Features

• Intense first-person shooter that immerses players in an epic sci-fi adventure
• Advanced, real-time dialog system for fluid communications with your ship’s crew and non-player characters
• Incredibly lifelike graphics with skeletal animation; 15 weapons; 24 different enemies
• Special Edition includes latest patches as well as expanded multiplayer (XMP)
• New weapons, vehicles and maps for up to 32 players in class-based team warfare

Reviews (4)

You've played this game before...
Unreal 2: The Awakening is like any other First Person Shooter game. You are the last hope of the world again, and you must take on the enemy (mostly) alone. Only to be rewarded with similar cut scenes of your transport going from - or coming to your space ship. (Although your First Mate, Aida, is somewhat good looking (...))It's an entertaining story at least. And probably worth the (...) asking price for what it is. Just expect to play it for 6 - 10 hours with little replay.

What sets this game a part from other shooters is the one sniper mission where you have to protect a mechanic from a sniper vantage point. Or the two mini-base building mission, where you protect others by building a force field and gun turrets. Else, you just hunt for the switch or find the Artifact, and even this is fairly straight forward. And the weapons are very imaginative. (Later on in the game...)

To sum it up: AI is great. Graphics are great. Sound is great. The story is good. Characters are good. And the missions are average. Length of the game is short. And the difficulty is adjustable from very easy to insane.

Best FPS game and Best Graphics! Better than Halo PC!
This game is Better than Halo for the PC. Halo was very good however this game has EVEN better graphics and design. Plus the aliens do not act like silly dwarfs as in Halo.
The graphics are FREAKIN AWESOME. Doom 3 had BETTER be good to surpass this game! Yes there is a slight, I mean slight cartoonish look to the graphics but it is Very negligible.
Let me tell you.. the women in this game look Flocking hot!
Untill id decides when to release Doom 3 if ever... GET THIS GAME!

Good multi
Look if you want extreme multi action wait forUT2004 if u want rpg goodness u2 is the way to go fun 4 everyone who like fps.

Above Average Single Player with an unprecedented XMP A++
Unreal 2 has the best graphics of any game to date.However graphics are not everything.Unreal 2's story is average, the weapons are unique each with own crosshair, top of the line.

Single Player 7.5/10 (Just not up to par with rest of game, show a lot of potential but only uses some of it.)
Graphics 10/10 (Particle effects are amazing)
Sound 9/10 (Some great music)
Guns 10/10 (6 different grenades sums this up well all worthwhile)
XMP 12/10 (not kidding)

XMP - A class based game that is not like DM, TDM, CTF or anything else.The object is to get artifacts.There are vehicles, turrets, huge levels (32 people)there is an XMP demo out that is worth trying.XMP is the most fun I have had in a while....Check out the preview from Beyond Unreal it is great... plus for the price an amazing game. ... Read more

Reviews (119)

Ultima Online
I've played this game since it's release September 1997 at a friend's house constantly. Then in 2001 I finally got a pc and of course I got Ultima Online. I love it. But of course, I need to be reviewing the newest expansion Age of Shadows :) It comes packed with extras. It contains installation for both 2d and 3d version. I use the 2d version more than the 3d version because I am so use to the 2d graphics of UO that I have been playing for so long. The 3d version is very pretty, though. The only gripe about the 3d version is that the characters look like anime cartoons in the face. The magic effects are beautiful and lush. Some complain that the 3d version runs very slow and is buggy. That's nonsense. I have MSN DIAL-UP v.9 and it works just fine. My connection usually only gets up to 50kb/s which makes the 2d run perfect, and the 3d version run good.

This expansion comes packed with new monsters and a whole new map to explore. Most of the new map is just housing plains, but that's fine, because there are some interesting monsters. It also contains the map Ilshenar which was recently only available on the Third Dawn expansion.

If you havn't joined UO yet and you plan to don't buy this now, but wait for the 7th Anniversary to be released this year (2004). It will contain all of the expansions and some rare items, and a full Ultima game included. More bang for the buck.

The most important aspect of any game is the gameplay. In UO, it's flawless. It's not like Everquest where you just fight to gain level. On UO, you fight to live and thrive in the beautiful world or Britannia. Another great thing about UO is that gaining level is more flexible and realistic. You don't just gain HP, you gain other skills and attributes as well. The currency system is easy to grasp onto.

Countless skills to learn and master, and countless gameplay hours. This is the best MMORPG ever. Probably the best video game ever as well.

So you'd like to play UO?
UO is a unique game. Not only can you go on quests, battle, and get a job, but so much more is available. You can create a whole new life for yourself, get a job, buy a house on some remote island, decorate it the way you want. The heart of the game is in the community, though. The graphics *arent* great, and the PvP isnt the most spectacular, but that's not what most players are there for. It's all about friends and relations. It's easy to meet people, and with friends, even the most mundane of quests becomes incredibly fun. If all you want is PvP, this is not the game for you.

Many people are dissatisfied with the OSI shards. They talk of how frustrating the countless bugs are. However, I think they were simply too quick to judge. At first, there *were* tons of bugs, but now, months after the release, there are hardly any. As for lack of space for housing, it is simply a testament to how popular the game is. If you're patient, there is always room for one more house. If playing on OSI shards is what turns you off of the game...there are always *other* possibilities. Look closely, they're there.

UO is an amazing experience, and one I wont forget. It has something that many other games dont, and that is what sets it apart.

If there was an option for 0 stars I would of gave it
EA took a once great game and added 1000's of bugs and hacks. Its the worse thing to happend to an online game.

Surprisingly Addictive, Immersive, Absorbing MMORPG
Of course Ultima Online (UO) is nothing new to the world of online gaming.In fact, it is probably one of the most succesful MMORPGs (ie, online role playing games with a persistent, massive universe and a large number of other players) in commercial terms.That may seem surprising initially because when compared with some of its competitors like Sony's Everquest or Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot, UO suffers from older generation graphics and visually is not as appealing as these other titles.With this latest edition, the graphics have been somewhat improved, with a 3d version available that essentially makes your character 3d in a 2d world, but even with that UO's graphics lag behind the competition, and graphics are often the first -- and sometimes the only -- thing that a prospective gamer looks at when evaluating a game.

Well, UO is the quintessential case of the danger of judging a book by its cover.Notwithstanding its graphical limitations, UO is quite simply the deepest, most complex, immersive, varied and thoroughly addictive experience that the MMORPG genre has to offer.Unlike many games where you have 6-8 character classes to choose from, perhaps a few more if you are lucky, in UO you have no classes per se, only skills that can be used to develop into professions based on skill levels ... and the list of possible professions you can end up with is long -- 25 plus, including not just the typical warrior and mage professions but a number of interesting ones like merchant, miner, blacksmith, tailor and the like.Your character advances not so much by experience points but by enhancing skills through using them over the course of time.There are so many to choose from, the possibilities for customising your game experience are nearly limitless.

The game is thoroughly engaging, the goals are challenging, advancement is steady but challenging as well and rather time consuming, but the results are very, very satisfying.The world is very social, the players like to communicate with each other, and it is a huge world environment as well.The game world is divided into facets, with the largest environment being divided between the Felucca facet and the Trammel facet, the difference being principally that the former, known as "Fel", allows for player killing, while the latter allows this only under limited circumstances.

The learning curve is steep for UO, but that is part of the fun.The message boards and guides at stratics.com are very helpful in learning the game, and there are numerous approved add-on programs that help make the game experience flow more smoothly.But in the end it is the clever design, the outstanding variety, the combination of challenge and satisfaction that make UO almost unique among MMORPGs, and clearly head and shoulders above others in terms of gameplay and player satisfaction.

Complete, utter, overrated GARBAGE
I don't get it. I really don't. I expected an intricate, fun, community experience with this game. I was excited throughout the registration process, looking at the box and reading about the handfuls of trades to take up and all of the other wonderful features of the Ultima Online experience.I was pleased to hear about the 30 day free trial.

I made it to day 5.This game is boring.

The trades system is a joke, seeing as how the apparent goal of UO, to most of its gamers, is to make money.Well the truth is only one or two trades really make you any money in this game.PvP combat is restricted to specific areas.I'm sorry, but PvP is a fact of life with online RPG's.Player killers were always all the more incentive to be careful outside city limits, and to hone your combat skills.There is very little to even do in the game.All I ever see is players huddling around the bank, trading items and selling their properties.

Maybe I just don't understand this style of game, but this was the biggest waste of money I have ever spent, and I only spent 10 dollars on it.Really, I want my 10 dollars back. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In the bloody aftermath of Z comes Z: Steel Soldiers, named after a new breed of robot with a taste for war and a warped sense of humor. Join forces with Captain Zod in this epic adventure. You will battle against the odds, fight against the authorities, and ultimately race against time in an adrenaline-fueled, last-ditch effort to avert impending disaster and annihilation.

In Z: Steel Soldiers, an uneasy cease-fire exists between the two vast war machines of TransGlobal Industries and the MegaCom Corporation. The final phase of the peace initiative is only hours away when renegade troops, led by Captain Zod, shoot down an enemy cargo ship in the demilitarized zone. What follows is a stunning blend of arcade and strategy elements as the player is dropped into the heat of battle. When you take control of your Steel Soldiers unit, you'd better hit the ground running!

Z: Steel Soldiers features 30 distinct levels spanning six unique worlds, from lush forests to arid deserts; 30 military units comprised of land-, air-, and sea-based transport, most of which are armed to the teeth; and 20 additional multiplayer maps. It all adds up to the ultimate in warfare for up to eight players over the Internet or a LAN. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Z: Game, Z: Steel Soldiers Z: Best!
Playing Z: Game is like living a fantasy and eating a cake.
First you find yourself in a strange world with an interresting story, then you go for the treat and play. Z: Steel Soldiers is an even stranger world of action, adventure, and enchantment. 500 years later the captivating trance of Z comes back, and hits you with more action-packed & adrenaline rushed theme. Z: Best is one way to describe it.

Good Game,But a little too hard.
This is a great game.I was a little surprised at the price when i saw that the game had such jaw-dropping graphics.Don't be fooled by the price.For those who have played Dark reign 2 you will be familiar with this one.But, as i mentioned above,This game is quite hard as you get to the 5-6 mission and there are no cheats.So you must be good at Rts's if you want to progress in this one.Overall,this is a great game,very fun and very challenging.

Great Game
This is a great game to have if you like this genre. I bought a couple of games recently like this (Command and Conquer types) that let me down. But, this one is well thought out, and has a good (and funny) story. You don't feel like you are just playing on the same field all the time as with some games of the type. Plus, the newer weapons come slowly, so your not playing three quarters of the game with all the weapons you'll ever have. That makes it more interesting to me. With new weapons appearing from time to time you have to learn how to use them, then figure out how best to deploy them.

Revision:
I've had this game for a couple years now.I just installed it again, and it's still fun.The graphics are still great so you won't have to worry about it feeling "dated".GREAT game for this price.Recommend highly.

This game is a little buggy without the patch.Be sure to download and install it before playing.

Could have been good
OK - If any of you played Z, you know it's a great game.I know it's a great game and was eagerly awaiting this newer release, even though I had read that they'd made it into more of a Warcraft style of play (where you can build buildings and stuff) as opposed to a capture only style of play (the buildings are already made and you can capture them, but you can't build anything else) ... believe it or not, the latter style is really cool too - a unique concept that they decided to discard.At any rate, I digress ... here's the skinny from *my* perspective ...

this *could* have been a great game.I was in the process of playing, and was definitely enjoying it, and had reached level 14 or so (out of 30) without too many problems.There came a time when it started crashing every time at the exact same moment.I said, OK, there must be a patch for this, so I got online and started looking around and found patches that claimed to fix 'random crashing'.So, I was on the Z site and tried to download the patches and without fail every time I tried to download one, the page could not be found.Looking elsewhere, I found complaints that this was common (the official site's servers kept crashing) and that many people were unable to find the patches or they flat out didn't work.Guess what?I installed the patches and mine doesn't work either!They tell you to 'be careful' where you install the patches, so I followed the instructions that they gave, and installed them to the root directory, and lo and behold, I can no longer run Direct X.So now, I can't even get to the program at all.This is especially frustrating because I had finally managed to get to a superior position against the damn blue enemy on the level I was on and now have lost it.I even tried reinstalling to no avail.So, my advice to all of you guys is to wait until the Bitmap Brothers get their act together and make some fixes that actually work - investigate this and you'll find loads of complaints.I have no idea how the other people giving reviews here managed to finish, but i read on one of the complaints that this guy had P4 1.2 GHz processor and still couldn't get it to finish.I personally have a P3 500 MHz and decent video and sound card and couldn't finish.I tell you, when I hear people complaining about specs, I usually assume that they're not computer literate or don't have a powerful enough system - well, I'm a programmer and have played games since the Apple II first came out and I have no idea how to get this game to work.It's too bad because I seriously enjoyed it up until the point where I could no longer play.So, this game could have been good, but due to the bugs, it isn't.Hopefully they will provide a fix.In that event, I will come back here and change my rating to a more favorable one.Until then .... buy something good like Deus Ex or System Shock or something.

Fun remake of an old classic
Great game!This is a remake of the old PC game called Z where the objective is to conquer "Territories" by taking over the flags of those territories.Resources are gained by how many territories you have and not by gathering resources like in AOK or Cossacks.This game is much more focused on FUN rather than historical accuracy.While there are lots of different buildings and units in the game, I don't think Steel Soldiers will take over the RTS market like AOK did, but if you want an action packed RTS will beautiful landscapes and huge explosions then this game is definately worth the money and will keep you entertained for a long time. ... Read more

Product Description

Reborn and reawakened in a strange new world, you must now come to terms with your current destiny as you search for clues to solve the riddle to your race's destruction and return the Kohan to its rightful glory. Build your legions and reclaim the world of Khaldun! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Unique game but too short
I enjoyed the game, but finished it in 20 hours.There's only one decent-sized campaign.If you aren't into multiplayer online games, you may have a hard time getting your money's worth out of this one.It *is* fun, and it is unique.But it's over all too quickly.

Another Review
Ok you may have seen my other review but now that I really have the game it will be a real review! The grapics were stuning and the multiyplayer is hard to get off. With over 40 different heros and 25 missions in sigle player this game is extremly hard to get off of. Even if your not a stragey fan! One of The greatest stratgey games I have ever really seen!

Best strategy game EVER!!!
MY opinion is this game rocks!!!!And guess what I only have a demo of the game. Sounds odd, doesn't it. I thought that the music was good and the grafics were the same. but best of all it is time comsuming. You know those games that you pick up and think it's going to be the best game you have ever played? And then after two hours you beat the game completly. Well not this one. Since I have the demo i only get one mission but i've spent a total of at the least 5 hours on it and that dose not even count the great multiplayer that i beat my brother on (Ha Ha). Over all this game is a 10 out of five (Very great game).

Very enjoyable and Challenging
The graphics are poor but it stops there. Everything else is great. The AI is the best I've played in a while.

Newsflash! Australian Imports Kohan and it Rocks!
...It's one of the finest RTS's I've played. Thankfully free of resource micro-management, allowing you to focus on the extremely interesting tasks of tactics and strategy as you utilize your forces to defeat interesting and difficult computer opposition.

Thoroughly recommended if your a fan of RTS. ... Read more

Book Description

Earth & Beyond is the first online role-playing galaxy. This galaxy is filled with monsters and strange new worlds, but it is also home to thousands of other players from around the world. Players create unique characters and starships and can affect the galaxy, but the game persists even after individual players log off. Alien encounters, fierce combat, cutthroat commerce, new discoveries, perilous quests, strategic alliances, diplomatic backstabbing, and epic wars await you and the friends you'll adventure with.

Earth & Beyond lets you build your character and career in three distinct ways: exploration, trade, and combat. The game is designed around these three activities, and each race, profession, skill, starship, and item affects how well you do these core activities.

Explorers have access to hidden locales, the best sensors, the most accurate maps, the fastest ships, and stealth capabilities. Tradesmen make and sell goods, run trade routes, go on trade missions, have the biggest cargo holds, and do whatever it takes to make a profit. Warriors thrive on combat, destroying enemies, going on dangerous missions, and protecting their friends during perilous missions.

It's a big galaxy. How far will you go?

• Form Powerful Alliances: The galaxy is populated with thousands of brave starship captains like you. Team up for group adventures to reap the benefits of cooperative exploration, trade, and combat.
• Lead Mankind's Galactic Expansion: Visit fascinating alien worlds, discover strange space phenomena, harvest precious resources, fight in massive battles, and trade your goods at thriving star bases.
• Create and Command Your Starship: Start your career in style with a powerful starship that you design, paint, and name. Upgrade your starship with new weapons, engines, shields, and devices.
• Live Your Own Life: Become powerful by succeeding in the challenges you enjoy the most, including combat, exploration, and trade. Choose from a variety of space-faring careers, each with a unique blend of potent skills.
• Star in a Sci-Fi Epic: As this epic story of humanity's struggle to colonize the stars unfolds, the galaxy will change before your eyes. Your actions, and those of your allies and enemies, will determine the fate of humanity and the course of the galaxy.

Reviews (106)

In a word - "slow"
Far too slow of a game.The time necessary to travel place to place make for an amazingly slow experience.If you like the idea of just traveling around the 'computer universe' and exploring then this may be the game for you.The graphics are great and the visuals along the way are exceptional, but if your looking for action, you will find it, but boy do you have to look.

This reveiw was done by an experemental computer program
Just to let you know, this is a brilliant game. You get addicted to it after the first few minuets and you must play it for atleast four hours every day. THe storyline is very engaging, but the whole concept is kinda hard to grasp at first. It is very chalenging and like Freelancer, you use the mouse to control the ship. As your levels increase, you can go around to starbases and pick up new skills from "masters". It is only a multyplayer game, and there are some pros and some cons to that. The only thing I don't like about it is that the credits are kinda hard to earn, but you can't buy all that mutch. It is also the most interactive multiplayer space sim ever and you can interact with everyone and everything on a starbase including the other players. There are also aliens and never, never, never interact with a v'rix unless you are really good at combat. The earth & beond universe is allways changing and the people at ea games often update it. I only have the demo though. This game is still one of the bes space sims around and please buy it!

A sheep in Wolf's clothing...
When I tried the demo I was overawed with the promise of the game.After all what's not to like?! Massive space systems and sectors beautifully depicted and ranging from the sublime to the most disturbing.The promise of engaging space "Monsters or Beasts" (aka MOBS) in battle, after acquiring sufficient combat skill level.The promise of discovering and using greater weapons and ammunition that will make exploration and confrontation a total blast (pardon the pun)!The promise of teaming up to do battle as a group and kicking some NPC butt. That's the promise, now let me tell you what you actually get.

I played the demo nonstop for hours and subscribed.EA got that part right at least!Unfortunately for EA, the majority of us aren't fools.In order to get us to subscribe there has to be constant challenges for the player and last but not least it has to be fun!

You can't succeed at this on a steady diet of the same old thing.You lose interest.It takes hours to achieve an increase in skill level and you achieve it by doing the same thing over and over and over and over... you get the picture.Plus, this concept of Guilds sounded appealing at first, when in reality it takes the form of little more than cliques and when you join you do nothing together as group.In essence I was asked to join and nothing "groupwise" has happened since.I had the impression that guild members would pitch in and form "fronts" against common enemies (hyuk, hyuk, hyuk!).

A few guilds have been around for awhile and every once and again you'll see a group formation with just a few people actually doing battle (what is that?!).The chat room makes me wonder if anyone is actually playing the game?!So the tedium takes it toll.EA just doesn't deliver on the new and unexpected as often as they should.This game is just okay but really could be better if they took the various factions and teamed them up against each other in more political and dangerous ways.Where's their plot creativity team at?Stuck at skill level one is my guess?

A sheep in Wolf's clothing...
When I tried the demo I was overawed with the promise of the game.After all what's not to like?! Massive space systems and sectors beautifully depicted and ranging from the sublime to the most disturbing.The promise of engaging space "Monsters or Beasts" (aka MOBS) in battle, after acquiring sufficient combat skill level.The promise of discovering and using greater weapons and ammunition that will make exploration and confrontation a total blast (pardon the pun)!The promise of teaming up to do battle as a group and kicking some NPC... [butt]. That's the promise, now let me tell you what you actually get.

I played the demo nonstop for hours and subscribed.EA got that part right at least!Unfortunately for EA, the majority of us aren't fools.In order to get us to subscribe there has to be constant challenges for the player and last but not least it has to be fun!

You can't succeed at this on a steady diet of the same old thing.You lose interest.It takes hours to achieve an increase in skill level and you achieve it by doing the same thing over and over and over and over... you get the picture.Plus, this concept of Guilds sounded appealing at first, when in reality it takes the form of little more than cliques and when you join you do nothing together as group.In essence I was asked to join and nothing "groupwise" has happened since.I had the impression that guild members would pitch in and form "fronts" against common enemies (hyuk, hyuk, hyuk!).

A few guilds have been around for awhile and every once and again you'll see a group formation with just a few people actually doing battle (what is that?!).The chat room makes me wonder if anyone is actually playing the game?!So the tedium takes it toll.EA just doesn't deliver on the new and unexpected as often as they should.This game is just okay but really could be better if they took the various factions and teamed them up against each other in more political and dangerous ways.Where's their plot creativity team at?Stuck at skill level one is my guess?

Nice way to spend time :)
I like this game. It has action and graphics .. and sound...
The story is in development and it's getting quite interesting what will happend next. Coming soon new classes are also exciting.
I have to agree that leveling after lvl75 becomes not easy and can bore you, yet not that much.
The biggest problem is this lvl150 limit. You can play after and you will get more levels, but at extrimely slow rate.
Rades are fun though..:) ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

For hard-core role players, Ultima Online: The Second Age offers theperfect fantasy milieu--a massive online world and a pool of dedicatedplaymates.

After working through a fairly extensive installation and account setup, youget to create a character, choosing the statistics, profession, and even thelook of the avatar. This character is then sent to Britannia. As anapprentice in your chosen field, you are free to seek experience, mentors,adventure, and treasure.

There are many monsters and obstacles to player survival. Thriving inthe Ultima Online universe requires quick wits, resourcefulness, and morethan a little luck. The game is complex, with loads to learn (requiring avery up-to-date computer and a fast Internet connection).

This may sound like more trouble than it's worth, but the world of Britanniais very much enriched by its online existence. With most other characters runby other Internet users, Ultima Online has spontaneity and flexibilitynonexistent in traditional computer games. Instead of being herded through a fixed plot, you build your character'sfortunes from the ground up. The result is a story without end in a worldplayers can visit as often as they like. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (37)

I'm not so sure about this
I have no problem with the game or gameplay, in fact I was looking to buy another account, but looking at the price of the second age disk, 30 bucks, I thought..this can't be right.I mean, it's over 5 years old and it's one of the earliest expansions to this great game, so why does it cost so much?

Ultima Online: Second Age
Arrgggg, I Finally Come to this place after phoning everwhere, and Ultima Online: Second Age isn't In Stock?!?!?!?!?! AHHHHHH, Please tell me, Do you just not sell It anymore or has everyone bought it???

the best game
i have played this game for about three years now and i think its the best mid-eveal game around!!

ULTIMA
I WANT TO BUY ULTIMA ON LINE SECOND AGE

Buy this game!
Ultima Online: The Second Age, is definatly in my book, one of the best games out there. You can play with thousands of players online, interact with people, and do about a million different things.

Iv herd people saythat the lag is the worst in the world, and that you need a supercomputerto run it without lag. This is not true. Iv got a normal 56k modem with anormal internet connection and I have never had any problems.

Inconclusion, buy this game!It's one of the best, expesialy if you want anonline game. Then it IS the best. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon received near-universal acclaim when itwas released last year, and for good reason. The graphics were impressive, theaction was intense, and multiplayer was an absolute blast. The saga continueswith Desert Siege, the first expansion pack for Ghost Recon (thefull version is required to play Desert Siege). For fans of GhostRecon, Desert Siege is a must-have game.

This time the action is set in Africa. The year is 2009 and Ethiopia has invadedneighboring country Eritrea, which doesn't sit too well with the rest of theworld. The Ghosts--an elite team of Green Berets--are sent in to clear the wayfor a larger land-based campaign. The single-player game features eight newmissions, which vary between night and day and consist of a variety ofobjectives. One mission, for example, has you destroying the remains of a downedspy craft, while another has you securing a train depot.

All of the missions feature a ramped-up difficulty level that will challenge themost ardent Ghost Recon player. The enemy AI has been tweaked to create amore realistic experience, and enemy soldiers will now use grenades with morefrequency. In addition, enemy troops will now drive around in trucks, completewith armed soldiers riding in the back. Put it all together and you're presentedwith a sensational single-player experience.

Beyond the single-player game, Desert Siege also features four newmultiplayer maps and two new multiplayer modes: Domination and Siege. Dominationhas rival teams vying for control of specific areas of the map, while Siege hasone team defending an area while another team attacks. Multiplayer in GhostRecon was an incredible experience, and Desert Siege continues thattrend; both of the new gameplay modes are a great deal of fun. Unfortunately,you must use Ubi Soft's multiplayer matchmaking service, which is extremelyunintuitive. Finding a good game is possible, but you must be patient.

Desert Siege also offers a host of other additions, such as nine newweapons available in multiplayer mode, improved graphics, a new specialist, andinterface tweaks. Mission-editing tools have also been included, which shouldensure that this excellent game enjoys a long life. --William Harms

Pros:

• Excellent new single-player campaign
• Improved graphics
• Great new multiplayer modes

• Ubi Soft's matchmaking service stinks
• Inexperienced players may find some missions extremely tough

Reviews (19)

A letter from a Ghost in Africa
Dear Family:

I hope you got my letter describing how I loved my tour of duty in Europe that I recently undertook.I know you all may not approve of me re-enlisting for a second tour of duty, but my most recent campaign was nothing short of amazing.

My boys and I were traveling to Germany for some R&R when we got the call from HQ that an uprising in Ethiopia was happening.So of course we heeded the call and zipped over to help stop a crazy warlord from disrupting crucial shipping lanes.I must say that our job in Africa is a lot more varied then Europe.Instead of lush forests, we now operate pretty much in the open in the hot dry desert.But all our tactics and training came in handy on this mission, because our foes are just as tough as they were in Europe.

Our missions in Ethiopia started off with a cool beach landing at night.From there we protected convoy's of crucial supplies, assaulted an oil factory, and in our favorite mission, stopped a convoy of three tanks.Wow, that was amazing, but at the same time, nerve-racking.

Our foes are just as tough as the thugs back in Russia.They use combact tactics efficently and smartly, flanking, suppressing fire, they use it all.We also noticed (while we were running for our lives) that they toss a lot more grenades then the russian thugs did.But they also have an annoying tendancy to be able to fire an automatic weapon from yards away and score a headshot (which should be impossible).Believe me when me and my ghost buddies got really, really, ticked off about this.

My buddies have kept all the old skills from the first campaign.They are still essential in surviving a mission, constantly spotting and killing bad guys that would have killed me quickly.But they still need my direct intervention occasionally to make them do the right thing.Good thing we still have all our death-dealing weaponry to teach these warlords a thing or two...hehe...

I expect the news reports on everything we've done will start coming home soon, but trust me.This was one campaign that I liked fighting in.

Your son,
Ghost #325

Shane's rating for Ghost Recon
If you love the First Ghost Recon game you will for surely love this game. In the game the Green Berets (Marines), go settle a 60 year old conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It includes multiplayer teams, 8 missions, and play online mode. My dad bought it for himself a couple of years ago and wouldn't let me play it so when he was gone I would always sneak it and play it. It may be rated mature, but it doesn't have much blood or gore, but it has a lot of violence. It is so real it will make you fill like your in Africa along with the Berets. In most war games you get to play with one soldier, well in this one you get a team of Berets (6 soldiers) to do missions. If you like this game you should also check out Ghost Recon Island thunder, and Rogue Spear. This is the best PC game of the century!

Super fast shipping!
Great Product & Fast shipping!

Also fast responds!

It's a MUST BUY expansion game for Ghost Recon
I always love Tom Clancy games, like Rogue Spear and Ghost Recon. I bought The Desert Siege expansion pack from Amazon.com, and it is the most challenging team shooter game.

Desert Siege is not for a beginner Ghost Recon Player, since the computer enemies has very good artificial intelligence. They can hide and they can run away from you! It can cause a real havoc when you have to deal with an enemy sniper until you can figure it out where he hides.

The first time you play it, you may get frustrated a little bit because the enemies are harder! but after a while, you will figure their behaviors out.

Must play game of the year!

Not better, but not bad.
It's been a long time since I have played Ghost Recon, the first game, and I was excited to penetrate into these new levels--only 8 missions, about 5 new levels, I believe--but that's all you get for something intriguing.Nothing new here except for the levels.But is that a problem??No, not at all.

The levels are all situated in the day for the most part on hot desert lands with the sun beating down as always, and there is a level settled in the nighttime.Textures for these levels are pretty good, I must say; nicely planned out, interesting, with nice camouflage-like physical features, such as dense shrubbery, bushes, rivers, etc.Surprisingly though, there is nice topography, with mountains for good sniping and for some difficult moments.On the other hand, in quick mission mode, you are given about 15 or so of new and old levels for enjoyment and value.I must admit that I was motivated to play those levels just for complete enjoyment and entertainment.

Gameplay is usual and peculiar in some ways.When you unlock the 7th or 8th level in campaign mode, the specialist fighters don't have any new, powerful weapons, like in Ghost Recon (orig)--not even that; you don't even have the possibility of seeing some of the state-of-the-art weaponry of these specialists.....Oh, and you don't unlock any specialists in quick mission mode, which, I think, decreased the value of the game.The artificial intelligence is not better, absolutely not.They get stuck sometimes in hallways, and worst of all, your partner, sometimes, doesn't follow you...and if you need back up, you must go back and give him the message for him to follow you.

Sound is worse.Redstorm seems like they got the music and some of the sounds off of Kazaa--or worse quality type audio; it's a little fuzzy.I thought they could have improved a lot on that. Mediocre, but suprisingly, it's not better.

Well, that sums it up.A game that has only new levels.But don't be uninterested, because this game does have some really interesting levels, involving villages at the pits of some small mountains, or a dark atmospheric level, willing to complete the mission in utter black darkness, moon down.The gameplay will captivate your interest, but not entirely.But honestly, you'll like Ghost Recon (the original) after playing this game; it's an improvement over Desert Seige, which may put DS into the dust. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Neverwinter Nights isn't simply another computer game. It's aDungeons & Dragons computer game, as well as all the tools you'll need to create your own Dungeons & Dragons adventures. Neverwinter Nights is an achievement. It accomplishes what computer role-playing games set out to do when Wizardry debuted in the late '70s: re-create the social, hands-on experience of tabletop gaming.

Neverwinter Nights uses the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition rules in (nearly) all their complex glory. It's the first game to attempt to fully support D&D 3E's customizable features, and more significantly, it's the first game designed to re-create the experience of playing tabletop D&D. You can play BioWare's extensive campaign alone or online with your friends, or you can use the included Aurora toolset to build your own adventure module and run it for your buddies with all the control you'd have if you were running a tabletop game. The powerful Dungeon Master client lets you put words in nonplayer characters' mouths, control monsters, alter the game world, and customize your adventure on the fly. If playing is your thing, you can join other people's games and play through encounters with other gamers around the world.

Everything works as it should and the game is beautiful to behold. BioWare has used a limited 3-D engine to allow you to spin your viewpoint around your character and zoom in on the action. During combat, Mages unleash spectacular spells, Priests raise their symbols to drive undead hordes back, and Rogues tinker with locked chests, while Fighters dodge, parry, and strike ferociously at any attacking beasts. The sound is topnotch, with BioWare's typically high-quality voice acting and music from composer Jeremy Soule.

But all isn't perfect.

The game makes a great effort of implementing the full D&D 3rd Edition rules, but doesn't quite succeed. In NWN, Paladins lose their Detect Evil and Mount abilities. Druids can shape change into animals, but can't change back to human form at will. Darkvision has no noticeable in-game effect. Troublesome issues for hard-core D&D fans, but it's understandable that some changes would have to be made in order to shoehorn a freeform tabletop RPG into a computer program.

Other issues are not so easy to understand: the camera controls are simple and will not allow the user to lower to decrease the camera angle--you'll never get anything approaching a character's-eye view of the world. Moving to a new section within a building or going from an indoor to an outdoor area takes you out of the game and presents you with a (mercifully short) "Loading" screen. There is an artificial limitation on how many henchmen you can hire in the single-player game: you're limited to one hireling, and Baldur's Gate fans will miss the squabbling party from earlier games. More significant are the problems that arise from trying to re-create a social experience like D&D in a computer game. Multiplayer games with strangers are confusing and not as fun as they sound and, like the tabletop game, they're really only as fun as the players and especially the DM you're playing with. Multiplayer NWN is only worthwhile if you have a dedicated group and a DM that knows what he or she is doing. The last drawback is the documentation. The manual is large and detailed but it omits key help in module creation; you have to buy a separatestrategy guide if you want that information.

But though slightly flawed, NWN has indisputably won the holy grail of RPG gaming: getting the Dungeons & Dragons experience into a personal computer. The included campaign is fascinating and the tools are powerful enough to ensure a steady stream of module content from devoted fans. Make no mistake, Neverwinter Nights is an achievement and will likely change the way CRPGs are played from now on. It's a game no RPG fan, no D&D fan, should miss. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Almost perfect implementation of D&D 3E rules
• Deep single-player game
• Intriguing multiplayer game
• Powerful module creation tools

• Not quite perfect implementation of D&D 3E rules
• "Loading" screens
• Inflexible 3-D camera
• Only one henchman
• Multiplayer is dependant on quality players and DM

Reviews (17)

improved perfection
The world of RPG has always been a rocky one. It is like a group of statisticians looking for the grail. Still, it is one of the purest game forms. not bend on impossibility, but on imagination. A world that was formed by hundreds of books telling tales of mystical times, of magical challenges and the principles of the war artisans.
A game like that partially existed and was called "Baldurs Gate". These designers took a long look and improved an a great concept. the result is "Neverwinter Nights". It starts with the challenge of finding 4 creatures that form the cure for a plague. When at last you find the 4, and when you make the cure, then you will learn that it is only the introduction to something far more. walking around this world. fighting the creatures of evil, searching the places of darkness is so compelling, you can be at this for many many months. And to top this all off, there is a toolkit that will allow you to design your own challenges. For you or for your friends.
If you are new to the RPG world, then this game is a great place to start. If you are a RPG fan, then you cannot afford, not owning this game.

Excellent RPG
What an excellent RPG. It was well worth the price. Sure it doesn't conform 100% to D&D 3E rules, but heck, it's tons more fun that way. I've started playing RPGs since Final Fantasy I for the NES (another excellent series), and I would have to say this is all around one of my favorite RPGs of all time.

Realistic review from avid D&D GM and computer gamer
I have played and GMed D&D games for about 10 years now and have been a computer gamer since I was a kid.I have also completed the game all of the way through twice with different character classes.

Of all the D&D computer games I have played, this one has far been the best.For those who are not used to rotating camera angles, this game can take some getting used to.Try the different camera options in the settings panel if you are not comfortable with it in a day.

The games overall graphics are great.The character models are not a strong as they could be but, they get the job done.Storyline is interesting and fun for 1 player.For multi-player it is better is you are playing either with someone you know or someone you meet that is interesting.I found that playing in or near the same room where you can have running commentary the best.

For those from the tabletop game, this has the closest implementation on 3rd edition rules that I have seen.There have been some modifications to make it fit better in the video game environment but these have been for the better from what I have experienced.

Overall, this has been a great game and I recommend it to anyone that loves computer RPG's - even if your not really a fan of D&D (or have no idea what I'm talking about when I say D&D).

For the special edition, if you like art and extra features, this kit is for you.If all you want is the game, save your money and get the standard because this has nothing extra for you.

I hope you found this useful.

Great Package, Great Game
First off, for the game 4 stars(I'll explain in a bit).For the Collector's Edition you get the VIP treatment as with some game boxes in the 80's.You get a very nice Jersey(Tee-shirt with long-sleeves)that has not just some... decale, but writing on the sleeve, chest, and back.You get a huge cloth poster of a Warrior woman wielding dual swords(very nice) a mouse pad map(exact duplicate from the paper map in the regular ED)that you can look at as you wheel your mouse in for attack.You get an art book with a nice picture of Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande (also beautifully done on the DVD case of your game disks.) And you get a nice box with the warrior/ranger to put it all in.
Now for the game:
Although this is a very fun and addictive game, it is weak in some areas, namely the lone wolf character along with his hired help.No party.You cannot control the leveling attribute/feat placement of your significant other either. Another thing is the level 20 cap.I don't mind so much except that the expansion pack isn't going to expand on that either(so I've heard).
Other than these two pretty major flaws, it's a dang good hack-n-slash with RPG elements.The nice thing about 3rd Edition is that you can multi-class(even a paladin) and have a Paladin/fighter that can dish out Specialzing(if you know what I mean) damage with his... Sword.2nd Ed you couldn't.Furthermore, Paladins were useless in 2nd because the fighter/cleric(a class that should've been forbidden in those rules) was always better and not very balanced.Like I said in IWD2, if you don't like it, that is your opinion and nothing more.Fighters have more feats and Paladins(of Helm) loose part of thier paladin powers because they have to wait until level 5(when weapon specializing) to become a Paladin again. In this game multi-classing is free game for paladins, but I like it that way(and so do a lot of Wizard/Paladins).
I once had the original edition of NWN but returned it promptly...Amazon is the first place I saw it...

Get your own Copy!And then enjoy!
Well of course, being a true gamer I frist tried to play the game off of a bured copy I got from my roommate.Well soon to find that it don't quite work that way.The copy protection is pretty high, mainly with the multi-player feature.Not a problem for the single-player.Well after playing the game for even a little while I went out to get my own copy, becuase man does this game rock.Seriously... though buyer beware, there are many hazards that away you.Here's the lowdown on the game itself.

Genre: RPG
Rules System: D&D 3rd edition, d20.As opposed to 2nd edition ruled used in the Balders Gate series.
Graphic level: From high to low, but even the lowest setting is pretty detailed, beware on the requirements for this though.
Gore Level: Can be high, can be adjusted too.
Gameplay: Single player, multi-player option
Collectors edition: Very much worth it.Can't believe the value.

Alright, so the game is great... well first off the question is CAN YOU PLAY IT?Well I couldn't originally.I had a P3 800 with 384mb RAM, 30gb HD and an onboard graphics card with 16mb graphicRAM.Well... that didn't even work despite the minimum requirements.They say a P2 300, 96 RAM, DirectX 8.1, and a 16MB OpenGL compliant card.Well i had all that... did it work.Yeah... but no.If I left it like that then it would have not been fun at all.So well I upped by graphics card to an ATI 7500 64mb RAM card and that did the trick.Next thing I did was install WIN2000 on my machine becuase it won't work with my XP.It'll get to a certain point but won't load past that point.But it took a lot of work and what did I get out of it?

A GREAT GAME.This game has just about everything I would want in a PC game using the 3rd edition D&D.The spell list isn't as extensive, not all the feats are available, and not nearly all the skills... but who used balance all that often anyway.It took the good parts and trimmed some of the most complex area away to give you a game for PC, one with an AI and a script for a DM.

What is really cool about this game is the customization for it.You can create your own portrait, even your own clothes if you go for it."Cheating" your way through the game is as easy as it was in Quake3, and it even gives you a list of commands to use.The game comes with it's own editor, called Aurora Engine, it allows you to make your own modules for playing with your friends.And the rule system is very diverse, allowing you to create new spells, distribute points diffrently, exceed lvl 20, be uncommon races, add templates to characters.It also comes with a DM client that allows you to DM a multiplayer game.You are Dunge Onmaster, short and speedy and all powerful.This comes in handy with custom modules that you want to have even further control over.

The main game itself coems with 4 chapters and a prelude, of which you will hit lvl 20 by the end of it all.It is first player, but you can hire a henchman to help you.You don't control him directly, but issue him commands such as Stop, Attack, Heal Me, Follow.If you get a Rogue, he'll help you unlock things, disable traps, if you get a Cleric, she'll heal you and turn the undead for you.On top of that you can summon creatures into your party, controling them the same as a henchman, and a familiar for wizards and sorcerers.

It is a very sweet game that has a lot of diversity and even more versatility and potential.You'll spend hours playing and maybe hours creating your own games.And along with this Collectors edition you get a T-shirt (long sleeve actually), a "canvas" poster, which is really cotton pressed paper, kinda like money.A nifty DVD case for the game disks, an art book which is really cool and the OST, which is really neat for using as background for table-top games.You'll still have to update the game as it has already moved into several patches.Try out some fo the official modules and even some of the IGNvault custom modules.

I highly recommend this game to any D&D fan or fan of Balders Gate. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

It is now the dawn of a new age. The most momentous of wars has begun in the heart of the Sacred Lands. Four races--the Empire, the Mountain Clans, the Undead Hordes, and the Legions of the Damned--stand ready for battle as they fight for the survival and dominance of their war-torn world and the gods they have long believed in. The mighty lords watch silently as their disciples prepare for the daunting tasks ahead. Each warrior must engage in a struggle of swordplay, sorcery, and uncommon courage in order to complete his or her sacred quests. The Empire fight to secure their people's future. The Mountain Clans search to regain their rune knowledge. The Undead Hordes seek revenge for their accursed god. And the Legions of the Damned battle to resurrect their fallen angel's soul.

It is a struggle of desperation. Every stroke of a sword, each blast of fiery magic, must be endured beyond exhaustion, for once the clouds of destruction clear, lands will have been transformed, new armies will have been forged, and the cheers of the liberated will resound throughout the land. Only one race shall claim victory. Only the chosen will survive.

Engage in classic turn-based strategy and RPG action in a fully explorable medieval world. Battle to the death as a champion from any one of four completely distinct races. Take on the challenge of the Sacred Lands as a Mage, Warrior, or Guildmaster--all possessing unique strengths and weaknesses. Master more than 100 spectacular spells, each boasting its own dynamic animation. An exclusive experience model allows for groundbreaking variety and depth-of-character evolution. Awe-inspiring hand-drawn and prerendered graphics enliven the never-before-seen landscapes and denizens of these magical realms. An engrossing story line weaves through four complete campaigns, multiple scenarios, and hundreds of hours of gameplay. Clash in multiplayer action with up to four players over a LAN or the Internet. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

GREAT
Disciples is an amazing mixture of Strategy and RPG.
I have listed the aspects of the game on a one to ten scale (ten being the best).

GRAPHICS:OK
LENGTH OF INTEREST:About two to three weeks
AMOUNT OF STRATEGY AVAILABE:Much.You can decide where to put your units in the party, what type of units to have in a party, and what you want your units to be upgraded into once they gain a level.You can also choose an upgrade for a hero once it has gained a level.There are four races you can choose from.During the game, you can choose whether or not to ally with another race.You can also choose what spells to research and cast.
ADDICTIVENESS:Average.You'll be playing this for maybe an hour straight every time for the first week, thirty minutes the second.
CHALLENGE:There are three difficulty settings.It's a challenging game even on easy.
FRUSTRATION:The most frustration you'll have in this game is you can barely (if ever) directly destroy the enemy.Each race has a very powerful creature guarding it's capital, so it is impossible to destroy an player.But, you never have to in the objectives.The game is pointed at something else, like capture a certain city, kill a certain party, or claim a certain amount of land.But, eventually it gets annoying because of the continous attacks that opposing races will deal out because you know you can't ever stop them.

decent turn base game
pro:
-Interesting pictures.Those demons, undeads, dwarfs etc... are just cool!
-Plenty to play.You can play quest or saga, choose 4 different races and 3 types of lord (Warrior, Mage, or Guildmaster)
-Not a bad turn-base game.You know there aren't many good turn based games (I am sure you can count them all with your fingers: Heroes, Fallout...), Disciples is not bad.It's somewhat similar to Heroes of Might and Magic, but it offers enough fresh stuff to make it worth playing.Inexpensive for a cool game.Is a great deal.

con:
-Graphics not great.This is a 2D game, although there are some nice pictures, the interface is too small and graphics aren't very good compare to today's standards.
-Not easy to learn.If you have played Heroes of Might and Magic perhaps it's not as bad.However the manual isso bad that it won't be easy for anyone.I don't know whether this only apply to Gold Edition or not... The 15 pages of nothing is just NOT acceptable.
-Interesting but lacks depth.This game certainly cannot compete with Heroes of Might and magic.Row combat just doesn't offer that much variety.

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In sum, it's worth buying, but don't get too excited about it.It's an entertaining but not groundbreaking game.

Can't wait for the sequel
I quite enjoyed this game.You move your heroes around much in the way you do Heroes of Might and Magic 3.But that is where the similarities end.You get hire heroes in town and form parties of the creatures of the 4 different races. Each creature is unique in the type of action they can perform during combat.Combat enables your creatures and hero to gain levels and become more powerful.The way they go up in levels all depends on the type of structures you've chosen to build in your capital town.Also there are different types of heroes for you to hire, depending on if you want a scout, a mage, a fighter, or a hero who plants rods.Rod planting is how you gather the various rescources in the game, and it becomes crucial to your strategy in winning the game.Overall the game was very fun too play and kept me up late into the night.The four races you play are very well balanced.The character drawings are excellent and really add a great flavor to the game.The only downside is the in-game graphics are not up to the standards of today (albeit this was 2 years ago), but this is thoroughly overshadowed by the great gameplay.There is a sequel coming out that looks to vastly improve on the graphics.I can't wait.

Not bad. Not great.
"Heroes of Might & Magic" could be considered its own genre, where heroes are moved around a map with their armies to acquire resources that support their military operations, and where battle is carried out in a different mode than the day-to-day exploration. HoMM probably does it best, but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for a lot of good variation. Which brings us to Disciples: Sacred Lands.

There's a lot of good variation here:

- Heroes' armies are small (no more than six total, including the hero) but advance in skill with combat (and only with combat, avoiding the economy-driven approach of HoMM). This makes distributing and managing the individual troops cruical: it's not just a matter of "hiring another archmage" because you have to hire an apprentice and keep him alive long enough to grow in power. In some scenarios, the troops are limited in level, too, so there's some advantage to spreading the experience around.

- Instead of heroes "tagging" resources to control them, controlled cities slowly transform the terrain surrounding them, and capture resources that way. (You have special units that can plant rods in areas where cities don't reach, or to try to "steal" a resource.) This eliminates the HoMM business of having to chase after a weak hero who's stealing all your resources.

- Combat is strictly front-row/back-row. This makes it easier to protect weaker missile and support troops, sort of. (A lot of troops can attack back-row troops, but they are less approachable.)

So, why the 3-star rating? Mostly, a combination of little things like a very sketchy, typo-filled manual; weak combat graphics (you don't interact with your troops on the combat screen, but using portraits that are alongside the main screen, and the troops don't interact with each other, either); the interface is a little clunky (if you double-click a destination and your hero has movement points, he'll move there, but if he's out of points, the second click will actually erase the point as the destination, and the lack of the move button means that every time you have a destination that's further than one day away, you have to click on the destination every turn); the autosave feature actually seems to penalize you for reloading, which I can sort of see on the harder levels, but which seems sort of juvenille on the easy levels for a game that offers little in the way of a tutorial or any way to know what you're getting into before you get into it.

Nonetheless, the game is commendable for taking a general framework and not just saying "me, too". It has more of an intimate feel than HoMM (for better or for worse) and it's definitely rough-around-the-edges, but at the gold edition's price, you could do a lot worse. ... Read more

Features

• Use your tactical skills to build & develop your towns, in and around actual castles
• Plan out the production chains you'll use to create the most important survival needs - food and weapons
• Use medieval combat weapons and tactics to protect your castle from sieges by archenemies like The Rat, The Pig, The Snake and The Wolf

Reviews (1)

no other games needed
This game is so entierly awsome that there is no words to describe it.the gameplay is cool, sounds, bsicaly consist of the normall pakage, music is creative and fun to listen to, and what really makes this the best game ever is the campaign, it will leave you wanting more and more and more. the difficulty level is just right and it gives you time to learn. basicaly this game will keep you busy for days on end and you can also have fun creating your own maps and massive battles. the only thing i advise and warn is that once the wolves army is about to seige your castle the game will abruptly end, but all you have to do is get an update of the web. so, easy simple good fun awaits you buy it now and prepare to be amazed. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Half-Life: Platinum Collection contains all the great action that earned Half-Life Game of the Year honors from over 50 publications and had Imagine Media's PC Gamer magazine calling it the "Best PC Game Ever" (November 1999). This package contains the core Half-Life game as well as both Half-Life expansion packs and the two most popular Half-Life mods: Team Fortress Classic and Counter-Strike.

In Half-Life, you play as Gordon Freeman, a research associate at the Black Mesa Federal Research Facility. An experiment blows up in your face, and suddenly aliens and a military death squad surround you. Half-Life: Opposing Force takes place during the events of Half-Life, but casts you as a lieutenant of one of the commando squads sent to kill Freeman. Half-Life: Blue Shift also takes place during the same time as Opposing Force and Half-Life, but this time you play through the Black Mesa disaster as a lowly security guard. Team Fortress Classic is an online action game featuring a wide array of WWII-themed character classes for a team warfare bonanza. Counter-Strike brings the action of Team Fortress Classic into the modern age: it's an online war of terrorists versus counterterrorists in modern team-based combat. All five award-winning programs are included in this one box. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME
Couldnt get over the fact of the characters adaptation to the environment... its crazy. loved ever minute, second, hour and week i played... riveting. recomend to everyone

Dont buy this, it isn't a complete set
This compilation of 4 great Half-Life based games is a somewhat bastardized version of the superior title which was released under the same name a while later.If you buy this version, you are not getting the entire collection. The new version contains yet another expansion to Half-Life that is worth playing.

The original Platinum Collections contain:
1. Half-Life (The original, which started it all, a great game.)
2. Half-Life:Opposing force (1st official expansion to Half-Life)
3. Team Fortress Classic (A mediocre multiplayer mod from Sierra)
4. Counter-Strike (The ultimate multiplayer game. This alone is worth the entire price, although you can get it for free if you own Half-Life, which you will if you buy this collection.)

The new version contains an expansion to the original called Blue Shift.In this expansion you play as a security guard in the Black Mesa compound (the same area as the original). It is just as fun as the original, but shorter.

You can usually find the newer pack (it is grey, not platinum or silver, and says 5 games in one on the front) at any large chain retail stores such as Target, Wal-Mart,or K-Mart. Hope this review can be of some help.

If you still don't own Half-Life...
And you own a PC, shame on you!

Alright, here's what you need to do. Look up "Half-Life: Platinum Collection" and put it in your shopping basket. Check out. Here's what you get.

Half-Life: The original and although somewhat dated graphically, it is still a cracking good FPS. The game is just fun to play from soup to nuts and loaded with atmosphere. The levels are more innovative than anything before or since.

Half-Life: Opposing Force This game got a 93% courtesy of PC Gamer and that is absolutely remarkable considering this is basically just a Half-Life mod, although a bloody creative one! You'll love the boot-camp sequence and hey, R. Lee Ermey is in it! What more do you need?

And you also get...

Counter-Strike: Still the most popular online FPS.

and...

Team Fortress: Classic

WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

Dude, buy the package.

Not Worth Buying
HL is an awesome game with many modifications out there.The CDis not worth the price they charge.Counter-strike, Team Fortress, and Opposing Forces all come with the HL game of the year edition CD.Well, TFC and OPF at least hehe.CS is free to d/l off the web any way.The game is great, go buy hl:goty and d/l the updates so u can play tfc, opf, cs, dod, or whatever you like for free off the internet lol.If you're dumb you'd buy this to tell you the truth

Not the full Half-Life collection
Although it includes Opposing Force, Counter-Strike and Team Fortress Classic, it is filled mainly with things that you can download from the internet with the exception of Opposing Force. Team Fortress comes with the Half-Life patch, and the version of Counter-Strike that comes with the pack is the retail (buggy) version. I am running on a 512k ADSL connection and so the only 2 things in the pack I needed was Half-Life and Opposing Force...

Sierra has an newer version of the Platinum Edition but it is not reflected here on Amazon.com

It includes Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic, Opposing Force, Counter-Strike and Blue Shift. It is somewhat similar to the Generations Edition. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Soldier of Fortune steers the first-person shooter genre away from the supernatural weaponry of Unreal and Quake and toward the realistic tactical combat of Rainbow Six and SWAT 3. In Soldier of Fortune, stealth, caution, and cover carry as much importance as accuracy and firepower.

Players assume the role of John Mullins (also the name of the game's real-life mercenary consultant), a soldier for hire who accepts the most dangerous missions the U.S. government offers, including recovering stolen nuclear warheads and infiltrating war-torn Kosovo. Hawk, a burly sidekick voiced by The Green Mile Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, accompanies Mullins primarily in scripted sequences that advance the grisly story.Solder of Fortune's single-player story line exceeds genre standards and rivals Valve's classic Half-Life for depth and excitement.

A first-person shooter wouldn't be complete without explosive weaponry--Soldier of Fortune certainly doesn't disappoint. The arsenal includes a knife, several pistols, a shotgun, a variety of machine guns, a rocket launcher, flamethrower, sniper rifle, grenades, and a futuristic microwave gun. Unlike most action shooters, players select new weapons before each mission--and you're restricted in how much armament John carries. For instance, you must make tough decisions between the larger weapons. Should you take the submachine gun for close-quarter combat or grab the sniper rifle for a stealthier strategy? Weapons also do much more damage than in typical first-person shooters. If you're unarmored, a single shotgun blast could end your game. These elements give Soldier of Fortune an intensity not often seen in the genre.

Soldier of Fortune uses a heavily modified version of id Software's Quake 2 3-D engine, and the results are impressively realistic--perhaps even too realistic. Shoot an enemy in the foot with the pistol, and he'll clutch the wound and favor his good leg. Shoot him in the knee with the shotgun, and the limb will be explosively severed in a spray of gristle. If you're the type of person who thinks most action movies are fakey, you'll appreciate the accurate look, sound, and effect of Soldier of Fortune's real-world weaponry.But if you're the type of person who closed your eyes during the beach scene in Saving Private Ryan, you'll want to turn on the password-protected violence lockout option or buy Soldier of Fortune Tactical, which has the lock permanently active. --Doug Radcliffe

Pros:

• Heavily modified and very crisp Quake 2 graphics engine depicts the carnage with frightening realism
• Varied multiplayer modes provide frenetic online excitement with smooth action on a standard modem connection
• Over two dozen missions with multiple objectives and diverse locations, such as on a speeding train and at Kosovo
• Some of the best weapons and weapon sound effects ever used in a first-person shooter
• Ability to lock out the realistic gore

• In-your-face violence could disturb even the most hard-core shooter fans
• Limited enemy artificial intelligence

Reviews (64)

Disappointing!
I played this game after playing Max Payne, and Soldier of Fortune was nowhere near in action and storyline.Half-Life and Unreal 1 are much better than this game as well.
Cons:
* You only have a few saves available, and they get reduced as you increase the challenge level.It [stinks] to have to go back to the very beginning of the level and do it all over.
* You just move forward killing everybody who jumps in front of you. I'm personally tired of that idea in games. There is no looking for buttons and clues, turning things on and off, and that sort of things.
* You have many weapons, but you rally need two of them to get the job done.

Pros:
* Each mission takes place in a different part of the world, and that is very cool because the environment varies greatly.

I do not recommend you buying this game, but if you want to buy it, then buy it for a low price.

Good for Gore
Good:

- More realistic damage model;
- Addtional player's actions (such as "look around the corner");
- GORE!
- Some interesting dymanic missions, untilizing the above elements.

Bad:

- Not that existing overall;
- Most soundtracks are annoying at best.
- Some missions (especially in the later half of the game) are not well-ballanced, relying on shear firepower and number of enemies.
- The "spawn" system is by far not the best way to achieve the goal of making player carefull it his destructive actions. It can be really frustrating when suddenly enemy appears in a place where you know no one could possible be.
Good:
- More realistic damage model;
- Addtional player's actions (such as "look around the corner");
- GORE!
- Some interesting dymanic missions, untilizing the above elements.

Still more good than bad. If you have not played any "new generation" shooters yet - do buy this one.

A good Romp
Holy cow!!Intestines, intestines!Yes, this is a very very violent game.In fact, a lot of folks have dismissed this game as nothingness encapsulated in a lot of blood and gore.However, they're the ones missing all the fun.

Basically, this is a first person shooter with cool weapons, body-pin-pointed damage, and lots of levels.The multiplay is sheer joy, especially in the office levels that have lots of cubicles, corridors, and computers to destroy.

Nothing beats the pleasure of sniping at different parts of an enemy's body.Or how about the "lean" feature which lets you peer around a corner and tag an enemy.Good stuff.

Buy it, but not if you are of the faint of heart!

rocket science
In all my years of computer illiteracy,this junker takes the cake! I really can't tell you how good the game play is because I couldn't even get it to run.It simply turned the screen grey and locked up the machine!I also attempted the labyrinth that was activision/raven tech "support".The list of possible problems is immense and the planets must be perfectly aligned to even attempt it.zero stars is being kind to this rocket science clunker.Incidentally,the manual ... too!

This game is truly frightening!
well, having just bought a new compaq presario 800MHz to replace my Dell Dimension 233Mhz i decided to take advantage of my opportunity for playing a high-preformance game (i.e. something with good 3D quality) So i chose SoF from the shelf at the local computer games store because they were sold out of half-life and i needed a game desperately!My first reaction is yes this was a good buy.. very real- smooth- great graphics etc.. however on the first level especially this game is quite disturbing. the first level is a dark subway- which i would imagine to have some awful smells- occupied by crazy terrorists who are shooting and whipping hostages as you walk through the level. the gore factor is crazy, especially at close quarters with the shotgun. Now I am a pretty typical gamer- R6, Rogue, Swat3 etc... but the gore did take some getting used to... i am on about the 5th level i think, taking place in Iran and by now i am less affected by the death sequences and more worried about how to beat the level, so by now the game is pretty much perfect. one downside to the game that i must adress is the Quake-Doom aspect to it (wreckless shooting, only after being hit by a couple thousand rounds u die) the game would be more frightening if you really had to worry about bad guys and getting shot and more was at risk etc...

Over all a great game-great graphics- gameplay- guns- explosions- oh yea and realistic death sequences ... Read more

Amazon.com

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