any console

Hey 93 games and Focus home interactive, 1997 called, they want their pathetic graphics and crappy controls back.

Call of Juarez first piqued my interest when it was on the Official Xbox Magazine’s disc about two months ago. So I rented it from my local video store, hoping it was not too good to be true… boy were my hopes dashed. I’ve been looking for a great western shooter for a while, and I have yet to see one, so I was hoping that Call of Juarez might deliver. I like games where you shoot with guns that really exist, and where the graphics look like landscape that really exists, or at least existed in the past.

And before the breakdown, what the hell was up with the beginning of this game? Why do I have to go down this nasty hill with terrible controls? It took me like 10 minutes just to get down the hill because it is impossible to judge what distances of falling will and will not kill you. Now let’s get to the breakdown…

Pros:

• The guns in this game actually existed at some point in history
• The story line seems to make sense

Cons:

• Game play is limited by the story line rather than moved by it
• You can only shoot who the game wants you to shoot
• The tasks the game wants you to perform are actually very hard to guess sometimes
• The beginning of this game just flat-out sucks
• The accuracy of the weapons seems to be off considerably at times

The bottom line is that this game might be neat for people who haven’t been lobotomized with a rusty spoon, but for the rest of us it would be nice to have a game that actually delivered on the hype.

Popularity: 19%

Let me start out by saying that I think there’s a Nintendo DS version of this game coming soon. Technabob reported this a few days ago, so I’m stoked. I hope to see this soon.

Viva Piñata is a fantastic family game that I think anybody would really enjoy playing. This game is not just for kids (and no jokes about the 25-year-old an loving kid games please). In this very colorful game you are given gardening tools and a small plot of land. Your simple task is to take this plot of land, and use your tools to make it a place that piñata animals would want to live.

In this game you get to put together different places to live, you can landscape your garden pretty easily, and you can grow and sell crops to make money to continue to grow your garden.

Pros:

• Very colorful an appealing graphics
• Very easy to understand instructions help you move along the game
• A very interesting and slightly detached story line helps keep you interested

Cons:

• The online play could have been better. It would be great to be able to visit other folks’ gardens on Xbox Live
• The piñata houses are rather large, so it’s kinda tricky to place them well
• It’s far too easy to accidentally hit characters and upset them, causing them to stay away
• We could a little more action in the game, it gets a bit tedious at times

The bottom line is that this game is pretty non-linear and fun to play. It could use a little more online play and it would be nice if it mixed it up a little more.

Popularity: 23%

So I have a question for the Xbox 360 game publishers. Why won’t you give gamers free downloads if we buy a game? Did you know that Nintendo at least gives you a discount on Nintendo Power if you register three games, would it kill you to give me a free game-related theme or gamer-picture? Or at least a freaking discount on one. Man.

And Microsoft, could you please give us a better way to demo gamer pictures and themes before we commit to buying them? I’m tired of dropping 150MP on a theme or gamer picture just to figure out that it sucks. The silly picture pack put out by those fellas that do Red vs. Blue really did suck. You let me try the games, but you don’t let me try the themes. No fun.

This has been a rant with manchicken.

Popularity: 11%

So you all are going to think that I’m all teenie-bopper on this, but I must confess my love for Xbox 360 faceplates. These little accessories really make the Xbox 360 fit in better with my living room, and since they’re so easily interchangeable, if I want to switch faceplates to match my current favorite game I can. More games should pick up on these.

Right now, I’m sporting this sweet woody one. They also have a few customizable faceplates that you can make designs for using your computer and your printer. I’ve also seen some for Forza Motorsport 2, Halo 3, and Viva Piñata. I’ve also seen some people with some decals for the sides of your Xbox 360.

Popularity: 15%

So, raise your hand if you’ve ever been blown away by a racing game. Now put your hand down if you’re normally a racing game fan. Please note that my hand is still up.

I am one of the people who has recently had their world seriously rocked by this incredible racing game. So let’s talk turkey about this game.

Pros:

• This game has the greatest in-game graphics I have ever seen, especially in a racing game. The wheels are actually round, the shading and lighting are realistic and intense.
• The suggestion line is a fantastic idea. I normally suck at racing games, so the suggestion line really helped.
• Everything is online. There are leaderboards, online races, and you can even upload all of your photos and videos.

Cons:

• The controls are a bit too sensitive, and I couldn’t figure out how to configure the sensitivity.
• A bit of a nitpick, but it would have been great if I could have kept the music playing while racing. They had some good stuff there.
• The website where it uploads all the info to requires Flash. I really wish Microsoft would stop using Flash for all their Xbox web interfaces.

The bottom line is that Forza Motorsport 2 has won me over to racing games.

Popularity: 9%

So some of you know that I’ve been digging Crackdown for a while now. This game has seriously captured my interest lately because of the diversity of gameplay.

In this game you can:

• Drive cars, SUVs, and trucks
• Jump from building to buildings, jumping around on rooftops
• Climb gigantic buildings
• Fire a variety of weapons including: rocket launchers, machine guns, pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, a harpoon gun, and a minigun
• Throw all sorts of objects, including: cinder blocks, street lights, cars, trucks, explosive gas tanks, and dumpsters
• Race in both cars in street races, and on foot in roof-top races
• Do everything I mentioned online as well as offline

This is one of the few games that I was sorely disappointed to finish. The ending was kinda cheesy, but the game was a lot of fun, and I really find myself wishing there was another game like it.

Pros:

• Lots of guns makes for lots of mayhem
• A large variety in cars to drive
• Agility skills allow for a much richer enjoyment of the game world
• Huge game world.
• This game keeps you up to date on what you’re supposed to do

Cons:

• Driving controls are a bit tricky
• Some very strange glitches
• The buildings don’t always let you grab on where it looks like you should be able to.
• The ending kinda sucks
• Annoying narrator doesn’t have enough phrases, so you hear a lot of repeats

The bottom line is that I’m sad this game is over, and it has most likely destroyed similar games–GTA and Saints Row–for me in the future.

Popularity: 19%