[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Video Games: The 12 Best Holiday Bets here

[justlikeaphoto]

I can't help but notice the lack of both World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and Left 4 Dead.

WoW's WotLK is a fantastic expansion (I know personally) featuring more content then you can shake a stick at. Considering WO and LotRO both made the list and this didn't is some what confusing to me.

[stevenh18]

Why is Wold Of Warcraft not on here? The game sucks but people are still going to buy tons of them!

[mattpeckham]

That's actually why it's not on this particular list, Steven. This piece is an attempt to mix things up a bit, not just another "games people are going to buy a ton of" list. :)

[66Lee]

Why is a magazine called PC World reviewing so many games that are only for consoles? This magazine is becoming more like an electronics version of Consumer Reports than a computer magazine- it's full of reviews of non-computer things like televisions, cameras, etc.

[mattpeckham]

Well, let's see, Eight of 12 are PC games, 66Lee. Seven if we don't count Mirror's Edge, since technically the Windows version doesn't ship until January, but still, well over half the games here are Windows-based.
But yeah, there's a generalist tech angle here...has been for as long as I've been reading. And besides, you don't go to Wired just to read about broadband, do you? ;) PC World = literally "personal computing world," emphasis world, i.e. a whole lot broader than just the unit sitting under your desk.

[coastie65]

I've played The Witcher, and it is a winner. Definitely NOT for the kids even though it has been censored. I did get the Enhanced Version afterwards, but haven't yet decided to revisit it. May try one of the new adventures. Anyway, it looks like a little something for everybody.coastie65

[JcHc3in1]

I highly recommend Mirror's Edge. I played it non-stop on a friends XBox for over 12 hours straight. It is more of a puzzle game, and the vantage point can make you a little queasy, but I love the avoidance technique and the original game play.

[dskingston]

Enjoyed the article, the Eds need more like this.

I closed beta tested LOTRO and was not really into it. Seems like it has come along way, and might give it another shot.

Some of the other less obvious games as well.

How about an article on 'Great not too be overlooked Video Games for a song'.

I see alot of games that had high ratings you can get for under 30 bucks. (ie
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The Orange Box)

[Kinman]

I watched the game play video of COD world at war, the shooting sound is not quit real, and is alot of chaos.

[purcell429]

You should definately give LOTRO a try if you haven't been around since beta... things have much improved since then. Besides an almost triple increase in world size, the game mecanics have become much more interesting, especially from 50-60. The AI is pretty amazing... normal mobs will run for help, stack up some impressive buffs on themselves, which forces you to go about the battle in different ways (a 10s 100% reflect buff, -90% incoming damage, ect.). But, beyond that, Moria is flat out amazing. It really needs to be seen to be belived. The scale is astounding, as is the detail put into it. Falling off a bridge where you fall for 30 seconds and then pop out in another zone is something entirely new.... the vertical aspect of Moria is impressive.

[JcHc3in1]

Kinman, I am not a huge fan of World at War, but war IS chaos so I don't see your point. Also, the Call of Duty makers are using the sounds from the actual guns in the game. They recorded the sounds themselves.

[coastie65]

JcHc3in1 said:

Kinman, I am not a huge fan of World at War, but war IS chaos so I don't see your point. Also, the Call of Duty makers are using the sounds from the actual guns in the game. They recorded the sounds themselves.

Nice bit of trivia on the sound effects. Incidentaly, I have been looking at Mirrors Edge, that was mentioned. Might get that for myself after the Holidays. :D

[justlikeaphoto]

Technically there are two companies that make the Call of Duty Games, Infinity Ward and Treyarch. Infinity Ward was responsible for COD2 and COD4:MW. Treyarch on the other hand has developed COD3, COD5:WAW, but their most notable work before hand was in the Spiderman games.
As far as I know IW does record the actual guns and use them in their sound effects, if Treyarch does I can't say for sure. COD5 is based around the Modern Warfare engine however it falls way short of what COD4 was. Personal opinion of course.
As for Mirrors Edge, it's a brilliant game and I recommend everyone gives it a chance if they haven't already.

[Kinman]

then may be it is the video's problem

now this WaW has the new problem of crashing in the beginning because of some sound problem (I still can't fix it from the solution provided in activision)

I have been playing PC FPS games for years, never see this kind of bugs.

[coastie65]

Think they may be trying to rush them out too quick ?

[justlikeaphoto]

Wouldn't count in it. Treyarch's entries in the Call of Duty Franchise have always been sub par at best (personal opinion of course). Bugs wouldn't surprise me in the least.

[Kinman]

I finally found the solution for the COD WaW's crash problem when try to run it

It has nothing to do with the audio sample rate of 24bit and 48000 hz (for me using xp anyway, may work on vista)

The one works for me is to diable the "unimodem half-duplex audio device" in device manager. work like a charm :)

I can't believe the game has problem with this device, games from activision don't usually have error like this

[JcHc3in1]

kinman, one issue I have seen and experienced with WaW is on the PS3. It is supposed to auto-save at every checkpoint but my friends have been unable to start saved game. This has thoroughly frustrated them to the extent they've quit playing the game.

[coastie65]

JcHc3in1 said:

kinman, one issue I have seen and experienced with WaW is on the PS3. It is supposed to auto-save at every checkpoint but my friends have been unable to start saved game. This has thoroughly frustrated them to the extent they've quit playing the game.

I think that varies from game to game. It did in Uncharted : Drakes Fortune and it didn't in Tomb Raider underworld. It autosaved, but ewasn't in the save log, so I'm thinking it may be in the game design itself and not the PS3. coastie