I have a lock on the door to my house. If someone really wanted to get in, however, that lock wouldn’t necessarily stop them. They could shoot the door down with a missile launcher or even bypass the door completely and break the window with a brick. I could worry about time traveling robot ninjas with energy swords that can cut through any material that my house is built out of, but I don’t (mainly because I do not have anything of value in my home). Most people would not buy a house or even rent an apartment that doesn’t have some form of lock on their door. People have the right to protect their property and that includes video game companies.

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Publisher: Digital Reality Ltd.
Developer: Candygun Games
Genre: Zombie Defense
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Zombie games are neither few nor far between, and seem to lurk up on us like…well…zombies. Countless titles are based in the zombie genre and tend to be the going up and blast them in the face type of games. Dead Block, however, employs a different and unique take on this cult genre. I will take a peek at it from within my barricaded safe haven, of course.

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If I ever go to E3 again, I will not book an early flight for Monday. I learned my lesson well on this trip. I left for the airport to take the first flight my preferred airline had (which means it was early as all hell), after having slept for about thirty minutes the night before because I was up all night thinking about E3. Then you add a full day of press conferences and free drinks at the Transformers MMO party on top of the no sleep, and you wind up with an interesting mix. Somehow, however, I was victorious, and with bags under the eyes still managed to survive the first two days of my E3 adventure.

OK, enough of my sad tale about no sleep, an early flight, and too many free drinks. Let me get to the games that you want to hear about. Many of the titles I saw during the press conferences (though with limited actual gameplay) were filled with fantastic-looking cut scenes. I did have some hands-on time and private viewings of a few, and while you really can’t tell how the final product will be, I can still throw my thoughts out there on my first impressions.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Crytek
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

An enemy sees you and begins firing a gun at you. Quickly you make your armor stronger at will. The bullets do minimal damage and you take cover. Why not make yourself invisible, sneak behind your enemy and snap his neck? This is all thanks to the Nanosuit, a piece of high-tech equipment you have attached to your body. You don’t have to worry if your PC can run this game to experience gameplay like this. Crysis 2 from EA is the sequel to the PC game that made computers cry, but this time it’s available for all platforms.

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Publisher: Team17 Software
Developer: Team17 Software
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

First and foremost, I have never played either of the previous titles in the Alien Breed series on Xbox Live Arcade, but the idea of blasting hostile alien monsters with guns is a genre that always sings to me as a gamer. Is that enough for this game? It only took me to play the third and final installment, Alien Breed 3: Descent by Team17 Software, to get a good idea about what this game has to offer.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: 1C Publishing
System requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, 2 GHz dual-core CPU, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB hard-drive space, 512 MB GeForce 6800GTX or better graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 support, DirectX-compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0c, Majesty 2 version 1.4.356 or newer
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Taking a game genre and making it unique is something that is difficult to do. Now take the one that is best served on a PC, also known as strategy games. Making it unique is something Majesty 2: Battles of Ardania, an expansion from Paradox Interactive, does.

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Publisher: Paramount Digital Interactive
Developer: Behaviour Interactive
Genre: Action-Adventure
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

Who would’ve thought that a movie was going to have a video game based on it? Today it just seems like the norm that a game will be developed because a film is made. Problems seem to spawn because the film industry and the video-game industry use two different media to entertain. Sometimes you get a great movie and a terrible game that follows. Let us take a look at a video game based on the animated film Rango, and see if it falls in the category of forgettable.

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It’s been awhile since my last blog post. Some things have happened to me since that time. A lot of games have been played, completed, and put down. I have discovered time travel and used it for selfish reasons. I went back in time to slap my past self in the face with a can of tuna in a sock at the exact time I was in the checkout line purchasing The Sims Online. There’s nothing funnier than your past self’s face after you hit him with a can of tuna in a sock. If you’re wondering how I discovered time travel, it’s a closely guarded secret that only a dog named Charlie and I know.

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We are pleased to announce the creation of the official Adrenaline Vault Rift Guild, Children of the Vault. Children of the Vault is a Defiant Guild on Harrow (RP-PVP), who plans to slaughter any Guardians that stand in their way. It does not matter what play style you utilize, because they will accept anyone from the causal to the hardcore. Currently in head start, the official first Game Night will take place March 1 at 9pm ET.

Contact the Children of the Vault founders anytime in-game:

Matthew Booth – Elariajuggems

Remy Ransom – Reprise

Patrick Watts – Medykuss

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Genre: First-person shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

It seems like every game today comes with downloadable content one way or another. It can be something to personalize your avatar, themes to customize your layout, or content to expand your gameplay experience. Why would Call of Duty: Black Ops, arguably one of the greatest games of all time, be any different? Now, try not to do cartwheels in excitement just yet, because you might just cartwheel into a room with an untold number of claymores and camped enemies.

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Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Genre: Action Adventure
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Inside everyone’s DNA lie the memories of their ancestors. With the Animus machine from Abstergo Industries, you are able to obtain and record these memories as if they were your own. The only problem is that Abstergo Industries is the modern day form of the Knights Templar, an ancient secret society that wants nothing more than power and control while hiding behind the mask of religion. They use the Animus machine to find ancient artifacts to help them accomplish this. Luckily, there is an order of assassins that are sworn enemies of the corrupt Knights Templar, and want to bring them down. This is where you, the player, comes into the picture.

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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Call of Duty games have been around for awhile. Until recently you’d have to have been living on a deserted island to not hear about them. Games in the series are known for being highly rated and wildly entertaining. Call of Duty: Black Ops, developed by Treyarch, is the most recent one to hit store shelves and digital download queues. Can this entry in the famous series live up to the hype?

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Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Developer: Sony Online Entertainment
System requirements: Web Browser is all you need
Genre: Online Virtual World
Release date: Available now

What is the easiest way for people to play a game? Make it so that they do not need hardware, just software like a web browser. Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures is based off of the popular animated show, that although directed more at a younger audience, doesn’t shun us older people. It is a free-to-play browser-based online virtual world from Sony Online Entertainment, and like most such games includes the option to upgrade your account through a subscription to receive more benefits, and purchase items through micro-transactions.

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Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Disney Interactive Studios
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

I haven’t seen the recent movie upon which The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is based. I come into this game only knowing that it’s probably loosely based on the famous animated segment from Fantasia. So, a cartoon short and a movie might make an interesting combination for an action game for the Nintendo DS.

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Publisher: Lunar Giant Studios
Developer: Lunar Giant Studios
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, 2 GHz or faster CPU, DirectX 9, graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 support, 60 MB hard-disk space
Genre: Turn-based strategy
Release date: Available now

I have always liked turn-based strategy games. The sit back-think-plan element that goes with the genre, to me, is gaming greatness. Problem is, sometimes publishers and developers don’t always get that right, but when they do, a great product can be born. Delve Deeper from Lunar Giant Studios is a new turn-based strategy title for the PC that goes into a special class of games close to my heart.

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