It might be almost a decade old and should probably qualify as retro, but I just can’t help feel that Star Wars X-Wing Alliance still does a pretty impressive impression of a modern game (especially if you patch it up and probably more so when its new homebrew textures hit the Internet). Besides, 10 years isn’t such a long time, is it? And good games never age.

Especially so, when said good games are more or less the last offerings of their sub-genre, as was X-Wing Alliance, for it sadly was the very last Star Wars space-combat sim that let players sit inside a cockpit. Following the excellent X-Wing, nigh on perfect TIE Fighter and multiplayer-only X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Alliance not only brought the series to an explosive climax and allowed anti-social kids and accountants worldwide to fantasize about being starry-eyed space heroes, but also let us proper gamers relive key events from the Star Wars saga and even the end of the Empire itself. And, yes, this does actually mean we got to fly the Millennium Falcon inside the second Death Star as never before and never since. See the screenshot?

Sheer computer gaming joy. What’s more, the game also let (arguably still does, as it’s got no problems on my XP PC) you pilot a variety of classic Rebel Alliance starships ranging from the aptly named X-Wing classic, to the vaguely A-shaped A-Wing, to the Y-Wing, through a brilliant campaign that spanned 50 missions. Oh, and graphics and audio are still impressive, the gameplay hasn’t aged a day and multiplayer dogfights are unsurpassed.

It’s been four years in the making but finally the first MMORPG for mature (as in truly junevile and properly immature) audiences has gone gold. Quite appropriately the Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures pre-orders have already began too, as co-publishers Eidos and Funcom announced that the vaguely barbaric game will be very soon hitting stores worldwide. Oh, and did I say barbaric? Sorry for that. What I meant was to use the publishers’ official description of the game as the most savage, sexy and brutal MMO ever created, which does admittedly border on barbaric but subtly differs.Then again, who cares about such things, eh?

Nobody, that’s who. All that matters is that Conan is everyone’s favorite, fantasy, 80s, mass-slaughterer and it’s been ages since the last time we visited a digital version of Hyboria. That and the succesful beta, a couple hundred thousand or so preorders and a few rather prestigious awards, that -if nothing else- sort of guarantee the game’s quality.

Now, as to what to expect from the game, besides some fantastic graphics, the well documented setting and the huge world every MMO seems to be promising, I’d say its key features would be a crafting system that should allow players to go berserk and even create a city, an advanced melee focused combat system, many PvP options bordering on RvR and a deep character customization/creation system. Oh, and a chance to properly role-play a Herald of Xotli. Joy!

Meet Roger Wilco, janitor extraordinaire and star of the truly funny Space Quest series by Sierra, back from the era when adventure games were actually considered killer-apps and went on to spawn sequel after sequel. Meet him through almost seven Space Quest games (well, six actually), out of which only five (almost six) used roman numerals in their titles. Meet him here and have a drink with the lad.

Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter

The first game by designers Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy, a.k.a. The Two Guys from Andromeda, SQ I was released back in 1986 at the beginning of the adventure gaming mainstream era. The game used the early Sierra AGI engine, complete with 16 glorious colours and beautifully stylized graphics, a nice soundtrack and a pretty impressive -definitely hilarious too- parser interface. The plot introduced series star Roger Wilco, a janitor, who started off his heroics by napping in a broom closet while aliens hijacked the spaceship he was supposed to be cleaning and grabbed the devastatingly deadly Star Generator, only to finally wake up and save the universe. The game also introduced the series’ trademark humor, frequent -impressively varied too- deaths, difficult puzzles, arcade-y sequences and bad-guy Vohaul.

Space Quest II: Vohaul’s Revenge

The first sequel in the series is another text-driven graphics adventure that apparently took less than a year to develop, and, well, quite frankly it shows. Arch-villain Sludge Vohaul returns to hunt a now-famous Roger Wilco in a frustrating game with below average puzzles and mostly flat jokes. Not really worth your time without a walkthrough…

Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon

Space Quest 3 was simply stunning and one of the better looking games of 1989, especially when seen on the Amiga. It also sported a truly post-modern and particularly funny plot involving the Space Pirates, a shovelware/software pirating group, who had kidnapped the Two Guys, thus endangering the future of the whole Space Quest franchise. Unless, that is, Roger stopped them, which apparently he did. The game, besides being excellent and taxing as ever, also featured tactical space combat and a playable arcade game.

Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers

The first 256-colour VGA Space Quest with full SoundBlaster support and the first point-and-click game in the series too, Space Quest IV remains among my top 10 adventures even to this day. It’s got everything you could ask for really: time traveling to previous and future SQ games complete with appropriate graphic changes, Roger’s son, a fantastic goodies-filled box, some of the best puzzles ever, Lucasarts game parodies, a burger making mini-game, Ms. Astro Chicken, droids, top-quality voice acting, latex babes, elaborate easter eggs, a smell icon and the aptly named Monochrome Boys. An absolute masterpiece.

Space Quest V: Roger Wilco - The Next Mutation

This one I haven’t played, mostly because it was the first SQ game that wasn’t designed by both the Guys from Andromeda, but most adventurers seem to agree it’s a fine game. Reviewers liked it quite a bit too. Released back in 1993, Space Quest V had Roger take on the Star Trek universe by graduating from the illustrious StarCon Academy, piloting his very own garbage-collecting spaceship and boldly going where no man had gone before.

Space Quest 6: Roger Wilco in The Spinal Frontier

The final installment in the series and the only one to do away with the silly places in outer space in order to focus on the silly ones inside the human body, as experienced by a highly miniaturized Roger of course. Actually, scrap that, as it’s just what the title implies. The game -an SVGA CD exclusive released in 1995- has Mr. Wilco exploring the vaguely nasty planet of Polysorbate LX while running into an incredible number of farcical video game, computer, pop-culture and movie references. Oh, and you’ll definitely love the cartoon-quality graphics and vastly updated point-and-click interface.

Now, as Space Quest 7 -or would it be VII?- never managed to survive the demise of Sierra and no more Space Quest games are to be released in the foreseeable future, seasoned veterans could go around and google for some mostly brilliant fanmade sequels and remakes. Alternatively, both them and gamers looking to dive into the taxing and surreal universe of Space Quest can go for Vivendi’s Space Quest Collection. It might not be the best collection possible (lacking a few game versions and coming with PDF manuals only) but it’s got the basics covered, runs brilliantly on the latest PCs and is dead cheap.

Ok, after hours of frustration I finally finished playing Psychonauts and all I can now do is bow in front of Tim Shafer’s superior intellect and then arrange for the man to meet Shigeru Miyamoto and be taught the way of 3D Mario. Psychonauts is brilliant, beautiful, absolutely original and at times downright sublime. It’s got great humor that actually uses the strength of the medium (err, that would be interactivity), excellent storytelling, interesting characters (shocking, I know) and a few moments that would make any great surrealist proud. Plus, the art direction is so masterful, uhm, a true master of art direction must have, err, directed it. Anyway. You get the idea. Psychonauts looks, sounds and feels fantastic.

On the other hand -and quite understandably as this is Mr. Shafer’s first attempt at platform gaming, let alone 3D platform gaming- the controls are simply terrible, sometimes even entering broken territory. Now, admittedly, this might have to to with the fact that I’ve played Psychonauts on the PC using the standard mouse/keyboard control method where obviously this is a game that would have greatly benefited from a dual analog controller, but apparently console reviewers aren’t to happy with it either. Then, there are more gameplay problems that would include a ton of things to collect, some truly infuriating boss battles, the lack of a proper save system and some god-awful combat bits. The question, however, is: do these flaws matter? Well, no, not at all.

For Psychonauts, dear readers, is hands-down the best action game I’ve played those last ten or so years and that even includes Super Mario Galaxy. It might have its fair share of problems and a distinct lack of polished gameplay mechanics, but it almost literally oozes class and originality. Besides, how many games let your in-game persona invade people’s subconscious and have arcadey fun around these mental constructs? How many games have you terrorize a city of sentient fish and collect emotional baggage while sticking bacon in your ear? How many games feature pie jokes? How many games sport ridiculously detailed levels based on wargames? None, that’s how many. Psychonauts is unique.

So, do yourselves a favour. Buy this game now. It is after all available for PC, PS2 and Xbox. Oh, and if you liked Psychonauts then you’ll definitely love Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango.

One thing you have to admit about Bethesda’s hotly anticipated and much debated Fallout 3 is that it looks absolutely fantastic. And I don’t mean this in a purely technical way either. The atmosphere of the original games seems to have been brilliantly captured, the attention to detail is impressive and the quality of the artwork is simply stunning. I mean, just look at those brand new screenshots; so evocative and beautiful. Heck, even the Brotherhood of Steel soldier (the shooting bloke in the 3rd picture, yes, he’s one of them) looks properly tacky and retro-futuristic.

As for the game itself, things couldn’t be more promising, despite the fact that it will indeed be a fully 3D, mostly first person and not particularly turn-based based affair. Bethesda, you see, not only managed to provide us with the impressive Oblivion RPG, but seem to have pulled all stops when it came to developing Fallout 3. We can expect over 500 (!) different endings, a huge and incredibly detailed post-apocalyptic world, a new character creation system, multiple gameplay styles and the very very handy new version of Pip-Boy. Oh, and Liam Neeson will be playing the lead role.

Now, for the poor souls that don’t know what Fallout and Fallout 2 are all about (let alone Fallout Tactics), well, instead of explaining the intricacies of their gameplay mechanics or ranting about their excellent stories, I’ll just point you to the brilliant and happily budget priced Fallout Collection.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, the flawed but ambitiously mature in tone & style PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 game, will apparently be getting a selection of free goodies. Actually, make that four free maps. Better yet, a selection of four downloadable maps. Said maps will become available sometime this month and will come wrapped in a lovely pack Eidos chose to name The Dope Bag. How very cute, really.

I guess you could start by taking a bath and buying a new chainmail bikini, but I’m afraid Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will need much more than that. It will need patience (yes, more), fast preordering skills (to secure the beautiful collector’s edition pictured above), a desire to pay monthly fees, above average hand-eye coordination, a working mouse, a decent PC and a combination of MMORPG and Warhammer skills. Then, having covered the basics and in order to make sure you stand a chance of rising as one of the greatest heroes of the digital online version of the Old World, you’d better follow a few simple preparatory steps. These simple steps actually:

a) Make sure your love of Warhammer is as deep as ever. Better yet, make sure you remember how good Warhammer video games can be, preferably by playing the excellent and highly atmospheric RTS that is Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. Retro offerings like Shadow of the Horned Rat might come in handy too.

b) Start working on your PvP skills making sure you focus on the realm-vs-realm side of things. Warhammer Online’s key strength after all will be the extended RvR options, mechanics and arenas. Sun Tzu’s Art of War would probably be of some help, though flexing your MMO combat muscle is better achieved through playing the brilliant Dark Age of Camelot MMORPG. Mind you, them Dark Age of Camelot developers are the same people that will be responsible for the Age of Reckoning and -not surpisingly- DAoC has the best RvR battles yet.

c) Try to stock-up on free time, as you will quite frankly need it. Getting fired, entering a monastery, finishing any remaining PhDs, Mscs, term papers, etc, or preferably getting some paid vacation time are all acceptable solutions.

d) Catch up on your proper pen & paper Warhammer knowledge. Grab the latest edition (7th) of the rules, flick through the RPG book, browse the multitude of forums available online, tidy your Army Books, paint the odd miniature and re-read those yellowy Black Library novels you’ve been hiding in the basement. There, you’re ready for WAR!

When the Fahrenheit demo came out them PC gaming crowds were really impressed. Oddly, so were pure adventurers (of the point-and-click variety, that is). This, you see, was a very unique game and its demo managed to brilliantly showcase all its best elements and leave you wanting. It was immediately evident Fahrenheit was a game heavy on story, a game that was very proficient in using cinematographic techniques, a game that was obviously an adventure at heart, a game with beautiful graphics, top production values, excellent music and convincing atmosphere. The fact that it opened with the protagonist brutally murdering a random guy in a diner’s toilets did help establish mood too.

What’s more, the full game, and that was a refreshing change of habit, delivered what was promised in the demo. Not that it didn’t have its mediocre bits or a shockingly silly ending, mind you, but it really was unique. And if you haven’t played it yet, it will still feel unique in 2008, as no other game dared pull its tricks again. First of all, the context sensitive interface had both an early Wii-like mentality and let you interact with almost anything in the game. Then, the brilliant cinematics were turned into quasi-interactive ryth mini-games, you got to play a variety of different characters, solve some pretty interesting puzzles, intelligently interact with incredibly detailed environments and even get (almost) scared.

Still, the strength of the game lay elsewhere. Fahrenheit, though admittedly only at times, managed to offer players the sense of complete freedom and the branching storyline to go with it. Take the game’s opening scene for example. You have just murdered a man you never knew and are standing bloody-handed in a toilet. You can simply try to escape unnoticed, you can try washing up and hiding the body, you can hide or simply ignore the murder weapon, you can panic and run out of the diner, you can go back and seat at your table pretending nothing happened, you can try to figure things out by examining the crime scene or just leave via the back door. Assuming you actually left via the back door, you now had the option of either wasting time and talking to a weird bum, leaving the place on foot, going for a taxi or riding the tube. And then, when you assumed the role of the not totally unattractive detective chasing the former you, you’d have to deal with your former actions.

Intriguing, isn’t it? And it does get better, trust me. So, uhm, if you haven’t played Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in the US), and I strongly believe you should, well, here’s your chance to grab it for cheap.

Readers that have read my WH40k Firewarrior review of sorts should already know of my… uhh… fondness of all things Warhammer 40,000. The rest of you, well, you apparently just found out. Oh, and while we are at it, let me tell everyone how much I’ve enjoyed the original Warhammer 40k Dawn of War and -almost- all of its expansions too. I could easily claim it’s my favorite RTS to date, you know. Yes, despite still being quite hopeless at online multiplayer even after four whole years of practise.

Anyway, on to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm, the latest and quite possibly final installment in the DoW series and a game that just(-ish) got released. Soulstorm allows players to take command of two new factions, the Imperial Sisters of Battle and them pointy-eared baddies the Dark Eldar, introduces a new resource and the ability to fully customize characters, offers a truly big new campaign, 29 new multiplayer maps, includes all DoW maps released so far and can be played both as a standalone offering and as an expansion to be combined with any of the previous games. It is thus as content rich a product as they get, and, what’s more, its content is of the highest quality too. Seasoned gamers just can’t afford to miss it really. Guess they shouldn’t expect anything groundbreaking either, mind.

As for those that have never played a DoW game, before, well, I guess it all depends on whether you like real time strategy games or not. If you don’t ignore it, if you do I would suggest you give it a try. Download the hefty demo at least. Chances are the lovely graphics, the fast paced gamelpay, the subtle innovations, the glorious cartoon violence, the variety in missions, the ridiculously rich multiplayer options (complete with vibrant community and amazing servers) and the rich Warhammer 40k setting will win you over. If not, you could try Company of Heroes. It’s from the same team you know.

Football games, not unlike adventures and strategy games, don’t need fancy graphics, never truly age and are more than tricky to get right. They are, you see, one of them gameplay driven genres. That’s why Sensible Soccer still is a better game than the latest FIFA, that’s why thousands of people still enjoy Kick Off II and that’s why Football Manager -one of the most successful gaming franchises ever- is in essence a game without graphics. So, what are your options in digital football gaming, I pretend to hear you ask? Well, read on, read on.

Football Manager

Football Manager, the venerable series that began life as Championship Manager, has always been an immensely addictive time sink of a management game, an impressive ever-evolving database of the international world of of football and an incredibly fun game too. Nowadays, it can also be said that FM is a true football RPG, and one of those games we all take refuge in when our teams get disqualified/relegated/ridiculed. Traditionally FM 2008, the latest and best version of the game, is available for PC only, but you can also grab a stripped down version of the game for your PSP or go for FM 2006 for the Xbox 360. Oh, and a MMO should soon be released.

Pro Evolution Soccer

Pro Evolution Soccer is a rare yet happily popular attempt at realistically recreating football. There are no crazy scores here and precise crossing is a matter of technique. It really feels proper. Now, Pro Evo might lack FIFA’s official shine and impressive graphics, but -believe me- it still is the better game. By far. Makes for quite a brilliant party game too. Pro Evo 2008 can be played on the PS3, PS2, PSP and -provided you don’t mind less impressive ports- on the DS. The highly innovative Wii version of the game, a footie RTS of sorts, will soon be reviewed.

Sensible Soccer

This is the best football game ever. Want to know why? One word: pace. Care for more words? Well, how about after-touch, one button gameplay and lovely pixel-art graphics? To properly enjoy Sensible Soccer you should really play it on an Amiga, but lacking one, I guess you could try the equally retro PC or Atari ST versions of the game. Alternatively the best way to get some faithful yet up-to-date Sensi action would be via the Xbox Live Arcade. Sensible Soccer 2006 (PC, Xbox, PS2) is decent, as is the Mega Drive/Genesis version available via a certain TV plug-’n'-play thingy.

FIFA

Not much of a fan of the franchise really, but I must admit it’s quite enjoyable. And looks rather good too. FIFA 2008, quite obviously the latest offering in the long running series, can be played on virtually any console, meaning versions for the Wii, PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, DS and PSP have already been released.