Hitman: Contracts

Third-person sneak-em-up. You play as Agent 47, a shadowy hired hitman. On each level, you are required to kill several targets, or wreak other havoc. Stealth is the keyword, as you are to sneak in and out unnoticed. Getting 100% stealthy “Silent Assassin” rating unlocks weapon rewards. This is a more challenging puzzle than most games; it requires patience and thought, rather than reflexes to play. There are numerous methods of completing each level, cunning is required to finish.

Levels include England, several in Hong Kong, Rotterdam, Paris, an insane asylum, and a very disgusting level in a meat-packing plant.

Rush For Berlin

WWII Real Time Simulator, very similar to Codename Panzers

25 Levels, Players play as German, Russian, French and Allied. Units are assigned inbetween levels, but many levels have a Factory or Barracks, where additional units may be produced. This is the main difference between RFB and Codename Panzers. Each level has various special options, such as airstrike, artillery barrage or paradrop.

Rainbow Six: Lockdown

2005 Installment of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchise. Game is now first person shooter; your character, Ding Chavez, leads his counter-terrorist special-ops team through 16 levels to eliminate terrorists, save hostages and defuse bombs. Very good graphics, huge choice of weapons, (though the pistols are useless). Night and motion vision help spotting enemies. You follow a pre-scripted path through each level, like many other FPSs; no choice of route like in Splinter Cell. Very good game!

Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag

Drag racing game. Choose a body (can’t be changed in game), then bet and race. Race at morn, evening or night. Press W for gas, E for shift and N for nitro. That’s it—three keys to play. Boring as all get out. Race after race is the same. Between races, add performance or visual parts to car. Graphics are very good for 2002—the game’s only redeeming factor.

Flightgear

Opensource flight simulator compares very well with Flight Simulator 2004. Excellent graphics, world-wide scenery, many planes available, but not matching the # available for FS04. Clouds are actually better in this game. Well worth trying out.

Bloodrayne

Third Person Action game. Bloodrayne is ½ human ½ vampire. Game starts in Louisiana, where Bloodrayne is tasked with killing monsters. Then moves to Europe, where she takes on Nazis. Gameplay has limited value, in that it is excessively easy, especially if you use slow-motion vision. Kills are made using blades or firearms. Health is regained by “feeding” on victims…not for the squeamish!

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

Third-person sneak-em-up from Tom Clancy. Play as agent Sam Fisher as he tries to stop illegal arms smuggling and the breakout of WWIII. Graphics are good, gameplay is excellent. There are 10 levels; move through each level unnoticed, while hacking computers, planting bugs and finding hidden objectives. Limited choices of weapons, but they are little used. Nightvision, thermal vision and EMT vision are available for use. A refreshing change from First Person Shooters!

Call of Duty 2

WW11 shooter, Excellent graphics, many levels. Play as Russian, British and U.S. Gun action is realistic…(98k is VERY accurate, while M1 cannot be reloaded and ejects clip with a “ping”) . One best of the WW11 games 12 different levels, maps and terrain very good, one must follow preset path through each level. Most levels involve particular objectives, such as taking certain points or defending certain areas, or destroying tanks with charges. One level involves driving a tank, while on another you must spot for artillery. Saving system is horrible and irregular; the game decides where and when it saves progress. That is the only real defect though. They should have included the option to play as German though

SWAT IV

First person shooter with a twist–strict rules of engagement. You cannot shoot without yelling for surrender first, you get penalized for suspect “neutralizing” and cannot shoot hostages. This makes the game very difficult indeed. You must report all hostages released, suspects taken into custody, weapons dropped and officers down. Failure to do so loses points. Suspects must be asked to surrender first, and should be taken out non-lethally; but this is very difficult on later missions as they refuse to give up. Your 4 man squad likes to shoot first and ask questions later, costing you points, so you end up doing all the work for the mission.

Need for Speed Porsche Unleashed

 

1999, Most realistic car physics yet…cars travel at realistic speeds (which seem relatively slow), no bouncing off walls anymore! Cars are all Porsche. Detailed Porsche history and cars….Fine for Porsche lovers, but leaves us Lamborghini men out in the cold