IGN

As I said before, Act of War: Direct Action is a very solid gaming package. While the single player campaign was relegated to the American viewpoint and a tad bit on the brief side, it was a fun experience while there. Units seem to be well balanced, combat is fun and made pretty interesting by dense city sections, and the visuals should keep anybody more than satisfied.

MVP 2005 addressed, corrected, and improved upon almost every issue fans had with the previous instalments. When playing the PC version you can't help but notice that this is a game that was made with the consoles in mind. Don't even bother trying to play with the keyboard and if you are forced to use low quality character models, get ready for a few laughs. But if you have the equipment, this game has enough additions to put it solidly ahead of the competition.

Do yourself a favor and ignore this game. The appeal of a co-op experience is oftentimes strong, but there is essentially no merit to Conflict: Denied Ops. It offers nothing unique and has almost no production value. Shooters are a dime a dozen these days and most have this game beat at every turn.

Sure, it's got some technical problems and, sure, it starts fairly slowly but if you can see past those flaws, you're in for one hell of a treat. The moral choices are much more varied and integrated into the overall experience this time around. I wish the new influence system had more of an effect on the actual narrative but the idea is intriguing in any case.

After having written about the extremely long queues, they have dwindled to almost nothing, even at peak playing times, and the game has become much more stable. I still get the occasional crash, but WoW still has a polish that puts most other MMO launches to shame. Almost a victim of its own popularity, World of Warcraft quickly found its feet, serving up no fewer than eighty-eight servers across the country, with more likely on the way.

It's bright and colorful and definitely Sonic. You can see that from space. Little attempt has been made to fit the game to the PC. Bright. Vibrant. Pretty. And very recognizable to anybody who has played previous Sonic games, especially the classics. Some breathtaking moments. Great framerate. Camera problems. Challenges and different goals for different teams encourages some replay which is necessary since the game will be over quick.

There's no doubt that EverQuest 2 is the most refined expression of the model that the first game sparked. The beauty of the visuals and the variety of quests are definitely the high points for the game, but you shouldn't discount the game's presentation either. Balanced against those strengths are the game's slowness in opening up new content and some inconveniences in the organization of quests.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is a much stronger game than the previous one in the series. It does the genre right, with character choices that effect the world, dialogue choices that effect your fate, and plenty of things to do and places to poke around in. Replayability lies in the widely varied character design options, since the story is pretty linear, multiple endings notwithstanding. Unfortunately, the AI has the intelligence of a doorknob sometimes, which keeps the shine off an otherwise delightful and multilayered experience.

Like I said before, it doesn't do a whole lot differently than other games in the shooter genre in terms of pure gameplay innovation, but it takes existing styles, then mixes, matches and makes them better. ...It'll hook you, reel you in, and hold you captive for serious hours of hardcore brilliance. This is gaming at its best and shows that the future holds no bounds when the might of technology, precision of design, and touch of artistry work in tandem.

Rome: Total War is such an improvement over its predecessors that it's my new strategy game of choice. The shorter, more digestible campaigns and the intense immediacy of the battles have made it hard for me to drag myself away long enough to get this review written; the more I write about it, the more I want to play it.