Kinect in hand. I'll have to give my impressions of it later (after my wife is done hijacking it to play Dance Central). no comments

There's no denying that Ninja Theory has a knack for creating a story with compelling characters and luscious settings. Their 2008 debut Heavenly Sword showed their aptitude for a matured cinematic sensibility that was rare in the industry at the time. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is an evolution of that paradigm; the game excels at telling an engaging story, but inevitably falls short in gameplay body. Whether that should prevent you from playing the game, that's your judgement call.

Enslaved puts me at a conundrum. What takes precedence: a well developed, dynamic and engrossing story or straightforward, if lacklustre, mechanics? Like Enslaved, this reviewer can't appeal to everyone. I won't deny that the platforming controls are often time clunky and the combat is nothing spectacular, but by the conclusion of the game, what sticks are not its shortcomings but the journey you've just made.
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I was trying to resist picking up Assassins's Creed: Brotherhood, but the reviews were just too good for this game of the year candidate. Now I have it, and I'm willing to do some killing. no comments

I started playing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West on Friday and couldn't put it down until I finished it yesterday. This title has been somewhat polarizing in the gaming world and I can safely say that I stand firmly in the "buy it" camp. Sure, the game has some control issues (there are times when I felt like I was controlling a drunk Taz instead of the main character), but once I got into the story I found myself completely enamored with the game.

Enslaved succeeds because it has a captivating story mixed with incredible character animations and pitch-perfect dialogue. In terms of storytelling, I'd contend that it could go head to head with the Uncharted and Mass Effect tales; and though it might lose out in terms of scope, it'd still give its big brothers a run for their money.

When you take a look at the game in a true macro sense, that each scene is less like a game and more like the unfolding chapters in an epic story, you can easily forgive its little shortcomings. That's what I did, and I loved every minute of it. no comments

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Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival horror game in the truest sense. That is to say, unlike most modern survival horrors, which eschew their traditional roots in favour of a more action-oriented direction, Amnesia: The Dark Descent revels in creating a slower, more psychological experience, with the emphasis firmly on horror rather than action.

For the most part, this is achieved by removing virtually all action elements from the game. As such, there are no weapons, and no combat, and instead, the game relies heavily on two mechanics which have been all but lost in most modern survival horror games; puzzle solving, and the creation of an atmosphere of intense vulnerability. Needless to say, Amnesia: The Dark Descent isn’t an action-packed game, but it is, however, one of the most chilling and unnerving games in recent years, and is an absolute must for fans of survival horror games.
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Awesome video of Ezio Auditore dancing to Michael Jackson's Billy Jean. It's strange seeing Ezio wielding a Wii remote instead of a hidden blade, but you can't argue with those moves. no comments

The following are my impressions of the first level of the Call of Duty: Black Ops single player campaign. If you are like me and you don't want anything being spoiled for you, please stop reading. However, it's just the opening level, so it's major-spoiler free.

The game starts fast and furious, and doesn't wait to put you in some pretty harrowing situations. The opening level occurs during the Bay of Pigs disaster in Cuba, which is really cool because it's one of those famous military events that I know very little about, and it's a completely unique setting. You move through the level on a mission to kill Castro, and fight alongside two other commandos - one of which is bat-shit crazy, and the other is Ice-T.  From the first minute of the level (where your bat-shit crazy friend stabs a dude in the hand in a real "What the fuck did you do that for?!" moment), to the closing heroics where you...I'll let you discover that one on your own, the adrenaline is jacked to the max with nary a moment to catch your breath. It's like a stereo with only two volume settings - one and eleven.

By the end of the first level, I had smoked more Cubans than Tony Montana and probably destroyed the livelihoods of dozens of farmers (and one bar owner) just trying to make a living. It's a really exciting opening to the game, and really has me excited for what is to come. I guess I'll see soon enough. no comments

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