Adventure across multip 
ick and forth bei 
other world on your qu 


SQUARE ENIX. 


as you like, and customize 
t's content. Dragon Quest VI features a 
unique assortment ol interesting classes 

to choose from, including, 

Gadabout, Monster Master 
and Gladiator. 


RECRUIT MONSTERS TO JOIN YOUR HEROES IN BATILE! 


In Dragon Quest VI, monsters aren't just your enemies anymore. 
Former foes like Slime, Slime Knight and even Hackasaurus 
in your party and fight enemies at your here 


NINTEND RET S 


© 2010,2011 ARMOR PROJECTIBIRD STUDI/ARTEPIAZZA/SQUARE ENIX. AII Rights Reserved Nintendo DS s a trademark of Nintendo. © 2010 Nintendo, 


ANDY McNAMARA 
nonam 


ead my coum or 
comentan this eter at 
gamettormer атта or 
тию e Anc 


his yor marks Game former 20th anni 

versary and oven though | was hero, con't 

remember what month specially t al started. 
Our frst issue was simply labeled “Fall 1991. 

We had a sow start back thon, going from quer 
"ety to bi-monihiy issues batoro making the big 
Jump to monty, but as we grew we know one 
Thing was certain: We would do what is expected 
of al modia ошо and give oul annud awards. 
For tho 11 years that followed we det just that. We 
picked the best, put nem in an order, and pro 
claimed ono gama greater than the ther. 

Tho process, wie important, has always 
me. in 2009, | couldn't 
picking ono game as better han the other. On a. 
cold vinter day we decided to pick the 50 best 
games ol the year and organizo them by dato rato 
than argue over ranking placement 

Our inspiration for tho change came fam music 

ings 


publications, as el lists often org 
causo, iko games, thay foature a wide varioty of 


disparate gerras, Is hat jazz record realy worse 
"han that melal one? It al realy depends on your 
point ol view, and you hate one yo over another 


you wl never try agree, 

This is why ove the Top 50. It manages 
what I want o, which is calebrato the yaar and 
help gamers find golden gems that moy may һауе 
missed, We didn't havo to waste tme arbitrary 
tanking games that cller completely dieron exper 
ences. Its Just 50 kk butt games. 


Over the ast couple of years we added back the 
classic gerro and console awards, which handios 
"ho part of tha award season decision-making | per- 


sonaty hate to make, but love to argue over. After 
all, arguing about which gama is botter with your 
rends, your magazine, and even your enarnies is 
атаву what makes these ists fn. 
Whio we could agroo on that, wo dmosi never 
“agree cn which games make the cut for tho Top. 
0, or for that matter, which game should win our 
Game ofthe Yoar award, Personal, this yoar was 
tough. I coud easily фе GOTY lo God of War M, 
Red Read Redemption, or Mass Etlect 2 and fect 
great, in tact, codd give i to al roo and fool even 
betler, but that doesn't follow the spit ol awards 
organizing our pop ature into neat stacks of good, 
y, be 
Enjoy the Тор 50, the awards, and an issue 
some ofthe amazing games we wil be 


packed wih 
arguing about in next year's Top 56 


The Elder Scrolls V: 
Skyrim 


has changed In the 200 years Ses 


the Oblivion gates. The dragons ha 


etuméd to Tamriel, and you mist take 
өп a Brand new adventure g 

the dragónborn in the next RPG from. 
Bethesda Softworks, g 

by Matt Miller E 


Guardian's Fum 


10 Coi 
Our picks for 
games of 201 


as to say about his 
foray into gaming, 


tradition, after al 
by Andrew Reiner 


contents 3 


games index 


een, QOL Milk? 


See how the nutrients in lowfat 
milk help Apolo refuel after a race at 
bodybymik.com/apoloohno 


Upon browsing "30 Char 
Decade,” | ily found m 


in lark contrast 1o your 
hanged after reading the 
faco to he reasoning 
m harc pressed lo 
win your opinion on even 
з. That evolution of my own opinion has left 
o wilh one inevitable and undeniablo conclu 
sion: Your odi ч a superi allen species 
who ar Iman bought alterin 
inco I statistically probabo that my 
own opinions would so closely mirror those of 
jour editors. | also realize the fully of formu 
ing this ea sinc d your responso o t 
mal, my views partairing Lo my realization wil 
change, Keep up the good work Game Informer 
You have elloctvely persuaded (or солода) rm 
into being alle long subscriber, 
Matthew 
Coal Township, PA 
Iwas very im by the cover art for tho 
December issue, and even more so wher 
saw tho completo panorama on pages 46 an 
47. I would be very interested n purchasing: 
rgo postor version. ls oro any way his w 
bo poss 
Nathan Lehman. 
Via email 


Contact Us 


Due to overwhelming Interest from our 
readers, we will indeed be selling 12 x 48 
Inch prints of issue 212% full cover Image. 
Detalls on how to order your print will soon 
be available at gameinformer.com/posters. 
As for Matthew's humorous theory: Don't 
worry, we're totally not a superior allen 
species. We repeat: We are not a superior 
allen species. 


I've been receiving GI or quite a while now, and 
ге thing has bugged me the ime. in the 
Feedback section of the magazine, the subject 
iscussod by slallrs and readers aro al ro 

two issues ago, For example, when | received 
the December 2010 issue (with the top 30 char 
actors on the ron) the Feedback section w 


things discussed in Octobe 
BioShock nfrt is 

ıs issue was November's Resistance 
yis his 


Parker Sams 
Via emall 


Because of the time it takes to print and 
ship the magazine to our readers, we usu- 
ally end up finishing our current issue. 
around the time the previous month's Issue 
starts showing up in mailboxes, which 
means few people have had a chance to 
even read it, much less write us venom- 
spewing hate mall over its contents. If the 
delay still bothers you, just do what we do. 
and pretend that you're so cool you're living 
in the future, 


ке пей wart lo 
do hae top 
Typically you have to ~ 
walt, how are you read- 
Ing this? 


The picture of Ben below 
should answer your 
question. 


ings. Wan you ae 


This relationship thing ls 
‘easier than we thought... 


Worst News Tip 
Of The Month: 


dort iow what SS 


arching F ү ‘Out of all the characters that readers felt 
For the most part. | enjoy the Ist articles that you меге snubbed by our list, Sam Fisher was 
guys write. usual fnd them fun and hought- the most cited. But you shouldn't confuse 


provoking. However, as read throug great gameplay with a great character. The Gay (IAM) 
‘nice about the “30 Characters Who Dofned Fisher's personality has been far too н 
A Decada." I gol so upset thal almost fel oll inconsistent over the years, Starting off "Vak Suck 
the crapper. Н ‘you guys leave Sam asa loyal government man, Sam Fisher. uo (yorka Konba) 
of this Ist Ho's one ol the great cha- has been re-Imagined as a rogue agent, а 
actors who have made the sles gerre what  floppy-haired hobo, and a Jack Bauer-ike . yae Mon 
itis today, not to mention racking up. Ike, а brute. A character who goes through that 
bafon dollars in salos over six tiles onmuple many reboots In such a short time Just isn't = Сіли 
аот Bois you gue gee Sorter ОЯ Wing the mark. rió Collie 
из, 
Omaha, МЕ 


(Left This sy we 
tako Ben алына 
(Right) One PR's un 
Casto and Square En 


УР T 


dina 


Phan atoy a roma 
vin Ben 


feedback 7 


222222 


fiat beweg ag be 
een. 

Lonas Tvatptue 

manso w 
—— 


eft] Tis monn me sta 
Was held captive by GANS 
Uungus and Blake 

"e Nighy = check oul e 
viden ol he shenanigans at 
gameinlormx.com (inset) 
Jet Coik rey enjoyed the 
GWAR conost tr tat night 
(Right) Meagan took tine 
ut fom Der bp to Japan 

to pose with Square Visual 
Works Takeshi Nozue (e 
Cystal Dinamic Kazuki 
"uror, and Kat Stewart 


os 


Man Hands 

Tam very excited for Tho Last Guardian and 
Toad your prove as soon as | received your. 
‘magazine. Bul was surprisod and offended by 
some of the comments Tear loo made when 
They mentioned that they changed the protago- 
istis gender because a gifs hands would 

100 small and weak, and her skirt wouid gel in 
The way when she was cimbing. Fest of al, are 
females only ever alowed to wear skirts? What 
is this, the 180087 On top of that, the idea of 
her hands being too weak to hold onto Tico 

s Just wacky. ішуі this a fantasy game? | don't 
‘expect a young gi to throw kegs over her head 
or wrestle wid eigators, but | dort expect 

that rom a young boy, ether. 1 ils play 
Guardian, but I question the ates othe 
game designers, There are ols of interesting and 
dynamic stories to be toid wilh male and temale 
protagonists. Did Princess Zeca let a kr qi 

hor way? Were Samus’ hands too weak lo Had 
up а gun? Men and women and even animals 
сап do anything in video games. Limiting your 
imagination imis your realty. 


ast 


Catherine 
Via email 


{Lot me got this straight: Team Joo has no prob- 

lem designing a giant cal/bid hybrid creature, 

but a pants-wesring female protagonist with 

largo hands and a strong grip is too far-fetched? 
Brian Howe 
Via internet 


Team Ico might be taking a decidedly tradi- 
tional stance In designing Из lead character, 
but if recent games like Mass Effect 2, Red 
Dead Redemption, and the upcoming Tomb. 
Raider reboot are anything to go by, the 
Industry is favoring strong, independent 
female characters over helpless prin- 
cesses and glorified sex objects more than 


Char 
How come they don't make more games with 
rudit? Шке in the Sims games, they aro almost 
"hero but hon thoy blur it oul. mean sor 
uy you want to make more money all tho 


game көөр f n there. really want To see more 
amos with naked діс. 

Sam Fetherston 

Via Email 


Yep, the future is looking bright for female 
characters indeed. 


Game Date Disconnect 

му йт and have been going out lor a 

while now, and wo ara bom gamers, Wo have 
Ийе game dales where we visit each others 
houses and play together. A problem has arisen 
through these gaming gel-logeihers. Гат an. 
aid RPG fan, who sho is strictly interested in 
shooters. We had a vicious debate over Final 
Fantasy tho olhor day; sho insists avery game is 
"ho samo and the graphics just got fencer with 
Bach reoaso. | attempted to explain to hor tho 
impact it has had an the gene, lo which sho. 
replied that al RPGs aro the same, Then I moved 
orto the fact that the games feature vary diler- 
ent plots, mechanics, and worlds, Danial was hor 
response, Got any advice on what a predomi- 
rently RPG player such as түзді can say lo the 
shoolor purist sho lov 


Madeleine Stephens 
Via Email 


An important part of any relationship is 
respecting your partner's right to disagree. 
with your opinion - that goes for gaming 
couples, too. Instead of spending time 
arguing your case for RPGs, pick a game 
you can both enjoy. Maybe try a shooter! 
RPG hybrid like Mass Effect or Fallout 3. If 
that doesn't solve your relationship prob- 
lem, write to Ann Landers. 


In issue 212 wo asked readers to pick thelr 
‘own favorite characters from the past 
decade. Hore are some of the less popular 
‘but well-argued responses we received. 


My favorite video game character rom the past 
decade is Ratchet тот the Ratchet & Clari 
seres. ve devoted many hours to these games: 
‘over the years due to their compdling stories and 
inmersive gameplay. Ratchet i such a unique 
charactor and makes you wonder: Why екі 
Insomniac make him a 3-1/2 foot lal cat with big 
cars? His оло, fuzzy appearance is in such stark 
‘oniast with his personaly; he's cocky, has an 
attitude, and isn't атак! to blow apart anyone or 
anything that gets in his way. Even more unfor 
ооо is his metamorphosis into a loyal, com- 
passionate hero in Ratchet & Clank 

Philip ніне 


My favorite character from the last decada is one 
that not many wil suggest: Godot from Phoenix 
Wright: Tisis and Till, Despite the fact 
that he was on your Best Vilain 2007 list, he 
always struck me as a tragic figuro occupying 
the gray area of morally He played а role sina 
to The Boss in the Metal Gear Sok franchise: 
the mentor whose Кісі nuanced the hero, but 
who tumed into a trage vilain, Не final contron- 
"ation with Phoenix helped transform Wright into 
the confident veteran found in Apolo Justice. 
‘The phenomenal character design, theme song, 
and writing helped establish a character who | 
Wi not soon forget 


Robert H. 


My ркк в CJ from GTA; San Andreas. Though 
the game showcased many stereotypes, think 
that CJ's actions paved the way or a complex 
‘character Ike Niko Beli. Faced with Ihe cha 
lenge of trying to avoid a gang o, CJ went 
through great lengths to leave his past behind, 
опу to sea how his previous actions continued 
10 causo stross and grie for him and his tamy, 
‘Constant dealings with rial gangs, crooked 
опоо, and family members mado CJ a cu 
‘lor gangster than Tommy Vercetti, ала a moro 
haunted vigtante than Nko Бейс. 

Terry Marshal 


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Strikes word d varrat 


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afterwards epe mickey 
p 50 games 2010 
inan: tre big tt: 


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gam 


Widening 


A look at racial diversity in video games 


ting raci 
Williams, a 


＋ ner 


nce, Part ol hat tuth is strained when al 


Yun, nothing à 
Morgan Gr 
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of minority population 
m behind the s 
noted that of the 


Experience 


— 
Heath 
554 


Renegade 


connect 11 


"If Master 
Chief took off 
his helmet 

for the first 
time and was 
a Chinese 
American, 
would the 
world turn 
away from 
Halo, leaving 
nothing but 
empty servers 
and the sound 
of lonely wart- 
hog's engine 
idling? I 


doubt it.” 


n 
development direc 
tor, 2K 


gan Gray 


12 


‘One path towards getting moro racial diversity 
in cur video game characters Б on the ground 
oor with the developers Ihamsalvos. Similar to 
the question of whethor some games can be 
тос overyono is white comes the problem 
ol whether a predominately write game studio 
сау creato stories of йотоп! backgrounds 
Without verging into the dangerous territory of 
stereotyping, Gray doosrrt elevo this Б an 
insurmountable problem. "If we lock out lo the 
broad entertainment world wo can have hun 
reds of examples of people creating characters 
very much dilarent than themselves. In tact, 

the abit to croato a broad range ol charactors 
is something al talented creators do ай the 

une be it creating a character of його race, 
or gender, or social staturo, etc. Тһе issue ol 
whether or not the characters created in this way 
'end up being a stereotype or caricature is сеу 
related to tho creator's skil level cr len 

Hring a diverse group of developer! 
has its benefits, Jason Dela Rocca, former 
wee rector of tho International Game 
Developers Association (GDA) and senior con- 
әйелі at industry group Perimeter Partners, 
‘says that homogeneity ol your tal can load 
1o асуда of similar games being mado, "Tho. 
stereotypical teenage boys who grow up playing 
Halo and Call of Duty that then gel a job inthe 

and thon try and make tho naxt Halo 
апа Gal of Duty. How do you insert something 
so n thera?” 

Intis experienco, Dalla Rocca өй sees a lack 
о! dversty in studios, but the developers wo 
лако to beloved that an Individual sd was 
the golden kay into tho industry, "From a desig 
ars perspective, | want a focused, inteligent, 
and hardcoro garner,” says David Robinson, 
producer on Namco Bandai Aro Samurai 
"They couk have purple stripes for al | care, 
ust please don't suck. Be hard working and 
have a great atitude, because the job S tough 
enough ready 

A meritocralic environment is the oai situa- 
thon for any workplace, but as is often the caso, 
finding hat talent in the frst place may require 
help. Morgen Gray belives people interested in 
becoming game developers often simply don't 
know how. “Companies are looking for talent. 
| think when it comes to getting diversity = and 
lets lace it, racial dvorsily Б less of ап suo than 
gender diversity in this industry ~ 
People know about the opportunitie 
most par, ask anyone under the age of 26 how 
10 get in the game Industry and most respon- 
donis wil say ‘I don't know. 


ALO end ofthe day, hiring practicas and the 
work developers aro doing lo versity video. 
дате characters wil be wasted t gamers aret 
Interested. Thero is no definitv answer on this 
Point, bul t's kay that ай anyone wants isa 
‘great experience, period, Although вото thirk 
that games have lo sti to what they do best = 
Teave tho social studies lo parents and publi 
broadcasting,” says Robinson - others think that 
video games, Iko oer mente can't һар but 
access. 


"Games are artistic expression” believes 
Gordon Bellamy, chairman ol the GDA, “Somo 
of itis supar fun, some of il Б serious. As leaders 
in entertrement, | think we're also leaders in ou- 
ture. Thores certainly a responsiblity that game 
developers share, They are helping shape our 
culture. Ifs not pure folly, tis ап, his is how 
people are learning about a lol of topics.. and. 
they are super tun. 

Sean Ramiagsingh, producer ol EA Sports 
NHL series, thinks hat rogarcss ol publisher or 
even public trepidation, we want to see more 
racial diversity in video games and the topic 
ol race handiod ойюсімдіу through our unique 
medium, i up lo developers, Al he end ofthe 
day consumers want a great experience, and 
he baleves that this is something character 
With diferent backgrounds can bring. "I think 
its on the developers," he says. "f developers 
Teel that thay want to have racial diversity in 
ther games, and thay can provide a compel- 
ing experience around that and tell comping 
stories based on those characters they vo ore- 
tod, no matter what race they ee, that's what 
consumers want. 

No one solution to bring more racial diversity 
to video game characters makes songo for every 
game, Character aroalers are a great option, 

Dut even they ort without thor problems. 
Vito тоу alow a cosmotic expression ol raco, 
a personis background = and how raca inl 
ences that - cari be told by textures ane. I 
"ho industry ruy going о olor ооп! experi- 
ences to players, developers must take chances 
and be create and sc enough to стай a 
gamo hat has а story and characters that can 
Conter understanding of diferent races, gondors, 
sexual orientations, regions, eic to al players, 
по matter who they are. This needs to bo dono. 
ina way that Б as truo to the роор It is rep- 
resenting as ls simply a great game that Б so 
good people cart ignora 1. 

Gamers and sdos numbers wil ultimately 
Judge whatever ideas developers put forth, but 
Trst publishers havo о green tight projects Dela 
Rooca balevos that he riskier the gam, ће 
harder time it might have getting made in the. 
frst laco, 1 can oniy speculate, but a lot ot cor- 
porate decisions aro made based on historical 
sales data. I vo got this greal idea Гог Cows n 
‘Space, and then they look al the data and say, 
‘Jeez, there's no other Cows in Space games. 
There's no history, there's по competition, there's 
no past examples, toros just no data to ap. 
роп us giving you $20 milen to make your crazy 
Cows in Space idea. Апа so the same sort al 
apples to the diversity question. Its very much a 
chicken апа egg problem. 

The path towards a moro diverse industry is 
not dear, but it wo do not make an attempt, weit 
get Ino samo game experiences over and over 
эдап and not even understand what we're mis 
ing. Video games thrivo оп now doas, and this 
is exactly whats at steko, rk ifs groat that 
ог industry finds ways to celebrate diversity, the 
same way wo continue lo celebrato new ideas; 
Bellamy says. “Because that's what propels 
(gaming forward. Therein lies some ol the power 
ol diversity. Is ably - just as it does in al areas 
ol aturo — to bring in now kdeas, but so oom- 
bine riluences. I's Ike Dead Rising 2 - the joy of 
‘combination is what its al about 


Making Memories 

We asked developers there were any 
moments in their past that first made them 
aware ot characters race in video games. 


Gordon Bellamy (60 charmar) 
Back Gulê [Super 
Street Fighter: The 
New Challengers gave 
you the option to play 
Gule wih an Acar 
‘American skin ed] 
Black Gulle was the 
most incredible 
rl, and here's why. 

There was Balrog, bu Black Gulle = n a game 
that weal loved realy spoke to racially, eth 
y we can all be Gulle. There's a sonic boc 
Inal of us twas really empowering in having 

at dice. 


David Robinson (producer, Ato Samurai) 

‘Growing up black inthe 70-805, there wasn'ta. 
lot trat the meca gave us (minors) someting 

be proud or to feel asf we belonged and 

were loved in this society. But seeing Magnum 
PI's best fiend, a black helicopter plot changed 

my e completely stil remember the day my 
e Siva told me en he playground in 6th 

grade фал this con show where there wasa 
Баск guy who was a helicopter plot Back then 


meting that had to be 


possible That spring board of You can do that 
со got me into calege and Might school. My 
[сори as speak to you 


The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 
N TH/ \ T SPIN 


(RIGHT) w 


berg per se 


g Uncharted mo 
the fans! choice ігі 
obli tor him 


from the gam 
offe 


(ABOVE). 
ON the board peripheral deer 
(000 units sald 


the peripheral. You know things 
publisher Activision takes dov 
Ой the project n no migo or de 


bad when 


Robo 
көрпесі. 


eon ann 
зо the ugina 


(LEFT) Spke Tv 
Awards did а good job sh 


the Mass 


(ABOVE) Knoct comes out of ho 
¿alo fing, wit Merosolt reporting 

the peripheral sod 2. n 
world init Merosolt 
appears well оп ts way toward its goal 
ol soling Ivo milion Kinect peripherals 


unti some- 
epring 


Epic Mickey's 
Warren Spector 
defends the 
game's poor 
camera and tries 
to insulate the 
title from gamers: 
expectations 


o make things 
rector stepped 


Gus долай yy 


Ws take a Journey with 
i : any into its 
highly anticipated next game 


by Matt Miller 


N resi end ol lest yours E, 
[LN seinen, 
Вота smal gathering ol pur 

lm no doveiopmont team 
L X Souci voumey, to ust 
"and exciting new project trom no minds hat 
brought us Row and Power llenas, o 
tearm hunkered down and wert back lo work, 
and tores boen Ие Word onthe project since. 
So what have oy been up 107 

Sina ЕЗ wo havo been working hard to 
ке oul ne nr levels а o experienco,” load 
сезуне Nick Car ts us. Mu later ports 
Of he дата riroduco errorments and ric 
Bons Pal аю span fen! tom tno 
бовоп ovals wo Пао reveled us lar. Wero 
xcd about he scopo and breadth o e 
arcas yo travel trough nom 

Jamey casts players m iho role cl a haunt- 
ing hama furo thal wander a vast land 
of anes and sand, A distant mountain sways 
Docks m the distance, and strange runs and 
balls dot Io wor. "To ward is pd 
In sar, bul he open desert is опу one stop 
in no whole journey." creatie director Jenova 
(Chen says: “Thao are various terrain (pos and 
erwrorments in дате. However, Jory 
Enot an open werk game whore you can walk 
towards any drecen rc И mare la path 
where you же heading fo ап end port, where 
тетолтапв. 

"Jamey в somelting of а departure fr that 
qarmecompary, тюм] away fom abstract 
droctons spparen har rior gamos n for 
ol a mero cohesive narativ. Powers пала 
the ia very loose but he heme a very ong 
between each level Chen explains ts ough 
10 cal Ноне a tory because К o abstract 
Thats why we tirk a poem в o moro proper 
desorption Joumeys narrative deren Б 
ги, andthe character sme Ike a human 
Thercoro, the garme progression can Бе cons 
cred as n story aparato 

Tho words vast sense of sca commun 

feelings ol iscation and loneliness Wo 
wanted to evoke а sense o "ma in compari- 
no ihe rest of ho word around you, ae wol 
as sense of awe, п acia o the dass 
Concept ol a hero's journey Chen says The 
isis hat youro not one on this tok. As 
you move trou this strange and mysteri 
us landscape, youll occasional encounter 
other payer who s do wandering rough 
o desert. We hope he characters smal 
ness wil rng players together and nep f 
interesting rations bowen hem as foy 
make thor way trough the word ot Jaume 

s lend ал! Malt Navn “The grand scale of 
tho envrormarts в something we wanted to 
те o place emphasis on this don, and hap 
communicate I 1o the кеге, 

“A IO o mystery әй surrounds Joey, but 
Iro content wil hat. Tris qame wl bo beat 
understood wih a controler п your hands 

meoompanys provous ors eve mo 

ourney vl bo one of tha hama 
downloadable gamos to watch n 2011. The 
дато b lar larger kn scopo than tho developer's 
ота les, and o ging niegan ol a 
second, una player lasciato, "1 realy 
epe that we can continuo tours ur 

ayers wit what wo have n tro lor om. 

Enen says. No matr how t ums ош, Im 
bening Joumoy Wi succeed tl god al tho 

y ast. 


This month | played the early levels of a great 
new PSN and XBLA tile, Swarm plays Iko 2 
Strange crossbreod between Plain, World of 
Goo, and Lemmings. Players control а teerting 
lite horde of alien swarmings. Tho Шо crea- 
tures and thelr mother” crash onto a hostle 
alien planet, and the gathered herd must move 
‘across the plane! to grow and evolve, The hook 
lies in the capability lo contre your entro swarm 
al once - Ino swarmings shuflo about together, 
but each individual scrambles about indo 
pendently, Absurd levels ol danger await Ihe 

тт, assuring that many of your group won't 
тако the passago, Ae long as ono survives, 
you can keap going. Controls aro simplo, wilh 
оге button hudding your swarm together nto 
а ight ball and another spreading them apart 
"noy can scramble wildy atop each other in a 
cheerleacler-siyle pyramid to reach high places 
ог pul together to gather energy for a short 
burst of speed. Lots of ccc, 
design, and even the cocasional massive boss 
creature add up into a unique game l'm excited 
to play more of when it releases. 

“The sequel lo 20005 originat Section 8 
wouldn't have registered on my radar 1 Ven! 
for the number of ways that developer TimoG: 
is aiming to improve the experience. Section 
3: Prejudice lcstures a ful five-hour campaign 
22-player огйго multiplayer, and four-player 
(0-09 all wrapped into a [rst person scHfi pack- 
age. Throw in a $15 price tag, and you've got my 
attention. Prejudico has some сосі in-game trc 
to boast. The Ballefiekt-ike multiplayer matches 
осир players with powerful mechanized combat 
sus that enable everything from supor-speod 
sprint capably to pt packs. Customizable load- 
wuts lot players shape the siyle of character they 
want to play, and dynamic combat moments 
Introduce random objectives during the тізді 
‘of a big match, ke protecting a VIP for big point 
bonuses, Conquest modo plays for control of tor 
тоу, while Swar mode plays silty lo Gears 
‘of War's Horde; four players group together to 
hold off incroasinoly dangerous attack waves. Im 
not sure i Prejudice has the chops lo compete 
With the big boys, but ihe lower price tag and 
extensiva gameplay options have mo excited. 
Prejudice Б slated to release in the frst part ol 
this year 

An IGF awarc-nominatod indie gamo by 
‘Brightside Games ts making ils way fo Xbox Live 
Arcade thanks to a publishing ded with List, 
Zelt* presents severa ists on tho horizontal 
Shooter gerre. The coolest ofthese actions is 
а me travel mechanic that lets players complete 
short bursts of acon while cooperating with thoir 
‘own ship from several seconds eartier. The game 
features six unique game modes, including a 
basic Arcade playthrough, a Score Attack modo, 
and Survival. Weapon upgrades beef up your 
ships attack capabilities, which comes in handy 
when taking on the eight boss fights. | love tha 
fluorescent presentation af ships and weapon 
обосіз, and tho time travel elements realy chal- 
lenged me to approach levels in a new way. Zelt 
‘should be cut on Xbox Live Arcade by the time 
you read this. Ф 


connect 15 


Assassin's Creed: 
Brotherhood 


Gami 


the person 


Informer scours the 


аде over Xbox Live or PlayStation Net 


leaderboards in s: 


arch of the best of the best to uncover 
hind the handle and learn his or her strategies. If you get a pesky 


jork, please don't delete it. You could be 


our next featured gamer. 


a 
Hometown 
Houston, Texas 
Favorite Map 
Siena 

favorite Persona 
"The Thief 


Accomplishments 
AS ol press limo, Jossa 
is number опа on the 
di imo кіз leaderboard 
оп Playstation 3, Hots in 
second place lor lima. 
'scoro, has the third best 
second in altima stun 
total sooo ol 5,368.8: 
enough to ГИ the love 50 
сар eight timos ovar. 


Origin of Skills 
Нез never played Ist 
Assassris Creed, but 

ot hooked on AC and 


Brotherhood, “Brotherhood 
в just fun and addicti 

o says. "Besides that, 
the only multiplayer game 1 
Played was Demon's Sous, 


Time Investment 

So la, Jesse has invest 
өй over sx days into 
Brotheshoods mutplayer 
mode. Ho says hots beon 
playing a lew hours every 
day since Ihe game carne 
м. 


The Key To Victory 


For Wanted [mode] what 


do Б usualy just use poison 
"d chargo. That way you 
‘can rack up points realy 
tast. Charge is a skit wher 
you can chargo doc 
into the enemy and just 
Kl him right there, Or you 
can charge into the parson 
thats chasing you to stun 
"hern. Smoke bombs aro 
tha bast а lower loves, 
You get smoke bombs. 
pretty much at level six and 
they‘ the best thing lo. 
use. As soon as you drop. 
опе you can probably stuh 
oki someone, 


is connect 


Defense 
ТҮТІГІ 
folowing mo. You can't 
Just always look toward 
because thero ато aways 
people behind you 


Major Points 

"Ty to Nido, poison, and 
locus at the same te. 
Trai give you big pots 
around 1000. Автово 
your target. They're usuly 
hidden in a сона so you 
blend n and thats how you 
gota hidden bors You 
fave to wat thon seconds 
forthe ооз and Ihen you 
poson hem, 


Life Outside of 
Assassin’s Creed 
osos majoring п 
‘accountng al the University 
of Houston, 


Other Favorite 
Games 
Damen Sous, 
Fantasy ХИ, God of Wa I, 
Metal Goar Solid 4: Guns ot 
th Patios 


What Should Be 
Improved? 

esse wants orie lobbies 

to players най or match 
os to sat. Oe an tha. 

hes generaly pleased wth 

Brotofoodo mátpiay Ф 


m 
Guillermo del Toro Dives 


Into Game Development 


cclaimed director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, and designer Guillermo 

del Toro can now add "video game creator" to his already impressive. 

resume. Del Toro and THQ recently announced a partnership to create the 

Lovecraftian horror title Insane, an idea he's been kicking around for four 
years. Ilinois-based Volition will join creative forces with the Pan's Labrynth director 
for the trilogy, with the first installment dropping in 2013. We spoke with del Toro 
about his lifelong relationship to video games and his plans for Insane 


On getting into game development: 
Ivo boen trying to develop games or tha last four or Ive years, but tho schedule and geographical location were never 
conducive tt. Гуе been a gamer all my е; Pm 6, Ive been playing video games since they were essentially made 

%%% 
Ita тиу strong narrative form. | believe video games aro ging to be the cornerstone of narrativo ho next decade. 
As a stoylellr Its my cy o get going on learning the language not as a gamer but as я storytelor 

Telly have to adivit that the Мо and career | dreamt of аз а young fimmaker n Mexico was а very diferent path 
I'm extremaly happy withthe path I've been taking, I think that game storyteling is Teaching me a lot, and! must say 
is proving tobe a vey ul experiment, but never planned i 


On his gaming roots: 
1 played everyting rom Galaga, Pac-Man, ho ay stutt ike Asteroid, ovorything that was molar hand. оу coordina 
поп. What realy captured my imagination as a storyteller were the CD-ROM games ike Bungie's Marathon and Myth, 
How the way the frm has evolved. 


On what he's playing now: 
The one that realy has my attention right now is Red Dead Redemption. | wrote a Western about 13 years ago, ar 
the movie business al you Poar is nobody wants to зоо a Wester. ouo Io fact Ihat they wore abl to bring a relly 
hardcore modern sensibly о, but stl eds very classical rooted 


On choosing THQ: 
1 have met everyone in the past. have met Ubisoft, EA, Rockstar, but lor this game we wera going to go out in the 
Ward and talk to dire people, Tho fest stop was THO, | H ofl so fantastcaty wth Danny [Bson, EVP Core 
ames and Pad емо, decir of icon developmoni; wo were al en the samo pago trom tno moment wa 


start talking that decided not to soek any fuer 
T thought, “This it This is where | pitch my tent. 


On teaming up with Volition: 
Thoi games aro popular an realy wal constiuctod, 
and admiro al of that. What was rely pressed 
win was whore hoy wanted to go. There was a 
huge eve, croatidy and ambitonin the conversa 
tion we were having that realy won mo over, 


On participating in the process: 
What | want 10 do is gat involved in 1t. | want to 
got immarsod in it dot want lo bo just casual 
involved because otherwise | wouldn't be doing it. 
The time takes and ho effort takes is oriy worth 
iL Fm faring tho narrativo ала oaring this 
fom of siorytaling. Thats tho purpose for me. Im 
not intrested ini ifm not immersed 

The rient lor ho game is made very dear by ho 
fact hat wo are по! resting a lew months and sap- 
ping my name on N. We are taking years Н Danny 
Bison fas me "We ned you for two weeks now, 
for treo woeks more in amonih in any es 
that Danny demands on me, I wil comply 

1 wîl do wing, but | dant thin | wil be writing 
the technica scroenplay because I ve nover witen 
ls а detent for than screenplay wing, but | 
wîl be involved in every singe creative decision of 
this game. By this mean every turn the screenplay 
takes, every piece of dilogue, every prompl, ren- 
dering, every decision wi go through me. 


On the VGA debut: 
We had not done enough to show gameplay and 
wo didn't feol we wanted to generato artiicialy a 
teaser that we would contradict lour months rom 
now, во we decided upon creating а mood piace, 
a lease, о show how стору and unsetting I can 
be, the ype of atmosphere. 


On the Insane concept: 
Liked the idea of a game where you start playa 
in a head space and you end up almost fring 
уго тоторхо the who qame towards fno 
опа, where things are revealed lo you. The Ме is 
Insane fora reason. Let me put t that way. | was 
vary attracted to tho Kea of insarity in game. That's 
the origin. 

We're going о try some new stuf hat has never 
boan done befor, and we aro trying to give you 
а vay intense and very narative experience, We 
дәті want to do survival horror, we want lo do 
horror that has a scope and а story hat is very 
strong and within the mis ol what we need. We 
Want lo keep it as much diven by gameplay as possible. It falls 
squarely into the HP. Lovecraft horror universo. We aro talking 
about very nasty Teac things. | want fo make it emotionally 
very strong, and play with morally dil choices cr the player. 

What really поро and long for and stive fr n this game to 
create a mythology that people ae interested in, thal he story of 
"ho central character is competing 


On more del Toro games in the future: 
This not a anco. na fee thing, For me, isis ho beginning 
al anew path. Beyond па, I's nol that in going to Just dabble 
in doo games| irk vido games жо going 1 completely ke 
Over storyteling in our вода and Try elevo, rm lucky and 
esed enough, and prove есері al is, De evolving wih 
the far rto trying ol is kind. Video games aro no a ad. 
They are ask а narative orm and a modum that reach 
evoláng and recognized as а narative form, so ће answer a 
тезги) "Oh, yes 


connect 17 


massive 


The Cataclysm str 
World of Warcraft 


can't imagine an expansion design more suited to the casual types who make up 
of warcraft s audience. Leveling is revamped again, and exploring the old world by qu 
a fresh character or blazing around on your high-level epic flying mount is amazing. 
profession available to every character, is an enjoyable treadmill that pays off with bits 
of vanity rewards like pets, titles, and achievements. Rolling through the new zones from levels 80 to 85 is a 
delightful roller-coaster ride through both dramatic storylines, like the Earthmother's reclamation of her realm, 
and tongue-in-cheek pop culture odes to Hogan's Heroes and Indiana Jones. 


Nota minute of has any challenge to speak 
of, but Bizzard has опу gotten better at crating 
a journey that impresses with everything Кот 
ере lore-criven battles to amusing one-off 
‘Nearly every rough spot has been ground away, 
quest hubs fal into place опе ate another. fight 
paths connect points of any note whatsoever, 
and backtracking is kept o a minimum. Above 
al, the inescapable sense of progress keeps 
ling you tota, For а good long time, ds- 
covering whats around the next comer is more 
than enough. 

Once you reach the level cap, though, players 
lend o fali into one or more ofa few categories 
Frst youve got you layers who hi he cap pat 
themselves on the back and rol anew character 
to do it ali over again. These foks are set with 
Cataclysm. Wih how much refurbished content 
V ina s now, you could raise at least four char- 

actes to level 6 without repeating much. Going 
601085 wil get old faster since those zones 

unchanged, but i's tough to ask for much 
than you got with Catacsm. 

Another group wants to get In and start pound- 
ing on the hardest contentin the game, whether 
for the challenge. sense of accompishment 
© the draw of shiny purples Indications so far 
are extremely postive for these players. Dont 
jet the supe-hardcore guids early conquests 
faze you. Heroic he mans and rade are as dit- 
oullandrewerding as any content Blzzard has 
ver done, with ne exception of super bosses. 
ке Agalon Many of the mechanics are tesh, 
learning the fights is а fun challenge, and the 
game balance (ебі as good as it ever has at the 
Siart of tier of raiding. Some healers disagree 
‘nth m but | love the new interplay between 
Tanking, crowd contol damage avodance, and 


y 


ut how they intended to bring chal- 
to every role in dungeons, and they 


ingly, Blizzard finaly got the PvE gear pro- 
(безіп right as wel. Picking up a set of heroic- 
ley gear is relatively simple between building 
Teputation (accomplished in normal and heroic 
level 85 dungeons), trading in Justice Points 
(acqured in heroic fve-mans), and the dungeon 
drops themselves. Moving beyond that into еріс 
eor requires conquering epic content, as опу a 
iow dali tickle of Valor Points can be obtained 
Ma heroic dungeons. The consequence of al this 
js that you have no reason to grind hercios over 
and over after you've soundly beaten them, so 
you can bend your efforts to overcoming greater 
challenges rather than wallowing in rival content 
{or so-called welfare epics 

A third set of players tun to PVP for ther eder 
game није Unfortunately these folks have gotten the short 
ега of the stick this time around. The new batleground-esque 
zone, Tol Barad, is an odd mix of asymmetrical objectives that 
зеет to heavily favor the defenders. Its obviously supposed 
то be a more oasual-iendly РУР environment than arenas or 
battlegrounds, but youl get your teeth kicked п just as badly 
by a gear differental there as in any other PvP situation. That 
said f Arena and Battleground balance comes out ahead of 
the questionable situation that existed during Wrath of the Lich 
King, PvPers might not be co upset alter ай. 

1 don't know yet if Cataclysm is going to be my favorite of 
the four WoW iterations weve played so far Some things per- 
sistentiy annoy me, Ike server identities being badly fractured 
by the dungeon finder. Other frustrations are transient, ike the 
‘90d-awfl cutscene bloat in Uldum and buggy quest script- 
ing in Tulig Highlands. Much of Catacysm's lasting appeal, 
however, is dependant on Blazers release schedule moving 
forward. The developers need to avoid the glacial pacing of 
Wrath of the Lich King's second year, no matter how much | 
Ike the frst round of content. & 


connect 19 


Hardcores 

Who are you? I youre not in a top- 
three guidon your server, youre prob- 
ably applying to them. For that matter, 
you've probably already transferred 
Servers chasing tho most progressod 
group that wil have you, Crushing 
every challenge the designers throw 
at you, по matter the time investment, 
is your raison d'er. 


What do you think about DCU? 
Deep ski toes aro worth exploring, 
and thorough study shoud yield the 
‘ight combinations to handle the most 
overpowered vilains (or heroes) ol the 
DO Universe, The queue system locks 
promising, as it gives you an casy п 
to the content you need to upgrade 
your gear and dls at all hours of the 
ay Is ike WOW dungeon finde, but 
for everything from co-op instances lo. 
more traditional dungeons to РУР bat 
"legrcunds and raids. Tho lack of hard 
info оп endgame raiding is troubing, 
On the other hand, Sony Onine has 
sated that it wants lo ship the game 
win approximately a 40-hour Ime 10 
level cap and fly hal ої the content 
"tended for endgame characters: Tho 
biggest cuestion, hough, is whether 
the underlying tech can hance a ol the 
Gary physics enabled powers n ot 
player raids without breaking down. 


The verdict: Maybe, Tho chances of 
endgame being as deep as a game 
ке WOW lock sim, but this might be 
worth a look as а lighter, less serious 
alternative. 


Who Should 
Care About 


DC Universe Onlin 


by Adam Biessener 


Who are you? You know that half 
fritid zone that you can only access. 
by standing on op ofthis one mailbox. 
in the ight ofthe ful moon and tuming 
Widdorshns thrice boloro strafing lft 
and jumping north wie holding your 
breath? Its only the coolest place in 
the entro game. I you dict put up 
the original YouTube video, you sub- 
вой to Ihe authors stream, No game 
Words secrets ro salo from you, 


What do you think about DCU? 
Some games aro nice enough to give 
you your frst mount al the early level 
0420. DCU has you choose whether 
10 navigato the world via fight, aoro- 
babes, or super-speed at character 
creation, There are achievements for 
everything from visiting the Wayne 
family memorial in Gotham to view 

ing Metropolis’ skyîne rom Ihe talest 
skyscrapers in town. Some special 
secrets are only accessble during 
boss fighis by poking around every 
corner of tho abandoned hospital or 
underground science lab that serves 
ав your battlefield. 


The verdict: Yes! II you're a DC 
Comics fan and an explorer, good 
luck fighting this compulsion, Evan 
someone Ike myself, whose MMO 
tastes tend to run elsewhere and Б 
only periphoraly aware of ОС loro, 
сап get lost for hours digging around 
the word. 


MMO players are a 
diverse lot, but it’s not 


that difficult to sort 


Questers 

Who ore you? Your gules ask you 
where obscuro objectives aro rather 
thar al tabbing loa ude st. Youve 
been trough every zone at east опсо 
«n one or another ol your amyol ats. 
If heres a deeper secret hinted an 
various uncorrected bts of are you 
одета то a WK. 


What do you think about DCU? 
890 story based instances aro just 
about he best dea ever. Having iconic 
characters tke Batman, Joker, or 
Wonder Woman walking you through 
your questines via voice comunica: 
dor int far behind. 1 woud be rice if 
"ho bulk of tho quests had a bit moro. 
variety fo them; so far in bela you're 
dither hunting for hard-to-find target 
or fighting an endless wave of instantly 
Tespiawning enemies. At least tho bad 
guys are doing things and engag 
ing п combat when you're nol there 
instead ol standing around waiting 10 
be ld. 


The verdict: Probably. Polish is ап 
issue, bul even a moderate improve: 
ment over bota wil make this ono. 
' Ino better solo, dt Hence, games 
around. Broacth of content may not 
bo there cite, with the 40 hour lev- 
ing curvo, but what does oxist is. 
entertaining 


them into several broad categories. You probably already know where you fit along the 
exploration, social interaction, and challenge axes. Given that, is Sony Online's upcoming DC 
Universe Online worth your time? Our time with the beta reveals some of the answers. 


PvPers 

Who are you? Leveling, calling 
and dungeors are nothing moro than. 
means to an end. Usually the other 
guys end, since you're running the 
‘now hybrid build that tho latest patch 
Биа to obscenity. The only thing 
you despise more than so-called 
caroboars ls tho inevitable nerts that 
slop you from two-shotting anything 
bul a lank 


What do you think about DCU? 
Queues for РУР instances, and mis 
Sons thal load players thero, ro reat 
Legends РУР, where you take on the 
role of icoric heroes and vilains, Б 
awesome - when youre in the mood 
lor a fair fight, since your gear and 
ls aro pre-selected. Being on the 
wrong sido of this month's balance 
is going to be rough, though, with so. 
much of the game's PvE balance butt 
around incapacitating moves, fom 
stuns to juggles lo knockdowns and 
mind control, You're going to have 
10 upgrade your connection now, 
because the action packed combat 
heavily penalizes any latency whatso- 
‘ever, especialy in PvP. 


Tho verdict: Doubtful. Wrecking 
newbs is going lo bo awesome wih 
CU's explosive combat, but Sony 
Onine has a lot to prove when it 
‘comes to balancing gerne mechanics, 
technology, and РУР progression. & 


connect 21 


Anyone who has dreams of carting Toshiba's new Qosmio mn 
Х505 around town in a messenger bagis fooling themselves. 
This fancy piece of hardware may be labeled a laptop, but The X505 isn't the 
it's clearly intended to push your old desktop to the side and | 64 Hot red оп the ol but 
set up shop in your gaming den. Fortunately, the X808 has GeForce GTX 460M | 
more than enough brawn to bully a few desktops around. graphics card and an Intel 
Core 17 CPU, the Х505 тап 
both Crysis: Warhead and Call of Duty 
Black Ops at high settings without any 
hice It also won't take long for 
you to hop into the action, Thanks to 
its second solid-state hard drive, the 
05 took less than a minute to boot 
and a mere eight seconds to come out 
of sie 
While the Qosmio 
primarily for games, 
18-inch 1080p display, and HDMI 
output make ita solid media system 
as well. Those who like to crank up 
the tunes ate the built-in 
Harman Kardon speakers and Dolby 
Home Theater technology. 
Considering this is such a massive 
desktop replacement, we were sur 
prised the 5095 keyboard feels a 
little choked, and the keys themselves 
are so glossy that your fingers always 
feel ready to slide off. The touchpad 
also has the occasional spasm, but 
you'll want a mouse for gaming ses 
sions anyway. Running at top speed, 
you can squeeze a Ше less than three 
hours out of the batteries, so you'll 
want to keep this behemoth close to 
an outlet 
The X505 is a nice piece of hard- 
wate, but it's mote expensive than 
some desktops, and not as easy to 
upgrade, Stil, if you find yourself in 
need of a hefty portable machine that 
can handle high-end PC gaming, the 
Х508 might be right for you 
$1,999.99 
us toshiba.com 


zug HEN э зәләәң ueg Áq 


THE X505 AT A GLANCE. 
à System row 7 Home Premium (АЫ) 1.730 té Core i7 7400M | Graphics МИРА Geforce GTX 460M wih 1568 GDORS 
2 608, Баин 00831. 30088 7 2pm end 6158 SSD 1 174x154 18 ches 184 inches ht 104 pounds 


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MEDIA SHELF 


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Created by a five-year-old and 


залу. 
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MACHETE 


1 


connect 23 


24 connect 


Epic Mickey 


What aspect of Epic Mickey 
turned out just the way you had 
hoped or better than you hoped? 
Are there elements of the game 
you wish you could have made 
more changes to? 
Wol, ary the music med out 
better than | imagined 1 woul. Tm 
realy happy about that, Tho story 
has the nd of emotional resonance 
always hoped t would, and the 
game realy doesnt fed lo ne, at 
least We ary other game. ts tone 
d pacing and ts le it Пиз other 
‘games. Thats one of Ino reasons 
the drect compar'sons wih Maro. 
Gal aro во hard for mo fo ear. 
We weren tying to mako a Маго 
game, а Zelda game, or a Deus 
Ex we were trying to make a game 
that borrowed some elements ot all 
al them to achieve someting new 
and | ink we dd that. Ar there сі 
тегін wish we cou have worked 
оп more? Sure Tve never worked 
оп а gamo | was compleloy salefed 
wih and hope I never do. I guess, 
top ofthe Ist wodd be ол use of 
the paint and thinner mechanic We 
d some interesting stut wäh but 
Т was the frst me we, or anyone, 
had ever triad anything tke that and 
Know we can do moro in iho fur, 


What prompted the decision to 
not include spoken voice for most 
of the characters in the game? 
[thought t would be best to borrow 
an approach Walt used n tho вай 
ей Mckay cartoons where he ба 
use actua words, bul communica 
mostly by making noises, also had 
tn my head hat Oswald, asa sert 
cartoon character, couch taik and 
as ruer of Wasteland laid down the 
law "1 canî speak, no one wi 
Then there were some localzaton 
and dsk spaco ates. Put ‘om 

^l together and sticking with the 


Disney's Epic Mickey released on November 25 to mixed reviews. Some critics 


Japanese RPG and conscio standard 
ûf "bark pls tet ks mad 


Tho camera system became 
problem for some players. Are 
there changes that could have 
been made to make the camera 
more cooperative? 
Tsupposo o, bul o bo hanes thee 
was oriy one thing we might heve 
"done that we didi and ooking back 
OR. wah we had done. There were 
Stustions п De game wire we look 
сопа ol то camera, which vas 
mecessory but we decided no to lat 
Players олт our decision In aber 
Words, thee are tres when the 

ual camera controls simply dont 
work. Now, nk Tat may not have 
been our best decision. ВИ oiha 
than that, people have to understand 
Ihat al the games we're being cam 
pared to — and ts pretty amazing 
Company _ aro pure,” siglo locus 
‘games, with Mario being the primo, 
sample. The act 3s, a рие piatom 
‘game has very leten tequremants: 
than an actervadveriuee game, and 
we wate tying to meno demente 
ol bol. That meant cur camera 
Пай to be the best blend we cou 
соте up wih d placer and ace 
adentro camera techriques Ist 
thnk ую did gen De cha 
lenge wo faced n combining these 
two genres nto оле game and ven 
Tal we threw Ihe Пу o erase 
als and Пос and сойгоз and 
parts of ham. mean, we realy did 
ако а very hard problem and make 
I much, much harder. Ch and ono 
ore ing = weve been knocked by 
Some fols or not nduding a ocean 
‘camera mode, wich would have 

de comal casi, Those els aro 
fight wich s why we dd кке 
a locion camera mode. Try yous 
ht ike 1 fot 


‘The paint and thinner mechanic 
seems like it must have mado. 
level design pretty challenging, 
since you can't ever count on 
player having all the parts of the 
evel visible or accessible. Was 
the paint and thinner concept 
more trouble than it was worth, 
or did it pay off in the end? 

Td never say t was moro позе 
Than t was worth - no TI go lo 

ту grave beleving you have o Шу 
something you ve never done, Same- 
thing по one's ever done, in evry 
пато you work on. Even în Is fest 
келеп you can see ho potental of 
1. Theres something году speca, 
‘magical even, about being able to 
move and restore things n a game 
word. You never got anything cacty 
ht Ihe frst ime, and as сай car 
Tox tharos по quoston wo can mako 
bettor us of ths doa. | bsc 
love е paint and thinner mechanic 


Epic Mickey includes moro. 
choice-driven gameplay than 
‘most character-driven action’ 
Platformers. Why? 

Teer realy have a good answer 
for thal ber then thal have ne 
fio riores n working on any game 
"hat doesn't ofr players choices 
with consequences. Ї 1 ever con 
To pass that cant make games 
ke ben по one wit fund them, 
players vole vin Ihr dolars and 
fal mo hey don't want games the 
That, whatever И stop making 
games End ol story Games can do 
озу two things that can think of 
that no other тейит can do; one 
ss oer real timo, dynamic puzzles 
and the other Is ofer players the 
opportunity to tal ther own story or 
at least tela story in colaberalon. 
with others. re ts rios not 
fo take advantage ofthe ings your 
тейит does that others cat do. 


Bul, al Ihe end df the day ts just a 
personal thing - a personal сопс 
ben no moro no ess. 


Еріс Mickey returns players 
to the same locations several 
times for diferent missions. la 
there more backtracking than. 
there should have been, or aro. 
these familiar locations а part of 
how you wanted the game to be 
experienced? 

T woud say heres more back 
Tracking than there shouid hauc 
been, bul thse are а couple ol 
things Г do diferent had to 
do over again. Fret, Га oller mero 
variety the 2D sections th 

we dd. I ihought 40h 20 maps 
would be enough, bul Ike mare. 
Second, l'a have made the hubs 
persistent - V toy preserved tho 
state you left them n, 1 Dink retum 
ing to ham, bong atle lo make df 
leront choices abat how lo interact 
wih the hubs cach mo, might havo 
mado lor a richor esporence 


The game includes the return of 
‘several Disney characters that 
эге virtually unknown to many 

in the modem gaming audience. 
Which characters were you most 
excited to reintroduce? Which 
опе of these revived characters 
штей out the bost? 

‘aout queston v 

we got отто 
Lucky Rabbi. And Ihe Grem 
these are seme terre caracters 
T'dlove to seo Disney до back lo tho 
storyboards wo saw ho Archivos 
ad actualy make the movie Walt 
Disney and Roald Dahi never got to 
make- how cod wouk Ina be? 
Heck, Ive aways wanted о produce 
атой - maybe Disney wl me 
make 


Given the new motion control 
devices from Microsoft and Sony, 
is there any chance well see Epic 
Mickoy on any other platforms? 
Man, get asked this alot and 

I aways have o gue the same. 
answer. There's no reason why we. 
couldnt put Disney Epic Mickey on 
Other platforms, However, were not 
working on tal this timo. 


Would Junction Point like to do 
тоге with classic Disney charac- 
tore? What new ideas might you 
be interested in exploring in a 
second Epic Mickey game? 

actualy always ervsionod 
‚Junction Pont — wel, once we 
кате a part ol Disney ~ as tho 
stud that draws nspraton fom 
the Archives Ive been prety up. 
"ront about my love of the Ducks. Td 
love to do à Duck Ties game, and 
a Gremis game woud be amazing. 
Oswald woud make a great leading 
nan. ar. rabbi, As lar as a second 
Epic Mickey game goes, tvs no 

e of interesting chalenge 


To tack have some ideas about 
тозе gameplay thal coud be lun 
and there's a warid of stuft we can 


do with paint and thinner that we 
couldn! even havo thought of Ihe 
Test ime around, Or we coud do 
seme чий completely fern and 
тог do any of ihe st Ivo men 
Toned here. Who knows? There's no 
shortage ol de! 


— CONCERT) & DANCE AAA et 


NE BIG — 


№100 pare 


100 eure" 
> AB 4 ra pd ae E : 


А A * 
= PETER A 


WHERE YOU DISCOVER, OWN € KNOW MORE ABOUT THE MUSIC 


ET AN ALBUM ON US AT EMUSIC.COM/GAMESHOW 


Bayonetta 
т 


After an explosive opening sequence that 
tears Shepard and his team apart, the second 
installment of BioWare's еріс space trilogy 
doesn’t take its hand off the hyperdrive. With 
the shady Illusive Man behind the scenes, 
Shepard traverses the far reaches of the 
galaxy to recruit an elite team for a suicide 
mission. Using the choices you made in the 
first game, BioWare fulfills is promise of 
creating a consistent and immersive 1 : 
universe. With its re-engineered { di. Exc 
combat, the action in Mass Effect (M = en 
2 feels just'us polished as the 

brilliant visuals and conversa- 

tion system. Given the more BioShock 2 

responsive controls, don’t think ч Vo imposing BioShock characters who causae us to cower h 
twice about putting your allies” 1 q a ES een ELO 
lives on the line by jumping 

through the Omega 4 relay. It's 

worth the risk. 


Darksiders 
Darkside pu 


h well enough o 

with complex dungoon desi 

from a Portale gun, and this is an 
nor shoud lake 


a, dual wid 


to lake cut hor objective. Bad Compi 


MLB 10: The Show 
Mon pecple soo MLB 10: T 
allen remark that it looks just ike 
player st 

à io, his in-game с 


Final Fantasy XIII i 
Say what you ий грод ho noneena story, Fn Fantasy X à 
da anda tar Тобе силой send i 
— Gs ln oro timo to SP Pd ol H 


God of War Ill 


Cave Story 

The dovlopers bai 

ics ko Mel ar 
it 


Some y reli 
"m ro presentation, clever w 

zntortairing boss battles remind many 

Jamba n the frst place 

Just Cause 2 2 
hen walar-cocier discussions about your gama star with “S 

1 Bed a tark to my airplane and surfed it into a nudear base 


ing something right. Fow have completed 
any ol us docicalod. 
J between arc 


Splinter Cell: Conviction Е 


ıl cover system and туй 
med Fisher back ntc 


Picross 3D Е 
roe er lee rn d de bes рий итерш H і 
у асо games. Wih Peross ЗО, HAL brings tho ri base 

ic. crewing system ino ап acciona challenging nen 

an S o a clt rid to fom s эор 


xnpiele the se 
Nintendo oll 


TOP 
10 
HEROES 


1 JOHN MARSTON - RED DEAD RED 
Marston's list of past transgressions is as long as any Rockstar 
protagonists, but once he was responsible for a wife and 
hid, this reformed outlaw did his best to become an honesti 
farmer Ultimately his past caught up with him, but even in the 
face of overwhelming odds, Marston defends his family with 
‘unwavering resolve. 


2 EZIO AUDITORE - SSSI BROMERKOOD 
tx 

assassin was rooted in а thirst for revenge, but after unraveling 

the mysteries behind his personal los, he devoted his life to 

the greater good. Granted his method fr fighting evi usually 
involves jabbing a metal blade into people's faces, but if you want 
to make an omelet 


3 ETHAN MARS - HAM RAN 
How far would you go to save someone you love? It's not an easy 
‘question to answer, but when Heavy Rain’ nefarious mastermind 
puts Ethan Mars through а seres of diabolical tests to save his 
соп, this ordinary father displays uncommon determination 


4 COMMANDER SHEPARD - WAS EFFECT 2 
Most heroes would be content with sacrificing their ives to save 
the galaxy, but in Mass Effect 2, Shepard comes back to eto 
save ita second time. Wile the 

squabbling with each other over power and position, Shepard 
masses a ragtag crew of suicidal ales to save 


5 JASON HUDSON -CAL OF DUT: BLACK OPS 
Hudson is more than just Alex Mason's hander; he's the guy that 
wil do anything to keep the United States safe from the Soviet 
threat. Tasked with the kind of difficult decisions thet would 
make Jack Bauer lose sleep at night, Hudson's unflappable 
demeanor earned him the nickname "Ice Cube." 


6 NOBLE SIX - HALO: EACH 
Gamers knew from the begining of Halo: Reach that the 
Spartans of Noble Team would nat meet a happy ending. When 
itcomes time for someone to stay behind and protect the ship 
carrying Master Chie, Noble Si doesn't hesitate to sacrifice 
himself for the mission, paving the way for all of Master Chiefs 
future adventures, 


7 MICHAEL JORDAN 
Forget the eternal struggle between good versus evil. This year 
players stepped into the sneakers of a real hero — the greatest 
basketball player of all time. In an era where most of the curent. 
NBA greats are self-absorbed shonboats, playing through 
Jordan's lustrous career reminds us why everyone in he‘ 806 
and ‘90s wanted to be like Mike. 


в LIGHTNING - FINA FANTASY 
Amongst Final Fantasy Жс cast of lackluster protagonists, 
Lightning is the only character who seems capable of taking 
‘on the corupt government of Cocoon, Lightning's no-nonsense 
approach to her mission makes her the game's standout hero. 


9 WAR DABS 
Most people wouldn't consider one of the four horsemen of the 
apocalypse to be a hero, but ultimately good and evi аге two 
sides of the same coin. Bound by his code of honor, War battles. 
against both Heaven and Hel to restore order to the universe; 


10 SUPER MEAT BOY - SUPR T BOY 

ver Joumey to save his gilfriend, Super 
Meat Boy wil e literally thousands of times: As he trudges on 
toward his goal, not even Hell, the end of the world, or a fecal 
doppelganger can stand in his way. 


i. 


. 
I Red Dead Redemption 
|, = Tasked with bringing the last living members of his former gang to justice, 
John Marston's mission is larger than the expansive world Rockstar hos 
n created, Six-shooter in hand, Marston sets oul to explore Rockstar” 
beautifully realized version of the Wild West. With a world inhabited by 
some of the most memorable characters and dangerous animals we've seen 
N this console generation, fine-tuned gameplay mechanics borrowed from the 
ll blockbuster Grand Theft Auto series, scores of Oblivion-like side quests, 
) \ ме and a satisfying multiplayer experience, Rockstar succeeds in keeping s 


wrangled in from begimning to end and earns our Game of the Year award. 


Alan Wake 


Many know it as “the Hg, but the gimmick of igh 

yeatest weapon lakes а backseat to the mystery ur 

ving protagonist Alan Well desceri into тласка, s her 

a dark presence chasing Alen, or ist ust a construct ol a 

instable mind? Many who play through it have thelr cn 
nations as lo what possibly happened. 


Super Mario Galaxy 2 
Juno b sos Cer bash aka lo pan a pic 


n Mather you're hopping across the sky as Cloud 
Mario or stearroling остаз аз Rock Mario, Galaxy 2 never 
fals to deliver 


trump cards. Blur's hyper 


Joe Danger 
н v 

famo by won a:e- lop boten Wih am 
ir coments rom Excitebike and Tits НО, pls a dash ol ровду 
plalormig,paeming deat боуп os as navor boon mer 
ng, Jos Dangars ak cons, well o rae 
Transformers: War For Cybertron 

nse unti t table movie tie-in Ды mpany 
rd tho ros o nebenan eam a day ovs 


man oppor 


arity 
. 


хс, but developer Raven delers а gripping 


Amon num 


RO: OTHER N 
This is why Metroid games are usually about exploration instead 

lings this iconic bounty hunter to rock bottom, 
painting Samus as a petulant brat instead of an awesome 
warrior, The hamıfisted delivery of her lame backstory doesn't 
help matters. Thumbs down! 


2 MICHAEL THORNTON ALPHA PROTOCOL 
Alpha Protocol was supposed to be an espionage RPG, but thanks 
to Michael Thorton, itis more of a d-bag simulator. Whether he's 
‘striking out in romantic dialogue or getting knifed by addicts, 
Thorton als to fulfil the spy fantasy. Ifyou dream of being a 
loser though, he's your man, 


3 HOPE FNAL FANTASY XI 
A boomerang?! Of al the cool weapons in Final Fantasy 

XII - guns, swords, gunswords — why does Hope choose a 
boomerang? Because he's an idiot, that's why. You can't expect 
much more from a twerp whose only forms of self-expression, 
are whining and n 


4 SALEM & RIOS - AY OF TWO: THE AOTH DAY 
How to be [ke Salem and Rios: Bang your head fépealediy 
against any hard surface. When you regain consciousness, your 
pre-ingiictic grunts will sound just like the "anter" between. 
these meatheads, Congratulations, Army of Two fans: You're the 
lowest common denominator 


5 SUBJECT DELTA - 809002 
Big Daddies are awesome, right? Not if you're Subject Delta. 
Instead of effortlessly slaughtering hordes of splicers (ike every 
other Big Daddy in Rapture), Delta is easily overcome by the most 
half-hearted assaults for most of the game. No wonder the Big 
Sisters want to Kil him; Delta's a disgrace to the family. 


6 STARKILLER — FORCE UNLEASHED 
Тһе words "Jedi" and "dork" rarely go together, but Starkiller is 
the Chosen One to unite them. Is һе a done? Starkiler isn't smart 
'encughto figure that out for himself, so he spends all of his time 
chasing after a woman he may have never met. Sneaking up on 
strangers is guaranteed romance! 


7 JOE PESCI IMPERSONATORS - AAN WAKE, BAYO 
The obnoxious oudmouth routine works for Joe Pesci for one 
reason: He's Joe Pesci. Coming from anyone else, that came 
bumbling sidekick schtick is a catastrophic failure = but that 
didn't stop Bary and Enzo from crapping all over their scenes in 
Alan Wake and Bayonetta, 


B SHEEP MAN - MEGAMAN 10 
Okay, Capcom is officially not even trying. Sheep Man takes the 
prize for being the worst robot master ever (sorry, Clown Man), 
He obviously locks ridiculous, and his attacks involve turning into 
‘outs of wool and firing static electricity. Also, his weakness is a 
baseball. Seriously. 


9 REBECCA - ASSASINS CRIED: BROTHERHOOD 
Yeah, we get it - Rebecca's totally L337 because she's a hacker 
‘or something. I only she'd keep her mind on her work instead of 
aggravating everyone with her insipid emails, mindless mratle, 
апа phony personality. It joining the Templar order means no 
more Rebecca, then sign us up. 


10 AGENT YORK -DEADLY PROTON 
Unlike the other entries on this list, Agent York the endearing 
typeof dork. Не talks to an imaginary friend, reminisces 

about old movies, and sees the future in his coffee. York i 
simultaneously odd and charming, ike that friend you're happy to 
have but embarrassed to introduce to anyone. 


£ 
iq 


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%4 


4 


м 


feature 31 


TOP 


Limbo 
VILLAINS баз уо anonton, but Pe Ger опит роле 
этне dds e MAN ss? Sharing sound atacis ce о show As Pe ung 
Tough he's меу one of Spar уйир ges a Bo ang сор 


would trust the llusive Man. This puppet mast 

ok after humanity's interests, but his devious methods and 

xenophobic agenda make him a dangerous man to be around - 
ven if he says he's on your side. 


Combined with hard-to-spot booby traps, trying creature 
nd shocking death animations, Limbo channels the macabro Y 


2 EDGAR ROSS =D DEAD EDEN 
Folks are constantly manipulating, betraying, and shooting John. 
Marston, but no one does him wrong quite ike Edgar Ross, 
Callaucly using Marston's family as leverage to further his own 
ambitions, Ross is a more devious man than the outlaws he StarCraft I 
forces Marston to hunt. 


Wings of Liberty 


этне опон xuen run E 

Те Origami Kiler's motivation, methods, and ¡entity are best R A 

kept under wraps, since revealing them prematurely would mission, gorgeous outsoor ved multiplayer, and a Si 
рой this groundbreaking game, Even without knowing the revised Battle.net that makes friends and refining your Best Strategy 
Mͥt!! OA CC 


4 SARAH KERRIGAN - SRC 
The memory óf a non-infested Kerrigan haunts Jim Raynor 
as he laments his failure to protect her, but she isn't just a 
psychological threat. The Queen of Blades herself commands 
the relentless forces of the Zerg, and entre am 

feet when she steps onto the battlefield. 


Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 

5 ZEUS - GOD 0 WR Inde comic icon Scott grim had a big 2010 harks to a 
Zeus may be the King of the gods, be he's not a benevolent n staring Moh nd 
Tuer Fm high atop Olympus, he bates Kratos and the Tano loadable game. This relro-siyed four-play 
as the world ia frown into chaos around him, Zeus’ power akt lans of the series wih loads of video qam 
in oniy exceeded by his hubris, which makes it even sweeter E тырп 


Constant levokups and shopping 
"when he final gets his comeuppance. халопа seven evi exes form an Kcal and 


lure, and Paul Robertson's inspired 20 аг 
nra] 

This oversized arachnid doesn't have complex motives or a 
nefarious endgame — t's just hungry. The lumbering predator is 
terror incamate; with ts lghtring-quick attacks and a fondness 
for impaling, the mere sound of the spider creeping up behind 
you is enough into inspire panic. 


7 NIKITA DRAGOVICH - (ALL OF du BLACK OPS Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light 

He's gota Russian accent and he hangs out with Fidel Castro, AAN AN AAN 
there's no way Dragovich isn't evil to һе core. As if more m 

proof were necessary, Dragovich is responsible for Alex ror To 

Mason's captivity in a Russian gulag. He also has an unhealthy БЕ 


interest in American politics. harter ei 
xo scenes, and an аксе upgrade sy 


Ort ORE . lr sro ЛО 


blends the r 


and you have 


ib Raider game that stands taler than some recent 


8 JEANNE BIO аш 
‘Asan Umbra Witch, Jeanne is capable of the same outandich ШЫ 
feats as Bayonetta, but without al of the emotional baggage. 
Wile Bayonetta tries to unravel her own past, Jean 

which makes their 


[> 


9 DEATHWING - WORD Ы 
Azeroth as you knew itis gone. Foods, earthquake Mafia It 
lava have changed the face of the land. AI of the chaos and Some pe 
destruction is the work of Deathwing a once-noble black ad 
dragon who soars through the world and periodically sho 

to obliterate seasoned veterans and noobs alike. 


"= El 
perc MAFIA | 


xing a tight 
called gengster talo that recals lasse fims Iko Goods and 


the meaningless sidequests in favor 


la! transports players to post Word Wa I 
хдт Visited by video games. The relationship 
ita and Joo Barbaro drives а 
mary fam as, but by 
e codd se 


ТО GIDEON GRAVES -SCOTT PLN THE WORD 
Gideon Graves is everything the final boss of a brawler should 
be Не has unfair advantages in the form of weapons, cheap 
attacks; and tree forms hat pay homage to classic games. 
Even if you aren't a Scot Pilgrim fan, youl hate Gideon for all 
the right reasons. 


Valkyria Chronicles II 


Н 
i 
% 


Halo: Reach 


Reach may bo a prequel, but it ties up the Halo 
series like a neat bow, This disc is engorged with 
content: a smartly crafted campaign boasting 
impressive Al and strong pacing, a multiplayer 
mode that will keep players engaged for years, 
an iriproved, lor wos Firefight mode, and a 
host of other extras like the Forge level editor. 
Bungie didnt ust dose the book on its 
legendary run with the series; it went 
out with a bang. 


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Teatre 33 


TOP 


MOMENTS 


1 DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING - 
CASTLE LOROS O SHADOW 

ne key component of the Castlevania formula is missing 
throughout much of Lords of Shadow, but it eventually 
‘appears with a bang. This double whammy wallops 
players with an exciting character twist for Belmont and 
follows up with the earth-shattering revelation of the 
rumored sequel' setting. 


2 RED DEAD DENOUEMENT ub DEAD REDEMPTION 
Аз he heads home after doing the Bureau's bidding, John 
Marston feels like his life is finally back on track. But as he 
тесоппесі with his loved ones and retakes the reins of his 
ranch, a sense of doom hovers over the catharsis. The events 
that subsequently unfold create one of the most memorable 
les in gaming history. 


з FIGHTING CRONOS - 600 0 WII 
бой of War I is anon-stop assault of jaw-dropping moments, 
but Kratos" battle against Cronos rises above. Traversing 

the titan gargantuan body and carving him into pieces is 
simultaneas disturbing and thriling. He may be one more 
‘corpse to Kratos, but wel remember Cronos for ages. 


4 THETRIALS -HEY RAN 
When Ethan Mars is forced to go through several rials 
devised by a psychopath to retrieve his lost child, you 
know he isn't going to walk away without some kind of 
disfigurement 


ling through hopeless splicers as the frst Big 
Daddy eventually leads to an experiance unice anything 
‘we've ever seen in the BioShock universe. This sting of 
events provides a fresh look at the beloved weed of Rapture 
through a familar set of eyes. 


6 THROUGH THE OMEGA RELAY -ISSLIELTZ 
You've gathered your crew. Your ship is armed to the 
teeth. Now its time to pass through the relay and face 
the Collectors on their turf The ensuing mission demands 
sacrifice and keen leadership, and its likely that everyone 
isn't coming home. Maybe not even Shepard 


7 THE LAST STAND Н: REACH 
We find out why Hal: Reach opens with a broken Spartan 
beet when the game concludes and the Covenant overruns 
the planet. With no backup, limited supplies, and a neve 
ending stream of enemies, Noble Six does the only thing a 
‘Spartan can do: hold the line as long as possible. 


8 DONNING THE RAINCOAT - DEADLY PEMONTIO 
The Raincoat Kiler в a local legend in Greenvale; an axe- 
ing maniac who rampaged through the town in the 

This legend becomes a realty during an amazing 


9 THE PERFECT KILL - ASSASINS CREED: BROTHERHOOD 
Whether youre watching your undering assassins strike 
from the shadows or playing mind games with your 
‘opponents in multiplayer, the satisfaction of a well-executed 
Kill never diminishes. Requiescat in pace. 


То MINECRAFT MADNESS - HIT 
Its not even a finished game yet, but one-man indie project 
Матаса tapped into а deep creative undercurrent in our 
collective subconscious It early alpha build sold over half a 
lin copies this year on word of mouth alone. The planned 
2011 release в going to wreck us fit adds actual gameplay 
and goals. 


xu can imag astounding action tile, Using 
Belmont handy dern e eroe 10 escena mock е 
ind de homolhs is a blast, bul pales i j 
NBA 2K11 

Concepts always delivers a solid hardcourt experience 
"ut with he help of Michael Jordan ho game soars lo new 

10, To Jordan Challenge, which recreates th 

arcer-deliring moments in MJ's career with historical rosters 
jerseys, and commentary, is the most ambitious and mp 
sive new sports mode of ho year. Combine I with the alway 
impressive Associaton franchise mode and several 1 
necessary improvements lo the gameplay, and о 
best basketball game of this console generation 


Kirby's Epic Yarn 


a 


Eph 


don't 
ns 


Wat 


stay introduces new and nto 


10 Heraly x 


ring qiio as ойл. 

DJ Hero 2 

Front Games puts own pn 

те boy ento nati vay bras ipea Pe a 

fak ia op we danco ave 1o OU n Во am 
iow ro tons, oca e ard aid 

n iyapa 

wars 


Fallout: New Vegas 
ыы 
Sie 


X wih the lengthy 


happy foh 


tipo play 


Super Meat Boy 


s, buttery c 


D 


4 


more Fallout lo som 


ghs, anda ста 


th laking. 


ols, and copious replayabilty. Also, Is hard 


scing his gend 
ododd гов 


А 
UE 


H 
H 
H 
H 


Dane be dere 


Fable Ш 


parent th 
yet hunk al 


God of War: 
Ghost of Sparta 


While God of War Ill concludes Kratos’ story, Ghost 
of Sparta fills in the gaps between the first and 
second games in the series. Developer Ready at 
Dawn once again showcases its mastery of the PSP 
hardware, pushing the system to the limit. Whether 
Kratos is tromping through Atlantis or tying 

up loose familial ends, Ghost of Sparta 

consistently delivers outstanding combat 

‘and epic moments that stand side-by- 

side with the series’ console itera 


"oleam the reel Ihi 
the keyboard peripheral 


Pinball FX 2 


on, Through an алау of 
xmpeling agar 
ling a rior 


Dance Central 
with Dane a 


Call of Duty: Black Ops 


Despite angor over tho ҮЧҮ Ward 


5 Creed: Brotherhood 


э 


М 


$ envisions usn s 
77 THON the messy divorce with the lead 
talent at Infinity Ward and CEO Bobby Kotick's 
орап remarks painted Activision as an 
industry bully, the company's 2010 was 
succes nonetheless. The giant publisher 
wooed Halo developer Bungie, xed its 
financial muscle with Call of Duty: Black 
= Ops, and made grat licensed game wth 
Transformers: War for Cybertron. Add the 
‘stelar work Blizzard did on World of Warcraft: 
Catam and StarCraft I, and its hard to 
deny Activision's publishing power. 


= NINTENDO = UST TUR 6 
While the DS didn't get as many memorable 
titles as we've seen in previous years, 
Nintendo gave Wi enthusiast plenty of 
reasons to celebrate. With near perfect titles 
‘uc as Super Mario Galaxy 2, Kirby's Epic 
Yam, and Donkey Kong Country Retums, tis 
isthe most time we ve spent with the Wi 
since the console fist released, 


A ТАКЕ TWO- US YU 3 
Téke-Teo' martra ie quality over quantity 
‘The company delivered another acclaimed 
pen wat te with Rockstar’ Red Dead 
Î Redemption, released its most success 
>) sports ently yet with NBA 2K11, dropped highly 
| rated sequels for Mafia and BioShock and gave 
ino owe radialen 


5 SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAIN- 
MENT - UST YER T 


2 = I's safe to say the PlayStation 3 has hits 


side. Sony delivered a varied and impressive 
‘of stellar exclusives like God of War 

T Heavy Rain, MLB 10: The Show, and a few 

memorable PSN ties Ike Hello Games’ Joe 

Danger The company also introduced its 

answer o mation controls wth Move, and 

Gran Turismo 5 finally hit retail. 


PUBLISHERS 


1 ELECTRONIC ARTS - LAST YEAR: 2 
Mass Effect 2% unforgettable sci-fi 
storytelling and tightened gameplay is at 
the head of the pack for EA, but that's just 


the tip of the iceberg. Call of Duty got some | 
stift competition this year with Battlefield: $ 


Bad Company 2's entertaining multiplayer, 
Guitar Hero was left in the dust by Rock 


Band 3, and racing got a much needed £ 


boost with Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. 
The company also had several solid sports 
titles, the Sims 3 console adaptation, and 

downloadable hit DeathSpank. 


6 MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS 
ЖЕ 

Though the relationship between Microsoft 
and Bungie has come to an end, their final 
collaboration, Halo: Reach, delivered on every. 
fron So did Microsoft's gamble on controler 
free gaming, Kinect, and a first-party lineup 
that included Fable ll and Alan Wake. Though 
Xbox Live experienced a price hike, the arcade 
space was busting with impressive exclusives 
including Limbo, lomilo, and Super Meat Boy, 


7 UBISOFT US YEAR 9 
Ubisoft's diverse portfolio was hit or miss, 
‘this year, with a тік of mediocre titles and 
stunning successes. Alongside lackluster 
tiles such as Just Dance 2 and Shaun White 
Skateboarding, there ae hits ike Assassin's 
Creed: Brotherhood, Scott Pilgrim vs. the 
World, and Splinter Cell: Conviction. 


8 CAPCOM - UST YAR 10 
The only real low point for Capcom this 
year was the departure of Keij Inafune. The 
Japanese publisher released а steam of 
solid sequels with Dead Rising 2, Lost Planet 
2, Mega Man 10, and Super Street Fighter 

I The company also produced excellent 
DLC in the form of Dead Rising: Case Zero 
and Case West. 


9 SEGA - UST TUR МА 
This year marke the retum of good Sonic 
games with Sonic 4: Episode 1 and Sonic 
Colors (DS). PSP owners had a reason to 
retum to their handhelds with Valkyria 
Chronicles Il. Plus, with the help of Platinum 
Games, Sega introduced some impressive 
new IPs like Bayonetta. 


10 SQUARE ENIX TTR WA 
Every year Square Enix releases a new 
numbered Final Fantasy tilê, ( undeniably 
а good year. Final Fantasy XII went 
‘multiplatform, Lara Croft returned in Guardian 
of Light, and open world tle Just Cause 

2 showcased the growing potential of the 
publisher's acquistion of Eidos. 


j series chowsno signs of slowing down. 


DEVELOPERS 


1 BLIZZARD - UST YEAR: 4 
Blizzard's mantra is “when its 
done? This philosophy means 
gamers have to wait years, 
sometimes decades between 
‘sequels, but it pays off in a level 
of quality that few can match. 
StarCraft И Would put Blizzard on 
‘this list by itself, but the studio 
also released World ot Warcraft: 
Cataclysm and an ambitious 
revamp of its Battle.net service. 


2 ROCKSTAR SAN DIEGO- 
LAST YU МА 

Rockstar San Diego's Red Dead Redemption 
ave gamers something we'd wanted for a long 
time — an open-work Westem epic The game 
i built on the Grand Theft Auto template, but 
Rockstar used it to create an experience unlike 
any other. Filed with fascinating characters, 


{grand vistas, and engaging action, it was the 


Year's breakout hit, 4 


"We ings haven't been reator Hilo 
onthe business side (owner Viacom is looking 
trunlced the stude) its work this year couldn't 
have been beter I released Rock Band 3, ts 
most comprehensive and deep music tie to 
date and gave us Dance Central, an addictive 
tance pare at vast bet Kiet it 
Cte. 


ашка лге 


з SONY SANTA MONICA -USTTEAR-A/A— Retro left tie fami ‘confines of the 


Every God of War game raises the bar in teme 
of spectacle and brutal, fnely tuned gameplay 
“Sony Santa Monica delivered the 

în the saga this year, and it mana 
math but exceed our expecta 
‘of graphical firepower coupled wi 
gameplay made God der 
best gaming experiences: 


amazing 
ofthe year's 


а bioWaRE-USTüR WA. | 

BioWare took its considerable RPG chops to the 
next level with Mass Effect 2, which provided 
‘the year's most engrossing saga Never before 
have we felt so connected to a game, as һе 


decisions you make as Commander Shepard 


‘change the fate of the universe. The interactive. 
dialogue aysten isthe genre's most important 
gameplay innovation this generation, and this- 


{ 5 QUANTIC DREAM - UST YEAR N/A 


Many games made an impact on us this year, 
but none was more affecting than Quantic 
Dream's emotional thriler Heavy Rain. Smart. 
gripping, and often sad, the game made us 
fed a real emotional connection to protagonist 
Ethan Mars, something few games have ever 


accomplished tû his degree. k 


6 BUNGIE -LAST YEAR WA 


1 Now developing a new franchise for Activision, 


Bungie is leaving Halo behind. However, Halo: / 
Reach was a fitting end to the saga it began on 
the original Xbox Full of emotion and nearly 
perfect in design, Reach restored Halo to its 
positon atop the shooter gee, Wherever 


pida = 
Donkey Kong Country franchise. Wile he u, 


re appearance of OKC vas surprising enough, ti 
. Was even more surprising that Reto rea 


Some that was even better than ts d cheat 
predecessors, | " 
o mojan Screen,, 
URMA yy : 
Markus Persson, beter eln by his web  / 
handle "Notch," couldn't have known what he 
was unleashing on the word when he put out 
the allia version of Minecraft this year. An 
open-ended, construction- theme sandbox 
ie, Minecraft took the Intemet y storm, as 


Players used the game's creation tools to make — -- 


aninsane variety of constructs. \ 


10 FRICHONAL GAMES- LISTAR VE 
Тв mal dependent developer from — 
Sweden (he second on this list!) created one- 
ofthe year's truly unique experiences, be 
groundbreaking survival horror tie Amnesia 
The Dark Descent Wile i's not as polished as 
semebig budget games, Amnesia в perhaps 
the most ch ешт s 


the series goes from here, it won't be the. = — 


‘same without the talents of one of he most 
consistant and talented studios in all of gaming. 


Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 


e-knucido comp 
is on Burnout Paradise's 
ipdtos, ensuring you awa 

3 you need to best 


Pac-Man Championship Edition DX 


Man games "ng colect-a-hons or 
'nkerec wilh Pac-Manis 
outstanding arcade qam: 


Ж and forth betwoer 


games. Back in 200; 
nd '80- to prod 
thal had Pac-Man bour 


pe maze. With Pac-Man Champerstip Eciton DX Nam 
= on he magie The addon of seeping ghosts ft 
3 Pac-Man and te y o prog Pat Man 
werd siate push DX acon to a kartic level Fo things 
Donkey Kong Country Returns 
Dockay Kong County nen ts head with for 
ground and background play, now enemies. co-op, and е 
л, DKG Returns doesn't snp on icy: your at out 
wesen as changing рап sections Koop you 


at tho edge ol your seat Trom start to finish. Donkey Kong) 


Gran Turismo 5 
ing so long for Gran Turismo 5 that It 
me out, Thank, our 


sharing cars and courses guarantees wel b 
ne behind the wheal for th 


llomilo 


adorable indi puzzler f тәгі 
s by manipulating a be fed world wil break 
пого ways than you can im Y hats win 
ih a uniu репосі amount of complexity, 
and an excellence in design on par with Valve's Porta, this sth 
la game ths year, 


World of Warcraft: Cataclysm 
How doas Bizz Kop tions a perg ese: 

es in sea © 
cos ала а юп of conan ortho raid lvl сар, Sear 
mp dosed be оа. chende e 
— he 


Ч 
i 
E 
5 


— 


TOP 
10 
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT 


1 BORDERLANDS: THE SECRET ARMORY. 
OF GENERAL KNOXX 

With regular releases of high quality DLC, Gearbox knows how. 

to take care of its fan base, Both of the team's DLC releases 

this year made the list, but with General Клохх DLC being its 
largest offering, it takes the top slot. An increased level cap new 
weapons, and a confrontation with the most powerful creature n 
Pandora proves there thankfully ain't no rest for the wicked. 


2 RED DEAD REDEMPTION: UNDEAD NIGHTMARE 
With Undead Nightmare, Rockstar expands on our 2010 game of 
the year with hours of additional gameplay. This DLC shows that 
bears aren't the most terrifying creatures in the Old West as you 
complete a wealth of new missions and subquects while fending 
ой hordes of zombies. 


3 BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2 — VIETNAM: 
Ittook way too long for DICE to deliver пен maps for, Bad 
Company 2, but v 

to the rice paddies and dense junges of Vietnam is a blast, 
and the introduction of menacing new weapons like the fame 
thrower helps differentiate the action from the original game, 
This is one draft we don't recommend dodging: 


4 BORDERLANDS: CLAPTRAP'S 
NEW ROBOT REVOLUTION 

Inthe fourth DLC pack released by the talented folks at Gearbox, 
the beloved, chatty Gaptrap finally gets some ime in the 
spotlight. This pack offers up plenty of loot for the taking and a 
load of cute, but deadly Claptaps to take down. 


5 BIOSHOCK 2: MINERVA'S DEN 
в Subject Sigma, play era word of hurt to Slicers 
with improved gunplay as you unravel a gripping tale surrounding 

The Thinker that dishes out а shocking conclus 


6 LEFT 4 DEAD 2: THE SACRIFICE 
The Sacrifice gives fans of the Left 4 Dead franchise a chance to 
Play as the original group of survivors in a new campaign that 

gets your heart pumping and ultimately delivers an emotional 
farewell to a member of the crew. 


7 ALAN WAKE: THE WRITER 
Alan Wake leaves a number of unanswered questions to the 
mysteries that unfold during the overall experience. Thankful, 
The Writer helps clear up some of the fog. This additional content 
takes а few steps into surrealism and offers some gameplay 
twiste to help put some of Alan Маке в plot pieces together. 


8 MEGA MAN 10: BASS MODE AND SPECIAL STAGES 
Mega Man 9 offered DLC in the form of a playable Proto Man, 
but Mega Man 10 already comes with the Blue Bombers bro, 

50 Capcom ups the ante by offering the oft forgotten Bass as a 
‘downloadable character. The brooding robot can shoot bursts of 
rapid plasma fre diagonally and dash, making Mega Man look 
more like a chump. Even better, three DLC stages bring back the 
deadly Mega Man Killers from the Game Boy ttes. 


9 HALO: REACH: NOBLE MAP PACK 
You can never have too many Halo multiplayer maps, so Bungie's 
addition of brand new gorgeous locations (Anchor 9, Tempest, 
and Breakpoint) is entirely welcome. 


10 DRAGON AGE: ORIGIN: 
DARKSPAWN CHRONICLES 

BioWare's additional combat focused content for Dragon. 
Age: Origins finally gives players the chance to control the 
Darkspawn. There is no shortage of entertainment when 
playing the bad guy role as you hack, slash, and ultimately 
terrorize the city of Denerim. 


E. 


rJ 


TOP 
10 
DISAPPOINTMENTS 


1 STUDIO CLOSURES, 


Deadly Premonition 


nents derded juidatod me 


LAYOFFS, RESTRUCTURINGS 
This year; the games industry felt the effects of 

the economic downturn in a big way. Only a few 
years ago, analysts and publishers laughed off 

the global financial crisis, declaring that video 
games were somehow recession proof. But studio 
bloodletting began in 2008, and continued at a 
furious pace in 2010 with a depressing number of 
studios suffering layoffs closings, and publisher- 
‘mandated restructurings. Victims included Red 
Octane, Krome Studios, Visual Concepts, Neversoft, 
Raven Software, Realtime Worlds, Budcat, Luxofux, 
Radical Entertainment, and Propaganda Games. 


2.IHE INFINITY WARD DEBACLE 
After the record-breaking success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 
2, everything looked rosy for Activision and developer Infinity Ward. 
‚But behind the scenes the relationship between the two parties 
was eroding, eventually devolving into a public spat. Former IW 
studio heads Vince Zampella and Jason West were fired, and 

the pair subsequent sued Activision for withholding milions of 
dollars in unpaid royalties, Activision countered by saying that 
the two broke ther contract by talking with rival publishers and 
plotting against Activision. West and Zampella formed Respawn 
Entertainment, and over 30 IW employees jumped ship to join the 
пен company. 


3 METROID: OTHER M 
Team Ninja's take on the Metroid formula promised an incredible 
mix of the exploration the series is known for and brutal, Ninja 


Gaiden-style combat. Instead, we got a badly paced, poorly written, 


story-heary game that tumed Samus into an unlikable child. For 
‘ining the reputation of a beloved and iconic character, we give 
Metroid: Other M a heartfelt thumbs down. 


4 THE PATCH CRUTCH 
Like it or not, the words “ап update is available for this game" 
have become an integral part of the console gaming experience, 
Sometimes these patches come after a game's release, adding 
features such as online co-op. Other times, as in the case with 
Fallout: New Vegas, they address a variety of game-cripling bugs. 
It's grent that developers can address problems after launch, but 
the frst few weeks of а game's release are starting to feel more 
and more like a beta for which you have paid full price, 


5 MEDAL OF HONOR TALIBAN FIASCO 
EA's Medal of Honor took a lot of heat for the questionable decision 
to allow players to play as the Taliban in multiplayer. At frst, the 
‘company defended their right as artists to create edgy content, 
before quickly reversing course and renaming the Taliban as the 
"opposing force" when faced with a ban of the game in stores 

Fön military bases. Embarrassing and gutless, this was one ofthe 
year's worst moments. 


ê FLOUNDERING JAPANESE GAME DEVELOPMENT 
In September, Capcom's head of R&D and global production Keiji 
Inafune told the New York Times that Japanese game development 
was at least ive years behind the West, A month later, he left 

the company after a 23-year carer. Japan, once known for its 
 bestn-dass game development, as lagged in recent years. 
‘Square Enix president Yoichi Wada cites Japan's closed society 
‘and reluctance to adapt to changing tastes as reasons behind its 
decine. Regardless of the whys, it's clear that developers need to 
step up their game. 


зв 


7 NPD AND THE ABSENCE OF REAL.SALES DATA 
The gaming industry loves to invite comparisons between tal 
and Hollywood, but it falls short in one major way: transparency 
You can go online and with a few clicks of your mouse read how 
much money a particular movie has grassed m 24 hours. With 
game hardware and software, that simply isnt possible. The NPD 
Group has compiled fragments of that data for years now, leasing 
small portions of information in monthly bursts. In October, the 
organization said it would no longer be releasing hardware 

sales figures and that its top 10 releases would no longer have 


accompanying sales numbers. In an industry filed with speculation 


and blind guesswork, not having access to information doesn't 
help anyone. 


8 THE REALTIME CRACK UF 
Crackdown was a surprise hit for developer Realtime Worlds — 
perhaps too surprising. By the time Microsoft decidedit wanted 
a sequel to he sandbox game, the Scoland-based sfüdio had 
already committed to development on its MMO shooter APB. The 
‘sequel was handed to new developer Ruffian Games; made up of 
many exe Realtime World's Crackdown team members. Long story 
short, Crackdown 2 was a disappointing reread and APB lopped, 
effectively putting Realtime Worlds out of business 


9 THE CURIOUS CASE OF LUCASARTS. 
LucasArts has two fim franchises just screaming tobe blen 
gaming blockbusters in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but the Force. 
is no longer strong with this publisher The studio suffered layoffs 
in September and the departure of veteran project lead Haden 
Blackman. Later, it handed over Star Wars: The Old Republic to EA. 
Where's our Star Wars: Battlefront update? Why hasn't LucasArts 
delivered the Indiana Jones game we deserve? Most importantly, 
whats going ол over at LucasArts? 


10 THE UBISOFT MONTREAL TALENT EXODUS, 
First Clint Hocking an instrumental Splinter Cell and Far Cry 2 
designer, left the studio. Then news broke that Assassin's Creed 
creative director Patrice Desilets left Ubisoft Montreal as well and 
“large group ofthe senior designers working on the blockbuster 
franchise also followed sult. Ubisoft Montreal has always had a 
(deep roster of talent from which to pull, but with more and more 
studios opening up in Montreal the competition for top talent is 
fierce, and we can't help but feel wary about Desilets' iion for 
Assassin's Creed being lost in the shuffle. 


TOP 50 BREAKDOWN 


Unrated 


Action 
Actio/RPG. 
Adventure, 
Compiltio 
Fighti 

MMO 
Platforming 
Racing 
Role-Playing 
Rhythm 
Shooter 
Simulation 


Strategy 


PlayStation 3 
wi 


Nintendo DS 
PSP 


READER & STAFF PICKS 


We made our picks for the best games of the year, so now it’s time to 
seo what the readers think. Users on gameinformor.com voted for the 
best games in a variety of categories. Some of the winners line up 
neatly with ours, but a few dark horses won the readers’ acclaim. 
See how your favorites stack up with these complete results. 


LOADABLE READER 


READER PICK 


OF THE 


SEE STAFF PICK 
ON PAGE 30 


READER 
BEST SHOOTER 


READER 


BEST RHYTHM/MUSIC 


READER 


MIB 10; THE SHOV 


BEST RPG 
STAFF 


BEST Wii EXCLUSIVE 


EXCLUSIVE 
E 


BEST PC EXCLUSIVE 


BEST HANDHELD EXCLUSIVE E 
x y [ 


READER 


EDITOR PICKS 


х № 
4 Е McNamara 
ж | > pes of War I m 
4 2 Mass Effect 2 


3 Red Dead Redemption 


4 Assassin's Creed: 
y Brotherhood 


5 Dörksiders 
= 6 Holo: Reach 
7 Heavy Rain 


8 World of Warcraft 
Cochem 


х 9 Singularity 
10 Picross 3D 


Р Bryan Моге 
i Mass во? 
2 Red Dead Redemption 
3 Heavy Rain 
A/God of War I 


5 Scot Pilgrim vé" 
the World 


6 Bayonetta 
7 Fable li 
8 Alon Woke 


9 Kingdom Hearts: 
Birth by Sleep 


10 Professor Layton and 1e- 
220 Unwound fuse 


Andrew Reiner 


1 Red Dead Redemption 
2 God of War Il 
3 Moss Effect 2 


4 Assassin's Creed: 
Brotherhood 


Б Castlevania: 
E Lords of Shadow 


А 


9 Super Майс Galaxy 2 


10 MIB 10: The: Show. 


Jeff Cork 


1 Red Dead Redemplión 2 


2 Dead Rising 2 


3 Assassin's Creed: 
Brotherhood 


4 Castlevani 
Lords of Shadow 


5 Deadly Premonition 
6 Moss Effect 2 

7 Heavy Rain 

8 God of Wer ll 

9 Рес? 

10 Fable 


Matt Helgeson 


1 Red Dead Redemption 


2 DJ Hero 2 
3 Heavy Rain 


4 ¡Super Mario Galaxy 2 


5 llonilo. 
s Picross 30 7% 
7 Pinball FX 2 

8 Dorksiders 

9 UnleBigPloner PSP 


Meagan Marie 

AH 2 
Y Mass Effect 2 
2 Split/Second. 
з Dead Rising 2 
4 Lora Croft and the 

Guardian of Light 
5 Alan Woke 


6 Need for Speed Hot 
Pursuit 


7 Cove Story 
8 Donce Central 
9 Heavy Rain 

10 limbo 


> ) 
Matthew Kato 


1 Heavy Rain = |> 
2 Red Dead Redemption 
s Sende 5 
4 Moss Effect 2 


5 Assassin's Creed: 
Brotherhood 


— Jeff Marchiafava 
1 Red Dead Redemption 
2 Mass Effect 2 | 


3 Battlefield: Bod | / 
Company 2 


4 Pinball FX 2 
5 Super Meat Boy 
6 ModNalion Racers » 
7 Just Coyse 2 
8 Heavy Rain 
9 Dorksiders 

10 Halo: Reach 


Adam Biessener 


1 StarCraft 
Wings of liberty 


2 Word of Warcraft 
— Cataclysm — 


4 Amnesb: The Dark 


Descent 
5 Mass Effect 2 
6 The Settlers 7: 
> Paths lo a Kingdom 
TX 7 Picross 3D 


8 Warhammer 40,000: 


Down of Wor II - Chaos io Mere 


Rising 


259 MIB 10: The Show 


10 Rock Band 3° 


Tim Turi 
1 Mass Effect 2 


2 Castlevania: 
Lords of Shadow 


1 3 Red Dead Redemption 
4 Super Meat Boy 
5 Dead Rising 2 
6 Super Mario Galaxy 2 
7-77 Heavy Rain 


|: seriamos 
АБ” лей 
“т. 


LE 9 Donkey Kong: 
+ Country Returns 


— Bioshock 2 


1 Red Dead Redemption 1 Heavy Rain 
© 2 Moss Effect 2 2 Mass Effect 2 
(С  3-Baillefield: Bad | + 3 God of Wor tt 
J S 4 Boyonetto 
4 Несуу Rain 5 Final Fontasy ХІІ 
5 Азып Creed: = ni 
2 o Assassin's Cie 
Wfollerhood — Brotherhood 
— 7 bene 
7 Limbo, 8 Valkyria Chronicles Il 
BNA 2611 


| e 
“Y То Deadly Premoniñion 


9 Red Dead Redemption | 


Matt Miller 
1 Heavy Rain 
2 Mass Effed 2 
3 Rock Band 3 


4 Red Dead Redemption y 


. Assassin's Creed: 


Brotherhogd 


| 
o Transformers 
T. Mr for Cyber 


A 
“ | * " 
ч n 
( 
Annette Gonzalez__Dan Ryckert. Phil Kollar 

1 Masstffect2 : — 1 bed Dead Redemption | =I Mass Effect 2 
2 des Oed Redemption. 2 Donkey Heng gp 2 StarCref 
— 3 Db Hera 2 4 Cory Returns 7 Wings of liberty 

4 Donkey Kong 1 3.3. Super Mario Galaxy 2 3 Red Dead Redemption 


Cagllevania: 


Lad of Shadow 


Country Returns 
75 Super Mario Galaxy 2 


6 Dance Central g ® God of Wer 
7 BioShock 2 6 Mass Effect 2 
8 Rock Bond 3 7 Pinball FX 2 
8 Battlefield: Bod 
«9 limbo 2 
10 Angry Birds pe 
¡Wings of liberty 
10 Heavy Rain 


4 Amnesia: The Dark 
Descent 


‚ug, 5 Deadly Premonition 
6 Beat Hazard 


7 Assassin's Creed: 
Brotherhood 


8 Ward of Warcraft: 
„ Cotaciysm 


17.9 Super Mario Galaxy 2 


10 Casilevania 


Lords of Shadow „= 


7 Splinter Cell Conviction 
Libert | 8 Super Mario Galaxy 2 
Joe Danger i of War I 


(1o Holo: Reach 


Ben Reeves J 
1 StarCraft ll: | 
Wings of libeny қ 
2 Mass Effect 2 


3 Assassin's Creed: 
Brotherhood) 


74 limbo 
|5 Civilizafon V 
6 Red Dead Redemption 


T 


2 des Deos Redemption 

3 StorCraftll 

4 VV" 

5 Super Meat Boy 

6 Battlefield: Bad 
Company 2 


7 Donkey Kong 
Country Returns 


8 Perfect Dark XBLA 
9 Costume Quest 
^to Infinity Blade \ r | 


N 


“ 


The Big Tent: 
The Changing Culture Of Gaming 


For much of the 30-odd years that they've been a hobby, video games have 
served as a way of connecting people, a secret handshake among those that 


often didn't quite fit in with the crowd. 


Now, lm not so sure. A 2008 Pew Research 
study found that 97 percent of children play 
video games. Last yeer, NPD Group found that 
63 percent of all Americans had played a game 
in the last six months. In contrast, only 53 
percent had been to а movie in the same time 
period. As the industry likes to trumpet, games 
have become a mainstream entertainment, per 
haps even the dominant form of entertainment, 
In many ways, this is great news, but it 
makes me question the idea that a monolithic 


‘gamer culture" stil exists. As in every form of 
media today, the audience is increasingly frag- 
mented. Does the person who plays Persona 
3 have anything in common withthe guys who 
frag on Modern Warfare 2 every night? Does 
the Civilization aficionado have a bond with 
someone who's hard at work on his Madden 
franchise? Probably no more than the person 
who want to see Transformers II does with the 
person who loves Frost/Nixon. Do you ever 
тегі someone and say, "Hey, you watch mov- 


by Matt Helgeson 
senior editor, 
Game Informer 


ies? Соо, so do I! We have so 
much in common! 

These divisions always exist 
ed to some extant, whether it 
мав action games vs. RPGs or 
‘console players vs. PC play- 
«г, but there was more of a 
common cultura shared by 
gamers. For one, there were 
fewer outlets for games, As a 
Kid, remember sitting around 
with friends and playing RBI 
Baseball followed by the origi- 
nal Metal Gear It wouldn't bo. 
uncommon to sas someone 
play Contra then pop in Oragon 
Warrior. Even today, much of 
What passes for video game 
ап, culture, and music is rooted 
in the pixelated graphics and 
primitive electronic tones of the 
8- and 16-bit eras. Icons lke 
Pac-Man, Mario, and Link stil 
resonate strongly with gamers, 
‘even ones that were too young. 
to have enjoyed them the frst 
time around. 

Part of ther enduring appeal 
is nostalgia - and the fact 
that, in the cases of Mario and 
Zelda, the series have contin- 
ued to spawn excellant sequels 
throughout the years. But | 
can't help but wonder if part of 
this phenomenon is a yearning 
for the days when video games 
were stil something our par- 
ents didn't understand, when 
wo ай stil had the samo defini- 
tion of what games were and 
hat they represented. You see 
the same thing in music. While 
rock, hip-hop, and dance have 
ross-pollinated into a mil- 
lion subgorres, icons like the 
Beatles, Michael Jackson, and 
Led Zeppelin retain thor power 
partially because they came 
from a time when we all agreed on things, 

When we're ай gamers, being а gamer 
doesn't really mean anything. Мого not a tribo; 
мето a huge market of milions of people fram 
every race, creed, color, religion, and socio- 
economic group of which you could think. 
Increasingly, Ihe games we play are as diverse 
and diferent as we are. Smaller groups will 
always band together based on mutual inter- 
ests, but in many ways we're long past the 
time when you can assume much about some- 
оле because they play games. Perhaps that's 
progress, but part of mo can't help but feel a 
litio sad about it 


Tho aan! pne envase he page ге sy secl 


mk cesary so me тт rst 


Test Drive Unlimited 2 


15 
Conduit 2 


23 Year of the Cosmic 
Motorcycle! 


Theater 


27 Celebrating the. 
Batman Game 


Bost 
Made 


13 Get Your Plastic Worgent 


04 OF the Deep End 


connect 45 


% 

PROUDLY DEFENDED THE EMPEROR ARE ALL BUT WIPED OUT. INTHE 
E 

FAR NORTH, THE NORDS HAVE TURNED AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, AND 


CIVIL WAR SEEMS IMMINENT. THE WORLD EATER, THE GREAT DRAGON a 


ALDUIN, IS COMING TO FULFILL HIS PROPHECY JUST AS THE ELDER 
E А" 

SCROLLS PREDICTED HE WOULD. TAMRIEL MAY NOT REALIZE IT YET, 

f BUT THESE ARE THE BIRTH PANGS OF А NEW ERA. TO FEND OFF THE 


— 
DRAGON AND RESTORE oun TAMRIEL NEEDS THE DRAGONBORN, 


SK 


EMERGING FROM LEGEND 


1-Player Action/Rele-Paying 
Bethesda Soter 
ише Sudos 


November 11 


ales a 


^ EW 


ге, 
+ 


ei 


YOU MOVE QUT INTO THECRISP 


MORNING AIR, AND LOOK OUT ACROSS 


© тнв WINDSWEPT MOUNTAINSIDE 
SCATTERED COPSES OF PINE DOT THE 
SLOPE, THE FOLIAGE RUSTLES SOFTLY 
JN THE DRISK BREEZE, DISTANT PEAKS 
Í GLMMER AMID THECLOUDS INTHE 
ЖОС л, SPREAD OUTINFRONTOF 
YOU.IT'S BEEN A LONG TREK ACROSS 
THE RANGE, BUT NOW YOU NEAR YOUR 
DESTINATION. A LONE VILLAGE HIDDEN 
AMONGTHE MOUNTAINS WILL OFFER, 
REST, STRIDING DOWN THE CURVING 
PATH, YOU PAUSE BY AN ICY COLD 


RIVER WHERE IT RUSHES THROUGH THE 


GORGE TO WATCH FISH LEAP AMONG 


THEROCKS WHILE HEADING UPSTREAM. 


A SHADOW FALLS ON THE PATH NEARBY, 
AND YOUR HAND MOVES TO YOUR 
BLADE. THE SLOVENLY, CHARGING. 


FIGURE DOESN'T SEEM AS INTERESTED IN 


^ 


magic to stand cut as something 
Ja, Is a bil moro brutal, Its tho orina 

hame of men in Tall. You sce th 
И seem Ike t 

a thousand 

Fare. tm al 


breath away. Whether youire 
looking at the world rom the, 
too frst-person view 
person porspac 
detaled. The new rendering 
paralelo ty for an ор 
-playing game 


The homeland of humanity. 
nation with many aval 

to explore. "fis ind of ribe for us, especialy 
‘coring ой of Fallout, К 

eu, wilh vist 


object n ihe 

ксі formed shadow, Tess 
move ependenty, and w 
currents, imparting а sense 

and Ife to he world even when m 


an area called the Pe 
rem 
a tuna, his bi 
ped midde 
w falls пайт 


ice open area in the 

‚here you see the mour 

far cage. Within this one place, there's maybe, 

ix or saven really dfloront environment looks: 
toothed ay mam: 
Inder rely through the 


aleyílo the highest 
des = is traversal 
tones and branc 
prosa texture, but fing exactas t woud Sand 
ome wideress 
xi by towering gian j fost 
and trying snae 
t long Ihe frigid a 


mais за! 


oro Oblivion. 


x kc syvan glas and peril hersh landscape. Even underground arcas 


tundras, and crumbling tins, "fs 
à rely rugged envronment, game d i realy gc 
Todd Howard do,” Howard t 


There's a uniqueness ran 


x ihe Kind of games 


NAMES 
TO REMEMBER 


Alduin 

Also called the World Eater, this 
‘massive dragon's return was foretold 
by the prophetic Elder Scrolls. 

His triumph wil mean Tamriel's 
destruction. 


Dragonborn 
Caled“ dorabkin" in the language ot 
dragons thes rare nal are tue 
dragon hunters As the game begins, 
уш hero may be the last one left. 


Esbern 

One of ho few surviving Blades, 
Esbern ва sort of mentor to the 
game's hero. He's been following the 


Greybeards 
“These mysterious ld men Ive atopa 
‚high retreat called High Hrothgar, at 
he top of a mountain called the Throat 
of the World. They are highly versed 
inthe power ol the dragons, andthe 
trogonbom hero wll need io an the 
7,000 steps takes to reach them and 
be trained. 


Skyrim 
A rugged northern nation in the larger 
continent ot Tarn The king recenti 
died, setting off a potential civil war 
between those who weh o secede 
dom the Empire, and hose who vant 
loreman. 


cover story 49 


WEAPONS OF (CHOICE 


‘THE BANDITS CLOSE IN FROM MULTIPLE DIR 


CTIONS, AND YOU DROP 
INTO A COMBAT STANCE. YOU DRAW A LONG STEEL BLADE INTO YOUR 


RIGHT HAND, AND PULL THE WELL-WORN SHIELD FROM YOUR BACK 


ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE THE HIGHWAYMANS HATCHET GLANCES OFF 


TTS SURFACE INSTEAD OF YOUR ARM. YOU MANAGE A DEFT SWING THAT 


FFF 


COMPANION IS ALMOST UPON YOU, ABANDONING YOUR SHIELD, YOU 


‘TURN TOWARDS THE NEW OPPONENT AS A WHIRLING CURRENT OF ICE 


IGNITES WITHIN YOUR PALM YOU FLING THE SPELL INTO YOURFOE'S PATH. 


sc is well aware that players are ready forsome- past that роті, those an that affect ing. а 
thing alls corbat systen Th log inthe fst hour, whats 
zone recalbrated approach to fighting romare portant on a game ol his scak te dont hink 
stroami pon and abii y given si y A 
tho ways that opponents can alle ıl level growth. The higher the skil, the mar 
F mbat. E 


im vibra 


роп ar 


THE FEEL OF COMBAT 


“Al the stuff we're doing, we want the game to feel more 
believable, not just on the screen, but in your hands," Howard 
‘ays, Combat in Skyrim is stil based on the familiar variations of 
melee throwdowns, careful ranged assaults, and a huge variety 
ol spells, but much of the moment-to-moment action feels more 
involving and brutal. 

Melee is built strongly around a give and take ol ofense and 
tense, whore staggering the enemy and watching in openings 
is key to victory. "We wanted the pace of melee combat to be dit- 
been, Howard says. “There has to be an energy anda joy to it. 
And wete аво interested in how the weapons feel in your hand" 


ing a salisiyng ани tothe end ola har. 

Tanged combat s ne again dominated by the bow and 
атон general bows ake longer lo бан back bran before, but 
"ny reich more pow, log stay players o ale 
down targets wih one t rom a great distance. 

"Tho nage sto has deze d paa іш per who 
Il variation oh combat ocur, “Thero are fve 
Schools of magic” Howard says. “Thara were sin Oblivion Wo 
Gol i of mysticism, and moved some ol trat stut around. The 
magical schoot ot mysticism. Ir that redundant?" 

No mater your style of com bates fet mure mobilo, but 
vith lewer cheap trios to heat he system. For stan, p. 
ki backpedaling approach just won't at “We ve realy slowed 
down hou ast you move backwards? Howard says. “Soa шу 
whois charging you, you can't just back up from hen. n bi, 
You ran backward rh samme sped you ran forwards. The bp 

Dest reason we chan 
ee Just looked йош. 


. bee onen ao оошу customisable 
22 


cover story 51 


NN 


‘RELATES WELL ` 


D COMES INTO VIEW. 


LONG JOURNEY, LOO! BE DECEIVING. AS 
NES x 
YOU MAKE YOUR WAY ALO] w VILLAGE'S 
523 + 
© © CENTRAL AVENUE, THE TOWNSPEOPLE ARES 
— 
ABUZZ WITH THE WORSTSORTORNEWS. 5 
A DRAGON HAS PASSED THIS WAY ONLY, 


RECENTLY. YOUR HOPES FOR SOME RELAXATION $ 


as importa jou overhear ао provide Info without 


4 ч vê nooding à engago h dialogue. T 
the way tat uua ion, and those dal 
INTOWN AND HAPPEN UPON THE SHOPKEEPER ence nal Ий automaticaly 


WILL HAVETO WAIT: REALIZINGYOUD BETTER — a ae) os 


STOCK UP, YOU HEAD INTO THE BIGGEST STORE 


AND HIS SISTERIN ABITTER ARGUMENT. IT SEEMS e x wane ge 

п . 0 hips to word fe 
“7 THE SHOP HAS BEEN ROBBED OF A MYSTERIOUS = rgo and carve 
> 427; x 
| ARTIFACT. THE INDIVIDUAL WHO MANAGES TO 


1 BRING IT BACK MIGHT FIND ANY NUMBER OF Е pilon wl p 


1 ^ 
DISCOUNTS HÉADED/THEIR WAY. rch oka isa 
"Er oy Io conus a ack e 


THE RADIANT STORY 


The Elder Scrolls V has a remarkable new approach to білуі 
ing ina role-playing game, In Oblivion, Behesci's Radiant 

Al technology empowered NPCs to enact their own daly 
schedules and needs. Radiant story applies the same principle 
tothe much wider experience ol moment-to-moment character 
interactions withthe world. 

Put simply, the Radiant story system is about reacting to 
player actions in everything from he tiniest detal to the broad- 
^st lot point. “We're stil telling very specific storylines in our 
тап quest and our factions, and all that su is done by hand," 
Howard reaffirms, “But Radiant story allows us to have quests 
that are flavored dynamically for who you are and where you 
aro The game tell watches everything you do. What skills 
have you improved? What places have you visited? Who have 
you kiled? What weapons do you own? Which figures in the 
мон are your friends, and who are your enemies? 


a quest, his sister will automaticaly inherit the hop, 
and might even ofer you the same quest. However, knowing 
hat you killed her brother, she might do so only in anger 

and nitration, 

Out on the street, your magically empowered hero may be 
approached by another manic user vho wishes to doe. үші 
had опу improved your weapon ski, hat character might 
never appear. 

Wandering through town, you could enter your inventory and 
‘decide to drop a heavy two-handed weapon rather than sell 
itat a nearby shop. In some instances, he weapon might lie 
“forgotten in the mud At another time, young boy might grab 
itup and rush alter you, asking if you had dropped it and might 
Tice it back. In а hind instance, two burly men might reach the 


...4% سا 


"е vr ме thee ayan spent 
Dinge at топа a the vera 
plan, “Theyr teng" 


ЕЗ CX 


weapon at the same time; and begin to fight over who wil take 
ithome. 

The game eventual logs a huge storehouse of knowledge 
эол how you've played, and subsequently tailors content 
to your capabilities and experiences, Entering а city, a young 
woman might approach you and beg you to save her daughter 
dram kidnappers. The game will look at the nearby dungeons 
you've explored, automatically set the mission in а place you've 
ever visited, and designate opponents that are appropriately 
‘matched lo your strengths and weaknesses. 

“To the players, theyll get a quest that we feel is appropriate 
{or whe беу are and what they're doing at the time,” Howard 
Says. In essence, your version of Skyrim wil be buit to your 
specific playing style. 

For more exhaustive details оп Radiant story and ай the 
technical features ol Skyrim, visit gameinformerconvyrim. 


e з=‏ ي 


^s 


SIGNS OF WARNETH AND LIFEFADE SHE 


DISTANCE AS YOU ШКЕ AND AWAY FROM. 


aon IN PÜRSUIT OF THE MISSING 


= YOU PAUSE OUTSIDE OF TOWN TO. 
REARRANGE YOUR EQUIPMENT, YOU TAKE TO 
TIME CHECK YOUR MAP, AND CONSIDER THE 
QUICKEST ROUTE UP THE MOUNTAIN. SATISFIED 
WITH YOUR PREPARATIONS, YOU HEAD INTO 
THE WILDERNESS. AS THE PATH WINDS INTO THE 
MOUNTAINS, HEAVY FOOTSTEPS ECHO OFF THE 
ROCKS, AND YOU STARE UP IN ALARM AT THE 
UMBERING MASS OF FLESH AS IT APPROACHES 
A MOUNTAIN GANT STANDS TALE AND TANKY, 


TOWERING ABOVE YOU AS IT MAKES ITS WAY 


FORWARD. PREFERRING DISCRETION OVER VALOR, 
YOUSTEP INTO THE SHADOW OF A NEARBY 
BOULDER AND WAIT FOR THE HULK TO PASS. YOU 
BREATHE А SIGH OF RELIEF AS THE FOOTSTEPS. 
FADE, UNFORTUNATELY, THE FROST TROLL, 
THAT WAS DOGGING THE GIANT'S TRAIL ISNT SO 
WILLING TO OVERLOOK YOUR PRESENCE, AND 
YOU'RE SUDDENLY IN A FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE. 


sa 


Жет с> ж” 
DEN CLAW OBELDRITCH = 


they don't need lobe. 
cumbersome Ike they 
Wero п Омот, To 
answer ho need for 
improvement, he foam went back tothe dra 
cto ста a user interface governed 
„sabiy, and integration nto the 
Hein rey co el Тар RN ensuing 
be ey o navigate while offering plenty. 
10 explore for those Who wish fo deepen 
ther understanding ol he wo, "Youknow 
in Tunes, when you look at al your musc? 
You fip through i. and soo dl the covers and 
"formation becomes tangible, even though 
its this tua thing, Tats what Же ас 
Howard explains, ¿Ona of our 
3 Apple made à fantasy game 
lock? Its very good at geting through lots of 
tà quic, which is aways a struggle wi 
ou siut 
Tap the enu button, anda four pont 
зе overlay wil appear before your 


“The heave 
Ike." Howard says "lt bacomes an entertaining 
Joking al your sks” Each const 
Js ona of those sklis, divided between areas of 

the sky hatropresent melee combat, nag 
capables, Each pork you sect 
ielaten, 
Push right from the compass menu, and 
ich your inventory. Weapons and armor 
nized, and any one ol them can 


to showing you vihat youre 


des wi unmet mp ho stark 


— 


bo tagged as a favorite Тог quick selacton. 
Books appear as Inroe-dimensional objects 
thal you open to read. Other еһе, from fow- 
ог and herbs lo magical eles, each appear in 
thelr own designated spáce, Every item in your 
has а detalach zoomata, rotating 
o exarrine, which pops up as soon a 
Jtem, giving a tacto culty tothe 


from the main menu cals up 
Your selection of magic ерсіз 85 п al, f 
уойте а deckcaled colector, many offering 
‘ations on а theme. Within your fro spel 

Tor stance, you might have a bursting (сіз, 
а Матейко spray, or a During rune that 
activates when a creatur crosses its threshold. 
Like wih weapons, any spel can be equipped 
To ether hand or set to your favorites for easy 
In-game access. 

Finaly, press down on the men 

your character ooking down to Ihe ground. 
As he looks earthnva ho first-person view 

begins to pan far back. Skin's map appears 
ава huge opographicl керів viewed trom 
an probable height. You can explore the map 
at your leisure, passing the towering mountain 
роз, forests, cilios 

come lo expect, youc 
viously visto 

iraya button. 

The visual effet of the now menu system is 
‘subie but importent. The cid menu paradigm 
pulled you entrely out o the game word in 
lection of tables, text, and tedium. Tho 
Interface keeps players grounded n their oca- 
Tonin the world wie stil diving tast and 
detailed information. 


уйгу travel lo pre- 
with the tap ofthe fast 


— 


— 


Je 


2 * chen cavers Ihe harnessing of elemental energies. Т "Wen you evel up you 
ғ JE stelle rel, Si and оо ol. - re 
gt — Ee SER au йома шу 

> = ‘Me actly em а 


HAN 240/240 «p smua 100/100 ¡== happen ata a 


cover story 55 


THE DRAGON ROARS, AND DIVES INTO ATTACK. FLAME POURS, 


1 
N FROM ITS GAPING MAW. IT CRIES OUT A WORD OF POWER IN}; 


DRACONIC, STRENGTHENING IT FOR THE BATTLE TO COME. 


IN YOUR SEARCH FOR THE MISSING GOLDEN CLAW, YOU VE 
ASCENDED TO A TUMBLING RUIN OF NORD BUILDINGS:EOR А. аш 
— — 


TIME, THE SCALED MYTHICAL BEAST SEEMED TO BLEND; STATUE- 
LIKE, INTO THE STONE, BEFORE SPREADING ITS WINGS AND 

CALLING OUT ITS ANGER, NOW, YOURE CORNERED AGAINST THE 

| WALL WITH THE DRAGON READY TO DIVE BOMB. YOU SCRAMBLE 


) -2 ge 
BACK DEEPER INTO THE RUINS, AND BEYOND A FALLEN PILLAR 


/ YOU SPY YOUR BEST HOPE FOR ESCAPE. A TINY PASSAGE OPENS 
M Ly 


INTO THE HILLSIDE, DESCENDING INTO THE DUNGEON BELOW. 


» ғ 
EVEN AS THE DRAGON LANDS AND REARS BACK TO STRIKE, YOU! 
DIVE FOR THE OPENING AND HURRY INTO THE DARKNESS BELOW. 

E. ж- 
OUTSIDE, THE WYRM BELLOWS IN FURY AS ITS PREY SLIPS AWAY. 


кле ee ONS | " 


PERHAPS YOU WOULD a BETTER ОРЕ FACING THE DRAGON. DEEP 
ur 


BENEATH THE NORD RUINS, YOU'VE FOUND CATACOMBS THAT STRETCH 
ES 


INTO THE FRIGID DARKNESS, FILLED WITH UNSPEAKABLE DANGERS. IN 


ONERÓOM COATED IN WEBBING, A BOULDER-SIZED SPIDER LOWERS 
ITSELF INTO THE CHAMBER, CHITTERING AND CLACKINGITS MANDIBLES 
ELSEWHERE! ANARMY OF DRAUGR UNDEAD, FALLEN NORD WARRIORS | 
OFA FORGOTTEN TIME, CHOKE THE CORRIDORS AHEAD. THE DARK ны 
THAT STOLE THE GOLDEN CLAW ARTIFACT FLEES INTO THE DEPTHS, si 


CHASE THAT RESULTS IN HIS DEATH. NOW YOURE FACED WITH ACHÓICE, 


RUN E: 
3 | WAITING FOR YOU BACK IN RIVERNOOD:; BUFTHEDARK ELFSPOKE OF A 7^ + 

— 1. 
© SECRET BURIED. DEEPER irm TAE DUNGEON, A MYSTERY TIED TO THE | 


STOLEN CLAW. THE LUREIS IRRESISTIBLE YOU PUSH AHEAD. г 


sa — А 
DEEP BELOW, THE MYSTERY REVEALS ITSELF. A FORGOTTEN HALL ОР 


STORIES LEFT BEHIND BY THE ANCIENT NORDS SERVES AS A MAUSOLEUM 
FOR THEIR HONORED DEAD. THE GOLDEN CLAW UNLOCKS THE INNER= — 
SANCTUM. WITHIN, A SHIMMERING RUNIC WALL SITS, UNTOUCHED FOR 


CENTURIES, THE HIEROGLYPHS SEEM FAMILIAR, A WORD LEAPS O. 


FROM THE DRACONIC TEXT. YOU ARE DRAGONBORN. YOU WERE BORN ТО. 
UNDERSTAND THESE RUNES. THE WORD SINKS INTO.YOUR MEMORY, А5 ттт 


IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE, <s- а 


TURNING TO LEAVE, A SARCOPHAGUS BURSTS OPEN, AND A SHIMMERING 
ag — 


SPECTER EMERGES, ANGERED BY YOUR DISRUPTION OF ITS ETERNAL SLEEP. 
ITS А FOE BEYOND ANY YOU'VE FACED IN THIS DARK CRYPT. THE WORD 


OF POWER SPRINGS INTO YOUR MIND. Tus, YOUR VOICE REVERBERATES 
P ` ты 


V > LOUDIX;'RO," YOUR VOICE BUILDS IN INTENSITY. span! THE UNDEAD \ 
y MAR 
тшт COPS HURTTINGBACKWARD,ASA WALL OF SURGING FORCE “ 


WASHES OVER IT, AND THE VAULT ECHOES WITH YOUR SHOUT. 


ES — — - 


, DRAGON LANGUAGE 


Bethesda created a ful draconic language far use in Skyrim: Complete with a 30 character written alphabet, a ful gram- 

3 ‘mar and syntax guide, and an extensive vocabulary of words, the dracone language and its words ol power serves as. 

> the backbone to the dragon shout system. To lear details about Bethesda's fascinating endeavor to tackle this project 
and to translate the draconic text on the back of his magazine, visit gameinformercon/skyin, 


oU S тшн Jh DIM PASSAGE TOWARD THE GLIMMER OF LIGHT 

5 ee 

-— E END AND EMERGE INTO THE COOL SUNLIGHT NEAR THE MOUNTAIN'S 
Р 


N 


Z GIVEN UP. THE DRAGON HAS BEEN CIRCLING, AND NOW HE RENEWS HIS 


Ж С Ж жоі hi 
27 


— 3 

AND STAB YOUR BLADE UP INTO THE CREATURES NECK. IT FLALLS WILDLY, / 47‏ ج 

= № t 
WS AND BALL COAPSE INSTANTLY, ITS ODYANS TOCOMBUSTS 7 


BURNING ITSELF OUT FROM THE INSIDE. YOUR BLOOD QUICKENS, AND A ^ 
GLOW OF POWER SUFFUSES YOU. ANOTHER SOUL BRINGS YOU ONE STEP 


е CLOSER TO ALDUIN. 


Aner FEY a Uncharted e 
Thieves torave reviews and over 
3.8 milion units sold worldwide; 
the Naughty Dog 
much-needed extended Vaca! 
When they retuned they/soughtia 
new technical challenge that would, 
test them as much as the snow 
Uncharted 2 and the jungle in the frst 
game, if not more. The multitude ûf 
properties present in desert jE 
9, displacement 
yand 
ing backtlrog for 
chasing historical mysteries 
This time around, Nathan Drake 
returns to his primary obsession; 
Unraveling the enigma of sup- 
posed ancestor Sir F 
According to the events Of tê isk 
game, this 16th сеп у privaten 
apparently died on an island'in the 
Pacific Ocean protecting the cursed 
statue of El Dorado, but it urs aie 
that this was only one of his many 
Somehow Nate discal 
ies to a last reas ua 
hoard while folowing the trail айо 
century explorer ТЕ. Lawrence, 
known as Lawrence of Arabia 
Before the British Army officer 


the Arab Revolt during Word War 
|, Lawrence was an archaeclogist 
who ventured througholit Europe 


death in a motoreyele.crash ае) 
would love to mount an expedi 

find what he called he Atlantis ofthe, 
Sands, a legendary lost city of untold 
wealth that God Wiped out because: 
of its people's Wicked ways. 

Known by many names обоо 
history = Ubat, Wabar, Iram обе 
Pillars - this place is said to Be bU 
in the Rub al-khali desert in the 
Arabian Peninsula, Also gélledthe 
Empty Quarter, this 250,000 Square 
mile Wasteland is оде of the [ast 
unekpigreci pl. 
exactly Where Nathaf Drake makes al 
doogedierash їрїп 


and pretty much the dosest thing to a father figu to bo seen, but we'd be very surprised if they ich 
ny Hennig. “And we show up in some respe 
solutely a fan favorito and p ‘Okay, wo gotta Ind а way out of hero. Draka says 
about thor backstory and thor s amd thugs stream into the dilapidated 
ieau inthe forests of Frane 


“its a ші cdo,” responds Маху sident 
xû how his team plans to top the Беек т 
Jot tho reception that Un 
oliitdy a big surprise for us, and r 
'60 foo архоһу big amount ol pressure external, bu ely duo came together 
1 danit Ihr yet excoods Ino pressure we put on hor relationship is one of Ihe main баа In win Suly, insi 
bond " TE. Lawrence, o so th partner 
ihen they m. cole, à 
ом up to make things ТОЧЬ Tho. 


Drake and longtime pal or "Sly" Sulvan há xed and ak 
been in this business for some timo na but pi That doesn't 
have only soon thor most recent advent ı1 ba ono big bo 
"Dog promises lo uy explore the natur of th panded cast of now and returning characters 

la rap hou cont cca, Drake's ol into n the debut rater Even though he 
1 and parine sand in action new elemental effect was fe, 


3ub. Naughty Dog prem 
a piano 


ar bolow thot current 
xut the only 
jo pen up a 
s. He jumpson. 
pan lo hold his 
eight even when ìt 
Watch yoursall Sul 
X iL" Drake теріс 
епу, the structure jerks downward a lew foot 


ea merc patrol 


a ‘on the guy and: 
iets eg oe ame e 


n 


Feiner 


White No 


the 


the multiplayer des 
кезү ТА 
ripe E 


rolls. We wa 
ea 
people talk about when 
Жез talk abs plas 
Ұлтқа BIS.” 


4 based on what 
the game. Its stil relati 


match and drops t 
жу springs to Ме п 
across dd beam looks 

хе positioned 


ari Ihe two 

is Drake up lo 

asted with a backdralt in the 
ір ere 


me эр with something that's 
Ja interpretados, creative 


- BEHIND THE SUBTITLE 
Иле we ee up vil subtitle for a garê we е Н а 
ageing # have multiple layers o meaning, something that's pen 
WIL A Aou Am Pei tng. “E gps break dom. ll he perdi T eodd mean (ші of 
BW.” says Uncharted 3 Mi. L nl) be eier Drake- end? be king deceived, Di cado be being deceitful: ced 
FFC the meaning ever inside 
cs sly, whic ir why we lke the abstractions of the nde, And Г think ence people ge 

1 5 V ањ As far. as the g to the 
oe ona bar h А FV charted э: World f Deceit) um 
x to by жайдан for a prefe Hennig зе» pe’ really talende, hd i's fatally А coincidence- 2 


эр, MOVE, AND BSP2 


V 
Ae pasti 2D. Tha jd receive? carly 
raa bg pelea ЗО ТИ t tinker ares 
VV 
adus D Shit Ben 

Wal өзі 
. Ha ra at o 
жаа la hey 
e 

eee бел 
Tg à edere 
olg sein теле 

A fn n Song мекені 
ag ges, бен nd (Же that we'll see it in 
ұлкен nom We reci 
‘Mave pre «4 very early. We spent Hine 
P Lal clio with T" d 
Di quis бйнм Bal 
D kc what we e fe 
oclo that edd bea y 
жылд, 


Een Hah the 
Жек pieces of fe 
P E 


теит online, 


WELCOMING OTHER STUDIOS 

Once Naughty Duy decide anca desert theme and Mi me pre 
[уе hte kam cae op sth thn the Sing fl, 
talgarecimpany, alid it gen, desert game, Josey, Ve 
tal an forth ge Hage endo E і 


RVC 
ыыы 


Jast to talk e cach other,” sas Naughty Duy 
geen, Balestra. 

A] was bike, La Lew are you Jung this awesome und?" ay 
gore Diete ufin Rihard, Theyre Uk, Ware pondo 
Fire of the te АД om i We're (Же, Well, ЊАР nat an 

Bat that's nat He only de hasse Hey e 

em here with other їйїн. We 


пов opens ben 
he plurals t 


ih the landing, trapping him in pla, 
A m stuck, Нар me out," Draka 


ne piê Up his dd mend. 
ent to recover anet 


"тт 


ЛҮҮ" ҮҮ Г HIR HIT емі mmm 


ЕСІ 
Fighting (Online TBA 


Warner Bros. 
Tmtoractive 


beben Sucios 


An 


MORTAL KOMBAT 


Fans of the Mortal Kombat series are a bloodthirsty crowd. After playing through the notorious series’ first Seven 
entries, gamers were trained to expect nothing but the most grisly, creative, and oftentimes hilarious deaths 
you could imagine. That's why so many questions wont through our minds as 5000 as the first teaser image (07 
Mortal Kombat vs. DG Universe appeared online in 2008. We looked at Sub-Zero and Batman facing off, and 
first imagined how insane it would be to see the Lin Kuel ninja rip the Caped Crusader's head off. But waite: 
there's no way DC would allow that, right? Our concerns about a T-rated Mortal Kombat game were realized in 
the presentation of its trademark fatalities. Most were tame, while others panned awey before the final blow was 
delivered. As we were shaking ош heads at these castrated finishers, series co-creator Ed Boon already had a 
plan in mind to bring the series back to its roots in a IS way. 

Even during the production of MK vs, DC, Boon and his team new their next step. "While WE were making 
it we knew we were gonna 59 back to an M-rated game. We were gonna go back to the 2p fighting plane and 
revisit the older story. That whole plan was already in place.” Directly after the series’ largest departure and 
tamest entry comes what will undoubtedly be the most violent in its long history: 


cover story 67 


4 


$ 


аа йоду, this new game tels an 
Vnd деа about to be murdered by Shao Kahn. he ane 
‘mental message back to an car 

follows this enlightened Raiden th 
Morial Kombat games, How this alters the 
ants yet to be seen, but expect to see 
events ne оок far super given the huge technology 198 


al tournament ladder in whch you cimb th 
take down a sub-boss and а boss, 

for your selected character The other features 
ыу, but tests your skil set and know 


Mortal Kombat has always been Known mores 


than ts intricate combos, 
Кау беп a primary strategy. Sub-Zero divas aede goto 
сеге рогол/візе sequence, and Kitana di many 


терегі with er fan ici fan throw core 
ола Kombat 9, the series wentin a different деседі 
wi ade combos that required intenso monere Boon 


wit tore tnat tis method made things dict re attacker 
control of ther character 


ard madii crops re apio etm and País back O е 
Tre nete foi ne fret two games. “Vou mang You ou 
Combos e art programing them in e meh: Ben Qo 
boe al during а match graduali Me up a spec теді 
been be ed in several was. Defensive minded pelis сап 
that can on cf the metar to perlon a breaker move nl ry 
Mort Kombat: Deception. impatient attackers 
meter on super powered 
T Y you're patient enough to let your 
i the most devas- 


tie meter fil up, понем 
"an X-Ray move. Displayed prominent 


{he camera inside your oppone 
‘vertebrae shattering, and bones. 
"moments are shocking even for veterans 
Tad they're sure to be a popular addition. 


‘breaking, These winceinducing 
‘of the намое seres, 


The Devil Is In The Details 
to ие don't expect friendships or babas o appear 
үре a Mortal Kombat ttle without 


Moose trove of hidden goodies. The originat бі 
ıt with Reptile, a character 


dto at any pointin 


new Mortal Kombat pr 
aas Deadly Aliance did, otitis 
lisa gigantic күйі environment complete with a 


пен currency system. 


feature 69 


go vai and memorization required, you often had to 
o through several fights just to sos y 
spiky death. Thankful, te 


Skip straight to the 
jaw open HIT moment any time you want Wat 
In TODD at tho now Jax aay is easy toon up 
de ode ала ratie of tho required input ок Straight to 
the gore. 

Though the focus is оп, 
that's not to say Boon, 
Won't throw in some 


Putting fatalities tront and conte 


Opposed to something whom 
тано непаз he get К шошо be O 
р " that people wouid decoro, 
Returning Veterans e 
Besides the kratos cameo, every 
character revealed tius fs 
ern trom the cast othe frat tree 
ames. Hero's the et ot ney 
сапатта konfirme?) career as 
of tis rng. 


Playable у Тао ekcapton. Te God of War nac 9 be tha ens unt ts. Тһе eariy games added mor fatality types, 
Rope San ver ала ке aden MD Jump to 30 introduced dt deaths and weapons, 


ard ias bene nne Boon says, “was such an vs. DC Universe had Liu Kang and company taking on the ment 
has ed дойт his special moves and менее: unlikely of opponents. 
tan 2л environment that has probably our mann Panga entries of mbing up numerous aspects of the legend- 
Slave ever had in any Mota! Kombat gama, тапа series, Boon is ready to retum toti core elements that 
ba something special ‘made the franchise а phenomenon, Based on the excitement the 
rato On What this stage fatality entalis, but it ing to ana ma lor seems trat the o ы 


mee sons picturing ans ripping котва Im iling to take that step back with him o 
imb or à Colossus crushing them undor m (ш. feature 71 


O Stent Hillis more than a town. 


it [5 a macabre mirror of one's sell. where 


hopeful future, 


head, ike the 
Ibove the forest zipping by the 
tendhis of anxiety ensnare his chest 
‘of social misfits hurtles towards an 
‚unknown fate. His anxiety proves to be justied as the 

‚bus careens out of control, сайла off the side of the, 
"oad and straight into the foreboding woods 


to look for help, Murphy er 
canopies and dons un, but Murphy 

S Pocking the corpse of a dead 
animal. They take fight as ho passes tham en t 
toward a breakin the 


oa padlock 


— 


ne eee 
у tt in outside of his. 


ME Sent HN Downpour ber 
"8 uel about он дуду nen, 


LI 


going to dig up Murphys past and discover he's the 


a starting complication y 

female police office 

‚rer gun. The officer, Anne Cunningham, accuses him 
о! playing a part in the 

across a narrow ledge or 

ing to keep the convi 


enemies kiled to whether 
Or nel you examined a specific йет. These hade 
2, but players also make 
ing decisions. Choices, 
wearing, will affect more than 
e game's conclusion, Vatra says characters wil tunt 
Murphy diferenty depending on your selections, In 
Зоте cases characters fates are set, but his actions 
stil сапу repercussions, 

Choosing to help Anne, Murphy rushes toward 
her with his hand outstretched, 
Soreams as sh 
Murphy cres to himself as he watches her disap- 
pear into the fog. At east he tied. Ho have te 
find help elsewhere. 

Eventually, Murphy's path leads him to a huge 
Cable car system that stretches far across ine 
nearby canyon. A boarded-up souvenir shop 


Its too late, She 
! loses her grip on the sick stone. 


X= 


Би games, "Ours rt rat as uno as somo of 
recent games were ho says, "Wi Shen 
Hi: Shattered Memories ete was ania m егі 
sy me the otherworid happened ee 
er Sent ll made the ha 
tracking Downes 
кайтасы, п Sn Dot, thy wil pay 
‘he tr standalone ler aran ad 
cf fama ото Ұр 
puer 
ck nthe game, tne word Hera tums on з io, 


7 


oo 
> 


Spontaneous Hydrophobia 


шарпу finds himsel in. 


waits at the bottom. Opening it, he finds himself back 
In the diner, with no signs of re or water, 

Puzzles have always played a large part in Sent 
Әй games, and the developers want to play that up. 
In Silent НИ: Downpour, they wil be offering easy, 
medium, and hard difficulty leves for he various, 
ead-scratchers. "They did it in the early Stent Hits 
as well and | think It kind of got lost along the way." 

Says Shatsky. “think the fans were very disap 
potted In that, so we wanted to bring that back: 


‘A door In the diner leads to an attached residence. 
Inside he finds crimson carpet and furnishings 
matching the segmented rooms from the night- 
mare world, He comes across another note, which 
details a reclusive woman who won't leave her 
bedroom. He adds the scrap to his journal, next io the 


newspaper clipping. 
In Silent Hi: Downpour, notes, hints, maps, and 
other useful information are stored in Murphy's Joumal. 
"You find things on the map Ike ite old schoo! nota- 
ons from Murphy as he notices things,” says Gomez. 


Further along in his quest, M 
jt din io is battered and looks FE me 
к ee 
an, hera ho ames o вау scant vas pais on the алд сас, sening hm dro. "SS ven you know whee you're going s good to 
E objects he was Vora pen МИРУ Ма his body о dodge the check things back on the map and see what you've 
ms Bin erty arah ee ey e 
e mies тк ay 
. geno hss ойлама || reature nowhere h sigh gramophone. With the black fog "800005 
en a ос 
{опор ото, иода ee Buk Ho grated waa Ue are ls by hugo rusty chama, and we fee ee . points can be hard to dect 
Sense e ere e He's greeted with a stai Towerthe делу nans, and pher fis related to the sidequest or main story” 
rams of veyron sty goes rogue and не Ho sprints up the a Mer eld may rate A path. says load designer Marek Berka wil be up to You 
somata ans tine dimer tear away yng new step. Aer oe long iar but ener ee, eee wowee 
colin ove into ооп. Swatches ol rust En bt! ned iy wih e 
‘Hating, pore, and catwalks доспе? Е А 
deck oplaca то interior: Massive lan 
An a desioning, yan hum. aa 
— d 


bagos мп, raising te water laval 19 
Vn mra realy wades FOU 
Mu S eng шеп food, searching т 
tne worse чам. Feina hoan 
aol om cosas. A rated stay ; 
bee e ns toward past wals 
bende no odd anges oan MC 
Eher piece, 


ng go from bed to worse at the top of е 
| 


P аск fog seeps through tne walls а 
alice that pursues Murphy - 


stairs. 
ıs. Electricity 
D 


floating mass of 
down seemingly 
races within th 
yanks down shelves and. 
low the pursuer, Water foal 
we beat іка an upside-down river WI 
pening here? 

"Thamaticaly, psyche 
ously waters playing a bid 
atra wants to break the prediciabl 
таләп parallel word presented in 


‘anything 
аз on the coing 
ima is hap- 


logically, story rao, obvi- 
part in it,” says Gomez. 

je mold of the 
earlier Silent 


HOMEWARD BOUND 


The majority of tho demo we wore shown 
takes place onthe outskirts of Silent Hill but the 
town is stil the focal point of the game. Vatra gave 
us а sneak peek at the infamous streets, and is. 
iteration of the creepy community is large, more 
detailed, and features more variety than any other, 
itis во big, in fact, thatthe developers must insert 
huge markers for themselves so thay don't got lost 
"vilo making the game. Conversely, players can. 
‘gain access to Silent His subway system to 
mako transportation o the game's plethora of 
cations easier. With one exception; Маа says 
there aren't any roused settings from past 
‘games (e.g, hospita schoo) you decide to 
"lont explore ай these locations and other 
‘sidequests that Silent Hilt Downpour has lo 
‘offer, үзігі be in for an adventure clocking in 
‘at over 10 hours 
“it you Took at tho previous games, we took 
the southeast comer of the map that was 
never explored” says producer Devin Shatsky 
“The lore behind Silent Hil is that it а living, 
breathing resort town that has a normal, day-o- 
Фу ile, I's not this town that should have been 
quarantined by the government 20 years ago, oF 
Whatever. I's actually a рагайеі-уре universe, 
so what Murphy is seeing in Silent Hil may not 
necessarily be the actual town itself” 


says Gomez, 
vulnerable. You 


Eventualy, Murphy discovers the bedroom mentioned М. 
in the note. Within, he finds a dog lying on a bed п a ester to dalier incapa 
FFF “Более enemy Va 
ee SL 
against the window, and Inger-serawled numbers. Ihe growing blood 
sper on та, glass. aan and thar 
on the main floor, Murphy hears the abrasive Lam popping 
тобот soucis ors lo ai e showcase aton 
id Ы nn acer 
rea тонн me savagely beating an Immoble ¿ici body меп sones rts te outs 
жотал. Жетпей My Puls he сив He fag s o дй out of here. Ho h 
"acker off the victim, When the raging convict turns lies Playing t game, Jail Break, 
wee eee, e nons Vu core нет тау Brak in oro o shan 
r e e e nate Ne o aw ЕТ ДТ and rusos no tne open 
and silts vs throat with razor-sharp claws. поко у ув a ура of reverse ck ho souvenir shop. арт the cable сас Refit washes over him as the 
aha ыш тоңу те many basement; бейе Hebun va 1088. The Wel стот roman ec fade to nothing. 
tigi foe ecu іе тілу err i Me мірге he aner ane so a — set as Murphy descands no ne 
وا رد چ اا‎ Deed cotos De machine coughs up a ta Sg le ней enough, Darts nt обе tourist atracton. The massive rock 
Sr nn ey een Мру bass en O amber dusk would be Ma coming more and тото 
Senn eem son темтр Пол sprint Looking over hs sa тренери t 20те 
‘unfortunate glance al the creature's silt mouth але the not tro of the creepers ішгі nis shoulder. undona as he nears e 
дотно ет Tio me moving vi a райында м 
— ] ma da i Cah An gr e 
nir shop and ‘on over to garneiformer com/mag. 


Inside one, he finds some fresh clothes to hide 

his prison garb. Outside, something moves in the 

trees behind the bulldings. Саме and screams rip 
through the alr Another one ofthe creatures rends 

his flesh, leaving a pool of blood on the back ot his Vis et ae 

new shirt. He scrambles fora chair siting outside 2 Te 
‘nearby house and smashes it across his foe's асаа 

face. Legs fy off the furniture In a shower of spin 
ters, Marry chucks he romains as he aia 

searches for a new weapon, 

“The combat in Silent Hil: Downpour looks very 
similar to the way battles played out inthe clas- 
sic games. Murphy is no мато and his swings. 
are inaccurate. Unike previous games, Murphy 
doesn't have a weapon Inventory. Hel find 
random objects Ike crowbars, fre extinguishers, 
‘and axes in the environment and carry them one 
at a time. Weapons also have limited бша 
ity, so don't expect to rely on a rusty pipe from. 
beginning to end like In previous games. “1% 

about disempowerment, 


тв 


Fight Night Champion 


Float like Rocky, sting like Ali in the new story mode 


12003, ESPN debuted Playmakers a gridiron 
‘soap opera about а fictitious professional 
football team that dealt with many of ho dirty 
off-ihe-fed issues commonly seen in the world 
of sports, Critics and viewers alike gravitated 
to the show, making it the third-most popular 
program on ESPN. Not everyone was happy 
With the success. The NFL disliked the show 
due to ts portrayal of professional players as 
drug addicts, we beaters, and closeted homo- 
sexuals, With the renewal of the Sunday Night 


is empire at the top ot 
the sport. McQueen has 
his eyes set on signing 
Andre, and he doesn't 
plan on talang no for an 


Football contract on the horizon, ESPN caved 
to pressure from the overbearing league and 
cancelled the show. 

Sports game developers are all too familiar 
wah this kind of league pressure. Many leagues 
review the content that goes into each game, 
which might Көөр, for example, EA Tiburon from 
adding random events like substance abuse sus- 
pensions or off-field controversies to Madden's 
popular franchise тода, With no league body to 
appease, the Fight Night development team at 


EA is free rom these types of shackles and plans 
to make use of ts liberties in the new Champion 
mode. As the frst mature-at 
history Fight Night Champion's story made 
‘examines the seedy underbelly cf boxing. To 
make sure the story meets the team's high stan- 
dards, EA hired Academy Award winning writer. 
Wil Rokos (Monsters Bal). Hore ae short bios 
cf the characters players encounter as the crema 
пове.» Matt Berte 


4 
L 


» Platform 

- PlayStation 3 
Xbox 360 

T 

1-Player Sports 

(2-Player Online) 

Publisher 

EA Sports 

» Developer 

EA Canada 

» Release 

laments how promoters March | 

"Be DL. McQueen have 

"ransormed the sport 


- E 
sms 
mese die.) eges. 


most notorious "arounding his cater 
promete: on the planet "ike his older brother 
, Megane a Моту bon- [ Andre. Ray males up for 
zi ‘ng fen who wants to get his acc of buzz wath a 
anto managing on her boisterous, narcissistic 
‘own merits: personality not une 


ıa diva wido recover 
the NEL. 


Second Draft 


Loos Annoying Stealth — 


Prototype А | ies 


Platform | hen wo frst saw Prototype, we were why Holler wants Mercer dead, but the pk =: муз 
ee dis to throw a tank, E a 
is remaining tight ippe The deadly nat Haller controls soem E ed өне inz 
game, but we know 1o have more lolype 2, acting ina way Е А 
Players retum to an infection ridden New төтігізсет of Venom or Carnage rom Spider rins = 


anti-hero ofthe frst game, and 
sels cut to kl him. Its curently unclear exactly 


gargantuan 
ral in te. 


— that were 


siib ak A Botior Hero For A Botter City — A 


tha 2012 roc sical stil has piene Le 
plenty of tme to wo 'oblams we 2 : 
had with Prototype and win us over wiih the understand me way. 
sequel. » Phil Kollar 
Co-op Play? - Yu 
т ginally planned lor inclusion 


80 previews 


hen Vno McMahon purchased WON 
Mc nee me torso pred 
ша wat he oniy frg ho Ino 
хобат He ree tour et 

Tween THO s excl 


ans codd cho 
WWE les, E 
ECW attempt soveral years, how 
ret, Smackdown vs, Raw has been the only 
game n town (outside of mediocre TNA fils 
and the supremely clsappoining Lucha Libre 
game from Kon. Vibe it stil operates under 
the banner of Vince McMahon's jaggemaut 
promotion, THO в finaly ing game 
naw option w 


a brand 
the promising WWE AI Stars: 


If we were to compare WWE games 
tiles, Smackdown vs. Raw would be NEL 
and Al Stars woud be NBA Jam. Thats no 
dent, as Jam (and NFL Bit) velar 


onboard as executive producer. Ash 


the hardwood and the gn Dinta is bringing 
jc bee lop moves, arichadous visual style, and 
a бітрібекі but rewarding control scheme tothe 

Squared co. Its not just ne SVR roster wilh 


new gameplay апа a diferent ook, H 
the roster features jast as many legendary grap- 


рев as current superstars. 
Available WWE stars consist of both legends 
and members ofthe 


i« so ar: Andro Ino Giant, Fey 


Mysterio, Brel Hart, Tiple Н, and the previos 
announced John Cena and Tho Rock. While 
the final roster is stil a work in progress, THO 


is planning on a "cream roster” consising of 
Superstars from your dhik 
talent of today = n 


ood and the top 
xing some face 
Мат expect to see 


ach superstar f 


into one ol four categori 
Acrobat, Big Man, Brawler, ог Grappler, Ас 
san perform high thing springboard attacks 
and cover most the enire ring with a top rope 
attack, Even sho lep 
tumbucido by propeling themselves off o an 


pponeont. Playing as Roy Mysterio, 1 sprinted up. 
the body of Andre the Giant, bacidipped onto te 
tumbuckio, and proceeded to level the big man 
ih a misslo cropkick. 

I you tal to 


acter can chargo up massive strkos that can 


send your opponent fing. When | played as 
Ando, | sent Mysterio rocketing ГО the ropes 
‘wih a massive punch, Once ho ricocheted of 


the ropes, landed апо! 


blow that sent him. 


cartoonishy ling outside of 
Brawlers ke Сапа and The Rock ere ecuipped (р 

With unblockablo charged attacks, and сарров носа 
Bret Hart can sting numerous grappie move 

gether into а combo. These tw 

nol be fying around the ring Ike 


verna. ing system. That Near fcoluros standard attacks 
hes, kicks, sweeps}, special atlacks (speer, 
bicycle kick), and fa Ч Stars foa: 
Tres standard strikes, extreme уміло attacks, 
ard finishers. n tandem wäh the heath meter, 
I Stars realy does resemble а fighting game 


PlayStation 3 
Abox 360* Wi 


1-4 Payer Fighting 
(4-Flayer Online) 


о sending loes outside of ico the big men, instead of tno sm ko Smackdown vs. Бан Publisher 
but ther moves are bynomeanssuble.Genals tem the looks oft, WWE Al Stars shoud mo 

tue Adjustment is just a modified remans do a great job of reaching its demographic puran 
Carry ike ts on WWE programming I's now a Prolessional wresting fans whole-heartedly THQ San Die 


apahero-ke leaping sam Ihat causes а shock: embrace c 


rhe top, urredstc action, and 

amo delivers itin spades. Ideal the fite 

Wil oven siio a chord with gamors hat dorit 
ne Cold Steve Austin rom Duke "fe 


March 2011 


өліп connects, " 
Whereas tho majority ol wresting games loa 
hentum system for buiding up finish 


өз, Al Stars doesnt rely on arisng-and-falng Dumpster” Droese. NBA Jam and NFL Bitz 
metar, As you perform big attacks, your ee managed to resonate with gamers hat never 
x wil fise without lear of topping back walched sports, and Dita and THO San Diego 


down. It your meter is hal ful and you suddenly plan to walk that seme path with Al 
IInd yourself on ihe ші end of a severe beat, Dan Ryel 
м! don't have to worry about restarting fm 


square one 
Опов you frd yourself wit 


ishor metor, 
ate by pressing LB 
and RB together. In many wresting games, th 
would be the point where your opponent woud 
Cowardly run around the ring unti your fisher 
expired. This won't be 


a worry wih Al Stars, as 
ке NBA Janis ^re? It requies your opponent 
xitont and put out” your fisher state if they 


hope lo avoid i 
Putting out a frishor st 
wilh extreme signature moves. On top of he 
frisher me ayer also has an energy 
otor, This fls up as you тїк up your srk 
moves, and ead 

peor an 
айа 

The Rocks sr 


accomplsthed 


Несі segment жоне you 

streme signature. These trademark 
Kruste Shuto or 

jng DDT, are rarely used to frieh 

an opponent. I you connect with one of the 

Ж an opponent in a fisher stale, i reverts 

"hern back to her det 

Hath meters have rarely been soen in was 

ng games ever since Додайте tes in the lat 


0s, as most modern tiles rely on stamina, bod 
and other vague indicators, Diva апа 
"he team at THO San Diogo aro actively going 
Ter а Поу game feel tor Al Stars, 0 
1 back health meters. Smackdown vs 
ın qo on for extondod poriods 
ars dioontiatos itself again by 
ichas that requanty end within Ivo 


ТШ 
iul 
It irt too dissimilar rcm Mortal Kor 


ati fight 


Platform 
Wa 


» ту» 


110 4-Playor Sports 
Player Online| 


82 previews 


Nintendo. 


» Developer 
‘Square Enix 
© Release 
February 7 


Mario Sports Mix 


The Mushroom Kingdom plays host to even more whimsical athletics 


‘ack in the lato 1990s, Mario proved nim. 
ell obe quit the Renaissance man. We 
already knew he was fond of ture stomp- 

ing and go karting, but during Ino Nintendo 64 

days ha started trying his hand at the sporting 

World. He tried gell and tennis fest, and then 

moved onto baseball, Soccer, and baskelball 

in later years. Not satisfied wiih one sport рег 
game anymore, the plumber and company 

Compete in four soparato events in he uncom 

ing Mario Sports Мк. 

When an asteroid lands in the Mushroom 
Kingdom near Peachs caste, Toads assembles 
1o ivestigato the crater, Finding crystals hat 
‘contain various sports equipment, they decide to 
hold tournaments involving the kingdoms most 
recognizable faces. 

This charactesisticaly ludarous setup is as 
ood an excuse as any to gol Mario and ends 
10 compete in the four sports avaliable - basket- 
ball dodgeball, voleyoal and hockey. Each of 
these can be played 2-02 or 8 cn 3, na vari 
у of courts and environments. Luigis Mansion 
features ghosts thal can assist you, ihe waves 
of Koopa Troopa Beach wash lems and cons 


‘nto the shoro, and he dusty Western Junction. 
features a tran that rockets straight down the 
migo oth playing area. Why the ollzens 

cof the Mushroom Kingdom bult a baskotba 
court over a set of activo train tracks is anyone's 
guess, but | stopped questioning the logic once 
a bunch of Sty Guys started throwing cons at 
me from the top of a boxcar, 

Each of the four sporing events is structured 
slay lam boxes give you a variety of power 
Ups that you can attach to your shot by holding 
the B button. A green shell adis some power to 
your shots or throws i used ollensivey or you. 
can uso ther to tip up opponents on dense, 

Ав you play, a meter fils up that allows you to 
unleash a rciculous special attack. They're not 
unblockable, but delenders үйі have to bo on 
the toes to survive them without ging up апу 
ponts. Il you're playing baskclbal as Wakil 
heit sprout four robot arms hat rapidly hur balls 
at the basket. Daisy can confuse opponents in 
volleyball by causing a giant fold о lowers to 
show up on thor side, obscuring the shadow 
thal indicates where the ball is headed. 

None of ho sports are partkoularly complex, 


win охоо or four butions (or a remote shake) 
handing most of your actions. Baskolballsooms 
‘ven simpler than an arcade experience ike 
NEA Јат, and tho action movos dong at a 
ower pace. None of these games tako much 
‘strategy - most bol down to “block opponents 
shot, then ty to take your shot,” However, ems 
and stage-specific events heip keep the action. 
from becoming too repetitive. 

"What Mario Sports Mi lacks in gameplay 
depth, it makes up lor with a healthy serving of 
trademark elements from the Mario franchise. 
Instead of a racional puck, you bo siking a 
¿gold соп around the firk. If a volleyball shot is 
Just outside of Yoshils reach, hell stick out his 
longue to make tho save. The typical Mushroom. 
Kingdom castis all on hand for Sports Мо, and 
youll even sce some surprise Square Enix char 
actors gotin on tho 

While these жө the most complex sports 
games, i's reassuring to see them offer more 
than the minigames that aro so prevalent on the 
console. With four separate sports and nine 
support, t definitely ойы garners more mileage 
than its роо, Рад Ryekert 


Terme omen pia 
Eorum ud 


LEGO Star Wars Ill: The Clone Wars 


This hunk of bricks has a few tricks up its sleeve 


thad bon a while since Га last seen LEGO. 
tar Wars I: The Clone Warsin action, which 
is why | was surprised that a recent demo 

‘of the gamo started with the arena battle of 
Seonosis, We'd played that part of Episode I 
before in LucasArts frst LEGO Star Wars game, 
after al. Why bother revisiting that sequence? 

Alter watching a LucasArts representatie play 
through the encounter, its abundantly clear that 
developer Travelers Teles has learned а lot about 
making LEGO games over tho усаг = thanks n 
no small part to its work wäh Ihe Indiana Jones, 
Batman, and Harry Potter franchises. That 
experience pays olf in ways that even players 
who gent into the Clone Wars’ timeline can 
approciate. 

Tho Clone Wars! graphical improvements 
its predecessors sre immediately noticeable. 
There's far moro action onscreen, and back: 

ur detal ae rendered wih the attention 
they deserve. in the fim, the arena battle was 
onse with астму as Jedi fought hoc 


fighters, batte drokds, and assorted space 
monsters, The LEGO Star Wars rden was 
Sgrificanl toned down, transforming the cha- 
дік engagement into a tame series of finding 
ага destroying droids before fighting Jango Fett 
LEGO Star Wars Il: Тһе Clone Wars version is 
far more oil to the movi, resulting in a supe- 
Tio gaming experience, 

The level starts off with Obi-Wan Kenobi 
Pacime Arridala, and Anakin Siywaker totherod 
lo posts, where they're set to be gnawed on by 
three ferrying creatures, Obi Wan breaks free of 
his chains and rescues his friends: Wal, at least 
he removes thor chains, Mero eo a low things 
in the way of a complete rescue, inducing hun- 
‘dreds of асокі and other enemies. And three of 
the enemies Ihe acklay пе, and rock - are 
slobbaring beasts ready lor a Jedi entrée: 

Those three enemies show off Ihe Clone Wars 
blend of realism and LEGO whimsy. For exam. 


ple, the spider ke acklay sports one LEGO leg. 
Il can be broken ой, ging Padme а gapping 


point she can uso lo cimb atop the beast and 
kil it. Obi Wan can hop onto the massive horned 
reek (ting on a block) and use Ihe beast fo kil 
ihe teine nam. 

When Jango Felt enters the arena, now post 
tively brimming with background character 
ifs a goal time for Obi Wan lo uso a new ight 
saber throw attack, Similar to how balarangs 
functioned in LEGO Batman, players paint their 
targets by pressing and holding a button, ben 
release ito attack, Jango в eventually beaten, 
his helmet kicked into the busting stands Ike а 
soccer ball. Sco this is a LEGO game, humor 
trumps al else, and young Boba Fett looks quiz 
cal al ihe empty helmet 

The sequence is a great representation of how 
the game в coming along, Visual, ts 
with fitte details ке КИ Fists swaying lal whips 
and larger strokes such as the incredible amount 
of potential characters shown onscreen. 

The LEGO games have aways been a go-to 
serios for lamly gaming, and his one seen 
10 bo no diront. Having the dd iencly Clone 
Wars license attached to it makes the game 
even more appealing to fares with younger 
players = or anyone else who'stocking for a sod 
co-op session, Мете definitely excited to seo. 


Wars story, particularly inco i 
Јен Cork 


lation, 
PlayStation 3 
OPC 


„ Pablishor 
de 


» Developer 
Traveller's Tales 
э павазе 


February 15 


Patios 
Playstanon 3 

зуе 

1 to 4-Player Racing 


the 


navar boan about tating 


jn foo busy focusing on 
ning: Man- mec 

gotten pray tr on th 

рза isnt a story based 
any means, but it does use a thin plot 
ienear lo provide a tl moro context їс 
youre doing, Its Just ono of tho new addit 
lo the game that endeavors to buld upon the 
Iranchise's potent racing, 

Players experience the ight moton comi 
backstories ol reo characters Mash, Tyr 
and Big Dog - as they progress through the 
gamo. We've been continuing to look at 
the relationship between story and game in. 
the racing gerro ever sinco wo announced 

tor Storm A explains Malt 

хила, he The story el 


facing, andit 


racer b 


on yourrevst a tack, 
ben "tho silences aro clon 
nd thete are sommo that chango radically 
lua 48 hours ol our Party al the 
id^ This Б something we've spent 
along time making tho right decisions on. The 
pse ls Моћ Nature's dong 
king a balance between 
neten that is lay o 
4 skyscraper collapses, and more 
emergent, physics crven elements such as Ihe 
unprocictablo Contents spling rom thoso sky- 


rack changes al around you, 
must hastiy pick tho most ele голо or your 
моде, Apocalyps introduces five ne 

ars, supercars, superb 
or wih decals and parts; 


supermini, musclo 
and choppers. Ра 
tides more than e 
and share your 
аршу and the consequential engine overhoal 
ing are also tweaked. Driving 100 close to heat 
sources Ike burning bulldngs adds more heat I 
hio it cooks down when you soar 


signs with others. Your Boost 


your engine 
rough tho a 
зато of these allas tothe series 
blueprint aren't major in and of themseve 
xocalypse promises lo add important 
features that wîl challng 
А ring the renchiso into s 
not.» Matthew Kato 


кїї the core ofthe game, than what 
s minimal asit may so 
mo new features 


and excite players 
molhing its 


locus. tho game, oriy this tmo thoy re joined 
by a private miltary company and an opposing 
faction that have infested the locales where the 
Festival races lake placo. While racing, youll 
tace throats such as peopl fring at you. k 
and oven runaway uel trucks benen the 
yn tho track 

Regardess ofthese man mado nuisances, 
nature is tl the backbone of your racing 
огоо, end Apocalypse showcases tin tum: 
for your racing delight. Tho game contains 
races, with persistent damage rom lap to lap 


greater 


hen you're racing against 

ko Forza Моор 

21 can't alford to take your foot off Ihe 
hailed Need For Speed 

im, developer Siighly 

I needs lo Improve on the 

тойга 


Studios kno 
Ite things й want 
inthe subgerra, Fo 
ing the hood and making: 

game's already competent racing engine 


diver isn't just taking on othe 
must also batte the rack and the car o. 
ол on top. The new helmet сат tres to 


‘SZ adopt ти Aulo ca 
уоп ram Med or Spend Hot Pur 
— — 


the inlet ofthe cockpit experience by adding 
movement to ihe normally feed camera per- 
spective. This subte change gives you the loch 
ing of speeding along at hundreds ol mies per 
hour. The divors head jerks forward when you 
slam on the bresks, bobs backward as you kick. 
the car into a higher gee, end looks into turns to 
hap you spot the appropriato Ine. 
in hatter use of realistic 
amping the AL In 
i game, drivers wore sometimes overly 
ме, as еу wore more concerned with 
Ih placing. This 
focused on coming out on. 


top, and the dev team is gang them more varied 


2o carly or lale, thal can be 
ou need to make a pass 
НА ӨТІ World Championship license in er 
back pocket, EA also plans to use the Need For 
Speed-sponsored racers as boss battles, 
Though EA dart до into details, the com. 
pany claims Shift fans can also look forward to 
a revamped career modo, a deeper car turing 
system that lets 
Kind ol performance you want from your 
and more realistic car damage. М1 Ind oul i 
change it 2 a place on the 
ium next spring, » Matt Berta 


PlayStation 3 
Xbox 360+ FC 


» Ste 


1-Player Racing 
[6-Player Online) 
» Publisher 
Electron Ants 


ннен 
ішу Mad Studios 
» Release 


Spang 


dom ges you moro conta 


Binary Domain 


Humans vs. 


roves ban 

var Gray Coen metodo coro T Wadi 
Sete bot fe ares a an men 
. TODO VIE os 
pure day bay widow real lo 
ач от e cama pars Goum Par oso 


5 from the creator of Yakuza 


Platform 
PlayStation 3 
Жок 360, 


(Munplayer TBA) 
Sega 

» Developer 
Sega 


TBA 


Radiant Historia 


You can't change the past, unless you can 


1 you think the Japanese RPG market is dwindling. 
you havent been playing your DS enough. Thanks 10 
publisher 

held role-playing fun, and you're about lo gel even more 1-Player Role-Playing 
when Radiant Historia hits. With а development an » publisher 
including talent from Persona 3 and Вадаа Stories plus Арз. 

the Kingdom Hearts composer), RPG fans should have 


Nuendo Ds 
ce Alu, you can stil fnd plenty of hand: — » siyle 


» Developer 
this one on thelr radar yen 

The story involves a steampurilantasy world where = 
the two major countries aro locked in along war whio Release, 
astrango disoaso & ring poopie то sand, Allora Fury 22 


bizare mission, an inteligence agent named Stocke rds 
dee with access to the White Chronide, which allows 
Tim to traval trough time 

‘Along with his compatriots, Stock visits diferent points 
In m and space to create alternato futures and ju 
between parallel Imelnes to save tho world. The choices 
you maka in each ora wil hava ollocts across the wha 
mein, and you can go back to previous cholcos to 
эое how dillrent outcomes lead 10 changes вомхо 
nume. 

The plot appears to share some simleriles to the 
dassic Chrono Tigger, but the batte system has an 
Lnfamtiar twist, Tho uin based combat takes piaco on 
a3 grid, and some of your ables move enemies lo 
‘larent posts. The main болой to these maneuvers 
is that your attacks hit al enemies in a squaro, so you can 
herd them together to ish cut the pain, For айпа 
damage, рапу members can toam up and combine thei 
anades in a singo азза. 

From Radiant Historals development pedigree to its 
unique mechanics, Atus has а good shot at roping in the 
hardcore RPG crowd опсо again. Check oul our review 
In next months issue to see how everything comes 
Together. » Joe Juba 


? Platform 
PlayStation 3 

Xbox 360 + PC 

» өте 

1or2-Bayer Action! 
RPG (P33, 360), 

| Payer Actior/RPG 
(PO Payer Online) 
» Publisher. 

Square Bix 

Obsidian Entertainment 


Summe 


es previews 


Dungeon Siege II 


ith this hack 


ds-on 


tie ol 2011. Dungeon Siege ll is being 
developed by a diferent studio, marketed 
by anew publisher, and draw ite Кот the fest 
"Wo games except lor backstory, Don't lot that 
though. Our hands 


- | his might bo the most mistoacing game 


discourage you in 
on tme wilh the fest h 
revealed an асіогуАР 
Gale: Dark Aliance with a splash of Mass feet 
Whichever class you choose, you'l meet 
up with the others in Ihe games frst һе 
We only had the opportunity to check out ho 
Guardian dass, embodied by fantasy hero 
archetype Lucas. Our enemies are rent asunder 
by giant sweeps of Lucas’ massive two-handed 
sword or dissected by the focused sink 
his sword апа board stylo, depending 
encounter esch setup shines in certain situa- 
Tons, and switching between the two is a shoul- 
der button away. Each slash fils our power bar, 
which can be drained lo eflect radical change 
on the battlefield via mpressive powers Ike 
path clearing sword dashes that one-shot most 
erte end lle enemies. A the while, loot and 
екрейопов rain down upon us Ike champagne 


in a playoff dubhouse 
Fling the power bar (oy rocking face in the 
normal way) and emptying it фу wrecking hall 


the bad guys on screen wilh спе attack, and 
tipping etlortessly between combat styles keeps 
bae fresh, Any tre thore were bad guys on 
the screen, | was happy d ruining thei 
day, Unlocking new powers as you level and 
‘equipping ever more power bits ol loot isn't 
any loss lun hero as it has boon in tho dozens of 
actiovRPGs youve no doubt played over tho 
years. Obsidian has a lot ol polish work 10 do 

and it's not a studio known for smooth, bug. 
поо games - but this solid hack n slash core is 
promising, 

To Obsidian’ credit, Dungeon Siege i's word 
is id out more tke a quest hub-locused MMO 
Than a паспе! Ine dungeon crawl. The one 
Dub had the opportunity to visit had quests or 
various townsfolk sending me ofl in several drec 
tons, Each mission w 
ths," bul thoy worked well as excuses lo 
poke around Ihe many nooks and crannies ofthe 

ıo map. There wil be last raved between 
hubs via a kind of astral causeway, but It 
vast enabled in the preview build | played. 

1t may seem Ike lm skipping tho story, bul you. 
‘can f n the blarks of tts fantasy adverturo 
Mad Lib yoursel, You ve got your evi sorcer 
‘esses, corrupt chancellors, wise sages, and 
‘conniving mercenaries, Lucas’ chichood homo 
is shockingly burnt to tho ground in the opon- 
Ing culscene. The simple towns cry out for 


ıa savor to deter them from ex that threatens 
to gl the very ward itself, Obsidian has toid 
interesting tales in tho past (Star Wars: Knights of 
the Old Republic Ii Faout: New Vegas), though, 
and ine Mass Eflectike conversation wheel 

‘could enable interesting dialogues. Tho storytl 


ing | saw during this preview lt ito impression 
опто, good or bad. 

No acliorvRPG is complete without co-op, and 
"ris is where Dungeon Slago Il has a chance 
10 shine. Drop-in, dfop-out cooperative play is 
available from the beginning, oni or ol. The 

yo piot wi allow whomever tho 

lad character is, wilh the second player taking 
‘on the role ol a generic member of no of the 


ner classes who just so happens lo have the 
охас samo dls and equipment as tho story 
‘character ol the same class, who replaces 
the unnamed fn when tho main charactor 
mets up with thom in the sloryino, Whenever а 
‘second player isn't present, the Al takes over for 
the companion. Unfortunatoly you сөлі! switch 
 bolwocn your protagonist and his or her buddies 
in singe player 

Dungeon Siege I has a great underlying 
design, во a tuturo in which Obsidian gots 
ils technical ducks in a row and takes the 
plot Somewhere interesting after Ihe nro 
is quito possible - nd quito dosirablo for 
gamers.» Adam Bios: 


Jurassic Park 


An unlikely developer steps into the maw of a troubled license 


to ever walk the planet seems ike the per- 
fect blueprint for a video game, but since 
1993 developers have struggled to capture the 
magic of Jurassic Park. Though a dozen plus 
games have carried tho series iconic logo, their 
uninspired designs fall in Ine with a prehistoric 
Rambo fantasy more than the source material 
found in the Jurassic Park novels and films. 
Dinosaurs aro the attraction, but the heart 
of Jurassic Park is humankind. Our emotions. 
and tendencies shape these stories. The best 
and worst of humankind ao almost always on 
display, whether that's someone being bravo. 
enough to put thor Ме on the Ine or ravenous 
enough to sacrifice others for ther owm personal 
gan. These stories are buit оп deep character 
development and the hope that viewers and 
readers are emotionally invested with the human. 


p iting players against the deadliest beasts 


‘element long before a dinosaur emerges from. 
the brush. 

No Jurassic Park video game has explored 
this element. Perhaps this is why Universal. 
Pictures, the Jurassic Park license holder, hasn't 
Unleashed its dinosaurs in the video game space 
‘since 2003's Operation Genesis. Enter Toltalo 
Games, a development studio wih a reputation 
ol making character driven adventure games. 
"Universal didn't want another dinosaur shooting 
‘game says Joo! Dreskin, Totali director of 


marketing. "That's something from their side that 
interested them in Telltale Games as a partner for 
the property" 

Teltalo plans to create an experience identi- 
calin tone to the fims. To do this, the human. 
element must come through loud and clear. The 
team has studied the fims and hopes to take 
peges from the Steven Spielberg playbook for 
both pacing and presentation, 

Executive director Kevin Boyle underetands the 
challenge the team has ahead. "As far as pacing 
goes, there are some things that are useful from 
the heritage of Teltale, but creating a new experi- 
‘ence that pays ой on both the slower paced 
‘character buiding moments and high tension 
you expect from Jurassic Park is a new drec- 
tion for Teltale" he admits. "Story and character 
area really important part of it. You are going to 
feel dama. You are going to feel tension, You'll 
feel diferent kinds of emotions. There's humor. 
Light moments, Downtime to get to ike the 
characters, Certainly the wonder and awe of the 
island, and then everything breaks down to those 
moments of terror’ 

Teltale it just trying to channel the tue 
essence of the license; tis also responsible for 
adding to the lore. This game is designed as a 
direct sequel to the frst movie, addressing tho. 
plot ponts that weren't followed through in the 
first fim and never surfaced again in the sequels. 
For instance, what ever happened to that 
Barbasol can filed with embroyos that Dennis 
Nedry lost in the jungle? 

‘Some of the game takes place at the same 
time as tho film, but Boyle says you'll experiance 
these moments through the eyes of new charac- 
ters "Wel see cur characters kind of cobbling 
together and asking What the hell went down 
hore?" Boyle says. "We're going to pursue this 
MacGuffn to a new conclusion. 

Which begs the question, who are the main 
characters? You won't get the chance to wear 
sunglasses at night vith Jeff Goldbum's char- 
acter De lan Malcolm, or have an unintentionally 
firtatious conversation between Dr. Alan Grant 


and Elie Sattler although most of these char- 
‘acters are referenced. One character you may 
recognize is a bit player from the fest fim named 
Gerry Harding, the chief veterinarian at Jurassic 
Park You also meet his daughter, as wall as 
various people interested in that can of dinosaur. 
embryos. The inhabitants left on Jurassic Park's 
Isla Nublar wil make themselves known, and 
‘odds are some of these people are smugglers 
‘and mercenaries 

‘Applying the Jurassic Park icense to the 
storytelling systems Teltale has created in past 
games makes sense to a degree, but п our 
‘conversations with tha team they kept coming 
back to Quantic Dreams’ Heavy Rain. "While our 
‘story в more near then Heavy Ran, actions the 
player takes are reflected in the way the story 
is told," Boyle says. "The choices the players 
make result in changes to the details of tho story 
Players wil now we are paying attention to the 
decisions they make." 

Teitale is also heavily inspired by Heavy Rain's 
gameplay mechanics. The team is stil figuring 
‘out how actions are presented to the player, but 
Boyle says Teltale is approaching the task wiih 
“mere focus cn cinematic presentation of your 
interactions." Expect plenty of investigating and 
looking around in the slower-paced gameplay 
sections, but when the tension escalates to life 
and death scrambling. the gameplay shifts кот 
selecting destinations to immediate responsa, 

It wouldn't be Jurassic Park without volocrap- 
tors, and Teltale says they are huge nuisances, 
The big bad tyrannosaurus rex is also on tho 
hunting trail Lead designer Joe Pinney also. 
teases another foe. "There's a dinosaur beyond 
the movies –а new threat," he says with a smile. 
"You'll recognize it from its glowing eyes in the 
brush. t's anocturmal dinosaur." 

Like most ol Teltalo' recent games, Jurassic 
Park is designed as a five-part downloadable 
‘series. The team plans to release it on POS, 
Macs, and consoles. 

Telltale hopes that the direction it is taking 
With this beloved license keeps players engaged 
With the charactors as they aro dangling from 
the maws of dinosaurs. The fourth Jurassic Park 
fim has been spinning ts wheels in develop- 
‘ment hall and ifthe game hits on ай tho right 
notes, it could be the continuation fans have 
been waiting for. » Andrew Reiner 


THE SC 


Outstanding A ty өне vta ia na pre every 
‘oy Ti ro en an пишу andinos game. 


їл onno bo miss 


eee a ete 


— moy werk Ыл үө nn 


‘het even camel pr went amen before A боо 


| game tror begenin toon 


тена Арон! Athough here maybe кт of games 
rewna a scorn. тугу мі bet yes Ку эө 


W a 


gameınformer 
A CAMERMONTA 
94 LittleBigPlanet 2 


Media Molecuie's ambitious sequel combines fantastic platforming with a virtual 
toybox that wil keep you playing and creating levels for hours. The expanded 
toolset gives users even more options when building levels, branching out into 
entirely new gameplay genres. Whether you want to cat your owm worlds or just 
enjoy the йв of others! labor, LittleBigPlanet 2 provides a massive amount of 
quality content that will only grow ав the community adds their contributions 


Find maybe obvious tut he уте has at of 
TT 

eee owed or net regred nto th eee 
Вга Wide some hg work apor the monty ot 
эе ute ether mile or a o alate gane 


Panta ha m anyang ura redeeming agar of 
(ha eier Kabul beran ngoreng amen and 
Avan asun e t tro rer 


Broken Realy npn Th утте ia о cet 
Farc fot y vote odas ned extreme 
garimen биш. 


Viso snare to lot ol tao 


m 


BRANO. ШОТ 
Bes = 
CAME MONTH — 


— wer your veat bek, and please dt dink and diva. ©2010 Nasan Neth Americ he. 


TURBOCHARGED | COMPACT FOOTPRINT | TORQUE VECTORING AWD* 


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AS 


Dead Space 2 


A heart-pounding journey into the mouth of madness 


mining vessel USG Ishimura, his actions 
were fueled by hope. His giiiend 
Nicole was stranded on this ship. He did every- 
thing in his power to reach her. His search only 
led to death. The Ishimura was contaminated by 
a biological threat, Everyone aboard it, includ- 
ing his love, was lost to the disease. Although 
Isaac survived, he couldn't outrun the conta- 
gion, He was infected, 
In Dead Space 2, Isaac isn't a stalwart hero 
spitting out one-liners. He's а flawed character. 
His deteriorating state of mind adds tension 


W hen Isaac Clark boarded the derelict 


to an already unnerving atmosphere, He sees. 
ghosts, and his consciousness periodically shifts 
from realty to a потуг memory. 

Not being able to rust a game's protagonist 
puts the player in а precarious position. I found 
тузө! second-quessing Isaac's actions, Is he 
batting the people infected with the virus? ls his 
mind creating these apparitions? Or, worse yet, 
is tricking him into harming uninfected people? 
‘The race to find a cure becomes Isaac's priority- 

The feeling of helplessness is established eariy 
оп, and the sequences that follow are drenched 
іп suspense and ambiguity. Compared to Isaac's 


time aboard the Ishimura, Dead Space 2s scares 
аге bigger, the tension is greater, and the threat 
created by the virus makes every shot you fre 
‘count. This is one of the most emotionally and 
Physically draining games I've played. 

‘Dead Space 2's new setting, the Sprawl, а 
heavily populated space station built on опе 
of Saturn's moons, contributes greatly to the 
heightened unease. The Ishimura housed only 
its workforce, whereas the Sprawl is а home for 
families. This means that the infection strikes 
children and even newborns. Battling a seven- 
foot beast that vomits acidic bile and tries to 
impale Isaac with razor-sharp appendages is. 
‘one thing, but watching a mother cradle a necro- 
morph baby wil haunt my nightmares unt die 

The Sprawf's architecture is quite diferent than. 
the [chimua's, Violet shopping districts, per- 
‘sonalized housing, and a rainbow-filad nursery 
al provide a false senso сі security and normalcy 
to scenarios that are anything but. А room. 
void of danger в often accompanied by a claw. 
scratching a door, rating footsteps overhead, оғ 
muffled screams coming from a distant area. The 
‘sound design із pitch-perfect, and the accompa- 
nying score makes the scares seem bigger than 
they really are. 

‘Although Isaac stil uses many of the same 
оов fom his previous entanglement, the set- 
ting - and new threats that lurk within i= give 
Dead Space 2 a decidedly different fool 

The team at Visceral Games has gone out of. 
its way to ensure that the player never feels com- 
fortable during the game. Not only does Isaac 
hallucinate, but creatures burst through walls 
when you least expect them to. 

А no point in this game did | feel that Isaac 


had the upper hand. Enemies aro not only 
greater in number this time around, they are 
‘Stronger and better protected, De mend spa- 
cific necromorph types takes an entire сір of. 
ammo. | often found myself using kinesis to hurl 
‘every object in a room at a monster, praying that 
опе shot impales the boast cr at least knocks t 
back long enough for me to reload, 

While | appreciate the challenge the team has 
created, | have to сай thom out on the design 
of many of the combat scenarios. As Isaac is 
engaging a threat directly in front of him, foes 
will drop from vents behind him. If Isaac had a 
rearview mirror on his helmet, | wouldn't have а 
problem with this, but too many of my deaths 
‘came from an unregistered foo attacking me 
ben behind 

Tack these unfair spawns onto a game that is 
brutally dificult to begin with, and many of your 
‘screams will come not from horror, but frustra- 
tion, The balance is perfect through the first 
hal of the game, allowing for fluid progression 
while stil making you thankful for every ammo 
сїр an enemy drops. As the plot unravels, the 
fic increases with each new encounter. 
Unbeatable foes are thrown into both puzzle 


and standard combat operations, and elevator 
rides are packed with necromerphs. I found that 
the normal difficulty setting felt more Hie hard or 
‘expert in similar games. 

As drained of energy as! was at the end 
al battle, Dead Space 2 often rewarded my 
fort with action-packed cinematics. Some of 
these moments blend seamlessly with unique 
gameplay sequences, much Ike Uncharted 2 
does. | won't spoil anything for you, but wil say 
that a sequence taking place aboard a train and 
another involving a needle are frontrunners for. 
Game Informer's Moments of the Year for 2011 

Discrenting zero-gravity sequences (of which 
there же many), and a handful of clover “how do 
| open that door?" puzzles are peppered into the 
‘ction at just the right timos. 

The excitement also stretches to Dead 
Space 2's multiplayer component, where play- 
«в get the chance to hunt mankind as the 
neeromorph legion 

Ina similar vein to Valve's Loft Dead, ай of the 
matches pit a human team against necromorphs. 
As tho human team feverishly attempts to com- 
plata objectives, the nocromorphs аго tasked 
with slowing their progress, usually by ripping off 


their heads or chopping of their legs | enjoyed 
my time playing as both sides. Conteling the 
macromorphs leads to cringo-werthy highlight 
Tools, but these murderous til aro matched by 
the feeling of accomplishment that comes with 

э wel-oilod human team that coordinates tactics. 

Tho matches are quickly paced thanks to 
spawn ponts that alow necromorphs to craw! 
Out of a vent just feet away from a human oppo- 
ment, The action is relentless, and post-match 
Kill counts are usually through the root. Each kill 
earns you experience points that unlock higher 
ranks (60 in tota) and new armor as well as 
Weapon upgrades. In two hours of match time, | 
reached level four. Another two hours got me to 
sx It wil take days foreach the cap. 

Dead Space 2 is a monster of a sequel, оо 
ing bigger scares and more excitement than | 
expected. | enjoyed Isaac as a sient protagonist 
in the original game, and I find I ike him even 
more now that he's found his voice, Im stil 
confused by the scientific explanations for tho. 
contagion and how it is inked to the obalisk-iike 
Marker, but | ike where Isaac's story is going. 
The tease for Dead Space 3 has my head spin- 
ning with questions. » Andrew Reiner 


reviews Өз 


9.5 


Рау, qeste, and share all 
over адап, with emphasis on 
— 


Graphics 
The crafty, do-it-yourself vibe 
Tookes as fantastic as ever 
Peppy tunes make great 
background neice and the 
эаййоп of voice acting helps 
the cutscenes 

Piattorming is Improved, but 
not perfect. Creation tools 
aro easy to lear, but ama 
1 doubt anyone is cold- 
пей or jaded enough to 
llo this adorable ttle 


E 


94 reviews 


LittleBigPlan 


can't stop thinking about LittleBigPlanet 2. 
Even alter putting down tha controler, 1 
continue playing withthe creation tools in 

my head, Everyday objects send me ой into 

daydreams about new vehicles, and idea 

for bizarro puzzles spring lo mind in mic 

conversation. With this sequel, Media Molecule 

bottomless Toybox, andi can't 

Temember the last tme a game had such a 
lentiess grip on my imagination 
Calling LBP 2 ambitious is an undenstateme 

Like the original, Iho experience ls spi nto WO 

parts; playing the story mode, and creating your 
wn levels, Ths tmo, however, Ihe creation 


modo towers over the campaign with an атау 


et 2 


є at your f 


ту 1 to 4-Player Action/Platfonning (-Playor Online) Publisher Sony Computer Entertainme 


Developer Meda Molecule Release January 18 ESRB E 


ol options to help make your gaming creams 


y heard tha you can make 
mulie gerres now, and that sr just 
ly promise, | dabbled in 2D shooters, 
dermolon derbies. and unckassiiabie mayhem. 
‘The options can be overwhelming at first, but 
a hande ofa lew ofthe new tools, 
things start clicking into place, Youll definitely 
want to figure cut Ihe Controlinator as soon as 
possible, since t allows you o control Things 
remotely, Object mocsfiers are also incredibly 
useful; some lel you tweak өресін traits (іе 
antigravity or friction}, while others set contrap- 
tions rotating or moving without the nead for 
‘complicated pulloys and lovers. 
Even with so much potential 
in other areas, playing around 
ave 


within the game 
plattoming ramewwork was 


the most fun for me. loves 
creating оов of dealt dealing 
vehicles, twisted puzzles, and 
leaps of lah. Sackbols NPCS 
you can program with diferent 
behaviors} add more depth to 
Tho levels, Iko when you have 

1o rescue ther oc outt them. 


stes of gameplay is sill lun, 
but thoy work best whan used 
10 augment plating rater 
than replace il 

Figuring out how bost o 
uso these new toys fst quick 


or оу, bu It pays of big. 


во, the chasm between basic understand- 
vency s extrema wide. Despite the 
in-game instruction wouid ease the leaming 
arve. Placing а few cameras ist the same эв 
ding an entre culscene, but Ih tutor 
als don't help you synthesize the simple pieces 
into a more complex whole, Гтп sure plenty of 
Лозе ніку savants vil fal right into step, but 
il more guidance for he rest of us could 
resul їп even an even wider pool of awesome 


commaty-aeated levels 

By focusing so much on the creation tods, 1 
don't mean to sell the story mode short. Nen 
lures brian designed levels, four payor co 
and the same senso of stylo hal made the 
original so charming. The pacing ls beter, wiih 
more unique segments (ке 2D shooting or top- 
down racing) breaking up the action. Patterning 
mechanics have aso been refined since lest 
"imo, but a continued гейге on physics makos 
for a han of Soppy segments. Tharkduly, ho 
Trusting parts aro тесп, and the space 
between ther Б filed with sights mat aro guar- 
айоо to inspire you when you ry your hand at 
making your own levels. 

The origina ittoBigPlanet was impressive 
but LitieligPtanet 2 coments Media Molecules 
position es masters of facitaig user-created 

ent, By providing an abundance of loots and 
inspiration, long with he platform to shara your 
creations, you coud play LileBigPlanet 2 every 

omething diferant and 
е Juba 


day and experience 
amazing avery timo. 


Gran Turismo 5 


Polyphony realizes its racing dream 


Style Lor 2-Payer Racing (15-Player Online) 
— Publichor Sony Computer Enertainment 
XD Dovslopee Polyphony Digital 
Relenza November 24 EERE E 


aivering a great race experience pays ої n Gran 
Turismo 5. U not the most complete racing game 

‘Since П doesn't delver on every front, but when you get 

"behind the wheel ol GT 5 itis a racing experience Ike 

no other. 

А great racing Ше srt just about going last or haung а 
big sclocion ol cars, and GT 5 succeeds in capturing that 
alusivo adenine rush. The graphics aro undoubtedy a 
big actor in tris simply because of hal high leve of detal 
ага evocation of asm. Racing is al about ing in tho 
‘moment, and nothing convoys that more than combining 
"ho game's great sense of speed with impressio graphics. 
1righly suggest you gat nto a premium car and race rom 
"ho cockpit vw, Where youl od ho sensation ol avery 
bump on the siroe and get a better dea ofthe rigors al 
racing. Addin snow, rain, and right orwrcnment variables, 
and yaive qot a gamo that visual Ives up to tho hype. 

‘One of my continuing css ol ho seras has been 
"ho cutand-dr, sterio feeling of ts caroor mode. Alhough 
GT 5 does abandon ts traditionel racing events forma 
1 appreciate how relatively easy tis to cam money and. 

XP lo move up tho ranks. You no longer have to grind the 
Зит racotrac 1 progress harks 10 айгы Ike tho 
кап racing and ally special events, The game aso aids 
its progression with seemingly sparate rewards lo paint 
chips (which you uso to color your cars, roo cars, photo: 
travel locations, and more. 

Even with a relativly generous progression curve, | don’t 

od working my way up Ih car lade. Having Yo race ail 
Hinds of vaicles gies me an appreciation of what ciler- 
ent cars aro good ard bad at, and it hepıs mo as a racer 
în general In some ways, is is ho hoart and sod сі what 
Gran Turismo is al about 

As much as this game nals ls overall vision, ho fran 
his could stand to stretch its horizons. Gran Turismo 5 
ies to do is by adding car damage, bu strangely 
rocks oriy later n the дате. By the tine Polyphony 
ıriocked tho foatro, Iwas past worrying about whonit 
would show up. 

The onina component, with lis smooth racing exper 
«ко, standard community features, and pre-race practico 
ороп Б satistying, but disappointingly lacks overall rank- 

15 or leaderboards 1 so thik Polyphony passed up a 
arger chance to integrato ta or portion back into your 
тап career. I wish hey d done this with onina instead of 
the underwhelming B-Spec mode, which has you drect- 
ing other racecar divers wh they aca for you. Why 
would you want to surrender Ihe whe to someone else? 

Gran Tirismo 5 Б worth the wait. Every aspect of 
the game cit blow mo away, but ho shoor amount 
ol efort and cralismanship that went into the game is 
impressive, This is an experience that racing fans shouid 
noi miss,» Matthew Kato 


p ‘lyphony Digital singular vision and commitment to 


» Concept 
Capture the essence of racing 
and go beyond Jus collecting 
cars and tack 


Graphics 
Horon objects occasionally 
pop in, but otherwise the 
game looks awesome 

Sound 

A scant number of rockt 
onge from the likes of Them 
rocked Vultures are drowned 
out by a sea of crappy 
smooth jazz, Ірай more 
attention to the cat? varied 
engine sounds 

Piayabaiiy 

For those playing with 
controller, suggest 
mapping the gas/brake to the 
right analog 

Enertainment 

GT Bis a finely tuned racing 
experience with a few 

‚лз hat dont spol the 
overall реше 


Dead Rising 2: Case West 


Chuck and Frank deliver a healthy dose of 


ту» -Player Action (2-Player Online] 
‘Publisher Capcom Developer Blue Casto Gamos 
Talens December 27 ESAE M 
‘oad Rising 2: Caso West ріске up seconds atter 
Dead Rising 2's credits Irish roling. Chuck Greene 
is about to get his face bitten off when Dead. 
Fang's Frank West saves the day. The two men havo 
ther own agendas, but they ain nicely. For Chuck, а 
nearby Phenotrans facility ойегз an opportunity to clear 
his namo aller the outbreaks in Las Vogas and Fortune 
Oty. Exposing the pharmaceutical giant's les would be a 
huge break for photojournalist Frank, who has an unex- 
poctody persona stake in the story as well 

ke Case Zero, he previous standalone download- 
able adventure, Case West is a cooperativo experience, 
(Chuck and Frank aro together the whole timo, whether 
Frenk в controlled by the game's Al or an onin friend. 
There aro a few notable ferences between how Frank 
works n the single-player oxperionco versus provous. 
NPOs. As ho introduction points out, these arent the frst 
zombies that Frank’ fought stands to reason tat play 
fers don't have to waste much tme babysitting the charac- 
ler —he's a sol) fiter, and (more mportanti wor се. 
Players con hand the character weapons, which he'll use 
rti they other break or run out of ammo. 

Case West ronroduces Frerk's camera into the game, 
which isn't as big a deal as it might sound. While players 
жо коо to snap pictures of zombies or anything oise that 
әйкес ther tancy, experience is only earned when shoot- 
ing photos of designated targets. I's probably asking too 
much for Bluo Савдо to shoohor a Му realized photo 
mode into a downloadable sidestory but its current mp 
mentation s disappointing limited. 

Players who royal tho sors arsenal of weapons may 
feel equa let down. Since the storyline takes place n a 
pharmaceutical company fackiy here just arent as many 
available weapons, 1 clearly would mako sonso to have 
‘.sparting-qoods stare on a factory fior, or example: 
“Thal said, plenty of bizarre and obscure ems are плавае 
"o harass Ino undead with, ndudiy chemicals, Segway 
осой, and boresaws, Also, somo now tems can bo. 
‘combined into inventive combo weapons. 

Phonotrans has ks sharo of secrets, and players uncover 
ow of hom during the Course ol this brief асмотаға. 
Хәл soo a tamil face or wo, and get a betler sense ol 
how Ihe two main games aro connected. If youto grow- 
Ing woary ol tho serios "tako tho survivors back to tho 
ава" formula, cheer up. The loks Chuck and Frank 
meo up with know tho facit wall enough to escape on. 
"hor онт, опоо they've boon helped out abi 

Case West is а icky proposition. Where Case Zero was 
ico appetizer for players who were looking forward to 
Dead Rising 2, I'd guess hat most of Caso Wests players 
have played through the sequel by now. I's hard to go. 
back to a maler venue, even in spile ol tho universo- 
expanding store, For dicherd fans of ho series, this 
one's a must-play For everyone elsa, Сава West is fu, 
but hardy essential. » Jeff Cork 


fan service 


» Concept 
Bring hero Frank West into 
the world of Dead Rising 2. 
complete with his camera 
Graphics. 

The pharmaceutical factory 
sorting is a nice change of 
pace from shopping centers 
aná casinos 

Soma 

‘Zombies sound as pit as 
ever, and the new weapons 
have a rice aud oomph 

to them 

Playabiity 

"The camera functionality 
dosent add much to the 
game, but here's sl enough 
Zombie йола to keep 
players occupied 
Bntertainmant 

Caso Wost does a solid job 
of ying up the loose ends ot 
the догу while leaving things 
Open for the inevitable sequel 
Replay Value 

Moderately high 


reviews 95 


Lost In Shadow 


‘mined by poor controls 


Stylo L-Player Acton Publisher Hudson Entertainment Dovelopor Hudson Soft Nale 


January 4 ES Flo. 


Я 7.5 


wi 


» Concept 
Маке a platommer/puzale 
‘game in the vem of foo 

ard Limbo 

Graphics 

The visual titere make 1t look 
beer than most Wi ties, but 
theyre sometimes overdone 
Sound 

Ambient noise and a fw 
enemy squeaks ме about all 
youl hear 

Tho sluggish controla and 
frustrating combat are the 


mascots, ther is по shortage ol exc 

lent platformers on the Wi. With Lost in 
Shadow, Hudson Entertáinmont aims to delor 
a more mature adventura to gamers, trading in 
denke humor lor ап introspective догум 
and action-hoawy platoming for challenging 
Puzzles. Lost In Shadow delivers on ho latier, 
but even with some clever, continually evolving 
game mechanics, the entertainment is dragged 
down by painfully urvesponsivo controls. 

Lic Ino mai protagonist, Lost n Shadows 
storine doesn't have alot о weight. You play 
as ho shadow of a boy hat has boen soparated 
from his body and cast ой ol a giant tower. In 
order to reurito with your body, you must make 
ч your way back up the structure one leva al а 
game's biggest drawback tine, solving puzzles and collecting gems lo 

Entertainment Unlock each now lor. Tho oriy other story clo- 
Last In Shadow can be ments ar dlvered in Iho form of signposts that 
tedious, but those who id contain short musings on your predicament, but 
wath it will be rewarded bey cert realy go arywhero stead, tho game 
Веры focuses on your long dimb back lo tho top, 
Moderately Low Lost In Shadow starts cut slow, and ine lohar- 
Gic gameplay wil ety soar o many players 
batoro ho game gots good. Your character con- 
"rcs simia to the prince from the ld 2D Prince 
of Persia ils, with a hey delay every tme you 
chang directions, Jump, or imb ladders. The 
vombat is moro affected by these poor controis 
"han the plallorming Б, as you move too slowly 
10 efoctivly dodo tho attacks of your enemies. 
This becomes less of a problem as your health 
bar Increases (ia reading the alerementioned 
messages) but oniy inthe senso that йон. 
you to absorb mere cheap shots: The biggest 
"sue, помои, s Ihe lack o save points. Dying 
оп алоо requires you to complot restart 
i, which can easly negate 15-30 minutes ol 
gameplay. You can forte а savo by rotuming 
down a love, but tho amount of backtracking 
required makes it moro trouble han ts wort. 


T. harks to Nintendo's stablo of time-tested 


Lucky, Lost In Shadows pazos largely 

overcome Ihaso considerable laws. Tho gamo 

throws a number of mechanics al you, such 
rotating Viewpoints, 


as shitting ight sources 
and moving foroground objects, al of which 
Transform the shadow landscape you tra- 

verse. A new mechanic is introduced hallway 
through tho дато that introduces somo lit 


bre danach gameplay and creates moro 
‘compaling puzzles. As | dosed in on tho final 
floors ol ho tower, I had a herd time putting 
down the controler, A lato twist introduces a bit 
‘of unnecessary backtracking, and somo floors 
feel excessively labyrinthine, but neither of those 
issues drag the overall gameplay too far down. 
Utinatoly | can’ recommend Lost In Shadow 


to everyone, The puzzles and combat aro 
100 ic or chidren (even on easy mode), 
and platoming lans wil ba put off by the 
Lrresponsive controis. Lost In Shadow can't 
compote with Nintondo's rst party offerings, 
buti you can accept its laws, the mind- 
bending puzzles wil keep you entertained to 
the ord. » Jeff Marchlafaya 


Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective 


fter death isn't all it's cr 


cause they re ight on traditional 
gameplay, interactive adventure games 
need compelling stories, characters, and 
puzzles in order to work. Getting this отта 
Tight is what made the Ace Айотеу series 
successi, and geting il wrong is what makes 
Ghost Trick a fairo, 

"Considering that Ghost Tick Б the latest 
project rom Ace Айотеу creator Shu Такиті, 
"ho game's bizarro premiso shouldn't como ав a 
surprise. You play as Sissel, a recently deceased 
Sprit who can manipulate ranimato objects 
агі travel four minutes into Ino past, Combining 
these two ablities ows you lo participate n 
Rube Goldberg-siyie setups where Sissel ips, 
‘opens, and rotates various objects in order to 


save poeple rom ber minent deaths: 

“The concept is cool, but Iwas disappointed to 
discover hel Ghost Tick doesri have nearly the 
зате charm as the Ace Attorney series: Sissel 
Tals fiat as a hero, the story uses conveniant 
amosia as а constant auich, and a seres ol 
predictable twists deflate he overall mystery. In a 
game that depends on a strong narrativo fo keep 
players engaged, these shortcomings are dificult 
to torge. 

To mako matters worse, Ghost Tick aiso 
stumbles in its puzzle design. instead of alow- 
ing fr Ine trial-and-error that leads to "айна" 
moments of discovery, many situations havo rigid 
solutions that you must execut with pracisa 


Kingdom Hearts Re:coded 


The most skip-worthy entry in the series 


Style 1-Payor Action/RPG Publishor Square Enix Developer Square Еши a.nd. 
Release January 11 ESRB EIOH 


bs 


» Concept 
Solve a mystery and save 
people's ves by possessing 
‘fandom suf 

Graphics. 

‘The animation is phenomenal, 
and the stylized ап its the 
tone well 

Sound 

A low cool background 

unes, but nothing that held 
my interest, 


tiring. I you miss your one chance to possess Plapability 
aman riding by on a судо, cr hi a tennis bal Crummy checkpoints 
prematurely you have to g0 back toa check dircouwage you kom 
point. The checkpoints aren't wel placed, her; experimenting wit 
expect lo re-walch scenes (hough you can skp Pues 
Entertainment 


through dialogue} and repeat actions ust to get 
another shot at Ihe problem areas 

Though the game missos somo important 
marks, Iisa completely lost cause. Tho char- 
acter animations ae Incredibly fud and impres. 
590, and soverd of their conversations aro good 
for a chuck. Untoriunately, thas scattered bits 
fo aren't enough to bring Sssels adventure 
back from Ihe dead, » Joe Juba 


A tew bright spots шегі 
enough to make Ghost 
Tick worthwhile 


o to meet the 


oying that you 


д купит of Kingdom Hearts genres For example, rather then serving вва 
we [Î gamos hava eased over telat lew bete rena, Olympus Coeur a electing 
CCC 
eee ging, Series mastermind Tetsuya Nomra Se Ober variants node a side-scroëng 
handheld empenence hasnt made il easy to keep track of the events. platformer, a Space Harrier-styie shooter, and a 
лыш / Rode is tho frst tile to pick up ано tho ond bate command stago where Sora has o 
A collection өтө and о Kingdom Hearts II and puts you in control boss Al allies around rather than attack himself. 
low-tesoirion assets fom ^ franchise hero Sora — wel, a digital repica Тһе RPG segment is easty the best, teasing 
previous gamez of him at least. The game originally released what a less action-focused Kingdom Hearts 
FFC ‘experience could be. The platformer plays Ike 
E esame Бшге twoaked and beeted up the ttle for ls е auto-sezollng running games that are all ho. 
la Dimey songs yet again e release. i rage on smart phones, The only problem is that it 
m apis | Barcode akos ts custom Ten as Denys fl ne ar moments oe man 
jon predse platforming — Mickey Donald, and Gooty get sucked into a дате, which is way too ect 
VV 
Agrabah and Alice's Wonderland, They originally Though Ro:coded sullers trom heavily recycled 
Etorkinen! "s rmmoned Data Sora to deal with the bugs in. levels and enemies, at least Square Enix inno- 
We minan ре hele po sysiem to hep decode amenos тюз. valed onthe character gran. The now on 
... got rad көкі алатке tem epleates computo motera 
Папар to escape. Asda rom ho rehashed  — whar players piaco mikrochp o boost sals 
Replay Valen aros, Sora veros io now areas caled "and uro пон ais. ts a 


Syster sectors, techno neon codo rooms, to 
quash bugs plaguing the worlds. These furti 
dungeons ave essentially the опу new areas in 
"hà Game, but its not long before layouts repeat 
ard бесот as stalo as tho rest. 

“The das bart, spruced up these maps 
wih neve germaplay modas taken trom other 


(don't know what somo abies wil do unt you. 
rock them, bul they al are sel in the ond. I 
especialy Iked tho “cheat” switches that alow 

you o оак various elements of tho gama fora 
Prica. You can trado off your health lor moro loot, 
or increase enemy strength for more prizes. Its 

лмо to io things 100 far out ofthe ordinary, 


‘but is nice o have tho option I your're shoot 
ing for something spectic ко mora monay or 
Taster leveling. 

Re:coded allows players to revisit previously 
need words for additional lat quests and 
more system sectors, but oniy completorists 
should bother. Near the end of he game you're 
going to have lo run through all ol these maps 
again anyway in a lazy move by Square lo pad 
ол the quest 

Despite the now gameplay types, Ra:codod's 
mosty eyed content feels 100 stale to rec 
ommend to anyone outside of the most ce 
hard tans, » Bryan Vore 


reviews 97 


коквызз емеш ған мо 


eee wee Рио Nov age 85 Dei 


ын налы т 
eee MEN 1 oan 


m Qs — PA 

= — 

— s Paena Doer 

— жынжа Tragen SDO раты = 
pe — A en son ` 


9 | Hard Corps: Uprising ants vs 6.5 | Kung-Fu Live 
83-260 Rolonse February ESRB T Zombies Platform PS3 Release December 7 ESRB T 
iling thougi Platform DS Release January 18 С ng players into thi 
o zip right p wler via PlayStation Eye 
g. Do not n "here just isn’t that much 
is a brand-new ren de 80 about requirerner 
entry in Konami's Contra Zombi rendering and move € 
main characte 2 отба! 
anime lool sic, graphics, ап chopsocky, B-movie storyt 
гапат have ins entertaining, and striking pase 
hit in the proce game appearan 
Tun and gun bliss that only Contra Adam Hiassenar panels is doi 
can delive 


тесі 2 
Platiorm РСЗ Release January 18 ESRB M 


6 | Faery: Legends of 


Platform 360 Release November П ESRB EIO 


you're looking for a min 5 fass Effect as en simil y 
wier that drenches the teractive comic book | З a НЫ IC Mas 
n in blood, Splatterhouse parison to importing i dag 
king for a. Commander VB ЧЁ айа 
дате that is fun to play and aside from 
doesn't stagnate in its combat losing that consistency in the 


first few minutes universe, Mass Effect 2 is j le au ац 


Andrew Reiner 


gameınformer 


xy Psion 
sana ojo ion 


КЕК 


Volume ХХ © Number 2 


Pat epe O TO 


ane Stinger paco 


a memory of Poul drm 


November 16 ESRB E10: 


arming game. Even during th 
the planet-hungry giant b 


uck. 15 just a sham 


that Infini 


auntiet's garr 


Hero Squad: The Infinity Gantt: 


play doe 


Te eor srs anre. 


[inert 
peine 


Merci V SSA be Dat 


= Ж 


hard not t 


outh fron 


to its abundant ht 


he snarky рор 
ies, and I didn't п 


cus multiplayer 
for a Jack Айа 


7.25 | Eche | 


Манол P53 alonso December 21 ESRB E 
t by your Move 

tation of a fla: 

are the landscape your tiny at 
must traverse, and getting him 
to the goal requires contorting 


матан истакла 
ска an 


capable 


Veit gameinformer.com/ma for the ful reviews 


cs NO Dr 


АП is Fair 


in Love and War 


1. Aphrodite is the beautiful Greek 
goddess of love, but what is her fate in 
the God of War series? 


„ Kratos runs her through with his 
Blades before smashing her head 
арпа a stone pillar several times 

ъ, Kratos uses her to solve an elaborate 
environmental puzzle then abandons 
her before she meets an untimely 
demise 

+. Kratos finds Aphrodite in her 
chamber with her handmaidens and 
unleashes his inner monster upon her 
d. In order to protect Eve, the ше: 
Empress of Rome, Aphrodite helps 
Xena: Wartor Princess sneak into 
Olympus 


2. Cupld is often portrayed as a baby 
‘cherub who looks strikingly similar to 
н from Nintendo's Kid Icarus series. 

‘The original Kid Icarus received a 
sequel on Game Boy in 1991. What was 
this tite called? 

э. Kid Icarus; The Sacred Eggplant 

b. Kid Icarus: Pis Adventure. 

©: Kid Icarus: Ies The Pin 

4, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters 


3. Speaking of cherubs, in 2000 Shiny 
Entertainment released Momiah, а game 
about a cherub sent to clean up the. 
Earth by possessing rats, cyborgs and 
aliens. What was thls cherubs name? 


ЕЗ 
b. Gabriel 
e: Dusty 
4. Pery 


а. The Prince of Persia tiles almost 

always feature a prince seeking the 

hand of a princess, but И hasn't alwayz 

been the same princess... the same 
‘Which one of these was not 

4 love Interest for one of the prince’s 

Incamationg? 


a. Aoma 
b. Elka 
e Tamina 
4. Farah 


5. There fs an urban legend that says 
it you wish on a green МАМ your true 
Jove will come to you. Sounds great — 
maybe you could wish on one of these 
‘MAM branded games instead. Which 

‘one of these games only delivers empty 
promises because i's a bogus ile? 


Love is in the air, and even video game. 
characters can feel its choking presence. 


While most people are lucky to meet some- 
опе at a party or club, video game characters always seem to find love on the battlefield. You might think 
this means we have nothing to learn from them, but video game romances seem to last longer than any оГ 
Hollywood's affairs. Add up your score to see which video game coupling you're destined to emulate. 


мам: Candy Coating 
b; МЕМ Tho Lost Formulas 
©. MEM s. Shall Shocked 

d. MEM s Beach Party 


5. In Gears of War 2, Dom spent a good 
portion of the game searching for his 
Wie. What was her name? 

b. Mania 

4. Mis, Dom 


7. Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer 
heated up PS3s in Uncharted 2: Among 
Thieves. Actors Nolan North and. 
Claudia Black voiced the couple, but 
‘that game wasn't the first time those 
two Rad worked оп the same game. 
What game haven't these two prolific 
vocal talents worked on together? 

a. Pinal Fantasy XIV 

B. God ot War 

©. Mass Elec 2 

d. Dragon Age: Origins 


in tums out that Sonic isa bit of 

a ladies man. No one can keep thie 
‘ded down. Which character 

has never had a romantic interest in 

Sonic? 

Princess Elise 

b. Princess Sally 

e. Tale 

d. Any Rose 


9. In Final Fantasy VII things got a 


e. Zack Highwind 
Zac Bron 


10. What is love? 


Oh baby. don’t hurt me. Don't hurt 
A barletield 
©. All you need 
Таа, caro, have an Internet 
connection 


‘your mom 


Score and Rank 


0-1 correct: 
Otacon and Sniper Wolf 

Ether youll get in a fight over the check, or 
Your best tiend в going to kil your lover before 
hei devoured by wolves. One way or another 
е а going to end badly 

2-3 correct: 

Meat Boy and Bandage Girl 
(Noose уш ta were mode for ech lt 
but youre going to have fo go ough hello 


You fee ihe the в destiny. but your father 
might wy to keep you арап, and It wort end 
Wel unless you start a New Game +. 


6-7 correct: 
Link and Zelda 

Things wil bo a ite awkward at frst because 
one of you does know how to tlk to gi and 
theater docente to be Kissed, but you 
work Be cog ths could be a relatonship that 
wihstands the test of tme 


3-9 correct: 
Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher 
You have your ups and downs — you fight, you 


lug you bicker But thats what real relation- 
ships are made ot 


10 correct: 
Mario and Luigi 

Sometimes tums out hat the one you're 
supposed to be with she one who's been 
there al along 


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