Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Genre: Fighting
ESRB: Mature
Release date: April 19, 2011

Like big Hollywood icons, TV personalities and rock stars, video game series are also subject to over-ripening. Sonic the Hedgehog is a good example – once ultra popular, the blue blur saw a steady decline as game after game featuring his likeness was released. A similar thing happened to Mortal Kombat, only instead of the games getting progressively worse, they just expanded out from the original idea and got too big for their britches. What was once an unstoppable juggernaut in the gaming kingdom, now drifted from the dock and relied on spin-offs and far-fetched distractions that took away from the core brutality of the series – the things that made Mortal Kombat great: fist to trachea – “Oh my God…did he just do that?” stuff your parents should have never let you play in the first place.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Colossal Order
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2 GHz dual-core or better CPU, NVidia GeForce 8800/Radeon HD 3850 or better graphics card, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB hard-drive space, OpenGL 3.0
Genre: Simulation
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Attention to detail, one could say, is one of the more pronounced bullet points in the neverending argument between console and PC gamers. It just seems (at least to me) that the PC has more opportunities to show off the little complexities possible in gaming, whether by way of controls and interface, or just by sheer numbers. Cities in Motion is a perfect example of this, and while it certainly puts a good effort in to remind PC gamers where their home is, it also deepens an already defined line in the sand that has urged their console kin to stay the hell out.

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Hello, my name is Andrew Clark, and I’m addicted to Minecraft.

…and before anyone makes a crack about timeliness, I’m going to be “that guy” and mention that I was playing the alpha all the way back in March of last year – I had a blog post planned to talk about how it was the ultimate digital fix. Thing is, that I was just too involved in planning sprawling Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired structures and orchestrating uplifting Chilean miner rescues yet to happen to actually put fingers to keys. And to think, perhaps my blog entry would have been on the front of the wave, just before it blew up and turned one-man developer Markus Persson into a Swedish enabler for addictive personalities everywhere. Oh well, he’s still a millionaire and apparently didn’t need my help getting there.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Colossal Order
System requirements: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7; 2 GHz Dual Core or higher processor; 2 GB RAM; 2 GB hard disk space; NVIDIA GeForce 8800/ATI Radeon HD 3850 or higher video card
Genre: Simulation
ESRB: Rating pending
Release date: February 22, 2011

In America, public transportation is a part of our society, but not quite as integral as it is overseas. While we in the states climb into our gas guzzlers, mount our motorcycles and pedal our bikes to green consciousness, the majority of our Euro brethren are hopping on trains, buses, streetcars and water taxis as part of their daily routine to get around town. Finnish developer, Colossal Order smartly understands this, which is why all of the scenarios in their inaugural game, Cities in Motion, take place in Europe.

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Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Czech
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available Now

Anyone who’s played through Mafia II’s main adventure knows what happens at the end. I won’t give the secret away, just in case there are any late adopters out there, but let me impart that it left me both agape and a little bit ticked off. Despite the rather blunt end, though, DLC for Mafia II has been pretty regular. PS3 owners got The Betrayal of Jimmy; its follow up, Jimmy’s Vendetta, was released only a couple months back. Let’s see how the latest installment, Joe’s Adventures, stacks up in the grand Mafioso scheme of things.

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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Bizarre Creations
System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7; Intel/AMD Dual Core; 1GB RAM for XP / 2GB RAM for Vista and 7; 12GB HDD; 256MB GeForce 7600 GT or ATI Radeon X1650 Pro video card
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

As far as I’m concerned, it had to happen. There came a point where the super-spy fiction of James Bond had to take a realistic turn in order to distance itself from the parody of Austin Powers and remain relevant to today’s movie-goer. I was against this at first, until a friend of mine convinced me to sit down and watch Casino Royal. It was a different kind of Bond movie for a different age of film, and Daniel Craig’s flawed, but extra bad-assed portrayal of MI6’s favorite agent sold it for me. I just wish I could use the same method to better understand 007: Blood Stone.

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Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Developer: Zombie Studios
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available Now

By the title alone, you’d think that Blacklight: Tango Down was a Spanish-language dancing game. This could not be further from the truth, and in confidence, I’m relieved by that fact. No, the only “tangos” you engage in this competitive multiplayer shooter are sighting you from a dark corner and using any of a number of weapon combinations and skill-enhancing weapon tags to make your death as personal as they can while playing from halfway across the globe.

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I was expecting to have this gigantic list of games and peripherals ready to hand over to that portly, red-suited bastard, but between delays and friends telling me way more than I need to know about certain games (before I had even a chance to play them, I might add), I’ve been forced to distill my wish list down to two possible items. One is plausible, and the other is more “wish” than anything else.

See, the responsible side of me has been asking for a real grownup headset mic for far too long now. And since I actually schedule time to glare at my chincy 360 headset, and the one for my PC is so old I think it’s actually made of rock, I figure it’s about time. I require nothing fancy, just something adjustable that could serve on both console and PC gaming fronts. Oh, and if the Smithsonian has any interest in my old PC headset for display, shoot me an email. I call it “grandpa.”

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Publisher: O Games
Developer: Milestone
Genre: Racing
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available Now

What do you suppose happens when a race-car driver needs to scratch his nose during a tense fender-to-fender battle? What about if they sneeze? It’s questions like these that prevent me from ever pursuing a serious career in motor sports (aside from go-karts), because one wrong move can mean “game over” real quick. This hard lesson was brought to me by Superstars V8 Racing, and although I’m thankful for what it has taught me, race fans should weigh their options carefully before they register for this class.

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Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Czech
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

As an experiment, let’s take the cover mechanic out of Gears of War and see how it stands on its own as a game. You could also remove, say, the multiplayer component of Halo: Reach, if that’s more topical for you. The point is that some games need that keystone component to really make them stand out, and Mafia II is one of those games. I played the game for the story. If you took that away and gave me just driving from mission to mission, then I could be playing anything from Saint’s Row to True Crime and all points in-between. Or, I could be playing Jimmy’s Vendetta, the second DLC offering for Mafia II.

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Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Blue Castle Games
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

To look at him, you’d think Chuck Greene was a formally trained, zombie-killing badass. Unlike Dead Rising’s shutterbug hero, Frank West, and his doughy features, Chuck looks more than comfortable clutching a baseball bat porcupined with ten-penny nails. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, either, because unlike Frank’s selfish need to get the best coverage possible, Chuck has something far more valuable at stake if he fails: his daughter. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is the beginning of their story, a downloadable Xbox Live lead-up to the forthcoming Dead Rising 2.

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Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Czech
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Vito Scaletta is just the right kind of tool for the mafia. He makes himself available at all hours, he’s a snappy dresser, and he can handle a gun when the situation calls for it, thanks to his war experience. He’s a man who anyone with a wad of cash in their hand can trust to do whatever it takes to get the job done. So when the big guy slurping pasta at the end of the table says, “I got dis job for ya….” or “See dat guy? Whack ‘im” in between chews, Vito calmly nods, says “Alright,” and heads out the door, no questions asked. He’s the perfect tool for the job, and in Mafia II, you play as that tool.

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Publisher: Valve
Developer: Black Cat Games
Genre: Action
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, Pentium IV 3.0 GHz or better CPU, 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista), 128 MB DirectX 9-compatible graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 support (ATI X800, NVidia 6600 or better), 2.5 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

For some reason, when we think of a swarm of something we automatically think it’s coming after us. It’s always, “I was attacked by a swarm of bees” or “My family’s farm was decimated by a swarm of locusts!” Well, in Alien Swarm’s case, this association holds especially true, because before you’re done playing, you’ll say, “My entire squad of marines was attacked, eviscerated and scattered about the corridors like piñata innards by a swarm of aliens!” Or something like that.

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Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Wargaming.net
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista SP1/Win 7, 3.0 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, 256 MB Nvidia GeForce 7600/Radeon HD2400 or better graphics card, DirectX 9.0c, 10 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Strategy
Release date: Available now

I gave in a long time ago to the fact that WWII and strategy are inseparably bonded for a reason, so I’ve accepted it as just another genre instead of an interchangeable setting. First-person shooters don’t enjoy this same luxury under my laws, but then again, Order of War: Challenge is not an FPS, so it’s already got one thing going for it right out of the gate. Let’s enlist then, shall we?

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Publisher: Cadenza Interactive
Developer: Cadenza Interactive
Minimum requirements: Microsoft Windows XP, Vista or 7; 2.0 GHz CPU; 1 GB RAM; Geforce 6800 Series/Radeon 9800 Series (Shader Model 2.0 compliant video card with 128 MB Ram); 430 MB hard drive space; broadband Internet connection; DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Genre: Tower Defense
Release Date: Available now

I’ll be honest; tower defense games have always given me anxiety attacks. Actually, anything with a continual stream of opposition that leaves victory conditions solely in the hands of the player has gnawed away at my obsessive side. This is because to me, everything must be perfect; absolutely flawless, in fact. One chink in the armor could spell immediate doom to my ego, even if I managed to save things somehow and survive the level. Sol Survivor appeared to be just that type of game, so I approached with extreme apprehension. I’ve played my fair share of TD games on Flash sites all over the Intertubes, so I feel like I know what to expect already, but let’s see if I can stow my idiosyncrasies and just try to have a good time.

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