In my last post I mentioned Heroes of Annihilated Empires. It has been so long since I last posted that I had to look up that game because I had no memory of ever playing the demo. Sadly it received a bad score. 

This is an exciting time for PC Gamers like myself. Bioshock, Call of Duty 4, Crysis, and Witcher all being released recently and Assassin's Creed coming out first quarter next year. I'd also like to give a mention to Timeshift. It didn't receive great reviews because of the storyline but everyone says it's fun because you get to kill people in so many different ways. I'll wait until the price drops and pick it up just to have some fun with that. Otherwise I'm not looking for a new FPS right now, I'd much rather purchase Witcher and play an RPG game. 
But wait, there's more!
PC gamers who either play very close attention or who do not have top of the line computers are seeing a new trend. This is a good thing despite what many of us (the non top-line computer owners) might think. The minimum requirements for video cards have just taken a step up. My former computer could have handled this increase, but not by much. Last Christmas, a year ago, I was fortunate enough to receive a new computer. The downside was I got it from my dad and that means it is not custom made (like my last computer). So, the dual-core processor was welcome, but the less powerful video card and power supply were not up to par. This was no problem until the recent increase in minimum, not recommended, requirements for PC computers. All the previously mentioned PC games require a better video card than was seen before.

THE GOOD!I finally have a reason to spend my Best Buy gift card I've been hanging on to. So, I'm upgrading to an xfx GEFORCE 8600 video card! The downside is I'm running with only 300W from my standard power supply. So, a month or two when I've got some real cash I'll upgrade that, but in the meantime I can continue to game with the rest of you. Witcher, here I come!

Where am I at with my gaming you might be asking? No? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

Right now I'm playing the free multiplayer demo for Wolfenstein. It's great considering it's free. Every now and then I find myself just needing to shoot something. That is to say, I have the desire to play an FPS. I also just recently finished the demo for Heroes of Annihilated Empires. It is getting very mixed reviews right now. I thoroughly enjoyed the demo and am looking forward to what kind of review Gamespot gives it once it is completed.

There is no one game that I'm really into at the moment. I'm looking forward to Assassin's Creed's release for the PC. Unfortunately that is so far off that I'll need something to fill the gap until it comes. Possibly the Heroes of AE game, Disciples III (I loved Disciples II), or maybe even an mmorpg like Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising. I'm not big into pay to play, BUT, I am big into Roman history.

I'm sure hundreds of blogs are out there talking about how wonderful Oblivion is... well I guess this is one more. Haha, only in part to be fair.

If you want to know how great or bad oblivion is, check the reviews. That is not what this is here for. I simply want to point out that whether you hate it or like it you should have the decency to admit that it is going to be considered one of, if not the, best RPG games of this year. (And years to come)

I remember reading a post in a forum from an Elder Scrolls fan. He was very die hard. He argued that too many people were praising Oblivion. He said that these people were not true fans. They had not played all three of the previous games.

Now, I see your point, anonymous poster, but you are wrong. Do I have to play every Mario game created on the NES and SNES to enjoy Mario 64? I believe this is a fair comparison. The evolution of Elder Scrolls has been almost as extreme.

Indeed I could go so far as to say that no new RPG's can be enjoyed without having played every single previous RPG. Obviously this is not true.

The vague point this inarticulate poster was probably trying to get at is that experience counts for something. A conductor can appreciate a concerto on a different level than the rest of us. Just as an author may find a particular book more interesting than average joe. The point is, the more you play, the more you are able to sift through the rocks and find the gold. Or... something like that.

P.S. I gave Oblivion a 9.7

This was a post I wrote in the Dungeons and Dragons Online forum. It can easily relate to all MMORPG games with monthly fees.

There are clearly two separate groups here. One has become accustomed to purchasing a game. The other has not. With pay 2 play you are not purchasing the game, you are purchasing the disk. Your monthly fee buys you time online. Some of us would rather purchase a game and not time.

WHY??

Not all of us are able to spend 48hrs+ a week on a game. I, like many others, believe pay 2 play is ridiculous because I am NOT getting my money's worth. For one person $15 may be a great trade off for the time they will spend. For others, like myself, $15 is just unreasonable. As a college student I need to focus on my studies. I'm not sure how much free time I'll have from one week to the next. Ideally playing online would be..... well okay ideally it would be free. Aside from that it would be like putting gas in your car. You put a certain amount in $$$ you get a certain amount out

Any reasonable person realizes that servers cost money. How much money? I'm certainly not an expert in this area but I can make a few simple calculations. Let's take FFXI for example. In may 2004 they posted a report stating that there were over 500,000 accounts. If each account had only one character, which most did not since at that time there were over 1,200,000 characters, the cost to the player would be approx. 12.95/month. Do the math and that comes up to...  $6,475,000 every month. Is THAT how much their servers are costing them? Somehow... I dout it.

I'm not saying monthly fees should be eliminated and I think anyone who says they should is being an idealist rather than a realist. I also believe, however, that $15/month is unethical. At its cheapest rate DDO will cost, "-Purchase a one year subscription for $143.40 ($11.95 per month)." as stated on the official website. Some say that is cheap some say expensive. I believe a compromise should be made.

Can anyone tell me why $5/m and an advertisement upon launch doesn't provide enough income to cover server costs? Isn't that what advertisements are for anyway? I propose reducing the cost to the customer by forcing them to sit through a 30sec advertisement at the launch and/or closing of a gaming session. Problem solved?

Guild Wars has potential to be the best mmo game to date. If it has all that they claim it has then we will see one of the best games ever for PC. Take Diablo 2, Lineage II, and FFXI and throw out anything crappy that any of them had. Then take all the good stuff from each and blend it into one massive online world. That is the quickest summary of what this game is supposed to be. Some call it a MMORPG and somewhat rightfully so, however the developers prefer to call it a CORPG. Competitive Online Role-Playing Game. You compete, that's the fun part. You do quests, follow story lines, and compete strategically in many different ways. In many ways it's like a first person shooter in that your level does not determine how strong you are, your strategy, skills, and ability to work well in a group determines if you're good or not. On average it takes about 40hours to max your level at 20. That is when the real fun begins. High level does not mean good character. Strategic thinking and a good player, make a good character.

First of all, I have to give a shout out to Rome Total War. The game is addicting and great! If you want more info I wrote a review along with many other gamespot fans.

My real intention was to promote Dungeon Lords. I read about it and was less than thrilled when I thought it was a Morrowind-Remix. Even if it was, that game was great, until you became a god. However, from the demo it appears that the main flaw in morrowind is not a problem in dungeon lords. You can do pretty much whatever you want with afew exceptions. I look forward to trying the multiplayer and presumably buying this game. Great fun! Closest thing to First-Person D&D I have seen to date.

So I looked into buying an online FPS for a long time. With so many new games on the market it was a tough decision. I narrowed my choices to Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, UT2k4, and Half-life 2. In the end I chose UT2k4. If you'd like to know why I didn't chose the others you can mail me, but for time purposes I won't mention them here. So far UT has not disappointed which is a major relief. Graphics and gamplay are outstanding. The many different modes in which to play make the replayability nearly infinite! Right now I'm looking into joining a clan. For anyone who plays online FPS I highly recommend researching and finding a reliable clan that will be around for a while. It makes everything so much more fun when you have a real sense of teamwork. You no longer just ignore your teamates deaths and calls for help. You have a real sense of purpose when you know who you're fighting with and for.

I give this game a 9.5/10

Great game with a few distracting flaws.

Pros: I was skeptical about the card based battle system, but man-o-man that's the best part of the game! The story is the typical save the world, but they do it with many unique twists and turns that'll keep you guessing if you stay long enough to enjoy them. Graphics are incredible and there are many hours of gameplay for which to enjoy.

Con: The voices! Blah! Change your settings to surround sound even if you don't have speakers because it gets rid of that horrible *speaking through a cardboard tube* feel that everyone hates so much. Aside from that the voice acting is something to be desired, though not altogether terrible.

If you enjoy RPG's and are looking for one on the GameCube, I HIGHLY recommend this game. I personally gave it a 9.3