Archive for December, 2007

UFO: Extraterrestrials

Posted by Chris Minton on Tuesday, 11 December, 2007

Thirteen years ago, a little game called X-COM: UFO Defense debuted, pitting players against alien invaders and charging them with creating a network of bases around the globe, shooting down UFOs, capturing and researching alien technology, and then using it against the aliens in turn-based tactical squad
combat. That’s the formula UFO: Extraterrestrials follows almost to the letter, falling just short of being a direct remake of X-COM.

But don’t get too excited—the second coming of X-COM is not yet among us. UFO is rife with shortcomings and bugs that make it inferior to its inspiration at almost every turn. Graphics are a major weak point. While all of the environments and aliens are rendered in crude 3D, your squad members are, inexplicably, 2D sprites. UFO also suffers from a shortage of tactical maps; X-COM uses randomly generated maps to keep encounters unpredictable, but you’ll know UFO’s maps like the back of your hand after a couple of hours. At least the environment is destructible.

Read the rest of this entry »


Lost Planet

Posted by Chris Minton on Sunday, 9 December, 2007

If you’ve ever had that dream where all the awesome things you love are in one place, but everything is a little hazy and it all ends too soon when you wake up, you’ll have a good idea what playing Lost Planet is like. This ported Xbox 360 game is packed to the brim with enough giant insects, killer worms, armored mechs, and glorious explosions to enthrall any science fiction geek. Its only major shortcoming is that all of this awesomeness is crammed into a package that’s all too brief.

The setting for this third-person bug smashing romp is E.D.N. III, an ice-covered planet that foolish humans tried to colonize once upon a time. After their first attempt to conquer both the icy elements and native inhabitants (the bugs) failed miserably, the original colonists eventually resorted to piracy to survive. Yes, they’re snow-faring pirates—this game is that cool. As Wayne, you not only pump rifle rounds into hundreds of roaring bugs and pesky pirates but also fend off attacks from the evil NEVEC corporation, which is hell-bent on terra forming the planet in another attempt to make it inhabitable.

While unraveling the conspiracy behind NEVEC’s operation, we blew our way through 10 missions that traversed snow covered mountains, snow-covered caves, and abandoned snow-covered ghost towns. Though the frosty theme blanketed most of the environments, the variety of opponents, weapons, and mechs mixed up the fights sufficiently to keep us entertained. The levels are actually timed to a certain extent, as a thermal-energy meter slowly drains as you move and take damage. Vanquished bugs and pirates drop gooey puddles of thermal energy, but I always found that I had more than enough to complete most levels at a comfortable pace.

Read the rest of this entry »


Download PC Games Online The More Effective Way Posted By : Davion W

Posted by Chris Minton on Saturday, 8 December, 2007

If you want to download PC games online, you surely would find numerous resources that would be of great help to you. Various popular personal computer games are played by all ages across the globe. Such games are interesting in the sense that they are exciting, are visually appealing and are truly entertaining.

Read the rest of this entry »


World of Warcraft Gold Guide – Pearls of Wisdom Posted By : Marcus Ty

Posted by Chris Minton on Saturday, 8 December, 2007

If you have tried leveling any of the professions, you’ll soon find the need to lay your hands on some pearls. These items can make your fortune if you know where to find them. In this article I chronicle my time spent for the search of the elusive Pearl.

Read the rest of this entry »


Sony PSP is considered the world’s first hand-held video game system Posted By : Alice

Posted by Chris Minton on Saturday, 8 December, 2007

The Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a hand-held gaming console released by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Read the rest of this entry »


The Art of Making World of Warcraft Gold Posted By : Marcus Ty

Posted by Chris Minton on Saturday, 8 December, 2007

There’s an art to making wow gold quickly and easily. Read this extract from the Journal of Marcus Ty – Gold Making Guide and seek wow gold mastery for you and your guilde.

Read the rest of this entry »


WoW Gold Tips – Making Gold in WoW Through Different Professions Posted By : Dave Latimer

Posted by Chris Minton on Friday, 7 December, 2007

In World of Warcraft, there are three primary professions. You are only able to choose two of these three, however, so it is worth comparing them in order to pick what profession you will leave out. To help you make that decision here is a summary of all three.

Read the rest of this entry »