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Game Time - March 08′

Posted on March 17, 2008
Filed Under Game Reviews, Gaming
Tags: Army of Two, Burnout Paradise, Condemned 2, Game Time, Gaming, Gaming Consoles, Mass Effect

First off, I recently received my repaired Xbox 360 from Microsoft this past week. This is good news for sure and surprisingly the repair time was only around 3 weeks from start to finish. I have been playing on the recently repaired 360 for the past 3 days and so far all is well. And now onto what I have been playing.

Mass Effect was a game that I began playing just after Christmas and have since completed two plays through the main storyline of the game. Now there are many side missions that can be completed, though I actually found the few that I tried more frivolous than anything else. However, the story centric missions and pacing of the game make for some good times while presenting a cinematic sci-fi experience, custom tailored to the player as a result of decisions made throughout the game. This is an action RPG that I found to be most engaging and worth spending some quality time with given the depth of character development and overall game play.

Up next is Burnout Paradise, a racing game of insane speeds and beautifully intense crash scenes. The single player game consists of a variety of race types that will challenge your abilities as a driver as you progress through the various license classes. The open world presentation is something new to the Burnout series and works well in most instances. There may be a few minor annoyances here and there with this new open world design, but there is more to like than not here in my opinion. This game truly shines from it’s social abilities in the up to eight player co-op events and challenges for you and your closest Live friends to tackle. Overall a worthwhile arcade racer that has a great sense of speed while also showcasing the twisted carnage one would come to expect from a Burnout game at a completely new level of intensity.

Army of Two was a game I had been looking forward to playing for a long while. This co-op third-person shooter offers forth some quality game play while packing a punch with ramped up levels of action and a strong focus on teamwork. With that being said, the recommended way to play is via local split-screen or over Live co-op play with a friend. Playing on your own with the computer A.I. taking control of one of the characters can offer up a mixed bag of results. I played this co-op over Live with a friend and it was a great time. Teamwork is essential as the ‘aggro’ based game play mechanic must be utilized extensively in order to achieve success. The idea here of drawing fire to attract attention so your partner can take down the bad guys or vice-versa is what this game is all about. And it makes for some interesting game play without a doubt. The only downside with this one is that I feel the multi-player game modes are lacking. When compared to other recent online games (Call of Duty 4, Halo 3) that are done better it is easy to see where this element of the game falls short. Still this is definitely worth a play through or two in the co-op campaign mode.

Most recently I finished playing through Condemned 2, the sequel to one of the creepiest games I had ever played. This is the kind of game that can get in your head, as the presentation is dark, bleak, and downright freaky at times. Major props need to be conveyed in the area of sound design, as this game brings the use of sound to a whole new level, as the scare factor is definitely amped up as a result. You once again play as Ethan Thomas, the now former Special Crimes Unit investigator who is once again dragged into the gritty underbelly of a city under siege by a seemingly paranormal force. I found the overall story interesting and the game play even more intense than the first Condemned. So if you played the first one you already know you need to play through this noteworthy follow up, as I don’t think you will be at all disappointed if you do.