Review: Battlefield Hardline (PC)

Video games are an escape from reality. Where else can one explore strange new worlds and so on? Not only is it an escape from reality, it's an escape from consequence. Mow down a dozen (or more) mercenaries and it's no biggie -- you'll never be brought up on charges. It's fantasy, which makes it all the more confusing that Battlefield Hardline's main conceit feels so ridiculous. And most video games are ridiculous.

Review: Army of Two: Devil's Cartel (360)

The Army of Two formula is brilliantly simplistic: two jackasses with heavy weaponry wreak havoc against a nearly endless supply of enemies, with the typical jawing between the characters. It's a winning formula; it's simply fun and an entertaining game. The first two games worked it to perfection, but Devil's Cartel tries to stretch for more depth and falls flat on its face as a result.

Gone are the main characters Salem and Rios. Instead you get to control Alpha or Bravo. It's ironic that they chose characters abbreviated with A or B seeing as I couldn't be bothered to care about either of them.

Review: Dead Space 3 (PS3)

In his third foray against the Necromorphs created by the grotesquely human mutating and corpse reanimating Markers, engineer Isaac Clark is given a lot.

A lot of ammunition, a lot of health regenerators, a lot of parts to take advantage of the new weapons building technology, a lot of save points to save his progress throughout Dead Space 3. But for a world where ammo, weapons and health are plentiful, there is sure a lack of damn light. All this futuristic technology, why can't a guy get a high-powered flashlight around here?

Preview: Dead Space 3 (360, PC, PS3) UPDATE

After speaking with Dead Space 3 executive producer Steve Papoutsis, while he scarfed down some lunch, there are a few additional pieces of information about the game not previously covered in our preview.

I asked if Dead Space 3 rounded off the trilogy in any significant way; if this was the end of Isaac Clarke. Papoutsis noted that the Dead Space universe was filled in long before Clarke arrived on the scene. There were considerable resources put into creating an interesting universe and answering some of the bigger questions – What is Unitology? What’s a necromorph? What is the purpose of the Markers? – before focusing efforts on telling the personal story of the unluckiest engineer in the universe, Isaac Clarke.