Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Win 7, Pentium IV 1.9 GHz or equivalent CPU, 128 MB graphics card with Vertex and Pixel Shader 2.0 support, 512 MB RAM, 1 GB hard-drive space, DirectX-compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0c, Europa Universalis III and Heir to the Throne expansion
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Europa Universalis III turned four this January, just in time for the release of Divine Wind. Paradox Interactive, having polled its fans, decided that an extra, unplanned expansion would be the best way to crown what has become their flagship strategy franchise. To date, Europa Universalis, in all of its iterations, has focused on European-style politics, religion and imperialism. Considering that the historical period covered by the game sees European countries dominate large portions of the world, this is no surprise. But because the game must account for the the rest of the world as well, its mechanics have often failed to really deliver a culturally distinct gaming experience for Asia and India. Japan and China have been treated as European nation-states, creating bizarre gaming situations, such as Ming China conquering swaths of land all the way to Eastern Europe, or Japan having a nice, quiet, and very politically unified gaming experience for 400 years, nevermind all those pesky samurai and daimyo. Europa Universalis III: Divine Wind is an expansion that recognizes cultural, political and religious differences in the world to which European explorers and merchants set sail.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: VSTEP
System requirements: Windows XP (Min. service pack 2), Windows Vista or Windows 7, 32 and 64 bits OS supported; 2GB RAM (Windows XP) or 3GB (Vista or Windows 7); 3 Ghz P4 Intel or AMD equivalent processor; Geforce 8800GT or ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 256MB ram (Shader model 3.0); 3.5GB hard drive space; DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card; DirectX Version 9.0c; broadband Internet connection required for multiplayer
Genre: Simulation

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Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1.3 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent CPU, 1 GB RAM, GeForce FX/Radeon 9500 or better graphics card, 25 GB hard-drive space, broadband Internet connection
Genre: MMORPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

How does one review something that is vast? World of Warcraft has had its cataclysm, and now everything is changed. All of the old zones in Azeroth have been modified in one way or another. Aside from topographical changes such as chasms and volcanoes, there are lore-based alterations such as castles built and towns destroyed. There are also numerous quest changes, with each zone receiving a thorough overhaul in quests and storyline. There are also a number of new zones, two new races, a new profession, a gear and talent overhaul, guild advancement, and many other things. A month ago when I wrote about the changes to two of the zones, it took me seven paragraphs to barely scratch the surface. Today I will try to describe an entire world, so let’s get started.

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Publisher: Gravity Interactive
Developer: Barunson Interactive
System requirements: 800 MHz Pentium III or equivalent CPU, 256 MB RAM, GeForce 2 or better graphics card, 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: MMORPG
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available Now
Review by Remy Ransom

The free-to-play MMO scene has two extremes for me; a game either hits hard or fails harder. With so many F2P games, it’s no surprise that I’ve never played a side-scrolling MMORPG. Another big surprise is that, in some circles, these chibi-riffic action games actually have a decent fan base, something that was previously unknown to me. I decided to get my hands dirty with Dragon Saga, another addition to publisher Gravity Interactive’s lineup. How long would a seasoned MMO veteran last in a world that was created to be cute?

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Publisher: Matrix Games
Developer: Slitherine
Minimum Requirements: 1.6 GHz CPU; 512 MB RAM; Windows XP/Vista/7; 256 MB of hard disk space; graphics card that supports OpenGL 1.1 at a resolution of 1024×600 or higher
Genre: Action/3rd-person Shooter
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Release Date: Available now

Two thousand years ago, the fate of kingdoms did not change at the whim of mythical gods on the slopes of Mount Olympus. Empires rose and fell on the shoulders of real men spilling blood on dusty fields from Britain to Persia. The flow of combat was often the same. In the distance, fierce bands of half-naked barbarian swordsmen waived their iron blades, taunting their clean-shaven Roman foes. The Romans would respond with fleet-footed light infantry, the velites, tossing their javelins into the heart of the enemy formation. Meanwhile, the core of the Roman legions, their short gladius swords gripped tightly behind long shields, moved with precision to flank the enemy shield wall. The Romans only had one lesson for the barbarians: courage may make a warrior, but it is discipline that makes a soldier.

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Publisher: Ronimo Games
Developer: Ronimo Games
System requirements: Windows 7/Vista/XP; 1GHz CPU; 256 MB RAM; 64 MB graphics card; 300 MB drive space
Genre: Strategy Tower Defense
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

“Did we really need another game of the X genre?” A lot of reviewers seem to ask that question. Usually it’s a rhetorical one, and the implied answer is no. Personally, I like to give explanations that are a little more open. So, if someone was to ask me whether we needed another tower defense game, I would say that we absolutely do not…unless the game is fun to play, pretty, humorous, and not set in World War II. Speaking of such games, I was lucky enough to score a copy of Swords & Soldiers for PC, which I played from start to finish and am now ready to pass judgment and share my cynical pronouncements with anyone who will listen, which should be everyone.

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Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1.8 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent CPU, 256 MB graphics card, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c, sound card
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Available now

Earlier this year, Telltale Games announced an agreement with Universal Pictures to create series of adventure games based on the Back to the Future and Jurassic Park film franchises. The first installments of both movie series were smash hits, but, as movie sequels are wont to do, the later ones became unfortunate footnotes to the greatness that the original films achieved. Game sequels have met similar fates (Deus Ex: Invisible War leaps to mind as an example), but Telltale brings a successful track record to the realm of episodic gaming.

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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Bizarre Creations
System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7; Intel/AMD Dual Core; 1GB RAM for XP / 2GB RAM for Vista and 7; 12GB HDD; 256MB GeForce 7600 GT or ATI Radeon X1650 Pro video card
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

As far as I’m concerned, it had to happen. There came a point where the super-spy fiction of James Bond had to take a realistic turn in order to distance itself from the parody of Austin Powers and remain relevant to today’s movie-goer. I was against this at first, until a friend of mine convinced me to sit down and watch Casino Royal. It was a different kind of Bond movie for a different age of film, and Daniel Craig’s flawed, but extra bad-assed portrayal of MI6’s favorite agent sold it for me. I just wish I could use the same method to better understand 007: Blood Stone.

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Publisher: City Interactive
Developer: City Interactive
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, Intel Pentium IV 3.2 GHz or compatible CPU, 1 GB RAM (2 GB Vista/Win 7), 256 MB DirectX 9 (or later) compatible graphics card with Shader Model 3.0 support, 6.5 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

The thrill of the hunt is buried in the animal part of our brains. Originally we did it to survive, plus we needed to keep our cave girlfriends busy over a hot cooking pot so that they didn’t move in with the muscular guy in the loincloth two caves up the hill. These days, if we hunt people and we don’t wear a uniform, we’re usually called serial killers or hitmen. But if we slip on the camouflage and do it for our country, we’re called Special Ops soldiers. Developer City Interactive’s Sniper: Ghost Warrior gives us the opportunity to get it on with the world’s most dangerous game.

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Publisher: Nexon
Developer: Nexon
System requirements: Windows 2000; Single Core 2.4 GHz CPU; 512 MB RAM; 5+ GB HDD; Geforce 5xxx; Broadband Internet connection.
Genre: Action MMO
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

For the past few years, whenever people happen to discuss MMOs, a comparison to World of Warcraft ensues. In most cases, similarity is being spoken of as a Bad Thing, although quite frankly WoW has a lot to teach other games. Either way, the new kid on the MMO block is Vindictus, and for better or worse, it is absolutely nothing like WoW when it comes to the mechanics of the game. Otherwise, it is your standard swords and magic MMO fare. NPCs give quests, you kill things, things drop loot, you sell loot and craft items, et cetera.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
System requirements (base game): Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1/Win 7, 1.8 GHz multiple-core CPU, 1 GB RAM (2 GB Vista/Win7), 256 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 3.0 support, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card, 15 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

The first confrontation with the Collectors and the Reapers has been won, and now Cmdr. Shepard and the crew of the Normandy prepare to hunt down Harbinger and finish the job. But there are parts of the story left unfinished, so developer Bioware has crafted a series of downloadable mission packs to prepare the way for the release of Mass Effect 3, reportedly sometime in 2011. Two of these, Kasumi: Stolen Memory and Lair of the Shadow Broker, help set the stage for the final battles to come.

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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Beenox
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo/Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4000+ or better CPU, GeForce 7900 GT/Radeon X1900 or better graphics card, 2 GB RAM, 9 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Action/Third-person shooter
ESRB Rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Anyone who has played Transformers: The Game or Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, both of which are based on the Michael Bay movies, knows that, while the games were an entertaining diversion, they didn’t quite deliver on their promises. Most people would agree that they were far from the worst games ever to be based on a movie, but they were also far from the best. Enter Transformers: War for Cybertron, which takes place on the titular homeworld of the Transformers, prior to their arrival on Earth, during the civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons.

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Publisher: Lunar Workshop
Developer: Lunar Workshop
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7; ATI or NVidia graphics card (2006 or newer)
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Not Rated
Release date: Available now
Review by: Remy Ransom

Ever been quick to judge a game? Yeah, me too. Ever immediately dismissed a game because it wasn’t graphically impressive? Yeah, same here, we sure do have a lot in common. How bout this one? Ever sat up at night wondering what would happen if Tron and Warcraft had an illegitimate child that was abandoned at an orphanage and raised by 1337 speakers? Oh, you haven’t? Well, this is awkward. I feel that Jorge Rodriguez current [insert any company title here] of indie developer Lunar Workshop may have as well, when Digitanks was in its early phases. What is Digitanks exactly? It’s a 3D turn-based artillery strategy game. Smokers beware, that may be far too much to say in one breath. Somewhere in a gamers mind, there’s that area that screams out mightily, “I seriously need to destroy something!” And with Digitanks you, too, can shell out your aggressions.

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Publisher: Stickmen Studios
Developer: Stickmen Studios
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7; AMD/Pentium 2.0 GHz; 256MB RAM; 64MB GeForce 4 Ti or ATI equivalent; DirectX: 9.0c; 300MB hard drive space; Soundblaster compatible
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Back in the days of yore, before I ever considered becoming a game reviewer, I was content to play games without having to dissect them for science. I used to wonder if there were any unpleasant aspects to being a gaming journalist. At that time I couldn’t come up with an answer, because as a teenager it was impossible to find any flaw with the get-games-for-free-and-play-them scenario. Now, as both a grown man and a game reviewer, I can answer that question, although I wish I still couldn’t. The worst part is recognizing the developers’ hard work and dedication, and yet…decidedly not liking the game.

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Publisher: Atari
Developer: Vitamin G Studios
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, Intel Core2Duo E4300 or AMD Athlon X2 3800+ or faster CPU, 1 GB RAM, ATI Radeon X1650/NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or better graphics card, DirectX 9.0c, 1 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
Genre: Casual
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

My life is dominated by stressors. My line of work is stressful. Money problems are stressful. However, developer Vitamin G Studios’ The Undergarden is not stressful. In fact, it has the exact opposite affect on my chi. At first, when I heard about the “casual Zen” genre, I had mental images of bamboo stalks waving in gentle breezes while cherub-esque figures giggled and played games of chase. Then, before playing The Undergarden, I watched a few videos of the gameplay and realized that Vitamin G might be onto something unique and refreshing.

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