MMO

If you’ve already pirated your own copy of Fallout 3, then you’re surely aware that the Xbox 360 version of Fallout 3 has been leaked. This is giving the pirates out there the one-up on all of the bugs and possible exploits the QA guys missed. Nobody likes a cheater, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Star Wars MMO, round two! LucasArts managed to completely destroy any redeeming concept that a MMORPG held in the Star Wars universe, with help from Sony Online Entertainment. Forget Star Wars Galaxies because a new Star Wars MMO has been announced and it’s going to take place in the time frame of Star Wars: The Knights Of The Old Republic.

Third World Farmer is a free, online simulator depicting life on an African farm. Originally developed by students in the IT University of Copenhagen, it evolved into its current form with input from professional gamers and relief agencies. The game puts you in charge of an African family who must farm to survive and earn money. Each turn of the game represents a year in which you must plant crops, raise livestock, avoid dodgy foreign investors, survive wars and somehow raise enough money to feed yourself, educate the kids and purchase medicines.

As the hype for "GTA IV" continues to grow and reviews scream perfection, some speculate that the game will put a dent in Marvel Studios' opening weekend box office for "Iron Man."

"GTA IV" is the ninth incarnation of a video game in which the user acts as a criminal roaming a city. The series has faced criticism for being too violent, because users are allowed to beat, stab, shoot and kill citizens and police officers. "Iron Man" is a movie based on the Marvel comic book superhero who creates an impressive suit of armor to save his life and help save the world.

Control everything. "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" gives you an unprecedented level of gameplay choice, including, for the first time, control over the game's direction and outcome. Choose how Spider-Man fights, which powers to upgrade, who in the Marvel Universe to fight with or against, and the fate of New York City itself.

The new Wolfenstein game "provides gamers with an assortment of interlinked missions that drive an intense, story-driven combat experience."

We spoke about High Voltage Software’s The Conduit a while back. Since then, the game has shaped up quite nicely as seen in these IGN gameplay videos. The control and visuals look pretty slick, and even hearkens back, to me, to Perfect Dark. There will be much more to see at E3 for this Wii exclusive.

Even though it lacked the James Bond theme, Perfect Dark on the N64 was a pretty great follow-up to the amazing Goldeneye. One of the game’s features we particularly liked was that it kept a running total of everything from the body count, to the miles we ran, to how many bullets we fired. It really helped put our Summers spent on the couch in perspective.

Generally, video games are made up of specific rules and boundaries. The player then goes through the game bound by these guidelines. You are essentially working through a prescribed regimen that the developers have set out for you. Whether you are shooting bad guys to save the hostages, fighting monsters to escape a dungeon, or building an army to conquer an opponent, you are basically playing a game in the very limited way it is meant to be played.

Turn-based, tabletop war games have been around since well before I was born, some 28 years ago. Until the explosion of the internet and massively multiplayer games, turn-based videogames have mostly been single-player games relying on number crunching and computer AI, with the occasional game allowing a few additional players to join the fun. The Fall of Rome has changed this and introduced old school turn-based war gaming to the internet masses while adding some rpg elements to the picture. This may sound like a recipe for disaster, but as you will find out, this is anything but true.