Best pc game of 2006

It's up to you. Fully interactive pitch-by-pitch mode puts you in complete control of the game. New graphical batting and pitching interface gives you pinpoint control over each pitch. Brush back the batter with an inside fastball, then put him away with a splitter in the dirt. Sports Mogul unveils a 30, line database with data for over 1, pitchers that you can't find anywhere else.

Includes individually researched ratings for every pitch in each pitcher's arsenal, going back to From Gaylord Perry's spitball to Daisuke Matsuzaka's "Gyroball", Baseball Mogul is the most complete baseball simulation you can buy.

From the co-creator of Age of Empires, Brian Sullivan, comes an all-new action role-playing game set in the mythical worlds of ancient Greece and Egypt.

The Titans, gods before the gods, have escaped from their eternal prison to wreak havoc on the world. In this titanic struggle between old and new gods it is the heroes of humankind who will ultimately determine the fate of all existence. The player quests throughout the ancient world in a race to uncover the secrets needed to once again imprison these ancient gods. Journeying to fabled locations such as the Parthenon, the maze at Knossos, the Great Pyramids, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the player will have to overcome terrifying monsters and mythical beasts.

A flexible class system allows almost limitless ways for the player to develop their character. Skills can be customized in many ways, and never become obsolete.

Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine, a witty western with a healthy dose of adventure, follows in the tradition of classic adventure gaming. Join Al, a middle-aged, feeble, Easterner, on his journey into the heart of the Wild-West in search of a suitable bride. Enjoy the quaint gold-rush town of Anozira; chat up highly flirtatious babes; cautiously evade warring Indian tribes; discover legends of lost gold; bask in the intense summer heat; encounter breathtaking landscapes; meet up with the occasional rabid prairie dog, and more.

Gamers can play as their favorite team from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of the tournament in Germany. With enhanced player animations, EA SPORTS has emulated close to of the world's superstars, capturing their playing styles and individual likenesses.

In addition to enabling gamers to participate in the FIFA World Cup Germany by taking control of one of national teams, the game features new compelling modes of play, including the groundbreaking Global Challenge that tests even the most hardcore soccer fan by recreating classic moments in FIFA World Cup history.

Furthermore, the game supports up to eight-way multiplayer matches and features a plethora of in-game unlockable content such as legendary players and exclusive apparel.

Combining the best of real-world and model railroads, Sid Meier's Railroads! The first game to reintroduce the video game legend to the public is Heroes of Might and Magic V, the sequel to the universally acclaimed turn-based strategy series with a touch of RPG. The new opus will benefit from the features and characteristics that established the success of the initial saga while offering a wealth of innovations such as a a highly immersive scenario, a variety of appealing factions, modern 3D graphics, a revolutionary tactical combat system and a story-based campaign mode.

Everyday Shooter is an album of games exploring the expressive power of abstract shooters. Dissolute sounds of destruction are replaced with guitar riffs harmonizing over an all-guitar soundtrack, while modulating shapes celebrate the flowing beauty of geometry. Featuring an enhanced version of the original's physics engine with even faster driving track designs, FlatOut 2 also boasts numerous improvements, enhancements and additions to make the title the definitive FlatOut experience.

Twice as many vehicles, a more sophisticated career mode, additional race environments, double the number of tracks, twice as many mini-games along with brand new and much requested online multiplayer modes are just some of the exhaustive features that are included in FlatOut 2.

With more than 5, fully destructible objects on every track as well as 40 deformable parts on each vehicle, physical interaction in a racing game is taken to unprecedented heights. With a greater emphasis placed on causing destruction on the track by offering greater rewards, game play will be even more frantic than ever.

Drivers will need to tear into competitors' cars, trash the local scenery, litter the track with obstacles, while at the same time trying to concentrate on their own race in a bid to cross the line first. The ever-popular Ragdoll mini-games from the original FlatOut game make a welcome return and are better than ever with 12 Ragdoll events, a Ragdoll Championship and full online support.

New Ragdoll events include basketball, baseball and royal flush cards. Sims Have New Friends - Pets! Sims can share their lives with their new pets and add more fun to the Sims experience. From dogs, cats, caged animals and more, your Sims share new friends to experience life's precious moments. Create-A-Pet: Choose from dozens of dog and cat breeds or customize features for a one-of-a-kind pet.

You can even modify your pet's body shape by choosing from specific colors and unique markings. Don't like the way they act? Change their personality — from smart and sweet to silly and sloppy — anyone can create their ideal animal friend in The Sims 2 Pets. Your Sims can encourage and discipline pets, training them to shake, roll over, play dead, and more. Unruly pets might dig in the yard, claw the sofa, or topple the trash.

Thankfully, a little training can go a long way. Create and control digital characters over a lifetime, setting their goals in life from popularity and romance, to fortune and family— their stories are in your hands.

Use special codes to share unlockable pet accessories, fur types or markings with other The Sims 2 Pets players. Your Sims' pets are members of the family and share all of life's great moments — whether it's kids training puppies, teens playing fetch in the park, adults watching TV with their cats, or elders enjoying a sunny day in the park with their long-time companion.

Your Sims pets have genetics, allowing you to create the latest designer pet, including popular hybrid breeds like the Labradoodle, Puggle and Schnoodle! Register them to appear in Create-A-Pet as a unique pedigree. Sims aren't the only ones with careers anymore!

Skilled pets can earn a living from three career tracks — Show Business, Security, and Service — and work their way up through five job levels. Call of Cthulhu -- Dark Corners of the Earth is a first-person horror game that combines intense action and adventure elements.

You will draw upon your skills in exploration, investigation, and combat while faced with the seemingly impossible task of battling evil incarnate. Other than fighting, you have the ability to interact freely with characters and the gaming environment. To increase the sense of immersion, there is no interface or 'HUD' on screen at any time during normal gameplay. Instead, more intuitive methods are available for you to assess your condition, ammunition levels, and other relevant information.

The combat within the game is extremely realistic, with a detailed damage and healing system that breaks down the healing process into conditions and treatments - rather than having the typical FPS 'health packs' lying around everywhere. The game also allows you to stamp your own style onto the proceedings via an advanced AI system that can react to your method of play. Gran'Ma Ben is preparing to compete in the Great Cow Race yes, she'll be running and Phoney Bone hatches a devious plan to profit from the competition.

Meanwhile dark forces are at work in the mountains. The act symbolizes the total defeat of the Third Reich and means the end of the war on the European continent. Players face more and more challenges, as they get closer to the capital. The game is based on historical facts and gives wide possibilities for changing history and playing an alternative reality. The Ship is primarily a multiplayer, online murder game with a unique set of game rules.

The Ship is owned by the mysterious Mr X and as one of many "lucky" recipients of a free ticket you arrive on board The Ship to find there's a catch to your luxury cruise. You are coerced into a brutal Hunt to indulge Mr. X's fantasies, under threat of death for not only yourself, but also your family. Your only chance to save yourself and your family is to play the Hunt and win.

High above the mightiest peaks of Norrath a secret world exists. This Overrealm, made up of enormous islands of land suspended in the air, is home to aviaks and creatures never-before seen, but it is the splintered and warring dragons who rule it. Higher level advancement - now reach level 70 as an adventurer or artisan.

All-new Achievement system to further specialize your character's abilities. Guild advancement expanded to level Four new arena champions and two new arenas. All new Heritage Quests allow players to gain amazingly powerful items, personal status, adventure experience and even a reward made famous in the original EverQuest or EverQuest Online Adventures. Signature Quests which reward large experience bonuses, personal status, entirely new items, and advance the lore of EverQuest II.

Brand new pieces of armor, such as Profession Hats, Helmets and Pauldrons, will make your character look more distinct. City Life takes the city building genre into the 21st century with a powerful 3D engine and a variety of gameplay features. In the game, players take on the role of urban planner and real estate developer, creating a metropolitan paradise from dozens of beautifully rendered structures — including elaborately crafted villas and ultra-modern skyscrapers.

City Life comprises the full city building experience, requiring players to take into account the need for municipal services, education, entertainment and a complete infrastructure system while maintaining harmony between the game's six distinct social classes. The graphics engine allows players to walk the streets of their cities, or zoom out to multiple levels for a better view of the overall action. A custom map editor will allow players to expand upon the 22 maps included with the game.

Empire at War let gamers play the light side or the dark side in an epic Galactic Civil War. Now, for the first time ever, Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption introduces a unique point of view — the corrupt side.

The Rebels have just destroyed the Death Star, and the galaxy is in turmoil. As an aspiring Underworld figure named Tyber Zann, spread corruption throughout the galaxy using new strategic gameplay elements to influence other factions, steal their funds, slow their production, spy on them and more, all en route to becoming the most notorious criminal leader since Jabba the Hutt.

New land-tactical options like customizable, upgradeable bases and guerilla warfare allow for innovative battlefield tactics. Take command of and confront new fighting units for all factions Rebel B-wings, Imperial TIE interceptors, Darth Vader's Executor Super Star Destroyer and more , and take down anyone who stands in your way of ruling the Underworld, be they new battlefield heroes like Luke Skywalker and Yoda or the forces of your most bitter rival — Jabba.

Destroy capital ships with the awesome firepower of the second Death Star, and satiate Tyber's drive for the deadliest capital ship in the galaxy, a devastatingly powerful Super Star Destroyer known as the Eclipse.

Dreamfall continues the story of "The Longest Journey," one of the most critically acclaimed adventure games ever made, and brings adventure gaming into a new era. Focusing on story and characters, Dreamfall features unparalleled 3D visuals, advanced character animations, stunning audio, and innovative gameplay - wrapped in a unique and magical ambience. Dreamfall is set in the 23rd Century, where a young woman accidentally uncovers a conspiracy related to dreams; a conspiracy that may herald the destruction of the twin worlds of science and magic.

Confronted by mysteries that she cannot resolve on her own, she must seek assistance from the one person who might have the answers: April Ryan, the heroine of "The Longest Journey. Defeating the forces of Armacham was only the beginning.

The F. The game kicks off where the original game ended — with a bang. New locations, weaponry and enemies combine to take the F.

Blade, a battle worn hero in charge of HardCorps, an elite strike force with a long history of conflict with SinTEK, a powerful multibillion dollar empire headed up by Elexis Sinclaire, a beautiful, brilliant, and ruthless scientist who is out to remake humanity according to her own twisted vision. Joining Blade on his mission are JC, a HardCorps hacker with a secret to keep, and Jessica Cannon, a fiery rookie who can find her way into any secure facility.

SiN Episodes: Emergence features never before seen weapons, characters and environments along with a host of interactive options, paying homage to its predecessors, SiN and its expansion pack, Wages of SiN, which set a new bar for interactivity. Assume the role of the flamboyant Rico Rodriguez — an undercover CIA operative specializing in regime change - as he tries to overthrow the corrupt government of San Esperito.

It could be to your advantage that this tropical paradise is about to implode as various factions vie for power — it just needs a gentle nudge in the right direction.

The game world consists of 1, sq. And you will have at your disposal a varied and exciting array of vehicles, planes and watercraft. Shadowgrounds is an epic sci-fi game that blends addictive old school gameplay and modern technology into one big, nasty alien-battling carnage festival.

The game is played from a top-down perspective that gives gamers a better view of the battlefield and allows tactical use of weapons - new tactics become useful as their arsenal is upgraded to even more destructive weapons.

Take Command: 2nd Manassas is "the most detailed Civil War game to date," according to Paradox Interactive, presenting nearly 50 scenarios with historically accurate maps, leaders and regiments as well as authentic flags that separate the different states.

Play any leader on any battlefield of the 2nd Manassas campaign. You can play all main battles from both fronts with as much or as little detail as you like. Command combat from a third-person view, with full military control over your troops. Just like those who fought in the American Civil War, you will face difficulties in communication, uncertainty over enemy positions and numerous other factors affecting the outcome of each battle.

In the end, there can only be one victor; you decide the outcome. The notorious serial killer "The Phoenix" is back and the authorities need your help to catch him once and for all. Using an innovative blend of Windows gameplay and the Internet, the player explores key cities in Europe and North America.

Players receive live emails from various contacts around the world and can partner up with other players to crack the case. Through the dungeons, players engage in physical and magical combat with hideous foes straight from the pages of the Monster Manual rulebook. Battle is challenging, fast-paced, and easy to control with a wealth of unique weapon effects and character movements, as well as specific monster behaviors designed to keep combat both tactical and action packed.

On the eve of the U. Presidential election, terror strikes again in the worst possible way - as both candidates are attacked, the sitting president is assassinated. As America tumbles into turmoil, confusion and chaos, only one man can save the nation from a threat that's growing more frightening by the day. In this expansion pack we follow major Jason Richter and his Task Force Talon on a desperate race against time to unravel a gigantic plot to cripple the world's only super-power, with connections back to the Consortium, the shadowy organization we got to know in Direct Action.

Aside from theathers of war ranging from New York and Manhattan to Cuba, Mexico and Florida, in this installment we also take the fight to the murky waters inbetween - as we're introduced to modern naval combat in the same ultra-realistic style as we did on land in Direct Action.

Success yields political advancement, allowing you to take on a new challenge in another province, as you climb the ladder of power in ancient Rome. As city planner, you design and layout each city in detail, creating road networks to facilitate the distribution of resources, and to provide homes access to entertainment venues, healthcare facilities, fire protection services, and so on.

Of course, you must in turn develop these industries and services to meet the needs of your growing population. You control your city's finances, and must quickly turn a profit in your new endeavor or face the wrath of the emperor.

You must build a military force and direct the defense of the province against barbarian threats. You must establish far flung trade networks so the exotic wealth of the empire can flow into your province, bringing it fully under the Roman fold.

As the city grows from a simple village to a bustling cosmopolitan city, so too do your challenges and responsibilities increase. To achieve your goals as provincial governor in Caesar IV you must consistently provide for your citizens' needs, keep them healthy, happy and safe Your ultimate goal is to rise among the political ranks of the empire, and become Caesar yourself.

Play Under Pressure — With bigger galleries, mass crowd movement from hole to hole, and cheers from nearby greens, all eyes are on you in tournament play. Enhanced Career Mode — From working on your driving to mastering your putting skills, craft your game with training challenges in the Practice Facility, then take on the world's best golfers on the World Tour.

Show Your GameFace — The innovative character creation tool is revamped with deeper modifications, more apparel, equipment licenses, and specialty items. Challenge up to three players in five new game modes, or play in online tournaments complete with money lists, full stat tracking, league leaders, and more. In a complex world filled with excess and greed, players can take the role of Tony Montana, one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film.

Highly acclaimed screenwriter, David McKenna, has written an original event-driven storyline for the interactive game that leads the player through a sordid underworld. The Scarface video game creates a gameplay environment that authentically recreates the historical time period of the film, touching on politics, news items and events of the day.

Players travel through the steamy, often violent streets of Miami, the irie islands of the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and various other locales and interact with a world full of seedy and dangerous characters to procure information, negotiate business deals, smuggle contraband and avoid rivals and DEA on a mission to rebuild their fallen empire.

Over a year has passed since the Great War, during which the brutal Chaos armies swept across the Empire lands. Many fierce battles still rage across the Old World. Portions of the defeated Chaos armies have retreated to the distant Northern Wastes, while others have fallen to hostile groups. Among these tribes, new Champions rise up in an effort to reunite the Chaos forces, yet eventually all fail. None can match the power of their fallen leader, Asavar Kul.

The united Empire and High Elf forces hunt the Chaos hordes from the Empire territories, still alert because danger lurks around them in the form of smaller enemy warbands that loot the settlements of the border lands. Now, four fully playable powerful armies - Empire, Chaos, Skaven and High Elves - as well as additional controllable races Orcs, Dwarfs, Vampires, and Goblins , clash amidst breathtaking scenery in an epic battle for land and power.

Race to the finish line as you live all the fun and excitement of the Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film, "Cars. The game is a story-based racing adventure game that relives all of the key moments of the movie.

It features more than 10 playable characters from the film and an open world environment with more than 50 races. Build your own dynasty by signing free agents, wheeling and dealing with other owners or by calling up that hot prospect from the minors. User Score: tbd.

The golden age of console hockey returns with NHL 07, featuring gameplay innovations that make players feel like they are actually on the ice. Featuring an unmatched level of freedom and control, NHL 07 allows hockey purists and casual fans alike to feel like they can play like a pro. User Score: 4.

Also known as "Wild Earth Africa" Featuring breathtaking landscapes from the African Serengeti National Park, Wild Earth is an adventure which allows players to experience the African wildlife in its natural environment.

Players embark on various assignments, each of which feature different photographic objectives, challenging the player to explore the lush 3D world and take the best photographs of animals and environmental features. At the end of each assignment, an html article is created using the player's own photographs which provides additional in-depth information and insight. These articles can be printed, saved or shared. It is also the world's first fantasy action game to feature a complete first-person combat system.

It takes full advantage of the Source Engine's exceptional technological enhancements in areas such as character animation, advanced AI, real-world physics and shader-based rendering. Perimeter: Emperor's Testament is the first expansion for the terraforming real-time strategy game. The expansion features 25 new single-player missions, updated graphics, a new soundtrack, and three additional multiplayer maps.

The book by Mario Puzo and classic film by Paramount Pictures serve as inspiration for The Godfather, as gamers join the Corleone family and earn respect through loyalty and fear as they rise through the ranks to become Don in a living New York. Gamers create their own mob character in the game, putting themselves into the action while reliving classic moments from the fiction and experiencing original missions alongside memorable characters from the film.

After a life of small-time jobs and petty thefts the player is accepted into the Corleone family, America's most famous criminal organization. It is up to the player to carry out orders, earn respect and make New York City their own. From mob hits and bank heists to drive-bys and extortion, step deep inside the world of The Godfather where intimidation and negotiation are your tickets to the top.

Players use their powers of loyalty and fear to earn respect through interactions with characters in the world. Decisions made by the player in the game have lasting consequences, just as it was in the mob underworld featured in The Godfather fiction. James Caan, Robert Duvall, and the late Marlon Brando provided voice acting and likenesses for the game.

Hop in your own customized cars, semis, and motorcycles and prepare to fight the mutated creatures and bandits of Auto Assault's post-apocalyptic world. Battle other players both in arenas and in epic race vs. Auto Assault uses the power of the Havok physics engine to let you make insane jumps, send obstacles flying and even blast bridges, buildings, fences and trees with your car-mounted rockets.

Anything you can hit, you can destroy. Every time a new round of consoles is released we hear the same thing from lunatics everywhere that the mighty PC is no longer viable as a gaming platform. Those people are nuts. While there's usually a dip in PC games during these launch cycles, the line-up of titles was actually pretty strong. The platform didn't see as many blockbusters as most PC elites would like, but the number of good or great products was pretty impressive.

As usual, strategy games topped the list of genres when it came to successful titles. It's not as if it's a surprising revelation that the PC is the premiere platform for serious strategy gamers at this point.

With the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II on the and the knowledge that Relic has some console titles in the works, it's clear that developers are beginning to gain momentum in bringing certain titles over to consoles, but even with control improvement, keyboards and mice are still more efficient for the strategy buff.

Look at this year's Company of Heroes. While the number of units on the field aren't staggering, controlling them efficiently with the amount of movements that need to be made and special abilities employed, it would be a finger breaking experience on a console controller.

Developers are certainly getting better and better at their craft. Relic in particular has become the premiere real-time strategy developer in the market at this point.

With the release of both Company of Heroes and the hefty Dark Crusade expansion that tested their latest ideas regarding persistent armies, they've given gamers more hours of entertainment than is probably legal.

It's easy to see with many of these games that the mixture of meta-game with tactical real-time elements is becoming pretty popular which is something we're more than happy about.

On the flip side, it was a strange year for first-person shooters, a genre that in the last couple of years has made a very successful transition to consoles, which is what we first thought must be the issue.

But the truth is there weren't exactly a lot of FPS offerings on the consoles either. This was just an odd off year. For a genre that's usually overflowing with entries, more than a few of which are quality, this was a pretty surprising turn of events.

One of the most pleasantly surprising announcements of the year was Microsoft's Games for Windows branding push. We'd about given up on Microsoft's insistence that they cared about PC gaming as we've never really seen that in their actions until this point.

This branding push is designed to help centralize PC gaming and get it into a more organized location on store shelves as well as get some demo stations in stores like all of the consoles already have. This is pretty significant because of the cost that will likely be incurred to keep machines at tip top shape with the right software and latest hardware.

Microsoft isn't going to charge developers to be part of the program they understand the need for independent developers to flourish , but they will be demanding certain standards from Games for Windows branded titles including Xbox controller support where applicable, games explorer support, parental controls, widescreen support, and more.

It's already begun and will hopefully help to create a better market for PC games. Microsoft has told us that the few locations that have been set up with these more organized set-ups have already seen an increase in sales so we can only hope this continues to increase the general public's awareness of PC gaming, which hasn't been helped by the unsurprising delays of Vista, which should, in January, make gaming easier for PC users that may not have the knowledge to wrestle with strange installs and confusing data structures.

Games of The year may not have been full of ridiculous blockbusters like a couple of years ago, but the showing was still strong. Check out our top 10 rated games from Focusing on company level combat has allowed for lots of attention to detail, adaptable play, and fast action.

Completely destructible environments are used to enhance gameplay and create some of the most satisfyingly war torn landscapes seen in video games. A fulfilling campaign, addictive gameplay, detailed visuals, and powerful use of sound make up a complete experience with very few problems. Real-time strategy fans would do well to pay attention to this game and, if they're not already, to the development house at Relic.

Take a trip to the video section to check out the video review. Though you'll spend a lot of time fighting in Oblivion, you'll also spend a good deal of it just wandering around. Mostly, this will be an unconscious result of Oblivion looking absolutely fantastic. Environments sprawl for great distances in front of you, trees and grass sway to and fro, and the lighting and level of detail in the sky can be breathtaking at times.

The environments look so good, it's nearly impossible to resist the urge to plunge into the unknown. Weapon and armor models are intricately detailed, towns have their own unique architectural flair, and though some of the dungeon designs may get repetitive, they're always beautiful. Now, almost a year and a half later, we have been blessed with the sequel, GTR 2. Once you've successfully modeled a particular sport, it is no longer a great mystery what the content of the game will be.

After all, we've gone through countless of iterations of Madden NFL, all simulating what is basically the same real life sport. Similarly, at first glance, it is hard to see what has changed from last year in GTR 2. But as is the case with Madden, it's the small new features and improvements in technology that keep us coming back year after year as the game creeps closer and closer to achieving realism. Make sure to check out some of that realism by watching gameplay videos.

With gaming becoming a multi-billion dollar business, high-level game creators feel a pressure to both create a widely appealing title and something "innovative" that keeps the veterans from complaining too loudly.

One programmer told us recently that the industry is obsessed with topping itself, which explains the ballooning budgets, staffs, and development time that goes into crafting the last eye-popping adventure. In this context, it seems unusual that someone would resurrect a dormant idea -- Prey -- and bring it to the masses, instead of sticking to tried-and-true franchises and sequels. Yet after the E3 video came out last year, one's impressions changed drastically.

What before looked like a game that didn't drift far from the Doom mold became something new, weird and enticing. And after adventuring our way from one end of the game to the other, we can say that the video was just a taste of things to come. Check out the video review and other gameplay videos in the Prey media section.

There's a lot to experience with this entry into the series including three new factions, a redesigned base building mode, some awesome new powers, terrific improvements to the engine, a tighter campaign mode, and both skirmish and War of the Ring.

This might actually be a detriment to some players who liked the simplicity of the first game, but we're quite pleased. It's a pretty traditional RTS, but it's also a very good one. EA has created a game on a scale big enough to feel part of Middle-earth and managed to keep the gameplay under control at the same time.

There's still room for improvement, but nothing big enough to keep me from endorsing it. Don't forget to check out the video page and see the game in action. The Total War series has yet to let us down. Through three different iterations and a handful of expansions, the series has consistently delivered some of the most exciting and visually appealing tactical action in any strategy game, historical or otherwise.

It should come as no surprise then that the latest in the series, Medieval II: Total War, is an undeniably thrilling strategy experience. This is not the revolutionary leap forward we saw in Rome: Total War. Instead Medieval takes the successful ideas introduced in Rome and brings them back to the Middle Ages.

For most strategy gamers, that's more than enough to recommend it, especially if you're a fan of the time period. Make sure to see the battle in action with all of the gameplay videos. Firaxis really raised the bar for other 4x developers with last year's Civilization IV.

Galactic Civilizations II actually manages to rise to the challenge. Some of the underlying concepts technology in particular aren't quite as intuitive as they ought to be but the game is full of personality and offers up hour after hour of strategic satisfaction. The AI in particular is one of the high points of the game, providing an experience that's as unpredictable and challenging as just about any we've seen in games of this type.

The single player experience is so dense and so enjoyable, that we're likely to still be playing the game offline long after the developers finally add multiplayer. There are two things we can't believe about this game.

First, that it's out. Second, that it lives up to 13 years of anticipation. While many old timers remember the good old days when Lucas Arts and Sierra were releasing loads of humorous adventure games, the genre has really been underrepresented over the last few years.

Even when we do get a title that tries to recapture that magic, the results are less than satisfying. Here's a title that's done the seemingly impossible: faithfully updating a beloved franchise while creating something that feels entirely fresh and original. The first of a projected six-part monthly series, this initial installment is sure to please fans of humor, fans of adventure games and the legion of Sam and Max devotees who have been waiting like demented lagomorphs for a return of the deranged duo.

Not only is the game filled with cars to race, car disciplines to pick from, and an enormous amount of replay value to enjoy, it also manages to healthily balance noobs and hardcore gamers. The later stages of the game really put you to the test with extremely fast and powerful cars, each one demonstrating the full evolution of that particular discipline.

TOCA 3 is both fun and frustrating, depending on which route you take, but no one can say that it's shallow or poorly programmed. We want to make Eurogamer better, and that means better for our readers - not for algorithms. You can help! Become a supporter of Eurogamer and you can view the site completely ad-free, as well as gaining exclusive access to articles, podcasts and conversations that will bring you closer to the team, the stories, and the games we all love.

Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our policy. Jump to comments Watch the Uncharted film's full cargo plane fight scene.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica is getting a remake this year, from fans. Ghost of Tsushima sales top 8m. Playground Games co-founder departs. Premium only Off Topic: Hedra's astonishing page layouts revel in their giddy sense of invention. Premium only Off Topic: An end-of-the-year miracle! Premium only Off Topic: The weird history of handwriting. Supporters only Letter from the Editor: The trouble with game awards. Games have never been more diverse, but that's seldom reflected in games of the year lists.

The 10 most popular stories of the day, delivered at 5pm UK time. Never miss a thing. Will you support Eurogamer? Support us. Jump to comments About the author Eurogamer staff Contributor. Watch the Uncharted film's full cargo plane fight scene No ticket. Resident Evil: Code Veronica is getting a remake this year, from fans Another mutation.

Ghost of Tsushima sales top 8m Ronin in cash.