1. Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard - This game made me laugh. A lot. By and large it's nothing but a third person shooter with a clunky cover mechanic and some semi-decent gunplay. Where Eat Lead shines however is not through some intuitive controls scheme or revolutionary spin on the shooting genre. Eat Lead is fun, because the entirety of it's story is just one big parody of every video game cliche` born ever the last twenty some years. The game is rife with load screens which say things like, "Tip: A helpful hint", and instances of the titular Matt Hazard breaking the fourth wall. Characters like the Master Chef from, "Crown of Light", and Alto Stratus from the "Penultimate Illusion games" are sure to appeal to any hardcore gamer's sense of humor. Eat Lead doesn't take itself too seriously, and this is a good thing, because without the laughs and video game in-jokes, it would probably be nothing but a mediocre TPS not worth mentioning. The gameplay is solid enough to play through it one time, but probably won't hold a lot of replay value for fans of games like Gears of War. Oh, and for Achievement hounds (we are of course talking 360 version) the game is generous; I scored 845 points out of a thousand on my first playthrough.
2. Halo Wars – I’ve been a fan of Ensemble Studios for years. I’ve been a fan of the Halo franchise for years. So when I heard that Microsoft was putting the two together, I was excited to say the least. I can’t complain about much with this game; it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It’s a solid RTS, with all the qualities that make games of this genre so engrossing. Combat is emphasized over resource farming, and while some hardcore RTS players may be disappointed by this, it works considerably well when one takes into account the limitations of a controller-based scheme versus a mouse and keyboard. The controls themselves are pretty solid, and while they will take some getting used to, you’ll find yourself mastering them before you complete the fifteen-mission campaign. The complete Halo experience is here – menu screens which are overlaid with a deep, translucent blue, behind which pre-renders play in a loop. The story is epic and its outcome will, once again, decide the fate of humanity (it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how it ends, as this DOES take place twenty years before Combat Evolved). There are hidden Skulls which, once unlocked, will reward (or punish) the player with optional game-altering effects. Everything from removing the player’s radar to the beloved Grunt Birthday party can be unlocked by claiming the appropriate skulls. The game is jam packed with all the weapons, characters, troop classes and vehicles that fans of the Halo franchise have come to love. The UNSC has Scorpions, Pelicans, Warthogs, Marines and (of course) Spartans at its disposal. The Covenant is equipped with everything from Grunts, Elites and Hunters to Brute Choppers, Banshees, and even the dreaded Scarab. Both factions are also given new units and troop classes, never before seen in the Halo timeline. The new additions mesh nicely with the rest of the mythos, and the player really feels like they’ve been a part of the universe all along; Master Chief just never happened across them. Overall, this is a great game for Halo and RTS fans (a claim that no other game can possibly make). And if you happen to be a fan of both, then you’re bound to enjoy yourself. Replayability is high, with several options for online multiplayer and plenty of incentives to warrant multiple Campaign playthroughs. Achievements are about average in terms of difficulty – one playthrough on Normal difficulty yields about 400 points, and experimenting with the Skirmish and Online modes will bump you up to about 500.
3. Race to Witch Mountain - I really don't have much to say about this movie. I mean, it was good. Good for kids, good for adults. Just a good movie. Not fantastic, not crappy. Dwayne Johnson gives a solid, competent performance, as one might expect. The two child actors play their parts extremely well (I don't know their names), and the token love interest/scientist played by Carla Gugino fits her archetype. The special effects are solid (except the bullet-time sequence, where I said out loud, "Are you kidding me?") and the story works. I've never seen the original or its sequel, so I really can't say much about whether or not this remake is faithful to the source material. Overall this film is worth a watch, but you won't be too bad off it you wait for a DVD release and give it a rent.
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