12/04/2009 : Following on from the success of their first game, underground developer Forzenbyte has returned with a spin-off. Titled Shadowgrounds: Survivor, this game isn’t a direct sequel, but takes place more or less parallel to the original game. This time the player gets to control three new characters and experience their story and how they deal with the attack on Ganymede. Test de Shadowgrounds Survivor sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Kings Bounty: The Legend is a deceptively simple game. While you will be up and playing in moments the game does hide a level of complexity beneath its colorful surface and it will take you some time to truly master the gameplay. But this time will be well worth your effort as the gameplay, especially during the combat screens, is where KB:TL is at its best. Test de King's Bounty : the Legend sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Maximum Sequel. We’re in a crisis about Warhead. Crysis lands with the force of a nuclear bang! Wit aside; the facts. Crytek’s high-end FPS finally reached PC’s last year. Toted as the best looking game to date, the tropical island-based spiritual successor to FarCry managed to succeed in its aims: stunning visuals, sandbox gameplay and a tendency to bring graphic cards to their knees. Crysis ended on a cliff-hanger and the developers made it clear that this was a trilogy. Ten months on and Crysis: Warhead awaits our perusal. Test de Crysis Warhead sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Ever since my trip to EA’s Los Angeles headquarters, I’ve been patiently waiting for the title they went through so much trouble to show us: Red Alert 3. We got a first look at how the game was made, who was making it, and playtest the multiplayer while it was still in alpha (pre-beta). It was an experience I won’t soon forget, but the full game is perhaps just as memorable. Test de Command and Conquer : Red Alert 3 sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Despite what you may think of the Indie gaming scene, they do actually do quite well for themselves, and just like their multi-millionaire counter-parts, they're capable of releasing sequels. Birth of America 2: Wars in America is the follow on game from AGE Online Distribution's original Birth of America title. Covering a period of history that isn't often covered in videogames, even historical videogames, Birth of America two lets you play as either side in the various wars that occurred in America between 1636 and 1815, although the official time line is 1750 – 1815. Games of this genre and period tend to only focus on the revolution, as the British Colonial period before that may not necessarily appeal to the entire market. So it's actually quite nice to see that the time period is being more extensively explored in videogames. Test de Birth of America 2: Wars in America sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Get ready to break free from Vault 101 and explore the post-apocalyptic world of Capital Wasteland. Bethesda is ready to reintroduce the gaming world to Fallout and boy is it an amazing experience. While the world isn’t as colorful as say Katamari Damacy, it’s at least an equally beautiful game with its rundown and hazardous environments. So let’s dig deep into one of the most satisfying games of 2008. Test de Fallout 3 sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : On the front of Worldshift’s box are your typical gaming buzzwords. “Strategic – Epic – Immersive.” There’s pretension involved when publishers slap journalistic terms on their own box, after all, we’ll be the judge of such claims. Worldshift is the latest game from Black Sea Studios. Their first game was the relatively unknown PC title, Knights of Honor. Four years later and a lot has changed. Broadband has fielded a want for an ever-connected gaming experience and casual gaming is in full swing. Rejuvenation was needed if Black Sea Studios were serious about presenting a modern ‘epic, strategic, immersive’ experience. Worldshift had been in open-beta up until May when the studio was acquired by Crytek (the minds behind Crysis), rebranding itself as Crytek Black Sea. It all went quiet until a retail copy arrived out of the blue with the announcement that the UK / English language version had been released. Promising a blend of old school RTS’ing and next gen connectivity is Worldshift the next step in PC gaming? Test de WorldShift sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : We love the smell of war games in the morning. Reality aside, warfare makes for a brilliant video gaming setting. Whether it’s the Romans, the fall of the British Empire, the American War of Independence or the age old favourite World War I / II, conflict has occupied the gaming populace since the beginning of time. It’s hardly surprising when you consider the inherent want for destruction brooding in every human being. Being able to replay history quells any shouts of “If I was in charge, I’d have noticed Hitler.” Here’s your chance to do that. Most WWI / II games give you specific units, scenarios and historical recreations and asks you to either replicate the tactical prowess of the allied / axis forces or change history. Aggression: Reign Over Europe gives you a setting (early twentieth century Europe) and a choice of countries with the aim being war. Test de Aggression: Reign over Europe sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : “After there is a great trouble among mankind, a greater one is prepared. The great mover of the universe will renew time, rain, blood, thirst, famine, steel weapons and disease. In the heavens, a fire seen.” We admit, quoting Nostradamus is lazy, but when you have a man churning out such sentiment it isn’t surprising that there’s a game to his name. Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy is the latest game courtesy of Lighthouse Interactive. Belief and Betrayal and the Lost Crown have shown that there’s still space in the twenty-first century for the adventure game. Developed by French developers Kheops Studio, Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy weaves a story around history’s most famous predictor. Test de Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Dimensity. Oddly spelt name? Check. A blend of ‘x’ genre with RPG elements? Check. Generic fantasy universe and plot? Check. A mere glance at the back of Dimensity’s box will provide the consumer with enough information. Put together by Dagger Games, the Bulgarians are attempting to get a piece of the action. It’s the debut game from the 2002 formed studio and it is taking the phrase ‘play it safe’ to a whole new level. The best way to describe Dimensity is via cooking. Take a base of Warcraft 3, throw in a shinier graphics engine, reduce the amount of scale and put it in the oven for thirty minutes. Test de Dimensity sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Blizzard teased Diablo fans earlier this year to an impressive degree. All it took was 30 minutes of gameplay and sales of Diablo 1 and 2 skyrocketed. A new generation of gamers is preparing itself to hack and slash their lives away. Why is this relevant for a review of Ascaron’s Sacred 2: Fallen Angel? The reason being, if you find yourself trawling the web for an unseen piece of Diablo concept art, it would be more productive if you directed your efforts towards Sacred 2. Test de Sacred 2 : Fallen Angel sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : The developer is no stranger when it comes to armed conflict but this is the first time they’ve had to go medieval and break out the whetstones. While the very insinuation of The Lord of the Rings is big epic battles, rousing speeches and hobbits saving the realm, Pandemic have tried to capture this dramatic chaos in the same style Battlefront offered a glimpse into the galactic struggle for Star Wars. Conquest offers all the iconic locations of the three films to battle as either the forces of good or evil as you seek to free or enslave middle-earth. Test de The Lord of the Rings : Conquest sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Earlier in the year you'll remember that Strategy Informer got a sneak peak of the new Lord of the Rings Online Expansion, Mines of Moria, as it was doing its UK 'tour'. Since then, this latest addition to the Tolkien based MMO has been through a BETA stage, before finally getting released last month. True to form, Turbine have taken the next chapter of their own Lord of the Rings experience, and crafted it into a form that's well worth spending the time and money on. Still, it must be noted that this expansion is mainly aimed at the high end players, and so there is little extra incentive for new people to get involved, bar two extra classes and some other general tweaks. Test de The Lord of the Rings Online : Mines of Moria sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : People often forget about the Indie gaming scene. Just because a company isn't Creative Assembly or EA, doesn't mean the games made by these small time developers aren't quality titles in their own right. Turkish-based TaleWorld's début game Mount & Blade is one such quality title. Set in a fictional fantasy realm that refreshingly lacks the trade mark elf or magic, the game has you and your character start from a humble beginning until you decide the fate of kingdoms... Sort of. Whilst one can become pretty influential in the game, for reasons only the developer knows, there's no way to actually become King or anything, but you can get pretty close. Test de Mount & Blade sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : What can we say about Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Madagascar 2) the videogame that you won’t have already figured out for yourself? Where Kung Fu Panda was a pleasant surprise - albeit a minor one - Madagascar 2 is your typical movie tie-in. In other words, shamefully inept rubbish. So, what does it do wrong? Practically everything. What immediately strikes you when you start up the game are the shoddy graphics, which give Madagascar 2 a rough, unfinished last-gen look. Next you’ll notice the disjointed piecemeal structure, which only adds insult to injury. You’re never allowed to focus upon one single task for more than five minutes as you’re pulled from pillar to post from one mini-game to the next, collecting crappy coins to the sound of King Julien's irritating voice as he guides you through each increasingly irritating, puddle-shallow quest. Test de Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Imagine yourself in Ancient Rome and you’ve paid for Gladiatorial combat seats. One of the fighters puts in a mediocre display and the vote comes down to you. Thumbs up, they live. Down, they’re condemned to death. It’s a tad drastic to compare such a situation to whether Vae Victis is worth your cash, but its contextualisation offers an interesting dilemma. In the modern era with the credit crunch hitting hard and the large amount of games that are currently on the market / due to hit it, an informed choice has never been more important. Test de Europa Universalis: Vae Victis sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Hurrah! Autumn Moon Entertainment’s latest game has finally hit stores. Why is this important? Well, it’s a clear sign that the adventure genre lives. Autumn Moon’s made up of old Lucas Arts employees who hold a common view that the adventure game is still a viable development choice. 2008 has shown that the genre is still alive and kicking, but the actual standard of games has left a question mark hovering over its future. Episodic gaming is more prevalent in adventure gaming than any other genre and A Vampyre Story is the latest fresh I.P. to hit the scene. Test de A Vampyre Story sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : Weeeeellllcommme baaaack! It is so much easier to rock out when you have a good microphone, which is an important tool as Strong Bad returns to the adventure game scene with Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People: Epidoes 3, Baddest of the Bands. I’m fairly sure they choose titles based on how long it takes to type it. Test de Strong Bad s Cool Game for Attractive People : Baddest of the Bands sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : What do you get when you put zombies, required cooperative gameplay, cinematic design and an intelligent AI engine together? You get perhaps the best shooter of the year. Welcome to Left 4 Dead. Test de Left 4 Dead sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
12/04/2009 : The Lich King is the big cheese behind the legions of scourge undead and now that he’s awakened he wants Azeroth stone cold. If you’re a follower of Blizzard’s real-time strategy series Warcraft then it’s likely you’ll know all about the underhanded dealings of the scourge. One major difference that’s evident throughout this expansion to the icy realm of Northrend is the leap in theatrics and storytelling. The quests themselves are more varied and it’s now quite common to find specially scripted events between the more common kill and loot ones. Test de World of Warcraft : Wrath of the Lich King sur PC, chez Strategy Informer.
