War games demonstrate deadly reality of battle
Game makers usually try to make their war games as realistic as possible. Hearing the whistle of every shell, seeing the detail of every uniform add to the feeling you’re actually on the battlefield.
But now one developer has taken that realism one step further, realistically re-creating campaigns from the Iraqi battlefields almost as they happen. Kuma Reality Games is taking some heat of its own for its PC game KumaWar, which depicts the Iraq conflict.
Recent missions have included battles and escapes from events in Fallujah (including an assassination attempt on Gen. John Abizaid and a police station raid) and Samarra.
Besides the issue of whether it’s moral to simulate recent battles that killed Americans whose families are still grieving, it’s hard not to wonder how accurate the games can be if they’re based on publicly released reports of the conflicts and released just weeks after those events happen.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the buzz. It’s free to try at www.kumawar.com for a week and $9.99 a month after that.
Microsoft yanks Fantasy title
Quick news from the world of Microsoft:
“True Fantasy Live Online” has gone the way of Microsoft’s XSN Sports lineup. That is to say, into oblivion.
Microsoft pulled the plug on its much-hyped, much-delayed online world title for Xbox, one of the first out of its Japanese development studio.
But Microsoft hasn’t given up: Gamers can expect to see another stab at putting real-time strategy games on a console this fall.
Microsoft’s domestic operation has announced the release of “Kingdom Under Fire,” which will put you in charge of hundreds of tiny fighters.
GameDaily, a respected online newsletter that covers the industry, bumped up Microsoft’s buzz this week by naming “Jade Empire” the best game shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, edging out titles such as “The Sims 2” and “God of War.”
Top-sellers show good choices
There’s proof that all you PC game players have really, really good taste.
Check out this list of the top-selling games in April from NPD Group, a research firm that monitors retail sales.
Way to go, y’all; the titles you’re buying are terrific choices, especially, if you’re a shooter fan, Nos. 3, 4 and 9.
1. “City Of Heroes”
2. “Battlefield Vietnam”
3. “Far Cry”
4. “Unreal Tournament 2004”
5. “Counter Strike: Condition Zero”
6. “The Sims Deluxe”
7. “Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicles”
8. “Call of Duty”
9. “Painkiller”
10. “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow”