Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1.8 GHz Pentium IV or better CPU, 256 MB graphics card, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c, DirectX 8.1-compatible sound device, 2 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

There was a time when some part of creator Dick Wolf’s ubiquitous Law and Order TV franchise was on the tube almost every day in the US. Some didn’t last long (Crime and Punishment, Trial by Jury, Law and Order: Los Angeles), while the parent show became one of the longest-running scripted shows in American TV history. These days, only Special Victims Unit remains, but now Wolf and NBC/Universal are pushing the franchise into new frontiers with the help of game developer Telltale.

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Publisher: Nexon
Developer: Eyedentity Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, Pentium 4 dual-core CPU, 1 GB RAM, GeForce 7600 or better graphics card, 4 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c or newer, broadband Internet connection
Genre: MMORPG
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

MMORPGs have become a major segment of the modern gaming landscape, but many of the most successful of them feature content that really isn’t meant for the younger gamer. Publisher Nexon brings PG-13 material to the genre with Dragon Nest, a fantasy/action MMO that tries to tone down the graphic violence while still making the game enticing to adult gamers.

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Publisher: Overhaul Games
Developer: Overhaul Games, Interplay
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 3 GHz Pentium D or better CPU, GeForce GT 120/Radeon HD 2600 XT or better graphics card, 512 MB RAM, 1 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Not rated (original game rated Teen)
Release date: Available now

Old games are like a comfortable pair of shoes that have faded over the years. Sometimes you want to take them out, polish them up and take them for spin. This is what Overhaul Games has done with the 2000 FPS classic MDK 2, a goofy, definitely retro piece of gaming history that’s a simple yet refreshing shooter diversion, even after more than a decade.

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Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Certain Affinity
Genre: Hack and slash
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Certain Affinity has made their name through map creation for a variety of other games. Crimson Alliance sees their bid to take to the gaming stage proper. It is a hack and slash dungeon crawler in the same vein as Bastion and Torchlight, in that it offers player input in terms of item and weapon choices. However, if you prefer a game where you have to decide whether to wear your “Tights of Valhalla” or your “Ankle Socks of Death,” then you should move along quickly using your “Stockings of Swiftness.” Micro management isn’t part of the game’s ethos – simplicity is. For example, you only get three characters to choose from. The game offers both single player campaign action and a four player co-op mode (available both locally and online). So is Crimson Alliance worth a trip through the dungeon?

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Publisher: Majesco
Developer: Majesco
Rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Here’s a list of some things I’ve never done: worn a cool watch, eaten a raw peach, done a bad Ice T impression, smiled on Christmas Day, gone a day without quoting The Big Lebowski, eaten glass, or gone camping. One of these is relevant, and I secretly wish it were eating glass. Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures has hit the streets, and camping fans, I’m sure, have been filling their rugged newsletters and message boards with buzzing anticipation. So what kind of game can they expect: a crisp autumn hike in the Colorado mountains, or eating glass?

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Publisher: Rail Simulation
Developer: Rail Simulation
System requirements: XP/Vista/Windows7, Intel Pentium 4/AMD Athlon 2.0 GHz, 2 GB ram, 256MB DirectX 9.0c video card with Shader 3.0, 6 GB Hard-drive space.
Genre: Simulator
ESRB Rating: E
Release Date: Available now
Reviewed by: Ian Davis

I’ve heard it said that all girls go through a “horse phase” at some point. Likewise, most boys have, at some point, experienced the intoxicating thrill that iron horses bring. If you haven’t grown out of this state, then you’re not alone: neither have the talented developers at Rail Simulation, makers of the popular RailWorks series. They’ve poured their love of everything on two rails into Train Simulator 2012, and it shows in every billow of steam.

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Publisher: Flying Wild Hog
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.5 GHz Pentium IV/Athlon 64 CPU, 2 GB RAM, 512 MB GeForce 8800GS/Radeon HD 3870 or better graphics card, DirectX 9.0c, DirectX-compatible audio solution, 4 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: September 13, 2011

Remember the good old days of PC shooters? When it was just you, a bunch of absurdly overpowered weapons and a seemingly endless horde of enemies? I do, and apparently so do the folks at new development house Flying Wild Hog. The Polish developer’s first game, Hard Reset, gives you everything you want from an FPS, dressed up with some strikingly gorgeous visuals.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Neocore Games
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, AMD Athlon 4000+ or equivalent Intel CPU, WinXP 1GB RAM, Vista/Win7 1.5GB RAM, Nvidia 8600 GT (256Mbyte) / ATI Radeon HD3650 (256Mbyte),DirectX 9-compliant sound card, DirectX®: 9.0c or higher (included in the installer), Nvidia (AGEIA) PhysX (included in the installer), 8GB hard-drive space
Genre: RTS
ESRB rating: Pending
Release date: 9/16/2011

Capitalizing on the success of King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame, and no doubt wanting to whet players’ appetites for the upcoming sequel, Neocore Games has released the stand-alone expansion King Arthur: Fallen Champions. Unlike its predecessor, Fallen Champions focuses only on story-telling and tactical battles; there is no kingdom management. This tighter focus makes Fallen Champions much more of an RTS title, although it still keeps some of the role-playing found in the original.

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Publisher: Disney Interactive
Developer: High Impact Games
Genre: Action-platformer
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release Date: Available now

Ever since I became a father, I’ve looked forward to my monthly Guy’s Night Out with my buddies with particular relish. With the majority of my friends staking their claim on my side of the fatherhood fence, we love to down a few brews and then hold court by telling stories peppered with references to anything airing on Disney, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, or the myriad of cable off-shoots that those networks have sprung. The other guys hear iCarly or Yo Gabba Gabba and we might as well be speaking in Parseltongue. And while the source material is usually inane programming you can’t believe your kids could mine any entertainment from; every once in awhile you spy a diamond in the rough. For me – that treasure is Disney’s Phineas & Ferb; which means the arrival of their summer platformer – Phineas & Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension actually brightened my late Summer doldrums when it showed up on my door-step.

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Originally published in May 2011, reprinted for additional content.

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Zen Studios
Genre: Pinball
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

There are certain games that I believe will always be transported into video game form, no matter what generation of console is on the market. Board games like chess and checkers, and sports like baseball and football will always find a home somewhere in the digital world. But we must not discount an arcade staple of such simplicity, and yet such intricacy, that has survived the gaming world for ages – pinball. Pinball FX2, an Xbox Live Arcade franchise, is slowly becoming the gold standard for casual play, and they have just released a new themed table, Mars, which has a sci-fi outer space theme.

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Publisher: Wargaming.net
Developer: Wargaming.net
System Requirements: Intel from 2.2 GHz or equivalent AMD Family processor; minimum of 1.5 GB RAM for Windows 2000/XP, 2 GB for Windows Vista / 7; 3.5 GB har disk space; Shader Model 3.0 GeForce 6800GT video card with 256 MB of RAM / ATI X800 with 256 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c; DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card; Internet connection speed of at least 128 Kbps
Genre: Action MMO
ESRB rating: Not yet rated
Release date: Available now

Imagine driving a Tiger tank through a deserted city, spotting a smaller Soviet vehicle. You take aim and fire a HE shell at it, killing its engine and setting it on fire. But before you can finish it off, a Soviet T-34 ambushes you from an alley, spots for some artillery, and you get obliterated, only to respawn and live to fight again. This is a typical day when playing on Wargaming.net’s servers for World of Tanks. It’s been almost a year since I last looked at it, and the game has grown up. Wargaming.net calls WoT, “…a team-based massively multiplayer online game dedicated to armored warfare in the mid-20th century.” Focusing on Soviet, German, and US panzers from the period, and boasting maps with a wide variety of terrain, it offers those who love their heavy armored vehicles a chance to get into the nitty-gritty of armored warfare.

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Publisher: Fuelcell Games
Developer: Fuelcell Games
Genre: Adventure/Shooter
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

The nice thing about Microsoft’s annual Summer of Arcade promotion is that you get high-quality new indie games for the reasonable price of $15 (1200 spacebucks). The third entry in this year’s roster, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, is no exception, offering simple yet involving gameplay with a minimalist flair.

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Publisher: Funcom
Developer: Funcom
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, 3.0 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent CPU, ATI Radeon 9800/Nvidia GeForce 6600 or better graphics card, 1 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c/DirectX 10, DirectX-compatible sound card, 32 GB hard-drive space, broadband Internet connection
Genre: MMORPG
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

”Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!” So ended the introduction to Conan the Barbarian, the 1981 sword-and-sorcery film featuring author Robert E. Howard’s most famous character. Twenty-seven years later, developer Funcom released Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. And now, this MMO has been rebranded Age of Conan: Unchained (good timing, considering a Conan remake is headed to multiplexes this month). The difference? Now you don’t have to spend any gold, silver or tin to play it.

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Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: First Star Software, Catnip Games
Genre: Action/Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now
Review by: Michael Rabalais

I understand myself to be among the youngest, if not the youngest member of the Avault staff. I have never lived in a year where John Lennon was alive. And when the Twin Towers were bombed in 2001, I was in fifth grade. Even though I shoulder the incredible burden of my young age, I’ve supplemented my classic game knowledge to the best of my ability. I’ve beaten every Super Mario game, even the CDi exclusive Hotel Mario. I’m as versed in the origin of gaming as a scholar may be in Greek classics. So when I was assigned to review Boulder Dash-XL, and heard it described as the follow-up to a gaming classic, I found my knowledge lacking. While I hate to make assumptions, I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only gamer unfamiliar with Boulder Dash. Can a reimagining of a Commodore-era staple bring relevance to a franchise many might be unfamiliar with?

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Publisher: Big John Games
Developer: Zivix
Genre: Music
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Have you ever wanted to create your own club music mixes, but you don’t have the cash to spend on expensive equipment? Developer Zivix has made it possible with Just Jam, a music-mixing game/application for the Wii that gives you the basic tools and the sounds required to lay down your own jams.

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