Holiday Buying Guide 2005

The holidays are approaching, and as such Shacknews thought it might be handy to help you out with the shopping, at least assuming you're shopping for other people who like games. And hey, if you're not shopping for anybody, here's a bunch of great stuff you can buy all for yourself, you miser! True, this may be a bit "late," (but what does "late" even mean, really?) but am I to believe you haven't been procrastinating? Well, with the guidance of the Shack, you can now get on with your life thanks to this handy games buying guide delineated by platform. For more detail and opinion on a particular game, click the screenshot or game title to be taken to that game's ShackReviews page. Without further ado, let's get to the PC.

PC

Last year saw a lot of really big games on the PC, with a number of particularly anticipated sequels such as Doom 3, Half-Life 2, and Unreal Tournament 2004, as well as of course the juggernaut of World of Warcraft. This year seems to have held up pretty well in comparison though, which a good showing of high-profile original titles in addition to the expected run of sequels. And, of course World of Warcraft continues to be an unstoppable force. Let's just say that World of Warcraft and I had to spend a bit of time apart this summer. Things were getting a little clingy. Anyway, here are some PC games released this year that might look good under some sort of nonspecific tree, or possibly in a large sock hanging above a bunch of flaming wood.

Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Not much needs to be said about Sid Meier's Civilization series; it pretty much set the standard for its style of turn-based global conflict, and it's stayed at the forefront of it. The first game consumed my life and is as responsible as anything else for turning me from somebody who like games to a hardcore PC gamer. Many reactions to the fourth game peg it as the best yet, so for strategy fans this one seems like a no brainer.

F.E.A.R.
Developer: Monolith
Publisher: VU Games
Monolith's F.E.A.R. takes effective and relentless horror atmosphere and blends it with incredibly cinematic gunfighting, the likes of which are surprisingly rare in gaming, and particularly in FPS games. It's sort of like a much more frightening Max Payne with much less dialogue and in the first person. If you're looking for something very atmospheric and engaging (and scary, I can admit it!), F.E.A.R. might be your game.

Battlefield 2
Developer: Digital Illusions CE
Publisher: EA Games
Developer Digital Illusions scored a hit with its original Battlefield 1942 and spinoffs, offering online multiplayer action on a startlingly big scale with the player able to jump into tanks and planes alike. Battlefield 2 reprises that gameplay while putting everything in a more modern day setting and updating the graphics. Be warned, however, that while the game experience has been smooth for many, it has had its fair share of bugs for many players, turning some off to the game.

Guild Wars
Developer: ArenaNet
Publisher: NCsoft
There have been several studios founded recently by former Blizzard employees, and ArenaNet was one of the earlier ones. The company is home to several members of the Diablo team. Taking a cue from Diablo II's not-really-an-MMO-but-it-sort-of-is structure, ArenaNet came out with Guild Wars, an MMO that's not quite an MMO (but more of one than Diablo II). There's no monthly fee, much of the game takes place in instances, and there's a heavy emphasis on character customization.

Quake 4
Developer: Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Quake 4, developed by Raven rather than id, has taken some flak for being less than astonishing in today's evolved world of first person shooters. It's true that the game doesn't really reinvent any aspects of the genre, but it does present an enjoyable and immersive single player campaign as well as old school multiplayer very reminiscent (VERY reminiscent) of Quake III Arena.
This game is also available on Xbox 360, but most reviews of that version recommend steering clear of it in favor of the PC.

Age of Empires III
Developer: Ensemble Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
If, for reasons beyond my comprehension, you are not a fan of that whole Civilization thing--perhaps it is only strategy of the real time persuation that sets your gaming loins afire--but you still feel the need for a new edition of a long running strategy series, there's always Age of Empires III. The third game in Ensemble's pseudo-historical franchise is set in the North American colonial era rather than the more traditional cultural hodgepodge of its predecessor, but the gameplay remains essentially intact and it all looks quite pretty.

Fable: The Lost Chapters
Developer: Big Blue Box/Lionhead Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
PC gamers who didn't get a chance to check out last year's Fable for Xbox can now pick up Fable: The Lost Chapters, a port of the original game that's been outfitted with an added epilogue chapter. Fable is a fantasy RPG that's heavily focused on character customization and morality, though many who had been following the game's development for years ended up a bit disappointed at its failure to follow through on certain expected features. That said, the game is a fairly short but very enjoyable roleplaying adventure with great visual design and tons of little touches that really make the world immersive and memorable. Don't go into it expecting anything revolutionary, and you should have a good time.

The Movies
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Publisher: Activision
Designer Peter Molyneux is nothing if not ambitious. With his latest effort he presents a game that's part The Sims, part tycoon-style management game, and part movie creation tool. The player is put in charge of a 1920s Hollywood film studio and is tasked with building it up into a movie empire by managing actors, crew members, construction, business, and of course the films themselves. Thankfully, Lionhead has structured the game such that you can pretty much automate the parts you don't want to do; those who just want to manage the studio can have scriptwriters take care of writing the films, and there's also a sandbox mode in which players can just make movies using the in-game editor. For examples of what can be done with the editor, check out the community site.

World of Warcraft
Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Ok, so World of Warcraft came out last year. However, chances are that if you know enough gamers, a few of them might have an affinity/addiction for Blizzard's foray into the world of MMOs. For them, consider World of Warcraft prepaid subscription cards, available from many of the same places games are sold. If you yourself play and are looking to introduce someone else to the wonders of Azeroth, know that many retailers are running holiday specials on the boxed version of the game, and Blizzard is offering rebates of up to $30 for existing players who buy the game for their friends.

Continue to the next page for the PS2!

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