Phillip Kimpo Jr, Author at Gadzooki

The Power of Adventure Games

August 6, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

These past weeks, I’ve realized how incomplete my video gaming experience has been. Real time strategy, turn-based, action, sports, roleplaying – been there, done that. But I haven’t been giving one genre more attention: adventure games.

I realized my long-running mistake when I belatedly started playing The Longest Journey last month. The game might have a few years of dust on it, but within the first minute I was hooked, much more quickly than I’ve ever been with my traditional favorites (strategies, RPGs). And I think I know the reason why.

The strength of adventure games lies in their stories, their narratives, their worlds, their characters. Every great game, regardless of genre, boasts great stories, too, but it’s more evident in adventure titles. I’d like to cite one line from Wikipedia:

“Unlike many other game genres, the adventure genre’s focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media, such as literature and film.”

Above all, I’m a literary person, a writer, a poet. I’m a bibliophile on the verge of becoming a bibliomaniac. I’m a sucker for great stories, and this passion carries over to gaming. I’ve played many a shitty game that I diligently finished – whether by sheer determination or cheating – just to reach the end of the story.

I’ve wasted unnecessary hours doing every quest, looking for every secret level, poring over characters’ diaries and in-game lore, talking to every NPC over and over again…all because I want to squeeze every detail from the game world. When I finish and finally tuck the game in my CD bank, I want to have the same feeling I get when I finish a satisfying novel or poem.

I’ve only played a scant number of them, but my experience with The Longest Journey is enough to tell me: adventure games should’ve been in my play-to list a long, long time ago. I’d be the first to say that great RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Might & Magic accomplish the same thing, but hey, there would’ve been no harm if I played both adventure and roleplaying games with the same level of enthusiasm all these years.

If I’m forced to give a reason why adventure games seem to be able to better portray a world than RPGs, here’s one: you, the player, are forced to absorb the world better. In adventure games, you tend to pay closer attention to hints within the dialogue, and you tend to scrutinize and point-and-click at every possible spot in the environment. RPGs usually give you tasks (‘FedEx quests’) which I always find fairly straightforward, with the purpose of building up your character before he/she meets the Big Bad Boss.

Sadly, adventure games have been overshadowed by action games, RPGs, and the hybrid action-adventure games (as game purists like to call them). Compared to these genres, adventure takes time. Adventure is, yes, slow.

Which is the way I like it, in this frenetic and chasing-after-others’-and-your-own-tail-as-well world.

* * *

After I finish The Longest Journey (and get over my current addiction to Europa Universalis III), the adventure game I’m itching to play is TLJ’s sequel, Dreamfall, which has received positive criticism like its predecessor. Having a lovely protagonist in Zoe Castillo helps, too!

Aside from these two Funcom/Ragnar Tornquist productions, I’d like to try my hand on the fifth and final game in the revered Myst series – Myst V: End of Ages, designed by Rand Miller.

If those aren’t enough, I’ve got four more adventure games in my to-look-for list, and all of them come from one designer. His name is Benoit Sokal, who was originally a comic artist (which probably helped him visualize great worlds). The games have been critically acclaimed, and boy, do the graphics look sumptuous.

The first of Sokal’s masterpieces is Amerzone, where the player “takes the role of a journalist on a quest to help save a rare species of magical birds.” It was released way back in 1999, around the same time as The Longest Journey.

Second is Syberia, described as semi-realistic and semi-surrealistic. The game was released in 2002, and was followed by Syberia II two years later. As the game covers indicate, both games have, well, mammoths, which is, well, cool.

Last but not the least – the screenshots made me drool – Paradise was released in April 2006. Hopefully my laptop can keep up with this game’s high specs.

Let’s see how many of these games I’ll be able to finish before the year ends.

Insomniac Laptops

August 1, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

What’s the longest time that you’ve left your laptop on – no full Shutdowns (or even Restarts and Hibernates), just Standbys/Sleeps, and if you’re the iron man type, none of the previous?

My top figure: 2 months. Normally, I would fully shut down my laptop every week, but there was a brutal stretch when I had no recourse but to always put the laptop to sleep (in computer terms, not figuratively!).

The longest time I’ve heard of comes from this NotebookReview.com thread: “the mid January till exams in late May”. Wow. That’s four and a half months for you. How about your beloved laptop?

People unaccustomed to putting their laptops through long bouts of ‘incomplete rest’ might want to ask, does this have any adverse effect on computer, hardware-wise?

From my experience, none – my year-old laptop is still in tip-top shape, the battery life doesn’t seem to have suffered, the graphics card remains a thoroughbred workhorse, and the fan is A-OK. (I hope I’m not jinxing my laptop with these words!)

AlexF from the earlier forum thread has this to say, though:

[Keeping] a laptop on for such extended periods isn’t exactly a good thing:

– Component wear is accelerated by heat.
– Most laptops don’t have very good heat dissipation.
– It is highly doubtful that the tiny little fans on most laptop CPUs are designed for 100% duty cycle over the span of a month.
– Systems with a discrete GPU are even more susceptible to heat damage since you have another heat source in the chassis.

Good points. However, from what I know, the standby/sleep mode produces only minimal (if not negligible) heat. My laptop’s fans are powered down when in standby mode. Also, my laptop doesn’t feel warm after leaving it in standby for eight hours – of course, my room/home office’s airconditioner helps. (It had once frozen my laptop’s keyboard!)

Still, I’m not a laptop expert (my year-old lappy is just my first one), so maybe those with more experience can share their thoughts on this.

And lastly, which is better – sleep/standby or hibernate? The first time I used hibernate, it screwed up all the work that was supposed to have been stored by Windows XP. Since then, sleep/standby has done the trick for me.

I prefer standby over hibernate, as getting out of standby mode only takes a few seconds, compared to the minute or so with hibernate. Of course, the latter actually shuts down your laptop, but saves the system state on your hard disk. This means the hibernate mode should be a tad healthier for your computer when compared to standby.

Here’s a quick comparison of the three options, written by ChrisBrownie:

Shut Down:
Close all running programs and end the session.
Doesn’t draw any power.
Safe to transport.

Hibernate:
Take a dump of the RAM and put it in a .sys file in C:
Doesn’t draw any power.
Safe to transport.

StandBy:
Keep data in RAM. Shut down all possible hardware, including monitors, NICs, VGA etc. Also assuming you use S3 mode, rather than S1, your CPU and fans turn off as well.
Draws power to keep data in RAM
If it’s a laptop? Safe to move. If it’s a desktop? You do the math.

Having written this article, I think I’m off to get some sleep – and my laptop, too.

We Live in a World of Cons

July 20, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

Conventions and conferences, that is. (If you thought of the seedier “con”, that’s not wrong, too.) For simplicity’s sake, let’s lump in trade fairs, exhibits, and symposia to our little word for the day.

Browsing through today’s dailies reveals a lot of cons being held all over the sprawling conurbation I call home, Metro Manila. For sure, there are many more being planned and held in wealthier cities in wealthier countries, as I write these words.

These cons run the gamut of conceivable interests, hobbies, and disciplines. In one international computer science magazine alone, I found around 40 computing-related events to be held around the world in the next three months. Just last month, the FCRC 2007 in San Diego, California served as the mother lode for almost 20 separate conferences – cons within a con.

And that is just for one field. Year after year, in this little, Third World corner of the world where I live in, cavernous malls (the Philippines has 3 of the world’s largest 10), five-star hotels, and expo grounds are flocked by millions of not-so-rich yet not-so-poor people attending book cons, toy cons, gardening cons, computer cons, food cons, comic cons, sporting arms cons, SME cons, gaming cons, name-it cons.

It is such a vibrant scene where millions upon millions of pesos change hands, leading me to conjecture that if it weren’t for a glaring and yawning gap between those above and below the poverty line, the Philippines would be a Second World nation.

For me, today’s breadth and depth of cons in any country demonstrate:

1) A decent, if not great, spending power on the part of the consumers (better if there are lots of them, e.g. 11-million strong Metro Manila);

2) A decent, if not great, confidence on the part of companies, businessmen, and the cons’ sponsors;

3) An effective communications infrastructure – newspapers, magazines, TV, radio country-centric websites/forums/e-groups – with a good subscriber base. This spurs consumer participation and, consequently, helps sustain the success and commercial viability of the cons.

4) The advancement of a society as it moves from general interests to more focused ones – a computer scientist now has the luxury and resources to specialize in multi-agent systems, a green thumb specializes in cacti and succulents, a video gamer specializes in MMORPGs. Best of all, the market is wide enough accommodate both the general cons and the specialized cons.

I haven’t attended a wide variety of cons (I’ve gone to mostly tech and arts events), but I do feel blessed that I live in this “con world”. I know that if and when I delve into a new hobby or interest, chances are there’s a con already waiting for me…as long as the hobby’s not too obscure, of course. (But even then, there are esoteric cons!)

What does this “world of cons” offer me?

I view cons as a venue for education. It’s a good place to pick up both the basic and advanced facets of a field; to learn the types of people, organizations, and products tied to it; to familiarize one’s self with the unique terminologies and idiosyncrasies of the hobby; to broaden one’s view of – this will sound cliché – the world.

I view cons as a venue for human networking. Which is quite a daft conclusion, as cons are meant to make one person interact with another person. (Or at least, make one company/product/institution represented by a person interact with another person.) It’s one of the best places to build your list of contacts, clients, employers, partners, and even rivals.

Last but not the list, I view cons as a venue for shopping therapy. Cons often boast of discounted or hard-to-find products. These events present a great (if not the best) array of related products, from the mainstream to the arcane, all in one roof. Cons also present the best way to empty your wallet (and assure yourself of an empty stomach), just to get that wondrous feeling of, “W00t! I bought something cool for myself!”

Speaking of shopping therapy, I’ve got to save some cash, and save it soon – the 28^th Manila International Book Fair is just a month away!

I Picked Up an Old PC Games Book

July 13, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

And, like any other good book, it made me realize something.

I should play more old games. Those decade-old titles that have aged so deliciously like the best wine. Those games whose now-godawful graphics don’t detract anything from the games’ quality.

A few years ago, I picked up T. Liam McDonald’s PC Games Extravaganza from a bargain bookstore slash warehouse. The book, published in 1995, sold only for 150 Philippine pesos (around 3 US dollars today). Original price: Php 800 (approx. 16 USD).

Of course, it sold for such a heavily discounted price because it was old and hardly relevant – who’d give a damn about these dusty titles, much more shell out dough for a book that merely reviews and gives an overview about them? At least, that’s my guess on the bookstore manager’s thinking.

Well, if I’m right about that, then the manager thought wrong.

A decade later, the book stands as a good compilation of what was great and what was hot back then, across all gaming genres. Think of it as a time capsule of gaming. (Well, I’m forgetting that books are time capsules.) The book was a steal. Not a year passes that I don’t re-read all 200 pages of gaming goodness, pages whose edges are already beginning to turn yellow.

One factor that makes the book special is the author – if the name T. Liam McDonald sounds familiar to you, then you’ve been reading a lot of gaming magazines. As a game reviewer and critic, McDonald has edited and has been a columnist for several notable magazines (including one of my favorites, PC Gamer). In his own words, “I literally see every title that is published.”

And so what were the titles that made it into his book? The following is a list of some of the games per genre (as categorized by McDonald). Some of these are outright classics, some might have went under the radar but were cool and inimitable nonetheless, and some have spawned revered sequels and franchises.

Action & Arcade

Doom (Need we say more?)
Raptor (Top-down, vertically scrolling jet shooter.)
X-Wing (In a galaxy far, far away…)
TIE Fighter (Gotta love the dark side.)
Flashback (“Jaw-dropping fluidity.”)
Spear of Destiny (The retail edition of Wolfenstein 3D.)

Classics, Cards, Puzzles, & Sports Games

Battle Chess 4000 (Remember those animated Queens?)
Millennium Auction (“Outstanding computer imaging…strange sensibility.”)
Front Page Sports: Baseball (At a time when Major League Baseball players were on strike…)

Role-playing & Adventure Games

System Shock (One word: SHODAN.)
Ultima Underworld (If you’re playing RPGs and you don’t know Ultima…ugh.)
The Elder Scrolls 1: Arena (Great things start from small beginnings…)
Menzoberranzan (I am mightily biased. Forgotten Realms rocks.)
Alone in the Dark 1 & 2 (“Most distinctive , satisfying, and downright bizarre.”)
Return to Zork (Finally, Zork becomes un-text-based!)
Myst (This is the one 4-letter word in PC gaming that I believe is as HUGE as “Doom”.)

Strategy & War Games

Civilization (“Civ” and “Sid Meier” are two names very familiar to turn-based addicts, like yours truly.)
Railroad Tycoon Deluxe (I had great time with this game’s sequel.)
SimCity 2000 (What a wonderful, wonderful time-waster, all the way to SimCity 4.)
Empire Deluxe (“One of the few games that…won’t age.”)
X-COM (Battling aliens on a worldwide scale.)
Master of Orion (The seed of a sterling franchise that was only tarnished by MOO 3.)
Falcon 3.0/Falcon Gold (One of the flight sim kings.)

The above list, culled from McDonald’s more complete compilation, is subjective. You can think of the list as the games I have to play (again, or for the first time) to be called a decent gamer who knows his history. I have to play these games, in the same manner that I have to read all the classical books I have missed. I don’t have an excuse for not having read these books; I don’t have an excuse for not having played these games.

Question is, how do I get around to playing these jurassic titles not found anymore in game shops? That’s a topic for my next Gadzooki post – abandonware.

Notable Steampunk Games

June 26, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

A month ago, Ia wrote about the Steampunk style being applied to computer parts and peripherals. As she said, Steampunk is a “look based on the type of sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction literary genre”. As can be expected of any noteworthy genre, Steampunk has made its way into the video gaming industry. Several Steampunk games have become classics and worldwide bestsellers; still, you might not be aware that some of these popular games are Steampunk games.

Here’s a shortlist of Steampunk games that have enthralled countless gamers:

Thief — The Thief franchise (Thief: The Dark Project, Thief II: The Metal Age, Thief: Deadly Shadows) takes place in a Steampunk metropolis where the rogue of a protagonist achieves his goals by sneaking around enemies, dousing torches with water-tipped arrows, and just plain sleuthing around instead of bashing villains’ heads. Well, of course that’s still allowed, but avoided. If you think this makes for boring gameplay, think again. It spiked my adrenalin just as well as Counterstrike did. Very groundbreaking.

Warcraft — Yes, Blizzard’s venerable Warcraft franchise has a touch of Steampunk! Dwarves wielding rifles? Gnomish cities run by steam engines? Steampunk, baby. The World of Warcraft, Warcraft III, and Warcraft II provide one of the best game universes where magic and technology coexist.

Final Fantasy — But of course! Square’s paramount franchise has been long-known to mix the fantastic with the scientific — magic spells, airships, Guardian Forces, spaceships. Of the seemingly-endless train of FF games, Zidane and Garnet’s Final Fantasy IX is the most Steampunk of ’em all.

Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends — With one of its three races (the Vinci) heavily relying on gunpowder and clockwork, the fantastical successor to the historical Rise of Nations falls neatly into the Steampunk genre. As befitting a magic-and-tech game, Rise of Legends sports a magical civilization called the Alin, as well as the alien race of the Cuotl.

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura — The game’s title says it all, doesnt it? For yours truly, Arcanum is the best Steampunk computer game built to this day, not only because it is brazenly Steampunk, but also because it is one of finest (if underrated) game worlds, ever.

Arcanum is a role-playing game done in Fallout fashion, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, as its developer (Troika Games) was formed by ex-Fallout devs.

You can think of Arcanum as “Industrial Revolution meets Tolkien”, what with steam-powered trains coexisting with tree-dwelling Elves. There is friction between “magick” users and technologists/scientists in the game, and players are better off focusing on one half of the skill tree.

There was talk of an Arcanum sequel, but unfortunately, Troika Games dissolved after publishing only three games (living up to its name, eh?). Ah, at least Fallout 3 is just around the corner!

End of a Roleplaying Era

June 19, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

Geekery comes in many forms. Computers. Cars. Gadgets. Video games. Movies. Comics. And of course, roleplaying. And when you talk about roleplaying, the word “D&D” — short for Dungeons & Dragons — is an automatic mention.

Count me as a roleplaying geek, a D&D freak. Because I live in a country not agog over roleplaying games (RPGs) and 8-sided dices, I greatly treasure the objects that enable me to connect with this geekery of mine, objects regularly flown all the way from the U.S. to my land of seven thousand islands (no kidding).

I’m talking about magazines; more specifically, the Dragon and Dungeon duo, two of the most venerable and valuable D&D/fantasy RPG journals out there. Dragon was first published in 1976, while its partner (my favorite of the two, and always out of stock in the few shops that sell D&D stuff here) was born a decade later.

Sadly, 2007 will be the last year for both publications. Last April, gaming giant Wizards of the Coast announced that Paizo (erstwhile holder of the magazines’ publishing rights) will cease to publish the pair. Reason: WotC deems the Internet to be the medium that would broaden the reach of their content.

Sure, I see the sense in their reasoning. After all, I am an active denizen of the Net, and I very much understand the power of this medium. Heck, it will probably be even easier for me now to get my monthly dose of fantasy RPG, because one mouse click travels infinitely faster than the plane which carries D&D goodies from the States to Asia.

However, I’ve never been one to like e-books. Printed paper still does the trick for me, and that’s the same with magazines. To actually hold, caress, and — yes, smell! — the fresh-off-the-press paper is an experience I relish. Not to mention that there’s nothing magical about collecting virtual magazine issues in your hard disk.

It goes without saying that Dragon and Dungeon‘s imminent decease is quite a tragic chapter in my life as a geek. Looks like my mag backlogs will be a thing of the past.

Now, in times of grief, what does one do? Receive shopping therapy. So I dusted off my rarely-used credit cards and ordered ten back issues that are sure to get out of print, soon. (With a limited edition dragon miniature thrown in, to get my pricey shipping’s worth.)

If you’re a fellow RPG and D&D fan with a couple of missing gems from your Dragon and Dungeon chest, you might want to check out Paizo’s back issue list before the stocks go poof.

I’m still holding out hope that WotC changes heart even in the next year or so, and decides to renew the life of both print mags. But because business decisions seem to be stubborn ones (or are they?), it looks like my hope is as forlorn as the Forlorn Hope!

P.S. Check out this engaging discussion at the Dragon messageboards regarding the magazines’ demise, fans’ reactions, and of course, WotC’s motives.

Dvorak & Colemak Keyboards, Anyone?

May 31, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

I’ve been hearing about the Dvorak keyboard for quite some time already, but the recent post by Matt Mullenweg got me intrigued once again. In fact, it has led me to a stage of geeky near-obsession that if I were not preparing several last-minute essays and thus heavily using my QWERTY keyboard, I would’ve tried to rearrange my laptop‘s keys.

Basically, the Dvorak keyboard layout supposedly makes for faster and more efficient typing. From the reactions and opinions I’ve read, though, it seems you’ve got to be patient when converting to Dvorak from the good ol’ QWERTY. I do like the arrangement of the vowels!

Does anybody out there use Dvorak? I’d very much like to hear your experiences. As soon as I finish this insane stretch of cramming essays, I’m convincing myself (yes, I am still convincing him!) to try Dvorak. Heck, if I get lazy, I’ll just buy a new USB Dvorak keyboard and plug it into my laptop.

Another QWERTY alternative I’m looking into is Colemak, which according to some sources improves upon Dvorak, and therefore is the best of the three layouts. Right now, I am more comfortable staring at the Dvorak layout, but only a few hours spent with both alternative layouts will tell which is better for me. Again, anybody there who cares to share their Colemak experiences?

If you’re interested in how these three layouts match up against each other, check out this comparison tool. It’s a Java applet that measures the approximate distance in meters that it takes to type in the text, among other stuff.

From time to time, it’s good go against the flow, and that’s one reason I want to try these two. It helps that both have some big names as advocates!

StarCraft II Almost Made Me Wet My Pants

May 20, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

When I got word that StarCraft II had been officially announced in Seoul, Korea, I didn’t quite know how to react. Of course there was the rush of excitement, of thrill, of happiness, but there was also hesitation and a tinge of disbelief — could it be true? Isn’t this a joke?

Hey, now that I think of it, isn’t that how I also feel when an old flame returns to again light up my otherwise dull life, and comes back more buxom and ravishing than ever?

Back in 1998, I was a new PC gamer, and I was mightily fortunate to have begun the years of mouse-worn fingers (not the other way around) and “Just one more turn!” nights with a brilliant and almost perfect game — you guessed, it, StarCraft. SC made me a Blizzard fanboy, not its fantasy counterpart WarCraft, nor the blazing click-frenzied Diablo. I also patronized and revered those two franchises, but my loyalty remains with that one game with the right blend of great gameplay, masterful storytelling, dazzling cinematics, addicting multiplayer play, and deep game world lore.

Did I say one game? Now it’s going to be two.

A visit to the new StarCraft II website (read the FAQ) will give you a wealth of info, and I won’t be repeating any of the stuff there. Instead, here are some thoughts:

The Good

I got royally pissed when WarCraft III became 3D (tell you what, I didn’t like the graphics) and there was no word of SC2 for years. Even StarCraft: Ghost (for the console — Blizzard, why?!) was shelved. Now baby, it’s here — StarCraft, in glorious 3D.

One word: cinematics. Blizzard’s cutscene guys are maestros, and the first trailer will only serve to whet your appetite. (The trailer shows a Marine being suited up for battle, along with glimpses of hydralisks, mutalisks, and even — gasp! — Kerrigan in action. That is Kerrigan, right? Didn’t know she had burning amber eyes, haha.) It’s high time we saw zerglings, wraiths, and zealots in WarCraft 3 cutscene-calibre movies.
With 3D comes more detailed artworks that have a more serious (as in, hardcore scifi serious) look to them. Cases in point: 1) If this is a Terran Dropship, then that is one sleek looking ship, and 2) I never imagined that a mutalisk has a face as ugly as this. Oh well, trust the Zerg to be icky.
Speaking of Kerrigan, I’m betting that she (I liked her more as the Zerg ‘Queen Bitch of the Universe’) will look…sexy in her green saliva-drooling and deathly pale skin glory. Count on Blizzard to deliver the ‘goods’. Think WoW Night Elf-voluptuous.
Regardless of franchise, this is a new Blizzard game. Blizzard = excellence. Blizzard = great story. Blizzard = bang for the bucks. Blizzard = raising the bar for every game developer.

The Bad

“Three completely distinct races: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg”. WTF? Only three races? I sure hope Blizzard’s just building up the suspense factor and will spring a ‘surprise’ just before launch. I had actually expected a sequel to StarCraft to include at least one new race (a Zerg-Protoss hybrid, courtesy of the ‘secret mission’ in SC: Brood War involving units crossed between a hydralisk and a high templar). Heck, I even hoped for two new races, the other one being the Xel’Naga — the creators of both Protoss and Zerg.

Parents might want to look for a “turn off blood and gore” option, a la Fallout. True, the screenshot above is full of what seems to be just red Zergling blood, but it’s red blood, nonetheless. Got to love the mix of the blood and explosions, though!
If you’re an RTS fan or a StarCraft fanboy like me, say goodbye to your real life. Soon.

Three Games to Watch Out For

May 12, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

One’s the third installment in a classic series, the second’s the expansion to a heavyweight franchise, and the last one’s a newbie that looks sweet. One’s a roleplaying game, the second’s a turn-based strategy game with a dash of real-time, and the last one’s a pure RTS.

The titles of the three are Fallout 3, Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms, and Ancient Wars: Sparta. Guess which is which.

Fallout 3 is the highly-anticipated follow-up to Fallout 2, easily one of the best RPGs in history. I blogged about it last February, and the hype-o-meter level for the game remains high. The hype is partly fueled by concerns whether Bethesda, the game’s current license-holders, will be able to match the masterpieces that Interplay crafted.

Fallout 3 ETA: TBA. Yes, it’s frustrating!

Next up, we have Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms, the massive expansion to Creative Assembly’s latest Total War offering, Medieval II. Now, let me confess something here: I’ve never played Medieval II. I do, however, have spent countless hours massacring Gauls and Carthaginians in Rome: Total War (see my game review), and I’ve been meaning to grab a copy of Medieval II for quite some time now. I have no doubt that I will enjoy Medieval II, and probably its expansion, too, seeing its juicy features: four new campaigns and a slew of new factions.

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms ETA: Fall 2007. It looks like this game will have to tide me over until Fallout 3 arrives.

Lastly, Ancient Wars: Sparta is a real-time strategy game sporting purty graphics and riding on the HA-OOOH! hype over the movie 300. But purty graphics and just that doesn’t make a great game, so World Forge’s new child will still need to prove itself come launch time.

Ancient Wars: Sparta ETA: Well, according to this press release, the game has shipped to North American stores. I’ve yet to see it here in the Philippines, though. Game reviews rate the game as a ‘generic’ RTS, but as they say, to see is to believe!

Gadzooks! New Writers!

May 9, 2007 by Phillip Kimpo Jr

Gadzooks might be an old-fashioned word, but Gadzooki the blog is always out to serve you fresh articles. Hence, in the next days you’ll be seeing a batch of new and exciting writers. You’ve met one already (Lorie). I’m the second — Phillip, a.k.a. Corsarius. I’m an avid gamer, one-time programmer (in my college course), and gadget geek, so my future posts will more or less revolve around these three fields.

To start things off, here’s a hilarious comic strip that’s a parody of an old and popular NES game. Can you recognize the comics’ characters?

That’s Little Mac and Doc from Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, which was named by Gamespot as one of the greatest games of all time. You can find the full version of the comic at my old post in Crimson Crux.

More coming soon!