The Magic Toy Chest is now Available for PC!

The Magic Toy Chest is finally available for Windows PC! After spending crazy cash money and time to update all the visuals, stamp out the bugs, and implement new features, the wacky physics sandbox puzzle game is here.

Check out the Free Demo!

The Full Version Features:
- Over 100 Puzzles across 8 Distinct Rooms of the House
- An Interactive Tutorial that explains the simple point and click controls
- Beautiful and Colorful 2D graphics
- Over 16 Different Toys and abilities to Experiment With
- Sandbox Physics Gameplay which allows for Multiple and Imaginative Puzzle Solutions
- A fully featured Level Editor allows players to create and share their own levels
- 15 Trophies / Achievements to Unlock- Over 10 Different Music Tracks

For additional information on the Magic Toy Chest (or for screenshots, evaluation copy or demo), please visit http://www.graduategames.com/toygame.php.

Killzone 2: Multiplayer

The real meat of Killzone 2 is in the Multiplayer. The multiplayer is absolutely fantastic and expertly creates the feeling of a true warzone. Since I've been playing the game for a few weeks, I've managed to unlock a few classes and earn some ribbons and other upgrades. The multiplayer experience starts you off as a peon of a soldier: you can pick either assault rifle, get 1 grenade and a measley 64 rounds of ammo. The good news is that the experience system helps you play against equally new players. I have encountered minimal lag (basically a few pauses in maybe 2 games) if at all. This is even more impressive since the game is f*&#ing hectic with 32 players and amazing graphics and explosions.

One of the best features of KZ2 Multiplayer is the dynamic Objectives that change throughout the match. Every match includes Assassination, Attack & Defend, Deathmatch, Search & Retrieve, and Capture & Hold missions. After a 'Round' is completed, the game picks the next objective and announces it to each team without any loading at all. It keeps the game interesting and it's something new for FPS mutliplayer games. You can easily lose hours playing KZ2 without realizing it.

As you play and gain more experience in Killzone 2, things will become even more insane. Last weekend, I began to see Medics emerge and then Engineers who can build sentry turrets...soon flying sentry drones started flying around the maps and gunning me down. More recently, I've encountered cloaking snipers, enemies that look like friendlies, C4 traps, and rocket launchers. All of these additional wrinkles have made multiplayer more frantic and warlike (without any lag). They've also given me something to work towards and I can't wait to use (and abuse) some of the later abilities and classes.

Killzone 2 Multiplayer is a mix of CoD4, Gears of War, and Team Fortress with a sprinkle of SciFi. The class/badge system is fantastic and gives you something to work towards for whichever type of soldier you yearn to be. Killzone's single player experience is graphically impressive, but ho-hum when it comes to story and new experiences. Killzone nails what it needed to nail to have staying power though...and that's multiplayer.

Killzone 2: Single Player Impressions

I played a lot of Killzone 2 this weekend. I'm going to start with my single player impressions and move on to multiplayer later this week. I have completed 7 Missions (out of 10) so I'm pretty far into the single player campaign.

Killzone 2 instantly does 2 things incredibly well:
1. It is possibly the best looking game ever
2. It absolutely creates the feeling that an all out war is going on and your head is in the enemy's cross hairs.

The opening cinematic really sets the tone of the game and then the opening mission inserts you into a visceral warzone. The story (thus far) is good. It's pretty straightforward, and a little cliche. There's still the final few missions left and perhaps there will be an interesting conclusion or cliffhanger. I do like that the game feels 100% like a mature title. The graphics are grim, the gameplay is chaotic, Helghan is harsh, and ultimately everything has pretty bleak outlook. Killzone 2 is definitely not an uplifting title.

Gameplay wise, Killzone 2 is a mix of 2 parts Call of Duty, 1 part Gears of War/Rainbow Six and a splash of Halo. The biggest thing worth mentioning is of course the excellent crouch/cover mechanic. Unlike Rainbow 6 or GoW, taking cover never takes you out of the first person view. If you're near cover and crouch, you'll stick behind the wall or sandbags and if you're not near cover, you'll simply crouch and improve your aim and accuracy.

That leads me to the gunplay... there are no brightly colored plasma pistols in this scifi war. Almost every gun uses munitions and has incredible kickback. This is not a run-n-gun shooter....taking cover and picking Helghast off is definitely the name of the game. The guns all sound incredible and as long as you're OK with the slower pace, the game will please FPS fans.

Some specific highlights from the campaign thus far include:

• Manning a turret and shooting a building to rubble
• Driving a Tank for an all too short battle
• Impaling Helghast with the explosive harpoon gun
• Shocking enemies with the mighty electricity gun

Some of the most annoying parts for me have been:

• The boss battle with the ATAC
• The jolting and very noticeable in-game loading
• A cheap scenario on a Train where enemies charge you, while a tank fires rockets at you.

It definitely is a missed opportunity not having any co-op for the single player game at all - neither online or offline (in fact there's no split screen options at all). My guess is that this was a time and tech issue, but it is certainly something that will be needed if/when Killzone 3 is released.

If you have a PS3, definitely pick up Killzone 2. The single player experience is certainly a unique take on the FPS genre and mixes several different game styles very well. The graphics are unparallelled and the multiplayer experience is probably the best available for PS3...but more on that later.