When Ubisoft dropped "Assassin's Creed" in late 2007, people were confused. On the one hand, here was this stunningly gorgeous open world with nooks and crannies galore, a cast of thousands and simple controls that made both exploration and combat a joy to experience. On the other hand, you had to deal with a fundamentally flawed progression through the story built upon a series of repetitive acts. What's more, the story itself wasn't related particularly well. As enjoyable as it was to free-run your way through the Crusades-era Holy Lands, much of what was built around the core gameplay mechanics flat-out didn't work.
Enter "Assassin's Creed 2."
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In a place ruled by magic and feudal lords, an ancient evil stirs every few hundred years to cast a Blight across the land. The continued survival of these people is ensured by a small group of heroic individuals, warriors of peace charged with uniting the disparate factions into a single force capable of repelling the forces of the underworld. Is it Dungeons & Dragons? The Lord of the Rings? No. The land is called Ferelden, its peacekeepers are the Grey Wardens and the creator of it all is BioWare. Welcome to "Dragon Age: Origins."
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"The Ballad of Gay Tony," the second (and presumably final) DLC episode for "Grand Theft Auto 4" drops this week. The episode is available through Xbox Live Marketplace, or as part of a stand-alone retail disc, "Episodes From Liberty City," which also includes the content released in the last DLC pack, "The Lost and The Damned." Since the latter has been covered extensively, we'll be focusing on "The Ballad of Gay Tony" in this review.
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After an extended wait, Rocktober 13 has finally arrived. If you’re reading this, you likely know what that means. After four years, Tim Schafer and the folks at Double Fine Productions have finally finished off the follow-up to their superb-yet-criminally undersold 2005 release, "Psychonauts." "Brutal Legend" is the latest zany creation to spring forth from Schafer’s mind, and it’s a doozy. But does the adventure measure up to the ordeals of Raz and his psychic summer camp buddies?
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Do you like racing games? Are you an autophile? And an Xbox 360 user? If all of these things are true, then you really have no choice: Turn 10 Studios' "Forza Motorsport 3" is must-own material. It's the most realistic racing experience available for the console, or for any console really. The only real competition "Forza" has is months away and it's exclusive to another platform. For Xbox 360 owners, this is the first and best stop for a realistic racing simulation. Just like its predecessors.
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With "Champions Online," Cryptic Studios stands in direct competition with itself. The other major superhero-based MMORPG on the market, "City of Heroes"/"City of Villains," is their baby, and it's still going strong. Now along comes "Champions" with its cel-shaded graphics (actually "comic shaded") and its robust character creator, offering players a new set of environments and stories to explore, none of which have anything to do with Paragon City. And yet, there's a charm to "Champions," an evolution beyond Cryptic's earlier effort which ought to appeal to MMO gamers who appreciate being able to express themselves through their character from the offing.
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Developer Artificial Mind and Movement's "Wet" (actually "WET") may very well be the most cinematically rich video game released this year. It's got tough competition in Headstrong Games' "House of the Dead: Overkill," at least stylistically, but "WET serves up a more cohesive narrative. The gameplay can be trying at times, especially since it adheres very closely to a specific formula, but it's tight enough that it should please fans of run 'n gun action.
The Basics
In "WET," you play Rubi: a katana-wielding, dual pistol-toting badass of an anti-heroine. She jumps, she dives, she runs along walls... and she kills legions of bad guys with wild abandon. Think a brunette version of "Kill Bill"'s The Bride, only motivated by money rather than vengeance. In terms of the gameplay, "WET" is essentially a "Stranglehold" or "Max Payne" styled affair, only with heaping doses of Quentin Tarantino thrown in to keep things moving. The net result is an impressive, if flawed, experience. Read more...
Every year, the August release of “Madden” tends to overshadow one of EA Sports’ other most long-standing and highly cherished franchise: the “NHL” series. Following a few stumbles in the middle of the decade, EA reclaimed the top spot with a series of stellar annual hockey games. “NHL 10” is no different.
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Today is 9/9/09. In case you hadn't heard, "The Beatles: Rock Band" is out. What am I saying? Of course you've heard. The release of "The Beatles: Rock Band" is the biggest thing since... well... since The Beatles! Bigger than Jesus? Hrm... no one's saying that. Not after all the trouble caused the the last time someone said that.
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"The Beatles: Rock Band" is more than just a game. It's also perfect for adding ambience to house parties, even if you're not willing to break out the miniature plastic instruments. By combining "Rock Band"'s Performance Mode (turns off the HUD) and No-Fail Mode (pretty self-explanatory) with the Make A Setlist option in Quickplay, you can essentially build your own Beatles video playlist.
This is especially appealing because of all of the work Harmonix put into crafting virtual counterparts for the legendary quartet. The Beatles stopped performing live concerts after their 1966 United States tour, focusing instead on studio work. A large chunk of their catalog, including classics like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "The Beatles" (aka the "White" album, for its distinctive cover art), was never performed in front of a crowd. Since this was also before the age of the short-form music video, fans have never had a visual aid for the later psychedelic work and its evocative lyrics. Read more...
