Warhammer And Bully

Title: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade

Platforms: PC
Release Date: October 9
Publisher: THQ
Developers: Relic Entertainment
Description: Relic's release of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War was met with much jubilation among RTS veterans. Clever strategy elements and brutal violence mixed with an already-established table-top license made Dawn of War an instant favorite. Last year's expansion, Winter Assault, added the Imperial Guard as a playable faction and new multiplayer features. The second expansion, Dark Crusade, brings two more playable races (the Tau Empire and the Neocron), an impressive new single-player campaign that uses a strategic map of the planet Kronus as its structure, and new units for all the factions.

Seven separate races to play can be tough to balance, but Relic Entertainment has proven before that they have a knack for these things. The Tau Empire is an elegant race extremely proficient at ranged combat, while the Neocron are the futuristic equivalent of the undead. The Neocron are the biggest departure from the standard Dawn of War mechanics, with an economy that is only based on energy and very slow build and movement speeds. However, these robotic skeletons can really take a beating.

Since this is an expansion, don't expect fancy new graphics, but Dawn of War already brandishes a solid graphics engine, and the new races have some excellent graphical flourish to them. If Dark Crusade promises just more Dawn of War with new units and factions, that should be plenty to entice RTS fans.

Pros:

• Two new races, Tau Empire and Neocrons, added to the game; total is seven playable factions.
• New single-player campaign centered on conquering a strategic "meta-map" where each territory taken confers a bonus.
• Does not require Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War to play.

Cons:

• Seven factions are difficult to balance.
• A second expansion could clutter an already excellent game.

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Title: Bully

Platforms: PS2
Release Date: October 16
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developers: Rockstar Vancouver
Description: Let's face it: the Grand Theft Auto open-ended, sandbox-style action gameplay is a genre now. It isn't new or progressive anymore, but it is still a viable way to construct a game. In this vein, Bully could be described as a GTA-style schoolyard simulator, where the player performs missions around the campus of Bullworth to win reputation with the different school cliques.

Bully is the newest entry by Rockstar Games, and, like many of their other games, has already garnered its fair share of controversy. Well-known videogame villain Jack Thompson has already issued a 40-point letter detailing his intention to sue Take Two Interactive to stop the game's release unless they provide him with a copy to review.

Big Jack getting upset about a game is not really news anymore, and his claims about Bully are so inaccurate as to be comedic. In fact, there are no guns or death in Bully, and most of the time the missions taken on by young protagonist Jimmy Hopkins are simply to stand up to the school bullies and fight for the little man. Jimmy must also attend classes and do well, and beat some mini-games to get upgrades to skills. Since it is an open-ended game, you can certainly run rampant and be a cruel, evil and deceitful little bastard, but eventually it will all catch up with you in the form of teachers and prefects on the hunt.

Despite some aging graphics, Bully has enough of an original concept and setting to deserve a look.

Pros:

• Original setting for a GTA-clone.
• Improved AI responses to the player's actions resulting in some interesting chain reactions.
• Relive the pain or triumph of your years as a youngster.

Cons:

• Graphics are looking dated even by PS standards.
• You can't kill policemen or beat hookers to death (just kidding, Jack!)