|
GAMES
|
Games Reviews
As you will undoubtedly have picked up on by now, I play computer games just a little bit (cough). I have
even worked in a game selling store (in 1997/98), namely
Game in York with a totally excellent group of people after my own heart. So, in theory I
know my stuff. The games I review below are purely those I have played and are mainly PC games, although a couple of N64 titles now get a look in following my purchase of a second hand Nintendo 64. On the Playstation,
I've enjoyed Gran Turismo and the import version of Tekken 3. Anyway, as I say, all the games below I've played, but of course
I bought them because they were to my taste, they may not be to yours... One game
is missing from this list because there's a great chunk of this site devoted to it - StarCraft.
Command and Conquer
Showing its age now, but a nice gentle introduction to the almost top down view strategy game.
Video sequences are top notch, music is good, and if you get the Win95 version fairly
straightforward to multiplay it. Not too tech hungry, and available as part of packs now.
Imperium Galactica
Curious one this. A mix of 2D space battles and fleet building, along with colony management
and some basic ground combat in said colonies. I quite liked the video sequences too. Out on
budget, worth a shot, although battling through to the end of it is a bit tedious.
Master of Orion II
Sort of Civilisation meets Star Trek. Pick a race or design your own, pick how big the galaxy
is, who's sharing it with you and how smart they are, and away you go. You can win by diplomacy,
or by kicking everyone else into oblivion. 2D space battles, but you get to design your own
ships in a big way. You can spy, bribe, cajole, plead for your miserable worthless life. This
was a huge hit with my friends at University who frequently had to be kicked brutally out of my
room because I needed to sleep!
X-Com Apocalypse
Obtained cheaply from Game, this proved to be an interesting twist on the X-Com games, which
needed a boost after the Terror from the Deep. This time you're defending a city from clandestine
alien nasties, and you can play tactical missions in real time for the first time. Vehicle combat
is more varied as are tactical missions. This time buildings fall on top of you, and you can kill
aliens on walkways by shooting out the walkways and making them plunge to their deaths! Nicely
done, although the video sequences are, quite honestly, pathetic for its age. For fans of X-Com
only really.
Mechwarrior 2, and Mercenaries
If you read all the background stuff, it really does pull you in. For more details of the
multiplayer aspect go here. The main games themselves
are still good fun despite their age and can now be patched to come up to 3dfx class graphics.
Top walking tank fun, with nice intro and exit movies all round.
Tie Fighter Collectors' CD
Yes, it's old, but it's still bloody brilliant. Nice straightforward space combat with great
big capital ships to try and kill. There seem to be hundreds of missions on this CD, and as
a budget release it makes great value for money. Highly recommended.
Wing Commander IV
Hrm. Well, yes, the movies are great, but the space combat is incredibly difficult. Missiles
are the only reliable kill method. Fortunately there are cheat modes built in, so you can get
to see the movies without being some kind of space combat God.
I-War
Not sure how well this was advertised, but I found it by far the best space fighting sim I've
played on the PC. Real physics up to a point, and you fly a small capital ship not a fighter
(most of the time anyway). At times it requires a lot of lateral thinking on your part to
figure out how to get the mission done, but it's always reasonably clear once you have applied
your brain, and that's what I liked about it. The ongoing storyline is punctuated by superb
video sequences in mission, and the mission briefings themselves are very good. A quality game
all round once you get the hang of it.
Longevity: 9, it'll take you long enough just to sit through the 200MB+ opening AVI!
Quake 2
The only full game of its genre I have, mainly to give my 3D card something to chew on. I'd
call it enjoyable, but predictable. Very nice to look at, but nothing innovative beyond that.
Still, good if you've had a bad day, and I can see it being big fun over a LAN. I have now
(Aug 99) played it on the Net, and although I'm no good at it, I can see the appeal!
Sub Culture
I recently bought this on budget, having failed to catch it first time around. Basically it's
a straightforward submarine sim. It has trading and mission elements, but the playing area is
rather small, in more ways than one! Still, it's 3dfx enhanced, and although it doesn't last
forever I found it quite entertaining and curiously relaxing while it did. A reassuringly
straightforward little game. Addiction: 7, some of the missions are actually quite tricky. Overall: 7.
Hardwar
Another interesting, if obscure game. Like Sub Culture, it's 3dfx enhanced, and the similarity
doesn't end there. In the game you fly one of several Moths around the craters of Titan, and
as in Elite you can choose to trade, fight, or scavenge your way up the power scale. There is
a storyline but you don't have to follow it, although the movies are worth it. Like Sub Culture, the idea's there but the play area is limited - basically it isn't in space. However, you can keep a multiple Moth garage and buy property to generate revenue and the cyberpunk edge
is well done. The choice of weaponry is quite nice too. Worth catching on budget, as and when... Addiction: 8, the world does hook you quite nicely. Overall: 8. Good game from a small studio.
Sid Meier's Alpha CentauriI've only recently bought this (time of writing 18/4/99) and have upgraded my machine somewhat to be able to play it. This is a game along Master of Orion 2 lines, but very much in the Civilisation mould. Not having played the Civ games I wasn't sure what to expect. It's certainly an incredible resource hog. It also has the... distinction of being the first game where a patch actually caused more problems for me than it solved. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game and I'm getting into it more now, but I find it incredible that a patch could be released which caused more problems. It isn't just me either. I'm therefore going to hold off on final judgment until I get a resolution of this problem... I'm not going to mark Alpha Centauri, as I decided to sell it after only a couple of weeks. Beyond the issue mentioned above, I think it was trying too hard to be all singing all dancing. Maybe it just wasn't my sort of game at the end of the day. Easy come...
Warhammer 40000 - Final Liberation and Chaos Gate
I'm reviewing these together as they're set in the same universe. FL is, unusually, a turn based
Command and Conquer style game in which you lead Imperial forces against the Orks for control of
a planet. For those unfamiliar with the combat system for
Games Workshop games of this sort, like
myself for instance, it takes a little while to learn what's effective against what. Once you do
figure it out you're then into determining what units to buy with your limited resources for the
next battle. Cut sequences are nicely done, if a little grainy - but then it's not the newest
game on the market. Actors are quite decent though, and it adds to the feel of the game which I feel
is vital if you're going to have such things. Addiction: 6, more if you're a WH40K veteran I imagine Overall: 8 - as I had played Space Crusade way back I knew vaguely what was going on, and they were budget buys really, otherwise it might be lower - Final Liberation is definitely a little tricky to get into.
Right, can't be bothered to review any more. My advice to you having bought a game is to immediately go and look for patches to bring it up to date. Of the games listed above, only X-Com Apocalypse and Command and Conquer haven't required patches, ever. Others like Tie Fighter just didn't like my joystick and needed a patch for that. If you're stuck on any of the above, let me know; I've completed them all so I should be able to give you a hand with them. Have fun, and remember to check your six! Andy Thomas Last updated 31 January 2002
 How to support the webmaster!
|