Review rating: 3 stars
In development for more than five years, "Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa" is blasting its way onto PCs across the galaxy. This futuristic game veers from the traditional MMO formula, but it still delivers plenty of fun, excitement and character development.
Rather than battle mythical monsters from a surreal Medieval age, players are drafted into the AFS (Allied Free Sentients) to battle an insidious band of aliens known as the Bane. All new recruits start out with the same types of projectile weapons (pistol, rifle, shotgun), but they get to specialize in branching soldier classes at levels 5, 15 and 30. As players rise in level, they gain access to rocket launchers, sniper rifles, flamethrowers, leech guns and other ultramodern equipment.
While the battle system still follows a "roll the dice" method of determining damage and critical hits, more skill is required than most other MMOs. Players actually get a reduction in damage taken if they take cover behind objects, and crouching when using certain weapons drastically increases their accuracy.
Blasting the heck out of aliens is fun, but so is Player vs. Player combat. Soldiers can duel each other at any time if they both agree, but clan-vs.- clan battles let clan leaders declare war on each other. When this happens, each clan's pawns - er, soldiers - will be able to fight each other anywhere on any map for the next seven days. Knowing that you can be attacked at any time while questing or hanging around in town adds a welcome element of tension to game play.
"Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa" may have had an extremely long development cycle, but the result is a wonderful sci-fi experience.
Publisher: Activision
System: Microsoft Xbox 360 (PS3)
Cost: $60
ESRB rating: M
Review rating: 4 stars
Now that the Call of Duty series is practically synonymous with World War II combat, the developers (Infinity Ward) have decided to give the next version a more contemporary setting. Fortunately, "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" retains the same outstanding game play and frenetic action of its predecessors, but places highly-advanced weaponry at the player's fingertips.
New recruits will find themselves switching back and forth between controlling a U.S. Marine and a British S.A.S. as they attempt to stop Middle Eastern fanatics from detonating stolen nukes. Some of the events that unfold are shockingly realistic, it's just too bad that the entire single-player campaign only lasts around six hours.
Still, the intense action and wide variety of combat will keep players glued to their TV until the very end. It also doesn't hurt that "CoD4" sports some of the most impressive visuals of any console. Bullets whiz by on all sides leaving puffs of smoke where they impact, explosions rock the battlefield setting fire to vehicles, and soldiers on both sides advance and retreat in an extremely realistic manner.
As for online multiplayer action, "CoD4" features a deep character-building mode that lets players customize their cyber-soldiers with extra firepower, additional health and new abilities. Several classes are available to choose from, such as soldier and sniper, but the player can also create a custom class when they reach a certain rank.
Add in the ability to call in airstrikes as well as the chance to raise in rank based on battlefield performance, and the result is a truly in-depth online multiplayer experience.
Whether you prefer single-player campaigns or online multiplayer action, "Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat" is sure to satisfy any action fan.
4 stars - Must have
3 stars - Pretty good
2 stars - So-so
1 star - Don't waste your time
Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
E: Everyone
T: Teen (13 and older)
E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)
M: Mature (17 and older)
