I have incredibly mixed feelings about Formula 1 2010. On the one hand, this is the first Formula 1-based game on next-gen platforms since Sony’s F1 Championship Edition in 2006. As well, the game does an amazing job painting a portrait of the Formula 1 circus, from the glitz and glamor in the paddock to the thunder and thrills on the track. However, the game has a facade that is too easily broken; compounding the problem is that it feels unfinished in spots.

Reviewer’s Note: We will run an amendment article at a later date, once F1 2010 is patched to address the numerous issues with the game. As it stands right now, it feels unfinished and has numerous frustrating bugs, including one that corrupts save data; when, and how, these are addressed is a major issue surrounding the game right now.

F1 2010 uses interactive menus, placing various game mode options into the "real world" you would see as a Formula 1 driver.

Formula 1 racing is, much like soccer, a sport incredibly well known and followed outside of the United States; 400 million viewers tune in for each of the rounds of the championship, and the series has been run every year since 1950. I’ve watched almost every race since 1997, and know a ton about the history of F1. Considering my love of racing games too, I’m undoubtedly the game’s target audience. Each round in the championship is a carnival, as the racing series’ own video edits of races prove. Codemasters has thus provided a rich tapestry on which to build a virtual world and something of a storyline. Unlike a Forza Motorsport or a Gran Turismo game, each race acts as a piece in a greater narrative, instead of focusing solely on what happens on-track and what car you unlock.

Codemasters has tried to do something very different and innovative with the game’s structure. You’re launched directly into defining your career mode in the form of a press conference, including details like your driver’s name, nationality and how long a career you’re planning. Accessing the other menu options, like single-races, multiplayer modes and other options are done in the paddock next to your career teams’ transporters. If you played Codemasters’ DiRT games this may sound familiar — the large, popped-out text on screen is a style Codies has made their own, but it also helps to make the game feel more like a sports game instead of a Gran Turismo clone. Everything is laid out to make you become a Formula 1 driver, and immerse you in a virtual re-creation of something only 24 people on the planet each year get to experience.

Driving a Formula 1 car is hard enough; driving an F1 car in the rain? Exciting, to say the least.

As a driving game, F1 2010 is very solid. The game engine is an evolution of Codemasters’ previous racers, but with some serious tuning to suit the rigors of Formula 1 — like having 24 cars on the track at once. Driving an F1 car is incredibly difficult in real life, but similar to Forza Motorsport 3, the game tailors each difficulty level with a series of driving aids; these can also be adjusted individually. As a Formula 1 fan, the game manages to capture everything about F1 racing I’d expect — from your team engineer providing information updates and support, to the screaming V8 engines, to the incredible handling and stopping power. As I spend more and more time on the track, I find myself getting quicker because I’m able to push the limits of the car, and that is exactly how a Formula 1 game should behave. It may not be as one-to-one accurate as some PC racing simulators, but F1 2010′s on-track racing strikes an excellent balance — providing the right amount of fear and speed while remaining accessible but not punishing.

The worst of F1 2010's bugs corrupts your save data — and thus your single-player progress — if you advance through the menus wrong after certain circumstances. This has happened to me twice.

However, the game is far from flawless. It could have used another two or three months of development time before it was released; surely Codemasters must have been trying to meet a deadline to release the game in September, with a few rounds of the actual Formula 1 series left to run. I say this for two reasons: One, there are numerous bugs found when playing the game; and two, there is also a real issue of difficulty balance that could use tuning.

First, the bugs. The list of bugs both confirmed and unconfirmed in the game is lengthy. These range from the mildly annoying (AI cars not pitting or pitting too often in races) to the aggravating (the player’s car being unfairly held in the pit lane if you pit on the same lap as the AI) to the soul-crushing (corrupting save data, forcing the player to re-start their career; this has happened twice since I bought the game). While Codemasters is aware of the problems and working on a patch, there’s not a target release date, and many diehard racers I know are avoiding the career mode until the game is patched. While some bugs are only mildly annoying, their sheer abundance points to a title that looks undercooked.

The difficulty curve can be a bit off in the game; a Lotus shouldn't be leading the pack, regardless what's happened behind you.

More grating to me, personally, is the uneven difficulty curve. On the hardest two difficulty levels the AI is brutally fast, your starting car can feel terribly slow (especially the Lotus, Virgin and HRT, though this lack of speed is true to life) and the in-race penalties can feel overly punitive, especially if you’re trying to get to grips with the game’s physics. It’s hard not to be anything but a moving obstacle; moreover, it’s easy to ruin your race. This may be true to life — Formula 1 racing is far from easy — but it feels punishing and masochistic. Aaron and Nick can attest to the level of attention and focus completing a 17-lap race took from me…and that was in an effort where I finished 18th out of 24 cars. Punishment isn’t the only problem; by switching to the mid-pack Sauber-Ferrari and applying setups from this online forum, I can now routinely outpace the AI and win races by 30 seconds.

In short, Formula 1 2010 is long on ideas but falls short in the execution. As a diehard Formula 1 fan who remembers when Williams were good and Ferrari were lovable traditionalists who used V12s, I love the attention to detail that Codemasters has given the game, down to the grid girls in the paddock. However, it feels rushed. I have no doubt that F1 2011 will have solutions to many of the bugs and difficulty issues, but I’m not certain what a patch will be able to fix and when that will happen. When it works, it’s absolutely brilliant and is the Formula 1 game I always wanted, yet too often it stumbles into another bug or issue. I would love to be able to recommend this game to everyone, but without a demo and with so many issues, I can’t do that right now.

Recommended for:

• Console-centric racing game fans looking for a fix ahead of Gran Turismo 5
• Formula 1 fans yearning for a good, modern, accessible F1 game
• Graphics junkies — the in-game graphics are incredible, and the menus are very well done

Not Recommended for:

• Anyone who expects the game to be bug-free as of right now
• Hardcore racing simulator fans who are masters of iRacing or Grand Prix Legends — F1 2010 will not be enough of a simulator for the super-hardcore if you expect it to equate to those games

Formula 1 2010 was developed and published by Codemasters. It is available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $59.99, and on Windows for $39.99 via retail and Steam. The reviewer played the game on multiple difficulty levels in career mode, single-race Grand Prix, Time Trial, and online for approximately 20 hours.

Extra special thanks to Something Awful goons for supplying PC screenshots of bugs and the F1 2010 menu system.

Read our policy on reviews here.

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

Mass Effect 2 is the greatest game BioWare has created in its 15 years as a developer. Its prolific development schedule seems all but impossible: to release one fantastic blockbuster in November (Dragon Age: Origins) and then, two months later, hurdle over the quality of that game with the launch of another — while simultaneously crafting a massively multiplayer online game set in the Star Wars universe, due out in 2011. It’s an enormous accomplishment, satellite studios or not, for a developer already respected for its history of producing top-tier software.

Yet greatness doesn’t always imply perfection, and the second title in the Mass Effect trilogy stumbles on occasion during an otherwise impressive stride. But with those minor problems in mind, Mass Effect 2 is still among the most satisfying games I’ve ever played. It deserves the praise and the hype.

Science-fiction space operas don’t appeal to every gamer, but I sincerely doubt that BioWare’s recent opus, with its intelligent gameplay, diverse characters and compelling plot, is incapable of attracting both role-playing game skeptics and shooter scoffers alike. This truly is the best of both worlds.

As the Normandy explodes around him, Commander Shepard rushes to save his iPad

Mass Effect 2 is a hybridized experience; it’s the pulse-pounding union of statistical role-playing sensibilities and precise shooter mechanics. The sequel shares only the most basic traits with its predecessor, and it’s much better for the changes.

Ordering the squad around is no longer akin to babysitting questionably intelligent intergalactic children. When you’re not inputting skill points into a trimmed down character screen for Shepard and his or her companions, you’ll be deftly moving from cover to cover and tossing a mixture of biotic, tech and weapon abilities at foes faster than what was ever seen in Mass Effect 1. Ability cooldowns, though still present, are quick enough to no longer act as a stopgap for executing stylish attacks — BioWare realized the old combat, though functional, was punishing players through its reliance on shooting mechanics that weren’t always satisfying, or accurate.

At its core Mass Effect 2 is a role-playing cover-based shooter. Firing from cover and moving to multiple different positions is more important than before, and even on lower-level difficulties strategic thinking is instrumental in overcoming the various enemies who flank and storm Shepard to no avail. Forget those combat habits developed from the first game. Prepare to adapt. The initial fights are potentially taxing for Mass Effect 1 players, who are used to a certain way of doing things. While I now prefer the revamped combat, I had to tell myself to stick with it during some frustrating sequences.

Mass Effect 2 incorporates three new defensive layers available to the good and bad guys of the galaxy. Shields make a return, keeping their blue coloration and weakness to tech abilities. New to the series are a yellow armor bar and a purple biotic barrier bar, each of which requires distinct weapons and powers to whittle down. Tougher foes will have up to two layers of protection before their health will fall. It’s now imperative to think about the team’s weaknesses before charging into battle. Coming toe-to-toe with a 20-foot tall LOKI mech without any armor-reduction capacity will likely result in a Critical Mission Failure screen, followed by the urge to cry under a pile of dryer-warm blankets.

The game’s interface receives a substantial overhaul as well. Information on your squad members’ current condition and shield strength are placed alongside tiny headshot icons in the bottom center of the screen. It’s a bit hard to read at first, which bar correlates to what action, but after a couple of hours it stands out as a wonderful alternative to the first Mass Effect and its unappealing blue-hued graphics cluttering the corners of the screen. Shepard’s status is, like before, easy to ascertain from the numerous audio and visual cues bombarding the player during critical moments. Shields fizzle out and explode when depleted; Shepard will also tell his squad that much in case no one was paying attention. Bloodshot eye veins will creep in from off screen to remind players that Shepard’s fairly close to kicking the galactic bucket. The remaining screen real estate is given to the currently equipped weapon, which sports an orange color palette that dominates the entirety of Mass Effect 2′s graphic style. The first game’s interfaces were predominately blue. The sequel favors an all-orange look. Will Mass Effect 3 go all-out with an interface composed of varying shades of pink? Hopefully.

Artist's rendition of the on-screen character headshots in Mass Effect 2

While the second Mass Effect takes great strides in improving the overall experience through its trimming of numerous features, this same mentality ends up causing problems over the course of the 30-hour experience. Character classes are more defined than ever before, and each has strengths and weaknesses the original classes did not. Unfortunately without some type of qualifying marker for the classes it’s possible players will pick a role based on its coolness factor, and later find the play style is too difficult for their first attempt. I encountered this problem during my time as a Vanguard. Although I did finish the game on Veteran, the up-close-and-personal tactics of the class did not provide an appropriate introduction to the new combat style. This issue could have been rectified by adding a color-coding system based on difficulty. For example: The class selection screen could color the roles in green (beginner), yellow (intermediate) or red (advanced). As far as the classes are concerned, the streamlining comes off as schizophrenic, and BioWare’s motivations become suspect. Was the series’ revamp completed with the intention of attracting a more diverse population of gamers, or was it to satisfy the complaints of Mass Effect veterans?

Regrettably for some, the infamous power wheel makes a lackluster return. Holding the left bumper still accesses the squad’s weapons while the right bumper presents the various special abilities. Three powers can now be mapped to the Y button and the left and right bumpers respectively, reducing the time spent browsing the power wheel. The system works, but considering the numerous other changes to the core experience it seems strange that the wheel system remains largely untouched. Whereas the rest of Mass Effect 2 is trimmed down and speedy, the power wheel introduces awkward and lengthy gaps into the flow of combat. However, what has drastically changed from Mass Effect 1 is inventory management — or the lack thereof.

It stands to reason that years of misspelled emails and grammatically horrific forum posts played some small part in BioWare’s decision to scrap the traditional inventory altogether. Following the “less is more” philosophy prevalent throughout Mass Effect 2 there are only a small handful of different weapons in each category, including the new classes of sub machine guns and heavy weapons. Instead of spending hours managing a bulging inventory, players will select their equipment before a mission (and sometimes during one if a weapon station is available) so the focus is entirely on fighting enemies. Customization takes a bit of a backseat as squad members only have two costumes to choose from, although Shepard can purchase many different armor components, and players can color the commander’s armor as they see fit.

What makes the most sense in the new system is how the original’s various ammo types are handled. Doing away with a full inventory made incendiary ammo and others become actual abilities accessible via the power wheel, and once upgraded they can be applied to the entire squad. Unfortunately that means some classes (like the sentinel and adept) are locked out of ammo powers until the squad members that have one of the various powers is leveled up enough to permit entire squad usage.

One outstanding gripe is the game’s addition of finite ammunition. Mass Effect 1 had unlimited ammo, but Mass Effect 2 uses “thermal clips.” With the addition of heavy weapons — which vary from functional to disappointing in their usefulness — it can be reasoned that the developers didn’t want unlimited ammo to make the experience easier. Still, the change is an interesting one. Making Mass Effect into a shooter must have been quite important to BioWare.

Apparently, LOKI mechs are filled with gold foil confetti

Yet all of the design-focused improvements in the world wouldn’t make a difference if the developers couldn’t scribe another space-faring story filled with danger, adventure and plot twists. Being the middle child of a trilogy, the potential for Mass Effect 2 to falter in its weaving of the series’ most essential plot threads is fairly high. Fortunately, the game never finds an opportunity to disappoint — either because there’s always something happening, or because it’s just a damn good story. It’s likely a combination of both.

Mass Effect 2′s writing is much more coherent due to its driving focus on building a team to face the Reaper threat in one all-out suicide mission. From the revival of Shepard’s body in the first 15 minutes to the epic confrontation with the Collectors — who look like the aliens from Independence Day — in the core of the Milky Way galaxy, the game flows at a lightning pace. Its style, charm and wit lends the experience well to an “Ocean’s 11 in space” comparison — assemble the crew and complete the high-stakes job. Shepard’s motivation is to find the best and most dangerous beings in the known galaxy. His goal: amass the badass. During the course of the game, a slow crescendo builds in the periphery. It’s fairly easy to lose sight of the end goal when preoccupations like side quests and loyalty missions keep filling the journal, but by the end the darker tone pays off.

Cerberus, a pro-human splinter group, plays an interesting role in the sequel. BioWare’s staff of writers and lore-keepers took a barely mentioned entity from the first game and turned it into the driving force behind the sequel. A paragon-focused Shepard will feud with the group’s leader, the Illusive Man, and the constant exchanges of intellect and morality provide hours of entertainment. The fact that this rogue paramilitary organization reconstructed Shepard’s charred body to keep him in the fight against the Reapers is a powerful simile for the importance of heroes and icons. So it’s that much more important to keep Shepard alive through the end of the game — remember, anyone, including the commander, can die in Mass Effect 2.

Carrie-Anne Moss puts in a brief but effective performance as crime boss Aria T'Loak

Mass Effect’s cast may have been top-notch, but Mass Effect 2′s is more dynamic, more complex and much more interesting. From the shadowy Illusive Man to the monk-like Samara, the introspective Thane and the high-strung Mordin, each character is unique. Jacob, the Cerberus soldier and the first squad member encountered in the game, is the only letdown. Even so, he’s well-written and fits the role of the loyal ex-Alliance troop admirably.

Making the most memorable debut is Legion, the only Geth in the universe who doesn’t want to put a hole in Shepard’s head. Donning salvaged N7 armor and addressing the protagonist as Shepard Commander, Legion manages to become an instant classic despite its lack of organic characteristics. Legion is reminiscent of HK-47 from that other BioWare game, Knights of the Old Republic. Legion and HK-47 are both humorous in their awkward adoption of humankind’s mores, and they are equally mysterious in their underlying motivations. The only difference is Legion doesn’t constantly tell people he would kill them if he had the chance.

Even the Normandy acquires a personality in Mass Effect 2, thanks to the vocal talents of Tricia Helfer, better known as Number Six from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series. A new ship is built by Cerberus and dubbed the Normandy SR-2 after the original Normandy is destroyed in the introductory sequence. Installed in the vessel is EDI, Helfer’s character and the ship’s artificial intelligence. The entire voice cast is brilliant, with big names like Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man and Carrie-Anne Moss as crime boss Aria T’Loak. The original voice cast returns as well, and favorites like Seth Green and Keith David give another set of wonderful performances. All in all, BioWare did a fantastic job directing its assemblage of vocal performances.

Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of Mass Effect 2 lies in its character-specific loyalty missions. At certain points throughout the game after Shepard begins recruiting his team, players will have the (optional) opportunity to undertake a personal mission for each member. Considering that there are 10 of these things to do (excluding the optional DLC characters Zaeed and Kasumi), it’s surprising that each mission is fantastic, largely because they offer intimate insights into the new team as well as the expanded universe; the Krogan home world of Tuchanka, a Geth base ship and the Quarian flotilla are just a few of the engaging locales Shepard can visit. However, the benefits don’t stop at the sight-seeing level. Loyalty missions will give the team a better chance of surviving the final suicide mission in addition to unlocking new outfits and special loyalty powers. Even the side quests for Mass Effect 1 veterans Garrus and Tali are fantastic.

Tali returns in the fight against the Reapers, and this time she and the male Shepard can get "physical." It's weird.

Galactic exploration, one of the more appealing aspects from Mass Effect 1, boasts more than a few alterations in the sequel. Thanks to an intelligently designed map, players can now tell exactly how much of a sector they’ve explored by percentages.

However, mineral acquisition is now a necessary evil. Do you want to equip the new Normandy with a better cannon for the inevitable confrontation with the primary antagonists, the Collectors? Make sure you’re probing the galaxy for resources before and after missions. This also applies to both squad upgrades and Shepard-specific upgrades.

It wouldn’t be a problem if finding minerals wasn’t an exercise in tedium. Once the Normandy enters the orbit of a planet, a scanner will say if the planet is rich, good, moderate, poor or depleted of the elements needed for advancing both the ship and the weaponry. If you choose to probe the planet for minerals, a circular reticule appears on a planetary grid, and a spectrometer will begin vibrating the controller and visually peak when there’s a significant amount of a mineral at the current spot. A probe must be sent to collect the resources, but don’t forget to stock up on them from a space station before trekking into deep space. Fuel is also important. Once you leave the local cluster of a system containing a mass relay, the Normandy will begin spending its fuel reserves; when depleted, the ship will convert resources to continue its intergalactic chug across asteroid belts and nebulae. It sometimes felt like I was playing Oregon Trail 2450: A Space Odyssey.

If the entire above paragraph was as much of a chore to read as it was to write, imagine how it feels when the game forces the aforementioned activities upon you. It’s not going to ruin the entirety of the Mass Effect experience, but it’s an acute example of the pitfalls of over-streamlining a game. The same applies to planet-side missions. Instead of landing on a planet and roving around in the Mako (which, as crazy is it sounds, is sorely missed), side missions are now contained to one area of an entire planet — again, streamlined. And while it makes the game less frustrating for those who hated roaming open stretches of land looking for missions and resources, the new system can sometimes feel like a series of downloadable content missions being played out with no encouragement to explore and fulfill the intergalactic wanderlust present in the original. The developers get their kudos for crafting varied missions, but sometimes the rewards are hardly worth the effort.

Abilities are more volatile than before, and can curve around obstructions

In the first Mass Effect, using biotic and tech abilities never felt quite right. As a result, six out of my eight playthroughs of that game were completed as the Soldier class. It was much more efficient to delegate the power usage to squad members and then complement those abilities with my maxed-out weaponry and unrelenting firepower. Ironic, then, that as of this review I’ve yet to try the sequel’s rendition of the Soldier. The Vanguard and Sentinel are far too much fun to make me go back. Powers like Throw and Pull can finally curve around cover defenses. It’s cathartic to watch an unstable, swirling mass effect field act like a homing missile to find the hiding spot of some unfortunate mercenary. Unsuspecting schmoes will find their faces smashed in by biotics.

Mass Effect 2′s abilities benefit visually from gorgeous particle effects and animations. And thanks to the faster cooldowns, those eye-catching abilities are constantly flying around in battle. Even the squad’s computer-controlled characters generally use their biotics in an intelligent manner. The less time spent pausing a firefight to open the power wheel, the better.

But BioWare wasn’t content to slightly tune the returning powers, so the studio debuts a plethora of useful abilities in Mass Effect 2. Incinerate, a tech class ability, obliterates enemy armor. Reave, a loyalty power, is great for taking down biotic barriers and stopping health regeneration in Krogan and Vorcha enemies — it will even heal Shepard if used against an unarmored organic foe.

Perhaps the most gratifying change to powers is their ability to evolve. Once an ability is maxed out (which requires 10 skill points split across four ranks), players can choose to evolve the power in two different ways. One option generally offers more overall damage but can only be used on one enemy, while the other is less powerful but allows the power to spread to multiple targets. For instance, Miranda, the new human female character, can evolve her Overload ability to affect multiple shield-wearing enemies within a wide radius. It’s a gratifying design choice, one that encourages experimentation and forethought in the player. Whereas the original game was fairly easy to conquer, even on Insanity difficulty, with maxed-out characters using similar powers, Mass Effect 2 makes it essential to build a team with varied skill sets.

Female Shepard means business

Technically speaking, Mass Effect 2 is a monumental improvement over the first game. Gone are noticeable pop-in issues and the chugging framerate. Loading is also much better, though it’d be a stretch to say that Mass Effect 2 loads faster than other titles. The only noteworthy problems with the game are some hiccups in the audio track. I noticed over the course of two playthroughs that the music would sometimes crackle during loading screens, and an entire minute-long section of dialogue disappeared on two separate occasions during Samara’s loyalty mission.

The game’s use of visual markers, such as 3-D advertisements, Normandy’s hologram in the combat information center (CIC) and Garrus’ eyepiece, are absolutely spectacular. The tiniest details make the best impression and allow players to suspend their disbelief and involve themselves in the happenings of the science fiction opera in front of them. Each aspect of the game simply pops with detail. Walking through the Citadel, past stores and patrons, cylindrical advertising tubes will flicker to life and offer various spam email-inspired services to Shepard. If it was ever in doubt that Blade Runner inspired the Mass Effect games (and it shouldn’t be), the influence would be difficult to refute now.

Another example: As Shepard walks by the busy floor of the CIC, maybe on his way to talk to Joker or just surveying his crew mates as they work, a gigantic hologram of the Normandy projects itself in place of the galactic map, highlighting in bright blue which portions of the ship have been upgraded over the course of the game. It’s amazingly cool. Likewise, Garrus’ heads-up display, with its lights, meters and text scrolling by in an infinite loop, is captivating. It gives a tiny morsel of characterization just by being there, informing players of Garrus’ need for instantaneous updates during combat — or that he’s browsing the RSS feeds for Perez Hilton and TMZ.

Is it possible at the end of such an extensive review that I can still feel like there’s more to write? Mass Effect 2 is a brilliant addition to the already weighty curriculum vitae BioWare has toiled over for years. The sequel’s full impact won’t be discerned until the third game in the trilogy is released, which will allow players and fans to dissect each entry and determine just how successful the shift in design theory was. And while certain issues emerge from the studio’s enthusiastic adoption of paired-down combat, inventory and class structures, the overall package is what the first Mass Effect wanted to be.

Mass Effect 2 was developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The standard edition of the game is available for $59.99 on the Xbox 360 and $49.99 for the Windows version. The reviewer purchased the Collectors Edition of the game himself, and he completed the entirety of the story as a Vanguard on Veteran difficulty in February, and almost completed a second playthrough in April as a Sentinel on Insanity. He also finished nearly all of the sidequests and played each of the loyalty missions. His Shepard followed a paragon path, largely because he feels digital guilt when acting like a jerk to NPCs in BioWare games.

Recommended for:

• Mass Effect die-hards
• RPG fans looking for a new take on character development
• Shooter enthusiasts with an open mind
• Gamers who take pride in quality plots and characterization above all else, and also enjoy eye-catching graphics and atmosphere

Not Recommended for:

• Those who are unenthusiastic toward past BioWare titles; this is still a BioWare game, with all the requisite branching dialogue trees and alignment options — it’s just more fast-paced
• Anal-retentive fanboys unable to look past the fact that the game ships on two discs

Read our policy on reviews here.

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.

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.

Sure, you might’ve played a couple rounds here and there of Peggle, PopCap‘s fun little peg-shooting puzzler, but it’s easy to shrug it off and get back to being a productive member of society.

But sooner or later, it’s inevitable: You’ve got some free time! You glance around, shrug your shoulders, and decide to pay the Peggle Institute another visit. “What’s the harm in a few more levels?” you ask yourself.

What’s the harm, indeed.

The symptoms appear swiftly and without mercy. Whenever you close your eyes, you see balls launched with beautiful angles and perfect trajectory, knocking out those few remaining orange pegs and winning the round. You make up voices for the ridiculous menagerie that comprises the Peggle Institute, from Bjorn the unicorn to Jimmy Lightning, the obese, skateboarding beaver. And Beethoven’s Ode to Joy echoes in your head on loop, forever and ever, sunrise to sunset.

Sound terrible? Think again. Peggle addiction is one of the greatest joys that can be experienced in one’s life — or, at the very least, it’s the most fun you’ll probably ever have for under five bucks.

Colorful pegs come in all shapes and sizes. Green ones activate a Peggle Master's powers, while purple pegs act as score multipliers.

Like all great casual games, Peggle’s got a simple premise. Your mission is to clear each peg-filled screen of all its orange pegs. You’re given ten balls, a launcher, and a few tricks up your sleeve in the form of each Peggle Master’s magic powers. These range from the practical — more precise aiming, multiple balls — to the truly bizarre — pinball flippers and a “spooky ball” that comes back from the dead to drop down the screen a second time.

The game’s adventure mode introduces you to each of the ten Peggle Masters and lets you take their individual powers for a whirl. But the final five levels are a true challenge, requiring you to choose the master’s power you feel is best suited to the puzzle at hand. It’s a prelude to the game’s Challenge mode, which is unlocked after finishing the main adventure. Packed with all sorts of tricky levels and demanding requirements, it’ll test the prowess (and patience) of even the most seasoned Peggle player.

PopCap has an admirable reputation for making accessibility a top priority, and Peggle delivers with options to assist lefties and the colorblind.

Fortunately, the iPhone version features a few welcome tweaks to the original formula. You can aim anywhere on the screen by tapping, and fine-tuning is easy thanks to the new wheel located on the side of the screen. And although the iPhone’s 480×320 resolution is much smaller than that of the original PC version of Peggle, double-tapping anywhere on the screen zooms in to display a segment of the board in crisp detail — perfect for fine-tuning those particularly ludicrous shots.

This version of Peggle also features a pass-the-phone Duel mode and a trophy room that visualizes your accomplishments. There’s also the option to save a replay of any game, so you can immortalize your best and brightest moments (and brag to your friends.)

The only thing lacking is the original game’s in-level music, but frankly, you won’t miss it. It was highly repetitive (a common problem among PopCap games) and besides: You’re playing Peggle on an iPod! Surely you’ve got some music of your own that will better fit your needs until you hit that last peg and blast into a Beethoven-fueled Extreme Fever.

Give it a little while. You'll be lusting after those Extreme Fevers and humming Beethoven's Ninth in no time.

For $4.99, this is the least expensive version of Peggle available on any platform. Although it would have been nice for PopCap to include the Peggle Nights features, the next major iPhone firmware update will enable in-game downloadable content. Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned veteran of the Peggle Institute, this latest rendition of the modern classic is easy to recommend.

Peggle is currently available for iPhone and iPod Touch for $4.99 through the App Store. Windows, Mac OS X, Fifth-generation iPod (with video), mobile phone, Xbox Live Arcade, and Nintendo DS versions of the game are also available. Peggle is legion; resistance is futile.

Recommended for:

• Casual and hardcore puzzle gamers alike: It’s blissfully easy to pick up, but diabolical to master
• Peggle fans looking for a faithful, complete version of the original game while on the go

Not Recommended for:

• Puzzle fanatics with poor impulse control (for example: I played through Peggle and wrote this review just a few hours after it was released on the App Store)
• Peggle fans expecting a comprehensive Peggle package; for now, it’s just the original game, but new content is a distinct possibility down the road

Read our policy on reviews here.

Yep. Even the loading screen's progress bar is charming.

Somehow, even after three DLC releases, Vault 77 still isn't in the game

This weekend we’ll be running a three-part Fallout 3 DLC review feature in honor of the newly released Broken Steel, the third and supposedly final exclusive pack for the Xbox 360 and PC.

All three reviews will be self-contained and cover a specific add-on, but we’ll also determine whether or not Broken Steel’s increased level cap of 30 impacts the relevance of the other two expansions’ content.

Look for our first two reviews to hit this Saturday and Sunday, with the final one dropping on Monday.

And yes, what Ron Perlman says about war never changing applies to our dates as well.

• Saturday, May 9th: Operation: Anchorage — Are the FPS-leanings and winterized weaponry worth the rather short playtime? Take a break from your hangover woes this Saturday to read our answer.

• Sunday, May 10th: The Pitt — A vicious ax that’s part chainsaw, all murder? Check. One pointless collect-a-thon for an achievement? Check. Some bang for your Microsoft space buck? Visit the site on Sunday to find out.

• Monday, May 11th: Broken Steel — Liberty Prime, everyone’s favorite Commie-hating robot, is back for an appearance, and Dogmeat can’t really die anymore. This is supposed to be the biggest and best Fallout 3 add-on yet, but that’s our job to decide come Monday.