The thing is, the recent experiences with PC gaming (and facilitating PC gaming for myself and my roommate) has managed to both point out that things that I find great about it and the things that make me thank the gaming overlords that I have consoles to play. And reflecting on a purchase that cost me about as much as a new gaming system (although I was lucky enough to find a card at Frys that was actually going for suggested retail instead of the fucking outrageously marked up prices for 8800GTs on Newegg and everywhere else), I’m having the same kind of, well, not remorse per se. More like buyer’s melancholy maybe?

What I like: I am currently near the edge of PC gaming with my setup. I’m running a Core 2 Duo at 2.6Ghz, have more than a terabyte of HD space, have 2 gigs of PC-6400 RAM, and the aforementioned BFG 8800GT OC 512MB card, which means I crush most games well. And I can finally run Company of Heroes without it crashing.

What I dislike: I’ve been trying to think of amazing games to use to make myself feel better about the money I dropped, and I can’t really think of anything but what I’ve already used. I have no desire to play Crysis. Gears of War is actually inferior gameplay wise compared the the 360, and 60FPS makes the game look more like meat puppets than ever. In fact, I’m feeling the same kind of buyer’s trepidation that I imagine a PS3 owner felt after the newness of the console came out. I’m just wondering what I’m supposed to play.

The good news is, there are games on the horizon this year that I can now comfortably play that I am excited for. Starcraft 2 should be out soon (I hope), and I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by how system intensive Spore will be. Now I just need them to come out.

-Aegies

First, the game is called Call of Duty for a reason. That isn’t a bad thing. It’s not the disappointment that Call of Duty 3 was; it’s very much Call of Duty done right and done by the people who left EA to create their own games in the first place. Infinity ward has a knack for pacing and setting that I’ve seen few scripted shooters match, and that’s in full effect here. The point is, if you didn’t like Call of Duty 2, then this game may not be what you’re looking for. It doesn’t have the crossover appeal that Halo 3 does. In fact, it’s sort of like Call of Duty 2 turned up to 11. And for me, that’s a very good thing.

Now onto the rest of it, as if you’re still reading, I assume you care. The game looks fantastic, even on my system; with everything set to at least medium and high with no AA, the game still looks great on 2 year old cards, and as I was playing on an HDTV over DVI at 720p, you’re getting a graphical experience that’s comparable at the very least to what the current gen consoles will offer. I would imagine that on more powerful hardware like ATI’s 2900s or Nvidia’s 8800 series, you’ll truly be blown away. What’s more, it was very polished, with no noticeable bugs, and no weird collision issues.

The sound is excellent, especially if you’ve got good speakers, although there’s not quite as much oomph as I would have liked to some of the gunfire. You forget about that though when you nail someone in the head with a Dragunov through a wall. The ability to fire through surfaces (and to be fired upon through surfaces) ratchets up the game nicely, and adds an unpredictability to the proceedings.

Other than that, the change in setting seems more about opening up new possibilities for engagements, scenarios, and storytelling than any fundamental gameplay changes. I’m ok with that, as in a time with FPSs that vary wildly in gameplay and mechanics as they have this fall, some traditionalism with all the bells and whistles and some great level design goes a long way. After playing the multiplayer beta and this demo, I’m excited to get my hands on the final game. They could completely botch the story, and it would still be worth playing, though I don’t think they will mind you. The gameplay is that good. And PS3 owners, as someone whose played this and Haze, this game is where possibly limited FPS dollars should go, assuming that game sticks to its projected November release.

Now I kind of want to play through the demo again on the highest difficulty.

-Aegies

-Aegies

This is why you’re hearing about it now. Why you’re most likely going to continue to hear about it is because there is a very good chance that Bioshock really is going to be Game of the (Motherfucking) Year in a year where there is no shortage of contenders for the crown. What’s my evidence? Read on, and weep that 2K didn’t push up the release date to this week.

As of right now (to my knowledge) 11 reviews for Bioshock have been released/published, and the current average of these reviews is around 98%. This is a higher average ranking (though with admittedly fewer reviews so far) than the current highest aggregated review score in the history of gaming, according to Gamerankings.com. While some may scoff at this trend so far, I’ve got news for you: There are more 10s coming today, now that the embargo on reviews is almost up. Here’s what some reviewers are saying:

via Eurogamer
“…to have any shred of doubt surrounding BioShock comprehensively swept away within the first ten minutes, well, you feel like dancing. You want to tell people about this game who you know won’t even care, just because it makes you so giddy inside. Before we get into the nitty gritty, here’s the deal: Bioshock doesn’t just meet your expectations, but completely redefines them forever in ways you never even expected – in ways that games used to in the past, routinely.”

I’d like to dispute the excessive nostalgia in that last sentence, but that’s a discussion for another day. I would like to point out that this is the same site who gave Gears of War an 8, largely because they didn’t feel that it lived up to expectations. Moving on, we next have Games Radar’s review:

As for what’s going to happen to Rapture, that story is the propulsive force of the game, and it comes to you over the wireless. Irrational don’t like to let you meet sane people in person – they can’t be simulated realistically – so don’t expect any Black Mesa East chapters. But there is one moment, in dealing with the few still-vaguely-cogent people of Rapture, that’s simply staggering to experience.

BioShock had already made us physically gape several times by this stage, but here our mouths fell open and stayed open, only widening further as the scene became more extraordinary with every passing second.

Getting aroused yet? Next up is Game Informer:

You stand over a genetically mutated corpse with a camera in hand, taking a picture of its final, twisted expression to appease a cruel puppet master. A haunting rendition of “Bei mir bist du schön” plays from a radio, over which you hear the low, whale-like cry of a Big Daddy as it ambles into sight. You freeze, but the hulking creature trips one of your proximity mines and fixes a glowing red eye on you in fury. Heart-stopping moments like these are what set BioShock apart as one of the most intelligent and daring masterpieces in gaming.

I don’t really see a need to go on with these. The point is, the praise thus far is consisteint, glowing, and unanimous. This will be, hands down, the best reviewed game of the year, and very likely THE game of the year. Why? What about the competition? Well, it’s kind of a short list for game of the year this year, even amidst the tidal wave of fantastic releases in the next few months. Assassin’s Creed will have good reviews, but the controls are going to turn some people off in their complexity. Call of Duty 4 is a military shooter, which is enough to make some people hate it arbitrarily. Rock Band is a niche title, and so is Guitar Hero III. Super Smash Bros is a series you either love or loathe, Metroid Prime 3 is going to get 7s and 9s (call it a hunch), and Drake’s Uncharted and Ratchet and Clank are going to be good but not ridiculously awesome titles for the PS3 this fall. Haze is another military shooter, and Unreal 3 is a largely multiplayer shooter.

This basically leaves us with two huge games, which are Halo 3 and Super Mario Galaxy. Both will win some GOTY awards here and there, but neither will win the universal praise that Bioshock is getting right now. Here’s why: Halo 3 has the word “Halo” in the title. I love Halo, and a lot of people think it’s a great series, but there is a vocal Halo Hater Squad, and the favoritism Bungie has played with pre-release coverage of their title has managed to piss off a specific, big name gaming network of sites. It could be the greatest game of this generation, and there would still be a not-negligible contingent of people who used the words “mediocre” and “uninspired” to describe it.

Mario Galaxy has similar issues from the Mario-Hater squad, and while that group isn’t nearly as large as those who despise Halo, it also has the challenges associated with Wii-control. While there are a number of people who love the Wii-mote, there seems to be a growing number of apostates, and that number alone will prevent the game from taking the crown. Because of all of these factors, politically and conceptually, Bioshock will very probably come out on top when the dust has cleared in January. But we’re the ones who really win.

Or I would be if I hadn’t gotten boned by Toys ‘R Us yesterday. Sigh.

-Aegies

Chufmoney

[via CVG]

-Aegies

That is the teaser trailer, though it does not do the game justice. I would download the demo instead. The full version of the first episode of this game releases on March 30th at a 19.99$ price point.

Chufmoney

The Sam & Max games thus far for PC have been great.  They not only stay true to the characters from the original release, but they also are released episodically.  Not episodically as in years apart, like Half-Life, but month to month.  If they could get this games past the Microsoft certification process in a timely manner it would really help push the Live Arcade as a venue for episodic content.  More importantly, I just want to see the Sam and Max titles get a Live Arcade release because the games are great and could use the 360 sales.  Seriously these games alone, if you love adventure games, are worth the fee for a Gametap account.  But, if you do not feel like paying two monthly fees, i.e. Xbox Live and Gametap, then just keep your eyes open cause I have a feeling we’ll see confirmation of Sam and Max hitting the arcade this year.

Chufmoney

The biggest thing that suprised me about this game was that this game used live-action video with relative success. The acting was not over done and the characters seemed interesting. The casting even featured members of the Battlestar cast as well as that Sgt. guy from Starship Troopers. It made the plot actually interesting and more engaging.

While I am still very interested to see how they will overcome the short comings of the controller vs. mouse in the PC version I have to say that this demo is encouraging. I would pay close attention to this title as I feel it has great potential to be the best C&C yet.

Chufmoney

The biggest news here aside from the PS2 iteration (which is actually surprising) is confirmation of the 360 SKU. Pandemic has been stone-walling for almost a year about the possibility of Mercenaries on the 360, even amidst sometimes glaring evidence to the contrary, and the obvious financial benefits of releasing a game aimed at western audiences at the system that will hold a significant install base advantage among that audience for at least the next year. The question I have to ask is why they’re doing it now after so much silence. Maybe they’re clearing the hype schedule to make room for announcements at the GDC next month. After all, it has been a while since we’ve heard anything about Army of Two, and the buzz on skate. is just now building. EA has said that they hope 2007 will be a year for new IP. Hopefully this signals that we’ll hear about it soon.

1. Sam and Max: Hit the Road (Released in 1993 by LucasArts)

I remember first trying this PC title out at a friend’s house. My parent’s computer at the time did not have the 4MB of RAM reccommended to run this game and thus I did not think to purchase it. My best friend Nick, on the other hand, had a top of the line Gateway that was running an early form of Windows and even had a Sound Blaster card (which you needed if you did not want to just read subtitles)! I used to watch Nick play this game for hours at a time. Even as a child I loved the characters, whose crass humor and violent tendencies really drove the ridiculous detective story plot of the title. The game takes you to many interesting environments and really was and is a prime example of the LucasArts interactive adventure games that they are so famous for (a la any of the Monkey Island games). This game featured full audio for all the dialogue and took many hours to complete. It took us kids many days to beat this game. While it could at times be frustrating because it involved some pretty complex puzzles, it was definitely one of the more rewarding games I played during my gaming childhood. Not only should you play this game because the comedy, story, and MIDI music are all so amazing, but also because you could probably download it from anywhere these days. If you can find it somewhere that you can still purchase it, more power to you. I still have my copy sitting in the original box. It is one of the more prized pieces of my collection. Just be warned, should you choose to let the world of Sam and Max envelop you, you will have to get a DOS emulator to run this game.

2. Beyond Good and Evil (PS2 Released in 2003 by Ubisoft)

I can’t remember what drove me to purchase this game. I do not think that I had read any of the reviews which praised this game (of which there were/are many). I think it was that I had read a preview of this game more than a year before it came out which told me I would be able to travel in space. That, and when I looked at the back of the box I saw quirky enough snapshots of the game that it sparked my intrigue and made me take what was a huge financial gamble for my self at the time and spend 40$. Once I got the title up and running in my PS2 I was immediately engrossed. It had the photo shooting fun of Pokemon Snap as well as the kick ass adventuring of any Zelda or Banjo Kazooie game. And yes, I did just put those two in the same sentence, and yes, I am ok with that. Beyond Good and Evil combined so many game elements that I love. BG&E had an incredibly interesting plot which took hollywood movie style turns and twists, stealth missions, side quests, and characters you actually loved. The game’s cartoony atmosphere did not take away from its beauty and I still stand by it when I say it is one of the more visually beautiful PS2 games I have played. BG&E is one game that any person I know who has given it a chance literally plays until they beat it. It is the type of game that consumes your thoughts while you are at school or work and will be the reason that you make an excuse for yourself so that you don’t have to attend some social event you would otherwise enjoy. It is that good.

3. Outcast (for PC released by Infrogames and developed by Appeal in 1999)

Oh, Outcast. Words cannot iterate the intense love I have for this game. I had read about this game in a Gamepro in 1997 (I think). I remember it being described as a revolutionary game in it’s scale and graphics. The original screenshots of the game were indeed impressive for 1997. The game’s world is gigantic and rendered in 3D. However the reason that this game never took off was it used a voxel engine. While the use of voxels did not require the player to have a graphics card in their PC it did require a more powerful processor. Thus when this game was released only really powerful computers could run it. And, since voodoo cards were hitting the market, the voxel graphics really did not please the eye when compared to early Quake 2 screens.

Though this game sold disappointingly it stands as my favorite game of all time because it is epic, in every sense of the word. The game’s world is huge, the culture of the alien planet is incredibly developed and rich, and the action and battles will make you feel like you are truly the gun wielding savior of an entire people. The music was done by the Moscow National Symphony and it is powerful and moving.

I can’t praise this game enough. It is as addictive as an MMORPG. It gives you little quests all throughout the game which serve to push the main story but also give you the instant sense of accomplishment. The game does not slow down or drag due to its great design and pacing. You can choose how to go about accomplishing your primary mission (to save Earth), and can complete the game in many different orders. You can choose to be a savior to the aliens on this planet or a terror to them, and it will affect how they view you and react to you in game. It has all the fun of a choose your own adventure wrapped into a story that is reminiscent of Stargate. You see? This game makes me ramble like a fan-boy!

If you were to only play one of these games I would say you should play Outcast. If you encounter troubles with running the game on your machine you should check the wikipedia article about Outcast so you can get it rolling on your machine. Have some games you think make your top three? Hit me up, new or old, I am always looking to play the game I should have played.

Chufmoney

That is, until I saw the videos.

It made me weep a bit on the inside to see how terrible the interface looks, especially since I’ve long been a fan of the table top game to which Warhammer owes its namesake. For the vast majority of the online gamers, the class names and storyline in Warhammer will be Jabberwocky to you, so making the leap to actually purchase this title and play it over WoW will involve a promise of superior graphics and gameplay, both of which appear to be lacking. Whether or not Warhammer will be able to hold the attention of its customers for long remains to be seen. As for myself, I think I might try it when it comes out simply as a tip of the hat to the table top version, but can it truly satisfy my PvP blood lust, now that WoW is out of my life?

The 8-ball reads, “my sources say no.”

-Bedlam-

Please, someone out there tell me the expansion is terrible. Tell me that I don’t need to sell my personal possessions on Ebay to afford the monthly payments. Tell me that the level 60+ talents and spells don’t add anything new to the PvP mechanics.

My name is Bedlam, and I’m losing the battle against WoW addiction.

“Hi, Bedlam.”

-Bedlam-

Some of the new features look pretty interesting. Apparently, BC features a new form of group pvp: smaller, more personal fights in arenas located in both the Blades Edge Mountains and Nagrand. Aspiring champions must band together with friends or guildies in groups of 2, 3, or 5 for the appropriate team on team battles. Once inside, these fights are strictly annihilation games that allow only the player’s own spells and abilities, while outside buffs or trinkets, or spells with a cooldown longer than 15 minutes are banned. Looks like Blizzard is learning that players endure the battlegrounds’ repetitive tedium because they like to pvp, and are appropriately cutting to the chase. Shocking.

As for some of the content, there is a rumor floating around from the beta testers that the talents posted on the Blizzard site aren’t entirely accurate. From what I’ve heard, a few of the end talents have been reworked, and some have been changed completely. For instance, the Rogue talent at the end of the subtlety tree is no longer a 90% immunity to spells, but is instead a sort of mini mage blink, designed to immediately place the avatar behind the victim. After all, rogues have been known to do it from behind (three cheers for tired jokes). In any case, I’m interested in hearing more about the new talent specs as the players really get into the swing of things. No doubt we’ll be seeing a whole slew of new pvp videos – the equivalent of WoW porn – on you tube.

Once the expansion launches tomorrow, I fully expect to see a lot less of my friends and coworkers. And if I have to endure any more solicitations to start playing the game again, then damn it, I might have to acquiesce.

-Bedlam-