Great Games for the Holidays Are Here: Changes in Industry & Technology Overcome
by Timothy Everingham a member of TUGNET, California
From the December, 2006 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
We are now in the time when most of the computer & console games get released,
right before the holiday season. This year it even gets more complicated because
of Windows Vista coming out in January and we are in the early stages of a
transition to the next generation of game consoles. What makes it even worse is
the collapse of the computer game industry’s major trade show, E3. Game
developers have had to revamp their marketing strategies for the future, yet at
the same time prepare for this holiday season. This should add to consumer
confusion on what to buy and when and hopefully this article will reduce that
confusion.
“increases questions”
Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista, increases questions for those
uses of 3D oriented applications, especially games. A great part of this is
DirectX 10, which is a major rewrite of DirectX and has much higher capability
than current and past versions. DirectX 10 will only be available for Windows
Vista and can only be used if you have a video card that supports it. (Those
cards that do not have DirectX 10 support will be running DirectX 9.0L under
Windows Vista). DirectX 10 cards based on Nvidia chips will start to come out in
November and those based on ATI chips will start to come out in February. There
will be few games with additional enhancements if you are running Vista with a
DirectX 10 card when Vista launches, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator X and
Crysis. It will probably be at least until mid-2007 when significant numbers of
DirectX 10 enhanced or DirectX 10 only titles will arrive. So for giving gifts
to 3D gamers who are going to be first adopters of Windows Vista you might want
to consider giving gift certificates.
Microsoft’s next generation console, the Xbox 360, has been out for about a
year. It has been well accepted by the market-place and has a good number of
quality game titles. Sony’s Playstation 3 is more powerful and will be able to
play high definition Blue-Ray disk movies, but it has been delayed by technical
problems until November 17 and even then will have limited supply in the US.
With the decision to allow Blue Ray Disk movies to the higher level 1080p High
Definition TV instead of the former 720p only should help sales. It will also
have some very good games avail- able at launch. There will be 2 versions, the
standard costing $499 and the deluxe costing $599. Nintendo’s Wii next
generation console will launch on November 19. It is not as powerful as its two
rivals, especially in the graphics area (Maximum Video Resolution: Wii-480p,
Xbox 360-720P, PS3-1080p). However it has a very unique gyroscopic controller
that is shaped like a TV remote control, which could make some very innovative
gameplay (actions are evoked by your physical movement of the entire
controller). The Wii’s retail price will be $249. The safe bet for buying a
console now is the Xbox 360, but I would advise waiting on your decisions until
the initial opinions on the PS3 and Wii consoles come out. (These will probably
be found online on the video game review websites before the end of November).
Remember when buying a console it is like buying a computer. First you determine
what games/applications you want to run, and then you see which console has the
games/applications you want to run now or in the future.
“for the holiday season”
Here are some of my game picks for the holiday season:
If you are looking a simulation, Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Windows XP or
Vista) is a great visual experience. It is greatly improved from the last
version, 2004, with great scenery and other graphics plus good missions. Be
aware that to get good frame rates on this you will need a mid to high
performance PC by current standards. This is the first game that can take
advantage of Windows Vista only features, including DirectX 10 capabilities if
you have a Direct X 10 graphics card. Comes in both standard and deluxe
versions.
“spyware”
If you are looking for a first person shooter, Call of Duty 3 (Activision; PS3,
PS2, Xbox 360, Xbox, Wii) is third installment of the extremely successful World
War 2 team-based first-person shooter series. This time it centers on the
campaign from Normandy to Paris. Additionally the number of concurrent
online/network players has been raised to
24. Battlefield 2142 (Electronic Arts, PC) is Battlefield 2 set in the future in
the middle of a new ice age. Since Battlefield 2 is such a great multiplayer
combat title, this is a good thing. Like the previous members of the Battlefield
series, it is usually played team vs. team online or at a LAN Party. Be aware
that this game has in-game advertisements and spyware is installed when you
install the game that analyses data on your PC to
determine which adds to display in the game. So if you don’t like such things on
your computer you may want to pass on this game.
If you have dreamed of firefights using automatic weapons in the glamorous Las
Vegas Casinos this is for you. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas (Ubisoft; PC, PS3,
PSP, Xbox 360) is another in the successful Rainbow Six series about the
adventures of a US antiterrorist commando team. This time a large group of
terrorists are attacking the Las Vegas Casinos and plan to burn them to the
ground and your object is to stop them. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
(Ubisoft; PC, Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, Gamecube) is another in the great Splinter
Cell series where you work as a spy/ mercenary for the National Security Agency.
However, this time you act as a double agent within a terrorist cell, so things
get more complicated. This also has a multiplayer mode. This series is great for
those who like to sneak up on the bad guys, take them out and steal or blow up
their stuff.
“adventure”
As for adventure games, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K games; PC, Xbox 360)
has extremely beautiful and high-level graphics. It is considered an outstanding
title and one with which all other adventure games are compared, but you need a
high performance PC to play it. Gothic 3 (JoWood, PC) is a single player
adventure game in a land where humans have been enslaved by orcs. There is an
evil mode where you side with the orcs, but most of the gameplay you are on the
human’s side. The game is much more open ended than most games, so if you get
lost in non-structured game play this title is not for you. For those who
enjoyed the fantasy role playing game Neverwinter Nights, there is Never Winter
Nights 2 (Atari, PC). Half-Life 2 (Electronic Arts) has moved to an episodic
model, and so now has Sam & Max (Lucas Arts). Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture shock
is the first of seven episodes to come out on a monthly basis with an estimated
4-6 hours of game play each. Each episode will cost $8.85, but you can subscribe
to the entire set for $34.95. This is an off the wall humor-ridden adventure
game with a dog and rabbit team of freelance police as its heroes.
“sport games”
As for sport games, try Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (Electronic Arts; PC, PS3, PS,
Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii). It is extremely similar to the previous two versions, but
is still a great game. For those who love golf games this is probably your best
bet. Need For Speed Carbon (Electronic Arts; PC, PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Xbox,
Wii, Gamecube, Gameboy, DS), is the next in the successful Need For Speed street
racing series. Its graphics are excellent and smooth, and there is a lot of game
play and various options/paths to explore in the way you play the game.
In the good, but not expensive category look at GTR 2 (10tacle Studios, PC).
This is a
GT car racing game that has gotten good reviews and has a lot to offer and you
can find it for less than $20. It was released on Sept 26; it is a new game too.
For sports games, Electronic Arts has most of the best ones. You should look
there first.
If you are into building rather than destroying I would recommend Sid Meir’s
Railroads (2K Games, PC). In this empire -uilding game you have 15 historical
and fictional scenarios to chose from. Up to four players can even compete
online or over a network. The detailed graphic animation of the
environment/world is impressive, but because of this it is recommended that you
have a significantly better computer than listed in the
minimum requirements.
“Total War”
If you are looking for a real-time strategy game, look at Company of Heroes
(THQ, PC). The detail in both the game play and the graphics makes this World
War II game set in France in 1944 superior to other similar titles. You play
either as the allies or the axis and control small units on a battlefield to
accomplish objectives. You can play against another player or players online.
Because of the graphics, low-end PCs are insufficient for this game. Also you
need to look at Medieval 2: Total War (Sega, PC), the fourth in
the Total War historical combat real-time strategy series. The graphics and
animation is so good that the game’s engine is used to create animated
visualizations of large-scale actual battles for documentaries shown on the
History and Discovery channels. The graphics have been updated, making the even
more real than in any of the previous versions and what you even saw in the TV
documentary visualizations. The game takes place in Medieval Europe and you
command one of the historical factions/countries that
vie for power. Look at Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (Namco Bandai, PC) too;
a real-time strategy game with fantasy creatures and units, part of the
excellent Warhammer series.
“something usual”
If you want something usual you may want to look at Bully (Rockstar Games, PS2).
This is a boarding school simulator where you work your way up in this kid-dom.
Last year’s best unusual was Destroy All Humans, a spoof on the 1950’s alien
invasion movies. Now Destroy All Humans 2: Make War Not Love (THQ; PS2, Xbox)
has arrived and is set in the 1960’s. It is not quite as good as the original;
but with the original being so good, especially in the rolling on the floor
laughing department, it still makes for a very good game. There are new
consoles and a lot of new games for this holiday season, too much to cover here.
For additional information go to www.gamespot.com (part of CNET), www.ign.com,
www.gamepro.com, www.gamespy.com, or
www.gamezone.com.
May your games be happy and bright (we don’t have to worry much about screen
burn-in anymore).
There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this article as long
as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author. The Editorial
Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an
international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article
to you.
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