thedrifter
12-23-06, 12:18 PM
Players’ ball: The down-and-dirty on the season’s hottest games
By C. Mark Brinkley
Staff writer
With three hot-running next-gen gaming platforms finally on the streets and the three current-generation consoles still going strong, it’s a great year for video games.
Whether you’ve already upgraded to the Xbox 360, you’re hoping to score a PlayStation 3 or a Nintendo Wii, or you’re squeezing every last button combo out of your current console, here’s a look at the season’s hottest offerings.
1. Call of Duty 3
www.callofduty.com
Just in time for the holidays, the most popular shooter series to ever lock and load makes an appearance as the must-buy game of the holiday season.
“Call of Duty 3,” available for all three next-gen consoles, as well as the Xbox and PlayStation 2, continues the slog through World War II with an exciting campaign that picks up during the Normandy breakout operation to liberate Paris. As with the ever-popular “Call of Duty 2,” you’ll participate as a member of several forces, learning a little history as you shoot and scoot across France.
Why is it at the top of the pile? For starters, unless you play exclusively on a PC (it’s not available for computers this time around — sorry), you can get it for almost any console.
Add new features — better melee fighting, more interactive environments, multiplayer vehicle combat — and the result is a piece of gaming greatness.
If you’re asking Santa for only one game, make it “Call of Duty 3.”
2. Gears of War
www.gearsofwar.com
For Xbox 360 owners, “Gears of War” is the ultimate no-brainer.
The first shooter designed specifically to get the most out of Microsoft’s superconsole, “Gears” comes in only one flavor. This is terrible news for Nintendo and Sony fans.
As Marcus Fenix, you and your squad tackle overwhelming odds from the Locust Horde. The game is designed to be a cinematic experience, taking players through one long, scary sci-fi movie as the human race battles extinction at the hands of the evil aggressors.
You’ll do this, naturally, with the help of a bevy of futuristic weapons, including a machine gun equipped with a chain-saw bayonet. Seriously. A chain-saw bayonet. Get some.
The gaming world is buzzing with praise for “Gears,” which pushes the boundaries for console graphics and game play. If you’re looking for reasons to buy a 360, this is one of ’em.
3. Resistance: Fall of Man
www.us.playstation.com/PS3/games.html
Joining the “Resistance” is no easy feat.
Standing in your way this holiday season are hundreds of thousands of eager gamers fighting for spots in line to buy one of the precious few available PlayStation 3 consoles. Maybe you got lucky and snagged one.
Well, then, what are you waiting for?
“Resistance: Fall of Man,” a new shooter available only for the PS3, rewrites the history books, exploring an alternate reality in which World War II never happened.
Instead, another race of creatures emerges, the Chimera, bringing with them a deadly virus that turns other life forms into their own. After decades of fighting the scourge, most of Russia and Europe have fallen. By 1951, the U.S. and Britain have teamed up for a last-ditch attempt at saving the world.
What we’ve seen of “Resistance” looks amazing, blending past, present and future into a visual jumble straight out of “The Twilight Zone.” It’s like a mix of “Medal of Honor” and “Halo,” as though someone dropped modern rifles, tilt-rotor aircraft and aliens into 1950s Europe.
We can’t wait. Sadly, we have no choice. Here’s hoping you fare better in the PS3 line.
4. Splinter Cell: Double Agent
www.splintercell.com
Our favorite guilty pleasure right now is knowing the path but choosing not to walk it.
In “Splinter Cell: Double Agent,” gamers once again step into the shoes of sneaky snake-eater Sam Fisher, who now is working to infiltrate a terrorist network and bring it down from the inside. How might he accomplish such a mission?
By walking the fine line between good and evil. Unless you play like we do and just give in to the Dark Side. Trust us — it’s fun.
As in other games from the series, Sam has an awesome array of guns and gadgets at his disposal, but unlike previous games, he spends a lot more time in the daylight. Stealth is still a must, so bringing Sam into the light makes the game harder than ever.
As a bonus, the game is available for most consoles, as well as PC, leaving you little excuse not to give in to your inner bad guy. So, whose side are you on?
5. F.E.A.R.
whatisfear.com
Wanna see something scary?
Then take on “F.E.A.R.,” the popular PC shooter finally making an appearance on Xbox 360.
As a member of the First Encounter Assault Recon force, you’re trained to take on the creepy and the kooky, mysterious and spooky. More than a straight PC-to-console crossover, the 360 version promises new levels, new weapons and expanded online action for veterans of the paranormal action thriller.
The realistic artificial intelligence is reason enough to give it a whirl. Throw in a little bit of eerie — like the Wednesday Addams-looking girl who keeps popping up — and it’s a shoot ’em up spookfest guaranteed to please.
Already own the original on PC? The game’s first expansion pack, “F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point,” is also available, featuring new weapons, environments and enemies.
Bring it on. We ain’t never scared.
6. Rainbow Six: Vegas
rainbowsixgame.us.ubi.com/vegas
Here’s hoping that Grissom fella has been getting plenty of rest.
The entire “CSI” team will have its hands full when “Rainbow Six: Vegas” hits shelves later this year.
From shootouts on the casino floor to firefights in the Stratosphere, if terrorists say they’re gonna blow up our favorite watering hole, then we’ll call that bluff. The newest installment in the tactical shooter series — coming soon for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC — brings the franchise into the next generation, offering stunning graphics and super-cool features.
Fans of the series probably won’t be too surprised here, at least not from what we’ve seen so far. That’s not a bad thing, though. There’s a reason this game keeps coming back.
Rumor is that the real-life honchos of Sin City aren’t too pleased with their town serving as a backdrop for a new terrorist shootout. Who would have thought that Vegas would be worried about its virtual reputation?
7. Red Steel
www.redsteelgame.com
Just hearing about this one makes us itch to pull our Hattori Hanzo sword out of the golf bag and chop us up some bad guys.
“Red Steel,” a new first-person shooter/slicer available exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, puts players in control of Scott Monroe, whose bad luck lands him in the middle of a Yakuza gang war. With his girlfriend kidnapped and a powerful mob boss out for blood, our hero is left with no option but to fight.
Good thing we’ve got his back.
With the Wii’s quirky new wireless, motion-sensing controllers, “Red Steel” promises to be more than just a button-pushing frenzy. By the time you finish swiping and swooshing your hands through the air, you might even qualify as a real ninja. But we doubt it.
Just one good reason to give Wii a chance. The console’s price — a cool $250, half the cost of Sony’s cheapest version of the PS3 — makes the risk that much easier to bear.
8. Marvel Ultimate Alliance
www.marvelultimatealliance.com
It seems that comic books are just begging to become killer video games.
Expanding on the popular “X-Men Legends” series, Marvel has opened its entire universe for the holidays with “Marvel Ultimate Alliance.” Now, characters at your disposal include such favorites as The Thing, Iron Man and Captain America.
Aside from the massive character catalog — which grows deeper as the game progresses — and the stunning details, things aren’t much different from the “Legends” saga. You can still swap among the various members of your four-person team, and you can still power them up as you see fit.
All that’s changed are the faces, which isn’t such a bad thing. We love the X-Men as much as anyone (and there are plenty of them to choose from), but we like Spider-Man and the Human Torch, too.
With versions available for current- and next-gen consoles, handheld systems and PC, lots of options are available. That means Santa won’t have such a hard time finding you something that fits.
9. Tony Hawk’s Project 8
www.tonyhawksproject8.com
Pretty soon, skating games will leave road rash.
“Tony Hawk’s Project 8,” the latest installment in the Birdman’s thrasher series, promises to make virtual skating more realistic than ever, with a new physics engine and greater game-play control. You can create your own tricks on the fly and control the severity of your bails. (Break a specific number of bones to earn points? Siiiick. Seriously, not in the good way.)
Like the last installment, “American Wasteland,” the new game runs across a seemingly endless city, offering lots of freedom for hard-core skate fans and casual gamers alike. It’s available for the Xbox 360, PS3, current-generation platforms and the PSP.
The Wii, however, gets a different version, “Downhill Jam,” designed to make use of the Nintendo console’s unique controller system.
Lace up your Vans and grab a spot on the couch. You’ve got kick flips to practice.
10. SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault
www.socomcombinedassault.com
Until the SOCOM series arrives on PS3, this will have to hold you over.
“SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault,” the latest offering from the tactical shooter franchise, offers PS2 owners a chance to say goodbye to their now-outdated console with a fan favorite. New weapons are a key feature in this new edition, including an array of nonlethals, plus the ability to communicate with the new PSP game “SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 2.”
What else can we say? You know the franchise as well as we do. Better, maybe.
Put this one on your list and give your PS2 the sendoff it so richly deserves.
Ellie
By C. Mark Brinkley
Staff writer
With three hot-running next-gen gaming platforms finally on the streets and the three current-generation consoles still going strong, it’s a great year for video games.
Whether you’ve already upgraded to the Xbox 360, you’re hoping to score a PlayStation 3 or a Nintendo Wii, or you’re squeezing every last button combo out of your current console, here’s a look at the season’s hottest offerings.
1. Call of Duty 3
www.callofduty.com
Just in time for the holidays, the most popular shooter series to ever lock and load makes an appearance as the must-buy game of the holiday season.
“Call of Duty 3,” available for all three next-gen consoles, as well as the Xbox and PlayStation 2, continues the slog through World War II with an exciting campaign that picks up during the Normandy breakout operation to liberate Paris. As with the ever-popular “Call of Duty 2,” you’ll participate as a member of several forces, learning a little history as you shoot and scoot across France.
Why is it at the top of the pile? For starters, unless you play exclusively on a PC (it’s not available for computers this time around — sorry), you can get it for almost any console.
Add new features — better melee fighting, more interactive environments, multiplayer vehicle combat — and the result is a piece of gaming greatness.
If you’re asking Santa for only one game, make it “Call of Duty 3.”
2. Gears of War
www.gearsofwar.com
For Xbox 360 owners, “Gears of War” is the ultimate no-brainer.
The first shooter designed specifically to get the most out of Microsoft’s superconsole, “Gears” comes in only one flavor. This is terrible news for Nintendo and Sony fans.
As Marcus Fenix, you and your squad tackle overwhelming odds from the Locust Horde. The game is designed to be a cinematic experience, taking players through one long, scary sci-fi movie as the human race battles extinction at the hands of the evil aggressors.
You’ll do this, naturally, with the help of a bevy of futuristic weapons, including a machine gun equipped with a chain-saw bayonet. Seriously. A chain-saw bayonet. Get some.
The gaming world is buzzing with praise for “Gears,” which pushes the boundaries for console graphics and game play. If you’re looking for reasons to buy a 360, this is one of ’em.
3. Resistance: Fall of Man
www.us.playstation.com/PS3/games.html
Joining the “Resistance” is no easy feat.
Standing in your way this holiday season are hundreds of thousands of eager gamers fighting for spots in line to buy one of the precious few available PlayStation 3 consoles. Maybe you got lucky and snagged one.
Well, then, what are you waiting for?
“Resistance: Fall of Man,” a new shooter available only for the PS3, rewrites the history books, exploring an alternate reality in which World War II never happened.
Instead, another race of creatures emerges, the Chimera, bringing with them a deadly virus that turns other life forms into their own. After decades of fighting the scourge, most of Russia and Europe have fallen. By 1951, the U.S. and Britain have teamed up for a last-ditch attempt at saving the world.
What we’ve seen of “Resistance” looks amazing, blending past, present and future into a visual jumble straight out of “The Twilight Zone.” It’s like a mix of “Medal of Honor” and “Halo,” as though someone dropped modern rifles, tilt-rotor aircraft and aliens into 1950s Europe.
We can’t wait. Sadly, we have no choice. Here’s hoping you fare better in the PS3 line.
4. Splinter Cell: Double Agent
www.splintercell.com
Our favorite guilty pleasure right now is knowing the path but choosing not to walk it.
In “Splinter Cell: Double Agent,” gamers once again step into the shoes of sneaky snake-eater Sam Fisher, who now is working to infiltrate a terrorist network and bring it down from the inside. How might he accomplish such a mission?
By walking the fine line between good and evil. Unless you play like we do and just give in to the Dark Side. Trust us — it’s fun.
As in other games from the series, Sam has an awesome array of guns and gadgets at his disposal, but unlike previous games, he spends a lot more time in the daylight. Stealth is still a must, so bringing Sam into the light makes the game harder than ever.
As a bonus, the game is available for most consoles, as well as PC, leaving you little excuse not to give in to your inner bad guy. So, whose side are you on?
5. F.E.A.R.
whatisfear.com
Wanna see something scary?
Then take on “F.E.A.R.,” the popular PC shooter finally making an appearance on Xbox 360.
As a member of the First Encounter Assault Recon force, you’re trained to take on the creepy and the kooky, mysterious and spooky. More than a straight PC-to-console crossover, the 360 version promises new levels, new weapons and expanded online action for veterans of the paranormal action thriller.
The realistic artificial intelligence is reason enough to give it a whirl. Throw in a little bit of eerie — like the Wednesday Addams-looking girl who keeps popping up — and it’s a shoot ’em up spookfest guaranteed to please.
Already own the original on PC? The game’s first expansion pack, “F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point,” is also available, featuring new weapons, environments and enemies.
Bring it on. We ain’t never scared.
6. Rainbow Six: Vegas
rainbowsixgame.us.ubi.com/vegas
Here’s hoping that Grissom fella has been getting plenty of rest.
The entire “CSI” team will have its hands full when “Rainbow Six: Vegas” hits shelves later this year.
From shootouts on the casino floor to firefights in the Stratosphere, if terrorists say they’re gonna blow up our favorite watering hole, then we’ll call that bluff. The newest installment in the tactical shooter series — coming soon for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC — brings the franchise into the next generation, offering stunning graphics and super-cool features.
Fans of the series probably won’t be too surprised here, at least not from what we’ve seen so far. That’s not a bad thing, though. There’s a reason this game keeps coming back.
Rumor is that the real-life honchos of Sin City aren’t too pleased with their town serving as a backdrop for a new terrorist shootout. Who would have thought that Vegas would be worried about its virtual reputation?
7. Red Steel
www.redsteelgame.com
Just hearing about this one makes us itch to pull our Hattori Hanzo sword out of the golf bag and chop us up some bad guys.
“Red Steel,” a new first-person shooter/slicer available exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, puts players in control of Scott Monroe, whose bad luck lands him in the middle of a Yakuza gang war. With his girlfriend kidnapped and a powerful mob boss out for blood, our hero is left with no option but to fight.
Good thing we’ve got his back.
With the Wii’s quirky new wireless, motion-sensing controllers, “Red Steel” promises to be more than just a button-pushing frenzy. By the time you finish swiping and swooshing your hands through the air, you might even qualify as a real ninja. But we doubt it.
Just one good reason to give Wii a chance. The console’s price — a cool $250, half the cost of Sony’s cheapest version of the PS3 — makes the risk that much easier to bear.
8. Marvel Ultimate Alliance
www.marvelultimatealliance.com
It seems that comic books are just begging to become killer video games.
Expanding on the popular “X-Men Legends” series, Marvel has opened its entire universe for the holidays with “Marvel Ultimate Alliance.” Now, characters at your disposal include such favorites as The Thing, Iron Man and Captain America.
Aside from the massive character catalog — which grows deeper as the game progresses — and the stunning details, things aren’t much different from the “Legends” saga. You can still swap among the various members of your four-person team, and you can still power them up as you see fit.
All that’s changed are the faces, which isn’t such a bad thing. We love the X-Men as much as anyone (and there are plenty of them to choose from), but we like Spider-Man and the Human Torch, too.
With versions available for current- and next-gen consoles, handheld systems and PC, lots of options are available. That means Santa won’t have such a hard time finding you something that fits.
9. Tony Hawk’s Project 8
www.tonyhawksproject8.com
Pretty soon, skating games will leave road rash.
“Tony Hawk’s Project 8,” the latest installment in the Birdman’s thrasher series, promises to make virtual skating more realistic than ever, with a new physics engine and greater game-play control. You can create your own tricks on the fly and control the severity of your bails. (Break a specific number of bones to earn points? Siiiick. Seriously, not in the good way.)
Like the last installment, “American Wasteland,” the new game runs across a seemingly endless city, offering lots of freedom for hard-core skate fans and casual gamers alike. It’s available for the Xbox 360, PS3, current-generation platforms and the PSP.
The Wii, however, gets a different version, “Downhill Jam,” designed to make use of the Nintendo console’s unique controller system.
Lace up your Vans and grab a spot on the couch. You’ve got kick flips to practice.
10. SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault
www.socomcombinedassault.com
Until the SOCOM series arrives on PS3, this will have to hold you over.
“SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault,” the latest offering from the tactical shooter franchise, offers PS2 owners a chance to say goodbye to their now-outdated console with a fan favorite. New weapons are a key feature in this new edition, including an array of nonlethals, plus the ability to communicate with the new PSP game “SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 2.”
What else can we say? You know the franchise as well as we do. Better, maybe.
Put this one on your list and give your PS2 the sendoff it so richly deserves.
Ellie