I have been hearing so many good things about Crytek‘s newest game and spiritual successor to 2004’s sandbox shooter Far Cry that I decided to pick myself up a copy of Crysis and play it while I enjoy this wonderful Spring Break, especially having recently built myself a computer that can run it. With few exceptions, I did not have any trouble running the game at my LCD’s native resolution at 1680×1050 at high detail, but there were rare times when it felt like it wanted to destroy my computer.

The game is fun, I’ll just say. If you’ve played Far Cry and liked it, you’ll love this game because it is loads better. If you didn’t really care for Far Cry (I fit into this category), you’ll probably still love it because it is loads better. Honestly, they fixed so many things I had a problem with in Far Cry, not the least of which is the horrible voiceover acting. The story is quite well-done, even if it is a bit recycled, and the combat is just plain fun. There are a few times when an action of mine would trigger one of those blasted helicopters to hunt me down, but thankfully those times were rare. Finally, I need not mention the freaking awesome graphics. There isn’t a game out there now that can match them, and yes, it does cost a pretty penny to get the hardware to pump out visuals like that.

The only thing I can really make a legitimate complaint about is its length. It is way shorter than Far Cry and feels artificially shortened. Well, as it turns out, it is the first game in a trilogy. Frailty, thy name is Halo Syndrome. Nonetheless, if I had played Crysis in 2007, it would have been my number two game of the year. Definitely worth picking up.

I received a copy of Super Mario Galaxy for Christmas and have been playing it during the break between college semesters instead of worrying about studying or completing assignments (why does school have to begin again so soon?). Galaxy is the first 3D Mario game I have played since Super Mario 64, if we qualify that a bit by excluding Super Mario Sunshine, which I only played for about a half hour, and New Super Mario Bros., which is essentially 2D. Technicalities aside, the game feels like a solid successor to Mario 64, with the typical star collecting business and multiple ways to approach each level.

Continue reading Super Mario Galaxy Impressions →

I never would have guessed this day would come, when we would finally see new footage of Duke Nukem Forever, under development for over 10 years. However, it has arrived and Shacknews has the scoop. I’m kind of on the fence about it, since it is highly unlikely that after all these years the game will actually be as good as everyone thought it would be back in 2001 when we got the last glimpse of the game before the long, six-year media blackout. But, I hope to be surprised.

I got this game months ago for Nintendo DS, since I enjoyed the first game so much. Phoenix Wright: Justice For All is the second game in the Ace Attorney series and delivers an experience that comes very close to matching that of the first game, but ultimately falls short of accomplishing it.

The game is harder than the first, if only for the fact that the cases are lots more convoluted and “turnabout”-ish than ever before. Still, the character development is as strong as ever and Case 4, the final case in the game, is just about the finest case in the entire series to this point. Unfortunately between work, school, and other stuff it took me almost the entire year to complete the game, so it was a little difficult to keep up with the story. Nonetheless, it was awesome.

From what I have heard, Trials and Tribulations, the next game in the series, is awesome, so I am looking forward to getting started on that one sometime this holiday season.

I picked up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the newest installment in the franchise, last week after hearing many great things about it. I’m not exactly a fan of war shooters, and just about had my fix of WWII games after Call of Duty 2, so it was nice that this game took place in a contemporary setting. The game is fantastic; it gives a great impression of space and location, and there is a ton of variety to be had during gameplay.

I have not tried the multiplayer yet, but from what I hear, it is exceptional as well. This game is a serious contender for 2007’s Game of the Year award for me, and may actually have it, in my opinion. (It’ll have to compete with BioShock, for one.)