Video Game Reviews & Ratings

Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura Review

A true RPG with great character development and role-playing along either technological or magical lines, Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura is brought down by its outdated graphics and unexceptional sound and music, as well as its non-tactical and dull combat. Its concept and theme are very innovative, though, and due to its strong replay value, you'll probably want to play at least a few times.

Menzoberranzan Review

One of the many Dungeons & Dragons RPGs SSI released during the 1990's, Menzoberranzan is a real trip down memory lane. It serves as a great introduction to the Underdark and features some notable NPCs such as Drizzt Do’Urden. However, its uncomplicated and linear quests, as well as sound effects and music, leave much to be desired.

Neverwinter Nights: ShadowGuard Review

One of the original premium modules for Neverwinter Nights, ShadowGuard is short, linear, has next to no voice acting, and offers no replay value whatsoever. And even with its playtime of roughly 2-4 hours, it still finds the time to bore you with its railroaded story and poorly-balanced encounters. The only good thing about it is that it costs only $5.

Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker Review

Kingmaker, one of the first premium modules for Neverwinter Nights, was developed by a third party but with official support from BioWare. It's well written, includes options for how to complete quests, and has some replay value. It does, however, feature a couple of quest-breaking bugs, a feeling of being hurried, and an anti-climactic finish.

Beyond Divinity Review

Beyond Divinity is a solid action/RPG that's perfectly serviceable if a bit uninspired in most areas except its size and outstanding soundtrack. Still, it's more than good enough to play, provided you can deal with repetitive gameplay, some awkward interfacing, and an overall shallow role-play experience.

Thief: Deadly Shadows Review

Thief: Deadly Shadows is a largely successful attempt to introduce the console market to the classic stealth series. It boasts a good story, great environments and lighting, plus some excellent voice-over and sounds. And while, due to this move, it can be a bit awkward to control Garrett in combat or navigate the game's menus, and the game lacks any online capability, this is still a great entry in the evergreen stealth genre.

S2: Silent Storm Review

Despite some questionable choices with its tone and the way it treats history, S2: Silent Storm is a fantastic game of turn-based tactics packed with numerous squad members you want to keep around, engrossing gameplay, a rich RPG experience, and some neat ideas – like completely destructible levels – that elevate the whole genre. The game's translation and dialogue can be a bit on the awkward side, however, and its ambitious physics engine doesn't always behave in a realistic way.

SpellForce: The Order of Dawn Review

SpellForce: The Order of Dawn attempts to combine RPG and RTS gameplay into one neat fantasy package that includes many of the best aspects from both genres. And for the most part, it succeeds in that task, but in the process, it sacrifices some of the complexity usually expected from these genres. Its nice graphics engine has some steep system requirements, and its writing and voice acting are below average.