http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games RSS Feed for P-com Ent. Video Games en-us Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:45:14 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20100209_ap_review2kgamesrapturousreturntobioshock.html Rapture used to be a nice place to live. That is, if you didn't mind being at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And putting up with the occasional rants of its megalomaniacal founder, Andrew Ryan. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20100120_ap_reviewjetpacktaledarkvoidrunningonfumes.html The old-fashioned jetpack doesn't make much sense as a way to get around. Physics, gravity and the limitations of the human physique _ not to mention the potential threat of flaming buttocks _ have all conspired against the technology, which sci-fi geeks have been craving since the 1920s. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20100129_Picks_of_Coming_Video_Games.html Star Trek Online (PC) Cryptic Studios, Atari Games $49.99 ($14.99 monthly fee) There are no releases of console games worth much next week, and with good reason as Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, PC) and MAG (PS3) will be gorging on gamer's minds for a while. That leaves us with a couple of treats for PC players that, frankly, couldn't really be done on consoles, anyway. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20100129_Bare_Knuckles___Must_gamers_run_out_and_grab_an_iPad__Nah__don_t_bother.html By the time you read this, there will be plenty of information regarding the Apple iPad and its uses - how it will be a rival for e-book reader Kindle, provide new services for TV and film programming, open an additional revenue stream for magazines and newspapers, and offer the other usual amenities (e-mail, Web surfing, blah, blah). At $499. We will have to wait and see if the public considers this a "must have" device. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20090826_ap_reviewarkhamasylumisbatmanathisbest.html The video-game industry has defeated more superheroes than Lex Luthor could ever dream of. Superman, Aquaman, Iron Man, X-Men: All rendered lifeless by forces more focused on making a buck than on delivering thrills. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/20090813_ap_reviewmaddennfl10isfranchisesbestyet.html Football fans have grown accustomed to spending their Sundays in front of gigantic high-def TVs, and they can't just drop their visual expectations when the game goes virtual. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/Video-game_review_Punch-Out.html Every boxer from the original "Punch-Out" on NES returns except Mike Tyson, and the traditional high punch, low punch, dodge, block, and duck moveset is still in place. As you progress through the roster of rivals, the difficulty ramps up at an even pace (OK, Glass Joe is still tremendously easy). http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/Video-game_review_Excitebots_Trick_racing.html For all the credit "Wii Sports" garners as the Wii's gateway drug, perhaps no Nintendo-branded game better demonstrates the benefits of motion controls than "Excite Truck," which launched on the same day and aptly set itself apart from other racing games in ways no non-Wii game ever could. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/Game_review_MLB_09_The_Show.html Springtime -- when a young man's fancy turns to steroid scandals. It's March and that can only mean one thing (other than the NCAA basketball tournament, of course): Yup, it's baseball season. For the last few years Sony's MLB series has owned the spring -- and the entire baseball season -- as far as gamers have been concerned. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/video_games/Video-game_review_Gears_of_War_2.html "Gears of War 2" gives every impression that the designers at Epic sat down with a huge pile of money and a list of everything that could be improved from the first game, and spent all those dollars addressing that list.