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| 10 Must-Buy Video Games this Holiday Season Assuming you can still clothe and feed your family.  Far Cry 2Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC Release Date: Oct 21, 2008 Sort of Like: Rambo with more explosions (yeah...a lot) Why You NEED This Game: If you're picking up an HDTV this year and want to show off its capabilities, think seriously about throwing this in the bag. With impressive graphics and a physics engine that'll make your PS3/360 gasm, the Far Cry series finally makes its true debut on consoles. Even more impressive is the map editor which allows you to create and share maps for infinite replayability. Drawbacks: Your character comes from among a selection of nine, taking away slightly from some of the immersion factor.  Spider-Man: Web of ShadowsPlatform: Xbox 360 Release Date: Oct 21, 2008 Sort of Like: The game that should've been made two years ago Why You NEED This Game: Games tied to movies are as pleasant an experience as gonorrhea. Here, Activision makes it up to us. From our hands-on demo, there were clear concessions made to gamers who felt that previous Spideys were tired, wildly tangential versions of the movies. Combat has been revamped and you can even switch between Spidey and Venom mid-combo to lay the web down on the game's AI (which appears to have increased in IQ by 70 points from SM3). Drawbacks: Gameplay (go here, beat them up; go there, beat them up) could get repetitive, so we're reserving judgment until we see the final product.  LittleBIGPlanetPlatform: PS3 Release Date: Oct 21, 2008 Sort of Like: A Choose Your Own Adventure book Why You NEED This Game: With two wars raging in the Middle East and an economy sagging worse than John McCain's nad bag, this country needs a happy outlet, and this is it. Commandeer beanbag man Sackboy and make—or break—your own levels. Learn the ropes in story mode, then go online with friends and play them in weird and wacky levels you all create. Drawbacks: Making a legitimate, playable level will take some dedication (read: girlfriend-of-five-years kind of dedication), so you may just want to stick to playing the masterpieces of other creators. Or, at least the predictable penis stages.  Fallout 3Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC Release Date: Oct 28, 2008 Sort of Like: The U.S. when the stock market eventually reaches 0 Why You NEED This Game: You take up arms in search of your father who has ventured outside the communal fallout shelter and into a war-ravaged, post-apocalyptic America. If that sounds daunting, you'll appreciate the new Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS) which allows players to briefly pause the game and target a series of attacks against specific parts of an enemy's body. Drawbacks: From our hands-on demo, we can safely say that it will take a few go-rounds to get used to the combat system. It'll all feel better when you're eventually beheading opponents with your missile launcher, however.  esistance 2Platform: PS3 Release Date: Nov 4, 2008 Sort of Like: Resistance Why You NEED This Game: Once again, you play as the crafty Nathan Hale, member of a special U.S. task force who is immune to the invading Chimeran army and its lethal virus. Those put off by the difficulty of the first game will find solace in the new co-op mode, which will enable you and up to seven friends to save the world together online. Then, when you think you're the best, join one of its 60-player online modes—yes, that's six-oh—and get your ass handed to you. Drawbacks: We can barely keep track of the Dow Jones' daily dives, so partaking in a 60-person game may just make you lose your mind.  James Bond: Quantum of SolacePlatform: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PC Release Date: Nov 4, 2008 Sort of Like: Call of Duty 4 Why You NEED This Game: Forget what we just said about movie tie-in games. Using the same engine that brought you Call of Duty 4, JB: QoS will feature high-intensity gun fights and a plot that follows the upcoming feature film very closely. In fact, grab this on Nov. 4 and you'll get a sneak peek at some of the scenes in the new movie. Now that's a stealth mission worth signing up for. Drawbacks: While single-player, uh, sticks to the script, we're hoping that the multiplayer experience doesn't take a backseat.  Gears of War 2Platform: Xbox 360 Release Date: Nov 7, 2008 Sort of Like: Gears of War Why You NEED This Game: There's really no reason not to plunk down 60 clams for Epic's sequel. From our gameplay demos, we witnessed the same expansive experience of the first GoW, including new enhancements, like Lancer chainsaw duels and the use of opponents as meat shields, that'll keep both veterans and noobs fragging one another for months to come. Oh, and there's the whole crunch factor. Drawbacks: C'mon, really?  Mortal Kombat vs. DC UniversePlatform: Xbox 360, PS3 Release Date: Nov 10, 2008 Sort of Like: Dashing your childhood dreams by beating up your favorite superheroes Why You NEED This Game: Following previous stale, uninspired efforts, Midway finally took a different tack for its new Mortal Kombat game: Have your favorite superheroes and villains beat the hell out of each other! While you won't be able to fry Superman with Scorpion's firebeath fatality, there will be finishers called "Brutalities" that'll leave other notables like The Joker and Batman rethinking their career paths. Drawbacks: Mortal Kombat, like the Saw movie series, has been done to death—it could get boring/annoying very quickly.  Call of Duty: World at WarPlatform: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, DS Release Date: Nov 11, 2008 Sort of Like: Medal of Honor: Less Suck, More Bang Why You NEED This Game: They don't call warzones "the shit" for nothing and Treyarch is hoping to create that deep, dark feeling with World at War. While only some of our eight demands for the game were met, you can expect other, more despicable acts of humanity at your disposal (flamethrowers, anyone?). During our demo, a former Marine aprised us of the setting you'll be fighting in—to put it briefly, heads propped up on spears are the least of your concerns. Drawbacks: While the Call of Duty series took a literal and figurative step forward with its fourth iteration, you'll once again be fighting in the played out theater of World War II. |
 Guitar Hero World TourPlatform: Xbox 360 Release Date: Oct 26, 2008 Sort of Like: Rock Band 2 Why You NEED This Game: When World Tour hits stores, dedicated plastic instrument bangers will have had over a month of Rock Band 2 under their guitar straps. Nevertheless, this is a must buy for anyone who can't get enough. For the first time in a GH game, you'll be able to rock hard on drums or bust out a vocal solo on songs from "Crazy Train" to "La Bamba," with 84 others packed onto the disc. Drawbacks: While the new drums appear to be the real deal, the Ion Drum Rocker is the be-all, end-all fake drum kit this holiday season. |
Good luck Dads, Moms, and Grandparents. Enjoy!!
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