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I hope you’ve all had a
good Christmas and are enjoying the last few days of your
well-deserved holiday. This month I thought I’d follow up on
last month’s article, which mentioned Steam, the online
PC game client. As there are so many games out there, choosing
one or two to stick with can be difficult. I like to play PC
games in all genres and try out almost every new game as soon as
a demo is available - time permitting, of course!
From my recent experiences, here are what I consider are some of
the very best current PC games – some of which are available on
other platforms - in each main genre and why I chose them. As
there are several genres and limited space in Call Sign,
I will split this into two articles. Part 1 this month will
cover MMORPG, Single Player RPG, FPS and RTS. Part 2 next month
will cover Racing, Sports, Adventure and Casual.
I hope this helps you to find the right game out of the veritable
myriad of titles available, but I hasten to add: also check
other reviews on metacritic.com and similar websites.
Genre: MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game)
This is probably the most popular genre. with millions of
people playing against each other all the time. Whilst there are
quite a few great titles out there, my recommendation has got to
be World of Warcraft (aka WoW). Set in the fantasy
medieval Warcraft world of Azeroth, the player must choose to
join the Alliance or the Horde and gains experience (or XP)
through controlling their avatar around the world, whilst
completing quests and taking part in raids. The game world is
constantly being developed and provides the gamer with a
massive online world that you can freely roam. You can
choose one of many classes (ie warrior, rogue, mage, paladin,
druid etc) as well as race (human, elf, dwarf, goblin, draenei,
ogre etc).
The recently released Cataclysm expansion pack has altered
this online world considerably, providing players with new
challenges. If you like medieval role-playing with your friends,
then this is the game for you. The graphics are stunning, the
game is very immersive and addictive and there are over 11
million online players worldwide!
However, there is a sting in the tale – after buying the game you
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On behalf of all Call Sign gamers,
DaC’s Jon Winterburn asks… |
have to pay £8.50 per month to
play (as all content is hosted on the game developer Blizzard’s
servers). WoW is available on Windows and Mac.
Genre: Single player RPG (Role Playing Game)
If you’re not the social type or you’d rather just play a game
for a couple hours here and there on your own without the
commitment of arranging multiplayer raids, then a single-player
RPG might be more your thing. There are loads of
single-players RPGs out there, many of which are free. However,
in my experience the one that eclipses all of these is a
relatively recent release called Dragon Age: Origins.
This game is set in the mythical kingdom of Ferelden, during a
period of intense civil unrest. You can play as a warrior, rogue
or mage and you have to fight off the demonic powers and reunite
the torn kingdom. It’s based on Dungeons & Dragons and has a
very detailed, immersive storyline with amazing visuals and
hours of gameplay. I cannot recommend it enough and it’s also
available on XBOX 360 and PS3 (but I’m not sure about Mac). Best
of all, there are no monthly fees!
Genre: FPS (First Person Shooter)
Whilst the media hyperbole would have us believe that the only
shooter worth having is the overpriced Call of Duty: Black Ops
or its recent predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, I can
honestly say the gameplay of both bored me pretty quickly. As a
seasoned FPS gamer, I can heartily recommend a slightly older
but far superior title: Unreal Tournament 3: Black Edition.
I have played the Unreal series since they launched in 1999 and
I’ve spent in excess of 100 hours playing this edition. UT3, as
it is commonly known, provides you with the choice of single
player and multiplayer modes. The latter is fantastic, providing
you with hours of stress-relief, killing online opponents in a
crazy fast-paced, first-hand death fest! There are a number of
different game types |
available, to name a few: Deathmatch
(kill anything that moves), Team Deathmatch (Red team versus
Blue Team killing), Capture the Flag (a team-based game based on
the ancient Roman game), Vehicular Capture the Flag (CTF with
tanks, aircraft and the like).
I rate UT3 very highly; in fact it is my favourite game of
all-time! Whilst it is available on some consoles, I would not
recommend playing it with a controller – this game requires
extremely fast reflexes, consequently only players using a
keyboard and mouse standany chance of winning against the stiff
competition! I have my own public/private UT3 server, so feel
free to drop me an email if you would like to access it and
perhaps play against my friends and I some time!
Genre: RTS (Real-Time Strategy)
Not my personal favourite genre, but that doesn’t stop me
trying out the latest titles. I have to recommend two games here
because RTS games differ so much in theme. If you like building
civilisations and playing as God, then Sid Meier’s
Civilization V is the game of choice. As the latest
instalment in the Civilization series, this edition is great for
novice and experienced players alike and I found it easy to get
into. Essentially you start the game in an ancient time of your
choice (ie ancient Babylon) and you build your first settlement,
which you then grow through building, trade, politics and war
until your civilisation reaches the year 2050 - if you make it
that far without your people being wiped out!
However, if war is your thing, then R.U.S.E will be more up
your street. Based during WW2, the players have to develop
strategies to win battles and ultimately the game by using ruses
and tricks to change the outcome of battles and prove themselves
the superior power.
Both games provide you with single player and multiplayer modes.
R.U.S.E is for Windows only, but Civilization V is available on
both Windows & Mac.
If none of the above games take your fancy, be sure to check back
next month when I cover Racing, Sports, Adventure and Casual
genres. Thanks for reading, and happy gaming!
Jonathen Winterburn
DaC Network Administrator |
