Tag: Release year: 2009

Knights of the Chalice – Fireball, My Only Friend [Field Report]

Welcome to this report on Knights of the Chalice. This is not a true review, since I’m far from the ending, as the game seemingly looks to be huge, with plenty of monsters and evildoers needing vanquishing. Treat this more as an ongoing field report in appreciation of what this title offers. The way I’m playing it, it fits better as an audiobook companion (don’t judge me!) than a full RPG experience that requires your complete attention—even if it does need it for success in the hairiest situations. 

You see, this is a Dungeons and Dragons fighting simulator where the story only serves to take you from one challenging battle to the next. Knowledge of the DnD 3.5 ruleset is mandatory, or the orcs will make sheesh kebab out of your heroic group of adventurers before you even have time to unsheathe your sword.

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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising – Red Island Menace

Soldier, strap on your boots and load your rifle. The commies are looking for a fight! And this time, it’s not the North Koreans. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a really weird game. It’s a continuation of the classic Operation Flashpoint franchise, but now with Bohemia Interactive out of the picture. So, Codemasters decided to make their own version. The game has a slight schizophrenic feel to it, as it at times does feel like OPF of old. The engine used, and the scale and sandbox freedom is almost a carbon copy. In some places it’s improved upon, and works even better than Bohemia’s Arma series. For example, having units clearing buildings and shooting from windows. What makes it an oddity, is the console focus, and above all, the mission design.

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Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim – Monsters for Gold Economy

Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim is shockingly enough a sequel to Majesty, which is a game I have not played. From what I gather on the net, Majesty 2 is considered a decline from the first game. Since I have not played it, a direct comparison will be lost on me. So, with that in mind, Majesty 2 will be reviewed as a stand-alone title, and I can tell you right now – this is one of my favorite go-to games when I just want something cozy and familiar when in front of the computer. I have been playing it for years but never managed to finish it, until now that is. I felt it was time. No more falling at the finish line, and no more daemons mocking me in my sleep! This time the baron of hell was going to be sent back where he belongs, regardless of how many tries it would take me. And it sure did take me a couple.

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Halo Wars – The Need For War

Halo Wars was initially an Xbox 360-exclusive real-time strategy game, but for some years now it has been out for PC. While it’s an RTS in the classical sense, it is designed around being played with a controller, which could be considered one of the worst heresy when it comes to this genre. And I would agree if it was made for PC this way from the start, but as it is (and since I have played it on the 360 before) the controls work well considering. There is keyboard and mouse support for the PC version, but I’m set in my ways and used a controller this time around again. Before we start the review for real, I just want to clarify that this is one of my modern cozy go-to games when I want a relaxing RTS fix, so this review will be fairly biased in favor of it, even if I recognize it has faults. Halo Wars was made by Ensemble Studios, and it’s one of the last games they made, so while I love this title, it is a bittersweet feeling playing it.

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Dead Space: Extraction – Extract This!

Dead Space: Extraction is a rail shooter made by Visceral Games. It was released for the Wii, and Playstation 3 a few years ago. Since I don’t own any of these consoles I decided to play it on the PS3 emulator RPCS3 using a PS4 controller plugged into the computer. I had no issues at all, I didn’t even have to configure anything. It worked flawlessly right out of the box with the right buttons being presented on the screen for the tutorial stuff. The performance was also great with no visual glitches. So, while the gameplay isn’t much more than pointing, and pressing buttons to shoot aliens with the occasional reloading action, I got to say I had a grand time the few hours this game lasted.

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