... New games! Well... okay a few of them aren’t so new at all, but I have a lot of catching up to do with PC gaming.

The first older game is World in Conflict which came out in September of last year. It might be a year old now but WiC puts End War to utter shame. For those who don't know, WiC is a real-time-strategy game set in the 1980's and it tweaks history by ending the Cold War in a much less civilised manner; with the USSR invading the United States. The game is 100% combat - so no boring, tiresome base-building what so ever, just fast and furious action. World in Conflict is probably the first game to make real use of DirectX10 with fully 3D, physics-based smoke effects (look at some comparison screens between Dx9 and 10 versions of Crysis; they look different... but neither is better than the other). I really can't wait to get this game at Christmas (hopefully) - I'm completely hooked on the demo! 

The next old game is Medieval 2: Total War which came out around this time 2006. Much like WiC, the focus is on combat although in between huge, realistic real-time battles there is a turn-based map in which you must manage your armies' movement and political affairs (which usually entails declaring war or getting someone assassinated). Understandably, I'm more interested in the combat. The Total War series' fame is from its giant battles in which you can control thousands of men with realistic damage and movement. I always wanted this game when it came out and now I can finally play it I'm ignoring the thought that perhaps the visuals are slightly dated (especially when compared to the impeccable World in Conflict).

One of the NEW games I'm looking forward to (see: I'm not entirely cheap) is Left 4 Dead which I'll hopefully be getting for Christmas. I've already said enough about this in the previous two or three blogs, so I won't go into much detail. I'm planning to play the campaign through on Expert for a challenge... though with who I know not - I'm spoilt for choice with at least five friends getting it (so two will have to bugger off and sit out)!

Another new game is Mirror's Edge, which I've also banged on about for some time now. I'd have it already probably, but I'd rather wait for the PC version's release in January. Sadly, I'm waiting because they're sorting out some Nvidia PhysX thing that I won't even be able to take advantage on with my ATI video-card.

The final game that I'm losing sleep over is Empire: Total War. The latest Total War game takes place after 1700 and as such features a much more modern way of fighting battles with huge standing armies of musketeers and artillery backed up by cavalry. New features to the series include massive sea battles, a huge turn-based map spanning everywhere from the 'New World' to India and units being able to take cover and garrison inside buildings - a must for the small skirmishes that were much more common during the American Civil War, the Zulu Wars and other modern conflicts. Graphically the game has also had a huge upgrade from Medieval 2 but the giant battles that are the hallmark of the Total War series still remain.

So what are you looking forward to this holiday season, and what will be keeping you company in the cold, bleak months to follow? I know I'm gonna be just fine.