You know the deal. Let’s do it!

Aliens versus Predator

Goddamn, could it be any faster? Well, so far it reminds me of what was done in the newest AvP, which is kinda cool. It’s definitely a lot better than the last one, that’s for sure. Not really a whole lot else to say…it’s kinda lackluster, to be honest.

Codename Eagle

Meh. You might be thinking this was simply the quality of FPSs back then…you’d be wrong. This game is just plain blah. Pass.

Delta Force 2

So this seems to be a more tactical shooter, which means I’m not a big fan. For the time, this would’ve been pretty awesome, at least if you’re into this kind of thing. I’m going to pass on this, though, because with a few rare exceptions, I prefer my FPSs to be fun and possibly mindless, not straight tactical and super serious.

Hades 2

Sure, it looks high res, moody, and even gritty, but why are we still dealing with sprites at this point? The sounds are pretty terrible, there doesn’t appear to be any music, and the enemies are fairly lame. Pass.

Half-Life – Opposing Force

Never played this one, actually. If it’s HL, you know it’s fun already, but yeah, it’s basically just an expansion pack.

Hidden & Dangerous

From what I can tell, this is another tactical shooter, though it’s more forgiving than most. Pass for me, but check it out if you like this kinda stuff.

Kingpin – Life of Crime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–5lDw8v3xA

Crude, but fun looking. I especially love the gritty atmosphere and urban environments. Looks a little dated to be sure, but still fun. I’ll definitely have to give this a shot.

Mortyr (2093 – 1944)

Behold, it’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein, only it isn’t. Eh, I don’t know…could be fun, but looks pretty generic to me.

Nerf Arena Blast

“Hey, you got your Quake 3 in my Monday Night Combat.” “Hey, you got your Monday Night Combat in my Quake 3.” “Oh well, guess we better get some new games instead, then.” Pass!

Quake 3 Arena

Never been a big fan of Q3. I think it’s mainly because I liked the old Quake games so much. Well, that and it feels more like a training regimen for actual online gameplay…if that makes sense. Big pass from me.

Requiem – Avenging Angel

Umm…thanks, I can’t sleep now. Not exactly impressive, but damn disturbing all the same.

Spec Ops 2 – Green Berets

More tactical FPS bullshit. I’m not a fan, but if you are, check it out.

SWAT 3 – Close Quarters Battle

Ditto.

Team Fortress Classic

Eh, it looks like it would’ve been fun for the time, but clearly TF2 is better. That might not be a fair comparison (in fact I’m sure it isn’t), but it doesn’t matter. There were many better FPSs out this year to the point that a deathmatch-specific FPS wouldn’t have won, anyway.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six – Rogue Spear

Goddamn motherfucking ditto.

Turok – Rage Wars

Turok was a great single player experience and an okay multiplayer experience in T2. There was absolutely no reason to make a deathmatch-only version. Pass.

Unreal Tournament

UT’s fine and that’s no lie, but besides TF2 and a select few others, deathmatch-only games have never really appealed to me. Pass.

War in Heaven

I was only able to find images of this game here and to be honest, it doesn’t look that interesting, especially with all the other awesome titles this year. Pass.

Wheel of Time

The concept seems interesting enough at first, but it’s so damn dark I have no idea what’s going on. Seems very meh overall, though.

World War 2 GI

…Seriously? It’s basically a Duke Nukem 3D mod. And this is passable as a retail game by this point? PASS!!

Winner: System Shock 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-qrW5B9ayk

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: SS2 is an incredible game…when you can get it to work on a modern PC. Sure, the original was pretty damn good, but more and more I’m seeing obvious ties to Deus Ex and that information alone should solidify my stance on this being GotY for this year. Great game, great plot, great experience.

Conclusion

And that’s about it for now. Sorry if this ended on kind of an anti-climax, but I think it’s best if I cut this here. It’s not as if there isn’t more content, but more and more I’m seeing…well, more of the same. Oh, there are some INCREDIBLE titles over the past few years, but come on…World War 2 GI? Oh, for fuck’s sake. I cannot seriously believe that passed as a retail title.

And it’s not as if it really gets better in terms of companies trying to rip each other off either. At the end of the day, this is a good stopping point for now. See you next time!