• Tag Archives Windows

  • Games For Windows (December 2007)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

     

    games-for-windows-december-2007-001

    Source: Games For Windows – December 2007 

    I look at this magazine it is hard to believe that this came out more than ten years ago. Games for Windows was really a short-lived magazine lasting less than a years and a half. Computer Gaming World became Games for Windows in December 2006. Fortunately the editorial content didn’t really change but the rebranding didn’t help. The December 2007 issue includes:

    Departments

    • Editorial – Leave it to this guy to punch holes in the cover story we all worked so hard on. The Top 10 is a “lie?” Thanks so much, jerk.
    • Letters – We love all our readers. Even the criminally insane ones. Especially the criminally insane ones.
    • Start – What’s next for Command & Conquer 3 and Europa Universalis? We’ve got the details – and an in-depth look at how text-based adventure games have evolved over the last three decades (hint: they’re far from dead).
    • Reviews – It’s a good month for gaming, with Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, and F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate. Then again, games like Clive Barker’s Jericho and Blazing Angels 2 aren’t so good.
    • Extend – After a two-issue hiatus, armchair warmonger Brucy Geryk makes his triumphant return in this month’s installment of Tom vs. Bruce. And after that, we take a look at the depraved social makeup of a typically dysfunctional MMO guild.
    • Tech – Need new gaming gear? Read our buying guide and save yourself some money. Also, in this month’s Tech Tune-Up, learn the truth about antialiasing.
    • Greenspeak – Jeff has been fending off Valve’s amorous advances for years. This month, he becomes their bitch.

    Feature

    • Beyond the Box – Valve Software headmaster Gabe Newell and his team open up about the development of The Orange Box’s Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Plus: hidden Easter eggs!

    Cover Story

    • Top Ten 2008 – Our second annual Top 10 feature takes a look at some of the games we’re most looking forward to in 2008 – plus a report card on how well our 2007 picks turned out.

    …and more!


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  • Games for Windows (May 2007)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

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    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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  • WarGames (Windows)

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    I’m actually not at all familiar with this game but I just wanted to point out the glaring errors in this ad from 1998. It seems that this game is supposed to be a sequel to the 1983 movie WarGames with Matthew Broderick. However, it sounds like they took that concept and essentially turned it into the plot of Terminator (or at least the same backstory about a self aware computer taking over the world).

    The ad claims that “In 1983, A hacker nearly destroyed the world with a TRS-80”. Of course, anyone who has seen the movie (and that should be everybody) knows that Matthew Broderick didn’t use a TRS-80, he used an IMSAI 8080. The IMSAI 8080 was a CP/M based computer that used an Intel 8080 processor. The 8080 was the predecessor to the Z80 which was the most common CPU used by CP/M systems.

    The IMSAI 8080 was released in 1975 and discontinued in 1978. The TRS-80 pictured in this ad was released in 1977, not 1983 as the ad would imply (though that is when the movie came out). The computers look nothing at all alike so I’m not sure where the idea that a TRS-80 was used comes from. It is true that the base TRS-80 only had 4K of RAM and no hard drive though. An IMSAI on the other hand would have probably had at least 16K and as much as 64K. The one used in the movies also had a pari of 8-inch floppy drives to go along with it which would have been more capable than any common storage options with the TRS-80 (most people would have used cassettes at that time). Here’s what the IMSAI looks like:

    As far ast he game, the PC version is a real-time strategy game. The player can play the role of NORAD or WOPR. WOPR basically plays the same role as Skynet from Terminator. There is also a PlayStation version titled WarGames: Defcon 1 but this is less real-time strategy and more vehicle combat though all the missions are basically the same.

    The game you can probably skip but you should definitely see the movie.

     

    ‘WarGames – ‘TRS-80′

    [PC] [USA] [MAGAZINE, MULTI-PAGE] [1998]

    • Computer Gaming World, March 1998 (#164)
    • via CGW Museum

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/163469858420/vgprintads-wargames-trs-80-pc-usa





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