CONDEMNED 2: BLOODSHOT (M)
Rating: ****
Sega
Xbox 360
Fans of survival horror, creepy atmosphere and any game you specifically set out to play in the dark can instantly recall their all-time favorite scare. For some, it’s the first time the zombie dogs jumped through the windows in Resident Evil. For others, it’s the haunting images and sound effects of the hospital in Silent Hill 2. For me, it’s the entire Shalebridge Cradle level of Thief: Deadly Shadows, where you explore an abandoned orphanage/insane asylum. And for a lot of people, it’s going to be the cabin chase from Condemned 2: Bloodshot.
Bloodshot is easily the most frightening game on the current generation of game consoles. Then again, its only real competition in that category would be the original Condemned. This sequel is darker, grittier, creepier and much more action-packed. You’ll rarely find yourself weaponless, resorting to fending off enemies with a toilet seat as in the first game. In fact, towards the end, there are lengthy sequences where you don’t even have to worry about conserving ammo. But that doesn’t mean you won’t feel vulnerable. You’ll lose plenty of sleep exploring creepy doll factories, stumbling upon bloody crime scenes and jumping when you realize that the shadow that just moved isn’t yours.
ARMY OF TWO (M)
Rating: ***
Electronic Arts
Xbox 360
Cinema has the buddy film, and now interactive entertainment has the buddy game—the latter having all the same cheesy exchanges of one-liners you’ve come to expect from the former. Lots of games feature a co-op mode, but none are built for it quite like Army of Two. Whether you’re offering covering fire or lending each other a boost, this game is constantly finding clever ways for you and your friend to lean on each other. Just make sure you have a friend to play with you. Tackling this game with a less cooperative AI partner will have you lamenting your virtual co-dependence.
HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN (M)
Rating: ***
Sega
Wii
Unlike the Donkey Kong bongos and the Mario Party microphone, as specialized game peripherals go, the Wii Zapper has already paid for itself. Already, there are a good handful of games to support the device, the latest being House of the Dead. You could complain that this is a virtually unchanged port of a ten year-old arcade game, but have light-gun shooters really gotten any more complicated in the last decade? Personally, I can’t wait for the Wii Zapper of Lethal Enforcers.
IRIDIUM RUNNERS (E)
Rating: ***
Southpeak Interactive
PlayStation 2
At the rate gas prices are going up, the races of the future aren’t going to be done with sleek hovercraft, as in WipeOut Pulse—they’re going to be done with good, old-fashioned feet, as in Iridium Runners. Iridium Runners is a kart racer without the kart, which puts a refreshing spin on the whole kart racer formula. The other good news is that it’s a budget game, costing on $15. The bad news is that it feels like a budget game. The options are limited, the backgrounds look cheap, and the game designers couldn’t even afford to give the characters cars.
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]