Showing posts with label games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label games. Show all posts

Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz Edition Review

Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz Edition
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Despite the problems of this game (dim AI, some bugs), it is still the best strategy game I've ever played, next to chess. I've spent countless hours over-the-board, but now I can play with friends in about half the time with out all the mess. We used to constantly run out of chips, or scatter the pieces with the dice, or we'd argue about the rules.
The game has many new choices, including marines, destroyers, paratroopers, kamakazis, etc, and also the option to edit the pieces' or territories' statistics. Don't bother playing the computer, unless you're new to the game, because the only challenge is to see how quickly you can win. You can play multi-player from one computer, with a network card, or over the internet (MSN Zone). There are a few bugs, but save often and you won't have too many worries about it.
The game is out-of-print and Hasbro Interactive sold the rights to Infogrames, so your best bet is put in an "auction alert" on amazon and wait until you receive an email telling you that someone is selling it.

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Stand at the threshold of history and take command of the greatest military conflict ever--World War 2. From the opening shots of Germany's blitzkrieg to the events leading up to the dramatic beach assaults by Allied troops, the fate of the world is in your hands. Find your enemy's weakness, order your naval forces into position, deploy your ground troops, achieve air dominance, and wage a campaign never attempted in World War 2. Dare to create new alliances, play out fascinating what-if scenarios, and get ready to experience military history on a new level.

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The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay Review

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
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The Chronicles of Riddick- Escape From Butcher Bay(2004). Released on the XBox and PC(Since I couldn't find the XBOX one I'm doing the PC review).

In the past few years, the movie 'Pitch Black' has been hailed as a masterpiece from Sci-Fi fans everywhere, so it's no surprised that a sequel was made, starring, once again, Vin Diesel, entitled 'The Chronicles of Riddick'. In sort of a movie marketing scheme, Starbreeze decided to release a video game that would be a prequel to 'Pitch Black', entitled 'Escape From Butcher Bay', which chronicles(pun alert) Riddick's tenure at the Butcher Bay prison facility, and how he eventually escaped. Deciding to release it as a First Person Shooter, like the game 'Halo', I was enclined to pick 'Escape From Butcher Bay' after reading good reviews, and also that my favorite genre is First Person Shooters. So, did 'Escape From Butcher Bay' live up to my expectations, or fail miserably? Read on to find out....

Game Ratings-


Graphics- Could they be any better? The dark, gritty atmosphere dominated by bump-mapping and beautiful character designs make this one big piece of eye candy. 5/5

Play Control- The control is top-notch, as moving Riddick around, not to mention shooting, is a breeze, and I never found myself frustrated over the controls, except for the last segment where you piloted a Heavy Guard, but I didn't care because it was so fun! 4.5/5

Challenge- 'Escape From Butcher Bay' is definitely a challenge, at some points making you face multiple guards with only your fists, but at other times you can find yourself breezing through the game. There are very intricate puzzles, and that's what makes 'Escape From Butcher Bay' tough. 5/5

Storyline- 'Escape From Butcher Bay' is fun go through, because of the cut-scenes! I love the plot, and its gritty realism coupled with harsh realities make it plausible, even if it's not. Superb! 5/5

Replay Value- Although playing through the game over and over would get old, you are enticed to go back through the game and collect "Pack of Smokes" cartridges which enable you to unlock special features. Not the greatest Replay Value, but not bad...3/5

Sound/Music- 'Escape From Butcher Bay' has great sound affects, and when the bullets are flying, you KNOW! Plus not to mention great voice-acting, and they got Diesel to even voice himself. Unless you care, there really isn't any music, but it in no way takes away from the game! 5/5

Fun- 'Escape From Butcher Bay''s undoubtable strong point is in its fun factor, and I found myself blasting through robots, guards, zombies, and mutated creatures to finish this game in 2 Days! You have an insanely fun time blasting your way through 'Escape From Butcher Bay'!

Overall, 'The Chronicles of Riddick- Escape From Butcher Bay' sports excellence in every field, and this First Person Shooter is a masterpiece, and, while not being as good as 'Halo', still gives the player an unmistakeable feeling of having fun as you blast your way through the game. This game gets very tough at times, and I suggest you pick up an Official Strategy Guide to solve the puzzles and get all the Packs of Smokes.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF VIDEO GAMES EVERYWHERE! PARENTS BE WARNED, 'ESCAPE FROM BUTCHER BAY' HAS GRITTY AND GORY VIOLENCE AND STRONG LANGUAGE, SO I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE UNDER 18. HAVE A BLAST!

Also Recommended-

Halo-Xbox and PC
Splinter Cell- Xbox and PC
Rainbow Six 3- Xbox

Thanks For Reading!





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The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, includes player controlled Riot Guard, two new areas packed with high-action gameplay, new enemies including inmates with body armor and other defensive equipment, and new melee and ranged weapons in the Riot Guard area. It also includes an exclusive "Developer's Commentary” allow players to hear what the developer of the game has to say, and game voice-over by Vin Diesel and other critically acclaimed voice talent. It features a hybrid of game-play elements--classic FPS, stealth, strategy, and fighting. Unbelievable cutting-edge technology places you in an ultra-realistic world. Plus, free-form level design lets you explore and escape at your own pace.

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Half Life 2 Review

Half Life 2
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Honestly, this updated Platinum edition offers everything you could ever dream of in a first person "shooter" game.
In the edition, you'll get Half-Life, Opposing Force, Team Fortress, Counter-Strike, and Blue Shift. All games are more than worthy of being called classics in their own time. And more specifically, Half-Life, OpFor, and Blue Shift allow you to play individually.
Now, what truly pushes this over the top is the ability to get ONLINE and fight with other human opponents! The online community is thriving. Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Team Fortress, and Opposing Force all allow online play or no sign-up/monthly fees. It's all FREE. There are nearly 1000 Half-Life servers and nearly 30,000 Counter-Strike servers world-wide!!!
As a lover of DOOM, Descent, and Duke Nukem 3D, I thought I had played all the best first-person shooter games (as of 1998). Then I played Half-Life! Since Half-Life 2 has not yet been released this still remains the BEST online Multiplayer First Person Shooter on the market today.
With an NVidia GForce2 and a 1GHz PIII, I am getting between 60-99 FPS (frames per second). The graphics are excellent and the play is smooth.
One warning though with this game: ONCE YOU PLAY IT ONLINE, YOU WILL NEVER EVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME IN YOUR LIFE TO PLAY THIS GAME. It is truly awesome and the Half-Life community is a welcoming one...as well as challenging. The Mod community is thriving as well...there are truly a multitude of Mods.
Simply put: BUY THIS GAME!!! GET CONNECTED!!! THEN PLAY UNTIL YOUR EYEBALLS ROLL BACK IN YOUR HEAD OR YOUR FINGERS FALL OFF.
You will never be sorry for buying this product. I have been playing this game online, every month for nearly 3 years...I have tried other games, but none compared to this one.

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Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms: Interactive Atlas Review

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms: Interactive Atlas
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The ads said "every map ever published for the Forgotten Realms". Not even close.
The tiling of the smaller scale maps means that some key areas overlap two maps, thus making it impractical to impossible to implement some of the smaller scale published maps in the current product format.
On the other hand, the maps they do have are gorgeous. And the globe feature is nice, though they would have been better off to do regional maps to match the regions on the globe exactly rather than try for the adjoining rectangular maps. (So what if there's overlap in the regional maps? That's how real-world maps work - they map relevant regions and don't worry about, or account for, overlap.)
Overall, a decent version 1.0 proof-of-concept. Next time out, if the lessons are learned from this time, should be spectacular.

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The AD&D Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas invites role players to explore never-before-seen realms--sprawling cities, treacherous overland routes, perilous dungeons--as well as any of the maps they've traversed in previous Forgotten Realms adventures. Players can zoom in for local details or examine the maps of entire continents with this completely interactive CD-ROM. The world is at your fingertips.

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Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom Review

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
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I want to start this review with a disclaimer: I don't know a lot about game programming, so if you want a technical analysis of the game, this isn't the review for you. I do know that I like it though.

I would say that this game is on a par with Sierra's other city building games-Caesar III, Pharoah, Cleopatra, Zeus, and Poseidon-but with one new feature: you can play it online with your friends. If not for that feature, I probably would've only given this game 4 stars. The graphics are pretty cool but I've been having a hard time with the toolbar. The icons all look the same to me. The warehouse icon looks like a trading post icon that looks like a mill icon, etc. I suppose I'll get used to it. I remember not liking that about Zeus at first either, but that one eventually became my favorite.

The other interesting thing about this game (I say interesting because I'm not sure I like it yet) is that feng shui is very important to your people. In the other games, if you could place a building in a certain spot you got a green footprint, if you couldn't, you got a red footprint. In this game you get red, green, and YELLOW footprints. If you get a yellow footprint over the spot you want to place a building on, you can still put it there if you want, but it decreases your feng shui rating. And the less harmonious your feng shui, the less your people like you. So you really have to think a lot when you're building your city.

I'm not sure that this game is Sierra's best city building game yet, but it's still fun to play and I would recommend buying it. I would also recommend getting Acropolis, which is Zeus and it's expansion pack Poseidon in the same package.

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In Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, you are transported back in time to when emperors reigned and China was the greatest and most resplendent power on Earth. Epic in scope, Emperor spans seven dynasties and more than 3,000 years of Chinese history--from China's preimperial Xia dynasty circa 2100 B.C. to the Mongol invasion of the Middle Kingdom under Genghis Khan in A.D. 1211.
As emperor, you will build housing to attract immigrants to your new city. Then the city's workers and farmers, administrators and soldiers will be yours to command, and you will have the work force you need to build a provincial city into a great metropolis. At your bidding, legions of workers will toil to erect walls strong enough to keep the barbarians at bay. Under your banner, armies will march forth to do battle with the enemy. Trade and commerce will flourish, and an army of tax collectors will collect the taxes due. Schools and clinics, palaces and gardens will embellish the city you have built and proclaim your benevolence to the world.

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Lego Chess Review

Lego Chess
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This chess game does work on Windows XP SP2, but you have to download a patch from the software developer to get it to work. You can download the patch at:
(......)
When you first install the game on XP SP2, it does not recognize that the CD is in the computer and it keeps asking for it. The patch eliminates this error. It has good 3D graphics and is not violent like other chess games. My son likes battle chess, but its so small on a modern PC and the audio doesn't work. This lego chess game is a good beginners chess set with fun graphics kids will like.
It's a great value at just under (....) with shipping.

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1998 THE LEGOGROUP

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Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 Expansion: Yuri's Revenge Review

Command and Conquer Red Alert 2 Expansion: Yuri's Revenge
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Sometimes, the expansion pack is not all that it is cracked up to be, and many times, designers will put out an expansion pack laced with a few new units just to make you pay for their patch because they got so many things wrong with the original game.
However, this time, the expansion pack could stand on its own. Yuri's Revenge would be a stand-alone if the single player campaigns were longer. Only 7 missions per side, but this isn't all that bad, considering that the missions are much harder now with Yuri's side now being the advisary. Needless to say, expect to replay a few of these missions. Even the veterans will have a little trouble figuring out the best methods to defeat Yuri.
Some of the new additions are nice. The Allies finally have a heavy hitting Tank called the Battlefortress that can garrison 5 units. It can even crush other tanks and walls! Floating robot tanks also are new. The Soviets have a new building that will allow their production costs to decrease while their speed increases. The Spy Plane is also back.
But the main feature of the game is the addition of the new side, Yuri's forces. They are mostly mind-controlling units or such as the like. Be warned: If you get into a shooting match with the Allies or Soviets while playing Yuri, you will lose. The key with Yuri's units is to take full advantage of the mind-control technique. You will even have defensive structures that will mind control units that come close to your base. This makes for an extrememly fortified base, though be warned that not all units can be controled.
Overall, the new units in this game are very nice. The new movie sequences are much better than the original RA2 movies. The opening sequence is especially nicely done. The cheesy sequences are also fewer and far between now. Westwood sure did a nice job with this. Very good touch.
This is a great expansion pack, much like what the Brood War was to Star Craft and The Conquerors was to AOE II. If you have RA2, don't even bother playing this demo first. Go ahead and buy it because it will be the rage very soon in the online strategy gaming front.

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Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, Yuri's Revenge sets a new standard for expansion packs in both what it adds to the game and how it changes the way you play it. The world is once again on the brink of apocalypse. Yuri, the brilliant and powerful psychic warrior, has rebelled against his former Soviet masters and launched his own scheme to control the world. He's armed with cruel technologies, exotic weapons, and mind-controlling devices that have enslaved entire cities.
In single play, gamers can choose to command the Allies and crush this new threat to freedom, or choose to lead the Soviets and punish this would-be usurper of the Soviet global vision. In multiplayer mode, you'll command Yuri's devastating army using devious weapons based on forbidden technologies: psychic thought, genetics, and cloning. See your brutes flip over tanks with their bare hands, unleash your dominator and control scores of enemy troops, or use a virus to infect opposing forces foolish enough to resist you. With 10 new cooperative missions, gamers have more interesting options than just fighting head-to-head. An improved multiplayer and tournament interface will make it easier than ever to find opponents and allies.
Both the Allied and Soviet armies get new, powerful weapons. The Allies boast aRobot Control Center and Chrono Prison. Amongst the new Soviet weaponry is the Siege Chopper and Boris, a machine-gun-toting commando that can call down laser-guided bombing strikes. The high-quality in-game movies tell the story of Yuri and his insidious plot. The popular characters of Red Alert 2, such as Tanya and Romanov, are back to wage war in cities around the world, including London, Cairo, and San Francisco.

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Need For Speed: Most Wanted Review

Need For Speed: Most Wanted
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Many reviews focus on the copy protection, if you have concerns about that be sure to read them. I want to focus more on what this game brings to the table for newcomers and from the point of view of someone that has played a previous version of NFS and wants to know if this game has enough new features to merit a purchase.
If you have never played any version of Need for Speed and you are looking for a racing game for the PC then you have come to the right place. This is a very good racing game that allows you to customize your vehicle to help break up the monotony of only completing one race right after the other. This is definitely the best racing game to buy if you want to get a good start in the NFS series. If you are still unsure and want to break into the series on a cheaper title then NFS Underground 2 will give you a good look on the cheap.
If you are a veteran and are wondering what the new features are I'll try to outline them here. Need For Speed Underground 2 is the only other NFS title I have played. All of the comparisons I am making are based on the differences between NFSU2 and this title.
1) Graphics. The graphics have improved considerably over NFSU2. The car models look much better and the game ran much more smoothly for me despite the better quality in graphics. In NFSU2 I would get moments where the game would stutter, I have had no such experience in Most Wanted.
I have heard some people have problems with ATI cards; mainly that ATI is a bit behind with optimizing their drivers for this game. I believe these problems are mainly resolved as I have no problems with my Radeon 9800. You will however need a higher end graphics card to run the game. You do not have to have the latest and greatest card because the game does a decent job of offering options where you can play with lower detail.
2) Races. I will say that it seems like the races were more varied in NFSU2 than they are in Most Wanted. In NFSU2 you had several different race types that added to the variety of the game namely drag, drift, street, and a few different forms of circuit (URL and circuit) and sprint (races to photo ops and sprint). In Most Wanted all the races are variations of either circuit or sprint. There is a new circuit racing mode called knock out where the person that comes in last on each lap is dropped from the race.
Police chases have been added for variety and as a replacement to the drift and street modes of NFS2U. This is welcome. I often wondered where all the police were while you were racing on the street in NFSU2.
In this version you compete against people on the black list (a list of the most infamous racers around). You have to qualify to compete against the blacklist racers by winning races and building a wanted level with the police. After you beat someone on the blacklist you are given the opportunity to pick 2 of 5 rewards. The rewards are cash, performance parts, visual parts, and one of the rewards is the title (pink slip) to the car you just beat. You do not know what the reward will be before you pick it. If you get lucky you'll walk away with your opponents vehicle.
Another welcome change over NFSU2 is the ability to instantly jump to race locations. In the old version you had to spend hours (cummatively) driving from one race location to the next. Gone are the days of driving from the Airport to the top of that mountain (Beacon Hill?) to complete one race just to find out that the next grouping of races that appears are at the bottom of the map.
One last improvement that I'll mention is that it seems as though focus has shifted away from visual customization. In NFSU2 you had certain goals where you had to build a car that had a certain level of visual appeal. Often all that meant was that you had to make your car tacky and disgusting by taking it much further than you would have just so you can get that 9 star rating. More did not equal better in my book. I would have been happier if they let me keep the car the way I wanted instead of forcing me to add roof scoops just so I could progress in the game.
The con:
I wanted to mention why I docked the game by one star. The game uses what is refered to as "rubberband" AI. That pretty much means that the AI will make sure all the races are close. Imagine you and an opponent are connected by a rubberband. If the opponent gets too far behind the rubberband is pulled tightly and the opponent will be sprung forward as a result. In other words the farther away the computer is the faster they will drive, irreguardless of what the top speeds of the cars you and the computer are driving are supposed to be.
This can become very frustrating. For example, once I pinned an opponent between an 18 wheeler and the road. It resulted in a quick 8 second lead. Making no mistakes on my part, the computer was able to pass me like I was standing still about 10 or 15 seconds after I had built that 8 second lead... as if I was stopped at a standstill. There really is no excuse for this kind of AI, and it was not present in NFSU2. If you outsmarted/drove the competition you outsmarted/drove the competition. Not so in Most Wanted. Every race will come down to the wire no matter how far you get in front of the opponent. I'll be looking for a patch that fixes or balances this issue.

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Wake up to the smell of burnt asphalt as the thrill of illicit street racing permeates the air. From the makers of the hit Need for Speed: Underground series, Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition challenges players to become the most notorious and elusive street racer.

This collector's edition features exclusive cars, races and specially-tuned rides, as well as a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage of model/actress, Josie Maran, concept art, exclusive videos and much more.

Combining illicit street racing and tuner customization with the intensity of strategic police pursuit that surpasses any Hollywood-style chase scene, Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition is on every gamer's "must-have" list. Out-race rivals, evade cops and exploit hundreds of miles of open road as gamers make their way up the Blacklist.

To become the most wanted racer, players must build up their street cred and Rap Sheet with gripping, white knuckle, head-to-head races with the top drivers on the streets, as well as pull daring, evasive moves to out-run and out-fox the cops that patrol the open road. Players can manage their heat or utilize a number of strategic tactics to keep the cops off their tails as they leave their rivals behind to suck their exhaust fumes.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition also features a variety of the hottest cars that range from tuners to super cars. You can customize your ride to race against any class of vehicles. Combining the thrill of open-world street racing and customization with the intensity of strategic police pursuits, Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition is the next release in the hit racing series that challenges players to become the most notorious and elusive street racer.



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Dungeons and Dragons E-Tools Character and Monster Generator Review

Dungeons and Dragons E-Tools Character and Monster Generator
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An indispensable tool for producing D&D 3.5 characters, A few minor glitches with new or custom items (such as skills or feats) especially when trying to transfer characters with those items between computers, but over all a great game tool.

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Gun Review

Gun
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I found this to be quite the opposite experience that the reviewer before me had. While i can agree that some of the textures could have been polished more, i think that ,for the most part, the game is beautiful graphically. Nice fire and smoke particle effects. Nice ragdoll effects on the bad guys.EX. Their bodies 'sway' away from a bullet hitting. You hit them in the right shoulder, then their right shoulder twists back and forces the opponent to stagger. However, the clipping/collision is unusually bad. Some things you can just walk right through. That's a strange weakness for games these days. I thought that issue was cleared up 5 years ago.
Now, onto the plot. It's a bit like an Indiana Jones Movie, except here you DON'T know what the item is your looking for.
At least, not for most of the game. Thick storyline with massive amounts of cutscenes. No troubles installing. No kick-backs to desktop while playing the game. A couple of issues with some of the manual. Not enough explanation in a few areas.
This comes on 3 CD-ROMS and takes up around 2 gig.
Very good vocal acting, and incredible horse-riding effects. You really feel the speed of the horse!
Once you get past the training levels and start seeing the 'actual' game, you'll see the true quality of gameplay.
I think it's very strong, myself, and, Well written!

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Gun is the story of a man's quest for revenge. When life robs Colton White of all that matters, the only thing left he can trust is his gun. Follow along with him as he exacts vengeful justice on those who have wronged him. Seek retribution as you face corrupt lawmen, warring tribes, cold-blooded outlaws, and ruthless renegades.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Review

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Professional
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***** First of all and very important - Frames per Second *****
Before install this new version, I was afraid about the Frame Per Second (FPS) performance. The FPS in the previous version (2000) was hilariously bad and, as this new version has a lot of visual improvements over the previous version, I expected something like slide show. GUESS WHAT? The image runs smoothly, even at the highest screen resolution and all scenery options turned on. The frame rate stability (stutters) has been greatly improved since Flight Simulator 2000. Hats off to Microsoft on improving the image flow.
***** Install the simulator *****
The install engine reports that a complete install will require 1.6G of hard disk space - it will actually require 2.3G. The load time is about 20 minutes using full install option, but the CD is not required to run the game. All of 3 disks are required during the installation process.
***** Running by the first time *****
The first time you run the simulator, a lot of things are made: The scenery textures are uncompressed, the databases and indexes are built, the navaids and facilities are configured etc. After all (this takes 4~5 min., aprox.), you will be inside the Cessna 182S Skylane cockpit at (as always) Meigs Field runway 36.
***** First look *****
If you do not change any settings and take off, you will notice that something is different in Chicago: There are a lot of small buildings where, in the previous version, are only flat area. This is what Microsoft call auto-generated scenery: The trees, houses, offices, schools and other kind of buildings are automatically generated as you fly over the area, but sky-crappers are not auto-generated, only small buildings. The amount of auto-generated scenery can be changed.
If you turn on the aircraft lights, you will see great improvements: the NAV and strobe lights effect are simply fantastic, even creating aircraft fuselage reflections.
Make a turn and prepare to land on Meigs Field: On the final approach you will see better runway lighting effect. Just before touching the runway, set your view to spot plane and watch: your tires generate smoke at the moment of the touch.
***** Air traffic control *****
Microsoft Flight Simulator now comes with integrated air traffic control (ATC) system. You work with ATC using a semi-transparent window that shows messages and options. For example, if you are on Meigs Field and call the ATC window (to display or hide the ATC window you must press SCROLL LOCK), you will have the ATC window as following:
CHOOSE A MESSAGE TO TRANSMIT TO MEIGS GOUND ON
1 - Tune MEIGS Ground on 121.800
2 - Request Taxi - Remain in Pattern
3 - Request Taxi - Depart Straight Out
4 - Request Taxi - Depart North
5 - Request Taxi - Depart South
6 - Request Taxi - Depart East
7 - Request Taxi - Depart West
You choose an item using the correspondent number. After each choice, your ATC window modifies, so you have another set of options applicable to each situation. When you select an item from the ATC menu, you will see the text of the message on screen and hear the pilot voice saying the phrase. Your messages to controllers are audible (unless you turn the pilot voice off).
Other cool feature of ATC is the autotune. When autotune is on, your radio and transponder are automatically tuned to correct frequency. This frees you to concentrate on flying the aircraft and navigating to your destination.
The ATC adds a new level of realism of Flight Simulator. If you already have knowledge of the ATC system, you will love this new feature. If you are new to ATC, the guys worked hard to make your introduction to the system fun and easy.
***** Crowded skies *****
You are not alone in the sky. There are a lot of planes around you, and these planes make use of ATC messages. You can even listen the communication between the controllers and these planes. This is a very welcome feature.
***** The fleet *****
Now we have the Boeing 747-400 with great sound and panel. All planes now come with painting schemes. For example, you can fly the Boeing 737 using one of the three virtual airlines painting schemes provided.
***** Other cool stuffs *****
Improved textures, improved aircraft design, improved lighting effects, improved, improved, improved... Everything is improved with this new version.
***** This guy should have a powerful machine *****
Average...
I have a P-III 800 MHz, 256 Mb RAM, Asus GeForce2 MX 32 Mb and Quantum Plus AS 40 Gb 7200 RPM. Oh, I am running Windows XP Corporate. As you see, it is an almost ordinary configuration.
If you have an average processor, enough RAM and a good graphic card, try Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002. You will love it.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002, Professional Edition is the latest version of Microsoft's highly realistic aviation simulation--the top-selling PC flight simulation ever produced. FS 2002 Pro introduces many exciting features, including interactive air traffic control (ATC) and auto-generated scenery, plus challenging new aircraft and stunning visual enhancements that truly make Flight Simulator 2002, Professional Edition "as real as it gets."
Flight Simulator 2002, Professional Edition includes a wide variety of aircraft for you to fly--from a new Cessna 172S single-engine trainer and a Caravan floatplane to the Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet. You can splash down in a lake, hover in the Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter, or practice aerobatics in the Extra 300S. FS 2002 Pro includes 16 aircraft, four more than in the standard edition.
Features exclusive to the professional edition include tools for creating your own planes and buildings, and a multiplayer "instructor's seat" capability. The most dramatic new features common to both editions are the interactive air traffic control system, crowded skies, and auto-generated scenery.
The interactive air traffic control feature adds a new dimension to Flight Simulator. Now you can ask for takeoff clearance, get vectors for an instrument approach, and hear other traffic as you fly. In fact, the "other traffic" is itself a new feature: a new artificial intelligence system generates air traffic around and between airports.
It'll be hard to pay attention to the air traffic, however, as the scenery in FS 2002 Pro is so attractive. As you fly above cities, towns, farmland, and dramatic landscapes, Flight Simulator adds buildings and vegetation appropriate to the terrain below. Office buildings, factories, homes, farmhouses, and trees smoothly blend in on the horizon and fill the entire area with detail that adds unprecedented depth and reality to the game.
Other features include more than 21,000 airports, multiplayer capability, improved weather effects, a moving map and GPS system, in-depth flight analysis, and more.

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Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour Expansion Pack Review

Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour Expansion Pack
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Although Generals added a new standard of graphics and several new and interesting departures from the original C&C game design, it was something less than revolutionary. Zero Hour goes a long way toward addressing this issue, and really turns Generals into a completely new game.
The expansion adds a new campaign for each side, with about 5 missions each. The campaign is interesting, and adds a few new elements, but is actually not the best part of the expansion. There are full motion video cutscenes (reporters talking about what's going on) to add some depth to the story, which is pretty straightforward stuff that could happen sometime in the near future (though we hope not). The missions add unique buildings and locations, all well done, as well as objectives that are pretty fun to carry out. Some of them are quite difficult, and there are a few stealth commando missions that Generals sadly lacked. There's also some campaign-only powers, such as the ability to call in battleship artillery and carrier strikes in one of the USA missions.
The real meat of the expansion starts with the new units and upgrades. Each side has new things, some of which go a long way toward filling holes in the armies' capabilities. China, for example, gets some much-needed surveillance by way of the Internet Center, and a worthwhile stealth detector in the Listening Post. Frenzy, a new general power, increases the firepower and armor of units for a brief time. China also gets added airborne firepower with the Helix and the ability to carpet bomb. The GLA gets several low-tech solutions, most of which are still geared toward outmaneuvering rather than outgunning the opposition. The Battle Bus, however, can pack quite a punch in a frontline role. Fake structures, a sometimes-useful throwback from Red Alert, can also be purchased. More interestingly, they can be upgraded into real ones, which is a nice way to play with an opponent's mind. The USA gets a powerful base defense with the Fire Base, which is garrisonable, effective against infantry, and doesn't need power to shoot. They also get a mobile anti-air unit in the Avenger, making it unnecessary for you to bring weak Missile Defender-packed Humvees along in future battles. Three new tech structures are also added- the Repair Bay (repairs all your ground units), Artillery Platform (shoots at enemies with a howitzer), and Reinforcement Pad (produces a tank on a countdown).
The upgrades and units are standard expansion fare, but Zero Hour adds something else- new generals, each with their own combat styles, units and powers, and personalities. There are three for each side- Air Force, Lasers, and Superweapons for the USA; Toxins, Camouflage, and Demolitions for the GLA; and Nukes, Tanks, and Infantry for China. Each of these has a doctrine that you must adhere to if you wish to use them effectively, and have weaknesses that hold you to it. For example, the US Air Force general cannot make tanks, but has aircraft cost reduced, unique and better air units, and a point defense laser on all airplanes that along with the standard countermeasures upgrade makes them practically immune to missile fire. China's tank general can build the Emperor Overlord, which is the newest and baddest vehicle on the ground. The GLA camouflage general can make literally everything invisible to the unaided eye, and turns the GLA into a real guerilla army (his Scud Storms are especially scary). All of these generals can be used in skirmish or multiplay, and there is a special 'generals challenge' campaign in which you pick one and play against all others. Your opponent is always on territory that favors their doctrine, and it can get pretty tough. This is a great way to accustom yourself to the various generals and pick your favorite, and is also quite fun since your opponents continuously taunt you during the games.
It's worth mentioning that several nice tweaks have been added to the engine. For example, fighters on an airbase will automatically attack nearby enemies, and both superweapons and scouting powers (e.g. radar van scans) appear as a sidebar icon with a number indicating how many are ready, if it's more than one. This makes it no longer necessary to separately hotkey practically every unit you have. Multiplayer options have been added, such as how much cash to start with, and no superweapons. The already excellent graphics have been improved, with even more fantastic fireballs, flotsam and jetsam, and better water effects. The result is undoubtedly the most graphically appealing RTS out there, though you might need a new video card if you want to run at max detail.
In summary, Zero Hour is for all intents and purposes a completely new game. Some have argued that it is what Generals should have been from the start, but I'm glad EA took the time to do a good job on this rather than rushing it for release. I honestly have no complaints about the expansion- it's one of the best ones I've seen for any game. It's a definite must for any Generals fan, and even if you weren't overly impressed with Generals, Zero Hour might just change your opinion.

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Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour challenges you to face off against other military leaders using the most advanced arsenal in history!

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Delta Force: Xtreme Review

Delta Force: Xtreme
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Delta Force: XTreme is a re-make of the excellent original "Delta Force", which was released in 1998. They've pulled the best levels out of the original game and ported them over to NovaLogic's latest graphic's engine, along with adding some more levels. And the results are amazing! From the moment I was plopped into Mission one (the same Mission One from the original game), I was in heaven. I hadn't played the game since 98, so the nostalgia I felt was palpable. It was so fun to be able to play through that very familiar level with the superb graphics, which bear a strong resemblance to the FarCry graphics, only with even longer draw-distances. And if you can see a place, you can go there. You can travel for miles out of your way if you want to. Truly open-ended.
I liken the gameplay to Operation Flashpoint. It's pretty difficult and there doesn't appear to be a way to save your game. However, it does give you the option if you are killed, to re-start the level with full ammo and the enemies you've killed already dead. But that felt kinda like cheating. I'd have preferred a save-anywhere scheme, or at the very least, a couple of save points would help. As it is, it's very difficult, which adds to the tension. I kinda actaully like it that way really, since it forces me to be careful, however the option to choose a save scheme would be appreciated for those who can't live without it.
Enemies appear in droves, and come from all over at the sound of gunfire. You're best off to lie down in prone position and try to pick them off. However, I have not yet found a way to get more ammo. There is no manual with this game. One mission I started with 300 rounds, and that's it baby. I couldn't grab more from fallen enemies or find any anywhere. By pure luck, I finished the mission as my ammo meter reached zero. There may be a way to get ammo that I don't know about, but I haven't found it.
I haven't tried multiplayer yet. Though I am greatly looking forward to playing the 25 included co-op levels with my brother over NovaWorld. The last time we did that was when Delta Force: Land Warrior came out, and that was a blast. At the time, we loved NovaWorld. It was stable, and I'm amazed to see it's still around after all these years.
NovaLogic has been around a long time too. They've been making great games since I bought my first computer. Not many game companies are left from that era, and it's a testament to their dedication to all their games, both old and new. Nothing is abandoned. If you're a fan of an old NovaLogic game, there's still help and support on their website for you.

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Bringing back one of the first military shooter sims with specially optimized graphics engine and new game content, this game overhauls the original with new weather effects, new missions and online features, 25 co-op missions, integration of the NovaWorld STATS ranking system and over 20 multiplayer maps for 32-player online matches in five game types.
Features:

20 Classic Delta Force missions across three campaigns
Additional new missions created especially for Delta Force: Reloaded
Over 25 classic and new Co-Op missions
STATS! For the first time, check your STATS online in NovaWorld hosted games
Over 20 multiplayer maps hosted through NovaWorld with support for up to 32 players online
Multiplayer game types include: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Team King of the Hill and more favorites



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Civilization 3: Conquests Expansion Pack Review

Civilization 3: Conquests Expansion Pack
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This is a GREAT expansion pack. Particularly if you skipped "Play The World" (as I did). There's more, more, MORE of everything, and enough interesting gameplay tweaks that it makes Civ 3 feel like a brand new game.
What makes it so good?
* New tribes to play. Or, perhaps more importantly, new tribes to play against. The Mayans can be a terror.
* New tribe attributes. Seafaring! Agricultural! OK, that doesn't sound that exciting, but it definitely has an impact on gameplay and strategy. Agricultural favors the AI such that the new Killer AI tribes are almost always those with the Ag trait, like the Celts.
* Boosted navy! Combined with the Seafaring, navy is still underpowered, but way better than before. On an archipelago map, seafaring can mean the difference between a breezy success and a slow slog.
* Boosted airforce! Bombardment in general is boosted, so everything from catapults to stealth bombers feels a little more useful.
* Fewer resources! Wait, fewer resources? Well, not fewer KINDS of resources. Just fewer all around. You either have to learn to play very nice with the AI or very mean.
* Entertaining scenarios! From the cradle of civilization to the 20th century, you can have your turn (sorta) re-enacting historical events. These can be fun, fast, intense, changes of pace from the epic game.
* New techs/wonders/governments! The unit-producing Statue of Zeus and Knights Templar are a hoot. The Temple of Artemis is amazingly powerful (but very short-lived). The Internet--well, like all the modern wonders, it seems a little too late. But it ain't bad. Fascism is a blast to play if you want to live out your Great Dictator fantasies, but you can see the AI self-destruct with it, too, unfortunately.
So, how was this Really Good Thing screwed up? Bugs! Bugs o' plenty! If you're a casual player, playing particularly on Chieftain or Warlord levels (maybe even Regent), you might not notice the bugs. Not at first, anyway. There are patches, oh, yes, there are patches, unofficial though they may be. But the situation seems to have arisen because the game was yanked out of public beta toward release-time, then tweaked and re-tested internally. Unfortunately, this game is too deep and often too subtle to be effectively tested by any in-house crew. Result? They managed to break trade, corruption and resource-distribution in the final release.
An official patch will eventually be released. Probably before the summer. Until then, you have the choice of living with bugs, or living with a beta patch (which might introduce its own bugs), or simply waiting to get the game.
There's an even more serious problem, really, underlying these changes. Trade is absolutely vital with the resource reduction. Either you find a way to trade, or you find a way to conquer, which may not be a play style you want to be forced into Every Single Game. The problem is, the trade and diplomacy systems are not sophisticated enough to meet this increased need. If you need iron, but it's all being traded, you can't offer the AI any incentive to trade it to you when the current deal is up. Those deals get made in-between turns, so you often don't have a shot.
So these fabulous changes are not only marred by bugs, the whole game creaks under them. And it's a long way to Civ 4.

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Civilization III: Conquests takes you on a journey through the ages as you pursue victory through conquest!

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Myst 3: Exile Review

Myst 3: Exile
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I realize Ubisoft, not Cyan, made the third Myst game, but they really pulled off an excellent experience for us Myst fans. I got the collector's edition two days after it came out, and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first two, Myst and Riven.
Graphically, the freedom and playability are top-quality. You can actually move around while videos play, and turn 360 degrees plus full up and down at every location. The puzzles easily integrate into the story. Sound and music are superb, and in my opinion, the music tends to make the Myst games a top seller. They put a lot of work into that part of these games.
As for story, without any spoilers, they are utterly faithful to the D'ni history. You face a new (old?) adversary of Atrus, and he brings a new depth to the story. If this has been a concern, rest easy. Exile continues and expands the familiar issues of Atrus and his ages.
I have two small criticisms of the game, but I will only give one so the game won't be spoiled for you. It was way too easy, too fast. This could be because I finally understand how these people think, and nearly walked through most of the game. I don't know for sure. Myst and Riven took me over 9 months with the hint book. Exile took me three weeks without the hint book. Don't be discouraged, that could just be "ME" finally "getting it!"
Overall, Exile is a fine addition to the D'ni universe, and I hope to see future episodes of this amazing world. The puzzles, music, characters, and ease of game play will keep you spellbound right to the end.
I should add that people who were let down by the ending to Myst (including me), and grateful for a much improved ending to Riven, will be in for a great surprise at the end of Exile! The finale makes you feel like a real winner, and certainly leaves the door open for future Myst games. Highly Recommended!

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Building on the surreal style of Myst and Riven Myst III: Exile features newfantastic environments that made its' predecessors immersive mysterious andbeautiful. Exile features five entirely new ages for players to explore andhours of new mysteries to uncover. Myst 3 Exile has new panoramic navigationtechnology to bring the world alive without losing any of the artistic beauty orinteractivity of previous Myst games.Developed by Presto Studios Myst III: Exile features five entirely new agesfor players to explore and hours of new mysteries to uncover. Myst III: Exileuses new navigation technology to bring the world alive without losing any ofthe artistic beauty or interactivity of the previous Myst games. Fans will findmore of what they love about Myst and Riven and a few surprises. By drawing onthe history of the series and new technology Myst III: Exile is a trueevolution of the seriesnot just a continuation.Myst III: Exile introduces a new villain a bitter man whose home world wasruined by Sirrus and Achenar and returns to take revenge against Atrus and hisfamily at their most vulnerable time. Trapped in a mysterious age you mustexplore the environment and navigate the puzzles of the age to gradually uncoverthe mystery of this new adversary.Product FeaturesFree-look movement system allows players to pan a full 360 degrees at anylocation fully immersing them in the world.Five entirely new ages to explore each with their own distinctive visualstyle.Dramatic storyline extends the Myst mythology by focusing on a pivotal newcharacter.Puzzles gradually reveal mystery and intrigue as they are solved.Original soundtrack.Supports optional 3D hardwareSystem RequirementsMyst 3 Exile is a Hybrid Mac/PC CD-ROMWindows 95/98/Me or MAC OS 8.0; Pentium 300 MHz or PowerPC 200 MHz; SVGAGraphics Card; 150 MB; 4X or Faster; 32 MB

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Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series (Jewel Case) Review

Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series (Jewel Case)
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I've got the first 2 entries in the CFS series, and have mixed feelings about each of them. I suspect that the series takes a radically new turn in CFS3, but I can't be sure. CFS1 and CFS2 look and fly pretty much the same - building a military flight sim out of the tried and true MS Flight Simulator engine (which has the double benefit of feeling and looking real AND the ability to add-on 3rd party aircraft). Unfortunately, the developers took the concept of "MS Flight Simulator with guns" too seriously and never craft much of a military sim to go with the engine - the missions are canned and the campaigns are not only scripted, but short. In CFS: Europe, you can fly allied or axis missions in one of two campaigns - the Battle of Britain (mostly over southern UK, summer-early fall, 1940) or the one for western Europe, 1943. Though the lack of American missions are understandable for the first campaign (Pearl Harbor was still over a year away when the "Battle of Britain" came to an end) the lack of flyable British missions in the second campaign is odd. As a yankee, you'll start out flying the not-very-spritely P-47, before progressing to the faster and more nimble Mustang (and boy, will you feel the difference). Bombers appear in the game, but CFS is strictly a fighter-flyable affair. Ofcourse, if you want to tweak the game yourself, you can find scenery, aircraft and missions to suit your tastes, but that still doesn't excuse how bare a sim CFS is - it's almost as if the programmers decided that there was no point to adding in a wider variety of planes, weapons, scenery or campaigns since they knew that serious users would do it themselves. The game engine is pretty, and allows hardcore users to take real control of their planes (start-up, manifold pressure, mixture, et. al.), but it's nothing spectacular. Ground modeling looks pretty, but there's little complexity to it - bit-mapped images (and not much variety to them) "painted" on naturally irregular topography. Ground targets have very basic damage modeling - hit them enough and they just disappear in unconvincing, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" style fireballs. Some of the missions seem a tad unrealistic - sending short-ranged Spitfires on strafing missions across the channel when the RAF had barely enough fighters of any kind to stem the tide of Luftwaffe bombers? The missions are also repetitive, though real WWII pilots probably flew an even lower variety of missions than you'll find flying a single tour here. Still, your American bomber formations always meet a small number of the same kinds of fighters - FW-190's and Me-109's. The early German jets appear - but only as ground targets in a late-war mission. You can add AI (that is, non-flyable) aircraft as well, but not as easily. The variety of add-on planes is as limitless as the imagination of the flight-sim community, but is otherwise constrained by the fact that this is a WWII sim. That means that you can fly F-14's against Mitsubishi A6M's ("Splash the Zeros, I say again, SPLASH the Zeroes!"), but you can forget about using the complex sensor suites and sophisticated weapons of modern aircraft on this game (and, as with all entries of the MS Flight Sim series, vertical movers like helos or Harriers are limited in terms of simulating hover-flight). Flight is challenging, but slidable realism allows newbies a softer learning curve. The fluid sense of flight is lacking though - with cloud effects looking less convincing than those used on "EF2000" from 1996. Better effects were found in "Jane's WWII Fighters" which also had more compelling enemies, and a more dynamic campaign (if a more prosaic flight engine).
In short, this is a basic game - good for those who want a simple and fun WWII sim, but can't run the Jane's game.

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Platform:WINDOWS 95/98/ME/XPPublisher:ATARIPackaging:JEWEL CASERating:EVERYONEMicrosoftCombat Flight Simulator combines Flight Simulator realism with air combat excitement. Enlist with the Royal Air Force the Luftwaffe or the U.S. Army Air Force - and prepare to experience the most realistic air combat simulation ever to take flight. Fly the Real Thing. The realistic flight models will challenge pilots to learn the different characteristics of each airplane.Campaigns Missions Quick Combat or Free Flight game modes. Add More Aircraft Missions and Scenery. Import thousands of planes from the Internet or bring your favourite scenery or aircraft from selected Microsoft Flight Simulator products into Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator. Choose from eight historic fighters including theHawker Hurricane Mk ISupermarine Spitfire Mark IFocke-Wulf Fw 190 A8Messerschmitt Bf 109ESupermarine Spitfire Mark IXMesserschmitt Bf 109GRepublic P-47D ThunderboltNorth American P-51D Mustang System RequirementsWindows95 98 ME XP Processor - P133 MHz System Memory - 16 MB Graphics Card - 8 MB Free Hard Drive Space - 230 MB CD-ROM - 4 speed DirectX - 6 or higher

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The Sims: Hot Date Expansion Pack Review

The Sims: Hot Date Expansion Pack
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I've had the game since the day it came out. Where to start? First, the basics. The box says there are over 125 new items. There are new floors, windows, wallpapers, doors, trees, lights, tables and counters. There's even a lighted ceiling fan.
When Sims are ready to go downtown, they simply call a cab. They can invite other Sims with them or just look for their friends once downtown.
The Sims really seem to enjoy the new fish pond. They can buy fish food to feed the fish or rent sailboats to play with in the water. There's a rental shack where you get these items and it also has a picnic basket you can get.
When your Sims get a picnic basket, they spread out a blanket and then lay on it, eating and talking. If the date's going well, he might just go for a romantic kiss and then again, his date might completely reject him!
Each one of your neighborhoods has its own downtown area. When you go to the beach, you actually hear waves crashing! They can't swim in the water but, of course, you can always put a swimming pool on the beach. There are even changing rooms where your Sims can change into their swimsuits.
Another great feature of Hot Date is the "Townies." When you're downtown, you see all sorts of Sims, not only the ones from your neighborhood. You can talk to them and make friends. If all goes well, you can ask them to "Hang Out" with you and they'll follow you around doing what you do.
Let's talk food. There are all sorts of places your Sims can eat. There's an ice cream counter, hot dog stand, a place to get hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza, a diner and also a really fancy restaurant. You can create the restaurants yourself too or you can use the downtown buildings that come with the game.
There's a new grill for the park areas so your Sims can cookout. There's a new stove and when you place it downtown, you automatically hire a chef for your restaurant. When you put a dishwasher in the restaurant, you automatically get busboys that clean off the tables.
You can also put cash registers in the stores and restaurants. This automatically hires store clerks, hostesses and waiters/waitresses.
Another great thing about this game is that the people change. For example, you can go to a diner once and you'll have a male waiter taking orders. You can go again and it will be a woman. It's as if they have shift changes just like in the real world.
It's fun to watch the hostess seat your Sims and hand them menus. Your Sims will read the menus and talk about what they want to order. Then the waiter will come, take their order and take the menus.
They can also go to the bar and order drinks. You can have your Sim sit at a table and call the "barmaid" over.
Sims can shop for clothes, jewelry, candy, flowers and magazines. When they shop for clothes, they can buy outfits for themselves or for the Sims their with. One of my Sims bought a new pair of pajamas and now that's what she wears when she goes to sleep instead of the default pajamas. Everyone else in the house is still wearing default pj's because they haven't been shopping yet. Nice feature!
Also, you can put changing rooms in the clothing boutiques so they can try on outfits, swimsuits and pajamas. They'll go in the changing room and come out with the other clothes on. Then they'll prance up to the mirror and check themself out.
Sims now have an "inventory" that allows you to buy things like teddy bears, The Sims game, lollipops, chocolates, a yellow rose, a bouquet of red roses and even jewelry. One of my Sims bought his date a bouquet of red roses. The date was going well so when he gave the roses to her, she threw them on the ground and stomped on them!
In Hot Date, they also have new personality traits. Your Sims can now talk movies, parties, fitness, fashion and more with each other.
If there's a topic they don't know too much about, they can buy a magazine at the magazine stand. They'll take it home and read about it there. There are about six different types of magazines, I believe. The magazines have funny titles like MAXSIMUM and WhooNoo.
You can place speakers anywhere downtown and your Sims can listen to jazz-like music while they shop. And most everything you do downtown costs money. For instance, playing pool costs money. Turning on the jukebox costs money. Even the bubble blowing machine costs money.
Sims can also interact with over 40 new actions. They can cuddle, play footsie, kiss, make out, embrace, insult each other by shaking their fists, gossip, admire, entertain with puppets, nag about the house or their friends.
One of my favorites is the hug feature. Sims can now hug friendly, romantic, intimate or even leap into each other's arms. And they're all so funny to watch.
They can even kiss suave, peck on the cheek, fiery and more. And if your Sim is feeling frisky, he/she can "check out" another Sim or "growl" at them.
Another funny interaction is "Brag." Sims can flex their muscles. They can also primp. One of my female Sims primped by pulling out a compact and checking herself out in the mirror.
When your Sims are back at home, they now have four new beds (all singles). Really nice. And there's also the Niagara Love Tub that allows two Sims in at once. They can wash each other, play and embrace. It's really funny to hear them "playing" under the water.
I've gone into a lot of detail here but it's still not enough. There's just way too much to discover. Happy Simming!

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The Sims: Hot Date Expansion Pack represents an entirely new experience for your Sims--dating! With exciting new characters, interests, romance objects, and an all-new downtown area filled with restaurants, shops, and parks, Hot Date will get your Sims off the couch and into the singles scene. Play matchmaker for your Sims and watch them become Casanovas or Casa-nevers.
Players can have their Sims ask each other out on a date, or they can try their luck with an in-game dating service. Arrange to meet another Sim downtown at exciting and romantic locations that the player can create. Everything from a candlelit dinner, a drink at the bar, or a rendezvous in the park is possible as your Sim attempts to orchestrate an evening to remember.
Once your Sim is out with that special someone, additional interests and new interactions keep the conversation flowing and chemistry clicking. Sims can now flirt, play footsie, engage in a little tonsil hockey, or converse in Simlish about new and diverse interests. Being a fun and fascinating date gets your Sim one step closer to a goodnight kiss, or more!
Players can watch sparks fly or fizzle as their Sims meet and date a host of new characters. Sims can spurn the advances of the Jock, welcome the overtures of the Femme Fatale, find true lust with Mr. Medallion, or strike out with the Blonde Bombshell. More than 100 new objects, including the Picnic Basket, Cuddle Couch, and Love Tub, allow players to set the mood for their Sims. Find your Sim a soul mate... or just have fun looking with The Sims: Hot Date Expansion Pack.

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