Publisher: THQ
Developer: Vigil Games
System requirements: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1/Win 7, 2.4 GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+/3.0 GHz Pentium IV 530 or better CPU, 256 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 3 support, 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista/Win 7), DirectX 9.0c-compliant sound card, 12 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Action-Adventure
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

I have to say, while there are certainly a few post-apocalyptic games out there, Darksiders is the first one in which the apocalypse was not our own fault. You get to take control of War, the First Horseman of the Apocalypse. The forces of evil deceived him into prematurely inciting a war between Heaven and Hell without waiting for the Seventh Seal to be broken. The war destroyed the human race, the demonic forces defeated the heavenly host and laid claim to the Earth. War is indicted by the Charred Council (whose self-proclaimed duty is to preserve balance), stripped of his powers and sentenced to death. He gets a last-minute reprieve and is allowed to return to Earth to search for the truth and punish those responsible.

( read more… )

Publisher: Viva Media
Developer: FAKT Software
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.0 GHz or better CPU, 128 MB DirectX 9-compatible graphics card with Pixel Shader 2 support, 512 MB RAM, 800 MB hard-drive space
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

So you think you’re good at puzzle solving? That’s great, but when’s the last time you built a Rube Goldberg machine? Well, I’d bet most of the people reading this review already know what one is (including anyone who’s already played The Incredible Machine), but for those who don’t, a Rube Goldberg machine is a mechanical device that takes a simple task and makes it incredibly difficult by adding pulleys, rolling balls, dominoes, and all sorts of other things that are completely unnecessary for the task. And that’s basically what Crazy Machines 2 Complete is all about.

( read more… )

Publisher: Sega
Developer: tri-Ace
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

For whatever reason, Japanese gamers love long RPGs. Perhaps they demand that they get the most out of the Yen-equivalent of $60, but their developers can’t seem to make a game that takes less than 40 to 60 hours to finish. A fine example of this is developer tri-Ace’s 2010 epic Resonance of Fate (known as End of Eternity in Japan), a stylish RPG that throws in everything but the kitchen sink, yet suffers from a disappointing lack of gameplay variety.

( read more… )

Publisher: 2K Sports
Developer: Visual Concepts
Genre: Sports
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Well, the Masters has ended, which means that sports fans are now left with two options: the NHL playoffs and the start of baseball. Nothing against hockey, but as the weather begins to get warmer, I’m personally going to prefer to indulge in a sport without ice or anything else that reminds me of the cold days I can now safely put in my rearview mirror. So, in accordance with the sporting calendar, we’re treated to the baseball genre’s newest entry: Major League Baseball 2K11.

( read more… )

Publisher: Liv Games
Developer: Liv Games
Genre: RTS/RPG
iTunes rating: 12+
Release date: Available now

Legendary Wars by Liv Games is a labor of love. It shows in how the developer continually updates the app in response to user feedback. Their latest update adds retina-display support and improved load times (on most devices), amongst other fixes. All this might seem like business as usual to those of us who are used to PC and console games being patched and updated regularly, but as I’ve found in the world of iOS gaming, 99-cent apps usually don’t see consistent developer updates and support. The game itself is pretty darn fun, and I think you’ll be surprised by what it offers.

( read more… )

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts
System requirements: Windows XP SP 2/Vista SP 1/Win 7, 2 GHz Pentium IV or better CPU (2.4 GHz for Vista/Win 7), 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB Vista/Win 7), 128 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 2.0 support, 5.3 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Simulation
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

I’m not a fan of the “life simulation” genre. I was pleased to find out that the creator of Second Life is an alumnus of my alma mater, but I had no interest in that virtual world. I purchased Sims 2 for my wife, but it sat unplayed and now I can’t find the discs. So when I got a FedEx package containing The Sims: Medieval, I was excited to be receiving a new game, but nary a sound escaped my lips. My feelings about Medieval are as complicated as the in-game relationships I puppeteer. At one point I cursed the day the package arrived in the mailbox, but after hours of playing the game and crafting the heroes’ stories, I’ve grown to love it. Before you purchase, read this review and decide if you’d be as forgiving as I am.

( read more… )

Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1.8 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent CPU, 2 GB RAM, 256 MB graphics card, DirectX 9.0c, sound card
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

If there’s anyone who should know that messing around with past events is a bad thing, it should certainly be Marty McFly. The Hill Valley teenager has had his present upended multiple times because of his excursions to the past with his friend, eccentric scientist Emmett “Doc” Brown. But in Back to the Future: Citizen Brown, the third episode in developer Telltale’s series based on the classic Back to the Future feature film, Marty instead must escape from his new present to restore his old one.

( read more… )

Publisher: Atari
Developer: Behaviour Interactive
Genre: Action-adventure
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10 and older
Release date: Available now

I rarely rush out the door the day a game is released, but awhile back when Ghostbusters: The Video Game hit the market, I was there in a flash. The Ghostbusters franchise is one that is very dear to my heart, and usually anything branded with a no-ghost logo is considered awesome in my book. So when I heard there was going to be yet another GB game, I was extremely anxious to play, especially considering how much I enjoyed the previous one.

( read more… )

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Crytek
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

An enemy sees you and begins firing a gun at you. Quickly you make your armor stronger at will. The bullets do minimal damage and you take cover. Why not make yourself invisible, sneak behind your enemy and snap his neck? This is all thanks to the Nanosuit, a piece of high-tech equipment you have attached to your body. You don’t have to worry if your PC can run this game to experience gameplay like this. Crysis 2 from EA is the sequel to the PC game that made computers cry, but this time it’s available for all platforms.

( read more… )

Publisher: Alaplaya
Developer: Burda:ic
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.4 GHz quad core or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, 256 MB graphics card, 3 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9-compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0c
Genre: MMORTS
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

Games with leaderboards and ranking systems fascinate me; I’m not sure what it is about them that keeps me coming back. Is it the thrill of passing the person ahead of me in kills, or is it just taking a leader down a notch? I’ll never really know, but it’s likely you could tell me there’s a leaderboard for a non-existent Curious George MMO and I would be the guy slugging it out with the PBS Kids age bracket for glory. Land of Chaos, developed by Alaplaya, helps curb my competitive cravings with third-person shooter, RPG and RTS genres impressively blended together to keep up with my ever-shortening attention span.

( read more… )

Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series is one of the most extensive of all time if you count all the side series and spin-offs that bear the name. Dissidia 012 (spoken as “duodecim”) is the second entry in the Dissidia side series. An action RPG/fighting crossbreed, Dissidia is the ultimate Final Fantasy tribute.

( read more… )

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
System requirements: Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1/Win 7, 1.8 GHz multiple-core CPU, 1 GB RAM (2 GB Vista/Win 7), 256 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 3.0 support, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: DLC content not rated; base game Mature
Release date: Available now

The teaser trailer for Mass Effect 3 shows a lone sniper picking off enemies from inside Big Ben in London. But how we get to this situation after Mass Effect 2 is a closely guarded secret. Developer BioWare has revealed a tiny bit of the mystery with Mass Effect 2: The Arrival, the final DLC pack for the second adventure in the trilogy.

( read more… )

Publisher: Team17 Software
Developer: Team17 Software
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

First and foremost, I have never played either of the previous titles in the Alien Breed series on Xbox Live Arcade, but the idea of blasting hostile alien monsters with guns is a genre that always sings to me as a gamer. Is that enough for this game? It only took me to play the third and final installment, Alien Breed 3: Descent by Team17 Software, to get a good idea about what this game has to offer.

( read more… )

Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together has long been considered one of the best tactical RPGs ever made. Originally released in Japan on the Super Famicom in 1995 and North America on the Playstation in 1998, Tactics Ogre was long overdue and more than deserving of a remake. Square Enix has provided one, bringing it to the PSP.

( read more… )

Publisher: Wadjet Eye Games
Developer: Joshua Nuernberger
System requirements: Not available
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

Hello folks! Alaric here, with another report on my ongoing love affair with indie PC games. This year promises to be quite fruitful as high-profile releases go, and I must admit that I’m really eager to get my hands on some of the upcoming goodness. However, out of nowhere comes an amazing indie offering, which, come December, will be a very serious contender for my 2011 Game of the Year. I’m talking, of course, about the recently released Gemini Rue. Much like Auralux, Gemini Rue was developed by a student. One notable difference is that it was created using Adventure Game Studio, a free tool available to everyone. Despite being this developer’s first-ever commercial offering, it won the Student Showcase award during the Independent Game Festival 2010. When I first got my hands on it, I wondered whether it could live up to the honors it received. I didn’t wonder for long.

( read more… )