Crysis immerses you in huge environments indoor and outdoor where you can see for miles and miles. You have almost unlimited freedom to go anywhere you wish.

You may go into the levels and tackle your challenges all guns blazing or choose to sneak around stealthily or perhaps you wish to create a diversion to temporarily get the enemies attention.

The game-play is amazing, you can take different paths to accomplish your mission and go exploring for different weapons and ammo along the way. Everything is interactive in Crysis, you can pick up and throw any object from crabs and sea turtles to all sorts of weapons. You may even shoot down the trees with your bullets and watch them fall and roll. The physics are incredible and extremely realistic.

There are many ways to travel in Crysis. Try hiding in the ocean and literally swimming around enemy forces or better yet, why not take one of their fancy boats? It has a nice machine gun. If you find a truck in the area, try taking it for a spin. The Hummer with the mounted machine gun is also available. Try a free test drive and take it near an area of enemies then switch to the turret position and start blasting away.

There are a good variety of weapons which are customizable. Try and mount different attachments and tactical enhancements to your weapons such as laser pointers, scopes and reflex sights. As you progress you find some other nice treats like a laser guided rocket launcher and alien energy weaponry.

Your advanced nano-suit will aid you in you traveling. Turn on speed mode to walk and run real fast and dodge enemy fire. Strength mode allows you to pick up very large objects and throw them and will give you a super jump to make those hard to reach places a piece of cake. Armor mode will help you take some serious damage from enemy fire by absorbing the impact. Cloak mode is the most fun. You can sneak around enemies and take them out one by one using your silencer attachment. Watch them scramble all confused as they attempt to locate you. You can perform other tactics in cloak mode such sneaking up and igniting gasoline drums or gas tanks which create some very awesome explosions to divert the enemy?s attention.

Artificial intelligence is really well done. Controlling enemies and squads as they attempt to surround and flank you making an interesting survival experience. I personally recommend playing the game on a hard difficulty setting to intensify the realism. It makes the experience more enjoyable and the single player story last much longer.

Later levels get more intense throughout the game. As you roar through a raging tank battle you see an alien structure emerging high up in a mountain as boulders and debris tumble down to the landscape.

Eventually you find yourself going through the alien structure in zero G’s navigating and fighting alien species, which really twists the game play around.

Graphics

The graphics will not disappoint you as everything in the world is detailed to the extreme. You can see leafs on the trees to each individual blade of grass. Shadows are also produced very well from plants and vegetation. All the textures are detailed and you can see nicks and cracks in almost every object of the game. Walking right up to most objects at close range shows no distortion of texture quality.

Some surreal environments like the alien space craft look like something straight out of the movie Aliens or some kind of high budget hollywood movie. At times you really wonder if this is a movie or a video game. This game is an absolute technical masterpiece which can only be experienced on a high-end PC.

Multi-Player

Multi player mode is one of the more unique experiences in Crysis especially with a mode called power struggle. Here you will play on a team of 16 players against another group of16. In order to destroy the enemy’s base, you must construct exotic weaponry, which requires you to hold specific key power plants on the map. You can also capture other buildings such as factories to manufacture vehicles. Capture a bunker and you can spawn in different positions throughout the map. Take counter strike and a bit of battlefield then factor in the nano-suit and you have Crysis multiplayer.

Hardware

If you want to run the game at full blast, forget it! Running this game with a GeForce 8800 Ultra on a Core 2 Duo E6700 with 4Gigs of good OCZ memory will not run the game smoothly at extreme resolutions with Anti-Aliasing. Turn down the settings and the game will play fine and besides, it still looks much better then any other game out there.

This game is a truly a next generation game almost ahead of its time. Crytek claims that you will be able to unlock more graphical features for the next generation of video cards to follow. Hopefully there will be some moderate improvements with the current generation of video cards through game patches and driver updates.

The original Saints Row, released in 2006, didn’t try to change the sandbox genre formula and instead focused on making everything just plain fun. Saints Row 2 follows that same plan, and while it doesn’t do anything new or different, it is undeniably enjoyable. Also, and this comment may blow your mind, but while GTAIV is easily more polished in terms of graphics and gameplay, Saints Row 2 is easily the more fun game thanks to its over the top tone and wealth of stuff to do.

In terms of sheer variety of the activities you can do and the amount of fun you can have, Saints Row 2 has GTAIV beat. In terms of the core gameplay, however, Saints Row 2 hasn’t really moved forward while GTAIV made some significant improvements. For example, there is no lock on or cover system in SR2. Instead you just have to prey on the inconsistent A.I. and charge forward guns blazing, which usually works since half the time A.I. characters just stand around and don’t do anything even while other enemies right next to them are doing their best to try and kill you. Also, the driving just feels a little bit off. The cars feel kind of like driving boats, honestly. Sort of floaty with wide turn radiuses. Not bad, certainly, but far from the precision you’d like to have when wading through traffic or winding through city streets trying to lose the cops.

Saints Row 2 does a lot of things right, though. The entire map is open to you right from the start, which means all of the fun minigames and vehicles are available right away. Missions also have checkpoints which means if you fail you usually start over at the middle rather than the beginning. Also, the over the top physics and action make pretty much anything you do fun and potentially funny. My take on sandbox games is that you should be able to play how you want and make your own fun, and Saints Row 2 fits that description perfectly. It isn’t serious, it is goofy and crude and an absolute blast to play.

Saints Row 2 isn’t just a single-player experience, there are also co-op and deathmatch modes available as well on Xbox Live or system link. In co-op, the entire map is open to both players and you can both do whatever you want, and when you tackle missions together the game adds in extra enemies to balance out the addition of the extra player. Competitive multiplayer shrinks the map down to individual neighborhoods, but the smaller play area keeps the matches fast and furious.

The only truly disappointing aspect of Saints Row 2 is the graphics. Technical problems such as pop-in, texture tearing, and vehicles and objects appearing and disappearing seemingly at random are pretty big issues. Also, the game just has a sort of ugly look to it. The textures simply don’t look very good, but at least it is consistent across everything (clothes, buildings, roads, cars) so the game has a coherent look. The game does run at a smooth framerate at least and there are some nifty looking explosions.

The sound is fairly good. The dialogue is silly and filled with swear words, but it works. The music selection isn’t particularly good, however, and the lack of a talk radio station really hurts.

In the end, Saints Row 2 is a solid sequel to the cult favorite original. It isn’t the prettiest looking game and the core gameplay isn’t quite up to GTAIV’s standard, but Saint’s Row 2 manages to be fun and gives you lots and lots of ways to make your own fun which is something that GTAIV was sorely lacking. Between all of the funny minigames and side missions, the amazing Zombie Uprising game, the story filled with good characters, and the overall solid design of the city around you, there is a lot to like in Saints Row 2. If you were let down by the fact that GTAIV cut out a lot of the fun stuff from previous games in the series, Saints Row 2 will not disappoint. It is light hearted and silly, and that is why it is so enjoyable. Saints Row 2 is a good game no matter how you slice it and is highly recommended.

Diablo III is more. More action, more death, more skills, more color, more history, more beauty, more top-down, click-hungry, loot-happy, quick on – the cover, randomly-generated, killing the fantasy-horror. Beneath the waves of enthusiasm generated by its return in the form of twenty minutes of impressive amount of the game, there is the slightest undertow of anti-climax.

The game takes place in the sanctuary, a world of dark fantasy. Unknown to most of its inhabitants, Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago of the demonic forces of the world by some earthly heroes that were brave and powerful. Most of those warriors who directly faced the armies of fiery hell were lucky enough to survive; went mad from their experiences. And most of the others have buried their memories and have frequently pushed the horrors from their thoughts.

In Diablo III, the players will return to the sanctuary to confront evil in its many forms once again. The same exciting look continues on to the real game play. The characters were great and rich detail but climbed pleasant environments. The characters are great, but can still be easily dwarfed by some of the largest creatures in the game. While at first thought that this was a boss, due to its rugged package and the complexity of their attacks, was later confirmed this was hardly a crowd crushed the likes of which you expect to see on a fairly regular basis. The enemies during the game will also demonstrate a variety of behaviors.

In Diablo III, potions still play a part in the action, but downplayed by its importance. Health globes, falling off defeated enemies and will boost the health of your character and those around you if you are playing cooperatively. So developers put it, the idea of enemies dropping health is one that will keep the player moving the game forward in comparison to try to avoid combat. In addition, a new toolbar on the skill, similar in location to the old potion belt in Diablo II, will make your skills that much more accessible, allowing you to easily switch between the skills in place. You can even share the skills quickly using the mouse roller for further ease of use. The result is a game you can probably play almost entirely with your mouse, no more hunting skills for using the F key on your keyboard. Here is most important addition with respect to a cooperative game: When a character picks up a health globe, any surrounding allies also benefit from the world of health, which looks like it will encourage players to stick together when cutting and slashing your way through the game. To your ears, it also sounds like almost any kind, but will have to see how it is done while the game comes.

Diablo III will use a new system by hand, but that is currently in development. The only thing which is known for sure is that it does not involve anything as filler items in a Horadric cube. Other mysterious detail, or lack of it, is included in the game’s story and the identity of the new threat as the first three evils were overcome.

2005 EA Games Release Need for Speed: Most Wanted The game was all about police pursuits. Need for Speed: Carbon picks up where Most wanted left off.

The game starts off you trying to escape from a bounty hunter named Cross. You total your car trying to escape, An old friend comes to your rescue and pays off Cross. He then employs you to take care of his “light work” taking over the turf of the other rival street crews. Everyone in town knows you and no ones like you. They believe the night you skipped town you took the bag of money with you. You will learn what everyone seen on that night and everyone’s perspective. Did you take it? Where you set up? You’ll have to play the game to find out.

FEATURES

Crews
The more respect you get for your driving skills the more people will want to join your racing crew. There are 3 types of drivers that will join your team. Blocker: Just as the name implies, he will block other crews trying to pass. The Blockers flaw is he must be behind you to be of any use. Scout: Scouts will find the short cuts on the track for you. The flaw is if you take a turn to fast your scout usually blocks you. Drafter: Drafters will let you draft them to gain speed with less wind resistance. The flaw is that it is difficult to follow so close and really not needed most of the time.

Dealerships
You can buy cars from dealerships or win the cars from bosses if you get caught by the cops driving the same car 3 times, The car will be impounded by the police and you will not get it back.

Customization
Your car is fully customizable. you have to make sure you have a wingman on your crew that can do the job that you want certain crew members can only do certain task. Customizations include decals to rims to metallic paint jobs to hood scopes.

REVIEWER SUMMARY
If you like like Fast and the Furious and running from the cops you would love this game the game has enough features to keep you busy for awhile and if you do finish the game and start to look for a new game I bet by the time you start looking you will discover that EA has come up with another game just like it that is sure to become a classic and a great addition to your racing game collection.

The Sims return yet again in this third full evolution of the long-running and always-expanding sim series.

The Sims 3 allows you to immerse your unique Sims in an open living neighborhood right outside their door, interacting with other Sims using the new, deeper personality system. The game also allows you to customize anything, anywhere. From floors to flowers, fashions to sofas, wallpaper to window shades and more, The Sims 3 gives you all the flexibility and options you need to be the architect of your dream house or explore your interior design skills to outfit your ultimate home. Your Sims can make home an ultra-deluxe mansion, a cool bachelor pad, family’s dream home or charming cottage. The choice is yours.

Features

Create any Sims you can imagine and give them personalities! Design your ultimate Sim by choosing up to five traits and numerous body characteristics in the Create-a-Sim feature. Customize your Sims body type, facial features, hair styles, and more. Create an evil, handsome, ripped kleptomaniac that wreaks havoc on those around.

Control your Sims’ destinies. From a rock star or world leader to an expert thief, you choose whether or not to pursue the Lifetime Wish of your Sim. Choose whether to fulfill their destiny, giving them a lifetime of happiness and rewards — or not and be devious!

Customize everything! You are the designer! From clothing to houses, customize patterns, colors, or create any house you can imagine. Customize any aspect of your Sims’ style … even down to the style and color of their shoes!

Be the Director of your Sims’ movies! Never before have you been able to make your own movie with a cast, a set, soundtrack, a story and editing without leaving the game. Now you can with the movie making mash up tool set. Make a movie and share it with the world!

Share like never before! Join The Sims 3 online community where you can show off your creations from Sims and houses to objects, movies, and more.

The follow-up to Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This time around, developer Rockstar North and publisher Rockstar take players to the state of San Andreas.

Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas… a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it’s the early 90s. Carl’s got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.

Features

The epic gameplay of a wide-open state, a combination of three gigantic cities and all outlying areas, all teeming with citizens and criminals

Features well-known actors voicing characters including Samuel L. Jackson, comedian David Cross, Andy Dick, and rapper Ice-T

Soundtrack includes Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur

The Boom Blox fun continues with Boom Blox Bash Party, featuring richer multiplayer action and more than 400 new levels that will have players of all ages gaming together and solving action-packed puzzles under water, in zero gravity, and beyond! The game showcases new block types, including: virus and conveyor blox, new blox shapes, such as: cylinders and wedges, and new tools that will make for even more destructive fun. Players now can also sling, launch, and blow the competition away with new cannon, paint ball and slingshot tools.

The fun continues online as Boom Blox Bash Party enables players to download even more new levels via the Internet. With the press of a button, players will be able to grab, play and rate new levels from EA as well as levels created by members of the Boom Blox Bash Party community. Using the game’s easy-to-use Create Mode, players now have the power to share the levels they built with friends, or submit their masterpiece to be shared with the world! The expanded Create Mode lets players build and create like never before, giving them access to the same tool set the EA development team used to create each and every level in the game.

Features

Download even more new levels via the Internet

Players now have the power to share the levels they built with friends, or submit their masterpiece to be shared with the world

New block types

Richer multiplayer action

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks sets hero Link on a daring new adventure. The game provides players with a new story, more puzzles and even a new mode of transportation.

In this game, Link voyages by train, which offers up new possibilities for problem-solving. The game has the same look and feel established in the hit Nintendo DS game The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

Features

Link has a valuable new companion. While navigating dungeons, he’s accompanied by a Phantom, a hulking suit of armor that responds to his commands. Players can tap the Phantom to take command of him, then draw a line on the touch screen to direct him where to go. The stout Phantom can walk through fire or lava, be used as a platform to carry Link above dangers, or even run interference to block Link from harm

When Link conducts the train, players enjoy a satisfying combination of action and real-time puzzle solving as they determine which track to take and how to best manipulate their speed. When on the train, Link must plot the best route to the end of the line around ever-moving obstacles. While en route, Link might need to fire an onboard cannon at enemies who attack the train or sound the whistle to scare animals off the tracks

Link uses a variety of new items and weapons, including the Whirlwind, which players activate by blowing into the microphone of the Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi system

As with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, players can draw notes on the in-game maps using the stylus on the touch screen.

Delve deeper into the secret society of assassins with the sequel to the blockbuster action-adventure game. Assassin’s Creed 2 is an epic story of family, vengeance and conspiracy set in the pristine, yet brutal, backdrop of a Renaissance Italy. Ezio befriends Leonardo da Vinci, takes on Florence’s most powerful families and ventures throughout the canals of Venice where he learns to become a master assassin. This game retains the core gameplay experience that made the first opus a resounding success and features new experiences that will surprise and challenge players.

Features

EZIO, A NEW ASSASSIN FOR A NEW ERA — Ezio Auditore da Firenze is a young Italian noble who will learn the ways of the assassins after his family was betrayed and he looks to seek vengeance. He is a lady’s man, a free soul with panache yet has a very human side to his personality. Through him, you become a master assassin.

RENAISSANCE ITALY — Italy in the 15th century was less a country and more a collection of city-states where families with political and economic strength began to take leadership roles in cities like Florence and Venice. This journey through some of the most beautiful cities in the world takes place in a time in history where culture and art were born alongside some of the most auspicious stories of corruption, greed and murder.

A NEW-FOUND FREEDOM — You will be able to perform missions when you want and how you want in this open-ended world that brings back free-running and adds elements such as swimming and even flying to the adventure. The variety in gameplay adds another layer for you to truly play through the game any way you choose.

DYNAMIC CROWD — Discover a living, breathing world where every character is an opportunity for the player. Blending in with the crowd is easier, working with in-game characters provide ample rewards but can also lead to surprising consequences.

BECOME A MASTER ASSASSIN — Perfect your skills to become a master assassin where you brandish new weapons, learn to disarm enemies then use their weapons against them and assassinate enemies using both hidden blades.