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2009-11-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

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Trine Frozenbyte PC Game RPG Puzzle Adventure

2009-09-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Platformers like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and Battletoads set the foundation for the modern gaming industry. Now, over 30 years later, Frozenbyte freezes us dead in our tracks with a cool, reinvigorated take on a dated genre. Trine, both an artistic masterpiece and a gameplay phenomenon, vies for its place in an X/Y/Z market by introducing a new twist to the platforming world. Players take not one, but three dysfunctional heroes on a quest to restore order to a region dominated by Undead and Evil. It's nice to have a storyline other than "save the princess, until next time" for once, but that's not all that gamers will look forward to: similar to Donkey Kong Country, the player switches between one hero or another depending on the current situation.

A wizard, rogue/ranger, and fighter build off of each others' abilities to bypass one obstacle after another. The wizard summons a bridge over a deadly pit of spikes, the fighter smashes through planks and skeletons with an electrified hammer, and the rogue grapples from platform to platform in seconds. What's even better than doing it all yourself? Inviting a friend or two over to take the reigns of a gamepad (or other peripheral) and playing with all characters active on the screen at once. You might even find it entertaining, as host, to offer your friends a lift (the wizard can levitate blocks upon which players stand) over a trench filled with acid, before releasing the box, and its rider, to their doom. It won't get you a medal for teamwork, but it's definitely worth the laugh. That's the other thing with Trine - we found ourselves laughing the entire way through - be it at the fighter's one-liners or simply from 'accidentally' murdering one another.

The environs showcased in Trine offer beautiful scenery and unsurpassed (in a platformer) eye-candy. Remarkably well-done bloom effects, cascading sunlight, and truly foreboding dungeons are encountered during our journey. Though it's not all just looks, Trine's level design flows brilliantly and utilizes each of the three characters at an equal rate. Being able to grapple over obstacle after obstacle without ever touching the ground if you choose the thief, "draw" your way through the level with summoned crates and bridges as the wizard, or slam seesaws into a spin as the fighter add endless possibilities to each stage of the game. Oh - and don't forget about the RPG element! That's right, Frozenbyte included items, treasure, skills, and levels to be had in Trine, making the first run through thrilling with each unlocked weapon or ability.

"Wait!" You say, "earlier you said that I could 'draw' objects to use as platforms.." Yes, the wizard's primary role is to draw boxes, bridges, and floating platforms to safely navigate around certain death. With each level, the wizard can have more of these items active simultaneously. An example would be as follows: There's a pit of acid too long to jump, there are not any surfaces to which the thief can grapple, and the fighter certainly can't just tank the damage. As the wizard, you can cast a box (by drawing a square with the mouse) on either end of the pit, and then draw a bridge connecting them, giving your group a way of passage. Or you could just ragequit and jump into the pit, which I did several times. For some reason, dying is not an infuriating experience like in many other games.

The most fun I had throughout the course of the game was when the thief's grappling hook was implemented. With a running start, she can leap, grapple, and swing from one wooden platform to another. After beating the game, a great challenge to present yourself with is a speed challenge: see how quickly you can beat a level, as seen below in a video. The physics behind the thief's swinging are fantastic, and being able to gracefully fly over fireballs and skeletons without ever touching the ground is a great way to show that off.

*SPOILER, NOT A TRAILER - A "SPEED RUN"

Thirdly, Pontius, a horizontally-challenged fighter-type, can be heard complaining about his desire for food the entire campaign. He's a proper knight, after all, and needs food to sustain his hammer-swinging, shield-raising, and bull-rushing properties. Unfortunately for him, the knight is a bit too heavy to swim, so the least likely time you will be using him (unless you want to reach the bottom quickly), is in the water. Other than that, he plays an important role as the tank and as the thief's support. The knight's shield can be deployed in front of the thief, to protect the both of them from missiles, while the thief vollies an explosive arrow into the skeletal minions. Separate from that, Pontius is a powerful ally to have when battling bosses that are two times your size.

After thorough testing, the only immediate short-comings I can complain about are the price-point and the multiplayer support. Currently, a couple of Trine's levels are nearly impossible to play with two players, let alone three. An example being the last level of the game, where players race to the top of the level in an ice-climbers style mission, else meet their doom - and unfortunately a second player will slow you down. Aside from that, a $30 asking price, although in retrospect well worth it, is steep enough for an indie game to turn players away. For about 24-hours of on-off playing the first time through, though, and for such a professionally crafted platformer, it is worth 30 bucks for sure!

The Good: Fantastic locations, innovative controls for the wizard, required teamplay (self-implemented or multiplayer), replayability through the roof. Future promises by Frozenbyte to introduce online-multiplayer support means that this developer is willing to back its game. A strong community frequently posts time-trials and challenges to players. Amazing soundtrack and effects. Fun with friends or alone.

The Bad: No online-multiplayer currently included. Not all levels are co-op friendly. Price is high enough to scare some buyers away.

Overall: Great music, graphics, gameplay, and level design are all key elements in a game, and Trine delivers on all of them. Highly recommended purchase, even at $30. You may want to wait around for a sale or price reduction, a $10 reduction in price would make the game a fast seller. New gameplay mechanics and controls make the platformer inviting and certainly should entice earlier generation gamers to return to a genre they loved on their Atari, in the arcade, or on their NES.

God of War III Impressions PS3

2009-06-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you who was not amazed by the sheer brilliance of the footage of God of War III on the Sony PS3 at E3 2009, then there has to be something wrong with you. Next Gen News says that everything about the game screams success, audio, intense action and even the audio. However, it is the rumors of Native 1080P that has gamers talking the most.

We mentioned about the Native 1080P, this is only a rumor and so far, there is no evidence to back up the claim. However, Sony has promised us this, so it is only right that they deliver on that promise. A number of websites has already reported that God of War III is among a handful of games to be blessed with 1080p native.

We will just have to sit back and wait to see if this is actually true, no game like this has ever had a resolution higher than 720P. If you visit Wikipedia, they still have GoW3 down as being 1080p native, but we know how wrong they can be.
here are some screen shots of God of War III Impressions on PS3.

Project Origin Renamed - F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin

2008-09-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

September 8, 2008

Monolith Productions Inc. and WB Games Inc. are pleased to announce that we have purchased the F.E.A.R. name from Activision/Blizzard. Monolith Productions, the creators of F.E.A.R., have been developing the true sequel to F.E.A.R. over the last two years under the community selected title, “Project Origin.” With the name being returned home, the game will now be titled F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.

Here are some screen shots of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

Too Human game review screenshots Bbox 360 game

2008-08-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Good
* A constant supply of interesting weapons and armor
* Combat can be fun when it gets in a groove
* Skill trees give you a lot of room to mold your character
* Co-op play can be enjoyable as long as both players are around the same level.

The Bad
* The story doesn't get interesting until the final minutes
* Too many elements chop up the pace
* Area attacks and status effects are poorly implemented
* Ranged combat is unsatisfying.

Final Fantasy XIII

2008-07-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

This morning at its press briefing at the E3 Media & Business Summit, Microsoft stunned many in the audience by announcing that Final Fantasy XIII is now in development for the Xbox 360. Not only is the game coming to the console, but it will arrive on the same day and date as the PlayStation 3 edition of the game, with no timed exclusivity of any kind. However, when exactly that is remains a mystery, given that the graphics-intensive role-playing game still has no firm release date.

"We believe that releasing an Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII will allow us to provide the game to even more fans in the two regions of North America and Europe," Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada told a stunned audience. No mentioned was made of Japan, where the 360 is far less popular than the PS3.

Wada also used today's event to date the 360 release of The Last Remnant in all regions. The game will ship in North America on September 2, Europe and the UK on September 5, and Japan and Asia on September 11.

New Soul Calibur IV 4 screenshots . so how good is soul calibur 4

2008-07-14T02:17:00.000-07:00

12 and and sexy new images from the xbox play station and Wii game Soul Calibur IV. There isnt much to gather from the screenshots of Soul calibur 4 other than Ivy's breasts that have gone up a couple of sizes and Tira's sporting more modest attire since her last outing and Seigfried is now best friends with a Dodo, Taki is still sporting the skin tight red sexy catsuit which invades every crack and crevice of her body and Taki's sward blades still magically float an inch from her body, just sexy dont you all agree?.

Street Fighter IV Xbox 360

2008-01-30T12:46:00.001-08:00

Though the screenshot doesn't answer this question outright, we can confirm that the game's graphics are polygonal but the gameplay is strictly 2D. There will be new moves, locations, and gameplay features, while the standard six button control scheme remains. Ryu and Ken return along with Chun-Li and Dhalsim, but beyond that the character roster is a mystery. And then there's the issue of what platform(s) the game will end up on, which at this point Capcom is keeping close to its chest (if you search 1UP's database, you'll find listings for arcade, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, but those are just guesses based on the graphical quality).

God of War Game

2008-01-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2008 -
Dear Kratos,

Sigh. We're really not trying to come off as the obsessive ex and we know it hasn't even been a year since our last fling, but we just can't get you, your tats or your bald head out of our minds.

Like a stare from Aphrodite, you've put a spell on us.

Sure, our separation won't last too much longer -- God of War: Chains of Olympus arrives in March -- but we thought we'd contact you ahead of time and tell you what we want -- nay, need -- in our next relationship with you. Don't get us wrong, our last two "get-togethers" have been amazing, but it can't just be about action all of the time.

A gamer needs substance. Please look over our laundry list below, and feel free to format our memory stick anytime.

Hugs.
The IGN PlayStation Team

Devil May Cry 4 Demo (Xbox360/PS3)

2008-01-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Is his power that of a demon, or of a god? New main character Nero and his demonic devil bringer add speed and style to the Devil May Cry series! Experience advanced game play along with gorgeous cutting-edge graphics. Thanks to the power of the latest graphics hardware, the stylish action runs at an incredible 60fps so you won't miss a beat! This is true next-generation entertainment!

The PS3 demo should be online later today. The PC demo is still TBA.

Unreal Tournament 3 Hardware Performance Guide

2007-12-05T09:30:00.001-08:00

Unreal Tournament 3, based on Epic's Unreal Engine 3, has been in development for years. BioShock, Gears of War, and Mass Effect also use Unreal Engine 3 yet preceded Unreal Tournament 3's arrival by a few months, and almost a year in the case of Gears of War. The games may all use the same engine, but they have very different hardware requirements. Whereas BioShock requires powerful hardware to run, Unreal Tournament 3 doesn't leave anyone out of the fun. Mid-range CPUs and video cards from two years ago can run the game just fine, and with marvelous image quality. Of course, if you want more performance, higher resolutions, and antialiasing, more power is the way to go.

We tested Unreal Tournament 3 using the UT3Bench utility. The utility uses multiple demos, but we stuck with the Suspense flyby demo for all of our performance tests. The flyby takes a 60-second aerial tour of one of the larger vehicle-based multiplayer maps. All results are the average of three test runs.

Game Settings
Unreal Tournament 3 doesn't have too many settings, but what you do select makes a big difference on how the game performs and looks.

Graphics
The minimum specs for Unreal Tournament 3 call for a GeForce 6800, and it runs surprisingly well with one. We tested the game with more than 20 video cards, and checked to see how performance varied across three different operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista 32-bit, and Windows Vista 64-bit.

CPU
If you've got a CPU made in the past three years, you probably won't have too much trouble running Unreal Tournament 3. We tested out some of the more recent processors on the market to show you what an upgrade might do for you.

Memory
Unreal Tournament 3 requires 512MB of RAM, but you're definitely going to need more than that if you want to run the game at higher image-quality settings. We tested Unreal Tournament 3 with varying amounts of memory across Windows XP, Window Vista 32-bit, and Windows Vista 64-bit.
Systems

We built a few sample systems to show how the game performs using real-world computers put together with parts from past hardware generations. Our slowest machine, a 3.0GHz Pentium 4 paired with a GeForce 6800, didn't churn out a playable frame rate at 1600x1200 with maximum quality, but we got it humming along just fine after reducing the resolution and tweaking the quality settings. We also had to tone down the settings on our single-core AMD Athlon 64 4000+ and Radeon X1650 XTsystem to get it running smoothly. The dual-core Athlon 64 FX-60 and Radeon X1900 XT 256MB system ran the game with high-quality settings just fine. Our Intel Core 2 Duo setups also ran Unreal Tournament 3 at exceedingly high frame rates.
System-Level Performance Tests

(Longer bars indicate better performance)

1600x1200, Maximum Quality
Core 2 X6800, GeForce 8800 GTX 768, 2GB RAM, Vista - 124
Core 2 E6600, GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB, 2GB RAM, Vista - 106
Athlon 64 FX-60, Radeon X1900 XT 256MB, 2GB RAM, WinXP - 47
Athlon 64 4000+, Radeon X1650 XT 256MB, 2GB RAM, WinXP - 25
Pentium 4 3.0GHz, GeForce 6800 128MB, 1GB RAM, WinXP - 18

System Setup: Intel Core 2 X6800, Intel Core 2 E6600, Intel 975XBX2, 2GB Corsair XMS Memory (1GBx2), 160GB Seagate 7200.7 SATA Hard Disk Drive, Windows Vista 32-bit. Graphics Card: GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB, XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Edition, beta Nvidia ForceWare 169.12.

Athlon 64 FX-60, Athlon 64 4000+, Asus A8R32 MVP Deluxe, 2GB Corsair XMS Memory (1GBx2), 160GB Seagate 7200.7 SATA Hard Disk Drive, Windows XP Professional SP2. Graphics Card: Radeon X1900 XT 256MB, Radeon X1650 XT 256MB, ATI Catalyst 7.11.

Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz, Asus P4C800, 1GB Corsair XMS Memory (512MBx2), 160GB Seagate 7200.7 SATA Hard Disk Drive, Windows XP Professional SP2. Graphics Card: GeForce 6800 128MB, beta Nvidia ForceWare 169.09.

Xbox Live Arcade release, Street Fighter II HD

2007-11-12T22:38:00.000-08:00

Apparently Capcom is trying to make the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade release, Street Fighter II HD, more appealing to the casual gamer. In an extensive entry on the company blog, designer and former Street Fighter tournament contender David Sirlin details how some of the moves have been made easier and how characters will be more balanced. Specifically, he talks a lot about how certain moves will now require fewer buttons to pull off, and “mash moves” (where you press a button repeatedly, like with E. Honda’s Hundred Hand Slap) will take fewer button presses. They’re also making an effort to boost the playability of weaker characters like Zangief and T. Hawk.

Purists might argue that they’re messing with a classic by doing this, but I remember the original game being incredibly unbalanced, rendering certain characters almost useless. I do recall the controls being exceptionally tricky for certain moves too, but I always thought that was the point. I had a friend who was ungodly with Fei Long mostly because he could pull of the more difficult moves.

Halo 3 BioShock top Spike TV noms

2007-11-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

Shooters from Bungie and 2K get most nods for testosterone-infused network's December 9 award show.

Even without the next two weeks' lineup of highly promising offerings, 2007 has seen more than its fair share of critically acclaimed games. Although the high quantity of high quality is unequivocally great for gamers, it's sure to create a massive headache for those looking to parse out the best of the best. Charged with the onus, Viacom-owned Spike TV unveiled its nominees for the 2007 Video Game Awards today through its official Web site.

This year, Spike has trimmed off a few of last year's more superfluous categories, such as Cyber Vixen of the Year (Half-Life 2's Alyx Vance in 2006, for those counting), by nominating games in 22 categories. Microsoft console-exclusives dominate the coveted game-of-the-year category, with noms this year being Halo 3 and Mass Effect, as well as BioShock and The Orange Box. 2K Games' dystopian shooter BioShock and Bungie Studios' sci-fi shooter Halo 3 received the most nominations with seven apiece. Valve Software's compilation The Orange Box semimatched that number with five overall, as well as solo nominations for Portal and Team Fortress 2.

To be eligible for nomination, a game's release date must fall between November 16, 2006 and December 1, 2007. The nominees were chosen by Spike TV's advisory panel, which is made of nearly two dozen game journalists, including editors from the San Jose Mercury News, EGM, Game Informer, and GameSpot. The category of most addictive game will be selected by online voters polled on the official VGA site.

Spike TV's Video Game Awards will air December 9 at 9 p.m. Eastern on Spike. Last year, Samuel L. Jackson emceed the event, which featured live performances from Jack Black's Tenacious D and rockers AFI. Spike has not yet announced the master of ceremonies or other entertainers for this year's event.

A complete list of nominees for Spike TV's 2007 Video Game Awards is listed below.

Game of the Year
BioShock
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Orange Box

Empire Earth III Demo

2007-11-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Short Description
The demo is your first chance to play the new Earth-shattering World Domination mode. Build an enduring empire across an entire globe that is yours to conquer as you command your armies through the span of human history and beyond.

The demo is your first chance to play the new Earth-shattering World Domination mode. Build an enduring empire across an entire globe that is yours to conquer as you command your armies through the span of human history and beyond. Charge Through The Ages. Command Your Empire. Conquer The Earth. Empire Earth III your quest for world domination begins November 2007.

The demo includes:

-1st ever playable look at World Domination mode.
-Tutorial content for world domination mode
-3 single player skirmish maps
-Special note: Demo is single player only

Screenshots of Empire Earth III Demo

Nintendo turning on Check Mii Out

2007-11-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

New free Wii Channel lets users share created avatars and enter themed contests beginning November 11.

Engendering Shigeru Miyamoto's wife to gaming has been a primary launching point for Nintendo's outreach to the nontraditional gamer. During his keynote address at this year's Game Developers Conference, Miyamoto referenced this benchmark as inspiration for several unique Wii Channels, such as Everybody Votes. On that occasion, the Mario mastermind also hinted at a new project involving Mii popularity contests, which he expected to score quite high on his proprietary "Wife-O-Meter."

At its press briefing at the E3 Media & Business Summit, Nintendo dubbed the channel Check Mii Out and set its launch for this year. As promised, Nintendo announced today that the service will launch on Sunday, November 11. And true to Miyamoto's concept, Check Mii Out lets Wii owners upload their created Miis and view others' submissions from around the world. The posting plaza lets users browse a random selection of shared Miis and tag their favorites or download them to their own consoles. Miis can also be browsed by creator or an avatar-specific number.

Nintendo will also host Mii-themed contests, in which Wii owners will be tasked with re-creating the likeness of a famous character or person. Similar to the Everybody Votes channel, Wii owners will then be able to vote on their favorites. Nintendo expects each contest to play out over a two-week period, with the first week allotted to creating the Mii and the second to voting.

Check Mii Out is a free channel and can be downloaded from the WiiWare portion of the Wii Shop channel.

The PC version of Gears of War is everything the 360 version was and more.

2007-11-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

Released near the end of the Xbox 360's first year on the market, Gears of War was a defining moment for Microsoft's console. Its gameplay relied heavily on forcing you to take cover to avoid enemy shots, which meant that it required a healthy dose of patience as well as a steady trigger finger. It then beat that mechanic into your head over the course of its quality story mode, while also letting you team up with a friend online to take on the nefarious Locust forces together. Of course, it also had an amazing team-based multiplayer mode in which up to eight shooters could connect and go at it in a variety of different modes. Over time, more multiplayer maps and modes were added to the collection via the Xbox 360's download service. All of that great stuff is now available on the PC, on which the game looks better than it ever did on the Xbox 360, and without sacrificing anything in the process. If you've never played Gears of War, or if you just haven't played it in a while, do yourself a favor and try this new version of the game.

The Good
* Satisfying gameplay in story mode
* Very addictive online offering
* Really stellar graphics from both a technical and an artistic standpoint
* Fully-featured level editor included.

The Bad
* System requirements can be a little steep
* New chapters added to this version don't fit quite so well with the old ones
* Difficulty could have used some slight tuning.

Need for Speed ProStreet Demo

2007-11-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

A new spin on the Need for Speed franchise, ProStreet thrusts players into a head-to-head competition against the best street racers in a multitude of racing showdowns. The game is a true taste of raw adrenaline and racing with consequences. Every dent, every scratch and every crumpled body panel is a battle scar, proof of your commitment and competitive mettle. With an aggressive and skilled AI system, you become immersed in an unmatched believable race experience. Add in a revolutionary online mode that will redefine the meaning of competitive social play, and Need for Speed ProStreet is the ultimate formula for an emotionally charged street racing showdown. It also pushes the "Autosculpt" technology to a new level, allowing you to directly impact your car's performance for the first time as well as personalize its appearance.
Click here to download the demo of Need for Speed ProStreet Demo

Pirates Game Sails Online

2007-11-01T13:35:00.001-07:00

Disney Online announced that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ONLINE (www.PiratesOnline.com), an immersive massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) and virtual world inspired by the popular film franchise, has launched for the PC and Mac platforms. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ONLINE allows thousands of players to fully experience the adventures made famous in the films and explore beyond these boundaries in a quest to become the most legendary pirate on the high seas.

In PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ONLINE, players create and customize their own pirate, captain their own ship, and assemble a crew of their fellow rogues in an effort to become the Caribbean's most legendary Pirate. Along the way, players will interact with characters made popular by the films, like Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, and will also encounter a host of new characters and enemies unique to the game. To become the most notorious pirate, players must forge alliances, hunt for buried treasure, battle evil undead forces, and use cunning and strategy to outwit their foes.

Game features include:

* Create your own Pirate character -- Players choose from over a million combinations to fully customize their own Pirate (body type, face, hair, clothing, names, etc.).
* Set sail on your own Pirate ship -- Captain your own ship then recruit a crew of fellow players to set sail for the adventure of a lifetime.
* Quest for adventure and treasure -- Embark on ship and land-based missions to locate buried treasure. Explore lush jungles, volcanic caves, and vast tropical islands but beware of traps, ambushes, and double-crosses which are an every day occurrence when keeping company with Pirates.
* Use advanced weaponry -- Players engage in epic battles using a variety of weapons such as cutlasses, grenades, pistols and cannons and can unlock more powerful weapons as they improve their reputation as a fighter to be reckoned with.
* Become a legend -- Master a variety of skills, including sword fighting, card playing, and treasure hunting to become the most notorious pirate in the world.
* Work your Voodoo Magic -- Voodoo magic is used to heal, travel and cast curses on enemies.
* Get some Booty -- Earn extra loot by competing in parlor games such as poker and blackjack.
* Build a notorious crew or guild -- Players band together with others for expanded adventures and added power, forming a crew for quick battles or joining a guild for longer-term strategy.
* Grow your wealth with money and rare items -- Hunt for buried treasure including gold, precious gems and mysterious artifacts.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ONLINE, developed and published by Disney Online, is rated E10+ and features lower PC and Mac system requirements than most other games in this genre, allowing for easier access to a broader audience of players.

Players can download the game directly and access additional information at the game's website, www.PiratesOnline.com. A portion of the game is available for free and players can get unlimited access for a monthly subscription fee. At launch, Disney Online is offering new players subscriptions to Unlimited Access for a first-month fee of $4.95 and continuing with a $9.95 fee for following months.

Crysis Game Review

2007-10-31T01:37:00.000-07:00

After more than 18 months of anticipation, Crysis is almost here. If all goes according to plan, this highly-awaited first-person shooter will go gold in a matter of days, meaning that it's finished and headed for duplication and manufacturing. On Saturday, October 27, the single-player demo will be released, letting you play the entire first level of the game. We didn't have to wait that long, though, as we got the opportunity to play the first three levels of the game. We'll describe our experience below, but please note that what follows contains extreme spoilers to the plot. So stop now if you wish to enjoy the story unspoiled. Seriously.

Manhunt 2 Game Review

2007-10-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

A lot has been made about Manhunt 2's supposedly ultraviolent content. Like it's predecessor, it depicts its share of grisly murders, gruesome decapitations, and a few swift kicks to the genitals for good measure. It's visually less grisly than the original Manhunt: The much-ballyhooed blurring added to the most extreme acts often makes it difficult to see exactly what bloodthirsty rages you're subjecting your victims to--particularly in the Wii version. However, don't take this to mean that Manhunt 2 doesn't deserve its M rating: There's plenty of gore, sex, and adult language to go around. There's also some solid stealthy gameplay to back up all the eviscerations. It's got its share of problems (we'll get to those later), and it's not quite as rewarding as the original, but there's a lot here into which patient gamers can sink their teeth. This isn't a series of random bloody tantrums--it's a calculated study in what drives a man to madness and to what extremes he will go to discover the truth.

The Good
* Compelling stealth mechanics that require real skill
* Execution moves serve as a grisly reward for a job well done
* Gritty visual design sets just the right tone of anxiety and dread.

The Bad
* In most of the executions, you can't really see what's going on
* Loose gunplay isn't as tight or as satisfying as the sneaking
* The story isn't very scary or foreboding.