This War of Mine PC Review

For some reason, it has taken me a bit of time to try out This War of Mine. After finally jumping in, I have to say — delaying this is was a huge mistake. Great atmosphere, excellent attention to detail, and a ton of variety to gameplay elements make it easily one of the best games I've played this year. While it lacks the lustre and grandeur of AAA titles, This War of Mine still spares nothing in its devious crafting of a dangerous, war-torn world and a phenomenal survival experience not like anything I’ve played.

This War of Mine opens with the ruined skyline of an unnamed city, and a single button that reads not “Play”, but “Survive”. As soon as you press it, the scene pans right to a trio of ragged-looking survivors, who’ll be your protagonists. From the onset you’re given a trial-by-fire tutorial that begins the game with one member of your randomized crew injured, and another sick. Offering the supplies you’ll need to tend to these is all the help the game offers, leaving it to your abilities to learn how to use them and which ones you need to stock up on.

This War of Mine uses a simple day/night cycle to break up gameplay modes. During the day, everything happens at the home base. Crafting supplies, furniture, and other necessities dominates this time. Resting and patching up wounded or sick group members happens here, as well. At night, you’re offered a chance to send one of your group on a scavenging run into the city. Each party member can opt to sleep, guard the base, or head out to search for much-needed supplies and materials. Danger fills the embattled landscape, but the rewards can often outweigh the risk.

Surviving in This War of Mine is no simple task. With sickness and injury as the most obvious threats, hunger, tiredness, and other factors have a lot to do with progress. One of my early scavenging runs left the returning Pavle wracked with guilt, represented by a ‘Sad’ status condition that lowered his productivity after walking into an elderly couple’s home and leaving with a full load of food. This moral angle keeps things interesting; you’ll also encounter other survivors wanting trade, asking for help, or outright hostile and trying to take your possessions.

I’m being entirely honest - This War of Mine is one of the best all-around games I’ve played all year. A crisp, consistent atmosphere, intuitive gameplay, and surprising depth create a fantastic experience. While the pretty steep difficulty may cause some to shy away, I enjoyed myself even as my group was falling apart — it all began when Marko was killed on a scavenging run. Filled with difficult moral and survivalist choices, it keeps you on your toes and thinking the entire time. While the 18,99€ price tag on Steam may be higher than many indie titles, it’s easy for me to say it’s entirely worth it. If you’re on the fence, wait for a sale — but jump on it as soon as one pops up.

Minimum Requirements This War of Mine: 

OS: Windows XP SP3 (32 bit) / Vista 

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo 2.4, AMD Athlon(TM) X2 2.8 Ghz 

Memory: 2 GB RAM 

Graphics: Geforce 9600 GS, Radeon HD4000, Shader Model 3.0, 512 MB 

DirectX: Version 9.0c 

Sound Card: DirectX compatible

Recommended Requirements This War of Mine:

OS: Windows 7/Windows 8 

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad 2.7 Ghz, AMD Phenom(TM)II X4 3 Ghz 

Memory: 4 GB RAM 

Graphics: GeForce GTX 260, Radeon HD 5770, 1024 MB, Shader Model 3.0 

DirectX: Version 9.0c 

Sound Card: DirectX compatible

Metro 2033 Redux PC Review

Veterans of the original version of Metro 2033 will notice a change in how the game starts. Before you pick your difficulty, you pick the way you want to play the game. Will you pick Survival, which will require players to conserve ammo, utilize stealth, and pick and choose when to fight or flee? Or will you pick Spartan, which is more akin to the action style of Metro: Last Light? The ability to pick between Survival and Spartan is included in both of the Metro: Redux titles, and each play out very differently. Not wanting to risk compromising the dark thrill of the first time I played Metro 2033, I opted for Survival and though I was also tempted to go with the hardest difficulty available I passed it up for the normal difficulty instead.

So here I was, once more taking that first climb into the outside world. Or rather, first from the gameplay perspective. You see, Metro 2033 actually begins at a climactic moment in the story and then in a flash the main character Artyom retells the story, and as such you relive it from his perspective. That first scene really helps set the stage and the gut wrenching feeling of the troubles that wait ahead. The story remains as superb today as it was in 2010 as it successfully combines the horrors of war with the supernatural and paranormal sprinkled in just enough to add another layer of tension. However with Metro: Last Light showing us what the canon ending is, returning players may feel inclined not to make same the choices for what - at the time - seemed like the "good" ending.

The first thing I noticed other than the graphical enhancements, were the controls. I'm not sure if it is all in my head or if the controls are honestly much more polished than they once were, but I went from a game where I died more often to accidental falls or overextended movements to something that controlled as crisp and precise as other shooters. Firing from the hip was actually a viable option this time around, whereas in the past you'd be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn without aiming down your sights. 

Another thing substantially improved is the friendly AI. I cannot express how many times in the original I died because of failures of the AI. In games like Call of Duty, the AI is intentionally made useless so that the player can feel like a hero, but that same thought process doesn't transfer over well if it is one of several parts where you have to fight tooth and nail for survival. In the original game, you'd be lucky if your comrades could even kill a single enemy. Now, they still let you do most of the work but they are actually helpful in situations that would otherwise be frustrating to the point of pulling your hair out.

Hopping back and forth between the games to compare the graphics across all settings, the game looks better across the board. Of course this means that if your current PC struggled with the original version of Metro 2033 you're going to have to sit this one out. Character models and environment textures have been majorly improved, offering an intense, almost real display of a downtrodden society that dwells beneath the surface. In the above-ground segments, however, the appearances of humans takes a slight hit. The beautiful display of life in the tunnels of the Moscow metro was already amazing just a few years ago, but now that beauty has increased tenfold.

While the visuals have been majorly updated and the gameplay itself feels more polished, it seems as if all of the original dialogue audio was left the same. Not that this is a bad thing mind you, but I have a pet peeve when I encounter enemies in the game that are supposed to be of an entirely different nationality using Russian accents as though it's just business as usual. Other than that, the voice work was great then and it's mostly a good decision to have kept it as is. 

Metro 2033 Redux has taken the original title and increased the quality to such heights that it was like playing a completely different game. Amazing graphics, refined and tweaked gameplay... it all makes for a much smoother experience. There are no sacrifices of the good of the original but it does successfully eliminate the bad - this is how remakes should be. Whether you have played the original or not, this is a game for anyone seeking atmosphere, story, and FPS gameplay blended into something amazing. Do not miss this experience.

Minimum Requirements of Metro Redux 2033: 

OS: Windows Vista, 7 or 8 (64-bit only) 

Processor: Dual Core CPU (2.2+ GHz Dual Core CPU or better) 

Memory: 2 GB RAM 

Graphics: DirectX 10, Shader Model 4 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB, GeForce GTS 250, etc) 

DirectX: Version 10 

Storage: 10 GB available space 

Additional Notes: 64-bit only

Recommended Requirements of Metro Redux 2033: 

OS: Windows 7 or 8 (64-bit only) 

Processor: Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU 

Memory: 4 GB RAM 

Graphics: DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and above) 

DirectX: Version 11 

Storage: 10 GB available space 

Additional Notes: 64-bit only

Call of Duty World at War PC Review

When Infinity Ward released Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare back in 2007, the developer was met with critical acclaim and praise for breaking away from the World War II setting that had started to bog down the once revolutionary series. That made Treyarch's decision to bring the fifth installment back to the historical time period that much more confusing - why mess with success? Well, Call of Duty: World at War returns to the series' roots, and is a good reminder of why World War II games became so popular in the first place - the tone is gritty, the pace is frantic, and the action is visceral.

World at War's story is split between two very different fronts - the ferocious jungle campaign of the Pacific theatre, and the retaliatory invasion of the Russians on the Eastern front. That's right - no pesky Normandy invasions this time around! In the Pacific, you take on the role of Private Miller of the United States Marine Corps, and take part in the island hopping campaign towards Okinawa. On the Eastern Front, you play as Private Dimitri Petrenko, and are tasked with pushing the Nazis out of Russia and marching into Berlin. The campaign is paced exceptionally well so that after a few missions of fighting as Miller in the Pacific, you'll switch over to play as Dimitri in Eastern Europe. This stops the campaign from becoming stale, keeping it fresh and exciting.

Perhaps the best part of the campaign is the sheer amount of variety found in the missions. The first mission as Private Petrenko, for example, comes straight out of the movie Enemy at the Gates. Narrowly surviving a massacre in Nazi controlled Stalingrad, you and an injured comrade have to make your way through the enemy filled streets armed with only a sniper rifle in order to assassinate the German General. In addition to sniper duels, you'll also have to burn out enemy fortifications during the campaign, as well as command a tank through enemy infested Germany.

One of the most memorable missions has you playing as neither Miller nor Petrenko, but Petty Officer Locke, a gunner for a PBY Catalina flying boat. In addition to shooting down Japanese patrol boats, merchant ships, and fighter planes, you'll have to try and rescue American sailors stranded in the sea after their fleet is decimated by a squadron of kamikaze fighters. The mission is really unique, and the intensity ramps up significantly as more Japanese planes show up, and ammo starts becoming scarce. The first person views of the plane's interior as well as the exceptional dialogue make this mission much more than a standard rail shooting experience.

Although it is overall an invigorating experience, the campaign does have a few faults - most notably, some annoying glitches. For example, in order to finish one mission, you have to regroup with your squad. The mission won't end, however, until you backtrack half way through the level and unstick one of your AI buddies with a grenade - something that obviously shouldn't make into the finished product. There are a few other minor glitches as well, such as the little grenade symbol by your feet sometimes staying on screen long after its explosion, but these usually don't have an effect on the gameplay, and are thus easily ignorable.

As great as the campaign is alone, it's even greater with a few friends. World at War allows you to play through the entire campaign with up to three friends, and you can even turn on competitive scoring, much like in Halo 3, to add a new layer of depth when playing with friends. The other co-operative mode in World at War is the ever-addictive Nazi Zombies. With a few friends, you get to fight off a never-ending horde of Nazi Zombies, starting off with just a pistol. As the game continues, and the waves get progressively harder and harder, new guns are available to purchase. It's hectic and crazy, and although no Left 4 Dead, it is a heck of a lot of fun.

If Nazi Zombies isn't your thing, then you might find World at War's multiplayer more enjoyable. Treyarch took the super addictive multiplayer system from Modern Warfare, and it still is great. Classes, perks, prestige classes - it's all here. Of course, some of the technology present in Call of Duty 4 wasn't around back in the 1940's, so Treyarch did have to make a few, slight changes. For example, instead of being able to call in Helicopters after getting a killing streak, you can bring in attack dogs to attack your foes, or call in artillery strikes to bombard enemy positions. The essentials are all the same however. You get experience points for killing enemies and winning matches, which can be used to unlock new, powerful guns, weapon accessories and armor, and better perks. The prestige class returns as well, allowing you to return to level 1 after reaching the maximum level. You can do this up to 10 times, so if you are dedicated in getting to the top, be prepared to put a lot of hours in World at War.

The graphics in World at War are stunning, with dazzling explosions lighting up the screen and individual character models looking impressively detailed, especially up close, such as when a Banzai soldier jumps on you with a bayonet in your face. The animations are spectacular as well, with no two soldiers dying the same way. You can even blow off individual body parts off with certain weapons, like the shotgun, which is of course extremely satisfying. The game's audio also stands up extremely well. The game features big name voice talent such as Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman, and the soundtrack is immersive and fitting. The guns sound realistic and appropriately powerful - you can even hear the sounds of sizzling flesh after burning enemies with the flamethrower. If that sound doesn't draw you into the war, I'm not sure if anything will.

In the end, Call of Duty: World at War is a bit of an odd duck. It combines the new, successful multiplayer system of Modern Warfare with the old, familiar setting of World War II. Though WWII games are a dime a dozen, Call of Duty is still at the top for a reason. The campaign is varied and exciting, and can be played with up to three friends. The multiplayer is deep and addictive, and the new Nazi Zombie mode is surprisingly entertaining. The only major obstacle to enjoying this game for some is probably the setting. If you're absolutely sick of World War II, then you might end up forcing yourself not to enjoy this game. However, if you're a fan of first person shooters in the least, then World at War will provide an enthralling experience.

System Requirements Call of Duty World at War:

Supported OS: Windows XP/Vista/7

Processor: Pentium 4 @ 3 GHz/AMD 64 3200+

Memory: 512 MB (1 GB for Vista)

Hard Drive: 8 GB Free

DirectX version: DirectX 9.0c

Sound: on-board or better

Graphics Card: 256 MB (nVidia GeForce 6600/ATI Radeon X1600)

Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning PC Review

The RPG genre has its major players—Bethesda, BioWare, and the like—with big ticket entries saturating the media and intimidating smaller scale developers. What typically spawns from the lesser-known studios either flops from poor execution or is clever in design but lacking in content. But every so often we are welcomed by a new studio with the mindset of making a game fun first, which then tackles the technical. The company in this case is 38 Studios, founded by former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling, who has enough personal resources to put together a game he'd enjoy playing.

Sparing little expense, Schilling enlisted fantasy author R.A. Salvatore and cartoonist Todd McFarlane, both giants in their respective fields. Schilling also purchased developer Big Huge Games, which was set to be cut by THQ, forming a capable team, along with designer Ken Rolston, to create the world of Amalur. Their first product, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a deep single-player fantasy RPG with a heavy, action-based combat system, a gorgeous world ripe for exploration, and an open class system sure to have every RPG fan praising the heavens.

The story revolves around the Crystal War in a tiny fraction of the ten-thousand-year history created for Amalur, where a dark Fae cult called the Tuatha threatens the land. A casualty of war, your body has been transported to a gnome-run facility in the far west, which houses the Well of Souls, an apparatus designed to resurrect the fallen. The Well has failed in every attempt to bring a soul back. Until you arrived, that is.

Your unique 'rebirth' breaks the link between you and your destiny, much to your advantage. Thus the game features a Destiny system that works in tandem with its open class design. Instead of choosing a class right from the start, you'll earn points as you level up to place into the skill trees of either Might, Finesse, or Sorcery, building a warrior, thief, or mage type, respectively. Points can be placed wherever you like, so if you prefer ice spells but also want to cleave enemies with a massive greatsword, or pickpocket an unsuspecting Tuatha and then smash him with a mighty hammer, you are afforded that luxury. As you invest in particular trees, you will unlock new destiny cards that give your particular skill set a class name, but also award you with boosted statistics and special abilities.

Non-combat skills are also included, with blacksmithing, lockpicking, alchemy, and mercantile, just to name a few. You are granted a single point at each new level to place into one of these skills, and each can be improved ten times. There are also trainers who can upgrade your skills, albeit for a hefty price. But if after a hundred hours of playing a pure fighter you decide you want to try your hand at spellcasting, don't fret. NPCs called Fateweavers will (for a price) reset both your combat and non-combat skills, allowing you to completely re-customize your character.

The combination of skills is impressive, and, from your first to your millionth foray into battle, you're probably not going to get tired of it. That's because unlike many other fantasy role-playing games, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning delivers possibly the most addictive action combat yet. Dodging and blocking, timing your attacks, and learning each enemy's tactics require a quick mind and quick hands. Perfectly mapped actions mean you can switch between primary and secondary weapons, bash with your shield, launch a meteor storm, and drink a healing potion without having to pause or enter any menu screens. But the fluidity does nothing to diminish the intensity, as you'll often find yourself flanked and overwhelmed by monstrous foes. The killer move occurs when your fate bar becomes full, allowing you to enter Reckoning mode.

Although the combat truly shines brighter than any other RPG in the past, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is still an immensely robust adventure with hundreds of hours of content. Considered an open world experience, Reckoning is more bound to parameters than you'd think. You won't be able to, for instance, finish the tutorial dungeon and immediately set your auto-run to the other end of the continent. Instead, each zone is contained, with a few narrow paths leading to adjoining areas. However, each of these zones is a relatively circular free-roaming environment, so you'll never feel like you're being guided down a narrow corridor.

But Kingdoms of Amalur does falter when it comes to story and the characters, and does so in many respects. Despite Salvatore's "creation" of Amalur through written lore, the scripting and execution of conversations feel disjointed. Every plot character you talk to will discuss your topics at length, but the discussion is completely one-sided as you have no opinion, save for a sporadic reply at times to indicate agreement or disagreement. And even then, neither choice has dire consequences or sends the plot in a new direction. The voice acting only accentuates this flaw, where again we have a world full of vibrant and opinionated characters, and yet the most important character—you—is a mute.

But not only that, while the NPCs spill their praise or disdain with vocal and physical inflections, your stature remains neutral, with a rigid composure and vacant expression. This lack of connection to the character you're following for possibly hundreds of hours completely removes any amity you feel towards his or her pursuit.

The rest of the music and sound blend perfectly with the world. The score fills the background ambience without being too intrusive, and the bass and percussion pick up nicely during boss fights and more intense scenes. Every strike, no matter which weapon you're using, resounds with perfect weight, and you'll never feel shortchanged as you slash, incinerate, or pummel your enemies to a pulp.

The world of Amalur looks absolutely gorgeous, whether you're traversing a lush forest or a barren wasteland, it's just plain beautiful. It's a welcome change compared to more recent RPGs that lean towards the realism, which often means tons of gray. It seems like 38 Studios made an effort to use every bold color in the spectrum, and things just pop as a result. The crafting of the enemies is also top-notch, and each has such a distinctive look and presence that you'll never grow bored hacking your adversaries to bits. The fine detailing is where the graphics seem to lessen in quality, especially obvious in the character models when having a conversation. The facial design matches the overall aesthetic of the game, but you certainly won't spot wrinkles, freckles, and other minutia that would give believability to the world's inhabitants.

While not the first game to be called a hybrid of action and RPG, it certainly is the hallmark of the former, with the robust content that's generally expected of the latter. If you were hoping to be connected to the characters like you did in some of R.A. Salvatore's great fantasy novels, you will undoubtedly be disappointed. But Amalur is still a beautiful and immense world with plenty of secrets to discover and combat that is ceaselessly satisfying.

Minimum Requirements Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning:

OS: Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 SP1

Processor: 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or 2.6GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+

Memory: 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB Windows Vista and Windows 7

Hard Disk Space: 10.5 GB

Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 / 512MB RAM or better, ATI Radeon HD3850 / 512MB RAM (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support), 1280x720 minimum supported resolution

Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible

DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c

Recommended Requirements Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning:

OS: Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 SP1

Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad or 2.6GHz AMD Phenom X4

Memory: 3 GB RAM for Windows XP / 4 GB Windows Vista and Windows 7

Hard Disk Space: 10.5 GB

Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX260 / 1GB RAM or better, ATI Radeon HD4850 / 1GB RAM (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support), 1280x720 minimum supported resolution

Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible

DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c

ENSLAVED Odyssey to the West Premium Edition PC Review

Ambitious. That's a word I'd use to describe Ninja Theory. In terms of game narrative, this is one studio that goes all-out and is never afraid to stray from the accepted archetypes that have plagued so many other games over the years. Originality, depth of story, and incredibly rich characters are the name of the game, and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has that in spades. 

Heavenly Sword, Ninja Theory's previous game, also had those things. However, it was sorely lacking in the gameplay department, a problem that demonstrated why ambition alone is never enough. With Enslaved, Ninja Theory has taken everything good about Heavenly Sword and added the one crucial element -- great gameplay.

And by God ... the combination has never tasted so sweet.

Enslaved tells the tale of Monkey, a hard-headed loner who must survive in a world where most of humanity is dead, and an army of violent robots stalks the ruins of civilization in its place. After barely bailing from a mech slave ship with his life, Monkey awakens in the wreckage of an escape pod and comes face to face with Trip, a young girl who has trapped him with a slaver's headband that forces him to do as she says, and will kill him if Trip dies. Her terms: get her home, and she'll let him go.

Thus starts an uneasy alliance between Monkey and Trip, an alliance that, during the course of the game, evolves and becomes something much more complex, deep, and quite believable. The power dynamic between the two characters constantly shifts as Trip holds Monkey's life in her hands, yet is thoroughly dependent upon him to survive herself. Once a third character, the inimitable Pigsy, is introduced, you have a cast of characters more original, endearing and heartwarming than that of any other videogame released this year. 

With its loose nods to the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, some excellently written dialog and wonderful vocal performances, Enslaved does what games so often fail to do -- bring its characters to life. The game feels like the odyssey it sets out to be, and the narrative really has it all: genuinely amusing comedy, surprisingly touching tragedy, and plenty of action. 

As far as action goes, Enslaved has a natural flow between environmental clambering and combat, with the game often seamlessly switching between the two. The game does this with cutscenes as well, giving the entire campaign a sense of natural progression that very few titles have ever achieved.

The climbing sections may or may not be a problem depending on what kind of gamer you are. Those who love titles like Prince of Persia may want to be careful with what they expect of Enslaved, as the climbing has not been designed to explicitly challenge the player.

Although later climbing sections have traps and pitfalls, Enslaved's monkey business is more geared around delivering a sense of exploration and providing an empowering feeling of acrobatic skill. Indeed, there are no pitfall deaths to fear in this game. Monkey won't jump off something unless he definitively can, and once you find a foothold, it's a pretty clear path from A to B. The lack of challenge might upset some gamers, but I personally appreciated a title that wasn't full of cheap pitfalls, and Monkey moves with such fluidity and speed that it's much better to simply enjoy the ride. Very few games make climbing feel both swift and fun, but Enslaved has done it. 

There are a few issues, however, with the game's fussiness when it comes to climbing. There are some sections where Monkey clearly has to jump from one platform to another, but the game wants you to stand in one exact spot before letting you do so, and even if you're a few inches away from the "sweet" spot, Monkey will simply stumble and refuse to jump. It can get a little annoying, and sometimes it's just confusing, as one could easily be fooled into thinking they've gone the wrong way. 

Combat is significantly more challenging, but it can be a mixed bag. Monkey is armed with a magic staff that performs light and strong attacks, and can also be wielded like a gun to shoot plasma or stun bolts. Combos are very simple and amount to little more than button mashing, but again, it's the speed and fluidity that really makes it satisfying. Learning when best to stun enemies, perform a crowd-clearing move, block and counter is the key to victory, and while at times the combat is terrific fun, it can also get frustrating. Monkey's dodge move, for instance, is borderline useless, and he also can't cancel attack animations to block, which often means getting pummeled with cheap shots. 

These issues aside, the combat is mostly pretty good, and feels varied enough despite the simplicity of the commands. Switching up between shooting and melee attacks, not to mention unlocking new moves and enhancements with "tech orbs" collected in each stage, makes the combat system feel much deeper than it actually is. It's also somewhat nice to see health packs return to an action game. Health is pretty easy to come by, and you can lengthen the life bar and unlock a regen skill as you delve deeper.

With the help of Trip and her pet mechanical dragonfly, Monkey can analyze various enemies and gain the ability to tell which mechs are defective. These defective mechs can be beaten with a special "takedown" move so they grant an extra advantage in battle. For instance, defective combat mechs can be taken down and then thrown at other enemies for explosive damage, while an electric-firing variant detonates an EMP shockwave that stuns surrounding foes. It gets a little tiresome watching the dragonfly scan everything at scripted intervals throughout the game, but the various takedown moves are incredibly cool, so it's a fair trade. 

All of this is fun enough, but it's the interactions between Monkey and Trip that really put Enslaved ahead. In essence, the whole game is an escort mission, except that the person being escorted never becomes a hindrance. Trip is only very rarely in danger, and even then, she is able to temporarily stun enemies to give Monkey a chance to rescue her. Trip didn't die once throughout my entire game, and I never felt like she was a burden. 

At times, Monkey and Trip will need to create distractions for each other. Commanding Trip is a simple case of opening a command wheel, from which you can tell her to distract enemies or follow you. Monkey also has his own distraction command, and using these simple skills, the duo can avoid enemy gunfire and help each other progress. As with everything in Enslaved, it's an incredibly simple concept, yet it just feels great to pull off. There are other co-op puzzles throughout the game, and while none of them tax the brain, they're not annoying, either.

The star of the show, however, has to be the Cloud. A flying disc that Monkey can access at various points of the game, the Cloud scores points not only for being fun, but for being easy to control. It's so easy for "vehicular" sections of an action game to fall apart, but by keeping the controls for both Monkey and the Cloud uniform, Ninja Theory has crafted an excellent little steed for our nimble hero. There are also a couple of fantastic boss fights that require use of the Cloud, and the only complaint I have is that the game doesn't give us enough chances to use it. More chase sequences, or just a chance to use it more regularly than being limited to a few areas, would have really been wonderful.

A huge part of Enslaved is the art direction and graphics, and I have to say that they are simply stunning. The gorgeous, lush, colorful environments provide a totally different take on post-apocalyptic America than we're used to, and in an industry full of brown and grey. 10/10

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS ENSLAVED Odyssey to the West™ Premium Edition: 

OS: Windows XP SP2, Vista or higher 

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.20GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 

Memory: 2 GB RAM 

Graphics: Nvidia Geforce 9600/ ATI Radeon HD 4850 

DirectX: Version 9.0c 

Storage: 12 GB available space

Skullgirls PC Review

Every now and then, a game comes along that truly deserves to be called capital-g Great. I don’t mean a game that’s merely fun, or entertaining, or even aesthetically beautiful – all great things, but no single aspect of which would nudge a title beyond the level of “good”. I’m talking about a game that manages to mix a creative, imaginative world filled with original, memorable characters, equipped with polished gameplay, and to pull it all off with an expert craftsman’s level of skill and attention to detail – including literally thousands of frames of character animation. Skullgirls is a traditional close-combat fighting game that manages to bring all of this to the table. If you are a fan of 2D fighting games who has yet to add Skullgirls to your library, you owe it to yourself to rectify this situation as soon as possible. It would be a deal at twice the price.

Now, I’ve enjoyed fighting games since the days of King of Fighters and Street Fighter II – but outside of casually decking friends in Soul Calibur, the fact is I’ve never been particularly enamored with the genre for the gameplay’s sake, or even very good at the games. What’s always drawn me in, believe it or not, is the story and the personalities. Sure, the actual plots are typically paper-thin, cotton candy fluff – the Heihachi family’s internal squabbles in Tekken, the Orochi power in King of Fighters… it’s all silly stuff even (perhaps especially) when it tries to be serious, and it mostly serves as a backdrop to create fun, creative characters and personalities. 

The setting of Skullgirls stands out even alongside the crazier, Guilty Gear variety of bizarre worlds, setting itself in the fictional Canopy Kingdom – a cartoony environment most reminiscent of the art deco designed 1940s, dominated by crime, strange creatures, and hybrids of technology and magic. Even before you get to the actual character storylines in Skullgirls, the visuals it presents you with – a mix of black, gold, neon and film reel decorations – is enough to make it incredibly distinct, as if someone took the setting of the original Bioshock and decided to make it all ten times more cartoony, and about a quarter as serious.

As for the plot itself, Skullgirls provides a situation reminiscent of most fighting game contexts: every seven years, a living artifact known as the Skull Heart offers to grant the wish of one woman. But if the wisher has an impure soul, she’ll instead be transformed into a powerful, monstrous Skullgirl – leading her to terrorize and wreak havoc over the world. A young girl named Marie has made her wish and apparently been found unworthy, leading various characters to set their sights on her, each with their own motives – some seeking to simply bring her assault to an end, while others are after the power of the Skull Heart for themselves. In Story mode, you’ll select one of these eight characters (with five more either available or on the way via DLC) and follow their journey, learning about their histories and their motivations along the way via beautifully drawn cutscenes and dialogue – but mostly, you’ll spend your time kicking ♥♥♥ in straight up frantic combo-chaining, guard-breaking style.

But before you even throw punch one, you’d do well to encounter the first feature that really makes Skullgirls shine – the tutorial mode. While it may sound odd to heap praise on what sounds like the most bog-standard addition to any game, let me emphasize: what sets Skullgirls apart on this front is the sheer depth of the tutorials. Let’s face it – fighting games are complicated, and despite having played many of them for so many years, I’d be lying if said I understood half of the fundamental mechanics that were at work in more serious matches. Here, things are different. Rather than simply cutting the player loose to understand the mechanics of the game on their own, or hunt details up online, the tutorials walk you through everything from the most basic low-medium-high punch/kink button layout, right down to throws, combo chaining, cancels, and even the ins and outs of each of the individual characters’ styles and moves. 

But what really makes Skullgirls shine above all else is the sheer effort that has gone into the polishing of all of its audio-visual aspects. The soundtrack is actually something to stand up and take notice of, being a collection of largely-jazzy tunes that do a good job of fitting the fantasy-1940s setting of the Canopy Kingdom. Character voices are crisp, clear and distinctive, adding a whole lot of personality to the Skullgirls themselves. But it’s the art and animation that is truly breath-taking, in more ways than one. 

So here’s where we’re at when all is said and done: a fighting game set in a gloriously original world, racked out with unique characters whose hand drawn animations are stunningly detailed and comprehensive. The soundtrack of the game is – at least for jazz fans – beautiful enough to warrant an OST purchase all on its own. The graphical presentation is phenomenal, the story mode is entertaining, the characters are unique and engaging as a whole. There’s a comprehensive in-game tutorial available for the game’s mechanics in general, and each character in particular. There’s DLC coming, there’s online and local matchups available, there are achievements and alt colors to unlock… and on top of all of this, the whole package is available for $14.99, or even less if you buy a multi-pack with a friend or three. 

The only real downsides to speak of is some highlights of sex appeal that may turn off some players, the frank necessity to own a controller to truly enjoy the game, and the fierce competition players will face in online versus play. Those are some incredible positives, and very forgivable negatives. 

As it stands, this very likely is the best PC fighting game available, period – and doubly so for the money. And not only that, but buying the game gives you access to the Skullgirls Beta, so you can test out changes in advance of their going live in the game proper. If you’re a fighting game fan, what more do you want?

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF SKULLGIRLS: 

OS: Windows XP, Window Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 

Processor: Dual-core CPU 

Memory: 2 GB RAM 

Graphics: Intel HD3000 

DirectX: Version 9.0c 

Network: Broadband Internet connection 

Storage: 2 GB available space

Bioshock PC Review

The long awaited Bioshock has the distinct honor of being the first non-sports title to usher in the long awaited holiday gaming rush. As the spiritual successor to the System Shock series, Bioshock is a highly anticipated title because of its blend of incredible visuals and innovative First Person Shooting. Our tickets to Rapture have finally arrived, and everyone is obviously wondering if Bioshock can live up to its own hype. The answer is a resounding yes, as Bioshock is a genre-bending adventure-roleplaying-FPS hybrid that completely absorbs the player and doesn't let go until the thrilling end.

Bioshock takes place in the underwater city of Rapture, built by the homicidal genius Andrew Ryan. Ryan conceived Rapture as a place for geniuses and the mentally elite to be able to separate themselves for society and flourish without the constrictions placed on them by morality and government. However, something goes deathly wrong in Rapture, leaving most of the inhabitants dead or raving, murderous lunatics. The game begins with the protagonist as the lone survivor of a plane crash in the ocean, with Rapture being your only hope of refuge. You quickly get caught up in unraveling the mystery of Rapture as you fight for survival, getting caught up in the different objectives of other "sane" inhabitants that usually need favors before they'll aid you to escape to safety.

The blessing and curse of Rapture is the rampant use of Adam, a material that allows individuals to alter their own genetic code and give themselves superhuman abilities. Adam is a hot commodity in Rapture even long after most of its inhabitants are dead. Odd ghoulish girls called Little Sisters harvest Adam from dead bodies while armored monster known as Big Daddies protect the girls from harm. This relationship between Adam, the Little Sisters and the Big Daddies is at the core of Bioshock. Your character needs Adam to evolve and to remain capable of surviving the various foes that Rapture throws at you. However, the choice at the center of the gameplay revolves around the sacrifice of the Little Sisters. Will you kill the changed little girls to get maximum Adam, or will you attempt to save them and risk not having enough power to stay alive?

The first and most noticeable thing about Bioshock are the visuals. Bioshock simply looks gorgeous. The underwater effects are among the best ever in a game, which is wonderful since there is a lot of water in the game considering that it takes place at the bottom of the ocean. The character models all animate incredibly as well, and even the protagonist has lifelike movements, flexing his on-screen hands occasionally in a convincing manner for the idle animations. The varied locales all look great as well, ensuring that the game experience is as immersive as possible. Rapture actually feels like the dilapidated city it is supposed to be. You'll encounter scattered bodies, some hung, some killed by gunfire, some killed by traps. There's always a sense that something has happened here, that the stage isn't a simple backdrop for you to explore.

The next most noticeable thing is the high level of audio quality in the game. The sound effects are all spot on, from the bang of the shotgun to the whisper of the Little Sister to their protectors. The assorted splicers all chatter when they believe themselves to be alone, espousing nonsensical or deranged statements that reinforce their insanity. Also commendable are the voice actors in the various audio diaries scattered around Rapture.

This brings us to perhaps the best quality in Bioshock... the story. Bioshock masterfully weaves an intricate tale by allowing you, the player, to piece together the story of Rapture and its mysterious fall. The various audio diaries, though not essential, help to evince the large picture for the player in between radio transmissions for various characters that guide you to the finale.

Though classified as a First Person Shooter, Bioshock shares elements with a role-playing game or an adventure title. The various plasmid induced abilities as well as the different Adam-costing upgrades to your character give you a constant feeling of growth.There are also assorted "minigames", such as the ability to hack different machines via a pipeline game, or the ability to take photos of your enemies to give your character combat bonuses against them. There are also slots for combat, physical ability, and engineering where you can equip gene tonics, which enhance your abilities with traits such as a faster melee attack or the ability to turn invisible when idle. You can also upgrade your weaponry and invent items at designated stations. This variety serves to keep the gameplay fresh, as your character is always encountering a new ability, a new weapon, or better traits.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF BIOSHOCK: Operating System: Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista, CPU: Intel single-core Pentium 4 processor at 2.4GHz, System RAM: 1 GB, Video Card: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better, excluding ATI X1550), Sound Card: 100% direct X 9.0c compatible sound card, 8GB of free hard drive space.

RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS OF BIOSHOCK:  CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo processor; System RAM: 2GB; Video Card: DX 9 - Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT or better), DX 10 - NVIDIA GeForce 8600 or better; Sound Card: SoundBlaster(r) X-Fi(tm) series (optimized foruse with Creative Labs EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0 or EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 compatible sound cards); 

Game requires Internet connection for activation