May 2008 Archives

Platform: Wii
Reviewed on Wii

Feel like a ski vacation? How about a trip to the Happy Ski Resort, where thousands of skiers of all ages are enjoying the 14 groomed trails of fresh powder. Start by taking lessons at the ski school and graduate to the hardest slopes on the mountain. Ski freely (around the mountain's many casual skiers) or talk to other skiers to partake in races, tasks or just pleasant conversation.

Platform: DS
Reviewed on DS

"A terrible asteroid strike has left the planet devastated. Few survivors remain and the world is in chaos. Toxic dust clouds are choking out the food supply. New diseases strike without warning. Terror runs rampant as people do whatever is necessary for their own survival.

"One small band fights to restore human dignity in a world gone mad... but the mission seems impossible. Their own country is being led by madmen. Their former enemy thinks only of revenge. And behind the scenes, a mad scientist with unbelievable power dreams of eliminating the human race once and for all."

Logitech has launched its latest and hottest wheel, the Driving Force GT racing wheel for the PlayStation 3. Designed specifically for Gran Turismo drivers, the Driving Force GT provides a tight feeling of control for any driving game.

Platform: Xbox 360, Hobby
Reviewed on Xbox 360

Wits & Wagers is a trivia game originally released as a physical party game that rewards both trivia knowledge and poker-like betting skills. Microsoft, working with Hidden Path Entertainment, has released an electronic version of the game available through Xbox Live Arcade for 800 points ($10).

Sometimes I miss New York City. Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV isn't the real New York City – it's a condensed caricature. But the fidelity made possible by the latest generation of consoles and the detail added by the team at Rockstar North made Liberty City close enough to the Big Apple to make me listen for the rumble of the subway and the mixed smells of burnt pretzels, sour garbage and laundry vents. The landmarks are all there, from Lincoln Center and Grant's tomb to Coney Island's Cyclone roller coaster and the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows. (Different names, but still.) But it's not the landmarks that make Liberty City so accurate. It's the little details: the architecture in the nameless buildings; the style of familiar stores; the street-level garages of particular hotels; the barriers in the middle of streets; the ever-present scaffolding; and even the signs reminding me that it's a two-point offense to "block the box." The South Street Seaport was so perfect that I started to think "Hey... there should be a heliport just past the Seaport that I don't see." Then, as I cruised further south, the heliport popped into view, and I discovered I could take helicopter tours. The city felt so real that I was transported back to the city I was both ecstatic and sad to leave a few years ago. Sometimes realism &ndash even virtual realism &ndash isn't as great as it's cracked up to be.

Platforms: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
Reviewed on Xbox 360

The Grand Theft Auto series is a dream made real for the Houser brothers, whose enthusiasm for American culture and individualism has made them millionaires. While the series has been portrayed in the mainstream media as some evil, brain-twisting game that turns children into killers, the reality is that it's an over-the-top, satirical look at American pop culture developed by people in Scotland (Rockstar North). Yes, it's brutal, it's violent, and it's definitely earned its mature ("M") rating. It's also one of the best examples of "games as art" that can be thrown at Roger Ebert, coming as close to an interactive movie as any game has done.