Publisher: Valcon Games
Developer: Eiconic Games
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Just a few days ago, as I was perusing the massive backlog of games that I have downloaded from the Xbox Live Marketplace, I was struck by a thought. The XBL Arcade has really blossomed dramatically from its humble beginnings on the original Xbox. Gone are the days when you simply popped in for a spell to give yourself a nostalgic kick with a round or two of Ms. Pac-Man. The Marketplace, and other digital distribution streams, has become a great arena for smaller-market developers to shill their wares and offer players new twists on a variety of gameplay concepts, giving us a reason to look forward to each Wednesday, when Microsoft unveils the latest attractions. While the puzzle genre is well represented, there’s always room for a new twist, which is what developer Eiconic Games offers in their latest release, Polar Panic.

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Publisher: CDV Software Entertainment
Developer: Larian Studios
Genre: RPG
Release date: Available now

Japanese developers once set the rules for console role-playing games, but the video-game industry has seen a seismic shift towards Western-developed titles during the past decade, shaped in no small part by the massive success of games such as Oblivion, Mass Effect and the recently released Dragon Age: Origins. This has set the bar high for other developers looking to garner experience points with gamers eager to turn over a few hundred hours of their lives to the latest fantasy. It’s a gambit that Larian, developer of the formerly PC-centric Divinity series, finds itself confronting with the Xbox 360 release of Divinity II: Ego Draconis.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Bioware
Genre: RPG
Release date: Available now

It’s been a really long time since I’ve played a game that aimed to take over my life. In fact, I can probably count all such games (going back to my first video game RPG in 1988) on both hands. Baldur’s Gate and Oblivion are the most memorable of the lot, but my last adventure as the Hero of Kevatch was about two years ago. Since then, Fallout 3 filled the void for a time, and Borderlands tried its best to be rebound relationship number two, but they’ll both end up on that list of dalliances I refer to as “almost rans.” I’ve a new game in my life now, we’re very happy together, and I’m ready to commit to it completely. Dragon Age: Origins is that game. It’s poised to consume my life, and that’s just the way I like my games: deep.

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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Red Octane
Genre: Music
Release date: December 22, 2009

As I type this, my area is being hammered by the worst winter storm in 13 years. What better way to warm things up around the old homestead than to rock out with Van Halen, one of the best live-performance bands of all time? In Guitar Hero: Van Halen, Activision and developer Red Octane feature one of the true guitar gods and one of the most distinctive voices in the history of rock in another band-centric edition of the series that revitalized the gaming industry.

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Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Spike
Genre: Fighting
Release date: Available now

Spike’s latest Dragonball Z-based fighter, Dragonball: Raging Blast, takes place in a world where tall hair and exaggerated yelling reign supreme. Fast battles and tight clothes are commonplace in this world, and you’ll be experiencing plenty of both as you play through the game.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Valve Software
Genre: Shooter
Release date: Available now

Valve has already set a high bar when making video games. With such hits as the Half-Life series, Team Fortress, Portal and the first Left 4 Dead, people keep wondering when they will run out of creative steam. Well, I can assure you, they certainly haven’t yet. You might remember a growing voice in the gaming community calling for a boycott of Left 4 Dead 2 because of its being released so soon after the original and concerns that issues from the first game had not been resolved. That boycott call ceased this past October before L4D2‘s release, and if you play this game, you’ll see why – it’s fantastic.

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Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software
Genre: RPS
Release date: Available now

One of the more obvious trends in gaming lately has been the gravitational pull towards the undead. See, with a zombie there’s no moral conundrum to deal with; you just aim for the head and try not to get any blood in your eyes. Games like Left 4 Dead and its recently released sequel have capitalized on this, as well as Call of Duty: World at War, which added yet another layer of shoot first certainty by making the resident shamblers part of the third Reich. Capping soulless abominations requires no thinking and no need to check your fire, either, making the concept a perfect fit for a game like Borderlands. With that, let’s take a trip to Jakob’s Cove and the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned.

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Publisher: I-Imagine Interactive
Developer: RTL Sports
Genre: Sports
Release date: Available now

I should preface this review by pointing out that, more than most games I review, I am not part of the target market for this game. Even compared to the games made for girls aged 9-12, of which I’ve reviewed many. I know so little about soccer, it is literally impossible for me to participate meaningfully in this game. Watching soccer, to me, is a very small step up from watching long distance running on TV.

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Publisher: 1C Publishing
Developer: Gaijin Entertainment
Genre: Flying Simulation
Release date: Available now

Do you like racing around at great speed, causing mayhem with guns and blowing up things? Look no further: IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey is the game for you, especially if you’ve been doggedly fighting World War II on the ground (World at War; Call of Duty) and are in search of a new outlet. At least you can then decide if you want to swap your infantry boots for a comically overlarge moustache with accompanying leather hat. Think first-person shooter with a bucket load of caffeine. It’s manic; even in single-player mode there’s enough action and activity to keep the most demanding flight simmer happy. Switch to versus mode for a while and you’ll need to lie down in a dark, quiet room for a few hours (days in my case – I am not as young as I once was). It’s by no means a perfect game, but it’s fun and exciting.

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Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software
Genre: RPS
Release date: Available now

With my affections towards Mad Max, first person shooters and RPGs, it was only natural that I would have been following the development of Borderlands from the very first snippet of info released over two years ago. I was anxiously looking forward to reliving Road Warrior-esque scenes on barren salt flats and experimenting on the wildlife using thousands upon thousands of randomly generated guns. And although what I hold in my hands is a solid, well playing romp on a strange and wonderful world, I’m still left conflicted as to whether I’m absolutely in love or just okay with it.

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Publisher: Hidden Path Entertainment
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
Genre: Tower Defense
Release date: Available now

Let’s talk tower defense. No don’t leave, at least hear me out. I don’t usually play this type of game, so when I was asked to review Hidden Path’s Defense Grid: The Awakening, I wasn’t that excited. The prospect of not being able to send a tooled up character into a bloody firefight with accompanying large explosions and general pulse-racing chaos sends a cold chill down my spine. Still, seeing as I like a challenge, I reluctantly switched on my trusty Xbox and waited as the game downloaded. Within 10 minutes of playing I was addicted. I even ignored offers of tea (which, being English, isn’t normal), as I was furiously engaged in planning my next strategy and vanquishing the wily enemy.

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Publisher: 2K Play
Developer: Silver Wish Games
Genre: Adventure
Release date: Available now

It’s hard to pin the tail on the donkey that is Axel & Pixel. At its heart, it’s a point and click, scene-by-scene adventure game, but it carries elements of timed button press sequencers, puzzlers and action games as well. Perhaps that’s what indie developer Silver Wish had in mind while they were conceptualizing it – a whimsical journey into another world that could offer up all of these styles and still manage to fall into a cohesive package that can hold onto the ball ’til the end.

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Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Bungie
Genre: FPS
Release date: Available now

In classical music there’s a form known as “variations on a theme.” The composer starts out with a simple melody, and through clever manipulations of tempo and rhythm, he transforms that melody into something new and interesting, often several times in a single composition. Developer Bungie has done pretty much the same with their series of Halo games. The first three are the theme. The first variation was Halo Wars, in which they changed the focus from a “Rambo”-style shooter to real-time strategy. Variation 2 is Halo 3: ODST, which returns the series to the FPS genre, but drastically alters the way its story is told.

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Publisher: Black Inc.
Developer: Coreplay
Genre: Shooter
Release date: Available now

From past experience, we know that if a game has a gimmick it usually means that it’s the central focus of the gameplay, right? Unfortunately, that also means that just about everything else having to do with making a quality game is put aside in favor of ensuring that the gimmick stands out and sells copies. Grappling hooks, insane physics or how many enemies you can fit on screen all come to mind when I think of examples, but I also think that most of the time the reason for failure is because the game itself is too big for the gimmick’s britches. Thinking smaller, while relying on a hook is exactly what developer Coreplay had in mind with their particle-happy space shooter, Ion Assault.

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Publisher: Activision
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Genre: Action/RPG
Release Date: Available now

There’s a certain rinse and repeat sensation that every Diablo-clone inspires. When you strip away their trappings, be it an orc-strewn fantasy land or superhero-laden stronghold, these action RPGs amount to little more than bashing the hell out of everything not bolted down, scoring mad piles of loot and moving on to the next trigger point to engage a new stream of foes. While this game play can be addictive and certainly scratches that innate itch to cause untold amounts of mayhem, modern dungeon crawlers need to apply their own secret identity to make it all worth a gamer’s while. A few years back, Vicarious Visions updated the template they crafted with last generation’s X-Men Legends titles and drafted the entire Marvel roster with Marvel Ultimate Alliance. The ability to join forces with all of the great heroes that have inhabited that potent universe was a big draw and the game was a genuine success. Three years later, Vicarious Visions is back with the sequel, aptly titled Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

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