Reviews

The Sims Social is a Facebook version of The Sims. You do the same sorts of things -- create a Sim, build and decorate a house, keep your Sim happy -- but activities require energy, and many tasks require you to have multiple friends to help you out, which can be troublesome if you don't know anybody playing the game. Still, The Sims Social is free, and it's pleasant enough to play.

Having a plethora of interesting choices both in and out of combat is what separates RPGs from other genres, and Human Revolution has choices in spades. Minor quibbles aside, Eidos Montréal's efforts have managed to bring the Deus Ex franchise into the modern era, and without sacrificing all the things fans loved about the original games.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution succeeds as both a modern-day sci-fi shooter/RPG and as a follow-up to the original Deus Ex. And while some of its aspects can be seen as incompatible with either of those two aspirations, as a whole it's a very fun experience that takes you on a cybernetically-augmented adventure and leaves you wanting for more.

Those who can overlook numerous bugs, interface issues, and frustrating systems will find an enjoyable game in E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy, one that combines lots and lots of shooting with some neat RPG elements. It's no Deus Ex, but then again, what is?

A stylish strategy game with some RPG elements, Pirates of Black Cove may fall short of other standout strategy-RPG titles out there, but it can still offer a certain degree of entertainment, especially for those not looking for something overly deep and complex.

Allods Online is a free-to-play MMORPG. It includes a variety of classes and professions, a colorful world, and restrictive inventory space, but it doesn't include anything new or innovative. But since it's free, it's a fun enough way to wile away a weekend if you don't have anything else to do.