SORE THUMBS: WHAT’S NEW IN VIDEO GAMING

GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS    (M)

 

Rating:*****

Sony Computer Entertainment

PlayStation Portable

Somebody sacrificed a lot of lambs to the gods in order to make this game possible. Here, near the end of the PlayStation 2 lifespan, the God of War titles remain as two of the best games ever created for the console. Suddenly, here’s a third GoW game. I could complain that, aside from the massive basilisk in the first level, there aren’t enough epic boss battles, or I could whine that the game does nothing innovative with the series, but I prefer to marvel at the fact that the PS2’s greatest achievement has made its way onto a handheld platform with its gameplay entirely intact.

The PSP screen may be smaller than that of your TV, but the scope and grandeur of GoW’s mythological lands are as spectacular as ever. Kratos’ moves are just as brutal as you remember, and the plot (a prequel to the first God of War) adds depth to an already entrancing tale of tragedy and hubris. This is easily the best game to grace the PlayStation Portable. Praise the gods.

APOLLO JUSTICE: ACE ATTORNEY    (T)

 

Rating:***1/2

Capcom

Nintendo DS

There are countless John Grisham novels out there about young, inexperienced lawyers taking a crash course in justice. Don’t let the fact that he’s an anime character with spiky hair fool you—Apollo Justice is the latest Grisham-esque attorney. Taking the reigns of investigation and witness interrogation away from series regular Phoenix Wright, Apollo is here to point and click his way through several hilarious cases. Whether you’re as green as Apollo or seasoned as Phoenix, you’ll have a hilarious good time.

ASSASSIN’S CREED: ALTAIR’S CHRONICLES    (T)

 

Rating:**

Ubisoft

Nintendo DS

The console version of Assassin’s Creed is so overwhelmingly vast that even a severely scaled down version exceeds the DS’s technological reach. Where once there was an impossibly large city to explore, now only a linear path remains. Where once there was a compelling sci-fi aspect to the story, now Altair’s yarn reads like Prince of Persia Lite. As limited as it is, this 3D Middle Eastern world might be worth traversing, if only the DS hardware could manage even the most limited of 3D worlds.

DYNASTY WARRIORS 6    (T)

 

Rating:*1/2

KOEI

Xbox 360

Who is it? Identify yourself! Who is the person who keeps playing Dynasty Warriors games, thus encouraging KOEI to make as many as six? Why do you do it, whoever-you-are? Is it the endless and repetitive combos that keep you playing? Is it the mediocre graphics or the way the story vanishes after the intro, leaving only mindless violence? Can’t you handle an action game that asks you to do more than mash buttons? Come forward, you poor, lost gamer. It might not be too late to save you.

When Las Vegas Weekly contributor Matthew Scott Hunter realized his career as a lab technician was seriously interfering with his gaming, he pink-slipped himself into a successful career as a freelance writer. Bug the hell out of him at [email protected]

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