PC GAMES ROUNDUP OF 2000
Date: 1/17/01
By Rice

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GUNMAN CHRONICLES
Developer: Rewolf
Publisher: Sierra
Genre: First Person Shooter (FPS)

Go, go, go!

    Much like Counter-Strike, Gunman Chronicles was started as a mod by a group of amatuer developers. They caught Sierra's attention, and in a marketing manuver, signed them on to produce their addon commercially. The difference is that while you can still download CS for free, Gunman is a full retail only version.

    I don't have much to say about this game, except it's gotten mixed reviews from around the web. My roommate played through the first few levels of it, and while the action was plentiful, it seemed very generic. All the character models looked the same, and the storyline seemed linear and uninteresting. Needless to say, after those first few levels, he quit playing because he got bored. And quite frankly, so did I.

The U.S.S. Enterprise... Egyptian style.

    However, several reviewers seemed to like it. They said it reminded them of Half-Life, and that alone was what got them through the game. Andrew Bub (author of the fabulously entertaining Beatdown Column) from Sharky Extreme was one of them. Check out his review here. The GameSpot review, which is the one I most agree with, is here: click!

HEROES CHRONICLES
Developer: New World Computing
Publisher: 3DO
Genre: Turn Based Strategy

The main adventure screen. Nothing new from Heroes III.

    I've been a Heroes of Might and Magic fan ever since I got a copy of Heroes of Might and Magic II. Usually, strategy games aren't my forte, but Heroes's turn-based system and addictiveness just hooked me from beginning to end. When HoMM III was released, I personally reviewed it on this site and gave it an extremely high score. It was a proper evolution of the series, with better graphics, more units to choose from, and more magic as well.

    Think of Heroes Chronicles as a 4-game expansion pack to Heroes III. There have been no changes, except those 4 games add different scenarios with a patchy storyline. There's Warlords of the Wasteland, Conquest of the Underworld, Master of the Elements, and Clash of the Dragons. I dabbled in Warlords a bit while my roommate played around with Underworld.

The battle screen. Same ol', same ol'.

    All in all, it was a very disappointing experience. They offer absolutely nothing new from Heroes III except a new storyline and campaign scenario. Eventually, I got tired of chugging through the levels. Heroes Chronicles is really only for the super diehard fans that really can't get enough of its gameplay. Personally, I think I'll wait for the next true sequel.

SACRIFICE
Developer: Shiny Entertainment
Publisher: Interplay
Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS)

Sacrifice: Shiny's crown jewel achievement.

    Here's another title my roommate played while I was working on No One Lives Forever and Alice. This one, unlike Gunman and Underworld, he finished from beginning to end without the help of a game guide. That alone should attribute how good this game is.

    The hype behind Sacrifice was mediocre. There wasn't as much fuss about it as Giants, but what really drove me to get a copy of this game is its developer, Shiny. They're as close to synonymous to innovation as any game maker. MDK ushered in a revolution in the third person action front. Earthworm Jim was one of the most successful platform games for the PC ever. Their Messiah was likewise innovative, if somewhat buggy and disappointing.

Your wizard can cast awesome spells.

    Sacrifice is their latest, and most definitely greatest. Its gameplay is no doubt its greatest strength. If you visit Shiny's homepage, you'll see a ton of 90+ ratings from various game reviewers, and it's well deserved. It's different and ambitious. Some may remember my old Warcraft III preview (where is it, Blizzard?) which highlighted their revolutionary new play style dubbed RPS, or Role Playing Strategy. Sacrifice incorporates just that, and beat Warcraft III out the door to boot. Basically, you command a wizard that can summon various creatures around you to defend and attack as long as you have adequate mana and souls.

    It's genre bending, meaning it stretches the definition of RTS. It's not quite like Starcraft, but you do command troops against others. Its graphics resemble Giants', which looks like it came from Messiah's engine. That's not surprising, considering that the original MDK crew makes up the bulk of Planet Moon Studios. Ah, yes, the six degrees of Kevin Bacon exists in the gaming industry as well.

Got a fierce battle going on here.

    All digression aside, Sacrifice is highly recommended. As per all Shiny games, a good dose of humor is also included. =) While it may not be my bowl of soup, this RTS is truly unique experience that any fan of the genre or of the weird and innovative shouldn't miss.

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