"It's time to rock! To rock around the block!"

Despite my game malaise I am finding myself at turns overjoyed and filled with dark rage at SSX.  I'm also beginning to have some disappointments.

I love the SSX series and played the shit out of it back in the early-mid aughts.  So after playing the shit out of the demo I decided to pick up a copy.  I'm pretty impressed with everything about the game.  The single player is really just an extended trainer for the rest of the action.  The online experience is pretty awesome but something I need to delve into deeper.  I really enjoy the exploration gameplay feature which is open from the beginning (with all regions and characters unlocked).  It's an awesome way to check out tracks and how characters play and level them up.  My favorite are the survival modes in which you must race or solo through a harrowing course which wants to kill you.

The courses range from short and sweet to long and rage inducing (particularly the final areas which feature lots of crevasses which seem to appear out of nowhere to buttfuck your soul).  The final storyline race had me gritting my teeth so hard they started to creak and I still couldn't get more than halfway down the course.  Some of areas are massive almost to the point of insanity (Alaska and Siberia are frigging awesome) and during exploration mode it seems like there is always something to check out or trick off of.  I haven't really checked out the online components of the game but plan to soon.

The downside to SSX is that it's not SSX Tricky and for some bullshit reason Tricky is not backwards compatible for the 360.  What I miss about Tricky is the level of customization, the sense of chaos, and being able to knock other players off their fucking boards in a race.  Additionally the characters don't really feel different from one another.  In the character selection it says that each has their own set of bonuses but I haven't noticed a difference, especially since I can buy equipment that will boost skills.  I also miss some of the stat tweaking like handling.  Most of the music is shite but there are a couple of cuts I like.

That being said I am having good old fashioned fun playing SSX.  Except for the last race.  Fuck that race.  Fuck it in its ear.

The Metacritic score is in on "Mass Effect 3"

and the reviewers from IGN to Destrucoid are making happy noises (It scored an average of 92).  For some reason I'm not thrilled or motivated to play the game.  I apparently enjoyed Mass Effect back in 07 and Mass Effect 2 in '10.  This time around I just don't have the charge for ME3 that some of my friends do.  I played the demo and while it was cool to see humanity getting the dick kicked out of it I just couldn't bring myself to be interested.  The shift in gameplay towards an action 3ps might have something to do with my disinterest.  It plays like Gears of War or Binary Domain, which for you fans of those run and gun and cover and gun and run and cover games.  There's a multiplayer co-op shooter part of the demo that was pretty fun but really was the same as any other multiplayer co-op survive waves of enemies.  Bioware once again has the same conversation wheel that it's been using since KOTOR.  The voice work is still good but the character models have a weird plastic sheen to them that was really distracting (a piddly gripe I know).  The regular cast shows up but here's where I kind of stumbled in the demo and realized I wasn't particularly thrilled:  I didn't care who they were and I didn't remember what the fuck was going on.  Looking back at my reviews I commented that I like the story but frankly I have little to no recollection of what happened.  I remember the "very model of scientist Salerian" and having to fight a shit ton of Reavers and Garrus shot some stuff and there was that idiot savant weirdo alien assassin and I banged everyone I could (including the idiot savant weirdo alien assassin).  Martin Sheen smokes cigarettes while looking at a sun and talking to some hot chick (who I ended up banging).  Oh and there's a cliffhanger, again.

I think my boredom with SWTOR bled over into somekind of Bioware & EA = Meh, been there done that malaise.  Come to think of it - it's very similar to the way I feel about the Final Fantasy games (since VII).  Part of it might be game fatigue as well.  I played the wheels off Skyrim and ended up feeling like, "Is that all there is to Skyrim?".  SWTOR has ended up on the back burner.  Alan Wake was a disappointment and turned out to be a Silent Hill knock-off.  I worry that the next three titles I'm actually excited for are gonna be flops as well.  Sigh.

Dragon Age II: The demo.

I'll be honest with you folks, I have a strange relationship with RPGs.  Considering I've been playing them for over a quarter century I think I know my way around the genre a bit but lately I've noticing a trend - in particular with Bioware and Bethesda.  Each company does somethings I like and others that I don't (I want to see them merge into an uber-RPG company but that will never happen) and frankly I've figured out how to break each system.  With each successive game the bloom fades from the rose faster and faster.  I love the blending of gaming genres with RPG and I believe that full incorporation of multiple game play modes would truly move the genre to the next level.  All that being said I played the demo for Dragon Age II last night.

I wasn't excited about Dragon Age II - especially considering the price debacle that ended up costing me an arm and a leg with Dragon Age and attendant expansions - so when the demo froze on me last night I had to laugh at it.  I gave it a second chance though and I wasn't thrilled.  Granted it looks pretty and the combat is fancy and faster and the skill trees have an interesting set up but I'm not impressed.  I ended up button mashing A with ranged attacks and ended up fast switching to another character to heal her.  I set up the tactics from the get-go and had no problems whomping the hordes.

I will end up buying Dragon Age II but not until the GOTY edition comes out with all expansions included - thus avoiding getting hosed on pricing thanks to DLC.  

Scars are sexy, especially on video game characters.

I have to wonder why there are only two games - that I have encountered - where you can scar up your character during creation Mass Effect and The Godfather.  I wish I still had a copy of The Godfather (PS2) so I could take a picture of my goon character who was - according to Amanda "hard to look at".  I would say he looked like he used his face to cut down the ugly tree.  My new character in Mass Effect is fairly beat-up looking as well, with a potato nose, deep facial scars, and acne scars as well.  My previous female character was fairly attractive but also had scars, though I noticed that female character creation have fewer gnarly looking scars than males.

I think that having the ability to make a beat-up looking character is as important - if not more so - as being able to make some Adonis/Venus.  Personally I don't want to my PC to be a Ken doll. 

Mass Effect 2 (2010) Bioware, XBOX 360: First Impressions in five hours

Mass Effect 2...I don't even know where to begin this review.  My review of Mass Effect was generally so-so.  I enjoyed the game but wasn't overly impressed.  I only really started getting excited about ME2 while playing the hell out of Dragon Age: Origins.  ME2 is a different animal than DA:O though both games were made by the same company.

Here are some of my first impressions (good and bad in the first five hours)

1. Jennifer Hale is back as the female voice of Commander Shepard.  Jennifer Hale is one of my all time favorite female voice actors. 
2. ME2 is shockingly gorgeous.  While there are some problems with human character's mouths looking a little weird everything else is astounding.  The alien races are totally believeable and in some cases, horrendous to look at.  The evironments keep making me stop and look around like some hayseed who just left Tattooine. 
3. Scanning planets instead of driving around in the MAKO makes me very happy.  Systematic scanning with a grid method?  Planet mining?  I don't like those things, nooooo.  Snickering when I see a planet's status after mining listed as depleted?  Not me...
4. Combat is pretty intense.  Insanely enough, Bioware managed to perfectly capture the thrill of 3rd person actioners in an RPG.  Two tastes greats that taste great together?  Damn right.
5. Downside to squad control:  I haven't gotten the mechanics of moving the squad around as easily as with tactical shooters - leap-frogging the squad and getting squaddies into postition.  Personally I'd be content to use them to draw enemy fire. 
6. Upside to squad combat:  So far I've only had to minimally baby-sit my crew.  What's cool is that they are just using their skills without me having to poke them with a stick.
7. Here's an insane revelation: ME2 has a cover system that works in combat.  No really.  I need more combat time to really get the mechanics of it but so far I am very pleased.
8. Story, voice acting (all characters), and the characters themselves (human and non) are top-shelf.  I am really looking forward to expanding the story.
9. I worry about game length.  Mass Effect I tore through in forty hours.  That being said, Mass Effect 2 is two fucking discs.  Two.  Dos.  Aweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesome.

Bayonetta & Dante's Inferno Demo reviews

I'm not sure why Bayonetta received a 92 on metacritic. Perhaps there must be a large contingent of SEGA fans who like games with lots of on screen flash and button poking. I however am not one of these people. I was intrigued by the main character who looks like a cross between the Baroness, Lulu (from Final Fantasy X), and Bloodrayne but with all the onscreen nonsense I couldn't ogle her goodies. Gong.

EA & Visceral Games have come out with a demo for Dante's Inferno. I have no idea what to say about this game. Loosely adapted from Dante's Inferno the player has to go to hell to rescue the soul of Beatrice. There's part of me that wants to play this game and there's part of me that wishes that it didn't have Dante's name attached to it. Check out the website, it's actually a cool site. The demo played like a God of War only instead of chains and blades, Dante is armed with a big ass scythe and a cross that shoots...holy light crosses?

Dragon Age: Origins (2009) First, first impressions.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

That was how I felt about Dragon Age: Origins over the last few days and although I only got a few hours of gaming in I still feel that way.

The manual (you know that thing that comes with the game that has been rendered archaic by most games) is dense with 8pt font text. Bioware calls the game, "a modern re-imagination of an epic party based fantasy roleplaying game, dense with story and tactical combat" and so far they are right. Narf, narf, narf. I am +d20 with glee.

For my character I chose a female dwarf commoner (dwarf commoners excel at stealery) rogue with a specialization in ranged weapons. Her name is Scylla and she rules.

Apparently there's a different opening story for each race and class - for a total of six. That's kind of wicked awesome in my opinion. I don't want to give away Scylla's story but it's pretty fucking bleak. Odd that I experienced racism and classism in a game. Interesting too.

There is a serious learning curve in Dragon Age: Origins. If you're a gamer used to FPS styled RPGs (i.e. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Fallout 3) then you might be in for a shock. I was drinking while playing so that might have impaired my ability to assimilate information but damn this game has a lot to it. Some gamers might be put off by the amount of tinkering and menu fiddling (weapons, armor, assorted gear, etc.) but I love it.

Hopefully I will be able to get some serious game time in tonight. Granted we do have a guest but I want to make him feel comfortable and at home. Besides I can either goob out about Dragon Age: Origins and bore people or I can sit quietly.

Brutal Legend (2009) Campaign complete review

Well I wrapped up Brutal Legend and had a good time playing it. I laughed (a lot), I cried (a little), I banged my head (and got woozy).

When all is said and done the game is well worth playing; but not worth buying. I polished off the campaign in a little more than thirteen hours. I haven't gotten 100% complete and frankly there's not much incentive for me to do so (I'm at about 91%). There's not much replay value to speak of. The multiplayer modes aren't really my cup of tea anyway. The game just doesn't have legs.

Brutal Legend (2009)

In a dark realm, far from our own, an evil power reigns. That power has turned away from the sacred ways of heavy metal, perverting and twisting the land and enslaving hard rocking men and women. An awesome hero has emerged to combat this evil and free the land from suck. That hero is Eddie Riggs, a "roadie", and he will teach this realm to rock again.

I wasn't excited about Brutal Legend very much. A 360 game coming out in two weeks, based around Jack Black as roadie for a faux-metal band who gets transported into a metal world and has to save the blah blah blah...

I saw the demo popup for download on the 360 and was like, meh, whatever. Then I read the sidenotes...wait, what? It's a Tim Schafer game? Nanidesuka? Fucking sign me up!

I purchased and played a couple of hours last night. Brutal Legend is, for lack of a better phrase, totally fucking awesome. The sheer insanity of driving a hot rod through forests of chromed trees and across fields dotted with ancient symbols of heavy metal (one of my favorites so far are the enormous stone swords buried in the ground) is a blast. The dialogue is funny (Jack Black's style works really well in the game) and what little I've played of the story rocks. Brutal Legend is fun too - in that Tim Schafer "I can't believe this is going on" way.

The heavy metal soundtrack is insanely huge. Most of the bands I've never heard of. Many of the classics are represented: Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Slayer, Manowar, etc. I also really dig the score, which shifts in tone depending on what region you are travelling through.

More input to follow once I have played more.

Two long overdue reviews: Dead Space and Prototype

I apologize for being lax in my reviews lately. These are the two games I am currently playing; Dead Space and Prototype.



I had been relatively uninterested in Dead Space. I figured it was just another sci-fi survival horror game. In some respects it is just another sci-fi survival horror game. Limited resources, gribbly critters, and a situation that goes from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. In most respects - like those silly little things like story and plot development - Dead Space excels. I'm about half way through the game and though it is a fairly linear game I am really enjoying the story. Hell Dead Space is far superior to most Sci-Fi horror movies I see these days. Quite possibly that is because Warren Ellis worked on the project. That explains a lot.

Prototype is a solid game through and through. It's a sandbox game linked together with linear missions and a good story about evil government genetic projects gone horribly awry. The main character, Mercer, is a morally ambiguous type with a penchant for revenge. I think I'd actually call him a sociopath with little regard for anything except his sister and revenge.

The real draws of this game are the setting and the violence. Prototype takes place in a quarantined Manhattan. Plague has broken out, turning victims into raving, flesh eating loonies aka "the Infected". As the game progresses so does the extent of the plague. What starts as your standard hustle bustle NYC slowly becomes a madhouse filled with ravening monsters, beleagured military forces, and the general public screaming bloody murder and fleeing hither and yon. Every so often I have to wonder - shouldn't people just listen to the nice men in black helicopters and stay off the streets?

Violence in video games, blah, blah, blah...who cares? In Prototype Mercer himself is a bio-weapon, capable of creating blades, mauls, fleshy spiky ropes, and the like. He gains power and health from consuming the genetic code of others - human and infected alike. What's really fun is the wide array of ways to make people/enemies go squish. One of my favorites is the body surf, launch an arial attack then land on your target with enough force to surf on their corpse. I also enjoy the long range whip attack, reel in the target and then chuck them like a bowling ball. Prototype is a pretty bloody game so don't let the kiddies play this.

Godfather II Last Impressions and initial Red Faction: Guerilla (2009) review/tips.

So I knocked out Godfather II in about twenty-three hours. That's not good or bad per se, I don't know how much longer I could have rerun the same capture enemy businesses, build up defense, move on to next target formula.



Side note:



It seems that Strategy styled games need a boost. Pretty much all games have stuck to the formula - attack in force, capture, hold, bolster with defenses, move on. The classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms series added a lot more to the mix - with economics, intrigue, and the looming threat of famine. I know a balance can be struck between action and thrills and - for all intents and purposes - accounting and logistics.



The Godfather II was ultimately a disappointing game and if I had paid full retail I would have been pissed. There's essentially no replay value unless you just want achievement points. Even if it wasn't part of the Godfather-verse it's still lacking in the crime empire genre.

***

I only played the PS2 Red Faction FPS games briefly and never really got into them as much as I should have. I might have to go back and play them based on the strength of Red Faction: Guerilla. Now I've put in a solid day of gaming on this new release and have to say it's a really good game. I hit a wall last night but that's because I think I've completed all the side missions I can before moving on with the story. That's the way I play sandbox games like RF:G - I complete every single side mission I can before moving on with the story. By doing this I essentially "level" my character, unlocking weapons and having enough resources to avoid scrambling later in the game, and roaming across the map allows me to familiarize myself with the lay of the land early on - also helpful later in the game when the shit hits the fan.

The best thing about RF:G is that, until I hit the wall, the game is fun. Really fun. There are two elements to all this fun: cinematic moments and the sheer joy of blowing shit up. I don't mean cut scenes when I say "cinematic moments" - I mean moments that could have come from a movie and are one of the cornerstones of good game design.

Example: While exploring and mining in the Badlands (aka Marauder territory aka Miranda) and generally not paying attention to my surroundings I noticed some enemy blips on the radar. I hadn't really encountered Marauders up until this point so I unlimbered my assault rifle and took aim. Things to remember when dealing with Marauders; 1) They don't die easy & 2) More and more show up the more noise you make i.e. shooting/blowing shit up. So a swarm of Marauders show up on the radar and I haul ass back to my dune buggy - which my dumb ass wandered away from exploring. The swarm of Marauders is chasing me across the freaking dunes until I get to a main road across from an enemy checkpoint, avoid the checkpoint and screech to a halt. The gunner at the checkpoint opens fire but for once not at me - at the Marauders who have chased me all over hell and high water. Several civilian vehicles stop and the occupants jump out and fire upon the Marauders. I just watched the mayhem. It was awesome and I actually laughed.

Apparently the big selling point to this game was Geo-Mod 2.0 -which basically means nearly every building, structure, and assorted goodies blast to shit super awesome style. It works, works amazingly actually, the Demolitions Master challenges are a great highlight. In the challenge you have to destroy a structure within time and gear limitations, often one strategically placed mine or implement of destruction will bring the whole shit house down in one go. The trick is finding that weakspot.

I have to admit that I had a twinge of guilt for flattening all these structures like Romans on Carthage. After liberating a sector from the bad guys I drove through it again and civilians were wandering around a barren wasteland. While I had buckets of glee razing eveything to the ground - in particular bridges. No matter what the game I love fighting on and/or destroying bridges. At one particular bridge I saw vehicles stop and turn around and have to take the long route around the canyon. Is this what they mean when they say, "With great power comes great responsibility"?

Based on first impressions I strongly, very strongly recommend picking up RF:G. Just don't surprised if you start making lots of Firefly/Serenity jokes. Amanda's running joke is, "I don' wanna git ate!" whenever she hears me yelling about "Goddamn Marauders!"

Godfather II (XBOX 360) - EA Games

The first Godfather game wasn't bad, hell I played it from start to finish, but ultimately I felt it was lacking. When I found out that Godfather II had more strategic elements - building and defending a crime empire. Personally that's my favorite aspect of any and all crime games.

Godfather II has a good empire building system - I'm only a couple hours into it. You are starting your own family so you have to recruit family members with various skills to blow shit up, heal your troops, be bad ass, etc. I strongly - strongly suggest downloading this character:

• Jimmy Lira: The ONLY recruit who can ultimately be upgraded to have every specialty in the game! Jimmy Lira starts with the arsonist, engineer, medic, and safecracker specialties, and comes equipped with a level 2 machine gun: the MP38. He appears in the NY Don’s office when NY is first unlocked, and in your NY safehouse at all times after that.

You can boost the skills of each Family, making them more effective in combat and the like.

The main problem I have - with most crime syndicate games - is there's not enough micromanagement. That may sound insane but I basically want to play a "Syndicate Sim". I want to control markets, import/export, supply/demand, cost of whores/drugs/guns combined with diplomacy/intrigue/corruption/scandal. I bet that would sell, besides it'd be a lot more accurate in portraying gangsters as businessmen/politicians than goons. Sure there might come a time to crack skulls but ultimately that's bad for business.

For now though I am not playing that game so the Godfather II will have to do.

Battlefield: Bad Company

Whatever your feelings are about EA Games they do make some polished quality games.
Battlefield: Bad Company is no exception. I've really been enjoying the online mode even though there aren't too many options for missions - i.e. Deathmatch, Conquest, etc. - but this doesn't bother me too much because more often than not I end up playing Team Deathmatch anyway.

How does B:BC compare with Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2? As far as story goes B:BC has the most enjoyable storyline. It's more along the lines of Kelly's Heroes than a Tom Clancy potboiler or other modern military mumbo "evil dictator has a nuke" jumbo. It's fun and I found myself laughing more often than I do during comedies. One of favorite lines so far has been,

Sweetwater: But that place is heavily guarded.
Haggard: Well we're heavily armed!

B:BC doesn't take its self too seriously and that allowed me to have fun even at a higher difficulty level. Playing isn't punishment or profanity inducing - okay it induces profanity but it's more along the lines of, "FUCK YEAH!" than "FUCK YOU!" Part of the fun is that things blow up real good. I've developed the habit of blasting holes in walls instead of using doors. Hey, it works. I've also learned the joy of ferreting out snipers by reducing cover to bits with a well placed mortar attack.

Game control is standard FPS controls. There's not much in the way of a cover system a la RS: Vegas but you don't really need one. COD4 needed that because the game was punishing.

I'm not saying B:BC is the end all be all for FPS but for a summer diversion it definitely fits the bill. Whatever problems I could have with B:BC can be remedied by playing the other FPS out there.

Upcoming games I think I will purchase...or rent...

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty demo, Burnout Paradise online fun, and something else...

I' ve been pretty geared up for Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (02/26). Personally I am a huge sucker for speculative fiction based on the USA getting invaded - i.e. Red Dawn, Freedom Fighters, The Man in the High Castle. This isn't because I am not a patriot it's because I think Americans would kick the Hell out of an invading force. Could you imagine the Red Army trying to take down Chicago? The demo is available for download and it's impressive as all get out. I worry that it won't be able to go the distance - FPS tend to fall apart at the end. That doesn't mean I won't play the shit out it though.

* * *

Burnout Paradise is a frickin' blast online. It's because it's so easy to get online - if you have an account that is - just tap right on the D-pad and select what you want. Sometimes the servers get bogged down but more often than not there's no delay in game play - no pain in the ass menus or waiting period. I'm a big fan of ghosting people who are crashing and smashing - if someone is just running time laps or jumps or basically not bothering anyone I leave them alone. I do love smashing the living shit out of opponents though and playing high speed chase. I was joking with Amanda that Burnout Paradise is nothing but big kids playing Hot Wheels.


I forgot what the something else was...oh yeah!

For those of you still playing Mass Effect - there will be downloadable content March 10th. It will introduce a new race and new planet and will called Bring Down the Sky and will be available for 400 points. I think that's pretty cool. I already sold my copy so if someone downloads this let me know how it is.

Burnout Paradise, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, GTA IV, and more...

If you're not familiar with the Burnout series then drop whatever it is you're doing and go buy a copy of Burnout 3. It's my favorite racing series because:

1. I suck at racing games and yet I can play the hell out of a Burnout game.
   
2. People can just pick up and play these games.
   
3. The level of destruction and lots of pretty pretty sparks.


4. In real life you really wish you could slam some annoying bastard's car into oncoming traffic or into a median.
   

Burnout Paradise is the latest installation in the series and so far is proving to be an exciting addition. I put in about five hours last night and was beginning to think it was too easy. Then I played a race and got totally wiped so I guess it's not too easy. What I like about the game is that the map is totally open from the start. Every intersection and stretch of road has some kind of event to play. Starting a race consists of driving around, coming up to an intersection, and pulling LT & RT. The race starts. There's a lot to find and explore in this game - which is one of my favorite tasks in games. The Road Rages are fun especially since the other cars will find you instead of having to find them - meaning you can careen through construction sites and cut throughs at top speed instead of sticking to the main streets. I like addition of the Marked Man races - get to the finish line in one piece with enemy vehicles trying to wreck you all the way. The Racing is fun though frustrating because there are so many ways to go. Once you have a solid knowledge of cut-throughs and sneaky way then it makes it a lot more fun - i.e. I won a backwoods curving roads race by simply driving straight down the railroad tracks at full speed.
The game looks great, the cars are fun to drive, the crashes are wicked gnarly, and I look forward to playing it online. The one downside is the music. It's a strange mix of old and new and cuts from earlier Burnout games. After a while I turned it off and just listened to The Sword.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is a DS Lite turn based strategy game based in a post-apocalyptic world. Meteroids struck the Earth and everything went to shit and now it's up to our heroes to band together and fight bandits and assorted whackos. So far it's addictive as a sonofabitch and hopefully has a boatload of replay value.

There is finally a release date for GTA IV 04-29-08. Finally a reason to get up in the morning.

David Arquette makes a movie and I win WWII all by myself...again.

Not much in the way of news or reviews lately folks. Sumimasen. Here's what I scraped up this morning

• Just in time for Halloween David Arquette's The Tripper was released on DVD. Apparently an axe murderer dresses up as Ronald Reagan and chops up hippies gathered at a music festival in the woods headlined by Fishbone. "Party at Ground Zero" indeed.
• I polished off the Nazi Menace - a.k.a. Medal of Honor: Airborne - this weekend. Little did I know that there is an unlockable bayonet so I'm gonna play through a couple more times until I unlock it. All in all it was a pretty good game. The last two levels really tore me a new one until I was able to really buckle down and focus...or get a wheelbarrow full of explosives with which to smite the Hun. This game's Operation Market Garden was a great deal of fun but the house to house combat could have been a little more intense though I did nearly crap my pants when I realized I had to face tanks as well.

That's the long and the short of it today folks.

Black (2006)

The FPS genre must be a daunting on to jump into but the creators of the Burnout series - Criterion Games did it. It really shows too. What they did for racing games they have begun to do for FPS i.e. things blow up real good...and how. I remember one review I read that likened Black to "gun porn". All the weapons look great and sound amazing. One of the great things about this game is the fact that you don't really have to worry about ammo. Sure, there are one or two points where a bit of restraint is needed but most of the time you can just blast the holy living hell out of everyone and everything. After completing the game the first time through you unlock "silver weapons" basically chromed out weapons with unlimited ammo - great fun when you can get your hands on a grenade launcher or RPG.

The levels are fun and for the most part urban based - one level is a border run in the woods. Personally I have no love for jungle/forest/great outdoors combat levels - give me urban combat anyday. The AI is fair - sometimes the little bastards flank and take cover as appropriate and sometimes they act like standard shooter morons - i.e. when you snipe a guard his buddy won't really be upset or move or notice or look up from his Jell-O cup.

The biggest problem with Black is the fact that it's an eight hour game. Maybe nine if you try to find all the objectives but I don't know if there's any point at all to finding all the secondary objectives - no extra weapons, armor, or health. I realize that for $20 eight hours is a good amount of nonstop entertainment. Hell I spend that much for one night at the movies and that's only two hours. Still I find this trend of short games mildly disheartening. Possibly it's because of playing RPGs and sandbox styled games a la GTA but c'mon eight hours? There's not really much replay value really, granted it will be a fun game to thrown in when people are over - the "hey check this out factor". The fact that the game ends where most games would really kick in is equally annoying. If Criterion had billed Black as part one then it wouldn't have been such an issue but to play the game as a flashback mission and then it just ends, well it's just a let down.

When it comes down to it Black is a lot of fun and worth renting or picking up since it's a greatest hit but it doesn't have legs.