For those of you that are already familiar with Resident Evil 3, the game you know and love is here faithfully restored on GOG just as you remember it (or rather the PC version released in 2000, which is still as good as the PS1 original). For those of you not already familiar with Resident Evil 3, you're in for a real treat. Many fans consider RE2 to be the best of the series, but you can't go wrong with this gem. This is where the series started to take more of an action tone, with you fighting for survival in a hellish landscape where you have to be more bold and aggressive to survive, as opposed to the cautious bullet-watching tone of RE1 and 2, though you'll still be on your toes watching your ammo. You'll encounter an impressive variety of monsters, as well as the usual zombies, and traverse beautifully-rendered tragic locales and backgrounds of a city in complete ruin. The story is decently entertaining, with lots of fun twists and turns (though nothing genre-breaking). The music is also very haunting and memorable, just as it should be. This game oozes with apocalyptic ambiance, and I've come back to it many times over the years for the immersive atmosphere. Beware, this game is hard, and I've seen the game over screen more times than I'd care to admit. Two words that'll save you a lot of frustration here: save often. If you're buying this in the Resident Evil bundle, rest assured that all 3 games are excellent, and you'll have plenty of reason to come back to RE3 aside from the main game. This features the Mercenaries Mode that provides a quick action romp which many fans have come to love. RE3 on its own merits is exceptional, and getting it as part of the RE bundle is a major win. Look no further for your next survival horror obsession!
A real gem in the Star Wars library of games, though it has aged. Back in the days of the N64, we were stoked to see a 3D Star Wars game that put us in the dangerous universe of Darth Vader, bounty hunters, and the Rebel Alliance's fight against the Empire. This game delivered on all that. You play as Dash Rendar, a mercenary hired by Luke Skywalker to help during the events of The Empire Strikes Back up until Return of the Jedi. Dash is an obvious nod to Han Solo and his Outrider is the spitting image of the Millennium Falcon. You face a variety of environments from the movie and locations made up for the game, and the amount of variety is impressive for a 1996 game. You'll take down AT-ATs on Hoth, sneak through an imperial freighter, run down thugs on speeder bikes, fight your way through the sewers of Imperial Coruscant, and more. On the downside, the game is tough. The past month or so I've had the game from GOG I have seen the game over screen A LOT. You take damage easy on hard mode and health pickups become more sparse. Your auto-aim can be clunky while enemies are sniping you, and you'll be grateful aiming mechanics got so much better in 3D games over the years. On very difficult levels you get a chance for extra lives, which is merciful considering how punishing this game can be. Checkpoints are scattered liberally throughout the levels, but if you use all your lives in one level you go back to the beginning. That last sentence is a harsh warning and take it seriously! There is also a strange break in the physics in one or two levels where you can easily slide like ice off into a chasm and die. For all the game's shortcomings, it's still a blast to play, even taking out nostalgia. This has been updated from the N64 version with gorgeous new cutscenes and great voice acting (the voice of Dash sounds strangely like Alec Baldwin). Overall solid gameplay with perfect use of sound effects and music from the movies in each level. Highly recommended!
First off, I have issues getting the game's display to work while using in-game menus even after extensive work looking at the support forums. Even with all that, I still play the game a lot, and that speaks volumes about the game's design, replayability, and fun factor. The game plays beautifully and smoothly without any problems once the match begins. The original Armada was a great game and this sequel has many improvements fans wanted to see at the time like newer ships, weapons, races, and features to boost the RTS experience. I personally love both games and have a hard time deciding which one I like more. Fans of the original game beware that the mechanics in this game are a tad different and come with a learning curve. However, once you get used to the game's somewhat-new mechanics you'll have a blast. All the different playable races have their advantages and disadvantages, and you feel that your skills are tested when you play as a new race you haven't played before. There's enough variety here you'll find a race you enjoy playing the most. I love the voice-acting in this game, and each race has its own distinct voice-overs that help give you the Star Trek experience. Bottom line--if you're a fan of the original Star Trek Armada you have more of the same here (in a good way) with some adjustments to make it a fun experience.
