Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: Pacific Theater Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I had trouble getting this one to run, but finally was successful. I am running an AMD/K6-2 (350) CPU, with 64 Mb of RAM, and a Diamond Monster 3D II accelerator, with a Flightstick Pro and rudder pedals. According to the package, I meet all of the requirements. My operating system is Microsoft's Windows ME.

I loaded CFS2 twice, but when I tried to play it could not get past loading the scenery, when my screen went black. The machine locked up! Finally after trying the new drivers for the Diamond Monster, which I found on their European site, I got it to run properly.

You would think, though, that Microsoft, with all of their expertise, could design a game that would run without so many hassles.

The game is good. Graphics are superb, sound is good, and the scenery is excellent. The game runs smoothly, when you finally get it to run. I found some fault, of course.

First, I dislike the annoying cones that point you at the nearby enemy. They are certainly not realistic. Also, the enemy planes flit about in a most unrealistic fashion, and make them unrealistically hard to track. Even closing at a combined speed of 600 miles an hour, another aircraft should be more easily followed. However, Microsoft is no guiltier than many other simulation designers in such matters.

Modeling of the aircrafts' flight characteristics is not bad, but not entirely realistic, either. I took an F6F "Hellcat" up to 10,000 feet above Kwajalein atoll, an airstrip from which I have flown, and put her into a spin. This is an aircraft that was relatively easy to fly (I soloed in 1946 in the real thing.) Although I kicked reverse rudder and neutralized the controls properly, she would not recover from the spin and go into a dive. The F6F was not notorious for having bad spin characteristics.

Also, dropping your landing gear at a couple hundred miles an hour should not result in "gear damage." Pilots often did it in combat, to get a sudden reduction in speed.

Another problem is the slow reaction of the machine guns to the gun button. And after the button is released, they inexplicably keep on firing for a couple or three seconds.

The copy writers who wrote the Pilot's Manual fell into the same trap as everyone else in comparing the F6F with the F4U "Corsair." They claimed that the F6F is "far from the fastest U.S. fighter" but that it was in the "top rank of American fighters in the Pacific theater, along with the Vought Corsair." They claim a top speed for the Hellcat of 327 knots (376 mph) at 17,300 feet, while the Corsair is credited with a top speed of 363 knots (417 mph) at 19,900 feet, making the Corsair seem much faster. One gets tired of hearing such unfair comparisons.

I've got news for them: an article in Flight Journal last year by Corky Meyer (a Grumman test pilot) described a side by side test of the Corsair and Hellcat, flat out at the same altitude (they had the same R2800, 2,000 horsepower Pratt & Whitney engine, but different dash numbers) had them performing at the same speed over the ground, but the Corsair was indicating a higher speed due to the different placement of the pitot tube.

Because of its wing design, the Corsair had a quicker roll characteristic than the Hellcat. It was also more unstable and difficult to fly, and taxiing and landing visibility was hampered by the long engine nacelle. They called it the "Ensign Eliminator." Otherwise, they were very evenly matched in their performance characteristics.

The copy writers call the Corsair "big, tough, and fast," which it was of course, but the F6F pilots shot down over 70 percent of all air-to-air kills in the Pacific war. It is a vastly under rated airplane, by the desk jockeys.

Here are some figures: The Hellcat is credited with 5,156 air victories during WWII, and 306 Hellcat pilots shot down 5 or more enemy planes (the definition of an "ace.") Corsairs shot down 2,140 enemy, and made only 93 aces, although they enbtered service in the Pacific first. The famed Mustang was credited with only 296 kills, and made only 5 aces. The little F4F "Wildcat," with 1,006 kills made 58 aces, and was bad-mouthed as being obsolete at the war's beginning. Looking only at results, one wonders at the critics remarks.

But, this is a fine game. The graphics are right up there with Jane's WWII Fighters, and it will be a source of much pleasure for a lot of people.

Joseph Pierre, USN (Ret)


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In Combat Flight Simulator 2, you'll expereince an era of history that defines the future -- you'll become a combat pilot during the Second World War!

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Battle of Britain 2: Wings of Victory Limited Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It is a shame that none of the many thousands of people who own and are playing this game have posted here. Amazon is not and never was a a major distribution channel for this game. The handful of reviews here are simply not a fair representation of what most people who currently own and play this game feel about it.
For example MAROS who gave it a one star terrible review says he was trying to play it on an ATI9250 and GeForce 5600FX card. Those are very low end and almost ancient cards. Of course he had issues. BoB2, like most flight sims is very PC demanding and requires DX9.0C fully compliant hardware. Is it fair that he trashed the game and the PC he was using to try it is an obsolete POS? I don't think so.
I suggest people go to SimHQ, Airwafare, Shockwave Productions or even the Ubisoft General Discussion forums (Ubisoft is the distributor of IL2, a competitor of BoB2) for REAL and FAIR perspective and commentary on this game. Even on the Ubisoft boards, there is grudging respect for BoB2 now and many of the IL2 players are now converts and play both games regularly. Word of mouth is spreading and many people are discovering how good this underrated game actually is now.
SimHQ a website dedicated to ALL types of air, sea and land combat games just recently awarded BoB2 the "Best Air Combat game of 2006". I think the folks at SimHQ and many hundreds of other simmers who post at many of the well-known flight sim boards should be considered more fair and credible than someone like MAROS.
Yes, in its original out of the box release form Battle of Britain II was incredibly buggy. It got a lot of (deserved) bad press and publicity due to the bugginess and issues. Subsequent patches resolved many but not all issues. With version 2.05 most of the major bugs were fixed and there were many many enhancements and improvements over any prior versions. Even so, one somehwat big flaw remained and that was the need for the "DEP workaround". A simpe workaround setting in something in WinXP. Some users who still had crashes were either too lazy or frustrated to even bother checking the tech support forums and simply gave up.
The latest patch, version 2.06 is about to be released (days or at most a couple of weeks). It has a HUGE number of additional enancemnents including all new Flight Models and significantly improved coding that has fixed almost all AI warpy behavior. Most importantly, even the need for the DEP workaround has been fixed.

If you want to SEE the game in action, go to YouTube and/or google search "BoB2" or "Battle of Britain II In Dulce Decorum" for many community created videos incuding one I created over 7 minutes long. There is an awesome BoB2 video on googlevideo by a guy named 150GCT_MANTA as well.
I own the entire IL2 series, including 1946. A great game in its own right, especially with its multiplayer capability which BoB2 lacks. BoB2 is INCREDIBLY immersive, has a massive campaign mode, has what is widely regarded as one of the best offline AI in ANY aircombat prop sims. The battles are on a massive scale and white-knuckle at times in intensity. It is the ONLY game of any genre I have ever played where the AI are at times as good or better even than good human opponents in other games.
The game also has FULL support for Track IR in 6 Degrees of Freedom. It has amazing Force feedback effects, especially for the flight model with FFB for buffet, drag, approaching stall, impacts, touchdown on the fields, gear extending, cannon and machine gun fire and impacts, etc. The FFB effects BLOW AWAY those of CFS3 and FS9 or FSX and only Il2 comes close as far as FFB.
Its no skin off my back if people don't buy the game. I am NOT a Dev nor affiliated with the company in any way except as a very happy owner of it and a beta tester.
Like I said, go to some of the well-known combat flight sim forums for a REAL indicator of what this game is all about in its PRESENT form.
SimHQ
Airwarfare
Ubisoft
Shockwave Productions




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Battle of Britain 2: Wings of Victory lets you become supreme commander of the British or German forces. Observe enemy movements and plan accordingly -- or take off the general's hat and hop into the cockpit. Destroy the enemy when you can and get you and your comrades home alive. Whatever you choose, you'll take part in the most authentic historical re-creations of these amazing battles. Get ready to strap yourself in for the fight of your life!

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Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour Expansion Pack Review

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(More customer reviews)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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Medieval II Total War: Kingdoms Expansion Pack Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, first off about the multi-player hotseat thingie..don't really know about it and not my cup of tea so in this review I won't touch on it because quite frankly this is a game I really wouldn't want to play with anyone else. It's a "me" game.
With that being said, this is a nice addition to the Total War franchise. Sure, there are mods you can pick up to tweak it, but nobody makes a mod better than the folks that actually designed the game. In each of the campaigns you have cool triggers that add a dynamic flavour such as Richard and Philip II reinforcing the crusades in the Holy Lands and the Baron's Alliance in the Brittania campaign.
I had some preconceived notions about Kingoms, in that I fully expected some dinky little maps and about 5 hours playtime per campaign. Ohhhhhh no sir, these are full fledged campaigns with lots of territories and tons of time to eat up. They are all quite large, but the Americas campaign map is vast and was extremly fun playing the Apachean tribes. Nothing says "yippie" when your apache dog soldiers are charging and doing that Indian war cry you've heard in every John Wayne movie.
There is no big upgrade over Total War II...ergo, there is no major graphic or engine overhaul, it's simply more campaigns to play - a lot more. One of the nicest things I liked on the new campaigns is that you get a few of the top end units to start so you don't have to wait years to see how that Greek Fire Thrower works or get the uberest Templar Cavalry.
I have had no technical problems on Vista 32-bit with Dual core 2.13ghz, 2gb RAM and NVIDIA 7600 video card.
Not much more to say that hasn't been showcased in previews and you can read from the description up top (which is accurate except the multi-player thingie which I really don't care about) other than if you liked Total War 2 then you are going to really love Kingdoms.
Pros:
- Same good looking graphics as Total War 2
- Sound is amazing with new songs for each of the factions and campaigns
- Tons more units
- Very big campaign maps
Cons:
- Ummm...perhaps the multi-player capability which apparently isn't that great.


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Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms is the official expansion to last year's award-winning Medieval II Total War, presenting players with all-new territories to explore, troops to command, and enemies to conquer.Kingdoms is the most content rich expansion ever produced for a Total War game, with four new campaigns centered on expanded maps of the British Isles, Teutonic Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. In Medieval II, players wereonly given a tantalizing glimpse of South America, but in Kingdoms, vast tracts of land in both North and South America have been opened up for players to conquer.All-new factions from the New World are also now fully playable, including the Aztecs, Apaches, and Mayans.Along with the new maps in Britannia, Teutonic, Crusades, and New World Campaigns, there are 13 new factions to play, over 110 units to control, and 50 building types, adding up to 80 hours of new gameplay.Kingdoms also offers new multiplayer maps and hotseat multiplayer, allowing players to play one-versus-one campaign games on the same computer.

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Battlefield 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been playing the Battlefield franchise since the first demo, and have owned Battlefield 2 since its launch circa 2 years ago. Although the series has had its ups and down, (with the pinnacle being the BF1942 modification Desert Combat by Frank Delise and crew), with the recent crop of Battlefield games being mindless cash ins, (ever sine EA bought out DICE games and Trauma Studios). Nevertheless, Battlefield 2 is the best retail version you can currently buy. With that being said, there are several issues with BF2 that have only gotten worse with each subsequent EA/DICE patch which has led to a drastic inbalance in the game, with air power completely dominating in every level, (although there are infantry only levels). When the game first launched, the balance was fairly adequate, and ground troops using mobile AA or the defenses on a carrier could take out a pilot who was repeatedly bombing a spawn point, but that has changed. The only way to actually take out another plane is to be flying in the air, and to dogfight him/her until only one of you is surviving. This leads to several issues that almost have completely ruined a lot of the enjoyment one can experience in Battlefield 2. First, most people camp the planes, (I've seen 8 people camp for an a10, 7 for a j10), and some will force a teamkill on you if you happen to get in the plane before them, (putting your score in certain areas in the negative ). This is incredibly frustrating, and although I understand that jerks are abundant online, I'm surprised a patch doesn't prevent forced tk's. If you enjoy flying, as I do, I recommend joining smaller servers.
When all is said and done though, this is still an excellent game and much better than BF2142 (mostly because of no ads), but you will have to have patience and play on a decent server to gain much enjoyment out of it. Really, I'm only playing it until Quake Wars is released in a month or so. I am certain that the people over at ID Software will pump out yet another quality release that is balanced in every respect, much like Enemy Territory for PC is to this day. I will all but abandon BF2 once Quake Wars comes out, because EA/DICE have pretty much dropped BF2 like a bad habit since their spyware/adware infested BF2142 game came out, (which is completely subpar in every way imaginable).
If you are a new player, then I recommend this pack, (with all of the expansions), but know that you will be at a disadvantage for at least the first 100 hours of play time. Veteran players have a majority of the weapon unlocks, (gained through an experience points system of sorts), and you will not be able to compete in ground combat for the most part, unless you are in a vehicle. As far as system specs go, they are not as demanding as they were 2 years ago, and a medium build machine should run this flawlessly. Finally, if you want to ever be a good pilot, invest in a solid joystick, because you will be a sitting duck with a mouse and keyboard in a jet. I can usually tell who is flying with a mouse/keyboard, and they are always my priority targets.
At the end of the day, this is still a great game, but has been bogged down by a lack of support, major nerfing of infantry weapons (c4 especially), and EA's overall disregard for their player base and for the bottom line. Honestly, as much as I love the Battlefield series, this is my last Battlefield game because I have a lot of disdain for EA due to its ill will towards the community. Also, this is most likely the final Battlefield game that will ever be Ad free/Billboard free. EA/DICE's recent deal with major advertising agencies essentially makes this a sad trend.

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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When it comes to FPS's, and any other shooter for that matter, you have your current kings, namely: Halo, Rainbow Six (and all of it's "spawns", like GRAW) and Gears of War (still). Throw BioShock in there if you want... whatever. You get the point. Now - take from each of those games the best aspects... throw them together, and you have Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Simply put - you'll love this game, even if you don't like military or first-person shooters. If you're the type that strictly plays the single-player mode, then I'd rent first, just to be sure it's for you. For me, even the story mode keeps me coming back. This game is a BEAST, and it's a BEAST on every platform it's on - 360, PS3 and PC.
Infinity Ward understands FPS's - their absence was noticed immediately in Call of Duty 3, which sucked. They're back. This game is a few MINOR elements away from absolute perfection, in my opinion. And you don't get better than perfection.
I'll get the little gripes out of the way:
1. No Co-Op campaign. As frantic as every stage is, coupled with the fact that there's really no point on the game where you're not at least with ONE other player - usually more - I thought this should be available. It's pretty much standard now in the next-gen FPS's, but surprisingly absent here. Hmmm...
2. The whole 'friendly-fire' thing... I realize that this is realistic, but it's pretty frustrating sometimes - moreso here than in a game like Rainbow Six, simply because there's no easily identifiable icon or marker. I don't need THAT level of realism in a game - just my opinion. Yes, your recticle is red if it's on an enemy and green for a friendly, but during all of the fighting, that's really hard to see. Coupled with the fact that a lot of the enemies are wearing uniforms pretty similar to YOURS, you may end up accidentally shooting your squad more than you'd care to admit, especially on the Veteran difficulty level.
(That's really it for the 'gripes' - the other is more of an personal preference for me. I'd rather have more gameplay modes available in the multiplayer right off the bat, but I can also see how starting off with just the initial two works.
You may notice that I haven't complained about the duration of the story mode... while short, I doubt that any of the other reviewers that are slamming it have "breezed through in a few hours" on any difficulty higher than Sick Infant - that's before Rookie, if you're wondering. The story is compelling; there are actual moments where your chest and heart actually POUND - tell me the "All Ghillied Up" stage didn't have you holding your breath in real life, I dare you. Other games, while significantly longer, don't always fill their time with substance. A game like BioShock doesn't have an online mode, so it's story HAS to carry it entirely. Halo 3 is longer, sure... but most of it is retracing your steps back through previously played boards. No thank you. Apart from an effective story mode, this game's "bread and butter" is in the online multiplayer. Just like Halo 3. Just like RB6: Vegas. Just like Gears of War. Online play is what will keep this game, and others, being played for years to come.)
...and that's it, folks. Nothing else bad here. AT ALL. Period.
Gameplay - the game is phenomenal. Even if the campaign is rather on the short side (took about 6 or so hours playing on Normal - Veteran or Hardened will probably double that time, plus some) it is undeniably entertaining. While it may not necessarily be breaking new ground as far as plot, it STILL is far more engaging that Rainbow Six: Vegas's campaign mode, which is great, as well as Gears of War and even the mighty Halo 3. (just my opinion) (A+)
Graphics - arguably the best on any console, period. I give it the nod over Gears of War and BioShock - this is the best looking game I have ever played, and it runs (with all the chaos going on) at a smooth 60 frames per second is 1080P HD glory. The word gets thrown around alot with these newer systems, but this game is truly Photo-Realistic. The only thing I've seen comparable would be Crysis, another military shooter -and that's (not surprisingly) a PC-only game at the moment. It absolutely does not get any better than COD4. (A++)
Sound - as good as anything out now. The musical numbers are all spot-on, and the dialogue and combat chatter is phenomenal. Top notch all the way around - no "forced" sounding acting here. This games sounds like it was recorded during actual combat. (A+)
Multiplayer - time will tell if it will stand up to the insanely deep Halo Multiplayer mode, or the ridiculously addictive multiplayer modes on GoW or RB6, but even in this early stage COD4 is more than holding it's own. Choose from a preset variety of classes - sniper, assault, heavy gunner, etc. and get to killing. Kill enough and eventually unlock the ability to create your OWN class - and that's where the fun really gets going. There's a rank structure, but with there being absolutly ZERO offical multiplayer achievements, hopefully this will minimize people's tendency to cheat. (big problem on RB6) Ranking up does have it's privileges, however... different weapons, customizations for those weapons (scopes, skins, etc.) How new players feel about playing months from now when the majority of their combatants have superior equipment remains to be seen... balancing could be an issue there. The way it's set up though, if you're good at FPS's (and you know who you are), you will be alright. There's some work to be done with the team balancing... and I would prefer the ability to choose which maps I play on during ranked matches, but all in all, pretty solid. (A)
Replay Value - extremely high, even with a relatively short campaign. All of the achievements for the game come from the Campaign mode, yet over half of them require you to beat the game on one of the two harder difficulty levels. (not recommended for first-timers - frustration WILL ensue... as well as bullets, grenades and dog bites) Hell, even the TRAINING MODULE is fun and gets replay - Halo can't say that. This game is ridiculous. Even as varied as multiplayer is by nature, the Prestige Mode adds a new level to it. Make it all the way to Level 55, then you have "a tough decision" to make... (A+)
Overall - Dangerously Good. I give it an A+, or a solid 9.9998 out of 10 (I stand by the fact that a co-op campaign would render a potential Call of Duty 5 pointless) This is one of the best games ever. After playing the Beta earlier this year, I proclaimed that this could be a sleeper for Game of the Year, while everyone else was obviously sold on Halo... maybe a few for BioShock. This has them both, hands down. The only surprising part is how convincingly better this game is than the other GOTY frontrunners. All other FPS's (particularly military FPS's) need to take notice - this is BY FAR the best ever. (Note to Tom Clancy and the folks at UbiSoft: you have work to do for that next Rainbow Six. The bar is WAY up there now... don't disappoint)
A definite must own, especially for online players - this is the best for this year. No not Halo - Call of Duty 4. Period. The only thing I see that could pull people away from this even for a moment would potentially be Grand Theft Auto 4.

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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the new action thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward, the creators of the Call of Duty series, delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever.
Armed with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern-day firepower, players are transported to treacherous hotspots around the globe to take on a rogue enemy group threatening the world. As both a U.S. Marine and British S.A.S. soldier fighting through an unfolding story full of twists and turns, players use sophisticated technology, superior firepower, and coordinated land and air strikes on a battlefield where speed, accuracy, and communication are essential to victory.
The epic title also delivers an added depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive, and customizable gameplay.
Features:
Authentic advanced weaponry: Featuring an available arsenal of more than 70 new and authentic weapons and gear from assault rifles with laser sites, claymore mines, .50 caliber sniper rifles, and M-249 SAW machine guns. With accessories like night-vision goggles and ghillie suits for maximum concealment, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has players locked and loaded to accomplish the mission.
Coordinated assault and support: Delivering the most visceral action thriller ever, the title covers modern battle from the soldier to the satellite, where the need for air support is critical to success. The adrenaline rush deployment enlists gamers to fast-rope from tactical helicopters, ride in an armada of attack choppers, utilize jets to remove enemy strongholds, and even engage hostiles from thousands of feet above the ground inside a state-of-the-art aerial gunship.
Cinematic-quality graphics and sound: Featuring stunning next-generation graphics, players will be drawn into the cinematic intensity of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Amazing special effects, including realistic depth of field, rim-lighting, character self-shadowing, texture streaming, as well as physics-enabled effects, will enlist players into the most photo-realistic gaming experience. Combine the lifelike graphics and the realistic battle chatter with the Call of Duty award-winning sound design and players will face battle as they never have before.
Unparalleled depth to multiplayer: Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty 2 delivering a persistent online experience for greater community interaction. Featuring create-a-class options allowing players to customize gear that is best suited for play, to experience points enabling unlockables and perks, all the way to matchmaking and leaderboards for the latest in tracking, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's multiplayer is set to deliver easily accessible and addictive online play for all.

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Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis - Gold Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In my opinion this has to be one of the things that any gamer who even remotely enjoys action/first person shooters must own. This is the most in-depth game ever in this genre. You can fly, drive, snipe, lead, and any other thing any real soldier could. This is the best tactical sim. ever. Also the game has a very in depth story-line, which is one of the best, next to Dues-Ex. I enjoy almost any kind of game, but this is one of my top 3. Probably number 1. The designers are Czech, and they realistically modeled the speech. All of the Russian is pronounced correctly and the statements make sense. This is another game in which you must "stop n' drop" to have a chance in a fire-fight. Also most of the fire-fights go on at long distances, in which the enemy is barely in sight. The weapons are modeled realistically, and there is a huge variety. I always drop the M-16 and grab an ak (more stopping power). Wounds are realistically modeled. There is also a large variety of transports, tanks, copters, and a plane. With the gold upgrade, there are some new things and a new 20 mission campaign.

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Making History 2: War of the World Review

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(More customer reviews)The 1930s and 1940s are a critical time in world history. The Great Depression and World War II dominate these years and our history. Fascism is on the march; communism is completing control of the USSR and testing the waters elsewhere. Democracy is reeling as the Depression causes massive problems that have no easy solutions. In the middle of all the politics, real advances occur in manufacturing techniques as technology builds the foundation of our modern world. Horses give way to automobiles; wood and fabric aircraft disappear, paved roads improved transportation and lifestyles changes.
Making History II puts you in control of a nation trying to survive this difficult and exciting time. As a national leader, you will allocate resources to nation building, international trade, research and defense. A careful balance will keep you popular, balance the budget and make others reconsider attacking you. Mess it up and you can lose you office or see your nation defeated in war. No two nations are the same. Technology is not uniform. Highly advanced nations have paved roads, universities and modern factories. Less advanced nations have dirt roads and small factories. The game allows you to play as any nation starting you with a government, technology level, cash on hand, alliances and relationships with the other nations. After that, it is up to you. Espionage allows you to steal research. Pay money to influence a nation to like you or make their government unpopular. Give them aid to help the government. Build up the military and go to war. Each action makes nations like you more or less. The less a nation likes you, the more likely they are to attack you. One of the failings of the game is the large democracies are more belligerent than the historical record. This can result in unexpected attacks; Great Britain attacking Brazil in 1938 surprised me. However, Brazil had several espionage operations exposed and was conducting an aggressive military buildup. Two small wars had resulted in the annexation of Uruguay and Paraguay. The Unites States had Brazil under a full trade embargo but came into the war on the side of Brazil. Play IS NOT forced into the historical norm, just about anything can and will happen.
Documentation is almost useless. Rushing the initial game into production resulted in major problems, corrected in the current version. However, the documentation problem remains. You cannot learn to play the game with the supplied instruction manual. Muzzy Lane maintains an active Making History site that can supply all the documentation, tutorials and answers to question needed. This site and a stable game with no obvious problems makes for an interesting and varied game play.
Making History II is NOT a click fest. This is NOT a fast-paced shoot `em up style gaming experience. This is a thought fest. You need to consider where you are and what direction you need and want to go in. Long-term goals need to be set and plans worked. Espionage can help, to a point, but national development has to occur. Each weekly turn, allows you to allocate production, conduct diplomacy, spy, set trade policy, monitor progress of existing projects, respond to offers of trade or alliances, declare war, make peace, fight battles, swear and any number of other things.
To learn the game, I played Brazil. This is a regional power with a small industrial base. After two games, I have master the mechanics and can move to a major power. The graphics are very good with nice animation. The AI is challenging and online game play is expected in early 2011. In addition, a large fan base has developed additional scenarios for the predecessor games and is starting to do the same for this one. I expect many, many hours of enjoyable gaming and recommend the game for anyone who is interested in this era.


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Making History II lets grand strategy players experience the role of a WWII era national leader embroiled in the toxic mix of waning empires, economic crisis, and ethnic "fault lines" that famously resulted in a global war that transformed the world. Now armchair generals and grand strategy masters can attempt to write their own history, and choose to either defend the world from tyranny or embark on a quest for global conquest. There are diplomatic decisions about everything from alliances to colonization, such as whether you grant full independence or create a puppet state. Cities are customizable via a series of constructible add-on buildings, allowing you to build a giant shipyard in New York or a munitions factory in Stuttgart. Military forces can be upgraded, repaired and reinforced and veteran units develop experience over time. Every nation in the world is playable, but the choices and strategy can be vastly different. The choice is up to each player to determine how they wish to develop their nation, thereby creating their own winning strategyInitiate infrastructure projects that modernize your nation and expand your economic potentialConstruct weapons factories, shipyards, research labs and a variety of other buildings that add specific abilities to your cities and regionsIntelligent AI instigates, reacts and adapts to the changing game dynamics generating action on the home front and abroadEach nation has a unique set of characteristics that influences behaviorPopulations are divided by culture, ethnicity, religion and political ideology; factors that destabilize nations, provoking revolts, coups and civil warsManage your colonies, liberate new nations, establish puppet states or annex their territoryEngage in espionage and interfere in the internal affairs of your neighborsNew innovative Multiplayer system

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Frontlines: Fuel of War Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I think re-reading Orwell's 1984 right about now would be a great idea. Because in a true Orwellian fashion FRONTLINES:FUEL OF WAR envisions yet a...newer world order where the US and the EU (Western Coalition, aka "Oceania"?) face off Russia and China (Red Star Alliance, aka "Eastasia"?). It is set in (the no so near I hope) future so new weapons and front-line tactical technology are employed.
This is a fast-paced First Person Shooter built around capturing points and getting territory rewards. It bears great similarities to BATTLEFIELD, yet I felt more like playing COMPANY OF HEROES from a FPS perspective. Various objectives are to be completed in order for the entire battlefield territory to be captured.
The graphics are good, although, not exceptional: CoD4 is much more impressive. The sound was nothing to complain about: your usual battlefield whizzing bullets, staccato automatics and loud explosions.
I really liked the feature which allows soldier and weapons customization - which, in an RPG twist, can get upgraded (up to level 3) as the game progresses. This is a game with a lot going for it. Unfortunately, the story does not end here.

The first star was withheld because of the short duration. FPS games keep getting shorter and shorter but 6-7 hours is way too short even for an expansion, let alone a standalone game! At this rate, in a couple of years, games will not run longer than a movie and will cost ten times a movie ticket.
The second star was withheld because of the weak Single player campaign. The missions were rudimentary designed and, even if there are challenging moments, it was painfully obvious that FRONTLINES is a game designed mainly as a multiplayer. Now, this is a risky way to set up a game since it depends on the number of onLine participants. If UT3 failed to attract a crowd, I cannot see FRONTLINES fairing any better. By the way, if THQ wants to boost onLine participation, they should offer more than the 8 maps currently available.
All in all, FRONTLINES is a good game that will leave Single player gamers with a mild unsatisfied aftertaste, whereas multiplayer gamers will enjoy more, provided they find enough companions to make it interesting.

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Frontlines: Fuel of War PC

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