Borderlands' "role-playing shooter" combination makes it one of 2009's most spectacularly addicting games. But what happens when you strip out the role-playing? Does Borderlands deliver enough of a fix, and the pangs of withdrawal, as a pure shooter?

Loved
Madcap Mayhem: If you want long - and I mean long - gun battles, the Underdome Riot is where you need to be. Only in Old Haven on singleplayer did I have a shooting campaign north of, say, 30 minutes in the main game. This add-on sextuples that, if not more. Three very large boards comprise the Underdome, with plenty of cover, camping spots, and alleys and avenues that funnel into useful killzones. The rules also change capriciously, placing a premium on certain weapons, speeding up the combatants, reducing gravity, or requiring certain types of shots for a kill. Gearbox built this to be a very long, very challenging experience and at that it absolutely succeeded. For the firefight itch that only a nonstop shootout will scratch, this is your DLC.

Hated
Fifty is the New Zero: Do not, however, buy this if you are looking for another set of missions to complete, because that is not its point. That's fine, but if you take pride in your level 50 character, you're going to feel like all that work amounts to nothing in the Underdome. I'm not talking about having some advantage or getting special treatment. I'm just talking about feeling like you're able to compete. As a level 50 Hunter with a level 47 Soldier as backup, my friend and I battled for a solid two hours advancing no further than wave two of round three in Hellburbia, the first arena. Inviting reinforcements would have just doubled the onslaught facing us. I think it's because once you get that high, every enemy is a 50 and so are you, making it a real immovable object/irresistable force showdown. So my friend switched over to his level 19 Siren, invited me, and then I chainsawed through the hordes. (It still took us a good 90 minutes to clear those first three tournaments.) That's cheating, of course. But Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot leaves no middle ground, and the fact you have to survive 25 consecutive, very tough waves or start all over again will become frustrating because, at some point, you're in this to win it, right?

Payoffs? You Kidding Me? Payoffs?: Motoring through a lesser-level Underdome, yes, I didn't expect to see much loot worth hauling, even for the cash (which I already have, like $8 million). But for what I could complete at Level 50 I wasn't that impressed with the level 43 weapons dropped at the end of a round. Only a couple of items made it into my active loadout. The "bank" offered in the Underdome's lobby was a little puzzling to me. The extra space to save weapons is nice, but is it really that useful? Maybe it offers a tactical advantage in that you can stick your lesser-used, but still valuable items in there so you're able to quickly switch out weapons and class mods when the rules change, and still have the rest of your gear when you leave. Then, completing the "lesser challenge" for one measly extra skill point, for me, was like seeing the odometer tick up to 1 after finishing Desert Bus. Tackling the "greater challenge" (and even longer) - you'll get another one (1) skill point. Experience does not accrue here like it does in the rest of the game. Fine, you can't have this be a grinder's cheap paradise. But that also means kills also do not count toward your in-game challenges (which pay out experience at milestones) and that's a real pisser to discover.

As the RPG shooter, Borderlands is spectacularly addictive - but fundamentally driving that addiction is the grind incentive and there is no payout for that here. Forget achievements or weapon proficiencies, I was powerfully disappointed to learn my guardian kills did not even register on the internal challenges. I'm already dealing with a character at the level cap, so not getting the experience points is not a big deal. But those at level 20 or 30, however, are probably going to wonder why they're doing this around wave four of the second arena.

Admittedly, this review was one of the rare instances where the mandate to complete a game doesn't serve the intent of the game very well and fundamentally changes the experience it offers. It's clear the Underdome is about the journey - a body-strewn bullet-riddled one - and not the destination. The comparatively paltry bonuses for completing it would reinforce that. But without any meaningful experience gained or milestones reached in combat, there's not much to reap from the process, either. Unless, as the Spider-Man theme reminds us, action is our reward.

Borderlands: Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot was developed by Gearbox and published by 2K for the Xbox 360 on Dec. 29 and for PlayStation 3 and PC on Jan. 7. Retails for 800 Microsoft Points/$9.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the developer for reviewing purposes. Completed the three tournaments for the "Prove Yourself" mission. Swore constantly.

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A thousand years after the original Crystal Chronicles the world has changed. The four races are three, with the now dominant plant-like Lilties having defeated the Yuke tribe of machine people in the Great War. Swords and spells have given way to guns and ammo, with magic outlawed and the few remaining practitioners - the Crystal Bearers - feared by normal society. Players take on the role of one such Crystal Bearer, the hero-for-hire Layle, as he embarks on a journey that will something something something fate of the world.

It's Final Fantasy. There's always an epic quest that involves the fate of the world. This time there's telekinesis. How'd that work out? Read on.

Loved
A Grand Adventure: At the core of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a compelling story that managed to keep my attention despite all of distractions Square Enix threw in my way in the form of mini-games and side quests. The characters are entertaining, even if the voice acting is sub-par and some of them have serious character flaws (the main character, Layle, is a bit of a jerk). My only issue with the story is that just as it was getting really good, the game ended. I'd say around 10 hours of my 18 hour play time was spent completing the story, which seems a little short to me, but could just be an indicator of how much I enjoyed it and hated to see it go.

Everything Is Beautiful: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a very pretty game. The environments are lush and colorful, the characters attractive and expressive, and your enemies are varied and unique, while still maintaining a bit of that Final Fantasy flavor. It's a little rough around the edges, but if you can look past some jaggies you'll see one of the most gorgeous games the Wii has to offer.

That's Telekinesis, Holmes: Layle's Crystal Bearer power is telekinesis, and I've not spent this much time picking things up and throwing them about since Konami released Elebits back in the early days of the Wii. You'll open doors, catch fish, pull up plants, control trains, and fight with your telekinesis, and aside from some control issues, it's a great deal of fun. Plus, if you get frustrated, you can always pick up an innocent civilian and fling them off a cliff. If you're looking for a Wii title that makes good use of the Wii remote, then look no further.

The Power To Movie Enemies: At first I was less than thrilled with the combat system in The Crystal Bearers. Picking up enemies and throwing them seemed a simplistic way to handle fighting in a game. It wasn't until an encounter with a pair of beetles that I began to understand the true potential of the system. By stunning one beetle and throwing it at the second, the two monsters connected into a ball, which I could then fling about the battlefield, doing damage to everything in its path. Ah, now I see. To get the most out of combat in The Crystal Bearers you need to experiment with the enemies and objects scattered about the battlefield. Some enemies grant you special attacks when held, while some items will kill enemies faster than others. It's a learning process, and with patience you'll find there's a great deal more to combat than simply picking things up and tossing them about.

The Joy Of Discovery: Exploration is a major aspect of The Crystal Bearers. Every location is riddled with little nooks and crannies, filled with treasure chests, new challenges, and small details that help add character to the lovely world you're playing in. One could spend hours simply running about discovering new things without advancing the story whatsoever.

It's The Little Things: The game is filled with little side quests and mini-games that can substantially increase the amount of time you spend playing the game. Activities like garden building and the always welcome chocobo races help keep the game from becoming too monotonous, while an extensive awards system will keep you exploring both the world and your options in combat, rewarding you with kudos for everything from catching certain fish to finding interesting new ways to dispatch your enemies.

Hated
There's Never Enough Time: While the game's battle system eventually grew on me, I never quite got used to the timed battles. Enemies appear in some areas during specific times of the day only, giving you a limited amount of time to dispatch your foes and earn the rewards for doing so before transitioning back to a more peaceful setting. Not only does it limit the amount of time you have to fool around with the telekinesis-powered combat system, it adds an element of frustration to the mix. Far too many times I found myself one enemy short of clearing an area, only to have the time shift occur, leaving me to either wait until the next shift or wander off to do other things.

Control Issues: The Crystal Bearers relies heavily on the Wii remote for just about everything you do, so when the Wii and your hand don't agree on which way you just flicked your wrist, the game suffers accordingly. This issue was particularly prevalent when the Wii remote was being flicked up or down, with a good 3 out of 10 strokes registering incorrectly. I also encountered some problems when trying to target enemies while holding a monster that shoots some sort of beam (fire, electricity, etc.). At times it seemed as if I was shooting behind character instead of in front of him. Square Enix does include options to adjust the sensitivity of the Wii remote, but I didn't notice much of a difference on any setting.

We Got Lost: A fair amount of my exploration was due to one simple fact - I was lost. There really isn't a map function, other than a word map where you're represented by a dot, and when your land and cityscapes are littered with those little nooks and crannies that make exploring so much fun, it's quite easy to get turned around.

While I enjoyed the various side quests and activities that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers provided, I can't shake the feeling that a lot of it is padding for a main adventure that isn't quite complete. This mainly stems from the fact that nearly 50% of the time I spent playing the game didn't involve the actual storyline. The feeling is deepened by the strange appearance of CGI cut scenes later in the game. The majority of the story is told using the in-game engine, but then suddenly there are two or three CGI scenes dropped in, giving me the impression that something was missing. Odd.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers comes off as more as a Final Fantasy activity book with a story running through it than a fully realized FF title, but the sights are lovely, the activities entertaining, and as long as you know what you're getting into you should have a good time.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers was developed and published by Square Enix for the Wii on December 26th. Retails for $49.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played through the story mode once.

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The action game directed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya offers a new alternative, but a familiar gameplay style for the fan of Capcom's shoot and slice 'em up series, something new for the Ninja Gaidens and God of Wars of the world to aim for. And it's not just Bayonetta's weapon arsenal, though she can wear a gun—or claw or ice skate or bazooka—on each hand and each foot, leading to a dizzying array of combos. She can also exact vengeance on her angelic foes with the magic of her hair, the black locks that act as both costume and, when needed, a giant, enemy shredding beast.

Is this action heroine a welcome addition to the Dantes, Ryus and Kratoses of the genre?

Loved
Witch Time & Quad Damage: The best aspect of Bayonetta? The deep, fluid, play-to-your-preference combat, made all the more interesting by a wealth of weapons, combinations and the delightfully fun Witch Time. That's the dodge at the last second mechanic that lets Bayonetta hack and slash and shoot in her own take on now-classic bullet time. Witch Time is meant to be used liberally, via a well-timed flick of the right trigger, and makes experimentation with Bayonetta's move set and weapon suite—whips, swords, shotguns, et al. applied to both hands and feet—tons of fun.

A Dull Moment? Why I'd Never! Action game fans will not hunger for over-over-the-top frenzied gameplay in Bayonetta. The game administers a constant drip of high octane fisticuffs, swordplay and gunplay that manages to regularly one-up itself over the course of the game's substantial length, throwing at the player more and more spectacular bosses and ridiculous circumstances for Bayonetta to effortlessly overcome. Not that these the player will find the gameplay effortless, necessarily—more on that later—but whether Bayonetta is battling Angels twenty times her size, riding on the back of a rocket, or surfing the lip of a mile-deep whirlpool, she does it with cat-like grace that juxtaposes beautifully with the chaos flooding the screen. Thanks to the game's ornately and cleverly designed part-angelic, part-demonic bosses, Bayonetta is (almost) never dull.

Visual Style: Bayonetta's gilded and glitzy aesthetic will likely have as many detractors as fans. But I'm a fan of the game's Vegas Strip visual intensity and costumes as subtle as Liberace's stage wear. It's gaudy, silly and full of impractical designs, but it's rarely if ever brown and boring. Bayonetta's personal appeal, as illustrated through her hip-thrusting and long-legged kicks, may wear thinner by the end of the game—as does the black witch hair offering titillating glances at her nether parts—but it is at least refreshing not to see a protagonist brooding and bulky.

Normal Is Normal, Hard Is Hard: At its default level Bayonetta offers a challenge. Certainly not an insurmountable one, but enough pushback from enemies and numerous bosses to make the game as hard as games like this should be. Platinum Games is generous with checkpoints and saving opportunities, offering two levels of difficulty above "normal." Having failed often in the next difficulty level up, I'm fairly confident that even gamers better than me will find an appropriate challenge in "hard."

Vs. Jeanne: Though they may be the least visually impressive of Bayonetta's many encounters, the battles with her white haired foil Jeanne are often the most interesting from a pure gameplay perspective. These hand-to-hand fights against Bayonetta's equal require some of the most demanding reflexes, offering the most intense battles. It was against Jeanne that I learned to appreciate Bayonetta's battle system and weapon switching. It's also against Jeanne where you'll use the wall-climbing Witch Walk mechanic most.

Heaven or Hell: Bayonetta is fortunate enough to have access to multiple realities, letting her access portals to Alfheim and to the Gates of Hell. The former lets players take part in mid-chapter battles of a puzzle-like nature, restricting them to a certain number of punches and kicks or to Bayonetta's Wicked Weave hair-based magical attacks. If you want to really play Bayonetta, unlocking everything, you'll find an impressive challenge in the hidden Alfheim portals. The Gates of Hell ensures that players will want to return to a "new game+" playthrough, purchasing and unlocking everything. In the Gates of Hell, all new weapons, techniques and accessories await the player. And given their price, it may be a long time before the Bayonetta fan has seen everything on display.

Devil May Cry Too: Look, if you like Devil May Cry, you're most likely going to love Bayonetta, the spiritual successor to the Capcom franchise that has varied in fan reception over the years. Hideki Kamiya, director of Bayonetta and the original Devil May Cry, also takes time to include nods to some of his other games, like Viewtiful Joe and Okami. But if you simply enjoy the Devil May Cry upgrade and combat systems, you're going to find much of Bayonetta fondly familiar.

Sega Throwback: And if you happen to be a Sega superfan, the publisher of Bayonetta's past is also well referenced. The gags aren't worth spoiling here, but a handful of Bayonetta's weaker, gameplay-switching chapters are made infinitely better by goofy nostalgia.

Hated
The Ugly Sister: As followers of the game are likely aware, the PlayStation 3 version falls well behind its Xbox 360 sister in a handful of technical aspects. There are frame rate and loading issues with the PS3 version, both of which detract from the fluidity of the experience, particularly if one spends time with the 360 version. The loading frustrations are not just limited to between-chapter breaks, either, as the game will pause to load when picking up items. The Xbox 360 version, while mostly consistent in its frame rate, suffers from some noticeable screen tearing. It's more obvious during the quieter periods, not as much when engaged in battle.

Lock Off, Featherface: Bayonetta's camera is a chore to deal with at times, sometimes pulling the view away from enemies at crucial moments. It's slow to catch up or control at others. The default setting for camera manipulation is painfully slow, something the user can tweak, but it's the reliance on locking-on to an enemy for reliable camera angles that can be frustrating.

It may be difficult to convey how much fun it is to play Bayonetta without touching on the thousand things that make the game memorable. Over the course of my first 16-hour play through of the game, Bayonetta showed me one ridiculous cinematic battle after another. The game's memorable, puzzling bosses may be the biggest draw for their visual spectacle, but it will be the deep, fluid combat that will keep action game fans hooked after the visual splendor wears off.

Now, Bayonetta does have a hitch or two. The story driving moments that interrupt all that action wears out its welcome quickly. A handful of verses that involve driving sequences and controlling mounted turret guns detract from the overall experience. Especially the turret gun nonsense. Fortunately, those cut scenes can be skipped. Turret gun sequences should be given the same courtesy.

For the gamer not put-off by the Devil May Cry school of design, there's much to like in Bayonetta. It's a ludicrous, oversexed romp that one shouldn't take too seriously, just as its creators seemed to have done. But Bayonetta should be enjoyed immensely.

Bayonetta was developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 5. Retails for $59.99 USD. Two copies of the game were purchased for reviewing purposes. Played Xbox 360 version to completion on Normal difficulty, further testing Hard difficulty. Played first three chapters on PlayStation 3 version.

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Instead, it's an action/role-playing game hybrid where you play as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who's been tricked into starting said Apocalypse when he really wasn't supposed to. Whoops. So you're sent to make amends, and by "make amends", I mean "kill everyone and everything responsible."

Playing through the game, it often feels like every element of Darksiders has been lifted from somewhere else. It plays like The Legend of Zelda (you even get a horse!), only with God of War's aesthetic and combat. There's also a bit of Prince of Persia platforming tossed in for good measure and even some Panzer Dragoon, all the above crudely cobbled together to form something else. It's the Frankenstein's Monster of January 2010.

But is that such a bad thing? Let's find out.

Loved
Demon Killer: Fairly early in the game, you gain the ability to transform into what is essentially a giant Balrog. And you can do this once every five minutes or so. Sure, it makes the game too easy as you progress, but when you can click your fingers and turn into a 20-foot flaming monster which can crush enemies at will, I simply do not care.

Mark Hamill: Mark Hamill is in the game. It's not his finest role, but hey, it's still nice hearing the guy, especially since he's playing Darksiders' version of Ocarina of Time's Navi.

Finish Him: Darksiders includes a neat feature whereby enemies close to death (say, they've got 1/3 of their strength left) can be wiped out instantly with a single button press. What's more, those enemies are lit up with an icon indicating this. When you're in the midst of a battle against 5-8 bad guys, it's a big help, as it lets you plan your course through the carnage and deal with enemies one by one.

The Future's So Bright... - I'll get to my grievances with the game's art style later, but one thing that doesn't disappoint is Darksider's colour. Despite being a post-apocalyptic title, the game pops with colour, from War's bright red tunic to lush green and blue water levels to swirling yellow deserts. Even the bad guys are dripping with aqua blues and bright greens. Sure makes a pleasant change from the browns, greys and more browns you'd expect from a game like this.

It's Dangerous To Go Alone. Take This. It's a genuine surprise to see that, in some cases, Darksiders actually manages to succeed in feeling like a Zelda game. After a slow, combat-heavy opening you'll soon encounter large dungeons full of puzzles, then go about unlocking new weapons to unlock new puzzles and defeat new enemies/bosses. Just goes to show that, at least in terms of mechanics, the Zelda formula isn't as hard to copy as you'd have imagined.

Hated
Mad Indeed: Much was made of the involvement of comic book star Joe Madureira as the game's creative director. Pity, because Darksiders is a creative mess. Its bulging, ridiculous characters are like something built to appeal to 16 year-old boys from the 1990's, the story is left untended for most of the game and Darksiders' worlds and opponents are so mired in cliché that at times you wonder whether the game's secretly deriding every fantasy game that's come before it.

Ratchet & Clunk: For some reason, there are platforming areas in this game. There really shouldn't be. War's movements are far too cumbersome and "clunky" for wall-running and flying... foxing, meaning some obstacles and areas are far more difficult to traverse than they ought to be. This is also the best spot to complain about the "demonic growth", which is the only substance War can climb in the game. You see, despite the fact the protagonist has metal claw fingers and is a horseman of the apocalypse, he can't climb rocks, or walls, or trees. All he can climb is conveniently-located "demonic growth". It's not the first game to do this, sure, but few these days do it so obviously.

Hope You Like Fighting: While Darksiders gets the Zelda formula right in some instances, in others, it falls short. In Zelda, the mechanics are only half the fun; the rest comes from exploration, interaction with NPCs and side-quests. Darksiders has mostly... fighting, meaning your only compulsion to advance through the game's sprawling levels is the promise of more combat.

Screen Tear: I played the game on 360, and experienced the worst screen tear effects I've seen since Saints Row. Which, coincidentally, was also published by THQ. It's tolerable most of the time, but in some areas it's almost unbearable.

There's an over-used saying that goes "jack of all trades, master of none". I'm going to use it one more time, however, because that's exactly how Darksiders feels. Yes, it takes the best elements of some of the best games of the past decade and throws them together, but it never manages to mould them all into something truly unique. It's like watching a YouTube mashup of your favourite games in lieu of, well, actually playing through your favourite games.

You've also got to wonder about the timing of the game's release. Zelda inspirations aside, you'll spend the bulk of your time in Darksiders brawling, and with God of War III and the sublime Bayonetta on the way, maybe THQ should have got this out the door a little sooner.

Since they didn't, though, what we're left with is a game that initially disappoints with its bland levels and uninspired premise, but will, for those willing to ride out its humdrum opening hours, gradually unfurl into a competent action RPG.

Darksiders was developed by Vigil and published by THQ for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Released on January 5, retails for USD $59. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played game to completion on Xbox 360 (normal difficulty).

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This top-down, dual-stick shooter retains the arcadey appeal of the genre, while supporting its frenzied action with sharp visuals and impressive effects. Solo pilots are in for an alien-annihilating blast, but co-op world-savers may get lost in the chaos before finishing this fight.

Loved
Thumbs At the Ready:0 Day's action is fast, fun, and often frantic. There's always lots happening on-screen, and only razor-sharp reflexes will keep your craft from quickly becoming a plummeting ball of fire. Assisting your fight against Earth's invaders are multiple ships, power-ups, and abilities. An effective nitro boost will shoot you out of harm's way, while screen-stretching explosive blasts-that'd crane the necks of Mercenaries' pyro-loving protagonists-envelope bigger enemies in a tidal wave of flames. Additionally, expected genre power-ups such as three-way spray guns and flame throwers that deliver death from both ends of your ship, round out your alien-whuppin' arsenal. The swift action is also nicely managed by intuitive controls and a simple, clean HUD display.

Aliens Attack!: Evocative of over-the-top extraterrestrial invasion films like Independence Day and War of the Worlds, 0 Day pays as much attention to its presentation as its gameplay. Taking place over seven days and 20+ missions, the story sees you fighting enormous enemies in real-world cities. Where similar titles offer repetitive starry space backdrops and uninspired enemies, 0 Day pits players against massive metallic menaces erupting from the Hudson River and mechanical limb-flailing monsters that dwarf Manhattan's skyscrapers.

Hated
Chaotic Co-opWhile 0 Day seems tailor made for a kick-ass co-op experience, its up-to-4-player mode suffers from being way too busy. Between the enemies, explosions, allies, and power-ups, there's already a bit much crowding the screen during solo play. But add more trigger-happy players to the mix, and navigating the clutter becomes maddening. Competitive mutli-player modes, while similarly dizzying, do fare a bit better here. If you can manage to tune out some of the peripheral chaos, there's some fun to be had while battling with or against buddies, but more often than not I found myself flying solo.

0 Day doesn't stray too far from what makes the dual-stick shooter genre tick. But addictive action and some interesting abilities, complemented by a presentation ripped right from a Roland Emmerich flick, allow it to rise above the me-too competition. It gets a little crazy when the action ramps up during multi-and occasionally solo-play, but quick-reflexed gamers shouldn't have a problem saving the planet from its latest alien threat.

0 Day: Attack on Earth was developed by GULTI and published by Square Enix for Xbox Live Arcade on December 23th. Retails for 1200 Microsoft Points. A code to download the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Completed the game's campaign on medium difficulty and participated in several online multi-player matches.

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As with their aforementioned Call of Duty clone, Gameloft's latest shooter borrows from the best; while it's unlikely we'll see Master Chief's shiny green armor splash across the iPhone's slick display anytime soon, N.O.V.A. offers the next best thing.

Loved
Hand-held Halo: Give any of N.O.V.A.'s screenshots even a passing glance, and it's immediately obvious where the developers gleaned their inspiration. From its Brute-like baddies to a sidearm that'd look right at home in Master Chief's holster, this one's busting with Halo call-outs. Dig a bit deeper and you'll discover Warthog-wannabe vehicles and an intel-reporting cyber-hottie that shares more than a passing resemblance with a certain blue-beamed babe from Bungie's franchise. Whether you see these similarities as respectful tributes or blatant ripoffs, you'll be hard pressed to deny their appeal; coupled with amazing audio, visuals, animations and effects-weapon reloads are a highlight-they complement one of the platform's most polished and engrossing experiences.

Lock, Load, Touch: Supporting N.O.V.A.'s excellent presentation are rock solid controls that keep things simple, satisfying, and super intuitive. A responsive virtual pad moves your character, while finger-swiping the screen controls the camera and your cross hairs. Additionally, a well balanced aim-assist ensures you'll plug plenty of alien menaces between the eyes without ever feeling like the game's doing it for you. Tossing grenades, using stasis power (Maybe the devs played some Dead Space, too?), and jumping also feel natural and never frustrating. While the Wii still struggles to find the FPS sweet spot with its unconventional controls, it seems the iPhone has already mastered this challenge.

Hated
Head-shot to Originality: From it's generic name, which stands for Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance, to its forgettable sci-fi story, N.O.V.A. feels a bit uninspired. Objectives, such as activating computer terminals and clearing rooms of bad guys before proceeding, are things we've been doing for years. And, despite their stunning visuals, the levels continuously sting with deja vu as you trek across catwalks and ride elevators in familiar-feeling space stations. Although its production values are top notch and its gameplay engaging, N.O.V.A. sometimes feels like it fell off the "sc-fi shooter" assembly line.

While N.O.V.A. benefits by cribbing from some of the best console shooters, it also sticks too closely to many of the genre's growing-stale conventions. Still, its excellent gameplay and polished presentation easily make it the premier FPS on the platform, and even a worthy competitor to the PSP's and DS's best shooters. A 13-chapter solo campaign-complete with three difficulty settings-and 4-player Wi-Fi and local multi-player also make it a steal at around seven space bucks.

N.O.V.A. was developed and published by Gameloft for iPhone on December 17th. Retails for $6.99. A code to download the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Completed the game's campaign on medium, difficulty and participated in several multi-player matches over Wi-Fi.

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The latest lands the Pandorian-plundering humans on the iPhone, pitting them against your playable Na'vi avatar in a story set years before the film's narrative.

After coming away from the 360 version feeling as though I'd completed a pretty, but below average third-person shooter, I wasn't expecting much from this iPhone app. To my surprise, though, this version, buoyed by varied gameplay and mostly solid platforming action, gives its console cousins a run for their Unobtanium.

Loved
No Typical Tie-in: If you've played any number of film-based iPhone apps, you know many merely serve as one-note marketing tools, light on gameplay, big on movie hype. Avatar forgoes this in favor of a full-on console quality experience. Coming in at about eight hours, the campaign features a variety of gameplay scenarios, missions, power-ups, boss battles, and story-driving objectives. From battling mechs and piloting Banshees, to platforming through Pandora and rail-grinding down tree trunks, there's lots to do in this miniature paradise. Additionally, light RPG and puzzling elements nicely complement the experience, as does a pop-off-the-screen visual presentation. The combat consists mostly of leaning on the attack button, but this lack of depth is easily outweighed by a carefully paced experience that's always giving you something new to do.

Prince of Pandora: One of my biggest complaints about the console versions was that their Na'vi's acrobatic abilities seemed stunted given their athleticism and familiarity with their surroundings. This is a non-issue on the iPhone, as your big blue packs the sort of platforming prowess that'd turn the heads of the Persian Prince and Laura Croft. You'll spend as much time climbing, jumping, shimmying, rail-grinding, and swinging than you will running and gunning. The inventive level designs, complete with moving platforms, vines, and climbable cliffs, demand your acrobatic skills be as strong as your aim.

Hated
Nose-diving Na'vi: As much as I enjoyed the focus on acrobatics over ass-kicking, this aspect also yielded the title's biggest flaw. Even the most polished platformers suffer from the occasional frustrating moment when you can't stick a jump due to a bad camera angle, finicky controls, or inaccurate depth perception, so it's no surprise an iPhone app, with its tiny display, fixed camera, and touch pad, gives way to multiple death dives. These moments by no means ruin the overall experience, but I can think of at least a half dozen times when fun was eclipsed by frustration due to a platforming roadblock. And, given the pricey platform, you can't curb your occasional aggravation by chucking it-as you might a less pricey controller-across the room. The saving grace is frequent checkpoints, allowing you to fall to your death multiple times without ever having to replay long stretches.

Following Avatar's average console entry and other movie tie-in's lackluster debuts on the iPhone, I was pleasantly surprised by this app's brimming campaign, complemented by varied gameplay and a refreshing focus on platforming over combat. Despite a few frustrations, it works well as both a companion to the film and a standalone interactive experience, making it the best film-tied title to hit the App Store yet.

Avatar: The Game was developed and published by Gameloft iPhone on December 14th. Retails for $9.99. A code to download the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Completed the game's campaign.

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After years of cop chases, arcadey controls, and Maggie Q, the NFS franchise took a more Forza-like path for its latest console iteration. The much needed overhaul was a hit with critics, and now SHIFT effectively duplicates that same success on Apple's gaming gadget.

Loved
Role-playing Racer:Like its console counterparts, SHIFT's iPhone debut forgoes the free-wheeling approach that established the franchise, in favor of a racer that plays much more like an RPG. Through a robust career mode, heavy-foot gamers unlock points and stars for performing a variety of tasks. These fall into "precision" and "aggression" categories, and level you up without necessarily requiring you to win races. As you gain levels, you'll unlock new events, earn cash to upgrade and buy vehicles, and pad out your profile with Achievement-like badges. The super addictive format sets you on a path that quickly becomes as engaging as any just-one-more-level RPG experience.

Power Steering: As a gamer yet to embrace accelerometer controls as a superior alternative to traditional navigation, I was nervous about SHIFT stubbornly forcing them on players. Thankfully, my concerns were washed away like roadkill in a rain storm, as SHIFT controls like a dream. Simply tilt the device left and right to steer, give it an aggressive twitch to drift, and touch anywhere on the screen to brake. Additionally, a variety of assists can be turned on to ensure even sim-haters and rookie racers reach the finish line.

Visual HorsepowerSHIFT steals the cup from Asphalt 5 as the prettiest racer on the platform. From the detail-drenched real-world rides to the beautifully rendered globe-spanning locales, SHIFT sports a late PS2 era-like presentation. Even cooler are immersion-amping effects that'll spike your adrenaline and have you checking if your seat belt's buckled; nitro-fueled flames, smoke-spitting tires, and scenery that whips by at 150+ MPHs all do an amazing job of selling a real sense of speed and control. I've played plenty of console racers that don't do this good a job of immersing you in the pedal-to-the-metal moment.

Given that SHIFT's multi-player options look pretty limited next to the brimming career mode, I was tempted to add a "Hated" bullet highlighting this shortcoming. However, the lengthy solo experience is so solid and so polished, it's easy to overlook-and even appreciate-the developers obvious dedication to the single-player experience.

Need For Speed: SHIFT was developed by IronMonkey Studios and published by EA for iPhone on December 18th. Retails for $9.99. A code to download the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Completed the game's career mode and participated in multi-player modes.

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Style Savvy is a game marketed at girls that's all about fashion - putting together outfits, running your own boutique, and maybe even making waves on the runway scene. The game was developed by syn Sophia, the developer formerly known as AKI Corporation. As you may or may not know, AKI Corporation was responsible for developing some of the best professional wrestling video games of the late 90's / early 2000's, including WWF No Mercy, the first two Def Jam games, and the Japan-only Virtual Pro-Wrestling series. And now they've created Style Savvy, which tickles me to no end.

Now that I've gotten the irony out of the way, let's talk Style Savvy. Is it strong enough for a man, yet made for a woman?

Pull up a chair and let Miss Michael tell you all about it.

Loved
So Much To Do: I spent the first hour or so of Style Savvy helping customers pick out clothing while working as a clerk at an established fashion outlet. Soon things began to open up, and I found myself ordering new items from suppliers, customizing my outfits, and dressing store mannequins. Then the hair salon opens up. Suddenly I can change my hairstyle, makeup, and even take pictures to share with friends. Once you have your own boutique (which happens ridiculously fast), you'll have so much to do you'll find yourself sitting in Starbucks for several hours while your friends watch you, shaking their heads sadly. They just don't understand how much the fashion show means to you.

A Learning Experience: There's a lot to learn in Style Savvy, particularly for the less style savvy among us. Right off the bat you learn the basics of good customer service, paying attention to what your customers are looking and suggesting outfits accordingly. You learn how to maintain stock at a retail outlet; the difference between running a store with a few select styles and keeping a highly diversified but hard to navigate inventory; and how to manage your money. Do you blow all of your cash on a fancy new hairstyle and makeup, or do you make sure you have enough cardigans in stock for your demanding clientele? After several hours of play you'll also find yourself assimilating fashion terms you might have no business actually knowing, like boho-chic, or camisole.

The World's Biggest Closet: 10,000 fashions across 16 different brands equals nearly countless clothing combinations in which to dress yourself, your mannequins, and your customers. Shoes, jackets, sweaters, pumps, sunglasses, jewelry - it's all for sale, and every time you make a new item purchase for your store you get the same item delivered to your personal wardrobe as well. The game uses the Nintendo DS clock to determine what sort of fashions pop up at what times, meaning it's the sort of title you'll want to return to on a regular basis. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing.

Online Shopping: The shopping fun doesn't stop at your own Nintendo DS. Style Savvy players can connect to the internet to shop at other players' stores or set up an online branch of their very own. It's an excellent way for you to share your creations with the rest of the world, and the promise of new clothing available periodically through the DSi download service sweetens the game's online options even further.

Mmm, Unlockables: It's beginning to become an obsession with me. Show me a set of items with placeholders for the things that belong there but aren't there yet, and I will spend hours doing everything possible to fill those spaces. It doesn't matter if it's magical coins, machine guns, or in this case, hair and makeup styles.

Hated
Not Quite Creating Your Own Fashions: Perhaps this is a guy thing, which I somehow doubt, but when I think of creating my own fashions, I think actually designing clothing for the giant-headed women who come to my store to wear. Instead, Style Savvy is all about putting together a look out of what you have available. There is no design aspect. You are an outfit coordinator. This is not what I expected.

Very Girl-Centric: Right from the start, Style Savvy assumes you are female. Your character is female, even if you name her Michael. I've spent the better part of 15 hours being referred to as Miss Michael, and I might be developing some sort of complex. I know, I know - the game is targeted at young girls. Still, I shouldn't have to be called Miss Michael, no matter how adorable my little pink-haired avatar might be.

I shouldn't even have to say it - I wasn't exactly all that serious about Style Savvy when the rest of the staff decided to volunteer me for the review. I expected to get a few laughs out of the game and maybe get negative bragging rights with my fellow members of the press at the next big industry event I attended. "Oh yeah? Well I had to review Style Savvy," I would say, and we'd laugh and laugh. I had it all planned out in my head. And then I started enjoying the game.

What can I say? On a certain level, Style Savvy really clicked with me. It has several elements that I really enjoy in my games. There's the collectability aspect, the avatar customization, inventory management, and a fair amount of logic involved in making sure your customer is pleased with the ensemble you put together for them. Change the scenery a bit and you've got the formula for the sort of role-playing game I'd spend hours lost in. Sure, I've started critiquing my friends' outfits, and I've been saying things like "retro chic" far more often than anyone really should as of late, but isn't that the sort of immersion and involvement we seek in our more traditional games?

If a burly, bearded, six foot, six inches tall man spending countless hours coordinating outfits for virtual women is wrong, then my friends were all right and I should probably not press the point any further.

Style Savvy was developed by syn Sophia and published by Nintendo for the DS on November 2nd. Retails for $34.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played the game for approximately 20 hours, earning my own boutique and making little Miss Michael the talk of the town. Named my store "Mangina" in protest.

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NOTE: Throughout the month of December, Kotaku will review some of the games that we missed earlier in the year. We're catching up.

The Sims 3: World Adventures opens up three new remote locations your Sim can visit: China, France and Egypt. The purpose of visiting the exotic locations is to give your Sims the chance to complete adventures inside local tombs and temples. The gameplay in these sections is very much like old school point-and-click adventures where your Sim needs to explore nooks and crannies to find keys, treasure and secret locks to hidden doors. Completing these expeditions nets your Sim Visa Points so they can stay longer in foreign countries and eventually purchase vacation homes.

In addition to the gameplay, however, World Adventures also augments the Sims experience with a bunch of new skills, traits and Lifetime Rewards to update your ho-hum Riverside or Sunset Valley gameplay in the core game. But is it an adventure worth taking?

Loved
Adventuring: Taking your Sim into a temple or a tomb for some exploration turns out to be a pretty intimate and oftentimes hilarious experience. In tombs, Sims encounter all kinds of danger that they don't normally back at home — like mummies that can infect them with a fatal curse or traps that can burn them alive. This makes you anxious for your Sim in a way that encourages bonding — I totally reloaded a game once when my Tenzing Norgay got charred in an Egyptian pyramid puzzle. Aside from that aspect of gameplay, the Sims themselves entertain you with their own feelings on the adventures. If you've got a Sim with a good set of traits (Adventuring, Bravery, etc.), getting through the winding passages and around dangerous traps is a healthy challenge that sometimes really makes you think like a puzzle game. Sending a Sim in with bad traits, though (Cowardice, Loser, etc.), while frustrating for treasure-hunting definitely yields laughs when your Sim flees from a mummy.

New Skills: World Adventures adds Photography, Martial Arts and Nectar Making to the Sim skill set. I spent most of my time on Photography and Martial Arts — making Tenzing Norgay something of a photojournalist monk in the process. The Photography skill gives Sims access to different types of camera (crappy, decent and awesome) and lets them take pictures from the first person perspective pretty much anywhere in the game. Depending on the subject of the photo (and you can tell what you're capturing via little labels in first-person mode), your Sim can score major money by taking pictures of foreign landmarks. Martial Arts, meanwhile, is exactly what it sounds like. Your Sim can learn Sim Fu and compete against other Sims in karate tournaments or just sit around and meditate until they float in the air. Lastly, Nectar-Making builds off your Sims' gardening skills by letting you combine various fruits to create original nectars that you can sell for mad bank.

Elements of Multiculturalism: The native Sims in China, France and Egypt actually look like Chinese, French and Arab people. This alone is a big step for The Sims in terms of multiculturalism, but there's also a lot of little things about local Sims you start to notice that keep up the foreign facade. For example, every location has a set of songs that people sing to themselves in the markets or at their homes. There are also local books and recipes your Sim can pick up (like Dim Sum and Frogs Legs) to read or make at home. My all time favorite little touch, though, is still the part where children with at least one Asian parent eat with chopsticks. So cute!

Hated
It's A Little Bit Broken: There is a major gameplay bug I encountered that should never have made it to retail. Sometimes when sending your Sim abroad (and usually when they've got a child or a teenager Sim with them), the game makes your family vanish. Like, completely disappear both from the foreign location you were sending them to and from the home location. In my case, I sent Tenzing and his teenage son to China while his wife was laid up at home with twin girls. Mid-load into China, the game suddenly deposited the camera view into China — only there was no family there and no Sim in the control bar to keep track of. I could do thing — not even edit the town. So I quit out and went back to Sunset Valley expecting to find them there, but the same thing happened. The wife and babies were gone and in the family viewer, there was only a placeholder graphic of a dotted outline where the Norgays should have been. I was able to fix the problem after consulting a fan forum, but it wasn't a simple solution (having to move around backup files and save files) and I lost data.

Loss of Continuity: A big selling point of The Sims 3 was the persistent environment. Sims around your Sim grew old and died and the world moved within the same time frame. World Adventures wrecks the continuity by making China, France and Egypt into stagnant environments. It's like time stops when you go abroad and your Sim doesn't age and life back at home freezes until you come back. On the one hand, this is convenient when you want to dodge an age transition without just turning aging off. However, on the other hand, it also creates weird situations.

Take for example my French mistress's "abortion." I had invited her from France to stay with Tenzing and then Tried for Baby. She got pregnant and when the morning sickness started, she ended her vacation and went home early. I followed her to France the very next day, expecting to visit my pregnant mistress. However, when I got there, she was no longer pregnant and there wasn't a baby anywhere. I contacted the developer to make sure I hadn't encountered a bug and they told me that because infants and toddlers simply can't exist in the foreign environments (for all kinds of development issues), the child should have been "aged up" automatically to childhood when the mistress went back to France. What I should have seen was a child Sim in the mistress's household with her last name that the game would still recognize as Tenzing's kid and "the fiction" would be that a significant amount of time has passed between the time my mistress left Sunset Valley and the time Tenzing arrived in France. This kind of continuity is not only confusing, but also kind of against the persistent environment The Sims 3 is popular for.

The Sims 3: World Adventures is an experience that deserves the title "expansion." It adds a lot to the core experience of the game, it offers an alternative style of gameplay and it's pulled off in a way that blends pretty well with the game (with the exception of the hiccups mentioned above).

If you're a Sims fan, though, you've probably already guessed this having played the game for the last month solid. But if you're not really a Sims fan, or you were one of the skeptics who were holding back because the rampant expansions of the Sims 2 tired you out, don't hold back. There's a whole wide world out there for your Sim to explore (three of them, in fact) and you won't want to miss it.

The Sims 3: World Adventures was developed and published by EA for the PC. The game released November 17 for $40 USD. A copy of the game was given to Kotaku by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Created Tenzing Norgay as a young adult and raised his Visa level to at least eight days' worth of travel in each country. Maxed out the Photography and Martial Arts skills.

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Or, as I like to call it, the one game of 2009 that I managed to sneak into my honeymoon.

Machinarium is an adventure game where you play as a robot who must work his way through a robot world by solving a series of puzzles. If you've heard the name before, it's because we've spoken of the game before, so hit up our archives for some trailers and concept art to get you up to speed.

Loved
Charm Your Shiny Metal Ass Off - The thing that first draws you to Machinarium, and perhaps leaves the most lasting impression, is the game's visual design. Part kid's storybook, part Robo Story. There's really nothing else like it out there, and it makes a pleasant change from your standard 3D-infused adventure title.

DirectEveryone - Machinarium runs in Flash. It's entirely 2D. Meaning it runs on practically everything, from Macs to ageing desktops to the lamest of netbooks.

Tap Your Shiny Metal Feet - As a puzzle/adventure game, Machinarium will leave you stumped at times, simply staring at the screen, doing nothing. Thankfully, this down-time is rarely a chore, as the game has an amazing soundtrack, courtesy of Tomas Dvorak. Ambient background music, chirpier stuff, it's all great.

Robots Should Be Seen, Not Heard - Visually, Machinarium is a unique world. One that could easily have been compromised by sub-par voice talent. So Amanita Design smartly avoid this altogether, with the game containing not a single line of dialogue. Everything, from conversation to tutorials, takes place via animated thought bubbles, a cute solution to a problem that plagues many small-budget titles.

FAQ - Machinarium can be tough. Luckily, there's an incredibly elegant solution built into the game, in the form of a two-pronged hint system that gives you enough of a push in the right direction without totally spoiling the fun.

Hated
Echo, Echo, Echo - While for the most part the "emptiness" of the world (for example, no dialogue) is part of its charm, there are moments - particularly when the game gets tough - that it simply feels empty.

Click Click Bloody Click - Machinarium's hit detection could do with some work. The point at which the game recognises where you're trying to aim is a little off, meaning you'll need to wiggle the mouse around sometimes to get the game to recognise where you're going.

The adventure game isn't dead. And it doesn't have to be cartoony and episodic to be relevant, either. It can, as is the case with Machinarium, simply be a beautiful game world, into which puzzles breathe life.

Best part? Being Christmas time, Machinarium is currently on sale for $10, which will nab you a copy of not just this wonderful game, but another of the developer's games, Samorost2, as well. It's probably the bargain of the year.

Machinarium was developed by Amanita Design, and published for the PC and Mac. Released on October 16, 2009, retails for $19.99. Completed game on both PC and Mac, and loved every second of it.

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NOTE: Throughout the month of December, Kotaku will review some of the games that we missed earlier in the year. We're catching up.

Remember when dinosaurs were cool? You know, when Jurassic Park ruled the box office, Dino Crisis wasn't set on a spaceship, and Turok wasn't totally lame? Recent reboots, such as 2008's return of the mohawked dino-hunter on consoles and, more recently, Will Ferrel's big screen remake of Land of the Lost, have failed to reignite interest in the beasts that so swiftly sent our jaws to the floor when they first rumbled across the silver screen in Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster. Finally, Jurassic: The Hunted puts the extinct monsters back in the pop culture spotlight, allowing them to once again sink their razor-sharp claws and drool-drenched choppers into willing fans.

While this budget title lacks much of the polish, production value, and creative vision that defines most current-gen shooters, there's no denying the dumb, B-movie-fueled fun you'll have picking off prehistoric beasties in this way under-the-radar release.

Loved
Dino-mite!:Let's not beat around the bush; shooting dinosaurs in the face is fun, and Jurassic: The Hunted delivers this experience in spades. Whether you're turning a cluster of acid-spitting foes into fleshy confetti with a well-placed grenade, shotgunning a killing blow before a velociraptor can tear your throat out, or hoofin' it from a screen-swallowing boss baddie, taking on Jurassic's beasts is a blast. Additionally, a familiar but fun-to-use arsenal-complete with cool reloading animations and punchy sound effects-nicely complement your killing spree. A quick-time button-mashing attack even allows you to punch the scaly menaces in the head-yes, please!

Dinosaurs Have Hearts:...And brains, and other vital organs you can blow up. We've seen the slo-mo, bullet-time, John Woo-meets-Matrix thing a dozen times, but Jurassic's take is one of the more inventive that's come along in awhile. When in slow motion, dubbed "adrenaline burst", you'll see enemies' vital organs light up like Tiger Wood's cell phone on a Friday night. So, for a limited time, these beasties' big pumping hearts and tiny pea brains are easy targets. It's a fun mechanic that makes two very familiar game tropes-slo-mo mode and weak points-feel somewhat fresh again.

Straightforward Fun:Aside from allowing us to fire hot lead into the bright, shiny hearts and brains of our enemies, Jurassic brings nothing new to the genre. That's mostly okay, though, as the comfort-food formula more than serves the purpose here. Red barrels explode, conveniently-placed crates brim with ammo, and enemies run towards your reticule. Similarly, the controls are ripped right from the FPS play book; shoot, jump, crouch, sprint, and grenade-toss pretty much cover it. The gameplay is simple, solid, and never gets in the way of the game's goal of allowing the player to stack dino corpses like cord wood.

Hated
Linear Lost World:While Jurassic's gameplay actually benefits from a no-frills approach, the level layouts suffer from it. Many shooters successfully hide their linearity with set pieces and the inherent nature of claustrophobic interiors, but Jurassic's vast jungle setting is anything but. It's not easy setting players loose in an organic environment, where man made obstacles are few and far between, and keeping them on a set path. By the end of the first hour, you'll begin to wonder how many more rocky outcroppings and creatively positioned tree trunks Jurassic will place in your path to ensure you remain on the straight and narrow. Linear shooters are nothing new, but Jurassic's environment's struggle to keep the restricted paths believable.

Fake Plastic Trees:Sullying the level design even further is environments that look as though they were pulled from a Hollywood studio's back lot. Trekking through the very green, very static jungle is more evocative of Disney World's Jungle Cruise ride than a mysterious lost world inhabited by dinosaurs. We've seen technology progress so much in other jungle-set titles that it really sticks out when individual blades of grass don't realistically react to the wind, or when bullets don't tear through foliage. As fun as it is blasting through packs of dinos, you're pulled from the experience a bit by the feeling that you're battling them in the produce section of your local supermarket.

If you're tired of peering down the barrel at yet another zombie horde, Jurassic's prehistoric giants might be just what the paleontologist ordered. Despite lacking the graphical polish and creative design of its contemporaries, it still packs plenty of satisfying, straightforward action, complemented by a good selection of weapons, frantic firefights and, of course, dead dinos.

An entertaining single-player romp, supported by silly B-movie style, and a solid live-as-long-as-you-can local Survivor mode, make Jurassic a worthwhile budget purchase or Gamefly rental. It doesn't quite recapture the magic of the dino-crazed 90s, but as a potential sleeper-hit it could pave the way for a T-Rex renaissance.

Jurassic: The Hunted was developed by Cauldron and published by Activision for Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 on November 3rd. Retails for $29.99 to $39.99. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Completed the game's campaign on Xbox 360 and played Survivor mode.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ. Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

NOTE: Throughout the month of December, Kotaku will review some of the games that we missed earlier in the year. We're catching up.

Kicking off Kotaku's review of 2009 are the headlines that generated the most heat, if not light, from the preceding year. The conflicts fracture along familiar faultlines - legal claims; violence and in-game content; marketing and etc. And by no means is this an exhaustive list. There were plenty of other decisions, indecisions, gaffes, gambits and shrewd calls made by the games industry - a dynamic capitalist enterprise, of course - and we invite you to continue the discussion of them in our comments.

Knuckleheaded
EA's press promo for Godfather II backfires when the brass knuckles it sends (including a pair to Crecente) turn out to be illegal in many of the states to which they are shipped (including Colorado). It's also illegal to ship them in California, where EA is based. EA asks for all of the knuckles back. Godfather II then backfires when the game sucks.

One Fallujah the Cuckoo's Nest
Konami tiptoed up to the "too soon?" line by announcing "Six Days in Fallujah," a combat FPS based on the deadly 2006 American operation to pacify the region in Iraq. Then developer Atomic Games took a flying leap over the line by mentioning it had consulted with insurgents on the game's initial design. By the end of the month, Konami dropped the project like it was a hot, nuclear-waste infused pop-tart. Atomic continued to insist the project was alive, while shopping it to other publishers. But by the end of the year, Atomic president Peter Tamte seemed to have gotten further with his idea for a "family-friendly" game about Marines pacifying Beirut, instead. That one is scheduled for a January 2010 release. Apparently, in video games, it's all about location, location, location. [Thanks to commenter ashleyillman001 for reminding us of this one.]

Our Legal Team Goes to 11
Activision's lawyers file a face-melting suit against studio Double Fine over Brütal Legend, whose publishing shifted over from Activision to Electronic Arts earlier in the year. Activision seeks to halt the game's release on grounds that Double Fine missed a key deadline when it was accountable to Activision. EA, not sued, still tells Activision STFU, and that they're just jealous in the manner of "a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy." Double Fine countersues, alleging Activision was trying to kill off Brütal Legend, seeing it as a threat to Guitar Hero. Ultimately, the two sides settle out of court, and Brütal Legend makes its declared release day.

Turn Out the Lights, the LAN Party's Over
StarCraft is a longtime staple of LAN parties, but that tradition will end with StarCraft II. In late June, Blizzard tells Kotaku that the title will not support local area network gaming, and will instead steer players over to "our upgraded Battle.net service." One of the reasons given is that it cuts down on piracy. Predictably, Starcraft enthusiasts head to the Batpoles to draft a petition. Instead of making fist-shaking demands and threatening boycotts, what comes out is more of a polite "please?" The effort has gathered 244,510 signatures to date. But at Blizzcon, executive v.p. of game design Rob Pardo tells Fahey that "Only from the press," is Blizzard still taking flak for the decision. "Everyone else has accepted it."

Edgy Edged Edginess over Edge
Tim Langdell had a terrible reputation within the games industry prior to this year, but his pissing contest with Mobigame over the word "Edge" represents a coming out party. Langdell, excoriated for his aggressive defense of the trademark "Edge," which he registered years ago, has Mobigame's acclaimed title for the iPhone removed from the iTunes App Store in May. The controversy and terrible publicity result in Langdell's resignation from the board of the International Game Developers Association, and ultimately Electronic Arts suing to cancel Langdell's trademarks, over a dispute regarding 2008's Mirror's Edge. Mobigame's game resurfaces as "Mobigame by Edge" later in the year.

Who Sold Out Whom?
At E3 2009, Valve's announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 ignites feelings of betrayal and marginalization in some who bought the original Left 4 Dead barely seven months before. Immediately a boycott group forms on the Steam forums, vowing not to buy or play the new game. Some 10,000 people join it in the first few days. Stern criticisms include: "The fiddle-based horde music is extremely disliked, though the differently orchestrated music is otherwise welcome." In September, Valve shrewdly co-opts the boycott's leadership, flying two of its organizers to Valve HQ to get some hands-on time with Left 4 Dead 2. Both immediately sing its praises. On launch day in November, most in the boycott stick to their guns, but many cave in and play anyway.

Dante's Fiasco(es)
The Dante's Inferno marketing team was apparently on a rampage to execute the most boneheaded campaign of any title in 2009. After sending a bunch of fake religious zealots to E3 to protest the game there, pissing off real religious zealots with the stereotype, they cook up the "Sin to Win" whopper of Comic-Con. Basically, Comic-Con goers were encouraged to "commit acts of lust" by having their photos taken with booth babes, then submit the photos for judgment and a chance to win a "sinful night with two hot girls," plus other amenities. Outrage catches on, and the Dante's Inferno team apologizes. A real booth babe rips them a new one, and a gay man wins a runner-up prize for submitting his picture with a "booth bear."

Made from Scratch
It's a story that combines 2009's trendiest douche moves - lawsuits, and layoffs. In April, Activision is sued by publisher Genius Products and peripheral maker Numark Industries over its acquisition of 7 Studios, conveniently and coincidentally developing a rival game to Activision's own DJ Hero. A court in L.A. orders Activision to give over all the code from the competing title - Scratch: The Ultimate DJ. The two sides settle on a cash-for-code prisoner exchange, and Scratch is rebooked for an early 2010 release. DJ Hero, despite reasonably good reviews and a full-bore marketing campaign, disappoints in sales, which doesn't look good for Scratch next year. Finally, once 7 Studios is no longer useful to this corporate psychodrama, Activision lays off half of its workforce.

Sambo No Amigo
Scribblenauts, the wildly creative DS hit developed by 5th Cell, encounters an unintentional problem with racial sensitivity when writing the word "sambo" creates a watermelon on the screen. In the minor video games market known as the United States, both are overtly racist images with a history going back decades. 5th Cell points out the game is developed for multiple countries and languages, and that the watermelon summoned is in fact a "fig-leafed gourd," by which it is apparently known as "sambo" in Spanish. The game's publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive issues a more comprehensive apology, expressing deep regret for the word's inclusion. Internet tough-guy commenters who don't see what the trouble is with the word "sambo" are invited to say it around their black friends. None has any.

Shut Your Hole
Courtney Love, wife of self-martyred pop star Kurt Cobain, announces via Twitter she's gonna "sue the shit out of Activision," over its insensitive use of her hubby's likeness in Guitar Hero 5 - which includes his avatar singing songs not performed by Nirvana, which means in someone else's voice. Activision's response is all, "Um, RTFA," and points to the contract she in fact signed granting the use of Cobain's likeness as a "fully playable character." Jon Bon Jovi backs Love, saying he nothankyou.jpg'd Activision's offer of an appearance in the same game. Then Gwen Stefani, not one to be out-dramaqueened, and her band No Doubt file a lawsuit similar to Love's. Activision returns fire, suing No Doubt for failure to perform due diligence and breach of contract. Congratulations, everyone now looks bad.

A Lack of Dedication
In October, Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling goes on a podcast with hardcore Modern Warfare fans and announces the creation of the matchmaking service IWNet. You then hear the gears turning in the podcast hosts' heads: But ... that ... means the end of ... dedicated servers ... right? Right. Immediately, petitions and boycotts are announced, gathering some 20,000 signatures in the first day. Infinity Ward sticks to its claim that IWNet will be an improvement. By launch day, the boycott is effectively over.

Video About Gamers' Insensitivity Not Acceptable
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher - and noted Modern Warfare enthusiast - Cole Hamels (pictured) reminds us that "grenades are for pussies," in a faux-public service announcement brought to you by "Fight Against Grenade Spam." That, of course, makes the acronym FAGS and all, or at least partial, hell breaks loose. Infinity Ward, the producer of the video, is upbraided not so much for a veiled homophobic slur, but for a clip that portrays the game's community as dominated by uber-macho, insult-spewing assclowns. Infinity Ward removes the video the next day.

No Russian Was Harmed in the Making
Leaked gameplay footage of Modern Warfare 2 shows that players will - in the guise of an undercover mission - join terrorists as they invade an airport, kill and commit atrocities against civilians. Activision immediately points out the mission is skippable, both before it begins and at any point during it, and is "designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism." The game, already classified for sale in Australia, is the subject of brief demands to have it reclassified and effectively banned, but they go nowhere. The sequence is removed from versions sold in Russia, and modified in the Japanese and German versions so that players shooting any civilians are given a "game over" screen. The Japanese version courts additional controversy when the mistranslation of "Remember, no Russian," - instructions to the terrorists not to speak in that language - comes out as "Kill ‘em, the Russians." In the United States, Totilo goes on MSNBC to plead for national calm and mainstream outrage fails to materialize.Modern Warfare 2 goes on to sell more than 4.7 million copies in the North America and the U.K. - on the day of its release.

Frumps on the Barbie
Australia's lack of an R18+ classification for video games comes back to the fore when Left 4 Dead 2 is refused classification by the nation's Review Board. Valve's reaction is, in order, to be "pretty bummed," then to appeal the refused classification and then finally publish a spitefully power-sanitized version just for Australia, which might as well have been titled Imagine: Zombiez.

Frumps on the Barbie II or: Australians vs. Predator
Luke attempts to set us all straight on what is and what ain't banning in Australia. But the country's image, that it's a nation of pantywaists tenderly sensitive to depictions of certain manly acts - such as decapitations - persists. And it seems to be having a cumulative effect. Aliens vs. Predator, at first banned - oops, I mean, refused classification - is reconsidered and then, amazingly, classified MA15+ making it good for sale. Then the government asks for public input on changes to the country's game ratings system. Finally Luke, waking up today and reading this last paragraph, bludgeons me to death with a didgeridoo, over the Internet, the end.

Avatar is the $300-million (or so) new movie from the director of Terminator and Titanic, a futuristic amalgamation of Cameron classic Aliens and Kevin Costner white-man-joins-the-Native-Americans movie Dance With Wolves. It is an American movie transparently critical of the United States of America, one that is simple in both good ways and bad. It is beautiful in ways only good, and, yes, in that roundabout way, it says something about the future of video games.

The movie occurs midway through the 22nd century, as wheelchair-bound grunt Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) assumes the mission of his deceased brother, shipping out across the universe to the planet Pandora, where a private corporation has enlisted both scientists and a private military to help them obtain a nearly priceless element unironically called Unobtainium. The military forces, led by the scarred and scowling Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) itch to clear the planet's best site for mining by blasting away the natvies who live on top of it. These natives are the tall, skinny, blue-skinned cat-like Na'vi, who live in the massive tree on that site and are the visual signature of the film. The scientists, led by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) utilize Avatar technology, enabling Augustine, Sully and others to transport their consciousnesses into artificially-created Na'vi bodies and walk among the natives in the hopes of establishing either an economic trade or peaceful motivation for the Na'vi to move.

Early in the film, Sully, in his Na'vi body, is separated from his colleagues, lost to the wild and rescued by a Na'vi chief's daughter, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). What follows is a film about Sully's education of life amid the Na'vi, the battles that erupt between humans and natives and a crossroads decision about who is right and with which sides the key players will align.

Loved
A Beautiful Place: Whether you watch Avatar in digital 3D, as I did, on IMAX or even in the plain old-school way, this is a movie of tropical-vacation beauty. It is an escape, on this planet Pandora, to an imaginative ecology of many-legged horses, helicopter bugs, hammerhead elephants and a variety of magical plant life that is so lovely that the setting alone has motivated me to try the Avatar console game, a game for which no demonstration of gameplay nor review had motivated me to play. If a video game can be my own transport back to this world, I will suffer through the reported mediocrity to see those plants and animals again. This is a dream world and the ultimate Al Gore planet, a combination of a lush green paradise and Internet-like network of natural electricity, a place to which I am eager to return.

A Beautiful People: The Na'vi have been created with the reverence many North Americans now have for those tribes that lived between the Atlantic and Pacific before our ancestors and forefathers squeezed them into reservations. (Speaking of which, see our sister site, Io9, for an excellent exploration of the "white guilt" in effect here.) They are also digital marvels, an impossibly lithe but visually believable band of hunters and shamans whose every tradition, from wrangling their versions of horses and hawks to climbing their floating mountains is a thrill to watch. Neytiri indoctrinates Sully into many of the aspects of Na'vi culture, nearly all of them a delight to witness.

A Video-Game Simple Hero: James Cameron, ever the romantic and skeptic of corporate power, presents in Avatar a love story intermingled with a morally clear struggle between those who would spoil a paradise and those who would not. It's seldom unclear who it is we should be rooting for, even though it is doubly awkward, watching this movie in the U.S., to realize early that the bad guys are not just the humans but those types of humans who would both violently shove native peoples from their lands but invoke a "shock and awe" military campaign in the interest of securing access to a foreign land's natural resources.

Some of that narrative simplicity is due for valid criticism, but what works well is the blankness of some of Avatar's characters, particularly Sully himself. Avatar, more successfully than any other film I can recall, embraces the simplicity that characterizes many video games, which infrequently portray emotional depth among its protagonists. Games, I believe, do this as a means of transporting a player more smoothly into their worlds. In games as in Avatar, the lead character often feels less like a real being than like a vessel, even compared to a usually more believably fleshed-out supporting cast. The lead role is left more blank, so we might more easily see ourselves in it. So is the case in this movie, on multiple levels. If Sully's Na'vi body is the personality-less form through which he can vicariously experience the Na'vi's world, then his blank personality — he is, like a game character, defined more by his options for mobility (as a human only in a wheelchair, in his case) than his personality — allows him to be a vessel through which a movie viewer can vicariously experience his world. He is, as a movie lead, as blank as a gaming hero, which serves the mission of transporting consciousness into a foreign avatar well in this film, as it does in so many games, from BioShock to Zelda.

War With Mech Warriors: When it's not being an extraordinary documentary for an exotic environment that does not exist, Avatar is a war film. It's a high-tech, special-effects battle between Na'vi and the machinery of future human war. The battles are incredible, full of natives, animals, planes, space marines and walking mech suits controlled, too, like video games, in this case with their cockpit drivers using gesture control to make their mech fire a gun or throw a punch. The battles are exhilarating, though hopefully you don't mind rooting for human death at the hands of the natives.

The 3D:I'm not sure I was cognizant of it all the time, but watching the movie in 3D appeared to add depth to Avatar's already extraordinary visuals. This movie, as alluded to above, can feel like a vivid nature documentary and the 3D allows one to further the illusion that we're in there. It never felt gimmicky, as the movie doesn't waste much time trying to pretend to throw things out from the screen into your face.

Hated
Transparently Political: Avatar makes Titanic look subtle. Cameron's last film was a romance, a disaster movie but also an allegory for the triumph of American self-realized ingenuity over the inherited privilege of old Europe. This movie is a guilty fantasy of Native American resistance against American occupation of the continental U.S. That's tolerable, as is the light overlay of climate politics that admits that distant Earth, where war has been waged in oil-rich Venezuela and Nigeria, is now devoid of green. But it strains patience to listen to Avatar's private American military commander promise a "shock and awe" campaign as he vows to "fight terror with terror." Stopping short of naming Saddam Hussein, the anti-science, bad-guy human commander declares that "our only security is a pre-emptive attack." I get it. But George W. Bush is not president anymore, and the equivalency of the war in Iraq with terrorism is the kind of blunt politics that I wish the makers of good science fiction would relegate to less sophisticated artists.

Rushed Story:Avatar treads much ground in introducing the viewer to so many places and cultural aspects of the Na'vi people. It skips an explanation for most of its science and relies on a sci-fi approach to YouTube to explain some of its plot and characters. That's fine, but it leads to so much that is unexplained that the movie feels hatcheted and crammed into an acceptable theatrical viewing time in advance of what I expect would be much longer director's cut. I'm not sure added exposition will improve the movie, though I do hope it plugs a logic hole that opens up two-thirds of the way into the film, when an event occurs that strains belief and that, unless they have a better explanation for it, probably should have spelled the doom for our hero characters right then and there.

Avatar is the fantasy of a new world and a revised way America could have or still can affect the old world upon which we live. It's also a light exploration of the possibilities of gaming, of being in another body and using its form to affect others. At times, in Avatar, doing that by getting in the seat of a mechanical warrior suit, is only a means to the destructive end, a successor to today's joystick-controlled Predator missiles and other tools of remote high-tech war.

But also in Avatar there is the promise that virtually inhabiting other bodies could bring us new cultural insights, could empower us beyond our physical limitations and could enlighten us to a new way of being. These are ideas that are more ancient than video games, more spiritual than a PlayStation, but they are ideas that we gamers have at our fingertips almost every day. Our future could be blue like this, in the happiest of ways. Avatar, the movie, represents a preview of that transformational and transportive possible future.

Avatar was written and directed by James Cameron and released by 20th Century Fox on December 18 in the U.S.

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The Aviator combines two controllers into one, placing the throttle controls traditionally placed on a separate unit for flight controllers right on the base of the stick, giving players relatively easy access to all the buttons, sliders, and toggles they need to succeed in games like Ace Combat 6, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., and the Blazing Angels series.

One of the first fruits of the union between Saitek and Mad Catz, does Saitek's console debut soar, or does Mad Catz keep it grounded?

Loved
Sturdy As She Goes: I've been purchasing Saitek peripherals for quite some time now, and have generally been impressed with their construction and overall feel of their products. The Aviator does not disappoint. The controller is deceptively light, but very sturdy, making it just as easy to play with it sitting in your lap as it is with the controller resting on a flat surface.

Smooth And Responsive: The aviator performed admirably in both Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360 and the PC version of Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.. After a brief adjustment period I found myself flying more naturally than I ever had with an Xbox 360 controller, banking and rolling with a twist of the stick. Flying games just feel more natural with a stick, and the Aviator does the trick nicely. I should also note here that the installation on my Windows 7 PC was a breeze. I didn't have to install drivers or fiddle with settings; simply plugged the stick in and it reacted like as if the PC were an Xbox 360.

Hated
Two Thingsism: The Saitek Aviator is one thing trying to do the work of two things, and as well as it handles the basic functions of the games I played with it, it doesn't come close to the experience of having a separate joystick and throttle control at your disposal. Moving the stick around with one hand wrapped around the base of the joystick simply feels off, and you wind up throttling blind because your hand on the stick obscures your view. There's also a problem if you have to consistently push one of the face buttons during battle, as there is no way you can grip the stick, access the throttle, and press the buttons at the same time. It works well enough, but it could never replace a two-handed setup.

More than anything, whether or not you should pick up the Saitek Aviator depends on your experience with flight controllers. If you've never experienced the joy of a dual stick/throttle setup and are simply looking for a reasonably inexpensive way to add a little more realism to your arcade flight sim experience, then the Aviator could very well be the controller for you. On the other hand, if your flight sim tastes run more on the simulation side or you've gotten used to a controller like the Hori flight stick that shipped in the Ace Combat 6 premium bundle, you'll most likely find Saitek's single-stick offering fails to achieve liftoff.

The Saitek Aviator Flight Stick was manufactured and released by Saitek / Mad Catz in January 2009. Retails for $49.99 (MSRP, seen for as low as $29.99 online). Manufacturer provided an Xbox 360/PC unit for purposes of review. Played several hours of both Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360 and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. for the PC using the controller.

With Dragon's Lair's port to the iPhone and iPod Touch, EA Mobile and Digital Leisure are banking that the game's nostalgia and its basic simplicity have found the perfect medium - an impulse buy on a mobile platform. But does Dragon's Lair still feel the same on the small screen?

Loved
Bona Fide Dragon's Lair: This is a scene for scene port of the 1983 classic, which started the short-lived but much beloved craze of laserdisc games. You can dial up your nostalgia however you want it. Arcade mode will present you the game and will randomize its scenes the same way you played them in the cabinet 25 years ago. "Home mode" includes additional scenes that were cut from the arcade version, allows you to immediately replay levels you fail, and will be most familiar to those who played ports of this on the PC or Mac in the past. You can give yourself three, five or unlimited lives in both modes, the latter being most useful if you're trying to finally make it all the way through. Just know that you will not record a high score with unlimited lives unless you actually do finish the game. Finally, the correct-move beep can be enabled, both as a gameplay assist, and also to complete the full arcade experience.

Hated
The Move Guide: You have a movement assist feature in this game that will light up the correct direction (or sword button) to press to advance the scene, if you just want to see the game all the way through. On some levels, the sequence of moves you must make is faster than what the guide can display. The level with the black knight on the electrified floor is a perfect example, and very frustrating to die repeatedly when you think you're doing what you're told. But when the guide does work, you're just watching the controls, and not the scenes as they play out, which are the point of the game in the first place. You can't enable or disable the guide mid-game, in case you run into a tough spot and need help for just one section. Even playing without the guide, Dragon's Lair was and always will be a very difficult game of pinpoint reactions with a small window of opportunity to execute them. Unlike its cousin Space Ace, which was a breeze to play on the iPhone, Dragon's Lair's trial-and-error process includes finding not only the correct move, but the correct millisecond to make it - even when you think you know when to do it. For example, I remembered that making it past the swinging "socker-boppers" was pegged to pressing forward when they both lined up - Dirk's grunting was a second cue. But the screen is small and the speaker can be blocked by how you hold the device, making picking up such things very difficult. The game still works, but you're going to die a ton of times before you get the hang of how to move through a level, even if you know the correct moves or have them presented to you by the guide.

The Pause that Doesn't Refresh: You'd better really want to finish Dragon's Lair because you will be playing it all the way through in one shot if you're trying to beat it. Which, once you get the hang of this game, won't take long. But getting the hang of it will. If you pause anywhere in the middle of a level, you return to the beginning of that level. OK, fine, I can plan my bathroom breaks accordingly. What I forgot to do was put the phone in airplane mode, because any incoming call ends the game where you are and reboots it. Incoming text? You're back to the title screen. Whether because no effort was made, or it was a limitation with no workaround, players have no way to preserve their state in this game.

If it's your first encounter with Dragon's Lair, this version is not ideal. Find a playable DVD or PC port instead. If it were any other game, honestly, I would have given up. But I just had to see Dirk get all bug-eyed and shriek "Wow!" the first time he spies Daphne, who really knows how to sex up the protips. ("To slay the Dragon, use the magic sword...!" she purrs.)

Then again, I don't know a soul who ever beat Dragon's Lair in the arcade, and my friends and I fired stacks of quarters down it, often without ever successfully passing a level. So I have been conditioned to the abuse and have paid lots more than $4.99 for it. If Dragon's Lair has a problem, aside from the pause/interruption issue, it's one very common to iPhone/iPod Touch games, and I've complained about it relentlessly. You must obscure what you're looking at to control the action. And it's on a small enough screen to begin with. So it's telling that I got through a lot of these levels with no recollection of what it looked like doing so, and that's half the fun - and point - of the vintage laserdisc games.

Dragon's Lair was developed by Digital Leisure and published by Electronic Arts for the iPhone and Ipod Touch on Dec. 7. Retails for $4.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played all game types; completed Home mode. Died, like, a billion times, though.

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Though the house that rebooted the Fallout franchise is best known for blasting mutated baddies with Fat Boys and, more recently, their blades-and-bullets-fueled WET, they—with the aid of developer Rebellion— have also been quietly working on a title closer to Tom Clancy territory than post-apocalyptic or pulp-film worlds. Loosely based on the life of real-deal Navy SEAL Richard Marcinko, Rogue Warrior was originally being developed by Zombie Studios until Bethesda turned the reins over to Rebellion, who reworked everything from the story and setting, to the tech and gameplay.

The final product offers a messy mix of cool concepts and unfulfilled potential that'll likely only appeal to Marcinko's most faithful following or shooter fans whose trigger fingers are still itching even after spending countless hours on Modern Warfare 2's front lines.

Loved
Non-fiction Fisher: Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko is the real world's answer to Sam Fisher; from heading a SEAL Counter-Terrorist Team to forming Red Cell, a government-appointed unit tasked with testing the Navy's vulnerability to terror attacks, this guy makes Jack Bauer look about as bad-ass as a yellow neckerchief-sporting Cub Scout. Rogue Warrior does a decent job of capitalizing on its non-fiction hero, setting its story in an engaging Cold War-era campaign that sees him infiltrating North Korea and the U.S.S.R. in search of weapons of mass destruction. Additionally, Marcinko's character model, complete with grizzled facade, salt-and-pepper beard, and a pony tail evocative of Steven Seagal's memorable '80s mane, is a dead ringer for the real Demo Dick. Amping the authenticity further is voice work provided by Mickey Rourke, fueled almost entirely by F-bombs. From his repeated use of "Happy 4th of July mother-f*cker." to the unfortunate-image-conjuring "This is a total goat-f*ck.", the foul language is absolutely ridiculous. However, given Marcinko's involvement in the project, I can only assume these over-the-top obscenities accurately represent a real part of the man's personality. Additionally, complementing the salty dialog is the occasional clever gem such as "President Reagan sends his regards." uttered by Marcinko as he tosses a Russki off a bridge, effectively immersing players in the era.

Non-stealthy Stealth Kills: One of the title's few signature features is its "Kill Moves", brutal cinematic finishers yielding lots of blood and often the use of a large serrated blade. They're meant to be stealth moves, but being sneaky hardly factors into their use, as you can just charge up to a baddie, jam on the attack button, and enjoy the neck-snapping, jugular-slicing, kidney-stabbing animations. Sure, you could argue the mechanic is broken given how forgiving it is, but I'll be damned if I didn't have a good time pulling off these creative kills without ever triggering the type of too-sensitive stealth mechanics that often sully the genre.

He Shoots, He Scores: As an FPS fan and an admitted Achievement/Trophy-chasing whore, I appreciate Rogue Warrior's shooter-centric point boosters. No cryptic "secret" score-amping goals, here; just straightforward tasks such as nailing a specific amount of head-shots, using every weapon in your arsenal, taking out a cluster of bad guys with a single grenade, and completing an entire mission with only your sidearm. Not terribly creative, but satisfying in a way that'll get trigger-pulling gamers to slightly alter their usual style and even replay some missions to achieve these score-ratcheting tasks.

Hated
Empty Promise: Despite a cool concept, driven by Demo Dick, the Cold War vibe, and brutal finishing kills, Bethesda and Rebellion have sunk this promising property's potential in shoddy design. From its dumb-ass AI and lazy level design, to its wonky cover system and all-over-the-place hit detection, the title feels unpolished in its best moments and just plain broken during its worst. Marcinko's path is peppered with as many bugs as bad guys, yielding multiple immersion-breaking moments that ultimately leave the game doling out frustration and fun in equal doses.

Wait, It's Over?!: Rogue Warrior's blink-and-you'll-miss-it campaign makes Modern Warfare 2's brief solo run seem like a 40-hour epic. This could be partially forgiven had its single-player campaign boasted the same blinding polish as Infinity Ward's aforementioned juggernaut. But with 3-4 hours of lackluster quality, this one feels more like a budget title or retail-wannabe DLC like Watchmen: The End is Nigh or The Warriors: Street Brawl, not a game boasting a $60 asking price.

Multi-player without the "Multi": Rogue Warrior's online arena is like a ghost town that's been deserted even by its resident specters; after several attempts, I wasn't able to find a single opponent to unleash my guns and grenades on. Of course, given the dearth of modes, unpolished mechanics, and stiff competition from the season's superior online offerings, it's little surprise Demo Dick will be spending the holidays alone.

With Sam Fisher and Solid Snake taking the season off, I was hoping Marcinko could fill the stealth-killer void. While his history and forehead-attracting hunting knife pack more than enough potential to support a solid new franchise, his debut vehicle falls way short.

A decent yarn, some cool kills, and a genuinely interesting protagonist are no match for a product that feels unfinished and unpolished. If you're a fan of the man behind the game, or simply can't resist the call of gun-clutching hands and a cross hair centered on your HD display, you'll see the potential in this property and even have some fun stylishly dropping bad guys and F-bombs, while padding your Gamerscore. But even with that limited appeal in mind, I'd recommend not treading in Marcinko's boots until Rogue Warrior begins lining the bottom of bargain bins... which it may be doing already.

Rogue Warrior was developed by Rebellion and published by Bethesda Softworks for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on December 1. Retails for $$59.99 USD on consoles, $49.99 USD on PC. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played single-player mode to completion on Xbox 360, attempted to test online multiplayer modes, but found no other warriors.

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Silent Hill: Shattered Memories tells a very different version of the first Silent Hill game, chronicling writer and father Harry Mason's horrific search for his missing daughter Cheryl. Having unfortunately lost her in the town of Silent Hill after a car crash, Harry takes to the streets, sewers and dilapidated haunts of the accursed town to recover her. In Shattered Memories, Harry is equipped with some new tricks, including a multi-functional cell phone that acts as his map, camera and a source for many of the clues that flesh out the re-imagining's story. Developers Climax Studios also have a new trick up their sleeves, the psychological profiling of the player throughout the game, offering a personalized experience during each playthrough.

And in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Harry is more lover than fighter. The game features none of the traditionally awkward combat for which the series is somewhat infamous, favoring frantic escapes over clunky confrontations. Including Cheryl, there are plenty of things missing from this Silent Hill. Will longtime fans miss the series' trademarks? Or is Shattered Memories a cool, refreshing update to a franchise in need of a new perspective?

Loved
A Retelling, Not A Remake: Shattered Memories is thankfully more than just a warmed over version of Silent Hill, tacking on Wii Remote controls and updated graphics. It is a very different account of the events following Cheryl Mason's disappearance. Trying to fit the game's storyline within the canon of the rest of the Silent Hill universe is an exercise in futility, an exercise that will likely cease at the game's conclusion. Climax Studios was smart not to offer an obvious, cleaned up rehash, giving the Silent Hill fan something to pick apart and appreciate as a side story to the series.

Profiling: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is peppered with interactive intermissions in the form of therapy sessions with the unusual Dr. K, a psychologist who has the player perform a battery of tests. You know, the kind where there are no right answers. The player's responses to each test will substantially change the characters, the settings, and the flow of the adventure, even the screeching beasts that hunt Harry Mason in Silent Hill's otherworld. The options for changing one's Silent Hill experience and its endings are less cryptic than in previous games, making the story worth revisiting, worth experimenting with. While this Silent Hill may be the shortest of the bunch—my first playthrough lasted somewhere around six hours—it is designed with replays in mind, chances to change the world while having one's head examined. Oh, and did I mention that Shattered Memories spins one of the more interesting yarns of the series, capably delivered with smart symbolism? Because it does that too.

Silent Hill On Ice: As much as I enjoy the rusty, bloodstained, throbbing otherworld of Silent Hills past, it's well worn territory. Shattered Memories doesn't recycle those familiar nightmarish environments, instead choosing to establish its own alternate world, one claustrophobic and frozen. Granted, it's nowhere near as frightening or visually stunning, but Shattered Memories deserves credit for doing its own thing.

Smart Use Of Wii Controls: The Wii Remote acts as a pretty good flashlight, a fact not lost on most Wii developers, including Climax. Illuminating one's way around the town of Silent Hill is satisfying, as is the act of using the remote as your disembodied hand while searching for clues. With shooting and hand-to-hand combat abstracted from the Shattered Memories experience, the games simplified control scheme makes one appreciate not having to deal with previously awkward mechanics.

Hated
Running Down A Dream: As interesting as Silent Hill: Shattered Memories' chase scenes—Nightmares, the game calls them—would have been as a complement to more traditional monster encounters, the game unfortunately relies on them as the only action sequences you'll experience throughout the game. It's fairly repetitive, expectation setting stuff. Normally, you'll explore, find keys, hunt down messages, open doors, but when the town of Silent Hill freezes over, just... run! The Silent Hill series' combat has never been that much "fun," mind you, but replacing all of it with running toward blue markers and shaking off leathery demons with Wii Remote thrusts isn't any more enjoyable. Worse, the sense of tension elsewhere in the game is practically non-existent, thanks to the clear division between action moments and exploration moments.

Losing My Bearings: The game may feature solid use of Wii Remote controls, but the motion controlled camera-flashlight combo can be disorienting, especially when hopping down from ledges during Nightmares. The GPS-style map system on Harry's phone is less useful than any previous Silent Hill in-game map and painful to manipulate during portions of the game. Finally, one moment in the game drops the player into a nearly pure black abyss, an exasperating search for radio static.

Quality Assurance: A pair of bugs, one involving falling through the world and into blackness, the other turning Harry into a disembodied arm holding a cell phone, less than a complete human—making the game unplayable and forcing a reload—happened to me during my first playthrough. Not outlandishly frustrating, since the game lets the player save at any point on Harry's cell phone, but bothersome nonetheless. The game also experiences some slowdown when Harry opens doors, which is more frustrating, especially during panic-filled chase scenes.

Perhaps appropriately, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories left me torn. On the one hand, I was appreciative of Climax Studios' effort to bring something new to the series, blazing a potential new path for future Silent Hill adventures, where the same environments and aged mechanics needn't be revisited. And, better, Shattered Memories doles out a well-told, fairly blunt story, somewhat atypical for the series. Straightforward though the tale may be, sequences and allusions throughout that may seem like storytelling stumbles gel later on, giving the player something to ponder after the game's surprising conclusion.

But as with pretty much every Silent Hill game beyond Silent Hill 3, I was left somewhat disappointed. I personally enjoy the horrific creations that populate the rustier, bloodier underbelly of Silent Hill. And I like confounding, abstract puzzles. And I like bizarre boss fights, disturbing monster design, mood-setting music and hallucinogenic fear. Shattered Memories doesn't have any of that; the scares are few, the monsters nearly nonexistent and the Akira Yamaoka composed soundtrack... well, I barely remember any of it.

It may not appeal to the Silent Hill fan in me, one who's been regularly disappointed since 2003, but at least this re-imagining shatters expectations.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories was developed by Climax Studios and published by Konami for the Wii on December 8. Retails for $49.99 USD. PlayStation 2 and PSP versions are due later for $29.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played game to completion on Wii. Experienced a second, different playthrough until about the halfway mark.

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Okay, maybe not a glass. PixelJunk Shooter is a game about saving miners and scientists trapped beneath the surface of a strange planet, but it's also a game about using opposing forces of nature in order to make your way through a twisted series of underground caverns. You can douse lava with water to create land, ignite pockets of gas with molten rock to unleash destructive explosions; over the course of the game you'll discover new tools to help you harness the elements, all the while using your weapons to take out the various mysterious enemies lurking beneath the planet's crust.

Water and fire are two of nature's most destructive forces, and many have lost their lives trying to harness them. How'd Q-Games do?

Loved
Troubleshooting: PixelJunk Shooter is a puzzle game disguised as a shooter. While there are times when your main focus will be on firing your weapons at enemies to survive, the main focus of the game is using the elements against your environment and each other in order to save miners stranded deep underground. It's this clashing of elements, water and lava, that forms the foundation for the gameplay. Lava cools heats you up, water cools you down, and when the two meet, destructible earth is formed. As the game progresses the difficulty ramps and new tools are introduced, but the relationship between the two is always paramount. It's a simple concept brought to life, and it's a wonderful life.

Bring A Friend: PixelJunk Shooter is a game that begs to be played with a friend. In a world where one stray bullet can mean the difference between freeing a trapped miner and being engulfed by lava, adding an unpredictable human element to the mix can be entertaining, to say the least, and raises all sorts of new questions as you play. Do you take turns saving miners, or is this a competition? Who gets to wear the water suit and who wears the lava suit? Will the player wearing the lava suit bury the other in a cascade of deadly molten rock? Most likely, but all will be forgiven once you realize how helpful it is to have another set of guns during the game's rare but entertaining massive boss fights.

Hated
A Candle In The Wind: Ah, PixelJunk Shooter, you had only just begun when you ended. Three different worlds with five levels each split into multiple stages seems like a great deal, but it's over in a flash. All things considered, four hours for a $9.99 game isn't bad, and multiplayer extends the game's life considerably, but it feels as if there could have been so much more.

Like PixelJunk Eden, the third game in the PixelJunk series, Shooter takes a simple concept and creates a complex, entertaining gameplay experience from it. With Eden it was the pollination of plants, and with Shooter it's the relationship between two opposing elements. Like water and magma crashing together to create rock, Q-Games has married this natural relationship with puzzle and shooting mechanics to create something more enjoyably substantial than its parts.

PixelJunk Shooter was developed by Q-Games and published in North America by Sony Computer Entertainment America for the PlayStation Network. Retails for $9.99 USD. A download code for the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played through the entire game solo and multiple levels in two player mode.

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Here's what I can be sure of. The Street Fighter IV Round 2 Tournament Edition FightStick is a fight stick for Street Fighter IV, one that you might be able to play at tournaments. Also: It's the second wave — or shall we say "round"? — of Mad Catz SFIV sticks. The change for round two? Black on the sides instead of white. A new image on the controller surface.

I pondered the stick and this thought popped into my head: "Nothing brings the arcade experience closer to home than the Street Fighter IV 'Round 2' Arcade FightStick: Tournament Edition. Featuring the same authentic Vewlix arcade configuration, robust build and genuine Sanwa Denshi Japanese style ball-handled joystick and 30mm Action Buttons embraced by gamers worldwide in the original range, the ‘Round 2' Arcade Fightstick Tournament Edition houses these premium components in a sleek, piano-black housing, featuring all new monochrome artwork taken directly from the game. The collectible packaging reflects the understated appearance of the Stick with approved artwork provided by Capcom and certain to be appreciated by fans of the franchise."

That's what the press release said, actually. On to my judgments:

Loved
Clicking To A Better Fireball: The MYTH that I can't throw a fireball comes from the pathetic video shot of me earlier this year playing Street Fighter II against rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. We both played horribly and neither of us is seen throwing a fireball. I did throw some, I think, but the truth is that I haven't been able to throw them reliably since I had SFII on my Super Nintendo. The skill to throw one at will was lost to me until I tried the FightStick I'm reviewing here. At last, I understand why people shell out money for these things. Quarter-circle turns are so much easier with an actual arcade stick, as opposed to an Xbox 360 control stick or PlayStation 3 d-pad. I'm terrible with those controllers. The clicking feedback of winding an arcade stick from the 6 o'clock position to the 3 o'clock position was exactly what I needed. At home, with this stick, away from the cameras, I was throwing fireballs at will. It was like I went from being a doubles hitter to a homerun hitter, with the aid of a legal and metaphorical Mad Catz steroid. I was even able to throw Ryu's Shoryuken. I nailed the zigzag move to do it every time. To go from ineptitude on a 360 controller to perfect input execution on this FightStick was quite exciting.

Not So Garish: Thrilled as I was to feel like I'd gained some instant Street Fighter skills by using the Round 2 FightStick, I was concerned that it didn't quite fit into my life. First of all, it probably doesn't fit because it is big, about the size of my fat housecat. I don't think a game controller of that size is compatible with my marriage, and, truth be told, I had to go buy a copy of SFIV to even review this stick (GameStop only had it used. Weird.) So maybe I'm not the ideal customer. But. If I decided I needed a stick, I'd get this one due to the fact that its yellow-orange Street Fighter logo is the only major splash of color on the mostly black shell. This thing is nice and subdued and doesn't quite look like I'm covering my lap in Street Fighter IV art when I use it — unless you look closely, in which cast that's exactly what I'm doing.

Hated
The Wire: I'm sure there's a good reason for this FightStick to need to be plugged into a game console rather than working wirelesses. Maybe it's cost or latency. Hey, there's probably a good reason why this arcade stick has a headphone jack and why my headphones plug doesn't fit into it. And who am I, the guy who couldn't beat Soulja Boy to complain? But in a world of wireless controllers, I want a wireless controller.

So let's say you're on the fence about whether to buy this Round 2 FightStick. I would ask you to consider how much space you have, how much money you have and how much throwing fireballs means to you. If you're answers were "a lot," "a lot" and "a lot," then you're a potential customer. Or, if you're like me and your answers are slightly different, at least bear in mind that if you ever need to have a Street Fighter showdown and you can name the equipment, request an arcade stick. Don't use a game controller. Oh, and play with your arms crossed. The skilled players do that, or so I've seen.

The Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Round 2 Arcade Fight Stick: Tournament Edition was manufactured by Mad Catz and was made available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the fall of 2009. Retails for $149.99 USD. An Xbox 360 edition of the stick was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Used it in Street Fighter IV matches and training sessions.

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