Rambling Review: Food Network Cook or Be Cooked for the Wii

Summery: This sounds like a cool idea; a game that teaches you how to cook mixed with the Wii's motion controls! Sadly, it comes out a little under-cooked, bland, and too far from actual cooking to be from a network dedicated to the art of creating food dishes.

There's a few of these cooking games out on the market now. America's Test Kitchen has one for the Nintendo DS, and Personal Trainer: Cooking, plus more (really, the DS is apparently THE PLATFORM to use video games to teach cooking techniques). Apparently these video games are becoming a bit of a trend, like fitness video games. Still, I hadn't played any of them prior to discovering Food Network's Cook or Be Cooked game. My first thoughts were "Damn, that sounds like fun; an actual game with motion controls that let me really chop the ingredients, stir the pots, and all the other items, plus it includes recipes!" We put it into our Game Queue at GameFly and recently had it delivered to our door.

The Story Behind the Game: Food Network personalities magically come through your TV and then WON'T GO AWAY.

Of course, these aren't the Food Network personalities we might WANT to see. I can think of a variety of personalities that I'd love to have magically walk through my TV and help me cook. Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, Guy Fieri, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence... I'd love one on one lessons from any of them! And for the fun of a video game, who could top Alton Brown, the guy who figured out how to make an instructional cooking show into something like Bill Nye The Science Guy?

Instead, we get Susie Fogelson and Mory Thomas. Wondering who they are? Well, why wouldn't you? Susie Fogelson is basically in charge of product marketing for the Food Network (I'm sure its more complicated than that, and I know her position is VERY important for the Network). Basically, she helps those Food Network Stars get their cookbooks, knife sets, special pots and pans, etc out on the market. She's also part of the selection committee from The Next Food Network Star show; so if you're not a fan of that, you've never heard of her. Mory Thomas? He's a chef in the Food Network Kitchens... and I only know this because of the product description! In other words, he's not a name I recognize or care about.

Now, I understand Ms.. Fogelson being in the game, at least kind of. Food Network-philes were probably considered the target audience for the game, and such people have probably watched AT LEAST one season of The Next Food Network Star, and her role in that show does give her experience judging food... but frankly, she's a corporate suit (as far as I know), so hearing her comment over how fast I chopped the garlic is meaningless to me. And Mory Thomas... I can only assume that the big names (and little) for the network assumed the game would bomb and didn't want their names associated with it, so they stuck, essentially, a nobody in the role. The only problem is, THE NOBODY IS THE ONE GIVING ME MY RECIPES FOR THE GAME.

Gameplay: You chop, you peel, you stir, you preheat... all with the Wii remote!

The game does what it sets out to do. You're given a number of meals to prepare for Susie and Mory to taste and judge. You are scored based on how fast you accomplish your goals, how warm the dishes are when they're served, etc. Various mini-games walk you through the steps of preparing whatever dish you're  working on, and an on-screen display shows the motion you're supposed to use with the Wii remote to accomplish all this. For example, you use a chopping motion with the remote to make the on-screen knife chop the ingredient, stir with the remote, and make flipping motions to use tongs or spatulas. That part's not bad.

The game ALSO requires you to have the nunchuk plugged in. Why? Well, to be honest, BECAUSE THEY DAMN WELL WANTED IT TO. Seriously. There is no function they used the nunchuk for that could not have been used with just the Wii remote. You wave the nunchuk frequently to pull an ingredient out... but they could have just had you wave the Wii remote (or nothing at all, since the FREQUENTLY DON'T REQUIRE YOU TO WAVE ANYTHING). You can press the Z-button to speed up time, but there are plenty of buttons not used on the Wii Remote that could have served this purpose (like the 1 or 2 button). And then at some points the randomly switch into a rhythm-based mini-game where you wave the Wii remote or nunchuk as a topping falls from the top of the screen into a box... which feels more like it belongs on one of the Wii Fit's mini-games!

Scoring is... strange as well. The game won't teach you proper technique for cutting or, well, much of anything. If you didn't know how to smash garlic before you might pick up that trick, or maybe a fast way to dice onions, but Food Network-philes have seen these tricks hundreds of times before. Oddly enough, the game NEVER wants you to de-seed a jalapeno; but magically, only the "pepper" portion of the jalapeno ends up in the bowl. So despite the fact that you aren't learning proper technique you ARE scored based on how fast you chop, whether you hit a target area for pouring or shaking a salt shaker, etc. It's nit-picking, and not helpful to the game's premise of helping teach you the recipes (I don't HAVE to chop that fast to make my food taste good, dammit!). After an element of your dish is finished a meter appears to let you know how warm it is; the longer you take to finish the other parts, the colder that element will be. Hot elements get you a lot of points, warm will get you some points, and cold elements deduct points.

Once you've gotten scored the virtual Susie and Mory will "taste" your food and then comment on it. And frankly, the comments are annoying. They'll award you a Bronze, Silver, or Gold medal (or announce that you've been cooked). You can scroll through the dishes to see what your scores were in each section, but would have been nice was advice to help make the dish better next time (for example, "You need to start your cous cous a little later so it will be warm when you serve the plate", or something like that). And some of the comments are bizarre. If you earn a Bronze, Mory will often say "It's a good thing I'm hungry," a comment that I take to mean that the meal is not good at all, but apparently I still earned enough to get a damn medal!

You can also review individual recipes. This sounds like a great idea "hey, that tuna dish sounded good, how do I make that in real life?" Only there's a problem. Like not including the quantities of ANY ingredient in the recipe kind of problem. Seriously, how can you claim to provide me with recipes if you don't include any quantities?

Combat: If only!

I mean, I have knives, skillets, there are annoying people I want to hit... motion-sensitive controllers.... wait, am I going too far here?

Conclusion: Food Network Cooked or Be Cooked is cold... and I want to warm it back up by putting the disc in my microwave.

Honestly, as my first exposure to cooking games... I hope this isn't the norm. It's a neat idea, at first. It sounds cool, we've got the controllers to let me feel like I'm chopping... but after a few dishes the shine has worn off, and I'm wanting to take a skillet to the virtual "personalities" (who I don't care about) who dare to criticize my "cooking". If Food Network wanted to try another cooking game I'd be open to trying it... but only if I actually had REAL Food Network personalities involved, and if the mini-games were toned down. I'm going to give this one a 2/5 score... and the only reason it isn't a 1 out of 5 is because I think they could build from this and make a good Food Network Cook or Be Cooked 2.

End of Demented Rambling.

Rambling Review: Alan Wake for the Xbox 360!

ALAN WAKE


(Game Trailer)


Summery: This game was a lot of fun, despite repetitive gameplay.

I was eagerly excited for the release of Alan Wake for the Xbox 360. A video game where you play a best-selling author in a horror story, with inspirations from Twin Peaks? How could I not be excited? I watched all of the promotional material I could find, including the 6-part web series Bright Falls released as a prelude to the game. I was a little upset that I didn't get a copy sent to me right away (which is why this Rambling Review is showing up so late to the game), but that's what happens sometimes with new releases and GameFly.

The Story Behind the Game: Famous writer tries to rescue wife from a supernatural entity.

The main character of the game is, unsurprisingly, Alan Wake, a fictional best-selling author known for his series of crime novels. In his last book Wake killed off the main character of his series so he could move on to something new (Reminds me of ABC's Castle), but is stuck in a rut and hasn't written so much as a page in two years. In fact, he gets furious at anyone who tries to stick him in front of a typewriter. To get away from everyone (including his best friend, and agent, Barry), Alan and his wife, Alice, decide to go on vacation to a secluded town called Bright Falls. They're renting a cabin for a couple of weeks, just in time for Bright Falls' famous "Deer-fest".

Alan and Alice arrive in Bright Falls via ferry and drive out to their cabin on an island in the middle of a prominent local water feature: Cauldron Lake. It seems like things are going to be nice and quiet for the couple. We learn that Alice is terrified of the dark, something Wake seems more than willing to help her out with whenever she freaks out. Unfortunately, Alice had an ulterior motive for getting Alan to Bright Falls; she's hoping the vacation will recharge his creative batteries, and if that fails there happens to be a treatment center for creative artists where she wants Alan to seek treatment.

Alan discovers all of this, and we discover that Alan has a temper. A bad one. He storms out on Alice, but doesn't get very far before all the lights go out in the cabin, and Alice starts screaming for help. Alan races back to help her, only to discover that Alice has somehow been pulled into the lake. Alan leaps in after her...

... and wakes up in his wrecked car, a week later. Now he has to find out what happened to Alice, to his missing week, and why he keeps finding pages of one of his manuscripts that he doesn't remember reading... and that seem disturbingly prophetic.

I like the story for this game. I was excited for the game due to the back story prior to the game's release, and the rest of the story revealed throughout the game continued to interest me the whole time. The game's resolution is satisfyingly ambiguous; you have a good idea of what happened, but there's plenty of room left for a sequel. And I want a sequel, even if Alan Wake isn't actually the main character (though I'm not sure how you'd continue the naming trend for the franchise if the main character isn't Wake).

The game is divided into six easily-digested "episodes" that make it almost feel like a television episode. The beginning of each episode recaps the "game thus far" in a "Last Time, on Alan Wake"-style narration. This makes it very easy to finish an episode, move on to some other task you need to get done in your day, and come back later to pick up where you left off without losing your place in the storyline.

Gameplay: The game is a third-person shooter that focuses on using light to weaken enemies before you finish them off with a weapon.

Alan Wake places a lot of emphasis on light and darkness, particularly since the game's "Big Bad" is called The Dark Presence. Wake needs to make use of a flash light to weaken his enemies so he can the kill them with either a revolver, shotgun, or hunting rifle. Wake can also use a flare gun to take out multiple enemies at once (though stronger enemies will survive this attack), road flares to keep his foes at bay, and flashbang grenades to take care of those pesky mobs that try to overwhelm him.

The controls are set up nicely on the Xbox 360 controller. Movement and camera control are the standard left-stick and right-stick (respectively). You can select different weapons using the direction pad. Shotguns and Hunting Rifles both use the Up button, so you can only carry one of them at a time (nice that they didn't make the writer into Rambo). You shoot any gun-like weapon with the right trigger, and you throw a road flare or flashbang with the right bumper (you select which one using the down button on the direction pad). The player can reload Wake's weapons by pressing the X button (pressing it repeatedly will speed-up the reloading process), jump with the A button, and interact with most things using the B button. Wake's flashlight is always on (when he has one!), so all you need to do is aim it to start weakening your foes, but it works better if you "focus" the beam by holding down the left trigger. Focusing the flashlight drains batteries, however, but they'll slowly recharge over time, or you can put new ones in by pressing the Y button. The left bumper lets Wake run or dodge attacks.

Most of the gameplay is exploration mixed with combat. There's a little bit of platforming in the game, and some instances where Wake is driving a vehicle. To my surprise, the driving sections are fun, rather than the usual torture I find most driving sections in games where the driving isn't the main focus.

When Wake isn't fighting his enemies he'll want to keep an eye out for manuscript pages. These pages gives the player a "sneak preview" of either an upcoming event, or gives further insight into a character's motives. The pages are presented as type-written pages from a manuscript (you know, the exact things they're supposed to be), but Wake will read them out loud for those players who don't like reading during their games. Personally, I read faster than the audio, so I normally read them really quick and exited from them before the audio was done playing. They aren't long at all (in fact, I would hazard to say that NO ONE would actually write a story in that kind of format, but their purpose is to be self-contained, not a continuous document).

Wake can also find coffee thermoses hidden all over the place (finding them helps unlock achievements, but have no effect on gameplay), radios that let you listen in on the local radio station (providing you with some more of that lovely "local flavor" in Bright Falls), and find televisions that play episodes of "Night Springs", a Twilight Zone-esque short film with HORRID video-audio synch that are amusing when you want to take a break. Secret caches of supplies are hidden throughout the game, revealed only by the photosensitive paint that leads Wake to them.

Combat: You're going to do this OVER and OVER and OVER, but it's fun, so you won't complain!

The basic enemy of the game is called The Taken; a citizen of Bright Falls who has been possessed by the Dark Presence, and is now covered in Darkness to make him invulnerable. Wake can weaken The Taken by using his flashlight to dispel the Darkness protecting them, but they're still under the mental domination of the Dark Presence and need to be put down with a weapon. You will fight hundreds, if not thousands, of these enemies, with the same basic formula: 1. Focus the flashlight beam on The Taken until the Darkness is dispelled, 2. Blow it away with a weapon! It could get boring, but the game manages to keep it fresh. Some of The Taken are stronger than others and can survive multiple shots, and some can move with supernatural speed so you can barely see them as they move. The game likes to swarm you with Taken, providing higher-powered lamps to help you deal with them, or gas tanks to explode. Large areas of light (like under a lamp post) can be safe havens from your enemies.

Alan Wake also pits you against flocks of possessed birds that you fight primarily with your flash light (they're weak enough that you don't need the guns, but the flare gun can normally kill almost the whole flock). If the birds and The Taken aren't enough for you, the Dark Presence can also possess physical objects (like oil barrels) and throw them at Wake, or even vehicles (like bulldozers!) to try and flatten Wake. Like the birds, Wake just needs to use his flashlight against these possessed objects, but the game will throw in some Taken from time to time to keep things from being too easy!

Weaknesses: Not everything is perfect.

Sometimes the game throws some problems. The character animations aren't the best, with facial expressions seeming flat at times. As mentioned before, the video-audio synch on the Night Springs episodes are HORRIBLE, but I suspect this was on purpose. The most annoying part of the game, for me, was that there were times when Wake decides to ditch his gear for NO GOOD REASON. I lose my gear in a car wreck? No problem. I switch to a new episode with just the basic flashlight and now weapons? KEEP THE HEAVY-DUTY LAMP AND THE SHOTGUN YOU MORON!!!!

Seriously, for a character who KNOWS that supernatural entities are going to try to kill him as soon as the lights go out, Wake is oddly idiotic at times.

Conclusion: It's good!

In conclusion, Alan Wake was a LOT of fun. I enjoyed the storyline to the very end, and I'm looking forward to a sequel without feeling cheated by not having a clean "ending" to the game's story. The combat is repetitive, but still fun so I can forgive it, and the various little bits like the Night Springs episodes hidden throughout the game give the whole thing great flavor. Rating this game I give the story a 4/5 and the gameplay a 3/5 (lower only because of all the repetition).

End of Demented Rambling.

Dragon Age: Origins Has Taken My Soul

Ok, the title may be a TAD melodramatic. But it's not far wrong...

I am currently on my 4th time playing through the game... in a row... with no other game in between (excepting Sims 3 on occasion, but that's also WHILE I'm playing Dragon Age). This is unusual for me; normally I need to play something else before I can go back to a game. Take it as a warning: Dragon Age: Origins is a good game that is highly addictive.

Bioware has a long history of excellent roleplaying games. Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect... when Bioware comes out with an RPG, you can expect quality, and Dragon Age: Origins is no exception. While the majority of their previous work was set in settings from either Star Wars or licensed Dungeons & Dragons campaign worlds, Dragon Age takes place in a completely new world called Thedas, specifically in the nation of Ferelden. The game's writers have taken the time to come up with a compelling setting and include considerable detail for the players to enjoy.

The storyline is simple. The Maker created Thedas and the Fade (a place where mortals go when they dream or die, inhabited by both benign and malevolent spirits). In the center of the Fade was the Golden City, where The Maker dwelt until he turned his back on the world out of anger at mankind's sin of worshiping other gods (which may have simply been ancient and powerful dragons; the histories of the setting allow for either possibility). Before he left, the Maker banished these seven gods deep beneath the Earth, below even where the dwarves dwelt, leaving them to slumber. This didn't stop Dumas, the greatest of these gods/dragons, from communicating with the mage-ruled Tervinter Imperium and convincing them to travel into the Fade, find the Golden City, and attempt to usurp the Maker's power. The mages found the Golden City, but upon entering it the Maker spoke one last time, condemning them for tainting the Golden City with their sin. The Golden City turned black, and the mages were twisted into a new creature, the Dark Spawn.

The Dark Spawn returned to the world and hid beneath the earth. Their numbers swelled and they searched for the old gods deep below, all the while fighting the dwarves for control of the depths. Finally the Dark Spawn found Dumas' slumbering form and their taint corrupted the ancient god/dragon, turning it into a new creature: The Archdemon. The Archdemon led the hordes of the Dark Spawn into a Blight that threatened to consume all of Thedas. The dwarven empire was almost overrun, reduced to two main cities. The Blight swarmed above ground and nearly destroyed humanity. The Dark Spawn took prisoners (whether the prisoners were consumed as food or corrupted into new Dark Spawn remained unknown), and even when defeated their blood carried their taint and sickened any who came into contact with, twisting or killing them. All seemed lost until a new group appeared: The Grey Wardens, a collection of Humans, Dwarves, and Elves who had mastered the Taint and gained not only the power to sense the Dark Spawn (and also be sensed by them), but also the power to kill the immortal Archdemon and end the Blight.

The Grey Wardens fulfilled their task and ended the first Blight, but they were unable to eradicate the Dark Spawn. The Dark Spawn retreated back below the earth where only the dwarves needed to face them (indeed, the surface thought they had been destroyed). Again the Dark Spawn searched and found another ancient god, creating a new Archdemon and beginning a second Blight. Again the Blight rose to the surface, and again the Grey Wardens put a stop to it. There have been four Blights since the beginning, and each time the Grey Wardens have destroyed the Archdemon and sent the Dark Spawn into a retreat to the depths of the planet.

Dragon Age: Origins takes place during a new Blight, one that has yet to be fully realized. You play a new recruit to the Grey Wardens who is quickly thrust into the role of defending all of Thedas from the Blight. What type of character you play is up to you. Dragon Age offers several options for character creation. You can choose to play either a human, elf, or dwarf, gaining bonuses to your starting attributes based on the race you select and a couple options of what origin you want for your character. After race you select class, which will define what abilities you gain throughout the game. You may play either a Warrior, Rogue, or Mage; you select different Talents to enable to new abilities to provide some customization to these classes. Later in the game you can select one or two specializations to further customize your character's abilities. After you choose your class you need to select an origin, limited by both class and race and affecting how the game begins for you.

The origins available are nice, but seem limited in number. You may choose either the Mage Origin (all Mages MUST select this origin), Human Noble, City Elf, Dhalish Elf, Dwarf Noble, or Dwarf Commoner. It's a nice number of origins, and certainly having unique play experiences put a limit on the practical number of origins Bioware could include, but it still feels oddly lacking. Why can't you play a human commoner? Why can you only be from two of the multiple dwarven castes? It wouldn't feel so jarring if humans had a choice between the Mage and the Noble origins. Still, of the four origins I've played, each of them have been interesting and fun to play through, and have provided a different perspective on the game each time.

The controls for the Xbox 360 version of the game are simple. You have a basic attack button, as well as 6 "hotkey" slots that you can fill with Talents or Items you commonly use. A radial menu can be accessed mid-combat, pausing the game and allowing you to choose from all options and items. Targeting an enemy is done with the d-pad, and you can cycle through your party members to issue commands, or use the Tactics option to direct the computer on how you want the party member to act while you aren't in control. The allows the player to keep the action focused on one character at a time, while still making certain the other party members are acting the way you would want them to.

As you progress through the game you interact with a large number of NPCs, including the companions who make up your party. Conversations have a large impact on the game, as do certain choices or actions. You can gain and lose companions based on your decisions. In one play through, I chose to work with cult so I could gain access to a specialization they offered to teach me. My actions infuriated one party member so much that she left my party permanently. In another game, one comment turned a potential party member against me and I had to fight her to the death (also preventing me from adding her to the party). So while in the game be careful what you say and do; your actions have consequences.

There are multiple endings to achieve in the game, and the overall storyline is excellent. Bioware has also committed to releasing download content which expands the game as you play. Two downloadable missions were available on release and a third was in the works (and may even be released by now). Your origin affects the rest of the game. You will encounter characters from your origin later on, becoming either your enemy or ally. All of this allows for high replay value from Dragon Age: Origins.

I've enjoyed this game considerably, and I'm looking forward to completing it (again) and going through yet another new origin. I haven't had the opportunity to get any of the downloadable content yet, but I hope to try it soon. If you haven't had the chance to play this game yet, and you enjoy RPGs (especially Bioware's past offerings), I highly recommend checking out Dragon Age: Origins, available for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

(ok... where's my money for talking nice about the game? just kidding folks... I meant every word!)

End of Demented Rambling.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot Review (Xbox 360 version)

I've just completed Condemned 2: Bloodshot for the Xbox 360. The original Condemned was the first game I purchased when I got my 360, and I really enjoyed it. It seemed a little short, but all games that we love seem too short. The ending for the original Condemned left me confused, so when I heard that a sequal was planned I was excited for it. Bloodshot didn't disappoint.

You take the role of the same character from Condemned, but rather than being an SCU agent right off the bat you're drunk. Drunk and halucinating. The tutorial stage has you chasing after a halucintion of Ethan Van Horn, the mysterious old man from the first game who helped you out. You get some quick training in combat basics and get plenty of opportunity to explore the environment. After this stage you team back up with SCU, who are looking for the real Van Horn. When the investigation reveals that Van Horn's nephew, the serial killer called SKX from the first game is possibly still around, you start hunting him. This hunt leads you into a deeper conspiracy that goes through the ranks of SCU, the city government, and even into the ranks of national leaders.

Combat is simple on the most basic levels. The right and left triggers allow you to throw a punch with the corresponding fist when you are unarmed. Picking up one of the plentiful weapons let you swing in the corresponding direction, and the right trigger fires any guns you might pick up while the left trigger steadies your aim. Also of use in combat is the ability to kick by pressing the right thumbstick button. Kicking doesn't do much damage, but it can push your opponent back for a moment, giving you the opportunity to land a punch. The left shoulder button lets you charge, and you can deliver an elbow to an opponent's face. The right shoulder button throws whatever object you're holding, and throwing a weapon at a foe's legs can trip them up, giving you yet another opportunity for an attack. Pressing both the trigger buttons at the same time lets you block and opponent's attacks. Time it just right, and you'll make the attacker stagger, giving you - you guessed it - another opportunity to start landing attacks of your own.

Added complexity to combat comes in the form of combos and environmental kills. Combos are a string of attacks that give you a multiplier to your damage, letting you finish a foe more quickly. They range from simple left, right, left to combos that require you to parry and then start hitting. Combos also earn you charged attacks which start a slow-motion sequence of attacks that devestate your opponents. At their highest level you end these attacks by snapping an opponent's neck. When an opponent is down on their knees you can finish them off by dragging them over to objects in the area and perform multiple different finsihing moves. These areas are clearly marked by white skulls visible only while you're dragging your stunned opponent, and the finishing moves are fun to execute.

All of these factors make combat fun, though fighting multiple oppoenents can require some work. Later levels require more use of firearms, something that I don't think game handles quite as well, but in a pinch you can always chuck that empty automatic rifle at your opponent, bum rush him, and then unleash a combo on him ending with an environmental kill or a charged attack. And then you can pick up his gun and keep on dishing out bullets.

The game has more going for it than just slaughtering enemies. There's some faux-forensics work to be done, requiring you to use your evidence kit to examine crime scenes and find clues. Your kit includes a GPS unit that doubles as a communications device, a UV light to help find blood spatters and trails, a spectrometer that can identify odd sonic vibrations in the air (and apparently traces of formaldahyde as well), and a digital camera. Once you've entered a crime scene you'll be directed by Rosa, you partner in the forensics lab, on what to look for first. You'll then get a series of choices to choose from, allowing you to identify evidence. For example, if Rosa wants you to try and identify a victim, you might start by identifying that he's male (getting the choice of either male or female), his age (chosen from things like adolescent, adult, elder), the clothes the victim is wearing, and any other features. After you've chosen all the evidence the game wants you submit it to Rosa, and the game informs you how well you did by rating you as poor, good, or perfect. Getting a bad rating doesn't stop the game from progressing, as Rosa normally finds your mistakes and helps you move along. The forensics work puts a nice touch to the game, harkening back to the original Condemned, and really helped me to feel like the main character was actually a trained SCU agent.

The storyline is about average. It verges into the scifi in what seems like a departure from the more realistic original game, though the storyline makes the more fantastic elements of the original Condemned make more sense. You interact with a number of other characters and a "response system" is implemented, requiring you to press the A button within a certain period of time to react to an event or statement. They could have left this part out, but at least it's something. Most of the story is told through cut scenes that take place between the different levels. When you beat the game make sure you wait through the credits, or you'll feel letdown by the last sequence. They've definitely left room for a sequel.

The downside of the game is that things can sometimes be hard to make out. For example, while being asked to identify a body by looking at the victims wallet, I couldn't actually make out the name on the ID because there was too much light reflecting off the wallet. The graphics are otherwise very good, but when you do run into this problem it can be quite frustrating. The game also has a few sequences where you are chased by something too tough for you to fight. For example, a killer bear. These sequences are frustrating, not in the least because if you do something wrong you're dead. No chance to escape again, just dead. Still, the game doesn't penalize you (at least that I could tell) for dying, so you have plenty of opportunities to get things right.

Overall, Condemned 2: Bloodshot for the Xbox 360 does a lot of things right. The hand to hand combat is some of the best I've played, and the forensics element of the game helps keep things from becoming a non-stop slugfest. The story is of average quality, and may seem a little "out there" compared to most of the original Condemned's story, but it did make the ending of the first game make sense and served to create a setup for a sequel that I can look forward to. Finally, a few areas where it can be hard to make out parts of evidence or sequences that are either "make-the-right-decision-or-die" detract from the game, but the game forgives your mistakes enough to keep on playing.

Ultimately the game made me want to keep playing it through to the end, and I had fun doing so. What more can you really ask from a game? 4 out of 5 stars ****.

End of Demented Rambling.