<![CDATA[Kotaku: wet]]> http://tags.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: wet]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/wet http://kotaku.com/tag/wet <![CDATA[The PlayStation 3 Buyer's Guide]]> With at least one potential game of the year exclusively nesting on the Playstation 3 and a price drop under its belt, the PS3 has had a pretty darn good year.

My favorite among the games listed is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which probably isn't surprising. What is yours? Anything we didn't review that you would suggest?

Remember, the games listed aren't all recommendations. Instead we're providing this as a quick reference guide to help you decide if a game is a good gift or not.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-person hip-hop shooter
Subject Matter: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand tells the unintentionally(?) amusing tale of rapper 50 Cent as he struggles to reclaim his diamond encrusted skull from a Middle Eastern bad guy. He's assisted by his G Unit hangers on and some laughably outlandish moments.
Value: An adequately long adventure, made seemingly longer by endlessly looping 50 Cent songs. There are much better games to give this holiday season.
Buy it for: someone as a gag. Or a die hard 50 Cent fan fresh from a six month coma.
Read the Full Review

Assassin's Creed II

Price: $59.99
Rating: M
Genre: Free-running platforming adventure game
Subject Matter: Assassinations and conspiracy spent mostly in 15th century Renaissance Italy.
Value: Lots more content than the first game had, probably lasting gamers at least double the time they spent with the first Assassin's Creed.
Buy it for: People who were let down by the first game, people who like history, beautiful scenery, dynamic platforming, solving mysteries and games that might be the Game of the Year.
Read the Full Review

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Price:$59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Action/Adventure
Subject Matter: Join one of comic books' most iconic heroes on an adventure in Gotham City's insane asylum, where The Joker is on the loose.
Value: With character ability customization, bonus challenge maps and tons of riddles courtesy of The Riddler, Arkham Asylum offers at least three playthroughs' worth of fun.
Buy it for: Batman fans and anybody jonesing for a Mark Hamill voice over fix.
Read the full review

The Beatles: Rock Band
Price: The stand-alone game sells for $59.99, the Limited Edition Premium Bundle sell for $249.99, the Rickenbacker 325 Standalone Guitar and the Gretsch Duo Jet Standalone Guitar sells for $99.99.
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm music game
Subject Matter: The Beatles: Rock Band is a musical journey through the history of one of the world's most popular bands.
Value: For those new to the Rock Band phenomenon and fans of The Beatles, this 45-track game is well worth a purchase because this is the only way you'll play The Beatles music in a Rock Band game. If you're not into the band, give this a pass.
Buy it for: huge Beatles fans.
Read the Full Review

Borderlands

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-person shooter RPG
Subject Matter: Borderlands targets the loot-hungry region of the brain, offering four classes with which to stalk the planet Pandora, shoot things and level up, acquiring cool guns, sweet armor and totally rad superpowers. As role-playing games go, it's shallow, but offers a constant stream of junk food gaming.
Value: Seeing all that Borderlands has to offer could take hundreds of hours. But the real value comes in the form of being able to play with friends on PlayStation Network or via splitscreen.
Buy it for: the loot glutton with an itchy trigger finger and a history of playing Diablo.
Read the Full Review

Brutal Legend

Price: $59.99 Rating: Mature
Genre: Action Adventure
Subject Matter: Brutal Legend is a heavy metal-themed action game that combines racing, shooting, real-time strategy, and hack and slash into one slightly disjointed mix.
Value: Brutal Legend is a game from Tim Schafer, one of gaming's greatest comedy minds, and the absurd humor carries the game a long way. It's the story of a roadie who gets transported to a heavy metal world where he must raise an army to free the oppressed inhabitants. There's plenty to do, though the odd mix of genres might be too much for some players.
Buy it for: Anyone with a strong affection for heavy metal music or sa twisted sense of humor.
Read the Full Review

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Price: $59.99 to $149.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-person military shooter
Subject Matter: Lead a team of elite commandoes in Modern Warfare 2 as they try to prevent a Russian invasion and global thermonuclear war. Then take the action online, going head to head against other well-armed gamers. It's loud, violent and a hell of a lot of fun to play.
Value: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's single-player storyline may be short, but the package more than makes up for it with ample cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. Near endless replayability will be stoked with future downloadable content.
Buy it for: the Michael Bay action movie fan who likes his shooters bombastic and nearly devoid of a comprehensible story, one who doesn't shy away from ultra-violent fare.
Read the Full Review

Critter Crunch

Price: $6.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Puzzle
Subject Matter: A puzzle game with bug eating, cute critters and sorta cut, sorta gross tecnicolor yarn.
Value: The good puzzle game mechanic is strong and addictive — add to that beautiful graphics, a lengthy adventure mode and super fun multiplayer and you have a good time. With barf.
Buy it for: Gamers with a strong like of puzzle titles and no fear of cute puke.
Read the Full Review

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

Price: $39.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-person shooter
Subject Matter: Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a Civil War era first-person shooter.
Value: With an engaging story, wide open maps and plenty of mulitplayer options, this game will take up quite a bit of your time.
Buy it for: First-person shooter enthusiasts, fans of the Wild West and Civil War buffs.
Read the Full Review

DJ Hero
Price: $119.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: DJ Hero is a rhythm game featuring a replica DJ turntable so players can mix and scratch to the beat of original music mash-ups.
Value: DJ Hero features upwards fo 100 different DJ-driven mash-ups featuring songs from the 70's on up to present-day hits. Unlike the latest Guitar Hero or Rock Band games, however, it's only good for one or two players, so the party element just isn't there. The innovative turntable-based gameplay makes it a breath of fresh air in the currently band-centric music genre, but it certainly isn't as social.
Buy it for: Fans of eclectic music mixes and lonely Guitar Hero fans.
Read the Full Review

Dragon Age: Origins
Price: $49.99
Rating:Mature
Genre: Roleplaying
Subject Matter: An epic action roleplaying game set in a world besieged by evil inside and out.
Value: Dragon Age: Origins packs more than 100 hours of gameplay into this action RPG, with branching story paths that encourage multiple play throughs in order to experience it all. BioWare designed the game so it can be played by RPG gamers of any skill level, but mature content and strong sexual situations mean you might want to keep it in the high teens.
Buy it for: Anyone who has ever conversationally mentioned hit points.
Read the Full Review

EyePet

Price: £20 game only, £35 with PlayStation Eye (game currently only available in PAL territories)
Rating: E
Genre: Virtual Pet Management
Subject Matter: Using the PlayStation Eye, "directly" interact with a digital pet on your TV screen.
Value: Smaller kids won't mind the game lacks any real direction, they'll be happy to play it every few days just to check on their pet.
Buy it for: Kids who think Tamagotchi is so 20th century.
Read the Full Review

Fallout 3: Broken Steel

Price: $10 (Requires a copy of Fallout 3)
Rating: M
Genre: Post-apocalyptic role-playing game
Subject Matter: Fallout 3 expansion involving missions with a high-powered fighting force.
Value: High because it extends the level cap to Fallout 3, changes the game's ending and allows the adventure to be played infinitely once the story has "ended"
Buy it for: Fallout 3 fans who want to play more; essential for anyone getting any Fallout 3 downloadable content
Read the Full Review

Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta

Price: $10.00 (Requires a copy of Fallout 3)
Rating: Mature
Genre: Still a post-apocalyptic RPG
Subject Matter: It's Fallout 3 in space!
Value: Mothership Zeta gives the Fallout 3 player an entire spaceship to explore and make their own, some futuristic new weapons, and tacks a good five hours onto the regular campaign, making it a relatively fair value for your money.
Buy it for: Fallout 3 fans.
Read the Full Review

Fallout 3: Point Lookout

Price: $10 (Requires a copy of Fallout 3)
Rating: M
Genre: Post-apocalyptic role-playing game
Subject Matter: Fallout 3 in microcosm, set on a spooky island.
Value: Tons of content, and widely seen as the Fallout 3 downloadable content that best shares the strengths of the base game.
Buy it for: Fallout 3 fans.
Read the Full Review

Fat Princess

Price: $14.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action
Subject Matter: Capture the flag? No, capture the princess. And feed her cake, so she's fat and hard for enemies to cart her off.
Value: Single player weakness aside, the main draw here is multiplayer. That, and cake. Cake's always a draw. Always.
Buy it for: Gamers with a sweet tooth for multiplayer.
Read the Full Review

FIFA Soccer 2010

Price: $49.99
Rating: E
Genre: Round-Ball Football
Subject Matter: The best football game on the market.
Value: Almost endless. There are so many leagues and cups, and such a deep singleplayer experience, that it can be played to death until FIFA 11 is released. And that's before we even get to the 10v10 multiplayer…
Buy it for: Anyone who has even a passing interest in the world game.
Read the Full Review

Fight Night Round 4

Price: $59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Boxing
Subject Matter: Boxing
Value: Tons of fighters, good online options and no real competition.
Buy it for: Boxing fans or people looking for a fighting-based game that has longer-lasting fights.
Read the Full Review

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Price: $49.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action
Subject Matter: A arcade-style shooter loosely based on the live-action G.I. Joe movie.
Value: G.I. Joe is a movie tie-in strangely reminiscent of Konami's Contra series. One or two players take control of their favorite Joes from the movie and take on Cobra across multiple levels of run-and-gun action. There are a few unlockables catering to fans of the old cartoon series, but other than that this is strictly a movie-lover's affair.
Buy it for: Really, really big fans of the G.I. Joe live-action movie.
Read the Full Review

Guitar Hero 5

Price: $59.99 for the game, $99.99 with a guitar controller included
Rating: Teen
Genre: Music/Rythym
Subject Matter: It's Guitar Hero. You play a quintet of color-coordinated "notes" as they scroll downscreen to a new selection of music.
Value: Guitar Hero 5 offers a great suite of single and multiplayer modes, the most robust options yet for the series. What it doesn't offer is the series' most attractive soundtrack, despite an 85 song strong line up. Good for the new Guitar Hero gamer, but that money may be better spent on downloadable songs.
Buy it for: for Guitar Hero noobs who have extremely eclectic taste in music.
Read the Full Review

inFamous

Price: $59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Open-world action game
Subject Matter:Gritty adventures of an electricity-based super-hero from the makers of the Sly Cooper series.
Value:Designed to be played through twice to explore two distinct moral paths.
Buy it for: Super-hero fans and folks who like Grand-Theft-Auto style open-world games.
Read the Full Review

Katamari Forever

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Planet-building action
Subject Matter: Katamari Forever offers a greatest hits style package of the Katamari Damacy series' more memorable levels. Players will roll the titular sticky katamari over objects, building bigger and bigger piles of stuff to replace the universe's missing stars and planets and ultimately please the King of All Cosmos.
Value: At $49.99, Katamari Forever is the most expensive entry yet, a high price for a game that's largely rehashed content. But the content is vast and offers plenty to play. Sadly, there's no online component to help extend the experience.
Buy it for: the fan of quirky games who somehow missed every other Katamari Damacy game or the kid that longs to make snowballs in the summer time.
Read the Full Review

Killzone 2

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Single-person shooter
Subject Matter: Killzone 2 takes the fight to the Helghast, with an invading force landing on Helghan.
Value: Even though this game landed back in February, you would be remiss if you forgot to check it out. Next to Uncharted 2, this is one of the top games for the Playstation 3. The chunky single-player experience backed by 32-player multiplayer matches makes this a very good deal as well.
Buy it for: Anyone with a Playstation 3 who some how missed this title when it first hit.
Read the Full Review

The King of Fighters XII

Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighting
Subject Matter: SNK Playmore's latest entry in its King of Fighter series is a return to its roots with 2D fighting and hand-drawn graphics.
Value: The game feels largely unfinished — though, the parts which are done should please the hardcore fans.
Buy it for: Die-hard SNK fighting game fans.
Read the Full Review

Madden NFL 10

Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: The only video game licensed by the NFL, covering the current season.
Value: For the first time on the current console generation, Madden earns its must-own status among sports gamers. The fine-tuned action is slightly slower, creating greater big play potential on both sides of the ball.
Buy it for: Any sports gamer who doesn't yet have it. Madden is a no-brainer gift that any sports fan will enjoy.
Read the Full Review

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action RPG
Subject Matter: Tons of Marvel heroes take on tons of Marvel villains
Value: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 may not quite live up to the thrill of the original, but it is a more cohesive package overall, with a storyline ripped from Marvel's Civil War storyline and a good dozen hours of heroic fun for 1-4 players.
Read the Full Review

Marvel VS. Capcom 2

Price: $15.00
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighting
Subject Matter: Marvel characters. Capcom characters. Fighting.
Value: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 contains one of the largest roster in fighting game history, with 56 Marvel and Capcom characters to choose from. The sheer amount of variety plus online multiplayer makes this one downloadable title well worth the price.
Read the Full Review

Mini Ninjas

Price: $49.99
Rating: E
Genre: Juvenile Bush Disguise/Phantom Removal
Subject Matter: Play as one of a band of adorable child ninjas on a quest to kill a bad guy and free the adorable little forest animals.
Value: A somewhat short singleplayer game, but the ability to play as one of several ninjas means there's plenty of replay value.
Buy it for: Anyone. Everyone. Kids will love the straight-forward combat, adults will find there's a great stealth and combat system lurking under the hood.
Read the Full Review

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller Camo

Price: $49.99
Rating: N/A
Genre: N/A
Subject Matter: This wireless controller features programmable buttons, better triggers and a Modern Warfare 2 theme.
Value: It's a bit pricey, but if you're a big fan of the game and like the idea of programmable buttons, it's probably worth the $50.
Buy it for: Fans of Modern Warfare 2.
Read the Full Review

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller Camo Faceplate

Price: $14.99
Rating: N/A
Genre: N/A
Subject Matter: This faceplate snaps onto your Playstation 3 controller.
Value: For $15 it's not bad, but not a great deal. Consider it a cheaper alternative to buying a new controller.
Buy it for: HUGE fans of Modern Warfare 2.
Read the Full Review

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Wireless Headset

Price: $39.99
Rating: N/A
Genre: N/A
Subject Matter: This wireless headset gives weak lip-service to Modern Warfare 2.
Value: The painful design and static-filled connection makes this a bad deal.
Buy it for: Someone you hate.
Read the Full Review

NCAA Football 10

Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: The tradition and pageantry of college football's 115 teams, plus any schools you might choose to create.
Value: NCAA Football 10 is the deepest simulation of a sport, on and off the field, of any currently available sports title.
Buy it for: Any sports nut with a serious helping of school pride or leftover nostalgia for college days gone by.
Read the Full Review

NBA 2K10

Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: NBA 2K10 celebrates the 10th anniversary of 2K Sports' best-in-class basketball simulation.
Value: NBA 2K10 offers a much more varied set of gameplay modes, both single- and multiplayer, than its challenger NBA Live 10. Its season simulation lacks the aspect of playing in this year's league but is deeper in all other regards. My Player, in which you create and control one player on his journey from prospect to all-star, is tough but a rewarding experience.
Buy it for: Serious basketball fans with some exposure to the sport in real life, either as a player or a devoted fan.
Read the Full Review

NBA Live 10

Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: NBA Live 10 is EA Sports' current title covering pro basketball's upcoming season.
Value: EA Sports has poured a ton of effort into resurrecting the franchise. New controls enabling you to move players off the ball on offense and defense are easy to learn and a real plus. Dynamic DNA allows you to run your season simulation as if it were taking place among current league events in real life.
Buy it for: Basketball fans who prefer singleplayer sports gaming, want a very accurate league simulation, and an easy-to-comprehend control set.
Read the Full Review

NHL 2K10

Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone 10+
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: NHL 2K10 is 2K Sports' current title covering professional hockey's latest season.
Value: NHL 2K10 is still a runner-up to EA's NHL 10, but it is not without merit. It features the same robust multiplayer package as its NBA cousin. The action's a little arcadey, but it also is the only NHL title with the league's popular outdoor classic venues.
Buy it for: A casual-to-moderate hockey fan who enjoys lots of scoring action.

Read the Full Review

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Realistic military first-person shooter
Subject Matter: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a relatively open-world tactical shooter that has players trying to take the fictional island of Skira from China.
Value: Plagued with problems this shooter doesn't deliver much for the premium price you pay.
Buy it for: hardcore fans of realistic shooters that offer no chance for mistakes or do-overs.
Read the Full Review

Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

Price: $59.99
Rating: E
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: Football title encompassing international and club tournaments, manager modes and online play.
Value: Pro Evo's "Master League", a time-devouring game mode incorporating RPG and strategy elements, is the one area fans remain devoted to this series ahead of its rival, EA Sports' FIFA.
Buy it for: Football fans who like to not only play a good game, but also roll up their sleeves and get lost in a sea of statistics and growth charts.
Read the Full Review

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
Price: $59.99
Rating: E10+
Genre: Third-person shooter (Ratchet sections); Third-person time-manipulation puzzle-platformer (Clank sections).
Subject Matter: The third PS3 Ratchet is still an action game, but has a stronger than normal narrative, as Ratchet discovers he's not the last of his species, while Clank discovers his origins.
Value: A bombastic single-player campaign full of spectacular cartoon visuals is designed to be replayed, with new content and missions available only after the first play-through is complete.
Buy it for: Jaded Ratchet fans who were waiting for the series to feel special again; fans of cartoon visuals who don't mind their entertainment feeling like a fun all-ages sci-fi adventure.
Read the Full Review

Resident Evil 5

Price: $39.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Survival Horror meets third-person shooter
Subject Matter: The latest iteration in the famed survival horror game ditches a bit of the slow pacing and fear for a bit more of an action feel.
Value: A worthy addition to anyone's library, but perhaps not the sort of game you'll keep around after it's completed.
Buy it for: fans of Resident Evil and those interested in the premise of the franchise but not in the steady pacing of the gameplay.
Read the Full Review

Street Fighter IV

Price: $29.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighter
Subject Matter: The next iteration in the storied and fabulous fighter brings with it a dynamic new look and a death grip on classic mechanics.
Value: Packed with playable characters both old and new and a mechanic that is timeless, the online play and in-room versus mode make this a great deal..
Buy it for: fighting fans, Street Fighter fans.
Read the Full Review

Tekken 6
Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighter
Subject Matter: Once you've mastered the moves of your favorite character, Tekken 6's 3D fights are all about timing and tactics.
Value: With 40 playable characters and a seemingly endless single-player campaign, Tekken 6 is a good deal for fans of the franchise willing to put up with some online issues.
Buy it for: fighting fans, Tekken fans, and maybe as a taste of something different for Street Fighter IV fans.
Read the Full Review

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action adventure third-person shooter.
Subject Matter: A well-crafted story and pithy dialogue is backed by solid third-person shooter action, stunning Himalayan backdrops and a smattering of puzzles to solve and things to climb.
Value: The story-driven campaign will only take up about eight hours of your time, but the plentiful and creative mulitplayer modes are sure to be a lasting time drain.
Buy it for: anyone with a Playstation 3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is destined to be one of the best games of the year.
Read the Full Review

WET
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-person acrobatic shooter.
Subject Matter: Rubi Malone is a leather-pants wearing, wall-running, pole-spinning death machine. She can shoot two shotguns while flipping through the air, slide under tables to hamstring and gut with her sword, and regains health by swigging liquor.
Value: The single-player only game has a sizable campaign, fantastic music and troubled controls and camera work. It's sort of a mixed bag.
Buy it for: fans of Kill Bill and fast-paced action noire games.
Read the Full Review

Wolfenstein

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Subject Matter: World War II First-Person Shooter with Occult Tendencies
Value: While Wolfenstein is an excellent first-person shooter from a technical standpoint, the story is a bit far-fetched and the multiplayer is disappointing, especially in the face of games like Modern Warfare 2.
Buy it for: First-person shooter fans looking for a little something different.
Read the Full Review

WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010
Price: $59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Pro wrestling
Subject Matter: WWE wrestling, with deep customization options allowing players to create and share their own characters, moves and — the big new addition — storylines.
Value: High value for those who will take advantage of the online play and content creation/sharing.
Buy it for: WWE fans, even those who don't like current WWE programming, since those disgruntled fans can create the WWE of their own liking using the game's deep editors.
Read the Full Review

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5376172&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Xbox 360 Buyer's Guide]]> New Halo, new downloadables for Mass Effect, Fallout 3, and Grand Theft Auto, new Forza. It was a pretty good year for Xbox 360 owners.

Pick through the list to decide which games to give and get and leave a comment to point out any you would add that we didn't review.

And don't forget, this is more reference material than it is suggestion. Just because it's on the list doesn't mean we're saying you should get it.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-person hip-hop shooter
Subject Matter: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand tells the unintentionally(?) amusing tale of rapper 50 Cent as he struggles to reclaim his diamond encrusted skull from a Middle Eastern bad guy. He's assisted by his G Unit hangers on and some laughably outlandish moments.
Value: An adequately long adventure, made seemingly longer by endlessly looping 50 Cent songs. There are much better games to give this holiday season.
Buy it for: someone as a gag. Or a die hard 50 Cent fan fresh from a six month coma.
Read the Full Review

Axel & Pixel
Price: 800 Microsoft Points ($10)
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Adventure
Subject Matter: A point and click adventure game about a man and his dog escaping a dream world with small doses of action.
Value: Axel & Pixel is a good couple of hours worth of relaxing adventure gaming, with a few action / racing segments tossed in to keep things interesting. It's very simply, extremely easy, and once you are done there isn't much reason to go back through it.
Buy it for: Adventure game fans and older parents, to show them that consoles have something for them too.
Read the Full Review

Assassin's Creed II

Price: $59.99
Rating: M
Genre: Free-running platforming adventure game
Subject Matter: Assassinations and conspiracy spent mostly in 15th century Renaissance Italy.
Value: Lots more content than the first game had, probably lasting gamers at least double the time they spent with the first Assassin's Creed.
Buy it for: People who were let down by the first game, people who like history, beautiful scenery, dynamic platforming, solving mysteries and games that might be the Game of the Year.
Read the Full Review

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Price:$59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Action/Adventure
Subject Matter: Join one of comic books' most iconic heroes on an adventure in Gotham City's insane asylum, where The Joker is on the loose.
Value: With character ability customization, bonus challenge maps and tons of riddles courtesy of The Riddler, Arkham Asylum offers at least three playthroughs' worth of fun.
Buy it for: Batman fans and anybody jonesing for a Mark Hamill voice over fix.
Read the full review

The Beatles: Rock Band
Price: The stand-alone game sells for $59.99, the Limited Edition Premium Bundle sell for $249.99, the Rickenbacker 325 Standalone Guitar and the Gretsch Duo Jet Standalone Guitar sells for $99.99.
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm music game
Subject Matter: The Beatles: Rock Band is a musical journey through the history of one of the world's most popular bands.
Value: For those new to the Rock Band phenomenon and fans of The Beatles, this 45-track game is well worth a purchase because this is the only way you'll play The Beatles music in a Rock Band game. If you're not into the band, give this a pass.
Buy it for: huge Beatles fans.
Read the Full Review

Borderlands

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-person shooter RPG
Subject Matter: Borderlands targets the loot-hungry region of the brain, offering four classes with which to stalk the planet Pandora, shoot things and level up, acquiring cool guns, sweet armor and totally rad superpowers. As role-playing games go, it's shallow, but offers a constant stream of junk food gaming.
Value: Seeing all that Borderlands has to offer could take hundreds of hours. But the real value comes in the form of being able to play with friends on Xbox Live or via splitscreen.
Buy it for: the loot glutton with an itchy trigger finger and a history of playing Diablo.
Read the Full Review

Brutal Legend
Price: $59.99 Rating: Mature
Genre: Action Adventure
Subject Matter: Brutal Legend is a heavy metal-themed action game that combines racing, shooting, real-time strategy, and hack and slash into one slightly disjointed mix.
Value: Brutal Legend is a game from Tim Schafer, one of gaming's greatest comedy minds, and the absurd humor carries the game a long way. It's the story of a roadie who gets transported to a heavy metal world where he must raise an army to free the oppressed inhabitants. There's plenty to do, though the odd mix of genres might be too much for some players.
Buy it for: Anyone with a strong affection for heavy metal music or sa twisted sense of humor.
Read the Full Review

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Price: $59.99 to $149.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-person military shooter
Subject Matter: Lead a team of elite commandoes in Modern Warfare 2 as they try to prevent a Russian invasion and global thermonuclear war. Then take the action online, going head to head against other well-armed gamers. It's loud, violent and a hell of a lot of fun to play.
Value: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's single-player storyline may be short, but the package more than makes up for it with ample cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. Near endless replayability will be stoked with future downloadable content.
Buy it for: the Michael Bay action movie fan who likes his shooters bombastic and nearly devoid of a comprehensible story, one who doesn't shy away from ultra-violent fare.
Read the Full Review

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

Price: $39.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-person shooter
Subject Matter: Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a Civil War era first-person shooter.
Value: With an engaging story, wide open maps and plenty of mulitplayer options, this game will take up quite a bit of your time.
Buy it for: First-person shooter enthusiasts, fans of the Wild West and Civil War buffs.
Read the Full Review

DJ Hero
Price: $119.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: DJ Hero is a rhythm game featuring a replica DJ turntable so players can mix and scratch to the beat of original music mash-ups.
Value: DJ Hero features upwards fo 100 different DJ-driven mash-ups featuring songs from the 70's on up to present-day hits. Unlike the latest Guitar Hero or Rock Band games, however, it's only good for one or two players, so the party element just isn't there. The innovative turntable-based gameplay makes it a breath of fresh air in the currently band-centric music genre, but it certainly isn't as social.
Buy it for: Fans of eclectic music mixes and lonely Guitar Hero fans.
Read the Full Review

Dragon Age: Origins
Price: $49.99
Rating:Mature
Genre: Roleplaying
Subject Matter: An epic action roleplaying game set in a world besieged by evil inside and out.
Value: Dragon Age: Origins packs more than 100 hours of gameplay into this action RPG, with branching story paths that encourage multiple play throughs in order to experience it all. BioWare designed the game so it can be played by RPG gamers of any skill level, but mature content and strong sexual situations mean you might want to keep it in the high teens.
Buy it for: Anyone who has ever conversationally mentioned hit points.
Read the Full Review

Fairytale Fights

Price: $59.99
Rating: M
Genre: Action
Subject Matter: A quartet of cutesy fairytale characters set out to regain their fame by beating the beejesus out of other cutesy things.
Value: With two-player cooperative play and a four player battle royal mode, you can really let out you violent side in buckets of cartoony blood.
Buy it for: People who need a healthy way to blow off steam after a bad day at work. Just don't be standing next to them if the game happens to crash and they need an immediate alternative.
Read the Full Review

Fallout 3: Broken Steel

Price: $10 (Requires a copy of Fallout 3)
Rating: M
Genre: Post-apocalyptic role-playing game
Subject Matter: Fallout 3 expansion involving missions with a high-powered fighting force.
Value: High because it extends the level cap to Fallout 3, changes the game's ending and allows the adventure to be played infinitely once the story has "ended"
Buy it for: Fallout 3 fans who want to play more; essential for anyone getting any Fallout 3 downloadable content
Read the Full Review

Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta

Price: $10.00 (Requires a copy of Fallout 3)
Rating: Mature
Genre: Still a post-apocalyptic RPG
Subject Matter: It's Fallout 3 in space!
Value: Mothership Zeta gives the Fallout 3 player an entire spaceship to explore and make their own, some futuristic new weapons, and tacks a good five hours onto the regular campaign, making it a relatively fair value for your money.
Buy it for: Fallout 3 fans.
Read the Full Review

Fallout 3: Point Lookout

Price: $10 (Requires a copy of Fallout 3)
Rating: M
Genre: Post-apocalyptic role-playing game
Subject Matter: Fallout 3 in microcosm, set on a spooky island.
Value: Tons of content, and widely seen as the Fallout 3 downloadable content that best shares the strengths of the base game.
Buy it for: Fallout 3 fans.
Read the Full Review

FIFA Soccer 2010

Price: $49.99
Rating: E
Genre: Round-Ball Football
Subject Matter: The best football game on the market.
Value: Almost endless. There are so many leagues and cups, and such a deep singleplayer experience, that it can be played to death until FIFA 11 is released. And that's before we even get to the 10v10 multiplayer…
Buy it for: Anyone who has even a passing interest in the world game.
Read the Full Review

Fight Night Round 4

Price: $59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Boxing
Subject Matter: Boxing
Value: Tons of fighters, good online options and no real competition.
Buy it for: Boxing fans or people looking for a fighting-based game that has longer-lasting fights.
Read the Full Review

Forza Motorsport 3

Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Driving simulation
Subject Matter: Forza Motorsport 3 takes the driving simulation in a new direction, making it easier than ever to get into a car, upgrade it, tune it and take if for a spin. For more advance driving game fans, there's plenty of hardcore driving simulation to enjoy as well.
Value: Hundreds of cars, dozens of tracks, thousands of upgrade possibilities and an increasing amount of user-generated content available via the game's storefront, all purchased with in-game credits, not real money, make Forza Motorsport 3 a great driving value.
Buy it for: the Xbox 360 owner who likes to go fast.
Read the Full Review

Gears of War 2: Dark Corners

Price: 1200 Microsoft Points (about $15)
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-person tactical shooter
Subject Matter: This downloadable add-on for Gears of War 2 lets players run through The Road to Ruin, a campaign level original cut from the game.
Value: With a new single-player level, seven new multiplayer maps and director's commentary, you can't go wrong for $15.
Buy it for: Owners and fans of the original Gears of War 2.
Read the Full Review

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Price: $49.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action
Subject Matter: A arcade-style shooter loosely based on the live-action G.I. Joe movie.
Value: G.I. Joe is a movie tie-in strangely reminiscent of Konami's Contra series. One or two players take control of their favorite Joes from the movie and take on Cobra across multiple levels of run-and-gun action. There are a few unlockables catering to fans of the old cartoon series, but other than that this is strictly a movie-lover's affair.
Buy it for: Really, really big fans of the G.I. Joe live-action movie.
Read the Full Review

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Price: $20 if downloaded through Xbox Live Arcade (requires a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV) or $39.95 if purchased as one half of the Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes From Liberty City disc (GTA IV not required; Episodes disc also includes the similarly-sized first GTA IV expansion, Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned.)
Rating: M
Genre: Open world, third-person shooter.
Subject Matter: Over-the-top modern crime drama set in a fictional New York City.
Value: Offers more content per dollar than just about anything else downloadable on the Xbox 360, a 13-hour-plus campaign, numerous side activities and returning multiplayer challenges similar to what was offered with GTA IV.
Buy it for: People who thought GTA IV was too tame and wished their lead character would be asked to parachute off skyscrapers, steal subway cars (with a helicopter), dance in a nightclub and cross paths with the last two protagonists in the GTA IV saga.
Read the Full Review

Guitar Hero 5

Price: $59.99 for the game, $99.99 with a guitar controller included
Rating: Teen
Genre: Music/Rythym
Subject Matter: It's Guitar Hero. You play a quintet of color-coordinated "notes" as they scroll downscreen to a new selection of music.
Value: Guitar Hero 5 offers a great suite of single and multiplayer modes, the most robust options yet for the series. What it doesn't offer is the series' most attractive soundtrack, despite an 85 song strong line up. Good for the new Guitar Hero gamer, but that money may be better spent on downloadable songs.
Buy it for: for Guitar Hero noobs who have extremely eclectic taste in music.
Read the Full Review

Halo 3: ODST

Price: $59.99
Rating: M
Genre: First-person shooter
Subject Matter: Daytime sci-fi military action interspersed with noir-inspired nighttime sleuthing.
Value: Varies depending on one's Halo experience. A seven-hour campaign and the offline Firefight mode can be played with up to four players and is all-new, but only three of the game's 24 multiplayer maps haven't been sold — and possibly purchased by the prospective ODST consumer — before.
Buy it for: Halo fans who either never bought Halo 3's bonus maps or wouldn't spend $60 of their own for ODST because they did.
Read the Full Review

The King of Fighters XII

Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighting
Subject Matter: SNK Playmore's latest entry in its King of Fighter series is a return to its roots with 2D fighting and hand-drawn graphics.
Value: The game feels largely unfinished — though, the parts which are done should please the hardcore fans.
Buy it for: Die-hard SNK fighting game fans.
Read the Full Review

Left 4 Dead 2

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-person horror shooter
Subject Matter: Four Survivors fight their way through a gory zombie apocalypse in the Southeastern United States, decapitating, dismembering and generally destroying every walking dead human in their path. Cooperative multiplayer is at the core of the Left 4 Dead 2 experience.
Value: Left 4 Dead 2 is a multiplayer game with a massive amount of replayability, but requires cooperative gameplay and reliable friends to fully enjoy. There's very little here for the lone, single-player gamer, so make sure that Live subscription is all paid up.
Buy it for: the grown-up Xbox Live Gold subscriber who believes there's no "I" in team and may be disappointed with the body count in Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3 ODST.
Read the Full Review

Lucidity

Price: 800 Points
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Platform/Puzzle
Subject Matter: Little girl Sofi wanders through her dreams, looking for her lost Nana.
Value: While the puzzle gameplay element is average, the art style is superb.
Buy it for: Tim Burton fans.
Read the Full Review

Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 Throat Communicator

Price: $29.99
Rating: NA
Genre: NA
Subject Matter: This throat communicator is meant to replace the need for a standard Xbox 360 microphone.
Value: The throat communicator does a great job of cutting down on room noise for your friends and feels pretty comfortable. If those things are important to you, you should pick this up.
Buy it for: Modern Warfare 2 enthusiasts, online gamers and friends who play in noisy settings.
Read the Full Review

Madden NFL 10
Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: The only video game licensed by the NFL, covering the current season.
Value: For the first time on the current console generation, Madden earns its must-own status among sports gamers. The fine-tuned action is slightly slower, creating greater big play potential on both sides of the ball.
Buy it for: Any sports gamer who doesn't yet have it. Madden is a no-brainer gift that any sports fan will enjoy.
Read the Full Review

Marvel VS. Capcom 2

Price: $15.00
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighting
Subject Matter: Marvel characters. Capcom characters. Fighting.
Value: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 contains one of the largest roster in fighting game history, with 56 Marvel and Capcom characters to choose from. The sheer amount of variety plus online multiplayer makes this one downloadable title well worth the price.
Read the Full Review

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action RPG
Subject Matter: Tons of Marvel heroes take on tons of Marvel villains
Value: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 may not quite live up to the thrill of the original, but it is a more cohesive package overall, with a storyline ripped from Marvel's Civil War storyline and a good dozen hours of heroic fun for 1-4 players.
Read the Full Review

Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station

Price: $5 (requires a copy of Mass Effect)
Rating: M
Genre: Bonus missions for third-person shooter/role-playing game
Subject Matter: Mass Effect gets a battle simulator to allow goal-based shooting challenges.
Value: High for those looking for something new in the original Mass Effect while awaiting the January sequel; low for people looking for what made the first game popular.
Buy it for: Mass Effect completists, though you'll only be able to buy them download points for this game or give them a small check.
Read the Full Review

Mini Ninjas

Price: $49.99
Rating: E
Genre: Juvenile Bush Disguise/Phantom Removal
Subject Matter: Play as one of a band of adorable child ninjas on a quest to kill a bad guy and free the adorable little forest animals.
Value: A somewhat short singleplayer game, but the ability to play as one of several ninjas means there's plenty of replay value.
Buy it for: Anyone. Everyone. Kids will love the straight-forward combat, adults will find there's a great stealth and combat system lurking under the hood.
Read the Full Review

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller Camo

Price: $49.99
Rating: N/A
Genre: N/A
Subject Matter: This wired controller features programmable buttons, better triggers and a Modern Warfare 2 theme.
Value: It's a bit pricey, but if you're a big fan of the game and like the idea of programmable buttons, it's probably worth the $50.
Buy it for: Fans of Modern Warfare 2.
Read the Full Review

NBA 2K10
Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: NBA 2K10 celebrates the 10th anniversary of 2K Sports' best-in-class basketball simulation.
Value: NBA 2K10 offers a much more varied set of gameplay modes, both single- and multiplayer, than its challenger NBA Live 10. Its season simulation lacks the aspect of playing in this year's league but is deeper in all other regards. My Player, in which you create and control one player on his journey from prospect to all-star, is tough but a rewarding experience.
Buy it for: Serious basketball fans with some exposure to the sport in real life, either as a player or a devoted fan.
Read the Full Review

NBA Live 10
Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: NBA Live 10 is EA Sports' current title covering pro basketball's upcoming season.
Value: EA Sports has poured a ton of effort into resurrecting the franchise. New controls enabling you to move players off the ball on offense and defense are easy to learn and a real plus. Dynamic DNA allows you to run your season simulation as if it were taking place among current league events in real life.
Buy it for: Basketball fans who prefer singleplayer sports gaming, want a very accurate league simulation, and an easy-to-comprehend control set.
Read the Full Review

NCAA Football 10
Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: The tradition and pageantry of college football's 115 teams, plus any schools you might choose to create.
Value: NCAA Football 10 is the deepest simulation of a sport, on and off the field, of any currently available sports title.
Buy it for: Any sports nut with a serious helping of school pride or leftover nostalgia for college days gone by.
Read the Full Review

NHL 2K10
Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone 10+
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: NHL 2K10 is 2K Sports' current title covering professional hockey's latest season.
Value: NHL 2K10 is still a runner-up to EA's NHL 10, but it is not without merit. It features the same robust multiplayer package as its NBA cousin. The action's a little arcadey, but it also is the only NHL title with the league's popular outdoor classic venues.
Buy it for: A casual-to-moderate hockey fan who enjoys lots of scoring action.
Read the Full Review

Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

Price: $59.99
Rating: E
Genre: Sports
Subject Matter: Football title encompassing international and club tournaments, manager modes and online play.
Value: Pro Evo's "Master League", a time-devouring game mode incorporating RPG and strategy elements, is the one area fans remain devoted to this series ahead of its rival, EA Sports' FIFA.
Buy it for: Football fans who like to not only play a good game, but also roll up their sleeves and get lost in a sea of statistics and growth charts.
Read the Full Review

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Realistic military first-person shooter
Subject Matter: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a relatively open-world tactical shooter that has players trying to take the fictional island of Skira from China.
Value: Plagued with problems this shooter doesn't deliver much for the premium price you pay.
Buy it for: hardcore fans of realistic shooters that offer no chance for mistakes or do-overs.
Read the Full Review

Resident Evil 5

Price: $39.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Survival Horror meets third-person shooter
Subject Matter: The latest iteration in the famed survival horror game ditches a bit of the slow pacing and fear for a bit more of an action feel.
Value: A worthy addition to anyone's library, but perhaps not the sort of game you'll keep around after it's completed.
Buy it for: fans of Resident Evil and those interested in the premise of the franchise but not in the steady pacing of the gameplay.
Read the Full Review

South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!

Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Rating: Mature
Genre: Tower Defense
Subject Matter: South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! has the South Park kids big towers to fend off enemies that range from gnomes to old people in an 11 mission campaign.
Buy it for: Fans of South Park, fans of tower defense games, and fans of both.
Value: The game features unlockable characters and challenging maps (especially the later levels), co-op and online. There are also unlockable clips from the show.
Read the Full Review

Street Fighter IV

Price: $29.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighter
Subject Matter: The next iteration in the storied and fabulous fighter brings with it a dynamic new look and a death grip on classic mechanics.
Value: Packed with playable characters both old and new and a mechanic that is timeless, the online play and in-room versus mode make this a great deal..
Buy it for: fighting fans, Street Fighter fans.
Read the Full Review

Tekken 6
Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighter
Subject Matter: Once you've mastered the moves of your favorite character, Tekken 6's 3D fights are all about timing and tactics.
Value: With 40 playable characters and a seemingly endless single-player campaign, Tekken 6 is a good deal for fans of the franchise willing to put up with some online issues.
Buy it for: fighting fans, Tekken fans, and maybe as a taste of something different for Street Fighter IV fans.
Read the Full Review

Trials HD

Price: 1200 Points
Rating: Teen
Genre: Racing/Puzzle
Subject Matter: Trials HD is a twist on motorbike racing: Players must navigate trick courses and tricky in-game physics as fast as they can.
Value: The game features over 50 tracks and seemingly simple, yet deep game play — offering replay value as your skills continue to get better and better. A level editor lets players make their own courses. It's the Excite Bike of the 21st Century.
Buy it for: Those who want more from their racing games than speed.
Read the Full Review

WET
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-person acrobatic shooter.
Subject Matter: Rubi Malone is a leather-pants wearing, wall-running, pole-spinning death machine. She can shoot two shotguns while flipping through the air, slide under tables to hamstring and gut with her sword, and regains health by swigging liquor.
Value: The single-player only game has a sizable campaign, fantastic music and troubled controls and camera work. It's sort of a mixed bag.
Buy it for: fans of Kill Bill and fast-paced action noire games.
Read the Full Review

Wolfenstein

Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Subject Matter: World War II First-Person Shooter with Occult Tendencies
Value: While Wolfenstein is an excellent first-person shooter from a technical standpoint, the story is a bit far-fetched and the multiplayer is disappointing, especially in the face of games like Modern Warfare 2.
Buy it for: First-person shooter fans looking for a little something different.
Read the Full Review

WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010
Price: $59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Pro wrestling
Subject Matter: WWE wrestling, with deep customization options allowing players to create and share their own characters, moves and — the big new addition — storylines.
Value: High value for those who will take advantage of the online play and content creation/sharing.
Buy it for: WWE fans, even those who don't like current WWE programming, since those disgruntled fans can create the WWE of their own liking using the game's deep editors.
Read the Full Review

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5376171&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[WET Xbox 360 Version Cancelled In Japan]]> Multi-platform acrobatic shooter WET will only be getting a PlayStation 3 release in Japan. The Xbox 360 version has been cancelled.

According to the official announcement "various reasons" have been cited for the cancellation of the Xbox 360 version. In September, both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game were released in North America.

Xbox 360版『WET』が発売中止 [Famitsu]

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5408070&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Dev Alleges Some Deceive ESRB to Get Lower Ratings]]> The CEO of Artificial Mind & Movement - the studio behind WET and the PSP build of Danté's Inferno - said at a development conference that the ESRB is easily manipulated and that publishers take advantage of it.

Speaking at the Montreal International Game Summit, Rémi Racine of A2M said:

As a developer who has worked with a lot of different publishers, we're aware of many that have tried to cheat the rating. They say to the ERSB that it's a Teen rating [13+] rather than an Mature [17+] to try and sell more; you can do this just by sending them a video that doesn't show the most violent stuff and then you'll get the rating that you want rather than the rating you should get.

Edge Online, which quoted Racine at the Summit, then published this reply from the ESRB's Eliot Mizrachi:

ESRB takes full disclosure of content during the rating process extremely seriously, and companies that submit their games to ESRB know this very well. We regularly check games post-release to verify that submissions were complete, and it's very likely that if a game contains undisclosed content that would have affected the rating assigned, we'll find out about it. In such cases ESRB can actually impose fines up to $1 million as well as require corrective actions like re-labeling or even recalling product, both of which can obviously be very costly. There's no incentive whatsoever for publishers to withhold content from ESRB in an effort to receive a lower rating, and those that would do so risk significant penalties.

I can't think of any titles which exemplify Racine's accusation; of course, my radar is largely fixated on upcoming AAA releases, and games of such a high profile are almost definitely M-rated or not, in the public's mind, before the ESRB gets hold of them. When was the last M-versus-T controversy anyway? Does it even matter? That said, there might be a few marginal titles out there. But which ones?

MIGS: Publishers "Cheat" Age Ratings [Edge Online]

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5407930&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Eliza Dushku Ponders Live-Action Wet]]> Actress Eliza Dushku tells MTV News that she's interested in a movie or TV role as Rubi, her "working-class Lara Croft" character from Bethesda and A2M's Wet.

She's only provided voice to the character so far, but Dushku seems ready to get in front of the cameras for a live-action take on Wet. In the game, her character is a sword-swinging, two-gun-shooting assassin for hire. Think Kill Bill.

Watch this brief clip so that you can determine if she's serious. (Video won't play for users logging in from Canada or the UK.)

MTV Shows

For comparison's sake. Here's Rubi:

Exclusive: Eliza Dushku May Work On Live Action 'WET' Movie [MTV Multiplayer]

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5377484&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Enough Screens To Make A WET Flip Book]]> Just in time for Crecente's WET review, Bethesda releases a whipping set of forty-three new screenshots for the game. Embrace the WETness!











































]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5362463&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[WET Review: Swords, Guns and Flawed Fun]]> Armed with one sword and two of lots of other things, Rubi Malone is a leather-pants wearing, wall-running, pole-spinning death machine. She can shoot two shotguns while flipping through the air, slide under tables to hamstring and gut with her sword, and regains health by swigging liquor.

But does the heroine deliver enough fun in third-person shooter WET to justify the price, or is the game all flash and little substance?

Loved
Acrobatics: That's really what this game is all about: Flipping, sliding, tumbling, spinning, all while blasting away at bad guys in slow-mo, often with two guns. Rubi's talent for acrobatic gunplay is most often tested in arena-like maps which require players not only to kill off an absurdly large group of enemies, but also block or jam doors that act as spawn points in the game.

It is in these acrobatic moments that the game sings. The controls are deftly tuned and making Rubi do spectacular things is as easy as pushing a button to slide on the ground, another to jump and then aiming her motion with a controller. The rest is nearly automatic.

While you don't have to constantly jump, wall run or slide under and around objects, it would be hard to survive without doing so. That's because when you're doing these acrobatics the game automatically slips into slow motion. It also takes over the aiming for one of your guns, allowing you to focus on aiming the other so you can blast enemies down two at a time.

As the game progresses, the challenge increases drastically, shifting a gamer's attention from scoring lots of points with strung-together attacks to simply surviving the onslaught. And it is always a satisfying challenge.

Weapons and Ammo: Rubi starts the game armed with just two six-shooters and a sword. As she progresses through the game you unlock dual shotguns, dual submachineguns and even an explosive-firing crossbow. All of the weapons serve different purposes, so you'll find yourself switching between them quite a bit on the fly.

While the ammo for the three unlockable weapons is limited, the six-shooter's ammo is not. That's a key to some of the game's success, I think. Because you don't have to worry about ammo conservation while using the six shooter, you can instead focus on doing spectacular moves while spraying the room with unending gunfire.

Style: The game oozes style. From the apt "face-melting, musical debauchery" of the soundtrack to the quirky little retro movie theater ads that run at odd moments between pivotal scenes in the game.

The design choices of WET pushes what could have been a generic title into something with flavor; something that's so enjoyable to watch at times you may lose a life or two doing so.

Rage Mode: WET is essentially broken up into three types of game play: Those enemy-spewing arenas that force gamers to focus on acrobatics as much as gunplay, sections that feel like a platformer with some gunplay, and rage modes.

Every rage mode kicks off with a splash of blood. The music goes psycho, the graphics shift to highly-stylized silhouettes of black, red and white and the action unhooks from its already weak grasp of reality. In essence, Rubi loses it. This turns the sections you typically play through into pulse-pounding, over-the-top moments of exuberant thrill kills.

While by the end of the game I found the arena sections of WET to be the most satisfying, the rage modes were always a welcome diversion.

Ending: Finally a game that doesn't spoil a tight plot with a self-indulgent, rambling ending. WET ends as it plays: Quickly and brutally.

Hated
Wonky Controls: While the acrobatic controls of Rubi in flight and during gameplay work quite well. Controlling her during the sections when you have to maneuver through hazardous objects and leap across sections of maps can be a challenge. It feels like Rubi is never ready to run straight forward and always sort of veers to the left or right, making it hard to hit the right spot on some of these controlled jumps.

Wonky Camera: Again, the camera works mostly fine in the arena, but get Rubi in a confined area and you start running into problems. It probably would have been a good idea to limit gameplay to what WET does best, wide open scenes.

Platforming: The forced platforming sections of WET not only slow down the action, combined with the controls, they really deflate the entire game. It's annoying to survive hand-bruising, intense encounters with crowds of thugs only to miss a simple jump from open doorway to nearby wall.

Worse still, many of these moments don't do a good job of explaining where exactly you're supposed to be moving Rubi, leading to death by confusion. Something that shouldn't be happening in a game like this.

Graphics: While the style of the game is an undeniable attraction for WET, the graphics are not. Even with the deliberate, scratchy film effect it's hard to miss that the characters look hollow, like skin wrapped around air. This is most noticeable in the cut-scenes that still manage to deliver an intriguing plot. It's unfortunate that bad graphics plague the game, because it distracts from an otherwise engaging experience.

One would think that being essentially forced to turn every sequence, every bit of action, every moment of confrontation into something you'd expect to see in Cirque de Solei would get tedious. It should get tedious. Why does Rubi need to slide across the pavement on her knees in slow motion to plug a guy standing with his back to her. Or wall run and flip over a lacksidasical henchmen before gutting him with her sword. She doesn't, but man is it fun. And no, it never gets old.

WET is an oddly satisfying experience. Despite its many flaws, some critical to gameplay, WET delivers a quick run through a fun story that delights in shocking, but doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a little short, a little wonky, but when it delivers, it delivers big.

WET was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement and published by Bethesda for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on Sept. 15. Retails for $59.99 USD. Played through entire campaign and several challenges on the Playstation 3 version of the game.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5360676&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Wet's "Sick and Sexy" Seventies Soundtrack]]>
Experimental, edgy, sick, face-melting, musical debauchery: And that's just about the soundtrack.

This short video gives us a taste of how and why the developers decided to go with seventies music for the soundtrack of Bethesda's upcoming action shooter Wet.

Don't forget, you need to be at least 18 to click that play button or your computer will explode and everyone at the ESRB will faint.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5347084&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Here's What Bethesda Is Bringing To PAX 09]]> Bethesda is gearing up for PAX 09 next week, packing up playable demos of upcoming titles and a healthy dose of Brink for the long cross-country trek to Seattle.

Brink will be a highlight at Bethesda's PAX booth this year, with live demonstrations of Splash Damage's first-person action adventure title being held on an hourly basis all three days of the show. Gamers will also be able to score Brink t-shirts, along with posters of upcoming releases WET and Rogue Warrior. Both of those titles will be playable on the show floor, along with Bethesda's upcoming Xbox Live Arcade offerings, Doom II and Quake Arena Arcade.

Stephen Totilo and I will be making our trek to Seattle in the middle of next week, so if you are attending the show, keep an eye out! I'll be the large sweaty guy, and he'll be Stephen Totilo.

PAX 09 Details [Bethesda Blog]

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5346938&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Wet Preview: It All Happened So Slowly]]> "I should have played Stranglehold more so I could compare," the previewer thought to himself, as he made a lady with two pistols jump over a table and shoot two guys on opposite sides of an Asian-themed room in slow-mo.

If Wet isn't going to turn out to be the game action-move master John Woo would make, it sure seems like it could at least be one Quentin Tarantino would create. It gives that impression with its non-stop action, its love of the gunfight, its car chase, its use of 70s film grain, its kick-ass heroine, and its diva in the diva hall where shooting is about to start, who begins her song by screeching: "Are you ready to rock bitches? One, two... fuck you!"

I also wouldn't expect Tarantino to code a better jumping mechanic.

What Is It?
Wet is a September-dated single-player action game from Artificial Mind and Movement, a third-person shooter with an emphasis on slow-motion shootouts, a la the Midway-developed John Woo's Stranglehold. It's also one of the games Activision chose not to publish when it assumed control of games formerly being published by Vivendi. But I didn't hold that against the fun 50 Cent: Blood On The Sand, so why would I against the now Bethesda-backed Wet?

What We Saw
Not even a day before our Michael McWhertor dove into the game in Germany, I tried three sections of the game in New York: The intro, a car chase and rage mode.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is coming out on September 15, so even though I did not play a retail build, this thing is done.


What Needs Improvement?
Mid-Air Movement: It might be too late for the developers to do anything about this, but that's fitting as this problem is about how it is too late for Wet's heroine, Rubi, to control her movement once she has committed to a leap. This is an issue in a game that presents the player with the ability to have their heroine jump, climb, wall-run, swing from polls and do just about everything else a Prince of Persia would be able to do — and do it in slow-mo, and let them shoot guns with each hand while doing so AND include a scoring system that encourages you to only fight using such techniques — but doesn't let you auto-correct an accidental slow-mo jump that is going to land you in the wrong spot or off the side of a skyscraper. If she's going to be nimble, let her be nimble.

Target Confusion: Rubi can shoot two dudes at once. That's cool. She's got a pistol in each hand (or a shotgun in each or a crossbow in each, etc.). But jumping in the air and trying to target two enemies involves trusting the computer to select one of them for you. Then you manually aim at the other one. Pressing the trigger fires at both. I killed dozens of characters this way and still don't understand what determined which character was auto-targeted and how I could use that to my advantage.

What Should Stay The Same?
Devil May Care Attitude: I like a game that has it's heroine dropping down a ladder head-first in slow-mo with guns out, shooting at thugs. To be clear, any time Rubi jumps or slides and starts shooting, the game's in slow-mo, so we've got a game that feels like it's always trying to be stylish. Why not? I like a game that offers, as its health power-up, its heroine taking a swig of what looked like a Jack Daniels bottle and then tossing the bottle in the air and shooting it for good measure. Whether it's Grindhouse, House of the Dead: Overkill or whatever your B-movie-inspired passion, Wet feels designed to satisfy that same taste. Why else would she also take a sword into battle?

Eccentric Detours: Wet would appear to be everything I described above, except when it turns into a long, scripted, violent car chase sequence that has Rubi jumping from speeding car to speeding car, shooting bad men in black vehicles and dodging tractor trailers (orchestrated with quick-time-event button-presses and real-time shooting)? And except when the story calls for Rubi's face to get splashed with blood, switching the graphics to a molten take on Sin City (pictured up top) with its action sped up, Rubi's health increased and the kill-count multiplier capable of hitting double digits?

Final Thoughts
A Bethesda rep suggests this game will be about eight hours long, which sounds short (8-10 to be specific). But it seems like it could be quite the ride. It's not clear to me that Wet is a game its players would re-play, but its showing a verve that might make some control oddities tolerable and its gameplay a blast while the action lasts.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5341852&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Brink, WET, Red Steel 2 Added to Growing Gamescom List]]> With less than two weeks to go before Gamescom kicks off in Cologne, the list of games that will be present and playable continues to grow.

Today Bethesda confirmed that WET, Wheelspin and Medieval Games will all be playable at the show and that they will be talking up Brink.

Ubisoft's list of games at Gamescom includes Avatar, RUSE, Silent Hunter 5, Red Steel 2, Rabbids Go Home, Academy of Champions and Assassin's Creed 2.

With games like Modern Warfare 2, RAGE and APB on the offering as well, it looks like the show will have something for everyone. And don't forget Sony is holding a three-hour press conference. EA and Microsoft also plan to make announcements at the show.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5330640&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Bethesda Gets WET This September]]> Over-the-top action shooter WET will hit the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America on Sept. 15, Bethesda announced today.

The game has players taking on the role of fixer Rubi Malone as she dispatches map after map of bad guys with two pistols and a samurai sword, all while performing acrobatics.

"We've worked really hard to make WET different from any other action game available", said Patrick Fortier, Creative Director at A2M. "When players experience the game's unique blend of gunplay, sword combat and acrobatics, they won't want to put the controller down."

From what I've seen of the game, it looks like it could be keeper, but I still haven't had a chance to go hands on with it, and controls will make or break this title.

Wet The Game

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5327217&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[A Look at Wet's High-Concept Rage Mode]]> When I saw WET earlier this year, one of the things I really liked about the action title was it's artistic rage mode. But it's kind of hard to properly explain the fast-paced, over-the-top mode. Fortunately, GameTrailers has our back.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5313503&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[WET Producer Talks PS3 Controls, Collision Detection]]>
Patrick Fortier, A2M creative director for WET, sat down and talked with me last week about the upcoming acrobatic shooter.

Unfortunately, the video, which was recorded by the folks at Bethesda, didn't pick up my voice at all. I think my microphone must have been turned off. I really apologize for my missing questions, fortunately you can hear the answers just fine: In order, here's what I asked about:

How the Vivendi/Activision deal impacted the development of the game.

The idea behind Rage mode.

Did they draw any inspiration for WET from Mirror's Edge.

What movies did the developers look at when creating the grindhouse feel of the game?

How much thought did the developers put into the creation of Rubi and their decision to not over-sexualize her for the game.

How much did the developers look at games with bullet time like Stranglehold and Max Payne, while developing the game?

Will the PS3 version have control differences?

How many iterations of the controls and automated acrobatic sequences did the developers go through before landing on the final build?

Why can Rubi slide up stairs and over items, and do they plan on tweaking the collision detection?

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5227419&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Bethesda's London Event]]> Last week, Bethesda Softworks gathered game writers in London to check out their upcoming titles during a two-day long gamers' day.

The event gave those present a look at WET, Rogue Warrior, the latest Fallout 3 downloadable content, and a chance to talk to the publisher and their developer about some of their upcoming games and projects.

While travel was paid for, our coverage was not. Here's a break down of what I wrote from the event:

New Fallout Announced
Fallout 3 Delivers Puppies! on May 5
WET: Guns, Leather, Swords and Acrobatics
Rogue Warrior Carpet F-Bombs With Rourke
Bethesda Teams With Del Rey For Elder Scroll Novels
Despite the Trash Talk, No Taunt Button in Rogue Warrior
Bethesda Says Snog Me Senseless With Mints

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5227421&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[WET: Guns, Leather, Swords and Acrobatics]]> WET hopes to be the best of Tarantino, of John Woo: All Crazy 88s, bullet ballets, death in a tight leather suit that flips and spins as she tears through screen after screen of enemies.

But the acrobatic shooter dances, sword slicing, guns blazing, on the razor's edge of sheer spectacle, dangerously close to being a game that is perhaps all about style while offering little substance.

It is certainly too soon to decide if playing fixer Rubi will offer gamers enough to be viewed as mere gimmick, but it's something I couldn't help but wonder while sitting through a demonstration of the game last week.

"WET is a really stylized Tarantino-flavored acrobatic shooter," said Patrick Fortier, creative director at developer Artificial Mind & Movement. "The vision was to combine shooting, swordplay and acrobatics into one seamless system and create a game with the kind of energy you would find in Desperado or Killbill.

"The Crazy 88 scene is the kind of energy we're going for in Wet."

The game's main character is Rubi, a fixer that Fortier described as a sort of contemporary take on Clint Eastwood's character in the man with no name.

As in Kill Bill, the female lead is a mysterious character, a women driven by money who gets double crossed and betrayed. The game's style leans on the look and feel of 70s action movies with grainy visuals, a cheesy retro soundtrack and that classic ironic mix of violence and humor.

The game's demonstration opens up on a deal gone bad in San Francisco. Rubi hops through a glass ceiling and begins to clear the room.

The controls, we're told, are relatively simple. You press A to jump, B to slide, the left trigger to wall run and the right trigger to shoot. Time slows down a little while sliding, wall running or in the air, so you want to do that as much as possible to make clearing the rooms, which always seems packed with enemies, easier.

While time is slowed, you use the right thumbstick to aim one of Rubi's guns, the other gun auto aims, making it easier to take down multiple targets at the same time.

"The idea is to make it clear for players that they should do acrobatics because you have a second gun and are doing double damage and you have slow mode," Fortier said "These things make you feel that much more powerful and reward you instantly."

The whole point of the game is to get players to never stop, never slow down, Fortier says. It's about thinking, shooting, slicing on the run.

Players can swing from poles, control the direction of their slides, wall run across people, instead of walls and, most importantly it seems, string together these acrobatic moves to dazzling effect.

"We don't want to interrupt a player's flow of combat," he said. "Players create their own lines as they move through the environment. We don't want players to stand still."

The acrobatic kills all get nicknames, like 360 dive, killer head rush, double dealer or enemy stomp, and all of those moves feed into the scoring system. The style modifier awards points which can be used to unlock new moves or upgrade weapons.

While initially Rubi only has a sword on two pistols, as the game progresses she can unlock dual shotguns, dual machineguns and explosives.

While running through a level, acrobatically killing off wave after wave of enemy looked fun, it also looked like it could get a bit old after awhile. Fortunately, the developers made sure to try and mix things up with a few other modes we were shown.

There are a sort of boss fights, for instance, that feature what the developers termed "exotic gameplay." The one we saw featured Rubi hopping from car to car on a freeway, running along the sides of buses, flipping onto the hood of cars, as she makes her way to an enemy speeding down the road.

It is essentially a glorified dynamic shooting gallery. You don't control the car, and a lot of it is strung together quicktime events, but it looks really cool.

Another fun touch is the game's Rage Mode. These sequences, which are activated automatically about seven or eight times throughout the game, turn the already stylized look of WET into an animated snuff flick… in a good way.

The one we saw kicked off after a splash of blood spattered across Rubi's face, making her snap apparently.

The graphics shift drastically, painting Rubi and her enemies as near silhouettes on a blood-red backdrop.

In the mode Rubi is just short of being invulnerable and inflicts a lot more damage. The game also shifts scoring to reward more heavily for chain kills than number of kills. Each of these Rage modes will have their own quirks we were told.

WET also has some neat little touches. Rubi regains health by swigging from a bottle of whiskey and then throwing it into the air and shooting it. She uses her sword to pry open doors. And the game's load screens look like 70s intermissions complete with cheesy ads and even a melting bit of projection.

The game will also feature something called Rubi Vision, which wasn't shown during the demonstration. It's still being worked on, but we were told that it would label some of the environments, like poles, as interactive. The idea is to make sure players won't have to stop to assess an area and can continue to kill on the run.

WET, which is due out for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 this fall, features an eight to ten hours singleplayer mode and two or three other modes you can unlock. Those modes include difference race, time and gun challenges that take place in unique settings like her home in an airplane graveyard. There will no longer be a multiplayer mode.

WET was initially a Vivendi title, but Activision Blizzard decided to drop the game last summer. And Artificial Mind & Movement bought back the rights to Wet. They later pitched it to Bethesda Softworks which agreed to publish the game.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5227414&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Bethesda Softworks Getting WET?]]> According to the latest issue of Famitsu, third-person "acrobatic" shooter WET has found a new publisher in Bethesda Softworks. Orphaned by Activision-Blizzard last Summer, the A2M-developed game has been without a publisher following Sierra's extinction.

Retail listings for WET also back up Famitsu's mention (by way of Siliconera) the game's new home, with GameFly listing Bethesda as the game's publisher. While WET's not the typical fare for Bethesda, who are better known for work on The Elder Scrolls series and Fallout 3, we'd think it's a good opportunity for the developer-publisher to expand its slate, while saving an interesting looking shooter at the same time.

See? "Besesuda Sofutowakusu," says the new issue of Famitsu.

We know that Bethesda has been showing off some of its upcoming wares in London this week, but we'll await further confirmation on the matter before calling it anything other than rumor.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5226370&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[WET Still Dripping In These New Screens]]> Been a while since we heard from WET. Probably because it was being published by Sierra, and then left in limbo after the whole Activision-killed-Sierra thing. It's still due for release this year, though. Apparently.

At least, developers A2M are still working on it, and have released a bunch of new screenshots for the game. Looks awful dry to us. Guffaw guffaw.
[via Shacknews]

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5122556&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Bathtime With Rubi]]> Nothing is more relaxing after a hard day's work than taking a nice soak in a tub full of hot water and reflecting on the day's events. That goes double for Rubi, the star of Sierra's upcoming game WET, whose day involves perfecting her Chow Yun-Fat meets Prince of Persia style of killing people. Just because she lives in a converted airplane cockpit trailer doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy the finer things in life, and you have to respect a woman who can let Calgon take her away while chilling her beer in the same cooler with a freshly removed human heart. Of course a CG trailer is no indication of what actual gameplay will be like, but if they get anywhere close to the moves showcased here Rubi might very well be a woman worth watching.]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=309646&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Sierra Wants To Make You WET]]> Nothing is sexier than an acrobatic female gun-for-hire dual-wielding custom Colt Pythons and carrying a sword. Sierra knows this, and that's probably why they've announced WET, an action game that follows the story of hired gun Rubi, who gets burned on a job and finds herself fighting for her life to find the man who betrayed her.

"The mix of guns, acrobatics and swords in the midst of non-stop action will undoubtedly ensure Rubi takes the title as the most exciting heroine ever in video games," said Martin Tremblay, president, Worldwide Studios, Sierra Entertainment. "WET is an exciting addition to Sierra Entertainment's original games portfolio."
The game is being developed by A2M for release sometime in 2008 for next-gen consoles. With a concept and character this awesome, how can it possibly fail?
SIERRA ENTERTAINMENT UNVEILS THE ACROBATIC NEW SHOOTER WET

Sierra Entertainment Introduces WET's powerful heroine, Rubi, as She Makes Her Debut on Consoles Worldwide in 2008

LOS ANGELES (August 22, 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced WET, a seamless integration of intense gunplay, death-defying acrobatics and exciting swordplay, framed by breathtaking art direction and unparalleled animation quality.

Developed by A2M, WET tells the story of Rubi, an acrobatic gun-for-hire. When she agrees to help a wealthy man find and bring back his wayward son, all hell breaks loose and the tables are turned, as the man who hired her isn't who he appeared to be. Now Rubi's on the run, needing to find the man who left her for dead and leaving a massive body count in her wake.

In an adventure that spans three continents; WET will keep the adrenaline pumping from start to finish.

"The mix of guns, acrobatics and swords in the midst of non-stop action will undoubtedly ensure Rubi takes the title as the most exciting heroine ever in video games," said Martin Tremblay, president, Worldwide Studios, Sierra Entertainment. "WET is an exciting addition to Sierra Entertainment's original games portfolio."

WET features include:

• Innovative 3rd person shooter gameplay: With her trusty twin custom made Colt Pythons, Rubi gracefully engages in amazing, cinematic high-body count gunplay against diverse and challenging enemies.
• Acrobatics: Along with her guns, Rubi has an arsenal of death-defying acrobatic moves. Her incredible agility allows her to climb on ledges, slide under obstacles, swing on poles and run along walls.
• Swordplay: Rubi's sword is an instrument for deadly close-quarter proximity attacks. Rubi will unleash a flurry of multi-staged stylized attack sequences.

]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=292649&view=rss&microfeed=true