The PSP Mini is a concept that has been lost on me. I don’t own a PSP, and as a result I’ve never bothered to browse for, let alone purchase, what I assume are cheaply made Flash games developed for people without iPhones. Hell, I didn’t know until two months ago that Minis are playable on the PS3. So perhaps, like me, you assumed that Minis don’t have a snowball’s chance in the marketplace. doomed to stand in the shadows cast by incessantly advertised blockbusters and buzz-worthy independent games.

Who’s That Flying?!  is exactly the sort of game I never expected to come from the Minis platform. It’s a polished homage to the shoot-’em-up genre and a fun variation on twitch-based gameplay. This is a quirky and lovable game that is also superbly designed and ends before it wears out its welcome. In a few hours WTF?! managed to reverse the many misconceptions and ignorant thoughts I had about PSP Minis, which is a testament to the developer’s ability to find inspiration in such a limited format.

My ego is going to become obese if I keep eating my words, which really sucks.

Earth defends Earth, which is quite meta when you think about it.

All you need to know about the story of Who’s That Flying?! is that the defender of Earth, appropriately named Earth, is on trial for the destruction that befell our planet during an attack by blob-like creatures called ravagers. The game is played in reverse chronology as Earth testifies to the Galactic Council to clear his good name, while interjecting the monologues of his fellow defenders of the galaxy with sarcastic comments and a general sense of overblown self-importance. Earth certainly loves himself, and the developers make a sly statement by characterizing the guardian of our planet as a vain show-off.

Mediatonic is known for its odd sense of humor in its numerous games for Adult Swim and Must Eat Birds on iPhone/Android, and the team continues to bring a lot of laughs in WTF?! The title’s acronym alone makes me chuckle every time I read it. My favorite line of dialogue from the game is childish: the Guardian of Uranus antagonizes Earth throughout the trial, and at one point Earth cuts him off by saying, “Hello Uranus…decided to ‘BUTT in?’” The writers play to their strengths in WTF?!, and as a result the game is, for my tastes, much better than typical Japanese shmup (short form for shoot-’em-up) titles, which are generally devoid of personality and insistent upon rapid and relentless gameplay.

The massive number of enemies on-screen can be pleasantly overwhelming.

WTF?! is very easy, which means those looking for a challenging campaign won’t be happy. The one caveat to the general simplicity of the game is the oddly balanced levels. Specifically the Mexico level is much more difficult than the world after it. As each new area should be harder than the last, I was very confused about the incongruent levels of difficulty. Furthermore, the final boss is a pushover, and for games of this style it’s detrimental to the overall experience. Yet WTF?! isn’t entirely devoid of trials, and the ample challenge mode makes up for any shortcomings. Aimed at hardcore players, the challenge mode is sort of ridiculous. Each challenge is unique, but only the best players and shmup veterans will get past the first few challenges. Persistence doesn’t seem to matter. I’m not very good at these games, so I tried my best but died far too often to stick with it.

Each location has four stages, the last of which pits Earth against a very large boss unique to the region. WTF?! mixes things up by sending Earth to Mexico, Russia, Tokyo and the Big Apple itself, and even though the background animation and color palette for each stage is noticeably repetitive, it’s a forgivable oversight for a Minis title. And truthfully it’s quite hard to pay attention to the backdrops when hundreds of ravagers are doing their best to eat the planet’s entire population.

In a clever twist on typical shmup gimmicks, WTF?! has no traditional health or shield bar. Because Earth himself is more or less invincible, the game instead tracks the health of a city. If too many ravagers get by your beams, blasts and punches, the game will end. Medals are awarded based on performance; good news for the obsessive compulsive gamers out there.

Bosses are massive and fairly tough; so big, in fact, that the camera zooms out significantly. However, this guy is a wuss.

It’s a good thing that Mediatonic is applying its Flash title roots and mastery of bite-sized gaming experiences to a new, and monetarily viable platform — outside of mobile phones, of course. If I hadn’t had a chance to play Who’s That Flying?! I’d still be scoffing at all the other PSP Minis. The quality of this particular title makes it impossible for me to ignore Minis in the future.

Be it the toilet humor or the crisp visuals, WTF?! is a well-written and uncomplicated salute to fans of shoot-’em-up games.

Recommended for:

• The hilarious writing
• Short but sweet stick-flicking action
• Gorgeous and crisp art style
• Because it’s a shmup that’s not really a shmup…but sort of is anyway — let’s support developers that think outside of the box
• PSP users in need of a simple on-the-go gaming fix

Not Recommended for:

• $5.99 is asking a bit much for the short campaign
• Challenge mode is relevant for a select few
• If you don’t have a PSP, the allure of a game meant primarily for portable play will be lost on you

Who’s That Flying?! is a PSP Minis title developed by independent UK developer Mediatonic. The game is available on the PlayStation Network marketplace for $5.99. A copy was provided to the reviewer by the developer. The reviewer completed the core game and tried his luck in the Infinite Mode. He died very fast. The reviewer also sampled the Challenge Mode, and in doing so he realized he’s not very good at shoot-’em-up titles.

Read our policy on reviews here.

I’m not a dedicated football man, but I’m able to put aside my indifference in times like these. Truly, I’m elated that my alma mater is getting the sports recognition it deserves, aside from the obsession with our track-and-field pedigree. Best of all, there’s a good chance that the Ducks’ excessively disgusting uniform changes over the past five years might be forgotten in light of their current top-dog status.

But all this sports talk has nothing to do with video games; unless, if things keep going well, quarterback Darron Thomas is put on the cover of NCAA 2012.

Doug can probably correct me on that presumption, or anything else I’ve written above. In fact, I welcome it. Like I mentioned: no hablo fútbol americano.

Doug:

This is what losing five hours of your life looks like.

Holy shit. We joke often about games being addictive, or compare them to addictive narcotics. Lord knows I’ve felt this way about a number of games, including PES 2010, Words with Friends, and others.

Nothing compares to recently released iPhone game Game Dev Story. The idea is simple: You run a game development studio, managing your employees and the direction of your games. Seems simple, right? It plays kind of like a Tycoon game or any other management simulation game, but with some serious RPG elements — you level up your staff, train them to increase stats, make adjustments to your company’s development direction and buy and use items (including advertising to increase your fan base).

Simple descriptions of the game don’t do it justice. I spent four hours straight Monday morning hooked to the game and tearing through my iPhone battery; I felt like I was in an opium den. Development of games goes so quickly, it can catch you with the “just-one-more-game” factor that all the most addictive video games maintain. Game Dev Story has simple yet catching graphics and music, plucked straight out of the 16-bit generation. Even better is the writing in the game; the 20-year campaign follows the arc of video game history, so you know not to invest in developing games for the Intendro Virtual Kid because it’s probably not going to sell terribly well.

And did I mention it’s addictive? Good lord it’s addictive. You can New Game+ to start with accumulated stats, too. It can become kind of rote, pumping out puzzle games or dating sims to fuel your company’s growth, but the freedom to choose your games and then, eventually, develop your own console creates an amazing little experience. I think this one will be wearing my iPhone battery down for a long while to come.

Nick:

DJ Hero 2 revitalizes the innovative formula from the first game with some much-needed freestyling sections that reward players for busting out fat beats at their own discretion

You’ll forgive me if I keep this short, right? I’m still recovering from a long day of driving, sitting, and yelling. I’m not a legitimate sports fan, but man, bearing witness to the Ducks’ first game as the #1 team in the nation — and getting to see UCLA go down in flames — was awesome.

I played a few great iPhone games this week, including current top-seller Cut the Rope and Trainyard, an independently developed puzzle game. All I’ll say is that they’re each a dollar and totally worth checking out if you own an iOS device. But I wanted to make sure I took the time to discuss another new game in depth in this week’s backlog because I don’t think I’ll end up reviewing it, but I still think it’s important to talk about.

The first DJ Hero did pretty well for an original title with its own plastic peripheral in a time when most people’s closets were already overflowing with discarded Guitar Hero controllers. Being the resident music-game aficionado at the Sasquatch, I picked up a copy soon after its release last fall, not knowing what to expect. But after a few minutes with the game, I was absolutely floored: DJ Hero somehow managed to be a fun and innovative experience in an already oversaturated market. But what was even more shocking to me was that it was published by Activision, the company perhaps most directly responsible for the nosedive into mediocrity and obsolescence that has plagued the Guitar Hero series since Harmonix and RedOctane split ways.

If DJ Hero was as innovative as Guitar Hero (and I’m tempted to say that’s a fair comparison, given that they both have roots in archaic Konami arcade games,) then DJ Hero 2 is the series’ Guitar Hero 2. It features a brilliant and diverse song list and a much-needed revamped user interface that make the experience even more inviting. And the mix-’n-scratch gameplay itself has been redesigned, giving the player more freedom with special freestyle crossfade and scratch sections that allow the player to improvise their own beats on the fly. It’s reminiscent of what Harmonix did with Frequency and Amplitude’s freestyle sections, but the effect is far more impressive when you’re manipulating tracks in a realistic way.

The only major problem is that one of its key features, Empire Mode, falls far short of expectations. Intended to serve as a new and creative approach to the typical music game campaign mode — essentially, to prevent the game from feeling like a linear setlist-crawl — Empire Mode simply takes the same sets of songs and lays them out in a two-dimensional array broken down by individual venues instead of the simple list from DJ Hero. It’s disappointing, especially when you compare it to the relative depth and openness of the Rock Band series’ World Tour mode.

But that said, there’s enough cool stuff happening here that it stands as an acceptable, significantly improved sequel to an already great game. For instance: The first time I plunged into a three-song set, I was shocked to see one mix seamlessly flow into the next with no loading screen and no break in the audio. It felt natural in a way I’d never experienced in a music game before. It’s those little details that FreeStyleGames bring to this series that make it special. This is definitely a series that’s worth a second look even if you passed over the first game.

Aaron:

Let's hope for the sake of our already obese nation that McDonald's doesn't invent an olfactory-hypnotizing fry suit like this one.

This is the lush fall bounty of games I tried, started or beat this week: Uncharted 1 and 2, Heavenly Sword, Costume Quest and Fallout: New Vegas.

The biggest surprise has been Costume Quest, the first attempt by Double Fine at crafting a downloadable console network title. It’s a clever RPG, razor-sharp with wit and charm, which comes as no surprise being from the studio that Tim Schafer built. What makes me love Costume Quest is how accurately it captures the feeling of being a kid on Halloween, when you were so excited to beg door to door for pounds of teeth-rotting, stomach-upsetting candy.

The characters even transform into realistic Godzilla-sized versions of their costumes during the battle sequences, which are a wink and a nod to classic turn-based RPGs. I can’t count how many times I imagined my Ghostbusters, Batman or Dracula costumes made me into the real deal, always ready to ignite, fight or bite the bad guys prowling about on All Hallows’ Eve.

Costume Quest isn’t a difficult game, but it’s an experience that will make almost anyone happy. Collecting candy to purchase ability-enhancing battle stamps, trading grotesque fake candy cards to complete the set, piecing together costume bits to become a unicorn, ninja or the Statue of Liberty — every aspect of this $15 game makes me laugh, smile or reminisce. Costume Quest is more proof that not all games need to be “AAA,” Unreal Engine-powered blockbusters to remind us why we like gaming in the first place. At its best, playing video games lets our imagination free, and can even make us happy while being entertained.

Now bear with me, but I need to make a parting comment or three on the Uncharted series before I close my contribution to this week’s Backlog.

Uncharted and its sequel are amazing games that compound Naughty Dog’s expertise for beautiful level design and tight platforming with savvy, humorous writing and Hollywood summer popcorn flick sensibilities. I beat Uncharted 2: Among Thieves this week. Afterward, I started Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

I’ve been told that Uncharted 2 was a monumental improvement over the first. Unfortunately, I don’t see it. I’m hard-pressed to even call it evolutionary.

While I’ve enjoyed the hell out of both games, my perspective is unique: I’m playing the original after finishing the sequel — to me, the differences (or lack thereof) are much more noticeable.

The start menu graphics and music are the same — not a big deal, but I still noticed it. The gunplay is a bit more tight in Uncharted 2, and thankfully Sixaxis support was dropped after 1, but my least favorite part of the Uncharted series still feels unnautral. The shooting is too loose, and tells me that Naughty Dog’s attempts at making a satisfying shooting mechanic haven’t improved much since Jak II.

However, the graphics are much better in Uncharted 2, and are perhaps the most notable improvement over the first game. Additionally, both titles’ exploration and platforming elements are still the best reasons to play the Uncharted series.

While I accept that my pickiness regarding two of the most highly rated titles of the last console generation will rub some the wrong way, I’m at least being honest. The difference between Uncharted 1 and 2 is about as drastic, or interesting, as Police Academy and Police Academy 2: You know what you’re getting into, and will enjoy the experiences both have to offer (yes, I do like the Police Academy movies), but arguing that some sequels are unprecedented achievements over the originals is falling into a nostalgia pit.

Another year is nearing its inevitable end, and we couldn’t be any happier about it. Although 2010 has already played host to a plethora of amazing and potentially award-winning video games, it’s not quite time to start hedging bets for the game of the year. Read on for our staff’s own list of noteworthy releases that you should be excited for.

Sid Meier’s Civilization V

September 21st — Windows

I’m a late bloomer when it comes to strategy games, and it pains me that it took me so long to understand what makes the Civilization series one of the most cherished in the history of video games. Even though I’ve had a variety of friends bursting to tell me all about their fantastic strategies and the hilarious anachronisms that have arisen in the matches they’ve played across the entire series, it took an iPhone port of Civilization Revolution to offer me a gentle enough learning curve to work up the confidence to take on the “real” series. A couple dozen hours later, and I think it’s safe to say that I’m a Civ 4 devotee.

But with some clever gameplay tweaks and some borrowed lessons from both Civ 4 and Revolution, Civ 5 looks like it’ll offer the best of both worlds: the depth and scale of classic Civ with the accessibility and streamlining of Revolution. Add in full Steam support and you’ve got a veritable crisis waiting to happen for law students, newlyweds, and anybody with the faintest hope of maintaining a regular sleep schedule. — Nick Cummings

Formula 1 2010

September 22nd — 360/PS3/Windows

This is a game that will probably not receive much hype in the United States. Developed by Codemasters and built on the engine that powers its other racing franchise, Dirt, this is the first Formula 1 game for Xbox 360 and the first for PS3 since 2007. Videos and preview coverage from Gamescom in Germany lead me to believe this will be a fast, fun and gorgeous title.

More importantly for fans of racing games it promises to do something more interesting with its career structure. The off-track politics, rumor mills and movements in real Formula 1 are almost as interesting as the on-track racing; Codemasters has tried to reproduce that for F1 2010. You start at a lower team, trying to meet low team standards — you’re not expected to win with the worst car on the grid — and advance from there. If you make it into a top team, you’ll then be expected to challenge for race wins and the championship. If the handling engine lives up to the promise, this could be the best racer since Forza 3. — Doug Bonham

NBA Elite 11

October 5th — 360/PS3

The sarcastic answer to the question of “Why NBA Elite 11, Doug?” would be, “Because it’s how I can play NBA Jam on next-gen consoles.” And that’s partially true — NBA Jam promises to be an excellent remake of one of my favorite sports games of all time, with nice graphical and roster updates. I’m sure it will become a multiplayer favorite soon enough.

However, that doesn’t take away from what Elite can become. This is the third EA Sports franchise to undergo a hard reboot in recent years, and the other two (NHL and FIFA) have become the high-water mark for their respective sports. Elite also happens to be developed by EA Vancouver, who is responsible for those other two series, and also features the producer who led the NHL revamp. I know that I play the hell out of sports games with franchise modes, and in a fall heavy on games but light on budget, if NBA Elite turns out well, I’ll get my money’s value — even before Jam is factored in. — Doug Bonham

Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley

October 6th — Xbox Live Arcade

Having made a name for itself with popular downloadable games like The Maw and ‘Splosion Man, Twisted Pixel is set to release its third original game — “original” being the key word in that phrase. Perhaps better than any other small developer, Twisted Pixel has infused more character and humor into its ten-dollar downloadable games than can be found in most big blockbuster titles. With Comic Jumper, Twisted Pixel seems determined to raise its bar for absurd hilarity to dizzying new heights.

The game stars Captain Smiley and his sidekick, a star-shaped thing embedded in his chest (who happens to be named Star). They’re tasked with battling the good captain’s arch-nemesis, Brad, across several iconic comic book styles, including the Silver Age, manga, fantasy and modern. Based on the short time I had with it at PAX, it seems like the Twisted Pixel folks are still thoroughly out of their minds — and that can only mean good things for their games. — Nick Cummings

Fallout: New Vegas

October 19th — 360/PS3/Windows

Fallout 3 was a revelation. Bethesda absolutely nailed the classic series’ transition from isometric 2D to awe-inspiring 3D. A game I spent a combined 150 hours playing across multiple characters says something of the quality of development. New Vegas may have been handed over to Obsidian, a studio with a spotty track record of delivering stable and worthwhile software, but it has Bethesda peering over its shoulder to (hopefully) keep the best parts of Fallout 3 alive in this full-fledged follow up. Don’t get me wrong: I thought Obsidian’s work on Knights of the Old Republic II was fantastic — the arguably better storyline made its mark and showed the team’s writing chops — and I can’t deny the positive critical reception of Neverwinter Nights 2 and its bevy of expansions. I’m only worried for the next installment of one of the best titles to come out this generation.

However, New Vegas has a lot going for it; be it the vivid neon Nevada landscape, the improved companion AI and significant gameplay additions like iron sight aiming and political affiliations with three different area factions. Considering I would have kept opening my wallet for extra Fallout 3 DLC until Fallout 4, I’ll go ahead and place my bets and take a chance on Fallout: New Vegas.

Now say it with me: Big money, no whammies. — Aaron Thayer

Fable III

October 26th — 360/Windows

Peter Molyneux, the head of Lionhead Studios and the lead designer for the Fable series, is nothing if not enthusiastic about his games. While many gamers had reason to chide Molyneux’s over-optimism after the first Fable, 2008’s Fable II was a different story. It might not have been perfect, but Fable II had a solid story and combat, and provided players with many ways to engage the game’s world.

Most importantly, though, it was incredibly fun and had very well-designed emotional moments. Fable III’s concept of rising to power, overthrowing the government and then having to deliver on promises is incredibly novel, and it also looks to provide more of the challenging aspects that made Fable II memorable. It may not provide the emotional impact that Molyneux is promising, but I’m looking forward to seeing how close the final game is to Molyneux’s pie-in-the-sky vision. — Doug Bonham

I don’t understand why a vocal minority of gamers has been allowed to cast such a dark pall over the entire Fable series. Some people are just incapable of looking past Molyneux’s boasts to accept the core product for what it has always been: inventive, imaginative and interactive. Countless designers make overblown claims about their projects, but sitting at the top of this entitled-gamer negativity pile is the work of Peter Molyneux. Oh well: I don’t buy into it. Unfounded criticism won’t, for me at least, detract from the great likelihood that the third Fable title will be a substantial improvement over the last one — and you can quote me on that.

If the Lionhead team was capable of making me care about a virtual canine in 2008, I can only salivate at what they will do in 2010 with an entire royal hierarchy and political undercurrent at my fingertips. With additional polish seen in the improved graphics, tweaked combat, an upgraded dog companion and a less-cluttered menu interface, a throng of issues keeping Fable from becoming an even more exciting experience have been handled. Honestly, I’m so eager that common economic sense has failed; Fable III might just be the one special edition package I purchase this year. — Aaron Thayer

Rock Band 3 & Dance Central

October 26th (RB3), November 4th (Dance Central) — 360/DS/PS3/Wii (RB3), 360 with Kinect (Dance Central)

Harmonix is serving up a double-header of games this fall, beginning with what might be the closest a game can get to simulating a real-life band experience. Rock Band 3 is bringing a bajillion small tweaks to the formula I’m so intimately familiar with, but the biggest changes have to do with the new instrument lineup. For the first time, keyboards will be playable thanks to a new keytar-like peripheral. But that wouldn’t be exciting if it weren’t for the addition of the game’s pro modes. Essentially, the pro modes attempt to bring the game as close as possible to playing real instruments by differentiating between tom and cymbal hits on the drums, mapping out a full two octaves of playable notes on the keyboard, and even integrating support for a real Squier guitar as a controller. And with the option to plug in any MIDI-compatible instruments you might have on hand, the lines between game and actual music practice really begin to blur.

But as much as Rock Band 3 is about refining an established concept, Dance Central appears to be all about introducing a brand-new one. By accurately tracking a player’s movements and limb positions, Dance Central is designed to get anybody dancing — provided they have the guts to step up and give it a shot. A highly intuitive interface helps the player to visualize dance moves quickly, and by highlighting body parts that aren’t matching the current step, it also allows for fast and easy self-correction in my experience. It seems like a surefire hit for parties, but whether it’ll be enough to sell Kinect to the skeptics remains to be seen. — Nick Cummings

LittleBigPlanet 2

November 16th — PS3

To be honest, the first LittleBigPlanet bored me. I didn’t have a great time because I was thrown into the hectic four-person multiplayer with no previous training, and I had to cope with what I still feel is an awkward use of physics-based jumping. A platformer that can’t jump well isn’t much of a platformer at all.

But I’m no curmudgeon: Charm exudes from Media Molecule’s brainchild — it’s cute and cuddly, but it also encourages cunning and cutthroat co-operative play. This is what I’d call a “smart” game. If players use their brains and imagination, an entirely new world will open up to them. The “Play, Create, Share” tagline is a marketing tool, sure, but it’s also a real concept, and LittleBigPlanet 2 is evolving the already impressive design tools present in the first to embolden the control available to creative types.

As a new PlayStation 3 owner, it behooves me to support exclusive titles that go beyond the requisite elements of more blood, more violence and more banality. Looks like I’ll have to shell-out some cash for more controllers. — Aaron Thayer

Editor’s note: We at Silicon Sasquatch have a problem. We don’t get to play every game that comes out simply because we aren’t sent review copies by publishers. However, we have friends who, like us, buy their own games, and these same friends also happen to be competent writers. Mr. Matt Damiano is one of those people, and we’d like to congratulate him on being our first guest reviewer. Let him know what you think of his review in the comments!

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is the follow-up to the 2008 series reboot, Prince of Persia, which didn’t make much of an initial commercial impression despite its generally positive reviews (and my personal favor). Consequently, Ubisoft Montreal opted to return to the original mythos of the Sands of Time games and explore the seven-year gap between Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. Given the studio’s lengthy track record with the Prince, how does Forgotten Sands hold up?

Despite the advice of '90s pop group TLC, the Prince went and chased the waterfalls anyway

In Forgotten Sands, the always affable and snarky Prince is traveling to visit his brother Malik, who guards King Solomon’s castle. Invaders seize the castle upon the Prince’s arrival, and in an attempt to fend-off the attack Malik unleashes an ancient, evil army made of (wait for it…) sand. It’s then up to the Prince to get the situation under control in a plot reminiscent of Sands of Time. The story is simple and episodic, which lends well to the Arabian Nights feel, but the content never really soars to the heights of Sands of Time. At least the Prince’s one-liners are well-timed nuggets of hilarity.

The series’ signature platforming is once again the star, and in that respect Forgotten Sands marks a new high point for Prince of Persia. The Prince regains the power to reverse time, but more impressive is his control over water and other elements. At the press of a button the Prince can freeze cascading water into place to perform sweet parkour maneuvers. The new twist on acrobatics adds a surprising amount of depth to game, especially because it could have been pure rehash. It also looks completely awesome.

Insert "Ice, Ice Baby" cliché here

Ever since Sands of Time, which had a fighting system I loved, Ubisoft has reinvented the combat mechanics with each new iteration of the series. Forgotten Sands is no exception. In sharp contrast to the last Prince of Persia’s one-on-one duels, Forgotten Sands introduces combat with anywhere from 10 to 100 enemies at once. The mechanics aren’t bad, as is the case with the other Prince games, but the combat is pretty simplistic even when compared with Sands of Time. I will say that Forgotten Sands does a fantastic job of integrating its melee component into the game: Combat is less frequent than in previous entries, and the transition between it and the platforming is seamless. Players can even jump from one enemy to the next a la Dead Rising. So while fighting is a fun diversion, Prince of Persia fans aren’t expected to buy these games for the combat alone.

Furthermore, while I have a deep respect for the folks at Ubisoft Montreal because their sequels often address the predecessor’s issues, sometimes the studio overdoes it. Overhauling combat for the umpteenth time was unnecessary, and I can’t help but feel like Ubisoft lost its nerve and gave-in to the incessant demands for a new Sands of Time game. And while Forgotten Sands is an enjoyable throwback to its predecessors, the ending practically screams sequel, whereas I want to see the series move in a new direction.

Forgotten Sands doesn’t feel like a cheap cash-in that coincides with the release of the movie. And though my experience with the game has been positive, it does feel like a substantial concession to a fan base that wanted more of the same. Thankfully the gameplay is made fresh by the new elemental powers and clever level design, which is ultimately what I — and presumably most of the fans – were hoping for anyway. If you like Prince of Persia, you owe it to yourself to check out Forgotten Sands.

Hype is a strange thing. It causes all sorts of people to vehemently defend a product they’ve never even touched. And despite my best efforts to remain neutral about the release of certain new videogames — in a laughable effort to sustain my school-bred journalistic ethics — I’m as susceptible to flashy advertisements and smart marketing as any modern consumer.

Red Dead Redemption, which is out today, coerced me to put my money down based on its trailers and previews alone. My fistful of (60) dollars is purchasing an untested game that I’ve barely seen or read about, and no matter how capable Rockstar is as a developer, every company makes mistakes (i.e., Capcom’s unsuccessful attempts at building western-focused franchises). This horse-riding, cattle-rustling and outlaw-shooting game could be a flop, but for more than a few reasons I don’t believe that’s the truth.

Instead, I’m going to tell you exactly why I’ve saddled up to ride into the hype-laden sunset.

The Details

Broncos buck as Marston lassos

Two words: horse physics.

Rockstar San Diego has taken the NaturalMotion Euphoria physics engine used in Grand Theft Auto IV and significantly tweaked its capabilities, which are best seen in the first introductory gameplay trailer. What looked exaggerated and comical in GTA — the stupor of walking around Liberty City drunk, for example — now looks more natural in Red Dead Redemption. Watching the horses run in slow-motion reminds me of Eadweard J. Muybridge’s experiments with photography and animal physiology, which proved that the hooves of a horse leave the ground during its stride. Sure, Red Dead is primarily concerned with shooting banditos in the head, but the level of care taken by the development team to make its world look as alive as possible is greatly appreciated. Every little bit helps the player’s suspension of disbelief.

The Developer

If only this was a screenshot for Back to the Future: The Game

If there’s one thing Rockstar Games’ studios are good at, it’s their capability to make nefarious activities enjoyable. From Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ drug running to Bully’s truancy, Rockstar titles drip a thick glaze of style and atmosphere onto the worlds in which they take place. I, for one, laughed at the idea of going to school as a focus of the gameplay in Bully, but later discovered how original and solid the concept was.

Red Dead Redemption is a modern take on the classic pulp fiction of the Wild West, although it seems closer to Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven than Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. On the surface, this is a clichéd tale of revenge, in which protagonist John Marston is on a manhunt for the remaining members of his traitorous, disbanded gang. He’s out for blood, and he’ll get it. The plot may not be original, but the approach is. Where Red Dead Revolver fell a bit flat in 2004, its sequel will likely succeed by the virtue of its gritty realism, historical accuracy and adrenaline-fueled action. I don’t expect this to be a Western simulator, but I do expect it to carry on a Rockstar tradition of weaving complex virtual tapestries of drama, violence, cinematic flair and innovation. Some might berate the developers for creating one more open-world sandbox title, but when did a more appropriate period of history exist to set a free-roaming videogame than the Wild West?

By using a professional narrator and structuring the trailers in a documentary format, Rockstar’s latest game comes off as a more impressive — and legitimate – idea. Very rarely do advertisement campaigns take the time to establish historical accuracy for the period they’re set in. So it’s refreshing then to discover that Red Dead looks more like an homage to the West than a parody of it. I’m not as familiar with the true history of the West as I am the evolution of urban life at the turn of the 20th century; even so, the trailers’ words about the encroaching effects of a technologically advanced United States on the lawless deserts and canyons of the Wild West are accurate and fascinating. Whether or not the game will make a point of highlighting this dynamic change in American society and culture remains to be seen, but it’s good that Rockstar San Diego appears to have wrote in at least one additional narrative theme outside of the core focus on revenge. I still expect there to be numerous other subplots and themes that intertwine with the main story, as is customary in other Rockstar games.

The Exploration

Not so much riding into the sunset as riding beside it

In Red Dead Redemption I will ride to the highest cliff to gaze at a breaking sunrise, while tumbleweeds roll hundreds of feet below, buzzards screech in the sky above and a camp fire smolders into the ashy ground behind me. I will hunt wildlife, and sell the grizzly pelts I’ve skinned to the general store so I can buy a rare six-shooter. I will use that gun to take back a gold mine from the bandits who have overrun it. I will then use that gun and a horse I took from the dead bandits to hijack a train. And in all of this, I will be playing one game the way I want to without feeling pressured to continue its plot.

Some gamers prefer linear stories. They want to be told what to do, but also hope to have a shred of leeway to do things as they see fit. Instead of limiting ingenuity and creativity within the game’s environment, Red Dead Redemption provides its players with three spacious regions to find hidden treasures, landmarks and random NPC encounters. There are also over 30 individual species of wildlife to hunt. Hunting requires players to bring bait, binoculars and a skinning knife; animals can be tracked, and they will fight back. Now I’m not a hunter by any stretch of the imagination, but games can help us enact fantasies about activities we’d never do ourselves. The hunting minigame, which appears to blend itself into the exploration element by introducing animals at random intervals, has kindled my imagination. Perhaps it’s the fact that hunting is more realistic than finding hidden packages or shooting pigeons.

The Multiplayer

What a drag. LOL!!1

Free-roam multiplayer is where, in my semi-educated opinion, the bulk of the online action will be. Here’s another great trailer all about it. Go on and watch it, I’ll wait.

The game’s free-roam mode injects all of the goal-oriented tasks, like team deathmatch and hunting, into the expansive single-player world. Instead of having to select these modes from a menu separately, my friends and I can accomplish our goals when and how we want to. Posses can be formed with up to eight players in an MMO-like fashion. Too many games tread the line between MMO and single-mode repetition, and they usually get it wrong (read: Borderlands). But maybe this time, one game will get it right.

Red Dead’s multiplayer has me eager to ride alongside my friends while we level up and unlock new avatars and horses. This particular free-roam idea was last seen in GTA IV, where it was a novel, albeit a boring, idea. Liberty City was sizable, but it still wasn’t “big” enough to hold my interest online. Ironically, a less-populated outdoor playground seems like it will have more to do than GTA’s urban metropolis.

The Conclusion

Marston's outtie 5000

So now I wait here at my desk, watching the clock tick by in an unusually indolent fashion. I’m anticipating Red Dead Redemption, a game I have a lot of reasons to like, but I’m without any solid evidence to trust my feelings. I could look at Metacritic, but a 94 or a 74 won’t change my mind either way: I’m ready for something new, and a cowboy game is new enough to me.

Amazon says my package was “out for delivery” in Portland, Oregon at 6:12 am. Only a few hours to go, then. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

And if you need to join a posse, just look me up on Xbox Live. You can call me by my cowboy name: Theodore “Doc Dynamite” Perkins.

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.

While our Top 10 Games of 2009 deserve attention for their overall excellence, we can’t neglect this year’s other fantastic games — titles that just missed the final cut. Be it their charm or presentation, our Honorable Mentions were simply hard to forget. We now present a five-part series of articles, one from each member of the Silicon Sasquatch staff. Today, Aaron brings us our penultimate installment in this series with his list of honorable mentions.

The Maw

January — Xbox Live Arcade, Windows

Twisted Pixel Games knows how to have fun with its projects. Instead of filling a crowded gaming market with more of the same, Twisted Pixel created The Maw — a wonderfully original title that made me laugh without needing a single complete sentence of dialog. The Pixar-like scenario of an alien (Frank) teaming up and becoming friends with an insatiably hungry purple blob (Maw) made for a refreshingly heartfelt downloadable game. Little things like watching Maw express emotions — panic when it was burned, pain when it ate a bad creature and fear when it hid behind Frank — were fantastic visual treats, and demonstrated the development team’s knack for working in a cartoon style. While the game’s controls and light platforming segments were average, watching Maw grow to the size of a planet by the end made up for the less-impressive aspects. Charm makes all the difference in an industry that has resorted to provoking reactions through gore and realistic graphics.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

February — Windows

If it’s a real time strategy game, I’ve more than likely played it. At one time I enjoyed only RTS titles; incessant in my collection of resources and conscription of soldiers, I would double click and hotkey my adolescent nights away. So I might be a habitual RTS player, but I’m ready to break tradition and openly thank Relic Entertainment for its innovative and decidedly non-traditional Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. Instead of micromanaging a base, the game granted intimate control over a squad of four unique (and upgradeable) characters. Dawn of War II is still a strategy-intensive game played in real time, but it feels more like a merger of Relic’s light squad mechanics from Company of Heroes with the intensity of a cover shooter like Gears of War. The RTS die-hards and Dawn of War I fans were somewhat upset by the big changes to a tried-and-true genre, but I’ll take innovation over stagnation any day.

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

July — Xbox Live Arcade, Windows

It’s a good thing I first experienced the Secret of Monkey Island in its Special Edition form. While I’m confident the original would still have captivated me with its self-referential humor and sharp wit, it was simply brilliant to discover such a timeless story intact underneath the drastic makeover. I might not have grown up playing any of the classic LucasArts adventure titles, but I’m happy the genre is experiencing a period of revivalthanks in part to Telltale Games’ work on the Sam and Max and Tales of Monkey Island episodes. The Special Edition’s updated art was gorgeous, and fit with the series’ style in the opinion of a Monkey Island newcomer like me. The numerous jokes, gags and one-liners are relevant 19 years later, and the characters are memorable enough that I hope Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge gets the same fresh coat of paint that Secret did.

Battlefield 1943

July — Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network

DICE won’t win any awards for shrinking the Battlefield formula into a petite downloadable package, but that doesn’t mean 1943 was anything less than a solid summer distraction. The concept of ground, sea and air forces clashing over control points to keep decreasing the enemy’s reinforcements is still the best option for multiplayer chaos. Other games’ online deathmatch modes have their limits, so I gladly accepted Battlefield 1943′s break from the monotony to laugh maniacally while I flew numerous Japanese Zeros into hapless Sherman tanks. And sure, the game had a meager selection of four maps (which as of this writing are still the only available maps), but at the end of the day I felt my money was well spent. DICE might be guilty of milking its franchises a bit, but it says something about the team’s capabilities and the strength of the core Battlefield product that I can continue to purchase the same game indefinitely and have an absolute blast, each and every time.

Torchlight

October — Windows

Is it unethical that I decided Torchlight would be one of my honorable mentions long before I even played the full game? Sometimes a demo is all you need, and Torchlight dug itself into my brain the moment I loaded its trial-sized world. Now that I own the full Torchlight experience, I feel much better about giving it a spot on my list. Call Torchlight Diablo Lite, but don’t say it isn’t addictive and well-designed. The art direction alone is worth the price of admission. Diablo may still be the boss in the world of isometric action RPGs, but Torchlight deserves recognition for its lighthearted attempt at being different in a sea of familiarity — and because it proves that, as far as gameplay is concerned, an expanded color palette won’t ruin Diablo III.

What more can be said about the so-called largest entertainment launch in the history of mankind?

It’s tempting to boil down Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to a vaporous obligation, an experience that divides gamers into the haves and have-nots. But that’s putting blind faith in a product based on its advertising blitzkrieg. Aren’t we supposed to be discerning consumers?

The climate around Modern Warfare 2 is now adequate, a month after release, for a steady-handed dissection of gaming’s latest chart-topping champion — far removed from the pre-release hype. This critique won’t convert the detractors or embolden the fanatics, but it will hopefully read as an alternative education on the latest Call of Duty, a game that flirts with failure as much as it tastes success.

War. War never changes.

We’re now at the sixth main entry in the Call of Duty franchise and the second Modern Warfare title. The games have upped the adrenaline in each release (including CoD substitute developer Treyarch’s Call of Duty 3 and CoD: World at War), and at this point the franchise can almost out-Michael Bay the actual Michael Bay. But is this what we want? Yes, according to the numbers and charts. Modern Warfare 2 is exactly what gamers want, and want more of. And that’s precisely what we’ll be getting. Case in point: Electronic Arts has jumped back into the big budget FPS arena, and they’re out for blood with a “me too!” modernized Medal of Honor title set for release in 2010.

To be fair, I’ve never wanted the Call of Duty series to be anything but a set of flawlessly produced cinematic action games. Infinity Ward was founded under that mindset when key members of 2015, Inc., the studio behind Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, split from Electronic Arts to make games their way. From the beginning, Infinity Ward wanted to outdo Medal of Honor, the most movie-like shooter series in the early 2000s.

The most hardcore ride to a paintball match, ever.

There’s no doubt that Modern Warfare 2′s filmic set pieces will stick with me. From outer space to suburban Virginia, to Pacific Ocean oil platforms and the Middle East, this is quite the Carmen Sandiego (or Matt Lauer) treatment. I applaud Infinity Ward and Modern Warfare 1 and 2 writer Jesse Stern for taking such a risk by juggling multiple locales in a brief, six-hour campaign. However, the spastic story makes for forgettable personal interactions amongst the more memorable explosions. I don’t exactly care that Soap is back. I wasn’t floored by the surprise return of a main character from Call of Duty 4. New characters like Ghost are cookie-cutter archetypes seen too many times before. And I certainly can’t forgive recycling the “Let’s shoot this player character in the face to kill him off” plot mechanic. The twists in Modern Warfare 1 worked because of their initial shock value. No one expected the nuke to actually go off and kill Sgt. Paul Jackson. But thanks to Call of Duty 4, the expectation of death appearing at any moment during Modern Warfare 2 dissolves what was once a clever tool. Stern and the other writers might find this life-and-death uncertainty to be “emotionally charged,” but it instead comes off as simplistic and tired.

While I don’t expect deep, philosophical pondering from Call of Duty, I do expect the series to show me things I’ve never seen in a videogame before. And in that regard Modern Warfare 2 more than succeeded. I’d never felt so uneasy playing a game as I did when firing on civilians in “No Russian.” I’ve never dodged a land mine in slow motion before. I also can’t say I’ve pushed through a crowd of enemies with a riot shield. And I certainly haven’t breached and cleared, in slow motion, a room filled with explosive barrels and terrorists guarding hostages. Modern Warfare 2 is simply bursting with numerous classic moments like these.

Then why am I so frustrated at the single player story? Because this is the industry’s future. This is what we encourage; because we’re addicted. We think that as long as the gameplay is tight it doesn’t matter if the story is weak. Infinity Ward can’t be faulted for being good at what they do, and this review is no place to sit in my tower of perceived superiority, but gamers aren’t advancing the medium forward — they’re hindering it. Astronomical sales beget more games like Modern Warfare 2, which sounds absolutely fine in the short term. But when you consider the uneven plot of Modern Warfare 2, and realize this was just a giant action flick, the potential for more of it makes my enthusiasm slip into apathy.

Infinity Ward's next project: a realistic remake of Ice Climbers.

Still, Modern Warfare 2 was fun. Pure can’t-put-it-down-even-though-it’s-3 a.m. fun. I finished the campaign twice, once on Veteran even, and marveled at the visceral gameplay both times. Infinity Ward is at the top of its game with the latest in the franchise. But is this all we want from our sequels? Just because something was “badass” doesn’t mean it’s worthwhile. Games like Modern Warfare 2 — all flash and polish — are brittle, fleeting even. These games do well until the sequel comes along. Because think about it: Will Modern Warfare 2 be a replayable game 10 years from now, a game that will defy age and achieve a Tetris-like status? The recent Call of Duty 1 re-release on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network has brought up this question, as reviewers tend to comment that the game, while an impressive feat of development during its time, hasn’t aged well. The original title is still playable, but its impact today is in showing us how far gaming has come in six years. So I’m sure Modern Warfare 2 will play well years from now. But who’s going to care when we’re pre-ordering Call of Duty: Future Warfare 5?

Some gamers might fail to see my point in criticizing Modern Warfare 2, and will likely say I’m overreacting or being hypocritical. I’m aware sequels are what drive the industry, and more of a high-quality series is generally a joyous thing. But that’s why I feel a few jabs at Modern Warfare 2 are warranted: We need to expect more from these $60 blockbusters, so why not start with the current king? Asking little of talented people is ruining a portion of the film industry, where cheap remakes and bare-minimum sequels are encouraged by ignorant audiences.

Then again, a lot of Call of Duty players don’t care what either Infinity Ward or Treyarch do with their stories. It fascinates me that many of Modern Warfare 2′s multiplayer gamers haven’t finished the campaign. Try checking random players’ Modern Warfare 2 achievements: some haven’t even progressed past “The Pit.”

Plot is only a back-of-the-box feature to these types, something read but never experienced. They just want the multiplayer.

Looks like someone's finally taking out the Whale Wars crew.

Back in the saddle (on a slightly different horse).

If you loved Call of Duty 4′s genius multiplayer, be thankful: Modern Warfare 2 adds enough to the same experience to feel new again. The riot shield, third-person perspective matches, death streak rewards and customized killstreaks are the most impressive additions, and each helps you feel even more in control of your online soldier.

And despite a recent crop of frustratingly abundant bugs, multiplayer remains a major reason to purchase the game. You still gain experience, you still make your own classes and you still unlock new weapons and perks on your way to the increased level cap of 70. Infinity Ward took a risk and failed with its handling of the single player plot; however, they built upon the strengths of Call of Duty 4′s online portion to improve the original concept.

The pull of Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer is strong at first. Playing with friends every day can encourage an extreme investment in the process of ranking up to keep up; unlocking gear, tweaking perks, testing attachments and completing challenges can melt the hours away. It’s so fast-paced that there’s rarely time to realize you’re trudging through frustration and anger for a small bit of satisfaction via the occasional killstreak or “Oh man, did you see that?” moment.

I only start losing interest once I’ve played the same maps, killed the same classes and defeated the same tactics hundreds of times. So I’d be ignorant if I didn’t recognize how much value Modern Warfare 2′s multiplayer mode has when I’ve played it for nearly three days total. It’s expected that the well will run dry after so many return trips.

But Call of Duty multiplayer is frustratingly ironic in its insistence on rewarding the lone wolf player. The gameplay is too fast — too hectic — to provide the sense of camaraderie Infinity Ward wants in its single player campaigns; originally in opposition to Medal of Honor and its invincible soldier defeating battalions of enemies alone. Online players with the most kills in the first two Call of Duty games were those who didn’t work with their teammates — opting instead to hide, camp and snipe. The same mentality applied to Call of Duty 4, and continues to apply to its sequel. While I do believe an organized clan can dominate any battlefield situation online, Call of Duty team games have never felt truly organized.

So to fill the co-op gap in their own Call of Duty titles, Infinity Ward took cues from Treyarch’s Nazi Zombies to create the new Special Ops mode. The result is my absolute favorite part of Modern Warfare 2.

Spring Break 2009: Overdressed at Lake Havasu!

Table for two.

Special Ops is a one to two player co-op mode containing 23 missions split into military alphabet categories, ascending in difficulty from Alpha through Echo. The goal is to collect all 69 stars (I hope someone at Infinity Ward is proud of that), which are rewarded based on the difficulty each mission is completed on — one for Regular, two for Hardened, three for Veteran. Missions pull from locales seen in the single player campaign, meaning there are snowmobile races, stealth missions, blow-up-everything challenges and extremely difficult breach and clear tasks to name a few.

I have a hunch this is the future of Call of Duty, or at least a very important part of its growth. In a way, Special Ops feels like a series of tiny user-created mods for a PC title like Operation Flashpoint or ArmA II. You and your partner actually rely on each other to beat these challenges, and it’s imperative to keep an open line of communication and plan your tactics in advance. All of the current missions are substantial enough to take a week or two to complete at Veteran difficulty.

Cooperative gameplay is extremely popular right now, but Special Ops manages to cement its own place amongst a slew of similar experiences. It isn’t Left 4 Dead, it isn’t horde mode and it certainly isn’t Nazi Zombies. Those examples encourage a sort of long form experience; horde mode and Nazi Zombies have checkpoints within a persistent gameplay session, and the Left 4 Dead games are about working toward an end goal across multiple chapters. As an alternative, Special Ops missions can be finished in anywhere from two to 15 minutes depending on the specific task and your pacing. Each mission is independent from the others within its difficulty class (i.e., don’t expect to see two snowmobile races on Bravo’s list). It’s such a fast mode that I can see doing one or two of these with your pal during a lunch break from work — assuming you work near your home, or have an amazing boss who lets you play your console at work.

Infinity Ward’s unique take on co-op gaming is a welcome surprise considering the studio’s pedigree of making gigantic scenarios to showcase their development skills. Say hello to “micro-op” gameplay.

Soap: fully armed and running late to a Mr. T cosplay convention.

All things considered, Modern Warfare 2 is a behemoth of a game. And while I do believe it will easily be replaced by its eventual sequel, I can’t pretend like it didn’t provide hours of entertainment. Be it my fleeting addiction to the multiplayer or the clever co-op of Special Ops, there’s a lot to like about the latest Call of Duty. Let’s just hope Modern Warfare 3 finds Infinity Ward able to write a story just as impressive as the graphics engine will be.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available for a suggested retail price of $59.99 on the Xbox 360, PC and PS3. The reviewer reached 100% completion on both the campaign and Special Ops modes, and registered nearly three days worth of time played in multiplayer. He feels slightly embarrassed by that fact. A copy was given to the reviewer as a gift by an independent party.

Recommended for:

• Call of Duty diehards, of course
• Shooter fans
• Multiplayer enthusiasts who like RPG elements
• Activision would want me to say “everyone,” right? Well, practically everyone bought it already.
• Special Ops

Not Recommended for:

• Those who appreciate good writing
• Gamers tired of another batch of bombs, bullets and buddies fighting the good fight
• Anyone who hasn’t cared about Call of Duty up to this point — MW2 isn’t enough to convince you to join the masses

Read our policy on reviews here.

The Holidays approach. For some that means quality time with family members not seen for a year — maybe more. Others, well…can I get a “what what” if at some point during your life you hid away in the midst of celebrations to finish Earthbound (or, insert other game reference here). However, my adult years have made me more personable when it comes to the holidays; I’m now infinitely more interested in the going-ons of my kin.

Still, I won’t lie that this year I’d prefer to mow down more of Left 4 Dead 2′s cajunized zombies with a giant plate of delicious turkey and fixins on my lap. I’m thankful for me.

We’re back on track for backlogs, and this week is mega-sized to make up for our absence. To summarize: Nick informs us he essentially played everything ever released this month, Doug gushes about his beloved Forza 3 between study sessions, and I write about why two wonderful November-born titles should be played on the PC.

Do the Mario!

Nick:

Life served up a particularly hellish week for me, so it was fortunate that I had a slew of excellent games to escape with.

I spent a few fantastic hours in New Super Mario Bros. Wii in its fantastic cooperative/competitive mode earlier this week. What Jerry Holkins said about this game’s debilitating effects on a relationship is true, to a point; while we were able to help each other out for the most part, there were times where my attempts to “take the lead” or “get us through this tough spot” often led to one or both of us being killed, prompting my girlfriend to say some things about me that are rarely included in the same sentences used to talk about a Mario game. But it was all in good fun — something this game has in ample supply. It’s Mario in his best form ever, and anyone who grew up playing these games should purchase it without hesitation.

This week also brought another sequel to a game I adored: Assassin’s Creed 2. Transporting the game to Renaissance Italy is perhaps the most significant shift in story and setting that I’ve seen in a franchise in quite some time, and Ubisoft Montreal deserves some commendation for crafting an incredible sequel to an already ambitious debut title. There’s so much I could say about how things were improved — combat, economy, actions and consequences, exploration, story — but I’ll lay it out like this instead. If you loved Assassin’s Creed, you’ll love Assassin’s Creed 2. And if you hated the original? You’ll probably love Assassin’s Creed 2 anyway.

Having completed all five campaigns in Left 4 Dead 2, I’m happy to pronounce myself an official fan of the series. Although I bought the first game and had my fair share of fun with it, I always felt a little uneasy playing it. And it wasn’t because of the game’s tension, or horror-film veneer, or anything like that; it was just that the game sent a constant message that your survival was entirely at the game director’s mercy. In the sequel, the tone has changed significantly for the better. If Left 4 Dead was Valve’s attempt to make an interactive zombie movie like Dawn of the Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 is Valve making a balls-out Zombieland-style game. Melee weapons encourage close combat, lending a sense of strength and confidence to the survivors that was sorely missing from the first. All four of the characters in the sequel have stronger personalities than the first game’s survivors, and their determination on getting to New Orleans to be rescued encourages the player to keep slogging it out through hell and high water. It’s one of the most improved sequels of the year, without a doubt.

And when you consider that Left 4 Dead 2 was developed in just one year, it’s disappointing that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 didn’t shape up to be more substantial. To be fair, Infinity Ward’s last game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, not only reinvented the series — it raised the bar significantly for what an online multiplayer experience can be. I sank a “mere” 40 hours into COD4′s multiplayer mode, which pales in comparison to most of the people on my friends list. Multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2 is technically just as good as COD4′s, but after a solid six hours online in a variety of modes I’m struggling to stay interested. The mantra in developing this sequel seems to have been “more options in every aspect of play,” which is a good thing, but the core sensation of Call of Duty 4 has dulled for me. I was hoping lightning would strike twice, and I suppose it did, but I was hoping for a more risky and adventurous update to multiplayer — not a mere iteration. If I wanted that, I’d have bought last year’s Call of Duty: World at War. If there is one area that received a substantial improvement, though, it’s the single player. Rather than attempt to keep things within the bounds of reality, Infinity Ward opted to create an over-the-top global conflict that was flawlessly paced from start to finish. It’s ludicrous, but it’s so, so much fun. At about six hours to complete, it’s shorter than COD4′s — but considering how tedious replaying that game’s campaign was for me, I’m much happier with the new game’s approach.

I’m still slogging through Dragon Age: Origins with my city elf rogue. Steam says I’ve played for quite a long time, but I’m only at about 15% completion. Maybe it’s because I love reading every entry in the admirably written codex, or because I can’t help but talk to every NPC, but I’m getting an astronomically entertaining experience for my money with this game. I’m really struggling to fathom just how Mass Effect 2 could top the quality of this experience once it hits in January.

I also sank a few rounds in with the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta. I’d been hoping for a return to the glory days of Battlefield 2, and instead what I got was Bad Company with a moderate graphical upgrade; it’s good, but there are better options available. Looks like I’ll still be holding out for Battlefield 3 after all.

Doug sums up his feelings on this picture with an articulate "WEEEEEEE!"

Doug:

While I’ve been way too busy finishing up the majority of my grad school quarter, I’ve still found time to play a little bit of…erm…Forza Motorsport 3. And nothing else.

But it’s so good! I still love pretty much everything about it, even if I haven’t been able to play online with my friends at all. The rewind button is a godsend — it erases single-player frustration with the ease of control-z functionality. The selection of cars and tuning options are superb; I’ve made an old-school Volkswagen Rabbit into a fire-breathing, turbocharged four-wheel-drive monster that could eat a Ferrari for lunch and spit out its bones.

It’s been said that Microsoft and Turn 10 gets things right in the third iteration, and this particular game is a great example of that. It’s almost strange to think that all three Forza Motosport games have been released since Sony and Polyphony released Gran Turismo 4 on the PlayStation 2. It’s scary to think how much Forza has moved ahead certain aspects of console racing games.

Along with Forza, I’ve tried out a few of the Xbox Live improvements from this week’s update — namely the implementation of Facebook and Twitter. And that’s really the extent of my interaction; they’re there, they work just as advertised, but I feel like I’m kind of missing the point. It’s nice to have both services everywhere at all times, but until a real killer use for either blooms on the 360 they’re going to feel like tacked-on additions.

I don't think James Brown had this in mind when he wanted to take us to "the bridge."

Aaron:

Let’s get down to it. Left 4 Dead 2 and Dragon Age: Origins are two amazing games that deserve to be played on the PC only.

Now, I love consoles. This isn’t a fanboy thing. And I fully understand that not everyone has a modern computer capable of playing the latest releases — Boot Camp Macs included. So, let’s assume you’re a lucky gamer who has the following: a home console of the PS3 or Xbox 360 variety, and a gaming PC. Let’s also assume you enjoy co-op zombie shooting and in-depth fantasy RPGs. You’re excited about the aforementioned titles, but you’re hesitant to commit to a particular platform. Here’s the answer: Play those games on the PC, or you’re not getting your money’s worth.

That may be a blatantly ignorant statement to some, but these words come from a person who, before this month, more or less abandoned PC gaming over the past year (aside from Dawn of War II and Left 4 Dead 1). PCs get the short end of the doomsday stick these days. People say the PC as a gaming device is dead, no one makes money off of the games anymore, and pirating is ruining developers left and right. Controversies aren’t helping the perception of PC gamers amongst the general gaming populace either. So that’s why I’m glad to see Electronic Arts promoting the platform with a definitive version Dragon Age, and Valve doing their thing by releasing such a quality computer title as L4D2.

Dragon Age works best on PC because of the following: the overall better performance (higher frame rate, less glitching, faster loading), a more sensible control/camera mechanic, and a BioWare community toolset that paves the way for future user mods. If Neverwinter Nights is an example to go by, expect years of free, quality content flowing from the collective mind of an invested fan base.

Now, Left 4 Dead 2 deserves to be experienced on the PC because it’s a Valve title first, console port second — plain and simple. The Steam service is consistent in its ability to match like minded players and bring friends together promptly. PC gamers are spoiled when it comes to online play. Thanks, dedicated servers.

I’d also wager the community on Steam is better than Xbox Live’s. Actually, it is better. Left 4 Dead 2 even has a section specifically for add-ons, and it’s exciting to think of the campaigns an active community will create using the sequel’s assets. The original’s user-made maps were generally great, so expect a longer lifespan if you pick up L4D2 on the PC.

Oh, and PC versions are cheaper than their console counterparts. That’s a plus.