Review: Dragon Ball Z – Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3)

This month, PC gamers have several titles to look forward to before we start to hit a dry release patch we like to call summer. So if you want to fight with a panda, or adventure with a cool hat, or even traipse around New York to make mayhem, you will find something new to play on your gaming PC. Also, with great video cards coming out for sub $180 prices, and dual cores and quad cores dropping to the $150-200 range, there is never a better time to re-enter the PC gaming scene. Our picture this month comes from the Maximum PC guys, showing off a rather extreme case mod, with the Hulk ripping the wires out of the case.

We start off the month with GRID, the new racer from Codemasters. GRID is the third installment in the long running TOCA racing series, and this time gets a big bump up in the physics and handling department by way of the game engine that ran behind last year’s big rally hit, Colin McRae’s DiRT. Complete damage modeling is here, includng the idea that if you run the car a bit too hard, you may blow the engine or transmission. The race engine looks solid and incorporates an aggressive and intellegent AI. One hopes that the controls are a little more responsive this time around as DiRT was a bit spongy at times. Look for it June 3rd.

Harrison Ford may now be old enough to collect full social security, but his lego counterpart still looks as young as ever in Lego Indiana Jones. After LucasArts had a surprise hit on their hands with Lego Star Wars, they went back to the drawing board to see what other properties could be translated to the Lego format. Lego Indiana Jones offers drop in, drop out co-op (rare in a PC game), 70 unlockable characters and multiple levels that surround the first three movies. The game is another Lego game, and for some, they will start to tire of the “going back to the well” syndrome. Look for the game on June 3rd, although, without achievements.

Ever have the need to run around and perform kung-fu in a panda suit. Afraid that you might get arrested for doing so. Well, now you can release your panda dreams in the game Kung-Fu Panda. While not a great game, it is a fun title that will give gamers with kids something that they can play together. The game allows you to also play as several of the other movie characters, including Mantis, Tiger, Crane, Viper and Monkey. No word on whether the multiplayer or co-op modes are being brought to the PC version, but it you are looking for a decent action game for your kids or yourself, you won’t go wrong. Look for it June 3rd.

Seeking even more in the way of movie tie in games? Well, look no further than The Incredible Hulk game, that is tied into the movie coming out on June 15th. This time, the game will focus less on David (Bruce) Banner sneaking around laboratories, and more of the Hulk tearing s#*^ up in New York City. The game uses the same model that was used in the well received Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Open world mechanics are nice, but you hope that this time around, the Hulk actually feels like the Hulk. The guy is 7 feet tall and a pile of muscles, so he should act like that. Look for the game on June 17th, four days after the movie’s release.

For those of us in the United States, the political season is heating up for the summer and fall, but have you ever felt that your candidate is the only one that could run the country right. Did you feel that Chris Dodd would make a better president. Or maybe a Newt Gingrich. Or even fantasize about a Schwarzenegger presidency (fyi, he cannot be presidet as he is not a US Citizen by birth)? Well, Stardock is releasing their 2008 version of The Political Machine, which allows you to run a presidential campaign for a huge roster of candidates past and present, including some hypotheticals that cannot run for one reason or another. Gameplay can become repetitive at time, but with a limited dearth of political simulators out there, The Political Machine will fill the void. Look for it on Stardock’s website June 18th.

Oh Edward Camby, where have you been. Well, it seems he is still here but man is the plastic surgery looking good on you. Sporting a new look and a spectacular looking physics engine, you plow through several level set up in an episodic format. The game is set in current day and uses New York’s Central park as a backdrop to create a dark and spooky mystery that only Edward can solve. The new formula may not mix with fans of the series, but overall the new look should win over fans. Look for the game to arrive on June 24th.

A couple of other notable titles that are set for June, but do not have a specific date, are Burnout Paradise, which marks the first time the game is coming to the PC scene. Also, we have a free expansion for Eve Online coming out this month, So rev up your mouse and wasd keys and get ready to have a great month of PC gaming.