MARCH 2006 MA XIMUMPC 43
TASTIEST RETINA
DELICACYQUAKE 4
The Doom 3 engine is a year
old now and, damn , does it
look good. Sure, people still
look plastic-y, but the normal
maps, dynamic lighting, and
high-res textures make our
videocards groan and our loins
tingle. $50, http://www.quake4game.
com, ESRB: MGAMING
AWARDS
2005
T
he year 2005 has come to a close, and
for the record, Duke Nukem Forever
still hasn’t shipped. No worries; plenty
of games did ship this year, and there were a
ton of awesome titles. 2005 will definitely go
down as a kick-ass year for PC gaming.
The most anticipated games of the year
were mostly follow-ups to previous titles—
Quake 4, Age of Empires III, Brothers in Arms:
Earned in Blood , and Battlefield 2. But there
were a few all-new games that impressed the
heck out of us too, and now is the time to pay
our respects to all worthy comers.
In addition to selecting one title as
“Game of the Year,” we’ve given props to 14
other stellar titles that kept us up all night.
It’s rare to find a game so good that we’reglued to our computers for hours on end,
cursing the fact that we have to go to work
the next day.
Of course, no year is all Half-Life 2 and
Knights of the Old Republic , and gaming
in 2005 certainly wasn’t a painless experi-
ence. We’re still trying to forget Area 51 ,
Psychotoxic , and the Doom 3 expansion,
among others. We’ve pointed out some of
the worst stinkers so you can avoid them
when visiting your local bargain bin.
OK, the red carpet is on the floor, the
celebrities are emerging from their limos,
and the awards ceremony is about to begin.
Join us as we pay homage to the best—and
worst—games of 2005.The Gamies? The FiPSies? The Fraggies? Whatever they’re
called, we’re ready to hand out the 2005 Maximum PC
Gaming awards! Here are our verdicts on the best—and
worst—games of 2005
BY THE MAXIMUM PC STAFF