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RELEASES (in stores now or soon)
Rainbow Six: Raven Shield: Alpha Go! Tango Down! The best tactical series gets even better. Vietcong: Do you know where you are? (no!) You’re in the jungle baby! (oh!) You’re gonna die! (no!) Line of Sight: Vietnam: Terrific stealth action at a bargain price. MVP Baseball 2003: Triple play, by another name, plays much sweeter!
FOREIGN: Germans Love David Hasslehoff
What’s more surprising? That a Knight Rider has been made, or that a Knight Rider game got ported to the United States from Germany? Yes, Knight Rider: The Game is coming to the US, from Germany where it was made. How did this happen? How did our mediocre-at-best cultural oddities get exported to foreign countries and then built, packaged, sold, were successful, and then imported to us? The only answer I can think of is Norm MacDonald’s old theory: Germans really do love David Hasslehoff. I’m just hoping the game has Michael Knight’s evil twin brother. How can you tell he’s evil? He has a goatee. With that, I’m Turbo-Bursting out of here. KITT? Do the honors.
AFTERTHOUGHT: Game During Wartime
Is it ok to play virtual soldier while a real war is unfolding, 24/7, on television? Since Operation Iraqi Freedom began sales of military-themed games have apparently surged, so it appears most people think it is ok. Others aren’t so happy about it. No matter which side of that argument you fall on, it’s hard to miss the footage of real soldiers playing wartime shooters in camp. Other articles surface about submariners playing Unreal Tournament 2, or Operation Flashpoint. Why would a soldier facing the frontlines, or cramped in a sub, want to play a military themed wargame? Why would civilian gamers want to recreate the events of Mogadishu in Blackhawk Down, the horror of ‘Nam in Line of Sight: Viet Nam and Vietcong, or modern day desert combat in IGI2: Covert Strike? What about Operation Flashpoint and Rainbow Six: Raven Shield? Look at the online popularity of the many Half-Life mods like Counterstrike and Day of Defeat, or the hordes fighting it out in Battlefield 1942. Numbers playing those games online, since the war began, have apparently risen. What about the recent BF-1942: Desert Mod? It’s been around since the Fall, but suddenly people really seem to want to bring Apaches to bear on Iraqi positions. Just enter “Iraq” in the map field (it works even if you don’t have the map) and see how many server and players are playing it.
Why? For the same reason Beatdown’s 3-year-old daughter enjoys the book “No David!” and endlessly recreates mommy leaving for work and coming home again with her Barbies. Because it’s therapy. Hey, don’t feel bad about wanting violent warfare on your PC while the body count rises on TV. Don’t feel bad if you have the urge to destroy things in your frustration, anger, or fear over war so long as the things you destroy only exist in your video RAM. Playing games = dealing with it. It’s a stressful time people. It’s the first real hardcore war of the past two generations. So game on.
Come on, let us raise a glass of Champaign… ugh, um, I mean… Freedom Wine, to a quick victory for the sake of the Coalition and especially for the sake of the Iraqi people.
Until Next Week: You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth….
BIO Andrew is a professional journalist working in the PC entertainment field. He’s been published in Computer Games Magazine, PCGamer, Maximum PC, and many others. He mocks because of his abiding love for the industry… and because of his wise-ass upbringing. So, keep a sense of humor, even if you find his lacking. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of FiringSquad, its editors or owners. Comment? Critique? Vendetta? News Tip? Write him. Bub@andrewsbub.com
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ANNO 2070 Review
The year is 2070. The majority of life on Earth was devastated when global sea levels surged after the melting of the polar ice caps. Swaths of previously habitable land are now deep underwater, and sovereign nations are a relic of the past. But there is still hope...
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Hear that? It's the sound of the largest computer chip manufacturer in the world churning out new processors to power your gaming rig. This week, Intel is launching their next generation of Core CPUs, code-named Ivy Bridge. Like last year's Sandy Bridge chips, they're low-power, quad-core powerhouses that also feature integrated graphics processors. Want to find out more? Maybe check out a whole bunch of performance benchmarks on both the CPU and graphics sides of things? Well you can, in today's review!
Intel Z77 Chipset & DZ77GA-70K Motherboard Overview
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Mass Effect 3 PC Review
This latest release from EA/BioWare is the final entry in their trilogy of sci-fi action RPGs, putting you in a dire situation: rally the troops to save Earth at all costs. There was a lot of hype surrounding the final act of what has been a vast and highly-customizable story-telling experience, and the reception among many hardcore fans has been less than stellar. Even people that haven't played the game have probably heard about all the nerd rage going on over Mass Effect 3's ending...
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Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
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L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Alright Bub, you asked for it… So got any comments on the first Beatdown on FiringSquad? Brothers and sisters, Sound Off! so that Brother Bub may hear your calls!
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