Review by: Josh Horowitz
Published: August 24, 2001

If there ever was a game genre that has undergone massive evolutionary steps, it would have to be the first-person shooter. The popular genre’s roots date back to primitive computer RPGs such as Wizardry, where players would wander down screen after screen of square 3D hallways and corridors fighting pixilated monsters. Later releases like id’s Wolfenstein 3D added new levels of realism to this concept, incorporating real-time movement and fighting as well as digitized sounds and graphics. The bar was raised once again with Doom, the first 3D first-person shooter (FPS) to utilize realistic bitmapped textures and break the bonds of square hallways by presenting a truly believable environment. With Quake came the first true polygon-based 3D environment in a FPS, and later, Half-Life set the standard for its eye-popping graphics and immersive storyline. Now, over 15 years after the genre’s awakening, Finland-based Remedy Entertainment presents what it hopes will be the next step in 3D Shooter greatness with a game that took four years to develop: Max Payne. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: July 20, 2001

Up until this point, first-person shooter fans were somewhat limited in their selection. Deathmatch oriented titles were readily available, but despite excellent graphics and great gameplay, they weren’t necessarily satisfying. Part of the problem lay with the limitations of the PS2, as its lack of Internet support forced players to split their screen or deal with bots. This isn’t to say that they were inferior games, but they could have been better with the proper hardware support. Sony owners who preferred plots and intrigue in their shooters were left out in the cold for a while after the system’s launch, but now Volition, a studio which is quickly making itself a name as a multi-talented team, has decided to give gamers an alternative with their new release, Red Faction. The question is, is it better to be out in the cold, or trapped in the dark recesses of a Martian mine? ( read more… )

Review by: Rick Weindel
Published: June 14, 2001

If you’re like me, you feel the same way about the flood of RTS games on the market as I do about politicians. There are a lot of them already out there, a lot more trying to get your vote, and they rarely, if ever, live up to their hype and promises. So, when I heard about Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns, and took a look at some of its screenshots, I pretty much wrote it off. I guessed it was another clone, trying to ride the coattails of all the other RTS titles before it. Soon after it came out, message forums all over the net began to fill with hundreds of messages about Kohan. I wondered, could it be that someone had breathed new life into a stagnant genre? ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: May 25, 2001

Japanese history buffs and fans of anime alike will find plenty to enjoy in Capcom’s newest spin on the survival horror genre. Set in feudal Japan, Onimusha Warlords tells the story of one Samanosuke Akechi, a masterless samurai who witnesses a pivotal moment in his land’s history. On his quest to conquer all of Japan, a warlord known as Yoshimoto is attacked and slain at the hands of a rival named Nobunaga. While celebrating his rival’s defeat, Nobunaga is caught unaware by an archer’s bolt and collapses with his throat punctured and blood fountaining from the wound. Having observed the battle, Samanosuke leaves and puts the matter out of his mind until a distressed message from Princess Yuki, of the Inabayama clan, begs him to investigate disappearances of her palace staff and rescue her from the terrifying situation. As is always the case when Capcom turns its attention to the horror genre, things are not as they seem in the lands of Inabayama, and those looking to uncover the dark secrets need only fire up their PlayStation 2 to join in the adventure. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: March 17, 2001

No matter your opinion on Sega as a company or as hardware developers, you really can’t accuse them of standing still. Whether they succeed or fall flat on their face, their corporate philosophy seems to be one of innovation and progress. Take, for example, the gutsy decision to ship the Dreamcast with a built-in modem. While it took a while to bring the games up to speed, one can’t deny that it was Sega that blazed the trail to the promised land of online gaming for console systems. Given their adventuresome spirit, it’s compellingly appropriate that Sega will also be remembered as the first developer to release an online RPG for the living room crowd as well. Building upon an established and critically acclaimed lineage, Phantasy Star Online is the latest evolution of a series that first appeared in Japan in 1987. ( read more… )

Review by: Nick Stewart
Published: March 15, 2001

The time was 1492, and Europe was split up into various superpowers, each with its own unique identity and motives. It was a time of change, in virtually all possible realms: politics, culture, the economy, as well as religion. It was a time where England, Spain, France, Austria, Russia, and others were looking to expand their respective empires, hoping to build upon the various foundations that had begun to crumble under the heavy weight of endless war and the Black Plague that had stricken more than a hundred years previous. Hoping to increase trade without dealing with the Ottoman empire that sat in their way, countries such as Spain and Portugal set out to sea, running with the possibility of arriving at economically-rich India via a more direct route. Discovering America, the New World, would eventually spark a unique set of problems of its own, as the struggle to control this vast and potentially rich land incited countless conflicts. This was the beginning of a time where artists such as Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci would make their indelible mark, where Machiavelli would write one of the most defining doctrines of “realpolitik,” and where Martin Luther would change the face of religion. It was the beginning of a period that would shape the face of history, and it’s the exact realm that you have the opportunity to enter, mould, and control within the epic Europa Universalis. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: March 3, 2001

Growing up and learning to drive in rural Ontario, I have a low-level understanding of the difficulties faced by Rally drivers. My summers included regular trips to neighbor’s farms, the vet, and other exotic locales, all of which involved many kilometers of travel on loose gravel roads. Winters required a whole new set of skills, as unpaved roads were either completely covered in snow or coated in an even more treacherous layer of mud. Needless to say, one quickly learned the same skills used by the Rally driver: speed control, smooth slides and careful steering. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: February 28, 2001

The art of fighting with one’s fists has been a part of just about every culture in history. There are indications that the Ancient Egyptians treated pugilism as a sport; with leather thongs wrapped around the participants’ knuckles and wrists, the activity was added to the ancient Greek Olympic program in 688 B.C.E. In the 1700′s, England gave rise to a codified set of rules that came to roughly resemble the sport we know today, including the division of fights into rounds and the introduction of “mufflers” or gloves for the combatants. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: December 21, 2000

One of the most enduring series of roleplaying games ever, the Final Fantasy series has already survived several platform transitions with minimal difficulty. With Final Fantasy IX, Square is again preparing to leap free off their main system, and thus this offering is the last of the series to appear on the original PlayStation. ( read more… )

Review by: Blake Rice
Published: December 8, 2000

Yu Suzuki first made his mark on the electronic entertainment industry in the mid-1980′s with arcade releases such as the classic Outrun, and eventually went on to develop Virtua Fighter, which is widely regarded as the first true three-dimensional fighting game. Since then his name has become synonymous with excellent titles; Suzuki now stands alongside industry celebrities Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto as one of the best developers in the business. The original idea for Suzuki’s latest creation is not young by industry standards: he first conceived of the project in 1994. However, his ambition to create a game set in a fully 3D world was smothered by the technological limitations of the time, and development was stalled. It would take the power of the Dreamcast to finally make Suzuki’s vision feasible, and thus Shenmue was born. ( read more… )

Review by: Nick Stewart
Published: November 15, 2000

Mankind has always held a deep-seated fascination with the romanticized backdrops of history, which would certainly explain the considerable admiration held for the likes of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome. After all, these two civilizations have long been considered to be ahead of their time, both in terms of architecture and military might, and their radically different style of life basked in a glimmer of golden sand and polished marble. One should hardly be surprised that Impressions Games’ city-building reproductions based on these two great cultures, Pharaoh and Caesar, did astoundingly well both critically and financially. Despite the truly epic quality of these two titles, the passions of Ancient Greece seemed woefully lacking from this series … until now. After what has felt like an eternity, Impressions Games has finally put forth the ambitious and majestic Zeus: Master of Olympus. ( read more… )

Review by: Nick Stewart
Published: November 3, 2000

Much like the once-stagnant realm of the RPG, real-time strategy has come an awfully long way these past few years. The genre pioneered by Westwood’s epic Dune 2 has since blossomed and flourished, leading to the creation of such timeless greats as the orc-thumping Warcraft 2, and the futuristically themed Starcraft. Technology has recently added an entirely new skew to the genre, as 3D RTS has not only become all the rage, but has almost established a sort of prerequisite for success; in fact, most fans have taken to expecting this feature from their titles. Nevertheless, one of the most beloved series of all time has, until the recent announcement of Emperor: The Battle for Dune, remained steadfast in its dedication to 2D: the ever-classic Command & Conquer line. Also a product of the aforementioned Westwood, the original sold so well that it also generated a few sequels, including the “unofficial” C&C installation of Red Alert, which also broke sales records the world over. Now, the developers are attempting to revisit the richly atmospheric world with the recently released Red Alert 2, giving RTS fans yet another chance to run amok among the modern-day urban setting of warfare and mayhem. ( read more… )

Review by: Mike Laidlaw
Published: October 19, 2000

It’s somewhat ironic that while the entire electronic entertainment industry is surging forward with almost daily technological developments, it’s very hard to put your finger down on any specific event and say, “That changed things. Yes, that right there was a new beginning.” Especially in the PC market, developments seem to build seamlessly from previous changes, evolving faster than Darwin’s dream ecology. Right now, however, there’s an event worth marking on your gaming calendar, because NFL 2K1 is the first time that a console game has shouldered its way onto the Internet for an online multiplayer experience. Before examining the Internet aspect of this title, we should delve into the game itself in the hopes that its online capabilities won’t overshadow the remainder of the review. ( read more… )

Review by: Matt Plumb
Published: October 6, 2000

During an era known as the Time of Troubles, gods walked the world of the Forgotten Realms in human form. Bhaal, the Lord of Murder, anticipated his own death, and so fathered a horde of children, who were destined to carry on his legacy of destruction. In Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the latest role-playing epic from Black Isle and Bioware, players once again assume the role of one of Bhaal’s offspring, a being of immense yet untapped power. ( read more… )

Review by: Matt Plumb
Published: September 26, 2000

Space is a dangerous place. If I’ve learned anything from science fiction games, films, and novels, it’s that once you leave your home planet, you could be beset by any number of perils. A vicious alien monster could slaughter you, a malevolent Artificial Intelligence could use you as raw material, or your starship could simply fall prey to mechanical disorders. This theme is continued in the real-time strategy offering Homeworld: Cataclysm, the next chapter in the Homeworld saga, as we are once again reminded why no good will come of investigating a derelict alien device. ( read more… )