Gears of War was clearly the standout title for the first generation of Xbox 360 games, and Gears of War 2 takes the formula completely over the top. The graphics and mechanics are so perfectly realized that anyone who likes a good shooter will have no reason not to enjoy it, and the eye candy is distinctively lurid and detailed.
Speaking of detail, Assassin’s Creed 2 makes a great case for sequels being better than the original — and I didn’t dislike the original. The graphics are frankly amazing, heavily inspired by historical reality, which helps the impressive physical engine to ground the more fantastic capabilities of the characters.
Still fairly fresh out of the gate, Batman: Arkham Asylum looked so good in production that I geared myself up for what I thought would be a bitter disappointment. Yet what we got was a furious and satisfying game for anyone, a double treat for Batman’s many comic and film fans (we haven’t had a lot of love for Batman games thus far), and a triple treat for anyone who likes a dark and sometimes spooky atmosphere (which makes it a slam-dunk for me!).
Though I’m very forgiving when it comes to horror games, I’ve never really warmed up to the Resident Evil series. Maybe it’s the horrible cameras, counter-intuitive controls, or near-total lack of anything resembling spookiness? Meh, I’ve seen worse…however, Resident Evil 5 barely even pretends to be a horror game, and actually ends up being a decent adventure-shooter after all. And hooray, a Resident Evil game with co-op mode (I’m sure plenty of people said that, anyway. I could care less…).
And then there’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (sounds like Rainbow beat Vegas by four points this time). Every time another Rainbow Six comes out, I say “oh no, another Rainbow Six.” Then I actually play the game and say “wow, that was actually really good.” So this time I just planned on playing it and liking it…and I was still surprised by how much it exceeded my expectations. Guess what? Your mission is to go somewhere and shoot some stuff along the way. Maybe save the world or something. Enjoy!