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“Mankind is your mask” – [Prototype]

Prototype is a tremendously ugly game…

“Lifetime Happiness Points” – The Sims 3

The ‘Evil’ trait is an interesting one, because evil in the Sims universe is a rather nebulous concept…

“Time isn’t flowing and space isn’t stable” – Pokémon Platinum

[In line with the game, this is a modified repeat of the entry for Pokémon Diamond. New material appears in a different colour.] It’s not just the DS’s…

“Amazing rear naked choke victory” – UFC Undisputed 2009

UFC couldn’t have found a better developer for turning it into a video game with popular appeal

“Tread carefully” – Resident Evil 5

I only had to look at the cover art for the game — the title over the outline of the continent of Africa in threatening dark red — to be reminded of one relevant conversation.

“National pride” – Empire: Total War

There are a very small number of PC games left to cover in my story of the British charts. They are charts which have always covered the sale…

“Get in the tank, Sev” – Killzone 2

Obvious inspiration is taken from some of the best bits of Gears of War and Halo, and high fidelity recreations are presented. All of Killzone 2’s mechanics are executed with impressive precision. That leaves just one problem, which is that it has a gaping void in place of personality.

“Historic distillery” – Street Fighter IV

I contested plenty of fights against flowchart Kens, and recognised even there a level of commitment and discipline which I would not reach.

“Relentless” – Call of Duty: World at War

Tying a series into a yearly release schedule has consequences, especially where it has to have a new narrative and is not as easily iterated as a sports…

“Intestinal fortitude” – Gears of War 2

[We’re nearly at the end of 2008, and it’s time for another guest post. I’m happy as always to hand over to Matt Gardner, editor of the excellent…