Grand Theft Auto (Xbox 360)

Review by: Josh Ende

Title: Grand Theft Auto IV
System: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games

Age Range: This is a little tricky. I definitely wouldn’t recommend that anyone under 13 play this game, but anyone under 17 should be “chaperoned” by a parent to dissuade young gamers from doing anything that might be unacceptable.

Buy?: Yes! There’s no way I can keep myself from recommending this game. It may not be suited for all ages, but GTA4 is arguably the best videogame to be released in this decade. Do not pass up on this game. Even if your gamers are a little too young, I suggest buying the game and saving it until they’re mature enough to enjoy it.

Summary: You play as Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe who has come to America to join his cousin, Roman, in what they consider to be the “American Dream.” The whirlwind of crime and drama that ensues is their path to their shared dream.
Difficulty: Average. This entry in the series is a little easier than the previous games, but the gameplay is still geared towards more mature audiences making it challenging, but never unbeatable.
Learning Curve: Another tricky subject! About 40% of the game’s objectives walk you through everything you’ll need to be able to do to complete the game, however nothing you’re doing feels like you need to learn it. The control scheme takes some getting-used-to, but after the 10 minutes that takes, you’ll feel like you are Niko Bellic.

Total hours of play: The main story (roughly 60% of the game) can be finished in 30 hours. Completing the full 100% will take significantly longer and the multiplayer mode will provide endless hours of fun.

Family Factor: Put the kids to bed! Grand Theft Auto IV is not for everyone. This game is full of realistic graphic violence, drug and alcohol use, and the kind of sex content that you can see on late-night pay channels.

Review:
By this point it should be easy to figure out how I feel about this game. As I mentioned above, GTA4 is arguably the best video game released so far this millennium. The opening cinematic will immediately pull you into the style and feel of the game which is darker and grittier than any Grand Theft Auto game before it. Niko Bellic, the protagonist, has come to Liberty City to join his cousin, Roman, in their endeavors for a new start. We learn that Niko has a dark past and some bad history back in his home country which is never really named. We also get the impression that Niko has come to America for more than just a new life and those intentions are what get Niko and Roman into the trouble and drama that makes up most of the game’s main story. By the end, Niko will have been involved with no less than three different facets of organized crime and even the government. This is the ultimate story of cops and robbers and no one is left out. I can’t give away much more of the story without feeling like I’m giving something away, but I can assure you that GTA4’s story stands up there with the best crime movies.

How does it play though? The control scheme won’t feel like second nature until you’re about an hour into the game, but you’ll be familiar with it long before that. It’s just not as intuitive as some other games out there. If you’ve played any of the earlier GTA games then you know what to expect, but this time around, Rockstar has made a few additions to the controls to go along with some of the new gameplay that’s been implemented. The new cover system is probably the most prominent of additions and also the most useful. The easier difficulty of GTA4 (compared to earlier games) can arguably be attributed to Niko’s ability to take cover in gunfights opposed to standing out in the open and hoping the body armor lasts. The new cover system is handled decently, but it’s not as smooth as in games like the Rainbow Six Vegas series or even in Gears of War. It’s also accented with a new aiming system that gives the players more freedom and control over where their bullets land.

Vehicles have become more difficult to control, but this is offset by the new ability to hail a cab that will drive you anywhere a car can take you in Liberty City, which is roughly based on New York City. While cabs do cost money, they save time and the frustration of trying to navigate through New York-esque traffic. It’s one of the many ways that Rockstar has added realism to the series. But it’s this realism that also makes the game so much more mature than its earlier iterations.

I can go on and on about why this game should be played, but I’m going to focus now on why this shouldn’t be played. As mentioned above, and along with a new gorgeous graphics engine, GTA4 is full of gritty realism. The violence is always harder to swallow when the victims look more realistic. Rockstar has tried to water this down by letting some victims crawl away after defeat, but most gamers will respond to this by shooting retreating victims in the head since most games have conditioned gamers to shoot any bad guys that move. The language is also very strong. It’s done in a way so that it never sounds or feels out of place, but the vulgarity is definitely something you won’t want younger gamers repeating. In the last Grand Theft Auto game there was a huge controversy over simulated sex scenes. In GTA4 there is still simulated sex, though it’s nowhere near as graphic as what stirred watchdog groups four years ago. Throughout the story, Niko will meet a variety of different girls that he can take out on some interactive and fun dates such as bowling, billiards, or darts. Niko can also try his luck at the end of each date by trying to invite himself in. If he does get lucky then the furthest the game goes is some suggestive sounds and an exterior view of the girl’s home. However, Niko also has the choice to indulge in the occasional prostitute. Once parked in a secluded area the player can choose how much to spend (the higher the price, the more involved the service). The service is then acted out in a very detailed manner yet no clothes are ever removed. It’s not exactly the worst it could be, but it might not be something a child should be exposed to.

I mentioned up above that this game should be played under parental supervision for anyone under 17. Grand Theft Auto IV is a very mature game, but most of the worst aspects of it are purely player controlled and aren’t as likely to be attempted in front of parents. Otherwise the game has a lot of genuine value to it. The story and characters are accessible and interesting enough to captivate anyone even if they aren’t playing the game. And the mature themes and adult situations of the game are likely to put-off any gamers too young to really understand it.

Related games: Previous Grand Theft Auto games (Multiple platforms), Saints Row (Xbox 360), The Godfather (Multiple platforms)

NHL 2008 review (Xbox 360)

Review by: Will Kirschner

Title: NHL 2008
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, PC
Price: $59.99 (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) $29.99 (Playstation 2) $19.99 (PC)
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Age Range: This game is appropriate for any age and can be played by anyone.

Buy?: I love everything hockey so it pains me to say this but it is definitely not worth the better part of a hundred bucks to get this on a next generation console. Your much better off getting the cheaper NHL 2K8 to fulfill your hockey hearts desire.

Summary: Lead your team to hoisting the Stanley Cup and complete victory. You take control of all aspects of a franchise and try and make your team the next great hockey dynasty.

Difficulty: Way too easy, way too lame. The shooting system, though much more realistic, is overly difficult for a simulation hockey game. There shouldn't be a way for me too drop six goals on one of the best goalies in the game as soon as I pick up my controller. I ended up simulating a good deal of the season and skipping over many games due to the boredom the game caused me.

Learning Curve: However long it takes you to learn the buttons of the game is how long it will take to master it.

Total Hours of Play: To beat a franchise it will take you 30+ plus hours of your life. To play a singular game it takes 30 minutes.

Family Factor: This game is hockey dumbed down for the kids. Checking systems is flawed because landing a good check is pretty much impossible. Fights happen, but they happen so rarely it isn't even worth learning the buttons.

Review:
I enjoyed this game at the beginning for all the wrong reasons: it let me beat the Devils up and down the rink. Otherwise, this isn't worth the disks it was written on.

Let me start with the passing system. The puck moves slowly, so strong fluid passes don't exist, leading to tons of interceptions. This can make a team attempt on goal nearly impossible. Luckily, skating is a breeze. Any average Joe could skate past the leagues best defenders and drop one in on the goalie. The new skating system is pretty, but skating for skating's sake would make this a figure skating game.

And, they ruined checking... they ruined checking! One of the most sacred tenants of hockey, defense at any cost, has been wrecked by this game. All too often I just glided in front of the net and dropped the puck in without any succesful checks from the computer’s team. This happened to me too, where I would just slide past an opponent, or even into him, and he wouldn't fall. There is nothing more annoying then being scored on because your check fails.

This brings me to the final point. Don’t buy this game! Fortunately for me this was my brother's purchase, and I played a whole season, simulating most of it to skip games and save my sanity. Online is barely redeemable because very few people play on it. The Owner’s Mode is the only redeeming point because there are a surprising number of things you can do with your players, like train them and build up your minor leaguers to superstar status.

This isn't a good reason to buy it though. Learn from my mistake and save your sixty bucks for something more worthwhile.

Related Games: NHL 2K7

Crackdown (Xbox 360)

Reviewer: Erich Hiner

Title: Crackdown
Platform: Xbox 360
Price: $29.99 and up
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Realtime Worlds
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Age Range: 17+

BUY?: NO
While Crackdown includes exciting abilities and enjoyable gameplay, the shallowness of the game’s design keeps it from being a must-buy title. The over-the-top jumping and gunplay are thrilling at first but lose their luster after several hours. Driving is a chore with vehicles only becoming of interest towards the end of the game. Because the player’s superhuman abilities peak very early, there is nothing more to work towards after the player has maximized his or her skill set. Crackdown is decent but fails to use its unique game mechanics to their full extent. Curious gamers should check it out with a rental.

Summary:
Street gangs have run amok in Pacific City. With law enforcement hopelessly overextended, the newly formed Agency turns to its genetically enhanced super soldiers to turn the tide in the war on crime. The player will develop their skills as they chip away at the gangs’ infrastructures. By taking down gang bosses, the player will weaken the defenses of the each gang’s kingpin in order to release Pacific City from the grip of organized crime once and for all.

Total Hours of Play:
Most players will finish Crackdown in less than 15 hours. This may vary depending on how much time one spends upgrading skills that are not entirely necessary to winning the game. By focusing entirely on improving their strength and firearms capabilities, a player may defeat the final boss in less than 12.

Difficulty: EASY- MEDIUM
Crackdown is made easy by the pitiful enemy intelligence programming and the ability of the player to simply run past most of the enemies. Early bosses will be problematic due to the fact the player will not have a well-developed skill set when taking them on. When the player maximizes his or her skills, even the most menacing gang stronghold can be dealt with in a matter of minutes. Some later bosses prove difficult because of their inexhaustible armies of overpowered henchmen.

Family Factor:
Crackdown is cartoony in appearance but contains a great deal of adult content. Criminals can be dealt with in a number of brutal ways. While there is very little blood and no gore to speak of, bodies of fallen criminals plummet from buildings like limp dolls and are thrown violently by nearby explosions. The characters in the game also shout obscenities when combat ensues. Crackdown looks and plays like an interactive, adult-themed comic book. It should only be purchased for adults and older teens.

Review:
Crackdown has succeeded in taking the popular open-world formula of the Grand Theft Auto series and has successfully added several larger-than-life character abilities to create what is perhaps one of the best superhero games to date. The entirety of Pacific City is open for exploration from the beginning of the game. Only the player’s skills and ingenuity stand between the player and bringing order to the streets. However, the core gameplay is riddled with unforgivable flaws. Crackdown’s brevity, sloppiness and lack of content will turn off many prospective players.

Crackdown’s stylized graphics is one of its most unique features. The art style appears at first to be hand-drawn. Every character and object is bordered by a heavy black line, which adds an interesting comic-like feel to the game. Pacific City is beautifully rendered and surprisingly intricate. In addition, the draw distance (the distance the player can see from a high vantage point without the landscape becoming blurry) is quite impressive. It should also be mentioned that the game never has to pause to load sections of the landscape as the player travels. Considering the size of the environment, this is an admirable feat.

Crackdown’s sound is nothing out of the ordinary. The weapons and explosions all sound alike. The greatest disappointment here is the sheer lack of music. Music only plays when the player enters a vehicle, an act which will be rare for most players. Even when driving, the musical selections all share a droning, falsified techno feel. To make matters worse, every musical track is accompanied by an irritating on-screen popup that displays the artist, album, and record label of the song being played. This annoyance cannot be turned off and takes away from the already below-average musical selections.

Fortunately, Crackdown’s gameplay is mostly fun and interesting. The abilities are excellently rendered and are a blast to use. Throwing buses at bad guys never really gets old and jumping from rooftop to rooftop is one of the most amusing and efficient ways to traverse the cityscape. Explosions are exhilarating and absurdly powerful. Everything facet of the game is ridiculously over-done, lending the game a welcome action-movie flavor. Sadly, even the best concepts in Crackdown are needlessly hampered by the sloppy design.

While firearms function reasonably well, the targeting system that Crackdown uses is eerily reminiscent of the troubled control scheme used by Grand Theft Auto III. Targeting enemies is frustrating and difficult. During firefights, my character would seldom zoom in on the target I wanted. I often found myself firing on fellow police officers, civilians, or dead criminals because the targeting system chose to lock onto a friendly (or deceased) character as opposed to a hostile. I also found that the superhuman abilities, while thrilling at first, reached their full potential in just a few short hours. With my character at full strength, it made more sense to avoid enemies than to engage them. The skills are too easy to upgrade and peak too quickly. I felt no incentive to approach tasks in ways that would improve my skill set because my character was already at his best. Crackdown fails to reward players beyond the first few hours of play.

Crackdown’s greatest flaw is in its emptiness. Pacific City is sprawling and remarkably accessible but lacks variety. Outside taking down gang bosses there is little else to do. The city contains multiple races that help the player to boost their skills. However, these brief time trials are pointless once the player has reached their height. Another of Crackdown’s greatest pitfalls is its lack of core gameplay. The game itself maxes out at a scant 15 hours. When the player takes down a gang’s kingpin, the entire gang permanently disappears from the streets. Once gangs disappear, there is no longer anything to do in entire segments of the city. Once the last kingpin is taken care of, there is nothing left to do in the game aside from a few mediocre time trials and an abysmal cooperative mode that is only available via Xbox LIVE.

Overall, Crackdown is a game that delivers exactly what it promises. Explosions are plentiful, enemies are abundant, and the mutant-like skills of the game’s protagonists are beyond comparison. Crackdown does well in developing its unique superhero abilities but fails to round out the rest of its gameplay.

Related Games:
The Grand Theft Auto series (multiple platforms), Mercenaries (Xbox, PS2), Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), Saints Row (Xbox 360)

The Orange Box (Xbox 360)

Reviewer: Erich Hiner

Title: The Orange Box (Xbox 360)
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Valve Corporation
Publisher: Valve Corporation

Age Range: 17+

Buy?: YES
Because The Orange Box is essentially five games for the price of one, the value of this product cannot be overstated. Each game stands well on its own while some suffer from a few forgivable mishaps. The Orange Box includes a great shooter, a fantastic puzzler, and an off-the-wall multiplayer game. Five great games for the price of one. Enough said.

Summary:
The Orange Box is a collection of games developed by the Valve Corporation that functions more as an anthology of the company’s greatest hits rather than a single piece of software. Click here to read descriptions of each of the five games.

Total Hours of Play:
Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2, and Portal will clock in at roughly 20 hours. Due to its multiplayer nature, Team Fortress 2 can be played for any length of time.

Difficulty: MEDIUM to HIGH
Most of the games in the collection are appropriately difficult for their target audience. Players who have experience with first-person shooters will find most of the fighting and puzzle solving to be exciting and balanced. However, it should be said that certain segments of some of the games in The Orange Box seem almost unfairly difficult. While the opening levels of Half Life 2 are simple and fun, the final level of Half Life 2: Episode 2 is aggravating at best and poorly designed at worst. Players should also be aware that the unorthodox puzzles of Portal may prove difficult for some gamers.

Learning Curve: MEDIUM to HIGH
As The Orange Box is a collection of games, the learning curve varies based on which game is being played. Most players should find Half Life 2’s control scheme and mechanics to be simple and textbook. The only difficulty some players will find is in mastering the unique physics-based puzzles in the game. The controls for Team Fortress 2 are similarly simplistic to allow for greater ease of play. Portal, more so than any other game in the collection, will cause confusion for many players. While the game functions flawlessly, it may take some gamers a while to wrap their minds around the concept of the portal as it applies to movement and game mechanics.

Family Factor:
This collection is not for children of any age. Half Life 2 contains graphic violence and strong language. There are many points throughout the game where the player is forced to fight “zombies”, humans who have been corrupted by a parasitic animal. The firefights that ensue include glimpses of burning corpses, dismembered limbs, and horrific images of maimed human bodies. Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2 include a similar amount of gore and adult content. Parents should also be aware that the game’s dialogue includes some subdued sexual references. Team Fortress 2, while cartoonish in appearance, includes intense combat and scenes of animated gore. Portal is only game in The Orange Box to receive a rating of T for Teen from the ESRB. Nevertheless, parents should know that the game includes brief sequences of violence and a very dark, adult-oriented sense of humor.

Review:
Coming out years after the initial launch of Half Life 2, The Orange Box accomplishes exactly what it was designed to do. In bundling the original game with two expansion packs, a multiplayer game and an experimental project, Valve has given gamers what is perhaps the best deal of the current console generation. Each game functions well on its own. When taken as a whole, the collection truly stands out. Although some of the games suffer from some minor missteps, the transfer from PC to console has been smooth.

The original Half Life 2 has been brought to the Xbox 360 in all its glory. Players will be treated to one of the most gripping storylines in gaming as they blast and think their way through this enjoyable epic. The game’s weapons are standard fare with an arsenal of pistols, shotguns and rifles. Even when using these shooter standbys, the action is always sharp and exciting due to the excellent enemy intelligence programming. Enemy soldiers will actively flank your position and use the environment against you. Where the game takes a strangely satisfying turn for the unorthodox is in the introduction of what is perhaps the greatest use of the game’s real-time physics: the gravity gun. Using this device, players can use grab large objects and heave them at their adversaries. Sheet metal can be used as mobile cover while leaking oil barrels can serve as ad-hoc grenades. This simple weapon is what gives Half Life 2 much of its charm. Although the game’s graphics may be considered slightly outdated, the voice acting of the characters is easily some of the best in the industry. The music, which plays only rarely, is appropriate to the sci-fi setting. Where Half Life 2 falls short is in its unreliable vehicle controls that are the result of the game’s transition from the PC to the Xbox 360.The simplistic and frustrating control style will confuse and fluster many players. As well as these segments functioned on the PC, they translated very poorly to the 360 controller. That said, the game is mostly enjoyable with only a few hiccups to be found in the core gameplay.

Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2 function as direct extensions of the original game. As such, they share many of the successes and failures of their predecessor. The story fleshes out through well-written dialogue and the action remains fresh. Although each of these expansions flows very well from the original game and into one another, they should be considered separate games due to the fact that the player is forced to begin each with only the gravity gun at their disposal. The sound quality and music are identical to the original game. As fun as these installments can be, I found that the level design paled in comparison to that of Half Life 2. Levels were often as simple as running across open ground a number of times or avoiding a formidable enemy until a more powerful weapon became available. Both of these additions serve to continue the narrative that Half Life 2 began and both accomplish this task. As individual games, they simply lack the depth of their source material. As extensions of Half Life 2, both are solid experiences that expand an already competent game.

Every game in The Orange Box is expertly rendered and enjoyable. Only Portal, however, shines as a true gaming masterpiece. The graphics are decent and the music sets a superb mood. What Portal lacks in length (the entire game clocks in at roughly 2.5 hours) it more than makes up for in innovative gameplay. The game is based around the idea of a portal and how it would function if such a thing actually existed. Using the same physics engine as Half Life 2, the developers of Portal used this deceivingly simple device as the basis for what may be one of the greatest creative leaps in recent gaming history. The only tool at the disposal of the player is the portal gun, a device that allows the player to open the beginning and end of a portal wherever they wish. Once the players master this gadget, the appearance of the game shifts considerably. Need to climb that cliff? Shoot a portal on the wall near the top. Need to reach that platform? Shoot a portal on the ceiling above it and fall to your goal. Need to get over that wall? The solution is as simple as “falling” over it. The concept of portal is guaranteed to stretch the limits of the player’s understanding of physics and space. Not surprisingly, the learning curve for this off-beat puzzler is quite high. The game requires that the player think about their world in new ways and use the realistic physics as a tool to overcome obstacles. The game does not include any fighting in the style of Half Life. Rather, Portal asks the player to use the tools at their disposal to think their way through the puzzles that this M.C. Escher-esque game lays before them. The fun of Portal is only helped by the disturbing and hilarious remarks made by GlaDOS, the game’s antagonist. The signature sense of humor of the developers is alive and well in Portal as the most ominous situation is always made comical by the robotic drawl of this eerily emotionless machine. Many of the lines uttered during the final sequence of the game help make the confrontation with GlaDOS one of the most memorable moments of any game in recent memory. With its outstanding gameplay and delightfully dark sense of humor, Portal is easily the crown jewel of The Orange Box.

The last game in The Orange Box, Team Fortress 2, is a stark contrast to the dark, foreboding worlds of Half Life 2 and Portal. Functioning as The Orange Box’s multiplayer appeal, this cartoony game has taken a number of different approaches to the standard team-based shooting games. Unlike many of its fellow shooters, Team Fortress 2 asks that the player select a “class” at the beginning of every match. Each class fills a different role and allows the team to function as a single unit. The quick Scout is responsible for recovering enemy flags while the Demo Man is adept at placing explosive traps for his foes. The game is designed with teams in mind. Players must work together in order to achieve victory. Valve has done an excellent job of balancing the classes so that no one type can dominate the battlefield. However, I found the class system to be somewhat limiting. Players are essentially stuck with a class until they are killed. Changing classes mid-fight requires that players give up a life. Part of the fun of multiplayer shooting games is being able to adapt to changing situations. If my base is infiltrated, then my Sniper, with his low health and weak sidearm, is next to useless. Throwing down my rifle for a shotgun is out of the question. Furthermore, many of the stages lack inspiration and seem ill-designed for some of the classes. Snipers are sometimes useless due to the lack of hiding places and Medics, while essential to the team effort, are cannon fodder when caught alone. The kooky art style and humorous tone of the game help to rescue it from obscurity, but the design flaws of the levels and the limited roles of the classes drag down Team Fortress 2. Many players will also be disappointed to find that the game can only be played via Xbox LIVE or a local area network. There is no split-screen play. As a stand-alone title, Team Fortress 2 is worth a few fun hours before the novelty ultimately wears off. As a part of The Orange Box, however, it satisfies the need for a fun, albeit shallow, multiplayer experience.

As a developer, Valve has a long-standing reputation of giving gamers a solid, innovative experience. No better is this expressed than by The Orange Box. This collection of games exhibits Valve’s creative prowess and professionalism like no other product on the market. Those who have not experience the greatness of Half Life 2 should certainly make an effort to acquire this compilation. When one factors in all the other games, the value of this package is obvious. The masterpiece of Portal along with the original Half Life 2 is easily worth the price of this excellent anthology. The Orange Box is all about value. Each game in the set easily stands on its own as a sound experience. As a whole, The Orange Box is a solid edition to any gaming library.

Related Games: Half Life (PC), Team Fortress (PC), Time Splitters: Future Perfect (Xbox, PS2, Gamecube),

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360)

Reviewer: Will Kirschner

Title: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Windows, Mac OS X
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M(17+)
Developer: Infinity Ward, Aspyr (Mac conversion)
Publisher: Activision

Age Range: 17+

Buy?
YES! This game had me from the second I turned on the console and I still can't stop thinking about it. It regarded in the same echelon as Halo 3 and rightfully so. A must buy for anyone who enjoys first-person shooters.

Summary:
The game has a dual plot storyline where you assume the roles of Sergeant “Soap” MacTavish of the 22nd SAS regiment and Sergeant Paul Jackson of the 1st USMC. The game begins with the violent overthrow and execution of President Al-Fulani by one of the, “The Horsemen of the Apocolypse,” Imran Zakehev. The horsemen are made up of Zakehev, his son Victor and the new dictator of the country Khalad Al-Asad. They pose a threat to the US and her allies with their anti-American ideals and of course nuclear weapons. Mayhem ensues.

Total Hours of Play:
5-8 hours to beat the storyline. Limitless on-line play.

Difficulty: Medium
Nothing about this game will trouble the experienced gamer with a bit of patience. However, if this is the first time you have gotten your hands on a FPS with the depth of Call of Duty 4 (COD4), this might give you some trouble. The game is the perfect amount of challenging to make fun.

Learning Curve: Medium
Not much has changed since the last installment in the Call of Duty series. Some levels have tricky bits which can tend to snag up even the most experienced player. The “iron sights” firing mode remains the same and feels almost too fluid for a video game. This has you looking down the barrel of the gun through a variety of different sites to fire.

Family Factor:
So not for kids! This game is realistically graphic when it comes to the level of violence it depicts. For example, there was a sequence where I sniped a man in the eye through my scope and he crumpled in a frighteningly human way. The game depicts a scene of what the developers think being in the blast radius of a nuke would look like. It was the most intense scene I have ever witnessed in my time as a gamer. This is definitely not a game for the younger teens in our audience.

Review:
I won't lie, this game inspired me with awe, made me laugh and I shed a few tears when it was all said and done. They finally made the decision to push the Call of Duty series out of the tired and nearly overdone WWII shooter genre and into modern war, and it could not have been a better decision.
The use of real weapons in the game and the stunning realistic graphics are absolutely breath-taking. The “iron-sight” shooting mode and the shooting mechanics in the game are down-right amazing. Iron sights differ from the conventional first person shooter, because instead of the normal aiming reticle, one pull back on the left trigger on the controller brings up a much more precise aiming mode. It is basically like if a gun was a sniper rifle at a normal range. It adds a immense level of realism to the game and is a great carry-over from the other Call of Duty games. The only drawback being that it requires you to be stationary and as we all know, a soldier only stays in one place when he is dying or killing. The gameplay feels fluid and incredibly natural. The storyline is as good as you could expect from a video game.
A minor drawback is that the storyline is too short (only 5-8 hours for a $60 game) and the characters seem a bit too type-casted. The health system, which allows you to regenerate the small amount of health you start with unlimitedly makes the game a little too easy at some points, but it helps on some of the tougher levels. The epilogue to the game is a major question mark but these are just minor issues with the game.
The online mode of the game is ridiculously amazing, challenging and fun. With everything from the classic death match to a one on classic cage match the variety in modes will keep you coming back for more. The game allows you to create customized classes, changing everything about your gun, whether it be attaching a a silencer or changing the gun's camouflage. You get Xbox achievement points for winning certain challenges which makes it all the more fun to play. The online game is a perfect ending to a perfect game.

Related Games:
The rest of the Call of Duty series, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series and the Socom series.

Xbox 360 Scratched Discs

If you have an Xbox 360, you might want to listen to this because your $60 games might be at risk. I was in a local Gamestop yesterday and overheard the following:

One lady came into the store, very flustered that the new Guitar Hero 3 game she bought for her kids' Christmas present was scratched.

The store clerk politely explained the following:

• The Xbox 360 is very sensitive to any outside vibrations. If it's on the floor, the system can be shaken by something as simple as someone quietly walking by it or sitting down on the couch to hard.
• These vibrations can cause the Xbox 360 to scratch the disc and cause it to play incorrectly.
• To avoid such disturbances to your system and games, keep the Xbox 360 on an isolated table or stand.

The Gamestop clerk also replaced this lady's copy of Guitar Hero 3, so if you have had these issues, they may do the same for you.

This has apparently been a problem since 2005, and in July 2007, a lawsuit was filed against Microsoft for selling defective systems that lead to scratching the discs.

Oy, another Xbox 360 warning to tack on after the Red Ring of Death.

Xbox 360 Familiy Holiday Games

Xbox 360... the system that's synonymous with the over-hyped Halo series. Here's a list of some more family-oriented games.

On their official games catalogue, Xbox 360 has a "family" search function that will display only family games for the Xbox 360. However, it doesn't give reviews or tell you if the game is any good ^_~ That's what this list is for.

NOTE: Not too long ago, Xbox 360 launched a family safety campaign to trumpet the new parental controls on the Xbox 360. If you'd like to learn more, click here.

Viva Pinata (Platinum Hits) -- $19.99 -- E for Everyone
Ever dreamed of having a pinata farm? No? Well anyways, here's your chance. You keep a garden with pinatas in it (of course), and whatever actions you do or don't take greatly affect your garden. You can control the pinatas daily lives or simply let them run free in your always-changing garden. Friendly, colorful, fun. (**Platinum Hits: essentially means this game has sold enough copies for Microsoft to be able to slash the price to $19.99)

Viva Pinata: Party Animals -- $49.99 -- E for Everyone
Lovable Viva Pinata franchise takes to the mini-game party genre. This is similar to Mario Party, except with pinatas. I really don't like to recommend party games because they tend to get old pretty quick and not have a lot of content (as was a big complaint in reviews of this game). However, with the quick, colorful gameplay and humor, kids may still enjoy this one, especially if they've played Viva Pinata before. For multiplayer/family gaming purposes, Scene It (below) might be a better choice.

Scene It -- $59.99 -- T for Teen
Scene It: Lights, Camera, Action! on your Xbox 360. Tests you on movie trivia. Comes with four big button controllers that are more conducive to trivia playing/answering. This may be a better choice than Viva Pinata: Party Animals.

Guitar Hero III -- $99.99 for bundle (game, guitar) / $59.99 for game only
Activision's hot guitar playing simulation. Getting this game and maybe an extra guitar for two-player options is a great gift.

+Rock Band -- $169.99 for bundle (guitar, drums, microphone, game)/ $59.99 for game only --T for Teen
Pricey, but promisingly fun. Think of this as Guitar Hero with the rest of the band.

Every Extend Extra Extreme: E4 -- 800points ($10.00) @ Xbox Live Arcade -- E for Everyone
Xbox Live Arcade, an option that can be accessed through online options when your Xbox 360 is connected to the Internet, has many cheap, friendly, fun games available. You could even allow your gamer a certain amount of points/cash to shop on Xbox Live Arcade (keep an eye on what they want to buy).

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga -- $49.99 -- E for Everyone
Just fun. Everyone I know who's played these games have loved it and/or become addicted to it.

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe -- $29.95 -- Xbox, playable on Xbox 360 -- E for Everyone
An oldie, but a goodie. Includes all of the features, stages and multiplayer games from Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2.
NOTE: There's also a version of the game where a separate Sonic game is included on the same disc. The Sonic game was so-so, but if it's essentially free, why not? This is what the Sonic/Super Monkey Ball Deluxe game looks like.

Fusion Frenzy -- as cheap as $8 online (Amazon) -- Xbox, playable on Xbox 360 -- E for Everyone
I saw this on the Xbox game catalogue family section, and I just had to include it. I remember this came with our original Xbox at home (so yeah, it's a little old). It's a long list of challenging multi-player party games that are really fun to play if you have enough controllers (2 or more). The futuristic settings and cheesy, competitive one-liners from characters just add to its charm. The mini-games usually don't last much longer than a minute or two, but you can spend a decent amount of time on this game.