By Brad Cook

It’s a beautiful day to strike a blow for the Rebellion. I’m standing on the shore of an island on a planet called
Fresia, home of Incom Industries. You may not have heard of the company, but you’re likely very familiar with
the spaceships they produce, a line that includes the venerable X-Wing fighter.

Right now, however, the X-Wing exists only as four prototypes, and the Empire plans to seize them when they nationalize the planet within days. Hoping to keep the ships out of the bad guys’ hands, some of Incom’s scientists who are loyal to the Rebellion have told Captain Raymus Antilles where to find the prototypes. As Empire at War producer Michael Fetterman and I watch, pod-shaped Rebellion landing craft descend through a cloudless blue sky to drop off troops and T2-B tanks.

“The years before ‘A New Hope’ takes place are some of the most interesting for us as game developers,” Fetterman explains. “This is the same time frame of Star Wars that we all fell in love with when the original movies were released, so it was a great opportunity to work with something we all know and love.”

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By Brad Cook

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could jump into the Star Wars universe and become a Jedi warrior?

Well, now you can join the ranks of the Jedi, thanks to Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Aspyr Media’s latest action-packed game from LucasArts. You are Rebel

Alliance mercenary-for-hire Kyle Katarn, a former Jedi Knight who left the Jedi Order after nearly falling to the Dark Side in battle.you ignite your lightsaber and charge, spinning and slashing your way through the hoard, deflecting laser blasts and disabling your opponents with your formidable Force powers.

While on a routine mission to the planet Kejim, however, he makes a discovery that eventually leads him to an ancient Jedi Temple on one of Yavin’s moons, where he seeks out Jedi Master Luke Skywalker for the lightsaber he had placed in his care years before. Katarn assumes the mantle of the Jedi once again, and the last remnants of the Galactic Empire, who still battle the Rebel Alliance for control of the galaxy, had better watch out.

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By Brad Cook

Right now on a Macintosh near you…

It is a wonderful time for Star Wars games. Publisher Aspyr Media, coming off the successful release of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, now brings you Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. This new game allows you to create your own Jedi and travel the galaxy.

Encounter foes old and new as you assist the New Republic, which is still plagued by the Imperial Remnant and the Dark Jedi known as the Reborn. Hone your Jedi Powers and enhance your lightsaber skills as you complete your missions.

You will put your enhanced abilities to good use when friend becomes foe and Jedi turn on Jedi during the climactic battle in the Valley of the Dark Lords. How it ends depends on your decision to embrace the Dark side or the Light. But first you must make your way to the Jedi Academy and begin your training…

By Brad Cook

On a warm day, there’s nothing your typical theme park patron enjoys more than a refreshing dip in a pool or a thrilling plunge down a water slide. The RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 expansion pack Soaked! offers all that and more, allowing you to design shows with killer whales and dolphins that perform tricks, install aquariums with all manner of sea life, and more. You can even use the Coaster Cam in the new RollerSoaker ride to drop water on unsuspecting peeps (RCT3’s word for patrons) below.

In addition to water slides, flume rides, and other water-based fun, Soaked! features a variety of new traditional rides, including death-defying roller coasters, nausea-inducing spinning rides, and variations on traditional favorites, such as one that replaces teacups with whirling Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. You’ll also find loudspeakers that let you pipe in music from other parts of the park, as well as machines that place stamps on passports peeps receive at the entrance, enabling them to win prizes.

By Brad Cook

People like Jonny Watts really enjoy theme parks. In fact, not only does Watts love a great thrill ride, but he notes that he and many of the staff at Frontier Developments are members of the European Coaster Club. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that such devotion helped the creation of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3.

“As soon as we got the team together,” he recalls, “we went to visit one of the premier theme parks in the UK at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. This wasn’t a random choice: Chris Sawyer, the guy who originally created RollerCoaster Tycoon, reckons it has the best mix of different types of rides squeezed into a small place, which was perfect for our research.”

Round and Round. Notice that the snapshots you take are added to the images that cycle through the main screen.

By Brad Cook

The Vikings swear allegiance to the Aztec Empire, becoming a vassal state to the most powerful civilization on the map. Unfortunately, that means the Vikings are also dragged into the conflict when Montezuma declares war on the English Empire, whose leader, Winston Churchill, angered him by declining an open borders agreement.

Meanwhile, the Celtic Empire, led by Brennus, moves a Great General into the same area as a Gallic Warrior, combining both into a powerful Warlord. Supported by a trebuchet and several axemen, the Warlord invades the neighboring Aztecs, putting Montezuma on the defensive just as he launches an attack on an English city.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the Korean Empire, however. With construction of the Temple of Artemis completed and the cultural influence of their cities encroaching on their neighbors, they’ve become a formidable opponent without going to war against any other civilization. Their leader, Wang Kon, has taken care not to offend his peers, but it’s increasingly clear that he’s not doing so for altruistic reasons.

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By Brad Cook

When you last visited Sid Meier’s Civilization III, 16 civilizations beckoned you to lead them in your quest to conquer the world. But now you yearn for more — you desire to take charge of the Vikings or the Mayans or perhaps a new, unique people. You long for the sight of new wonders to grace your empire. You wish you could replay events taken from world history.

You pine for new units to command, new technologies to research and new types of governments with which you can rule your people. And if only you could play against opponents over the Internet in multiplayer modes that include Elimination, Domination, Regicide and Capture the Flag, then perhaps your Civilization III experience would be complete.

Now you can do all that, and more, with Civilization III: Complete, which includes the original strategy game as well as its Conquests and Play the World expansion packs. Choose from 31 civilizations as you peruse new options (including a random feature) for customizing the game world, and ponder whether you dare attempt the new Demigod and Sid difficulty levels.

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By Brad Cook

The wicked chill of a sub-zero Russian winter feels like it’s biting my bones, despite the heavy long coat I’m wearing. I arrived early in Stalingrad, one of the settings found in Call of Duty 2, so I could thumb through the tattered diary belonging to Private Vasili I. Koslov. I’m waiting for Infinity Ward president Grant Collier and lead multiplayer designer Todd Alderman to arrive. 

“Before the war, walking to city hall from where we are now would take about two minutes and, of course, there was no danger of being killed,” Koslov wrote. My eyes scan the snow-shrouded remains of a nearby building, its skeleton still smoking in the aftermath of a vicious German assault. In the distance, I can hear the faint propaganda of the German army urging Stalingrad’s residents to surrender.

I read his words again, out loud this time.

“So many things happened in World War II that formed the modern world,” says a voice behind me. I turn. Collier and Alderman step out of the deep shadows cast by the dead building as the sun descends from its midday apex through a cloudless gray sky.

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By Brad Cook

On one end of the timeline, the Caucasus Mountains saw Zeus chain Prometheus to a rock as punishment for giving fire to man. On the other end, some of these mountains near Sochi, Russia will host part of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Today, however, I bear witness to a
world-altering event of a different sort: a fierce battle between Russian ultranationalists and British Special Forces collaborating with Russian loyalists.

From the road above a village ravaged by the ultranationalists, we have a good view of the gunfight below. Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling and I watch Captain Price direct Sgt. “Soap” MacTavish and two other men as they provide sniper support. You play as Soap and U.S. Marine Sgt. Paul Jackson during the game, in addition to minor roles that pop up over the course of Call of Duty 4’s 17 levels.

“It’s always important in a Call of Duty title that you’re just one of the guys,” Bowling explains. “We want you to be part of the squad and in the heaviest of the fight. We also never take control away from you, even if you’re crawling from a helicopter after a nuclear explosion. That way you never break that immersion, and you get the blunt impact of the raw feelings that come with what you’re experiencing.”

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By Brad Cook

“Technology is like a fish: the longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes.” As your civilization progresses into the age of gunpowder and beyond, you would be wise to heed those words, spoken by former IBM computer scientist Andrew Heller. For example, your scientists might develop Beyond the Sword’s new advanced flight technology, enabling the construction of helicopter gunships and jet fighters, but a rival empire could be one step ahead with stealth technology, allowing the creation of deadly destroyers and bombers that can evade detection. Suddenly your shiny new toys may not seem so exciting.

Then again, advancing your military technology could just be a ploy on your part, as you scheme to control the world via Sid’s Sushi Co., one of seven businesses available through the new corporation technology. As you establish Sid’s Sushi franchises in cities around the world, you’ll realize food and culture bonuses, as well as extra gold.

In addition, establishing a corporation leads your civilization to the assembly line technology, which enables construction of several buildings, including the Pentagon, a World Wonder that increases your overall Culture score. Earn Legendary Culture status for three of your cities and you’ll secure a cultural victory, leaving those stealth destroyers and bombers to sulk in their ports and hangars.

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