As video games evolve, our view of them as mere entertainment has grown, with many games challenging what is possible in an interactive medium. Arguably, first person shooters have seen the most radical change out of any other genres in the past decade. Some notable titles have put meaning behind all the bloodshed and managed to carve out some honestly impressive works of art. Serious Sam 3 is not one of those games. Acting like the past 10 years in game development never happened; Serious Sam packs some heavy retro charm, yet stands out as one of the more refreshing releases of this year.

To say Serious Sam has a story would be a generous statement. There is a plot, in which Sam is sent to Egypt to kill some aliens and discover the secrets of some long lost civilization, but it is so paper thin that is it barely worth mentioning. Nonetheless, it is unobtrusive as to allow for the action to keep a constant pace no matter what. Something that does stand out are the hilariously bad one liners from Sam, which are never repeated and spaced out enough so that you don’t grow tired of them. His selfishness and overconfidence come off perfectly. In a way, he is what Duke Nukem should have been.

The gameplay is maniacally simple. Literally the entire game consists of blowing away hundreds of enemies as you find better weapons. While it may seem like a crime that a game like this can exist in this day and age, developer Croteam have crafted a nearly therapeutic experience. The level of challenge does not increase with smarter enemies or clever puzzles, they just send more enemies at you at an even faster rate. One does not think as they play Serious Sam, they simply shoot. To add to the compulsion, at the end of each level you will be presented with stats of how you did as well as a par time, begging the manic completionist to come back and better their run.

Staying true to its roots, Serious Sam does not include regenerating health. Health packs and armor will be your only salvation from the hordes of enemies vying for your flesh. Iron sights were added to certain weapons, but it seems like an irrelevant tweak meant to appease some angry blogger. The only notable new additions are melee weapons and attacks, which can get you out of some seriously tight situations when needed.

Despite the old school charm, the game does suffer from the same flaws games faced back then. The enemies are as dumb as a box of rocks, they will simply charge at you until you shoot them. The few puzzles you do encounter seem out of place and act as a poor way to break up the action. There are some obviously cheap moments as well, with very little health and scarce ammo forcing you to reload an earlier save.

The game runs on the Serious Engine 3.5 and it scales beautifully. Texture work leaves a lot to be desired, yet there are some fantastic smoke effects at work. The animations are laughably bad, but add to the charm of the experience. However, the crowing jewel is the amount of enemies it can produce. The odds placed against you are staggering, with literally hundreds of enemies littering the screen at once. Thankfully, there is never any slowdown, even on a medium range machine.

In a way, he is what Duke Nukem should have been.

Multiplayer is back, with the classic deathmatch and capture the flag game modes feeling as tacked on as ever. On the other hand, the co-op presents a ridiculously good time. It supports up to 16 players at once in both survival modes and the entire campaign. The game does slow down significantly when multiple players are playing at the same time, yet the commotion present is unlike any other.

When Serious Sam 3 was announced, many fans feared that Croteam would try to apply changes to their formula as a means to attract a wider audience. Amazingly, yet somehow not surprisingly, Croteam has not changed a thing and Serious Sam has not aged a day.

BLAST FACTOR: Throwing away literally every modern shooter convention, Serious Sam 3 stands as a time machine to a simpler time. Croteam have shown that simple gameplay coupled with a well balanced engine can deliver some seriously good entertainment. Hardcore to the bone, this arcade shooter will entertain anyone who has ever found enjoyment in blasting a virtual foe.

HMH Interactive, along with DreamCatcher Games and JoWooD Entertainment Co. will release Book of Unwritten Tales and Haunted for PC’s sometime this coming winter.

Book of Unwritten Tales is the same award-winning “point & click” adventure game that’s already out in Europe, and has received excellent feedback by both Euro gamers and press. In Book of Unwritten Tales, more than 40 characters will wittily interact so that the gamer can solve more than 150 challenging riddles in more than 60 created settings.

Haunted is a new adventure that stands in line with previous games by the genre specialist Deck 13, who is internationally renowned for successful classics such as “ANKH” and “Jack Keane”. Haunted will take the gamer along with the main character Mary, who finds herself all alone on the mysterious streets of London during the 19th Century after her sisters death. Soon though, she realizes that she’s hearing her dead sister’s voice asking for help! (ZOMG! It’s just like Sixth Sense!)
In the course of the game, Mary will also be joined by supernatural attendants as ghosts come to support her, and the gamer will no-doubt encounter the typical Deck 13 kind of humor.

For more information, and to stay updated, go to: www.dreamcatchergames.com

Back in the Good Old Days, pretending to be a super hero required going to the store to buy costumes, training hard with your local Kung-Fu sensei and, of course, walking to the Justice League headquarters (AKA your friend’s DC-decorated basement) barefoot in the snow uphill both ways.

Soon all you’ll need is a PS3 or PC and a copy of DC Universe Online.

Yes, the age of sewing your own costumes and jumping off tall structures is over now that Sony Online Entertainment will be their new super hero MMORPG based in the DC comic book universe.‚  I was lucky enough to sit with Wes Yanagi, Senior Producer at SOE, as he showed me all the cool features in the upcoming game.

Yanagi chose to describe DC Universe Online in an interesting way.‚  He decided to call it an “Action MMO” making it clear that this game was unique when compared to the numerous Massively Multiplayer Online games available today.‚  What makes DC Universe Online an Action MMO is that none of the combat sequences need to be scripted and waited on.‚  Instead of planning out attack sequences, players can improvise with the control their super hero by rattling off seamless punching, kicking or power attack combos instantaneously.

The features in the RPG portion of the game are exciting as well.‚  Upon creating a character (using the character creator as described a few paragraphs below), players will be able to decide if they would like to become a villain or hero in the DC Universe.‚  This choice will determine how characters will approach quests and which famous super hero NPCs (Batman, Bizarro and Wonder Woman, just to name a few) they will interact with.‚  As characters level up, players will be able to “build their own legacy” as they game namesake within the super hero/villain communities.‚  Eventually, players get their characters invited to join the Justice League or Legion of Doom, depend on which moral route they take.‚  Also, with the in-game stories and quests being written by some of DC’s most famous writers, the RPG aspect of DC Universe Online is an exciting prospect for even the most casual of comic book fans.

No DC Universe-based game would be complete without the ability to visit some famous landmarks.‚  The folks with Sony Online Entertainment recognized this need and developed their upcoming game accordingly.‚  Players will be able to take their characters to such places as Metropolis, Gotham City, Justice League and Legion of Doom headquarters, STAR Labs and many others.‚  Though I wasn’t able to get a look at places like Gotham or Metropolis (the concept art of these places is available in our gallery below), I was able to look at some in-game action inside STAR Labs and the Justice League HQ.‚  The environments seemed authentic, clean and rendered well, which is no surprise given that many of the game’s locations were created and designed by legendary comic book artist Jim Lee.‚  I especially enjoyed the intricate and brightly colored designs in STAR labs.‚  I can’t wait to see more in-game renders as they are unveiled.

Sony also stepped up and created a legitimate character creator for DC Universe Online.‚  The creator is based on three basic concepts of customization: the super power of the character, the power source of that super power and the movement style of the character.‚  The super powers include options such as fire, ice or mental abilities while the power sources can be anything from a simple ring on your character’s finger to something as complex as your character’s eyes.‚  Finally, the movement style of your character can be walking, flying or possibly something in-between.‚  The character creator also allows players to completely customize their character’s costume, color scheme and accessories, making it nearly impossible to find someone else who has the exact same super hero as yourself.

Once a color scheme and costume is established, all items that are picked up and equipped on a player (such as a helmet or body armor) will automatically adjust to your character’s design.‚  For instance, say you find a green item but your scheme is red.‚  DC Universe Online’s developers have found a way to change the item’s color to match your scheme when it is equipped.‚  Also, lets say you’ve found a helmet that looks good on your character, but you’ve also acquired a less-fashionable helmet that has better stats.‚  Instead of having to choose between the two, players can now just take the statistically better helmet and make it look exactly the same as the better looking one.‚  These two features allow players to avoid that multicolored “hobo” look that many gamers encounter in MMORPGs.

There’s very little to not like about how DC Universe Online is coming together.‚  It’s a game that is clearly staying true to its roots and addressing many issues that MMO fans have grown to hate.‚  Unless there is some fatal flaw in the gameplay or gaming engine, there wont be much that could hold DC Universe Online back from becoming a very popular and entertaining RPG when it drops sometime late 2009 / early 2010.

This review appeared on Reviewcenter.com in 2000 during the heyday of PC flight simulation games, including a glut of combat games from Janes/Electronic Arts.

Hangsim is a highly realistic flight simulation that was created to simulate flight in hang gliders, paragliders, and ultralights. This game is like flight simulators from around the world, but the difference is that it uses a different category of aircraft. They are tricky to fly because of their low stall speeds and their unwillingness to move fast — no afterburners here.

When you start the game you are presented with a list of options that lets you choose what you want to fly, where you want to fly it, and what kind of flying you will be doing. The game gives you realistic terrain and weather conditions including mountain wind, clouds and fog.

There are four flight options to choose from. Free flight allows you to take any aircraft up and give it a test run. Then there is challenge mode, where you learn how to fly your aircraft in different situations. A competition mode lets you race opponents around aerial race courses in the mountains, on beaches, etc. The last flight option is the Just for Fun option. This option lets you fly against many other competitors and shoot them down with air-to-air rockets. That is pretty fun!

When you play the game, you will notice how good the graphics are. I believe that the good graphics are there to make up for the poor game play. After about 15 minutes, I wanted more things to do, and there wasn’t anything else. Yes, the game is fun and is very realistic, but it does not hit the spot for flight simulation games for me. Maybe I’m just used to combat flight sims with campaigns and missions, but I found Hangsim boring after a while.

Like I said before, the graphics of the game are superior to any other flight simulation game that I have ever seen. When taking hard turns, there is no delay/buffer in the screen that shows that the graphics processor is behind. It feels that you are actually there! When I play games, there is nothing more impressive than good graphics.

I was very impressed with this game, despite the lack of different scenarios. This game would be a more interesting one if they created an expansion pack that had more scenarios and aircraft in it.

Hangsim has many benefits. It uses the latest technology in 3D graphic acceleration through Direct X 5, it uses the 3D graphics accelerators 110% to create the best graphics possible, and the aircraft have easy to use instruments.

Download the demo free from Blast!

Publisher: Wilco
Developer: Wilco
Platform: PC CD-ROM
Genre: Flight simulation
Players: 1
Launch Date: 1999

Technical Requirements:
Pentium 166, Windows 95, 98, Me, XP, Sound card, 100Mb free hard disk space.

Playability: 3 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Gothic 3 needs a lot of machine to run as intended. The game has some absolutely amazing visual elements to throw at the player, but bit by bit, many gamers have to tweak and switch off these features until the game runs smoothly.

There are also some major technical glitches that can hinder gameplay, the most serious of which is your player becoming stuck under an object with a low ceiling, or on top of something you accidentally climbed. Thankfully, there is almost always a way to wiggle yourself out.

Finally, amidst rumors of memory errors and crashes on Dells, I tested and was sad to see that the game would not run on either of the older Dells we have lying around. On an old Dimension 3100 and a Latitude D610, a memory error prevented Gothic 3 from starting at all.

Seriously though, keep reading.

Notwithstanding shortcomings and bugs, Gothic 3 is actually one of the best open ended adventure games I’ve ever played. It’s a bloody shame that even the most dedicated gamer might get turned off before even swinging a sword, because there is a good nonlinear game under the hood with a barge full of replay value.

The game begins with a staple adventure game cut scene; the king is under siege and the mages scramble to channel their power on the defensive. The mighty orcs have conquered and enslaved most of the human race in the land of Myrtana. You, the unnamed hero, are one of the few free humans left, and with that freedom comes choice. Do you rebel against the orcish oppressors or stand with them against your countrymen? Or do you say “the hell with it,” and go off and live by your own rules?

The action begins immediately as your comrades arrive in the occupied village of Ardea, and the orc garrison immediately attacks you. The true nature of this game becomes apparent very quickly. When you engage the orcs, the human slave population rises up with you. If you’re good, and you pummel the Orcs quickly, most of the human slaves will survive and praise you as their liberator. If you get knocked down a few times and fight a long, bloody battle, almost all the slaves can be killed and you’ll be left with a barren wasteland of a town with a few people here and there. Fortunately, the population will replenish eventually.

The hero has the chance to interact with his group after the battle. They all plan to go their separate ways, and this is your first chance to make a choice. One of your comrades was supposed to stay and guard the ship, so you can go check on him. Another member of the band wants to go meet up with the “Rebels,” a group of free humans fighting the orcs wherever they can. Still, another choice would be to walk away right here and explore the land.

There are three main landmasses to explore, and you are free to go anywhere, at any time. You start in the wooded, temperate region of Myrtana. There is also the hot Varant Desert to the south. Finally, Nordmar, the icy land of hearty clans and ore-filled mines, lies to the north. Most players will find it easier to follow some form of linear path, because monsters and enemies become harder to defeat depending on where you travel. If you can get past that fact, you’ve already uncovered one of Gothic 3′s better features. Following a path closely, you’ll spend a lot of time exploring Myrtana, then Varant, then back north to Nordmar. However, you can simply walk around or swim across a channel to get to Varant, even at the very beginning of the game and get into a whole new series of adventures.

Your personal path

The unnamed hero can become a well-rounded warrior or specialize and focus on one or two variables. Unlike most other role playing games where you pre-pick your archetype, in Gothic 3, practice makes perfect. You will encounter others willing to show you their paths and artifacts and herbs that will boost your skills.

Your overall strength allows you to wield different and better swords and axes. Teachers and mentors in different lands can help you improve your skill, learn new techniques, parry with shields and eventually you’ll even be able to swing two swords at once.

Hunting skill allows the hero to be more deadly with a bow and arrow. Fellow hunters are often willing to part the tricks of the trade with you. Your overall hunting skill lets you use better bows, while specific techniques let you go for kill shots on big game and extract teeth, hides and claws from wild beasts.

This is where the skill of smithing comes into play. Most towns have a blacksmith hammering away to keep the soldiers and hunters armed. Befriend them and, for a price, you’ll be able to learn to forge your own weapons that are stronger than ones you buy.

You might want to take a naturist perspective on things. You can hone your alchemy skills and learn how to brew cures, healing agents or deadly poisons. Flowers, plants, mushrooms, roots and herbs grow all over and you can turn these into a more potent form.

Then there’s magic. You’ll need to find artifacts and teachers that can educate you on the ways of the ancient ones. If you’re sick of swordplay and bows and arrows, a fireball or ice lance can take its place. Moreover, the hero can use magic to transform into a monster, make himself invisible to enemies, enchant all the wild animals in range to attack your foes and cure yourself after taking a hit.

All that hard work got you down? You can also follow the path of a thief. You’ll encounter thieving brethren in almost every city, and they’ll show you how to pick locks and sneak around at night, robbing towns blind. But be careful, if you get too greedy, or if you’re seen, you’ll have a very hard time doing anything else in town because the guards will constantly attack you as the no-good thief you are. If you get good enough, you can effectively bribe the guards or talk your way out of their accusations.

If you play long enough, you can become quite good at each skill, so don’t worry about missing out.

You’ll next want to establish relationships with one or more factions. You can get in the good graces of the orcs by traveling around Myrtana, arena fighting and performing tasks and errands for the orc gentry. The rebels will also have smaller tasks to perform, but their main goal is clear: kill all the orcs and free the slaves in the name of Rhobar, the human king. Eventually, you’ll also encounter the third main element, the Hashishin, slave trading desert dwellers who have forged an uneasy alliance with the orcs. All the while you’ll be hearing about the black mage Xardas, who helped the orcs conquer the humans by taking magic away from the paladin knights.

There are also minor factions like the rangers, bow fighting wilderness folk; nomads who roam the desert attacking the Hashishin; and barbarians in Nordmar.

Another interesting twist in Gothic 3 is that no faction represents the pure “good guy.” The orcs seem to be the clear enemy, but they constantly speak of honor and pride and many will befriend you depending on your course in the game. The rebels may seem like the obvious choice if you want the hero to be on the light side, but you’ll quickly hear of atrocities committed by some of their ranks. King Rhobar is a brutal conquerer who previously subjugated the Varant and Nordmar peoples. The Hashishin may seem like heartless slave traders, but they come off as the most “human” when you travel to Varant and see their vulnerabilities and hedonistic tendencies.

Open world

If you’re able to take advantage of the visual features, Gothic 3 has a stunning world. There are hundreds of animals and monsters to kill or avoid depending on your skills. Most will leave you with something to pick up, like meat, hide, weapons or potions, depending on the type of being you just killed. Gothic 3 mixes real life (pigs, cows, boars) with fantasy (ogres, trolls, and massive blood flies.)

I was really struck by the beauty of the landscape, especially the waterfall detail deep in Myrtana. When you’re not looking to hunt or kill, you can go cliff jumping and drive off a waterfall into the lake beneath. It’s about as big a rush you can get in a non-action sequence of a video game. Just don’t miss the water.

You could easily wander around the dessert or wilderness for a half hour and encounter a rebel encampment, a ranger cave, packs of wolves or herds of bison.

There are dozens of side tasks that you can perform, whether it’s a hunting expedition or a great thieving heist. None of them necessarily relate to any of the main quests, which are also different depending on if you are taking the Orc, Rebel or Hashishin path.

The soundtrack is one of the most solid features of the game, and the music is really going to bring you into the three very different parts of the world.

End game

Technically, you don’t have to finish the game, but eventually, and by eventually I mean after 200-300 hours of playing time, you will finish all the small tasks, and you might find everything there is to find. The main end games depend heavily on the path you end up taking. Each path means killing the other two factions’ leaders eventually. The third path, the one of the Hashishin, is the most deadly.

The game has a lot of replay value, but I think there are a few things I’d like to have seen added. More wild animals regenerating faster would be nice and more “life” aspects could be nice. The main gameplay problem with the game is that once you finish the tasks for a particular town, there is rarely any reason to go back there. Some industry and more active trading could be nice. As it is there are no “stores” or thriving markets in the game, just individual vendors, usually on the streets.

You can also grab a variety of tools and trinkets during the game, like saws, hammers, knives, meat cleavers, etc. Some of these items are used for side animations–like you can saw a log but all you do is continually saw forever; nothing actually happens. It would be nice to be able to do more with your unlimited inventory of goods.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of detail in the game. You can sit by a campfire and roast the meat from your catches. You can sharpen your swords at a whetstone. You can lift heavy objects to gain strength points. The only thing you can’t really do is find a sense of permanence. There’s no “home base” or house you can really call your own and store some of your treasures. You can carry an unlimited amount of items, which is nice though unrealistic.

Overall, Gothic 3 is good, as long as you can get it to run right. Several hundred hours of good gameplay await in a beautifully rendered world that’s yours to conquer.

Quick hits:

Playability: 4 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars