Air Force News :: Recreation

The girls on patrol in 007 Nightfire

Chance to win

The Gamesman has a copy each of Medieval: Total War, 007 Nightfire and Medal of Honor: Spearhead to give away.
Entries should be e-mailed to ADFgamesmen@telstra.com with the name of the game you would like to win in the subject line.
Only one entry per person please as subsequent entries will be discarded.
Include your full name and mailing address in the e-mail or your entry won’t be accepted.

Congratulations

to our recent Battlefield 1942 winner – T Strong, Mt Macedon, Vic.

You’ll at least have a fighting chance in Medieval: Total War.

It’s Christmas
- if you’re game

It’s that time of year again. All of the long-awaited releases have started hitting store shelves as gamers splurge for their Christmas holiday entertainment. In fact there are so many games released at this time of year it is hard to know where to start, particularly if you are dropping hints to Santa’s little helpers.

This edition we take a look at what is out this Christmas and, as usual, empty the shelf for the year with a few giveaways.

Medieval: Total War
http://www.totalwar.com
Activision http://www.activision.com

When Shogun: Total War was released a couple of years ago it revolutionised 3D strategy gaming. The team at The Creative Assembly somehow beat the limitations of system performance and allowed epic battles in 3D with thousands of Japan’s finest carving each other up during the height of the Shogun era.

The same team has delved further into its creative prowess and the sequel, Medieval: Total War, has been released in time for the holidays. As the name suggests this game puts players in charge of vast armies marching for conquest across Europe and North Africa.

Like the original, the game is played in essentially two parts; a strategic level and a tactical-level battle screen. Players will get the most enjoyment attempting to manoeuvre the large, slow and unwieldy formations around the field.

In this area it is easy to see the level of complexity in the AI scripting. The AI enemy will judge every move, commit his reserve at exactly the right point and on many occasions leave your finest units sprawled all over the field. The one thing this game taught me is the shock value of a carefully concealed heavy cavalry unit descending into the fray en masse as many enemy units turn and run at the mere sight of them.

The strategic level of the game really shines when the player adopts the role of one of history’s great medieval warriors. Joan of Arc, Richard the Lionheart and William Wallace lead the popularity race but players have 12 factions to pick. Playing as the Christians and launching into the Holy Crusades or choosing to command the vast Arabic Muslim forces and waging a jihad are just two of the game’s many options.
Medieval: Total War requires at least a PII350 or equivalent, 128MB RAM 16MB 3D video card with Direct X 8.1 and 1.7GB of hard drive.

Medal of Honor: Spearhead http://www.ea.com/eagames/ official/moh_alliedassault/home.jsp
EA Games http://www.eagames.com.au

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was one of the great successes of 2002 so it is little wonder that an expansion pack was on its way. Medal of Honor: Spearhead requires the original game to play. It adds nine new single-player levels to the game as well as 12 new multi-player maps.

The new expansion also introduces some new unit’s to the mix, including the sky warriors of the British 1st Airborne Regiment.

There is nothing really new to offer in terms of gameplay ... Spearhead just adds more levels and different weapons to the mix. This is not such a bad thing as the original was such a success but some will see little value for money in it.

007 Nightfire http://www.007.com.au/index.php
EA Games http://www.eagames.com.au

Timed to coincide with the latest of the Bond films, Die Another Day, 007 Nightfire is the secret agent’s biggest foray into the world of PC gaming.

In this game players take on the role of James and using many of “Q’s” great toys blast their way through nine major levels.

As befits its heritage, virtual babes abound and the evilest of Bond’s foes reappear throughout the game. While single-player is OK the game is basically just another online shooter offering 15 gaming areas with up to 32 people battling out through the standard deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture-the-flag options.

Very much a chance to cash in on what is sure to be a popular movie (the Madonna film clip is enough to get me hooked), 007 Nightfire is still fun despite being another in the long line of theme-based shooters released. 007 Nightfire requires at least a PIII500 or equivalent, 128MB RAM, 32 MB 3D video card and 675MB Hard drive space.

Step out of Bond’s tux and into Cate Archer’s hotpants and you will get the general gist of No One Lives Forever 2. It’s a great mix of ’60s spy thrills wrapped into a far more complex and ultimately enjoyable game. Cate is a superspy extraordinaire and as such this game is really about enjoying the single-play adventure.

Multi-play is an option but the single-play story does such a good job of sucking a player into its world that I think it will be a while before anyone logs on for a few rounds of multi-play.

A far more convincing heroine than Lara ever was, Cate Archer will become the new deity for computer geeks everywhere.

Age of Mythology http://www.microsoft.com/games/ageofmythology/greek_home.asp
Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com

The third iteration in the “Age of” series has just hit the streets after a long period of teasing fans at trade shows such as E3. As the name suggests, Age of Mythology allows the player to take control of some of history’s greatest civilisations with a little help from the gods of the time. Greek, Norse and Egyptian civilisations are available with all of their fantastic history.

Like the previous versions, Age of Mythology retains the strong emphasis on empire building but retains enough action to keep even the most diehard carnage fan interested.

Combat Flight Simulator III http://www.microsoft.com/games/ combatfs3/
Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com

Microsoft must be doing something right when it comes to flight simulations. They are never the most technically accurate but are always at that point when hardcore sim enthusiasts end up buying them because they are so much fun.

The third game in the Combat series takes virtual pilots back to Europe but this time introduces some of the aircraft that were in development at the close of the war. Reminiscent of the amazing (for its time) Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, Combat Flight Simulator III has already taken the US market by storm. The game has undergone a major rebuild and veterans of the series will appreciate the aesthetic and technical changes from the last version.

High on my wish list following Pacific Theatre was a co-op multi-play function and to my surprise it has been included – enough to get me to buy it out of principle.

Whether it becomes a force in the online sim community remains to be seen but casual virtual-pilots will love the Microsoft simplicity.

X-Box Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell http://www.splintercell.com
Ubi Soft Entertainment http://www.ubisoft.com

Played from a third-person over-the-shoulder view Splinter Cell is a cross between the famous Tom Clancy inspired Rainbow Six series and the stealth shooter Metal Gear Solid.

Console gamers used to hand-pad control will be able to jump straight in but those of us more used to a WASD and mouse control set-up are in for some early failures as Splinter Cell is extremely technical. If you are lucky enough to have an Xbox or Santa brings you one this is a must-have title ... I’ll just have to wait for a PC version.

The Gamesman and its giveaways would not be possible without the great support of Australia’s gaming companies. To the guys at Ubi Soft, Activision, GameNation, EA Games Australia, Take 2 Interactive, Guillemot, Spin Communications/Microsoft, Battlefront and Vortigern Strategic Software thanks for your continued support. To readers, Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year.