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Nearly a year ago Nexuiz 2.4 was released and it offered impressive graphics along with a new menu design, improved networking performance, reduced memory usage, and many other enhancements to this open-source game. The developers behind this first person shooter have now outdone themselves again with the release of Nexuiz 2.5. This latest release of Nexuiz brings even better graphics capabilities along with a new HUD, network communication improvements that cut the bandwidth in half, smarter bots, even better graphics, and several new maps. In total more than 3,000 changes make up Nexuiz 2.5!

Popularity: 17% [?]

Silent Hill: Homecoming is a solid game that fans of the series – or survival horror games in general – will enjoy. Graphics and environments are very good, but some gamers will be surprised at the darkness of the game, especially as the flashlight has very little effect and makes some markers, such as doors and holes in walls, hard to spot. Characters and monsters are well rendered and animations are good throughout, from the multiple-limbed amalgamation of the Siams to the jerky, snapping moves of the nurses and the slithering of the Lurkers. Even the bosses have their own unique appearances that change as Alex batters them into submission. Voice acting is above par throughout, although some would argue a little flat in places and lacking emotion. While the storyline isn’t particularly original and there are no great surprises, Homecoming still makes for a very involving journey into the macabre. The biggest disappointment is that Homecoming manages to lose the horror that makes the series so compelling.

Popularity: 9% [?]

A $99 PS2 may not sound groundbreaking to the hardcore gamer, but it certainly opens a lot of doors to the casual gaming market. Sony’s last-gen console keeps on chugging, and it looks as though Sony is positioning the PS2 as its main competitor against Nintendo’s almighty Wii. SCEA’s John Koller spoke to GameDaily Biz about the new price, admitting that the Wii and PS2 will have “similar customers.”

“Yes, we do think the $99 price point could steal some share [from Wii],” Koller said. “From a technological standpoint, the Wii is much closer to the PS2 than it is to the next-gen consoles. It’s obviously not an HD box and the software development is on a par with where PS2 development is, so that’s a much more realistic and similar demographic.”

Popularity: 12% [?]

Just in time for the Baseball Season Sony has released MLB 09 The Show for the PS 2, PSP, and PS3 gaming systems.

For my review, I used the PS 3 version and was immediately gripped by the strong graphics and lifelike animation of the players.

The game is stocked with full rosters from all the teams and lifelike animations and mannerisms that reflect their flesh and blood counterparts. The stadiums are crafted in detail and really add to the immersion for players. All 30 teams are featured as are their stadiums.

Popularity: 19% [?]

The phenomenally successful Grand Theft Auto series roars onto Nintendo DS in style in the very impressive Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars.

Using the same outlay of Liberty City that was featured in Grand Theft Auto 4, the game tells the story of Huang Lee who is tasked with delivering a sword to his uncle after the murder of his father. The sword is a key symbol that will allow his family to maintain control of the local gangs.

Things do not go as planned as Huang is beaten and left for dead soon after his arrival in town and has the sword stolen from him. This forces Huang to fight to avenge his honor and seek riches and revenge.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Developed by award winning Relic Entertainment, Dawn of War
II ushers in a new chapter in the acclaimed Real-Time Strategy series – taking players to the brutal frontlines of war to lead an elite strike force on a mission to save the galaxy.

It is the 41st Millennium in Sub-Sector Aurelia – a cluster of worlds on the edge of the Galaxy – and a battle of epic proportions is about to begin. Ancient races will clash across the planets that dot this section of space, battling for the greatest of stakes – not only the claim to the land and its bounty – but the fate of each race.

With a focus on fast-action RTS gameplay, Dawn of War II brings to life the science fiction universe of Warhammer 40,000 like never before. Experience the intimate brutality of battle as you play through the epic campaign. Clash with enemies on battlefields ablaze with visceral hand-to-hand and ranged combat. Lead and develop your squads into the most battle hardened elite strike force in the Galaxy

Popularity: 13% [?]

Don’t be surprised if you do little more than just blow stuff up during your first half-hour or so of playing Red Faction: Guerrilla. You aren’t alone. After all, this is a video game. If you weren’t supposed to turn every building that you see into huge piles of rubbled ruin, then why would they give you the ability to do so? No, Red Faction: Guerrilla encourages–it insists–that you give in to your destructive urges and make the most of your role as guerilla rebel Alec Mason. We recently had a chance to spend a good chunk of time with the game during a THQ press event in Las Vegas, where we got an extended look at the game’s single-player campaign, as well as some of the treats that the developers at Volition have cooked up in multiplayer.

Red Faction: Guerrilla’s plot is your basic revenge tale. After Alec Mason arrives on Mars, his brother is murdered by the Earth Defense Force, the military group that liberated Mars in Red Faction II and eventually became fascist rulers in their own right. Seeking revenge, Alec takes up with the rebel force Red Faction, which is looking to free Mars and its citizens from EDF control, one sector at a time.

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Popularity: 17% [?]

Fallout 3 is the 3rd game of the Fallout series. The first 2 were major hits and cult classics, with incredible plot and substance to satisfy the RPG gamer in everyone. Fallout 3 was changed a little. It is now a first person shooter, where as the previous 2 were top down turn based combat games. Because Fallout 3 is a first person shooter, many things were changed in the game that wouldn’t work in a non-turn based game. Many good things were left out because of this, but the overall fun is still there, making for a fun game with a huge world to explore. Things to note. The game is a first person SHOOTER. This means that combat is a lot harder than with a turn based game, because you actually have to aim and attack things manually instead of a system where your stats affect how good you hit. There is an adjusted V.A.T. combat system that helps with the popular aiming that Fallout 1 and 2 had. Sadly they didn’t extend this to all weapons, so guns are the only weapons you can aim at body parts. That doesn’t make the other weapons any less fun, just not as beneficial as guns

Popularity: 24% [?]

Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a solid release from Pandemic Studios and EA that will delight fans of the novels and films as well as gamers who crave lots of action and options in their games. The game allows players to decide to play for the path of good or evil and once that decision is reached, then the real fun begins. If you chose the path of good, then you will follow Frodo on his mission to destroy the ring. Should you decide to ally with evil, then the game shows a world where the ring was not destroyed and allows you lay waste to the land.

Popularity: 15% [?]

This volume of the Resistance story takes place in the weeks after the fall of the Chimeran toiwer at the end of Resistance: Fall of Man. The primary character is James Grayson, who is a British Royal Marine, who is forced to hill his brother Jonny inside a Chimeran conversion center. After these events James goes AWOL and enters into his own personal vendetta agains the aliens and sets out to destroy every conversion center he can find. Consequently, James is captured and thrown into a military prison for his disertion.

James is rescued from military prison from the Maquis (the European Resistance), in exchange for his help. James reluctantly joins Operation Overstrike to retake the Europe from the Chimera.

Popularity: 21% [?]