Be a general in a global war or solve Paris murder mystery
By Marc Saltzman
Gannett News Service
Don't succumb to the February blahs.
You can take refuge with two new — albeit very different — computer games.
The first is Command & Conquer: Generals from Electronic Arts. Set for release Feb. 11, this title is a must for folks who enjoy micromanaging every aspect of a game. Generals is the latest installment in the best-selling strategy series, which includes Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun.
Later in the month, a dark murder mystery will creep onto retail shelves. DreamCatcher Games' Post Mortem is set to go on sale Feb. 28. It's an adventure game that challenges players to solve a murder.
Here is a quick look at each title. Both games have fairly sophisticated hardware requirements, so check the packaging to make sure your PC has the required horsepower.
Command & Conquer: Generals
Electronic Arts; $49.99; rated T for teen; generals.ea.com.
Armchair generals, it's time to turn off CNN and put your mouse where your mouth is with the new Command & Conquer.
Now in true 3-D, and with plenty of solo and multiplayer options, Generals puts players in charge of one of three warring factions: the high-tech U.S. military, the relentless Chinese or the resourceful (and fictitious) terrorist organization known as the Global Liberation Army. The game takes place about 15 to 20 years in the future.
Like its predecessors, Generals plays out in real-time, so gamers must make decisions and execute them without pausing the action. This adds an extra element of tension and suspense not usually found in turn-based games.
The single-player campaign is spread across 23 missions. Those who prefer live opponents instead of the game's artificial intelligence can log onto the Net.
Objectives vary from mission to mission in the solo game, but the game play usually involves building structures (command centers, factories, barracks, for example), creating units (specialized soldiers, weapons and superweapons) and traversing the map to find and attack the enemy.
Despite the game's stunning, high-end graphics, Generals loads quickly and plays smoothly — even online with multiple players.
Post Mortem
DreamCatcher Games; $29.99; rated M for mature; www.postmortem-videogame.com.
Had enough of cute video game characters and predictable plots?
Step into Post Mortem, a classic point-and-click adventure game with a macabre twist. Set in Paris in the 1920s, players assume the role of an American ex-private eye who comes out of retirement to help a mysterious woman investigate the gruesome murder of her sister and brother-in-law.
It turns out this ritualistic execution, which includes beheading, is part of a serial killing rooted in ancestral mystic beliefs. The opening movie sets the disturbing tone for the 15-hour thriller.
As in most adventure games, Gus MacPherson, the protagonist, must search various locations to discover clues, collect items to solve puzzles and chat with two dozen or so colorful characters.
The game features about 6,000 lines of dialogue.
But this atmospheric whodunit differs from others thanks to its moody film-noir tone, not to mention MacPherson's psychic and artistic abilities that ultimately help solve this unsettling case.
