Few World War II video games are as gripping and brutal as Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway. Expert storytelling merged with bloody and intense first person shooting keeps you pushing through the narrative and empathizing with its grizzled soldiers, who repeatedly trudge through the Nazi war machine armed with such weapons as the M1 Garand and M9 Bazooka. Commanding squads adds depth to the action, and the impressive graphics, which include gorgeous fire effects, sprawling environments and an action cam that highlights the gore, further immerses you within the game’s war torn world. Your guys occasionally act stupid, the final stage is lackluster and multiplayer is your standard squad versus squad affair, but Hell’s Highway is the most cinematic WWII game on the market and worth the 10-15 hours to complete.
2K Sports’ NBA 2K series has its roots in simulation style basketball and the 2009 edition is no exception. In order to succeed, you’ll need to read the manual to learn how to break down the punishing defense and pull off fancy offensive moves. It’s this attention to detail that makes beating a team rewarding, especially when the game winning basket is a thunderous tomahawk that gets the fans off their seats. However, although 2K9 is a lot of fun, we cannot ignore the annoying glitches and puzzling on the court happenings. Referees anticipate fouls before they occur, it’s difficult to stop a player once he drives to the basket, guys set screens on no one and, during a game of 21, Kevin Garnett rebounded a miss and absentmindedly passed the rock to Dwayne Wade, his opponent. Now factor in the terrible menu navigation, and 2K9 has more problems than the Charlotte Bobcats. However, its five-on-five online play, updated Association mode and enjoyable hoops action still makes it a slam dunk.
Compared to most movie-based video games, Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, sans Matt Damon, is a miraculous achievement in that it doesn’t suck. As the $30 million super spy Jason Bourne, you’ll travel to a variety of locations and beat the crap out of evildoers, blasting them with weapons and crushing their skulls with vicious hand-to-hand combat. In addition, the game features driving sequences that, while not as good as the fighting, offer you a chance to cause multiple accidents and evade the law en route to explosive finishes. Hand-to-hand fighting works best, thanks to an adrenaline meter that lets you perform a variety of painful takedowns on your enemies. That said, the standard issue punches and kicks, combined with the bizarre decision to ignore the left trigger while shooting, makes the game frustrating. For the eight to ten hours of fun it offers, however, The Bourne Conspiracy is worth its headaches.
Sony’s latest karaoke game, SingStar, shines on the PlayStation 3, thanks to excellent PlayStation Network options. Not only can you purchase new songs outside the 30 offered on the disc, but you can also upload your audio and video performances for others to see while viewing theirs as well. There’s nothing overwhelming about the plain presentation, but it works. The local multiplayer games are fun, although competitive online play would’ve made this a bigger party favorite.