Tom's Pick: Sacrifice
 Fuck,
this game is good! And that's no hyperbole. Sometimes I'm playing
Sacrifice and I just go, 'Fuck!' and I shake my head at how good
it is. It's so good that I'm hereby offering to come wash the cars
of all the guys at Shiny. I mean it. I will come down to Shiny with
a bucket and some old towels and some liquid soap and a chamois
cloth and I will wash the car of every man, woman, and child who
has his name in the Sacrifice credits. Here's an essay I wrote:
Why I Like Sacrifice
by Tom Chick
I like Sacrifice because those overused game reviewer adjectives
finally apply: "unique", "bold", "imaginative",
"innovative", "spectacular", "smart",
"bar-raising", "fun", and "highly recommended".
Some adjectives apply that game reviewers don't use: "splendid",
"plucky", "gratifying", "arresting",
"immaculate", "vibrant", "imposing",
and "wily". I also like Sacrifice because I get a funny
feeling in my tummy when the Frostwolves purr their sound bites.
One caveat: like many things bold and new, Sacrifice might have
a hard time finding fans among casual gamers who might do better
to stick to Diablo II. Such is the burden of Shiny's creative genius.
Mark's Pick: Flying Heroes
 Sometimes
the guys reviewing these games, well, it’s like we lost our
nuts in a tragic hedge trimming accident. With Flying Heroes my
reasoning was going like this: “Not many people liked this
game. It sold like shit. I can’t make this my favorite game
of the year – they’ll revoke my critic’s license
that I got from sending in 50 Captain Crunch boxtops!” But
in a Grinch-like fashion mine seem to have grown three sizes too
large today – anyone got a spare tea service I can use to cart
them around on?
By god I loved Flying Heroes, and I don’t want to hear any
guff about it. It’s a FFPS – Flying First Person Shooter.
It handles flight the way that Crimson Skies probably should have,
instituting just enough of a flight model to make the “craft”
handle differently, but simple enough to fly with mouse and keyboard.
And oh, what marvelous flying machines you get to play with –
enchanted teacups, fire-breathing dragons, flying galleons, huge
dirigibles, and more. It’s set up to play in a style that’s
similar to Unreal Tournament, though your progress is tracked over
a season. Do well in the tournaments and advance and new ships or
mounts are unlocked for you. Cast spells. Grab powerups. Fire guns.
Upgrade your weaponry and armor. Just flat out have fun in a truly
inspired and imaginative game. But if you try it, remember that
it does have a flight model and isn’t a pure shooter. Get over
that and you’ll love it. Now can someone bring me an icepack?
I gotta shrink these back down to normal size or get a new wardrobe.
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