Publisher: Lighthouse Interactive
Developer: Kerberos
Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista; 1.5 GHz Intel Pentium or comparable AMD Processor; 1 GB RAM; 128 MB RAM DirectX 9x compatible video card; 3 GB hard disk space; DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card; LAN or 56 Kbps Internet connection
Genre: Strategy
Release date: Available now

It’s been a strategy-filled few weeks for me. I’ve been fortunate enough to have multiple RTS titles come across my virtual desk as I stroll from game to game; it’s no secret that I enjoy empire building. This time around, I had the pleasure of reviewing the 4X strategy game Sword of the Stars: Ultimate Collection, a turn-based, science-fiction epic set in a universe with star-spanning empires, raging space battles, highly advanced technology and interesting civilizations with which to interact (and annihilate).

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Publisher: Aspyr
Developer: Best Way
Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista; 1.7GHz Processor; 512MB RAM; nVidia GeForce 3/ATI Radeon 9600 video card or higher; DirectX 9.0b compatible sound card; 4GB free hard drive space; DVD drive
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Release date: Available now

I often talk about the game Dungeon Keeper 2 as being one of my favorite PC games of all time. I think what stood out to me the most about the Bullfrog RTS/sim mash-up was that your minions were in your capable hands at all times. If you didn’t like how the AI was handling itself, there was always the option of possessing the henchmen and taking care of business yourself. This is perhaps the most tantalizing part of Best Way’s Men of War, and the main reason I requested the opportunity to review it.

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Publisher: PopCap Games
Developer: PopCap Games
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Freude, schoner Guterfunken Tochter aus Elysium. Anyone with some training in classical music will recognize this snippet of German as a lyric from the fourth and final movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Moviegoers might know it as the featured music in the final scenes of the original Die Hard film, but gamers of all shapes and sizes will recognize this phrase from Pop Cap’s multiplatform puzzle-game hit Peggle Deluxe. Turns out, the game is equally as memorable as the music.

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Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Minimum requirements: Windows XP / Vista (Vista64 unsupported); 2.0 GHz or better processor; 512MB RAM; 64MB DirectX 8.1-compliant video card; DirectX 8.1 sound device; DirectX Version 9.0c or better
Genre: Adventure
Release Date: Available now

In my review of the first installment of Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures, I paid tribute to the stellar work that the developers at Telltale Games had done in using episodic series to resurrect the adventure-game genre. With the games industry rivaling movies, music and television as a viable pastime, there are many tastes to satisfy out there beyond those hardcore gamers who grew up on a strict diet of first-person shooters and hack ‘em/slash ‘em staples. The fact that Telltale is trying to attract gamers in search of more cerebral pursuits is just part of the story. Their genius is directly tied to their ability to find properties that can flourish in bite-sized portions. They know how to whet our appetites by giving us a few stellar hours with these quirky characters and leaving us hungering for another morsel; which brings us to their latest dish, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: The Last Resort.

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Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Genre: Action RPG
Release date: Available now

When the retail version of Fallout 3 released back in October 2008, it was met with mixed reviews. Many looked at it as a great achievement in gaming, with its expansive world and unique VATS combat system. Then there were those who just couldn’t get into the game because of its open-world structure and menu complexity. There were even those who couldn’t believe that Bethesda had actually put an ending in their game. Well, fear not: Bethesda has listened to your cries with the DLC package Broken Steel, opening up the Capitol Wasteland to you once again beyond the previous ending. Oh, and they also threw in some new quests, gear and perks.

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Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
PC version minimum requirements: Windows XP / Vista (Vista64 unsupported); 2.0 GHz or better processor; 512MB RAM; 64MB DirectX 8.1-compliant video card; DirectX 8.1 sound device; DirectX Version 9.0c or better
Genre: Adventure
Release Date: Available now

Synergy is a wonderful thing. For years it’s been the buzzword of the techno world, with talking heads droning on about how our TVs would one day interact with our toasters and broadcast our breakfasts live across the Web for the entire world to enjoy. While this techno-wizardry is sweetly significant, it’s on the fringes that we find its real benefits. For starters, the ability to download anything on demand has breathed new life into beloved gaming archetypes we thought lost to the ravages of time, and this in turn has led to the evolution of episodic gaming, which the fine artisans at Telltale Games have taken up as their cause. Telltale has worked wonders providing adventure gamers with a new lease on life through their expert handling of beloved series such as Strongbad and the sublime Sam & Max. Now joining their growing stable of prized properties is the celebrated duo Wallace & Gromit in their first of four planned Grand Adventures, Fright of the Bumblebees, another example of Telltale taking familiar characters and building old-school adventure games with nouveau production values around them.

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Publisher: ndWare Pty Ltd.
Developer: Firemint
Genre: Flight Simulation
Release date: Available now
Review by: Chris Micieli

As more and more games are released for the iPod and iPhone, one thing becomes clear: games for the device can either be very detailed, take up much of your time and energy; or they can be very simple. Most would think that the simple games would be on the mundane side, but if you can find the right one, you’ll find yourself selecting it over and over again. Developer FireMint’s Flight Control fits perfectly into this category.

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Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Genre: FPS
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

Killzone 2 is one of the most anticipated PS3 games released so far. The “too-bad-it-wasn’t-true” E3 ’05 trailer might’ve been spun a bit too much, but after the smoke cleared, even after the first “real” screenshots were released, the hype machine continued chugging along like some gargantuan generator, hardly scathed. So it’s here now, and I have it. Perhaps I should just break out the Seal of Excellence and get it over with.

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Publisher: Take 2 Interactive
Developer: Rockstar Games
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now
Review by: Ryan Asher

Niko Bellic’s Liberty City was so good the first time, it only makes sense to double dip and head back. Only this time you’re not reprising your role as the mass-murdering Eastern European immigrant. You’re playing as the pit-bull-like Johnny Klebitz. Johnny is the vice president of the Lost Motorcycle Club, and as the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion pack The Lost and Damned begins, he has just returned to the role of second fiddle with the release of the club’s previously incarcerated president, Billy Grey.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Genre: Action
Release date: April 7, 2009
Review by: Michele White

Okay, confession time: I never saw the Godfather movies (despite popular myth, I was too young when they came out), and I’ve avoided them since their release because of a rumor about a horse. That said, the NYC girl in me has always been fascinated with the Italian mob and the books and films describing it, so when I received a surprise package from Electronic Arts containing developer EA Redwood Shores’ new video-game adaptation of The Godfather II, I couldn’t wait to dive into the blood-soaked world of the Corleone family.

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Publisher: TikGames, Creat Studios
Developer: TikGames, Creat Studios
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

There’s grandma, quietly putting together a jigsaw puzzle by the fireplace, listening to Bing Crosby and yelling single-syllable curses at the fichus plant. Flash forward two generations to Tetris; two lines from the top and all you want is a @#$%! straight piece. I could go on further about color matching, role-playing elements and a host of other complications that can cause unpredicted swearing in the puzzle genre, but I won’t. I’ll just say that Cuboid is a dirty little %#@$ and its simplicity is beautiful.

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Publisher: SCEA
Developer: thatgamecompany
Genre: Casual
Release date: Available now
Review by: Matthew Dart

If you ever thought that controlling flowers to combat the ugliness of the world (and support the ecosystem to boot) would make for an exhilarating video game, then think no more. Developer thatgamecompany’s Flower brings captivating visuals, musical elegance and a unique play style that anyone can love, despite its hippie premise.

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