14 DAY TRIAL // Andrei Dumitrescu: After the deluge of games that I have seen during E3 2012 in Los Angeles, I need a little bit of a break so I plan to take a little break from hardcore gaming in order to prepare for one of the biggest events of my personal year: the launch of the new edition of Pro Cycling Manager.
The game, made by Cyanide and published by Focus Home Interactive, has long been part of my regular gaming diet because it is the only way to indirectly enjoy my favorite sport.
PCM 2012 will offer the usual list of improvements: better mechanics and graphics and a new list of teams that can be chosen in the simulation mode.
The game is known for being rather stingy with changes, but the long term fans, like me, tend to overlook the limited innovation because this is basically a monopoly and I need to get my cycling fix anyway I can.
Andrei Dobra: This week will see me spend some time with a variety of games, including the recent Krater dungeon crawler from Fatshark, but also traditional mainstays like Diablo 3 or Mass Effect 3.
First up, I have Krater, a squad-based RPG that swaps the medieval fantasy setting from games like Diablo, with a post-apocalyptic one set in Sweden that’s full of lush environments.
While the action is a bit slow for my taste, it’s quite interesting and the squad mechanics are a welcome change of pace from managing a single character, like in traditional dungeon crawlers.
When I’m up for a bit of multiplayer action, I’ll go back to Mass Effect 3’s online mode, where I’ve just unlocked the Vorcha Soldier and Sentinel characters. Needless to say, they’re a lot of fun and provide a much needed change of pace from existing ones.
Last but not least, I might go back to Diablo 3 as I’m still interested in continuing my Witch Doctor playthrough.