GamesRadar - Previews

Pacific Storm (Pacific Storm)

Jul 24, 2006

Pacific Storm is another attempt to breathe fresh life into the strategy gaming arena by fusing a grand strategic map with real time combat. On one level you make all the command decisions in the Pacific theater of World War II; on another, you command the fleets and planes in ship to ship combat. And, if you need a third level, you can take direct control of the air war by flying the planes themselves or manning the anti-aircraft guns on your vessels. The grand strategy level spans from India ...

Pacific Storm (Pacific Storm)

May 1, 2006

Taking World War II action to the Pacific Theater, Pacific Storm ambitiously crams three genres into one: real-time and turn-based strategy with a side of action-arcade. Jump from admiral-on-the-bridge to pilot-in-the-skies in a bid to control the largest theater of war in history. Presenting us with simulator elements (like joystick control for aircraft) and the promise of multiplayer battles, Pacific Storm could be an incredible sleeper hit for history, action and strategy fans ...

Pacific Storm: Allies (Pacific Storm: Allies)

Oct 31, 2007

Oct, 29, 2007 Pacific Storm: Allies isn't your average World War II real time strategy, 2D strategy, or run and gun aerial shooter; it's all three mixed together. Like the original, you'll manage diplomacy, climb the tech tree, and produce units in its strategic map mode. But you'll also manage fleets and squadrons like an RTS in the field, with the option to take control of fighter planes or ship turrets for some arcadey dog fighting and gunning. Expect an enormous amount of content with ...

Pac-Man World Rally hands-on (Pac-Man World Rally)

Aug 3, 2006

As we sat down to play Mario Ka- oh, excuse us, Pac-Man World Rally, our first thoughts were primarily ones unfit to print. Does the world need yet another item-launching, power-sliding kart racer that exists solely to get its licensed mascot more air time? The answer is no, but there are enough ideas taken from the source games to make each lap in the Pac-world marginally different from every other game like this. There are several types of buttons scattered throughout each heavily themed ...

Pac-Man World Rally hands-on (Pac-Man World Rally)

Aug 3, 2006

E3 06: Pac-Man World Rally hands-on (Pac-Man World Rally)

May 12, 2006

It seems to be a rite of passage that every cartoon-y, platform-y game character must eventually star in a kart racing game. This summer, one of the earliest arcade stars - Pac-Man, one of few modern game characters who can remember when Mario was a rookie - gets his turn behind the wheel. He's not alone - there are at least 15 characters in all, including the fire-breathing dragon Fygar from Namco's arcade classic Dig-Dug and a certain roll-headed prince from a more modern hit, Katamari ...

Pac-Man World Rally (Pac-Man World Rally)

Mar 31, 2006

Well, if it took until 2006 for Sonic the Hedgehog to get a tricked-out snowboarding game, Pac-Man might as well get a go-kart racer too. Pac-Man World Rally is still a few months away, but it has all the hallmarks of a potentially capable Mario Kart clone. By now, you know what's up. Pick a mascot character (this time from the land of Namco) and power-slide him/her/it through winding, outlandish courses that could never really exist. In addition to obvious stars Pac- and Mrs. Pac-Man, you'll ...

Pac-Man - Xbox Live Arcade (Pac-Man - Xbox Live Arcade)

Jun 21, 2006

Who would have thought that a game that requires you to manipulate a small, yellow disk around a maze, devouring dots and avoiding malevolent ghosts would become the foundation of all video gaming. Strange as it may seem, Pac-Man is arguably the game that earned the videogame industry mainstream, pop culture acceptance (yes, Pong and Space Invaders were big, but Pac-Man exploded). After sinking some time into the new Xbox Live Arcade version, we remember what all the hooplah was about. One of ...

EXCLUSIVE REVEAL of PAIN'S Abusement Park level (PAIN - PS3 Network)

Jul 7, 2008

It's been a good eight months since the anarchic, Jackass-inspired destruction-porn game PAIN hit the PlayStation Network, and the game is finally getting a second level. The good news is that the game's new playground - a massive, working indoor carnival called Abusement Park - is bigger, brighter and offers many more opportunities for bone-crunching hilarity than its predecessor. It'll also be released alongside two new characters (who we ...

Painkiller (Painkiller)

Feb 11, 2004

Game names can be deceiving. Painkiller, for instance, is not all about attacking pain where it hurts, but simply attacking anything that crosses your path. Just plain Killer would be a more accurate label for this PC firstperson shooter, but presumably that wouldn't sound nearly as 'cool' to the ears of those marketing it.Wonky title aside, there are things here worth celebrating. This is the first title to come out of People Can Fly, a Polish developer set up in early 2002, and it has all the ...

Painkiller: Hell Wars (Painkiller: Hell Wars)

Apr 24, 2006

Under a constant hail of putrified flesh gibs and congealed blood, Daniel Garner fends off an overwhelming horde of monstrous demons ... with a shotgun (among other blunt projectiles). Painkiller: Hell Wars slams you into a nightmarish world where you play as Daniel and attempt to claw your way out of Hell. Set in a strange sort of purgatory suffering from a plague of demonic beasts, Painkiller: Hell Wars hurls gore and zombie bits at an amazing pace. This game is alarmingly fast, and the Xbox ...

Panzer Tactics DS - hands-on (Panzer Tactics DS)

Aug 6, 2007

Now, were not all history buffs, but were sure this is a game that - aside from three fantasy missions - never wavers from historical accuracy. Luckily, Panzer Tactics DS isn't just for the WWII fan boys. It makes an effort to give the rest of us a chance to bungle our way through the game. The game begins with the Axis campaign, moves through the Soviets and concludes with the Allied campaign. You'll receive orders before each battle and maybe learn a bit of history before you're done. Your ...

Panzer Tactics DS - first look (Panzer Tactics DS)

Jun 28, 2006

Decades of tabletop wargames have lived and died on one central conceit: the hex-based map. German wargaming factory CDV has adopted this six-sided cartography and plans to put it to use in the first ever World War II strategy game for the Nintendo DS this fall, Panzer Tactics DS. The tactical possibilities of hex-based games are much more complex than what is possible on a simple grid. Not only enabling unit movement in six directions, hex-based wargames also demonstrate clearly the ...

Parabellum – hands-on (Parabellum)

Sep 17, 2008

Si vis pacem, para bellum - “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Parabellum’s slogan has a dramatic ring, but it doesn’t tell us much about its content. Anyone know the Latin for, “If you want a free, quick FPS that uses microtransactions, download our game?”

Gratis or not, Parabellum looks pretty. ...

Parabellum (Parabellum)

Feb 8, 2007

Question. Why has nobody ever managed to develop a game that can come even close to dislodging Counter-Strike from its lofty perch atop the strategic online shooter pile? Answer? Because no-one has ever tried taking the CS template, retaining all that is good and adding in an original slant, thats why. Well, at least not until now they havent. Created by fledgling developers Acony - a team formed from an array of industry veterans - Parabellum seeks to infuse the Counter-Strike template with ...

Paradise (Paradise)

Apr 13, 2006

Many modern gamers are uninterested in classically-styled point-and-click adventure games. And admittedly, simply wandering around gorgeous, pre-rendered backgrounds and mouse-clicking on various bits of the set to see what happens isn't exactly an adrenaline rush. However, these games can still tell a great story and offer up some clever puzzles, so we're glad a few people are still crafting them. Paradise is the latest from a fellow named Benoit Sokol, known by some as the marquee mind ...

Paradise (Paradise)

Feb 25, 2006

It's sad but true: point-and-click adventure games are nearly extinct. The Myst series has finally expired after a long and storied life while many other franchises have died in captivity. However, weve recently had a first look at Paradise, an easy-going interactive adventure from the makers of the award-winning Syberia, 2002s adventure game of the year. After a long hiatus, the genre could use a jump-start. Paradises stylish and mysterious African setting looks like a great locale for ...

ParaWorld - hands-on (ParaWorld)

Aug 24, 2006

We can't quite put our finger on what makes ParaWorld 's unique brand of dinosaur stomping real-time strategy gameplay such pure awesomesauce. Sure, commanding a legion of ballista-launching Triceratopses made our inner third-graders swoon, but the delicious visuals and attention to details satisfied our grown-up side at the same time. Digging into the long, dry tutorial was a bit of a stumbling start, but our patient mentor gave us a thorough layout of the building types and units. Keeping ...

Paraworld (ParaWorld)

Jun 8, 2006

Even with the glut of incredible looking strategy games announced for the PC this year, its still tough to find something truly original. Then we saw Paraworld. Unlike the high-tech wars of Supreme Commander and Command & Conquer 3, Paraworld is set in a parallel universe where dinosaurs still roam the earth. Ancient tribes of men control these beasts and form armies made of 100% pure childhood imagination - seriously, who didnt love dinosaurs when they were a kid? Three factions represent ...

ParaWorld (ParaWorld)

Feb 15, 2006

Contrary to that ker-azy title, ParaWorld isn't actually based on the SAS, the Special Olympics or the X-Files. It's actually an RTS with an emphasis on sharp teeth and rank breath... ParaWorld's real strength stems from the dino factor, which an incredible amount of imagination and silky art skills have obviously gone into. From vicious little raptors, robo scorpions and Pteradons packing rocket launchers to Titans complete with full body armour, they're stunningly animated and beautifully ...