Before Unreal, Gears of War, and Bulletsotrm (and after Jazz Jackrabbit, ZZT, and Jill of the Jungle) Epic Megagames released this vertical scrolling shooter. While it contains classic shooter action in the vein of Raiden and Xevious, it contains a few tricks of its own that make it unique. The game was originally conceived as a tech demo by two friends Alexander Brandon and Jason Emery. It didn’t even have sound, although it was shopped out to both Epic and Apogee Software. Epic eventually considered the game a perfect fit for thier company, and hooked the team up with sound composers and graphic designers, and thus Tyrian was born. You play as Trent, a terraformation expert. After being sent to the planet Tyrian to do some terraforming work, your friend is assassinated by Microsol (not Microsoft), the corporation controlling the terraforming effort due to his knowledge of a rare mineral being mined on the planet. Realizing that you’re next on Microsol’s hit-list, you set out to make your escape.
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Tonight, Saint Nick will go about his rounds and deliver presents to all the good boys and girls. Tomorrow however, you’ll most likely be getting together with family. And we all know how much families hate each other, to the point where they want to beat the ever living shit out of one another. So instead of beating down your loved ones in real life, why not check out these games that let you do it in the video game world?
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A week from tonight, Santa makes his rounds to all the little boys and girls of the world. To that end, I got a triple shot of cheap gaming goodness for those of you struggling with last minute shopping ideas, so click ahead for some great stocking stuffers!
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Tropico 3 takes things back to the theme of the original game, which had you running a Banana Republic (rather than the second game which had you running a base of operations for pirates). Of course this time, everything takes place on a 3D map complete with a customizable avatar of the President. As the newly elected/appointed/installed ruler of a small Caribbean island, it falls on you to shape the island’s destiny while remaining in power for as long as possible. There are several factions you’ll have to satisfy, each having thier own needs. The capitalists want to see the island making good profits and having top notch entertainment, the communists want to see that everyone has decent housing and a good job, the religious want to make sure the island has high moral standards, while the intellectuals want to insure Tropico has unbiased media, good schools, and honest elections. In addition to the factions, you will also have to juggle your relationship with the US and Russia (this takes place during the cold war you know), so they won’t decide to invade your shores.
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Okay, I admit. My knowledge of the D&D franchise extends little beyond this game and Baldur’s Gate. However, weather you’re a newb to the role playing franchise or an expert DM, this game is easy to get into, and there is much to enjoy about this game. Weather it’s the deep intricate fantasy plot, the ability to craft and customize your character as you see fit, or the MMORPG-lite multiplayer, Neverwinter Nights represents the best of PC RPG games. It’s main draw however, is the Aurora toolkit, which allows players to craft thier own adventures. To date, players have crafted over thousands of mods, and the community is still active to this day. NWN Diamond Edition features the base game, along with the three expansions: Shadows of the Undertide, Hordes of the Underdark, and Kingmaker. These three expansions add even more to the campaign, and will keep you playing for dozens of hours. NWN Diamond Edition is available pretty much anywhere you buy PC games, and Gog.com has recently released a DRM-free version of the game available for $10. If you love PC RPGs, then you owe it to yourself and check it out. Also, head over to http://nwvault.ign.com/ for the latest community-created resources.

Now that the Thanksgiving turkey is digested, and your Black Friday shopping is finished, it’s time for a special 3-in-one edition of $20 GOTW, Lost Classics, and Maximum Letdown! Our first two games on the list are available either at or below the $20 mark anywhere you buy video games, so you don’t need to wait until after any holiday, camp out in front of the store, stand in line at Best Buy, or fight through the parking lot to cash in on these savings. The third game, not so much, but it’s a Maximum Letdown, so chances are, you aren’t gonna want it anyway. Anyway, click below and lets get started!
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Note: This is also coming to Playstation 3.
The sequel to 2007’s sci-fi role playing masterpiece, Mass Effect 2 once again raises the bar for RPGs. Set two years after the events of the original Mass Effect, you once again step into the shoes of Commander Shepard as he/she joins the organization Cerberus, an underground organization dedicated to protecting humanity at any cost. An all new alien menace is abducting entire human colonies, so Shepard has been tasked with putting together a team of bad-ass space mercenaries and stopping them. However, stakes are high, and many say that this is a suicide mission.
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The name Halo has become synonymous with Xbox. Ever since Halo 2’s non-ending, fans have waited for 3 years straight for Bungie to finish the fight, and this sequel does not disappoint. Taking strides forward in both single player and multiplayer, Halo 3 closes out the trilogy in style and it gave players plenty of reasons to keep it in thier consoles long after they are finished with the campaign. Well, at least until Reach came out.
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