Gaming

Grand Theft Auto needs no introduction to anyone remotely familiar with video games. But for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 entry in the series, Rockstar has upped the ante, creating a startlingly realistic reinterpretation of New York City as backdrop to a violent crime epic. In it, damaged goods Serbian war vet Niko Bellic ventures to Liberty City in search of closure, all the while coming to terms with the harsh realities of The American Dream. People die, others find happiness, the dream fails to deliver on its promise, and players join Niko on a journey through a world where everyone is flawed, where it seems everyone is consumed by their own obsessions.

It’s a brutal ride for almost everyone in Niko’s journey from off the boat yokel to mass murderer, but what is the Grand Theft Auto IV experience like for the player?

It’s A Hell Of A Story: Niko’s life in Liberty City is violent, tragic and enthralling. Rockstar North’s ability to make the player emotionally invest in GTA IV’s characters is a rare achievement—and this is one aspect of the game that the team came close to perfecting. Outside of a handful of either slightly annoying or forgettable cast members, GTA IV’s supporting players are as much of a draw as firing RPGs at a car filled with Russian gangsters then fleeing from the LCPD at high speeds in a Turismo.

You Belong To The City: The level of detail packed in to every aspect of Liberty City’s boroughs is simply astounding. On a micro level, seeing the neighborhood change from industrial to residential, from posh to sketchy, is impressive. Taking a macro perspective of whole islands during a leisurely helicopter flight can be awe-inspiring.

Shooting The Shit: Combat works. With a free-look option for targeting whomever your want to be on the receiving end of a bullet and a lock-on reticule for quick, dirty, accurate gunplay, ventilating lowlifes is precise and almost entirely free of frustration. That Niko can pull off headshots with analog precision is something I wish I’d learned to perfect earlier in the game. That said, trying to shoot out someone’s tires with any accuracy while doing 90 MPH on a motorcycle isn’t handed to you on a plate. Trying to shoot while driving can be frustrating—especially when the mechanism for switching weapons is remapped—but sensitivity options certainly help.

Friends With Benefits: You may occasionally grow weary of fending off friendly invitations to go for a drink or a trip to one of the cities fine gentleman’s clubs while you’re busy trying to recover someone’s heroin, but cultivating friendships is more beneficial than not. The pay off—helpful nurses, gun running buddies, posses on demand—make your life in Liberty City much easier.

Driving Mr. Bellic: With two solid dedicated online racing modes and a slew of street dragging side missions, Rockstar had to get driving right. It did. Pulling off bad-ass parking brake U-turns is oh so satisfying. GTA Race—think Mario Kart with RPGs instead of koopa shells—is a better effort than many dedicated driving games. GPS directions are very, very welcome.

Multiplayer: GTA IV’s fifteen multiplayer modes, each with a host of options, could have easily comprised a standalone release. Simple Deathmatch is fun, but playing it on Happiness Island with nothing but rocket launchers and knives makes it shine. Team-based modes, like Cops ‘n’ Crooks and Team Mafiya, elevate multiplayer from simple fragfest to strategic, frenetic car-jacking fun.

The Extras: Watch hours of television. Take on challenging assassination missions. Perfect your darts game. Shoot the flying rats—all 200 of them. Establish new friendships. Go on dates. Surf the Web. Stunt jump! When you’re done with GTA IV’s main story, you’ll have plenty of fun just messing about. We were amazed to find how much there is to do.

Radio, Radio: So many guilty pleasures: Q Lazarus, Genesis, Godley & Creme. Some new favorites: The Boggs, Justice, Boys Noize. Talk radio is genuinely funny and ad spots provide hilarious social commentary.

Grand Theft Auto IV is a powerful game. After blazing through the core story line, having made certain decisions that affected how the narrative played out, I longed to return to the world to experience what I had missed. I recall watching every one of the game’s trailers after completing it, reminiscing about GTA IV’s tragic, colorful yarn. It’s a hell of an accomplishment on many levels. Graphically, it’s not as pretty as some other PS3 or 360 offerings—to which it will be unfairly compared—but what it may lack in pixel pushing performance, it makes up for in visual design. Using the cell phone as an interface for maintaining relationships, seemingly a minor thing, is brilliant.

Sandbox-style, ultra-violent games like Grand Theft Auto aren’t typically my thing, but GTA IV has made me a fan. A fanboy. Rockstar North has addressed virtually every single one of my personal hang ups about the series, crafting one of the most memorable experiences in gaming. We hate to gush, but it’s just that good. Flawless? No. But it’s about as close to a game can come to being perfect.

Halo 3 builds upon the concepts of Halo 2 in ways that you’d expect, but there are also new modes and options that send the series in exciting new directions. [click to continue...]

Crysis is visually stunning, packed with intelligent, thrilling gameplay, and easily one of the greatest shooters ever made. [click to continue...]

The Battlefield franchise explodes onto Xbox 360™ with a living battlefield, adrenaline-soaked action, and a bleeding-edge arsenal of vehicles and weapons. [click to continue...]

Gears of War® is the first game developed by Epic Games exclusively for Microsoft Game Studios and Xbox 360™. Gears of War thrusts you into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. [click to continue...]

Extraordinary action sequences highlighted by smooth controls and slick animations and beautiful visuals and incredible cutscenes will constantly amaze you. [click to continue...]

Take the war into your hands in Medal of Honor Heroes 2 and step into the boots of OSS Operative John Berg and infiltrate Normandy from behind enemy lines to undermine the Nazi regime! As a special agent of the Office of Strategic Services, you must use tactics of combat, infiltration, assassination, reconnaissance and sabotage to carry out the covert operations that will help defeat the Nazi war machine once and for all. [click to continue...]

The Spiderwick Chronicles isn’t bad for a game-of-the-movie, but it’s not good for a game.It will not make your inner child throw itself on the ground screaming, or cause your outer adult to turn an even more bitter shade of jade. Indeed, the game manages to relate the movie’s plot effectively, has a brisk pace, and is never particularly odious to play. [click to continue...]

Summary
Discover a new breed of action game powered by an enhanced version of Valve’s Half Life 2 Source engine. Set in the Might & Magic universe, players will experience ferocious combat in a dark and immersive fantasy environment. Become an expert warrior, mage and assassin, using a vast array of devastating weapons, against huge and vicious creatures in a deep and captivating fantasy. Wage online warfare with up to 32 players in the revolutionary new Crusade mode.

Category: Action, Shooter, First-Person, Fantasy

Summary
In the future, the survival of humanity stands on the edge of utter ruin as three powerful factions vie for control of the galaxy. Take command of one of three space-faring races as you work to establish your domination of the galaxy in Sins of a Solar Empire. Through a combination of diplomacy, economic skill, cultural influence, and sheer military might you will establish order over your corner of the galaxy!

Category: Strategy, Real-Time, Sci-Fi