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VE3D Reviews List
Titan Quest Review
Jul 10, 2006 at 3:45 PM - -
0 Comments
I'll just get this out of the way now -- Titan Quest is a lot like Diablo. This isn't a comparative essay between the two games, however, so I promise not to drop the "D" word again.
Jul 10, 2006 at 3:45 PM - -
0 Comments
I'll just get this out of the way now -- Titan Quest is a lot like Diablo. This isn't a comparative essay between the two games, however, so I promise not to drop the "D" word again.
SiN Episodes: Emergence Review
Jun 05, 2006 at 4:15 PM - - 0 Comments
Once upon a time, our choices in 3D first-person shooters were rather limited. There was Quake, and um, Quake. That was pretty much it. Okay, there were a few more options than that, but you get the idea.
Jun 05, 2006 at 4:15 PM - -
0 Comments
Once upon a time, our choices in 3D first-person shooters were rather limited. There was Quake, and um, Quake. That was pretty much it. Okay, there were a few more options than that, but you get the idea.
Half-Life 2: Episode One Review
Jun 02, 2006 at 2:56 PM - - 0 Comments
Half-Life 2: Episode One - the first of a trilogy - is Valve's debut into the world of episodic content. Episodic what? Just think of them as expansion packs released every six months or so that cost around $19.95 each. At first, I wasn't sold on the idea either, but after playing a couple of them (SiN Episodes and now this) I'm warming up to the concept. They might not be full-length games, but neither are expansion packs. SiN took me around seven hours to complete and HL2: Episode One kept me busy for over five hours. It's rare for present-day first-person shooters to boast more than around twelve hours of content, so the price point is right on target. One of the attractions is the ability to purchase and download them online, but for folks without high-speed connections, boxed editions can be purchased from your local geek shops for the same price, if not less.
Jun 02, 2006 at 2:56 PM - -
0 Comments
Half-Life 2: Episode One - the first of a trilogy - is Valve's debut into the world of episodic content. Episodic what? Just think of them as expansion packs released every six months or so that cost around $19.95 each. At first, I wasn't sold on the idea either, but after playing a couple of them (SiN Episodes and now this) I'm warming up to the concept. They might not be full-length games, but neither are expansion packs. SiN took me around seven hours to complete and HL2: Episode One kept me busy for over five hours. It's rare for present-day first-person shooters to boast more than around twelve hours of content, so the price point is right on target. One of the attractions is the ability to purchase and download them online, but for folks without high-speed connections, boxed editions can be purchased from your local geek shops for the same price, if not less.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review
Apr 05, 2006 at 8:53 AM - - 1 Comment
I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't a big fan of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. In fact, I didn't even like the game. With that said, I love Oblivion. It's hard to pin down exactly why I enjoy the Elder Scrolls IV so much (I'm still playing after I won, believe it or not). Was it the graphics? The gameplay? The quests? The thirst for a decent role playing game after so many years of drought? Perhaps it was the open-ended gameplay and massive gameworld? Regardless of what it was, Oblivion met and even beat my expectations.
Apr 05, 2006 at 8:53 AM - -
1 Comment
I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't a big fan of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. In fact, I didn't even like the game. With that said, I love Oblivion. It's hard to pin down exactly why I enjoy the Elder Scrolls IV so much (I'm still playing after I won, believe it or not). Was it the graphics? The gameplay? The quests? The thirst for a decent role playing game after so many years of drought? Perhaps it was the open-ended gameplay and massive gameworld? Regardless of what it was, Oblivion met and even beat my expectations.
Perfect Dark Zero Review
Feb 22, 2006 at 2:22 AM - - 1 Comment
Older players may remember the adventures of Joanna Dark on the Nintendo64 in "Perfect Dark." Well, add a few zeroes to Rare's bottom line, sell them to Microsoft and we have "Perfect Dark Zero", a launch title for the Xbox 360. The interface is rather spiffy, as is the overall presentation. The single player isn't bad by any means, it's just hampered by an ancient save game / checkpoint system that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
Feb 22, 2006 at 2:22 AM - -
1 Comment
Older players may remember the adventures of Joanna Dark on the Nintendo64 in "Perfect Dark." Well, add a few zeroes to Rare's bottom line, sell them to Microsoft and we have "Perfect Dark Zero", a launch title for the Xbox 360. The interface is rather spiffy, as is the overall presentation. The single player isn't bad by any means, it's just hampered by an ancient save game / checkpoint system that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
Project Gotham Racing 3 Review
Feb 01, 2006 at 3:33 AM - - 1 Comment
Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing 3 is hands down the best Xbox 360 launch title. Much like the first two iterations of the series, PGR 3 mixes racing with other driving events like time trials, speed traps and earning 'kudos' by sliding around doing tricks. The bottom line is if you dug the first two games, you're gonna feel right at home here.
Feb 01, 2006 at 3:33 AM - -
1 Comment
Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing 3 is hands down the best Xbox 360 launch title. Much like the first two iterations of the series, PGR 3 mixes racing with other driving events like time trials, speed traps and earning 'kudos' by sliding around doing tricks. The bottom line is if you dug the first two games, you're gonna feel right at home here.
Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel without a Pulse Review
Jan 30, 2006 at 3:49 AM - - 1 Comment
Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel without a Pulse is the first title from Wideload Games. Comprised of mostly ex-Halo developers, Stubbs was released on both the Xbox and PC with little fanfare. Just finding a copy of the game in stores is a challenge in itself. Stubbs is a classic example of style over substance; the game oozes 1950 era sci-fi goodness, but lacks cohesive gameplay elements to make it worth playing. The levels are laid out nicely, but the general flow of the game leaves much to be desired. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy eating brains as much as the next guy, but after we hit around 5,000 craniums served, my appetite for grey matter soon went away. Man cannot live on brain cells alone. The visuals aren't bad, but if you have a video card released sooner than the past couple of years, the graphics leave much to be desired. Wideload uses a lot of camera filters; some of them work, others don't. The Halo engine might've been the biz a few years ago, but today it's just old.
Jan 30, 2006 at 3:49 AM - -
1 Comment
Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel without a Pulse is the first title from Wideload Games. Comprised of mostly ex-Halo developers, Stubbs was released on both the Xbox and PC with little fanfare. Just finding a copy of the game in stores is a challenge in itself. Stubbs is a classic example of style over substance; the game oozes 1950 era sci-fi goodness, but lacks cohesive gameplay elements to make it worth playing. The levels are laid out nicely, but the general flow of the game leaves much to be desired. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy eating brains as much as the next guy, but after we hit around 5,000 craniums served, my appetite for grey matter soon went away. Man cannot live on brain cells alone. The visuals aren't bad, but if you have a video card released sooner than the past couple of years, the graphics leave much to be desired. Wideload uses a lot of camera filters; some of them work, others don't. The Halo engine might've been the biz a few years ago, but today it's just old.
2005 VE3D PC Game of the Year Awards
Dec 19, 2005 at 12:50 AM - - 1 Comment
Welcome to Voodoo Extreme's 2005 PC game awards where the winners are picked by you, the readers with nearly 60,000 votes tabulated.
Dec 19, 2005 at 12:50 AM - -
1 Comment
Welcome to Voodoo Extreme's 2005 PC game awards where the winners are picked by you, the readers with nearly 60,000 votes tabulated.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV Review
Dec 03, 2005 at 7:55 PM - - 0 Comments
Sid Meier is a name that needs no introduction. Walk up to a stranger, ask if they know who Sid Meir is (pronounced my-her). Odds are, if they can't give you a definitive "yes", they'll at least agree that they've heard the name before. How do you explain this phenomenon? Sid has been around for so long and produced so many great games that he's an honest to goodness legend. One of Sid's many popular franchises is Civilization (or Civ, for short) and the fourth iteration of series is what we'll be looking at today.
Dec 03, 2005 at 7:55 PM - -
0 Comments
Sid Meier is a name that needs no introduction. Walk up to a stranger, ask if they know who Sid Meir is (pronounced my-her). Odds are, if they can't give you a definitive "yes", they'll at least agree that they've heard the name before. How do you explain this phenomenon? Sid has been around for so long and produced so many great games that he's an honest to goodness legend. One of Sid's many popular franchises is Civilization (or Civ, for short) and the fourth iteration of series is what we'll be looking at today.
Peter Jackson's King Kong Review
Nov 26, 2005 at 9:23 PM - - 1 Comment
Peter Jackson is a name that many movie fans are familiar with after enjoying his take on the outstanding Lord of the Rings trilogy. His name has also been bantered about as producer for the forthcoming Halo movie. In the here and now, Peter is about to release a remake of King Kong in the form of a three plus hour movie and a slightly longer video game with the help of Ubisoft Montpellier. While the game does capture what we imagine the spirit of the movie to be - it isn't in theaters yet so we can't be sure - King Kong is a well packaged, but linear romp that looks and sounds fantastic, yet is plagued with camera, gameplay and control issues.
Nov 26, 2005 at 9:23 PM - -
1 Comment
Peter Jackson is a name that many movie fans are familiar with after enjoying his take on the outstanding Lord of the Rings trilogy. His name has also been bantered about as producer for the forthcoming Halo movie. In the here and now, Peter is about to release a remake of King Kong in the form of a three plus hour movie and a slightly longer video game with the help of Ubisoft Montpellier. While the game does capture what we imagine the spirit of the movie to be - it isn't in theaters yet so we can't be sure - King Kong is a well packaged, but linear romp that looks and sounds fantastic, yet is plagued with camera, gameplay and control issues.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted Review
Nov 22, 2005 at 10:02 PM - - 0 Comments
Most Wanted picks up where Underground 2 left off introducing you to the inner circle of an elite street racing circuit called the "Blacklist". Fifteen racers make up this illegal organization who compete with cash, pink slips and respect. Unfortunately, the top dog Razor isn't impressed with your performances from the previous games and calls you out for a pink slip race. After sabotaging your ride and getting you busted by the cops, Razor takes your pimped out BMW. It's on like Donkey Kong!
Nov 22, 2005 at 10:02 PM - -
0 Comments
Most Wanted picks up where Underground 2 left off introducing you to the inner circle of an elite street racing circuit called the "Blacklist". Fifteen racers make up this illegal organization who compete with cash, pink slips and respect. Unfortunately, the top dog Razor isn't impressed with your performances from the previous games and calls you out for a pink slip race. After sabotaging your ride and getting you busted by the cops, Razor takes your pimped out BMW. It's on like Donkey Kong!
Dark Age of Camelot: Darkness Rising Review
Nov 12, 2005 at 8:22 PM - - 1 Comment
Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot has been live over four years now and has enjoyed its share of success and shortfalls. It's already paid for itself many times over and has a strong core following that pulls in enough coin to keep the streets of Camelot well paved. What keeps the game going after all these years is it's unique player vs player combat system (or realm vs realm) and the company keeps cranking out pve (player vs environment) content at the rate of about one retail expansion per year. Most of the expansions are must buys so players can keep the arms race going, so other than Catacombs (which added nothing to the game for most players), Dark Age of Camelot expansions usually do well. The latest commercial PvE add-on is Darkness Rising.
Nov 12, 2005 at 8:22 PM - -
1 Comment
Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot has been live over four years now and has enjoyed its share of success and shortfalls. It's already paid for itself many times over and has a strong core following that pulls in enough coin to keep the streets of Camelot well paved. What keeps the game going after all these years is it's unique player vs player combat system (or realm vs realm) and the company keeps cranking out pve (player vs environment) content at the rate of about one retail expansion per year. Most of the expansions are must buys so players can keep the arms race going, so other than Catacombs (which added nothing to the game for most players), Dark Age of Camelot expansions usually do well. The latest commercial PvE add-on is Darkness Rising.
Call of Duty 2 Review
Nov 05, 2005 at 9:03 PM - - 0 Comments
World War II is perhaps the most overused theme in games this century, but that didn't stop Infinity Ward from making the sequel to bar-none the best World War II first person shooter to date. Call of Duty 2 is much like the original game, but sports a homegrown graphics engine and three new campaigns for the Russians, British and Americans. Often times it feels like Call of Duty 2 is more of a collection of really cool battles than an actual single player experience, but presentation aside, the game is a blast to play. Call of Duty 2 oozes next-generation goodness.
Nov 05, 2005 at 9:03 PM - -
0 Comments
World War II is perhaps the most overused theme in games this century, but that didn't stop Infinity Ward from making the sequel to bar-none the best World War II first person shooter to date. Call of Duty 2 is much like the original game, but sports a homegrown graphics engine and three new campaigns for the Russians, British and Americans. Often times it feels like Call of Duty 2 is more of a collection of really cool battles than an actual single player experience, but presentation aside, the game is a blast to play. Call of Duty 2 oozes next-generation goodness.
Quake IV Review
Oct 29, 2005 at 4:41 AM - - 1 Comment
For nearly a decade id ruled the first person shooter genre with an iron fist, earning the love and support of millions of fans around the world. After all, Quake was the game that started it all for 3D accelerated graphics and online play. Quake 2 built upon that success, and Quake 3: Arena was the pinnacle of id's engine dominance. Each game was known for ushering in a new generation of graphics, but for the first time in the history of the franchise, Quake got sloppy seconds.
Oct 29, 2005 at 4:41 AM - -
1 Comment
For nearly a decade id ruled the first person shooter genre with an iron fist, earning the love and support of millions of fans around the world. After all, Quake was the game that started it all for 3D accelerated graphics and online play. Quake 2 built upon that success, and Quake 3: Arena was the pinnacle of id's engine dominance. Each game was known for ushering in a new generation of graphics, but for the first time in the history of the franchise, Quake got sloppy seconds.
F.E.A.R. Review
Oct 22, 2005 at 2:22 AM - - 1 Comment
Monolith is a developer that many action fans are familiar with after playing the likes of Aliens vs Predator 2, Blood, Shogo, No One Lives Forever and TRON 2.0. They're also synonymous with the LithTech Engine, an ill-fated technology that even today may make the most hardened gamer grimace. LithTech may be dead, but they have a new game engine and it's one to really F.E.A.R.
Oct 22, 2005 at 2:22 AM - -
1 Comment
Monolith is a developer that many action fans are familiar with after playing the likes of Aliens vs Predator 2, Blood, Shogo, No One Lives Forever and TRON 2.0. They're also synonymous with the LithTech Engine, an ill-fated technology that even today may make the most hardened gamer grimace. LithTech may be dead, but they have a new game engine and it's one to really F.E.A.R.
Serious Sam 2 Review
Oct 14, 2005 at 5:46 PM - - 1 Comment
Back in 2001 Serious Sam was a cult smash hit for fledgling developer Croteam. Crafting the game on a shoestring budget in the war-torn country of Croatia, Croteam literally came out of nowhere rocking the first person shooter scene to its knees. Huge Egyptian themed levels, frantic arcade style action and a solid homegrown graphics engine were the game's trademarks making it among the top games of the year. Not a bad accomplishment for a value priced title ($19.95) from a company no one had ever heard of before. Now the year is 2005 and the Serious sequel has finally arrived. Armed with a larger budget, a new more powerful Serious Engine 2 and loads of confidence comes Serious Sam 2, a game that in many ways departs from the original's formula, but keeps enough so fans of the first will feel right at home.
Oct 14, 2005 at 5:46 PM - -
1 Comment
Back in 2001 Serious Sam was a cult smash hit for fledgling developer Croteam. Crafting the game on a shoestring budget in the war-torn country of Croatia, Croteam literally came out of nowhere rocking the first person shooter scene to its knees. Huge Egyptian themed levels, frantic arcade style action and a solid homegrown graphics engine were the game's trademarks making it among the top games of the year. Not a bad accomplishment for a value priced title ($19.95) from a company no one had ever heard of before. Now the year is 2005 and the Serious sequel has finally arrived. Armed with a larger budget, a new more powerful Serious Engine 2 and loads of confidence comes Serious Sam 2, a game that in many ways departs from the original's formula, but keeps enough so fans of the first will feel right at home.
Half-Life 2 Review
Nov 21, 2004 at 2:22 AM - - 1 Comment
Shrouded in secrecy, Valve quietly developed Half-Life 2 for the better half of a decade. Following an agonizing year of delay after announcing a firm street date; had a very public dispute with its publisher; suffered a leak of the game's source code onto the Internet, the sequel to perhaps the best game ever is now in the hands of gamers everywhere.
Nov 21, 2004 at 2:22 AM - -
1 Comment
Shrouded in secrecy, Valve quietly developed Half-Life 2 for the better half of a decade. Following an agonizing year of delay after announcing a firm street date; had a very public dispute with its publisher; suffered a leak of the game's source code onto the Internet, the sequel to perhaps the best game ever is now in the hands of gamers everywhere.
Call of Duty: United Offensive Review
Sep 20, 2004 at 10:14 AM - - 1 Comment
Call of Duty: United Offensive Review
Gray Matter's expansion returns us to chaos of WWII for more action from the US, British and Russian viewpoints.
Gray Matter's add-on with more US, British and Russian action
Sep 20, 2004 at 10:14 AM - -
1 Comment
Call of Duty: United Offensive Review
Gray Matter's expansion returns us to chaos of WWII for more action from the US, British and Russian viewpoints.
Gray Matter's add-on with more US, British and Russian action
DOOM 3
Aug 12, 2004 at 9:00 PM - - 2 Comments
When most people think of Doom, fond memories of fast paced demon fragging pop into mind. In Doom 3, id's modern day remake of the original title, that vision has been transformed into a slow paced, intense survival shooter. Powered by a revolutionary new game engine, Doom 3 is hands down the best looking game ever to hit any platform. Featuring a surprisingly good story, paranoia inspired gameplay and jaw dropping visuals, it's an outstanding addition to id's library of traditional first person shooters.
Aug 12, 2004 at 9:00 PM - -
2 Comments
When most people think of Doom, fond memories of fast paced demon fragging pop into mind. In Doom 3, id's modern day remake of the original title, that vision has been transformed into a slow paced, intense survival shooter. Powered by a revolutionary new game engine, Doom 3 is hands down the best looking game ever to hit any platform. Featuring a surprisingly good story, paranoia inspired gameplay and jaw dropping visuals, it's an outstanding addition to id's library of traditional first person shooters. 
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