Computer gaming store

What’s Playing in the Computer Gaming World

What do you get when you put a dozen 400-pound gorillas in the same game store? Lots of gorilla juice from 10 dead gorillas and two living, bloodied master apes. So it is with the end of the year product releases. And here are two of them.

The Sims 2

The sequel to the biggest-selling PC game of all time has just come out and it’s monopolizing the lives of gamers the way breathing usually does. And deservedly so. The Sims 2 does what’s expected of a sequel: better graphics, new features, 3D engine, blah blah blah. But what developer Maxis has done goes above and beyond the usual expectations to deliver a game that’s fuller, more satisfying, and more compelling than ever. Steal your mom’s copy and prepare to be hooked.

Lord of the Rings:

Battle for Middle-earth

EA isn’t letting up on the LOTR movie license teat just yet, as this real-time strategy title from the Command & Conquer crew is definitely going to attract some attention. But will it deserve that attention? I’ve been wowed by the scope of the combat and the stellar graphics and, yet, I still haven’t seen anything showing that the artfully cinematic battling is built atop an engaging game foundation. Battle for Middle-earth is undeniably pretty, but is it going to be any fun? I hope so—and so should EA, or this licensed gorilla is going to be juiced by World of WarCraft, Half-Life 2, and the other big monkeys.