Normally I only review free to play MMO’s, World of Warcraft put me off commercial games after I found I could get a better game experience from free online games, however when given the chance to review the popular City of Heroes / City of Villains I couldn’t resist, after all it was an opportunity to show that there is no point paying a monthly subscription when there are free MMO’s. I was proven very wrong, there is a good reason people pay monthly subscriptions to these games, and City of Heroes does a fine job of pointing that out, it is by far a much more enjoyable experience then any of the free to play games I have played, and that is a lot of games.

City of Heros / City of Villains is an online only RPG game which puts the player in the shoes of a comic book super hero or super villain, the player will pick every small detail about their characters, how they got their powers, what powers they have and can even write a Biography for other players to read, topped off with near endless customization options you can guarantee a 100% unique hero or villain, once customization is done and the character is made then the player is thrown into a huge open world where good vs evil is constantly playing out with hundreds of other characters, this can be daunting for new players, but with a little patience you soon learn what your supposed to be doing.

Gameplay is slightly different from other online role playing games, instead of clicking on an enemy and watching the fight, you are instead actually taking part in the combat, by pressing the number keys you can string together different skills and combos to more effectively take down your opponents, this makes the game play more like a beat-em up then an RPG, which in fact suits the whole super hero game genre much better then just watching your characters fight for you.

The whole action elements to this game really drag away from leveling, instead of killing monsters to level your character so you can kill stronger monsters, instead you find yourself hunting the streets looking for a fight, just for the sake of a fight, and leveling to get more quests, rather then doing quests to level.
The game has a nice backwards formula to it which completely breaks away from the standard RPG style of working to earn levels, levels are pretty much just for playing solo missions and progressing in story, and with the quests, team missions, personal goals you set yourself and the wonderfully fun combat system earning those levels is just part of the fun, and doesn’t feel like work as it does in other games.
You can also play with a higher or lower level friend with out having to keep at the same level, if a friend is higher level then either they can temporarily lower themselves to 1 level above your level, or you can temporarily become 1 level below them, this creates a very social game where new players are not alienated from higher level players, and means there is no waiting for a month for a friend to catch you up.

There are large numbers of skills to choose from as well, so with every new skill brings new potential combinations and tactics for taking down the enemy, from standard punches to the ability to launch your enemies into the air, the combat skills are varied, plentiful, and more satisfying then any fantasy fireball other MMO’s have to offer.

Its not all Combat skills either, there are loads of little skills you can give your character just for pure entertainment or to shorten travel times, and yes, the ability to fly and the ability to jump over buildings is in there as well, you really can swoop from building to building like super man, or launch yourself over a warehouse just for the hell of it.

Each one does however serve in battle, Air combat is a good part of the game, chasing space ships, bombers, bad guys with jet packs and flying monsters is great fun, the ability to jump over buildings is extremely useful when chasing enemies that decide to run away, or jumping over cars and barriers which are being used as cover by gun-men.

As well as huge variety of skills, each and every skill you get can also be customized with little upgrades, by adding items to your skills you can customize and upgrade each to suit your gameplay style, from adding +5 damage on your mace swing to stun effects on your punches, nearly every part of this game you can tweak to your own personal tastes, you can even customize flight speed or increase how high you jump and its not limited to 1 upgrade per skill either, you can also add slots to the skills to allow for more upgrades, and combine upgrades to make more powerful ones.

Character Customization seems to be the main part of this game, and it really shows, you can choose ever piece of the character, choose multiple different colors for every piece of your suit, what type of piece it is, what the piece looks like, what type of texture it has, what its made from, how its painted… you can spend hours (or in my case even days) just making all kinds of weird and wacky characters, if you love Sims or Spore Creature Creator then you have to try this game, its got loads more options then The Sims and comes fairly close to Spore Creature Creator in terms of content.

Sadly with there being so much to do before you can really start playing it can be very daunting and confusing for new players, like a fool I skipped the tutorial thinking it would be like all the other MMO’s, I spent the whole of my first day just learning how to do basic things like walking round, fighting and talking to people, so eventually I created a new character on the villains side and did the tutorial, even if you don’t skip the Tutorial area it isn’t very helpful and explains next to nothing, but it is damn good fun, the tutorial area is just as action packed as everything else, you start in a jail cell in a high security prison, a series of explosions blow the walls and gates out the prison and every bad guy in there rushes to escape the burning ruins, however the security guards are well armed and it isn’t long before super heros swoop down to save the day, your then forced to learn as you go with nothing explained, its not all that hard to beat up the security guards and escape in a helicopter, while it may not be the best tutorial ever, it does provide a fairly easy and fun area for you to learn the basics with out it becoming boring, and serves as a very good introduction to the story.

City of Heroes is very story driven for an online game, quests are genuinely exciting and include cut-scenes, instead of being sent to an area and told to grind the same monsters you have fought a thousand times already, you are instead told to sneak into enemy bases and plant bombs on their planes, sail into the sea and intercept a cargo ship to steal its cargo, destroy enemy research labs to stop them developing super weapons, and my personal favorite, go into the huge underground caverns beneath the city to stop a race of mutant snakes taking over the world.

Each character type has his/her own story depending on how they got their powers, a hero that got their powers from their knowlege of science must fight the Vahzilok, a group of people who bring corpses back from the dead and make huge abominations from bits of dead things, while someone who has become a hero through natural means such as heavy work out routines or natural born abilitys will be fighting The Councel, a group of crazies that want to take over the world.

If you run out of solo quests, then there are huge amounts of team based quests as well, for the bad guys most of them involve robbing banks, but you get a large area, and you must fight to the bank, break in and get the goods, then escape from the bank with the loot while fight hundreds of policemen and getting rid of any pesky heros which think they can stop you.

Every area of the game is also highly detailed and carefully crafted, each holding its own story as well as large scale events such as Alien Invasions and Bombings, these sometimes happen more often then you would like, there is nothing more annoying then trying to beat up some corrupt cops when a bomb siren goes off half way through and they run off to find cover. However the eveants are excellent fun and break away from the usual combat.
All the NPC’s have their own personalities, the mutant snake people hiss at you, corrupt policemen randomly resort to police brutality on near by civilians, drugged up homeless people lay about in the streets and religious fanatics run round with big signs and crossbows.

In conclusion the game is a huge open world straight from the pages of the best comic books, not only is game vast and enough to keep you entertained for as long as you can afford to play it, as new content is added regularly, but it also your game play experience will be unique and well worth every penny you put into the game.
If you don’t think this game will be your thing (I know I didn’t think I would enjoy it this much before playing) then they offer a 14 day free trial, so you really have no excuse not to try this game, in that 14 days you can do a LOT of fun stuff which you are not be able to do in other games.

Gameplay: 9/10 – Wonderful and very varied from other online games, a little complicated to get into though.

Graphics: 8/10 – while they are not “next gen” you actually look like your in a comic book, rather then a 3D game, and for that alone it has to score high marks.

Story: 10/10 – Compared to other MMORPG’s its 100% perfect, every character type has its own story complete with cut-scenes an lots of action, and from that the player will make his own unique story by mixing and matching multiplayer quests, live events, personal goals and a huge variety of other quests by helping other players.

Sound: 7/10 – Not perfect, but the music is excellent and it can build a very suiting atmosphere.

Controls: 7/10 – Very complicated at first, but after a while you realize they have to be complicated to be able to add all that depth to the game.

Overall: 9/10 – if you like MMORPG’s or want to try an online action game, this is a MUST, you have not played an MMO until you have played this. Not even Tabula Rasa or World of Warcraft can compete.

Saitek have recently released the amazing Cyborg collection of PC hardware, which is said to be the best gaming man / machine interface range, with the most feature packed fastest reacting equipment you can hope to get your hands on in this price range.

Whether your into FPS like Call of Duty or MMO’s you wont be sorry buying this kit, it seems to tailor for all games with instant switchable modes to give you the edge when in the heat of battle.

I thought I would give you a heads up on this hardware range….

Cyborg: Games controllers designed so perfectly you won’t know where you end and the hardware takes over. Controllers with reflexes as fast as your own. Controllers that fit you better than a glove. And which look so good that you’ll want to show them off.

The Saitek Cyborg range takes gaming performance to new levels, improving control, heightening the senses and helping you realise their true potential.

Cyborg Keyboard

High-end, adjustable, gaming keyboard with customisable backlighting,

programmable functions and media keys.

Multi-colour backlighting with Tru Vu illumination through keys (mix shades from Red through Amber to Green) and adjustable brightness

Touch-sensitive, backlit dashboard control panel

WASD, cursor, ‘Cyborg’ and NumPad keys can be lit independently from the rest of keyboard to highlight commonly used gaming keys

Cyborg Mode – instantly disable the Windows keys and configure the colour and brightness of your gaming keys at the touch of a button

Set and forget – persistent key illumination settings ensure colours remain even after a system reboot

12 programmable ‘Cyborg’ keys

Hard wearing, metal-plated key caps in key gaming areas

Pass-through USB, audio and microphone sockets

Enhanced multiple key presses in gaming areas for complex in-game commands

Adjustable wrist rest and keyboard rake angle (front and back)

Gold-plated connectors for USB and Audio

System Requirement:

Connectivity: USB 2.0 Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions)

We will try and get a review done for you for this item as soon as possible, but first thoughts are very good.

Cyborg Mouse

Fully-featured, adjustable, laser gaming mouse with 3200dpi for ultra high speed

and accuracy.

Adjustable mouse size extends or contracts to suit any size of hand or grip

Adjustable Scroll Wheel – changes click strength of scroll wheel

Programmable, 4-way, low profile hat switch

2 additional programmable buttons

3200dpi for increased precision

System Requirement:

Connectivity: USB 2.0 Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions)

Cyborg Rumble Pad

The PC gamepad has evolved – take your gaming to new heights with the most

adjustable gamepad in the world!

For a long time, there has been a discussion amongst gamers about which position

is best for the left analogue stick on a gamepad. Some prefer the left stick to be level

with the right stick, whereas others prefer it offset to the top left corner of the pad.

With the Cyborg Rumble Pad, you now have the choice of either position with the revolutionary Cyborg module (Pat. Pending). At the press of a button, you can remove the Cyborg module from the pad and turn it through 180º, instantly changing the configuration of the left stick and d-pad.

The features don’t stop there though; you can also program any button on the pad to become a Precision button. Once programmed, pressing this button can affect the sensitivity of either of the analogue sticks. Having trouble hitting targets through your sniper rifle when using the analogue stick to aim? Hold the Precision button down and the response speed of the stick is reduced, making it much easier to

draw a bead on your target.

The Cyborg Rumble Pad also features Saitek’s unique FPS button. We realise that many gamers (especially those used to playing on consoles) like to use their gamepads to control first person shooter games, but the majority of these games on PC do not support gamepads. To make the gamepad work in the game you need to program it using the supplied programming software. Whilst this option is still available to you, you can take all the effort out of this by pressing the FPS button on the pad. This instantly programs the pad with the keyboard and mouse commands typically used in these games, meaning you can start playing your games

even quicker.

This isn’t limited just to FPS games. Instead of being forced to use your keyboard and mouse for certain games, you can use the Saitek Smart Technology software to program any part of the pad with any keyboard or mouse command. This allows you to use the pad in any game, even those that don’t support game controllers!

Finally, the Cyborg Rumble Pad also features a driver option called X-Mode.

Increasingly, PC games are shipping with support for Microsoft’s Xbox 360

gamepad and switching the Cyborg Rumble Pad into X-Mode configures it to

work in the same way, meaning that you should have no problems with

Reversible d-pad and left analogue stick

FPS button

Precision mode function

2 quick-fire shoulder buttons

2 analogue triggers

8-way d-pad

6 responsive buttons

2 analog joysticks

Fully programmable

High quality, varied rumble forces so the gamer feels closer to the action - Using Immersion© patented rumble technology for maximum compatibility with

supported games.

Patent Pending -UK Patent Application Number 0711355.8’

System Requirement:

Connectivity: USB 2.0

Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions)

This bit of kit has scored 90% by the big hitters….

read the reviews here

Cyborg 5.1 Headset

True 5.1 Surround sound using integrated USB sound card with in-line volume/mute controls Low profile, rotating cans and adjustable headband for total comfort and portability Detachable noise-cancelling boom microphone 6 sonic drivers deliver precise directional audio

Unique styling - ‘Cyborg’ logo illuminates when 5.1 sound is selected

3.5mm jack included for use with MP3/CD/Handheld devices (in stereo)

VoIP ready

System Requirement:

Connectivity: USB 2.0 Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions)

Click here for reviews

Cyborg Command Unit

Cyborg Command Unit combines the controls essential to First Person Shooter and Strategy games in one unit making them fast and easy to reach in the heat of battle.

Instantly switch between 3 modes for First Person Shooter, Strategy and Role-Playing games Backlit ergonomic keypad with laser-etched keys for total visibility in any lighting environment 4-way analog hat switch 21 buttons including space, shift function and 3 mode states for up to 144 programmable commands

Adjustable thumb control area with 2 way tilt mechanism, slides forwards and backwards

System Requirement:

Connectivity: USB 2.0 Windows XP, XP64 and Windows Vista (all versions)

Dracula Origin is a Point and Click adventure game that immerses the player into the dark, gritty, beautiful, Gothic and alluring world of Bram Stokers Dracula.
Combining a dark and blood stained world full of deadly puzzles and demonic horror with an amazingly in-depth story that will keep you wanting to know more, the game will make you cry out with horror and disgust while forcing you to marvel at the beautiful but sinister environments.
It is a prime example of how well point and click games can be brought into the next generation and if your wanting to bring this undying genre back into your life, this is the game to do it.

You play Professor Van Helsing, a scientist who is sworn to defeat Dracula and free the innocent souls that he has turned into creatures of the night, and as Helsing you face all the forces of hell and evil, fighting evils beyond the reach of mortal man, from Vampires to Demonic Monks.

The game play is smooth, varied, but slow, a general trait among the genre, and while the story is very gripping, there will be times when the player will be tempted by hints and guides, just to get passed the mind-numbing and incredibly frustrating puzzles. All the puzzles are incredibly well designed with even the most minor of details are refined to the points of perfection, but thats whats wrong with them, they are so well designed and so well thought of that the common man is going to struggle significantly to figure them out, a perfect example of this is a puzzle found later on, you must figure out the combination to a safe which you hope there is a key inside, though to do this you must solve a huge and highly complex puzzle, you are given a piece of music, some piano keys each with a chemical formula on, a list of colors that each corresponds to a chemical, and each color corresponds to a number, with this you must spend your evening scrutinizing each piece of information to figure out the combination to move on.
That puzzle has to be one of the most evil and frustrating puzzles ever devised by man, especially to people like me who know nothing at all about music, notes or piano keys, but all the puzzles are doable, and when you have the solution you slap yourself for not seeing it sooner, even if it still doesn’t make any sense to you.

With the game being as dark and gritty as it is the puzzles are forced to follow suit, while some are standard puzzles like the one i mentioned earlier, some are Gothic masterpieces which will turn your stomach as much as it turns the cogs in your head, blood, torture, satanic rituals and mutilated corpses are but the very tip of what this game has to offer, no pretty colors and friendly crosswords here, instead you will be forced to kill demonic monks and watch them cannibalize the corpses of their fallen, or uncover the graves of innocent young women to find out how many times Dracula has made love to their possessed bodies before finally letting their destroyed minds and tormented souls rest in piece.

No matter how hard you find the game and its increasingly difficult and horrifically gory puzzles, you will be constantly pushed on by the powerful and emotional story, the game is so involving that you begin to share Van Helsings passion to destroy Dracula, pushed on by the thoughts of such human misery he has caused you are unable to leave your computer until justice is served, with Van Helsings travels taking him all over the world in completely different locations you will never be able to get bored of the scenery, from a haunted London to the magnificent temples of Egypt and even to Transylvania to breach the cursed castle of the count himself, each location renewing your enthusiasm and drawing you closer to the final confrontation between the Dedicated and Rightous Van Helsing and the Cursed and Evil count Dracula.

The only thing that will draw you from this magnificent yet shocking world of death and torment is sadly the character animation and dialog, it seems the games creators have spent so much time making the game play perfect for every point and click fan, and making sure every little detail of the story is well planned, that they have neglected aspects that would of truly brought this world to life, the facial animation looks clunky and unrealistic at best, humorous at its worst.

The dialog seems very cheesy in places with some characters being not well thought out at all, there are times when Van Helsing contradicts himself, such as “No, its nothing, at least i think not. All will be well; i will return this evening and we will dine… if I’m still alive”
or the pure jewel that is “May guardian scarabs enter through his fundament and devour his entrails slowly with small spoons that are bent and rusty”…
yes, the game does try to be funny even in times when, from a moral standpoint, it shouldn’t, through out the game you will find yourself laughing at things that normally you wouldn’t do, and feeling dirty for doing so, as though your soul has been tainted by the games dark humor.
The majority of the voice acting is very good, especially compared to the animated lips which the sounds come from, though the characters constantly repeat them selfs to point of pure annoyance.
With all that said, no matter how much i try i cant find any animations in the scenery which are flawed, birds fly round with precise strokes of their wings, water swirls with elegance, and objects shatter with detail in every fragment.

If the facial animations and somewhat cheesy dialog was to put you off this game then you would be missing out on some truly chilling audio, it will be a cold day in hell before i forget the magnificence of the haunting music which has been carefully chosen through out the game.

As a conclusion i must highly recommend this game to any fans of the point and click genre, and all though people not so keen on slow paced point and click games may find it boring, i do still insist that they at least download the demo to make certain they wont enjoy it, i assure you its no ordinary adventure game.
I would also like to point out that this is a game where using a walk through will ruin it, cheat and the game will be over in a few hours, but if you play it with out cheating there is a good few days play time in it and some puzzles which will keep you captivated for hours, all building up to an ending well worth earning.

Gameplay: 9/10 - Magnificent puzzles and i cant wait to forget the solutions so i can play again.

Graphics: 7/10 - All the 2D scenery is brilliant, its a real shame that the 3D characters isn’t as good.

Story: 10/10 - Perfect, every slight detail is included with no greyspots or flaws, just as expected from a game based on one of the worlds most famous novels.

Sound: 7/10 - The music is brilliant, though some dialog will kill the atmosphere slightly.

Controls: 8/10 - The inventory and puzzle screen system could have been much better, but apart from that its a mighty fine point and click.

Overall: 8/10 - Well worth buying if your a point and click fan, if your not then its still worth checking the demo out, who knows, this may be the game to convert you.

Speedball 2 tournament is a futuristic sport with a mixture of skill and heavy contact, based in the year 2326. rival gangs create an ultra violent sport called speedball. Both teams wear heavy gear and use a steel ball to score goals and make points to win the game, there’s no rules, so you can pretty much beat, crunch and body check your way to victory.

Firstly to install the game i had to register my game through steam(http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=getsteamnow) and wait several hours for steam to validate my serial number, after that that game started to install, but instead of installing from the disc it downloaded the files from steam, so i had to wait even longer to get into the action.

Once all thats over you enter a simple and easy menu to navigate, in single player you get some fun well known game types which include knockout, this mode lets you play with friends on the same computer, control pads are also compatible which makes this mode better, you can even have 4 players (2v2). The second mode you can do is a league(career mode), there are 4 leagues all together with 14 matches played, you get promoted from a league if you finish first or second. Each season gives you credits to spend to recruit new players or even upgrade them. Again the league mode is very much based on today’s sports but still fun to play. Cup mode consists of 8 rounds and you play 2 legs every round, there’s also practice mode which helps in the early stages of the game.

Graphically i think the game looks decent, you wont be impressed but they are decent enough. The crowd atmosphere is quite nice. The player graphics are a little robot like and don’t move to fluently like they do with other sports games. same with passing, it can be quite hard to even see the ball at times and you wonder if you still have the ball, then you notice the AI team is running up the other end with it. Multi player is the big highlight for me, if you can get past the certain flaws in the game its a really good game to play, local player is really easy to do if you have extra controllers, online play is really easy to setup, a quick registration on the speedball website and your ready to log in and go. The website lets you create a profile, blog about matches, a friends list to show who is online, gallery to share your screenshots, match statistics of all your online games and you can also combine your teams in to clans, all good stuff for the online element of the game.

Game controls are very easy to pickup but not that easy to control on the field. Very simple WSAD to move, mouse clicks to shoot, lob pass, body check and shoulder check. They are the basics and that’s all you really need at first. The thing about the controls is its so hard to keep hold of the ball , passing and shooting isn’t accurate and you really need to practice your passing and shooting skills before playing, the control of the characters only turn in 8 directions unlike other sport games where players can turn at all angles.

Overall i think its a good buy if your into your multi player games, an essential to any sports enthusiast or hardcore fan of the series. There are some flaws and single player doesn’t really cut it for me. Its still a fair game and worth a try.

Game play 7/10 not easy to pass and shoot, ai is quite tough, multiplayer is fun though

Graphics 7/10 not the best but good enough

Sound 7/10 sound effects and music fair well with the game

Overall 7/10 Once you get into it and after the loading not a bad game at all , worth a purchase.

After being told about the brilliance of Gothic for years by friends, family and RPG sites i was finally given the opportunity to play all 3 through the Box Set “Gothic Universe”.
I have to say, over all they are amazing games and well deserving of their hype, however, all 3 come with their own problems, and it appears that as the game series progressed the developers had fixed one problem but then opened up another.

Gothic 1

is all about a war between man and Orc, forced in desperation the king gathers all the criminals (no matter how minor their crime) and forces them to work in the mines, gathering magical ore to create special weapons to give the humans a major advantage in battle.

In an attempt to stop prisoners from escaping the king calls forth 12 mages to make a barrier, but something disturbed the ritual and the barrier grew much larger then planned, trapping the mages and the whole valley in the barrier as well. The prisoners take advantage of this, kill off the guards and create 3 camps.
They then trade the ore to the king for things they need, such as food, wine and women.

We first see our character as he is being sentenced to be thrown into the barrier, there is no customizable face, no picking hair, no naming, you get what your given and suddenly, and literally, thrust into the world of Gothic with only a letter to the fire mages which must not be opened.
What will catch you first is the amazing fact that the game is fully tailored to create its own world, all lines in the game are spoken, even your character has his own voice and personality, something that is far too rare in older RPG’s, and even though it may sound simple, it really adds deeply to the atmosphere and allows players to indulge in the fantasy world, with fully speeched conversations and some truly unique and stylish graphics it creates a world like no other, and makes it feel like your actually there.
What will catch your attention secondly is the annoyingly complex and glitchy control system, simple things such as looting corpses for items or taking treasure from chests have become seriously frustrating tasks, to see what the body has on it you must hold the left button and press up, you are then given a list of items you can take and to take the item you must hold the left button again and press left, sounds simple enough right? well, it would be, if not for the fact that there is timing and luck involved as well, you must hold the mouse button for between 1-2 seconds before pressing left, and if you do it too fast or too slow, or if the computer just decides not to give you the item, you are thrown across to the back of your inventory and are forced to scroll all the way through it to get back to the items you wish to pick up. This quickly becomes very time consuming, and incredibly boring as well as repetitive.

If not to make it worse fighting is equally annoying, your not allowed to just slash your sword, instead you must make a running start before your allowed to attack, making the best tactic for beginners is to run around in a circle slashing your sword like a nutter until you finally kill whatever poor and now dizzy creature has tried to eat you.
This does not make an entertaining experience, and if by some luck and with the patience of a god you get used to the system and start to learn a few more battle tactics, you will find annoying little glitches and errors through out the game, all of which make the game far too frustrating to play. I myself am currently stuck in some mines, with the only way out being up a ladder, however every time i climb the ladder our unnamed hero does some weird spasm half way up and chucks himself off it.

Though, even through all its errors and problems, it still boasts 30+ hours of game play and with plenty of re-play value due to the 3 different factions you can play as, each of which have their own quests.
The world is very dynamic, and reasonably realistic, you will see people go about their daily lives, eating, sleeping, urinating, cooking, forging weapons, most of which you can do yourself.
While the game has some really good features which was brilliant and very creative for the time, I suggest giving the first game a miss, or possibly playing it last, as it may put you off a truly amazing gaming experience that could only be delivered by Gothic.

Gothic 2 

You will be glad to know however the these glitches and errors seem to have been stamped out in the second game, its control system remains mostly the same but with most of the annoyances cut out. You will find this game much more satisfying the first.

The story is, after the defeat of the Sleeper (the last boss of the first game) our unnamed hero was buried alive under rubble and left there for weeks before finally being summoned from under the rubble up to the wizard Xardas’s tower, here the hero finds that in the sleepers final scream he yelled a command to the dragons to come and destroy the lands, the dragons have created an army of lesser beasts and plan on laying waste to the world.
With his equipment still laying in the rubble of the sleepers temple and being weakened from the weeks he spent buried alive the unnamed hero must start from scratch with only basic equipment.
With the barrier round the valley destroyed you are finally outside in a new area, now there is no New Camp, Old Camp or freaky cultist camp, and if for some reason you want to venture back into the valley you will find that some areas have changed and the valley is now over run with orcs and the home to a few dragons, in the area where Old Camp once was, now only stands the castle, where New Camp once was is now buried under ice, and where the freaky cultists was, is now bordered off by a fence, put up by orcs.

The game is a straight up sequel, the story follows directly on from the first, you will meet a lot of old characters and everything feels and acts out pretty much the same (with out the annoying glitches), even the graphics are pretty much the same, but with a little more detail to the environments and some touched up textures.

This is most certainly the game you should start off on, even though you wont really know the characters as well as you should, and a few parts of story are missing to you, you can always catch up on the first game after you have finished with this one, and it will allow you to play with out horrible glitches putting you off.

Gothic 3 

While the first 2 games are true masterpieces in their own little ways, its the 3rd that REALLY stands out, its one of the most enjoyable gaming experience i have ever had the pleasure of taking part in, and shows why the series has such a strong and loyal fan-base.

In the third we meet up with our hero once again, but this time you leave the lands of the last 2 games behind and sail to a new continent, one that is controlled by orcs.
The second you start playing you are thrust into deep and bloody combat with a small army of Orcs, brandishing a special Orcslayer Sword, you, Diego, Milten, Gorn (your 3 loyal friends that have helped you through the previous 2 games) and a whole army of peasants fight to the death to take back a small town which has been enslaved by the Orc army.
While in the first 2 games the hero starts weak, in this one he has not forgotten his battles with Dragons and Orcs, and comes with amazing fighting powers, making some fights feel more like Dynasty Warriors then the struggled combat of the first 2.

After liberating the town you are allowed to travel freely in a new world, and this world lives, through all the games i have played i have NEVER seen any game as realistic as this, if you pick someone to follow you will see them go through their entire day, they will wake, go about their work, when they get hungry they will cook, eat, work some more, and when it gets to night they go to bed, and the living, breathing world does not end there, head into the wilderness and you will see packs of wolves hunting and eating animals, wild boar sniffing for berries, hunters hunting and skinning animals and people stood round camp fires listening to musicians playing their instruments.

While so far the realism of the world sounds nothing more then a brilliant little gimmick, you will learn that its a key part of the gameplay. Draw your sword near someone and they will instantly challenge you to put it away, don’t do as they command and they will attack you, as well as call to friends to help out, if you defeat them you wont have killed them, just knocked them unconscious, this DOES have consequences, as they wont speak to you any more and bad things will be said about you in the town which they live in, meaning that even more people wont speak or trade with you, 1 fight can cost you a lot of failed quests and the restriction of using shops carrying items you may need.

As you travel freely around the world you will come across new towns/citys and hidden rebel camps, each have amazing amounts of freedom and allowing some very serious moral choices to take place, do you join the Orc mercenaries and slaughter the rebels for money and an easy access to information, or do you struggle with the rebels, collecting bundles of weapons and arming the slaves to build an inside army ready crush the Orcs in a huge, bloody, and overly satisfying battle for freedom?. Its this freedom of gameplay and choice that allows Gothic 3 to become a true must have for any RPG gamer, it has the huge and beautiful world of Oblivion, but the moral choice, consequences and open dynamic world of Fable, it really is the best RPG ever made.

I wish I could write more about these games, but they are just far too huge to be able to do them any justice in text, you really must play them to get the full depth of their world, and in fact, the title Gothic Universe is a suiting title to show how huge these games really are.

Over all the graphics of the first 2 games are bad compared to todays standards, but still have a unique charm and the feel of a living world which makes up for them, and with the bonus of no loading times in-game you are never taken away from the fantasy world with “Please do not turn off your computer - Loading”.

The graphics for the 3rd game aren’t “next gen” but they are pretty close to Oblivion and use Pixel Shader 3.0 and most the latest technology.

The sound effects and voice acting can be a little corny at times, but they add to the atmosphere and throw in a little extra humor which most modern games are missing.

The controls for the first 2 are very complex and take a lot of time to get used to, but once your in they quickly become comfortable and feel somewhat natural.
Controls for the 3rd are much improved and simplified, making the game damn near perfect, and topped with an hugely in-depth fighting system, favoring Timing, Skill and Style over Stats, really make this game truly brilliant and easy to handle.

While the first game is VERY bugged and somewhat raw, 2 and 3 are very nicely polished and have had some serious effort put into making them perfect.

All 3 games are HUGE, and the whole box set is said to have over 300 hours of game play in them (i beleive that does not include replay time, and with each game having different factions with unique quests, you WILL replay them, so to get the most out of the games you will probably play all 3 games 3/4 times each, making the box set will worth its £20 price tag).

This is a box set you MUST have, if you have ever enjoyed an RPG, this will be the perfect box set for you.

Gothic 1

Gameplay - 4/10 - While it is a very impressive game, it far too bugged to really enjoy.

Graphics - 3/10 - they are old and don’t fair well in todays market, but they do still have style.

Controls - 2/10 - probably the worse part of this game, overly complex and not worth learning.

Sound - 8/10 - some of the sound effects are brilliant and the dialog is fully voiced, well worth the creators efforts and a true saving point for this game

Overall - 4/10 - Worth a miss unless you really need to learn the story.

Gothic 2

Gameplay - 8/10 - A flawless version of the first, true proof that sequels can beat the original while still staying true to it.

Graphics - 4/10 - Same as the 1st, but with a few extra details put in.

Controls - 4/10 - Overly complex, pretty much the same as the 1st game, but these ones work better and don’t frustrate so easily

Sound - 8/10 - Brilliant, pretty much same as the first, but with a few little changes to old characters personalities.

Overall - 7/10 - A masterpiece in its own world, this is what the first game should have been, in-fact, miss the first game and pretend it never existed, play this instead.

Gothic 3

Gameplay - 9/10 - Slow when you need a rest, but bloody, and involving when you need action, everything is realistic and you really see your actions taking effect on the world, damn near perfect.

Graphics - 8/10 - Not next-gen, but they are as close as you can get with out crossing over, the world is magnificent, huge and highly detailed.

Controls - 9/10 - A real improvement from the first 2, and make it a wonderful and stress free game to play, they really couldn’t have improved something any more then this.

Sound - 8/10 - Nothing too special, but there is some nice humor and realism to the voice acting and sound effects.

Overall - 9/10 - About as close to perfect as a game could possibly get. A saving point for the box set and worth a lot more then £20.

My best advice is to go to Play.com and hit Buy as fast as you can.

The planets of Earth and Arkanar were once very similar, maintaining a peaceful and friendly existence for centuries. After a terrible war between the planets, the two became distant and secluded.Earth prospered and grew, mastering advanced technologies. Arkanar became stagnated, barely evolving, remaining rooted in a medieval society; a planet of mystery. Intrigued by the situation of their former patriots the Empire decided to send in a secret agent from Earth…

You are the secret agent; at your disposal is a vast array of weaponry and knowledge, from the medieval sword to the most technologically advanced laser cannon. Use your weapons wisely as you discover the secrets surrounding the mysterious planet of Arkanar, revealing why it has remained a medieval society for so long.

Hard to be a god is a a single-player role playing game set in a kind of medieval era, you are a kind of agent/police/enforcer guy and start out as a beginner, your basically set out to do jobs from killing bandits and similar jobs. The game is a hack and slash game but is a really tough one to get started.

At first I found the controls and camera system a little weird but soon got used to it. Because its hack and slash you would think its fairly simple but it isn’t.. if you get mobbed by about 3 guys you may as-well run because you will be dead in seconds, I found this frustrating because the health shoots down a bit too fast for my liking. You also get to ride a horse at the start of the game which can be a dodgy affair especially when attacking, you have to really time your sword hit when riding up-to a bad guy, if you get mobbed it isn’t as hard but takes a long time to kill the bad guys. And all this info was from the first quest of the game!!

To be really honest its a super tough game.

You also find yourself using tons of healing potions while fighting. As for a storyline it seems really shallow and hard to get into, the dialog in the game isn’t that good either.
As like other rpg games it has the similar elements of life bars, energy bars, inventory items, leveling but doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

The graphics in the game are not exactly next gen and still fairly average for today’s standards, I guess this would run easily on most PCs. The sceneries OK while standing still but can look a little rough while running etc. The characters in the game and enemies are basic looking, there’s not much more I can say really. Its just basic.The sounds in the game is average, decent dialect, and other common sound effects as with other rpgs.

Combing the hard controls, poor story and average graphics this game wont keep you playing for long, when there’s other rpg games out there with full online play, great stories and game-play, hard to be a god doesn’t stand a chance. I really expected this to be a good game, maybe if the storyline was better then it could have been a half decent game.

Game-play 4/10 hard, frustrating

graphics 4/10 just not up to date

sound 5/10 average rpg sounds and effects

overall 4.5/10 God wont be happy

City life world 2008 edition is an updated version of city life 2006 but with changes and extra content. It also features over a hundred new buildings and famous landmarks.

This is my first play of a city life game and didn’t expect some of the content to be in the game , for example different societies which are quite confusing at first but once you get the hang of all its features it gets really addictive!

The first things i used was the build feature, its very easy and you can build pretty much anyway you want. At first you get to build basic homes, a range of luxuries, services, shops, businesses, road types.
All roads are automatically put in between your structures which is a really good thing and saves a lot of time.

Its easy to get carried away when building and that’s where your management comes into place. For every home you build you have to accommodate each one with a job or business, if you don’t the home they usually start in gets downgraded to the poorest (have nots) or they can complain about the lack of services in the area, so when building homes you have to make sure you build shops, businesses and other needs to help this.

Societies are split into several groups ranging from poor people right up-to the richest people ranging from have-nots to elites, they all have their own style of homes from slums to expensive pads ,you have to balance those societies into their own estates so there is no clashes.

The worst that can usually happen is a culture clash, for example blue-collars and fringes don’t get on well and usually riot when they live close together so you need to split them into their own areas.

Eventually as you start to unlock buildings its essential that you build higher class jobs so that certain members of your city will move up-to a higher class society eg blue collars will turn into suits and fringes will turn into radical chicks. Putting suits and radical chicks together will eventually make elites, so basically its like a tree you have to climb. you need to unlock the highest class citizens and jobs but at the same time keep a balance of other lower class citizens to accommodate low class jobs eg grocers, teachers etc. 

I think the whole citizen thing is a brilliant feature in the game. The main thing is to not get carried away with too many city luxuries and needs such as restaurants, school, police stations etc. Although your city will need them , its better to get businesses built first to keep your city in profit.

OK one poor point from the game is the tutorial. Its basically just a series of clips and text and doesn’t explain a lot, if there was a tutorial scenario it would have been so much easier and quicker to learn the game.

The graphics in the game are fair but still pretty pleasant, its fun to look at buildings and zooming into floor level to check all the city activity. It can stutter or freeze sometimes when zooming or when preparing to lay a new building or other item, there are some really decent looking buildings and items but they aren’t at a really high level of detail. but other than that i think its decent enough to keep you playing. This game doesn’t require a top end PC to run but even at high settings on a decent PC there are still stutters and glitches, but these minor things wont put you off the game and updates could sort it.

The music and sound effects in the game suit it well, although the music can get on your nerves after a while. Like any other city Sim that’s all you really need with this genre of game.

Its a fairly addictive and challenging game with some good visuals and nice ideas put into it. I have to say its a hard game, the tutorial doesn’t give you a lot of help and seems rushed but don’t let that put you off because its definitely worth a buy. Its a game for Sim fans but even if you haven’t tried a city Sim before give this one a try, it might go down well.

Game-play 8/10

Graphics 8/10

Sound 7/10

Longevity 9/10

Overall 8/10

RTL Winter Sports 2008 – the Ultimate Challenge – Review by the Sarge 

Winter Sports 2008 – the Ultimate Challenge is the improved sequel to last year’s winter RTL Winter Games 2007. The arcade – oriented winter sport compilation comprises the 15 most popular disciplines spanning 9 events. 42 missions in all with final boss rivals recreate the atmosphere of the international winter sport event.

Modes such as single player, campaign, the hot seat (4 players) and split screen (2 players) feature multiple tournament options adds to a gripping multiply player experience as you compete for record times and gold medals.  

Features 

• 15 playable disciplines spanning the 9 most popular winter sports
• Brand new campaign mode with 42 missions, incl. Boss rivals
• Multiplayer party fun: hot seat (4 players), split screen (2 players)
• 21 locations loaded with atmosphere
• Controls perfectly adapted to Nintendo Wii
• Lively sports events with mascots, opening ceremony, presentation ceremony, national anthems and many more
• Career mode with a skill system, incl, increasing skill values
• Magnificent sound tracks to the presenter duo & rousing soundtrack
• Motion capturing in cooperation with a leading European studio and an up-and-coming figure skater

 Other features include lively sports events with mascots, open ceremony, national anthems and many more. The game went unnoticed in it’s initial release, the fact that it mixes some pretty solid motion control similar to the old arcade track and field classic and a half way decent visual look means it bound to spark a bit of interest for people who like snow and winter sports!!.  

 The game includes Alpine Skiing, Ski Jumping, and Cross Country Skiing, Speed skating, Luge, Bobsled, Skeleton, figure Skating and Curling. Each event concentrates on using a very simple control method or motion that is very easy to pick up but is relatively fun despite its simplicity. Although don’t be fooled the Skiing events can be tricky to co ordinate when tilting left and right.   

In general the controls stroke game play is not that deep but this adds to the arcade feel and the graphics are in some areas an eyesore and disrespectful to any half decent graphics card a gamer owns, let’s just say the visuals would never win miss world.

The menus in comparison are well designed and simple to use. A favourite aspect of mine was the water or snow affect on the camera/screen. 

 Overall this is a no brainer click and play game to pass that hour before your dinner is on the table. It’s never a mind blowing experience but you can imagine some effort has gone into this game to create the Olympic or winter games look and feel, I do think the Nintendo Wii version will be much mroe fun to play with the motion sensing controls.  

Gameplay – 6/10 - Lots of events and simple controls
Graphics - 5/10 - Some of the intros/animations are ok but simple overall.
Sounds - 5/10 - The commentators are ok but the soundtrack monotonous
Overall – 5/10 – for the PC version I would wait for the bargain bin, but I can see this being much better on the Nintendo Wii with the Motion controls as this game screams for it. If you have been out and bought the Wii version please write us a review.