The Power Is In Your Hands -- Sleep Is Death Review

It just doesn't feel right trying to review something like Jason Rohrer's Sleep Is Death. To me, that would be like trying to review Dungeons & Dragons, or campfire tales in general, or conversation -- all of it. Sleep Is Death is more a game creation tool or storytelling platform than it is a single, critiquable entity; it is a sea of possibility limited almost solely by the people swimming in it. For this reason, it is more appropriate to approach Sleep Is Death in a discussion than in a review (and Rohrer did chat with me and the Big Red Potion crew a couple of weeks back), but I will still do my best to convey what this little piece of software is and why it's both important and excellent.

Sleep Is Death is a game for two people, and is only a game at all when two people are involved (otherwise it functions as a storyboard creator). The more important role is that of the "controller": the storyteller, game master, or game director, who presents each session's content in semi-real time. Via a simple gridded control panel interface, the controller customizes the game's current background, music, objects, characters, dialogue, and narration, or selects from a number of pre-made items, available from the outset. The controller essentially builds a new game/story in every session. The "player," on the other hand, sees only a single window with three available actions per timed turn. The player may move anywhere on the screen, type anything into a speech bubble, and/or indicate with an arrowed box that he or she wishes to interact with something in the scene, again using any words that come to mind. It's then up to the controller, in the next 30 seconds (a default setting that can be changed to anything, including the 300 seconds that I personally prefer to use), to respond to those actions with what would typically be stored in unalterable form on a game disc, but is instead dynamically generated by a real human brain.

For the player, Sleep Is Death is only what the controller can author and offer in any given local or remote game session using the tools available. For the controller, however, the game is a powerful design utility that can be used to tell incredibly varied, open-ended, and meaningful stories, and to create player-director interaction that is impossible in current single-player games and completely different from standard multiplayer experiences. With the support of a robust community at sites like www.sidtube.com, creative expression can be fueled with numerous downloadable "resource packs," which include any number of game assets created in Sleep Is Death's surprisingly capable and versatile scene, room, object, sprite, and music editors. Every game session also outputs a pictoral "flipbook" of the entire story once the controller decides to end it, and hundreds of these game records can be found online, as well. What SID players have put together and shared with the community is astonishing, and makes the game an ever-expandable product.

Sleep Is Death's primary fault is the steep difficulty curve it imposes on the controller. While Rohrer himself recommends not being overly ambitious to start with, perhaps beginning with a single-scene game and some solid dialogue, the potential is enticing enough to lead a controller to destroy his own game with unnecessary complexity. On the other hand, practice with the control panel and a reasonable time investment can lead a controller to create very impressive content; I've already seen pseudo-3D games, first-person games, dungeon crawlers, shooters, and even inventory management systems produced by members of the community to go along with the basic adventures SID is most obviously suited for.

Sleep Is Death brings the concept of the game back under the control of the players involved, at once combining the natural ease of conversation and storytelling with the self-contained, individually directed experiences offered by film and modern video games. It is about the people at the keyboard; their stories, their creativity, and their interactions are the real substance here. SID is but the medium of transport, and although it expects a high degree of openness and willingness of its users -- which it may not always get; it's not for everyone -- it accomplishes its goals very admirably, and shows us at least one direction in which this industry can and should be moving.

Hit Rewind -- Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Preview

Over PAX East weekend, fans and critics were treated to a hands-on look at the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Ubisoft's long-awaited return to the Sands of Time saga. I was among those lucky players, and came away from the demo kiosk pleased with what I had played, looking forward to more.

The Forgotten Sands, or "How the Prince went emo," takes place between the Sands of Time and Warrior Within, and recounts the tale of the Prince's involvement in the defense of his brother's invaded kingdom. Of course, this brother carelessly releases the Sands of Time, turning soldiers into sand warriors and unleashing other, bigger baddies, all of which the Prince has to mop up.

Two segments were available at the show, and were tacked together to give players a taste of a few different game mechanics. The first part of the demo was what appeared to be an opening scene, much like that of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Here, the prince navigated a Middle-Eastern palace exterior as soldiers clashed with him and each other and catapults pelted the stone walls and walkways in his path. This environment provided a perfect backdrop for learning the most basic of the game's controls, such as wall-running, wall-jumping, shimmying along ledges, sliding down flags, etc. It was very straightforward, with little planning involved -- a point A to point B affair -- but the controls felt tight and responsive, improved from the previous Prince of Persia and that game's delayed responses to player input.

The game's button layout will be quite familiar to Prince of Persia veterans. The face buttons make the Prince jump, drop down from his current perch, swing his sword, and kick his enemies, while the shoulder buttons make him run up or along walls, rewind time, and activate special abilities like the water-freezing mechanic that was showcased in the second part of this demo.

After switching from the opening scene to an interior location from later in the game, I had the opportunity to make use of one of the Prince's major elemental powers -- the ability to freeze and un-freeze water at will. By holding the left trigger, I was able to freeze waterfalls and cascading water columns into solid walls and climbable pillars to help the Prince navigate his way forward. Thin streams spouting out of walls at timed intervals could also be frozen into the horizontal, ripe-for-swinging poles the franchise is known for. This, just one of the new platforming powers, will clearly expand the possibilities in The Forgotten Sands, especially as sequences become more complex. For example, the Prince may have to freeze a waterfall, run across it, unfreeze as he jumps through another fall toward a water column, freeze time again before latching onto that, leap to and swing from a frozen pole, unfreeze long enough for the next hole to spout, refreeze to grab hold of the newly created pole, and swing to safety. Players will have to think differently when entering each area, considering new platforming options provided by water, as well as the more obvious solid structures in the environment.

Continuing the game's elemental theme, the Prince will have new powers mapped to the controller's directional pad, such as rock armor or the devastating, area-of-effect tornado he can call upon in battle. These will be acquired from a Djinn residing in a mystical dimension over the course of the game, and will draw from the same power bank as the Prince's rewind ability each time they are used.

As far as combat is concerned, it seems Ubisoft has once again focused on challenging the Prince with large hordes of enemies, this time flooding the screen with up to 50 foes at once. Combat will be quick, rather than methodical, with much dodging involved. I was sad to see the block button removed from this entry in the series, and there seemed to be fewer opportunities to pull off flashy moves, a la The Two Thrones. I specifically tried to spring off of walls and over/into my enemies, but to no avail; most of the combat was a matter of "slash, slash, slash, power...." The Forgotten Sands is still an unfinished product, however, so I hope a little more complexity can be infused into the Prince's swordplay before release.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is shaping up to be a welcome return to form for the Prince after 2008's aberrant Prince of Persia. Come May 18th, gamers will be rewinding time and running through the Middle East all over again.

Chainsaws And Parkour; What Could Go Wrong? -- Shank Preview

I had never played a game billed as a "cinematic brawler" prior to stepping into an off-the-beaten-path hotel room at the Sheraton adjacent to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston during PAX East this weekend. Shank, from Klei Entertainment has left me quite optimistic about such a prospect, though, thanks to its smooth mix of platforming action and bloody side-scrolling brawling.

"Brawling" may not be the best term, although it's the company's preferred description, because Shank is really a whole lot less brawling and a whole lot more stabbing, shooting, and chainsaw massacre, with some abusive, manhandling grapples, throws, and slams folded into the mix. In between all of this, integrated in an effort to create a different gameplay cadence for each level, is plenty of jumping, swinging, wall climbing, and sliding down poles at all angles. This platforming aspect, although not Shank's primary focus, is a noticeable distinction between Klei's game and similar side-scrolling beat-em-ups.

Also impressive at this stage in development is the game's combat, as it should be, considering the sheer amount of fighting players will be doing in Shank. Face buttons make Shank, the game's protagonist, jump, shank, chainsaw, and shoot, with grapples and "pounces" mapped to the right shoulder buttons. A grapple in Shank is a close-range grab, from which the player can continue to stab and saw enemies, or opt to throw them across the screen onto others. A pounce does the same, minus the throws, but only after Shank makes a long-range leap that pins opponents to the ground. In either tie-up, he can momentarily break from his onslaught to shoot oncoming foes, without ever letting go of his current prey. Klei CEO Jamie Cheng also demonstrated the special uses of grenades and parries, which are mapped to the left shoulder buttons. Besides simply throwing grenades at enemies, Shank can also stuff the pineapple-shaped, explosive delights right down their throats after grabbing them. Blocks and parries defend the player, and open up opportunities for free attacks and the initiation of melee and ballistic combos.

Chaining attacks, explained Jamie, is an important aspect of Shank. Not only do combos increase one's effectiveness in combat, but the myriad ways in which the different moves can be linked together seems like something that players will make their own game out of, always trying to be more stylish fighters and simply do more badass things with the tools they have at their disposal. One such badass maneuver is Shank's cross-handed, bi-directional gun-slinging move, where players can seamlessly gun down at enemies approaching from behind while maintaining steady fire at their original target. By simply tapping the control stick backward as they fire, players will cause Shank to aim one gun behind him and continue shooting in both directions. He also has the ability to shoot at angles, which played a part in the one boss fight available during the hands-on demonstration.

The never-before-played meat-packing plant level culminated with a fight between Shank and a hulking, maniacal, chain-wielding butcher, who would easily snatch Shank out of the air to counter any grapple or pounce, and who took minimal damage from Shank's regular attacks. The key here was to get the brute to sink his morning-star-like meat hooks into hanging carcasses by shooting them down from the ceiling before he made his attack. Shank could then charge, grapple, and deal massive damage from the clinch, rounding out a Zelda-esque, pattern-based boss encounter with a quick button prompt and a bucket of blood, in all its graphic-novel-style animated glory.

I enjoyed my time with Shank, and look forward to playing more when the game is released for XBLA, PSN, and PC this summer. Especially for nostalgic, NES-era Double Dragon (and ilk) players, this is certainly one to watch.

The Zombie Invasion Of Floria: A Plants Vs. Zombies Virgin Experience

So it's the end of the year again, and that means that now is the time that I, instead of playing new games for review or compiling various other collections of lexemes and such, sit and play everything that I've missed throughout the year in hopes of being able to look at year-ends awards from an honest and informed perspective. This year I came across a delightfully click-tastic little gem of a game from the developers of what would probably be my videogame nemesis, Peggle. (Yes, I think Peggle is awful.) This time, though, PopCap has done something right, and has delivered to us the excellent Plants vs. Zombies.

"So what is Eddie writing right now? Is this a review?" You might be asking yourselves questions like these right now, but I can assure you that this is not a review at all, but a look at one man's virgin experience with a seven-month-old game that just about everyone was already well-versed in, and an utter reversal of opinion over the course of a single fervent hour of gaming (probably less, considering the time I paused the game).

I have obviously been aware of PvZ for some time, but only yesterday did I actually try my hand at the game, and the following is my excited, reactionary, AIM conversation with fellow GN director Ryan Maffit.

This should be fun (offensive language and poor writing advisory in effect)...

[23:38] Eddie: i have to record a short clip tomorrow
[23:38] Eddie: about the year's most overrated game
[23:38] Eddie: and i'm stumped
[23:38] Eddie: i wish i played Killzone 2
[23:39] Ryan: he
[23:41] Eddie: ok, time to look at gamerankings
[23:41] Eddie: sort by 2009
[23:41] Eddie: best to worst
[23:45] Eddie: AWWW shit... Plants vs Zombies...
[23:45] Ryan: haha
[23:45] Eddie: 89%
[23:45] Ryan: that was a good 1 too
[23:45] Eddie: i bet i think it's overrated
[23:45] Ryan: :P
[23:45] Eddie: jeeze, i hope i do, anyway
[23:45] Ryan: haha
[23:45] Eddie: or i'll have no answer
[23:45] Ryan: its good I have it on my steam
[23:46] Eddie: now that batman is awesome
[23:46] Eddie: :-/
[23:46] Ryan: :P
[23:46] Ryan: ha
[23:55] Eddie: ok, so can i judge PvZ by the online demo?
[23:55] Ryan: link?
[23:56] Eddie: http://www.popcap.com/games/free/pvz
[23:56] Ryan: the actual game
[23:56] Eddie: this shit is boring
[23:57] Ryan: has a lot more stuff
[23:57] Ryan: haha
[23:57] Ryan: I think it starts off real slow
[23:57] Ryan: but it gets tricky
[23:57] Ryan: well in terms of similarity to the actual game
[23:57] Ryan: this is pretty spot on for the first level
[23:57] Ryan: lol
[23:58] Eddie: well this IS PopCap
[23:58] Eddie: it's the real game
[23:58] Eddie: just online
[23:58] Ryan: haha
[23:58] Ryan: even down to the music its the same :P
[23:58] Eddie: and it's a bunch of clicking
[23:58] Eddie: and dumb
[23:58] Ryan: >< [23:59] Eddie: i mean, Peggle Deluxe got an Xbox 360 release this year
[23:59] Eddie: but that's an old game
[23:59] Ryan: true
[23:59] Eddie: otherwise it would be my pick
[23:59] Eddie: i think Peggle is the most overrated game of all time
[23:59] Eddie: haha
[23:59] Eddie: maybe i'll say that
[23:59] Ryan: haha
[00:00] Eddie: PvZ is far better than Peggle
[00:01] Ryan: ya
[00:01] Ryan: haha
[00:04] Eddie: i'm actually enjoying it now
[00:04] Ryan: :P
[00:04] Ryan: Ya
[00:04] Ryan: first 3-4 levels are mad boring
[00:04] Eddie: if a zombie touches a plant does the plant die?
[00:05] Ryan: no
[00:05] Ryan: it starts attacking it
[00:05] Ryan: then it eats it
[00:05] Ryan: haha
[00:05] Eddie: ok
[00:05] Eddie: not so fast
[00:05] Eddie: but yes
[00:05] Ryan: takes a lil while
[00:08] Eddie: oooh a shovel
[00:08] Ryan: haha
[00:08] Ryan: ya u get power ups and shit
[00:09] Eddie: oh cool
[00:09] Eddie: bowling level
[00:09] Ryan: haha
[00:11] Eddie: ooooh
[00:11] Eddie: a squash
[00:12] Ryan: :P
[00:13] Eddie: i'm using that shit IMMEDIATELY
[00:13] Ryan: lmao
[00:13] Eddie: YES!
[00:13] Eddie: THWOMP
[00:13] Ryan: :P
[00:15] Eddie: wtf
[00:15] Eddie: a high-jumping zombie!
[00:15] Ryan: LOL
[00:15] Ryan: yup
[00:16] Ryan: told ya it takes strategy
[00:16] Ryan: haha
[00:17] Eddie: i think i left way too much space for sunflowers that time
[00:17] Eddie: i LOOOOOOVE sunflizzles
[00:17] Eddie: i Love SUN. I love lamp
[00:17] Ryan: haha
[00:17] Eddie: i'm getting a THOUSAND text messages right now
[00:17] Eddie: wtf
[00:18] Ryan: :S
[00:18] Eddie: i just got 4 in 4 seconds from 4 people
[00:19] Ryan: nice
[00:21] Eddie: oh shit
[00:21] Eddie: The Hero of Time
[00:21] Eddie: is in a tab
[00:21] Eddie: you sent me that link ages ago
[00:21] Ryan: lmao
[00:21] Eddie: and i clicked it
[00:21] Ryan: yes
[00:21] Ryan: haha
[00:21] Eddie: and now it's still here
[00:21] Ryan: yup
[00:21] Ryan: haha
[00:21] Ryan: its like
[00:21] Ryan: a full movie
[00:21] Ryan: haha
[00:21] Eddie: that was so long ago
[00:21] Eddie: when i first heard about it
[00:21] Ryan: haha
[00:21] Ryan: ya
[00:22] Eddie: did you watch it?
[00:22] Eddie: i probably will tonight
[00:22] Eddie: but wait.... first i have to fucking blast undead with snow peas
[00:22] Ryan: hehe
[00:29] Eddie: awww sheeeeeiiit
[00:29] Eddie: piranha plant
[00:29] Ryan: :P
[00:29] Eddie: oh
[00:29] Eddie: i can only have 6 to choose from
[00:29] Eddie: cool
[00:30] Eddie: "LET'S ROCK"
[00:32] Ryan: :P
[00:32] Ryan: hehe
[00:35] Eddie: ooooh
[00:35] Eddie: the rePEAter
[00:35] Eddie: 2 peas at a time
[00:35] Eddie: win
[00:35] Eddie: i fucking love this
[00:35] Eddie: haha
[00:35] Eddie: why am i still playing?
[00:35] Eddie: i thought it was a demo
[00:35] Eddie: this is a healthy ass demo
[00:42] Eddie: haha
[00:42] Eddie: damn
[00:43] Eddie: FUCKED them up
[00:43] Eddie: MY LAWN IS INVINCIBLE!!!!!
[00:43] Eddie: i have 2 full columns of sunflowers
[00:43] Eddie: then one of snow peas
[00:43] Eddie: then one of sunflowers
[00:43] Eddie: then TWO of rePEAters
[00:44] Eddie: CRUSHING FOES
[00:59] Ryan: LOL
[01:00] Eddie: holy balls
[01:00] Ryan: the full game gets crazier
[01:00] Ryan: haha
[01:00] Eddie: those little yellow fuckers are POWERFUL sun-spreaders
[01:00] Ryan: lmao
[01:00] Eddie: the shroomies
[01:00] Ryan: Yes
[01:00] Eddie: YEESSSS
[01:00] Ryan: haha
[01:00] Eddie: i just had about 6759865q8965248 sun
[01:00] Eddie: and 6 rows of super shooting shit
[01:01] Ryan: :P
[01:01] Ryan: and u thought it was an overrated game pshh
[01:01] Ryan: haha
[01:04] Eddie: i can't stop
[01:04] Ryan: ya it's a good game
[01:09] Eddie: DAMN
[01:10] Eddie: excellent
[01:10] Eddie: the demo's over
[01:10] Eddie: and i think i may post this chat session in my column
[01:10] Eddie: haha
[01:10] Ryan: haha
[01:10] Ryan: lmao :P

I really enjoyed that. Go try out Plants vs. Zombies here.

Fallout 3 Arcade -- Borderlands Review

When developers attempt to combine video game genres, the resulting creation more often than not turns out to be at least an interesting piece of software, if not a wholly enjoyable one. In the case of Gearbox Software's new RPS (role-playing shooter), Borderlands, the final product is both interesting and enjoyable, even if it isn't as much of a comprehensive or diversified gameplay experience as other games at either end of its genre-blending spectrum.

Initially, Borderlands feels familiar yet novel. The game asks players to select one of four characters who each excel at a specific type of combat, based on their starting weapon and the skills that they will learn later on. The model follows traditional RPG and squad-based shooter conventions, with characters representing the heavy-hitting tank, the sniper, the all-around soldier, and a more unique infiltrator type. Any character can be specialize however the player chooses, though, because skills with the various weapon types improve based on usage, rather than pre-determined, level-based increments. Building characters that deviate from the normal archetypes may be ill-advised, considering their unique class skills won't be as relevant or useful, but because their skill trees include three differing branches and additional choices within each, it is possible to develop a character that focuses on a particular class-specific skill set, but also incorporates other classes' fortes (like my personal sniper/falconer with a minor in shotgunning).

Gameplay revolves primarily around accepting and completing quests for various non-player characters inhabiting the game world, Pandora. Many of these quests advance the game's main plot, and a greater number are available tangentially via bounty boards and at the whims of the aforementioned NPCs. While the satisfying shooting mechanics, solid-feeling weaponry, and copious loot collection provide plenty of fun, the goal-driven gameplay eventually wears on the player. Missions involve many similar objectives, like collecting varying numbers of items, reaching specific locations, or killing particular enemies, and the paths to these goals are filled with fundamentally enjoyable but inevitably monotonous gunfights against mostly the same enemies with very predictable AI. Perhaps the most detrimental aspect of the campaign is that the plot is paper-thin and players will rarely be eager to see where the narrative goes next, aside from meeting a few genuinely humorous characters.

When it comes to guns and equipment, the "bazillions of guns" claim is in no way a lie -- there are more variations of the seven basic gun types, grenades, and shields than anyone dare attempt to count. Finding new weapons is always an adventure, as players will constantly compare the power, firing rates, accuracy, capacity, zoom capabilities, and elemental effects of any new pickups, at the same time enjoying the different guns' visual appearances. The game also incorporates a color-coded rarity rating system for all equipment, with less common items usually performing better and banking more money when sold. Fortunately, inventory management is streamlined and simple, so weeding through this immense arsenal won't become a laborious process.

In fact, very little in Borderlands is a huge challenge, and players can muscle through much of the game. A number of factors contribute to this, including the aforementioned AI and marginally-complex mission structure, which let players essentially run and gun straight through to their mission objectives in a relatively straight line at a mostly unreserved pace. Additionally, players will rarely find themselves strapped for cash because of the incredible availability of weapon drops, all of which can be sold at any in-game vending machine, and the caches of money that litter the landscape.

Cooperative play is a huge part of Borderlands, and can either make things easier and more enjoyable or frustrating and difficult. In local split-screen mode and online games where players have headsets to communicate, working together is great fun, even when the game ramps up the difficulty to account for the added team support. Using complimentary character skills and team-affecting abilities is very satisfying, and if you're like me, the constant desire to be the most productive and deadly on your squad will be motivational and engaging. On the other hand, playing with no means of communication is like hammering your toes to the floor (that means it's not fun). Some players are clueless, will behave counter-productively, and will make you want to quit the game. Luckily, you can do just that and hopefully find a game with less impaired teammates.

No matter how you play the game, Borderlands' striking animated art style, with bright, high-contrast visuals, is immediately appealing, and makes Pandora a place that you want to dive headlong into. Everything, from enemies to items to environmental structures, is clear and easily distinguishable, even though many of the game's assets lack truly intricate detail. The style is very similar to the newest Prince of Persia game, but with less epic background vistas and less impressive special effects. It looks great overall, but one glaring issue in Borderlands is the disturbingly obvious texture pop-in, which makes each new area look like someone simply dumped watercolors onto every surface until the definition improves many seconds later. It's a jarring effect that happens upon entering a new area or starting the game; if it occurs at other times, it's far less conspicuous.

Borderlands will suck players into a huge world that is just begging to be explored, but exploration isn't one of the game's strong suits. Players will undoubtedly have a great time with the different character builds, weapons, and multiplayer squad configurations, but will also be served lackluster narrative and mission structure that temper the experience. Overall, it's absolutely worth playing, however, as there is no other game that achieves cooperative RPS gameplay equivalent to what's presented here.

Killin' Rebs -- Darkest Of Days Review

8monkey Labs' Darkest of Days was quite an ambitious project, aiming to use time travel to place players in a number of historical settings, each with a unique feel. The concept is intriguing, but the execution in Darkest of Days falls short of its potential amid control, AI, and other gameplay issues. It can't equal the standards set by modern top tier shooters, but it is still a fairly solid and different first-person shooter experience that is worth checking out for those who are interested in a more historically accurate, slower-paced, free-roaming game of war.

Darkest of Days is about an organization called KronoteK, formed after the invention of time travel to ensure that history is not tampered with, and if it is, that the integrity of time is quickly restored. The player assumes the role of Alexander Morris, a soldier from the ill-fated Battle of Little Big Horn, rescued from certain death to become an agent of KronoteK and do its Quantum Leap-esque hands-on work. I found it strange that the fictional organization would select someone who they'd have to send forward through time to fight with increasingly advanced weaponry, and even stranger that he had absolutely no resistance to doing so, marching merrily into the Battle of Antietam. Darkest of Days covers the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and Roman eras, bouncing players from one time period to another throughout the story.

Players should know, right up front, that Darkest of Days is visually inferior to most of what they've seen from the first-person shooter genre this generation. Low quality textures, flat foliage, aliasing, screen tearing, pop-in, and flicker are all served up in generous helpings, and when large numbers of soldiers or effects are on the screen at once, frame rate dips become frequent, affecting players' aim and movement. Additionally, the game suffers from lengthy load times, even when installed on the Xbox 360 hard drive, as well as a dark, dingy color palette. In general, there is a low-budget, last-gen look about Darkest of Days. Gamers who are unable to look past these flaws will simply not be able to enjoy this game; despite what it does well, the weak technical foundation will leave many dissatisfied with the experience as a whole. If you are this type of gamer, then you should consider passing it up.

Darkest of Days does do some things very well. The designers clearly aimed to create an authentic atmosphere, and from the tactics employed by the AI (when it works), to the maps plotting out the wide-open levels, to the weapons available in each time period, the ambiance definitely feels right. There are a number of "period weapons" in the game, such as the single-shot Springfield musket from the Civil War era or the "Broomhandle" c96 of the WWI era. There is something extremely satisfying about using a musket or 19th-century revolver sidearm. Iron-sighting targets makes the weapons feel very tangible, and the smoke effects from older weapons realistically obscure players' vision. These weapons are limited in their capabilities, but are not realistic to the point of being just no fun to use (in fact, they may very well be too accurate). They do, however, force an approach more closely approximating what one might do if they were actually in battle; rather than invincibly running and gunning through the enemy lines, players will have to use caution, cover, and fellow soldiers in order to be successful. Often, taking up a position and holding it is the best strategy until it is safe to move forward. Players who enjoy quietly picking off enemies with a rifle will have an especially good time moving through many of the game's scenarios because of this. Additionally, a few advanced weapons are thrown in intermittently to give players the upper hand, and using them to saw through the battlefield is immensely empowering.

8monkey Labs wanted players to feel as though they were on these battlefields, in very dangerous situations. The game succeeds in making war a deadly place to be. Taking a more realistic approach to gunfights, only a few shots are necessary to put down an enemy, but similar rules apply to Morris, and rash players will see the "restart from last save" option (luckily, the game autosaves frequently) many, many times. Players are forced to make critical choices throughout the game, although these choices are never explicitly spelled out. Observing the battlefield and considering the current situation, the player will see that he or she is almost always presented with varying options: Do I fight this group of soldiers or do I back off and wait for them to pass? Do I follow the road or do I cut across that field? Do I hole up in a house and ride out an attack or do I hide in the trees along the perimeter? Do I rush out into no-man's-land, or do I man a gun emplacement? These decisions can mean the difference between survival and death, and playing out those decisions is very engaging as a result of the game's atmosphere.

Although Darkest of Days is not a completely wide-open, go-anywhere game, it gives a good illusion of being so. The player is directed only by objective locations marked on the map, but getting there is up to them. It is a point-to-point, progressive mission structure, but without boundaries... except for the invisible walls. Yes, this game is not only about time travel, but it seems to have travelled back through the generations of gaming to retrieve invisible walls for use in the modern day. A focused player may not run into more than one throughout the whole game, but they have a most jarring effect when they are discovered. Also breaking the sense of immersion the game struggles so valiantly to maintain is the on-again, off-again AI. Sometimes enemy and ally behaviors, movements, and formations make great sense, and even match tactics from the particular time period in question. At other times, soldiers from both sides of the conflict run about like chickens with their heads cut off, shoot in the wrong direction, or become completely oblivious to the player's presence. Still more frustrating is that some enemies couldn't shoot the broad side of a barn, while others smoke Morris from what seems like 1000 yards away.

Other gameplay-hampering annoyances include the game's controller setup and problems with combat. Darkest of Days' control scheme is uncustomizable, but the biggest problems are the hold-to-crouch left analog stick, and the hold-to-view-the-map Back button. The former is likely due to the fact that the game was developed for the PC, where holding a button to crouch is more natural and helpful in battle, but holding a clicked-in left stick while still trying to move effectively -- or worse yet, stay still -- is arduous to say the least. As for holding a button to look at the map, especially the awkwardly-placed Back button -- that's just ridiculous. A pace-quickening active reload system has been implemented in this game, much like the Gears of War franchise. This is a welcome addition, especially considering the reload rates of some of the earlier period guns. Unfortunately, all of its bugs have not been worked out. Whenever Morris reloads, a circular meter indicates his progress. If the player presses X for a second time when the meter reaches a highlighted section, the remainder of the reload animation will be expedited, if the timing is off, the gun will jam and take even longer to be ready. Sometimes, the system just doesn't work. Coming out of a scoped view, for example, reloads have a tendency to auto-fail, and on occasion, the game will register a clear miss as a successful active reload. *sigh*

There is no question that Darkest of Days is flawed. From technical issues, to controls, to AI, it could benefit from a great deal of refinement. The story and concept behind the game, however, are interesting, and the time periods and battlefield situations are carefully crafted and can be very immersive. It may be a tough sell, but there is a market for Darkest of Days, and that market will get a surprising amount of enjoyment out of this game... even if others should simply avoid it like the plague.

Unwieldy Genius -- Trine Review

It's safe to say that videogame critics love to see novelty in the games they play on a day-to-day basis, so it comes as no surprise that the physics-based, 2D action-platformer Trine was met with open arms well before it was ever released. The question is whether the near-flawless visual spectacle and unique conceptual design presented by Frozenbyte serve to exemplify great gameplay or simply glam up an average experience. Or could it be a little of both?

The game follows the fantasy adventure of a wizard, a thief, and a knight, whose concurrent quests lead them to be physically bound to one another by a magical artifact known as the Trine. In order to be freed from this unified existence, they must reunite three ancient artifacts -- a task that, coincidentally, will also rid the kingdom of the evil force that has spilled across the land and polluted it with droves of undead (and bats... f'n bats). It's a storybook come to life, complete with colorful language and dark fairy tale narration between levels.

From the moment Trine graces the player's monitor, there is no denying its visual splendor. The three-dimensional fore- and backgrounds are so finely crafted that stopping to admire the multi-layered environments in the middle of play would not be at all inexcusable. From the soft glow and light smoke of the torches that dot dungeon walls, to pillars of light streaming through lush, waving forest canopies, to iridescent mushroom caps and damp, shining cavern rock formations, everything in Trine has been rendered with great care and attention to detail. The textures applied to trees, rocks, and other surfaces in the game are almost tangible, and special effects such as distortion around heat sources and the red filter that pulses when a character sustains damage draw players further into the game world.

This graphical glory comes at a price, though; combining the slick visuals with a resource-hungry physics engine, Trine and all its beauty can be very demanding of weaker systems, slowing the game to a slideshow unless settings are significantly lowered. In this game, especially, this is an issue because of its impact on gameplay. Unless Trine is running 100% smoothly, controlling the three characters becomes a nightmarish struggle. The loose, physics-engine platforming is already a bit imprecise, so any hiccups quickly transform the game from challenging fun into unenjoyable aggravation.

Conceptually, Trine is brilliant. Each character has unique, upgradeable abilities that will help guide the trio to their final destination, and switching from one skill set to the next with the touch of a button feels very empowering. The game's level design plays off of these abilities, cleverly intertwining a number of solutions to each "puzzle," and only occasionally requiring one specific character to proceed. For example, the same obstacle may be surmounted by using the thief's grappling hook, the wizard's magically conjured boxes, planks, and platforms, or the knight's ability to pick up and place heavy objects.

Checkpoints throughout each of the game's 15 levels are very useful for reviving fallen comrades, regaining lost health, or restarting after an untimely demise, but it is disappointing that the game doesn't allow players to save their progress and re-embark on their journey later from one of these markers. Trine forces players to resume their autosaved games only from the beginnings of each level, replaying what has already been done. Controller configurations aren't saved from one session to the next, either, so players who customize their mouse, keyboard, or gamepad will have to do so each time they sit down to play. This can become frustrating after a number of short forays into Trine's kingdom.

The way combat has been injected into the game is crude and unrefined, as well. Although picking off enemies from afar, aiming the thief's bow with the mouse or right analog stick, is well-implemented, and the rudimentary hack-n-slash methodology of the knight works, the virtually endless streams of spawning and respawning skeletons (and f'n bats) at very specific points kills the flow of gameplay through each and every level in the game. A much better option would have been to reduce the number of foes and disperse them somewhat evenly throughout the levels rather than impeding players for long periods of time and detracting from the overall experience. Trine is about traversing a beautiful fantasy kingdom and using interactive physics to manipulate objects and cleverly solve puzzles along the way. It's telekinesis, conjuration, and platforming, not button-mashing.

Trine is a blend of AAA concepts and design, underdeveloped gameplay architecture, and bits and pieces of whatever might fall in between, all presented on a beautiful 2D/3D canvas. Despite it's flaws, it is an enjoyable game, and is definitely worth checking out. For players in no rush to get started, however, waiting for the less expensive console version -- or a discount -- might not be a bad idea.

A City Of Strong Foundations -- Assassin's Creed II Preview

Assassin's Creed was an excellent game, but it did have its problems... have its problems... have its problems... you get the idea. The lack of variety in the game's missions was the number one complaint from gamers and critics alike when it was released in late 2007. Ubisoft was on hand at E3 with a brand new in-game demo of the sequel, and I had a chance to sit down for a closer look at Altair's successor. From what I saw, Assassin's Creed II seems to fix everything that was wrong with the first game and make a more complete and enjoyable experience for gamers in 2009.

The game picks up right where AC left off. Desmond, a descendant of the Assassin clan, is being held against his will by a "doctor" who is trying to use a machine to access the memories of Desmond's ancestors that persist in his DNA via a machine called the animus. It's a little far-fetched, of course, but we suspend disbelief. This time, players dive into the life of Ezio, a Venetian who lived during the time of the Italian renaissance.

Little about the story was revealed, aside from the fact that Ezio is not a trained assassin from the beginning, but learns his "craft" as the game progresses. This will be a revenge story, to give it a more personal feeling, but revenge on whom and for what has not yet been divulged.

Both fans and critics of the first game will be glad to find that the developers have been paying close attention to criticism, and will be improving the sequel's mission structure. Assassin's Creed II will feature a number of new mission types, and many of them will span multiple locations -- from city to city and through the two distinct countryside areas. These areas will no longer act as hubs from which to access isolated cities where the action takes place exclusively, but will be a cohesive world with smaller sections housed within it.

Ezio will also have a number of new moves at his disposal, such as dual-bladed assassinations that take out two guards at once, leaping strikes from high above his targets, mid-climb attacks, and even the ability to drag guards into hiding places for the kill. He'll also have new toys to play with, like Leonardo Da Vinci's famous Flying Machine. Da Vinci himself lends the invention to Ezio, and he's not the only real-life personality to show up in the story.

With all this help for the player, the enemies in ACII needed a boost, too. In this game, guards will specialize in order to counter the assassin's skills. The three "archetype" enemies are the brute, who is adept at close-quarters combat, the agile, who can run Ezio down regardless of his monkey-like free-running and climbing, and the seeker, who can detect Ezio in the formerly impervious hiding spots that dot the cities.

Ubisoft Montreal has also improved upon the better aspects of the original game, and have once again produced a stunning visual feast, with sprawling cities, country vistas, and lifelike character models. They've also added over 30 new weapons to Ezio's arsenal, each with its own set of beautifully choreographed animations. These will mostly be acquired by stripping them from enemies and immediately putting them to use, after which Ezio can choose to drop them or take them along for the next fight. Additionally, tools like smoke bombs will help Ezio to make clean escapes, and can be purchased with the newly introduced monetary system.

Assassin's Creed II was one of the most impressive games on display at this year's E3, and I can't wait to get my hands on the final build. The game is scheduled to hit store shelves on November 17th of this year for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Skill Trees & Sniper Rifles -- Borderlands Preview

Creativity and innovation are growing themes in today's videogames industry. Gearbox Software and 2K Games' Borderlands is yet another genre-bending gaming experience that looks to offer plenty of both. Dubbed an RPS, or role-playing shooter, Borderlands draws just as much, if not more influence from massively multiplayer RPGs than from team-based shooters.

Players choose from four classes -- the tank, the hunter (a sniper class), the siren (a magical class), and the standard, well-rounded soldier -- before jumping into a large, open environment to accept, complete, and report on missions from various non-player characters throughout the game world. Operating alone or in a group of up to four cooperative players (split-screen, local area network, or online), players will gain experience points and level up, improving skills via a three-track tree that is different for each class.

The primary quest track will take roughly 20 hours to finish, while completionists will be able to spend over 100 hours completing side missions, fighting procedurally generated enemies, and collecting massive amounts of loot and weaponry. The game will also feature a dueling system and arena battles for more competitive players.

One of the most interesting aspects of Borderlands is the way it dynamically builds all of the players' enemies and each of the game's "millions" of guns out of the smaller parts that make them up. For example, a certain family of enemies may consist of many individuals, each modified with specific player-killing physical characteristics -- blades, guns, acid spit, flame breath, etc. -- as well as elite, supercharged versions know as "bad asses." Weaponry is composed in much the same way, out of the component parts of each gun. In this case, though, attributes such as firepower, accuracy, capacity, range, and others are also assigned at the time of weapon generation. For grenades alone, there are over 100 possible types. Because of the vast range of possible weapon configurations, a color-coded rarity system quickly alerts players to the relative value and efficiency of each one.

Also quite evident when first looking at Borderlands is its visual style, colorful animated art reminiscent of the comic-influenced XIII or the more recent Prince of Persia. Heavy, inked outlines and bright, caricatured models give the game a striking look, and the real-time day/night cycle displays the world in a wide range of light conditions during play.

Borderlands is scheduled for release this October on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

If I Could Turn Back Time -- Singularity Preview

Singularity is an upcoming first-person shooter from Activision and Raven Software, featuring an original sci-fi storyline and interesting, atypical time-manipulating gameplay mechanics. From what I could see in the E3 demonstration, Singularity is somewhat reminiscent of another great fps, BioShock. That's never a bad thing.

Singularity centers around a small island off the Russian coastline called Katorga-12. During the Stalin era, this island was a place of arms experimentation and the site of a massive elemental catastrophe. It was quarantined for more than half a century, and forgotten. In 2010, however, the U.S. military has discovered the long-hidden island and has sent in a unit on a reconnaissance mission.

The player is a member of that unit, and must explore this temporally unstable place that hangs in constant flux between 1950 and 2010. What begins as a simple observation quickly turns into a quest to unshroud the island's history and an attempt to right the wrongs of the past.

Players will be able to toy with time in a number of ways. The time manipulation device, or TMD, is able to shift objects (even entire buildings!) and enemies back and forth between their conditions in 1950 and 2010, which is useful in puzzle-solving as well as combat (zapping a 1950s guard and watching him turn to bone looks very satisfying). Echo events set the mood and advance the plot by occasionally presenting the player with scenes from before the meltdown, played in constant loops via holographic imagery in the present day, and time waves periodically sweep the island, placing everything in an in-between existence called the null-zone. Elements from both time periods coexist and interact in this space, and upgrades to the TMD allow players to reach through from 2010 to grab null-zone objects.

Like BioShock, the game appears to focus heavily on storytelling, and puts players in a situation where they must uncover the secrets of a bygone era in a mysterious setting that doesn't obey the laws of reality as they know it. Combining first-person shooting with the almost magical TMD in the protagonist's off-hand will potentially provide a gameplay balance similar to those in games such as BioShock and Half-Life 2, and the various time mechanics promise a unique experience overall.

Singularity will arrive late in 2009 on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Center Of The Action -- Homefront Preview

Although they have pervaded the market, many gamers are no longer content with simple war shooters and mindless combat, but require unique gameplay mechanics and deep storytelling in their fps games. Homefront is an upcoming game from THQ and Kaos Studios that aims to cater to both of those needs.

Homefront boldly brings the fight home to American soil -- something videogame storytellers have tended to shy away from until now. Apocalypse Now and Red Dawn author John Milius is no stranger to this sort of theme, however, and is responsible for penning Homefront's script, as well. The game is set in a North Korean-occupied United States (or shambles of what once was) after a global energy crisis, 20 years in the future. The formal U.S. military has been effectively disabled, and citizens are either imprisoned, working for the enemy, or aiding in the resistance. That's where the player comes in.

The game's protagonist becomes the newest member of the resistance upon his arrival at one of the many safehouses that dot the U.S. countryside. These walled-off, self-sufficient communities are the last asylum for free Americans, and are the headquarters from which the resistance operates, although constant pressure from outside military forces keeps them constantly on the move.

In addition to the game's narrative, which clearly highlights a seasoned author's touch judging from the dialogue and scripting seen in the presentation at E3, a brand new and original game engine will help to set Homefront apart from other games in the genre. The appropriately named Drama Engine has been created to bring all of the action much closer to the player than in an average action title. The game limits its use of cutscenes, instead opting to use environmental narrative and scripted events to drive the story. Unlike most other games that use this strategy, however, Homefront will activate these events only once a player is focused in the proper direction, making sure as little as possible escapes their view eyes. In this way, the narrative can be both cinematic and dynamic with very little sacrifice on either end of the spectrum.

The gameplay demo at E3 was indeed very cinematic, and showed attendees a safehouse invasion where the player had to quickly take up arms with his fellow citizens and fight off the attack. One very special weapon that Homefront introduces is the Goliath tank, an unmanned, remote-controlled all-terrain vehicle with a deadly cannon. Players will be able to call upon this machine in the game and mark targets during firefights. The Goliath will then find the quickest way to obliterate said target. In the demo, these were mostly heavily armored trucks and military vehicles. It was like the fourth of July in a way.

Another unique feature of the Drama Engine is the way it "magnetizes" the protagonist, so that players always feel like they are at the center of the action, and keep a steady flow of adrenaline pumping. A good example of this in the E3 demo was when the Kaos representative shot and blew up a fast-moving truck, causing it to swerve and flip out of control. In this situation, the truck will always be drawn to the player, forcing him or her to quickly dodge out of the way; there is no set path.

The last thing mentioned at the show was that Homefront will feature a competitive multiplayer mode, with heavy vehicle use. Multiplayer details are very limited at this time, but when I asked about the way it will fit into the main storyline, the Kaos people said that there will be an interesting explanation for that, to be revealed at a later date.

Homefront is still a long way off, and will be released on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 sometime after 2009. As of right now, though, it looks to be coming along very nicely.

S.M.A.R.T. Shooter -- Brink Preview

Who'd be interested in a squad-based first-person shooter from the developers of Quake Wars that borrows and streamlines concepts from Mirror's Edge, blurs the lines between single-player, co-op, and multiplayer, and dynamically updates objectives for you and your party based on your team's makeup and current situation in every mission? After Splash Damage's presentation of Brink, published by Bethesda Softworks, I would.

Brink takes place in the year 2035 on The Ark, a massive floating city on an Earth that has been flooded by arctic melting and plagued by civil war. The island itself looks as one might expect from a makeshift continent, patched together like a giant salvage yard or flotsam erector set, and is a very interesting overall environment to explore.

The game operates around a few core concepts, the first of which is unifying players' online and offline experiences. Whether playing solo, cooperatively, or in competitive multiplayer, successfully completing objectives and killing enemies earns XP that can be used to develop a player's created character. Points are used to learn new skills, purchase and upgrade weapons, and unlock non-gameplay items such as outfits, accessories, tattoos, and other character customizations.

Brink's second major defining characteristic is that mission objectives change dynamically based on a player's class and location, the current makeup and actions of the entire squad, and the general situation on the battlefield. Players have the option at the game session's onset to select from classes such as soldier or engineer, among others, each of which has a unique set of skills, a handful of pre-defined weapon load-outs, and its own special and important function in the mission. No player is limited to a single class. In fact, objectives may ask characters to change class at "command posts" scattered across the map in order to accomplish certain goals during play. In this way, the flow of the game is constantly changing.

Kinesthetic flow is the final concept that shapes Brink's gameplay. Dubbed smooth movement across random terrain, or S.M.A.R.T., players will be able to navigate their surroundings with nearly the same agility and grace of Mirror's Edge's parkour-practitioner, Faith, but with much less complex controller manipulation. By simply holding a button and focusing in the general direction they want to go, players will quickly jump, slide, vault, mantle, etc. over, under, around, or through environmental obstacles. Unlike Mirror's Edge, however, Brink doesn't neglect shooting mechanics in favor of platforming, and the experience seems to be completely cohesive despite the variety of gameplay options.

Splash Damage and Bethesda really look to be onto something with Brink, and in spring 2010, PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 owners will find out for sure.

Where's The Rest? -- Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor

GamerNode - The Company of Heroes franchise is not the typical real-time strategy experience that many gamers are familiar with. Relic's latest standalone expansion, Tales of Valor, takes the gameplay standard set forth in the first two entries in the series and runs with it, though not exactly in the same direction as the originals, but still a unique one.

Tales of Valor adds three new single-player campaigns and three new multiplayer modes, along with new unit types and maps to do battle on. As expected, the content is all of standard CoH caliber, but compared to the two additional armies (each with full campaigns of their own) that the Opposing Fronts expansion introduced, ToV feels quite small, especially as a standalone product.

For those unfamiliar with the Company of Heroes style of RTS gameplay, a primer: Company of Heroes differs from the by-the-numbers RTS formula primarily in the way players acquire the resources necessary to fuel their war machine. Rather than setting up and relying on continuous, semi-passive background harvesting and generation, players must actively capture supply points scattered throughout the map to boost the three resources -- manpower, munitions, and fuel -- that are required for building new structures and producing additional units. This system makes players have to work to improve their army alongside their combat efforts, and feels like a more realistic match for the game's setting than in many other RTS games.

As a result of the less exploitable resource system, unit production is also toned down a bit; players won't be leading thousands of units across the battlefield in a tsunami of camouflage, but will have to be a bit more selective and strategic in their efforts to put together an effective force. HQs, barracks, motor pools, and other analogs to what one would expect to find in an RTS exist in CoH, but the speed at which the gears of war turn is less rapid than some may be used to.

Unlike earlier CoH games and multiplayer, however, the new single-player missions in Tales of Valor do not ask much of the player in terms of base-building and unit management at all, save for the final campaign, which only lightly dabbles in the more traditional type of RTS gameplay. The expansion instead chooses to focus on the exploits of small groups of units through the heavily -- and impressively -- narrated campaigns, mostly without the luxury of any sort of home base to fall back on. Players are given more direct and fine-tuned control over a wealth of specific squad actions, including the new, aptly-named direct fire ability, which is available for some unit types.

ToV's stories of a German Tiger tank's efforts to stop the British advance on a French village, the U.S. paratroopers' D-day attempt to take a German-controlled causeway, and the German defense of the Falaise Pocket are all woven seamlessly into the action via voice-overed radio communications, scripted battle sequences, and finely hand-painted cutscenes, which makes for a very intense experience that drives home the unpredictable and mostly uncontrollable nature of the war from the soldiers' perspectives. The game can, however, be a jarring departure from what fans of the series have grown accustomed to, as it takes on more of an action flavor than previous titles. And though they are quite engaging, players will find that the nine new missions are over very quickly, leaving multiplayer matches as the only remaining option for novel engagements.

Multiplayer, too, takes a detour from the norm in Tales of Valor. Like the first of the new single-player campaigns, Operation Panzerkrieg puts players in control of a single tank, but this time in a victory point match (capture and hold strategic points across the map) against other players. This may seem very bland, but with the variety of tanks and commander skills available, things still remain interesting.

Operation Assault, while the least involved, is arguably the most enjoyable of the new modes. It casts up to six players as individual hero units on either side of a large-scale battle over open ground, the goal being to have enough influence over the deeply entrenched AI forces to sway the outcome of the war. As a sniper, commando, medic, engineer, etc., players can affect the proceedings of the engagement in a variety of ways, leveling up abilities as they successfully defeat enemies and complete objectives. After falling at the hands of the enemy, players respawn as a new hero of any desired type. It's like a fast-paced RTS version of the Battlefield series, except that the majority of the soldiers involved are relatively weak and expendable, and the player characters are undeniably badass.

Lastly, Operation Stonewall is basically a co-op skirmish match against the CPU, in which players must work together to build their forces and manage resources as they defend a small town from the attacking German soldiers. Although these new operations offer a good change of pace from CoH's existing multiplayer, they suffer from the fact that each is limited to only one map, so get used to them.

Tales of Valor may not be what longtime Company of Heroes fans were expecting from Relic's expansion, but the game still delivers a great experience from start to finish. The problem with that, though, is that "start to finish" is not a very long time, because ToV is comparatively light on content, overall. It's a great game, but at $30, gamers should expect more.

The Count | Top 5 Anticipated Original Games Of 2009

GamerNode - The "Top X Anticipated Games of 20XX" has become an annual requirement for just about everyone in videogame journalism nowadays; this article proves that I am apparently no different in that regard. To be at least somewhat unique, I've decided to split the typical top ten list into two parts this year: sequels and original titles. Moving on from the predictable list of sequels, here is my list of the most anticipated original IPs of the coming year:

Trine (PC, PSN)

Trine is a very interesting puzzle/platform game set in a beautiful 2.5D fantasy world. Players take control of three different characters to overcome obstacles and beat back an army of undead, often manifesting objects out of thin air to solve physics-based puzzles, or using a Bionic Commando -like grappling hook to swing across large chasms. The burly, hammer-wielding Warrior, the deadly accurate and agile Thief, and the platform-conjuring Wizard can be swapped out at any time, depending on the task at hand. Little else is known about Trine, but from what I've seen so far, it definitely looks like a keeper.

Prototype (PC, PS3, 360)

If the sole purpose of gaming was to make players feel empowered, then Prototype may very well be the most successful work of electronic entertainment of all time. In this game, Alex Mercer wakes up in a morgue, defying death from the outset. He has no memory of his past, but has been endowed with supernatural strength, speed, and agility, as well as the ability to absorb the skills, knowledge, memories, form, and appearance of the people he kills. From instantly learning how to maneuver a helicopter or tank, to unlocking the secrets of his and the virally infected New York City's history, consuming victims like this can prove to be very useful. Radical Entertainment claims that there will be over 750 unique superpower combinations in this sandbox of destruction. What's more, Mercer can easily pull off a T-1000 impression, impaling enemies with spikes or clubbing them to death with weapons made from his own "biomass." I want what he's got.

Alan Wake (PC, 360)

Alan Wake, the newest offering from Max Payne creators Remedy Entertainment, looks to redefine the way we look at videogame horror. Billed as an action thriller, this grisly game is the story of author Alan Wake, a novelist whose frightening fiction begins to creep off the pages and into his life. The funny thing is that most of the plot for his story came from his own dreams to begin with. Drawing influence from the Silent Hill and Max Payne series, Alan Wake is set in what the developers claim is a 38-square-mile portion of rural Washington, in a town that the titular protagonist comes to realize plays host to more than its fair share of paranormal and otherwise terrifying activiy. Themes of dreams, reality, light and darkness are prevalent here, as Alan's level of consciousness can be ambiguous, and even when he is awake, the various sources of light found throughout Bright Falls are his main sources of protection. That, and a .44 magnum.

Brutal Legend (PS3, 360)

Tim Schafer is one of the few videogame designers whose every thought somehow seems to transform into gaming gold, so it should come as no big surprise that his studio's first project since Psychonauts scores high on the "do want" list of many gamers. Jack Black will lend his voice and likeness to this comedic action/adventure game about a roadie who must raise an other-dimensional army to save humankind from eternal servitude...to demons. In an open world where everything is fashioned out of heavy metal (music, not steel), this Tenacious D -like character can be truly heroic, and with each subsequent mission, his hard-rocking warband grows stronger and larger. From what we know so far, Brutal Legend is set to be one of the most over-the-top absurd games out there, befitting both Schafer and Black -- and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Heavy Rain (PS3)

After Quantic Dream's last game, Indigo Prophecy, it's hard not to put Heavy Rain at the very top of my most anticipated games list. Billed as a game made for adults, this story-driven adventure aims to affect players on a mental and emotional level like no other. Heavy Rain is a malleable film noir thriller in which decisions players make will have serious repercussions in the game world, be those consequences immediate or long-term. Much of the gameplay will focus on this thoughtful interaction with the images on-screen, rather than dexterous controller manipulation. The heavy themes involved will play out via the game's already-stunning visuals and audio. For anyone seeking the next step in gaming, Heavy Rain may very well be the ticket.

'Twill be a good year:

There are a lot of really exciting new IPs on the way in 2009. This list just represents a small portion (arguably the most intriguing, so please do argue) of that bunch. Games like inFAMOUS, Dragon Age: Origins, Darksiders: Wrath of War, Alpha Protocol, Flock, and many others are very promising, too, making 2009 look like yet another great year to be a gamer.

The Count | Top 5 Anticipated Sequels Of 2009

GamerNode - The "Top X Anticipated Games of 20XX" has become an annual requirement for just about everyone in videogame journalism nowadays; this article proves that I am apparently no different in that regard. To be at least somewhat unique, I've decided to split the typical top ten list into two parts this year: sequels and original titles. More predictable and less exciting than original IP, sequels come first in this two-part feature. Behold my most anticipated franchise incrementations of 2009:

Street Fighter IV (360, PS3)

This one takes me way back to my childhood, when I, like GN's OLD SKOOL columnist George Brandes, used to run the Street Fighter II machine at the Playland Arcade and hear things like, "OH! Shorty just whipped yo' ass!" on a fairly consistent basis (although Microsoft's Ken Lobb admittedly beat me to a pulp when I challenged him at E3). Street Fighter IV features incredible graphics and online match-making to go along with its time-tested gameplay, and all 12 warriors from the SFII roster make a return to the arena, along with five brand new characters and eight veterans from other games in the series. New focus attacks and ultra combos, along with all of the special techniques from earlier games, will help to make Street Fighter IV the epitome of the 2D fighter.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

"What's Tomb Raider?" That's the question Uncharted made gamers ask when it was released in late 2007, as it did everything right that the aging Lara Croft had been struggling with for years. The characters, storyline, graphics, and gameplay were all excellent, and came together to form what was far and away the best title on the PlayStation 3 at the time (and still ranks among the best). The sequel, although only shown in teaser form thus far, can only improve on what was already "must-have" videogame quality.

God of War III (PS3)

The God of War franchise is undeniably awesome. The setting and storyline are epic, the gameplay is nearly flawless, and Kratos is one of the most badass videogame characters in existence. Even on the lowly PSP, God of War: Chains of Olympus was one of the best games of 2008. Sony's Santa Monica studio is taking the reigns again for God of War III -- the first installment in the series on seventh generation consoles. Built on a brand new game engine, God of War III promises larger-scale battles than in previous GoW games, a new weapon system, and of course better visuals than ever before. Kratos seeks vengeance on the gods of Mt. Olympus in this final chapter of the God of War story. I'll be on his side.

Resident Evil 5 (360, PS3)

I'm a Resident Evil junkie, and for good reason. Resident Evil 4 was, and still is, one of the best games I've played in years, improving with subsequent update. Resident Evil 5 looks to take that winning formula and expand upon it in 2009. The game continues to move the franchise away from its slow, methodical roots toward more intense action gameplay, but it is masterfully done, distinguishing RE5 from the typical, everyday shooter. Adding new tweaks to streamline the gameplay, including new control schemes for dual-stick purists and fast weapon- and item-switching for us impatient folk, this is shaping up to be the best Resident Evil yet.

Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams (PC, 360, PS3)

Bioshock 2 is essentially a mystery at this point. Our only glimpse at the game as of yet comes in the form of the teaser trailer above, but just knowing that the game exists and is penciled in for a Q3 2009 release is enough to get the gaming community excited. It seems that, with Rapture left on the ocean floor, Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams is coming to the surface, Little Sisters and all. If Bioshock 2 is anything like its predecessor (which happened to be my personal choice for 2007's GotY), then it will undoubtedly be one of the best gaming experiences of the year.

A winner is almost you: Assassin's Creed 2 (PC, 360, PS3)

Assassin's Creed 2 has yet to be confirmed, but rumors have been flying that it could potentially be released this December, and that it may take the series to a new time period -- most likely the French Revolution. Assassin's Creed is still one of my favorite games of this generation, so I can only assume that its sequel (especially if they heed everyone's advice and vary the mission structure a bit) will be even better. My only reservation is about the time period; I don't exactly know how guns will fit the gameplay style.

Color Outside The Lines -- Crayon Physics Deluxe Review

TheGameReviews - In recent years, it has become quite obvious that the majority of the creativity in the videogame industry comes from small, independent developers. Some of the best games in 2008 were of this innovative, home-grown variety, and already in 2009, Crayon Physics Deluxe is continuing the trend.

Designed entirely by Petri Purho, under the label of Kloonigames, CPD explores what it might be like if one's every stroke on a piece of paper were to become actual objects in a two-dimensional environment, subject to all the laws of physics. The object of the game is simple: guide a small crayon-drawn ball to the star(s) in each of the game's 75+ single-screen levels. The catch, however, is that the ball can only be nudged slightly left or right; any other locomotion must be provided by drawing various objects on the paper to force the circle along, most often employing gravity to help accomplish that goal.

The simplest example of this indirect prodding is introduced in the first level, where players are asked to draw a box above the ball, creating a falling block that knocks the ball toward the star. Other possibilities range from simple lines to complex ad hoc mechanical apparatuses. Basic lines can bridge the many gaps and chasms between platforms, form slopes to guide the ball and build up momentum, or act as barriers to prevent the ball from escaping its desired course. A single line becomes a rope when fastened to small, penciled-in 'knobs' on two separate objects, and other advanced tools such as levers and pendulums are formed using hinges and pivot points on existing structures. Players can even create a self-driven car by drawing two wheels and a body, or activate conveniently placed rockets by dropping something on them. These, of course, can be attached to whatever strings, platforms, containers, or other things players deem necessary to move the ball to the star.

What is great about CPD is that there is no single correct solution to any of the puzzles, but many different ways to be successful. Where one person may draw a cantilever platform to reach the star, another player may employ something that more closely resembles a catapult. Of course not everything is possible in CPD. For the most part, however, solutions are restricted only by the player's own creativity, and some of the resulting sequences are nothing short of amazing. It's a shame there is no YouTube integration in CPD (a la Spore), because that would be the icing on the cake.

Players can't share gameplay videos, but they can share custom levels. The level editor allows players to quickly and easily draw up their own challenges and then upload them to the Crayon Physics Deluxe Playgrond website with just a few clicks. Downloading levels is a bit more difficult, as players must manually save the files in the Crayon Physics Deluxe directory via their internet browser. Being able to grab new levels from within the game itself would have been a far more user-friendly approach.

CPD has a few other drawbacks, as well. Unfortunately, because the game doesn't demand any specific approaches for successfully completing levels, players may simply find a few proven strategies and stick with them, only devising something new when their go-to game has failed. It is also possible to muscle through many of the levels, forgoing more elegant solutions and piling layer upon layer of virtual crayon wax until the game is essentially beaten into submission, and can't help but let the player win. A simple limit on the number of crayon strokes allowed for each level could have prevented this. Yes, fewer restrictions and the freedom to be creative are wonderful things, but one can't help but wonder if CPD might have been a more rewarding experience had the level design forced players to use a greater variety of solutions within a limited number of 'moves.'

In terms of presentation, there is little more to ask of CPD than what is already in place. All of the game's visuals appear to be hand-scribbled crayon marks on a folded-and-unfolded piece of drawing paper. Further driving home the crayon theme, players are allowed to draw on the overworld map, and even erase much of what is already there. As for the game's music, the lullaby-like tracks are a very good match for the simple and relaxing gameplay, but more would have been better, as they do repeat themselves frequently.

Crayon Physics Deluxe is a fun and innovative title offering extensive replayability and the opportunity for players to creatively interact with the game. A little extra tweaking and tuning could have made Crayon Physics Deluxe really stand out, but as is, the game is still a fine choice for an entertaining gameplay experience.

I Vant To Shut You Up -- A Vampyre Story Review

When a person sits down with an adventure game, the most important tasks that the game has to accomplish are to a) be entertaining, and b) not be broken. A Vampyre Story from Autumn Moon Entertainment and The Adventure Company satisfies both of those requirements, but does little to excel beyond simple "worth playing" status.

The game puts the player in control of Mona De Lafitte, an opera singer-turned-vampiress being held against her will in an isolated castle in Draxsylvania. With her best bat-friend, Froderick, she tries to escape and return to Paris on a night when her captor, Baron Shrowdy von Kiefer, has an unfortunate (or fortunate) run-in with the hands of fate. This is where the action begins.

The game operates in much the same manner as any other point-and-click adventure title, but with a few notable unique features. Players click on paths, doorways, stairs, and the like to move Mona and Froderick around the game world, and can interact with objects by clicking and holding down the mouse button on them, then selecting actions from a selection wheel resembling a compass rose. In this way, the dynamic duo can, among other things, examine, talk to, pick up, take, and move these items using the context-sensitive commands that appear on the cross-like interface. Mona can also "remember" the things she sees so that she and Froderick can use them later on. When this happens, an ethereal version of the item -- its memory -- is placed in the player's inventory, becoming usable just like the real thing, but also answering the ever-bewildering question, "how does she carry all that stuff?" When a remembered item is used correctly, Mona simply turns into a bat and flies off to get it before performing the desired action. And speaking of bats, Mona's unfortunate "disease" (which she constantly denies) allows her to learn new vampiric abilities as the story progresses, and then use them to help her advance.

In general, the game's puzzles are thoughtful enough to not be boring, but also not so ridiculously off-the-wall that normal logic fails to solve them. Often during the trickier portions, Froderick or Mona will give an auditory clue in the form of some key word or phrase, thus helping to prod the player -- and the plot -- along. There are a few times when necessary items are difficult to spot, leading to temporary hang-ups, but overall, these problems are few and far-between.

A Vampyre Story's greatest shortcoming is its plot and storytelling, which is not to say that the narrative is horrible, because it is the best aspect of the game, as well. Many of the characters in Draxsylvania are genuinely likable (or despicable), and much of the dialog in the game is witty and amusing. On the other hand, the writing tries so hard to be funny that it takes the corny jokes and puns just a step too far on multiple occasions. The story isn't all too deep, nor is it so amazing that gamers will be talking about it for years to come, but it is interesting and enjoyable enough to keep players happily involved until the end (so long as Mona's grating voice doesn't annoy you to the point of abandoning the game completely).

The cartoon-style graphics fit the light-hearted nature of the story and are generally very appealing, save for a few minor clipping and frame rate hiccups. The hand-drawn backgrounds outshine the character models, but the two work well together to create a nice, unified aesthetic that seems perfect for this game. The background music, too, fits the story, and while it is nothing too grandiose, it is varied and effective.

At a bargain price of $29.99, A Vampyre Story is great for players seeking a low-intensity and entertaining adventure. The characters and dialog will keep you smiling (at both the legitimately funny lines as well as the laughably corny ones), the simple, effective controls and sensible puzzles will keep you playing, and the mute button will keep you from throttling Mona. Okay, maybe she's not THAT horrible.