Pros	Cons
Addictive gameplay	Ugly visuals
Tight controls	Poor storytelling
Just plain fun	Doesn't live up to expectations

Oh, Well

Mercs 2 is not what I'd hoped for.

Blowing things up and shooting it out are still a blast (if not much better-looking). The story is a little weaker than before: You're out for revenge this time. The ending is also only significantly affected by two factions (aside from Solano and his minions). The Rastafarian pirates ("Hello, mon!") are interesting, to say the least, but they don't quite have the appeal the Russian Mafia did in the first game. I don't like having to stockpile fuel to call in vehicles and air/arty strikes.

Fortunately, Pandemic's patch eases some of the frustration with cheat codes and alternate outfits for Mattias, Chris and Jen. Too bad if you lack Xbox Live.

Speaking of Live, the ability to play online co-op is quite welcome, and those of you registered will enjoy causing chaos with a buddy.

"Gunner, Perfect Score!" "Target Acquired!" "FIRE!"

While its plot is rather generic concerning the FPS genre as a whole (you fight Russian ultranationalists and Arab socialists), Call of Duty 4 is a breath of fresh air for the franchise...one that is quickly stolen by the good ol' intense gameplay, adjusted for inflation 2008. It is $60 very well spent. While not quite as realistic as was hyped, the game throttles you like a suicide bomber taking no chances on leaving his target alive, with bullets tearing through light cover and tank fire leaving your ears ringing (in-game, of course). Multiplayer is something I almost just started doing, but I can already tell the experience system and Create-a-Class will guarantee loads of goodies if you play well enough. Some gripes: you mostly play as an SAS operative (fine if you're British, but not if you're a Yank like me), and a few missions are almost unbeatable on the higher difficulty levels. But as Colin Firth said in Fever Pitch, "You know, what the hell." Any game that makes you actually care when characters die is choice, and if you don't buy it, you either are a philistine or don't like shooters.

Kamikaze Grunt of Games

You like games? So do I.

Halo 3 is just that; it charges you with a plasma grenade in each hand, yelling a battle cry, and explodes in your face. Finally, more than two levels on Earth! Sure, just like last time, the majority takes place elsewhere, but it plays so good, you shouldn't care. The gameplay...wow. All Brutes go berserk (they have powered armor themselves; woohoo!), Grunts suicide-bomb you, there are new Flood forms. Controls are better (X to use equipment; RB picks up stuff), the weapons are more balanced (love the new assault rifle, pistol, Spartan Laser and fuel rod cannon). Celeb appearances include some of the cast of Firefly and Red vs Blue. Much more dialogue than the previous games (and a lot of it is hilarious). Forge, Theater, armor permutations...yes! Achievements galore! Easter eggs! So many things to see and do! The last game in this wonderful trilogy is a must-buy.

What was tha...AAAHH!!!

The enemies are crazy smart. Alma scares me, as do all the visions and such. I love the weapons (why don't we actually have an assault rifle that can hold 45 rounds?). My only big gripe is the checkpoint system. It spoils when a firefight or spooky event is about to happen and can be strategically inconvenient, leaving you with X armor and health and ammo at the worst time. That said, I enjoyed it. Ghost girls like Alma give me the willies like mad. I'm happy I rented it.

Haaaaalo!

So... The Master Chief is back, and this time, he's Earthbound. Unfortunately, you only get to play two levels on our planet before he sets off for space. Meanwhile, you play as disgraced Elite, the Arbiter, smacking down Heretics...and the Flood! Sadly, while the Battle Rifle is fun, the M6C Magnum is almost pitiful, even when dual-wielding. Speaking of which, as cool as it is to give a Marine a Plasma Rifle, it's just as neat to give a Grunt an SMG (which rocks, but just isn't the same as the old Assault Rifle). Weapons are balanced, but not so much. There's way more dialogue than in Halo: CE, with both friend and foe spouting one-liners such as "Go on, take a good look...then move out!" and "Well, Arbiter, I...think you're cute, too." You get more background on the Flood, kill a Prophet and... What? What does the Chief mean, "Sir, finishing this fight?" Just wait 'til I get Halo 3!