Universal Wins Bidding War Over Asteroids Adaptation

Wow. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal won a four-studio bidding war over the movie rights to Atari’s Asteroids. You know, the 1979 arcade game where you control a triangular spaceship and blow up giant rocks. Pardon me while I facepalm for a moment.

...Still facepalming...

Okay, I’m going to ask the obvious question: Why does this need to be a movie? With no plot or characters to speak of, this is one of the most cynical attempts at brand exploitation I’ve ever seen. Can we soon expect Missile Command and Pong movies? I’m personally holding out for the Frogger trilogy and the Tetris prequel saga. Blech.

The producer behind the Asteroids film is Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who’s responsible for recent Eddie Murphy bomb Imagine That and the critically thrashed Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So you know it’ll be awesome! [Ed. note: Sarcasm]

Click here for the full story.

Valve to Continue Supporting Original Left 4 Dead Despite Forthcoming Sequel

When game developer Valve unveiled a sequel to its smash-hit zombie shooter Left 4 Dead at the Electronic Gaming Expo in Los Angeles earlier this month, some of the game’s hardcore fans were pretty disgruntled. Kotaku reports that thousands of L4D enthusiasts even signed an online pledge to boycott the game when it hits store shelves on November 17.

However, according to Valve president Gabe Newell, the developer will continue supporting the original game with updates and new content. So, if you want to continue eviscerating undead flesh eaters with your friends, you won’t necessarily need to shell out $60 for L4D2.

“Some in the community are concerned that the announcement of L4D2 implied a change in our plans for L4D1. We aren't changing our plans for L4D1,” Newell told Kotaku. “In addition to the recently released Survival Pack, we are releasing authoring tools for Mod makers, community matchmaking, 4x4 matchmaking, and more new content during the coming months for L4D1.”

Okay, so the bottom line is that we’re getting a brand-new L4D, but there’s still going to be plenty of new content for fans who don’t want to buy the sequel. That seems reasonable. Activision released Call of Duty: World at War just one year after the acclaimed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and both online communities are thriving with a great deal of fan overlap.

However, will L4D2 (which totally sounds like a Star Wars droid) be a different enough experience to justify its price tag? Should this have been a downloadable add-on? Valve’s Chet Faliszek told Kotaku that while the content released thus far looks eerily similar to the original game, “none of the additions [in L4D2] are trivial.”

Random Bloggery for June 12

Happy Friday, Wortmaniacs! I’ve got a ton of obligations all weekend, so I’ll likely be away from the computer for the next few days indulging in what some may call a “social life.” Unless the Internet implodes, I’ll be back next week with more geeky blog goodness.

And what happens next week? Ghostbusters: The Video Game slimes store shelves on Tuesday! If you see me in a Ghostbusters T-shirt in the near future, you’ll know why. It won’t just be because I’m a total nerd. Only partially.

Because we’re all so pumped for this game—and because the flowers are still standing—here’s a preview of the Ghostbusters game that I came across on Topless Robot this morning (via GameTrailers). Enjoy!

Video Games | Ghostbusters | Preview HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Random Bloggery for June 7

I would write a full review of The Hangover—which opened June 5—but to spare you all from a long-winded examination of Zach Galifianakis’ comedy stylings, I’ll just say that it’s hilarious and that you’d all be doing yourselves a favor in checking it out before all of the catch-phrases are ruined for you by drunk people at parties this summer.

On the gaming front, I recently picked up the Punch Out!! remake for the Nintendo Wii. Having already played the original 8-bit version repeatedly on the Wii’s Virtual Console, I was skeptical as to whether a graphical update and the addition of motion controls warranted the $50 price tag. Fortunately, it's worth the money if you're a fan of the original game.

The motion controls are pretty neat, but the game really does play best if you turn the Wii Remote on its side and use the classic Nintendo control style. Punch Out!! requires very precise timing and, unfortunately, the motion controls just aren’t as accurate as they need to be against the game’s harder opponents. However, no matter what control scheme you prefer, the unique multiplayer is a hell of a lot of fun.

Speaking of Nintendo, they made some interesting announcements at last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, including New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Not groundbreaking stuff by any means, but they look to be promising titles, even if they're both retreads.

Watch the trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2 (via G4TV) below.

Video Games - E3 2009 - Video Game Trailers

Fake Guitars Gently Weep on September 9

Developer Harmonix officially unveiled The Beatles: Rock Band on June 1 at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Featuring an impressive song list—spanning the Fab Four’s entire career—in addition to key Beatles venues such as the Cavern Club, the Ed Sullivan Theater, Shea Stadium and Abbey Road, this latest installment in the popular rhythm game franchise looks to be every game-savvy Beatlemaniac’s dream.

The game hits store shelves on September 9 of this year alongside Beatles instrument replica controllers: John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 guitar, Sir Paul McCartney’s Höfner bass, George Harrison’s Gretsch duo jet guitar and Ringo Starr’s drums with a black oyster pearl finish and a Ludwig-branded Beatles kick drum head.

Gameplay should be pretty familiar to anyone who’s played Rock Band before, but this version includes, for the first time, three-part vocal harmonies. The game also boasts a campaign mode that allows fans to experience the Beatles’ entire career, from their humble beginnings in Liverpool to their final live performance on the roof of Apple Records in 1969.

As an added bonus for Xbox 360 owners, Microsoft will be offering “All You Need Is Love” as an exclusive download via Xbox Live on September 9. All proceeds will benefit Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an independent humanitarian organization that provides emergency medical care to more than 60 countries in need.

In addition to “All You Need Is Love,” more songs from the Beatles catalog will be available for future download to supplement the 45 tracks available on-disc, including the entire Abbey Road album.

If you’re unsure as to whether the Beatles translate to video games, watch the game's gorgeous opening cinematic below.

Video Games | The Beatles: Rock Band | E3 09: Cinematic Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Left 4 Dead 2 Brings Big Trouble to the Big Easy

Oddly enough, blasting through hordes of ravenous zombies is a great form of stress relief, which is probably why Valve’s Left 4 Dead is one of the most satisfying multiplayer experiences in gaming today. But did you know there’s a sequel on the way? Rev those chainsaws, because Left 4 Dead 2 invades Xbox 360s and PCs on November 17.

Wait, did I say chainsaws? That’s right, boys and girls. In addition to new campaigns, guns, characters and enemy types, L4D2 boasts melee weapons such as fire axes, baseball bats and the aforementioned motorized splatter machines.

Set in and around New Orleans, LFD2 includes five campaigns and four different gameplay modes, including campaign, versus, survival and a fourth secret mode, Joystiq reports. While I would probably prefer a downloadable expansion to the first game as opposed to a full-fledged sequel, there’s really no reason why this shouldn’t warrant an immediate purchase once it lurches its way to store shelves later this year.

Watch the awesomely gory (and gorily awesome) teaser trailer (via G4) below.

Video Games - E3 2009 - Video Game Trailers

Star Wars: The Old Republic Trailer Debuts at E3

On June 1 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, game developer BioWare (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect) unveiled a trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, the forthcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in that galaxy far, far away.

It’s not gameplay footage, but the action-packed cinematic looks amazing and, if you’ve played Star Wars: KotOR, you know that BioWare understands this mythology, crafting interactive adventures that outdo just about everything franchise creator George Lucas has churned out over the past decade. It will be interesting to see if that attention to story and character carries over to an MMORPG style of play.

Set 300 years after Star Wars: KotOR and its sequel—but thousands of years before the Star Wars films—The Old Republic casts players as bounty hunters, soldiers, smugglers or other unannounced character classes as war rages between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire.

Neither BioWare nor publisher LucasArts have announced a release date for The Old Republic and, as of this writing, it remains uncertain whether the game will make the jump from the PC to home consoles.

Watch the video below (via GameTrailers), but be warned: It just might get you geeked about Star Wars all over again.

Video Games | Star Wars: The Old Republic | E3 09: Jedi vs Sith Cinematic

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Star Trek: D-A-C Hits Xbox Live Arcade

Okay, so you’ve seen the new Star Trek flick. What now? You could brush up on your Shakespeare with The Klingon Hamlet or, if made-up alien languages aren’t your thing, you can download Star Trek: D-A-C on Xbox Live Arcade.

Inspired by the new J.J. Abrams film, Star Trek: D-A-C is a top-down space shooter that allows Xbox 360 gamers to wage war as either the Romulan Empire or the Federation in a variety of online competitive or co-op multiplayer game modes. Team combat supports up to 12 players at a time.

Players can choose between three ship types from each faction, including flagships, bombers and fighters. Federation players will be able to take the helm of the all-new U.S.S. Enterprise featured in the film.

Star Trek: D-A-C will run you 800 Microsoft Points ($10), which seems like a pretty good price for this type of shooter. But what do I know? Damn it, I’m a blogger, not an economist!

Random Bloggery for April 24

If you're like me and live in the greater New York area, you have some phenomenal weather to look forward to this weekend, with plenty of sun and temperatures in the 80s. Go fly a kite or ride a bike or something.

But before you squeeze into those bicycle shorts—and we all wish you wouldn’t—check out this awesome opening cinematic for Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which hits Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 16.

Are Video Games a Dangerous Addiction?

A study published April 20 in the journal Psychological Science suggests that nearly one in 10 gamers ages eight to 18 may be addicted to video games, exhibiting at least six of 11 alarming addiction symptoms such as skipping chores to play games, poor performance in school due to excessive play and playing games to escape reality.

USA Today’s Game Hunters blog reports that these symptoms could indicate pathological addiction, similar to that of a gambler. The research, funded by the National Institute on Media and the Family, also found that pathological gamers were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with an attention-deficit disorder and have health problems worsened by extended play, including hand and wrist pain.

However, report author Douglas Gentile, director of the institute, writes that the study “yields far more questions than answers.” He adds that this issue clearly requires more research, “with almost one out of 10 youth gamers demonstrating real-world problems because of their gaming.”

As a gamer, this research is pretty troubling to me, but if video games are in any way detrimental to young people then I fully support further study on the issue. While I often scoff at charges that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is ineffective or that violent video games marketed toward adults are turning our children into bloodthirsty killing machines, it’s clear that video games can be and often are addictive. When that world encroaches on real-life responsibilities, it’s definitely problematic.

And just like anything else, a video game is best enjoyed in moderation. Unless, of course, it's really good, in which case you should probably call in sick from work for a few days, turn off your phone, neglect your loved ones and subsist entirely on a strict diet of Top Ramen and Red Bull so you can play unfettered.

Kidding. Sort of.

The Mega Man 2 Rap

Child of the 80s? You may have spent a lot of time with the Mega Man games. More specifically, Mega Man 2: Arguably the crown jewel of the 8-bit series. Thanks to The Adventures of Duane and BrandO, you may never look at this game (or listen to its music) the same way again.

Snikt! X-Men Origins: Wolverine – The Video Game Wows Fans at NYCC

He’s the best there is at what he does. But what he does best isn’t very nice.

At New York Comic Con, Activision and Raven Software invited fans to a sneak peek at their upcoming adaptation of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a title that already looks far superior to most movie-to-game translations and seems to do a great deal of justice to the iconic X-Man.

First off, this game is violent. Very violent. Whenever Wolverine is translated to a medium outside of comic books—be it animation, feature films or video games—the character is typically never able to fully let loose with his claws. Sure, there may have been some bloodless takedowns in the X-Men film series courtesy of our favorite clawed Canuck, but the character's trademark ferocity always seems restrained by the need to keep him kid-friendly. It’s pretty difficult to sell plastic Wolverine claws in toy stores when they spend most of their screen time covered in viscera. Raven, however, doesn’t seem all that concerned with making Wolverine fun for the whole family. In this game, he kills people and holds nothing back.

Based on the 15-minute demo I saw at NYCC, it seems as though Wolverine spends the majority of the game impaling, decapitating and even cutting in half any enemy that stands in his path. While graphic content is in no way a substitute for solid gameplay, it certainly doesn't hurt in this case. Like God of War and other similar brawlers, Wolverine allows players to upgrade their attacks and chain combos together to dispatch their enemies in the most satisfying—and gory—ways possible. Also, the game showcases Wolverine’s healing abilities amazingly through real-time regeneration on his character model whenever he sustains heavy damage.

A visually stunning game, this may turn out to be one of the few video games based on a film to transcend expectations. It looks phenomenal, and seems to both follow the film’s storyline as well as provide its own unique thrills.

Look for X-Men Origins: Wolverine – The Video Game on store shelves May 1. Visit the game’s official site at uncaged.com for more details.

Oh, and as for the demonstration itself, Activision easily had the coolest giveaway at NYCC: Giant foam Wolverine claws. Awesome.

Resident Evil 5 Hits Xbox Live

Yes, I’m aware that the headline rhymes, but when we’re talking about a playable demo for the sure-to-be-classic fifth installment in the Resident Evil franchise, you can probably forgive me. The Resident Evil 5 demo, which became available exclusively for Xbox Live Gold members today, includes three single- and two-player co-op levels to give fans a sense of what to expect when the game hits store shelves March 13. The demo will be made available to Xbox Live Silver members on February 29.

For those not in the know, this game marks the return of Resident Evil veteran Chris Redfield as he teams with a new partner, Sheva Alomar, to get to the bottom of a mysterious bioterrorist attack in sub-Saharan Africa.

In preparation for the game’s release, I’ve been getting reacquainted with the survival horror franchise by picking up Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. I played through the GameCube version of the game multiple times when it was released in 2005, but I could hardly resist giving it another go with the Wii Remote motion controls. Granted, I apparently suck at aiming the controller at the things I want to stop living, but the twitchy gameplay adds a satisfying level of panic to an already nerve-racking experience.

Hands-On with Call of Duty: World at War

Most first-person shooter fans have had their fill of World War II-based games by now, which is probably one of the main reasons why the present-day Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was so well received last year. When it was announced that Activision’s acclaimed series would be once again returning to its World War II roots with Call of Duty: World at War, many gamers were less-than-enthusiastic. Fans were even more disheartened when they learned that Treyarch—the studio responsible for the middling Call of Duty 3—would be developing this latest installment. Apprehensive fans were likely relieved when World at War hit shelves in November, as the game retains the cinematic flair of the fourth installment, transferring its solid overall gameplay mechanics and breathtaking visuals to a World War II setting.

The game also features battlefields previously unexplored in the series, putting players in the boots of a U.S. Marine fighting against the Japanese Army in the Pacific and a soldier in the Soviet Red Army fighting the Nazis in Berlin. The campaign lasts only a few hours, but top-notch production values—including celebrity voice acting from Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman—keep the experience immersive from start to finish.

World at War does, however, have some troubling combat issues that keep it from being as solid as its predecessor. At even the normal difficulty level, you’ll end up dying not because of genuinely challenging battles but because the game throws a seemingly-endless barrage of unavoidable grenades your way as often as possible. There is an on-screen indicator that warns you when a grenade is nearby—which also gives you the option of tossing it right back at the enemy—but even if you run to a seemingly safe distance from the blast, a grenade is cheap, frustrating, instant death nearly every time. The more it happens, the more it seems like a design flaw.

In addition, World at War's AI is oddly unbalanced. At times, enemies will intelligently take cover and fire at you at opportune moments, but often they will stand right out in the open just waiting to be picked off. Friendly AI doesn’t fare much better, offering little-to-no help during the game’s more intense firefights. While it wouldn’t be satisfying for computer-controlled allies to do all of the work for me, a war game shouldn’t make me feel like I’m fighting alone.

But the strength in a Call of Duty title lies primarily in its multiplayer which, I can safely say, is just as good in World at War as it was in Modern Warfare. You’ll be using World War II-era equipment, weapons and vehicles, but the matchmaking, upgrades, rankings, perks and wide variety of game modes make World at War a satisfying multiplayer experience that should win over fans of its predecessor.

A great extra in World at War, unlocked once you complete the single-player campaign, is Nazi Zombies mode, which pits you against, you guessed it, Nazi zombies. Kudos to Treyarch for including such an off-kilter game mode in an otherwise serious World War II shooter. For a superior zombie experience I recommend Left 4 Dead, but this mode is a lot of fun. Playing it alone or cooperatively, Nazi Zombies should remind most shooter fans of the phenomenal Horde mode in Gears of War 2. Fight of waves of zombies, earn points, repeat.

It’s not a revolutionary game, and in many respects this is Modern Warfare recast in a less-than-modern setting, but is that really such a bad thing? Even if they've grown tired of World War II video games, first-person shooter aficionados owe it to themselves to check this game out.

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Nintendo DS, Wii, Microsoft Windows
Rating: M
Release Date: November 11, 2008 (North America)

Left 4 Dead: A Wort Report Review

Who would have thought that surviving a zombie apocalypse could be such a great form of stress relief? With multiplayer first-person zombie shooter Left 4 Dead, Valve Corporation (Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress) encourages gamers to live out their undead-fighting fantasies in what may be the best zombie action game ever made.

If you’re looking for a storyline or character motivation, you certainly won’t find much of either in Left 4 Dead. The game boils down to playing the role of one of four human characters who must fight through hordes of ravenous zombies to make their way from safe house to safe house. There are four scenarios—each framed as a horror movie—taking players through a hospital, a farmhouse, a rural town and an airport. Gameplay-wise, all of the scenarios are basically the same, pitting the survivors against hundreds of undead flesh-eaters. The zombies here bear more resemblance to the fast-moving variety featured in Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake than to the lurching, moaning corpses in George A. Romero’s original. Their speed gives Left 4 Dead an element of twitchy panic that keeps gameplay both frantic and fun.

In addition to the overwhelming numbers of "Common Infected" in each of the game’s scenarios, players will also be confronted by mutated "Special Infected," which have their own unique abilities and attacks. Hunters, for example, will pin players to the ground and viciously maul them until one of the other survivors saves them while Smokers lash out at the humans with a whip-like tongue. As one can probably guess by their name, Tanks are hulking beasts that use their immense size and strength to pummel the survivors, requiring players to gang up on them with their most powerful weapons to take them down quickly before they cause too much damage. The Witch, a dangerous female zombie, can take players out with a single swipe of her claws if she is startled. My personal favorite special zombie in Left 4 Dead is easily the Boomer, a fat, bulbous infected that vomits green bile on the survivor characters, the smell of which alerts other zombies to the humans’ location. Dangerous and revolting. What a combination.

It’s possible to play Left 4 Dead solo with three computer-controlled allies, but the real fun of this game is playing online with friends or complete strangers. Few games inspire the level of teamwork necessary to make it through Left 4 Dead’s scenarios alive as a group. Try to abandon your comrades and you’ll probably wind up with more than a few bite marks on your arms and torso. Oh, and you’ll probably be dead. There’s also a Versus mode, which allows players to control special infected against the humans to see how the other half lives.

With only three modes of play (Campaign, Versus and Single Player), one wonders how Left 4 Dead stays interesting, but thanks to the game’s “AI Director,” scenarios are different each time you play them. It’s nearly impossible to predict when a Hunter is going to leap out of nowhere and pin you to the ground, or when a Boomer is going to sneak up on you and lose his lunch right in your face. As if eviscerating zombies could ever possibly get boring, Left 4 Dead is never the same game twice.

Thanks to Dead Rising and the Resident Evil series, there has been no shortage of zombie-blasting goodness in video games for quite some time. However, Left 4 Dead recreates the feeling of being in a zombie film better than just about any game ever released. It’s not deep by any means, but it’s incredible fun and a must-play for fans of cooperative online gaming.

Publisher: Electronic Arts/Valve Corporation
Developer: Valve Corporation/Certain Affinity (Xbox 360 version)
Platform: Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Rating: M
Release Date: November 18, 2008

New Level, Costumes Available for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

LucasArts announced on December 5 that a new mission and additional costumes are now available for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed through the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network. The new mission, set in the demolished Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant, allows players to guide Darth Vader’s secret apprentice Starkiller through the rubble of the demolished building to learn more about his Jedi lineage.

In addition to the new single-player stage, LucasArts has bundled nine new costumes with the mission pack, including:
-The Apprentice (Temple Exploration Gear)
-The Apprentice (Cybernetic Reconstruction)
-The Apprentice (Sith Training Gear)
-Mace Windu
-Darth Maul
-Qui-Gon Jinn
-Dark Stalker
-Lightsaber Training Droid
-Combat Training Droid

A new standalone costume pack is also available, which includes:
-The Apprentice (Utility Combat Suit)
-The Apprentice (Animated)
-The Apprentice (Spirit)
-Republic Trooper
-Luke Skywalker (Tatooine)
-Ben Kenobi
-Plo Koon
-Count Dooku
-Jango Fett
-C-3PO

I had my issues with The Force Unleashed when it was first released in September, but having picked it up again after learning about this new downloadable content, Ive realized how much fun it can be despite its flaws. If one can get past the camera issues and the shoddy targeting controls, The Force Unleashed provides for some decent hack-and-slash gameplay set against an aesthetically well-constructed Star Wars backdrop. There’s also a lot of cathartic joy to be had in frying Imperial Stormtroopers with lighting and tossing them to their doom with the Force.

With a newfound appreciation for the title, I purchased the Jedi Temple mission and while it shouldn’t take anyone very long to finish—it runs at about 30 minutes to an hour—it’s worth playing for fans of the game. There’s some fairly intuitive puzzle-solving and platforming involved, and its best moments are reminiscent of Luke Skywalker's Jedi training on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, when he is forced to confront his innermost demons.

On the Xbox Live Marketplace, the Jedi Temple Mission Pack costs 800 Microsoft Points ($10), which is a little pricey but worth it for fans of the game. The standalone costume pack costs 400 Microsoft Points ($5), which is not entirely justified since the costumes are merely character skins. They don’t change gameplay in the slightest. However, if you can’t resist the humor in seeing C-3PO wield a lightsaber, then by all means pick it up.

For more information on The Force Unleashed, visit lucasarts.com.

Fable II Reflections

With so many other distractions—namely work, a social life and Gears of War 2—it took me longer than I would have liked to play through Fable II. When it was first released, I applauded the game’s virtual world and the seemingly endless possibilities that the realm of Albion provided. Having finally conquered evil and restored peace to the land, I can say that there’s a lot about Fable II that is satisfying but, unfortunately, developer Lionhead Studios’ decision to build an open-world game with the casual player in mind leaves it feeling shallow despite the variety of things to do.
Yes, if one wishes, they can raise enough gold to buy all of the property in the game and amass a veritable army of brides and children, but what’s the point? Aside from the occasional Achievement to unlock, there is little real incentive to dabble in avenues that are tangential to the main plot. Albion may be overwhelming when one first boots up Fable II, but the novelty wears off quick. In time, you won’t care whether the townspeople really like you or whether or not they approve of your new haircut.

As for the main quest, there are lots and lots of battles to slog through, many of which can be won with the simple tapping of the melee button. Magic spells work too, but they leave you far too open to attack to use as often as your blade. Ranged weapons—such as pistols or crossbows—are to be used only when enemies are attack you from a distance (which is pretty rarely). So, basically, action boils down to staving off swarms of enemies by tapping the X button. And since you can’t die—yes, you’re reading that correctly—there is no penalty for losing a battle. When you lose all of your health in combat, your character is “knocked out,” loses some experience points and receives a permanent but negligible scar. Without challenging combat, completing the game’s main quest is an absolute certainty. It leaves you with nothing to conquer.

When viewed as an action RPG, Fable II is an ambitious but ultimately unremarkable experience. There’s lots to do, but little reason to do any of it. It brings to the surface a lot of issues that I’ve been having with the “sandbox” genre lately, namely the fact that the closer gameplay gets to real life, the less interesting it becomes. Managing money, relationships and a career are complicated enough in my own life, so why would I want all of that in my video games?

Keeping its flaws in mind, Fable II is still worth playing through at least once. Albion is a fun—and great looking—place to explore, and the game’s sense of humor is not without its charm. All in all, Fable II is like a visit to the local renaissance fair, except without the chainmail chafing or the oddly-disturbing shouting pickle salesmen.

Keep an eye out for new downloadable content for Fable II—including new items and quests—which will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace in mid-December.

Update: The downloadable Fable II:Knothole Island expansion will be available in late January 2009—not mid-December as previously announced—due to "unexpected technical difficulties." Click here for more information.

Image courtesy of Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead Studios

Bond’s Best Game Since GoldenEye

Released in 1997, Rare’s GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 was a revolutionary title. Not only did it prove that first-person shooters really could work on consoles, but it also showed that a licensed game based on a movie—in this case, the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye—could transcend expectations and become one of the best games ever released.

For the Bond franchise, that success has been a hard act to follow. After the release of GoldenEye, the license shifted to Electronic Arts, who released movie-based and original Bond titles, all of which were met with mixed reviews. The latest Bond game, Quantum of Solace, is published by Activision and, thanks to its use of the acclaimed Call of Duty 4 game engine, it’s easily the best Bond game since GoldenEye. However, its all-too-brief campaign mode coupled with “been there, done that” multiplayer makes it strictly a weekend rental.

The game is based on both the Quantum of Solace film and its predecessor, Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig providing the voice of his film counterpart along with Eva Green, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen, Olga Kurylenko and Mathieu Amalric. While it spans two films, don’t expect to spend more than five hours on the single-player game. Even for a movie-based game, players should get far more in a solo experience for a $60 game.

It plays and controls very similarly to Call of Duty 4—also published by Activision—and this is a very good thing. Players familiar with Call of Duty’s run-and-gun gameplay should feel very comfortable slipping into Bond’s tuxedo, and the game’s newly integrated cover system is welcome during its more intense firefights. There are some quieter moments where Bond has to be stealthy and avoid detection, but a majority of the game is heavy on the gunplay. It won’t take you all that long, but you will have fun playing through Quantum of Solace.

Like just about every game released over the past few years, Quantum of Solace breaks up the action with quick-time events and Simon Says-esque “hacking” sequences. Most gamers have no doubt tired with these by now, but developers keep insisting that we want interactive cutscenes and “follow the flashing lights” puzzles, yet developers keep forcing them on us. They don’t hurt the game in any sense, but they add absolutely nothing. Gamers like puzzles, but not when they’re this easy.

And easy is a great way to describe Quantum of Solace as a whole. On the default difficulty setting, most gamers will hardly break a sweat as most levels boil down to “find some cover, wait for enemies to reload and shoot them in the face.” Also, the enemy AI is a bit dull, as the bad guys are usually content with either finding terrible hiding places next to explosive gas canisters or running headlong into Bond as if to say “Daniel Craig! I loved you in Layer Cake!” before getting a few rounds in the chest. For a real challenge, most dedicated gamers will probably find themselves upping the difficulty level almost immediately.

Aside from some minor character animation issues and the fact that most of the game’s enemies seem to shop at the same “evil henchman” clothing store, Quantum of Solace is a beautiful game, recreating locales from both films while retaining a visually distinct Bond flavor. If you’ve played Call of Duty 4, you know the level of detail to expect. Graphically, this game doesn’t disappoint in the slightest.

Aside from the single-player campaign, the multiplayer is reasonably good, although it does little to improve on anything that’s been done before in previous first-person shooters. There are plenty of fun gameplay modes—including Golden Gun and Bond Versus, which pits one player, as Bond, against six members of the Organization—but it’s essentially Call of Duty 4 with a new coat of paint. If you’ve never experienced that game’s online multiplayer then there’s certainly nothing wrong with Quantum of Solace and it plays extremely well. However, if you’re expecting something groundbreaking you won’t find it here.

And in this crowded fall 2008 release season, a title really does need to break new ground to compete with the big dogs like Fable II, Gears of War 2 and LittleBigPlanet. If you’re a Bond fan, there’s no reason why you won’t enjoy Quantum of Solace, but it’s hard to recommend a purchase for anyone else. However, it’s definitely a game worth playing. Bond hasn’t been this good in over a decade and, hopefully, we’ll be seeing him again on consoles real soon.

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Rating: T
Release Date: November 4, 2008 (US)

Images courtesy of Activision

The Lord of the Rings Conquers Consoles in January

It may be a cliché, but good things really do come to those who wait. IGN reports that Pandemic Studios’ multiplatform The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will be released January 9, 2009 internationally and January 13 in the United States, missing its previously-set fall 2008 release date.

Do you like the Star Wars: Battlefront series? Are you a J.R.R. Tolkien fanatic? If so, this game promises to combine the two in a geektastic smorgasbord that brings the awesome and brings it hard. If you answered no to both of the above questions—and probably combined your responses with an annoyed grunt of some kind—then this post must be boring the hell out of you so far. Sorry, pal.

I tried to get into The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II on Xbox 360 in 2006, and I didn’t like the distant, real-time strategy gameplay employed. It may work on a PC (see Command & Conquer, StarCraft) but I've yet to play an RTS on a console that I've actually had fun with. I’m also not a huge fan of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), so The Lord of the Rings Online doesn’t necessarily get me all hot and bothered like a Hobbit in a cake shop. But if Conquest provides the same visceral, boots-on-the-ground action that the Battlefront games have provided then this is easily a must-buy on my end.

Click here to visit Pandemic's official site for more information on The Lord of the Rings: Conquest.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game to Hit Shelves Summer 2009

Variety reported on October 29 that Atari will publish the highly anticipated (and delayed) Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which is slated to hit store shelves early in the summer of 2009 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original film.

According to the article, sources close to Atari added that the company may also have a licensing deal with Sony Pictures to produce sequels to the game if the first one is successful.

Based on the limited information released thus far, I see no reason why Ghostbusters: The Video Game won’t be a massive success both critically and financially, but we’ve all seen movie-to-game translations crash and burn before.

I’m hoping that Ghostbusters: The Video Game includes, as a bonus, a full version of the original 1980s Activision game based on the first movie, which I could never understand for the life of me (I was about 4 when I tried playing it). If they do, it would be a crime if they decided to do a spell/grammar check on the hilarious end-game message:

“Conglaturation !!!
You have completed a great game.
And prooved the justice of our culture.
Now go and rest our heroes !”

As a writer, this collection of words and exclamation points should probably make my head hurt, but it has a sad, poetic quality about it. Kind of like when the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man erupted in a shower of sugary goo at the end of the first movie when our heroes crossed the streams.

I’ll never look at s’mores the same way again.

Update: Atari issued a press release on November 7 stating that Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be a major part of Sony Pictures' celebration of the original film's 25th anniversary, which will include other consumer products such as toys, t-shirts, comic books, prop replicas, Blu-ray releases of both films and a theme park attraction.