Features: Power-up racer built on a platform using real licensed vehicles rather traditional cartoony carts. Get behind the wheel of more than 53 photo-realistic cars/trucks with an advanced damage system. Games features a unique point system called “Fans” rewarding players with access to more vehicles, paint customization, mods, and vehicle upgrades by completing several challenges that range from the really easy to the insanely tricky. Multiplayer features 4-player split-screen locally or up to 20 players online. Multiplayer offers team based racing experiences as well.

Description: An authentic car racing simulator mixed with the arcade action of kart racing power-ups. Race to the finish line while destroying your appoints at the same time. Battle your way across the planet in locations like New York, Barcelona, Tokyo, L.A. and beyond. Players must strategically find a way offensively and defensively to win each event. Utilize an arsenal of 8 unique power-ups like Nitro, speed boosts, Shock attacks, defensive Shields, and Mines to name a few. Choose from several game modes and mini games in single career mode and online multiplayer action.

Verdict: This is the first release for Bizarre Creations since falling under the Activision umbrella. Bizarre Creations is known for making quality racers from its previous 4 Gotham Racing games. Being a fan of their previous series I was really looking forward to what Bizarre had up its virtual sleeves for a new racing Intellectual Property.

It appears the studio was looking to create a new racing experience rather than just produce another Project Gotham sequel with a new name. The concept seems simple and can almost easily be described as Mario Kart on steroids. Add a large garage of HD graphically enhanced licensed vehicles, real life locations, and then create chaos on the race track with power-ups like Shock lightning, Shunt homing missiles, Barge bumper blasts, Mines, energy Bolts, Nitro boosts, Shields for protection, and Repair kits that can be used offensively or defensively to win each race. Even the marketing campaign that ran to promote this game would suggest the same.

While playing multiplayer I was pleased to find there was much more to it than this a simple mix-match of two types of games. There was a third concept thrown in the mix similar to another Activision property, Call of Duty that really creates that sort of incentive to play multiplayer a lot to unlock all the potential of this game. Blur’s multiplayer has a ranking system to show player progression and unlock more vehicles, mods, and challenges similar to Call of Duty making it very addictive to play over and over again to unlock more stuff. Mods are powerful upgrades that can really change the users experience and give them an edge over their competition with the right combination.

Users are able to apply 3 mods to their vehicles with abilities like Ram Boost, Health Both, Free Power-Ups upon start of game to name a few. The Car Upgrades really add a new element I haven’t seen before in a racing power-up game.

I enjoyed unlocking these perks as I progressed through the multiplayer ranks even though I didn’t always have to win the race. Blur multiplayer also features Legend Mode (Prestige) where players that reach the rank o 50 can reset their rank down to 1 again and reset all the challenges and mod.

Unfortunately what makes the multiplayer experience fun doesn’t completely translate as well into the single player experience. It almost feels through single player was an afterthought. In the single player career mode you must battle your way to the top through the game’s 9 bosses. There are three unique event types under each boss: racing, checkpoint, and destruction. Each boss has a series of challenges and race events that you must complete in order to face them one-on-one. It’s a nice training ground somewhat for the multiplayer experience but it falls a little short with some of the mini game challenges. To clear each event the game sets up a lights system rewarding players that place in the top 3 get so many lights.

Players also had the ability to earn more lights based on earning designated amount of fan points and completing a mini gate racing game would be thrown in the mix. To reach each boss players must complete a series of challenges that fit the play style of that particular boss. At time it really works to differentiate itself the from the multiplayer but more often felt overwhelming being fed that much action going on at one time.

Not surprising Blur is graphically stellar. The cars look slick, animations are smooth and colors pop in every direction. I was thoroughly impressed with the little details imbedded in all the maps featured in this game. Each map was realistic and engaging to the eye. I was particularly blown away by the background fireworks on the Brighton maps which are set at night along beach coastline one side and amusement park on the other. You could see the reflections of the fireworks in the water. These little details really separate Blur from the cartoon cart racing games it was inspired by.

Blur does not disappoint when it comes to sound quality and the game’s soundtrack. The effects and ambiance noises are spot on with this title. The game offers an excellent licensed sound track with a variety of music types that meld well with this game. From the beginning the game loads up with “Smile?” by the Crystal Method. A haunting and bassy trance track to navigate the menu options through. Additionally select choice play in the background of races that give the game a real pulse. I would be pleased to find a release for this game’s soundtrack.

Overall I found this title to be a great game to pick up and play with a group of friends or for a quick solo run. It definitely works better in the multiplayer game modes. I like the large selections of vehicle to choose from, customizing mods, and various in-game challenges to rank up. Unlike in Mario Kart the power-ups are more balanced in blur and require some more strategy behind how a player uses them since you can hold up to 3 of them at a time and rop them if you don’t want them. I admit Blur can get frustrating and seem almost like luck sometimes with the race outcomes but it really does not take away from the fun factor. The game is a blast and designed for all player levels.

Reviewed by: Ken Tebo

Features: Face off against Gotham’s greatest villains including The Joker, Harley Quinn, Victor Zsasz and Killer Croc. Become the Invisible Predator with Batman’s takedowns and unique vantage point system to move without being seen or utilize the unique FreeFlow combat system to chain together unlimited combos and battle with huge groups of The Jokers henchmen.

Choose multiple takedown methods, including swooping from the sky and smashing through walls, and use the predator camera get a closer look at the action. Explore every inch of Arkham Asylum and roam freely on the infamous island, presented for the first time ever in its gritty and realistic entirety. Experience what it’s like to be Batman using Batarangs, explosive gel aerosol, The Batclaw, sonar resonator and the line launcher.

Description: 'Batman: Arkham Asylum' is a single player, third-person action/adventure in which the Dark Knight is forced to take on his greatest challenge yet when he is trapped by arch rival, the Joker, within Gotham City's facility for the criminally insane, Arkham Asylum. A blend of exciting arcade style combat and stealth mechanics packed with amazing graphics in a moody, immersive setting, Batman: Arkham Asylum offers diverse gameplay options that push the envelope for all action, adventure and superhero games.

Verdict: 'Batman: Arkham Asylum' has been ranked with the likes of Assassin’s Creed and BioShock. This is significant because what Batman - Arkham Asylum doesn’t provide in the way of innovation it makes up for by perfecting the gameplay gaps left in those great games. The majority of the games fight sequences use a mob fighting style reminiscent of that in Assassin’s Creed as Batman battles through tons of the Joker’s minions. The most significant difference is that as the fight rages on and the combo level increases new more devastating attacks and button pushes become available for fun cut scenes and slow motion thrills.

Once Batman reaches a boss the game shifts gears and becomes a bit more tactical. While you may have to pummel the occasional thug throughout a boss fight, the actual Boss’ require you to use strategy, the skills you’ve learned in the game and/or one of Batman’s many wonderful toys to defeat them. Where the gameplay really excels is in its ability to stay true to details in a character that is over seventy years old. Jump off a building and the Bat extends his cape to glide back to earth, hang from a gargoyle to wait on an unsuspecting thug to snatch out of the darkness.

The games true innovation comes in its Detective Mode, which allows you to scope out crime scenes, see points of interest for grappling, and follow victims or felons trails. The upside/downside of this mode is that while you have the ability to see and assess skeletal forms through hundreds of feet of rock and metal (don’t ask… the technology is beyond our simple comprehension) you get bound to it and miss a lot of the beauty and detail that went into Arkhams dark design. While the game is third person, the first person zoom feature really captures the amount of effort put into making this game visually perfect from start to its brilliant polished finish.

Aside from the story portion of the game, Batman: Arkham Asylum has incorporated a number of features to increase the replay value including a skills/challenge section and Riddler narrated side quests. The challenge section is nice because it serves multiple purposes, on one hand it is a great place to hone the skills and attributes you have acquired in the story and on the other hand it ranks your best competitive times against the rest of the world’s players.

The riddler quests are placed throughout the actual story mode and can drive you as crazy as Edward Nigma if you aren’t careful. The Riddler provides riddles and has placed items throughout Arkham that require your immediate attention. That’s because many of them lead to new abilities or tools you will need for the game, challenges and later Riddler quests. The only problem is that half the ones you find initially will be irretrievable till later in the game and you will undoubtedly try to retrieve them for some time before realizing you need something else to get it.

Don’t worry Caped Crusaders as you go through the story you tend to go back through these areas again which allows you to finally pick them up. Batman: Arkham Asylum aims and succeeds in combining a dark storyline and great gameplay and replay, with an ageless icon and his wonderful toys.

Reviewed by: Tony Weakland

Features: Third person gameplay that allows you battle some of the classic favorites like Stay Puft and Slimer along with a host of terrifying new ghosts. This all new original adventure is written by the creators of the original movies, featuring the voices and likeness of the original Ghostbusters. Game consists of both single player and multiplayer game types to give players countless hours of entertainment.

Description: The year is 1991 and Thanksgiving has come once again to the streets of New York. Play as the newest member of the Ghostbusters in this third person action adventure. As the newest member of the team you be acting as a guinea pig hired in as the teams new Experiment Equipment Technician. Track down ghosts and haunted items using your trusty PKE meter and goggles combo. Fire up and shoot the Ghostbusters’s nuclear accelerator better known as a Proton Pack to weaken ghosts enough to vaporize or capture them in traps.

Earn your keep and you’ll be rewarded with the ability to purchase upgrades to your equipment. Unravel the mystery surrounding the sudden increase of ghostly activity. Go online with the games multiplayer which offers the chance to play as the original Ghostbusters in a variety of different game type such Survival, Protection, Thief, and Slime Dunk.

Verdict: Back in 1984 all I wanted to be when I grew up was a Ghostbuster. It sadly was a dream I could not fulfill. That is until the summer of 2009, a good 25 years later, Terminal Reality with the help of Sony Pictures and Atari released “Ghostbusters: The Video Game.” I really enjoyed my experience with this game. One, you get to join the join the famous Ghostbusters and two, you get to take on the ghostly characters from the movies and put a new twist in dealing with return from Gozer the Gozerian and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

This game triggered my nostalgia button bringing me back to those childhood dreams of being a member of the Ghostbusters. Terminal Reality developed a classic title that felt like an interactive third Ghostbusters movie. What really sells the experience is using the original actors to voice the game characters and you get a chance to join the team rather than take over one of their game avatars. (Please note: if you really want to play one of the actual Ghostbusters you can access them in the multiplayer experience.)

Bill Murray is exceptional funny returning to the role of Dr. Peter Venkman. Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson all reprise their iconic characters as do some of the side charaters from the original mothin pictures. The dialog offers tons of fresh one-liners and random silliness.

To give that true Ghostbusters experience you have the original score and motion picture soundtrack which wouldn’t have been a Ghostbusters game without including Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters.” Capturing the visual experience of the classic team Terminal Reality captured the younger versions of the actors’ likenesses using the old movies for reference.

As for the game play, the game mechanics make for a classic third person shooter where you blast ghosts and ghouls into oblivion. Besides the classic proton streams you’ll be expected to test out Egon’s new Shock Blast, Slime Blower, and Meson Collider to name a few. To track down ghosts and find your way around the levels you’ll be entrusted upon using the PKE meter and Para-goggles.

As you find ghosts and haunted possessions you be able to mark them and review their back stories using the Tobin's Spirit Guide. This helps set up for one of the cooler elements of the game where you earn cash for the work you put in capturing ghosts and the side research. You can also lose money on the job if you get carried away with the equipment and damage property. You can use this cash to upgrade equipment which you need to complete levels down the road to take out ghosts that don’t react the same way to proton streams.

The games true innovation comes in its Detective Mode, which allows you to scope out crime scenes, see points of interest for grappling, and follow victims or felons trails. The upside/downside of this mode is that while you have the ability to see and assess skeletal forms through hundreds of feet of rock and metal (don’t ask… the technology is beyond our simple comprehension) you get bound to it and miss a lot of the beauty and detail that went into Arkhams dark design. While the game is third person, the first person zoom feature really captures the amount of effort put into making this game visually perfect from start to its brilliant polished finish.

Once you finish off the main story you can jump back into action playing the multiplayer mini-games that you can play online with your friends. This part of the game gives you a chance to play as you favorite Ghostbuster and gives the game some added replay value. Overall I would highly recommend this game to a fan of the classic movies or anyone looking to experience a fun third person shooting adventure. Ghostbusters: The Video just like the classic Ghostbusters movies in the sense that it’s like a perfect way to kill a weekend and have a good laugh in the process.

Reviewed by: Ken Tebo

Features: Innovative 3rd person shooter gameplay. Action takes places over three continents in cinematic fashion. Unlockable death-defying acrobatic moves and weapons for multi-staged stylized attacks. Unlockable challenge levels add to gameplay.

Description: Rubi is a mercenary with an itchy trigger finger and a sharp sword. She takes a job finding and bringing back a wealthy man’s wayward son for a simple pay day. She thought wrong. The switch is in and the man who hired her isn't who he appears to be. Now Rubi's stuck between two warring drug syndicates, looking for payback and painting everything in her path blood red.

Verdict: Combine three parts of Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” for character, storyline and music with one part John Woo slow-motion effects. Cover it with a layer of Bullets and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse cinematic style; nuke it in your system for a week or so and enjoy. The lead character Rubi isn’t much of a stretch from “Black Mamba” of the acclaimed Kill Bill movies by Quentin Tarantino. Both are scorned women looking for the payback, with an acrobatic fighting style and a penchant for blood set to great soundtracks. Bethesda committed to giving “Wet” a complete double feature feel from the grainy 8MM reel effect during gameplay to the loading screen concession stand ads.

What stands out is that the effect isn’t just filler, it’s functional. Instead of the standard health meter in a far off corner of the screen, as Rubi takes damage the screen edges begin to corrode and tear causing the graininess to become more pronounced. The acrobatic fighting style tied in with a slow motion effect similar to that of the “Stranglehold” or “Max Payne” games make “Wet” worth playing until the wee hours of the morning.

Levels are a standard third person on a mostly closed campus until you get to an arena section and are unleashed upon the henchman masses. Much like the Crazy 88’s of the Kill Bill movie arena sections are a constant flood of thugs allowing for high combo levels and thus more acrobatic blood spraying. An action scenario in later rounds could include sliding into the arena shooting multiple villains on a zip line, sliding across the ground ending in a samurai sword uppercut, running across a wall shooting, jumping onto a pole shooting people on each rotation, etc… My personal favorite was running up a wall between two bad guys doing a back flip and shooting them both while doing a slow-motion back-flip.

While platform and arena levels dominate the landscape of the game, Bethesda did throw in a few other types to mix things up. Adrenaline infused car chase levels require Rubi to play leap frog with car roofs while trying to keep aim on her foes. A level that really stood out involves Rubi falling from out of an exploding plane taking out henchmen and avoiding spare plane pieces en-route to the lone parachute. Once or twice per continent Rubi gets covered in blood after killing a thug and what follows is one of the few parts of the game I wasn’t happy with. The screen is instantly immersed in a blood red silhouette effect and the expectation is that Rubi is going to slice and dice her way into a 20+ kill combo. The problem is that she still has to navigate a level to get to other thugs to keep the combo going and the lines are skewed by this “seeing red” effect making it nearly impossible to gain continuity.

Some additional gameplay features include hanging out at Rubi’s Boneyard home running, jumping and shooting your way through numerous challenges and utilizing her complete arsenal in the process. There’s also a daunting free roam challenge to find and kill all the scorpions in the Boneyard for added fun. So, while the story wasn’t completely original and there were some issues with level structure; “Wet” has the style and action necessary to keep you playing fast, thrill you with slow-mo, cover you in blood and leave you screaming for a sequel.

Reviewed by: Tony Weakland

Features: Hazard filled interactive environments that can help you crush, burn, slice, and dice zombies on your way to surviving 55 days of horror. The game holsters 11 variations of weapons (shotguns, machine guns, teddy bears filled with C4, etc) to blow the heads off the post mortem. Take on the zombie mass alone in signal player or team up with up to 4 players locally or over the Internet using Xbox Live. Re-live the apocalypse with 7 challenging unlockable game modes including “Blackout”, “Chainsaws Only”, and “7 Days of Hell.

Description: The Zombie Apocalypse has come upon us and it is time to shoot/chainsaw your way to survival. In this slightly angled top-down dual-stick shooter you’ll be able to take on the zombie infection using one of the heavily equipped gunslingers set out to destroy as many zombies as they can and try to save any of the remaining survivors. To insure you have a fighting chance at lasting the continuous hordes you’ll be equipped with an unlimited supply of machinegun bullets and a chainsaw. Of course it’s never that simple and as the game progress the infection and the variations of zombie types increase in difficulty.

Verdict: When I first heard of this game I was really excited at its potential to kill mass loads of zombies in arcade style shooter that I could team up with friends online or in my living room at a cheaper than “Left 4 Dead” price.

This game met that requirement and then some. I was impressed by the game levels and details that Nihilistic Software, Inc put into this game, giving me living environments that I could use in getting hazard kills as I took on the waves of flesh eaters. Some of these hazard kills consist of using a jet engine, a garbage truck, fireworks, a car crusher to name a few. If I was up for the challenge I could do it alone or invite some friends.

Another clever trick was the use of teddy bears filled with C4 that taunts zombies right before they blow up into itty bitty pieces. They can be really useful if thrown at the right times. The control layout was very traditional to dual-stick shooters and was easy to follow right out the gate. As the game progress the waves get larger and the variations of zombies becomes more difficult occasionally giving you boss battle with a fleshy meat pie.

The developers even tried to interject variations of gameplay that eventually become unlockables like“Blackout”, “Chainsaws Only. This leads to an arcade style shooter worthy of classic arcades that would eat your quarters for an afternoon.

Overall I had a good experience playing the game and look forward to teaming up with friends over the Xbox Live to see how that experience plays out differently. If you’re looking for a fun and cheap arcade shooter or you just want to get some aggression out on some zombies, download this game.

Reviewed by: Ken Tebo

Features: Four-person online multiplayer featuring stand alone and team modes. New commander unit type with twenty unique abilities to choose from. Updated HD graphics and views with cinematic battle sequences. Online leader boards and ranking system.

Description: The year is 2156; Earth is overpopulated and the moon has been converted into a lunar prison colony. The prisoners revolt claiming the moon for themselves and design a weapon capable of wiping out the Earth's population. You command the unified forces of Earth as you try to prevent its destruction.

Verdict: I have to assume developers approach remaking a classic game with the same apprehension that we as gamers do in playing them. Will the game be true to its original form to keep nostalgic gamers interested? What can be added to draw in the newly initiated and keep them playing? When Military Madness was released some twenty years ago it was the gaming equivalent of playing battle chess with Bobby Fischer.

What Hudson Soft did right with the original was to create a style of battle that factored in real aspects of war like the terrain, strength in the numbers, coordinated attacks with specialized military units and a relentless AI. Twenty years later, the formula remains the same but has been expanded.

Gone are the days of single hill terrain advantages as today’s battlefield incorporates everything from deep lonely chasms to mountain passes with bottle necks waiting swallow up your forces. Gaining ground quickly to release the hordes from a factory before your opponent is even more important than the prior installment and protecting your assets once gained has to factor in, lest you want to lose the units finding refuge inside. Units have the same advantages and disadvantages as the classic so using them in concert is key when taking on AI, in house or online combatants. Matching up unit types and being aware of their abilities is paramount to your success in any fire fight on Military Madness as most of the available units have a weakness to a specific type of attack.

Some of the more tasking scenarios in the story portion of the game include fighting off air attacks with a smaller arsenal of lightly armored ground to air missile types. While the storyline allows for hours of strategic play in the same format as the classic, the online multi-player sets the stage for Military Madness’ most epic battles. With the introduction of the new Commander Unit and the option to go to war with up to three opposing players in either stand alone or team modes skirmishes can be quick and deadly. The Commander is the chess equivalent of the Queen, she is your most valuable asset and she comes packed with all the best abilities and customization. Used effectively she can make short work of numerous enemy units; left open to the enemy she could cost you the war. Customization in online play (if allowed for by the host) is the most telling aspect of Hudson Soft’s intention to remake this classic for today’s gamer. Players can customize to gain terrain, attack, speed and defensive advantages which make each online game new and different. Some remakes are nothing more than a visual upgrade; some are some completely new; Military Madness has been able to achieve both. Now if we can just get Hudson Soft to bring back Milon’s Secret Castle.

Reviewed by: Tony Weakland

Features: Find hidden clues and use them together correctly to solve the case. Replay fun mini-games in Aracade mode such as Digital Decrypter and Lock Pick. Earn points to unlock an alternate ending. Meet and interrogate suspicious suspects including a diva actress and wealthy financier. Explore 19 beautifully detailed locations for clues.

Description: From the creators of the #1 selling PC Adventure series, comes a new Mystery Hidden Object series - Nancy Drew Dossier. You, as Nancy Drew, are on the set of a controversial remake of the famous 1930's film 'Pharaoh!'

The studio original movie released with an alternate ending due to the untimely death of Lois Manson, the film's star, and became a box office smash. Now, Nancy Drew is undercover on the set to get to the bottom of suspicious press leaks and uncanny accidents that have the production schedule in jeopardy.

Is someone trying to sabotage the movie or is it a curse of the fallen film star?

Verdict: In truth, I really enjoy HerInteractive's adventure PC series, but during semesters when I'm busy with assignments from college, I don't have time to play them. When HerInteractive came out with this new series that advertised "fast fun for busy detectives" I was very pleased ... and extremely interested ... especially as I was then handed a copy free of charge by my editor for review purposes!

For the most part, hidden object games do not appeal to me (I've played demos) but HerInteractive has a neat twist to it which was fun. The player looks for objects that need to be used together to solve various problems or obstacles. In-between levels, you can play other puzzles to get you more points. If you get enough points, you will get a bonus ending. This makes the dossier game great for replaying, trust me ... and no, the first and second time I played this game I never amassed enough points to 'unlock' the alternative ending!

I felt that each level was easy enough for me to figure out on my own, and because I did not have to worry about lengthy conversations, I could finish a level in time to get back to what I needed to do. Also, you can save along the way and then Quit, as the game allows you to restart at the exact point you Quit at ... without having to restart all over again, like a lot of other games.

It is fun to choose what you want to say in the adventure series, but I was not disappointed with the new quiz type of conversations. In fact, it is entertaining to read all the choices since HerInteractive adds humor to them.

The music in this game is a real bonus to me. I sometimes replayed the game just because I wanted to hear the various pieces again! Besides that, I really enjoyed the artwork that made the background for each level. It's not like the adventure series, but I like it for its original style.

Reviewed by: Kyokai