Metacritic.com: PC Game Reviews

81% League of Legends

2009-09-28T12:01:02-04:00

Critic Score: 81%
Release Date: 2009-10-27

Join forces with your closest allies as you unite to defeat your foes in deadly multiplayer battle arenas. League of Legends combines elements from both strategy and role playing games to bring you a unique and dynamic player experience. As a Summoner, you will have your own distinct, customizable avatar that grows in power as you move through the game. In each battle you will select and call forth one of dozens of Champions to control and engage in head-to-head combat against teams of highly trained warriors. Choose your allies wisely, for the stakes are high. In the League, every battle means more than life or death as the balance of power shifts with each victory or defeat. [Riot Games]

83% Shattered Horizon

2009-11-05T00:00:37-05:00

Critic Score: 83%
Release Date: 2009-11-04

Shattered Horizon is the first game from Futuremark Games Studio that immerses you in the cold reality of combat in space. This multiplayer first-person shooter is played entirely in zero gravity. A catastrophic explosion on the Moon has filled near-Earth space with billions of tons of rocky debris. You and your friends will join intense 32 player battles to control hollowed-out asteroids, huge fragments of Moon rock and the ruined remains of the International Space Station. With simple and intuitive controls, you have complete freedom of movement in the distinctive zero gravity environments. Not only can you use your rocket pack to fly anywhere but you can also land on any surface to attack your enemies from unexpected angles. Shattered Horizon challenges you to take your FPS skills to the next level adapting what you have learned on the battlefield to create new tactics in a fully three dimensional battle space. With your rifle at the ready you can handle anything the enemy can throw at you. But if you let go of your gun, chances are you're already dead. [Steam]

67% QuantZ

2009-09-04T00:01:56-04:00

Critic Score: 67%
Release Date: 2009-09-03

Experience a new dimension of puzzle action game fun in QuantZ for the PC; a fabulous adventure that goes beyond the Action-Puzzler, Match-3 and Marble Popper genres. The gameplay is simple yet addictive: you have the power to control a cube with your mouse and drop marbles onto it. Create explosions of colors, chain reactions and win special rewards. Explore an immersive universe and become the QuantZ Oracle! Includes 24 unique and beautiful worlds to go through, 100 puzzles to complete and innovative game physics. [Steam]

78% Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

2009-08-16T10:33:00-04:00

Critic Score: 78%
Release Date: 2009-11-03

PES 2010 focuses on enhancing the excitement of matches between players, making for a truly challenging experience that constantly tests the player. Intuitive zonal defending covers spaces and players need to look constantly for new ways to attack. PES 2010 focuses on being a real soccer simulation, as it requires both strategic play and quick reactions, as in real life. In addition to key out-field elements, goalkeepers are more versatile and with abilities matching those of modern shot-stoppers. The game's referees have also been reworked, with smarter AI elements allowing them to make more balanced calls during matches. PES 2010 has undergone a major visual revamp, with its celebrated player likenesses and animations now even closer to those of real-life players - including live player expressions to be depicted with an improved lighting system which differentiates between various conditions! [Konami]

57% Return to Mysterious Island 2

2009-08-16T10:33:01-04:00

Critic Score: 57%
Release Date: 2009-07-01

Return to Mysterious Island 2 begins with the crash of the helicopter that came to rescue Mina. She survived but is once again trapped on the island. All of a sudden, under her very eyes, an unknown disease afflicts the plants first, then the animal life. Mina explores the island to locate the infection source. She searches Captain Nemo's base in vain, then the ruins of an unknown civilization, and finally understands that it is outside pollution that threatens the island. The only way to save this natural wonder is to turn the shield back on. But if Mina makes this decision, she gives up -as Captain Nemo did before her- the idea of returning to civilization. Two-character play: in the first installment, the player embodied Mina, a young and carefree navigator taking part in the Jules Verne competition, and used Jep, a cute, little monkey, as a simple tool. In Return to Mysterious Island 2 Jep becomes a character in his own right. The player switches from one character to another and maximizes the use of each other’s talents depending on the circumstances: only Mina can use complex tools, combine objects and, of course, read the documents found in the course of the game; whereas Jep can climb places inaccessible to Mina, communicate with other monkeys and find numerous objects thanks to his sense of smell. [Microids]

59% PT Boats: Knights of the Sea

2009-08-16T10:33:00-04:00

Critic Score: 59%
Release Date: 2009-03-01

The seas can be dangerous, but when you're in command of a crack strike boat crew, you might just be the most dangerous thing out there. Join up to the Russian, German or Allied navies and prove your worth out these on the open water. Control every aspect of your boat's defensive and offensive, from the anti-aircraft guns hobbling your enemy's air superiority to the torpedo strapped to the sides to sink destroyers of merchant vessels. Combining advanced strategic and action modes you can plan the intricacies of your attack and then lead your crew from the front and right in the battle. As you advance in rank throughout the long campaign you will gain access to new boats and even warships for you to command. Build up your crew in single player then go online and join your friends manning your own boat and challenge others in a battle to the death. [Akella]

92% Dragon Age: Origins

2009-08-16T10:32:37-04:00

Critic Score: 92%
Release Date: 2009-11-03

As the spiritual successor to BioWare's "Baldur's Gate", one of the most successful role-playing games in the industry, Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare's return to its roots, delivering a fusion of the best elements of existing fantasy works with stunning visuals, emotionally-driven narrative, heart-pounding combat, powerful magic abilities and credible digital actors. The spirit of classic RPGs comes of age, as Dragon Age: Origins features a dark and mature story and gameplay. Epic Party-Based Combat – Dragon Age: Origins introduces an innovative, scalable combat system, as players face large-scale battles and use their party’s special abilities to destroy hoardes of enemies and massive creatures. Powerful Magic – Raining down awesome destruction on enemies is even more compelling as players apply "spell combos," a way of combining together different spells to create emergent unique effects. Players develop their characters and gain powerful special abilities (spells, talents and skills) and discover ever-increasing weapons of destruction. With its emotionally compelling story, players choose with whom they wish to forge alliances or crush under their mighty fist, redefining the world with the choices they make and how they wield their power. Players select and play a unique prelude that provides the lens through which the player sees the world and how the world sees the player. The player's choice of Origin determines who they are and where they begin the adventure, as they play through a customized story opening that profoundly impacts the course of every adventure. [BioWare]

76% FIFA Manager 10

2009-10-17T00:00:44-04:00

Critic Score: 76%
Release Date: 2009-10-30

FIFA MANAGER 10 gives players the opportunity to find out who really is the best manager. It features a vast array of all-new features including, for the first time ever, a separate online mode where players can play against each other over LAN and internet. With this online mode, EA SPORTS responds to requests that have been expressed by fans of the popular football management simulation for a long time. In the traditional offline part of the game this year’s new features are based 100% on requests from the fan community. More than 400 improvements have been made across the board and of course you still have full control over the management of a football club. You are responsible for the line-up, the tactics and the training of your team - as well as for signing the right players, improving the club facilities and the stadium. Special highlights are the player manager mode, the national team manager mode, the Create-a-Club mode and the Match Prognosis Tool. [Electronic Arts]

61% G-Force

2009-08-16T10:28:08-04:00

Critic Score: 61%
Release Date: 2009-07-21

G-Force is a fast-paced action-platform game featuring a unique elite team of specially trained guinea pigs that use high-tech gadgets and specialized talents to complete a dangerous government mission. G-Force puts players in control of both Darwin, the guinea pig leader of the covert intelligence G-Force squad, and housefly surveillance sidekick, Mooch, as they team up with the other G-Force agents and use their gadgets, stealth mastery and pint-sized teamwork as mankinds only hope to complete a dangerous high-level government mission. G-Force uses innovative gameplay featuring a unique sense of scale, puzzle solving that requires players to manipulate environments and enemies, including diabolical waffle irons among evil household appliances. [Disney Interactive Studios]

69% Twin Sector

2009-09-25T00:00:52-04:00

Critic Score: 69%
Release Date: 2009-11-25

The story of Twin Sector takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where the remains of mankind have been put to artificial sleep in cryogenic chambers deep under the contaminated surface of earth - until the planet becomes habitable again. You as the player must take the role of Ashley Simms, the protagonist of Twin Sector. Suddenly awakened by the station's security A.I. system O.S.C.A.R., you face the imminent extinction of all other still sleeping survivors due to an unknown failure in the life support system. According to O.S.C.A.R., you are the only person who was able to be woken and therefore the only individual capable of saving mankind. Within the next ten hours you will need to repair the broken main generator of the subterranean bunker system in order to reestablish the station's functionality. But there are yet unknown forces trying to prevent you from succeeding at all costs. Twin Sector is a thrilling physics-based action-adventure which allows players free interaction with their environment. Using the advantages of the powerful HAVOK-Engine, innumerable puzzles, challenges and enemies await the players in a hostile and threatening futuristic environment. Featuring more than 15 missions alongside a thrilling story line unfolding over the course of action. [Steam]

78% Void, The

2009-10-20T00:00:45-04:00

Critic Score: 78%
Release Date: 2009-10-16

Set in the Void a place where mortal's souls go before death - a middle earth of life and death. The player has a chance to survive the Void sparing their soul and even their life- the tool they have to do this is The Colour. The Colour is the only food for the dying souls in The Void, every soul feeds off it and every soul is desperately struggling for every drop they can find, as this is the only means to save their souls and return to mortal life. The player needs to use his wit and fast thinking to determine the colours needed to escape the realms of The Void. [Mamba Games]

79% Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood

2009-10-31T00:00:52-04:00

Critic Score: 79%
Release Date: 2009-10-30

The moment you've been waiting for is here! Come get The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood, the fourth chapter of Tales of Monkey Island and find out what happens when Guybrush is handed over to De Singe by the treacherous Morgan Le Flay back on Flotsam. [Telltale Games]

53% Farming Simulator 2009

2009-11-02T00:00:34-05:00

Critic Score: 53%
Release Date: 2009-08-28

Become a farmer and experience the thrill of driving heavy modern farm equipment as you try and feed the world! Choose from a variety of vehicles and implements, and explore the huge, over 4 km sq, island. Either play missions (ideal for learning how to operate the heavy machinery) or enter career mode. In career mode you start in a sparsely-equipped farmhouse with old equipment. You set to work plowing, cultivating and seeding fields with the intention that the resulting harvest will provide you with the financial resources to better equip your yard and increase your productivity! [Excalibur Publishing]

90% Football Manager 2010

2009-09-19T12:01:12-04:00

Critic Score: 90%
Release Date: 2009-10-30

Improved Match Engine - improved AI, over 100 new animations in 3D mode, new stadiums and crowds, improved pitch degradations and better lighting make for the most immersive pitch-side experience ever. Match Analysis - a match analysis tool that shows you where shots, passes, crosses, headers, tackles, fouls and interceptions have been made on the field for both teams. See this analysis both live in game, and post match, allowing you to pinpoint the weaknesses and strengths of both your team and your opponents. New User Interface - a completely new vibrant look and feel to the game, plus a navigational overhaul. The side menu is replaced by an intuitive tab system, based on extensive consumer feedback and usability studies, which allows you to access all areas of FM 2010 quickly and easily. Tactical Overhaul - a new tactics module makes it much easier to make your team play as you want them to. There are thousands of possible pre-set options and touchline "shout" instructions for making instant changes to your teams playing style. Don't worry; the old system is still there for people who love their sliders. News Center - a subscription based newspaper. Get the news about the football world around you that you want, and not the news you don't want. New Data Editor - including a brand new Competition Editor allowing you to add competitions and extra levels for leagues currently in the game, and add completely new competitions and leagues all via a very simple to use editor. Plus, the new editor allows you to keep your game up to date more easily than ever before. [Sega]

77% Fallen Earth

2009-09-27T00:00:47-04:00

Critic Score: 77%
Release Date: 2009-09-22

Mankind teeters on the edge of extinction, clinging to the bones of the old world while trying to recover long forgotten secrets. The Grand Canyon is the last bastion of humanity. The Shiva virus, which wiped out nearly all of humanity, has left the survivors and subsequent generations altered. The virus caused mutations, some of which were benign, some malignant, and just some incredible. It is your choice to either rise above the hardships of the post-apocalyptic world and rebuild what was lost or embrace the destruction and erase the corrupt world that remains. Where will you stand in the fight for Fallen Earth? [Steam]

86% Torchlight

2009-10-28T00:00:44-04:00

Critic Score: 86%
Release Date: 2009-10-27

Ember is the essence of magic and the keystone of alchemy; it lures the restless with promises of power and riches. Miners burrowed deep beneath the dirt streets of Torchlight, discovering veins of the ore richer than any found in living memory- but they were not the first to covet these mines. The miners from Torchlight broke through into the buried past, a dangerous labyrinth of caverns and ruined civilizations, twisted creatures and the bones of those who came before. Evil bubbles up from the depths and threatens to overrun Torchlight as it has so many others. The heart of a villain has infused the Ember, and his darkness seeps through the veins. [Perfect World Entertainment]

51% Dreamkiller

2009-10-13T00:00:38-04:00

Critic Score: 51%
Release Date: 2009-10-12

Dreamkiller takes gamers inside the world of dark and twisted nightmares. Gamers take on the role of Alice Drake, a psychologist with the extraordinary ability to enter the minds of her patients and combat the ravenous foes haunting their dreams. Utilizing a host of fantastic weapons and her own special abilities, Alice confronts our common demons only to discover an even deeper menace reigns within. The ultimate showdown becomes inevitable between that which would torment and she who will protect, and only one force will prevail amidst a variety of dreamscapes as varied and bizarre as the human mind itself. The world of dreams and nightmares allows for each level to be a completely different environment with different sets of enemies. In each dream world players can enter a secondary level of the subconscious - a world within a world - and encounter new enemies, weapons and power-ups. Players can use Alice’s teleportation powers to quickly zoom around rooms to dodge enemies and achieve a tactical advantage over enemies. Alice's weapons are massive and fierce, each featuring two unique attacks and outlandish ammunition including lightning bolts, lasers, sticky grenades and even "Happy Thoughts." [Aspyr]

80% Empire: Total War - The Warpath Campaign

2009-10-21T00:00:46-04:00

Critic Score: 80%
Release Date: 2009-10-05

(Downloadable Content) A new detailed North American Campaign Map expands the Empire: Total War experience, with 5 brand new American Indian factions, new units and technologies. Experience battles in the new Warpath Campaign and lead one of the 5 new factions in an epic war to defend your lands and drive out the invaders. Or take these units and their unique strengths into multiplayer battles. [Sega]

84% Borderlands

2009-08-16T10:32:28-04:00

Critic Score: 84%
Release Date: 2009-10-26

As the first title in an all-new sci-fi action franchise, Borderlands combines the best elements of Gearbox Software's first-person action titles with player customization and vehicular combat. Borderlands features a unique content generation system allowing for near-endless variety in missions, environments, enemies, weapons, item drops and character customization. Borderlands is a cooperative experience, allowing for multiple players to share the same game experience simultaneously online. Players can freely join or leave each other’s games at anytime, or choose to play in the full single-player mode. Borderlands features life-like character animations, impressive real-time physics, and customizable vehicles. More details to follow. [2K Games/Gearbox Software]

83% Tropico 3

2009-08-16T10:33:16-04:00

Critic Score: 83%
Release Date: 2009-10-20

As in the original Tropico, the player again is able to play the role of "El Presidente" taking over the control of a tropical island. You decide whether you want to use your army to secure your power base in the best traditions of corrupt, unscrupulous tyrants everywhere, or alternatively to lead your people to prosperity in your role as generous elder statesman. Danger lurks on every corner. There are militant rebels planning a Coup d'Etat for a communistic Junta, while in the background there are two lurking superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union, who would perhaps prefer a more pliable president in the strategically important island of Tropico! [Kalypso]

72% FIFA Soccer 10

2009-08-16T10:32:40-04:00

Critic Score: 72%
Release Date: 2009-10-20

On the pitch, critical gameplay fundamentals have been enhanced to ensure that FIFA Soccer 10 mirrors real-world soccer, providing more sophisticated ball control, and physical interaction between players. In addition, players now move, behave and position themselves more realistically. On attack, players analyze space more effectively, curve their runs in an attempt to stay onside, create passing lanes naturally, and drive for more variety in attacking options. On defense, new concepts like position priority enable defenders to multitask so dangerous spaces left open by teammates out of position are covered. Plus, slide tackle targeting, press marking, and better-urgency clearance logic provide new options that make defending a tactical skill in FIFA Soccer 10. In goal, a myriad of improvements and refinements to goalkeeper intelligence result in a more responsive and powerful rushing system and ultra-realistic saves. Better balance on lofted through balls, improved goalkeeper intelligence, more realistic shooting mechanics with less shots hitting the goal posts, a practice arena to perfect skills, and a more immersive soccer experience through continuous play and quick free kicks are just a few of the issues raised by fans and addressed in FIFA Soccer 10. Three new innovations revealed today at E3 have been developed to change the player control experience in FIFA Soccer 10. The first-ever true 360 degree dribbling system gives players finer control of the ball, enabling them to find spaces between defenders that previously were not possible. Using an all-new animation technology, skilled dribblers now have the ability to face the defender and use highly responsive lateral dribbling to skip past him. An innovative concept called Freedom in Physical Play enables players to perform wider dribble touches and new collision sharing creates a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between the dribbler and a defender. FIFA Soccer 10 also features a deeper iteration of the ever-popular Manager Mode with more than 50 major improvements, including new match realism, realistic player transfers based on multiple decision points, and true-to-life player growth curves. [Electronic Arts]

75% CITIES XL

2009-08-16T10:32:31-04:00

Critic Score: 75%
Release Date: 2009-10-09

CITIES XL allows gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures and monuments based on American, Asian and European-influenced architectural styles. The maps feature a variety of environments: mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climates from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate. Players must create the right combinations of social services, leisure activities, special events and other job opportunities within their cities in order to feed, clothe, employ and entertain their citizens. Be it planning and building a new zoo, public park, residential neighborhood or transit system - there's always a fresh and exciting challenge for would-be city managers and mayors in CITIES XL. The game's online features and services allow players to create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. Mayors can share and trade with one another, specialize their economy and team up with befriended cities to create sprawling metropolises. Life on the planet is punctuated by events and competitions - a concert held in one town may, for example, be attended by visitors from other areas who can also enjoy a walk around the city to admire the urban creations of multiple players. By combining a fantastic single-player game with the social and multiplayer aspects of an MMO, CITIES XL shapes the future of the genre by offering more variety, bigger cities and multiple gameplay layers. [Monte Cristo]

45% Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes

2009-08-16T10:33:09-04:00

Critic Score: 45%
Release Date: 2009-10-06

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes lets Star Wars fans young and old live out the sweeping galactic adventures of the Clone Wars. For the first time ever, players can fight as their favorite Jedi and clone troopers from the preeminent animated television series - from familiar faces like Anakin Skywalker to new heroes like Clone Captain Rex. A brand-new storyline, which bridges the gap between season one and two, takes the player on a multi-faceted adventure to stop a mysterious techno assassin's destructive plot. Built around two-player cooperative action, the accessible controls and family-friendly gameplay bring Star Wars fans across generations together like never before to fight the evil Separatists and restore peace to the galaxy. Play as your favorite Jedi heroes including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Mace Windu, and Kit Fisto. Slice and dice your way through Separatist droids with your lightsaber and Force powers and use your agility to perform amazing leaps and navigate levels filled with interactivity. Turn your enemies into weapons as you commandeer droids and use their unique abilities to blast enemies and solve puzzles as a Jedi. Be part of an elite clone trooper squad with unique gameplay that puts firepower at your fingertips. Blast droids and unleash devastation with heavy weapons like rocket launchers and thermal detonators as Commander Cody, Captain Rex and all of your favorite clone troopers. Compete against a friend with in-level challenges for rewards and points to be spent to upgrade your character and unlock bonus items. [LucasArts]

66% Theatre of War

2009-08-16T20:49:30-04:00

Critic Score: 66%
Release Date: 2007-04-19

Theatre of War is a World War Two real-time strategy game. Theatre of War depicts authentic battles of World War II between 1939-1945. Command hundreds of different unit types in 5 historically accurate campaigns (US, UK, Soviet, German, French and Polish). This isn't just another WW2 RTS click-fest, but a Real Time Combat Simulator with an emphasis firmly entrenched on realism and detail, historical accuracy, and real world military tactics that will challenge even the most battle hardened armchair general. [Battlefront.com]

83% Machinarium

2009-10-16T00:00:40-04:00

Critic Score: 83%
Release Date: 2009-10-16

Machinarium is independent puzzle / adventure game developed by the makers of popular web-games Samorost and Samorost2. A little robot who’s been thrown out to the scrap yard behind the city must return and confront the Black Cap Brotherhood and save his robot-girl friend.