Stories by: Tae K. Kim

It was interesting to see the fan reaction to the pre-launch marketing push for Dead Space 2; the universal sentiment surrounding the trailers and first-look screenshots seemed to be, "It doesn't look as scary as the first one," and that apparently was just about the worst possible thing that could happen.

The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa sits in the tiny town of Ojai about two hours north of downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1923, it features a full 18-hole golf course, a luxury spa, and 308 deluxe suites situated on a 200 acre plot with picaresque views of the surrounding forest and mountains.

What's most bizarre about Bloodstone is that it was developed by Bizarre Creations, a developer best known for its Project Gotham Racing series and the recently released Blur (not to mention the addictive Geometry Wars). You'd think with that pedigree, Bloodstone would feature solid driving segments, but not only is the majority of the game focused on third-person cover-based shooting, the few vehicle based segments are mediocre at best.

The video game console controller has seen countless iterations and evolutions, but perhaps none more notable or influential than the Nintendo Entertainment Console's iconic grey, black, and red controller.

It's difficult--maybe the better word here is impossible--to talk about the new Medal of Honor without mentioning the Modern Warfare series. Producer Greg Goodrich did an admirable job of it at a recent press event, referring to the game's depiction of "today's war" and "today's soldiers," but that bit of coy synonymical manipulation doesn't hide the fact that Medal of Honor is trying to conquer territory Activision has already planted its flag in.

If you are intending to play Metroid: Other M, do not make the mistake of expecting it to recapture the 2D glory days of the original Metroid and, the title that I consider to be the series' high point, Super Metroid. You will walk away disappointed because Other M doesn't hew to the classic formula as closely as you might want. But go in with an open mind and you'll be rewarded with a worthwhile action experience that smoothly incorporates the 2D platforming of the previously mentioned classics with the 3D, first-person shooter elements featured in the Prime series. Team Ninja and Nintendo's internal design team, Project M, did a great job of giving Other M its own sense of personality and it results is an action oriented title that helps, rather than hurts, the franchise's mostly sterling reputation.

For the sake of full disclosure, I'm going to own up to two things right off the bat: I didn't play much of the first Kane & Lynch and, due to a variety of factors, I ended up beating Dog Days over a long weekend.

I'm not a big fan of simulation racing franchises like Gran Turismo and Forza because they require too much finesse and skill. I recognise the technical and aesthetic beauty of perfectly recreated autos as well as the thrill that comes from expertly navigating an S-curve, but all I want to do is sit back in the cockpit of an exotic sports car and mash the gas pedal with little thought to the rules of the road.

I like puzzle games a lot, even the ones I'm not particularly great at, because they're more methodical and slow-paced than action heavy games. They require the same set of skills -- precision, reflexes, spatial and logical reasoning, etc. -- but the pace is far more manageable and it's nice to turn down the volume on the twitch muscles and rely on the old noggin once in a while.

I'll be honest with you -- I didn't want to review Dead to Rights: Retribution. I was forced to bring the game home one weekend due to tight deadlines, and I didn't relish the idea of spending my down time playing through a generic action title with more balls than brains.