Summer Athletics The Ultimate Challenge

The Olympics has been a big a source of inspiration for Wii developers over the console’s brief lifespan. While some have worked, most notably Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games, others haven’t done so well, like Winter Sports. The latest offering has hit all the next-gen consoles, but makes the high jump with the motion-controlled Wii version. And the judges are split on this one.

Summer Athletics offers lots of modes and a meticulous character creation from the get-go. Players can delve right in to their Career mode, however, and make a customized character, from her nationality to her hair cut. In terms of modes, there are Single Event, Competition, and Career modes. In Single Event, players can pick one event they want to practice on, before the more in depth and challenging Career. Competition offers a select offering of a few events. While the menus are slightly too small to easily click on, all the modes and customization will keep hardcore Olympic simulators busy.

Developer 49 Games has put a lot of effort into making the Wii version of Summer Athletics be the family-friendly one. While I admire the attempt, I can’t say that they succeeded. I’ve played the game multiple times now, and I can’t say I have “intuited” the overly complex controls yet. Before each event, multi page instructions pop up (generally 3-4 paragraphs of text), offering convoluted explanations for the Wii motion controls. While I realize any control method would take some getting used too, I can’t imagine the 360 or PS3 controls being more complicated than these – and the Wii version is for families!

Worse yet, if you do manage to learn the controls, most of them aren’t fun and don’t make sense for that event. Cycling, for instance, requires you do mimic pedaling with your Wii Mote and Nunchuck while also twisting them left and right to steer – and finally using Z and B to get a final boost. It left my forearms in a tangled mess. Other events, like diving and the high jump require strange, multi-stepped motions that just don’t make sense or feel right.

Summer Athletics offers 7 different mechanics, including cycling, running, diving, swimming, archery, jumping, and throwing. Each has multiple variations, like running also hurdles and relay races, and throwing ranges from javelin to hammer toss. The array of events is impressive, but ultimately players will feel it becoming repetitive. Personally, the only event that I actually found fun (maybe because I actually figured out the controls) was archery. It’s a simple “pull B and release” mechanic that works for the sport. With a little wind calculation thrown in, you’ll hit the bulls eye!

And where there is fun to be had in Summer Athletics, most will find the graphics and animation to be distinctly mediocre. The characters and environments have a shiny, waxy quality that irks me every time I turn the game on. Of course, it’s easy to figure, that the Wii version was just a port, and not built from the ground up.

The fun in Summer Athletics, however, does come from multiplayer. This game is painful alone, but if playing with a friend, the awkward cycling mechanics and fist pumping 100m spring suddenly become social fun. But if you’re looking for a solid Olympic experience to celebrate the season with, go with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.

Review Scoring Details for Summer Athletics: The Ultimate Challenge

Gameplay: 3.5
The controls are just plain complicated and sometimes don’t make sense for their specific event. Amount of customization is good only for hardcore players.

Graphics: 7.0
Realism never looks good on the Wii, but the environments occasionally impress.

Sound: 7.0
The opening theme is nice, but the announcer can say some strange things at times.

Difficulty: Medium
There is a wide range of difficulties to choose from, so it is accessible to play – if the controls just weren’t so confusing.

Concept: 6.5
I really wish developers could figure out a better way to convey the Olympics without tiring everyone’s arms out.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Multiplayer is the game’s only salvation.

Overall: 6.5
There’s no excuse making controls overly complicated on a system who’s audience wants a game that’s easy to pick up and play. Recommended only for the most hardcore Olympiads.

Yggdra Union

You wouldn’t know by looking at it, but Yggdra Union, a new strategy/RPG from Atlus, was once a Game Boy Advance game. While that might seem a bit strange, you are probably aware that one of the best strategy/RPG franchises, Advance Wars, was born on the GBA. Though you might wonder why Yggdra Union made the leap to PSP instead of Nintendo DS, anyone who plays this updated version will understand the developers’ decision. This is not a game that needs a touch screen.

“We’ll never fight alone.” That’s the theme of Yggdra Union. Few RPGs have a theme that can be summed up in one sentence, which is just one of the unique things about this game. With bits of old-school fighting games thrown into the mix, Yggdra Union is considerably more varied – and undoubtedly more original – than its recent strategy/RPG competitors.

Not a Card Game

There have been some misleading reports on the Web – even a confusing press release or two – that imply Yggdra Union is a card-based RPG. Maybe it’s just me, but that makes it sound like a game from Wizards of the Coast. Whether the idea of that sounds intriguing or depressing, make no mistake: this is a true turn-based strategy/RPG. Cards are only used to enhance weapons, provide power or protection during battle and to determine how many spaces you can move per turn. Cards also determine the number of turns that can be taken before the battle is lost by default.

Before each mission begins, players select a number (pre-set for every battle) to take with them. These cards come from your collection, which grows automatically as you progress through the game. Cards vary in type and may be used to steal items, heal or protect your party, unleash a superior attack, or one of several other standard RPG abilities.

Once the battle begins, you’ll select a different card at the start of each turn. Let’s suppose you choose “Item Break,” whose move rating is eight, power rating is 1,900, and Ace Type is sword. The move rating determines how many times your entire party can move before the turn is over, while the power rating shows the card’s strength. The skill is the same as the card’s name: with this one, you can destroy an enemy’s equipped item. But that’s only possible if the skill is executed, which can only be done by a party member whose Ace Type is also sword. That character must then attack passively to charge his or her card meter, and press the button shown (X or circle button) once the meter is full. The whole process sounds arduous but is truly quite seamless. You’ll just have to play it a few times before it makes sense.

Not a Fighting Game

Battles do not unfold on the top-down world map. Upon making an attack in this game, the battle-specific screen appears, transporting players to what appears to be a 2D fighting game (as detailed in my preview a few weeks back). In reality, this is where your single unit – who commands several fighters within the battle screen – will attempt to overtake the enemy.

Battles unfold in real-time but are not controlled by the player, merely influenced. Like any strategy/RPG, you decide every pre-battle action. But as a diehard fighting fan, I can see where some players will be disappointed by this. Why not make the game a strategy/RPG/fighting hybrid?

In spite of that, and as a gamer who also loves this genre, it’s hard to disagree with the developers’ choices. Though you can’t move your party or decide when or how they’ll attack, you will still be an active part of each battle. Attack full-force or reduce attack potency in favor of magic (card) power? What if the card can’t be used by the character you’re controlling? Or suppose the union leader has been taken out, preventing you from interacting with your party during the battle?

These are the kinds of challenges that Yggdra Union introduces to keep the player engaged as each attack is made. The passive experience of most strategy/RPGs (the turn-based kind, at least) cannot be found here.

Yggdra Union’s battles are not large-scale but are packed with depth and a surprising difficulty. In a strange twist of events that conjures thoughts of survival/horror games, part of your survival depends on your ability to use health items sparingly. Items are won in combat and are found at specific points on the world map, normally by visiting towns and talking with the locals. But while most RPGs, even strategy/RPGs, allow you to purchase new items frequently, Yggdra Union is without that feature.

This might sound like a nightmare (and can be at times), but the good news is that your current item collection is reset every time you lose a mission. Even without this feature, it’d be hard to give up – while most frustrating games offer nothing in return, Yggdra Union is constantly rewarding the player with gameplay that will make you want to endure the toughest battles.

I’ve played strategy/RPGs for nearly every console and handheld and there aren’t any quite like Yggdra Union. Its unique blend of puzzle concepts, fighting game-style presentation and semi-interactive battle developments are not only special for their originality but for their superb execution.

Underneath the original approach to the genre, Yggdra Union has a pattern: read a story, battle, read a story, battle some more. This is the norm for strategy/RPGs, and when a game makes it work, it shows how incredible the game really is.

Review Scoring Details for Yggdra Union

Gameplay: 8.6
Unique, consuming and masterfully developed, Yggdra Union is an uncommon strategy/RPG with insurmountable surprises, unrelenting difficulties, and a lengthy quest that'll keep you playing all night long. Its only flaw is repetition, the same flaw that comes with every RPG, strategy or not.

Graphics: 7.9
This game doesn't utilize much of the PSP's power, but for a 2D strategy/RPG, these visuals are very impressive. Battle animations are especially eye-catching, as is the character artwork, which is much more likable than the sound of their voices (which is a little weak).

Sound: 7.5
Half-decent voice acting and a catchy score are about all you'll get out of Yggdra Union's sound.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Battles are tougher and less forgiving than in most strategy or standard RPGs. Items are less plentiful, and you don't have the option to purchase new health aids every time your party is weak. Conservation is a must.

Concept: 8
A wonderful twist on strategy/RPGs. Yggdra Union at first appears to do everything wrong, but it's those crazy decisions that allowed the developers to do everything right.

Overall: 8.3
Though it is best suited for the hardcore strategy/RPG crowd, it's hard not to recommend Yggdra Union to everyone, as it is one of the most engrossing, challenging and unforgettable RPGs released in a long time.

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

The grass surrounding the enclosure is a bright green and the stalks sway with the breeze while the daisies that grow in a semi-circle bounce up and down like heads bobbing to some unheard music. A wooden fence houses a small donkey-like creature that bucks wildly when a bumble bee-like creature whizzes past it and, oh, does that mud look inviting to the adorable long-eared critter. In Viva Pi�ata: Trouble in Paradise for the Xbox 360, we can once again design our own garden to attract the colorful candy-filled creatures that make up this charming and enjoyable universe.

“Do you see what I see, dude? Oh man, this is the last time we do Red Bull and tequila shots.”

When the first Viva Pi�ata was released, it introduced a world filled with vibrant colors where you could try your hand at gardening and enticing the unique wildlife of Pi�ata Island. It was a surprisingly fun open-ended game that had a lot to offer gamers of all ages. Trouble in Paradise might be a sequel but it certainly doesn’t feel like it even with the new pi�atas or the game’s setup. You see, this time around, Pi�ata Island finds in a bit of a pickle since the dastardly Professor Pester attempted to steal all the pi�ata-related records from the Pi�ata Central database. Of course, he fails and the data becomes unavailable to anyone … including you! So you are tasked with finding new pi�ata on your own as you cultivate your garden to fit the needs of these new creatures.

Nothing much has changed from the first game. In fact, Trouble in Paradise feels more like an add-on rather than a completely new game. This isn’t a complaint seeing as the original was addictively enjoyable and why stray away from a winning formula? Aside from fixing a few of the problems that showed up in the original, Trouble in Paradise’s new content adds even more goodies that also include online multiplayer and the ability to use the Xbox Live Vision Camera in an inventive manner (but more on that later). There is also a Just For Fun Mode that allows you to play in a new garden without having to worry about game objectives.

You start with a rather plain-looking garden you will have to shape on your own using available tools and ones you can purchase in the village in Costalot’s store. The tools range from shovels to parts to build a fence when you want an enclosure for the feistier pi�ata that likes to wander off. You can also plant various different flowers as well as grow grass in areas that are muddy or barren. Growing grass and watering flowers might sound like a dull gardening simulator but somehow Viva Pi�ata makes it oddly enjoyable and you have the freedom to design it anyway you see fit so no garden is ever the same.

Oh, and the new pi�atas are downright adorable, too, so collecting now has become a bit more challenging and a lot more fun this time around. Figuring out what each pi�ata comes out and what lures them is half of the fun and setting up the traps to capture them is what makes this such an appealing game. Different pi�atas respond differently to treats that would lure them into a trap you can set up around an area. Speaking of areas, there are two new locales such as the artic landscape that is Pinartic and the desert flatlands of Dessert Desert. In these new locations, various different pi�atas roam and some even come out at different times of the day.

Pictured above: Professor Pester … so darn evil but so darn cute!

Aside from trying to catch everything from a Whirlm to a Pengum, you will have to deal with Professor Pester’s army of bad pi�atas that want nothing more than to ruin your garden and break open your pi�ata critters to get to the sweet candy. Neglect your garden and both Professor Pester and the fearsome Dastardos will appear. You must care for your pi�atas as well as encourage them to mate and eventually breed new pi�atas. Thankfully, you will have help in the form of villagers such as the sometimes helpful Leafos and Jardiniero.

New to the game is multiplayer co-op offline as well as online. Cooperative play allows a friend to lend a hand tending to the garden and this could be helpful for those like to concentrate on catching new pi�atas rather than digging up holes and planting flowers. The same can be done online, although I felt strange planting daisies in someone else’s garden. The good news is that you can pack up pi�atas and send them to a friend via Xbox Live. Using the Xbox Live Vision Camera, you can hold up cards to the camera and automatically send it to a friend who will receive the card on-screen that will transform it into an actual pi�ata.

Trouble in Paradise also retains the same look from the first game so expect a colorful world that matches the colorfully cute pi�atas that stroll around your garden or other environments. Close up, the pi�atas are actually wonderfully detailed and it’s surreal to see their different behaviors around each another or their surroundings. The backgrounds are rendered nicely as well, although the backdrops simply don’t have the some loving attention to details as the various characters and pi�atas. Still, the flashy cut scenes and nice visual effects will certainly catch your eye.

Real Estate Agent: “Oh and it has a lovely backyard. All it needs is some Miracle Gro and an exorcist.”

The sound of nature is everywhere and you’ll immediately know when a species of pi�ata comes into contact with your garden or your current location because you will most definitely hear it. The wonderful attention to detail in the sound also feels like you’re in a garden surrounded by nature and life. There’s a soundtrack and it’s mellow, soothing and way too repetitive. The voice acting in the game is also a tad annoying, though. Some of the residents of Pi�ata Island have grating voices that you will want to lower the volume when they speak.

Viva Pi�ata: Trouble in Paradise is still just as sweet as the candy that fill these papier-m�ché critters and this one certainly has enough depth to keep you playing this Xbox 360 game again and again. It’s hard not to love the fun options and critter-catching elements that make this simulation game such a genuine joy for young and old. Then again, if you bought Viva Pi�ata the first time you will find that this is not a true sequel but rather a really good update of the original. If you didn’t buy it, then Trouble in Paradise is well worth your money.

Review Scoring Details for Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

Gameplay: 8.6
There are enough options to make your garden just as unique as the player is but if you’re expecting a whole new game then you will be disappointed by this sequel. The two new territories offer a variety of other creatures to catch and this alone will have you playing for a really long time.

Graphics: 8.5
On a visual level, Trouble in Paradise looks exactly like the original and that’s not a bad thing at all seeing as the graphics in the original were just plain beautiful. The various pi�ata creatures range from hilarious to really darn cute.

Sound: 8.0
Apart from the occasionally irritating voices in the game, the soundtrack and incredibly detailed environmental noises are excellent. You’ll have a blast hearing every different pi�ata in your garden and outside it.

Difficulty: Medium
If you fancy having a Chewnicorn or a delightful Flutterscotch in your garden, you’ll have your hands full trying to attract them, lay out a trap that would appeal to them and then rearrange your garden to fit their needs. It’s actually somewhat challenging for all ages.

Concept: 8.5
Trouble in Paradise looks, feels, and plays like the original Viva Pi�ata only now there’s online multiplayer and there are new colorful critters to catch and watch run free in your garden. The zany characters are back and you’re free to create your own unique garden. This one also makes use of the Xbox Live Vision camera.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Being able to add pictures to your own garden via the Xbox Live Vision is intriguing but online co-op might be a tad on the awkward side seeing as you’ll be messing around in somebody else’s garden. Some younger gamers might appreciate having a friend lend a hand using the same console, though.

Overall: 8.6
Like the first game, Viva Pi�ata: Trouble in Paradise is utterly charming, downright cute and one seriously enjoyable game that players of all ages can enjoy. As far as sequels go, this one doesn’t reinvent but the new content is worth the purchase price and even more so if you missed it the first time around.

Ubersoldier II

You know, most fantasy, no matter how crazy, probably originated from something obscure that was indeed fact. Case in point, it has been well documented that Adolf Hitler was interested in the occult. Just based off this simple fact, we have had countless movies, books and even games that take this idea and go hog wild. Heck, the first Indiana Jones movie talks about Hitler's obsession with religious artifacts and the beginning of Hellboy talks about some of the sinister things Hitler was trying to do in order to gain power. And who could forget all that fun blowing away mutated Nazi's in the Wolfenstein games? And since I really like the idea of taking real historical events and then wrapping it in a shroud of fantasy, well, lets just say I wanted to review this game pretty badly.

So with that said, you play as Karl, one of the German resistance fighters helping the Allies defeat the Third Reich. You start the game off with a bang as you are manning a large machine gun mounted on the rear of a jeep as all sorts of Nazi vehicles are chasing after you. Its a great way to start an action game and provides some genuine thrills. From there, you begin your adventure in trying to locate a secret Nazi experimental base where all sorts of nastiness is going on. And pretty soon, our man Karl isn't just fighting soldiers, but comes face to face with the mutated creations that Hitler's scientists have been working on.

"Ah! There's a mouse in my bunker!"

For a game that is only $19.99, you can't help but think that this title is a bit better than the usual bargain-game fare, and you would be right. Karl has some abilities to help him dispatch his enemies including a mode where if you complete a series of headshots concurrently, you will enter into sniper mode, which is sort of like bullet time, only not quite so visual. Your enemies slow down and you can pretty much whup them up easily for a brief amount of time. The same occurs when you make multiple kills with your knife, berserker mode kicks in and you become a Nazi killing machine.

Now I realize this is nothing terribly new, but since that might have been chalked up to being a Wolfenstein clone, it's little things like this that give the game its own unique take on the subject. Personally, I felt it added a slight challenge to the game but not much more; still, I recognize that the developers were trying to come up with a little something extra, and it was, at least, a benefit.

Additionally, the game looks better then I would have thought for a bargain-priced game - smooth framerates, some attention to detail, the game for the most part does the job adequately. There is some breakdown in textures at random points in the game, but it is not a hindrance in the game's tempo. But those players who love FPS games will probably pick this one apart and find a million things wrong with it. Yes, you are correct, this is not Half Life, HALO, Deus Ex, Counter Strike or any of the other top-tier first-person shooters. This is a limited game, but it is at least acceptable.

"Huh, so the headless horseman really can't pass the old bridge."

I found that i really had to tweak the control configuration before I could actually even function in this title. With the addition of many weapons and even some arcane skills, it takes time to get down a good flowing control scheme that works well for the game. Some of the weapons are truly of the period, and function as so. Being that the game does touch on the fantastical, you can expect some pretty wild things to occur.

Luckily for us, the game has a fairly smart way of unraveling its story. No, its clearly not a really great story to begin with, but between levels a sort of comic book-framed story unravels and you view the events that happen between levels. And it is with this, I again, admire that this title is a bargain-bin selection. Clearly there was much love and attention given to these segue's and it shows. I may not feel the same about the voice work, as every German character speaks like they are from Cincinnati. But since the game was an European export, I guess I can give it a little slack. Voice work aside, the game does bring the sound effects. Gunfire, explosions, engines, all done with modest effect and if you have the system, will make you take notice. Yes, there are better sounding games out there, but this one provides adequate sound effects for the action at hand.

Lucky for us, many of the villians are in masks or wearing military uniforms to help the lack of varied character models look passable. Some of the "experiments" you run across are decent enough looking, but I can't help but think that they look all too familiar. It's hard to not compare this to Return to Castle Wolfenstein and then kind of look down on the mutants after seeing them.

Review Scoring Details for Ubersoldier II

Gameplay: 6.2
While not the most tuned up and dialed-in control schematic, you can find a comfortable way to play with some work. Couple of puzzles appear throughout the game that aren't difficult at all, getting multiple headshots with antique rifles can be.

Graphics: 6.5
Better than the price would suggest and comes complete with some actual good usage of terrain and destroyed areas from a texture standpoint, but ultimately will be compared to other titles that look far superior.

Sound: 6.5
German's with American accents ... go figure. But the sound effects do well to help the game run its course.

Difficulty: Medium
I didn't have that hard of a time with this game. I would die occasionally, but never hit that part of a game where I would pull my hair and say "This is impossible!"

Concept: 6.9
Like I said, I have always thought it was a good idea to take real historical data and then add the occult or fantasy to it.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Not too many people playing this game online. The standard fare for online shooters, nothing particularly jumps out at you.

Overall: 6.4
The game passes ... barely. I would be lying if I didn't say there was some fun hidden in it, but you really have to go in and find it, and most of the time, that's just not enough.

Download Free Mercenaries 2 World in Flames 2008 By EA Games

Written by Administrator

Sunday, 07 September 2008

Mercenaries 2 World in Flames 2008 They are trained to kill, destroy and destroy, they masterfully owned any weapons and perfectly mastered the management of vehicles, tanks and aircraft. They may even influence the situation in the whole country! Who are they? Mercenaries, finished without superfluous questions to comply with any task at a substantial fee. They call when no other options. Just such a situation has emerged in Venezuela, where the civil war came to power's a merciless and brutal tyrant. Restore order and stop the armed conflict - your task. To accomplish the mission can use a huge arsenal, consisting of very different weapons: from pistols to a nuclear bomb. Game features - Tropical world live their lives. Effects of the game unfolding on the huge territories inhabited by warring factions with each other and unusual characters. Each step affects your balance of power in Venezuela, so stupid acts of better abstain. -- The flames of revolution! Pay attention to the element fire. Ambush fire, you can seriously "fry" the neighborhood - perekidyvaetsya fire from the building to the building in accordance with the laws of physics. -- Water space - no barrier! You can have high-speed boats and luxury yachts, with whom no one pond will not become an impediment. -- Award above all! Customers generously pay for the services of mercenaries if they carry out their obligations. However razmennoy coin serve not only crispy banknotes, but also information - valuable information sometimes expensive money. -- Rasporyazhaytes finance themselves! You alone decide what to spend the fee as armed buy in the first place and where get-the-art techniques. -- Shoulder to shoulder with comrades! Start a campaign together with a friend, show opponents of the power cohesive team! The attack from different sides, ustaivayte ambush, burst through cordons at the enemy heavy equipment. Recommended System requirements: Processor: Pentium Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz / AMD X2 4600 + 2.4 GHz> Memory: 2GB dual channel DDR RAM> GPU: Nvidia GeForce 8600 / ATI Radeon HD2600> Video RAM: 512MB> Shader model: 3.0> Media: 8x Dual layer DVD-ROM> Hard Drive: 10GB install + save data> Sound: DX 9.0c compatible Minimum system requirements for Win Vista: Processor: Pentium 4 with hyperthreading / AMD Athlon 64 X2> Memory: 2GB> GPU: Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT / ATI Radeon ATI X1600> Video RAM: 256MB> Shader model: 3.0> Media: 8x Dual layer DVD-ROM> Hard Drive: 10GB install + Save data> Sound: DX 9.0c compatible Minimum system requirements for Win XP: Processor: Pentium 4 with hyperthreading / AMD Athlon X2> Memory: 1GB> GPU: Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT / ATI Radeon ATI X1600> Video RAM: 256MB> Shader model: 3.0> Media: 8x Dual layer DVD-ROM> Hard Drive: 10GB install + save data> Sound: DX 9.0c compatible Info: http://www.ag.ru/games/ mercenaries_2_world_in_flames Note: Cut all languages except Russian. Attention: the game does not save progress, if the My Documents folder called Cyrillic. To remedy the situation, rename it in My Documents Installing 1. Mount image through Daemon Tools 2. Set, using one of the following seriynikov: JXM5-YREP-R62J-8R62-NRLD SL2A-7TYL-27S4-X27S-8RLD S9QQ-ACQF-NCST-6NCS-XRLD JQ9R-F23U-Q9A7-VQ9A-BRLD APY8-8HW5-8L22 - 28LS-5RLD 3. Copy the file from a folder Crackfix-RELOADED (mounted on the disk) in a folder with a game (substitute) 4. Play! 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NHL 09

Still room to improve, but with NHL ’08 EA Sports is heralding a new step forward for the franchise. This is not so much about competing with other NHL titles, but rather finding the right groove and delivering an experience in line with the sport itself. NHL ’08 does just that. This is not only a challenging game, but a whole lot of fun to play. – GameZone review of NHL 08

That was written almost a year ago (two days shy, actually). In the intervening year, the dev team has been working on the refinement of the title and with NHL 09, the game has taken the foundations of 08 and built upon them … boy, has it built upon them …

NHL 09, from EA is a new benchmark for a series that had already established itself as one of the premiere video-game sports franchises when it came to gameplay, graphics, game dynamics and sound. The ante has been upped with 09, which brings a more personal experience to the franchise. How?

The game starts off with players creating a profile, symbolized by a skater, which you can customize. You are then given a quick tutorial run-through of the basic commands, such as shooting, performing dekes and playing a little defense. All this results in the awarding of your first player card. These cards (and yes, you can get your own likeness on them) are progress reports. As you play and accomplish goals, you will earn new cards. This comes into play both online and offline. But this whole setup is more insidious than merely having players get into the idea of advancing their profile. This is the major set-up for the Be a Pro mode (but more on that in a moment).

Once you get past this, you are into the main menu, which has the Play Now, Game Modes, Online, My NHL 09 and three new areas – EA Sports Media Hub (highlights are stored), Performance Tracker and Tutorials (which includes the career mode – you can Be A Pro by creating a character or taking over the career of an NHL player).

The Be A Pro element is a dynamic journey through the NHL, starting with a rookie assigned to an AHL farm team. You are generally placed on the third line (in the rotation) and the goal is to meet objectives, move up to the first line and have the pro club call you up. Your performance on the ice is rated in three areas – position, team effort and skill. As you play, you will get reminders of where your player should be on the ice, and when you come off during a line change, you sit on the bench and watch the game as any player would. The game switches from a third-person perspective (when you are on the ice) to first person when you ride the pines.

Playing earns experience points, which can then be used for leveling up. The experience points fall into three categories – offense, defense and athleticism. You earn points in different categories, but be patient; you certainly won’t be taking an average draft pick to superstar status with points earned in one game. Every ability has a “buy” value that increases as the skill works up. This role-playing element is very entertaining, and truly gives the game depth. You will start to care about your player and about earning points by learning your role on the team.

The fact that you run in shifts brings strategy to the game. For example, you are tired and a line change has been called for. As you head to the bench, your defense steals the puck and feeds the pass down ice. You are the lead skater. Should you reverse your course and attack to the puck, or continue to change it up? Honestly, if you still head for the bench, you will hear about it later, and your team score may take a dip. You can’t just rely on the on-screen prompts but actually have to think about what you are doing at all times. You know – like real hockey.

But take the time in the minors to learn your skills, because once you make it to the pros, the game moves at a different pace. You have to be accurate with your shots and passes and a minor defensive mistake may cost your team a goal.

While the game has a host of great modes, the Be a Pro element is probably where most gamers will spend their single-player time. It is involving and very entertaining. When it comes to multiplayer, the idea behind Be a Pro makes its mark with the EA Sports Hockey League. It is a persistent online league where players play as positions within the team concept.

The franchise mode is just like the 08 version but with a bit more detail included when it comes to drafting or recruiting players for your pro team.

Graphically the game has a few flaws (based on the build received). In the Be a Pro segments, there were instances where the clipping was off and where there were disembodied parts – gloves or other parts floating in the air heading for the bench. Not totally a distraction, the game has some solid physics that give it a solid feel. The controls seem a little iffy at times. You hit the button for a pass and the puck simply floats away, or you try a wrist shot and the puck sticks to the stick, but this is mostly at the AHL level. There was not a lot of that in the pros.

Gary Thorne and Bill Clement handle the play-by-play and color and do an outstanding job. They bring the action home in a manner that will have you excited to listen to the game as well as watch and play it. And the musical score is also solid.

AI is a little suspect at times, though tweaks have been made to make the defense a bit tougher. During an AHL span in the Be a Pro mode, the player-controlled Pro took a penalty for high sticking and was not even near any other player and the stick never left the ice. And then the team had an off night with two consecutive opportunities where the Pro was skating down alone in the slot and there was no pass as the attacking teams neared the blue line. Instead the player with the puck hung up his teammate with an offsides’ call. That is frustrating when you are trying to score team points for the career advancement. Still, it almost feels natural.

And speaking of which, when it comes to board-pounding action, the body check truly feels like it packs a lot of power. When you nail that opposing play just right and leave them sprawled on the ice looking for where they left their senses, it sure can feel great.

NHL 09 is a great sports title. It is fast-paced, involving, evolving, with terrific graphical elements. EA Sports took a very good game – NHL 08 – and made it better, and that is exactly how to advance a franchise.

Review Scoring Details for NHL 09

Gameplay: 9.0
The game modes are varied enough to offer something for everyone and while the controls are easy enough to understand, it will take some sharp reflexes to read the game and make the right decisions. The game physics are also very nicely done.

Graphics: 9.1
When someone walks by and stops, stares and says they thought, for a moment, they were looking at a real game, that speaks volumes. Sure, up close you can tell it is a video game, but the game physics are very well realized here.

Sound: 9.0
Thorne and Clement are excellent and the musical score is solid.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.2
The additions are wonderful, and EA Sports seems to have built on the franchise rather than do what some dev teams do, which is axe a few things to make room for new elements. In this case, the transition from NHL 08 to 09 is warranted. You get all the great things from the 08 title plus some new and outstanding elements with 09.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Solid online elements give the game more depth.

Overall: 9.1
If you are a sports fan, regardless of whether you would class yourself as a hockey fan, this is the game to play. It has the right pacing, can lure you in and brings a lot of depth and entertainment value. Congrats to EA Sports dev team – you have taken the franchise to the next level.

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli

In the movie Cars, Luigi (the lovable yellow Fiat 500) was excited to learn that its star, Lightning McQueen, was a famous racecar. That excitement faded when Lightning informed Luigi of his racing experience, which did not include any laps against a Ferrari, a car that, in Luigi’s eyes, was the premiere automobile.

It’s hard to argue with that view. Ferraris are fast, gorgeous, and ultra-expensive. If you can have one, it sends a message: you aren’t just another driver on the road. You are the driver on the road.

Over the years we’ve seen many licensed racing games, but only a handful of them focused on one particular automobile license. And of those few, just one left a lasting impression: a low-budget Ford racer that was nowhere near as cool as the vehicles it featured. Once Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli was unveiled, it seemed the tide would change in favor of the single-licensed racer. How could it not? Dozens of Ferraris, 12 licensed tracks, adaptable AI and 1080p support were all on the roster of promised features.

Zoom Zoom

Sleek and stylish. Those are the first two words that come to mind when looking at Ferrari Challenge. The 50+ Ferrari models have been re-created with optimal realism, allowing them to impress onlookers distracted by Burnout or Gran Turismo. The deep interiors, intricate touches and textures that are generations closer to achieving photo-realism make this the best visual representation of one automobile license in a single game. Even the menu screens are enhanced with giant images of a Ferrari, each taken from an in-game model.

If "sleek" and "stylish" are the first words triggered by the graphics, you're probably wondering what other words come to mind. As an officially licensed product, Ferrari Challenge couldn't be made without the watchful eye of the auto manufacturer. Real-world tracks are available, including Infineon, Misano, and the Virginia Raceway. But once the first race began – and every other race after that – only two words came to mind: slip and slide.

Ferrari Challenge(d)

There’s a significant difference between intelligent AI and perfect AI. Intelligent AI feels realistic; perfect AI just means your opponents are pre-programmed experts that never screw up. I’ve got nothing against a challenging video game. In fact, challenge is preferred 100% of the time. But while you are technically racing against the most skilled AI opponents on the planet, you are physically battling unstable controls and corner-heavy courses. The way a Ferrari handles in this game is akin to a drift-based racer without the drifting, or like Burnout without the ability to turn quickly. On your first race, you might even think of it as hard-to-steer version of Test Drive Unlimited.

To make it through even a medium-sized corner, you must brake severely, as shown on screen by the red line in the middle of the road, should you choose to leave the acceleration/deceleration indicator turned on. If you brake too soon, time is wasted; if you brake too late, there’s no way you’ll make the turn without going off the road, leading to an instant skid – or worse – a spin-out. This isn’t spontaneous but continuous. There is no happy medium where the player suddenly learns to recover from these issues. The only way around a mistake is to not make one at all. If this is the closest thing to real-world racing, I’m perfectly content playing racing games that bend the truth.

There are a few different modes, including season and trophy races, but they differ only in the way each course is presented, not in the way the game actually plays. On certain courses in the arcade mode, if you go out of bounds slightly but on purposely to pass an opponent, there won't be any repercussions. But if you slide off the track accidentally, it's an instant penalty.

Now what happens when you bump an opponent, causing him to drive off the track (and likely lose the race)? Kick back and relax. You won't be punished. But suppose you're trying to stay on the track and the opposite happens (an opponent pushes you off). Now you'll get a penalty for sure.

In the arcade mode, penalties aren't dished out the old-fashioned way. Actually, to be clear, arcade modes rarely have penalties of any kind. But when they do, they're given in the form of time or point deductions that are calculated at the end of the race. In Ferrari Challenge, penalties are delivered on-the-spot by physically slowing your vehicle. For the three or four seconds that the penalty lasts, you won't be able to drive more than 30mph. Though it's possible that real Ferrari racing is the same way (I suppose there could be a mechanism inside each vehicle that allows race officials to reduce your speed at will using a remote control), in a video game, and certainly in an arcade mode, it's an annoying feature that doesn't fit.

Review Scoring Details for Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli

Gameplay: 5.5
If you’re used to (and in favor of) the Forza, GRID, Burnout or Project Gotham styles of racing, Ferrari Challenge doesn't offer much beyond its impressive vehicles to lure and retain players.

Graphics: 6.0
Excellent vehicle designs, terrible backgrounds, and a less-than-perfect frame rate make this a game of visual beauty and ugliness.

Sound: 5.0
Repetitive beats from the world of repetitive music. Engine sounds are the same old thing.

Difficulty: Medium
A game of unnecessary frustration. Why bother having "beginner" courses if the same skills (and a stoic attitude toward winning and losing) are required to beat the harder tracks?

Concept: 7.5
The idea of an all-Ferrari racer is great but the execution doesn't live up to expectations.

Multiplayer: 5.0
Online play for up to 16 players. As far as numbers are concerned, that's great news. But you're going to have a hard time finding 16 people that want to play this game together on a regular basis.

Overall: 5.5
For the players who love the Ferrari brand to death and want a game that demands every ounce of patience they possess, there might be something valuable hidden within Ferrari Challenge. But know that most players will not be able to find it.

GRID

Handheld racers are a different breed. It was a decade before Ridge Racer – an arcade and console hit – could be properly made into a portable game. That development came courtesy of Sony's PSP, whose stellar processor allowed for a much deeper gameplay experience than the good old Game Boy.

But while PSone and PS2-caliber games can now be designed for handheld machines, we are far from the day when PS3 or Xbox 360-caliber games can be enjoyed anywhere. Such is the case with GRID for Nintendo DS. Don't get me wrong -- this is a good game. But it's not really GRID. The controls are different, the mechanics are more forgiving, and you can't rewind time after a botched move. Though you may have anticipated that some omissions had to be made (the DS couldn't possibly have enough ram or processing power to rewind time), if you loved the console version, you're bound to be a bit disappointed.

Alright, you're disappointed. (Tears, anger, broken windows.) Now that you're over it, let's discuss why the DS version is a solid racer in its own right.

Arcade Simulation

GRID offers 11 different race types, most of which will be familiar to anyone that’s played the other versions: Single Race, Championship, Time Trial, Speed Test, Acceleration and Braking Test, Steering Test, Chase, Survival, Drift Battle, Touge, and Blueprint. There is also a practice circuit that lets you cruise without rules or a time limit.

Most race types are fun, but there are a few that stumble in various places. We’ll start with those that succeed. The majority are won with the same skills: by being the fastest racer on the track. You’ll have to know the course layout and get comfortable with the D-pad steering – which is nowhere near as finely tuned or as sensitive as the analog steering found on every platform except the DS – or find yourself slamming into wall after wall. This is not easy to accomplish. Luckily, GRID is good at pushing players through the initial rough spots. It’s not a particularly fast racing game, at least not in terms of the sensation or presentation, so you won’t be engaged by that. But the course layout is a nice (albeit scaled down) re-creation of the console versions. While some locales are new or maybe just different, there are plenty of areas that stand out for being a part of the world you’ve raced before.

GRID lets you edit tracks both for the fun of it and to complete specific Blueprint events.

The Chase and Survival events will take players back to the early days of Need for Speed, back when “Hot Pursuit” was just the latest concept in changing up EA’s leading franchise. In Chase, you are in hot pursuit of the opponent. Catch him and you win. Do so within the first time bracket – say, 90 seconds – and you’ll be awarded the maximum number of medals (three). Rather than the standard gold, silver and bronze lineup, GRID uses numbers – one, two or three medals – to signify the top three players.

Survival’s goal is the opposite. During this event you’ll be chased by an AI opponent who seems to be faster and know the course better than you. If he gets within a few feet of your vehicle, it’s race over. Thus, you’re constantly, frantically driving to get as far away from him as possible. The longer you last, the more medals you’ll earn.

Touge, like the Single Race, Championship and Time Trial events, is an event of speed. But without any opponents and a time limit employed, it is essentially another kind of time trial. Race through to the mountain road, turn around at the checkpoint, and speed back down to the area where you first began. Though this could have been a nightmare on the DS where there’s no thumbstick and the screens are very small, Touge races were a lot easier to win in this version than they were on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Gridlocked

Before moving onto the events that didn’t work out so well, it’s important to note that GRID includes the same course creation feature that was developed for Race Driver: Create & Race. This is an excellent feature that, when used solely for the joy of creating and sharing your own tracks, is very rewarding.

But when included as a specific event, it isn’t nearly as fun. The game throws out a bunch of requirements, more or less forcing the player to build something specific. That wouldn’t be so bad if the requirements were clear. But you’ll have to tinker with the track and place and remove (and replace) pieces until the checkpoint screen shows it’s complete. Now suppose you want to take a break from track editing. What happens if all the pieces are in place and every request has been met except one? You’re screwed. You can’t save the track and exit because it’s not really a part of the track editor, but merely an event based on the track editor’s mechanics. The game won’t save during events, only after they have been completed.

GRID also has trouble in the area of drifting, as the semi-stiff D-pad controls do not allow for the precise steering that’s needed to drift. As a result, drifting is clunky and disconnected. You don’t slide into the drift; you skid into it and try to hold it long enough to score more than two or three hundred points at a time (possible but not common). Remember the cool combo system of the console versions, where you could link multiple drifts for multiplied point totals? That’s gone too.

GRID for Nintendo DS isn’t the show-stopping racer it was on Xbox 360 and PS3, nor is it as cool as Race Driver: Create & Race was last year. But if you don’t have Race Driver and just want a decent racing game for your DS, GRID is a good time.

Review Scoring Details for GRID

Gameplay: 7.8
Solid racing entertainment. GRID's smooth controls, fair objective variety and interesting track designs are just what a racing game needs.

Graphics: 7.5
Nothing standout. GRID's visuals are acceptable, but the car models are not the system's best, and the bland backdrops hinder the game's sensation of speed.

Sound: 4
The repetitive techno beats and weak engine sounds are expected but no less depressing.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Most events have a balanced difficulty, but don't be surprised if you find yourself shouting at the screen during the Chase, Survival or Blueprint events.

Concept: 6.9
GRID is more of a Race Driver: Create & Race offshoot than a totally new racing experience. However, you will recognize a handful of track patterns that were present in the console versions, which is very cool.

Multiplayer: 7
Single or multi-card races for up to four, just like Race Driver. However, with a weaker sense of speed, GRID is not as compelling.

Overall: 7.8
This Nintendo DS version isn't anywhere near the quality (or originality) of the console versions, but if you can accept it as a good racing game and not another version of GRID, you'll enjoy it very much.

BOMBERMAN TOUCH - THE LEGEND OF MYSTIC BOMB

Players have been in love with the Bomberman series for many years now. Each time a new gaming system is released it is inevitable that a Bomberman game will soon follow. Launching with the iTunes App store for the iPhone/iPod Touch, Hudson Soft released Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb. Fans of the series will be delighted to know that the classic Bomberman gameplay that they have enjoyed for years has stayed intact in this latest game.

The story for this game is very simple yet effective. Bomberman John and a friend have crashed landed on a mysterious island while they were out looking for treasure. After the crash, players must fight their way to find the treasure buried in an ancient temple. Players must transverse though various levels searching for the treasure while avoiding hostile enemies to get to it.

The controls are very simple for the player to use. The entire touch screen acts as a d-pad for players to move around. To use it, players just touch anywhere on the screen and where they touch becomes the “center” of the d-pad. Then players must then move their finger in any direction (left, right, up, and down) to get where they need to be. While this isn’t as accurate as a dedicated d-pad, it does get the job done. To drop bombs, players can press the bomb icon on the screen.

This game follows the rules of the classic Bomberman games. Players are thrown into a maze where there are various obstacles in their way. Players must clear a path and avoid the bomb flames to stay alive. In order to get to the end of the level players must destroy the enemies on the screen with their bombs. Players must be pretty astute to catch the bad guys because they always seem to be aware of their surroundings and try to take cover when a bomb has been dropped. Throughout each level they are various upgrades that players can collect that will give them more lives, bombs, and even upgrade the power of their bombs.

The visuals for this game are pretty good and crisp. What players will really enjoy is that there is no slow down, especially after a bomb has been set off. The jungle theme works really well for this game as well, and has a few small tie-ins to recently released movies. The musical score for this game is good, but players would rather listen to their own music. Sound effects are also strong and have a nice sound to them.

Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb can be purchased on the iTunes App store for $7.99

Review Scoring Details for Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb

Gameplay: 7.9
Players will love the touch-screen controls and it works really well for this game. This is classic Bomberman gaming at its best!

Graphics: 7.9
The graphics are crisp and clean.

Sound: 8.0
Players will love the classic Bomberman music.

Difficulty: Medium
As with all Bomberman games, it starts off really easy and becomes more challenging as players progress.

Concept: 8.0
No gaming system is complete without a classic Bomberman game, and the iPhone is no exception.

Overall: 8.0
My only real complaint is the lack of a multiplayer mode in this game. Hopefully the developers will come up with a way to include it in a future release. Players should get many hours of great gameplay out of this title.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

Imagine a game with a huge, open world filled with dozens of unique vehicles and attacks that let you cause destruction whenever and wherever you choose. Now, toss in game-crippling bugs, brain-dead AI, unsatisfying gunplay, a lousy story, and repetitive missions. That's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. Mindlessly causing chaos can be enjoyable in short bursts, and online co-op play spices things up a bit, but beyond those all-too infrequent bits of fun, Mercenaries 2 is a dud.

There are certainly moments when it's fun to blow stuff up.

You play as one of three mercenaries--all of whom have very similar storylines. The game follows your absurd quest for vengeance on a man who hired you to do a job and didn't pay. Mercs 2's story is bad (as is the voice acting), but it's ultimately inconsequential and all of the cutscenes can safely be skipped. The first few missions are designed to get you accustomed to the game's third-person-shooting action. In the span of 30 minutes you'll shoot several different weapons, use grenades and C4, and drive cars, boats, and jeeps as you secure what will eventually become your home base. After that, the first few contracts you take on are fun, but that's mostly because the gameplay mechanics are new and the thrill of destruction is still fresh.

It's after the first hour or so that you'll start to notice something's amiss. For a game that's all about guns, actually firing one isn't terribly satisfying. Weapons feel weak, it's difficult to hit moving targets, and the damage they cause is inconsistent. In fact, it's easier to hijack a tank or grapple onto a flying helicopter than it is to destroy one. Heavier weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades are great and can destroy almost anything they hit, but the amount of ammunition (which, for some reason, you have to hit a button to pick up) is so limited that you won't be able to use them often. Plus, it's tedious to have to go in a shop, purchase a weapon, go outside, call for the weapon, and then wait to pick it up. Why can't you just walk into a store and buy a gun?

The game's version of Venezuela is enormous, but while technically impressive, its size is mostly a detriment. There's not a whole lot to do, so you'll be tempted to make your own fun by blowing up buildings and cars and terrorizing towns in a tank. While this might be enticing (and fun for a few hours), it's a bad idea if you're trying to actually make it to the end of the game. Not only are you penalized for harming civilians, but one stray bullet can anger an entire faction. Factions are your main source of income and can be essential to mission progress, but when a faction is angry with you they'll quit offering you work and shoot you on sight. The large world also means that unless you're in a position to use the instant transport option, it takes forever to get from one place to the next. Roads wind aimlessly around the terrain; the GPS often gives bad directions; random friendly soldiers will blow up your cars; and helicopters are frequently shot out of the sky by missiles that rarely miss. To make matters worse, when you're killed after hitting a checkpoint you typically have to go back to your home base or the outpost where you got the mission and then travel all the way back to your target.

You'll eventually acquire the services of a mechanic, a helicopter pilot, and a jet pilot. The helicopter pilot is useful; he'll drop off supplies and transport you where you need to go as well as pick up the money and fuel needed for airstrikes. The jet pilot, who is a stereotypical drunk Russian, drops bombs whenever you call in an airstrike. It's too bad that airstrikes are of limited value, because you often can't get close enough or avoid being shot long enough to line up the target. There always seems to be something you're supposed to protect or something stopping you from transmitting--it's just easier to go in and shoot everyone. The mechanic is just plain worthless. She's supposed to use junk that you find hidden in boxes throughout the world, but unless you actively search for them, you're not likely to find many, and she won't provide anything more than the car she had when you teamed up with her.

It only takes one punch to kill someone.

Mercenaries 2 purports to give you all sorts of freedom when it comes to how you exact your revenge, but in reality, your choices are few. Yes, there are different factions and groups spread out across the map, but typically only one of them has a contract that will help advance the storyline, and you can get nearly to the end of the game before having to pick one side over another. Most of the contracts require you to take over an outpost for a faction, and when the game does give you the chance to do something else it's limited to annoying escort missions or out-of-place racing challenges. Each faction has a set of high value targets (HVT). You can earn cash by capturing or killing and then photographing these targets. This is interesting the first few times, but the money you make for bagging someone isn't worth the hassle. Factions get mad when you take out their people, and friendly soldiers will often kill the guy you're trying to extract alive. Capturing outposts is extremely repetitive. While the size and shape of the bases may vary slightly, the way you attack them is the same: Kill everyone inside and call in a landing crew. This can be mildly amusing for a short time, but the fun quickly grinds to a halt as the game's bevy of bugs and problems make themselves apparent. Enemy AI is horrific. If you're injured you can just run behind a building to regenerate--soldiers won't make much of an effort to find you. They won't even go to great lengths to shoot you if you're right next to them, often standing there oblivious to your shooting them. When you have to destroy a specific piece of equipment or vehicle, sometimes the easiest thing to do is stand next to or get inside of it and let the bad guys blow up the very thing they're supposed to be protecting.

The problems just keep on coming. Helicopters will vanish with you in them; turrets will float in midair; people you're supposed to rescue will drown themselves or run face-first into the helicopter rather than get in; and allies will shoot at you for no reason. Combat falls flat because shooting guys takes longer and is more difficult than simply running up to them and killing them with one punch; helicopters will often drop off support troops on rooftops, where they'll either get stuck or plunge to their deaths. Enemy soldiers respawn in gun towers even after you've taken over an outpost; they can shoot through walls and often appear out of thin air, too. Civilians will run right in front of you when you drive, costing you 5 grand each time you hit them; your helicopter pilot will sometimes fail to show up, or will drop your cargo where you can't get to it. You might even be unlucky enough to have the game crash during a load screen; or to be told that you're dead when you clearly have health left, forcing you to restart. You might even lose progress due to a save game failing. The list of bugs and problems really is staggering.

Really, the only fun to be had with Mercenaries 2 is in playing cooperatively with a friend online. You can chat back and forth during long helicopter flights, revive the other person when they're killed by an unseen foe, and put your heads together to creatively tackle obstacles. But even co-op has caveats. If either person gets killed, he or she has to be revived before the timer runs out or else the game will end--a problem when the other person is far away or in the middle of a long hijacking animation. Your buddies can also cause you a lot of grief if they anger factions or kill civilians, leaving you with a big mess to clean up. There are even more bugs than usual when playing online, which is no small feat given the problems evident during the single-player campaign. And lastly, co-op play makes the game (which, cheap deaths aside, is pretty easy) even easier.

The graphics have their ups and downs.

Mercenaries 2's visuals are inconsistent. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game are mostly similar, but the PS3 has some ugly aliasing problems. The vehicles look good, and there are a lot of them. Some areas are very attractive, and the varied terrain (cliffs, rivers, rolling hills) enhances the gameplay and will change the way you attack a target. The game's bread and butter--its explosions--are generally disappointing. Some of them look fantastic, but it's jarring how one animation transitions to the next when something blows up. There aren't many different buildings to destroy, either, so you end up seeing the same thing explosions and over again. While you can typically see far off in the distance, what you see isn't very detailed. This isn't a huge problem when you're standing still or on the ground, but when you're in a moving helicopter, the draw-in is obvious to the point of distraction. Clipping, hideously blurry backgrounds in cutscenes, repetitive buildings, enemies that all look alike (right down to the same terrible animation when they get shot), and a drab color palette round out the package.

Mercenaries 2 is filled with bugs and glitches that are unacceptable in a retail release. Even if it were possible to overlook the broken elements, you're still left with abysmal AI, repetitive mission structure, unsatisfying weapons, and a huge world without much to do. Mindless, random destruction provides some thrills, but there are so many better open-world action games out there (including the original Mercenaries for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox) that there's no reason to spend your time and money on this clearly unfinished game.

Art of Murder: FBI Confidential

Nicole Bonnet is an FBI agent based in New York City. Her partner is killed suddenly, but instead of being allowed to work on that case, she is instead assigned to working a different case with a new partner. This new case involves several grisly, ritualistic murders that appear to be the work of a serial killer. The trail begins in New York, but eventually leads to South America.

The game begins with the murder of Nicole’s partner. Shortly afterwards (in game time, that is), she’s back at the office and ready to get back to work. In this big, dangerous city of New York, this branch of the FBI only has three desks for the rank and file officers and one desk for the boss. Nicole is the only regular officer here, as she prepares to investigate her partner’s death. The secretary is here, though, and Nicole chats with her and then tries to head out. Oh, wait, she has to write up the report, first, before she can leave. Drat, the printer is out of paper! This is too exciting.

At this point in the game, we don’t know anything about the story. Nicole’s partner was killed, but that’s all we know. This lack of story background, combined with the very mundane tasks that Nicole has to undertake, makes for a rather ho-hum beginning. Fortunately, the game does become more interesting later on when Nicole travels to Peru, but that’s not saying a whole lot.

The Art of Murder: FBI Confidential is a point-and-click adventure in the usual style, but one that relies on a police procedural approach, similar to CSI. This is a good idea, and one that should have worked well in this setting, but the way it’s handled is rather boring. The tasks don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, and often either items can’t be used or picked up until later in the game when they are relevant, or Nicole can’t move ahead in the game because of something not done. Fortunately, there is a hint system (needed items or places will light up) and the inventory puzzles aren’t very difficult.

The interface is the typical icon approach to interacting with the environment. It’s handled efficiently and easily. Right-clicking when the appropriate icon appears will trigger the needed event.

The music is adequate, but not very soul-stirring. The sound effects are present and do a decent job of emulating the activities in the scenes. Where the game falls down in the sound department is in the voice acting. Partly due to the random remarks that don’t have a whole lot to do with anything going on at the moment, but mainly due to bad voice-acting, the voiced conversations are bland and dull. There are some rather funny remarks pointed at pop-culture, but they don’t hit the mark very often due to the overall writing and voice-acting. There is also a lot of cursing, which may have its place in some scenes with an FBI agent, but here it’s as if these words were placed randomly for the sake of existence.

This game is fairly easy, and with the hint system it’s hard to get stuck. The puzzles become harder later in the game in South America, but then they often don’t make a whole lot of sense.

The Art of Murder isn’t a bad game, but neither is it a very good game. There are good aspects to it, but when mixed with the bad parts it’s a mediocre package. The game begins decently enough, but it never gets off the ground. The boring puzzles and bad voice-acting make it hard for players to get into the game while playing. Nicole has a hard time with her script; it’s all over the place. Her remarks often jar with the scene.

The Art of Murder is probably best enjoyed if purchased as a bargain for a weekend play.

Review Scoring Details for Art of Murder: FBI Confidential

Gameplay: 6.0
This game is rather boring and it’s difficult to get into the story. The interface is designed well and it’s easy enough to play, but just not very interesting.

Graphics: 7.0
The game looks pretty decent and the characters move smoothly. The environments are nicely drawn and populated.

Sound: 7.0
The music is not very memorable, but isn’t bad, either.

Difficulty: Medium
There isn’t anything that is particularly difficult.

Concept: 6.0
This game is just like all the other average adventure games out there.

Overall: 6.0
This game is a mediocre adventure game that may offer a few hours of enjoyment to some. Much of it is illogical or unexplained, and the voice-acting is hard to get past. There are lots of thing to do with the inventory puzzles, but they aren’t very interesting or challenging. This isn’t the worst game out there, but neither is it the best. Players who are looking for a few filler hours of CSI-like gaming may enjoy it.