At this point, most of you are probably planning for tomorrow's Valentine's date. I sincerely wish you luck. As for the rest of our readers, why not snuggle up with these warm, loving video games? They will never judge you…because they can't!
Dead Space 2 – Thoughts from the Sprawl
By Alan Rappa
Let's not kid ourselves: Dead Space was great. Some loved it for its rich science-fiction atmosphere, others for the abundant scares or the gunplay.
But if recent trends are any indication, sequels rarely, if ever, outdo the novelty and legacy of their predecessors. Does Dead Space 2 contradict that?
AbdracadabrAARGH! – Magicka Review (PC)
By Daav Puke
Since all of my roommates began playing Magicka, the dishes have gone unwashed, the snow unshovelled, and the living room has become an empty, desolate place.
According to Daav, Magicka follows up to four wizards, all of whom are charged with restoring "relative good." Despite being steeped in RPG tradition, this game looks at the fantasy world through a slapstick lens. Well, that certainly explains why my house constantly shakes from laughter, but it doesn't clarify the game's quality. To answer that question, check out Daav's complete review.
It seems all I ever did was shoot hippies: NARC
By Ryan Conway
Public service games are by no means new. By the late 1980s, Washington finally became aware of the popularity of gaming, pushing public officials to help develop didactic video games for America's youth.
Forget hard-boiled characters, inter-gang rivalry, or any other themes that make police stories interesting to follow: NARC chronicles the journey of a nameless police officer intent on taking down local drug lord Mr. Big and his cartel. Do you have what it takes to finally win America's War on Drugs?
Metal Gear retrospective, part 2: Metal Gear on the NES, C64, and MS-DOS
By Chris Winters
We'd all like to say that we're big Metal Gear fans, but are we being truthful to ourselves? I first discovered the series in 2001 with the launch of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Luckily for me, Chris has compiled an exhaustive retrospective of the franchise, so I won't have to play through all 20-something games.
Part two of Chris' retrospective focuses on the many ports, updates, and mutations of the original Metal Gear. If you've ever wondered how this classic stealth title changes from region to region, feel free to extract the answer from Chris' thoroughly researched article.
Love it or hate it: The Saboteur
By William McEwan
Before permanently closing their doors, Pandemic Studios let out a final gasp in the form of The Saboteur. Beyond representing the swan song of a long-lived studio, this game simultaneously highlights a spark of innovation. After the lukewarm receptions of Mirror's Edge and Army of Two, most of us thought that EA's risk-taking days were over. But lo and behold, the publisher got back onto the horse and helped push out The Saboteur.
Does the real-life context of this game help embellish its charm, or was The Saboteur one big letdown? To find out whether he loves or hates this action-adventure title, check out William's review.