PC Gaming

Midnight Mysteries: Haunted Houdini Game Review

History and magic buffs may recall the unfortunate incidents surrounding the death of famed early 20th-century magician, Harry Houdini. Midnight Mysteries: Haunted Houdini by Mumbo Jumbo adds a twist Houdini’s death, that it was not mere chance and acute appendicitis that did him in, but a conspiracy. You know, the butler did it. No, no, actually, you, the player, while minding your own business gets spooked by the late Mrs. Bess Houdini’s ghost, a spirit wanting your help to contact her late husband and find out what really happened over 80 years ago. To accomplish this, you will need to…


The Legend of Grimrock Review; Classic PC Gaming Made Thoroughly Modern

Flash back in time 20 years to the sorts of games that RPG fans were playing and you will find that stories were thin but balanced combat gameplay was better implemented than most games now. However, the lack of internal maps coupled with dealing with the low-resolution graphics, MIDI sound, incompatibility with modern systems and so on make these older games nearly impossible to enjoy for all but the hardest of hardcore. Of course, where there is demand, there is somewhere to meet it – and in recent years that has meant indie PC game developers such as Human Head…


Thief Deadly Shadows Lands on Good Old Games!

Just over two years ago I did a ‘Netbook Gamer’ review of Thief Deadly Shadows, the classic third entry in the stealth series. I highlighted one of the classic levels of gaming: The other is one of the most amazing areas I have ever played – Shalebridge Cradle. Once an orphanage, later also used as an insane asylum – while it still housed orphans – it is a dreadful place, and your character comments “If there’s a way to cram more misery into one building’s history, I can’t think of it.” The area is packed with spirits and other hostile…


Alienware Discontinues the m11x ‘Gaming Netbook’

Just over two years ago, I wrote my first impressions of the initial Alienware m11x ‘gaming netbook’. I found the build quality and processor a bit lacking but the design and graphics performance were excellent. About six months later, Dell released the R2 version, this time with a low-power Core i7 processor, and I absolutely adored the updated laptop. Well, except that the Optimus graphics switching system was nearly useless at launch and took some time to get correct. I always preferred the manual switching of the original system (and the Sony Vaio S-series) as it gave better battery life and…


PC Game (Non) Review: Rage

I had planned on reviewing the shooter Rage from id software back in early October – I really did. I had it pre-ordered on Steam, loaded it up when it was released and went to play it that night and … nothing. It simply didn’t work … well, that isn’t completely true. It would seem to want to start, but fail miserably, in spite of rebooting, checking drivers, and so on. A quick check on the Steam forums – and gaming forums in general – revealed that I wasn’t alone. How long have PC gamers had to deal with messy…


Get Games Serious Sam 3: BFE for $11.99 – Activates Through Steam!

The Serious Sam games are some of my favorite shooters of the last decade, offering awesome mindless fun and constant all-out action with insane amounts of enemies and great weapons. While the two parts of the original game remain my favorites, even Serious Sam II brought loads of fun to shooter fans back in 2005. The latest entry, Serious Sam 3: BFE, was released on November 22nd to solid if unspectacular reviews. Here are some of the features: • Frantic Arcade-Style Action – The calling card of the Serious Sam series, hold down the trigger and lay waste to a…


PC/XBOX360 Game Review: Portal 2

Back in 2007 Valve release The Orange Box, which collected up the 2004 PC game Half-Life 2 along with the ‘Episode’ expansions for release on the XBOX360 (and later PS3), and added two new games: Team Fortress 2 and Portal. Team Fortress 2 was the big news of the collection … but the little two hour physics FPP (first person puzzler) called Portal was the break-out star. I thoroughly enjoyed it and reviewed the Orange Box back in 2007 and showed my kids, but it was only this past year that my younger son got interested in the game again….


Mac/PC Game Review: Din’s Curse: Demon War (PC/Mac RPG, 2011)

Nearly a year ago I reviewed Din’s Curse, praising it for offering loads of fun and tons of gameplay. I summed up as follows: Soldak has once again created a great RPG that encompasses many familiar things but brings us something new and challenging that lends itself to a fun and fresh gaming experience. The core of the game is wrapped around a dynamic world loaded with quests, and that in itself will be enough to keep you coming back for more. Now they are back with an expansion to Din’s Curse called ‘Demon War’. To put it simply, it…


My ‘Hardcore Gaming’ Test: VAIO S-Series ‘Unplugged for a Day’

In this article, I test out my ‘Gaming Mode’ scenario – that is just what it sounds like: I set everything to maximum and crank up some game time! One of the big claims of the new VAIO S-series laptop is that not only does it deliver great performance in a svelte package, but combined with the sheet battery can deliver up to 15 hours of usage between charges. That requires certain settings, and while I definitely plan to put it to the test very soon, I have also had the opportunity to test the VAIO S-series in other usage…


Gear Games Retrospective: Quake (1996, FPS) Celebrates 15 Years

A few weeks ago I looked back at Duke Nukem 3D in anticipation of the arrival of Duke Nukem Forever, which I subsequently reviewed as well. However, Duke Nukem 3D wasn’t the only shooter released in the first half of 1996 – on June 22nd 1996 a whole new era in first person shooter gaming was born with the release of Quake! In celebration of that milestone I take a look back at this legendary FPS game from id software. The Hype Rage through 32 single player levels and 6 deathmatch levels of sheer terror and fully immersive sound and…


PC Game Review: Duke Nukem Forever

I recently did a retrospective review on Duke Nukem 3D, so that experience was fresh in my mind as I loaded up Duke Nukem Forever and played it. One of the reasons I wanted to do that was because it is very easy for faded memories to turn into inaccurate assessments and then into unrealistic expectations – so by playing Duke Nukem 3D in 2011 I was able to temper my 15-year old expectations for Duke Nukem Forever with the reality of the prior game. So what are my thoughts? Read on and find out! The Hype: Duke Nukem Forever…


Gear Games Retrospective: Duke Nukem 3D (1996, FPS)

This week we FINALLY get the sequel to the classic 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D. I will be getting a review copy very soon in will have a full review as soon as I can. But in the meantime I thought it appropriate to dig back into the game that launched the 15 year quest for a sequel! The Hype Duke Nukem, the politically incorrect celebrity and ultimate alien ass kicker, defends Earth and its babes from alien invasion. He is a can-do hero who realizes that sometimes innocent people have to die in order to save Earth, so accuracy…


Gear Games Viewpoint: The Two Sides of DRM

If you have Dragon Age: Origins with loads of DLC like I do and have tried to play in the past week, one of four thing has happened: * You have been unable to use your DLC, and therefore unable to play your saved games. * You were offline and had no issues. * You bought a retail copy but have a ‘cracked’ executable and have had no issues. * You pirated the game and DLC and have had no issues. We’ll return to that list in a second, but yes – for nearly a week PC (and Mac) gamers…


PC Game Review: Magicka

Humor is something we see way too little of in games – it seems every new release is dark and gritty and full of epic seriousness. Not so with Magicka, a game that looks like a classic RPG but plays more like an action-adventure – and takes nothing seriously from start to end! But does it end up like the great TellTale adventure games, or the unfortunate Bard’s Tale remake? Let’s take a look and find out! The Hype: Magicka is a satirical action-adventure game set in a rich fantasy world based on Norse mythology. The player assumes the role…


Antec Enters the Home Audio Business with SoundScience rockus 3D | 2.1 Speaker System

3D TV is all the rage right now but what about 3D sound? That’s where Antec’s new SoundScience ruckus 3D/2.1 speaker system comes in. The rockus™ 3D | 2.1 speaker system creates a personal home theater experience that brings the power and realism of 3D audio together with the clarity and accuracy of high-fidelity music.  3Dsst™, soundscience’s 3D technology, actively analyzes incoming stereo audio signals and intelligently places them into a 3D sound field. The results are a personal theater experience with realistic, immersive 3D sound for your movies and games from 2.1 speakers – whether it’s the impact of…


Arctic Gear Review Pt 3: M571 Laser Gaming Mouse

Image courtesy of Arctic For the third and final installment of my Arctic Products review we will be looking at the M571 Gaming mouse. The past 2 reviews we looked at some gaming headsets, but this time it’s all about control. The K381 is a white and silver full size mouse that offers some great gaming features without breaking the bank while doing so. This mouse is an enhanced version of the earlier M551 and is targeted at the gaming community. The mouse I tested this against is my trusty Logitech G9 gaming mouse. I have been using the G9…


PC Game Review: Majesty 2: Monster Kingdom

The final expansion to Majesty 2, Monster Kingdom, was originally supposed to be released in early December, but was delayed into January. I was very concerned – this was going to land it square in the midst of other releases such as Venetica and Two Worlds II. Fortunately, those games were delayed so I had the chance to spend some quality time with the final expansion to a game I have really enjoyed for the last year and a half. How did they do closing the book on Majesty 2? Read on and find out! The Hype: The King would…


PC Game Review: Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga

Last year I reviewed Divinity II: Ego Draconis, noting that “I very much enjoyed Divinity II, but I also have to say it didn’t meet my hopes and expectations. After a few hours I truly loved the game, but after a few more the weaknesses started showing through.” I ended up giving it a weak ‘Buy It’ recommendation, really focusing on the audience who would naturally be biased in favor of the game. The Hype: Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga also includes the brand new adventure Flames of Vengeance, which adds dozens of hours of gameplay to the…


Arctic Gear Review Pt 2: P301 Professional Stereo Headset

Image courtesy of Arctic Last week in Pt 1 of the Arctic reviews, I took the P531 5.1 Surround Headset for a spin, and found that they were indeed impressive. This week I am checking out the P301 which is your basic 2 channel with adjustable microphone. I again turned to my gaming roots and suffered through a few more hours playing Black OPS on my PC. I like testing sound equipment with games because of the many different types of sound and how precisely you can measure the smallest of details. Black OPS has a quite the soundtrack, and…


PC Game Review: Majesty 2: Battles of Ardania

Majesty 2: Battles of Ardania was released just over six months after Majesty 2: Kingmaker and only a year since of the original Majesty 2, long enough for me to have played loads of games … but soon enough that playing the new expansion Battles of Ardania feels like returning home to see an old friend. The Hype: When there is peace in the kingdom, and nothing has happened in a month, any good King would itch for war. And even if not a full scale war, then at least for a skirmish; and if there is no skirmish, then…


Arctic Gear Review Pt 1: P531 USB Powered 5.1 Surround Sound Headset

I’m pretty particular when picking out my PC gaming gear. I have been through a pretty good amount of hardware over the years and keep up my life cycle of gaming gear. Arctic sent us out some gear to check out and review a few weeks ago. I had a chance to check it all out and see how it fared on a few solid hours of Call of Duty Black Ops for the PC. I had a chance to check out some gaming oriented hardware including 2 headsets, a mouse, and a standard slim profile keyboard. Arctic offers some…