Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Marin
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, AMD 2.4 GHz or Intel 3.0 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, 11 GB hard-drive space, NVidia 7800GT or ATI Radeon X1900 or better graphics card, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card, Internet connection (required for activation and multiplayer)
Genre: First-person shooter
Release date: Available now

Welcome back to the beautiful (but decrepit), fallen city of Rapture, where the halls once again echo with the sins of the past. Set eight years after the events of Bioshock, Rapture is now under the control of psychiatrist Sofia Lamb. While Andrew Ryan believed in the genius of the individual, Lamb espouses collective effort and the power of the community. Under Lamb’s rule, the first generation of Little Sisters has matured into adolescence. She sends Big Sisters out to coastlines across the Atlantic, kidnapping little girls and turning them into new Little Sisters. Into this grim picture comes Subject Delta, a fourth-generation prototype of the Big Daddy with no memory of his past, chasing an unseen foe in search of answers and his own survival.

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Read the rest of Bioshock 2 PC review on the site

© Marcus Spears for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software
System: Xbox 360
Genre: RPS
Release date: Available now

We’re always going to want more when it comes to downloadable content. Depending on the platform, publisher and game itself, situations can get pretty ugly, too. Anybody who remembers the horse armor debacle in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion knows what I mean. But that was probably the saving grace of DLC, because if gamers hadn’t voiced their price-for-content grievances, where would we be now? Would we be shelling out our MS Points for single items? Would the greedy hands that be see Borderlands as a DLC cash cow because of the limitless amount of weaponry they could sell? And would we still have seen an expansion as meaty as the Secret Armory of General Knoxx? Thank God I’m speaking hypothetically here.

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Read the rest of Borderlands: Secret Armory of General Knoxx Xbox 360 review on the site

© Andrew Clark for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: W!Games
Developer: W!Games
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Release Date: Available now

One of the retro perks of our newfangled Wi-Fi enabled world is the resurrection of the proverbial “family game night”. Once upon a time, we whiled away our evenings chasing down loot and struggling to build a Monopoly to the detriment of our beloved family members. And then, when TV and console games beckoned, it looked as if the traditional board game was destined to a purgatory of moth-balled closets and dirt mall swap meets. Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same – and as services such as the Xbox Live Arcade and PSN began to flourish, smaller developers realized that they could utilize the instant connectivity afforded by the Internet to breathe new life into faded board game archetypes. The question is, does Greed Corp. have what it takes to take its place on the crowding shelf of new online classics such as Catan and Carcassonne?

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Read the rest of Greed Corp. Xbox 360 review on the site

© Ed Humphries for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Manufacturer: Able Planet
MSRP: $129.99

Back in the day, I never wanted to play games with headphones on. Instead, I invested in an awesome (and supremely expensive) 7.1 Cambridge Soundworks gaming set. It was pretty spectacular, came with a lot of stuff, produced excellent sound quality, and garnered me bragging rights. Over time, however, it became less and less of what I wanted in a listening device. The speakers were bulky, the subwoofer gigantic, there were wires everywhere, and the connectors didn’t work with the new sound cards. Proper configuration was also a challenge, as people and cats routinely knocked my investment to the floor. After about eight years of service, I gave the entire setup to an audiophile friend of mine, and replaced it with a crummy set of no-name speakers. It was shortly thereafter that I realized that owning a good set of headphones was essential. When Able Planet’s True Fidelity (NC300B) headphones arrived at my doorstep, my dream of world domination via gaming finally began to come true.

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Read the rest of True Fidelity NC300B headphones review on the site

© Alaric Teplitsky for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Montreal
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Release date: Available now

At the beginning of EA Montreal’s Army of Two: The 40th Day, everything is looking pretty calm. Salem and Rios are on an assignment in Shanghai and it’s a beautiful, sunny day. All of that changes, however, when the city gets bombarded. Before you can say “bromance,” buildings are toppling over and casualties are rising.

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Read the rest of Army of Two: The 40th Day PS3 review on the site

© Jason Iatomasi for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Pyramid Games
Developer: Amaranth Games
System requirements: Windows 98 or better, 256 MB RAM
Genre: RPG
Release date: Available now

While 8-bit RPGs such as the original Final Fantasy on NES look and feel a bit outdated for gamers reared on more recent titles, those of us who played them remember with fondness the many hours we spent with them. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I installed Aveyond: The Lost Orb and found old-school graphics, interface and gameplay. Lost Orb is another installment in a sequence of RPGs depicting the adventures of a young lady named Mel who has a dark past and lineage. This episode by Amaranth Games sees our protagonist jilted on her wedding day, so she leaves the handsome prince behind and pursues her own destiny in finding and destroying a lost magical orb with the power to make life miserable for the people of her world.

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Read the rest of Aveyond: The Lost Orb PC review on the site

© Jason Pitruzzello for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Yuplay
Developer: Gaijin Entertainment
System requirements: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1/Win7; Pentium 4 3.2 GHz CPU; 1 GB RAM; 10 GB hard-drive space; DirectX 9.0c; GeForce 7600 or ATI Radeon X1650 256 MB graphics card; DirectX-compatible sound card
Genre: Flight Simulator
Release date: Available now

Due to a most dire shortage of World War II-themed games during the last decade, I would like to take this opportunity to petition the Illuminati World Government to pass a law that prohibits development of games based on any other setting. This is only reasonable, since WWII is the only war that humanity has ever fought. Don’t let the name confuse you; there was never a World War I, or any other war for that matter. I tell you this with all the authority of a History major. Setting games in imaginary conflicts is simply bad form and should not be permitted. Just think of the children.

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Read the rest of Wings of Prey PC review on the site

© Alaric Teplitsky for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Alawar Entertainment
Developer: Alawar Melesta
Requirements: Windows Vista/XP/2000/ME/98; 700 MHz CPU; 1 GB RAM; DirectX 8.0 or later; 100 MB hard-drive space
Genre: Casual / Time Management
Release Date: Available Now

Scarlett has returned again for another Farm Frenzy adventure. This time, she leaves sunshine and warm temperatures behind and travels to the North Pole to check out a farm she has purchased through a newspaper ad. You’ll breed and care for penguins, walruses and woolly mammoths, manufacture products, and eventually meet a special guest.

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Read the rest of Farm Frenzy 3: Ice Age PC review on the site

© Marcus Spears for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
System requirements: Core i7-920 Quad 2.67 GHz/Phenom II X4 905e CPU; Geforce 8800 GT/Radeon HD 4770 graphics card; 3 GB RAM; 10 GB hard disk space
Genre: Racing
Release date: Available now

I can still remember it; even though it happened way back at the beginning of my Dirt 2 play through. I was in Baja, and right after the start of the race there’s this big jump. I take it along with the rest of the pack, but as I’m cresting I notice a fellow racer turn in on his landing. Everything froze for a moment, like in an 80’s sitcom where the lead character’s narration takes over and tells you what’s “really goin’ on”. Well, in my case I’m screwed – that’s what’s “really goin’ on”. When time resumes again I’m already rounding my fourteenth barrel roll and I’ve taken the rest of the pack with me. Ah, sweet, sweet mechanical carnage. Where have you been?

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Read the rest of Dirt 2 PC review on the site

© Andrew Clark for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: White Zebra
Developer: White Zebra
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista; 1.5 GHz CPU; 256 KB RAM; 3D graphics card; 100 MB hard-drive space
Genre: Hidden Object/Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Who said adventure gaming is dead? Every time the genre seems to be on its last legs, it rises, Phoenix-like, from the ashes in a slightly new form and starts to compete yet again for our casual-gaming dollars. It’s only appropriate, then, that indie developer White Zebra should entitle their latest hidden object/puzzle hybrid The Mysterious Past of Gregory Phoenix, which neatly combines two potentially boring types of adventure gaming and ends up being pleasantly engaging.

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Read the rest of The Mysterious Past of Gregory Phoenix PC review on the site

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Speedrun Games
Developer: Christian Teister
System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7/Mac OS X; 2 GHz CPU; 1 GB RAM; GeForce 7600/ATI Radeon X700 or better graphics card; Java Runtime Environment 1.5 or higher
Genre: First Person Platformer
Release Date: Available now

On occasion, gaming can be dangerous. Players’ living rooms around the world are littered with smashed console controllers and television sets. Nintendo tried to stop the madness by equipping the Wiimote with wrist straps and a rubber casing, but broken equipment on all platforms is still a source of considerable income for the hardware manufacturers. All platforms, that is, except the PC (unless you’re playing with the Xbox 360 controller). We PC gamers usually restrain ourselves, since we need our mice and keyboards for more than just gaming. But every now and again a game such as solo indie developer Christian Teister’s Grappling Hook comes along, threatening to unleash the green monster of frustration on our defenseless peripherals.

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Read the rest of Grappling Hook PC review on the site

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Phantom EFX
Developer: Phantom EFX
System requirements: Windows XP 32-bit with administrator rights, 1 GB Intel Pentium IV, Celeron or AMD CPU or better; 1 GB RAM; 64 MB DirectX 9.0c- or OpenGL 2.0-compatible graphics card; DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card; 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Casual
Release date: Available now

Millions of people around the world visit gambling casinos every day. From the elegant and opulent gaming houses of Monte Carlo to the noisy, garishly appointed casinos of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, players come from far and wide to spend money for a chance to make money. Game developer Phantom EFX has been feeding the gambling need for years with games such as Reel Deal Slots Adventure and Reel Deal Slots: Treasures of the Far East. But there’s more to gambling than just slot machines, so Phantom has brought the complete casino experience to the PC with Reel Deal Casino: Imperial Fortune.

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Read the rest of Reel Deal Casino: Imperial Fortune PC review on the site

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: NHN games
Developer: Redduck
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.4 GHz Pentium IV CPU or better, 1 GB RAM, 128 MB Nvidia GeForce 6600 or Radeon X600 graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 support, 1.6 GB hard-drive space
Genre: FPS
Release date: Available now

There’s one thing that comes to mind when I think about computer games: first-person shooters. I’ve come to accept the console controller as an acceptable FPS device, but nothing can compare to a mouse and keyboard. NHN Games’ Alliance of Valiant Arms adds to the vast library of FPSs available for the PC.

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Read the rest of Alliance of Valiant Arms PC review on the site

© Patrick Watts for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Meridian4
Developer: Headup Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7; 3.4 GHz Pentium IV or Athlon 64 3600+ or better CPU; 1 GB RAM (2 GB for multiplayer); DirectX 9.0c; 128 GB Nvidia GeForce 7600 or Radeon X-series graphics card or better, supporting Pixel Shader 2.0; DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card; 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: RPG
Release date: Available now

As the release date of Diablo III slipped neatly through the fingers of the hungry action-RPG crowd and settled somewhere in 2011, a collective sigh of relief could be heard emanating from the rest of the RPG developers that aren’t Blizzard. This means they have one more year to safely release their games without fear of being eaten alive by the biggest PC game this side of a World of Warcraft/Sims/Duke Nukem crossover. Greed: Black Border wants to be yet another one of those games meant to satiate your appetite, so if this review sounds a little like others I’ve written before, it’s because I’m basically playing the same game.

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Read the rest of Greed: Black Border PC review on the site

© Andrew Clark for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Petroglyph Games
Genre: Strategy
Release date: Available now

Like tanks? Big explosions? Strafing aircraft? Unpredictability? Then you might do well to invest some time into Panzer General: Allied Assault. It wouldn’t surprise me if you haven’t heard of it. This turn-based wargame has sneaked under the marketing radar. This is rather a shame, as it offers more value and entertainment than some of the bigger hitters. There have been a plethora of World War II games (most have been first-person shooters), so it’s refreshing to see a different type of wargame. Don’t get me wrong, I love bumping up other players’ kill ratios in Call of Duty, but it tests my reflexes without giving me much of a neuron workout. So it’s nice to find a game like Panzer General that keeps the cobwebs at bay.

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Read the rest of Panzer General: Allied Assault XBLA review on the site

© Simon Moore for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink