Waiting For Fallout 3

Just a little over a month more before Bethesda Software's take on the venerated role-playing classic hits stores. I gotta admit- I can't wait to get my grubby little fingers on my very own copy of Fallout 3.

For those unfamiliar with the title, the Fallout series of role-playing games was set in a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality. Remember the Cold War in the 50's? What if we actually went straight to World War 3 from there? In the Fallout universe, the survivors have been living in underground Vaults for several years, only to come out and find a desolate, wasteland of a world. And that pretty much sets the stage for Fallout.

Usually, you start out as a Vault-dweller, or as a descendant of vault-dwellers, and as you do some exploring and go about your business, you'd probably discover a greater evil on the rise, and you, as the reluctant hero, end up being mankind's last hope.

I'll probably go into the details of the first few games (Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, and the XBox's Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel) in my future posts. For now, it's enough to know that Bethesda Software- the dudes from the hugely successful Elder Scroll series of role-playing games, have so far done a great job in bringing back Fallout from the dead.

Here's the latest Fallout 3 video trailer from GameSpot. Enjoy.

Here's the very first trailer that came out earlier this year, if you missed it:

Fallout 3 comes out on October 28. Not just for the PC, but for the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3 as well. Can't wait!

Cheers, everyone!

Are You Ready For C&C: Red Alert 3?

If you're a fan of the Command & Conquer franchise, then you'll be pleased- even excited- to know that a third game in the Red Alert series is pretty much on its way.

For those of you who aren't quite familiar with the franchise, Red Alert is a real-time strategy game set in an alternate future, where the Allies, the Soviets, and now a third faction- the Empire of the Rising Sun- all go head-to-head in a World War III-scenario using Sonic Tanks, Tesla Coils and Intelligent Dolphins.

Check out this trailer I saw earlier on Gamespot:

Here are a couple other video trailers, just to keep you drooling in the meantime :D

Looks promising. Definitely will be keeping my eyes open for this one. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 drops in stores on October 28 this year.

Cheers, everyone!

Top 10 Strategy Games for a Lower-End PC

Not too long ago, I had this officemate who has not upgraded his PC to current-day standards. It doesn't even run on a Core Duo, neither does it have a top-of-the-line graphics card, nor does it have broadband access to the internet- a real basic workstation.

Now that I think about it, most homes with personal computers probably have the barest of the bare; after all, the typical consumer probably uses the PC for basic word processing, surfing, searching and email, and basic media playback. Out of those, I would estimate 25% would be using their PCs for more advanced functions (photo/video/audio editing, 24/7 downloading, etc.), and probably only half of that percentage would have top-of-the-line gaming gear.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of great classic games out there- games that are so well-made and well-designed, which can, even to this day, provide hours and hours of entertainment. Much more so if you play them over and over again.

Anyway, said officemate asked me to hook him up with a few good classic strategy games, so I rummaged through my old collection and came up with this list of recommended titles:

• Starcraft (1998).
• Jagged Alliance 2 (1999).
• Hostile Waters: Anteus Rising (2001).
• Tropico (2001).
• Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999).
• MechCommander (1998).
• Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001).
• Age of Mythology (2002).
  
• Freedom Force (2002).
• Master of Orion (1997).

Starcraft (1998).

To this day, Starcraft remains one of the best-selling titles for the PC of all time. And with good reason: when Blizzard came out with Starcraft, it raised the bar not just for real-time strategy (RTS) games, but for all games in general.

The game revolves around three species: the Terrans, the Zerg and the Protoss, and their ongoing conflict for dominance over the known universe. Each faction has its own pros and cons; in fact, the game has been praised for coming up with three totally different but balanced factions available for play.

Starcraft is top-notch in terms of production: it has a compelling storyline, user-friendly interface, memorable characters, and one of the most-well designed games you will ever lay your hands on.

Jagged Alliance 2 (1999).

This game remains as one of my personal favorites of all time. Who else ever thought of coming up with a good squad-based strategy game, where you can hire (and fire) mercenaries, buy weapons and have a great time wresting control of an island nation from the hands of a despotic dictator?

You lead your team of mercenaries and take over the country one city at a time- in the process, raising citizen militia of your own, and gaining more support (as well as funding) so that you can get better weapons, equipment, and even hire better mercenaries to aid your cause.

I have it installed on my PC to this day. At least until Jagged Alliance 3 comes out this year.

Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising (2001).

In the distant future, man has built the perfect utopian society. War was a thing of the past, at least until a cabal of old-school dictators decided to change the status quo.

Enter Antaeus- one of the last Carriers ever used in war. Equipped with powerful nano-robot creation engines, your job as commander is to take the Antaeus and bring the fight to the enemy- in a chain of island-fortresses where they are amassing their weapons of war.

As commander, you use the supercarrier Anteaus to build your own war machines: make choppers, hovercrafts and other vehicles, and plug in your pilots- stored personalities on special "soulcatcher" chips- and take on the enemy one island at a time. You can pilot these vehicles all on your own, or leave the driving (and the fighting) to one of your pilots- it's all up to you.

Tropico (2001).

Speaking of islands and dictators, how would you like to be a dictator of a third-world island nation?

Poptop Software came up with Tropico- the Carribean Island-building classic in 2001, where you get to play "El Presidente" and rule your island-country as you see fit: determine what kind of industries you want, provide housing for the people (or not, it's up to you!), sign laws and policies, control the media, curry favor with the church (or the communists- whoever you want!), even skim a few million to put away into your -ahem- retirement fund.

Whether you choose to bleed your country dry, or lead your island nation to a prosperous future is totally up to you.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999).

Picking up from where Civilization II left off, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri allows you to play as one of seven fictitious Earth leaders out to colonize a brand new planet.

Firaxis came out with the game in 1999, and I have to say: for a game that came out almost 10 years ago, I have yet to see a 4X game (a strategy game where you explore your world, expand your territory, exploit resources and exterminate your enemy) that has just the right amount of depth and options for customization.

Also an added treat for me: the cutscenes that play whenever you complete a Secret Project. Great voice-acting, and tremendous replay value.

MechCommander (1998)

You want intense mech-on-mech action? MechCommander is the first ever MechWarrior game of tactical command. Set in the BattleTech Universe, it's one of the first games that lets you concentrate on a fixed number of units at the start of a mission, and you gain more Resource Points (RPs) as you accomplish specific mission objectives.

It's really more of a squad-based strategy game than a traditional 4X RTS. You decide which mechwarriors to take with you to a mission, which mechs they get to take with them, and even what kind of weaponry you want on your mechs: Long-range missiles? Particle projectile cannons? Heavy lasers? It's your unit- just bring em all back in one piece!

Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001).

From the same guys that gave you Command & Conquer- here's an RTS game set in the Dune Universe.

Play as one of the three great houses: Atreides, Ordos or Harkonnen. Watch out for those massive sandworms that can eat entire armies whole, run over infantry with your harvesters, and choose your allies among the other unaligned factions- The House of Ix, The Imperial Sardaukar, The Tleilaxu, The Spacing Guild and The Fremen.

Great RTS gaming whether you're a Dune fan or not- this game will at least get you interested in Frank Herbert's literary masterpiece. The Spice must flow!

Age of Mythology (2002).

Here's another bestseller from Ensemble Studios: Age of Mythology- a great RTS game which brings into play elements of Greek, Egyptian and Norse Mythology.

You play the role of Arkantos, an Atlantean admiral, on the trail of an evil cyclops named Gargarensis who managed to turn Poseidon against Atlantis. Your hunt for the villain eventually takes you through Greek, Egyptian and Norse lands, as you enlist the aid of powerful units- centaurian archers, huge axe-wielding minotaurs, mighty sphinxes, lumbering mummies, noble valkyries and packs of Fenris wolves to defeat your opponent.

Gain favor with the powers-that-be, and call upon the powers of the gods to bolster your army or smite your enemy- but remember, your opponent can pray to his gods to work against you as well!

Freedom Force (2002).

Wanna play superhero for a change? Freedom Force by Irrational Games provides a welcome change of atmosphere as far as strategy games go.

Lead a team of Silver Age-inspired superheroes fight criminal elements as well as super-powered villains in Patriot City. Build them up and unlock new powers, or you can even make your own superhero. Pokes fun at the campy superhero shows and comics from the 60's and 70's, but has some really intense and immersive gameplay elements.

The game has been so popular that complete DC and Marvel mods (in addition to regular fan-made mods) are available for downloading online.

Freedom Force is real fun to play- at least when DC and Marvel come up with their respective MMORPG's in the near future.

Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (1996).

Why rule the world when you can rule the universe instead? Master of Orion II allows you to play an alien civilization (or human, or you can go ahead and make your own) and pit yourself against other alien civilizations to rule the known universe.

Colonize planets as you explore the galaxy, build up your colonies, research new technologies, and design your own battlecruisers and pit your fleet against the enemy's. Or you can go all diplomatic and pursue trade and research treaties. Eventually, the Antarans come raiding, picking out colonies at random, at least until you take the fight to them.

You think your new Death Star can handle those Antarans? Let's test the new Stellar Converter on that hapless planet over there...

What other classic strategy games can you recommend for a low-tech gaming rig?

Cheers everyone!

The Burning Crusade is the Top-Selling PC Game of 2007.

No surprise there.

According to the NPD Group, the industry-tracking research organization, The Burning Crusade- Blizzard's expansion to the World of Warcraft (2004)- is the biggest selling PC game of the year.

The Burning Crusade made its debut in January of last year and sold 2.4 million copies worldwide in its first 24 hours on sale, though I remember getting mine much later in June. For the US alone, the game sold 2.25 million units for the entire 2007.

The first World of Warcraft game landed in second place, selling an additional 914,000 copies in the US this year. Blizzard's hugely successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game first came out in late 2004, and has been a bestseller ever since.

While Blizzard has claimed the top 2 slots, EA Games seems to have dominated more than half of the Top Ten. In the list The NPD group released a few days ago, we also see Electronic Arts' The Sims 2 (also released in 2004) and its various expansion packs- The Seasons expansion pack(in third place), the Bon Voyage expansion pack (in eighth) and The Sims 2 Pets (at tenth). Two other EA games- Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (at #5) and Sim City 4 Deluxe (at #6)- land at the top ten.

Activision's Call of Duty 4 was the fourth biggest-selling game of the year, while Microsoft's real-time strategy game Age of Empires III made it to #9.

Best-selling PC Games of 2007, by units sold, as reported by the NPD Group.

1. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Expansion Pack. Vivendi Games. 2.25 million
2. World of Warcraft. Vivendi Games. 914,000
3. The Sims 2: Seasons Expansion Pack. Electronic Arts. 433,000
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Activision. 383,000
5. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Electronic Arts. 343,000
6. Sim City 4 Deluxe. Electronic Arts. 284,000
7. The Sims 2. Electronic Arts. 281,000
8. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Expansion Pack. Electronic Arts. 271,000
9. Age of Empires III. Microsoft. 259,000
10. The Sims 2: Pets Expansion Pack. Electronic Arts. 236,000

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Gaming.

That's right, welcome to my world.

Welcome to the world of a 34-year-old self-professed geek- who, by day, slaves away at a regular job and does business like most radio executives, but by night, hunkers down in front of yet another PC and dives into role-playing games.

That's right. I work hard so I can play. I work to pay my monthly World of Warcraft fees. I work to check out Datablitz (the local gaming software retailer) to see if the new game I've been waiting for is already out. I buy gaming merchandising when available. I get other people to play. And now, I'm blogging about it.

This blog- Renzie on Gaming- gives you my personal perspective on games, gaming gear, games marketing, and the gaming industry, and how the gaming industry affects the rest of the world. My personal perspective, ladies and gentlemen. Ultimately, this is all about what I think, and what I care about.

You're all welcome to stick around and poke around if you like. I even encourage you to leave a comment or toss around an idea or two. It's all cool.

See you guys around. Cheers!

Everybody Wants To Rule The World: A Review of World of Conflict (PC, 2006)

This post originally appeared on another blog, "Renzie's Rants and Raves". Since late January 2007, I've decided to create a blog focused entirely on games and gaming, so I thought I'd move this post here instead.

It's probably one of the best real-time strategy (RTS) games I've played in quite a while.

In fact, I'm not a huge fan of RTS games at all- that is, the usual resource-gathering, base-building, army-amassing tedium that seems to plague most of those that ever came out. I don't mind, really, if there's a fresh new concept, a compelling storyline, or stunningly impressive graphics. Fortunately for me, World of Conflict had all of that, and so much more to deliver.

Imagine if you will: what if The Cold War played out differently? What if, instead of The Berlin Wall going down, the USSR strikes out at Europe, effectively starting World War III? As the US sends the bulk of its troops to aid its NATO allies, the Russians make a daring sneak attack on the North American continent from the west, capturing Seattle and pushing inwards.

You play the role of a Captain on the day of the Russian invasion- scrambling to organize an effective resistance in the face of a relentless foe.

This you notice as they drop you down into the game- it's instant action. No you don't need to build bases and gather resources- you play right away with the units you have at the start of the game, and gain additional units as you capture strategic points, or accomplish certain missions.

Later on, you'll be able to call in air strikes, artillery bombardment, airborne drops or aerial recon- again, depending on the mission/storyline, and your accomplishments.

Come to think of it, there have been other RTS games that were pretty much along the same lines- Mech Commander, and to an extent, Dawn of War. But it doesn't matter when you get sucked into the game so deeply that it slipped your mind that, yes, you have work the following day, it's 3AM but you HAVE to do this ONE LAST MISSION...

Yes, it's that engaging.

Heck, World in Conflict has even successfully torn me away from World of Warcraft. So that's already saying quite a lot.

Pros: World in Conflict has so much going for it- a great story, amazing game design, stellar graphics, a game engine that works well, and stunning visuals. I personally love the voice-acting of all the characters in the game (Alec Baldwin narrates in between missions, btw), and the fact that it featured two of my favorite songs: Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule the World", and Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again".

Cons: Nothing I can think of right now, other than that the entire single-player campaign only took me a few days to finish.

Gaming Goals for the Year 2008.

This has been a fine year in gaming- but looking forward to 2008, the prospects seem very promising. After all, a lot of fine games are coming out, and I've seriously channeled my interest in video games into this whole blogging thing to keep track of what I want for myself and what's going on out there.

The ultimate goal really, is to be able to play more games- which means a dedicated effort to not just increase my weekly allotted game time, but to also maximize said game time. It also means a steady supply of games- sure I'd buy some every month, but it would be great to get some free from time to time. Gotta work on that.

My current PC still seems good enough to play the more requirement-heavy games out in the market right now, so I probably don't have to worry about it until next year- which means I can probably divert my attention to getting myself a new console.
And the gaming console on my wishlist is the Xbox360. Nothing against the PS3 or the Wii, but I think I'm really more of an Xbox person. Besides, I already have my eye on some great games for this year. Check it:

• Fallout 3 (due out last quarter of 2008)
• Grand Theft Auto IV (due out second quarter of 2008)
• Bully: Scholarship Edition (due out March 2008)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 (due out February 2008)
• and Return to Castle Wolfenstein

On top of those games, I should also secure the following titles once I get my 360: Gears of War, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Chromehounds, Viva Pinata and Call of Duty 4.

As for handhelds, I have to get myself a Nintendo DS first- I heard it has some real cool games, and it's great as far as handhelds go. Second priority would be a Sony PSP- or that PSP Slim- that thing you can plug into a TV.

Most of my efforts will still be directed towards getting new games for my PC. What am I setting my sights on for 2008?

• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich-king (out later this year)
• Galactic Civilizations 2: Twilight of the Arnor (out April 2008)
• Jagged Alliance 3 (out first quarter 2008)
• Guild Wars 2 (out mid-2008)

At this point, I still have to get me The Orange Box, The Elder Scrolls IV Expansion Packs (The Shivering Isle and Knights of the Nine) and The Witcher.

See? Got it all pretty much figured out. Now all I have to do is work doubly hard and make things happen for myself. Check you guys out in a few months.

Cheers!