After missteps with Carbon and Pro Street, it’s back to Most Wanted for the Need for Speed series. Hoping to get back on track, EA has returned to the franchises arcade roots for this entry entitled Undercover. While the right pieces are there, as a whole, this is a massive failure.

A lot of Most Wanted is here. Cop chases, the open world, cinematics, race types, and general car feel all feel plucked from the first Need for Speed of this generation. Undercover sadly does nothing with any of this, instead relying on a slow, boring progression system, haphazard story, and meaningless open world.

The latter is easily the game’s most baffling aspect. There is nothing to do in the game world. You can’t drive to races, shops are accessible from the GPS menu instantaneously, and there’s no real benefit to just driving around. A constant on-screen reminder ensures you can’t forget that. Driving around simply means you’ll become annoyed by a pulsating icon telling you to enter into the next race. Why waste all of this time developing a city, and then never letting the player truly use it?

Races are constant, cheaply filling in the gaps between the hokey video cinematics. Maggie Q is the only name in the cast, and each video falls back to the cheesy “look into the camera at the silent protagonist” that should have went out of style back in 1992. Some of the so-called “story” clips are a few seconds long. Why even bother with them at that point?

The constant flood of races seems never ending. Progression rarely feels forward. Instead, it feels like you’re stuck in a rut of random challenges that never feel fresh. The same in game cinematic greets each race type, and they never change. Unlocking the next piece of the story is simply a matter of racing enough to earn it. It’s literally hours into the game before another section of the city unlocks, and by that point, it feels like the game should be ending soon.

Leveling up is a unique concept in a racing title, and could have separated Undercover from the pack. Unfortunately, this is botched to. Leveling up is painfully slow, and you only gain experience if you beat a certain time (which isn’t presented to you beforehand). Buying new parts for your car initially seems fun too, until you realize that the majority are only available after reaching a certain level. EA has ever so kindly inserted the option to purchase locked parts (and cars) with real money via the Marketplace, making the slow leveling seem more like a marketing scheme.

Much like the story, the frame rate is ridiculously choppy as well. Even when it does run smooth, the game feels sluggish. The sense of speed and control is destroyed when you enter a section where the frames reach single digits. There’s even some minimal draw-in visible ahead, ruining visuals that otherwise look fairly sharp when sitting still.

As for the actual racing, those who spent hours with Most Wanted will feel right at home. Crashing is beyond lenient, and ramming into a wall only results in a mild slowdown. This could have been arcade racing at its finest if it wasn’t for the myriad of other technical and design issues. Police chases are incredibly exhilarating, even when the pursuit breakers (logs, billboards that can be taken out, gas stations, etc.) always appear in the same places, breaking the immersion. Great voice acting from the police and dispatch helps pull you back in though.

Completing Undercover requires a hefty time commitment, and since the challenge is low (with a few odd exceptions), it becomes boring and routine. Opening up the world and giving it some purpose could have done wonders for Undercover. Instead, audiences are left with a title that needed more time, focus, and a design shift.

After revitalizing the franchise with Tomb Raider Legends and then following that up with Tomb Raider Anniversary, there’s a lot of hope for Underworld. Since the release of the previous games though, a little game called Uncharted was released, which upped the ante for this adventure formula, and Lara Croft is stuck playing catch up. Apparently, she doesn’t do that well.

Tomb Raider has always been about puzzles and navigating platforms. That’s hasn’t changed. Lara is still on a quest for artifacts, this time of Norse origin, apparently gaming’s new favorite mythology given the multitude of releases that have used it this year. After an intriguing opening of the Croft mansion burning to the ground, players are sent off to various parts of the globe in flashback.

The story eventually swings back around to the start of the game, though why players actually need to replay the opening level to do so is rather baffling. Early stages offer the usual array of frustrations. Lara may not jump where you’re telling her to, the camera can be wonky, and it’s not always clear where to go. Two features, one an excellent wire-framed sonar and the other that lets Lara speak on her objective, are usually helpful.

By the time you’ve reached the unbearable Southern Mexico stage, the game feels long past its expiration date. Certain climbing puzzles feel completely unnecessary, cheaply extending the game. It stops feeling like you’re climbing on ancient ruins, but merely conveniently placed ledges. Checkpoints may be generous, but they can’t save 10 minutes of platforming. Be prepared to replay sections that took a lot of time because of an unresponsive character.

On the other side of the irritation coin there’s the gunplay. After the smooth, easy to use, and all around superb gunplay of Uncharted, it feels downright archaic to go back to Tomb Raider’s lock-on design. Not only is the lock-on finicky (aiming where it wants at times), enemies take an absurd amount of damage before dying. To get a head shot, you need to navigate a complex series of controls to make the bullet go where you want it. Manual aiming is an utter disaster, slowing Lara down to a rate that makes her feel stationary.

The latter might have been only a minor issue, but Underworld literally has entire sections of the game that revolve around action. An early level on a boat requires only minor platforming, and you’ll need to shoot all of your foes to advance. It’s worse in later levels when you’re tagged team by various creatures who take countless rounds, yet can dash and knock Lara down even after being hit.

Loads of treasure items are hidden throughout the game, some of which can be tricky to find. However, the majority are hidden inside pots that look exactly the same. First, it doesn’t seem logical that Lara would want to destroy the ancient pottery, and secondly, if you’re determined to find them all, they constantly stop your play to break them. To make matters worse, many of them contain nothing, wasting the players time.

Underworld plays like Legends. There’s no mistaking it. Aside from some mildly fun underwater segments, it’s barely changed during the development process. Time has not been kind, and the level design is borderline atrocious at times.

Given that the last time gamers saw Tecmo Bowl was back on the PlayStation (and it was absolutely terrible), most probably lost hope for a new edition. Tecmo obviously realized there’s a rabid fanbase out there since mods are available for the classic editions on the NES with updated rosters. Enter Tecmo Bowl Kick-Off, a game that tries to rekindle some of the magic… and does, for the most part.

If you’ve never played Tecmo Bowl before, but instead grew up on Madden or 2K Sports, leave now. This is not a game for you. Given the purely old school design with no modifications, many gamers not familiar with this “ancient” type of game will be immediately turned off. True Tecmo Bowl fans will dive right in.

This is based on Super Tecmo Bowl on the SNES which is obvious from a gameplay perspective and visuals. Nothing has changed on the field. You still have eight plays to choose from, you still need to cycle through your receivers, and you can only view 30 yards downfield. The defense is basically at the will of the offense, with a blitz coming only when you’ve called the offense’s bluff.

In a sense, this keeps the game exactly as fans remember it. On the other hand, to see no changes it also disheartening. Why not at least include an option for a different passing system? There are no difficulty settings, so single player games are a blow out. The season play offers no challenge.

Taking a piece from Tecmo Bowl III, the brief player editor lets you change the name, stats, and skin color of each player on your team. Each game you play in a season lets you level up your players, though since the game is overwhelmingly easy, this only serves to make it easier yet. Team editing is minor, selecting the team name and finding a predefined logo. Yes, you can rename each squad into the NFL teams since the license is gone, but the logos remain generic.

On the naming front, Tecmo has enabled one of the worst language censors ever. Any word that even contains a nasty word could be censored. Think of “grass.” Yes, that’s offensive because of the last three letters. On the ironic side, one of the standard teams is named the “Supercocks.” No, really. Apparently, the censor wasn’t in place when that one went into effect.

Certain players carry with them specific powers, which appear randomly. Receivers have a DB juke, QBs have a rocket arm, etc. These plays can make a play into something spectacular, complete with the classicly styled cinematics that made Tecmo Bowl stand out.

The only changes to the core formula changes are due to technology. Touch screen play is a feature, though it’s hardly accurate or worth your time. A change that’s worthwhile is online play. For the first time, players can hop online to challenge friends and random people to games, and that’s where all the difficultly complaints stop. Real players can provide the proper challenge, and while the lack of any communication between users is a downer, it at least replicates a part of playing against friends.

Tecmo Bowl is purely a game for the fans. Anyone less than 20 years old probably has no recollection of this series, and hence no reason to play this. While it’s hard to go back to such a rigid football title after years of Madden, there’s still something special about Tecmo Bowl’s simplicity that makes it stand out.

While hardly the revolution PopCap makes it out to be, Bejeweled Twist is a fun take on the simple, addictive “match 3” genre that made the company a household name. The key to Twist is that it maintains what made Bejeweled a classic, while changing the mechanics ever so slightly to keep it fresh.

The change is that you flip four jewels at once in a clockwise motion. It’s a tough change to adjust to, as in learning how the pieces need to be aligned for everything to fall into place. Since you have to move four of them, aligning them into row of three (or four, or five) is significantly more complex. The closest match to Twist is Microsoft’s Hexic. Take away the grid pattern of the latter and you have the base for Twist.

Visually impressive level transitions make for a nice break in the look before diving back in. Each level is cleared after a specific amount of points are scored. Pieces can be rotated infinitely, but the score multiplier only increases if you can clear pieces with one flip. Reaching the top of the score multiplier (10x) earns you a fruit which can then be broken to clear all of the same color on screen.

It’s hardly easy, as Bejeweled is still a game of random chance. As with the original, you can’t see the pieces that will be falling. It’s all about luck in how they randomly fall. Seeing at least a single line above the playfield would add a significant strategic advantage.

Difficulty is surprisingly high until you unlock the Zen mode. Here you can’t fail. In the standard game, colored bombs need to be removed from play by matching them up within a certain amount of time. These begin dropping at a furious rate early on, and can actually create a highly stressful environment.

Other modes include the time attack, and once unlocked, a challenge/puzzle mode. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here. Each mode offers quick saves when need be.

Bejeweled Twist is a quick and painless casual title, offering solid and expected fun. PopCap has a winner despite it being barely revolutionary in any way. It’s a standard, straightforward Bejeweled experience with some changes that make it worth picking up.

It’s hard to believe pro wrestling games have become a sport that needs yearly update. Surprisingly, THQ’s WWE franchise provides a robust feature set every year that makes it worth buying, and Smackdown vs. Raw 09 is no exception. While at times it feels limited and the engine still has issues, this offers far more gameplay than newcomer TNA Impact!.

The latest update is the Road to Wrestlemania. Instead of an all-encompassing story in which you can choose any wrestler, it’s been confined to a select few. Stars such as HHH and the Undertaker have their own, well planned and thought out storylines to tackle. They play out exactly like they do on TV, even down to the copyright information at the end of each “show.”

One tag team selection, Batista and Rey Mysterio, is available for co-op play. Each of the Roads only lasts a few hours, so it’s not hard to plow through it with a friend in one sitting. Having extra storylines via DLC would be great.

If a full-fledged story isn’t your thing, then the far less complex career mode is going to be more of your style. This is a bare bones “defeat each opponent to win the belt” journey, with no bells or whistles. Match types are determined by what you’ve unlocked, as are the costumes. On the plus side, you can pick any wrestler as opposed to the Road, but it’s a shame only a select few superstars have a storyline.

Picking a wrestler has a little more strategy behind it with Superstar Abilities. These give each wrestler a specific attribute, such as a cage match specialist, the ability to make a last second recovery, or regeneration of limb damage. There’s a nice variety of these to go around, so each grappler does carry something unique aside from the move set.

For the most part, the create-a-character mode remains the same. What’s been added is a create-a-finisher mode. It’s surprisingly robust, to the point where you can select how fast the move should be performed. In addition, you can craft highlight reels from any of your bouts.

Only one new match type has been added, and that’s hardly surprising given how many were in there already. The inferno match is less than spectacular, but helps in creating a more finished product. To win, you need to drop your opponent over the ropes once the flames have hit a certain temperature (dictated by the action in the ring). You do so by grappling and slowly dragging them over to a side of the ring while they fight back. It’s a necessary addition, even though the match itself is rarely used.

In terms of gameplay, not much has been played with. The game still uses the right analog stick for its grappling. Some new moves have been added for tag team matches (including dual finishers), although that’s hardly revolutionary.

The wrestlers still look superb (including the entrances), although animation can be shaky. Some of CM Punk’s kicks are laughably terrible. There is still loads of clipping at times, and collision seems spotty. It’s a work in progress every year, and at some point this engine should find its place.

In today’s economy, saving every dollar can be critical. For instance, if you’re board game shopping, would you buy the $14 physical version of Monopoly or the $40 for the Xbox 360? Common sense should prevail every time. Of course, if you’re being asked to fork over $40, surely there are some added benefits, right? Well no, not really.

First, the basics. This is classic Monopoly. The rules (and house rules) are correct, it allows four players, and the board is accurate. That’s a good start. Things are about to quickly spiral downhill though.

Monopoly takes a while to play, and you should never sit down to a game expecting to be done in 10 minutes. A mid-game save option is nice to alleviate this. What’s unnecessary is the constant jabbering of Uncle Pennybags, the animations that can’t be sped up, and unresponsive menus. Pennybags may have 20 quotes in total, and as you can imagine, it’s beyond repetitive to deal with him for an entire game.

Playing with an AI opponent is maddening. It’s incredible how they’ll avoid every possible hotel multiple times around the board. They won’t give up until it’s truly over, they offer the same trade every other turn, and the number of times they roll a double is flat out absurd… and that’s all when playing on easy.

Thankfully, you only need two players for a game, so if you have a friend, there’s no AI necessary in the main game mode. Of course, that friend will have to be local as there is zero online support and that’s completely inexcusable given the asking price.

As you play, you’ll unlock new theme boards, although they all amount to the same basic game. None of them are licensed, so don’t expect the popular NFLopoly to jump up on screen. They have themes like future and space instead. Regardless of the board, you’ll be stuck listening to maddening looping music the entire time you play.

The other supposedly big addition is Richest. This is a separate game mode that barely resembles Monopoly. Each player is forced to endure one out of a number of hideous mini-games (mostly a matter of flicking the left analog stick quickly), and they gain a specific amount of properties on the board based on a dice roll. There is no strategy or skill required, only hefty button mashing (or analog stick flicking).

After each turn, Pennybags will circle the board letting you know which random properties you’ve gained, and taking forever in the process. This is a four-player mode only, so unless you have four human players, you’re stuck with that not-so-wonderful AI.

This review would have taken a completely different direction had this been an Xbox Live Arcade release or $20 cheaper with online play. There are multiple popular board games online in the Arcade, and nearly all of them are cheaper than what you would pay for an actual physical version. With its price and meaningless feature set, this is a disgrace to store shelves everywhere.

For longtime fans, the realization of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is sort of like a dream. The stunning, sharp, and colorful HD sprites a sight to see, while the remixed music offers completely unique takes on the classic themes. While yes, the game does play exactly the same, the visual upgrade is completely worth revisiting this classic.

Some may be irked that so much was time was spent cleaning up the sprites, but the animation hasn’t been touched. Simply put, it couldn’t be. The timing of the animation is critical to combo strings, and even adding a single frame could throw off everything. This is how it needs to be.

Super SFII Turbo was easily the best of the original series. For the first time, Super meters were added for spectacular finishers. Character’s repertoires were fleshed out to include new standard moves, and the speed was cranked up significantly over the lesser Super SFII. For purists, the original sprites are still here along with the original difficulty. Granted, those rather blurry, enlarged sprites look awful against the new backdrops, but it’s nice to see the option.

While the characters could not have added animation, it’s shame the backgrounds don’t. The majority of the stages are fine, but Dhalsim’s level truly looks terrible despite the facelift. The elephants have three frames, and it’s so choppy it’s actually distracting. His stage has received the largest face lift.

Others have minor changes. Chun-Li is missing the running water, but a door has been added to the shops. Balrog’s level is much brighter, with a blue sky in the background. Ken has some minor alterations to the boats, and Guile’s is more detailed on the left side.

On the musical end, every track has been remixed significantly. Ken fans benefit the most, as not only does the title screen play a new version of his stage theme, so does the level itself. Dhalsim again undergoes the most extreme changes with a track that barely resembles the original, yet is still immensely catchy (if not an improvement). Vega’s music has been slowed down, which seems to go against the characters style. On the other hand, you’ve never heard Zangief’s music like this before. It’s spectacular stuff.

Online play is a huge draw unsurprisingly, and it doesn’t quite come off without a hitch. Finding a ranked match is problematic, and hosting seems like the best option. Searching via custom games doesn’t help, as the majority are full the minute you select them. Thankfully, once you’ve found a match, there’s no lag to speak of, even if the ping of the other player is on the low side.

For fans of single player, options are robust. Capcom went the extra mile to include dispswitch options. These can adjust a variety of options within the game, from recovery times, move effectiveness, or even eliminate the slow down from certain attacks. Die-hards will love the diverseness of the options here.

Some will balk at paying $15 for a graphical upgrade. Honestly, that’s understandable. This is purely a game for the fans looking for a new way to experience a classic, and Remix provides that in countless ways. It’s adjustable, infinitely replayable, still fun after 15 years, and an undeniable classic.

There’s little question in any gamers mind that blending Mortal Kombat and DC Kom… err, Comics is a risky venture. Putting a T-rating on top of it? That’s a sure sign of commercial suicide. What will matter here is the gameplay, and that’s open territory for debate.

When the two universes meet (which would be the start of the story mode unsurprisingly), gamers are treated a hokey story that tries to make sense of this mess. Few scenes last longer than a minute, and the cinematics follow a pattern of “who are you,” followed by “I must kill you.” The concept of the merging and the explanation is comic book fare in the extreme.

The question that many will ask is whether or not the story does justice to both of these universes. On the Mortal Kombat side, there’s only one question needed.

Yes, the game has fatalities. Yes, they’re weak, at times bloodless and mundane. Then again, what could possibly match up to someone ripping a guys leg off and beating him with it? Within the constraints of the T rating, Midway has made some decent stuff to mildly satisfy fans. Some of the original motions still make them work too, such as Baraka’s arm lift.

On the DC side, the character’s are all voiced well (Mark Hamill is here), and character design is certainly on the high end. Batman is dark and foreboding, while Superman’s colorful blue and red stand out. Each has been given a significant bulking up to better match up with the extreme ends of the Mortal Kombat spectrum.

On the gameplay side, MK vs. DC feels a lot like Mortal Kombat 3. The overbearing complexity of previous Mortal Kombat titles, including the different stances and styles, are gone. In its place is a simpler chaining system that’s far easier to execute, though still feels stiff and uninvolved. The jump kicks, uppercuts, and standard four-button set up recall the classic MK style for the better.

Longtime MK fans will have an easy entrance into the gameplay system. All of the characters classic moves are here, from Sub Zero’s Ice to Scorpions Spear. They’re all done in the same way too. Oddly enough, it’s almost refreshing to return to this simpler style after what fans were given in previous games.

New additions include the Rage meter. When this builds up, it helps player do more damage and take less damage from foes. It’s not a complete turn-around for a player in trouble, but it doesn’t hurt. Locking up into a grapple leads into a cheesy button mashing mini-game that has both gamers hitting buttons. The offensive player does damage, the defensive one tries to counter by hitting the same attack button as the aggressor.

In the same vein, knocking someone down a level (or through a wall) leads to more mashing, with the hopes of causing some quick damage. These are brief and fun, breaking up the standard fighting, although purists will likely be less than pleased with their inclusion.

Longevity is going to be an issue for some. Once through the story mode (one for DC and MK separately), all that’s left is the arcade mode and multi-player. The arcade mode is nice, as it lets you select whether to fight against MK, DC, or a mixture of both. If you’ve completed the story mode however, there’s nothing left to see. It all comes down to the simple, straightforward online mode that’s exactly what you would expect. Gone are the fun mini-games and adventure modes of the previous few MK titles.

This controversial cross-over could have been a lot worse, and it’s obvious both licenses have been treated fairly, and with a decent budget. A solid roster selection, a return to classic Mortal Kombat play, and a competitive environment for versus play almost make up for the lack of violence. Almost.

Little Big Planet is a game that cannot be fully reviewed. It probably won’t find its full potential until, well, probably never. It’s an infinite experience, driven by its community. Each new created level is further expanding on its possibilities, and that means judging it is almost impossible.

Ignoring the user created aspects, the game is a wondrous, imaginative achievement. The world of Little Big Planet is made up stitches, goofy puppets, and unexplainable perils. The introduction, narrated as if this were the recent Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy film, is brilliant both for its comedic aspects and information.

The single player game, despite the titles obvious multi-player roots, is a needed play through. Thousands of items you can use to create things with are hidden within. Even if you make it through flying solo, you’ll still need a friend (or friends) to see everything. Nearly all stages after the initial tutorial have spots that cannot be completed alone. With one person tagging along, it’s fun. With four, it’s tough, chaotic, and hard to control.

Hard to control is the game’s mantra though. The player controlled Sackboy is slippery and floaty. You never truly feel like you’re in full control. Also, instead of leaving this on a single 2-D plane, Media Molecule inserted some depth into the levels. While this does work at times, it’s also frustrating. It can be hard to tell what’s possible to jump on, and it’s also too easy to drop down against your will.

Puzzles, like the concept itself, is wildly original. There are some fun brain twisters here, and at times, simply navigating a level is a puzzle in and of itself. As an additional challenge, when you’re online, your friends scores will show up in the corner. This adds additional reason to push forward to conquer their best times.

Those looking for a revolutionary spin on the classic platformer are bound to be disappointed. In fact, if you’re not on PSN, the game can’t be recommended. Given the generous checkpoints and infinite lives, all of the levels can be beat with trial and error (and in many cases, fighting the controls). It’s not that the level design and physics don’t create a remarkable world, it’s just not one worth $60.

When you’re online, it’s impossible to describe the sheer amount of content available. No, not all of it is worthwhile, but the ratings and organization make it easy to spot something worth your time. This is where Little Big Planet is allowed to shine. Players will be finding new levels never thought possible for some time to come.

On the other hand, recent moves by Sony are both disturbing and frustrating. Levels disappear without warning or explanation. Since anything crafted belongs to Sony, it’s all in their hands. Imagine toiling away for hours on a level, only to have a lawyer decide there’s a small chance it violates a copyright. Inappropriate content is one thing, but that’s hardly all that’s missing.

Little Big Planet, despite its seemingly simple demeanor and Sony’s attempts to moderate, is a revolution. The editing of a level may take some time to learn, but afterwards, the editing tools are simple enough to grasp that a wide audience can become a respected community member with only a small time commitment. Sold correctly to the right audience, Little Big Planet could be the reason to own a PS3. If the populace doesn’t take to it like they should, there’s not much left.

Mirror’s Edge is a concept and an experience. It can’t be a game since it fails in terms of nearly every mechanic it gives the player. It’s an impressive showcase of high style and art, though not much else.

The cinematics here are amazing, and it’s a shame the entire game doesn’t share the same style. It’s not that the realistic look during gameplay is terrible (it’s quite impressive at times despite heavily overdone blooming), but it doesn’t stand out comparatively. Those same cinematics tell a decent tale of murder at the hands of an oppressive government, and introduce a solid number of characters to make it worth your while.

Mirror’s Edge is gutsy for trying a first-person perspective title based entirely around jumping. Platforming is hardly the ideal genre to place a first-person title, and Mirror’s Edge is exactly the reason why.

Players control the agile and quick Faith. She’s a free runner, dashing across rooftops at will. When the game is at its peak, it’s exhilarating. You can literally feel unstoppable as you dive under vents, jump over obstacles, and free fall onto soft landings. The sense of pacing and speed is unmatched.

When chased or in a race, the intensity ramps up. The need to constantly be on the move only makes the feeling of being rushed forward stronger. You begin to see things that can be used to make your path shorter, effectively creating a linear environment with multiple paths.

Sadly, those sections are few and far between. Outdoors on the rooftops, it mostly works. Indoors, the game falters… hard. Faith has a number of moves at her disposal, including some complex dash-jump-grab maneuvers. The problems are obvious. One, it’s completely disorienting to spin around in mid-air from this perspective.

Two, Faith consistently fails to grab onto necessary ledges. You’ll jump, the game obviously registers the destination has been reached as Faith puts her hands up, but she fails to hold on. The game is a fun concept, but not when you’re forced to repeat sections repeatedly because of its flaws.

Thirdly, it can be difficult to figure out where to go. There are two different tools at your disposal. One is runners vision, which highlights objects in red that show you the way. On top of that, you can hit B to see where you need to go. Unfortunately, this spins the camera around to the target area, troublesome when you’re under attack and trying to hide but also couldn’t possibly know an exit.

There are times when both of these combined aren’t enough. Level design offers up a number of puzzles that test both your mind and jumping skills, yet even if the mind works, there’s no guarantee the game will. Some of the solutions seem impossible, and some of the checkpoints can be ridiculous, forcing the player to waste time repeating a number of slow hanging wall crawls to get back to their destination. That’s not fun, and goes against the game’s attempted sense of speed.

Also, the levels all have similar sections that feel like the last one. A number of corridors, hallways, and rooftops are indistinguishable from the rest. Apparently, all buildings in the city are required to have the same paint design, only changing the occasional color. Elevators seem to take forever to move, and a couple of mid-level loads are irritating.

While only a few sections require it, combat is just as irritating. Punching and kicking might as well not even be in the game. Disarming foes requires a perfectly timed press of the Y button, although you can slow down time when you have the ability to do so (yet there’s no meter to tell you if you have the skill or not). Shooting is bland, and while Faith is a solid shot, aiming is touchy.

Where Mirror’s Edge will probably find an audience are the time trials. Most of these levels feel tailor made for speed runs, and shaving off a few seconds from the top players time will keep competitive players coming back. If you’re not the type to spend hours refining your skills though, there’s nothing to do once you’ve beaten this one except unlock a few collectables.

It’s not that Mirror’s Edge is a terrible, forgettable product. It’s not. In fact, it’s a daring, unique, and certainly original concept. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to look past the numerous faults it has. Would you really be relishing how original it is after you missed the same jump ten straight times? No, not really, and that’s the legacy Mirror’s Edge leaves behind.

What happens when you switch locales, developers, and nearly rewrite the entire engine? Apparently, Far Cry 2. The only thing this game has in common with the original is its open world style play, which has now been enhanced and expanded. That doesn’t necessarily help the game though.

After you pick your character, you’re off to Africa in search of a corrupt arms dealer. You’ll contract malaria which is a constant bother, and mostly an annoyance. Far Cry 2 is complicated, probably the most complex FPS you’ll ever play. There is a lot to get into and manage, so don’t expect a standard experience.

Since the game is open world, you’ll be doing a lot of driving. Like Grand Theft Auto, you can hop into any vehicle and drive around (and they all have the same exact GPS system, which isn’t all that logical). Your objectives are clearly displayed, although not the best way to get there. There are numerous short cuts and roads to take, so this is a “feature” embracing the exploration aspects.

On your way to a mission, you’ll likely pass checkpoints. These are loaded with enemies who can apparently know who it is half a mile away. The constant requirement to stop, get out, shoot a bunch of guys, repair your car, take care of injuries, and then move on is annoying. The repetition is unbearable, as is the constant need to drive. There is no option to warp to locations you’ve already seen.

Once to your destination, you’ll likely have choices. Many missions offers you multiple paths, and it’s up to you which one you’ll follow. Every task has an infinite number of solutions. Taking enemies out from a distance, setting fires, running in guns blazing, or even waiting until the time of day changes to better your odds are all options. Again, the game is deep and complex, so playing it like a traditional shooter is missing the point.

Then again, trying to play it like a traditional shooter reveals numerous issues. Collision is terrible, and firing point blank on an enemy won’t always land a kill. Even if the bullets do hit, even in the head, it’s not always the indication that the foe is dead. Enemies have the uncanny ability (or a sixth sense) to see you through all of the brush, eliminating the opportunity for logical stealth.

You’ll be spending a lot of time in Far Cry 2 as the single player campaign is extensive. You can meet a lot of people, many of whom can get you out of trouble fast. Unfortunately, if they die trying to save you, they stay dead and it’s off to find someone else. Healing yourself typically leads to some interesting animation (all in first-person) such as pulling a bullet out of a wound, but in the end, all of them are the same in terms of gameplay.

Visually, the game is impressive technically. Trees sway realistically, character models look sharp, destruction is awe-inspiring, and explosions truly pack a punch. However, the shift from an island paradise to Africa has stripped the game of its color, resulting in what looks like yet another shooter drenched in ugly brown and darker browns. Random shrubs barely even bring out the landscape in which the sun is the only thing providing some life.

Multi-player offers combat for 16-players, although the modes are straightforward. The real seller is the creation engine. This is as detailed a map editor you’ll find, loaded with a simply stunning array of options that will eat hours of your time, just like in the original Far Cry.

Many will find the attack strategy variety compelling enough to satisfy them during their Far Cry 2 experience. The others will find the monotonous driving, frustrating stops, and abysmal collision enough to take a plane out of Africa and never look back. Far Cry 2 is too complex for its own good as it seems to have taken away from what should have been a tighter core engine.

There’s something wrong with Mega Man 9: It doesn’t fit. That’s not necessarily a knock against the game itself, but purely a poor design call by Capcom. Why have we went back all the way to Mega Man 1 and 2, when the last game was on the PlayStation and Saturn?

The true 8-bit stylings run deep through this retro revival, in the truest sense. This is a NES game, right down the flicker. The music is phenomenal, the pixel art excellent, and boss design mostly interesting (Galaxy Man looking a little too much like the obscure Japanese monster Guilala).

Here’s the problem though. Mega Man 9 is hard, and any fan of the series should expect that. However, Capcom has taken that mentality and multiplied it, creating some absolutely absurd level designs that even die-hard masochists will frown upon. While past Mega Man games relied on memorization and precision, Mega Man 9 requires a higher level of both. You can almost hear the level designers laughing at how devilishly difficult certain segments are.

It’s certainly up for debate whether or not this is an attractive feature or a reason not to buy. Regardless of where you stand, you have to agree that a certain level of fun is still necessary for this game to succeed, and much of the difficulty saps that away.

Part of the problem is the original 8-bit style, and that means true original 8-bit. Even though Mega Man 3 introduced the slide move and Mega Man 4 brought us the Mega Buster, Mega Man 9 has neither of those. If you can get past the graphical downgrade which doesn’t let this game fit into the timeline, not including these classic maneuvers really messes with your head.

That’s not saying the visuals are bad. In fact, they’re wonderful, especially just to see the style brought back (the dragon mid-boss is arguably the highlight). The problem is in calling this Mega Man 9, it’s following a 16-bit and 32-bit entry. Making a Bionic Commando sequel that looked like this would have made far more sense given that franchise lived and died on 8-bit hardware.

Also, if Capcom was so intent in keeping this in an era of NES classics, why are we paying for downloadable content? All of that work to keep this firmly planted in its roots is wasted if you can unlock secret characters with cash instead of skill. This is such an authentic experience, you can’t switch weapons with the triggers. You need to enter the pause menu. Yet, we need to pay more for a complete game.

From a pure play perspective, Mega Man 9 is fine. It’s the same game any true gamer should have played numerous times before. The platforming is spot-on, as are the controls. The bosses maintain their own attack patterns, acquired weapons do extra damage to the right enemy, and the final castle stage is an absolute nightmare to pass.

Had this come out and been called Mega Man 7 on the NES, it would have been slammed by critics for being more of the same with nothing new to offer (much like Mega Man 6 was). However, the passage of time has gave way to warm nostalgia, which Mega Man 9 tried to bring back. In most cases, it does, but it more or less limps its way into your nostalgia-fueled mind instead of Mega Busting it.