“inFAMOUS” (rated T, $60 for PlayStation 3): I’m itching to try out Sucker Punch’s PS3-exclusive, open-world superhero adventure. For one thing, the creation of a new superhero unshackles the game’s writers from the expectations of fans and the oversight of a license holder. They’ll never have to hear the words, “But Wonder Woman would never do that!” You play this third-person adventure as a bike messenger who unexpectedly finds himself with superpowers after an explosion destroys a huge swath of, um, Empire City. (No idea what that could be a stand-in for.) You can play it as a good guy or a bad guy, and, as is usually the case with games like this, your moral choices will affect the game’s plot as well as the abilities available for you to unlock. So it’s sort of like a cross between “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” and “Grand Theft Auto.”
“Up” (rated E10+, $40 on Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3; $20 on PS2 and PC; $30 on DS and PlayStation Portable): I’m actually not recommending this at all. I just wanted to wonder aloud how long it will be before Pixar, which obviously puts thousands of hours of labor, fastidious attention to detail and lots of love into its movies, starts taking a little pride in the games that carry the same name as the films. By no means does “Up” look to be a travesty, but come on, people.
“Secret Agent Clank” (rated E10+, $20 on PS2): If you’re a fan of the “Ratchet & Clank” series and missed this when it came out for the PSP, now’s your chance to play it on a console.
“Guitar Hero: World Tour” (rated T, variable prices on just about every machine): If you’re a fan of “Boogie Nights,” the animated “Transformers: The Movie” from the ’80s, cheesy rock songs and/or Internet memes, Stan Bush’s “The Touch” is available as a free download for this game. Sadly, this is the 2007 version of the track, so gamers of, ahem, a certain age, might feel something’s missing.
“Bubble Bobble Plus” (rated E, $6 WiiWare download): This continues the recent trend of arcade classics being remade with prettied-up graphics and new game modes.
“Resident Evil: Director’s Cut” (rated M, $10 PlayStation Network download): If you’ve missed out on the game that first defined and popularized the survival horror genre, and you don’t have a Wii on which to play the GameCube remake, this is your best bet.
“Bionic Commando Rearmed” (rated M, on sale for $5 from Xbox Live Arcade): Just as I said a couple of weeks ago, when this game was $5 on the PlayStation Network, there’s no excuse other than poverty to pass this up at this price.
What I’ll be playing this weekend: I’ll finally be finishing off the single-player part of “Killzone 2” on the PS3. I’m so close I can taste it. From there, I’ll be continuing on to the multiplayer with an eye on finally reviewing it the week after E3. (Newsroom duties prevent me from going to E3, but I’ll be obsessively following it and blogging about it whenever I get the chance next week.) Aside from “Killzone 2,” I’ll be spending the next couple of nights watching my beloved St. Louis Cardinals take on the Giants.
I did miss “Bionic Commando Rearmed” the first time around, but I nabbed it for $5 on the 360. No idea when I’ll actually get around to playing it. I just couldn’t pass up a good game for $5. I also grabbed The Zombies’ “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No” so I’d have ’em on hand for our next “Rock Band 2” party. No idea when that’ll be, though. If you’re a fan of late ’60s pop, I highly recommend The Zombies’ “Odessey and Oracle” album, which was rereleased a few years ago. Video for “Hung Up on a Dream” below. Or rather audio with, uh, footage of the album cover.
