PC & Mac Games: Dec 18, 2009

Ultimate Games for Girls 4 -bundle

Paws & Claws Pet Vet

Fetch!

Let's Ride: Silver Buckle Stables

Nancy Drew: The Curse of Blackmoor Manor

Friday, December 18, 2009

Logitech ChillStream Gamepad for PC (963435-0403)

By K. Dennis "theskibum" (Montana) - reviews

So this controller looked pretty sweet to me so I bought it over a rumble pad. I liked the idea of fans for wicking away sweat, as I tend to get pretty white knuckled on my controllers. I bought this controller specifically for Star Wars Battlefront 2 on PC, and it works like a dream. I also like the X-Box controller layout (offset anolog sticks and more ergonomic) than the PS2 style controller that is the Logitech Rumble pad. It also has better grips than a PS2 controller.

The only things I think are bad about it are the following:

1. It is not modeled on the large XBox controller, but rather the regular one, which is ok for most people, but I have big hands and I get a bit cramped up if I play for way too long.

2. I was slightly dissapointed with the lack of custimization software available with this pad. I have a Saitek Cyborg EVO joystick that you can create custom profiles for every game you want to use it with then set that profile before launching the game. This isn't an issue with Battlefront 2 since it has a very excellent in game control configurator, but I could see where if a game didn't have as good an interface (or maybe older games) this pad could suffer in this regard.

3. This isn't so much an issue for me, but I would assume that with a lot of game play and turning on and off of the fan, that the fan motor will likely die sooner than the pad will wear out. I don't care too much, because the fan is more a novelty to me than anything. I will still use it even if it does die.

Overall, a great controller, I actually would give it a 4.5 rating, but that isn't an option here.

7 Wonders of the Ancient World Game for PC

By John M. Roberts "John Roberts Bible reader" (Kansas City, USA) - reviews

First I have to say that this is the best game out on the market right now. Jewel Quest is great and Luxor is cool, but 7 Wonders of the Ancient World is top shelf!!! This game actually allows you to go to the actual 7 wonders of the world and gives you a history lesson in the midst of your fun. You actually get to see the workers building the wonders right before your eyes as you progress through the game. Which gives you more satisfaction because this gives you a greater participatory factor in that what you are doing is either building or not building these ancient wonders. I highly recommend this game to everyone!!!

The Sims 3

The Sims 3 lets you immerse truly unique Sims in an open, living neighborhood just outside their door! The freedom of The Sims 3 will inspire you with endless possibilities and amuse you with unexpected moments of surprise and mischief. Your Sims can roam throughout their neighborhood, visit neighbors’ homes, and explore the surroundings. They can stroll downtown to hang out with friends, meet someone new at the park, or run into colleagues on the street. If your Sims are in the right place at the right time, who knows what might happen?! New easy-to-use design tools allow for unlimited customization to make truly individual Sims. Determine your Sims’ shape and size, from thin to full-figured to muscular—and everything in between! Choose your Sims’ facial features, their exact skin tone, hair eye shape and color and select their clothing and accessories. Create realistic Sims with distinctive personalities. Select from dozens of personality traits and combine them in fun ways. The combination of traits you choose—brave, artistic, loner, perfectionist, klepto, romantic, clumsy, paranoid, and much, much more—help shape the behavior of your Sims and how they interact with other Sims. Your Sims can now rise above their basic set of every day needs. They are complex individuals with unique personalities. Build your dream house or design the ultimate home. Customize everything from floors to flowers, shirts to sofas, wallpaper to window shades. It’s fun and easy to change colors and patterns giving you endless personalization options. Or you can populate your Sims’ neighborhood with pre-designed buildings and furnishings. Which of your Sims will live in high-end mansions, cool bachelor pads, ultimate dream homes or low-cost cottages?

World of Goo

By A Gamer - reviews

This is a puzzle type game unlike any other. You basically work against the laws of gravity and physics while trying to get your balls of goo from point A to point B by building structures with them. The imagination and creativity that went into this game is unbelievable. The 2D graphics are gorgeous and the music, atmospheric. Although somewhat vague, there is a story that ties the puzzles together and it adds some humor to the events that unfold as you progress, especially toward the end. This is a game that has to be played to be fully understood because it is hard to describe. I thoroughly enjoyed this and didn't want it to end. I still go back and play some of my favorite levels.

One final note: This ia a computer friendly game. Easy to install, small file size and most importantly, no DRM.

Civilization 4: Gold Edition

By Ryall Mack Cowling "Celtic Chieftain" (Adelaide, Australia) - reviews

I played this on a 15" 2009 Macbookpro running OSX 10.5.7

Outstanding historical strategy - it gets no better than this.

Works well with latest macs, few issues.

Pros:

Great Music and graphics.

Incredible attention to detail in research and buildings.

Several ways to win, Multiplayer modes, expansion pack included in one disc.

No serial number required.

Cons:

Some graphical glitches. (world leaders faces transparent)

Disc required in drive for play. Disc images/Backups don't work.

Age of Mythology (Mac)

By J. E. WELKER (Houston, TX USA) - reviews

We bought this game for my son's birthday. It was not expensive and sort of a whim purchase. The game out of the box requires Rosetta (it's not a Universal binary), but if you apply the free patch from their website, it will upgrade the game to a Universal binary. This makes the game much more stable and enjoyable to play.

We had purchased Civ IV: Warlords and this game; my son has hardly even touched Civ IV since we bought this.

Prey

By L. Melledy "funstraw" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - reviews

I haven't played an FPS in a while and when I had some free time I downloaded the trial and what sold me was the multiplayer which you can play for free. The demo had 2 MP maps but the full version has 12. Most of the MP maps are 5 star. The only downside is finding a multiplayer game online is discouraging but findable. Usually there are a few people playing but when there is not I join a server then in a minute or two people start joining. Makes you think people are ot playing but they will join soon. the solo mission is really good. the demo of the solo mission has a lot of cut scenes and the levels seem small but once you get past that point on the full version there are some very clever map puzzles to figure out. It could be a bit longer on the SP.

Retrolink USB Nintendo NES Classic Controller

By Deimos "Rock Fan" (Alberta) - reviews

This will bring back all those great memories while you play your NES roms and other gamnes using the best, most comfortable controller in existance. Being able to use it with my NES roms is icing on the cake, live on NES!

Age Of Empires III

By Jessica M. Landreth - reviews

This far surpasses Ages of Empire II. This is the game update that should happen for the previous game.

Patience is key, and a few spare hours do not hurt much, either.

I'm more glad I bought this (and waited for it) for MAC than PC.

This game was worth every penny, and even my husband, who is hard to impress, was kinda impressed by how smooth everything played. You really have to admire 17th & 18th century warfare to LOVE this game. A little knowledge about who was ally and who was enemy makes the game all the more fun.....

Enjoy!!

Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game

A Kid's Review

I am 8 years old and I got Crazy Machines for my Birthday. This is the best game in the world but if you don't like complicated things you won't this game. The four main things are fire, rope, electronics,and the next one I will let you discover. You can either build your own machine or you can figure out problems that may seem hard but after you've done them awhile they are easy. Some of the things that you can build with are boards, balls, robots, cannons, goo, blimps, cords, gravity controlers, scissors, tubes, and plants. Buy this game and have tons of fun!

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare <-Buy it Now !

By Matthew R. Howard "vincent price" - reviews

It's tricky writing (and reading) reviews for Mac games. If you want to know if the game's worth playing, there are multitudes of reviews for all the platforms on which it's featured. So far, and I've put maybe 4 hours into the game, it's a solid port. If you want to know if COD 4 is worth playing, there's plenty of evidence out there that yes, yes it is.

If you want to know if you can run the thing, let me just say that if you have one of the new round of Macs, it will run easily and beautifully. I've got the 2.4 ghz model, but according to benchmarks, there's not a huge difference between it and the 2.0 as far as frame rate goes. The install itself is so simple I almost thought they were putting me on. They were not, and I just dragged the folder from the CD onto my hard drive. Twenty minutes or so later I was playing the best-looking game I've ever seen.

Multiplayer works awesome, and the fact that you can play against PC nerds is kind of mind-boggling to me. There are always games. And people are very, very good.

I've been using a Mac for 6 years now, this is my second laptop, and the idea that I can buy a modern game that a lot of folks are still playing and run it so well on such a thin and lovely machine makes me a little giddy inside.

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Buy it Now !

Continue the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

Featuring a single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II presents a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in a sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard offers online play through Battle.net with several enhancements and features to make StarCraft II even better.

Risen

By Miles Jacob (Laguna Beach, CA United States) - reviews

This game's world--settlements, forests, swamps, caves, and ruins--gets right everything that the "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion", "Fallout 3", "Knights of the Old Republic", "Fable", "Mass Effect", "Neverwinter Nights" and so many other role-playing games in recent memory get wrong.

Every nook and cranny in "Risen" is uniquely designed and fun to explore, while still fitting into the larger shapes and patterns of the world. The entire game is a SINGLE three dimensional space to explore and conquer, there are no loading screens that transport you into separate "cave" or "dungeon" or "building interior" universes.

Every townsperson or monster or treasure chest or lockpick combination was created and placed to test your skill, not to waste your time. The complex interlinking of characters and quests require that the player pay attention and make choices with incomplete knowledge and only her own moral compass as a guide, not simply to choose "good, evil, neutral" responses by rote in order to dress up their character the way they want.

This was the sort of RPG I imagined a 3D engine would make possible back when I was playing "Quest for Glory" or "Baldur's Gate" and it has finally arrived. Do not miss it!