http://www.maximumpc.com | XXX 08 | MAXIMUMPC 00
We love console gaming, but it’s time to
face facts: The gamepad simply can’t
compete with a mouse and keyboard
in fi rst-person shooters. The game-
pad can be precise or fast—but not
both at the same time. Shadowrun’s
fast-paced combat leaves us with a
deep appreciation of the, umm, handicaps
our console-bound brethren must endure. Sure, we were
annoyed when we out-circle-strafed our enemy and they
accused us of “hax,” but now we know what Fatal1ty feels
like when he plays commoners. And believe us, it feels good.
http://www.shadowrun.com, ESRB: MChugging through Overlord brings back
fond memories of one of the greatest min-
ion-commanding, good-smiting games ever
to come to a PC: Dungeon Keeper. While
you control a complete—and completely
menacing—being instead of just a disembod-
ied hand, Overlord nevertheless rein-
vigorates the best elements of
the classic DK series: wry,
dark humor; silly, smelly
monsters; and oodles
of replayability.
It takes time—and
a big ax—to control a
good land afoul with
armies of diversely
powered imps.
Once you’ve
rebuilt
your
domain
and found
a mistress,
you’ll be an
evil fanboy for
sure—just like
all the Dungeon
Keepers of yore.
http://www.codemasters.
com/overlord,
ESRB: TWe have no problem paying monthly subscription fees for
a good MMO. But Hellgate: London is neither good nor an
MMO, based on the common defi nition of a “massively multi-
player online” game. Hellgate’s gaming experience is a bitter
pill—and the voluntary $10-per-month subscription model is
pure poison.
Pony up, and you’ll be treated to awesome features like
“hardcore mode” and increased in-game storage space. Neat
as it is to pay for a means to permanently die, we’d much prefer
new weapons, classes, enemies, and achievement rewards and
PvP—all more promises than reality at this point.
http://www.hellgatelondon.com, ESRB: MShadowrun
Overlord
Hellgate: London
Team Fortress 2
THE TIMMY! AWARD FOR INSPIRATION IN GAMINGEVIL THIS GOOD LEAVES US LONGING
FOR DUNGEON KEEPER 3WE PAID $10/MONTH FOR THIS?!In a year chock-full of great multiplayer experiences—Supreme
Commander, Call of Duty 4, and World of Warcraft: Burning
Crusade, to name a few—the Best Multiplayer Award was a
contentious subject among the editors. After much debate (and
some name calling), we eventually settled on Team Fortress 2.
It not only captured more of our collective multiplayer time than
any other game but also brought us night after night of pure joy.
TF2 delivers in every way that’s important—allowing you to torch
an entire scout rush with a pyro, build a turret that takes out thewhole other team, or simply heal your pals so they can keep fi ght-
ing. With nine very different classes, each with its own specialty
and Achilles’ heel, there are literally thousands of strategies to
master in the game’s six maps. And at no time did the limited
selection of maps feel limited. Oh no. The game’s sublime bal-
ance and exquisite design would have made a single map suffi -
cient—as long as it was 2fort.
http://orange.half-life2.com, ESRB: MBEST MULTIPLAYERhttp://www.maximumpc.com | MAR 08 | MAXIMUMPC 49