The sophisticated science-fiction story that drives the multiplatinum-selling, award-winning BioShock franchise is often cited as evidence that video games can equal and even surpass the narrative in books, film and other traditional sci-fi media. No argument here. "BioShock 2" (PC, PS3, X360; rated M) takes place in a painstakingly imagined underwater dystopia and unfolds gradually, its weird and wonderful back story revealed with artful storytelling and advanced, first-person-shooter game design.
Returning players don't need to be sold on the concept. The relevant information is that "BioShock 2" picks up a decade after the original left off, improves several first-person-shooter mechanics and adds moral quandaries to deepen the game experience. The quick gist: You're a Big Daddy this time, seeking your bonded Little Sister. Rapture has a new boss, and the Splicers are meaner than ever.
New players will need to do some reading.The back story of BioShock's decaying art-deco milieu can be pieced together with in-game discoveries, but you're better off scrolling through Wikipedia. The good news: "BioShock 2" features a well-designed "easy" mode -that functions like an extended tutorial.
Like the stylistically similar "Fallout 3," "BioShock 2" has FPS action with RPG depth and will devour your discretionary time for weeks. Plan accordingly. - GM
Hugely hyped, EA's video game update of the epic poem "Dante's Inferno" (PS3, PSP, X360; Rated M) earns big points for eye-popping visuals and bloody fun. Too bad the game is hampered by poor pacing, an ill-advised static camera scheme and repetitive, derivative game play. ("God of War" fans, you've already played this game.)
New players who aren't familiar with the game tropes that "Inferno" abuses won't notice the larceny, and they will be justifiably dazzled by the third-person hack-'n-slash action as our titular hero descends - thrillingly, horrifically - through the nine circles of hell. The demons are predictably gruesome, each themed to a cardinal sin, and disposing of them with a giant scythe is good, clean epic fun.
The combat is interrupted regularly by gorgeously scary cut scenes and standard-issue puzzles. But that camera is a recurring problem - "Inferno" makes you look at what it wants you to look at, an okay strategy for film editing; less fun when gaming.
But you have to admire the chutzpah of the endeavor, and if you buy the PS3-exclusive Divine Edition, you'll get a disc with DVD-like extras, including production docs, a digital book of the original epic poem and the game's full soundtrack. Generous and ambitious, "Dante's Inferno" must be absolved if its reach sometimes exceeds its grasp. - GM
It's one thing to take a PC-based massively multiplayer online game and adapt it for consoles; it's another thing entirely to remove the fact that it's an MMO when the transition happens. "Ragnarok" (Nintendo DS; Rated E-10) started its life as an MMO with a reputation for having no story whatsoever with a world that simply exists. How can that possibly translate to a standalone experience?
The answer, as expected, is "awkwardly." The game tries desperately to retain the gameplay that made it a worldwide hit (particularly in Korea, where it originated), but by doing so becomes a dungeon-crawling slog stitched together by a story centered on a well-meaning kid with daddy issues. The dialogue is awkward, the tutorial endless, and the exploration and combat utterly repetitive.
That said, fans of the MMO will find a familiar interface and style, and may well appreciate having a version of the game to play that doesn't involve lugging a laptop around. There are hours upon hours of gameplay in that tiny little DS cart, and a whole pile of challenging bosses to bash at for five minutes until they disappear. If you like it, you can play it for an awfully long time. Unfortunately, for "Ragnarok," that's a pretty big "if."- MS
Tower Defense is actually a viable genre, mostly because it's an offshoot of the strategy genre that a) can often be played in 10-minute increments, and b) doesn't require memorizing a 300-page instruction book to properly play. Between "Desktop Tower Defense" and "Plants vs. Zombies," it's seen a quick rise from invisibility to ubiquity.
"Toy Soldiers" (Xbox Live Arcade; Rated T)) is the latest entry for the genre, an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive that attempts to take the genre beyond its established limits. The problem with such an approach is that those limits gave the format its appeal in the first place. By limiting the user's options, it offers the illusion of ease. "Toy Soldiers," on the other hand, not only asks you to place the munitions and artillery but also to man them.
The strategy of "Toy Soldiers" manifests in striking the balance between providing the arms for your forces and putting your more-capable hands on those arms. It's a and gorgeously rendered take on the genre, but it may offer more anxiety than fun for those used to more casual tower defense experiences.- MS
