Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: 1C Publishing
System requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, 2 GHz dual-core CPU, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB hard-drive space, 512 MB GeForce 6800GTX or better graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 support, DirectX-compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0c, Majesty 2 version 1.4.356 or newer
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Taking a game genre and making it unique is something that is difficult to do. Now take the one that is best served on a PC, also known as strategy games. Making it unique is something Majesty 2: Battles of Ardania, an expansion from Paradox Interactive, does.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Colossal Order
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2 GHz dual-core or better CPU, NVidia GeForce 8800/Radeon HD 3850 or better graphics card, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB hard-drive space, OpenGL 3.0
Genre: Simulation
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Attention to detail, one could say, is one of the more pronounced bullet points in the neverending argument between console and PC gamers. It just seems (at least to me) that the PC has more opportunities to show off the little complexities possible in gaming, whether by way of controls and interface, or just by sheer numbers. Cities in Motion is a perfect example of this, and while it certainly puts a good effort in to remind PC gamers where their home is, it also deepens an already defined line in the sand that has urged their console kin to stay the hell out.

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Publisher: E. McNeill
Developer: E. McNeill
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, .NET 4 Framework, XNA 4 Redistributable, Windows Media Player, 1024×768 or higher monitor resolution
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Available now

The problem with large publishers and some of the more prominent development studios is that, despite having the know-how and the resources to make great games, they often prove themselves to have lost touch with the common man. When forced to choose between the reasonable and the unreasonable (but popular with the ignorant shareholders), they tend to reliably go for the latter. The result is a slew of otherwise easily avoidable problems for the end users, which in turn pushes people towards unsavory acts such as piracy. All of this is yet another good reason to look closely at the indie scene, which, while having smaller budgets, is arguably more creative and certainly friendlier to the consumer.

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Publisher: Trion Worlds
Developer: Trion Worlds
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7; 2.0 GHz Dual Core or better CPU; 2 GB RAM; 15 GB hard-drive space; Nvidia GeForce FX 5900, ATI/AMD Radeon X300, Intel GMA X4500 or better graphics card; DirectX 8.1-compatible sound card; DirectX 9.0c with June 2010 update; broadband Internet connection
Genre: MMORPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

I have a long-time love of the MMO genre as a whole. When I get the opportunity to review an MMO, I often find myself wondering if the game I’m looking at is going to be the one that ends up sapping all my willpower to engage in a social life. Often times I get pretty lucky and I get a nice time sink for a week or two; other times I find myself immersed in the world set before me. I can count on one hand how many times the latter has ever happened to me, and now I’m proud to say I can no longer use that reference in my gaming career. While following Rift during its development, I found myself intrigued by the art and the idea behind it all. After 10 days of playing, I found myself wondering if maybe this game was just a shiny new change from my usual haunts, but with every login I find some new quirk I enjoy that keeps me interested. For 19 days I’ve been wrapped up in Rift, the new MMORPG from developer Trion Worlds, exploring the world before me as a spoony Bard, finding something exciting every day.

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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Beenox
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or better CPU, GeForce 7800 or Radeon X1800 (w/256 MB of video RAM) or better graphics card, 1 GB of RAM, 14 GB of uncompressed hard-drive space
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

“Four parallel worlds, one unparalleled adventure.” The blurb on a box cover has never been so accurate. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is one of the best, if not the best, Spider-Man games ever. Of course, for those who’ve read my other reviews, “Beenox strikes again” is equally apt; these are the same developers responsible for Transformers: War for Cybertron. This time, however, they’re bringing us a tale involving not one, but four different versions of an iconic character that recently celebrated his 50th anniversary.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Arrowhead Game Studios
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.4 GHz Pentium IV or AMD 3500+ or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce 8800/ATI Radeon X1900 or better graphics card, DirectX-compatible sound card, DirectX 9, 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Every once in awhile, a game comes along that combines creative mechanics with solid storytelling and excellent programming (Morrowind comes to mind). They are games that we, as gamers, take seriously. However, occasionally a game gives us creative gameplay and uses it as a platform for humor. Dungeon Keeper and its sequel are the best examples of this. It is in this tradition of good gaming and humor that Arrowhead Game Studios has created Magicka, a game that incorporates numerous pop-culture references. Magicka strives to provide an absurd, and yet heroic, RPG-lite narrative, and couples it with a detailed system for using magic.

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Publisher: The Learning Company
Developer: The Learning Company
System requirements: Not available
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

If you’re the type of gamer who vomits at the thought of Facebook apps being considered as legitimate games, run. Run far away. Actually, wait, stay here a while. Maybe we can be convinced to give these apps a chance. As far as I can tell, Facebook games only have one major strike against them: they encourage all your annoying FB friends to send you an overwhelming amount of app requests. Facebook games are developed entirely for profit, but they are free and can offer a decent level of entertainment. Facebook’s Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? adheres closely to its origins as a 1980s computer game, but brings with it a social media twist packed with plenty of entertainment.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: 1C Company
System Requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista; 2 GHz dual core processor; 1 GB RAM; 4 GB free hard drive space; 512 MB, PS 2.0, GeForce 6800GTX or better; DirectX-compatible sound card; DirectX 9.0c; 3-button Mouse or keyboard; Internet connection for multiplayer component
Genre: RTS
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

1C must be making money from the Majesty franchise, as they have released yet another expansion. This time, the king (you) and your Sean-Connery-talking advisor are kicked out of power by your own people, leaving you with little option but to make alliances with those monsters you’ve spent the last few expansions fighting. Majesty 2: Monster Kingdom sees you take the reins of leadership once more, raising a horde of goblins, rat-men, and liches to facilitate your return to power. In other words, it’s time to be the bad guy.

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Publisher: Phoenix Online
Developer: Phoenix Online
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7; 1 GHz Intel or AMD CPU; 512 MB RAM (1 GB for Vista/Win 7); 256 MB DirectX 9.0c-compatible graphics card; DirectX 9.0c or higher.
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

Earlier in my review of The Silver Lining: I went through Episode 1 nearly unscathed, but then braved Episode 2 and got pretty scathed. That’s pretty much what happened. The good thing is that now, with the third installment pitted against me, I don’t have to worry about writing of things like graphics, voice acting, and mechanics. I already covered them all, and unless some drastic change occurs in future episodes, assume that whatever I said in previous reviews still holds true. This frees me up to talk about some of the finer points of Episode 3, so here we go.

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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

It’s back in time once again for teen time traveler Marty McFly and inventor Doc Brown as developer Telltale continues their first season of Back to the Future adventures. In Episode 2, Get Tannen!, things seem to have been put right again after the end of Episode 1, but Marty and Doc soon discover that they forgot something during their last trip to 1931.

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Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: Realmforge Studios
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.0 GHz Dual Core CPU, 2 GB RAM, 256 MB DirectX 9.0c-compatible graphics card, DirectX 9.0c, 2 GB disk space.
Genre: Strategy RPG
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Dungeon Keeper 2 is one of my favorite games. Yes, I know I am supposed to be reviewing a game called Dungeons; just bear with me, will you? As I was saying, DK2 was a great game. In it you assumed the role of a malevolent being who designs, creates, populates and defends a dungeon. That’s the sort of dungeon where adventuring heroes go, not the other kind. It was a welcome change of pace from every other game out there in which you had to be the hero. There was also the original Dungeon Keeper (designed by Peter Molyneux), but trust me, DK2 was the one you really wanted to play. There was going to be a DK3, but it was cancelled, and then Bullfrog Productions, the developer of the series, closed its doors forever.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Nitro Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Windows7; 2.0 GHz processor; 2GB RAM; 4GB hard disk space; Shader model 3.0 video card; DirectX9 compatible sound card
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Having missed out on East India Company and its expansions, I did not know what to expect from Nitro Games when Commander: Conquest of the Americas came across my virtual desk. Reading up on the literature before playing showed me a game with both strategic and tactical elements. I imagined I was going to be playing a “sailing ships fighting and colony management” kind of game. While it has both elements, Commander is really a game that is very much in the tradition of its predecessors by Nitro: this is a game that is first and foremost about money. In Commander, you establish colonies, set up trade routes, defend those same colonies and trade routes, and try to expand your empire in a rational way that supports your home country’s need for mercantilist economic growth. Patient and careful empire management, not mindless fighting and conquest, is the key to long-term victory.

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Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Propaganda Games
System requirements: Intel Pentium D 3.00 GHz or Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or better CPU, 1 GB RAM (XP)/1.5 GB (Vista/Win 7); GeForce 8800 GT or Radeon HD 3870 or better graphics card
Genre: Action-adventure
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

“In a world where the sun never shines, and the streets glow in neon colors…” Ok, sorry. I thought I’d dust off my inner Don LaFontaine for this one, since Tron: Evolution is a direct movie tie-in. More specifically, it’s a sequel to both the Tron: Betrayal graphic novel and the Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids game for the Nintendo Wii and DS, and a prequel to the Tron: Legacy movie. Because some of you might not have seen the movie yet, I’m going to try to avoid spoilers, but a little background is necessary.

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Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Blue Castle Games
System requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2.2 GHz or better CPU, 2 GB RAM, 8.5 GB hard-drive space, NVidia GeForce 8800 GTS or Radeon HD 3850 or better graphics card
Genre: Action-adventure
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

It has been five years since the zombie outbreak in Las Vegas. Chuck Greene’s wife died and his daughter, Katey, was bitten and infected during the outbreak. Now, Chuck, a former motocross champion, is in Fortune City participating in a gameshow called “Terror Is Reality,” in which contestants kill zombies for money and fame. Chuck’s only reason for competing is so he can afford a drug called “Zombrex” for Katey, who must have a dose of the expensive drug daily. Then things get worse: there’s a new zombie outbreak, and Chuck gets framed for it. Now he has just 72 hours to rescue survivors, find evidence that proves his innocence, and find enough doses of Zombrex to keep Katey alive until the military arrives.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Neocore Games
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent CPU, 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB for Vista/Win 7), 256 MB Radeon X700 or equivalent graphics card, DirectX 9-compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0c, 8 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Strategy RPG
Release date: Available now

I feel the need to start off on a bit of a somber note here. Perhaps even tragic, depending on the way you look at it. Ladies and gentlemen, we historians universally agree that King Arthur did not actually exist. The logic-nerds among you have undoubtedly made the connection already—yes, this means he cannot possibly return to rule England once again. Sorry, I hope you aren’t too upset about this. If you are, allow me to offer something of a remedy. You can escape into games, like you always have. In this case, I even have a reasonably fitting game in mind: King Arthur: The Druids. I say “reasonably” because The Druids is an expansion in which you don’t play as Arthur himself, but since you have to own the full game to enjoy it, most of your basic Arthur-related needs should be met.

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