The moniker “Games for Windows” always makes me laugh.  When I first started playing FPS like Castle Wolfenstien and the original DOOM series it was on a 386SX PC my brother had. Windows was not even on that PC and Windows was just a shell for running DOS apps. Games for Windows? What was that, Solitaire?

The idea of making games for Windows is still funny. Windows is just too unstable to reliably play a hardware intensive application on. Some games run really well; I can play Unreal III and usually not have any problems. Other games such as Far Cry 2 randomly exit back to the desktop anywhere between 5 and 45 minutes of play.  I’ve just gotten used to pressing F5 for quick save and I don’t even think “wow, this sucks” anymore.

I’ve been conditioned by the lousy experience of these newer games. I like Far Cry 2’s game play but seriously don’t buy this game. $50 for this badly written software is not worth it; mine came bundled with my video card.

I’ve been going back and playing Far Cry 2 even though I beat it already.  The second time around, I am trying to max out my buddie missions. That was a bust, when I got to Act 2, all my upgraded safe houses were all reset. Might have had something to do with the fact that all my buddies from Act 1 were no longer around.

Now I’ve just purchased FEAR2: Project Origin.  The original game was spooky as all else. When played late at night and in the dark it was like being in a horror movie. Looking at the original games graphics, I see that visually it was not as good as current games. At the time it looked great but now compared to Unreal III and Far Cry 2, the first FEAR game looks clumsy.

I’ll install it tonight. I’m hoping that the FEAR2 game continues the horror feel but has updated graphics.  Not too updated; I do want this to feel like a continuation of the original game. Also I hope that it does not crash too often.