Game Reviews

Playing Exit took me back in time to those happy SNES and Amiga days, when the humble platform game had not yet fallen from grace as it generally has today. Taito have managed to track down one of those old platform game moulds, dust it off, filled it with old school liquid gaming and left it to solidify into a trip down memory lane for those of us who tire of endless driving games and “realistic” looking games. So much so, it’s surprising to see it on the PSP rather than the DS, which is where we normally have to go these days for a breath of fresh air.

The game plot puts you in the role of Mr. ESC, a specialist in rescue situations. Whether it be a flooded mall or an explosion in a chemical factory, Mr. ESC will run in and save the day, with no specialist tools or equipment. Instead he will use things he finds in the levels in order to safely reach the level exit.

Aside from the early levels, you will need to rescue all the trapped people by first walking up to them, and then leading them to the exit. People come in four distinct types. The first two types are Young Adults, who have similar abilities to Mr. ESC, and Grown (Fat) Adults, who are able to push heavy items around that Mr. ESC can’t. Kids have to be helped over obstacles and can’t swim, but can crawl through narrow gaps that you won’t fit through. Finally there are Patients, people who are injured and must be carried to the exit. When carrying somebody you can no longer climb over obstacles, so you’ll often need to find a stretcher to help you out.
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It’s time for a Jill sandwich again! Yes, Nintendo’s diminutive handheld plays host to Capcoms 10 year old ’survival horror’ masterpiece. Can it really be a decade since we first met Chris, Jill and a host of other memorable characters? And more importantly, can such an old game really deserve your hard earned cash!? Read on as we take a saunter down memory lane…
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Lost in Blue from Konami is an adventure game for the Nintendo DS which sees you shipwrecked on a desert island and basically tasks you with staying alive like a virtual Robinson Crusoe.

You start the game washed up on a sandy beach, and are immediately faced with three big problems. Where do you find food, where can you find shelter, and how are you going to make a fire to dry out your clothes. Your character has four life attributes, which are indicated as a percentage. These are strength, water level, food level, and health condition. As the first three attributes decrease to dangerous levels your health will also start to be affected and if it reaches zero then you will die.

Control of your character is provided by a mixture of the D-Pad and the stylus. The D-Pad walks him around the island on the lower screen, and you press the A button to check the ground for items. The top screen can be switched between a statistics screen showing your health status, a map, and a view of the island covered by clouds which gradually disappear as you explore the island.
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OK since the first step to confronting an addiction is admitting you have a problem, I’ll finally admit it: I am addicted to World of Warcraft. I have been a gamer my entire life, but never has a game sucked me in and captivated my interest so intensely and for so long. World of Warcraft was released in late November 2004, and was installed on my PC by Thanksgiving Day. And there has been no turning back since. It is precisely because I have poured so many hours in this game - leveling up my characters, tackling all the quests, braving new elite instances, and honing my professions - that I am so disappointed in Blizzard Entertainment’s complete failure to maintain a stable environment for its players.

When World of Warcraft was initially released, the game became an overnight success. Blizzard was ill-prepared for such a rapid influx of gamers, and as a result, gamers experience frequent server crashes and problems with severe lax. The servers hosting the game were simply overtaxed. In an attempt to combat these problems, more servers were added for the WOW community and hardware upgrades occurred to bring the servers up to speed. Blizzard also instituted weekly server downtimes to allow for necessary server maintenance. And yet, well over a year after the game’s initial release, gamers are still plagued with regular system crashes, long server queue lines, and lag problems that are often so severe as to make the game completely unplayable. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever wondered what your Sims actually do when they leave for work each day? Well now you can get a glimpse in their working work with the release of the latest Sims 2 expansion pack, Sims 2: Open for Business. Instead of your Sims simply hopping into their carpool ride and disappearing for hours (in-game hours that is) at a time, Open for Business lets you follow them to their own businesses.

Entrepreneurial Sims can start up their very own business, either right out of their homes or buy setting up shop downtown in a new shopping center, and start earning pocketfuls of simoleons as soon as they decide exactly what business they want to pursue. Open for Business allows Sims to start up one of three different types of businesses. Sims can open a product retail store, where they produce and sell goods. Another option is a pay-per-use business in which Sims charge fees for a service that they provide for other Sims. The last option is a pay-per-time business offering ongoing services - your Sim then charges other Sims just for using your space. With so many options and such flexibility, Sims can start up virtually any type of business they desire. Pet shops, internet cafes, floral boutiques, art galleries, toy stores, and clothing retailers are just a few of the unique businesses your Sim can start up. Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone who owned a Sega MegaDrive/Genesis and feels like a trip down memory lane could do a lot worse than pick up a copy of Sega Classics Collection for the PS2. The package consists of no less than 9 old Sega games, most of which will be instantly recognisable by the majority of gamers.

For many people the highlight will undoubtedly be OutRun, the racer which when it first appeared in the arcades in 1986 ushered in a new generation of driving games. Also present is Virtua Racer, one of the early games to start using 3D polygons to show the game world rather than 2D bitmapped images, and Monaco GP, a top down viewed racing game.

If beat ‘em ups are more your thing then Golden Axe is for you. This was a great fantasy hack and slash game which I know swallowed a fair bit of my pocket change. You can play as Warrior, Dwarf or Maiden (bit soft sounding considering she’s got a massive sword!) and can ride on weird creatures and use magic potions to aid you on your quest.
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GameDaily has provided the public with a free download of the Star Wars Empire at War demo. The player gets a single player experience of what the game is and gets a taste of Star Wars enjoyment for free!

The game is based on the time span between episode III and IV. Wars are being fought to gain control over the galaxy, after the clone wars devastation, and nearing of the Jedi massacre which corrupts the force. Game play within Star Wars Empire at War is filled with tactical fighting and strategy, and weather you’re playing the demo or the full version, you’re bound to have fun.

You can download the free trial version (741MB) from GameDaily right here. Yea, I know, 741MB, but you get a lot for the 3 days you’ll spend downloading it!

This is a war game that you can play online with multi-players. You will be able to choose to be either an Allied or an Axis soldier.

This game puts you in the jungles of Vietnam with a sidearm, a main weapon, a melee weapon and a few other weapons such as grenades, the difference between this Battlefield Vietnam and others is that you will have four classes to choose from which include heavy assault, assault, and recon. There is no medic classification in this game but some of the classes can carry health kits. Just as it is in real life, the type of weapons you choose to carry does effect your speed. If you decide to be in a heavy assault troop and you have a M60 on your back you are not going to move as fast as a soldier with just a sidearm or a sniper rifle.
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This game was first released in Japan under the name of Caduceus: Surgical Operation. If you have ever wanted to play doctor then this is your chance. You are the doctor and must be prepared for surgery. You must make decisions on solving complex surgical puzzles and make sure you do not make any dire mistakes.

While you are playing surgeon you will experience a convincing story with unique characters. You may have an ordinary day or a mysterious illness begins to sweep your area and the patient’s existence is placed in your hands.

This cool game for Nintendo DS has unique gameplay options, touchscreen input and other innovations that will give you a whole meaning in the words “playing doctor”.
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This is one awesome game for Xbox even if you are not a Simpson’s fan. It starts out just the beginning of the hit television show. You know you will see Homer Simpson on his couch, since he is known as a couch potato.

You will begin a tutorial with whom else but Bart as your teacher. He of course, pokes fun at the thought of a tutorial, but doesn’t he poke fun at almost everything.

The mission is explained to so you will know exactly what to do, but you can also explore around Springfield if you desire unless you are involved in a race. Exploring Springfield in a no time mode will give you plenty of time to discover all kinds of cool items hidden around.
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