• Tag Archives PC

  • Games for Windows (May 2007)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    games-for-windows-006-may-2007-001

    Source: Games for Windows – Issue Number 6 – May 2007 

    Microsoft bought Computer Gaming World and turned it into Game for Windows. The content didn’t really change much which was a good thing. However, it wouldn’t survive very long in its new form. The May 2007 issue includes:

    Features

    • Cover Story: Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts – A detailed look into the second game of this World War II series.
    • Windows Vista – A detailed examination of Microsoft’s latest OS, particularly as it relates to gaming. Here they give it a mostly positive review (but then, this is a Microsoft magazine) but note driver issues. Driver issues would basically plague Windows Vista forever.

    Departments

    • Editorial – Giving credit to some of the freelance contributors to the magazine.
    • Letters – Comments on articles in previous issues, graphics vs. game play, comparability, older gamers, and more.
    • Start – A preview of Crysis; an interview with John Carmack, co-founder of id Software; a preview of The Witcher; a preview of World in Conflict; an interview with Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern, creators of Facade and The Party; A brief look at some of the latest free games including Ivan Drago: Justice Enforcer, Clean Asia, Kumoon, and Racing Pitch; a preview of Sins of a Solar Empire; and much more.
    • Reviews
      • Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar – An expansion to what is probably one of the best 4X strategy games to this day. (9/10)
      • Vanguard: Saga of Heroes – An apparently terrible Everquest knock-off. (3/10)
      • City Life: World Edition – An expanded version of the original City Life city simulator with more variety. (8.5/10)
      • Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars – The third game in one of the most popular real-time strategy games ever. (9/10)
      • Secrets of the Ark: A Broken Sword Game – An adventure/puzzle game. (7/10)
      • Blitzkrieg II: Fall of the Reich – A mediocre World War II themed real-time strategy game. (5/10)
      • Sam & Max: Episode 4 – Another decent entry in this comedic adventure game. (8/10)
    • Extend – Tom and Bruce go head to head in Supreme Commander. Plus a look at the latest in hardcore war-gaming, as well as casual games (like Monopoly), and more.
    • Tech – A look at some off-the-shelf small form factor gaming PCs including the Shuttle XPC 1337 Series SDXi, the Falcon Northwest FragBox II, and the Shuttle XPC P2 3700g vs. building your own. Their middle of the road parts list includes a Core 2 Duo E6600 and a GeForce 8800 GTS. Their “Dream Rig” includes a Core 2 Extreme QX6700, GeForce 8800 GTX and 4GB of DDR2-800 which combined with other needed parts comes to more than $3800.
    • Greenspeak – A tongue-in-cheek review of the best RPG ever.

    …and much more!


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  • Computer Direct (PC, 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    compute_pc_issue_01_1987_sep-45

    Source: Compute!’s PC – Issue Number 1 – September 1987

    Computer Direct was a popular (at least based on their advertising) mail order computer company. I remember getting some stuff for my Commodore 64 through them (I think that’s where my printer, monitor and modem came from…possibly the C64 and 1541-II disk drive as well but I can’t remember). They sold Commodore, Atari, Apple and PC compatible equipment.

    You had to be a little careful ordering from them as their ads weren’t always specific as to what brand you were getting but I never had a problem getting something I didn’t want (e.g. the monitor I ordered was a Magnavox). In the ad above, the PC was probably one of the Laser XT models but it is unclear what brand the monitor is. The “Big Blue” printer is a thermal printer which isn’t clear from the ad. But their prices were pretty good and they had a 90 day money back guarantee.

    The above ad is from the September 1987 issue of Compute!’s PC magazine.


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  • Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition (1996)

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    Speaking of companies unable to recapture past successes, Apogee Software was never really able to surpass the fame it had with Duke Nukem 3D.

    At the time, Apogee published software under many different names depending on the genre of the game. 3D Realms was the name created for the burgeoning field of first person shooters, which became so dominant that Apogee changed its name to 3D Realms, and distributes software under that name to this day.

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/157438297754/tech-backissues-speaking-of-companies-unable-to






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