VIDEO GAMES

section by: Justin Clark and SCOTT!

LOST PLANET 2
Capcom
360, PS3, PC
5/11
MSRP: $59.99

CLICK HERE TO BUY FROM AMAZON!



Lost Planet and Dead Rising are truly the red-headed stepchildren in Capcom’s franchise stable. They sold a ton of copies, sure, but I’ve yet to meet anyone in the flesh who truly enjoyed those games except in theory. The difference, however, is that from all available evidence, Dead Rising 2 seems to be getting its shit together, showing some genuine lessons learned. Lost Planet, on the other hand, seems to have gotten a facelift, but not any smarter, or deeper. Actually I take back the red-headed stepchild thing. They’re more like Janet and Latoya Jackson than anything.

SKATE 3
EA
360, PS3
5/11
$59.99

CLICK HERE TO BUY FROM AMAZON!




As opposed to the yearly bum for change Tony Hawk’s franchise has become, the Skate franchise has been built up slowly, deliberately, with a lot of tender loving care, to become something that consistently delivers an enjoyable, accessible experience. That said, the name of the game this time is co-op, with a much bigger focus on team gameplay on- and offline. Which all well and good, considering every addition Skate 2 added to the mix was for the best, but I don’t think it’s unwise to keep ones fingers crossed the single player keeps the same level of polish.

3D.GAME HEROES
Atlus
PS3
$39.99

CLICK HERE TO BUY FROM AMAZON!





As much as I’d love to sell this as Lego Legend of Zelda, I feel like I would get an angry, profanity/hatred/spittle laden diatribe courtesy of From Software. Then again, this is the company that made the biggest spiky boot up the ass of the common, modern gamer in the form of Demon’s Souls, so I guess they’ve already shown how much they hate me. This game, on the other hand, is all about the love. It is a giant love letter to the original Legend of Zelda, to 8-bit gaming, to the era that gave modern gaming a foundation, and from all reports, an amazingly well crafted adventure game in its own right.

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST
Batman Arkham Asylum: Game Of The Year Edition 3D (360, PS3; 5/11; $49.99)

OOOOH: ON THE DLC TIP

ROCKET KNIGHT
XBL, PSN, PC (Steam)
5/12
$14.99/1200 MS pts


So, we’re finally getting the Rocket Knight Adventures sequel that should have happened in 1996. I’ve been begging for this game for over a decade. And between the loss of the fantastic steampunk that drove the original games, the Banjo-Kazooie level graphics, and just the completely uninspired nature of the trailers, frankly Sparkster, I don’t give a damn.

ROCK BAND TUESDAY

Judas Priest – British Steel Live ($14.99/1200 MS pts)

  • Breaking the Law (Live) +
  • Rapid Fire (Live) +
  • Metal Gods (Live)
  • Grinder (Live) +
  • United (Live) +
  • Living After Midnight (Live)
  • You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise (Live)
  • The Rage (Live) +
  • Steeler (Live) +

+-Available for Lego Rock Band
$1.99/160 MS pts per track

Render unto Priest that which is Priest’s. One can dislike the band’s music as a total product all they want, but if there is a Metal Bible, British Steel is the first book of the New Testament. Rock Band has done the Priest tracks so far the favor of really making it easy to appreciate how intricate and amazing the craft on those albums was. Whether that shines through on these live recordings remains to be seen, though.