You've never seen explosions like this before.

At it's heart Red Faction:Guerrilla is a GTA clone, you can run around a sandbox world and jack martian cars. Where the single player differs is in the incredible destructible environment. Every man made object in the game can be broken down into bits, and fall apart in a glorious display of physics.

The game captures some of the spirit of GTA by allowing you to roam around, picking targets to destroy, missions to complete or just harassing those darn EDF troops. While destroying everything in sight is supremely thrilling and entertains me to no end, the single player story can become repetitive. There are probably only 5 or 6 different mission types, and it can get frustrating when the EDF roll in with overpowering force and kill you over and over. This game really emphasizes the hit and run tactics that real guerrillas use, no standing in one place and fighting off waves of enemy troopers...you will die.

When you get tired of blowing up AI opponents you can get online and find some intense online matchups. The 2 most notable things that make the Red Faction matches stand out is the destructible environment (again) and the use of a backpack system. There are about 10 different backpacks all with different abilities. Some like the Jetpack and Stealth are pretty straightforward while others like Rhino (which will propel you forward through any wall obstacle), or Thrust (which is basically a jetpack which shoots you straight up to smash through the roof of buildings).

The combination of different weapons and backpacks lends to some intense frenetic action that will get your pulse pounding. The variety of deaths and seeing the map collapsing from the intense combat is addicting. Is someone sniping you from that tower? Just throw some charges and level the tower...no more sniper tower. Worried about getting surrounded? Just set up some charges around the base of the building and lure someone in only to level the building.

I highly recommend this game, it exceeded all my expectations and introduces the most beautifully rendered collapsing buildings you've ever seen.

Return to WWII in

In my opinion, Call of Duty 4 is one of the greatest online multi player games of all time. I was quite concerned when I learned that Treyarch would be handling the development of 5. This coupled with the fact that they made the choice to return to WWII left me with serious concerns about the quality of this game.

I can easily say that all of my concerns were unfounded. Much to my surprise the return to WWII really works (theres a reason there are dozens of WWII shooters). Although we get warped to the past again, the action maintains it's fast and furious pace. The campaign while VERY short, is every bit as intense and exciting as Modern Warfare's and IMHO is actually more fun.

World at War doesn't reinvent the Call of Duty formula by any means, but builds on the success of it's predecessors. If you were a fan of Modern Warfare's multi player, then you will find a familiar niche in World at War. It is debatable whether or not you prefer WWII weapons or modern ones, but the game play is identical to 4 except for the inclusion of tanks on select stages.

Overall, I would say that unless you have an extreme aversion to WWII shooters you should definitely check this one out. Call of Duty World at War definitely lives up to it's namesake, and adds to the legacy of the Call of Duty series.

More of the same?

Yes please.
WoW is without a doubt the preeminent MMORPG on the market with somewhere around 11 million players worldwide. If you don't like WoW now, then this expansion will do nothing to change your mind. However if you are a WoW-head that has played to level 70 a couple of times and run out of things to do, then this is exactly what you've been hoping for.

Basically Wrath of the Lich King raises the level cap to 80, and gives players a whole new continent to explore. It includes all new quests, gear, spells that you would expect and a new profession called Inscription. Not to mention the ultimately cool new class the Death Knight, (with the small precondition that you have a level 55 character on your particular realm).

I love the new Death Knight quest line, as it gives players a new perspective on the WoW world. Playing as a servant of the Lich King, you get to raze a village, torture innocent villagers, and basically terrorize the countryside. As a matter of fact, most of the new quests from 70-80 have interesting twists that breathe new life into the leveling process.

Blizzard has always set the standard for excellent expansions, and WotLK is no exception. Somehow, the devs never run out of fresh new ideas, and they manage to add little touches that improve the gameplay in significant ways. Oftentimes they make changes that are so intuitive that you wonder why they weren't included from day one.

Bottom line: if you love WoW then then you probably already own this expansion and are racing toward level 80 as I type this. If not then you probably hate this game and think the graphics are cartoony, and the gameplay too casual. I love Blizzard, and have never been disappointed in the quality of their games, and I will be very busy for the next few months playing this new addition to the Blizzard library.

Did someone say Oblivion with guns?

It is impossible for me to review this game without the inevitable comparisons to Oblivion. To answer the question....Yes Fallout 3 is a lot like "Oblivion with guns", but in my opinion it is so much more. I can also say that if you really liked Oblivion, then you will find many of the same game play elements here. You still have branching conversations, and very familiar controls that are near identical to Oblivion. You retain the Lock picking skill although the mini-game is a bit more accessible. You can still repair your gear and even have the ability to craft new more powerful weapons using all the junk items you find in the Wasteland.

Where Fallout 3 really separates itself is in it's personality, and the awesome new V.A.T.S system. V.A.T.S is what sets the combat apart, and gives you the opportunity to make strategic choices in an otherwise Real-Time battlefield. Using V.A.T.S, you can target specific body parts in order to cripple Raiders, Ghouls, or some other irradiated horror. By crippling their legs they can't run away, cripple their arms to make them drop their weapon, or cripple their head to mess up their vision. There is nothing quite like watching someone get their arms shot off (with all the blood and gore) in slow-mo.

The story is quite compelling, and is set in the Wastelands of Washington D.C. (which have never looked better). There are side quests aplenty, and the storyline will take several twists and turns along the way. The side quests are particularly interesting as they give you a better look at the world of Fallout, and often don't play out the way you expect them to. There are plenty of moral choices to make, which will affect your Karma rating. But whether you're a Saint or a Sinner, you will find plenty of difficult choices throughout the game.

The graphics are very nice and portray a beautifully ruined world just seeping with radiation. The characters look decent although the animations can sometimes be wonky. As long as you play in the first person perspective, it won't bother you too much. The audio is an area where Bethesda really did their work. While the voice actors are quite good (a lot of familiar voices from Oblivion), the music is what will stick with you. The world of Fallout is sort of stuck in the 1950's and the music on GNR radio will reflect that. While I don't know any of the songs by name, or even who performs them. I feel like Bethesda made a really good design choice by including them. It gives the game a very surreal atmosphere when your humming along to a bee bopping tune from yesteryear while blasting Raiders to smithereens in a radioactive wasteland.

Bottom line: if you enjoyed Oblivion, you will probably love this, and will come to find more of the same. But you will stay for the compelling combat, and to explore the strange wastelands of Washington D.C.

The most bang for your buck!

The Orange Box is an incredible value for your gaming dollar. Not only does it include the classic Half Life 2, which is worth the price of admission alone. If you have not experienced Half Life 2, now is the best time. For a nearly 4 year old game it stands the test of time remarkably well. The graphics, audio, and storytelling come together to make a very compelling experience. But Valve didn't feel this was enough value so they added both of the new episodes which continue the story, Team Fortress 2 (for the multiplayer buffs), and Portal (a game that must be experienced). I could go on and on about the value of this package, but the games really speak for themselves. Essentially you can say that The Orange Box is a compilation of 5 games for the price of one.