The Video Game Revue

Jagged Alliance 2 for Cheap on Steam

Jagged Alliance 2, which is something of an old classic in strategy war-games, is available at the discount price of $5 on Steam. Better yet, for $8, you can get it packaged with Disciples II, to make a huge stockpile of turn-based mayhem. I could scarcely hold myself back.

I also downloaded and tried the Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions demo on Steam. On the minus side, it holds up poorly by PC gaming standards (this isn't exactly Battlefield 2142 in terms of depth) and it's a system resource hog (likely the result of a lazy port.) On the plus side, it's a Capcom game, and my Xbox 360 Wired Controller for Windows XP was much cheaper than buying an actual Xbox 360. :) The PC port isn't a seamless experience, but Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions is a solid game (although not a particularly remarkable one) and I definitely enjoyed the demo. There's a reasonable chance that I'll buy the full game.

I've also been tempted to get Devil May Cry 3 (Special Ed.) on Steam since I have, and extremely enjoy, the PS2 original. I've heard conflicting reports that DMC3 on PC is a disappointing port that doesn't play as well as its PS2 counter-part, although some people say that with a good game-pad it plays just fine. I'm reminded of the PC version of Resident Evil 4, however, which looks worse when the screen resolution is cranked up because the textures are suddenly inadequate. I don't know whether or not this is as much the case with DMC3 but I wouldn't be surprised. Frankly, I'm half-tempted to pay the $20 just to find out. It's a shame that there isn't a demo for it.

There's also a pretty good chance that I'll get Gears of War for PC when it comes out. Basically I'm just doing whatever I can to avoid getting an Xbox 360 (and an expensive hi-def TV to go with it) since I have a perfectly good gaming PC already. PC games also have the advantage that they're easier to play at work during lunch breaks and the like. Most of all, however, I'm just stalling to try and get a better feel for whether the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 will come out on top before I commit to either one (I still think that the PS3 is more likely to win out and I'm rooting for it.) Having one of each is an option that I'd like to reserve as a last resort.

posted by Parappa @ 11:05 PM