If you were wanting to try Dungeons and Dragons Online but didn’t want to pay, now’s the time to download and play. There’s FREE unlimited play. The initial download is a bit hefty (around 3 or 4 gigs depending on your choice), but it’s worth the wait. There’s a download helper so if you get stalled, you can quickly start it going again.

Once you download the game, you’re in for quite a treat. If you’re new to MMORPG (massively multi-player online role playing games – what a crappy title!), this is a great way to see what all the fuss is about without plopping down any cash or signing up for a monthly fee. There are some things to consider, however.

Once you start playing, you can spend money on better characters, bonuses, equipment and other things ala carte. So, you don’t need money to start playing, but chances are you’re going to want to plop some money down to really get into the game – especially if you got stuck on Misery’s Peak in the first section of the game. (Visually it’s a STUNNING adventure, but it’s a bit tedious and confusing after a while. Still, that might accurately reflect what that adventure would be like.)

In any case, if you’re wanting to try Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO), now is the time. With it being free to play, you can at least start a character and see what the fuss is about for yourself. There’s a good chance you’re going to become hooked – especially if you played D&D as a kid – but there’s nothing wrong with a little hack and slash dungeon romp every now and then.

If you want to check out what other people think, there’s always the DDO Forums. They’re also a great place to get hints and tips if you’re new to D&D and new to DDO.

If you have played this game – and love it – let us know by leaving a comment below.

This does look like a video game that’s going to be worth the wait. Although some are saying it’s really similar to certain other games (I’ll let you be the judge of that), it brings a rather unique view to the whole dungeon crawl genre. There’s a bit of humor. And goblins. Goblins moving boxes. Goblins drinking. Goblins spouting poetry. And even evil goblins to mow down with you sword. (It’s a rather violent game in some spots…)

As with most RPGs, your character has a skill tree and can improve as you progress through the game, becoming more and more powerful. Don’t worry, the monsters coming from the middle of the earth get a lot more difficult to deal with too. Not so much that the game isn’t fun anymore, but enough to make it challenging, which is nice.

And there’s the humor. The goblins. Heh. This is classic goblin taken a little further from what’s available to see on the Internet. If they can pull off the social aspect of this ‘dungeon romp’ they’re going to have a hit video game on their hands – no matter what company owns it now.

If you’re wanting to see this game made, leave a comment below and let us know why you’re wanting to play it so bad. Thanks!

“Diabolik: The Original Sin represents for us the effort to create an international success based on a well known Italian comic story. We strongly believe Diabolik is beloved and admired by anyone because anyone secretly admires his wildness and transgression.” Said Fabrizio Vagliasindi, Black Bean Games Head of Marketing.

The main character in the game is pretty cold. Diabolik  is an anti-hero, a skilled thief and a master of disguise who loves luxury, expensive cars and hi-tech gadgets. He can be merciless and he has no concern for anyone but himself and his one true love, Eva.

Eva, the only woman who can keep up with him, likes being involved in mysterious and complicated stories. Diabolik and Eva make up a great if unconventional couple. They’re both lovers and partners in crime.

“After years of mutually profitable collaboration, we’re excited about this long-term partnership with Black Bean,” said Riccardo Cangini, CEO of Artematica. “Finally an Italian joint-venture showing the skills and the determination required to obtain a relevant position in the international market.”

It looks like this game is going to excite a lot of people. If you like comic books or just video games that are a little different (in a good way) this may be right up your alley. It looks like it’s going to be well suited to the Wii and Playstation controllers … as you know, sometimes games don’t make the translation from PC very well.

If you’re wanting to play this or have any comments on Diabolik: The Original Sin, leave a comment below.

CID the dummy is set in a near-future version Earth where people have become obsessed with safety. Whether it’s surviving a steamroller or even a book, everything in the future is safety checked by the Crash Impact Dummies. CID is one dummy, but he’s bored with life. He wants to adventure … with you!

CID can climb walls, swing on ropes, burn obstacles, destroy exploding barrels, use lifters, bounce on springs and with a neat head butt destroy walls. Game environment interaction is VERY important part of the gameplay. This is one reason you might like it, especially if you’re into this type of game.

There are, of course, a lot of enemies for CID to battle in this immersive environment. This looks to be a very fun game. It won’t be for everyone maybe, but it’s going to be popular for a lot of people.

Sure, a crash test dummy is an unlikely hero, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a likable her. And CID is likable, for a dummy.

Here’s how Oxygen (who came up with the game) describes him:

CID is a young, funky Crash Impact Dummy. He’s knows he’s cool, he knows he’s street, he knows he’s widdit. He’s not really sure where he’s heading in life. He kinda knows he’s destined for bigger things, but he’s stuck in this damn job…. He’s got a quick sense of humour, and uses his wit as a defence.

Sounds kinda fun, huh? This will definitely be a video game to watch. If you have any thoughts about CID (or know any dummies – crash test or otherwise – please input your comment below.) Thanks!

While there is a version for the PC, the Nintendo Wii version of the game really shines when it comes to the simulated operations. Using the Nintendo Wii remote, you actually have to perform the operations and procedures in the game. For some this might be taking it too far, but for them there’s also all the great human interaction in the game. That’s right – you don’t like two characters getting together, you can split them up in your storyline. Or, if you want to see two characters together, you can make decisions to get to that point.

This type of simulation won’t be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of the television show, there’s a good chance you’re going to get something out of this game. If you’ve always wanted to play as the stars of Grey’s Anatomy and have wanted to influence the storyline of the tv series, there’s a very good chance you’re going to love this game.

For everyone else, this title may be a little hit or miss. If you’re into surgery, though, you may still get something out of it. It’s kind of strange to have surgery and emotional character interaction in the same game, but it’s different enough to be fun for a little while.

If you’ve played Grey’s Anatomy for the Nintendo Wii, leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Designed Cordura material, it’s really durable on the outside. The inside is another story entirely. Padding lining on the inside keeps your valuable laptop safe and snug. There’s enough room for external hard drives, mice, and other accessories as well, which is nice.

Even if your longest distance for travel is from home to the office, your laptop can get banged around quite a bit. Making sure it’s safe and sound is a wise thing to do for a lot of reasons. With the Protective Laptop Bag from Proporta, you can make sure you keep your laptop safe from bumps and accidental impacts while maintaining a sense of style at the same time.

This laptop bag from Proporta comes with other features on the inside as well. From a secret compartment for money or credit cards to features that make it easy to charge your equipment while on the go or find your keys in a hurry, the Proporta Protective Laptop Bag has what you need to keep your life a little more organized.

You may already have a bag for your laptop, but if you care about your computer investment, taking a look at a high quality laptop bag like this one from Proporta makes a lot of sense. For a little money, you can get peace of mind, knowing your laptop is a little more safe wherever you might take it.

The lecherous and yet still somehow lovable Larry will give you hours and hours of 18 years of age and older fun and excitement. Well, at least some adult themed laughs.

Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust is the story of Larry Lovage, a nephew who spends the summer working at his uncle’s movie studio. Excited about the chance to see some great curves, Larry soon realizes that his uncle’s movie studio (and his own plans for getting a well endowed woman) are in danger from a rival movie studio. Between getting a woman and stopping the bad guys, the game has you all over the place – in a good way, though.

The most recent incarnation of Leisure Suit Larry was created by Team17, who did a great job at bringing this ‘dead’ franchise back to life. They managed to get some really great voice talent in the game, including:

• Jay Mohr (Last Comic Standing)
• Dave Attell (Insomniac)
• Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie)
• Artie Lange (Mad TV),
• Patrick Warburton (Family Guy)
• Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development)
• Nikki Cox (Las Vegas)
• Peter Graves (Mission Impossible)
• Jane Lynch (The 40 Year Old Virgin)
• Josh Keaton (The Spectacular Spider-Man) as the voice of Larry Lovage.

These are a lot of great voices, which lets you know a lot went into making the game as best as it could be.

If you remember the Leisure Suit Larry games from your teen years or have played the latest – Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust – we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below!

Another cool feature of the game is some of the locales used as backdrops to different levels of the game. Each of them adds a little different flavor to the game, maybe enriching your mind a little while you exercise it with a stimulating puzzle like finding hidden objects. There are eleven locations around the planet used in the game.

There is a multiplayer mode in the game, but it’s cooperative only – up to four friends (local or online) can help you find objects faster. A nice competitive mode or two would’ve been nice and maybe given this title for the Xbox 360 a little more life and oomph, but alas, the designers didn’t add it.

Still, if you’re a puzzle fan, for the price, you’re sure to get your money’s worth if you get a few hours of enjoyment out of it.

If you’ve played Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos (or just love find the item puzzle games!), leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you. The office is getting lonely.

Til next time … keep gaming.

What makes the early part of the game so … well, boring? Perhaps it’s the old school walking around and talking to characters that, for the most part, look pretty much the same. Ah, the good old Zelda and Ultima days of wandering around talking to people from villages far and wide…

Like I said, if you can get past that, there’s some decent damage able to be inflicted later in the game as it takes on a more heroic stance with, yes, wait for it – fighting and carnage. Let’s face it – in the action/adventure genre, that’s what gamers are looking for, right?

Throughout the game you’ll pick up special abilities – some that are constand and other that must manually be put into use during combat. You get the abilities by making the right decisions in combat and also on the (boring) dialog pieces.

The action and combat is fast paced and exciting, but the game could do with a lot more of it that it has. It’s still an ok game you might want to add to your collection, but only if you’re really into the genre.

Have you played Rise of the Argonauts? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you liked the game or hated the game (and the dialog), leave a comment and share with us. I’m sure other gamers reading the Video Game Freaks site would enjoy hearing some different viewpoints on the game as well.

Until next time, keep gaming.

Supreme Commander (like Total Annihilation when it first came out) takes a lot of hardware acceleration to run and run well. This is a good and bad thing. On the bad side, some people won’t be able to play the game. On the good side, if this game is around as long as Total Annhilation, the hardware requirements will be less and less of an issue.

If you do happen to have a computer that can handle this game, it is truly a RTS masterpiece. The graphics really stand out, but it’s the gameplay (both solo and multiplayer) that keeps people coming back to this game and will make it a new classic.

If you haven’t played it yet, GameSpot has a pretty good SupCom Game Guide available on their website.

If you’re thinking about getting this game, which came out on February 20, 2007 in North America, I’d recommend getting the Supreme Commander Gold Edition, that has all the add-ons bundled with the game.

The game includes resource management, building cities and building units – all the tasks you’ve come to love in RTS games. This game (like Total Annihilation) takes it to a new level. One of the cool features is the ability to zoom in and out of the battlefield. With this feature, you can sit back and see the whole “war” or zoom in and concentrate on a single battle.

Whether you’ve played Total Annihilation or not, Supreme Commander is a game to check out if you haven’t. By now, your computer hardware should run it (if you’ve got a new computer recently), and there are still a lot of players out there ready to pwn you.

And speaking of Total Annihilation, if there are any old school TA fans out there, leave a comment to honor that great game!