playNICE
SPEAK, SEE, HEAR NO EVIL
BY ADAM VOLK
Borderlands 2
Publisher 2K Games | Developer Gearbox Software Platforms PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 With its cartoony visuals, judicious potty humor and blood-spattered first-person violence, Borderlands was a sleeper hit when it launched in 2009. Now, the sequel has arrived offering even more trigger happy carnage. Players once again find themselves on the planet Pandora, a sprawling world which is part Mad Max, part Man With No Name. You’ll wander post-apocalyptic deserts, glaciers and fields as you battle mutants, psychopaths and monsters. Like its predecessor, you can customize your character’s abilities and pick up a slew of items along the way.
The game is really all about finding bigger and better guns, taking on insane missions and exploring the world around you. If you choose to go it alone there’s plenty of gameplay to be had. Where Borderlands 2 stands out, however, is in its multiplayer. The previous two-player split screen option is available, but a new four player option is a blast, both literally and figuratively, as you and your comrades-in-arms blow apart literally everything in your path. Borderlands 2 isn’t the most cerebral or original game you’ll ever play, but it’s also one first-person shooter dripping with blood, guts and fun.
NHL 13
Publisher EA sports | Developer EA Canada Platforms PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Everyone knows that thirteen is an unlucky number. Case in point: the release of NHL 13 occurred only a week before the NHL actually went on strike, meaning that there will be no hockey this year. Okay, so that might not mean much to the good people of Beirut, but here in the land of ice and snow it’s a national tragedy. Fortunately, NHL 13 just happens to be an impressive enough game to tide hockey fans over until 2014 - not to mention being the perfect jumping on point for gamers who don’t know their
Detroit Red Wings from their Ottawa Senators. The latest installment in the popular series is all about realism, not only in terms of its amped up visuals, but also with its new True Performance Skating system, which offers new realistic physics and over 1,000 new animations. The game also includes some refined AI, with more realistic responses from both your own players and the opposing team. NHL 13 might not be the luckiest game, but it’s still a solid win for both veteran puckheads and hockey virgins alike.
Mikey Shorts
Publisher / Developer BeaverTap Games Platforms iOS (iPhone and iPad) When it comes to side-scrolling jumping games (also known as platformers) Super Mario Bros. is the undisputed king. Enter Mikey Shorts, a game that doesn’t quite surpass everyone’s favorite pipejumping Italian plumbers, but comes pretty damn close. In the game you play as Mikey, a short-wearing, down-on-his-luck kid. Your goal is to explore a series of strange worlds, where you’ll collect coins, battle robots and rescue people who have been turned into statues. It’s a simple premise, with only four buttons: left, right, jump and slide. Yet like Su-
per Mario Bros. the game is incredibly addictive, rating you on how quickly you can speed through each level and getting progressively more difficult as you go along. There’s also the inclusion of a Challenge Mode, which offers a series of unique button-mashing extras, and you can customize Mikey with over 140 different clothing items which you purchase with the coins you’ve earned (refreshingly, the game doesn’t ever ask you to spend real-world currency to pick up extra swag). The end result is a game that offers Super Mario Bros. style fun for an iPhone generation.
Torchlight II
Publisher Perfect World, Steam | Developer Runic Games Platforms PC If there’s one thing that gamers love, it’s a good dungeon crawl. Fortunately, Torchlight 2 has enough dungeons, monsters, treasure and magic to keep even the most hardcore role-playing fan wallowing in their own geekiness. The followup to 2009’s Torchlight, the sequel once again puts players into randomly generated dungeons. Players can then create their own character, choosing a race, sex, class and abilities, with the option to also customize their appearance. The game ups the ante, however, by now including overland areas which include towns, as well as night and day cycles and weather effects. Where 118 | R A G M A G | www.ragmag.co
Torchlight 2 truly shines, however, is in new co-op mode which supports up to six players online. Here, the game is pure multiplayer bliss as you battle monsters, gather loot and explore a literally endless number of dungeons. What’s more, Torchlight 2 includes the option to create custom levels, meaning that there’s plenty of player-generated content headed our way. Throw in a solid storyline and polished visuals, not to mention a retail cost that’s fraction of similar PC games like Diablo III, and you have a dungeon crawl so engrossing, you can practically smell the gold coins and dragon poop. THE CONTROL ISSUE