There’s not much to say this week. Doug and Aaron are both on trips of varying intensity and length, and I’m once again at the helm. But I’m not jealous! There’s a quiet dignity to be found in staying at home, you know. And it saves money. Really, it’s the only reasonable way to live in these uncertain times.

Yep.

I mean, what kind of person would really want to go on a whirlwind tour of Asia for a whole month? Doug. Doug’s the guy. And, wow, big deal — the first weekend with amazing weather in the Pacific Northwest. “Hey everybody, we need to go party at the coast now!” That’s definitely what Aaron said when he left to go party at the coast with his totally awesome and probably quite attractive friends.

But no. I’m fine. I’m fine! Just, you know, read this thing and leave me to my unbridled joy.

Aaron

Gross!

What a week! In the span of seven days I’ve managed to acquire three new games, one of which I finished last night and loved – in opposition to my formerly hesitant feelings toward it. That game was BioShock 2.

My final contribution to this week’s backlog is about this Eurogamer article comparing the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Final Fantasy XIII. While the technical and detail-rich write up hasn’t told me anything that I didn’t already expect from a three-DVD port of a Blu-ray title, it still frustrates me to think that Square Enix half-assed a version of their game for a console with a larger install base in the U.S (based on summer of 2009 sales numbers for both consoles). In Japan, the PlayStation 3 matters for RPGs — I get that. But here, the latest game in the series has the potential to sell extremely well on the Xbox given the popularity of the RPGs (though Western they may be, i.e. Mass Effect) already available for it. For all I know, the sales numbers for both of Final Fantasy XIII’s platforms could be very close. Oh well, I suppose. I’m still buying it for my 360, only because I don’t have a PS3, and I’m still not going to rectify that anytime soon.

Doug

Doug shot this photo of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ultraman-themed merchandise, which has been adopted as the unofficial national currency of Japan.

Editor’s Note: Doug was too busy having the time of his life traveling throughout Asia to contribute this week. In the meantime, enjoy this photo he shot.

Nick

Spider-Man ain't got nothin' on Rico Rodriguez.

I’ve got a soft spot for any game that has ambitions of enabling the player to pull off ridiculous stunts in open-world settings. I loved Saints Row 2’s unabashed emphasis on comedy and excess instead of story and realism. Mercenaries 2 won me over with its B-movie appeal. And Red Faction: Guerrilla? After two playthroughs, I’m still craving more  of its trademark destruction and hammer-swingin’ goodness.

So it’s no wonder that I’m currently having the time of my life with Just Cause. You remember Just Cause, right? It was a port of a sixth-generation open-world game that garnered mixed reviews when it came out nearly four years ago. It’s certainly far from perfect — imprecise controls, uneven design, abysmal acting and animation — but the game has a soul.

The grappling hook isn’t exactly a new concept to games — Bionic Commando is probably remembered as the first mainstream example of swinging based action — but when paired with a parachute, the possibilities explode. Instead of being a mere diversion, BASE jumping is the most reasonable way to travel. Why drive a car when you can hook onto one and parasail the highways of a war-torn Central American country?

But even for all the fun I’ve had with it, Just Cause 2 looks like it’s going to blow it away. The action is tighter, the music is better, and the landscapes are absolutely stunning from the air. And most importantly, the grapple/parachute combo has been reinvented. Grappling now works on any surface, meaning Rico can build up momentum and deploy his chute anywhere. And in a clever twist, the grappling gun can now be used to attach any two objects to each other — such as gas tanks and bad dudes.

Just Cause 2 looks to refine and update what made the original so fun while also cutting out the things that held it back from being a uniformly great game. The demo’s live on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, and I’d highly recommend you go check it out.

Finally, I also completed BioShock 2 and Heavy Rain. But after playing so many games about water, dads and crazy people, I think I need some time to decompress before I revisit those experiences.

Time for a mea culpa, guys. I was hoping to broadcast this backlog at its regularly scheduled time (“whenever on Friday, I guess”) but unfortunately ran into a snag where I was unable to use my computer. Something to do with driving through planned communities in Wilsonville in the middle of the night; I don’t know, let’s not dredge that episode up. Anyway, the short version is I invented a time-traveling DeLorean and traveled to the past to get the backlog posted on time.

Everything was going just fine — I survived an adventure in the wild west and I made Biff look like a total dweeb — but unfortunately, I ended up getting totally distracted by the same exact scenario and wound up just where I’d started. Except it was now Sunday.

Oh well. I guess I should be grateful; for a while there, I was kinda worried I’d end up creating a time paradox.

There's an inexplicable, potent comfort to be found in always having Plants vs. Zombies within arm's reach.

Doug

I hate to be The Guy Who Brings In Real Life all the time…but this week has been finals week, and all I’ve really had time to do is play a little bit of stress-relief NCAA Football 10 at night once, and then burning my iPhone battery a bit continuing on with Plants vs. Zombies.

I know that it’s always a discussion amongst certain core gamers, but seriously: PopCap makes some great games, period. Not great casual games; not great iPhone games, or baby games, or whatever other pejorative you want to tack on. PvZ, Peggle, and Bejeweled are all some of the best examples of quick-fix gaming available; the steady stream of hits that PopCap has managed makes them one of the developers and publishers with the best track record out there right now, too. It’s rather amazing when you stand back and think about it.

The other part of real life I wanted to throw out there is more related to the site: I’m going to be traveling with my graduate program in Japan, South Korea and China for the next month. If you have any ideas or topics you want me to cover, please send comments or e-mails and I’ll take them under suggestion. I’m going to have a whole week to myself in Tokyo to do some exploring, and I definitely plan on hitting up nerd mecca at least once.

If you're capable of playing a game with this much happening on-screen, I think I owe you a dollar.

Aaron

I’m going to drop some knowledge on you, dear reader. I lost five hours of my day to a haze of space-faring political machinations and plasma-cannon combat.

That’s right: I ordered a used copy of an Xbox 360 launch title that I previously had zero interest in (and zero knowledge of). Why? Well, I was linked to a video from Giant Bomb. This nearly hour-long look at Amped 3’s numerous cutscenes has shown me the brilliance of the game’s insane humor, especially after the 20 minute mark. The video’s claim of Tim and Eric-like influence was at the back of my mind before it was even said. And that, friends, is why I’m excited for Amped 3. I smell a Retrospective in the air.

Broken Sword is clever, intuitive and gorgeous. So naturally, it's the perfect complement to any iPhone.

Nick

I began playing Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars Director’s Cut on my iPhone earlier this week. Without a doubt, it’s the most accessible traditional adventure game I’ve tried for my phone. While The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition and Beneath a Steel Sky were both good games, their interfaces left a lot to be desired. Broken Sword is built upon the same adaptations that were in Beneath a Steel Sky, but the control scheme is a lot more polished and intuitive this time around. The sound quality, voice acting and visuals are all top-notch, and the experience has been very engrossing. It’s currently available for five bucks on the App Store — why don’t you give it a shot?

Being the fiscally irresponsible person I apparently have become, I picked up Heavy Rain this Tuesday. I have some serious reservations about the game and its creators (other than Guitar Hero 3, I really can’t think of a more disappointing game in recent years than Fahrenheit) but after about four hours immersed in the experience, I’m utterly amazed at what Heavy Rain shaped up to be. I’ve long been a proponent of interactive fiction — involved, intricate stories that mold to your actions — which is a fledgling genre if ever there was one. Most people who go out to buy a game probably expect the gameplay to be the main attraction with the story functioning as window dressing. Heavy Rain delivers just the opposite. It’s a compelling experience with a surprisingly elaborate amount of nuance and variation based on your actions, and while the controls are sometimes frustrating, they’re more than adequate to suck the player in to the experience. If you’re at all interested in how interactive storytelling works, Heavy Rain is perhaps the boldest experiment yet.

And of course, I’m still tromping through BioShock 2 in my Big Daddy suit. (No, not that suit.) What began as a modest successor to a groundbreaking commentary on games has taken form over the past few hours into something much more substantial: a brilliant game in its own right, and a significant improvement over its forebear. And despite the widespread criticism surrounding the multiplayer component, I’ve been getting my kicks blasting splicers apart for the last couple weeks. I think it’s a pretty inspired take on class-based multiplayer, and it’s sure a lot more interesting than Modern Warfare 2’s modest (at best) improvements over Call of Duty 4’s fiendishly addictive online scene.

Lots of good things start with the letter “b”; Many games right now, for instance (Battlefield and Bayonetta being two of them). Other things start with that letter — like business school, bad tests, The Beatles…and also brains.

Wait, brains? It will make more sense in a moment! So, without further ado, here’s the log.

The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" seems apt for a week where the sun shone through the usual February doldrums in the Northwest.

Aaron

What a boring week for me. I didn’t play that much of anything during the past seven days, aside from more Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and a little bit of Bayonetta. Isn’t it bad when you can’t remember what you did for one-quarter of the month?

So, I apologize for my lackluster contribution to this edi…oh, wait, I remembered: I did some drumming. I rocked out in the virtual sense with Beatles: Rock Band, but I also played music outside of the game when I took my non-plastic drum kit to a friend’s house to spend an entire day in a focused jam session. It felt good to do what I used to do — it’s been nearly three years since I had my full kit set up. I laid down some sick beats, bro.

Next week will be seven days of the letter B (I think I just turned into a Sesame Street character), with a mixture of more Bayonetta and Bad Company 2, and the arrival of my brand new, $8.99 copy of Bionic Commando from Amazon. Sure, that tiny bit of money could have gone to BioShock 2, Darksiders or covering the cost of Bad Company 2 now that Barnes & Noble cancelled their $20 mistake, but I like to live in a state of stupidity sometimes.

Netflix Instant Watch has been all that's kept Nick connected to his Xbox 360 this week.

Nick

Bayonetta. Darksiders. Forza Motorsport 3. Mass Effect 2. DJ Hero. BioShock 2. They’re all sitting right in front of me, but I haven’t touched any of them in days.

I wish I could say I’ve been getting lots of quality time in with a few of my current favorites, but this week has been so draining that I’ve only had the energy to come home and boot up my Netflix Instant Queue before my eyes glaze over and my jaw falls slack.

Also, this weekend I’m looking forward to taking the GRE. But that’s not a game (It is, in fact, the most dangerous game of them all – Ed).

Now that PopCap has released Plants vs. Zombies for the iPhone platform, you can use the dark horticultural arts to protect your house on the go.

Doug

Add me to Nick in the “too busy to play games” category this week, sadly. Finals are next week, and between school and real life my AS Roma team have had to wait patiently on the PES 2010 sidelines, my Forza 3 cars have had to sit in the garage, and the Normandy has just had to cruise in a holding pattern for my second Shepard in Mass Effect 2.

However, one bright, shining, wonderful gaming thing has come into my life this week: Plants vs. Zombies has been released on the iPhone platform. That sound you hear is my free time being sucked right up by yet another Popcap game for iPhone. I didn’t buy PvZ last year when it first came out, but played and saw a decent amount of it — certainly enough to know that the new handheld version is an almost-perfect port. And, yes, the touch controls work brilliantly.

Plus it’s $2.99. What are you waiting for?

What is a “game” but an alchemist’s mixture of disparate concepts that by themselves don’t mean much, yet somehow make sense as a whole when paired accordingly?

Gears of War’s cover mechanic has no use in a two-dimensional fighter. A licensed Barbie title (maybe) doesn’t need Castlevania’s map system. And – obviously – Guitar Hero’s flurry of scrolling musical notes and reliance on plastic peripherals would never make sense as a musical zombie shooter starring, let’s say, Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day.

So where does that leave Adult Swim’s latest attempt at destroying workplace productivity? Robot Unicorn Attack, developed by Flash game creator and the one-man band at developer Spiritonin, Scott Stoddard, takes two seemingly opposite concepts — a looping ethereal audio track and the get-as-far-as-you-can gameplay of Canabalt — and mashes them into a fabulous union. The title implies certain gameplay elements, among other things (like some unicorns are, in actuality, robots), but I doubt you expected it to feature licensed music. Oh, it does. And it’s offensively wonderful.

The song: “Always,” from the still-active Euro synthpop group Erasure. The music video for the electronic ballad deals with the troubling theme of loss set amongst a backdrop of hypothermic kabuki demons, elements that unfortunately aren’t replicated in the Flash game. Here are the lyrics:

Open your eyes I see
Your eyes are open
Wear no disguise for me
Come into the open

When it’s cold outside
Am I here in vain?
Hold on to the night
There will be no shame

Always, I wanna be with you
And make believe with you
And live in harmony, harmony oh love

Melting the ice for me
Jump into the ocean
Hold back the tide I see
Your love in motion

When it’s cold outside
Am I here in vain?
Hold on to the night
There will be no shame

The game: Robot Unicorn Attack. It’s the flamboyantly energetic cousin of Canabalt, and its gifts to the world are a basket of rainbows, handfuls of sparkles and metallic unicorns.

Advanced cybernetics have given Mr. Cinnamon a second chance of fulfilling his track-and-field dreams

After playing three minutes of the game, it’s easy to dismiss the concept based on its potentially uncomfortable choice of decor. It’s not that rainbows bother me, it’s that using a song from a band known for its openly gay member (and icon), Andy Bell, as the soundtrack for a robot unicorn’s adventure seems to poke fun at LGBT culture in a negative form of satire. I can only imagine what some 13-year-old kid is thinking when he plays this: “Ha, so gay.”

Then again, who cares what Halo teens think; I’m probably reading too much into the matter. The rainbow is a flag-waving symbol of gay pride, diversity, equality and strength, after all. And if Erasure signed the licensing agreement, they must enjoy the game. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been a stick in the mud, and missed the joke as a result.

Unfounded controversy aside, Robot Unicorn Attack plays fantastically. The Canabalt comparison is apt, and a compliment. Players navigate a series of purple and pink hills of varying shape and size (and placement), trying to double jump, using the Z key, between the hovering landmasses to avoid certain death, and to make it farther than your previous distance for a higher score. However, Adult Swim’s take on the concept introduces a revolutionary second button, mapped to the X key, which causes the unicorn protagonist to vault forward at light speed in a blinding flash of the visible color spectrum — otherwise known as a “rainbow attack.” This is so our horned friend can smash through the giant crystalline stars that randomly appear, and avoid exploding into a bodiless heap of scrap.

Hold me closer, tiny dasher?

The gameplay is simple, and slightly less fresh than Canabalt due to its blatant copy-and-paste mentality. It’s still an adequate timesink, and fits right in with the attitude Adult Swim has toward its flash games, which I described in a previous article: be a little offensive, but make sure it’s fun. It helps that the animation and character sprites are expertly crafted as well. I’d believe it if someone told me this was a tie-in game for the Hollywood revival of an obscure 1980’s cartoon.

The greatest aspect of Robot Unicorn Attack is how it induces feelings of happiness via its ridiculousness. That’s the entire point, and you don’t have to be good at the game for the game to be good for you. So while I might be misinterpreting the elements of gay culture in the game, I can’t find fault in how well the gameplay and the music go together. Leaping from knoll to knoll, collecting rainbow wing-tipped fairies to the repeating tune of synthesized love and heartfelt emotion, is a guilty pleasure. It’s obvious that the game is a clever Valentine’s present for Adult Swim’s virtual horde of hipster kids, and those Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! freaks. (Freaks like me. And that link is semi-relevant.)

So go play the game, and let yourself enjoy it. There will be no shame.

Note: Final play count of the “Always 2009 Remix” audio loop during the writing of this article: 39.

Why am I so conflicted over BioShock 2? The original was great, brilliant even. And if 2K Marin’s sequel is half as good as the first, that would still make it better than all of the dust-collecting shovelware currently sitting on store shelves.

Nick doesn’t seem as wracked with indecision this week as yours truly, and I fully believe it when he predicts BioShock 2 will soon find a spot in his vast library of interactive software. However, Nick doesn’t know that upon purchasing the game he will be obligated to review it. Sorry, friend.

Doug takes this edition’s opportunity to educate us on the intricate differences between Pro Evo Soccer 2010 and FIFA 10, and it’s an extremely informative primer about a segment of gaming I’ve all but forgotten. I actually want to give soccer sims another shot after reading it. Truly, I do.

And for me, well, I’m in love with Bayonetta — the game, mind you. Though with her strength-based sex appeal and quotes such as: “Do I look like I’m a child person? Making children, on the other hand,” it’s easy to swoon over the ridiculous charm of the character and to even feel all right about it; hopefully without coming off as a chauvinist.

Also, apologies for the article headline. An Otis Redding track pack is coming to Rock Band next week, and I thought the titular pun was appropriately humorous. I was likely wrong.

Cut from Heavy Rain was a special DLC skin for Radiohead's Thom Yorke

Nick:

When you’ve been playing games for 20 years, you tend to appreciate the major advances that have been made in game design. But at the same time, it’s nice when an ages-old strategy remains as relevant as ever. And in the case of Mass Effect 2, it turns out that maintaining multiple save files is still a really, really good idea.

I managed to save the universe last Sunday, but not without paying a heavy price: My crew was decimated by a couple of terrible decisions that I made. While I appreciate the real weight of the consequences your actions have in the game’s suicide mission finale, I wasn’t about to let my game end on anything but my own terms. I re-evaluated what went wrong the first time around, and managed to complete the mission a second time last night without a single mistake. That felt good.

I held off on picking up BioShock 2 this week, a decision that gnaws at me every day. I’ll probably cave and purchase it soon. What can I say? I’m a sucker for art deco, big band music and Objectivism.

And in a few moments, I’m going to boot up the PlayStation Network demo of Heavy Rain, a game I’m both anticipating and dreading. Back in 2005, I was captivated by Indigo Prophecy’s demo and its revolutionary, open-ended adventure game design. I wish I’d known at the time just how disastrous the rest of the game was — frankly, it was the absolute worst game I finished in the last decade — but from what I’ve heard, Quantic Dream learned from its mistakes when it set about designing its latest game. Indigo Prophecy was proof that Quantic Dream was a team filled with brilliant ideas. I just hope they managed to fully develop them this time around!

Doug told me this is from a fictional version of the World Cup. The Konami Cup? How clever, you crafty developers.

Doug:

Along with finishing Mass Effect 2 — which was an incredibly satisfying and very well done game from start to finish — I’ve hopped back into one of my classic addictions: Konami’s Winning Eleven soccer series. In lieu of sitting down and working on a review that very few of our readers would likely find useful, I will instead take some time here and justify how I can absolutely love Pro Evo Soccer 2010 but also want to give it a mediocre review score.

This game does lots of things right. It provides a deep, customizable single-player mode in the form of a refined Master League (with added UEFA Champions League licensing!), an improved animation and physics engine for the gameplay, and even more expansive customization possibilities. As somebody who’s put probably 200 hours into PlayStation 2-era PES titles, the latest game is what I’ve wanted for the last two years: a good next-gen console PES.

The problem is the learning curve. Not only do you have to have a real interest in soccer — not a given here in the U.S. — but you have to be willing to put a lot of time into PES 2010. The controls are an evolved mish-mash carried over from the PS2 era; there’s little doubt that some parts of the control could be better. Intimidating for newcomers, yes, but for somebody who already knows what to do it’s an adequate improvement over the previous incarnations. The same goes for off-the-field mechanics too: Konami has never secured as many licenses as EA Sports’ FIFA titles, but that’s fine because you can edit the non-licensed teams to within an inch of realism. Buyers of the PS3 version of PES 2010 can do a little heavy lifting by importing game files that will fill the lackluster licensing holes; problem is, it’s much more difficult on the 360, and even renaming teams can be an intimidating process — never mind renaming all the players on any given team.

So why do I put up with this crap instead of just buying FIFA 10? Because of PES 2010’s on-field gameplay and presentation. FIFA’s graphics are very good, but they have always looked “off” to me; PES looks more like how soccer has been broadcast on TV for years. It’s an aesthetic preference. FIFA’s gameplay is fine as well — the last few years have improved both the passing system and the A.I., making the series more robust — but it still feels a touch hollow and boring. Few PES games are boring, especially in all the ways one can move the ball upfield and put it in the back of the net; FIFA over the last few years can feel like foosball at times.

For example: my current Master League save is with Italian club AS Roma, which has a very good attacking left fullback (John Arne Riise) who can bomb up the wing and put crosses in from deep with pinpoint accuracy. I’ve scored a couple of headers this way, and trying to work an opening to make use of this particular player’s strength is engaging and fun. Making use of other players and their talents is also a challenge — playing tappy-tap football with my favorite team, Arsenal, is a very different game from building Liverpool’s attack around Steven Gerrard’s surges forward and Torres’ brilliance and speed. They’re all rewarding, true to real life, and once you’ve built a team that plays how you want to play, it’s utterly brilliant.

If you understood any of that above paragraph, PES 2010 is probably for you — it’s not for everybody. Otherwise, stick to FIFA and enjoy the ride.

One word: Redonkulous.

Aaron:

I’m not even close to finishing Bayonetta, which arrived in the mail last Saturday. Each day I chip away a little more of the game, constantly pausing between chapters to evaluate such things as: my foolish blocking mistakes, which combos work best, how many halos I need to save up for a cool attack, and so on and so forth. The fact that I’m taking my time and being meticulous about my decisions tells me that I actually care about the entire experience. I don’t want to ruin it.

When I plow through big games like Borderlands, Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, it’s because I find the experience addicting;  I’m flushed with the desire to keep amassing experience, loot or whatever other incentives are there. That’s just my style, and it’s why I’ve been a diehard RPG fan for as long as I can remember. But sometimes, it sucks to play games like that — no matter how many moments etch themselves into my brain, I get the sense that I’m missing something by forcing myself to perform a blitzkrieg of playtime. In that sense I highly appreciate Hideki Kamiya’s work in the action genre. Bayonetta has forced me to use gaming muscles I’ve lost since the PlayStation 2 days.

Back then I played Devil May Cry to death, dominated God of War (and also yelled at it in anger) and absolutely loved the Viewtiful Joe titles on GameCube. Ever since the latest generation of consoles started I’ve forgotten how to play certain games, and I’m quickly remembering that it’s very important to diversify your gamer’s resume to effectively expand your digital horizons. I’ve missed relying on my twitch reflexes and an intimate knowledge of combo systems to achieve battlefield domination.

Bayonetta has brought that level of fun back to me. It’s witty, intelligent, hilarious and has the greatest videogame heroine I’ve had the privilege of playing as (aside from Beyond Good and Evil’s Jade, perhaps). I’ve never seen an action game that takes itself seriously while simultaneously laughing at its own lineage since, well, Kamiya’s other games.

I’ve also put around 16 hours into the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo.

I’m buying the full game, no question. And don’t forget to highlight March 2nd, 2010: Look forward to it as the day I will absolutely destroy you with my Bad Company 2 sniping abilities. I rarely boast, but this time I’m telling the truth.

Sony came back in a big way in 2009. The PlayStation 3 had an unmatched first-party line up of titles that included Killzone 2, Infamous and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. While the console’s most successful title was Game of the Year award winner Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the latest Ratchet & Clank was no slouch. If it wasn’t for Nathan Drake’s amazing sophomore adventure, A Crack in Time would have been the exclusive selling point for the platform last year.

The Galaxy's worst superhero, Captain Qwark, returns as the primary source of comic relief

Insomniac Games’ sixth Ratchet & Clank title, and third on the PS3, is a rarity. Platformers are an endangered species in this generation of consoles, and high-quality ones are even more difficult to find — especially in HD. In an age where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the best-selling game of 2009 and made $1 billion dollars as a result, it’s a relief to see a high-budget title that you won’t have to turn off when the kids are around. The sci-fi epic is notable for being one of the most humorous and quality family friendly titles in some time. Good writing and voice acting have only recently been prioritized in major titles, and the writers and voice actors in A Crack in Time do a great job of being engaging and witty without ever talking down to the audience or going over anyone’s head. And fortunately, the story is never sacrificed for humor.

Similar to the recently released Mass Effect 2, A Crack in Time has plot callbacks that are recognizable to fans but not distracting to newcomers; typically they are brief yet humorous mentions of previous Ratchet co-stars and their current whereabouts in the R&C universe. We also get a few peeks at the backstage antics of the series’ comic relief character, Captain Qwark. One of the game’s highlights is the weaponized bodyguard Mr. Zurkon, who utters lines of typical action movie bravado. After picking up health, the hovering robot will exclaim, “Ha! Mr. Zurkon requires no nanotech to survive! Mr. Zurkon lives on fear!”

Site editor Aaron Thayer attempts to restrain Tyler after edits to his first draft

A Crack in Time’s story doesn’t punish those new to the franchise thanks to a brief prologue that acts as a story recap, narrated by the aforementioned Captain Qwark. The plot is surprisingly deep for the franchise, dealing with time travel in ways I’d sooner expect from an episode of Lost. However, the more complex story is unnecessary: Unlike other games that sacrifice their design for some semblance of realism, A Crack in Time doesn’t need to rationalize its experience with a better storyline because such things aren’t crucial to the game’s earnest, simple fun. There’s no sense to be applied to the level design, no explanation for why there are ammo crates strewn about, no reason why platforms are hovering where they are and no cause for a quest-giver to choose that one quest’s location. The only explanation for these design choices is because they make the game more fun, and thus won’t distract from the player’s enjoyment. A Crack in Time’s level design is so highly polished that it’s difficult to think twice as to the whys of what you’re doing, because the whats are so much fun.

Ratchet & Clank’s gameplay has always hinged on its arsenal, and A Crack in Time is no exception. New to the series are three “Constructo-Mod” weapons that can be altered significantly with mods found in the environment. Unfortunately most of the weapons aren’t exactly original, consisting of variations on series staples such as the Groovitron (a disco ball that inspires your enemies to dance instead of fight). Though to Insomniac’s credit, the weapon roster is extremely balanced. The amount of experience gained from combat has been perfected in A Crack in Time, and you’ll likely finish leveling your last weapon during the final battle.

Clank uses recordings of previous actions to solve A Crack in Time's new, and complex, puzzles

In another addition to the series, Clank has been given his own time-based puzzle segments à la a three-dimensional Braid. Clank’s puzzles are the most original aspects of A Crack in Time, and the most enjoyable. Some of the later challenge rooms are the best time I’ve had solving puzzles in a current-gen game since Portal. They force you to constantly keep track of which actions your Clank doppelgängers are carrying out. Clank’s sections are exceptional because they test a player’s abilities beyond combat and navigation, and I hope to see more of Clank’s challenge rooms if Insomniac puts out any DLC for the game.

What’s most remarkable about A Crack in Time is how so many different pieces manage to fit together without any of them feeling out of place. The classic Ratchet gameplay is streamlined so well that it’ll be difficult for Insomniac to develop another title without some sort of reinvention of the franchise to avoid feeling derivative, if another game is even made. There’s been speculation this may be Insomniac’s last venture into the Ratchet & Clank universe. If A Crack in Time truly is the swan song for the Lombax and his robot companion, the pair are definitely going out on a high note.

General Azimuth plays a large role in the game as the second-to-last Lombax in the galaxy, and a mentor to Ratchet

Fifteen years ago, Pixar’s Toy Story lead the way in computer-generated animation, and the question on many gamers’ minds afterward was: “When will games look as good as this?” A Crack in Time is undoubtedly the closest videogame yet to meeting that lofty goal. The gameplay animation is stunningly smooth, running at a constant 60 frames per second. The cutscenes are also some of the best I’ve ever seen, and are completely devoid of the compression issues common in other games this generation (likely thanks to the additional storage of a Blu-ray disc). The opening scene alone, which shows off The Great Clock environment, is amazing. And while the animated 3D smoothness of A Crack in Time is impressive, my favorite cutscenes were, ironically, the 2D GrummelNet intro videos for each of the weapons you acquire. If you’ve never played a Ratchet & Clank title, there isn’t a better place to start than A Crack in Time; It’s the apex of the series’ art design, storytelling and gameplay.

Gamers have been looking forward to Sony’s comeback since the launch of the PlayStation 3 and the rocky road that followed. Last year was a return to form for the company’s PlayStation line, driven by the streamlined PS3 Slim, and a robust software library. In particular, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time stands out for maintaining the best elements of a dated genre while innovating in ways few could have expected, or even paid attention to.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time was developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment of America. The game is available for a suggested retail price of $59.99 exclusively on the PlayStation 3. The reviewer purchased the game himself, and played the campaign to completion twice before writing this review.

Recommended for:

• Gamers starved for solid platformers
• Anyone looking for a deep, family-friendly title
• Those who need to justify their PS3 ownership beyond Uncharted 2 and Blu-rays
• You liked the idea of Blinx: The Time Sweeper…just not how it played

Not Recommended for:

• You just can’t get enough of those bald space marines
• Anyone looking for significantly new weapons to the R&C series
• People interested in online multiplayer
• You actually enjoyed the gameplay of Blinx: The Time Sweeper

Read our policy on reviews here.

Mass Effect 3.

My Fellow Earthicans:

Good evening.

This is the 68th time I have spoken to you from this laptop, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Blog. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the blogosphere’s interest.

In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Blog. Throughout the long and difficult period of struggling through Mass Effect 2, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to overlook BioWare’s overzealous streamlining, to stop viewing the game as a RPG, and to make every possible effort to complete the sequel to the game I loved so much.

In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that Mass Effect 2 is, in fact, the brilliant, evolutionary sequel everyone has been raving about. And with that in mind, I come before you to admit that I made a grievous and inexcusable error in judgment.

Therefore, I shall resign to having been “completely, totally, 100% dead wrong” about Mass Effect 2 effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Thayer will be sworn in as “Guy Who Was Totally Right All Along Even Though Nick Won’t Admit It” at that hour in this office.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go flirt with Miranda some more. Don’t judge.

Boasting improvements to the series' trademark intense, squad-based combat, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has the potential to be the first major evolution in the franchise's time-honored formula since 2005's Battlefield 2

Aaron

Don’t be surprised that Mass Effect 2 is once again dominating our Backlog this week. I’ll even bet that next week’s entry will highlight Shepard’s sophomore exploits for a third time. I’m not sure where Nick and Doug are in the game, but I happened to finish it this past weekend. Mass Effect 2 was, in words taken at random from my thesaurus under the entry for “fantastic,” the cat’s meow.

After nearly two days of playtime logged with the double-disc beast, I still stand by my initial awe-filled impressions. Buy this game, rent this game, borrow this game; whatever it takes to play it, please do so. And no, BioWare didn’t hook me up to its Kubrick-inspired brainwashing machine yet — it didn’t have to. But if there’s one aspect about Mass Effect 2 I would criticize, it’s that the Insanity difficulty level is absolutely unfair. I’m going on record right now: I hate Insanity. But, as hypocritical is it is, I’m determined to finish it anyway.

Okay. Let’s switch gears and gab about the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer demo (on Xbox 360). Or rather, I’ll type and you read.

The Battlefield franchise sits near the top of my list of all-time favorite videogame series, placed comfortably among peers such as Zelda, Mario, Suikoden and Prince of Persia. I love Battlefield. I do! So after a few years of feeling let down by the post-Battlefield 2 offerings from DICE and EA (Battlefield 1943 being the one exception), I’m happy to welcome Bad Company 2 into my home where it will receive the insomniac-driven, retina-burning devotion it needs over many, many late nights. Although I’ll be purchasing the Windows version, I’ve been having a blast — literally and metaphorically — with the demo on Xbox Live. All the classic variations of DICE’s so-called “Battlefield Moments” are there. For example: Today I launched an RPG at a tank, which never made it to its target because an unlucky pair of enemies on an ATV happened to launch from a dilapidated roof at the wrong time, thus intercepting my grenade with their faces. That unpredictable “anything can and will happen” atmosphere is the reason I continue to play each new iteration of the formula. In short: Battlefield Bad Company 2’s multiplayer is fun, fast and feels more like Battlefield 2 than I ever expected another Battlefield game could. It’s a pleasant surprise, especially when comparing it to Bad Company 1.

Also, the final season of Lost premiered this week. I don’t know what’s going on (which is normal, I suppose), but I certainly didn’t expect/want an alternate reality storyline. And Sayid? Come on.

Doug

While ambitious for a mobile rendition of the multiplatform music hit, Doug came away less than impressed with Rock Band's iPhone adaptation

Oh lordy. After not getting the chance to pick up Mass Effect 2 until late last week, I took most of the day last Sunday to power through almost half of the game.

Also, I’m blaming Nick for my nascent Facebook Bejeweled Blitz addiction. That game is pretty good.

Nick

High drama!

I’ve finally warmed up to Mass Effect 2 and, in doing so, found inner peace.

It was difficult being so dissatisfied with a sequel to one of my favorite games ever — and a sequel that has received almost universal adoration from fans and critics alike. I adored the first game’s merging of a Gears of War-style tactical shooter with modest elements of traditional role-playing games. Of course there were a number of flaws, such as the tedious exploration of mostly empty planets and cumbersome inventory system, but I was even more distressed to see so many of the first game’s systems either redesigned extensively or eschewed altogether.

But I stuck with it, and I began to realize just how much thought went into rebuilding Mass Effect into a newer, sleeker, and more accessible game. As a result, the combat is fiercer and more tactical in nature. Most importantly to me, the character development and conversation aspects have been dramatically improved. As I approach the game’s final act, my investment in and appreciation for each of my crew members has developed to a level I’d only previously seen in one other role-playing game — Dragon Age: Origins, which by no coincidence is also a BioWare production.

If I’d gone into Mass Effect 2 with open expectations I would have immediately been floored. Instead, I tried to play it like the first game, and I was promptly stonewalled by the new systems in place. If only BioWare had included a warning to veterans of the series to forget everything they knew about Mass Effect before diving into the sequel. But at this point it doesn’t matter — I’m having the time of my life scouring the galaxy, and I couldn’t be happier. BioWare has done something incredible in releasing two top-flight games that represent two extremes of the role-playing game spectrum within mere months of each other, and they deserve nothing but the highest praise for it.

So, yeah.

Some little game you might have heard of called Mass Effect 2 dropped in stores on Tuesday, and…yeah. We’ve all been putting some time into that — some of us at the detriment of schoolwork (*ahem*) — and yelling at anyone daring to spoil any aspect of the game (but that may just be me). We also have divided opinions on the game, too, so read on and see where the contention lies (spoiler free, naturally).

We’ve also been able to play some other games — Forza 3 and some iPhone games included — and it’s time to dig into the details in this week’s Backlog.

Aaron thinks that Martin Sheen's casting as "The Illusive Man" in Mass Effect 2 was an inspired choice.

Aaron

Aside from a couple hours of job hunting and your typical shower, bathroom and cooking breaks, all I did yesterday was play Mass Effect 2. All day. Really.

Normally that sort of addictive behavior is a bad thing, but I can’t help how invested I am in BioWare’s top-notch masterpiece. A lot of people won’t see where I’m coming from, and could simply dismiss my fevered fandom as giving into the grand ol’ train of hype. Sorry, that’s not the case. Everything presented in Mass Effect 2 effortlessly vaults over my personal hype bar — something I’ve raised multiple times since the first game came out two years ago.

So let’s have some fun with ridiculous parallels! Yesterday, a friend and I told each other what movie came to mind while playing Mass Effect 2. We independently agreed beforehand that Mass Effect 2 is like the Empire Strikes Back of gaming. Now, this isn’t said to bring up the “games as art” debate, or how this particular title is approaching that illogical notion of a Citizen Kane level of a cross-cinematic/interactive experience. Instead, drawing the Star Wars parallel lets me acknowledge just how brilliant the second installment of the Mass Effect trilogy is compared with another famous sequel.

Being the middle child, Mass Effect 2 does suffer from the occasional dangling plot thread and extreme amounts of foreshadowing for events that will unfold in the third title. That was also the case with Empire. Both works employ a darker tone to their daring space adventures, and each adds multiple new aspects of their respective worlds to the mix to make playing or watching either both deep and satisfying (in my case, anyway).

Empire added Yoda, master of the Force, as well as hundreds of other details ranging from planets (Hoth and Bespin) to peoples (Ugnaughts and, well, Lobot). Mass Effect 2 does the same thing George Lucas’ sequel did 30 years ago, and is a richer experience because of it. New species and enemies are introduced every hour or two, and the sheer scale of the other half of the Milky Way Galaxy (explored via the gorgeous new Galaxy Map) is staggering and refreshing. I won’t spoil the surprises, even the names of new races, because it’s all important. Nearly every detail and reveal adds up to something great or at least interesting. Let me also mention the beautifully arranged set pieces, color palettes and camera work in Mass Effect 2, all of which hold their own against the best cinematic aspects of Empire; even though one was created using real cameras and the other with those of the computer variety.

I could go on, and make far stronger comparisons between Mass Effect and The Empire Strikes Back. But let’s save the flair of academia for the review. You may not believe me, but that’s another reason I’m powering through the game: to review it for you.

Here’s a parting thought: I haven’t had this perfect of an initial gaming experience since I first placed my pre-teen hands on the Toys “R” Us kiosk controller for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 1998. Many games have impressed me, wowed me and enthralled me; however, Mass Effect 2 is — so far — among the greatest I’ve played.

Nick doesn't quite know if this Mass Effect 2 nonsense is as good as everyone says it is, but does believe Doug's continual drivel about Forza 3.

Nick

Look, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m not sure why the rest of you guys are so enamored with Mass Effect 2. After playing for five hours over the last three days, I’ve been placed in an uncomfortable position: I’m feeling jilted and unhappy with the sequel to one of my favorite games ever. Compounding the awkwardness of my situation is my friends’ collective rapture and the critics’ unanimous praise for the game.

There are so many minor improvements in Mass Effect 2 that many people seem to think add up to a much better product than the sum of its parts. It’s a philosophy that worked very well for sequels like Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2. But in Mass Effect 2, so many of those things that were fixed weren’t even a problem in the first place. Why make exploring the galaxy a tedious chore? Why make scanning a planet into a dull and protracted minigame of rare metal detection? And while I am glad to see some major problems resolved, such as the first game’s unfathomably cumbersome inventory system, the decision to just get rid of an inventory system altogether is a bit extreme. This is not an RPG in the pure sense anymore; whether or not that’s a good thing I have yet to determine. I may be unfairly biased towards the more traditional approach having just finished Dragon Age: Origins, but at the same time I’m not certain BioWare was up to the impossible task of delivering two of the best RPGs in history within three months of each other.

I’ve actually been getting most of my kicks from another game I recently picked up, Forza Motorsport 3. That familiar, primal node in my brain that craves the cycle of buy-race-upgrade-race-collect-race has been reawakened for the first time since Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. Forza 3 blows the Gran Turismo series out of the water with its brilliant, all-are-welcome approach to car racing. Whether you want to simply hold one button to drive or manage every aspect of your car’s tuning, Forza 3’s got you covered.

What to do if you want to play Mass Effect 2 but you're *ahem* away from home? If you're Doug, you play Doodle Jump on the iPhone.

Doug

I may not have been able to put as much time into Mass Effect 2 as I wanted to, but I’ve certainly spent more time thinking about this game than most anything else this week. The game taunted me from my backpack in class Tuesday, and when I finally got to break it open Wednesday morning it was not a disappointment.

Nick and I have gone back and forth on this all week. I understand some of his contentions, but allow him to disagree and be wrong. This is almost the perfect sequel — all the huff-and-puff in the press about how Bioware has taken all of the criticisms of the first game to heart and changed all of them is quite true, even if the new changes are not themselves completely perfect. As Aaron mentioned, there’s been a change to even how you fly from planet to planet and system to system in the game’s overworld map; it’s unique and different, but I’m not quite sure if it’s any better.

Fortunately most of those changes are for the better, chief among them the combat. Cover is important, and your teammates seem far more useful this time around — early on, they’ll even give you instructions and hints on how to tackle some of the tougher enemies you’ll see out the gate. Biotic and tech powers seem a bit better explained with the simple addition of describing what they’re weak and strong against. I could keep going — and would love to, actually, because the story and gameplay is that good in both detail and scope — but this can’t turn into a mini-review.

In the time I have not been playing Mass Effect 2, I’ve been burning my iPhone’s battery a bit. Doodle Jump might be about a year old by now, but it’s still got a simple and addictive gameplay formula that has my complete and utter attention. It’s easy — just keep jumping up. But it’s challenging and addictive because jumping up gets harder and harder as time goes on. I almost launched my iPhone across the room when the game introduced platforms that the player has to touch and move into position on their own. Screw that nonsense, I’ll go back to daydreaming about Mass Effect 2.

The tension is building, dear reader. Do you dare click the “Read the rest of this entry” link? Do you? Horrors never seen, never smelled or touched, wait beneath the artificially tranquil whiteness of the CRT monitor in front of you — a beacon of glory with its Bauhaus collage of cat hair, flakes of skin and Taco Bell Fire Sauce fingerprints. You’re expecting something now, something major — possibly even satisfactory or mildly amusing. Do not. Don’t. Placing trust in our ability to “journal” is foolish, and the oily gremlins of disappointment will suck you through that humming, buzzing radiation box to a world of malcontent and pointlessness. But, I ask again, are you nevertheless prepared?

No? You’re not going to click it? After I birthed all of that fluffed up prose — 13 minutes of my life to be clear — above? Wow. Thanks. Really cool of you, man. I’ll be over here kicking rocks with my hands in my pockets, and hanging my head in disappointment.

Anyway…I lied. Here’s the summary: Doug’s M.I.S. (missing in school), Nick’s manifesto has been uncovered by baffled authorities, and I spew some less ridiculous bull and talk about what I played. Hooray! We’re a bit strange this time around.

The deceptive, siren-y beauty of Dragon Age: Origins has cracked Nick

Nick:

Editor’s Note: We thank our readers for their unwavering support over the last week. Thankfully, after having been missing for six days, Nick was discovered by Humboldt County police huddled between two dumpsters behind the Burger King clutching a foam broadsword between his limbs. A search of his apartment yielded the following journal entries:

Hour 1 — I just bought Dragon Age, and I’m already wondering just what I was thinking. Baldur’s Gate was awfully boring, and this is practically the same thing. I mean, c’mon — magic? Dragons? Long-winded conversations with one-dimensional characters? Puh-lease.
Hour 7 — It is now 5:20 in the morning and I haven’t left my desk chair for any reason other than to relieve myself. The last two hours were spent in my party’s camp trying to sweet-talk Alistair into having sex with my elf rogue. Should I have ethical qualms about seducing such an earnest person? I mean, he’s so sincere and charming and…and…He’s an excellent tank. I’ll need to keep an eye on his strength stat, though. Yeah.
Hour 19 — I’ve completed 23% of what the game has to offer. It occurs to me that content will probably be release faster than I can finish it. Fortunately, my aspirations died months ago and I wasn’t really planning on doing much else.
Hour 38 — Still not sure how to parse my feelings about Alistair. Spent a long time staring at the mirror this morning.
Hour 43 — Tried to explain to my significant other why bringing Dragon Age into our household could be good for both of us. Frustrated to discover my master persuasion skill doesn’t apply to reality. I don’t think she’ll be back.
Hour 92 – I need to know everything. All of Ferelden’s secrets; every conceivable outcome; every nuance of every party member. What makes them tick? What happens if I change my behavior ever so slightly? Dell shipped another six computers today. Expensive? Maybe. But a mere pittance for the opportunity to multi-box this game.
Hour 112 — Alistair body pillow arrived from Etsy.com.
Hour 170 — Police here.
Hour 294 — It’s done. I have become the alpha-geek. My jeans lie in tatters; my muscles have atrophied; I’ve even grown a hint of a disreputable mustache. And I’m really, really hungry.

Artist's interpretation

Doug:

Unfortunately, Doug has been absorbed into the Portland State University hivemind this week. We expect he’ll resurface soon with a decidedly more Borg-ish makeover.

Water effects!

Aaron:

Even after the credits had stopped, Assassin’s Creed II kept me glued to my most comfy seat — though most of that extra time was spent scratching my head in confusion. The series is taking quite the epic/weird turn according to the various plot details unveiled in the sequel. I can’t imagine what other “WTF” moments the AC team will conjure up for the third game. All I know is, at this very second, I can’t wait for it. Everything about AC2 was wonderful. It was lengthy without being overwhelming, and that struck me the most. Most games either go on for far too long (Metal Gear Solid 2…and perhaps 4), or they miss the important climax moments in the story and character development departments by ending abruptly (screw you, Halo 2). It’s rare that a game can be perfectly paced and satisfying at the same time.

Torchlight was my second fancy this week. I’m intending to finish the game I so lavishly praised in past articles, because if I don’t my credibility will find itself even more bankrupt than it currently is. Would anyone out there in cyberspace like us to review the game? It’s a question I continue to raise to myself (who is frankly uninterested in what I have to say, oddly enough), and the pros and cons of the situation aren’t exactly clear, or existent. Someone just tell me to do it so I’m more motivated.

Guess who finished Ghostbusters: The Video Game: me! A shocker, I know. It was a fun distraction overall. A few awkwardly off-time cutscenes, over-repeated contextual dialogue lines from Bill Murray and a couple poorly designed levels to ‘bust in don’t make a strong case for purchasing this title, but it’s still hilarious at times and a nostalgic trip for all of us wannabe Ghostbusters out there. I do own it though, so the possibility of playing through to get more achievements is quite likely; I’m just not sure if right now is a good time to start a second playthrough. What with Mass Effect 2: Collectors’ Edition (oh yes, I roll deep) destroying my existence come Tuesday.

Without further ado, onto the Backlog…

Was I the only one whose parents used to grab them by the belt loop back in the day? That's a good way to control somebody. Nice to see Ubisoft (and ACII protagonist Ezio) taking note, too.

Aaron

After my glowing account of Ghostbusters: The Video Game in last week’s backlog, I quickly kicked Slimer and company to the curb after opening the neon green eco-case containing Assassin’s Creed II. For an entire week, Ubisoft’s much-improved sequel has remained in my Xbox 360’s disc drive, lodged in the retracting plastic mouth like a popcorn kernel. However, unlike an actual pesky and potentially gingiva-damaging kernel, Assassin’s Creed II is a-freakin’-mazing, and part of a balanced gaming diet.

This is the game that the first Assassin’s Creed wanted to be, and the team at Ubisoft Montreal worked hard to make it feel that way. They’ve made missions bigger, more fun and decimated any trace of the original’s tedium. Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the protagonist, is a realistic character with a distinct personality and unique motives; he’s a digitized Renaissance ladies’ man that I can’t help but find likable. The weapon selection is genius in its variety and detailed attack animations, and the less blatant aspects, like hiring mercenaries, prostitutes or thieves to distract a city’s hired goons who guard a precious stash of treasure chests, make a memorable impact. Assassin’s Creed II is a game with so many moments I won’t ever forget, and, perhaps unfortunate for other action adventure titles, I’ll be using those to judge future titles’ value. Oh, and I still haven’t finished the game as of this writing.

One complaint, though: Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine segment. It was pretty lame. Of course that’s my opinion, but really: After all the hype the flying machine garnered back in the spring during the game’s slow unveiling, I was expecting more than an annoying checkpoint-to-checkpoint ordeal via multiple bonfires lit across Venice to help propel your glider back into the air as you float ever closer to your assassination target. The very brief mission played like it was designed by the mentally handicapped cousin of a designer from Pilotwings 64.

Favorite Italian phrase of the week: Requiescat in pace.

Bayonetta, caught in a rare moment of quiet solitude in one of the most crazy action games of the current console generation.

Nick

I’ve been a bit deprived of my regular gaming habits lately, but I have managed to sneak in a bit more time with Dragon Age: Origins and Bayonetta. I still haven’t finished either, but there’s little doubt in my mind that they represent the absolute best in their respective genres.

I’m also only about five songs away from having five-starred every song on expert in DJ Hero, which just goes to show how dangerously addicted I become when a great rhythm game comes along.

Finally, I caught up on some Rock Band songs, including the White Stripes and Paul McCartney packs. Harmonix has maintained a constant stream of great new songs over the last two-plus years. Now, if only Rock Band Network would hurry up and launch…

Holy sideways driving, Batman. 700-plus horsepower Audi Sport Quattros are not exactly easy to control, especially on Forza 3's narrow Amalfi Coast circuit.

Doug

I’m not going to lie: much like Nick, I’ve had very little time to game this week. Having something going every night for school this week has crushed my free time, but I’m really hoping to have some more time to myself next week.

However, I did spend some good time with one of the usual suspects, Forza Motorsport 3, including spending a couple hours on Tuesday night. Friend of the site Peter is far from a diehard racer, but he rented Forza 3 on something of a whim; first he calls to see if it’s something he’d like, then he caught me on Xbox Live and told me he’d just poured three hours into the game…and was loving the experience. We spent some time racing online against the computer for a while, discussing progression from sim-racing newbie to veteran, and Peter left convinced this was a great game. I’m just glad to help!

I’ve also been sneaking in games of the original NBA Jam in the mornings before leaving for class. Inspired by the recent confirmation of the series’ return, I’ve been revisiting the original (as well as the Tournament Edition follow-up that’s basically NBA Jam 1.5), and really trying to break apart what made the game fun. This might pop up later as the center of an editorial, but NBA Jam succeeds so well because it’s such a simple, focused experience — there’s no fat and no unneeded difficulty or complexity. As well, the controls and game engine both feel very taut; the game responds quickly to your inputs and you’re rarely caught fighting the game for control.

Because I need the rest, I’m going to spend the weekend stapled to the couch, so I may very well finally beat Batman: Arkham Asylum, and get to spend some time with other games.