir, they wouldn’t need another product. It turns out, however, that Cooler Master has a high-end cooler for serious laptop gamers. For gamers with money to spend, this is a laptop cooler with all the bells and whistles.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System Requirements: XP/Vista/Windows7, Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+, 2 Gb RAM, 2 GB HDD, NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon® X1900, Direct X-compatible sound card, Internet connection for multiplayer
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

With the release of Total War: Shogun 2 this year, it seems inevitable that clones will appear on the market cashing in on Creative Assembly’s success. Fortunately for strategy gamers, Paradox Interactive has decided not to bother making a Total War clone when trying their hand at depicting feudal Japan. Instead, Paradox has finally released Sengoku, a game that they describe as a “…deep character driven strategy game, [where] you play as the head of an illustrious Samurai family.” While armies fight one another and ninja conduct covert operations, at its heart, Sengoku is a game that focuses less on warfare, and more on feudal Japanese politics and people. This is a strategy title that wants players to worry equally about whether a neighboring clan might declare war and whether a disloyal vassal might plot the downfall of your clan’s ruler.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Neocore Games
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, AMD Athlon 4000+ or equivalent Intel CPU, WinXP 1GB RAM, Vista/Win7 1.5GB RAM, Nvidia 8600 GT (256Mbyte) / ATI Radeon HD3650 (256Mbyte),DirectX 9-compliant sound card, DirectX®: 9.0c or higher (included in the installer), Nvidia (AGEIA) PhysX (included in the installer), 8GB hard-drive space
Genre: RTS
ESRB rating: Pending
Release date: 9/16/2011

Capitalizing on the success of King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame, and no doubt wanting to whet players’ appetites for the upcoming sequel, Neocore Games has released the stand-alone expansion King Arthur: Fallen Champions. Unlike its predecessor, Fallen Champions focuses only on story-telling and tactical battles; there is no kingdom management. This tighter focus makes Fallen Champions much more of an RTS title, although it still keeps some of the role-playing found in the original.

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Publisher: Wargaming.net
Developer: Wargaming.net
System Requirements: Intel from 2.2 GHz or equivalent AMD Family processor; minimum of 1.5 GB RAM for Windows 2000/XP, 2 GB for Windows Vista / 7; 3.5 GB har disk space; Shader Model 3.0 GeForce 6800GT video card with 256 MB of RAM / ATI X800 with 256 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c; DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card; Internet connection speed of at least 128 Kbps
Genre: Action MMO
ESRB rating: Not yet rated
Release date: Available now

Imagine driving a Tiger tank through a deserted city, spotting a smaller Soviet vehicle. You take aim and fire a HE shell at it, killing its engine and setting it on fire. But before you can finish it off, a Soviet T-34 ambushes you from an alley, spots for some artillery, and you get obliterated, only to respawn and live to fight again. This is a typical day when playing on Wargaming.net’s servers for World of Tanks. It’s been almost a year since I last looked at it, and the game has grown up. Wargaming.net calls WoT, “…a team-based massively multiplayer online game dedicated to armored warfare in the mid-20th century.” Focusing on Soviet, German, and US panzers from the period, and boasting maps with a wide variety of terrain, it offers those who love their heavy armored vehicles a chance to get into the nitty-gritty of armored warfare.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System requirements: TBD
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Not yet rated
Release date: September 13, 2011

Much like WWII, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Crusades, Japan’s Sengoku Period is an historic conflict that game designers can’t seem to leave alone. The intrigue and warfare of such a violent period has spawned a number of interesting titles over the years of such widely varying kinds as Takeda 3 and Total War: Shogun 2. Now Paradox Interactive has decided to add their grand strategy gaming touch to this period, bringing gamers Sengoku: Way of the Warrior. Rather than trying to out-do Creative Assembly or Magitech in terms of tactical battles, Paradox has taken a page from their own Crusader Kings and designed a title that is more focused on the interaction of characters than it is on the proper deployment of archers on a battlefield. In Sengoku, plotting and scheming has a central role to play in a game where your own vassals can be as much of a threat as an opposing clan.

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DRM, Internet connections, and digital downloads for games and content are always controversial. My own colleagues here at Avault have very strong feelings about these subjects. Mentioning Steam as a service can raise the specter of a flame war between those who like Steam and those who hate it. But even as people flame each other, we can all generally agree that DRM does not really work to deter the piracy of games and digital downloads can be convenient, even if download services can get rid of the content later.

That said, it should be no surprise that Blizzard is forcing PC gamers to play Diablo III with a live connection to the Net. Blizzard wants to protect its investment, and DRM that does not involve a connection to the Net is shockingly easy to bypass. By the same token, connecting to the Net enables plenty of functions that both PC and console gamers enjoy. Achievements, chat, and an auction house that allows for both in-game currency and RMT for in-game content, are some of these goodies. While we may argue about the value of these services, I can understand why Blizzard would feel that an always-on Net connection would be in their best interests. If I were in their shoes, I would be sorely tempted to make the same choice. After all, Blizzard does not exist just to entertain us, but to make money while doing so.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System requirements: Requires Hearts of Iron 3 and Semper Fi to play; Windows 2000/XP/Vista; Intel Pentium IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+ (quad core); 2GB RAM; 2GB hard disk space; GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon X1900 NVIDIA; Direct-X compatible sound card; 3-button mouse; keyboard and speakers; Internet Connection
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

Much like Michael Corleone in The Godfather III, I can’t escape WWII strategy games. No matter how much I try to get away, they keep pulling me back in. Paradox Interactive has released yet another expansion to Hearts of Iron 3. Adding even more content on top of the Semper Fi expansion, For the Motherland boasts a host of new mechanics, in addition to some specific battle scenarios that add some tactical flavor to the game. And, true to its roots, it remains an in-depth strategy game that has enough micro-management to keep any grognard occupied, while having enough automation options to streamline the parts you don’t like.

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I recently had the chance to do a quick interview with the folks at Kerberos concerning Sword of the Stars. Producer Chris Stewart was kind enough to take the time to answer my questions amid the team’s busy development schedule. Since I have a real interest in game mechanics and story elements, I pressed him on a number of issues that went beyond simple considerations of graphics.

Avault: I’m glad I’m getting the chance to interview the Sword of the Stars team. Back when I reviewed SOTS: Ultimate Collection, I was impressed with how Kerberos managed to create a 4X game that was as interesting as it was nuanced. I’m sure some of my readers are chomping at the bit to hear all about the Lords of Winter in the upcoming Sword of the Stars II, but before I ask about aliens, I want to talk about game mechanics. SOTS utilizes an approach that gives each race its own unique way of traveling the stars. I’m guessing we’ll see a return of that mechanic, but I’m wondering if the races we’ve seen before will return with their unique drives? Will the Hivers be using jump gates and the Humans node drives? Or have you planned some surprises for us with the returning alien cultures?

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: AGEOD Studios
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1.8 GHz Pentium IV or better CPU, 1 GB RAM (2 GB Vista/Win 7), 512 MB graphics card, DirectX 9.0c or better, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card, 3 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

It is, and always has been, my judgment that strategy games rise and fall on their mechanics, not their graphics. Considering the diplomatic and economic complexities of the period covering European expansion into Africa and the lead up to World War I, a game covering the 19th century can shine wonderfully when the mechanics demonstrate an understanding of all the nuances. I’m always on the lookout for the next strategy game in the hope that I’ll strike gold yet again. I was enthusiastic to get a review copy of Pride of Nations, a game that advertises itself as having ”the most original diplomacy model ever created for a grand strategy game…[and] a detailed world economy with realistic components.” After a few weeks of playing it, I can say that it certainly lives up to these claims.

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Manufacturer: Genius
System requirements: Available USB port
MSRP: $79.99

When it comes to PC accessories in my household, I tend to go cheap. Between cats and a bad habit of spilling liquids on keyboards, input devices just don’t last that long. However, it was my pleasure to review Genius’s Luxemate T810 Wireless Media Center keyboard during the past few weeks. That’s a fancy name for a three-in-one keyboard, mouse and remote control that integrates with Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE). Intended to be not just a source of input for a PC, but also an all-in-one media-control suite, Genius claims their hardware is “…a total hardware solution for you to control media center features.” And they aren’t kidding, either.

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A brief response to Alaric’s rant against BioWare, to Jim Redner’s PR goof, to Michele’s assertion that our reputation is not for sale, and to Angel’s commitment to stay out of the mainstream.

Recently, Alaric vented his anger at BioWare. I wanted to respond at the time, but my response was really too long to fit as a comment. Since I can just write an editorial blog anytime I want, I figured I could respond in a more lengthy and thoughtful way from my own soapbox.

First of all, let me just say that I have had some of the same feelings as Alaric. While I don’t bear the same kind of malice against BioWare that he apparently does, I completely understand his frustration. In my case, one of the last straws was NWN2. While NWN itself suffered from some problems, the writing and characterization of NPCs got much better in the Hordes of the Underdark expansion. The plot involved making some real choices, and had some interesting characters with compelling dialogue. (Whoever wrote Deekin’s dialog during the final encounter with Mephistopheles gets a gold star.) But by the time we get to NWN2, most of that wonderful writing is gone. NWN2 had so much potential that went unused because most of the NPCs were uncompelling and the plot had a kind of recycled feeling to it. The antagonists were named something different, but the ancient evil from the past schtick was something we had covered before in NWN. (One of the things that made Hordes of the Underdark so interesting was its unique plot construction when compared to the original NWN.) The game also suffered from a buggy release and unjustifiably high system requirements for the kind of graphics it had. The best NPC was Bishop, but you only got to see his full characterization if you made certain choices towards evil. (Bishop’s refusal to help Garius towards the end and his scathing commentary was pretty good. Just because Bishop was evil did not mean he had to just do what the bad guy said to do.)

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