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(03/24/11 6:28am)
Fans of Quill Award winner Patrick Rothfuss' first work, The Name of the Wind, which received a number of positive reviews when it was published in 2007, eagerly have awaited the recent release of The Wise Man's Fear. These novels, which are the first two installments of Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy, offer some of the most compelling fantasy writing to emerge in years. For the generation that was raised on Harry Potter, Rothfuss' books present a more mature storyline which captures the magical experience of that series in a way more appealing to 20-somethings than to children.
(02/24/11 6:34am)
According to classic American folklore, John Henry was the strongest man alive, born with a hammer in his hand. When he and his fellow 19th century rail workers' jobs were threatened by the advent of the steam-powered hammer, a product of the Industrial Revolution, Henry challenged the new mechanical marvel to a contest. As the story goes, Henry outperformed the steam-powered hammer and saved the jobs of his colleagues only to succumb to exhaustion and death, resulting in his immortalization as a champion of working-class people everywhere.
(02/10/11 6:24am)
When the original Little Big Planet was released for PlayStation 3 back in 2008, Sony finally found a mascot for its flagship system. The cute little "sackboys" and "sackgirls" that starred in the title instantly endeared themselves to the public both with their adorable appearances and the overall quality and creativity found in the game. Now developer Media Molecule is back for round two, and the sequel aims to improve on the already solid groundwork set by the original game.
(12/02/10 6:00am)
Every holiday season, there's a flood of new video games and entertainment hardware on the market, and it can be difficult to separate the best from the rest. Whether buying for yourself or for someone else this December, it's always helpful to get a second opinion about which games are worth your hard-earned cash. Here, in no particular order, are the top three video games experiences that gamers are scrambling for this year.
(04/15/10 4:58am)
With so many highly-anticipated games coming out this year, it can be easy to overlook a lesser-known title. Just Cause 2, from developer Avalanche Studios and published by Square Enix, does not have the brand name recognition of franchises like Halo or Metal Gear Solid. In terms of the amount of enjoyment it can provide to the player, though, it is more than capable of hanging with the big boys. I actually had never even heard of Just Cause 2 or its predecessor until a few days before the game launched, but on a whim, I decided to give it a chance. Now, with more than 30 hours of playtime logged on a game I did not know existed a month ago, I can safely say that I made a good choice.
(04/08/10 5:03am)
One of the most successful Sony franchises to arise during the Playstation 2 era was God of War. The series, developed by Santa Monica Studios, put players in control of Kratos, a Greek anti-hero on a quest for revenge against the Gods of Olympus. God of War III, which was released last month, finally brings the adventures of Kratos to the current generation of Sony hardware. The God of War games have never had much use for subtlety, so it is only fitting that Kratos' epic mythological trilogy should come to an end in one of the most visceral adventures ever to grace a console.
(03/25/10 5:52am)
Final Fantasy XIII is the long-awaited next chapter of what has come to be known as the most inappropriately named series of all time. From Japanese developer Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIII is somewhat of a new beginning for a franchise that's been around for more than two decades. Many of the conventions and common elements from previous installments of Final Fantasy are gone and have been replaced with a more streamlined approach. The new features are designed to update a style of gameplay that some people believe feels antiquated on the current generation of systems.
(03/18/10 7:16am)
Green Zone, from director Paul Greengrass, tells the story of the U.S. Army's search for weapons of mass destruction in Baghdad in the early days of the Second Iraq War. The action follows Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) as he tries to discover why the intel his unit has been given about the location of WMDs does not match up with what he discovers in the field. Miller finds that his superiors in the army have no interest in helping him or even in listening to his concerns, so he sets out to unravel the mystery on his own. His only help is from a CIA agent who believes him and an Iraqi citizen who gets caught up in the action early in the film.
(03/04/10 6:58am)
From the moment you first pick up the controller, it is apparent that Heavy Rain is not like other video games.
(02/18/10 9:24am)
Bioshock 2 is the much anticipated sequel to one of the best games of 2007. Developed by 2k Games, Bioshock 2 is a first-person shooter that places equal emphasis on action and story, a balance that is sorely lacking in many other shooters.
(02/11/10 8:29am)
"What. The. Hell."
(02/04/10 6:46am)
Mass Effect 2, from developer BioWare, is the sequel to 2007's critically acclaimed hit. A third-person shooter framed in classic BioWare role play, Mass Effect 2 places as much emphasis on plot and character development as it does on shooting mechanics. A solid story progression, a few twists and mysteries and a cinematic presentation all make Mass Effect 2 feel more like an interactive movie rather than a game. That's a pretty clich
(01/22/10 4:28am)
So you spent all your hard-earned money buying gifts for other people this holiday season, did you? Well, have no fear. You may only have $15 to your name now but that doesn't mean you can't afford some great gameplay experiences. In honor of the traditionally cash-strapped month of January I'm counting down my list of the "Top Eight Less Than-$15 Games" for PC, Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and the Wii Virtual Console that have come out in the past year. Here they are in no particular order:
(12/03/09 6:50am)
When the first Assassin's Creed game was released two years ago it received mixed reviews. Proponents applauded the game's solid story and presentation, as well as the superbly crafted free running mechanic that allowed the player to go almost anywhere and climb almost anything. Critics, however, cited the repetitive fighting and mission types as being too significant to overlook. With Assassin's Creed II, the developers at Ubisoft Montreal are looking to right the wrongs that held back the first game and advance the plot of what might be one of the most intriguing stories of this console generation.
(11/19/09 7:21am)
If you're a fan of first-person shooters, then the No. 1 game on your radar for the past few months has most likely been Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. When the game landed on shelves last week, it set a new record for first-day sales and probably was responsible for thousands of "sick days" worldwide. It seems safe to say that the gaming world has Call of Duty fever and the guys at Infinity Ward will be rolling in dough for years to come - but just how well does MW2 stack up to the competition and its own predecessors?
(11/12/09 5:57am)
Most people measure the passage of time in years or by major life milestones. But a small minority - myself included - measure the passage of time in terms of how many more cold and lonely nights it will be until Diablo III is released. If you find yourself in this second category, Torchlight may just be the game for you. This dungeon-crawler bears more than just a passing resemblance to the Diablo games, which should come as no surprise: The developer of Torchlight, Runic Games, was co-founded by two of the key founders from Diablo's own Blizzard North.
(10/29/09 5:39am)
What happens when you cross Fallout 3 with Diablo II and cover it in a fresh coat of cell-shaded paint? You get Borderlands, the new open-world first-person shooter/role playing game from Gearbox Software. While FPS/RPG isn't a combo of genres that you hear together very often, Borderlands does a good job of integrating components from both of these styles. There's a solid shooter base that rewards accuracy, speed and planning, but there is also an in-depth skill tree which allows for extensive character customization.
(10/22/09 5:23am)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the sequel to 2007's critically acclaimed PS3 action-adventure blockbuster, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Developed by Naughty Dog, the same talented folks behind the popular Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter franchises, Uncharted 2 offers a combination of platforming, puzzle-solving and high-octane gunplay all set in a fantastically presented world. Building on the success of the first game, Uncharted 2 ramps up the action with more features, a bigger story and an all new multi-player mode to keep the player busy long after the main story has ended.
(10/08/09 5:59am)
Halo 3: ODST is the latest episode in the critically acclaimed and popular Halo franchise. Released just a few weeks ago, it has already become one of the fastest selling games of all time.
(10/01/09 6:30am)
Aion (pronounced "ion") is the latest massively multiplayer online role playing game offering from South Korean developer NCsoft, the makers of several moderately successful MMOs including Guild Wars and Lineage.