Computer Games Magazine 194 by Paul Travaglino

SEXING UP MMOs | HOW TO BUY RAM

ALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO ■ BIOSHOCK ■ WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING ■ COMMAND & CONQUER 3: BERIUM WARS ■ HERO’S JOURNEY ■ AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES ■ DRAGON AGE ■ VANGUARD: SAGA OF EROES ■ ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS ■ GODS & HEROES: ROME RISING ■ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL ■ LAN WAKE ■ HELLGATE: LONDON ■ LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR ■ ROGUE WARRIOR ■ HADOWRUN ■ SPORE ■ CRYSIS ■ ASSASSIN’S CREED ■ SUPREME COMMANDER ■ UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2007 ■ ALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO ■ BIOSHOCK ■ WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING ■ COMMAND & CONQUER 3: BERIUM WARS ■ HERO’S JOURNEY ■ AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES ■ DRAGON AGE ■ VANGUARD: SAGA OF EROES ■ ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS ■ GODS & HEROES: ROME RISING ■ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL ■ LAN WAKE ■ HELLGATE: LONDON ■ LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR ■ ROGUE WARRIOR ■ HADOWRUN ■ SPORE ■ CRYSIS ■ ASSASSIN’S CREED ■ SUPREME COMMANDER ■ UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2007 ■ ALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO ■ BIOSHOCK ■ WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING ■ COMMAND & CONQUER 3: BERIUM WARS ■ HERO’S JOURNEY ■ AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES ■ DRAGON AGE ■ VANGUARD: SAGA OF EROES ■ ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS ■ GODS & HEROES: ROME RISING ■ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL ■ LAN WAKE ■ HELLGATE: LONDON ■ LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR ■ ROGUE WARRIOR ■ HADOWRUN ■ SPORE ■ CRYSIS ■ ASSASSIN’S CREED ■ SUPREME COMMANDER ■ UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2007 ■ ALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO ■ BIOSHOCK ■ WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING ■ COMMAND & CONQUER 3: BERIUM WARS ■ HERO’S JOURNEY ■ AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES ■ DRAGON AGE ■ VANGUARD: SAGA OF EROES ■ ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS ■ GODS & HEROES: ROME RISING ■ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL ■ LAN WAKE ■ HELLGATE: LONDON ■ LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR ■ ROGUE WARRIOR ■ HADOWRUN ■ SPORE ■ CRYSIS ■ ASSASSIN’S CREED ■ SUPREME COMMANDER ■ UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2007 ■ ALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO ■ BIOSHOCK ■ WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING ■ COMMAND & CONQUER 3: BERIUM WARS ■ HERO’S JOURNEY ■ AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES ■ DRAGON AGE ■ VANGUARD: SAGA OF EROES ■ ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS ■ GODS & HEROES: ROME RISING ■ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL ■ LAN WAKE ■ HELLGATE: LONDON ■ LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR ■ ROGUE WARRIOR ■ HADOWRUN ■ SPORE ■ CRYSIS ■ ASSASSIN’S CREED ■ SUPREME COMMANDER ■ UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2007 ■ 26-page ONLINE: guideAGEonOFwhat to ■ COMMAND & CONQUER 3: ALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO ■ BIOSHOCKOur ■ WARHAMMER RECKONING BERIUM WARS ■ HERO’S JOURNEY ■care AGE OFabout CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES ■ DRAGON AGE ■ VANGUARD: SAGA OF this year, and why EROES ■ ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS ■ GODS & HEROES: ROME RISING ■ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL ■ LAN WAKE ■ HELLGATE: LONDON ■ LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR ■ ROGUE WARRIOR ■ HADOWRUN ■ SPORE ■ CRYSIS ■ ASSASSIN’S CREED ■ SUPREME COMMANDER ■ UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2007 ■ ALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO ■ BIOSHOCK ■ WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING ■ COMMAND & CONQUER 3: 2007 | ISSUESAGA 194 OF BERIUM WARS ■ HERO’S JOURNEY ■ AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES ■ DRAGON AGEFEBRUARY ■ VANGUARD: www.cgonline.com EROES ■ ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS ■ GODS & HEROES: ROME RISING ■ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL ■ LAN WAKE ■ HELLGATE: LONDON ■ LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR ■ ROGUE WARRIOR ■ HADOWRUN ■ SPORE ■ CRYSIS ■ ASSASSIN’S CREED ■ SUPREME COMMANDER ■ UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2007 ■

THE

MOST

ANTICIPATED GAMES 2007 OF

PLUS

20+ PAGES OF REVIEWS • STALKERing CHERNOBYL QUAD-CORE CPUs • FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS PREVIEW

February 2006 | Issue 194

cover story 26 Cover Story

The (Wildly Speculative) Most Anticipated Games of 2007 Presenting our annual poorly informed, generally wrongheaded and arbitrary list of games we know about that will possibly be worth posting angry message board screeds over when they inevitably disappoint after you torrent them from your favorite warez site. By Steve Bauman

featured 26

20 Radiation Vibe

Russian developer GSC Gameworld works (literally) in the shadow of Chernobyl while putting the final touches on the long-in-development S.T.A.L.K.E.R. By Adam Pavlacka

24 Mad Lib World

It’s easy to write previews; just fill in the blanks. By Steve Bauman

56 Knights. Cameras. Factions.

The endlessly cinematic Medieval II: Total War is the best movie you can play. By Troy S. Goodfellow

76 Remembering Memory

Do you take your RAM for granted? You shouldn’t, as it’s a critical—and complex—component of your game system. By Paul Jastrzebski

78 Four Play

2 Computer Games | February 2007

Quad-core processors are here from AMD and Intel, delivered in two very different ways. By Steve Bauman

84 Sex and the Virtual City

Turn the lights down, slip into something sheer, pour yourself some wine, and fire up your favorite MMO. Some of these T-rated pastimes have matured into X-rated indulgences. By Lara Crigger

w w w.cgonline.com

EDITORIAL

departments 16 18 20

Rebound Speak Out Newswire

reviews 56 60 62 63 64 66 68 69 70 72 74 74 74 74

Medieval II: Total War Warhammer: Mark of Chaos 1701 AD Front Office Football 2007 Splinter Cell: Double Agent Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption Left Behind El Matador Evidence: The Last Ritual Dark Messiah Might and Magic Ankh Glow Worm Atlantis Quest Snoopy vs. The Red Baron

hardware 80 83 83

online 88

Road to Nowhere

mod & ends 90 91 92 93

Out of the Box Cardboard Corner Mod Squads Alt.Games

insider 10

Upfront Give Me My Nickel Back By Steve Bauman

Applied Game Theory Hacking the System By Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire

Random Incoherence Assuming the Position By Kelly Wand

Editor-in-Chief

Steve Bauman sbauman@cgonline.com

Contributing Editors Margot Harrison Tiffany Martin Online Editor Jonathan Trevisani

ART/PRODUCTION Associate Art Director Scott Wild swild@cgonline.com

Graphic Designer Ryan Cohen Web Master Damien Huze

ADVERTISING CONTACTS Advertising Director Jayson Dubin (954) 769–5916 jdubin@cgonline.com

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Three Finger Salute The Day Tony Hawk Broke My Heart By Tom Chick

Gateway NX460XL Razer Tarantula Antec Nine Hundred

Chairman & CEO Michael Egan President Edward Cespedes President & Publisher Jayson Dubin

demo disk

Associate Publisher Liz Halgas Comptroller Bruce Jones Marketing Manager Amy Greenfeig Marketing Coordinator Jay Suarez

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES US Subscriptions: (800) 283–3542 Outside US Subscriptions: (815) 734–1216 Online Subscriptions: www.cgonline.com subscriptions@cgonline.com PO Box 1965, Marion, OH 43306-8065

The Revelations of EVE Here’s your chance to try out CCP’s excellent sci-fi MMO EVE Online. You can find your registration code on the back of the CD sleeve. Enjoy!

12 issues Basic Rate US: $19.97 or $29.97 with CD Canada: $31.97 or $41.97 with CD Foreign: $43.97 or $53.97 with CD Back issues available @ 1–800–699–4263 Distributor: Curtis Circulation Co. (201) 634–7400 Reprints available. Foreign reprint rights available.

INSTRUCTIONS The disc should autoplay once placed in your CD-ROM. If it does not, double-click on CGCD.EXE to launch the interface. If you have a defective CD-ROM, a replacement can be obtained by sending the original to: Computer Games, ATTN: CD Replacement, 65 Millet St. Richmond, VT 05477.

4 Computer Games | February 2007

Editorial Offices: 65 Millet Street, Suite 203, Richmond, VT 05477 PH: (802) 434–3060 FAX: (802) 434–6493 editor@cgonline.com © 2007 Strategy Plus, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Unsolicited submissions become the property of Strategy Plus, Inc. If you wish to make a submission, please contact the editors.

by Steve Bauman

Give Me My Nickel Back Micropayments are here, they’re dear to the industry, get used to it

“Companies are experimenting with new ways to nickel and dime gamers.”

10 Computer Games | February 2007

he circa-1998 dot.com buzzword-compliant concept of “micropayments” finally became viable in 2006. The original premise went something like this: In order for there ever to be a profitable “World Wide Web”—as we called it back when we were all sitting in our new, shiny, paidfor-with-absurd-amounts-of-venture-capital-funds Herman Miller Aerons—there needed to be a way to charge people for visiting websites. You’d click a link and transparently pay some tiny amount of money for the content you were freeloading. The problem back then was that Visa and Mastercard aren’t too keen on thousands of one-penny charges. So, many dot.bombs came and went trying to create “Internet money” to solve this problem. Remember Beenz? Flooz? No one else does either. Despite the aura of failure surrounding micropayments, Microsoft forged ahead with its points system that facilitates small transactions for the brilliantly designed and executed Xbox Live Marketplace. Money is abstracted: You don’t spend $10 on Zuma; you spend 600 “points,” which you purchase in bulk. This gets around the whole “You can’t have too many small charges” issue. At its launch and for most of its first six months of existence, you could only spend points on retro games and some silly skins and icon themes for the 360 interface. (Who wouldn’t want to spend $2 so their 360 can look like Kameo?) Now companies are experimenting with new ways to nickel and dime gamers. Bethesda famously charged for “horse armor” for Oblivion, to near-universal cries of “rip-off.” (Why is it a rip-off? If the armor’s so useless, there’s no reason to purchase it in the first place. Doesn’t that kind of solve itself?) Electronic Arts tried something different, releasing a set of video strategy guides for its latest NCAA and Madden editions. For 160 points ($2), you can purchase a five-minute tutorial on running, passing, defense, etc. Some pundits immediately called this a “scam,” which implies that the people spending the money were duped. Maybe the videos are a waste of money—by most accounts, they’re pretty lame—but something sucking isn’t the same as someone trying to pull a fast one. Are there free ways to get tips? Sure, we all worship at the altar of GameFaqs. But does every sports fan want to wade through 10,000 words of text in order to figure out how to play defense? Whether we like it or not, micropayments and à

la carte gaming are a new business model with which companies are experimenting, and we will all determine how far it goes by voting with our wallets. If the guides are a waste of money, no one will buy future ones. Maybe some people value their time more than $2. It’s merely another option. Let’s consider some other scenarios already being played out on Xbox Live. Lumines Live is available for 1,200 points ($15). It’s the basic game, and probably enough for someone looking for something to play between games of Bejeweled and Uno. Ah, but an advanced mode is available for another 600 points, adding “Mission,” “Puzzle,” and “Vs. CPU” modes. Additional levels for each of those modes can be had for more points. So purchasing every option ends up costing about $37, which is $2 less than the original version cost for the PSP last year. Is breaking down games into components and charging for them individually or collectively inherently bad? Take PC games like Splinter Cell: Double Agent and Dark Messiah Might and Magic. Both have elaborate single-player games and unique multiplayer modes. They even have two separate executables and menu interfaces. What if you were uninterested in multiplayer and had the option to purchase only the single-player game? Or what if you and your friends just wanted to play one another online? Why not charge $30 for the singleplayer version, $20 for the multiplayer only, and $40 for both? These are interesting developments in gaming. More choice is a good thing. And as long as we don’t end up spending more money in the end— which is definitely something to watch out for— it’d be unfortunate if everyone dismissed them entirely before giving them a chance. Switching gears a wee bit, it’s time to get all PBS on everyone. Consider this a small plea asking for your help in getting the word out about the magazine. It’s getting harder for a small, independent magazine like this to compete with all of the big dogs out there. If you dig the magazine, please pass it on to someone else who might like it enough to subscribe. Or if you find something in it worth talking about on your favorite message boards, talk about it. And if you don’t like it enough to recommend it, I hope you’ll send us some of the reasons why. If you remain silent, we could end up with another entertainment section. And no one wants to see that happen. ■

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“Such profundity! It reminds me of something Oscar Wilde would have said were he in present-day attendance.”

The Valentine Effect

Same-o-Quest I enjoyed Cindy Yans’ column about the woes of repetitive battles in MMOs in the December issue, but I wanted to comment on Seed. I played the game when it was released because it seemed very creative and open to what the community would make of it. However, what I found was a bug-ridden P.O.S. that crashed every five minutes and had literally no instructions on how the basic game mechanics worked. I think this scared a lot of players off, me included. That’s the biggest challenge “out-of-thebox” MMO designers face today. EVE is successful because it runs and doesn’t crash. I think MMO gamers are ready for something that isn’t a rehashed grindfest, but it needs to launch with the capabilities to allow new players to play continuously for more than five minutes at a time first. Michael Goetz

Kelly Wand’s December column hit home with me like no other article I’ve read recently. I work on an assembly line at an automobile sub assembly plant that might be slightly more exciting than stamping out license plates in a penal institution, but it does give me a chance to be introspective. His comment concerning downtime, “We tamely accept the waiting as a given,” was a bullseye. Despite the fact that it takes an hour to form a group and another 15-20 minutes to fly to the instance and buff up and all that jazz, I ponder which instance in World of WarCraft I’m going to tackle that night a dozen times a day at the factory. And as far as gaming giving us more leisure-filled youth, but at the expense of our youth, such profundity! It reminds me of something Oscar Wilde would have said were he in present-day attendance. Mr. Wand’s article forced me to take a step back and analyze my own reasons for gaming. For me it’s a simple answer: It’s my chance to step out of the phenomenal world and into the land of the sublime.

Tinkers’ Toys Tom Chick’s December column crystallized for me why I have never been able to enjoy console gaming since I became a PC enthusiast. Chick’s connection between cars and gaming consoles was both humorous and enlightening. My PC has undergone numerous iterations over the years, all for the purpose of improving my gaming experience. But much like my cars over the years, my consoles collect dust and are unceremoniously replaced. I’d much rather spend a couple of hours tweaking my videocard or my dxdiag utility than playing a console game, and I’m glad someone out there understands that seemingly strange choice. Thanks for producing such a high-quality PC gaming magazine for the discerning PC gamer, and thank you especially for Tom Chick’s constantly engaging contributions. Dave Laster

16 Computer Games | February 2007

Kelly, you make me glad I’m a subscriber. Thank you. Edward Burton

Hello, Industry, It’s Me, an Adult The December editorial by Steve Bauman was almost exactly what I’ve been thinking over the last few years. I’m over 40, gainfully employed, have my own condo, truck, friends, and horse, yes, an actual life. But I like my computer and spend time online, as opposed to watching television, as so many others my age seem prone to do. I’m not a “serious” gamer, and I don’t have the time or the inclination to play online MMO death matches. I am not fond of trash talking to other players, dissing noobs, or pk-ing. I like my Diablo II and Civilization, Popcap games, Pirates!, and I hope to soon have a computer that can play Railroads!. I don’t want to play games that require hours of time in great huge chunks, or massive investments of money and technology. I want to be entertained. My ideal game would feature something like exploring a randomly generated map,

some minor puzzle or enemy, or perhaps building something. Why do all the games on the market seem to be fighting games? What happened to thinking? Am I going to always be playing Bookworm and Bejewelled? I too don’t fit the profile of a 25-year-old male, and have money to spend. I am, in fact, female, with a degree in anthropology. How about something on the subject of archaeology that doesn’t involve someone stealing stuff from a site? How about something really good about horses, with decent animation? (All this talk of physics and such in games, and not one has a halfway decent animation of a horse. The dinosaurs and dragons have better articulation than any of the horses in games, and horses are there for the developer to go see!) Anyone with a real job knows that you have enough stress and conflict in that actual job to cause serious health problems, even if you don’t have an actual physically demanding job, which is even more stress. Why would mature, adult, intelligent persons want more of that as entertainment? A little challenge, perhaps, but please, no more stress. Some kind of underwater exploration, say a virtual tour of Atlantis, a treasure hunt for sunken galleons, actual footage of the harbor of Alexandria? I know, none of these will sell to the “I don’t wanna grow up” guys of the usual target audience, but I’m still looking for something like that. And if I really want a challenge, I’ll play Zuma. Andrea McKee

Convergence Hi, I must say that the quality of the articles is fantastic in your magazine, and [I] would really like to thank Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire for their December column on convergence, which as it happened corresponded perfectly to my Telecom class. That being said, I’m tired of “next-generation” myopia. These consoles aren’t going to change the way we view the world; give me one that allows me to beat it fiercely when I get frustrated with this current state of stagnation, please! neoafrot

LEGO Star Wars II I object to the “again” in the subtitle to the review of LEGO Star Wars II! Speaking as one of these “wild and deranged” original trilogy “fanboys,” I don’t think you should be

implying that the original movies were ever not fun. There’s a reason Star Wars was a success and is one of the top movies of all time. There’s a reason people were disappointed by Special Edition changes and the prequel trilogy. Then again, LEGO Star Wars II does indeed make it even sillier. And while the cutscenes are way too sparse, the Luke/Vader scene pretty much makes up for it. I laughed. I cried. I had fun. I forgive consoles. Yes, please do get a controller to play it. GyRo

Retro When I got to the end of the most recent issue of your magazine, I remembered why I initially thought it was going to be a good choice. Someone my age recommended it based on the quality of the articles. I went online and subscribed after checking out a couple of magazines at the newsstand. The topics discussed in the “Insider” section were totally delightful to read. What other game magazine has material to appeal to my son (16) and me (50)? I can’t think of any, and we subscribe to several. I can honestly say that yours will be the only one that I will continue to subscribe to long after my kids are gone. I get honest reviews of games. I get totally creative and original commentary on game design and construction. And the writing entertains me and gets me thinking. The only thing I would suggest is that you add a section on retro games. I enjoy the magazine Retro Gamer and subscribe to it. It would be great if we had a magazine similar to that here in America, or maybe a small section in your magazine on what older games are still worth taking a look at (the classics). It would be great to see a discussion on the modern games they influenced. Lorraine Figueroa

ERRATA In the “Video on a Budget” roundup in our December issue, the 3DMark05 benchmarks for the XFX 7900GS and GT cards were mislabeled. The chart showed their relative performance correctly, but the correct scores should have been as follows: 6394 at 1280x1024 and 5500 at 1600x1200 for the GS, and 7846 at 1280x1024 and 6121 at 1600x1200 for the GT. We regret the mix-up.

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SPEAKOUT

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

Why I Play “H by Patrick Carlson

ow many of you have played a computer game eight hours straight?” It isn’t often someone asks this question, let alone a college professor with a Ph.D. Nevertheless, there I was, sitting in my Learning and Motivation Psychology class, where the professor was trying to explain different types of reinforcements and punishments. After he’d asked who in the room had played one, two, four, and finally six hours straight of games, almost all of the hands that had been up were down.

them laughing even more at that comment. But that wasn’t the reason either. Why do I play games so much? I cleared my throat and tentatively opened my mouth. “Because they’re fun. Games let you experience novel situations and solve problems the way you want to. It’s the sheer act of playing and experiencing the game that’s entertaining.” My eyes drifted to the floor, as I waited for an onslaught of laughter and snickering. But it never came, and I looked up to see my professor nodding his head in agreement. “Playing games is an intrinsic reinforcement,” he explained. “The act of playing the game reinforces the behavior.” I started to relax. He continued, explaining the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcement, but I was already lost in thought. So, that’s why I played so many games in high school. My parents would often tromp up the stairs to my bedroom to see me glued to the computer screen, playing the latest game. They would stand in the doorway, criticizing the amount of time I was spending—not at the expense of my grades, but of my social life. However, I was an adult, and, as much as they tried to convince me, it had little effect. I like to think that playing games has made me a more intelligent and thought-provoking person. Turn on any TV, and one is bound to see someone criticizing games for being too violent or having objectionable content. While in some cases I think this is true, I wish people would look at the big picture. Sure, there are a couple of fairly violent games, but what about the hundreds of great games out there that stir up the thoughts and emotions of the players? It can be very difficult to see the tangible benefits of playing a computer game, but they are there, just hidden in our minds. I don’t get much enjoyment out of playing a game hour after hour just to get on some highscore list online. Sure, you can brag to your friends, but the real enjoyment should come from simply playing the game itself. As I’m sure many of you have done, you can sit at the computer playing for hours on end and not realize it. We get lost in the world, in the situation, in the character, and in the problem. This sounds a lot like real life, but it’s much simpler. There are goals and instructions, and the pattern or formula for winning any game can be learned over time. In no other entertainment medium do visceral visual stimulation and intense cognitive thought create such a unique blend of content and excitement. Who knew a psychology class could be so interesting? So if you haven’t taken a psychology class, try it. You might learn something, not only about other people but about yourself.

“My parents would often tromp up the stairs to my bedroom to see me glued to the

computer screen, playing the latest game.” Finally, when he asked about eight hours straight, my hand was the only one up. I started to blush, not knowing where this set of questions was going. The professor turned and looked at me with a slight grin on his face. “Why would you spend eight hours playing a game?” he asked. The whole room seemed to be watching me. What kind of question was that? I started to get more nervous. “Because I enjoy imagining myself as the Roman Emperor and General of a grand army and economy, the likes of which the world has never seen”? Yeah, right. There goes my social life. Honestly, though, that’s not the reason. I thought about the question some more. “Because I have extremely quick hand-eye coordination that allows me to rush into a crowded room, shoot a bunch of terrorists, and rescue the hostage”? I could imagine

18 Computer Games | February 2007

Do you have something to say? So say it! Send all topics and/or completed articles of no more than 800 words to editor@cgonline.com. Articles may be edited for space, or because we want to justify our existence by chopping your piece into little bits.

Russian developer GSC Gameworld works (literally) in the shadow of Chernobyl while putting the final touches on the long-in-development S.T.A.L.K.E.R. BY ADAM PAVLACKA 20 Computer Games | February 2007

f you mention the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to most gaming fans, you’re likely to get responses ranging from “What’s that?” to “Hey, didn’t that game come out already?” to “That’s still being made?” The confusion is understandable, if only because of the game’s ultralong development cycle. To provide a glimpse of exactly what’s been going on with the game since its public debut in 2002, publisher THQ invited journalists to Kyiv, Ukraine (aka “the city formerly spelled Kiev”) to visit developer GSC Gameworld. Best known for the Cossacks line of strategy games, GSC has managed to stay under the radar ever since its inception in 1995. In a way, the company owes its entry into the game world to Blizzard, or at least to WarCraft II. The company tried to pitch a sequel to Blizzard as one of its first gaming projects. “We actually took out all the graphics in WarCraft II and created ‘WarCraft 2000,’” says Oleg Yavorsky, director of public relations at GSC. “Our CEO showed it to some Blizzard guys, and of course they were offended. So we wanted to focus on our own direction and that was the start of Cossacks development.”

Work on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. began in 2001, with a 2003 release date. At the time, it featured a futuristic setting. A staffer brought up the idea of setting the game at Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. After some discussion, the team decided that the two would be a perfect fit, especially given the rich history surrounding the disaster and the simple fact that nearly everyone on the team had literally grown up in its shadow. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s story-line is influenced in equal parts by history and the Russian film Stalker. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and released in 1979, the film tells the story of a mysterious Zone near an unnamed city. Inside the Zone are unnamed dangers but also the promise of great riches. Only a gifted few, the “Stalkers,” can safely navigate the Zone, so they are hired as guides by those who wish to explore the Zone’s hidden treasures.

The plot of the film could also be a description of what happened outside Kyiv after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded on April 25, 1986. A 30-mile exclusion zone was set up around the disaster area, and everyone except the clean-up workers was prohibited from entering. An entire city, Pripyat, was evacuated and now sits as a ghost town. It is a silent reminder of the more than 50,000 who used to live there. “The idea appeared because we are living not far from Chernobyl,” says project lead Anton Bolshakov. “The sarcophagus is not more than 100 kilometers away, and looks great as a prototype for a game or a movie.” Those who were evacuated had to leave quickly, leaving everything behind. Since they were prohibited from returning to the irradiated zone, the evacuated families often hired freelance stalkers to run into the exclusion zone, retrieve wanted items from homes, and quickly return. Although the real-life stalkers did not have to worry about the otherworldly vortexes that threaten players in the game, the men who offered the service were facing an invisible danger that was just as deadly: radiation exposure.

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Merging fantasy with reality brought the story of the game to where it is today. According to the game’s plot, there was another explosion at the Chernobyl site in 2006, and it created a dark and dangerous area known only as the Zone. Littered with hazardous anomalies, alien creatures, and valuable artifacts, it has become a source of worry and of interest. As scientists attempt to study the Zone’s effects, the military is trying to contain its spread. And you? Well, you just happen to be one of the hired hands, one of the stalkers, who make a living by running into the Zone and grabbing key items in order to help solve

the mystery as well as stay alive. “We wanted to create a different kind of idea for the gameplay, where you’d have an open-ended world, plenty of opportunities and freedom of action,” says Yavorsky. “Not a typical corridor-restricted first-person shooter.”

The key to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s open-endedness is the A-Life system that was designed for the X-Ray engine powering the game. ALife ensures that the world always feels “alive” by feeding hostile creatures and NPCs into the environment in a natural manner. Rather than simply “spawning”

Reality Versus Virtuality To capture the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., the team at GSC spent hours documenting the real-life buildings at the Chernobyl power plant and the abandoned city of Pripyat. The specific layouts have been altered for gameplay reasons, but the architecture and general feel of the environments bear a spot-on resemblance to their real-life equivalents. Wandering through the city of Pripyat in the game is not far off from looking at the abandoned buildings with your own eyes. Even the town’s iconic Ferris Wheel appears in the town square in-game. “Playing the game really creeps me out, because it gives you the feeling of actually being out there,” comments Sharp. “I think the game captures that.” The sarcophagus protecting the ruins of Reactor Four (the one that exploded that fateful day in 1986) also makes an appearance in the game, and its likeness is nearly picture perfect when compared with a shot of the reactor in real life.

new creatures in an area of the Zone, the ALife system allows them to feed into an area by wandering over from an adjacent one. This means that, once a player clears an area, it won’t necessarily remain clear. Returning a few hours later will reveal new creatures in residence, some of which may not even be native to that section of the game. “A-Life is an AI module which takes care of controlling every single character living within the entire perimeter of the game,” says Bolshakov. “On a global level, this system takes care of coordinating conflict between different factions of stalkers and monster packs migrating.” In order to ensure a smooth story-line, major events are still scripted, so a player on a mission won’t have to worry about a necessary NPC wandering out of sight and into a new area. However, once a mission has been completed, the “lock” on that section is removed and the A-Life system is given control. “The idea behind the A-Life system is to create the feeling of a living and breathing world,” says Bolshakov. “Everything that happens in the world outside the story component is not linked to the player. He is simply a part of the events going on in this simulated world.” That simulated world plays out in another way, as players are not the only stalkers in the game. There are plenty of others, and each is competing with you in some way. When dealing with merchants, for example, you may not be the only one sent out on a mission, so a simple fetch quest can turn into a combative run. Buy and sell prices for items also fluctuate, depending on what is available in the world.

Visually, the game has evolved quite a bit since its first public showings, in part because of increasingly powerful hardware and a shift from DirectX 9 to 10. While it doesn’t have the visual impact of Crytek’s upcoming Crysis, it’s no slouch. Texture detail is high, movement is smooth, and accurate visual effects are everywhere. One of the biggest dangers in the Zone is the energy vortexes, which manifest as shimmering, transparent blocks. Keeping a quick finger on the trigger is necessary for survival, but it isn’t the only thing players have to worry

22 Computer Games | February 2007

“American developers are spoiled. People came in wanting to be the rock star, and it was more about the fame and the money than the game.”

NEWSBYTES

–Dean Sharp about when adventuring through the Zone. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. also has some role-playing elements, including equipment balance. Not only do you have to worry about the equipment you carry, but also about the weight. If you pack on too much gear, your stamina starts to wear down from the overload. The trick is to keep the load lean and mean, taking only what you need. The single-player experience is the meat and potatoes of the game, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R. also has a multiplayer component that blends traditional deathmatch with the credit and weapons purchase system found in Counter-Strike. Both teamplay and solo modes are available, though the elaborate co-op game has been ditched.

QUOTABLES

It looks as if the pieces of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are finally falling into place. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the game is simply convincing gamers that the experience is more than “just another FPS.” For Dean Sharp, the American overseeing the project for THQ, another challenge has been coordination. Sharp, who relocated to Kyiv for the game’s final stage of develop-

ment, has teams from around the world working on specific parts of the game. “It’s brutal,” he says. “We’re working with a group in Australia. We have a group in Poland. There’s New York offices, there’s California offices. My day is never-ending.” Aside from the crazy work schedule, Sharp says the biggest challenge of working in a foreign country is the lack of simple conveniences that Americans are used to. In his case, the item of desire is peanut butter. “Every time I come back [from the U.S.], I come back with two suitcases full of the stupidest stuff,” he says. “You can’t get frickin’ peanut butter here. And I would kill for a clothes dryer.” Sharp is impressed with GSC and its work environment compared with ones in the States. “American developers are spoiled,” he says. “A lot of times people came in wanting to be the rock star, and it was more about the fame and the money than it was about the game. GSC is very businesslike. There’s no plants or whiteboards all around. It’s basically desks with computers sitting on top of them.” For GSC, it’s all about the game. ■

“Basically what you have is a large portion of the population, mostly younger people under the age of 45, who don’t deal with reality. Ever. So they don’t know what day it is; they don’t know what temperature it is; they don’t know what their neighbor looks like. They don’t know anything because they are constantly diverted by a machine. Now what this does is it takes a person away from reality because they’ve created their own reality. The problem with this stuff is that some people can deal with it constructively, but other people get addicted to it, just like opium, just like drugs and alcohol. So, this is a big, big problem. It’s going to change every single thing in this country.” –Professional pundit Bill O’Reilly sticking it to technology from the “no spin zone.” This rant was purchased in podcast form from his website, which may be ironic.

“If you’d ask people if they’d like a PS3 or nothing at all, they’re gonna say, ‘I want a PS3!’” –Sony PR boss Dave Karraker passing the “Well, duh” test.

Dreamcatcher Gets Wood—JoWood, that is. The Austrian publisher JoWood has acquired Dreamcatcher Interactive, publisher of thousands of adventure games under the Adventure Company brand, and a little game we tend to like in these parts called Painkiller. Why didn’t everyone buy that game?… The Politicians Are Winning—Even though anti-game legislation keeps getting smacked down in the courts, politicians are winning the hearts and minds of the public with their rants. According to a survey of over 2,000 “regular” folk, playing Grand Theft Auto has more influence on behavior than watching Natural Born Killers. Of people that don’t play, a full 77% feel that some games should never be released due to their content…. Christian Groups Attack Christian Game—The Christian Alliance for Progress and other Christian groups say that Left Behind: Eternal Forces [reviewed on page 68] promotes religious intolerance and violence. Rev. Tim Simpson told the Jacksonville, Florida Times Union that the game promotes “faith-based killing,” which actually sounds kind of cool…. Namco Brings Hell to the Devil—Namco Bandai will co-publish the kinda anticipated (by everyone who likes games) Hellgate: London with Electronic Arts. EA will handle marketing, sales, and distribution in North America and Europe, while Namco Bandai will handle novels, toys, manga, comics, and other fun things….

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NEWSBYTES

PREVIEW: ___________: ___________ of ___________ ___________ OCCUPATION PLURAL NOUN

NAME

ADJECTIVE

This ___________ ___________/adventure will offer ___________ graphics ADJECTIVE

NOUN

ADJECTIVE

and a(an) ___________ world to explore Gears of PC Wars—A photo of a “Games for Windows” kiosk that appeared in PC Gamer started a flurry of rumors that the acclaimed Xbox 360 release Gears of War was headed to Windows. Microsoft shot it down on its Gamerscore blog: “These images were created using draft templates for the Games for Windows box art and a variety of Microsoft Game Studios cover images. Gears of War was accidentally included to show what our retail setup would look like.” Still, don’t be surprised to see a Windows version in 2008 or 2009…. Free Trains—As part of the promotion for Sid Meier’s Railroads!, 2K Games has made the original Railroad Tycoon available for download, in all of its DOS glory. You can find it at 2kgames.com/railroads. Whoo whoo?… Training Your Brain—See, games can be good for you. Doctors are experimenting with using videogames to treat Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. S.M.A.R.T. BrainGames has developed the S.M.A.R.T. Home System, which hooks up to a console and rewires your kid’s brain while he or she is playing Ratchet and Clank. It’s an alternative to how they used to do it in the old days, with good old brain chemistryaltering drugs. For more info, check out smartbraingames.com….

24 Computer Games | February 2007

ADJECTIVE

Most ___________ let you ___________ a character through a world while VERB

PLURAL NOUN

. _____________________ ___________ that drop fabulous ___________ PLURAL NOUN PLURAL NOUN

VERB WITH “ING” AT THE END

The genre has a(an) ___________ history, including such gems as ADJECTIVE

_____________ Presents: ___________ 3D. MOVIE TITLE

FAMOUS PERSON

: Now, ___________ studio ______________ is ready to deliver ___________ NAME NAME OF YOUR CAR

COUNTRY

. Set ___________ of ___________ ___________, also known as ___________ ACRONYM OCCUPATION

ADJECTIVE

PLURAL NOUN

in the ___________ world of ___________, it will offer ___________ hours of NUMBER

LOCATION

ADJECTIVE

adventure spanning ___________ level(s). NUMBER

___________ was The game has a(an) ___________ story, but ___________ PERSON IN THE ROOM NAME OF

ADJECTIVE

very tight-_____________________________ about the details. What the BODY PART WITH “ED” ADDED TO THE END

___________ did reveal is that you can choose from ___________ NUMBER

OCCUPATION

___________, and that the AI is “___________ ___________.” ADJECTIVE

ADVERB

PLURAL NOUN

It won’t hurt that it looks great. Powered by the ___________ engine, its EXCLAMATION

to ___________ are ___________, and feature excellent shader ___________ PLURAL NOUN ADJECTIVE

PLURAL NOUN

_. create ___________ water and some very ___________ ___________ ANIMAL ADJECTIVE

ADJECTIVE

PLURAL

If it all comes together as planned, ___________ will live up to its promise ACRONYM

and deliver a ___________ looking, open-ended, and ___________ ADJECTIVE

ADJECTIVE

___________ when it ships in ___________. NOUN

FUTURE YEAR

(WILDLY SPECULATIVE) THETHE(WILDLY SPECULATIVE)

MOST ANTICIPATED MOST GAMESOF 2007

ANTICIPAT AMES 2007 OF

Presenting our annual poorly informed, generally wrongheaded and arbitrary list of games that will possibly be worth posting angry message board screeds over when they inevitably disappoint after you torrent them from your favorite warez site

elcome to 2007. It’s a bold new year filled with the promise of bold new games, or at least a bunch that are just like the best-selling ones from previous years, only with bolder graphics and Roman numerals after their names. Is that cynical? Bitter? Angry? Nope, we’re just keeping it real here, telling it like it is, cutting through the hype, and sticking it to the man. We’ve got your backs, dear readers. We’d take a bullet for you, assuming that bullet came in the form of a game CD and “taking it” meant writing a negative review. With that in mind, here’s our extremely “real” list of “anticipated” games. We’ve figured out a way around the whole “we haven’t played most of these games, much less seen them” problem by scouring articles by the people who have presumably seen and played these games, or who are keeping it less real than we are. We’re cutting through their hype to tell it like it really is, or at least how they think it is. And, oddly enough, there aren’t that many games with Roman numerals after their names…

26 Computer Games | February 2007

Issue #2 Available now

Revisit the first wave of MMOs with TH E

BIG 5: THEN AND NOW; read about adventures in BURN ING CRUSADE; wallow in CORRUPTION AND GREED IN EVE ONLINE; debate the PROS AND CO NS OF PvP; and STRIP off your clothes with THE NAKED TROLL in the second issue of MASSIVE Ma gazine.

YOUR SOURCE FOR MMOs

subscribe today 4 Digital Issues* for $10.99 4 Print Issues* † for $12.99

massive-magazine.com/subscribe Prices in US funds. *MASSIVE is published quarterly. †Bonus DVD included in select issues.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures ANTICIPATED BY CROM

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

PERPETRATOR Funcom, which somehow survived the launch of Anarchy Online. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT

“Age of Conan is an [sic] Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) set in the Conan universe as created by Robert E. Howard.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Crushing one’s enemies, seeing them driven before one, hearing the lamentation of their women, and watching them all drown in lakes of blood. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Killing. Described by Funcom as “the most brutal experience ever seen in an online RPG,” it offers something you don’t often find in MMOs: an unabashedly mature experience aimed squarely at adult gamers. The most original thing you’ll see here, though, is that it’s essentially two games in one. The single-player experience takes you quite a long way before it segues directly into the vastly larger MMO portion, blending Funcom’s experience at adventure game storytelling with the online savvy gleaned from its experience with Anarchy Online. Yeah, it’s got crafting and guilds and socializing, but the reason you want to play it is that the game is striving for the far end of the M-rating. So brutality is the watchword of the day, with specifically targeted body parts in its almost twitch-like melee combat and honkin’ big swords. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? While many dismissed it after its poor launch, Anarchy Online eventually got very good. Assuming this doesn’t launch poorly, there’s reason to be optimistic. The singleplayer portion is a brilliant idea; if you’re not into brutal world PvP, it may give you enough quality gameplay to justify its initial cost. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? GameSpot.com: “Funcom probably could have gone the easy way with Hyborian Adventures and created a simple hack-and-slash affair with little depth. However, it seems like the team has grander ideas in mind for the game, and we’re intrigued to see how all these seemingly disparate parts fit together in the final build.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With us crushing our enemies, seeing them driven before us, hearing the lamentation of their women, and watching them all drown in lakes of blood. And crafting a really great hat.

28 Computer Games | February 2007

Alan Wake Wake Alan ANTICIPATED CURE FOR INSOMNIA

PERPETRATOR Remedy Entertainment, those wacky Finns responsible for Death Rally. And Max Payne. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Set in the deceptively idyllic town of Bright Falls, Washington, Alan Wake places gamers in the role of the best-sell-

ing suspense author, Alan Wake. He escapes to this small town to recover from the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée. In Bright Falls, Wake comes face to face with his darkest nightmares.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT A funeral for the Alan family, which died in a tragic kiting accident. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Beyond what the official site says, Remedy has mostly focused on showcasing its technology, which is mighty impressive. Think large-scale weather and lighting effects, both of which factor into the gameplay. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Say what you will about the Max Payne games—and Lord knows plenty of people have said a lot—but they delivered exactly what they promised: a “cinematic” action/adventure. They remain two of the better third-person shooters for the PC, but you either got sucked into the storylines or spent most of your time laughing at/with them. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? 360 Gamer: “So impressed were we by what was on display, that we found ourselves wandering around the conference muttering ‘Alan. Wake. Game. Of. The. Show’ to anyone foolhardy enough to make eye contact with us.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With our revenge on

Remedy for that baby scene in Max Payne 2; we’re still having nightmares. And then we wake up.

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Assassin’s Creed Assassin’s Creed ANTICIPATED CONSOLE PORT

PERPETRATOR Ubisoft Montreal, creator of Princes of Persia, Splinter Cells, and other fine franchises. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “While other games claim to be next-gen with impressive graphics and physics, Assassin’s Creed merges technology, game design, theme, and emotions into a world where you instigate chaos and become a vulnerable, yet powerful, agent of change.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT A sequel to Rocky that features Apollo Creed’s younger, more flamboyant brother. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT In 1191, you’re an assassin playing all sides against one another as the Holy Land is torn apart by infighting. Think Splinter Cell meets Prince of Persia, with sword fights, stealth, running and jumping around, and “open” gameplay. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Ubisoft Montreal is one of the best developers in the world. Seriously. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? IGN.com: “Even at this early stage, Assassin’s Creed is a safe bet for one of the most innovative and beautiful games of 2007.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With Carl Weathers raising his hands in triumph after watching his son defeat the Pope.

BioShock BioShock ANTICIPATED IRRATIONALLY

PERPETRATOR Irrational Games, which has done a couple of good games you may have enjoyed: System Shock 2 (our 1999 “Game of the Year”), Freedom Force and its sequel, and SWAT 4. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT

“Official Website Coming Soon.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT What happened in high school when we had to dissect a frog. That was nasty. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Hubris. It starts with a plane crash, which leads the player to discover an art deco-looking underwater city called Rapture. It was a utopia for its creator, a man named Andrew Ryan (not to be confused with Ayn Rand), who filled it with the “best examples of mankind.” But after a scientist discovered a species of sea slug that secretes stem cells that can be used to enhance oneself, well… it got ugly. Everyone mutated to become an über-person, and now you get to explore this dilapidated world. Irrational is promising multiple ways of

30 Computer Games | February 2007

tackling most objectives, a detailed storyline, and weapons that won’t break after two uses. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? You have to like the odds. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? GameSpy.com: “Looks to revolutionize (or perhaps reinvigorate) the first-person shooter genre in a number of ways, and it’s a visual stunner to boot. Best of all, it looks like one of the rare action games that you can play over and over again, as it offers the perfect mix of an enormous (and visually appealing) environment and wide-open, do-whatever-you-want gameplay. BioShock looks to be the real deal, and we can’t wait to see more of it.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS In rapturous applause.

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Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Command & Conquer 3: Tiberiu ANTICIPATED CLONE & CONQUER RTS

PERPETRATOR EA Los Angeles, also known as “the place where all of the remaining Westwood Studios guys ended up when EA shut down the Vegas office.” WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Setting the standard for the future of RTS gaming once more, C&C 3 takes you back to where it all began—the Tiberium Universe. The infamous Kane has returned to lead the Brotherhood of Nod in a massive global assault on the Global Defense Initiative and the few remaining Blue zones left on the planet. Only you can stop him. The fate of humanity—and the planet—is in your hands.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Another Command & Conquer. Duh. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT After the success of Battle for Middle-earth II, anticipation for this game is on the rise. It’s kind of old school, in that it goes back to that C&C-style gameplay we all know and love: big, brash graphics, lots of full-motion video featuring people you’ve actually heard of, and a strong emphasis on multiplayer, including new spectator modes and built-in support for VoIP. The 30-mission single-player game brings back Kane as the head of the Brotherhood of

32 Computer Games | February 2007

um Wars Nod as they take on the GDI, just like in the good old days. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Using our new “SuccessMark 2007” benchmark tool, we give it a 57% chance of being an enormous success. But Company of Heroes has really raised the bar for this kind of RTS. WHO’S

ANTICIPATING IT?

GameSpot.com: “EA is looking to update the series with new ideas while at the same time staying true to its roots.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With a mas-

sive rush of tanks.

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34 Computer Games | February 2007

Crysis ANTICIPATED SHOOTYR

Crysis

PERPETRATOR Crytek, makers of Far Cry and possibly Devil May Cry, Crystal Castles, and other games with “Cry” in their names. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Page will launch soon.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Something bad has

happened to the world’s spelling bee champion, causing a massive increase in the number of misspelled brands, logos, and game names. Someone needs to do something, fsat! Cryap! WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Graphics. Lots of pretty, pretty graphics. And taking the good parts of Far Cry and making them better. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? If you could rate a game by its screenshots alone, this is already scoring 47 out of 50 on the drool meter (metric edition, adjusted for Vista and DirectX 10). But here’s the thing: No one in the press really thought Far Cry would be that good, owing in large part to the stigma of “European developer with a pretty engine that produces a mediocre game.” If Crysis is able to replicate those large-scale, open-environment, AI-driven battles of Far Cry and avoid the dull stretches (like when it went indoors), this will be one of the best games of 2007. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? 1UP.com: “Future Prognosis: Awesome. With Crysis, Crytek looks to take everything that was Far Cry, fix the glaring issues, and crank out an even more magnificent final product.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS Our hero

rushes to a console to spell “the” in order to defeat the end boss. Only he types “teh,” and the world falls into chaos. At least until the sequel.

Windows Vista Vista Windows ANTICIPATED BLOCKBUSTER

PERPETRATOR Microsoft, a company of pure evil. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE SAYS

IT’S ABOUT “Windows Vista brings clarity to your world, so you can more safely and easily accomplish everyday tasks and instantly find what you want on your PC.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Gentle, calm, peaceful… WHY WON’T MY F%&@*N USB CAMERA WORK… gentle, calm, peaceful. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT $200-$500 in upgrade costs. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Mark our words: This will be the best action/strategy/RPG of 2007. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? System builders. NVIDIA. ATI. RAM producers. Those Geek Squad guys. HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS In tears for everyone involved.

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Territory: Dragon AgeAge Enemy Enemy Territory: Dragon Quake WarsWars Quake ANTICIPATED BIOWARE GAME

PERPETRATOR BioWare—which, having defected to consoles, returns for one last great PC RPG. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Dragon Age is a blockbuster fantasy role-playing game set in a vast new world created by BioWare. Explore blood-soaked battlefields, ancient forests, and intriguing urban settings. Resist the corrupting power of magic as you discover the abandoned wizard’s tower; then descend into the halls of a Dwarven kingdom. This is a world as real as our own, but where the dark allure of magic ultimately shapes every facet of society. It is a world where willpower and cunning can claim a kingdom! Choose how you interact with the other inhabitants of the world: Your interactions will influence how this immersive world changes in reaction to larger-than-life world events. Build a party of unforgettable companions you can befriend, romance, or simply exploit. Engage in tactically challenging, party-based combat against a cast of diverse opponents. In Dragon Age you will uncover hidden magic, battle horrific creatures, and challenge powerhungry nobles.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Possibly some sort of game where you control some guy in a fantastical land filled with mighty warriors, magic users, and an evil menace that’s about to take over the world. Dragons may or may not be involved. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT We’re pretty sure the official website has it covered. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? That probably depends on how you feel about the BioWare of Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, as opposed to the one that created Baldur’s Gate. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? Games for Windows: The Official Magazine: “The geniuses behind Baldur’s Gate and KOTOR return with their most ambitious game yet!” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS You defeat some evil final creature, which lets dragons take over the world. Their first order of business? Roast all the humans. Oops.

36 Computer Games | February 2007

ANTICIPATED BATTLEFIELD

PERPETRATOR Splash Damage, creator of the sublime Enemy Territory for Return to Castle Wolfenstein and one of the great “mod makers made good” stories in recent history. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “[It’s] the ultimate online strategic shooter: an objective-driven, class-based first-person shooter set in the Quake universe.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Two marketing drones couldn’t agree on a name, so instead of resolving it like adults, Ultimate Fighting Championship-style, they compromised and ended up with this unholy coloned title. Pick one name, dudes. (Not that a magazine formerly called Computer Games Strategy Plus knows anything about this, mind you.) WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Battlefield 2142 or PlanetSide with structure. Add some pretty graphics and new technology from that John Carmack guy, and voilà, instant online shooter. It’s designed for 24 players, and you pick from the humans or Strogg. Each level is made up of multiple objectives, requiring players to work together to take or hold their positions. What’s most interesting about the game is how it generates missions for players on the fly; if one player spots an enemy vehicle, it might create a mission for another, more class-appropriate person to destroy said vehicle. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? It’s certainly not being rushed, having missed multiple release dates. Does that bode well or ill for its future? Who knows? Things have been pretty quiet for a while now… WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? IGN.com: “Enemy Territory has some of the most entertaining objective-based gameplay we’ve played, and the potential for greatness is definitely there.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS In glorious victory for our team, mainly because everyone else is considerably better at this than we are.

Gods &&Heroes: Gods Heroes: Rome Rising Rome Rising ANTICIPATED BY NECROMANCERS

PERPETRATOR Perpetual Entertainment, with the project headed by former Blizzard Diablo II guy Stieg Hedlund. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is a

unique massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the legendary world of ancient Rome. [It] lets you experience all the intrigue and adventures of this epoch in human history by plunging you headlong into a world where Cyclopes, Gorgones, and evil sorcerers roam, the gods are very active—and very jealous—and the barbarians are just outside the gates.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Another epic battle between two marketing people. Seriously, folks, both Gods & Heroes and Rome Rising are fine names by themselves; stop with this compromising colon madness! WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Pets. Gods & Heroes lets everyone control up to eight minions, making it something of a herder simulation. Or, to push it closer to reality, a bit like an RTS. Or, to dial it in even closer, it’s a little like playing the Necromancer in Diablo II. Your minions run around killing things while you collect the loot. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Diablo II was essentially an MMO without the “massively” part, so we’re cautiously optimistic. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? The Armchair Empire: “With all of the MMORPGs that have come along, there have been far too many that have been suckling at the teat of J.R.R. Tolkien, giving the same old thing over and over again, with a fraction of the imagination of the legendary author. While the jury is still out as to whether Rome Rising may be a shining bastion of originality, at least the developers are trying to do something a bit different.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS It doesn’t. It just keeps going, and going, and going… until your death from a million clicks.

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Half-Life Half-Life 2: Episode2: Two Episode Two ANTICIPATED NON-EXPANSION EPISODIC THING

PERPETRATOR The company that just keeps pumping out content at nearrecord speeds, Valve Software. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Coming Soon.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Like Valve actually thought George Lucas was on to something with his awful Star Wars naming conventions. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT A flaw in the idea of “episodic content.” The concept of delivering games episodically is solid; however, when there’s a year’s delay or more between episodes, it becomes something else. What’s a valid length of time to wait to continue a storyline? A month? Six months? Maybe Valve would have been better off splitting Episode One into a few two-hour sections and releasing them every three months. As for the game itself, think Episode I with more open, outdoor environments. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Bet your sister’s life on it. Plus, it includes the new cartoon-y Team Fortress 2 and Portal, a nifty-looking puzzle-like game. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? IGN.com: “Perhaps the best part of the entire show was the front-end menu, where you can choose between Half-Life 2, Episode One, Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress Two. We didn’t even play the game, but seeing five pieces of awesome content on one disc made me more excited than the old Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With a real ending, not another cliffhanger or one of those weird, spacey Star Castle non-endings. Give us some closure, Valve. Please?

38 Computer Games | February 2007

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Hellgate: London ANTICIPATED BY EVERYONE WHO ACTUALLY LIKES GAMES

Hellgate: London

PERPETRATOR Flagship Studios, which is kind of a pompous name until you look at their staff and consider the games they’ve made. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “London 2038: The once great city lies in ruins. A massive, sinister gash in the fabric of our reality gnarls and churns, dominating the horizon as it blends into a permanently darkened sky.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT The start of a franchise. Expect Hellgate: Tokyo, Hellgate: Seoul, Hellgate: New York, Hellgate: Dubuque… WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT We sort of covered this in great detail in our December issue, but all you really need to know is that it has randomly generated levels, items, enemies, and events. There are multiple classes of characters (Templars, Cabalists, Hunters), allowing the combat to play out similarly to an MMO or to a regular action-oriented, twitchy first-person shooter. And you can play it online with friends. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? All signs point to yes. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? 1UP.com: “It’s a pretty safe bet that, like Diablo, Hellgate: London will be one of those ‘it’s fun to play together’ games. And also like Diablo, the addiction level will be ‘unsatiable’ [sic], for as we all know, the quest for phat lewt is one that never ends.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS It doesn’t.

40 Computer Games | February 2007

Hero’s Journey Hero’s Journey ANTICIPATED TRIP

PERPETRATOR Simutronics, which has been making online games since 1987. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “[It’s] the new 3D Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game by the original masters of the genre, Simutronics Corporation. Currently in production with a scheduled 2007 release, Hero’s Journey promises fun, fast-paced action combined with immersive environments and gameplay.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Based on the name alone, the most generic fantasy roleplaying game ever. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT You start a hero from the very beginning; items and weapons “evolve” over time; there’s new content all the time from carefully trained teams of GMs that create it on the fly. When you go on a quest, you don’t just wander around the landscape with a thousand other wannabe heroes, looking for the whatsits placed less than artfully among the world’s rocks and trees. Instead, you go into an instance that is custom-built for that particular quest and your particular level. You get to make choices as you would in an Elder Scrolls or Final Fantasy single-player game. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? The idea of a lot of regularly updated content is kind of the holy grail of MMO designs. The reality is that no one, outside of Turbine with Asheron’s Call, has pulled it off that well. So, more cautious optimism. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? We are: “What’s really attractive, though, is the notion of combining custom-tailored questing with a real live open game world, thus offering the best of the Dungeons & Dragons Online and typical EverQuest/World of WarCraft experiences. You might even call it a heroic undertaking.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With our hero saving the world. Wait, this is an MMO, right? With our hero being one of the thousands who save the world.

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42 Computer Games | February 2007

of the RingsRings Online: LordLord of the Shadows of Angmar Online: Shadows of Angmar ANTICIPATED BY THE POINTY-EARED SET

PERPETRATOR Turbine Entertainment, which has some experience with this MMO thing thanks to Asheron’s Call and Dungeons & Dragons Online. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “[It’s] the world’s first and only MMOG based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Players can experience the most famous fantasy world of all time, exploring and adventuring their heroes through the vast reaches of Middle-earth in the fight against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT That about covers it. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Turbine’s chance at a more mainstream success. Asheron’s Call never really caught on, and, while Dungeons & Dragons Online does some really interesting D&D-like things, it’s a little too far outside the MMO formula for most players. So here we have a more traditional MMO in a world that a couple of people are familiar with. You have your typical fantasy trappings, leveling, crafting, and a truly unique PvP system that lets players be monsters. (We covered all of this in great detail in our November issue.) WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? It looks good; it has some interesting ideas… we’re just waiting to get into the beta. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? GameSpot.com: “From what we’ve seen so far, The Lord of the Rings Online is clearly trying to deliver an authentic Tolkien experience wrapped around a highly evolved, deep online game that should be easy to pick up but hard to put down.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With B1lb0w spawn camping Gollum in Mount Doom.

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PERPETRATOR Zombie Studios, which is pretty much the greatest developer name ever. The company is also responsible for the SpecOps series, Spearhead, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, and Delta Force: Task Force Dagger. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “You play Dick Marcinko, leader of an elite SEAL unit trapped behind enemy lines in North Korea on a covert mission to assess the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. When war breaks out between North and South Korea, you must try to lead your team back into South Korea while greatly outnumbered and with no support and limited resupply. Your journey will take you through a variety of never-before-seen environments inside of North Korea, including submarine pens, shipbreaker yards, prison camps, and more.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT My MMO character. He isn’t a Warrior because he can’t properly tank in a group. But he is a Rogue and has a lot of hit points, so while he deals tons of damage, he can absorb a fair amount too. You should see this new trinket… WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Killing lots of brown people in interesting ways while navigating Communist-y environments. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? You bet. We wouldn’t say otherwise, because we’re not stupid; have you seen that Richard Marcinko guy? He could kill us just by looking at us funny. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? FiringSquad.com: “With a real life former Navy SEAL at the helm, a topical storyline, some impressive AI, the always good-looking Unreal Engine 3, and some ground-breaking new multiplayer options, Rogue Warrior already has us very interested.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS Our mighty Rogue Warrior, his hit points down to 1, does a crit backstab on the final boss, completes the quest, and gets the drop of the Mighty Gauntlets of… wait, this isn’t a fantasy MMO?

Rogue Bus Driver Bus Driver Rogue Warrior Warrio ANTICIPATED DRIVING SIMULATOR

PERPETRATOR SCS Software, creators of 18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin’, 18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy, 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal, 18 Wheels of Steel: Across America, Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel, and Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project. Duke has balls of steel. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE SAYS IT’S ABOUT

“Bus Driver is a realistic simulation of a bus driver’s duty. As a bus driver, you have to drive to a timetable on a planned route, whilst obeying traffic rules, and taking care not to upset or injure your passengers. Bus Driver offers over ten different kinds of buses to drive, an expansive city environment with various districts, and over two dozen routes with varying weather conditions set at differing times of day.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT It may involve buses. And driving. And parking. And pressing a lever that opens a door. The challenge is getting the timing of all of these elements down. Awesome. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Hours of tedium interrupted by brief, explosive moments of tedium. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? It’ll be the best bus driving simulator ever made. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? That creepy dude that lives in the ivy-covered house at the end of the street. HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With 30 high-pitched voices

screaming in terror as our bus plunges over the edge of a cliff to its final resting place at the bottom of a lava-filled chasm. We’re weird like that.

44 Computer Games | February 2007

ANTICIPATED TOM CLANCY GAME NOT ASSOCIATED WITH TOM CLANCY

PERPETRATOR FASA Studio, which is an internal group at Microsoft. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Shadowrun is a team-based first person shooter where ancient magic blends with modern weapons and advanced technology to form a revolution in multiplayer FPS gaming. Should magic be controlled or should it be allowed to enter the world free of interference by Human, Elf, ANTICIPATED WHIPPING BOY FOR RPG FANS Dwarf, or Troll? Gather your teammates and take a side. For the first time ever play together on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista at the same time. Shadowrun. The rules of combat just changed.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Nighttime jogging. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Windows Vista vs. Xbox 360, for world FPS domination. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? We’ll see. Early looks have been less than inspiring. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? Gaming Excellence: “In its current stage, Shadowrun looks like it will be a blast once it releases. Although the depth of gameplay is not really there, and even though it’s online only, the tactical options presented by the spells and purchasing system look to make it look [sic] quite interesting to play. On top of this, the ability to go head to head between PC users and Xbox 360 users is a welcome addition to any game. Microsoft’s Live Anywhere technology will no doubt present added value to both PC gamers and Xbox gamers alike.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS Console/PC wars never end well.

Shadowrun Shadowrun

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Spore Spore ANTICIPATED WILL WRIGHT JOINT

PERPETRATOR Maxis, the not-evil part of Electronic Arts. And that Will Wright guy; he’s made a couple of good games. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “From the mind of Will Wright, the creator of The Sims, comes Spore, an epic journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT The game that’ll finally put the “fun” back in “fungus.” WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Putting the “fun” back in “fungus.” WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Most likely, but who really knows? Will it be fun and game-y like SimCity and The Sims, or overly dry and tech-

ANTICIPATED NUCLEAR WILD CARD

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Shadow STALKER: Shadow of ofChernobyl Chernobyl PERPETRATOR Russia’s own GSC Gameworld. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Join a group of mercenaries, poachers, and thieves as they enter the previously quarantined Chernobyl area in search of artifacts and valuable formations. Known as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, this assorted group carries a variety of weapons and upgrades, including gravitational weapons, telekinesis, telepathy, and grenade launchers. Drive lorries, cars, and jeeps as you explore the expansive world of creatures and changing weather. You enter this zone hoping to make your fortune, but you’ll soon realize that your role is to discover what really happened in Chernobyl all those years ago.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Splinter Cellski. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT This is an interesting game with an interesting development. It seems like it’s been around forever, but THQ has stepped up as publisher and is pushing for an early 2007 release date. What (still) makes the game unique is that it’s slower paced, more of an open-ended survival shooter with missions and some role-playing elements. Multiplayer too, though that’s been scaled way back to fairly standard deathmatch and objective modes. (No co-op, bah.) WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? At this point, who knows? But we’re interested in seeing how it turns out. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? Games Master: “So hot it’s radioactive.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With our character sprouting an extra arm after spending so much time at the Chernobyl site.

46 Computer Games | February 2007

nical like SimEarth and SimAnt? All of the demos thus far have been pretty canned: The demonstrator clicks on a few things; the little microscopic fungus turns into a creature; it eats a few other creatures; it evolves; it forms tribes; it builds cities; it creates civilizations; it builds spaceships. It looks playful, it looks easy to play, and it looks very, very deep. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? The New Yorker: “At a certain point in the performance, the crazy ambition of Spore became clear: Wright was proposing to simulate the limitless possibility of life itself.” And everyone else. Including Creationists and the Flat Earth Society, if only to dismiss it. HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS In Galactic

Domination for our tiny little guys. They’re so cute.

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Supreme Commander ANTICIPATED ORGY OF UNITS

Supreme Commander

PERPETRATOR Gas Powered Games. You may have heard that Chris Taylor, head of the Supreme Commander team, once worked on Hardball. And Total Annihilation. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Set in the 37th century, Supreme Commander signals the next evolution in the RTS genre by being the first strategy game to deliver a truly strategic and tactical experience. You direct one of three warring human factions, the Aeon Illuminate, the Cybran Nation or the United Earth Federation, as their Supreme Commander, the ultimate power on the battlefield. The conflicts you fight are won or lost because of strategies devised and executed by you on the field of battle. It’ll take every ounce of your strategic might to successfully unleash and direct a war machine comprised of hundreds of advanced, futuristic weapons.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT You’re the leader of a group of talented female singers, and it’s up to you to… oh wait, it’s not called Supremes Commander. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Units. Lots of units. Blowing each other up in huge battles on huge maps. Multiple monitor support. Ground units. Air units. Naval units. Big robots. Slick interface. Did we mention lots of units blowing each other up? WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? This is the RTS game people are looking forward to, though, as mentioned earlier, publisher THQ’s own Company of Heroes set a high standard. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? We are: “With airport-sized super-units, dual monitor support, and the most sophisticated UI since the printing press, Chris Taylor’s mouth-wateringly annihil-errific Supreme Commander will totally annihilate your previous conceptions of immensity! With Lasers!” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With the glorious sight of hundreds of on-screen units simultaneously exploding thanks to a well-placed nuke. We’re getting all verklempt here.

48 Computer Games | February 2007

Unreal Tournament 2007 Unreal Tournament 2007 ANTICIPATED MULTIPLAYER COMBAT

PERPETRATOR Epic Games, a tiny upstart responsible for something called Gears of Wars. And those other Unreal things. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT

UT2007_logo.jpg WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Man, are we really up

to version 2007? WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Like you don’t already know.

You have your Deathmatch modes; your Capture the Flags (one now with vehicles). You have Onslaught, with more vehicles. You have Unreal Warfare, with huge maps, some resource management, and the ability to deploy turrets. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? When has Epic (and its various co-conspirators) failed to deliver the goods? WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? PC Zone: “With the best technology, the best graphics and one of the most consistent track records in the industry, it would be a spectacular upset if the next UT was anything other than great.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With our embarrassing defeat

at the hands of a 15-year-old.

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What What Were Were WeThinking? Thinking? We What we anticipated last year, and how they turned out

Auto Assault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★★★½ Company of Heroes Relic hit one out of the park here, and so did we. A bold choice. . . . . . . . ★★★★★ Dark Messiah Might and Magic . . . . . . ★★★ Dominions III: The Awakening . . . . ★★★★½ Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2 . . ★★★½ Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★★★½ Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Another bold choice, as no one expected it to be any good. . . . . . . . . . ★★★★★ Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★★★★½ Gothic 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NOT RATED Heroes of Might and Magic V . . . . . . . . . ★★★ Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II . . . . . . . . . ★★★★½ Mage Knight Apocalypse Good call on this one. ★½ Neverwinter Nights 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★★★½ Out of the Park Baseball Manager 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★★★★★ Paradise “A crushing disappointment.” Another great call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★½ Prey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★★★★½ Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends . . . ★★★★ Star Wars Empire at War . . . . . . . . . . ★★★★½ Titan Quest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ★★★ Warhammer: Mark of Chaos . . . . . . . . . . ★★★ Average Rating ★★★★ Still (Mostly) Anticipated: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Hellgate: London, Hero’s Journey, Huxley, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Spore, Tabula Rasa, Unreal Tournament 2007, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade

50 Computer Games | February 2007

ANTICIPATED BY EVERQUEST FANS

Vanguard: Saga Vanguard: SagaofofHeroes Heroes PERPETRATOR Sigil Games, home of many people who helped create EverQuest. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “Vanguard is a High Fantasy themed Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) with a heavy focus on character development, an immersive world, [and] player interdependence, and which strives to meet the following goals: To lead the next generation of massively multiplayer RPGs by using Sigil’s unparalleled expertise and experience in the field; to lead the next generation of massively multiplayer RPGs by implementing unparalleled static and dynamic content using advanced approaches including, but not limited to: advanced encounter systems; meaningful travel; a detailed and interesting seamless world; advanced immersive gameplay and graphics, and preplanned expansions for both the short and long term health of the game; and to bring back to the genre a challenging and rewarding environment— removing tedium and frustration (which we certainly aim to do) does not mean a game necessarily has to be easy.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT Old-school MMOing. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT It’s very simple: This is oldschool online role-playing from the guy who gave you the original EverQuest. While saying that Sigil wants to avoid tedium, McQuaid has been clear on one thing: He thinks current games are too easy. Vanguard’s appeal, then, is largely to those who view World of WarCraft as “MMO Lite” and who react violently to every player aid added to games like EverQuest II. Vanguard has a strong emphasis on exploration and long lines of sight, a complete elimination of instanced zones (“They take you out of the world”), and an aversion to excessive teleportation. Vanguard wants to blend accessibility with a high degree of challenge, and that’s a niche that’s begging to be filled. And yes, there will be corpse retrieval, so get used to it. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? That may depend on how much you dig a world like EverQuest’s in this world of World of WarCraft. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? PC Gamer: “My brief experience already has me clearing my hard disk in anticipation of its unprecedented 24 gigabytes.” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS With a corpse run.

Warhammer Online: Warhammer Online: Age ofofReckoning Age Reckoning ANTICIPATED WAR

PERPETRATOR EA Mythic, the company formerly known as Mythic Entertainment, which is the creator of Dark Age of Camelot and the hater of IGE. WHAT ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE CLAIMS IT’S ABOUT “War is everywhere in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Drawing from a quarter century of highly detailed source material, [it] will bring Games Workshops’ fantasy world to life in a way that will allow players to create characters destined for great deeds and glory on the field of battle.” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S ABOUT It has something to do with war. And carpentry. WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT Games Workshops’ revenge on Blizzard. It’s no secret that the worlds of WarCraft and StarCraft are slightly indebted to Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. And by “slightly indebted,” we mean “blatant copies.” So here’s a chance to show people the real thing, with perhaps the world’s best MMO developer at the helm. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD? Yes. Dark Age of Camelot gets more “right” than any other MMO out there. Its biggest weakness is its interface and early level-grindiness. Releasing this game in 2007 versus 2001 should cover the interface, and going to a more friendly, World of WarCraft-style quest system will make getting to the good stuff more interesting. The good stuff, in this case, is its player-vs.-player and realm-vs.-realm combat. Those two elements are why people still keep their Camelot accounts around. WHO’S ANTICIPATING IT? We are: “Building on the amazing legacy of Dark Age of Camelot, but this time with a solid PvE game built in from the start, Warhammer Online will let you choose sides and go at it, engaging in as much PvP as you want in ways that are truly meaningful to both the gameworld and you as a player. Add characters that change physically as they gain power, a stellar new graphics engine, public quests, and the entire Games Workshop store of lore, and there’s only one word to describe it: ‘Waaagh!’” HOW THE VERSION WE’RE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN OUR HEADS ENDS An entire nation of people have simultaneous heart attacks and collapse at their keyboards when the servers are turned off for the last time in 2087.

ANTICIPATED IN NAME ONLY You Are Empty ANTICIPATED ANTICIPATION 2 Divine Divinity 2 ANTICIPATED, IN THEORY Battlestations: Midway ANTICIPATED SLOG THROUGH WWII, AGAIN Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway ANTICIPATED BY ELVES Elveon ANTICIPATED BY WORLD LEADERS

Europa Universalis III

ANTICIPATED BY THOSE READY TO PARTY LIKE IT’S 2004 Halo 2 ANTICIPATED AND DELAYED Huxley ANTICIPATED BY THE

SOCIOPATHIC Kane and Lynch: Dead Men ANTICIPIRATED Pirates of the Burning Sea ANTICIPATED BY DIABLO FANS Sacred 2 ANTICIPATED GALACTIC SPREADSHEET Sins of a Solar Empire ANTICIPATED ACRONYM SUN ANTICIPATED BLANK SLATE Tabula Rasa ANTICIPATED MOD MAKER The Witcher

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www.chipsbits.com PC

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade The exciting new expansion to Blizzard’s award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It expands the game by tremendous bounds, adding new races, lands, Battlegrounds, professions and items, and more.

25 years after the Chernobyl disaster, “The Zone” is plagued by mounting energy disturbances, rendering the region lethal to those with even the most advanced equiptment. STALKER’s risk their lives in search of radiated artifacts that command high prices on the black market.

49.99

39.99

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes A vast, seamless, immersive virtual world filled with elements of familiar High Fantasy, including traditional themes and more, all depicted using cutting-edge graphics technology.

49.99

Command & Conquer 3 gets the series back to its roots in the Tiberium universe, with new gameplay features that rewards players for their own unique play styles. All-out war rages over Tiberium and the fate of the planet rests in the balance.

49.99

TimeShift

Supreme Commander

TimeShift transports gamers to a strange yet familiar world where individual rights have been eradicated and a tyrannical leader rules ruthlessly with an iron fist.

Set in the 37th Century you command one of three races as the Supreme Commander with a single goal in mind—to end the 1000 year Infinite War and become the reigning power supreme.

49.99

All images for display purposes only • Prices subject to change

XBOX 360 Two Worlds

Star Trek: Legacy Players become the Admiral of a task force of warships and must lead their fleet to victory in large-scale battles. As the Admiral of the Fleet you choose the ships, equipment, and captains that you will lead into battle.

59.99

Two Worlds combines the extremely dynamic and sophisticated combat system with the meaning and freedom of exploration. It also delivers a strong, non-linear storyline, mind blowing graphics, and stunning combat sequences.

59.99

Forza Motorsport 2

TimeShift TimeShift empowers players with the gift of time manipulation, including the ability to slow down, stop and rewind the world around them, allowing them to move freely while opponents and game objects are frozen in time.

Forza Motorsport 2, the sequel to Microsoft Game Studios’ award-winning, fully-customizable driving simulator Forza Motorsport, speeds its way onto Xbox 360. Buckle up for authentic simulation physics, bonejarring damage, and photo-realistic graphics, as well as licensed tuning and customization options.

59.99

49.99

Crackdown

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Driven to the brink of extinction in ice-covered wastelands, humankind fights to survive, from the deadly elements to the hostile alien creatures known as the Akrid.

59.99

Crackdown pushes the action-driving hybrid genre into the next generation with the first ever truly 3-D playground. Enforce justice by any means necessary in Pacific City, a crime-ridden urban center primed to explode and ready for you to explore.

49.99

Your Source for Games PC • Xbox • Xbox 360 • PlayStation 2 • Nintendo GameCube • Nintendo DS • PSP • GBA and More!

PS3 Call of Duty 3

F.E.A.R. F.E.A.R.™ (First Encounter Assault Recon) is a paranormal action thriller presented entirely in first-person. An unprecedented adrenaline rush of close quarters combat seamlessly melded with the spine-tingling, shocking intensity of the paranormal unknown.

In Call of Duty 3, get closer than ever to the fury of combat as an Allied soldier in World War II’s most harrowing military operation, the Normandy Breakout Campaign. Melee combat and destructible cover bring you face-to-face with German forces.

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Oblivion: Morrowind

Sonic the Hedgehog The most intense, high velocity Sonic adventure yet! Featuring interactive 3D environments, a large cast of new and returning characters, and a blistering sense of speed.

59.99

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas is the fifth title in the Rainbow Six series, and pits players against terrorists who have taken the city of Vegas hostage.

59.99

The fourth chapter in the Elder Scrolls series takes the game to new levels with gameplay and graphical enhancements, and features over 200 hours of play time. The PS3 version includes an additional race, the Knights of the Nine.

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Ridge Racer 7 With a new platform comes new territory as RR7 promises to reinvent itself, allowing players to choose from 40 different machines and over 20 courses. With reversed courses, the total grows to 40, most in the series ever!

59.99

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Wii Disney’s Chicken Little: Ace in Action

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Chicken Little: Ace in Action features Ace, the superhero alter ego of Chicken Little, and the Hollywood versions of his misfit band of friends: Runt, Abby and Fish-Out-of-Water. The crew faces off against Foxy Loxy and her evil Amazonian sidekick, Goosey Loosey, who have an evil plan to take over Earth.

When an evil darkness enshrouds the land of Hyrule, a young farm boy named Link must awaken the hero – and the animal – within. Besides his trusty sword and shield, Link will use his bow and arrows by aiming with the Wii Remote controller, fight while on horseback and use a wealth of other items, both new and old.

39.99

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance In this superhero-filled action-RPG, players assume the roles of more than 20 Marvel Super Heroes including Spiderman, Wolverine, Blade and Captain America, and through their actions determine the fate of both planet Earth and the Marvel universe.

49.99

Metal Slug Anthology The Metal Slug Anthology for Nintendo Wii includes SEVEN games: Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, Metal Slug 5, and for the first time in the anthology, Metal Slug 6!

39.99

49.99

Fry Cry Vengeance As Jack Carver, use the Wii Remote to drive, shoot, slash, jump and climb your way through a rebel-infested tropical hell. Includes elements from Far Cry Instincts Evolution, in addition to a fresh storyline, new maps, characters and equipment.

Call of Duty 3 In Call of Duty 3, get closer than ever to the fury of combat as an Allied soldier in World War II’s most harrowing military operation, the Normandy Breakout Campaign. Melee combat and destructible cover bring you face-to-face with German forces.

49.99

Chips & Bits Inc., 65 Millet Street, Richmond, VT 05477 phone: 802.434.6682 • toll free: 800.699.4263 • fax: 802.329.2135

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www.chipsbits.com PSP Blitz: The League Overtime

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas

Midway goes behind the scenes to bring you lifestyles, controversy, and the nitty-gritty real world of pro football players. Blitz: The League exposes the harsh and troubling, behind–the-scenes stories of a fictional professional football league.

The fifth title in the Rainbow Six series pits players against terrorists who have taken the city of Las Vegas hostage.

59.99

39.99

Shinobido Homura

The Warriors In The Warriors, you’ll play as the leader of a gang that is struggling to regain control of the streets of New York. The Warriors must fight for their lives and learn the meaning of loyalty as danger and uncertainty emerges from the city night.

Shinobido Homura is fairly faithful in its interpretation of Japanese culture and lore. So while it may not have giant enemy crabs, you may be able to attack weak points for some massive damage. The game features 30 playable characters, a wi-fi multiplayer mode and even a level editor.

39.99

Call of Duty 3 Call of Duty 3 brings players closer to the fury of combat as they fight through the Normandy Breakout in a unique shooting adventure for PSP that shows a second side to the events in the console game. Also featured is 4-player multiplayer.

49.99

Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

Features updated gameplay that makes the action faster, shots on goal easier to control, and teammates and opponents more real to life. The game also includes new and updated modes of play.

49.99

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All images for display purposes only • Prices subject to change

PS2 The Shield

Ghost Rider

The award-winning TV show about cops crossing the line ignites in videogame form in The Shield. As Vic Mackey, players will brawl in the streets with dealers, engage in gun battles with thugs, and play politics back in the office.

Ghost Rider drops players into the role of Johnny Blaze, a celebrity motorcycle stunt rider who is transformed into a Super Hero with powers. Ghost Rider will engage gamers in an immersive, supernatural third person world with a seamless blend of hand-tohand combat and high-speed motorcycle action.

29.99

Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

God of War II

2007’s entry in Konami’s massively popular soccer sim. The game features updated gameplay that makes the action faster, shots on goal easier to control, and teammates and opponents more real to life. The game also includes new and updated modes of play.

Rogue Galaxy

39.99

49.99

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Jaster dreams of exploring the galaxy. In a sudden turn of fate, he is recruited into a band of space pirates in a race to find a legendary planet that holds the key to the greatest treasures; all while facing countless battles in an adventure of a lifetime.

39.99

In God of War II, Kratos sits atop his Olympus throne, as the new God of War – far more ruthless than Ares ever was. God of War II sets an epic stage for a devastating mythological war to end all wars.

Legend of the Dragon Based on the animated TV series. Legend of the Dragon is a third person action game with RPG components, which features fantastic martial arts movements from the TV series. Twins fall on opposite sides of good and evil and use magic bracelets to change into half-man, half-beasts.

29.99

Your Source for Games PC • Xbox • Xbox 360 • PlayStation 2 • Nintendo GameCube • Nintendo DS • PSP • GBA and More!

GAMECUBE Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

Zatch Bell!: Mamodo Fury

When an evil darkness enshrouds the land of Hyrule, a young farm boy named Link must awaken the hero – and the animal – within. When link travels to the Twilight Realm, he transforms into a wolf and must scour the land with the help of a mysterious girl named Midna.

Based off the Zatch Bell anime, this fighter features four-player action, but can be enjoyed by single players through its story mode. Zatch, Tio and other characters from the show are selectable and feature in dialogue sequences.

39.99

Family Guy

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Family Guy is a action/adventure game focusing on the lovable oaf Peter Griffin, his world domination-obsessed son Stewie and their talking, martini-drinking dog, Brian.

39.99

Rayman: Raving Rabbids This new Rayman game features the funniest, zaniest, wackiest antics ever when the world of Rayman is threatened by a devastating invasion of demonic rabbits! With the help of magical creatures, Rayman must battle to save his world from the bunnies.

Backyard Basketball 2007 Hit the court with NBA superstar Paul Pierce and other basketball heroes as kids—LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and more.

29.99

Unlimited Rechargeable Wireless Controller Low or dead battery? Plug in link cable & continue gaming! Save hundreds of dollars in batteries! Operation frequency: 2.4 Ghz. Play up to 30 ft. away!

29.99

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XBOX Superman Returns: The Videogame

In Superman Returns: The Videogame, you explore and protect the truly living city of Metropolis – one that is not only expansive (with 80 sq miles and over 9,000 buildings), but also changes dynamically with you as you affect gameplay.

39.99

29.99

The Shield

FPS Master Controller

Designed for next-gen first person shooters. Featuring symmetrical left and right analog sticks, rubber grips, easily programmable buttons and ergonomic shape, for up to 3 players. Gives more control and comfort.

19.99

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Fuel

Freaks Pad: Alien

Ever wondered what a racing game on foot mixed with vehicular racing is like? That’s exactly what you do in Dreamcatcher’s Fuel. Fuel has one focus beyond anything else: allow you to maximize the potentials of a racing experience.

Bred from a Biohazard planet to infiltrate and invade unknowing galaxies and planets. Analog Thumbsticks, 6 Analog pressure sensitive controls, Menu Navigation Buttons, 8 Way Directional Pad, Dual Vibration Feedback Motors, and Expansion Slots for peripherals.

19.99

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29.99

Knights. Cameras. Factions.

The endlessly cinematic Medieval II: Total War is the best movie you can play BY TROY S. GOODFELLOW

RATING ★★★★ GENRE Smite Cities DEVELOPER Creative Assembly PUBLISHER Sega ESRB Teen REQUIREMENTS 1.5 GHz CPU; 512 MB RAM

56 Computer Games | February 2007

HOW WE RATE: ★★★★★ = REALLY, REALLY GOOD | ★★★★ = REALLY GOOD | ★★★ = SORTA GOOD | ★★ = NOT SO GOOD | ★ = REALLY NOT SO GOOD

he Total War series remains the best movie you can play. For six years, gamers have been able to zoom a camera around a CGI battlefield, planning last stands on hilltops or tracking cavalry charges before they smash into the enemy flank. No scripted encounters or overly dramatic cutscenes can compare with the stories Creative Assembly allows you to write as your armies beat down all who would oppose you. These aren’t just excellent games; they’re compelling cinema. And, like much cinema today, Medieval II: Total War is a sequel that sticks to a winning

“There is now variation in individual faces and clothing, so each army looks a little more human and a little less robotic.” formula. Use the real-time battles to hook people on the clash of arms, but yoke it to a turn-based strategic map that gives each of those battles meaning. Add skirmish play and some historical battles for variety, but stick to a single-player experience that is substantially different every time out. The battles have always been the glory of

the franchise, and the ones in Medieval II look even better than they did in Rome, mostly because of the effort to get around the Attack of the Clones vibe that typified earlier Total War games. There is now variation in individual faces and clothing, so each army looks a little more human and a little less robotic. It’s deceptive: If you spend

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[clockwise from above] AI + ladders = confusion at the walls; The AI takes a holiday and 120 knights die; This is what a failed Crusade looks like.

a lot of time up close, you do see doppelgangers and repeated themes, especially in heraldry and headwear. But even a bit of difference goes a long way. There are also different killing blow animations, so beating down the French or Portuguese looks like a real melee, or at least how you think a melee is supposed to look. This is the sort of thing you only notice if you spend a lot of time zoomed in on the combat, but the cumulative effect of all the tiny improvements is to make the battle look more dynamic and alive. The graphical upgrade isn’t the huge leap forward that Rome was, but Medieval II has a lot of polish that makes everything shinier. Forests are thicker, flowers are prettier, and the masses of the dead are massive-er. The weather effects are outstanding. Rainstorms, fog, and blowing sand obscure your vision and limit your targeting options. The omniscient minimap lessens the power the inclement weather could have to affect your gameplay, but it’s still an instant cue that your missile troops will need to be nursed a little more carefully. Though the combat is the big selling point of the series, the real Total War magic is the interaction between this real-time battle stuff and the turn-based campaign. Much of Medieval 2 is just the best of Rome or its expansions. The map, for example, is a sharper and larger version of the European one in its ancient predecessor, expanded to

58 Computer Games | February 2007

include a few American territories so you can take on the Aztecs. Campaigns come in two varieties—long and short—and each state has its own victory conditions. Holding 45 provinces is the big condition for the long campaign, but you have to capture specific cities for the win. So the English and French need to capture Jerusalem, the Holy Roman Empire needs Rome, Spain needs Granada and Jerusalem, etc. The turns fly by, so you need to be aggressive to make the conquests you need. Creative Assembly has reworked the unit recruitment system to get you into bigger battles faster. Each settlement can build up to three units in a single turn, so there is a lot less running around with five or six units or armies trying to pretend they are the masters of the Palatinate. The family tree expands rapidly, so you can usually find a leader for every army, too, or at least someone to manage the peasants. More leaders leading more men means a greater chance that you’ll want to take charge of the battle yourself, in which case you’ll be able to see all the work the developers put into the combat. To keep you from just filling an army with the best units you can afford, there is a city or global limit for some. You may have three recruitment slots in Vienna but be restricted to hiring one feudal knight there. You end

up with a more balanced army as you fill those slots. The variety of armies is further encouraged by the division in settlements. Towns can now be either cities or castles, each with its own advantages and unit lists. Castles provide your best units, especially strong cavalry and armored warriors, but they have a fixed tax rate and limited room for economic expansion. Your cities are the financial backbone of your empire, with an adjustable tax rate and increased commercial options, but they are more limited in allowing you to develop elite armies for conquest. Both can build formidable walls, and you can switch between one form and the other for a price. This system makes the location of your soldier factories an object of careful consideration, especially if you have low coffers or castles too far from the front lines. For the most part, the computer opponent has been improved. It’s now perfectly content to sit and let its missile troops and field artillery soften you up before charging. It makes sensible deployments right from the start, instead of rushing about the battlefield getting all its troops in the proper

[top] This is your world [above] For the next hundred turns, most enemy armies look like this.

place once the shooting’s started. The AI is much more hesitant to give up a strong defensive position and will even wait for reinforcements to arrive before moving out. There are, however, notable lapses. Sometimes your enemy is too content to stand and get pummeled by archers. An isolated unit will advance, retreat, and then advance again to no clear purpose. This phenomenon is rare enough that it doesn’t interfere with the sense of a real threat on the field, but it becomes obvious when something is going wrong. Things get worse for the AI on the strategic map. The computer’s approach to army construction means that, by midgame, enemy forces have a predictable composition, often one completely unsuited to field combat. There is no reason why the AI should be raising armies composed of crossbows, militia, and catapults after 300 years of history, but this is the typical makeup. If you opt for auto-combat versus this offense to sane planning, you will lose in a humiliating fashion, but it’s easy to destroy when you take control yourself. The Muslim nations are more likely to build cavalry, but mounted knights will be a rare enemy, the bodyguard units excepted.

The designers have made the curious decision to limit you to a handful of the 17 playable factions at the outset. Win a campaign and all are unlocked, or just conquer them one by one to make each available. The thing is, a tiny text edit unlocks them all, and there is no significant gameplay reason to encourage people to start with a conventional Western European army. Well, maybe one gameplay reason. The suggested starter nations are all Catholic, meaning you get an early introduction to the power of the pope. In general, religion is just another happiness variable. Your citizens want to have the same faith as their liege. But His Holiness will make demands on his coreligionists, from Crusades to peace treaties. Staying on his good side turns out to be important, since he can excommunicate you, which leads to unrest, diminished loyalty from generals, and maybe an Inquisitor running around burning your leaders at the stake. There’s a lot more, too. You can build merchants and spies and assassins to carry out missions for you. The Black Death depletes armies and cities of needed manpower. Heretics and witches cause trouble in the countryside. Gunpowder contends with archery for mastery of the battlefield. The developers may not have taken many risks with their prize franchise, but they still show you things other games only hint at. The word “epic” is thrown around too much to hold much meaning anymore, but it’s really the only adjective that fits Medieval II. As your generals and priests pick up traits and followers, they become characters in a chivalric romance that you write as you go. Just like Lancelot, you’ll be your own worst enemy, since the rival powers aren’t too swift. But you can still get swept up in the tide of history and race the clock to become master of Europe. Medieval II is a good game a couple of patches away from true greatness. As it stands now, it’s a beautiful, well-crafted experience with some minor balance issues. So long as the single-player game pits you against King Chad the Knucklehead, the full promise of knight-on-knight action will not be met. But fulfillment of even two-thirds of a promise this great is well worth the price of admission. ■

TOP SELLERS

OCTOBER 2006 Sims 2 Pets Electronic Arts ★★★½ 1 The of WarCraft Blizzard Entertainment ★★★★★ 2 World 2142 Electronic Arts ★★★★ 3 Battlefield 40K: Dark Crusade THQ ★★★★½ 4 Warhammer Simulator X Deluxe Microsoft ★★ 5 Flight Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff Electronic Arts Not Rated 6 The of Heroes THQ ★★★★★ 7 Company & Claws Pet Vet Valusoft Not Rated 8 Paws Sims 2 Electronic Arts ★★★★★ 9 The Simulator X Microsoft ★★ 10 Flight Wars Nightfall NCSoft Not Rated 11 Guild Parks Tycoon 2 Activision Not Rated 12 SeaWorld Housewives Disney ★★ 13 Desperate IV 2K Games ★★★★★ 14 Civilization of Empires III: WarChiefs Microsoft ★★★★½ 15 Age Wars Nightfall CE NCSoft Not Rated 16 Guild Star Wars II LucasArts ★★★★½ 17 LEGO of Empires III Microsoft ★★★ 18 Age 4 Deluxe Electronic Arts ★★½ 19 SimCity 2 Nightlife Electronic Arts ★★★★ 20 Sims Source: NPD Group/NPD Funworld. The October list is based on units sold by more than 70 channel partners, representing 90% of the U.S. retail consumer market.

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The Mark of Mediocrity Warhammer: Mark of Chaos delivers some serious combat for diehards, but its wimpy campaign lets it down BY WILLIAM ABNER RATING ★★★ GENRE Warhammer 3D DEVELOPER Black Hole Entertainment PUBLISHER Namco ESRB Mature REQUIREMENTS 2.4GHz CPU; 512 MB RAM

arhammer: Mark of Chaos is something of a missed opportunity. On its own merits, it’s a solid game. But it’s a tease. Its 3D real-time clashes are clearly inspired by both its license and the incredibly popular Total War series from Creative Assembly. But this is no Medieval II [see the review on page 56]. It may be a bit unfair to criticize Mark of Chaos for not being enough of a Medieval clone. Its campaigns, both Empire and Chaos, are fairly linear, unlike the open-ended campaigns that are currently all the rage. You can still get a lot of miles out of this more traditional structure, if it’s designed properly. But that’s the problem: The campaign and mission design in Mark of Chaos aren’t all that exciting. It’s odd that developer Black Hole even bothered to create the lovely 3D Old World map used in the campaign, because you certainly don’t need it. It’s not like you get to go where you want inside the Warhammer world; you’re on a set path, and everything is laid out in front of you. The “turn-based” portion of the game is really a hoax. It’s hard to have such a system when there’s no living enemy also taking a turn. Each campaign presents a different part of the map, with specific combat locations identified. Some battles must be waged, while others are optional. Fighting the optional battles is a good way to build unit experience, but you also run the risk of losing expensive troops. The combat works well enough, but most battles are straightforward fights that move at such a blistering pace they’re over before things start to get interesting. There are a few additional frustrations, like not being able to swap magic items between heroes even while in camp (what is my Bright Wizard going to do with a magic shield?). The only way to swap items is for one hero to drop them during a fight and have the other pick them up, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. What makes the ho-hum campaign all the more upsetting is that the game oozes authentic Warhammer flavor. The developers clearly understand what makes the tabletop game tick. From the amazing intro movie to the solid army lists, this is a game designed by people who know Warhammer. The battles have a grimness to them that reflects the world in which the game is set. There are very few bright colors or triumphant tunes; everything is bleak, chaotic, and exceptionally violent. Controlling your units on the battlefield is a lot like playing a Total War game, but you get the added bonus of flinging a well-

“The ‘turn-based’ portion of the game is really a hoax. It’s hard to have such a system when there’s no living enemy also taking a turn.”

60 Computer Games | February 2007

placed fireball spell at charging Chaos infantry or blasting away at annoying Elves with a Hellcannon. Powerful hero units lead each army, and, unlike Julius Caesar, these guys pack a serious wallop. In fact, army leaders can stop a battle entirely and engage in a duel with another enemy hero. A circle appears on the field, and the heroes battle it out one on one. Heroes and regiments also earn experience and can spend it on special skills that improve their leadership, combat, or dueling prowess. Customizing your heroes in this fashion forces you to make some tough decisions, which is always a plus. While the combat is clearly the highlight of the game, a few

[clockwise from left] The army of Nurgle readies for battle; Skaven and the Empire duke it out; Using the zoomed-out view is the easiest way to control your troops.

stumbling blocks need to be fixed. First off, it’s silly that troops cannot suffer from friendly fire. You should never be able to send your regiment of Halberdiers in to engage some Skaven and still sit back and pelt the ratmen with arrows without fear of hurting your own troops. Thankfully, cannon blasts damage everything in their area of effect, but you’re free to fire at will with everything else. It’s equally silly that flanking produces so few benefits. And attacking an enemy from behind is a basic—and extremely powerful—combat tactic, but here it doesn’t produce the results you’d expect. The extreme speed of the fights makes it hard to keep tabs on what is going on during a huge battle. In a Total War game, an infantry clash takes time to resolve, which allows you time to breathe and survey the field. In Mark of Chaos, combatants drop like flies. A regiment of hand gunners can massacre an entire wall of infantry in two volleys. It’s impossible to deny that the combat is brutally entertaining; it just needs a speed-control setting. Those looking for a rich, deep single-player experience in the

Warhammer world may feel a bit let down, but multiplayer is where Mark of Chaos earns its stripes. You build your army in a similar way to the tabletop game, by point value. The army retinues are a tad weak, because you don’t get the full complement of the campaign’s “minor” races, such as Orcs and Dwarfs. The Empire, Skaven, Chaos, and High Elves are well represented, though. In fact, you can build several base armies for each race. The Empire army of Nuln is a bit different from that of the Ostermark, and that distinction is represented in the game. It’s pretty cool, even if it’s only appreciated by a true Warhammer geek. It would be easier to recommend Mark of Chaos if its campaign were a bit more interesting. Still, it has a lot going for it: its spot-on Warhammer flavor, tremendous graphics, and entertaining and engaging combat. It’s best suited for those who are already familiar with Warhammer, as there is a lot here to make a diehard grin from ear to ear. For everyone else, it’s yet another fantasy-themed strategy game that falls just shy of being something special. ■

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1701 A.D. Trouble in island paradise RATING ★★★ GENRE Archipelago City Builder DEVELOPER Related Designs PUBLISHER Aspyr ESRB E10+ REQUIREMENTS 2.2GHz CPU; 512MB RAM

he problem with cities is that they sprawl, getting big and messy. The challenge of city builder games is keeping up with that inevitable sprawl. It’s one thing to watch a few settlers tending a farm and maybe a weaver’s hut. Perhaps they want a church, or to go to school. How cute. But fast-forward a few thousand people and a handful of tech levels. Now you’re dealing with a new set of problems on a whole different scale, with a new set of rules. The interface and graphics engine have to accomplish something else entirely. It might as well be a different game. 1701 A.D. does the first game very well—

62 Computer Games | February 2007

[left to right] Citizens love it when the beer wagon visits; The analog version of piracy; Fertile volcanic islands make a great spot for colonies… until this happens.

the one about the villagers with a weaver’s hut who want a church. It has scads of charm and personality, and even a shrewd island gameplay model. You’re in an archipelago, where certain goods only come from certain islands. Getting those goods begins as a simple matter of automating a ship (for instance) to sell your excess lumber to the trader and then to swing by and pick up some tobacco from your second colony. This is the cute early stage of 1701. It holds up for a while as a quaint 18th-century version of Transport Tycoon. But, somewhere north of an hour into any given game, 1701 stops getting by on cute. There’s no way to manage resources

other than as hard numbers. Yeah, sure, I have “20 food” in my warehouse, but why do I keep running out? How much is being eaten, and how quickly? There’s no convenient way to monitor supply and demand, which really hurts when you’re figuring out trade. Trade is a lag-intensive operation (these ships are awfully slow), so it’s hard to get a bead on how much of what needs to go where. Unlike Caesar IV, which lets you specify that anything over a certain amount is to be traded, 1701 only deals in absolute numbers. Is 10 honey enough? Why can’t I tell my ship to wait until there are 20? Or is 20 too many? As a result, the Transport Tycoon part of 1701 requires constant attention and tweaking. The automated trading is no such thing. There are long stretches of time during which nothing happens. The economy is hands off once you’ve plopped down your buildings— though, ironically, your tax rate is hands on. To optimize your gold, which is the main resource, you need to click

on various houses to set a little needle on a continually shifting scale of happiness levels. Happiness is largely a matter of how upwardly mobile your citizens are, which results in a shifting scale of resource demand. Your economy may suddenly implode when you don’t have enough chocolate, because you were busy building up your alcohol before you could get ready for the inevitable chocolate demand. And woe to the colony that has to rebuild after some calamity. There’s no way to get an overview of your economy. What were those smoking ruins before they were destroyed? What’s missing? Where are my cattle farms? Do I have enough ore smelters? Once you’ve resigned yourself to the vagaries of this obtuse economy with its bad interface, there’s a lot to see and enjoy in 1701. The graphics engine is nothing if not lush, perfectly suited to the sights this game needs to show you: tropical islands, fancy water effects, dramatic disasters, ships sailing to and fro, detailed, ornate cities, a smattering of bustling citizens, the occasional marching band, and even fauna. Hey, look, it’s a gorilla! Why couldn’t Sid Meier’s Railroads! look this good and run this smoothly? Your archipelago is populated with cute characters representing the locals and the vying imperial powers. There’s a quaint worldview of natives as people you trade with until they like you enough to give you a secret power. The Queen is a benevolent overlord who will give you independence as a victory condition if you can make a fancy enough island with a palace (what kind of independence requires a palace?). There are pirates, who are nuisances at first. They eventually start messing with your trading ships, which means you have to build warship escorts. Armies are silly diversions that you’ll probably want to avoid if you can help it. As is typical of city builders, combat is mainly a hands-off resource sink. An RTS this ain’t. But it is a cute game until it isn’t, so enjoy it while you can. With flexible set-up options, cleverly scripted scenarios, and even multiplayer support (not that it’s any good as a multiplayer game), these islands are a great place to visit. You just wouldn’t want to live or do any long-term business there. –Tom Chick

STARSTRUCK Everyone has an opinion, and some aren’t afraid to share it on websites. Since no one trusts the press, here are some “real gamer” reviews of some recent releases, in their own words, with their own unique interpretations of the English language.

Gothic 3

FRONT OFFICE FOOTBALL 2007 Spit and polish on an old classic

RATING ★★★★ GENRE Spreadsheet Football DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER Solecismic Software ESRB Not Rated REQUIREMENTS Very little

t’s been nearly three years since Solecismic Software updated its popular Front Office Football text simulation. The 2007 edition isn’t a monumental upgrade. It still looks pretty much the same, and, although the interface is better in certain areas, its spreadsheet-style design is not going to win any awards for presentation. It’s the meat of the game—namely the AI, stat tracking, and simulation engine—that makes it worth your while. Front Office Football 2007 takes a lot of the niggling complaints from the 2004 edition, fixes them, and tosses in a few cool features for good measure. One of the significant additions is “Solevision.” It’s a sort of real-time ticker that allows you not only to see the scores around the league while you’re reading the text of your own game, but also to jump into any other game’s playby-play. This feature adds much-needed tension to each week’s games, particularly late in the season when you need a division rival to lose. Another key enhancement is that you can now set your playbook with precise down and distance breakdowns. So, when you’re not manually calling the plays, you’ll rarely see your coach call a toss sweep on third and seven, which was something that happened way too often in older editions. There’s still a certain stodginess to Front Office Football. It’s certainly not as sexy as text games like Out of the Park Baseball, Bowl Bound, or Football Manager, and a few bugs need to be squashed. But, as a sign of its overall success, this is the type of sequel that makes earlier versions obsolete. –William Abner Front Office Football 2007 can be purchased online at www.solecismic.com.

“I was expecting Gothic 3 to be a good game, but I’ve just picked it up and played it a while and what I’ve seen has stunned me. The graphics are great and the music is not to be believed. I actually got stoked while fighting and that hasn’t happened in a long while. Truly, its a contender for game of the year. Pick this up. You will not be dissapointed!”

★★★★★

Left Behind: Eternal Forces “This game has an interesting concept. I’ve read the books, yes all of them. They were amazing. The game graphics are a little out dated, but its just a game based on a boook series in the Christian Fiction Section. so those who enjoy the series may enjoy the game..” ★★★★

Medieval II: Total War “This game is astounding. the level of detail and complexity within the campaign mode is incredible! if you are used to the traditional RTS, don’t expect this to be similar. Most RTS’s are designed with... well, children in mind. There are no health bars. There is no building construction on the battlefield. This game is based on realism and the campaign is deeply socially and politically motivated.” ★★★★★

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Double Agent Man Sam Fisher explores his dark side while skulking around in the dark in the excellent Splinter Cell: Double Agent

RATING ★★★★½ GENRE Sneak-a-thon DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER Ubisoft REQUIREMENTS 2GHz CPU; 512MB RAM; Pixel Shaders 3.0 ESRB Mature

onsidering the frequency of new Sam Fisher sneaky adventures, Splinter Cell should be settling into craptacular Tomb Raider territory by now. But Double Agent, the fourth iteration of the series since 2002, is a high-quality, highly polished adventure like all previous editions, thanks to the stellar craftsmanship of the developers at Ubisoft. Double Agent starts with a mission where Sam Fisher loses his son. After that, he begins to question his cushy government job. Sure, the pay’s great, but what’s it all mean? He turns to drinking and random bar fights. He starts a band. He gets his nose pierced. He browses YouTube all day. He starts playing violent videogames like Splinter Cell. In short, he’s a violent, anti-social mess. But his friends in the government care about his mental state, so it’s off to prison for Sam. It’s for his own good, he’s told. What doesn’t kill you, yadda yadda. It’s actually for a mission: Sam is supposed to worm his way into a terrorist organization by befriending one of the bosses in jail. Sam starts by helping create a diversion for a largescale break-out. From that point, he’s a full-blown terrorist, though he hasn’t earned the trust of everyone. But Sam can’t kill innocents, and in some cases he can’t kill terrorists, either. What’s a stone-cold killer to do? In the case of Double Agent, you play a bit of both sides. You need to balance your trust between the NSA and the terrorist group. Sometimes the two are at odds, forcing you to pick a side (actual moral decisions: what a novel concept). Even with the new “trust” dynamic, the gameplay remains the tried-and-true formula of needing to get from point A to B to C without being detected, or without killing anyone, or by killing everyone in the quietest way possible. Every level is a puzzle, only the design has opened up to facilitate multiple solutions. You can either kill the guard or slip under a table and hack the laptop to get

“The single-player is entertaining, but the multiplayer is off-the-charts cool.”

64 Computer Games | February 2007

the information you need, or you can merely grab the guard by his neck, torture him a bit, and get him to tell you the password. You can avoid almost all of the combat (except in one mission on a ship; this game has a lot of ships for some reason), or you can try to engage every guard along the way. When dealing with civilians, you may want to knock them out instead of knifing them in the back, to appease your bosses at the NSA; as for others, well… they’re just bad guys, so feel free to play Mr. Knifey McStabby and make both organizations happy. Overall, there are fewer absolute fail states in Double Agent. Alarms tend to be localized and to dissipate quickly if you can find a safe hiding place. Even with the missions slightly more forgiving, there’s still a fair amount of saving and reloading to be done on most levels. In between some of the more exotic missions in the field—assuming you think an oil tanker, a skyscraper in China, and various

[clockwise from upper left] Rappel, rappel! Listen in on the meeting! Avoid the helicopter!; The multiplayer game takes Double Agent to a higher level; Into the belly of the beast; What the hell kind of hacking is this?; Sam, dude. Even you aren’t cool enough to pull off bicycle shorts.

other dingy locations are “exotic”—you have a number of timed missions in the terrorist home base. Someone gives you a relatively simple task, which is usually a bizarre minigame (e.g., build mines, hack a password by solving a Sudoku-like Rubik’s Cube). You have 24 minutes to finish this task and a half-dozen “sneaky” ones that are relevant to the NSA. These missions have definite fail states that result either from running out of time or from getting caught hacking a computer or picking a lock. There are a number of optional secondary quests in each mission, and they unlock some special items that aren’t particularly useful on completion. God knows you haven’t seen these locations hundreds of times— one exception being a mission on a cruise ship, which lets Sam showcase a horrible bicycle shorts/goggles combo. But there’s a certain familiarity here that makes it easy to slip into your Splinter Cell groove. One new addition—an overhead map with radar that identifies bad guys—helps you navigate some of the more densely populated levels, but it comes with a catch: The positions lock into place when you’re moving. You have to remain perfectly still for the radar to reset, forcing you to be just as careful as you were when you didn’t have such niceties. The single-player is entertaining, if rather conventional, but the multiplayer is off-the-charts cool. It brings back and refines the “Spies vs. Mercenaries” dynamic of Pandora Tomorrow, but it adds

two players (for a total of six). The Spies need to download some critical data from computers on the map; the Mercs need to find and kill the spies. Spies sneak around in third-person mode, whereas Mercs run around and shoot people from a first-person perspective. Spies can get to areas Mercs can’t, but Spies don’t dare play out in the open and need to be always on the lookout for approaching Mercs. (This is where the PC version’s controls blow away the gamepad for Spies; it’s so much faster to look around with a mouse.) Spies are unarmed but move incredibly quickly, and Mercs have unlimited ammo. You can replace Mercs with ’bots if you wish to play co-op with other people. The quality of the multiplayer takes Double Agent to a higher level than its single-player game can reach by itself. Obviously, it would be better if both modes were more innovative in more areas, but persuading fans to play a game they love in a different way is hard. Ubisoft just executes the hell out of Splinter Cell, and in the end it makes its familiarity one of its strengths: The sight of Sam Fisher is always a welcome one. You don’t come to these games looking for radical, earth-shaking new ways to play: You’re here for the tense gameplay, to get some new gadgets that give you new ways to silently dispatch some very bad people, and to listen to Michael Ironside growl at you. Double Agent delivers on all of those counts. ■

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You can run but you can’t hide, Wesley Snipes! [below] Calamari is a dish best served cold.

STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR: FORCES OF CORRUPTION Scum and villainy

RATING ★★★★ GENRE Anti-Ewok Recruitment Poster DEVELOPER Petroglyph PUBLISHER LucasArts ESRB Teen REQUIREMENTS Empire at War

ver since the company’s inception, LucasArts has bravely faced the hurdle of having to endlessly reenact a handful of movie action sequences filmed in the late ’70s and early ’80s, ones that take up less than an hour of screen time combined. On top of that, it needs to find ways to make those scenes come off as fresh, compelling, unpredictable, iconic, and profitable after 30 years of wear. Petroglyph manages to do just that with Forces of Corruption, its rushed but satisfying expansion to Star Wars: Empire at War. The designers spin out a fair amount of original content. However inconsistent some portions may appear to canon diehards, the expansion manages to introduce a genuinely engaging new playable faction, give the old ones great new toys to obliterate each other with, and otherwise complement and improve on the original game in every way

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that matters. There’s a noticeably un-Lucaslike roughness to the visuals. But, considering its focus is a faction you’ve never heard of, Forces of Corruption gives surprisingly good Star Wars. The fast-paced (if sadly brief) singleplayer campaign does a solid job of introducing you to the new faction, a slimeball crime cartel known as the Zann Consortium. It also introduces its godfather emeritus Tyber Zann, a gravel-voiced gangster with flowing white hair. He has a starship that fires a groovy double-helix beam weapon, a sidekick with cleavers for hands, and more vibro-axes to grind than the number of Star

Wars characters who have ever had a bad feeling about something. The campaign ingeniously conveys a sense of what the Zann Consortium stands for through cameos from familiar faces: Bossk and IG-88 are both on Zann’s payroll. The visible reluctance on Han Solo’s face when he helps bust Zann out of an Imperial prison early in the game cleverly suggests the turning point in his mercenary soul that will lead to his schmaltzy change of heart at the end of A New Hope (the timing even fits). Lacking the resources of the Rebels or the Empire, the Consortium acquires credits by spreading “corruption” using appropri-

ately demonic-looking stealth units called Defilers, who trigger special “criminal act” space or land battles in the targeted world. Corrupted planets, lovingly represented on the galactic map by webs of sickly yellow mist, allow Zann to siphon credits away from their legitimate Imperial or Rebel owners. You can also use Bribery to sneak past worlds blockaded by fleets, buy tech on the black market, demolish structures through Sabotage to soften up a planet for invasion, or get the indigenous citizenry to fight for you in future uprisings. Other players can negate corruption using Mon Mothma or the Emperor, although in some cases it’s in their best interest to ignore it. Subtlety and intrigue aren’t usually terms that apply to Star Wars games. It’s also hard to imagine wanting to play a non-movie faction in a Star Wars game. Ironically, the attraction of the Consortium is its pure disinterest in the galactic conflict and anything Force-related, and the casual contempt with which it rips off the Empire and plays the Rebels for suckers all in the same turn. If anything, they’re a bit overpowered. On top of its sizable financial perks, the Consortium more than holds its own militarily, with hardy space cruisers, tanks, and mercenary soldiers that constitute a comparable offense to anything the Rebellion or Empire has to offer, and usually a cheaper one. The Consortium’s ships are even immune to asteroids, and a few can cloak. But its downright annoyingness adds such a juicy layer of uncertainty to the classically tedious Star Wars stalemate between the very big and the very small that what’s lost in balance is made up for in replayability. Which is a good thing, because Corruption sports only the one single-player campaign for the Zann, and it’s over too soon. Despite the Consortium’s necessary relegation to bit-player status—we know Zann can’t actually kill Jabba—Petroglyph shoots the works with grand ideas that come at you like wobbly cannonballs. It peppers an already dense goulash of lore with Force-sensitive witches who ride pet rancors into battle and Ewok suicide bombers, whose gurgling death-squeals truly never get old. There’s also a ton of sweet new content for the Empire, including TIE Defenders, TIE

Yoda vs. an AT-AT – finally!

Interceptors, TIE Phantoms, and the Death Star II, which can fire on enemy capital ships as well as annihilate worlds. Best of all is Vader’s city-length super star destroyer, the Executor, which comes along with Grand Admiral Thrawn, Rom Mohc, and three varieties of nigh-unto-indestructible Dark Trooper. (The campaign gives you a mere glimpse of an Eclipse-class super star destroyer, a ship that makes the Executor look Jawa-sized.) In contrast, the Rebellion offerings are on the skimpy side: Yoda, B-wings, Luke sans his X-wing, and an MC-30 Frigate. (Why Bespin but no Lando? And Bossk and IG-88 but no Dengar?) Rounding things out are some global bells and whistles, like orbital bombardments whenever you have a capital ship in orbit (à la Battlefield 2142), mobile defense platforms, 13 new planets, higher-resolution textures, and expanded map sizes across the board. Many of Empire at War’s more vexing shortcomings are still around, though. Executor notwithstanding, the units are just too damn small. The performance is dodgier, both in space and on the ground. The Galactic Conquest mode should have been turn-based, giving you at least a few hotkeys and shortcuts so you could effectively manage your fleets without having to zoom all the way in and drag sprites back and forth. The default combat speed is so

slow, the units look like they’re struggling underwater. Being able to zoom out to higher elevations is welcome, but it would be more helpful if it didn’t take away your UI. The land battles still feel fairly milquetoast, and the maps themselves, despite some sprucing up, still look barren, drab, and featureless compared with the lush, organic topographies on display in Company of Heroes. Far and away the worst crime of Forces of Corruption is its utter lack of support for a tripartite multiplayer Galactic Conquest match featuring all three factions. Threeway contests are notoriously lopsided quagmires, but the subversive nature and sneaky playing style of the Zann Consortium could have made this the brazen exception. Also, some sort of online ranking system or incentive to play online would be Force-alicious. The Empire at War franchise is too broad to deserve the title of “the Star Wars RTS we’ve all been waiting for.” It desperately needs the breezy elegance of a Sid Meier UI, and 2D space battles, however accessible, just ain’t aiming for the fence. But Forces of Corruption is a great expansion. And once you’ve splattered a few Ewoks into hellish party streamers and done a few doughnuts in the Executor, you’ll admit it could be much, much worse. –Kelly Wand

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Amazingly Graceless The only converting Left Behind: Eternal Forces accomplishes is to turn the people that buy it into nongamers BY TOM CHICK RATING ½ GENRE Unplayable Real-time Strategy DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER Left Behind Games ESRB Teen REQUIREMENTS 2GHz CPU; 512MB RAM

t’s arguable whether Left Behind: Eternal Forces deserves the label “Christian.” It’s not based on a belief, or even a particular doctrine, so much as it’s trying to ride the coat-tails of a popular bit of overwrought fiction. The Left Behind books are like subpar Tom Clancy for people who thrill to stories about the Rapture. Or, more specifically, they’re stories about the poor sods who, unlike the readers, didn’t have the presence of mind to accept Christ before the Rapture. By way of background for secular gamers, the Rapture is the idea that real Christians will suddenly get beamed directly into heaven, leaving everyone else behind to suffer through a period of tribulation before Jesus comes back for serious. It’s a 20thcentury innovation with scant Biblical support, but it makes for a good story all around. The Left Behind real-time strategy game picks up the story after the Rapture. The world consists of good people, who had the sense to convert after seeing the Christians vanish, and evil people led by the Antichrist, who is now in charge of the U.N. Everyone else is neutral and has a gray health bar. Whether you’re playing good or evil, you use your disciples to convert neutral people and then train them into various units. The

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[top to bottom] This dramatic screenshot of dueling conversions is about as exciting as Left Behind gets; Since there aren’t any evil spirits in multiplayer, you have to make do with criminals and tanks; Sometimes you’ve got to kill in the name of God; After the Rapture, EB Games apparently goes on an ad-buying spree in Manhattan.

setting is a bland version of Manhattan in which every neighborhood looks exactly like every other neighborhood, and they’re all festooned with tacky in-game ads. The kindest thing you can say about Left Behind is that it’s a cool idea for an RTS. Although you can build soldiers, tanks, and turrets, violence is always a last resort. This

is a battle for souls. Everyone has a spirit rating, which determines whether he or she is inclined toward good or evil. The heart of the gameplay is swaying this rating without affecting hit points. Your most valuable units are dudes like evangelists and prayer warriors (or rock stars and secularists, if you’re playing evil). Even if you’re not on board with the the-

ology, it may sound like goofy fun. But don’t be deceived. This is an utterly crappy game. The production values are 10-years-ago, bottom-of-the-barrel, youhave-got-to-be-kidding-me shoddy. From graphics to interface to AI to voice work, Left Behind is truly abysmal. It’s not enough that the interface makes it nearly impossible to keep up with and manage your units. In addition, the level of micromanagement is staggering. Good units have to pray periodically to keep their spirit up, while evil units have to swear to keep their spirit down. Add to this all the action of builders converting buildings, thugs stealing money from banks, singers making a joyful noise, nurses detoxing people who’ve been poisoned by thieves, and medics doing not very much, since this isn’t really a game about shooting people. The single-player campaign is all tedious, scripted stuff, and there obviously isn’t enough AI to allow for single-player skirmishes. No one is playing on Gamespy. Big surprise there. Left Behind has its share of baggage. OK, so they put pants on Michelangelo’s Adam. Maybe they were worried about losing their T rating. Women are only allowed to appear in certain roles, like nurses and singers. But the worst parts are the smug bits of Evangelical doctrine you unlock between missions. The first one, for instance, refutes evolution for you. There are also links to help you buy Christian music from iTunes. Left Behind is so confident you’ll want this music that it just goes ahead and starts downloading it for you. It’s hard to imagine for whom this game was made. It’s certainly not for gamers. And it’s even more certainly not for nongamers, who are going to be entirely confounded. It beggars belief to think the developers hope to endear this thing to church groups, the way Newmarket did with Passion of the Christ. Maybe Left Behind is for parents who are convinced that Company of Heroes is too violent and WarCraft is too satanic: “Here, Billy, play this.” At which point Billy will be forever dissuaded from playing another real-time strategy game. Now all Left Behind Games has to do is make a Left Behind shooter, MMO, and racing game to free children from the clutches of videogames entirely. ■

EL MATADOR Manuel Dolor RATING ★ GENRE Spanish Clone DEVELOPER Plastic Reality PUBLISHER Cenega RATING Mature REQUIREMENTS 2GHz CPU; 512MB RAM

ou would never know from playing this game that “El Matador” is Spanish for “the matador.” It is not, as you might think, Spanish for “Max Payne.” This shooter from the Czech Republic is an attempt at Robert Rodriguez meets Remedy. It’s a bullet-ballet rail ride with decent graphics, passable physics, horrible character animation, and an uninteresting world. It might be a find under certain very particular conditions: a) You managed to dig a copy out of a bargain bin; b) It’s a slow time of year; and/or c) You’ve already played the dozens of better shooters currently available. You’re a cop on the edge who announces, “I need to shoot some scum” and does just that, several hundred times. To be fair, sometimes he’ll throw a grenade at some scum, or maybe even punch some scum. But mostly it’s shooting. Then there’s a boss. Then the next level. Plenty of bullet-time juice makes El Matador an easy game, short and concise, if not for the “guess the fake door” level design and drawn-out settings. It takes a special kind of gamer to power through the early collection of crates, scaffolds, and assorted industrial detritus, the likes of which you haven’t seen since F.E.A.R. If you can get through the third chapter’s maze of twisty

Generic Shooter Requirement #64: a helicopter boss battle.

factories, all alike, without feeling the crushing weight of tedium, you might actually make it to the outdoor levels, and maybe even to the end. By the time it’s over, you’ll have depopulated Colombia by about 1,000 narco villains, 950 of whom played a soundbite in which they called you an “Ahh Sole” before dying. At least the multiplayer is—oh, wait, there isn’t any multiplayer. Three hours into the game, you’re done. In another three hours, you’ll have forgotten it forever. –TC

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EVIDENCE: THE LAST RITUAL “I’ve missed you, Little One” RATING ★★★★ GENRE Adventure Game That Doesn’t Suck DEVELOPER Lexis Numerique PUBLISHER The Adventure Company ESRB Mature REQUIREMENTS 800Mhz CPU; 512MB RAM

t’s about damn time for Evidence. Its predecessor, Missing, petered out with a series of e-mails explaining how—oops—the Phoenix got away. You did all that hard work untangling puzzles, playing Internet scavenger hunt, and unlocking video sequences that elliptically related the story of a serial killer murdering the members of a secret religious sect. Then you got a brief “So long, sucker” message. Missing used email to break up with you. Evidence is here to provide Missing’s missing resolution. The premise is the same. The Phoenix has distributed this game as a set of clues, and a frustrated police agency has turned to you to help it unravel the mystery by, that’s right, playing the game. Evidence isn’t just the title; it’s also the content, as the packaging cleverly conveys. This sequel doesn’t quite pick up from the ending of the last story. In fact, it takes its time before doing much of anything at all. There are lots of scenes of people driving or talking or just pointing at stuff, all narrated to the point of redundancy. “The detective tells me that the murder took place over there,” the lead character says in a voiceover. Under his narration, you can hear an ill-at-ease European actor playing a detective saying, “Ze murdair took place over zere.” The first of Evidence’s two intercut stories involves Jack Lorski, the kidnapped investigator from the first game. The second is about a woman looking for her missing brother. Unfortunately, the developers at Lexis Numerique are still terrible filmmakers. This could have worked to the game’s advantage if it had attempted a YouTube video vérité style. Instead, you get a clumsy cross between The Blair Witch Project and a dramatic re-enactment. These globe-trotting video-clips are characterized by stilted acting, leaden narration, and a bad score. The developers don’t bother to explain how or why Jack is being videotaped, but the woman’s storyline at least has an internally consistent fiction. Her search is being videotaped by her girlfriend, which gives Evidence plenty of potential for the oldest horror scenario in the book: pretty girls in peril. But for the first half of the game—and

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[clockwise from top] “This puzzle is hard. Maybe we should just look for a walkthrough”; Fake website? Real website? Who knows? It’s still part of the game; Oh yes, there will be blood.

this is a long game—the closest they come to peril is navigating a rock in the middle of the road. “Look out for that rock,” sidekick Sharon says during one of the many scenes where they drive somewhere. At one point, they’re using flashlights to investigate a darkened cult house. Ooh, perfect. Then a wino springs out and surprises them. And… cut to them driving somewhere, the wino forgotten and unmentioned. There is a great twist halfway through Evidence that brings the storylines together and finally raises the stakes. After this point, the narrative takes off, and the puzzles— those fiendishly convoluted, goddamned sweetly infuriating “Holy crap, I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out earlier!” puzzles—are finally invested with a rationale. You actually want to solve a puzzle—not just to get to another puzzle, but to find out what happens next in the story. These puzzles, and the Internet scavenger hunt built around them, are Evidence’s strongest feature. They’re smart, logical, and difficult, ranging far and wide in style and content. One moment you’re translating Dante or peering into a Renaissance painting; the next you’re sifting through French blog entries or reading a

model’s LiveJournal page. You make regular rounds through Wikipedia. Your notes— pencil and paper should be among the system requirements—start looking like the writings of a serial killer: strange figures, cramped numbers, snatches of text, arrows pointing to and fro, decoded codes, diagrams. All the while, Evidence’s eerie soundscape crackles and undulates in the background. These aren’t quick puzzles, and they don’t always flow. Evidence expects patience. In fact, it often demands it. There are some puzzles you won’t be able to solve until you’ve gotten a specific e-mail from one of your NPC co-investigators (Kristin Lark is back and perkier than ever). But, more than any other adventure game, Evidence puts you in a darkly atmospheric world: part fiction, part history, part reality. It’s “The Dante Code” or “The Amazing DeathRace” or “The Blair Templar Project” or “E7idence,” and at the center are you, in your chair, at your computer, staying up late and working in a little pool of light with a dozen browser windows open and your notes on your lap. How does it feel, Little One? Because, after all, isn’t that the point, more than any mere solution? –Tom Chick

revisionist history By Troy S. Goodfellow

Centurion: Defender of Rome B

efore Civilization and Age of Empires, the ancient world wasn’t fertile ground for PC strategy games. What historical strategy games there were focused on the well-tilled fields of World War II or the discovery of America. There was Defender of the Crown, a light knight game, but by and large, the settings were devoid of legions and elephants. Electronic Arts’ 1990 release Centurion: Defender of Rome wasn’t the first of its type, but it was certainly the biggest. Big enough to have been ported to the Sega Genesis the following year, making it one of the few “serious” strategy games on a console. You started with Italy in 275 BC and set out to conquer the world through diplomacy. Well, you could. Mostly it was about sending armies to beat on your neighbors. Most people didn’t really think in terms of turn-based versus realtime games back then. Both types of game were around, but they weren’t rival mechanics or anything. Centurion was the first major release to mix them. The strategic map where you moved your armies and managed your provinces was turn-based. The battles were fought in real time, with a minimal level of control. How minimal? You chose a battle tactic and let the armies fight it out. If a unit was in your commander’s voice range, you could give it a more precise direction. Scipio Africanus was the loudest, and inevitably the first you’d lose. The strategy stuff didn’t seem to be enough of a hook for the developers, Bits of Magic. After all, who wants to spend an entire game marching across Europe and fighting battles? Since we all learn about ancient history through 1950s Hollywood, what this game clearly needed was gladiators and chariot races. All in

minigames. The lead designer, Kellyn Beck, had worked on Defender of the Crown, so the formula of strategy-plus-action seemed to make sense. Centurion was big on minigames. Even the battles, with the guesswork involved in choosing the right tactic, could be considered more minigames than combat simulations. And they weren’t optional. If Rome didn’t get its circuses on a regular schedule, the population would rebel. It’s too bad the minigames were so terrible. The gladiator one was ridiculously easy, the chariot races ridiculously hard. Naval battles were represented by two ships lobbing fireballs at each other. And the outcomes of these games had no impact on the strategic map. They were distractions from the main business of conquest. The Hollywood stuff continued as the game pushed you to seduce Cleopatra instead of just crushing her armies. Even if you happened to find Hannibal a more fitting romantic prospect (and a much bigger threat), only Egypt had diplomatic interactions that could lead to partying on a barge. These distractions are probably why Centurion, remembered as a classic by many, isn’t often held up as a harbinger of things to come. The melding of a strategic map with a tactical battle “engine” was far ahead of its time, and few developers picked up on it. 1991’s North & South from Infogrames was the closest match to Centurion; it shared the affinity for distracting minigames, this time robbing trains. Good execution is more important than good ideas. Landmark games aren’t always the ones that come first. Ten years after Centurion, EA would publish Shogun: Total War, a revolutionary title in a new setting that would spawn the most successful historical warfare games in the industry. Now the franchise is in the hands of Sega, whose console was home to Centurion. History likes coincidences. ■

“Since we all learn about ancient history through 1950s Hollywood, what this game clearly needed was gladiators and chariot races.”

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Kicking the Habit

It’s amazing how all these guys were trained to approach in the exact same manner.

Dark Messiah Might and Magic is far from great, but its first-person melee combat is a kick-and-slash-filled blast BY STEVE BAUMAN RATING ★★★ GENRE Right Foot Simulator DEVELOPER Arkane Studios PUBLISHER Ubisoft REQUIREMENTS 2.2GHz CPU; 512MB RAM ESRB Mature

ark Messiah Might and Magic—somewhere in its development, an “of” was cut from the middle of its name—is a mess. It’s full of glitches and prone to random crashes, and it has some of the worst storytelling this side of budgetware first-person shooters. Its levels are a mix of the awesome and the awful, with most falling somewhere in between. It’s so schizophrenic that it almost feels as if two developers of wildly different skill levels worked on the game at the same time, and everything was sort of thrown together at the last second. Another six months of polish and some judicious level editing would have done wonders. Still, Dark Messiah’s combination of role-playing and action sometimes makes it a glorious mess. As a first-person melee fighting game that actually works, it provides you with tons of violent, entertaining ways to dispatch your foes. It’s a kind of linear sandbox game in that, while you always have to go from point A to B to C, you have a number of options along the way. You can sneak past some combat, or directly engage the enemy. You can cast spells to dispatch your foes or snipe them with arrows from afar. Or you can just rush headlong into violent melee combat armed with the mightiest right foot in gaming history and mash, chop, and kick away. The plot is a terrible mixture of fantasy clichés and bad voice acting, and the “Might and Magic” portion of the game’s name is nowhere to be found (except, perhaps, in the excess of cheese). You control a guy named Sareth, an apprentice under some magician who is sent into the world to recover a crystal before someone else gets it and takes over the world. You’re stuck with a nice woman sidekick and a slightly more evil one who runs around topless and who lives in your head or something. Eventually you choose one woman or the other, with each choice giving you a different version of the equally lame end-movie. The story jumps around so much that you rarely have any idea what’s going on, beyond “I need to get to the end of the level.” That’s generally enough. Developer Arkane Studios’ previous game Arx Fatalis was considered a well-intentioned but somewhat kludgey modern update of Ultima Underworld. This time Arkane took its inspiration from another Looking Glass Software game: Thief: The Dark Project. The early levels are incredibly Thief-like, with some sneaking around, crawling on rooftops, and amazing set pieces. The game is unable to sustain that level of quality, however, and its second half manages to screw up the promise and considerable good will generated by the first. The levels become even more enormous and empty, and the quality falls off a cliff and lands in Mediocreville. Even in the dullest arenas and levels, there’s something to be said for having a lot of options in combat. Dark Messiah includes some minor role-playing elements that let you tailor your character for

“Dark Messiah’s combination of role-playing and action sometimes makes it a glorious mess.”

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Good thing these spikes were sitting up against this wall.

melee, stealth, or magic. You can choose to power your way through the game, figuring out optimal ways to kick people into the absurdly common “spike rocks sitting against a wall” or launch people over the ledges of the equally goofy “Orc village set into a cliff” level. (Seriously, who designs games this way? You half expect lava and snow worlds to pop up at some point.) Or you can creep around the dark spots, stabbing people in the back. Or you can shoot or chop wooden poles and ropes that hold up roofs, thus causing boxes and other things to fall on people. Or you can play sniper with your bow and take people out from a distance. Or you can cast spells and hope you cast those Orcs away before they stab you to death. Or you can just avoid a lot of the combat in the first place. (You can’t avoid the terrible boss fights, however; they’re bad mostly because you don’t get to use any of the nifty tricks you learn elsewhere. And the less said about the couple of levels that feature lots of spiders, the better.) Unlike most games, Dark Messiah offers legitimate options for players to engage in the type of combat they find most appealing. It’s easy to ruin the game by using one style throughout, because Dark Messiah arguably does a poor job of forcing you to apply different techniques to different enemies. They can all be dealt with by kicking them into spikes, for example, but that doesn’t mean you need to play it like this. Creating enemies with certain types of armor or magic that automatically blocked kicks would be an obvious way to circumvent such “kick abuse”—but that’s an extremely game-y convention, one we’ve come to expect. If you want to ruin the game for yourself, knock yourself out. (Or kick yourself out, as the case may be.) Those who rely on the “Foot of Doom” to power through the single-player portion of the game will be ill equipped to handle the surprisingly well-developed multiplayer. Despite the tendency of its combat to devolve into button mashing, the game rewards players who have multiple skills. There are class-based Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes, and one called Crusade that’s like playing a fantasy version of Assault from Unreal Tournament. Combat takes place over multiple maps, and you earn experience that you can spend on improving your character. The system’s a bit crude, and the load times are eternal (this is true of the single-player game, as well), but there’s something incredibly visceral and exciting about one-on-one multiplayer melee. It’s hard to call Dark Messiah a great game, at times even hard to call it a good one. For all its terrible level design and storytelling, it does deliver in one area. It’s memorable, though not in the “Remember when Floyd died in Planetfall?” sense of the term. You’ll remember doing in the various Orcs, Undead, and possibly Orcish Undead in as many humorously violent ways as possible. Who doesn’t like charging a goblin, powering up for a serious blast with your sword, and launching it into an abyss? Who doesn’t like picking up almost any objects to hand—boxes, bottles, rocks—and throwing them at people? (These objects can stun an enemy enough to let you rush them and stab them while they’re still on the ground.) As with Die by the Sword back in the day, or Jedi Knight or Jedi Outcast with force powers and “dismemberment” enabled at the console, you’ll remember specific moments that bring a smile to your face, even as you’re recalling all the game’s flaws. For all that it’s a relatively somber traditional hack-and-slash game, the inspired melee combat and “fun with physics” gameplay help make Dark Messiah one of the funniest games of the year. ■

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ANKH Secret of Mummy Island RATING ★★½ GENRE Pharaoh Adventure DEVELOPER Deck 13 Interactive PUBLISHER BHV Software ESRB Teen REQUIREMENTS 1.5GHz CPU; 256MB RAM

ith its goofy jokes and tongue-in-cheek storyline, Ankh invites comparison to classic LucasArts comedic adventures like Secret of Monkey Island and Sam & Max Hit the Road. But, while Ankh is certainly lighthearted enough, it just can’t measure up to its predecessors. Set in ancient Egypt, it follows Assil, the wisecracking, bad-boy son of the pharaoh’s architect. One night, Assil and his buddies sneak into a pyramid to get trashed, but before the party can start, Assil awakens an angry mummy who smacks him with a death-curse only the pharaoh can remove. You spend the rest of the game struggling to meet with the pharaoh, as well as rescuing ladies, summoning Osiris, helping genies, and tricking the elderly. Like a direct-to-DVD Disney movie, Ankh has cuteness in spades, but little in the way of actual humor. While some gags are witty, most are groan-inducingly stupid. The writers have tried too hard to emulate the dialogue from the Monkey Island games, but Assil is no Guybrush Threepwood. Worse, the sound editing is terrible, with uneven volumes and characters talking over one another. Even the

Anyone seen a three-headed monkey?

subtitles are riddled with typos. At least the puzzles are amusing, if not terribly complex. For the most part, solutions tend to be absurdly logical: For example, to get past the croc-phobic palace guards, you must scare them with a crocodile mask made of a handbag, a skull, and some teeth. Occasionally, the puzzles reduce to arbitrary combinations of items in your

Glow Worm TRISYNERGY/EVERYONE ★★★ Atlantis Quest GOT GAME/EVERYONE ★★½ Both of these nicely produced “match three” games have twists that separate them from similar titles like Bejeweled and its zillion clones. In Glow Worm (pictured right), you need to clear out pieces on the board by matching four colored glow worms. Once you do this, they turn into reverse-colored caterpillars, which must also be cleared. The colors of the caterpillars can be matched with other caterpillars or glow worms, so there’s a nice dynamic involving placing worms that you know will match up with others after they reverse colors. There aren’t many gameplay variations, but it’s a nice, colorful diversion. Atlantis Quest, by contrast, is too tan for its own good. Once again you’re playing that match game, only now you’re trying to release special pieces of historical artifacts. The mythological trappings are nicely done, making it feel more like an adventure than a typical slog through the levels. But the difficulty ramps up too quickly, making Atlantis Quest a wee bit more frustrating—and less enjoyable overall — than the calm and relaxing Glow Worm. –Steve Bauman

74 Computer Games | February 2007

inventory, which is frustrating and tedious. While Ankh is cheerful, its misspent charm is disappointing. The writers spent so much time copying classic LucasArts adventures that they forgot to make the game enjoyable on its own. When Ankh succeeds, it’s whimsical and clever. But far too often, its dull, dusty humor will leaving you thirsty for something more. –Lara Crigger

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron NAMCO/E10+ ★★½ Somewhere, Charles Schulz is spinning in his grave over the transformation of his world of innocent childhood into a guns-a-blazin’ shooter. Even though this is a logical and obvious way to take the Peanuts license, it’s still a bit jarring to be flying around in WWI biplanes and receiving orders from Lucy to shoot anything that moves. Overall, the visuals and voice acting help the game tap into a well of nostalgia for anyone who’s read Peanuts cartoons, though seeing the classic artwork in 3D takes some getting used to. The gameplay is forgiving, though surprisingly challenging out of the gate. It’s also a nice introduction to WWI history for kids… OK, maybe not so much. Snoopy vs. The Red Baron fails to capture the core appeal of the comics in any meaningful way, settling for the most superficial and obvious rendering. It’s a decent enough game, but the comic deserves better. –SB

YOUR OTHER SYSTEMS BY TOM CHICK

here isn’t much to say about Guitar Hero II beyond how totally awesome it still is. The song list isn’t as good as it was the first time around, mainly because someone failed to get the rights to any Led Zeppelin songs. But there’s a variable speed practice mode that makes it easier to work your way up the difficulty levels, where Guitar Hero-ing gets progressively more gratifying. Casual rock gods don’t have to let that orange button go unused any longer. The latest Tony Hawk is strictly a nextgen console release. Unlike the Underground series, Project 8 is aimed more at the series faithful than the skateboarding-curious. Although the setting is supposedly a generic suburbia and its unlockable environs, Project 8 takes place mostly in the Uncanny Valley. With creepy character models and fancy animation offered at the expense of frame rates, this isn’t what next generation should be doing for Tony Hawk. At least [clockwise from top] Gears of War, Call of Duty 3, Project 8 the new analog footit. At least there’s the chainsaw, which shows off the fancy new work is finally a step off the beaten half-pipe of canned stunt blood-splatter-on-the-lens technology. animations. Gears’ cover system is the fulfillment of what Vietcong hinted at Call of Duty has jumped ship, and the latest game won’t be three years ago. Along with Rainbow Six: Vegas, this one shows available for the PC. It turns out this is a good thing. Infinity Ward handed over development to Treyarch, and it shows. Call of Duty that shooter designers are fully realizing that taking cover and returning fire aren’t mutually exclusive. The Gears system of attach3 is missing Infinity Ward’s magic touch, with which it somehow ing yourself to cover can be a bit clunky (see Vegas for how this managed to make its WWII shooters definitive instead of derivacould be done better), but it makes Gears of Wars more about tive. The change of developer probably explains why COD3 feels tactics than twitch skills. so old and busted, resorting to lots of carefully scripted chaos, On the front of dueling comic book licenses, it turns out that tired graphics, and strange minigames. Marvel Ultimate Alliance is actually pretty good. Raven The new hotness is Gears of War, which has the brains and Software takes the formula it used so well in X-Men Legends and beauty you’d normally associate with a PC game. It’s a gorgeous improves it by making the characters distinct, rather than simply use of Epic’s latest technology, and it brings to sci-fi shooters the dividing everyone into brawlers and ranged attackers. In Ultimate tactical finesse you’d expect in something with Tom Clancy’s name Alliance, there’s actually a noticeable difference between playing in the title. It’s all about cover and flanking and even suppressing Spider-Man, Iceman, and Iron Man. And there’s a real incentive to fire. The levels are lovely bombed-out Gothic city ruins, with a unlock the Silver Surfer or Daredevil. quick underground detour in the middle and a horrible MetroidDC and Marvel may be neck and neck at the box office, but the style boss fight at the end. The characters are ridiculously muscleformer can’t seem to get any traction when it comes to bound Rob Liefeld caricatures, who die easily but then shrug off videogaming. Superman Returns arrives four months too late to death the way a football player would walk off a pulled ligament. ride the movie’s cape and sour unsuspecting moviegoers on The weapons are, umm, wait a minute… what happened videogaming. It’s pretty sad that the best Superman game is on here? Guns that should boom instead bark politely. If any game the Atari 2600. ■ ever had a license for over-the-top Hollywood firepower, this was

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Remembering Memory

Do you take your RAM for granted? You shouldn’t, as it’s a critical–and complex–component of your game system BY PAUL JASTRZEBSKI

uying memory for your new gaming rig is much harder today than it was a few years back. Gone are the days when it was a commodity, and all parts were made equal. Today’s buyer is faced with hundreds of different memory configurations, with variable speeds, capacities, latencies, and even colors. Too much choice isn’t always a good thing: Gamers often end up overpaying for memory simply because they get caught up in marketing hype and don’t know what they actually need in their memory modules. So what do you need to look for when buying new memory? Let’s start with the basics: Any new Intel or AMD system you build will need 2GB of DDR2 memory. That said, you can easily find over 100 different 2GB DDR2 memory combinations, ranging in cost from $220 to over $500, at any online vendor. How do you sort through the selection and pick the right kit for your machine?

76 Computer Games | February 2007

“Companies like Crucial, Kingston, and Corsair have made names for themselves by offering excellent lifetime warranties and solid, reliable products over the years.”

The first thing you have to look at is the memory speed. When DDR2 was first launched a couple of years ago, the 200MHz DDR2-400 (PC2-3200) and 266MHz DDR2-533 (PC2-4200) modules available were actually slower than cheaper and more abundant DDR modules, because of their low clock speeds and higher latencies. Today, memory manufacturers have produced highly clocked DDR2 chips that far surpass the performance of the DDR generation. The cream of the crop is the 400MHz DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) module, offering a total of 6.4GB/s of total theoretical bandwidth as compared with the DDR2-400’s 3.2GB/s. The extra speed brings a price premium, with modules that are $30-$75 being more expensive than comparable DDR2-667 modules. It’s also important to note that some modules being sold are labeled DDR2-1000, but neither Intel’s nor AMD’s current generation of chipsets supports DDR2-1000 without extreme overclocking. Is the extra price worth it? In HalfLife 2 and Quake IV testing, the faster RAM showed a 23% increase in frame rate from DDR2-533 to 667, and a 4-5% increase from DDR2-533 to DDR2-800. There was a 2% increase in 3DMark05 scores when going from DDR2-533 to DDR2-800, but no performance gains with F.E.A.R. The next thing you have to look at is latency. This number shows the memory access delay in a given memory module. Latency is a series of numerical values like “5-5-5-15,” which stand for the module’s

CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS settings (see sidebar). The lower the latency numbers, the less of a delay the module has, and the better its performance. Memory manufacturers label latency at a given clock speed; for example, Crucial’s Ballistix DDR2-800 modules are rated at 4-4-4-12 latency at DDR2-800 speeds. Modules like this can even be tweaked to lower latency settings, with the Ballistix able to run 3-3-3-6 timings at DDR2-800 without a hitch. With low-latency modules commanding another $30-$60 premium over comparable higher-latency ones, what kind of speed boost can you expect? Testing showed a 1% performance improvement in Half-Life 2 and Quake IV, with no improvement in F.E.A.R.

What about brands? If you start popping heatspreaders off memory modules, you’ll see that most of the memory on the market is very similar, if not made from the exact same memory chips. The memory manufacturers get their chips from the same suppliers, and when a new, fast memory chip is released, you can bet that all the memory companies will soon start using it. However, companies like Crucial, Kingston, and Corsair have made names for

themselves by offering excellent lifetime warranties and solid, reliable products over the years. So, while you’ll pay a premium for these brands, you’ll have someone to turn to if things go bad.

Picking out the right memory for your system is challenging, but at least now you’ll know what to look for. If you’re on a lower budget and are looking for the fastest frame rate possible, sticking with cheaper memory and spending more on a better graphics card will give you more of a performance boost. But if you’re looking to build the ultimate gaming machine, investing in highly flexible, low-latency memory like Crucial’s Ballistix DDR2-800 or Corsair’s Dominator XMS2-6400 is worth your money. ■

REMEMBER THESE MEMORY TERMS ■Memory Speed There are two different

■Latency CAS The amount of time, in num-

measurements of memory speed: operating frequency and memory bandwidth. Bandwidth is calculated by taking effective clockspeed and multiplying it by eight. This is because DDR2 can transfer 64 bits of data each clock cycle, and, since a byte is composed of 8 bits, this equates to 8 bytes of data per clock cycle. DDR2xxx (or DDR-xxx) denotes effective clockspeed, whereas PC2-xxxx (or PC-xxxx) denotes theoretical bandwidth.

ber of clock cycles, required to access a column of memory on a memory module.

■TRCD The amount of time in cycles for issuing an active command and the read/write commands. ■tRP The minimum time between active

■tRAS The amount of time that elapses between a row’s being activated by precharge and deactivated. A row cannot be deactivated until tRAS is completed. The lower this figure is, the faster the performance, but if it is set too low, it can cause data corruption by deactivating the row too soon.

commands and the read/writes of the next bank on the memory module.

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FOUR

Quad-core processors are here from AMD and Intel, delivered in two very different ways BY STEVE BAUMAN

ith dual-core processors from AMD and Intel finally becoming standard in every desktop machine, leave it up to both companies to unveil quad-core processors to generate some new CPU envy. As the name implies, a quad-core CPU is one processor made up of four separate ones, giving you four times the processing power. Kinda, sorta. Intel’s 2.67GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700—previously known by the code name “Kentsfield”—is basically two Core 2 CPUs slapped together. (Why Intel didn’t go with the more logical “Core 4 Extreme” name is unknown.) It’s a high-end processor, coming in at just under 1,000 bucks. It consumes more power under full load than a dual-core Core 2 Duo, but it shows significant speed boosts in CPU tests designed for multicore systems. (Right now, the CPU test in 3DMark06 is a good one to use.) You can feel the difference in any multithreaded software, so people who want to edit photos in Photoshop

while compressing video while rendering complex scenes in 3D Studio Max while RAR-ing the results are in luck. However, in games that don’t take advantage of multiple cores— which, at this point, is pretty much everything available—it performs just like a 2.67GHz Core 2 Duo, which itself is about 10% slower than the 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme. Is that disappointing? Not really. You can’t go wrong with a Core 2 Duo of any flavor at this point. But, if forced to choose between a 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme and the QX6700, go for the former unless you’re doing some longterm planning. AMD is going a different route with its new high-end FX line, code-named “4x4”; it’s a dual dual-core platform. That is, when you purchase the 3.0GHz FX-74 for 1,000 bucks (or one of its slightly slower cousins, the FX-72 and FX-70), you get two dualcore CPUs. You also get to purchase a new motherboard, as the 4x4 platform has two processor sockets connected by AMD’s Dual-Socket Direct-Connect interface. Once AMD rolls out a single-chip quad-core CPU, it will support an eight-core “8x8” setup

“Intel’s 2.67GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700 is basically two Core 2 CPUs slapped together.”

PLAY with the same motherboards. Normally, multiprocessor systems are less efficient than dual-core ones, because of the physical limitations of moving data over a greater distance between CPUs. (This explanation is grossly oversimplified, and there are other issues too, like cost and complexity.) AMD already has a more efficient way than Intel of moving data between processors and memory, called HyperTransport, which detracts from at least one of the negatives of dual-processor systems. (AMD plans on leveraging HyperTransport to create faster integrated video and physics too, which will be interesting to watch.) As with the QX6700, game tests show the FX-74 performing similarly to an FX-62. With multithreaded, multicore support applications and benchmarks, it shows a similarly significant boost. (It also passes the regular dual-core Core 2 Extreme in some benchmarks.) Comparing the FX-74 and the QX6700 at this stage is a little dicey. While the Intel parts were freely available at press time, the AMD motherboard—a crazy ASUS L1N64-SLI motherboard with four PCI-e x16 slots—utilized a beta BIOS, as it wasn’t available to the public. Still, two processors are more complex than one, and having two tiny space heaters in your case unsurprisingly generates higher case temperatures and consumes more electricity. While the 4x4 platform is technically interesting and extremely fast, it’s for the seriously hardcore only. When considering either quad-core processor/platform for gam-

AMD’s quad-core solution consists of two dual-core CPUs.

ing, you confront the fact that there’s little need for this now. We’re barely seeing anything take advantage of dual-core yet. So you have to see both of these as forward-looking processors that show their considerable strengths more with number-crunching applications than with games. Both are undeniably awesome and fast and expensive, but if you’re looking to save money, midrange processors and high-end videocards are better choices. Both processors/platforms are ideally suited to 64-bit Windows Vista, which is also kind of forward looking. In other words, these are workstation platforms for graphics professionals, not so much for gamers. For gaming alone, there’s no downside to choosing quad-core; there just isn’t much upside either. Today, at least. ■

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2 Duo 2 Solid

Gateway’s NX860XL delivers excellent gaming performance at a reasonable price

RATING ★★★★ MANUFACTURER Gateway MSRP $2079 (as tested)

“If you get the cheaper processor, you’re looking at $1,899 for a whole lot of laptop power.”

uying a laptop sucks. You’re not just trying to juggle portability and performance; you’re also dealing with the reality of near-immediate obsolescence. Since there’s no way to upgrade, you’re stuck with what you’ve purchased. Six months ago, we reviewed the previous version of Gateway’s NX860XL laptop. It was powered by a Core Duo CPU coupled with a GeForce Go 7800; the newer model has a Core 2 Duo, a 7900GS, and twice as much RAM. The difference in cost? Nada. Zip. Zero. Well, that’s not entirely true; as configured, this one is actually $100 cheaper. The other machine had an extremely high-end videocard for a laptop. The 7900GS is more of a midrange offering, delivering similar performance to the 7800 Go but coming up short when compared with the 7900GTX cards found in $4,000 laptops. Unless you’re doing some CPU-intensive tasks like video with your laptop, you should get the slower T7200 CPU; 200MHz ain’t worth

$200. For gaming, you will outstrip your video capability far more quickly than you’ll run out of CPU. If you get the cheaper processor, you’re looking at $1,899 for a whole lot of laptop power. The mobile version of the Core 2 Duo is amazing. It’s incredibly fast, yet it doesn’t require a zillion fans to keep cool, even under extreme duress. This machine is whisper-quiet in normal operation; under heavy loads during benchmarking, it emits an audible hum from time to time, but nothing like the roar of your average desktop. Yet, in our battery drain test (which loops 3DMark06 with sound), it still managed to keep going for nearly two hours. Gateway isn’t making the sexiest laptops out there; it is, however, making some of the better ones. Considering the inevitability of DirectX 10 mobile videocards, it’s hard to recommend spending too much cash on a laptop today. For today’s games, however, this NX860XL is a perfectly fine machine at a reasonable price. –Steve Bauman The Specs 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7400; 2GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM; NVIDIA 7900GS Go 256MB; 17-inch Ultrabright display (1680×1050 resolution); Windows XP Media Center Edition; 80GB 7200RPM SATA drive; 8X DVD burner; 6-in-1 card reader; Wireless/ Ethernet; four USB 2.0; 1.5 inches tall; 8.45 pounds (with battery)

BENCHMARKS PCMark 05 System CPU Memory HDD

5402 5339 3091 4176

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast 1280×1024 73 1680×1050 92

3DMark 05 1280×1024 1680×1050

4904 4315

3DMark 06 1280×1024 1680×1050

3211 2776

All tests run with no anti-aliasing and 8X anisotropic filtering.

80 Computer Games | February 2007

technicalities by Kevin Rice

Stand Still Already Do motion-sensing controllers really make the experience more immersive?

ike everyone reading this magazine, I love to play games. The problem I have is juggling games with “reallife” obligations like work, a significant other, actually going outside, eating, bathing, etc. When I do get a moment to play games, usually pretty late at night or on a rare free weekend, it’s a time for relaxation. I put on headphones, sit down in front of the computer, and make sure I keep my Ventrilo comments quiet so

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s something like Midnight Club 3. I remember when I first bought it—I played it for approximately 10-12 hours that day. Now that Nintendo’s announced the Wii’s unique motionsensing controller, and Sony has quickly followed suit with the PS3 controller, I wonder if those 10-12-hour sessions are a thing of the past. If I’d had to steer through improbable twists and turns by slightly tilting the controller, my arms would have given out a few hours in. I’ve thought about how I usually play my games. My arms occasionally flail and twist with the action on the screen, but for the most part, the controller is resting gently in my lap. If I started with my usual abrupt movements using these new controllers, the on-screen results would be completely unintentional and unexpected. Is this going to be an “optional” way to control games, or a mandatory one? While I love my console racing games, my favorite genre remains the first-person shooter. I’m a huge Call of Duty 2 fan, so I wonder what it’s like to sit or stand in front of the monitor holding not one but two controllers the entire time, the FPS setup for Wii games. If Nintendo wants me to use one controller like a light gun, just how accurate is the thing? I know that some of the best shots I pull off in Call of Duty 2 are those crazy “barely-see-the-top-of-their-helmet” shots, and I also know that current light gun technology isn’t anywhere near that accurate. The same goes for the PS3 controller. If I’m tilting the thing to lean left or right, isn’t that going to cause an incredible number of accidental leans? Granted, I write this as someone who hasn’t spent time with either controller, so these may turn out to be nonissues. But does anyone remember the Microsoft FreeStyle Pro from six years ago, the one that had motion sensing? It did wonders for Motocross Madness but was impossible to use in any other game. Like all technologies, motion sensing is an advancement. Perhaps I’m overreacting. But new technology isn’t always better technology, a notion that seems alien to early adopters and marketing departments. (How’s that N-Gage working out for you guys?) As with most new technologies, there will be rough periods and failed experiments. The potential issue here is that it appears motionsensing controllers are being forced on us, without any alternative. I don’t want to stand in front of my TV and swing my controller like a real tennis racquet (and good luck with that in a small room). I don’t want to tilt forward to point my ship/dragon downward. I want to sit in front of my computer or on my couch and relax. I get plenty of physical exercise elsewhere; for me, games are a chance to get cozy and get lost in an alternate reality, not a time to get a workout and build some upper-arm strength. I’d prefer to have a choice. ■

“New technology isn’t always better technology, a notion that seems alien to early adopters and marketing departments.” as not to disturb the girlfriend sleeping downstairs. While I love Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution, I can only play them for an hour or two, because I’m standing, jumping, flailing, and otherwise making an idiot of myself while playing. (There’s usually a beer or two involved, and the occasional cigarette break for good measure.) While both are great games, they’re physically draining. I’m not a big guy—I’m of the tall and skinny variety of dorks—but I just don’t have the stamina to stand in front of the TV for hours on end.

82 Computer Games | February 2007

Tarantula Razer/$99 ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ Razer has made its name with its high-end mouse products, and the Tarantula keyboard is another quality piece of hardware with an arachnid moniker. At nearly 20 inches wide—the same size as a Logitech G15—this is one big keyboard. Like Logitech’s model, it has additional macro-able function keys; unlike the G15, which puts them all to the left of the keyboard, Razer groups five on each side of the regular keys. The shiny black surface of the Tarantula looks great but shows fingerprints and dust. It also has two USB 1.1 ports (not 2.0), replaceable keys and a tool for removing them, and, in a stroke of genius, a headphone/microphone jack. Razer promotes the keyboard with all sorts of talk of reduced latency and no “ghosting” when hitting multiple keys. But for actual human players (as opposed to superhumanly competitive ones), all that matters is that the keys feel great when you’re typing and gaming. If you’re in the market for a new keyboard, put this one at the top of the list. –Steve Bauman

Nine Hundred Antec/$149 ★ ★ ★ ★ Antec’s new case is something of a departure for the company. While most of its models wear conservative skins, the Nine Hundred looks strikingly industrial, all sharp angles and polygonal shapes. It has four case fans, three 120mm ones (two in the front, one in the rear) and a gigantic 200mm one at the top. It’s an inverted case, with the power supply at the bottom, and though that arrangement causes some problems with cabling in Antec’s P180 case, that’s not the case here (no pun intended). The interior is roomy and easy to work on, but, unlike other Antec cases, this one isn’t designed to be quiet. The front mesh lets a lot of air in to cool the case—and allows you to see the blue LEDs from the fans—but it also lets a lot of fan noise out. Still, the Nine Hundred is an extremely mean-looking case that doesn’t go too far overboard. It’s expensive for a steel case, but if you dig the looks, it’s worth it. –Steve Bauman

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS For online games, how can I tell if my modem and/or router is performing as well as $200 of networking gear should? Routers are rated in many areas, but it’s unclear to me what this means for one guy on a wired LAN using DSL to get to the Internet. I don’t have a wireless LAN party on a T1 line like hardware sites seem to be testing for. –Dave Lipinski

That’s a good question, without a great answer. The best speed testing online can be found at dslreports.com. If you go to Tools and Speed Tests, you can see what kind of bandwidth you’re getting and compare it with others from your ISP in your area. You can test with and without the router to see how your performance compares with that of others in your area. This isn’t an ideal test, because it’s just testing your maximum bandwidth. Games transmit a lot of little bits and bytes of data back and forth, and I’m not aware of any online test that gives you some indication of your performance in that area. The chances are good that your router isn’t the problem, unless it’s a really bad one. Its theoretical performance is considerably higher than what any DSL or cable connection can obtain. Your bottleneck is just as likely to be your connection itself, your ISP, or some random location your data passes through on its way to a game server.

CASE MOD OF THE MONTH The Unidyne PC This brilliant case mod is from Jeffrey Stephenson, whose Humidor mod was featured a couple of years ago. This one is based on the classic Shure 55 Unidyne microphone from the 1930s, though people may remember it more from its use by Elvis in the 1950s. The case is made of basswood, finished with an industrial aluminum paint. The base is a standard microphone stand. The computer is a VIA M1000 motherboard with a 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM. According to Stephenson, the case took six weeks to complete. You can find more of his amazing work at his website, slipperyskip.com.

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Turn the lights down, slip into something sheer, pour yourself some wine, and fire up your favorite MMO. Some of these T-rated pastimes have matured into X-rated indulgences. BY LARA CRIGGER

84 Computer Games | February 2007

ex is an Internet tradition. It’s everywhere, from chat rooms to IRC, from porn sites to sex shops. People just can’t get enough of cyber love. And yet, for some reason, when it comes to sex in MMOs, everyone pretends it doesn’t exist. “People cyber like crazy in online role-playing games,” says Brenda Brathwaite, creator of the Sex & Games blog (idga.org/sex) and author of the new book Sex in Video Games. “It’s inevitable. What turns people on is other people,” she says. “If you have two people in a chat interface, then at some point in time, somebody’s going to start flirting.” Until recently, lusty players had to be inventive in their cyber techniques: cooking up kooky dance routines, for example, or

awkwardly kneeling to simulate oral stimulation. But a new genre of game, the massively multiplayer online erotic game (MMOEG), promises to give digital love the serious treatment it deserves. Providing discreet locations, animation sets, and gameplay interfaces specifically designed to help players get their virtual freak on, these titles allow gamers to move past the technicalities and concentrate on sexual experimentation. In any given MMOEG, you’ll find anything from heterosexual “vanilla” pairings to furry bondage orgiastic action. The games themselves also vary wildly in theme and style. “These games encourage healthy sexuality,” says Brathwaite. “[Players] can create wild fantasies and explore them in a safe way.” So here you go: We offer you that safety, right here in the written word.

Jewel of Indra One of the lesser-known MMOEGs, this is a small, chat-based virtual world where players assume scantily clad avatars and act out the standard selection of sexual fantasies. What distinguishes it from others is its emphasis on fetish communities. Jewel of Indra offers special districts called “Enclaves” that specifically cater to given sexual tastes: GLBT, BDSM, polysex, vampirism, nudism, and even vanilla heterosexual sex.

Red Light Center Run by utherverse.com (the grown-ups’ Myspace), Red Light Center is a virtual world that mimics De Wallen, Amsterdam’s famous redlight district. It features bars, theaters, and nightclubs where players can hook up, as well as sex shops offering real-life toys and lingerie for sale. In case cybersex gets too boring, Red Light Center also offers thousands of pornographic movies if you prefer to, er, fly solo.

Sociolotron Set in postapocalyptic London, Sociolotron focuses on role-play, social interaction, and pretty darn filthy cybersex. Here, players can engage in any range of activities, from running a drug ring to assuming political office, but the real draw is the raunchy sex play. Indeed, sex in Sociolotron can get violent; avatars can be raped, forced into prostitution, and sold into sexual slavery. The faint of heart should stay away. Seducity Tiny and little known, Seducity is yet another virtual-world-style MMOEG. The cartoonish avatars look a little silly, like anime characters crossed with Greek statues. But at least they look like they’re having fun. Settings for sex play include bordellos, bathhouses, offices, and even graveyards.

Second Life Technically, Second Life isn’t really about cybersex, but anyone who’s spent five minutes strolling around the Linden-verse will tell you that digital love is the universal pastime. The playercreated content model allows for any fantasy or fetish imaginable, from pretending to be a blow-up doll to having sex with a man dressed as a tiger. If you’re hungry for cyber-love, Second Life is a great place to go, because whatever your fetish is, there’s always someone in the game freakier than you.

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3Feel Online Like pornography, this Korean MMOEG shows players prefabricated sexual encounters in various scenes and environments. The only difference here is that the studio will provide players with equipment that can be controlled through the game.

Heavenly Bodies Most MMOEGs neglect their MMO roots, but not this one. With its 20 planets, 14 dimensions, an in-game economy system, complex mythology, and role-playing quests, one wonders where Heavenly Bodies will fit in the sex.

Naughty America Proudly claiming to be the “evolution of online dating,” Naughty America is more dating service than MMO. With its comic-book-like visuals, the game will connect real-life people in a virtual world, using chat, message boards, and webcams.

“If someone who usually reacts quickly in-game starts to slow down, almost to a halt, then I, in real life, start blushing,” says Jessica (not her real name), about the times when she cybersexes in games. “I go make tea, or get another beer. I mean, at least make it so I don’t know about it!” As an avid EverQuest and Gemstone player with a penchant for role-playing, Jessica is no stranger to cybersex. She admits to engaging often in the practice herself, although she swears it’s just to create a stronger storyline for her character. “I’m pretty rare in that, when I say it’s all in character, I really mean it. It doesn’t turn me on,” she explains. “It’s 100% roleplay. I just try to think, ‘What would my girl do?’” Jessica acknowledges that most of the time her fellow gamers don’t share her outlook, and most players have difficulty separating reality from fiction. Recently, she says, she role-played with a 19-yearold from California; after only a few trysts, he claimed he’d fallen in love with her. When he discovered that Jessica had

86 Computer Games | February 2007

Rapture Online Halfway between a sim and a role-playing game, Rapture Online will focus on eroticism over raunch, in a brave (if futile) attempt to remove the shame from cyber-nookie and make players feel all warm and glowy instead.

a real-life boyfriend, he and his friends griefed her constantly for months. “It’s a game,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I’m not looking for anything besides something to do, to help with my real-life stress. It’s supposed to be fake, and amazing, and something you can lose yourself in.” Jessica’s live-in boyfriend plays Gemstone with her, and he knows about her online dalliances. “It doesn’t bother him,” she says. “He’s told me that Gemstone sex is different than [out-of-game] cybersex, because it’s all in character.” When Jessica is asked whether she would have a problem if the roles were reversed, she says she thinks she would. “He doesn’t do it, though. He’s all about levels and money in-game.”

Despite their shared hobby, Jessica and her boyfriend have never cybered together, either in or out of character. “I’d rather just toss him in bed than do anything in-game,” she laughs. “There’d be no point to it.”

Love, exciting and new, comes to a world near you ed Light Center is often called “The X-rated Second Life,” and it hosted what’s believed to be one of the first MMO gay marriages. Dave and Keith, a real-life Canadian couple who live just north of Toronto, decided to tie the virtual knot on October 22, 2006, because they were in love and, in the words of Dave, “wanted to show the RLC community that two men who love each other are no different than a man and a woman who love each other.” This is just a warm-up for the real thing. Dave, a 35-year-old telecommunications technician, and Keith, a 29-year-old customer-service representative for a major grocery store chain, plan to head to the real-world altar in 2007. They’ll make it official courtesy of Canada’s legalization of gay marriage through the federal Civil Marriage Act, passed in July 2005. Keith thinks that some American lawmakers could take lessons from the open-minded community at RLC, which fully supported his nuptials. “Perhaps the lawmakers should plan a visit to RLC and take a few pointers,” he says. “No one at the site protested our wedding, and the community here is made up of people from all over the world, from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, with different political ideals and religious beliefs. It’s a community made of people from every walk of life.” The community at RLC certainly seemed eager to line up and throw rice. Both Dave and Keith joined the game not long after it went live, signing up last August. Keith soon volunteered as a community leader, Dave won the title of Mr. RLC, and the couple quickly made a lot of friends. As a result, there was a full house for the ceremony at Century Theater #1, including good friends NJ Bain and his wife NJ Erin, Laraviolet, Charmed, and Red Alert. Another close friend, Jezebel, wrote the ceremony and stood in as the justice of the peace. Pal Sadwanker designed the custom clothes for the couple’s avatars. And RLC CEO Brian Shuster and most of the in-game staff showed up to give their best wishes. Both Dave and Keith can’t imagine any other game’s being this encouraging of their marriage. Dave can’t say enough about RLC’s openness, how it lets them “escape the pressures of the real world.” Neither would have got married online anywhere else. “RLC is a world where you can be yourself and not have to hide,” says Dave. “It’s a world where adults can be adults and it does not matter if you are heterosexual, gay, or transgendered. That’s the beautiful thing about it—it lets you be you.” Those words could probably be said about any MMO. The genre is all about doing your own thing, whether you’re looking for a place to hold your same-sex marriage or pretending you’re a dragon-slayer for a couple of hours every night. –Brett Todd

Back in the heyday of Sierra’s The Realm Online, Cory Banks was quite the stud. “I don’t think I’m being egotistical if I say I was excellent at cybersex,” says Banks. “Although it does sound a little sad.” He got into the game during beta, when he joined the Order of Etinu, a guild consisting mostly of older women. To fit in, the 14-year-old told his guildmates that he was a 26-year-old small-town journalist. But, as one of the only males present, Banks became a hot commodity overnight. “It was sort of my own sexual revolution,” he recalls. “That’s where I learned all about sex, at least the details.” He remembers his fellow players fondly, but with a touch of sadness. “Honestly, I think they were horribly lonely,” he says. “They would get personal about things, sharing information you wouldn’t think they’d need or want to share.” One woman in particular decided to track him down. She called all the newspapers in and around his town, until one of the editors, who knew Banks’ mother, set her straight. That ended his adventures in The Realm for good. “I’ve always felt really horrible for how all this happened,” he says. “It was a big deal, and it’s the only real thing I’m ashamed of in my life.” Banks says that he’s refrained from MMO cybersex ever since and plans never to go back. “For starters, there’s a lot of other stuff to do in World of WarCraft now,” he says. Moreover, he’s learned that the cute Night Elf you met in Ironforge may be OK with just cybersex, or she may want to fly up from Tampa and meet you in person. “By the time you know which is which, feelings are involved.” Ironically, Banks says, it’s those feelings that made cybersex so attractive in the first place. “Their thoughts and feelings make it so much better than just a normal fantasy,” he explains. “But it also puts you in a position to hurt them.”

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road to nowhere by Cindy Yans

Get Organized The silliness behind online civil rights

hile I was lurking in some forum somewhere, I read the following: “I swear to god, it’s like MMOs make people stupid.” I don’t think so. Why, people come up with plenty of creative solutions to problems they perceive in their game worlds of choice. And they’re smart enough to know when to stand up for their game-given rights as Dwarves, Rodians, Wizards, et al. Remember the World of WarCraft “Million Gnome March” that took place about a year or so ago on the Argent Dawn

“I swear to god, it’s like MMOs make people stupid” server? This was a large-scale protest in the name of Gnomes’ in-Gnomeity to Gnomes. Although WoW is very much an international community, in IronForge, “democracy” became the word of the day. Gnomes from Azeroth to Kalindor marched upon the IronForge Auction House area in a blatant demonstration of the people’s, er, Gnomes’ right to assemble. OK, in actuality, it wasn’t about the Gnomes’ in-Gnomeity to Gnomes. It was about Blizzard’s dastardly nerf of the Warrior class. Warrior Gnomes, in the name of Warriors everywhere, stepped up to the plate to protest unwanted changes. Apparently Blizzard wasn’t doing enough to address their concerns, so they invaded IronForge, naked (naturally), to voice their collective grievances. A riot ensued, and eventually a GM intervened. One of the things he (or she) said to squelch the crowd was, “Attention: Gathering on a realm with intent to

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hinder gameplay is considered griefing and will not be tolerated. If you are here for the Warrior protest, please log off and return to playing on your usual realm.” “Please log off?” That implies that players from a bunch of other servers created Gnome characters on Argent Dawn and rushed, at level one, directly to the Iron Forge Auction House. That place is usually a madhouse even on a quiet day, making it a fragile point for the heartiest of server farms. Let the account banning begin! It did, but before too long, the stressed-out servers collapsed under the weight of the dancing naked Lilliputians. But that’s OK. They were just practicing that Gnome-given right. A few of them were slapped on the wrist; Blizzard employees went into emergency mode for a while, but worst of all, tons of players were whining, “Oh noes! It’s Friday night and I can’t plaaaaaaaay.” Similarly, in Star Wars Galaxies, there was a credit duping bug a while ago on the Intrepid server, where a toon called Bruceleee and his cronies were stuffing free duped credits into the g-strings of cantina dancers. SOE stepped in, and there was no “attention please” involved—SOE banned everyone that had even come close to sniffing a duped credit (or a g-string), and there was public outrage. “But what if I didn’t know?” became the issue, and the herds swarmed to Theed in protest. GMs gave fair warning that this would be a good time to stop the madness, then began teleporting offenders across the galaxy. A player staged an impromptu newscast: “This is Allehe reporting live from a staged protest outside Theed Starport. Just a few moments ago protesting cartoons went suddenly missing—warped outside our great galaxy. Where have they landed? This we do not know. What we do know is people are angry... I will remain here until there is no news.” There came an ultimatum and the Stormtroopers (SOE) shut down the entire server. “Oh noes! It’s Saturday night and I can’t plaaaaaaaay.” Whether a protest is stifled by technology limitations or by Stormtroopers, the result’s the same, right? (It’s probably very silly, though, for players to get so upset if, for whatever reason, there’s no way they can organize in a sensible fashion.) An observant non-gamer would say that all of this protest garbage just reeks of stupidity (“Why aren’t they out gardening?”). But is it stupid to indulge in herd mentality in a world that encourages it? We live in the worlds provided for us by the game developers whose bottom line is to bring in the almighty dollar, but many of whom say they really want to look toward some nebulous higher goal—like creativity. Finding a new horizon is tough, though, as we’ve been seeing for years. At an Austin Game Conference post mortem “MMO rant,” former SOE vice president Gordon Walton said about developers, “We are herd animals. We are employing herd strategies in a creative business.” He added, “Why do we do this? We do this because we’re freaking mammals… we’re just a bunch of freaking mammals doing stupid stuff without thinking.” Maybe MMOs make people stupid after all. Oh noes. ■

MMOBYTES

MMOCABULARY BOT Generally this is a second character run by a player that has two or more accounts. It’s often “auto-following” the player, who brought it along merely to heal or buff. It can also be a character that is not controlled by anyone directly. Instead, it operates via a “script” that’s usually created by its owner. This way, someone can hunt for gold or craft items without actually being at the keyboard. Developers really hate this.

KOS Acronym for “kill(ed) on sight.” This is when one character or NPC approaches another who immediately rushes in for the kill. You hear, “I’m KOS to him.” This is the same thing as “He’s aggro to me.”

MPK Mass Player Kill. This is when a group or person kills a large number of player-controlled characters, usually by dragging several monsters toward the players’ location and watching the carnage begin.

CON Short for “consider.” It’s either an action or a command that tells you the strength of the NPC you’re targeting, i.e., “Will he kick the crap out of us?”“I dunno. Con him.” Or “What does he con to you?”

DROP This is used as a noun, actually, and refers to the treasure found on a creature after it’s slaughtered. “Any good drops?” Strange, though, when something like a bear drops a steel longsword. Where did he keep it?

POWERLEVEL Are We There, Yeti? OK, you’re in a five-man group in World of WarCraft and someone asks, “Hey! Who has the “Are We There Yeti?” quest? It’s in Winterspring.” “I do, I do!” Run very quickly, the other way. Go linkdead. Claim “wife aggro.” But if you decide to be Mr. Nice Guy, well, you’d better have a whole ton of patience, and be

very unconcerned about wasting your time. Here’s the quest: “Collect 10 Thick Yeti Furs for Umi Rumplesnicker in Everlook.” Simple, right? Except, hmm, 10 times 5 is 50, so you’re looking at collecting 50 Furs. Not so simple, at least when you realize how long that’s likely to take. Yeti Fur drops from only two creatures, so… ouch. Not only does getting 50 of them seem more daunting than you thought, but factor in that you also have to find the creatures that drop them and camp them and wait for respawns and, and, and…. The point is that you should never attempt a collection quest with a group until you’ve checked the drop rate of the item you’re going for. Sites like Thottbot.com and GoblinWorkshop.com have this sort of information. You’ll often decide that your time is best spent elsewhere.

Ryzom has run into a pretty severe roadblock. It’s had its share of downs and ups, but developer Nevrax has gone into receivership. The company is still operating with limited support, but at press time still hadn’t found anyone to acquire its assets. It’s no longer charging a monthly fee, nor can any new free trial accounts be upgraded to access the mainland areas. Nevrax is optimistic, however, and a spokesperson says that this is “not the beginning of the end, just the end of the beginning….” NCsoft has been rubbing elbows with the FBI. The publisher teamed up with the bureau to shut down L2Extreme, a “ring” of MMO pirates that has been providing Lineage II players with unauthorized service and codes. According to the FBI, L2Extreme has up to 50,000 players utilizing its service…. CCP announced a definitive merger with White Wolf Publishing, creator of the Vampire and Werewolf World of Darkness universes (along with many others), and second only to Wizards of the Coast in the world of offline RPGs. The premise is to enable CCP to integrate White Wolf’s offline cred into the EVE Online trading card game, but there’s tons of speculation about a World of Darkness-style MMO in the works….

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out of the box by Brett Todd

Baldur’s Gate Forever Do we need Neverwinter Nights 2 when we can replay Baldur’s Gate II for eternity?

everwinter Nights 2 may be the most unnecessary roleplaying game in the history of the genre. I say that with a lot of affection. As a Dungeon & Dragons nut going back to 1978, one of those freaks who keeps his original player manuals and modules on a shelf next to his desk (despite not having played any pen-and-paper RPGs for 15 years), I adore Obsidian’s careful design. This may be the version 3.5 rules, with postmodern attitude, more facial piercings than the crowd at an Ani DiFranco show, and an editor that turns the game into a virtual coloring book. But the feel is old-school D&D. Still, the game seems superfluous in light of the fact that an army of modders has been turning Baldur’s Gate II into the all-you’ll-ever-need Gygaxian epic. If you just played the 300-plus hours of the original campaign and the Throne of

stall all of the original Baldur’s Gate games and expansions, fire up some of the best mods, and replay the entire series. That plan went really well. For about a week. Even though I enjoyed my return visit to the Sword Coast and appreciated the amenities provided by the mods, I got the feeling that what I was doing wasn’t right; that I wasn’t replaying the “real” games, as they were carefully crafted by BioWare. I didn’t expect that reaction, because I love mods. I’ve never respected the artistic sanctity of games: They seem more like virtual playgrounds than digitized Hamlets, and as such can only benefit from the tweaking and tinkering of modders. But in this particular case, I quickly began to feel that any change—even an undeniably positive one, like porting the original Baldur’s Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast to the superior Baldur’s Gate II engine, courtesy of the BG1Tutu converter—was equivalent to painting a new smile on the Mona Lisa. So I may need to reassess my opinions on the relative merits of Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights. While I’ve always assumed the former games to be superior, mainly because of their grander storytelling and more heroic drama, this superiority also makes them untouchable. Viewed in this light, the Neverwinter Nights games seem more open, more self-consciously crafted to resemble the pen-andpaper D&D that I played as a kid, and not so much like the construction sets that I’ve often felt them to be. This may seem like a minor distinction. Maybe all I’m really saying here is that I finally, totally get the philosophy behind the Neverwinter Nights series, after three years of playing both out-of-the-box campaigns, both expansions, almost all of BioWare’s premiere modules, and a good two-dozen homebrewed modules. To me this seems like a breakthrough, because I’ve finally discovered that line between games as storytelling-centered interactive fictions and games as, well, plain old games. My realization gives me hope that RPGs will have room to evolve in different directions, while still appealing to that sense of fun that makes us play a game rather than picking up The Sun Also Rises or heading to the theater for the late showing of The Departed. This realization makes me appreciate the Neverwinter Nights approach more than ever. Now I’m not so sure which D&D game is most likely to stand the test of time; which will still be appreciated by geeks in future years when PC games are viewed through the same nostalgic lens as Marx Brothers movies. I will always be fond of the traditional storytelling of the Baldur’s Gate games, but their claustrophobic tales and architecture make them seem like flies in amber. They may be the closest equivalents to works of art that the RPG genre has ever offered. But I’ll take the hope and creativity offered by a great coloring book over the Mona Lisa any day. ■

“If these mods were pen-and-paper, you’d need a dozen bags of holding and Donald Trump’s closet space to find room for everything.” Bhaal expansion, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Head to the voluminous Pocket Plane Group website (pocketplane.net) and prepare to be amazed at how much the series has been poked and prodded over the past few years. I consider Baldur’s Gate II a timeless game, one that RPGers will continue to play decades from now. But even I don’t know where to start with the mods out there. You’ve got the big must-have enhancements like Tutu, but also a horde of campaigns, like the Darkest Day and Shadows over Soubar, new NPCs like Kelsey and Solaufein to crank up the romance for female players, and loads of sound sets, scripts, item packs, and anything else you could possibly think up. If these mods were pen-and-paper manuals and modules, you’d need a dozen bags of holding and Donald Trump’s closet space to find room for everything. Still, when I experienced a crazy “Sure, I’ve got enough free time to do this!” moment last summer, I decided to in-

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CARDBOARD CORNER

Return of the Heroes

DESIGNER Lutz Stepponat PUBLISHER Pegasus Press PLAYERS 1-4 PLAYING TIME 2-3 hours MSRP $49.95 RATING

f it weren’t for the popularity of Runebound, chances are good that you wouldn’t be able to find Lutz Stepponat’s heroic fantasy game Return of the Heroes on store shelves stateside. This is a catchy adventure, despite its retro feel. Saying a boardgame has bad rules is par for the course; still, the booklets included with Return of the Heroes are even worse than you’d expect. The main booklet is ostensibly written by the heroes themselves, which makes the whole thing embarrassing for anyone over the age of 12. Worse, it refers to a vital introductory game set-up card that has been left out of all English editions. The first thing you need to do is head to BoardGameGeek (boardgamegeek.com) for a PDF of this missing card. Once you get everything sorted out, the gameplay is a solid, albeit simplified, adaptation of the classic Magic Realm.

★★★½

The art and atmosphere are rooted in old-school D&D, with cheesy characters and monsters straight out of the 1980s. But the rules are a little offbeat. Instead of adventuring on a set board and fighting random battles, you set up a variable kingdom with 16 map tiles and take on tasks and heroic deeds. This change makes the game feel more focused and story dependent than a hack-andslash experience like Runebound. Still, games tend to end up as standard races for experience, artifacts, and gold, with a stereotypical battle with a randomized bad guy known as the Nameless at the end. You can defeat enemies with a single throw of the dice, so games go by pretty quickly compared with the standard four-hour Runebound marathon. As disappointing as Return of the Heroes is when you open the box and start reading the rules, the likable gameplay wins you over. –Brett Todd

SPOTLIGHT: IRON GRIP: THE OPPRESSION

hen the most annoying thing about a mod is its name, you know you’re onto something. Iron Grip: The Oppression for the Source engine may be saddled with a totally unnecessary subtitle, but it’s the best cross-genre mod since Alien Swarm. The big difference between the two mods is the setting. Where Alien Swarm was an Alien movie come to life, Iron Grip is a gritty, WWII-ish take on the Southern Alliance’s attempt to overthrow the totalitarian regime of Rahmos. It has the look and feel of an alt-history Soviet Union, a point underlined by the fact that the developers load the game’s three gorgeous maps with so much ice and snow you can practically see your own breath while playing. Much of the focus is on real-time strategizing, with raggedy groups of rebels fighting against platoons of Rahmos infantry and the odd tank. The rebels fight as a team from a first-person perspective, but the evil Commie battles solo like a real-time-strategy-game general. As you might expect, it’s not easy to play the Southern Alliance. You have to gun down dozens of enemy soldiers to capture the three control points that form the objectives on each map, then finish things off by assassinating the Rahmos general. Given that the Rahmos player can drop into FPS mode to defend

Now there’s one way to warm things up.

the head honcho, even killing this single hero character can be challenging. Still, it’s worth the struggle. After some early issues with lag and balancing, a few Iron Grip patches have settled the game into a comfortable groove between insanely difficult and insanely rewarding. If you like hybrid games, be sure to download this one and give it a go. isotx.com/index.php?topic=1614

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MODSQUADS

by Brett Todd

To mark the release of Neverwinter Nights 2, we’ve devoted all of Mod Squads this month to the early homebrewed efforts for this latest D&D epic. We’ll be back with a more thorough look at the NWN 2 mod scene in a few months, after it really starts to percolate.

Use It or Lose It One of the biggest problems people are having with NWN 2 is the interface. Obsidian may have got rid of that irritating radialwheel thingie from the first game, but its replacement doesn’t seem like much of an improvement. So enter ibjodaddy and Slate’s UImproved. This collection of user-interface tweaks and changes adds a lot of amenities, such as the option of switching the hotbar between horizontal and vertical modes, player health bars, and draggable player and quickcast menus. It also features an enhanced chat window and a rescaled memorized spells menu that displays more of those kooky D&D incantations on a single screen. nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2UI.Detail&id=21

Training Camp Even though NWN 2 has been on shelves for only a few months, modders are already cranking out modules. One of the best of the early lot is JEGs Training Module, a mod geared to test character builds. Its most noteworthy feature is a danger room that spawns monsters based on your character’s level. Scenery is a bit on the plain side, as creator WhatIsSol made the module for a friend with an older system. nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2ModulesEnglish.Detail&id=23

[top to bottom] Vordan’s Hero Creator, Cyricc’s Compact Character Stats, Corrosion’s Magnum-Sized Inventory mod

Heroes for Hire Vordan’s Hero Creator is more of an elaborate take on the standard training module. Like JEGs Training Module, this gives you the ability to outfit characters with gold, items, and experience points, but in a more attractive village/forest setting. It features an arena, a number of merchants, and the full range of workbenches for crafting. Even though this is an early effort, it’s hard to imagine future trainers doing much better. nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2ModulesEnglish.Detail&id=14

Magnum-Sized for Protection and Pleasure Miss those great big character inventories from the original? Well, Corrosion did too, so he wrote the Magnum-Sized Inventory mod that restores them to their previous proportions. This may not sound like a big deal, but it’s a godsend for those playing the game at higher resolutions, as the default inventory

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and its tiny, almost indiscernible icons (anyone else have to squint to tell a mace from a hammer? Or thieves’ tools from parchment?) make you wonder if the guys at Obsidian own stock in LensCrafters. nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2UI.Detail&id=19

Shrink to Fit And then there are those who think aspects of the default NWN 2 interface are too large. Cyricc’s Compact Character Stats removes stat icons and adjusts the numbers and text to make for cleaner character sheets. The font has also been changed to Arial, to make these menus flow better with the chat window. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it does eliminate some of the scrolling you need to do when checking character stats. nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2UI.Detail&id=17

Alt.Games By Troy S. Goodfellow

Travian Travian Games Until we get a proper massively multiplayer strategy game, browser games will have to do. And you can’t do much better than Travian, an empirebuilding game that measures construction time in minutes or even hours. This may sound dull, but it means the game can be played in 30-second increments. You make your plans and set your orders; then there’s no need to check in for a while. Slowly build up your starter village before setting out to found new towns or conquer your neighbors. There is a lot of room for diplomacy and alliances, and the slow pace means that you’re unlikely to be caught completely by surprise. travian.com

Aquaball Alawar Games Then you have the games that require your complete attention. Aquaball is another in a long line of Arkanoid/Breakout clones, but with a nautical theme. The clever level design and interesting range of power-ups more than make up for the familiar gameplay. Many objects require multiple hits to break apart, and some nice bonus rounds [right] Virtual Villagers [below] Aquaball

test other skills. Best of all, the game is not that punishing, so it’s a great casual alternative for younger gamers who want a sense of accomplishment from knocking turtles around. alawar.com/games/aquaball

MODBLURBS

Virtual Villagers Last Day of Work Sometimes it seems as if games play themselves. This is the central conceit of Virtual Villagers, which will run on its own if you let it. A small tribe is shipwrecked on a mysterious island and has to make ends meet. Farm, research, and breed until the mystery is solved. If you turn off the game without pausing, the island action will continue to progress without your intervention. So you may log in later to find your people on the edge of starvation or reproducing like rabbits. This glacial movement gives you a sense of attachment to some of your citizens, such as the sick children who need a healer. Sequels are already in the works. ldw.com/virtualvillagers

Although BattleLore and Marvel Heroes hogged all the hype at the end of 2006, another boardgame that shouldn’t be overlooked is Asmodée Editions’ Iliad. This simple card-based game for two to six players is fantastically addictive and features a nice Trojan War theme. It shines as a two-player game, as well…. Work seems to be proceeding nicely on Halloween4’s Dawn of the Dead total conversion. This recreation of the George Romero zombiefest may be based on Max Payne, but the screenshots look a lot better than you might expect. Be sure to swing over to the official website and take a look (maxpayne.levels4you.com/ cdc/dotd/index.l4y)…. Expansions are the name of the game this winter for Fantasy Flight Games. The boardgame company’s add-ons for Arkham Horror, Runebound, Descent, War of the Ring, World of WarCraft, and Twilight Imperium have either just arrived in retail stores or are expected to show up before those of us in northerly climes can put away our snow shovels for another year…. Wipe the memory of that horrible Goo Goo Dolls’ song out of your head with the Iris mod for the Source engine. This total conversion by Tom Mortensen and a team of 13 students in Denmark is more of a prototype than a fullfledged game, but it’s still a nifty time-traveling adventure. The website at tomsweb.dk/Projekter/Irisenglish/tabid/ 62/Default.aspx has more information….

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APPLIED GAME THEORY

Hacking the System A lthough World of WarCraft is usually credited with ruining people’s education—how many college-aged

readers have skipped a class for an instance or raid?—a number of researchers think that it may hold the key to retooling our educational systems for the 21st century. Over the past two years, the Spencer Foundation has funded a group of leading game designers and scholars (in which we participated) to hold a series of meetings to determine what games might mean for learning and society. The group’s report concludes that games represent a new form of literacy, one that is multimodal (combining images and texts), performative (requiring active effort), productive (supporting creativity), and participatory (open to transformation). Expert gamers don’t just learn a set of facts about a game world; they appreciate the interworkings of game systems and rules. Games, the report concludes, encourage us to “hack” the system; to identify problems, develop an understanding of the system, and then tweak it to achieve our goals. As Will Wright pointed out in a recent issue of Wired, “To engage meaningfully in a game there’s something almost scientific about the way players world like World of WarCraft is to experiment in games; they participate in creating it. Highdevelop and test their hypotheses while playing. end MMO gaming is a deeply If this sounds a little highflying to you, check out a productive act.” video by Xzin. That’s the genius behind “the Zins,” five World of WarCraft characters (a priest, Xzin, and four mages named Azin, Bzin, Czin, and Dzin) who are all simultaneously played by one person with a single keyboard. (Go to Google Video and search for “xzin video,” or type this out in your browser: video.google.com/ videoplay?docid=3697765098130473147&q=xzin.) It’s not just that Xzin plays all these characters; he’s actually really good. Xzin’s real goal was to build a PvP machine, and he succeeded, with the Zins taking five of the top seven PvP rankings on his server. When you watch the Zins in action, the speed and elegance of it all is quite impressive. All

by Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire

five Zins appear to move as a single unit, with the four mages doing unreal amounts of damage and the priest tossing out heals, shields, and fear bombs to keep it going. It’s wildly efficient for PvP. If you’re like most opposing players who meet the Zins, your first reaction is to think that Xzin must be cheating. He’s not, according to Blizzard. The company has posted a definitive response to this accusation, observing that Xzin is in control of all five characters at the same time and therefore within the rules. What he’s doing is running an experiment in “multiboxing,” the practice of playing multiple characters. So can one person using custom configured hardware create an entirely new way of playing the game, particularly for PvP? The key to this set-up is to use a keyboard multiplexer, a device that allows one keyboard to send commands to more than one machine. The combination of the multiplexers, some tweaked hardware, and some creative keybinding and macroing allows Xzin cleverly to control all five characters in real time from one machine. “LFG” is a thing of the past when you’re playing and leveling a full group at once. Xzin reports that the process was slightly more efficient than running a single character but had huge side benefits, such as the ability to earn 20 gold in two minutes, a feat that would impress even the most hardened Chinese gold farmer. The Zins are a dramatic example of gaming the system, but, as MMO researcher Constance Steinkuehler has pointed out, there are countless examples in MMO gameplay. Modders create new interfaces. Guild leaders are social modders, creating rules and structures and managing many conflicting needs and desires. To engage meaningfully in a game world like World of WarCraft is to participate in creating it. High-end MMO gaming is a deeply productive act. This new way of thinking is what’s needed for success in the new economy. If you talk to educators and business leaders, you find that the single greatest problem is that our schools are not teaching kids to innovate creatively. Our schools, like most institutions, weren’t designed to produce or even handle the Zins of the world. They were designed for the industrial age, where uniformity and conformity were valued. By fostering this kind of innovative creativity, games may be a much better match for today’s world than schools. Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire are co-directors of The Education Arcade, which is based at MIT and the University of WisconsinMadison. More information on the program can be found at educationarcade.org

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RANDOM INCOHERENCE

Assuming the Position L eaving aside the question of whether games are “art” or just the time-wasting narcotic of choice for those

born into the digital age, let’s at least agree to agree that playing games isn’t the most physically comfortable activity (the Nintendo Wii and Guitar Hero notwithstanding). They certainly cause more pain than you get from sampling other forms of creative entertainment, like reading, watching movies, or having sculpture fall on you. Whatever chiropractic benefits your executive desk chair was intended to confer are being systematically undone, hour by hour, as you hunch forward, neck craned, eyes squinting, wrist muscles flexing. Two people I know, casual gamers both, suffered wrist issues from playing games that required them to get cortisone shots. Both wound up quitting games for a few months. Both came back, of course. Where else were they going to go? It’s not that we don’t mind the pain that comes with games; it’s that we’re so used to it that it barely registers. Early on, we developed highly sophisticated techniques to block it from our thoughts, because we’re able to achieve that precarious trance of Zen concentration that basketball players use to ignore crowd distractions during a free throw and firefighters employ just before entering a burning building. It’s a state of grace that non-gamers are incapable of achieving and will never truly grasp. Not that playing games is the same as risking our lives or actually playing a sport in front of thousands of people. But it gives us a sense of the mental discipline those actions take, at least in the same vague way that going to the Olive Garden educates us

by Kelly Wand

about Italian culture. And we suffer for our play, just as athletes do; we stoically accept pain’s steady, crippling drumbeat because it’s a small price to pay for the love we bear to the game. What’s more ennobling, after all, than a gluttony for punishment? Nothing on earth, that’s what. And we have the purple items and unlockables to prove it. Our tolerance for this pain marks us as part of a vast fraternity, bound by our mutual lifelong dedication to feats of endurance and button pressing. Our legacy includes gradually worsening eye strain, metacarpal tunnel syndrome, stiff backs, and anguished throbs from our kidneys, all aggravated by the hours of neglect punctuated by adrenaline surges that amount to more or less a perpetual state of cardiac arrest. Top those treats off with the psychological trauma brought on by sleep deprivation and losing, not to mention the side effects of whatever you’ve imbibed, smoked, snorted, injected, made love to, or pooped to help you maintain your “edge.” In a nutshell, games hurt. A big reason for this is that computer keyboards weren’t exactly designed with gaming in mind. Quite the opposite, in fact: Everything about modern keyboards is meant to remind you that your computer is a serious business tool and not some gadget from Toys ‘R’ Us. Although it’s a sad truth that what we affectionately call the “cutting-edge,” trilliondollar computer industry is still using the same standardissue typewriter keyboard (1714 AD tech) and mouse (1963 AD tech) or trackball (1980 AD Centipede tech), the innovations that have occurred have gone in the wrong direction. Youth culture apologists may be interested to learn that, back in the day, keys on typewriters were round, widely spaced, and inky black. And when you had a good head of steam, they made a pleasantly musical, clattery racket. Modern computer keys are square, white, and round, like office cubicles, fluorescent lights, spreadsheets, and headstones. How’s that for aesthetics? Every game ever produced involves frequent con-

“Scribbling in the air with a rectal thermometer is not only something of an acquired taste, but in some ways it’s even more strenuous than using an old-fashioned joystick.”

96 Computer Games | February 2007

sultation of the keyboard, and that’s what you get to look at: sterile rows of drab slate. The guiding principle behind the construction of today’s keyboards seems to be making them as silent and compact as possible, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what would make them suited to gaming. Console gamers have it even worse, since the design of their input devices is aimed squarely at a younger, hardier demographic that’s already inured to blisters, hemorrhoids, and muscle spasms. While keyboard design at least tends to be universal, console owners are forced to keep straight all the various controller configurations devised by three corporations who hate one another on a cellular level, not to mention the thrice-yearly transitions mandated by next-generation hardware. And the controllers are composed of sharp-edged, bruising plastic; the ideal controller should feel like a breast. At the opposite, phallic extreme, you’ve got that turkey baster deal calling itself the Wii. There’s no disputing its elegance and originality, but scribbling in the air with a rectal thermometer is not only something of an acquired taste; in some ways it’s even more strenuous than using an old-fashioned joystick. Besides, if dance pads have taught us anything, it’s that investing more physical activity in a game is never, ever the solution. If the good Lord had intended for us to play games with our feet, it would’ve come up in Leviticus. And, as it happens, superior alternatives exist.

In October 2006, a team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, and engineers at Washington University successfully tested an experimental brain-machine interface that enabled a 14-year-old boy with epilepsy to play Space Invaders using only signals from his brain. After warming up for a while with movements of his tongue, the kid shifted to pure imagination and beat the first two levels within a couple of hours, becoming the number-one ranked telekinetic Space Invaders player in the world. The point of the process was to help the neurosurgeons determine which area in the brain causes epileptic seizures, but it also reveals the disillusioning truth that scientists are coming up with better game ideas than media conglomerates’ marketing departments. It’s worth noting that the typewriter, lamentable keyboard and all, was itself initially conceived as a device with medical applications, specifically as a writing tool for the blind. Clearly, the future of electronic entertainment rests entirely with the medical profession. If we’re already up to playing games with our tongues, why not our eyelids, noses, whiskers, testicles, or uvulas? Why need one be awake or alive at all? Better yet, how about a game you simply consume, playing first with your digestive tract and eventually with your spleen? If there’s a better way to hip up keyboards without playing the spleen card, I’m all ears.

Yesterday, 1357 people purchased a bad game.

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Next month: “Free guy” or “extra life”? Can’t feminists and morticians end the partisan quibbling and come up with a compromise that’s inoffensive to all?

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THREE FINGER SALUTE

The Day Tony Hawk Broke My Heart “Come, let Us go down there and confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” –Genesis 11:7

kateboarding games have left me behind. I no longer understand them. This isn’t the same as “getting off

the bandwagon,” which is what I’ve done with MMOs. I want no part of the interminable leveling for the sake of leveling, much less the monthly fees and guild drama. So I’ve voluntarily left the genre. I’m pretty much over RPGs, as well. I can handle maybe one or two a year. I already did a 40-hour term of service with Oblivion, and Zelda was de rigueur, so I passed on Neverwinter Nights 2. Yeah, I’m sure it’s a great game, but I think I’ll wait for something shorter, like whatever playermade module gets all the buzz in the next few months. Thanks, Obsidian, but I want something, well, more noncommittal. It’s not you. It’s me. Really. RPGs and me used to be really tight, but we’re drifting apart. We’re going to be just friends for a while and see how that works out. But, whereas I broke up with World of WarCraft and Neverwinter Nights 2, Tony Hawk’s Project 8 broke up with me. I got to the second tutorial. It’s the bit

“Please don’t leave me, shooters. I’ll practice more, I promise. I can change.” that explains ollies. I know ollies. I also know grinds, flips, and grabs. I kind of even know manuals, which is where I usually get stuck in a Tony Hawk tutorial. But in Project 8, the second tutorial asks me to chain together a flip kick, an acid drop variant, and some third thing that I never even got to do because I couldn’t quite chain the first two together. I dutifully tried for about 10 minutes before moving on to something more my speed. The Iroquois in Age of Empires III don’t have fancy ollie combos. I’d rather not be cut off from skateboarding games. I like stunt-based, find-the-hidden-doodad-on-top-of-the-bill-

by Tom Chick

board gameplay. I like the gratifying interaction of animation and interface. I like improving my air and grind stats. I want to play Project 8. But I simply cannot figure out what’s being asked of me in the second tutorial. Tony Hawk has gotten too complicated for me, a guy who stuck with flight simulators all the way through Falcon 4.0. It’s not just the games that are changing. I’m changing. For instance, something happened in the last few years when I wasn’t paying attention. I became the kind of RTS player I used to hate playing against. I’m now inherently good at the entire genre, not just specific games. I realize this as I watch some of my buddies struggle with RTSs. How can they not know to use unit groups? Why are they not hotkeying their barracks and queuing up reinforcements while simultaneously keeping melee units in front of their archers and shift-clicking a flanking maneuver for their cavalry? I mean, like, duh. There’s a price to be paid for getting along so royally with RTSs. It takes brain space, muscle memory, and conditioning that aren’t afforded other genres. As a result, I can feel myself falling behind the curve when I play shooters. Will they end up like skateboarding games? Please don’t leave me, shooters. I’ll practice more, I promise. I can change. “Give me another chance,” I think, dying for the thousandth time in Rainbow Six: Vegas, which I adore and am terrified will leave me. Something happened to divide all of us from each other. There is no longer any such single thing as gaming, or videogaming, or even computer gaming. A grandmother in Florida plays World of WarCraft; her daughter in Jersey might try The Sims 2, while that woman’s son does Yu Gi Oh on a GBA. Someone else is still into flight sims, I’m playing any RTS I can get my hands on, and some guy down the street buys Madden every year. Someone else who’s never even heard of Spore is having a grand old time Wii bowling. There’s even someone somewhere eagerly awaiting some Japanese RPG Atlus is going to import. We have nothing in common and nothing to say to one another about these games. We’re not beggars anymore, grateful for whatever we can get. We are choosers. It’s a gamer’s market, splintered by choice, Balkanized by platforms, genres, licenses, and servers. And in the process, we’ve all gained and lost so much. ■

Computer Games Magazine (ISSN 1546–5101) is published monthly by Strategy Plus, Inc., 65 Millet Street, Suite 203, Richmond, VT, 05477. Subscription rate is $19.97 for a 12-issue subscription, $31.97 Canada. Periodical postage paid at Richmond, VT 05477 and additional mailing offices. Produced in U.S.A. Postmaster: Send address changes to Computer Games, PO Box 1965, Marion, OH 43306.

98 Computer Games | February 2007