Review: Modern Warfare 3
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" delivers the same thing as its predecessors: a campaign full of ridiculous spectacle and a deep online multiplayer experience that features a robust, addictive leveling/unlocking system.
Review: Ratchet & Clank All 4 One
There aren't many four-player, online-enabled platform-jumping games, so that alone makes "Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One" worth a look. It's a fun little diversion, but it's hampered by a dated online architecture and occasionally frustrating controls.
Review: Dark Souls gaming’s Mt. Everest
From Software's action role-playing game can be punishingly difficult and occasionally unfun, but every small success feels like a massive triumph, making it one of this year's most engrossing games.
Review: id’s Rage spectacularly above average
The studio behind classic first-person shooters "Wolfenstein 3D," "Doom" and "Quake" has released its first new franchise in over a decade. While "Rage" is technical marvel and certainly a decent game, it's hard not to come away a little disappointed, given id Software's pedigree.
Ico & Shadow collection resurrects classics
A recent PlayStation 3 compilation of two PS2-era games by Fumito Ueda gives many North American gamers their first shot at playing the previously out-of-print "Ico," a classic from 2001.
Review: The Gunstringer brief yet delightful
Twisted Pixel's whimsical Western about an undead cowboy seeking vengeance is a smartly written, creative tour de force for Microsoft's Kinect. But imprecise controls and a story that can be finished in four hours or so might mean some players balk at the $40 price tag.
Review: Dead Island a toad prince
You'll find a lot to love in Techland's zombie-filled fusion of open-world role-playing game and visceral, first-person slaughterfest, provided you can overlook its numerous warts.
Review: Gears of War 3 an epic journey
A more intimate, personal campaign and a slew of ridiculously robust multiplayer modes make "Gears of War 3" the franchise's strongest entry to date and one of this console generation's signature titles.
Review: Deus Ex Human Revolution rewards patience
Replete with obtuse battles against heavily armored bosses, computer-hacking minigames and punishing stealth missions, "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" demands patience of its players. If you're happy to oblige, you'll get to experience some of the best levels and backstory gaming has to offer..
Scaling the pile of shame
The August lull is a great time for catching up on all those games you swore you were gonna play after you finished some of those other games. A quick look at four titles from my backlog. This is a longer version that what appears in Friday's Press Democrat and includes "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."