The follow up to Ubisoft’s wildly successful 2007 franchise, Assassin’s Creed 2 puts you in control of a new assassin named Ezio to take down targets in Renaissance Italy. The player is able to accomplish the missions in this game any way that they see fit, as Ubisoft has made everything free roaming and non-linear. With all new weapons designed by Leonard Da Vinci himself this sequel is sure to satisfy your bloodthirsty fixations. ($59 Xbox, PC, Playstation 3)
Ok, so you need an awesome game to tide you over until 11/10/09 when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 arrives huh? Well look no further than Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on the Playstation 3. This sequel once again allows you to become treasure hunter Nathan Drake; this time in search of Marco Polo’s lost treasure. With this third person adventure-shooter, Naughty Dog really drives the experience with very little down time which makes the game very hard to stop playing. The amount of visual detail in each scene plus the musical score are a beautiful assault on the senses. The multi-player element is addictive and flushed out, and you will be playing it for a long time after the single player as there is really nothing else like it on the PS3. ($59)
The 2007 First-Person Shooter of the Year is back this November with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This game is going to be stellar in both single and multi-player, with all new weapons like heartbeat sensors and infrared locators on the guns to hunt your opponents. Players can also customize their kills at the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 11 kill increments, and while not all of them are open right away – starting Private class only has 3 and 4 – it provides some serious incentive to keep leveling. These include everything from supply drops to predator missiles, helicopters, UAV, AC-130, anti-UAV, and air strike. As for a few details on those, the predator missile is a cam-controlled drop where you can actually steer the missile and have the R-trigger to accelerate its fall. This game is available on XBOX360 and PS3 11-10-09. ($59)
After a hard days work there is nothing better than killing Nazi Zombies on your XBOX360 or Playstation 3. Call Of Duty: World At War has already proved that it is a stellar multiplayer game and they are adding Map Pack 3 (Available Now) for download. The multiplayer will also get three new playable levels Battery, Breach, and Revolution. For all you lovers of the Nazi Zombie gameplay not only do you get a new map called “Der Rise” a zombie factory full of the undead, but also a new weapon in the Bowie Knife which is a one hit kill. This is a cheap way to extend the life of this awesome shooter. (800 Microsoft Points or $10)
You have been playing this game since the Sega Genesis days and now its time to finally upgrade. There is no way to get more familiar with your fantasy football roster this year than to throw down on some Madden football 2010. The biggest new feature that can add to gameplay this year is the ability to push the pile and get into scrums. This feature will add a new dynamic to the gameplay as offenses will undoubtedly try to shove their running back across the goal line on those short 1 yarders! Available on all systems August 14th. ($59)
Most of the prior Batman video games have been really weak (i.e. Batman: Dark Tomorrow). Batman: Arkham Asylum breathes new life into the franchise, despite not having a movie or comic book to fall back on. Eidos has borrowed some of the best styles of gameplay from other successful video games like the free roaming style of Grand Theft Auto, the stealth of Splinter Cell, and the mini-games of God Of War! Batman: Arkham Asylum is a lot of fun to play and will maximize your greatest expectation for the franchise! (All Systems $59)
