Dead Space Extraction
Platform: Wii
Developed by: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release date: September 28, 2009
Official website: deadspace.ea.com

Game summary from Electronic Arts:
"Telling the story of four space colonists trying to escape a mysterious infection, Dead Space Extraction explores the origins of the necromorph invasion that threatens humanity and the universe. At the center of this group is Lexine, an important new heroine being introduced for the first time to the Dead Space storyline. As the crew continues to fight for their lives, it becomes clear that protecting her is their only hope for survival. Luckily, players are armed with an arsenal of weaponry, an easy-to-use control system built from the ground up for the Wii, and can even recruit a friend to play co-operatively, a first for the Dead Space franchise."

Review Summary:
Dead Space Extraction is a great looking and fun to play sci-fi horror shooter on the Wii. Although the campaign is fairly short in length, there are more difficulty levels, gameplay stats to master, and Challenge Modes to keep your Wii Remote blazing. Seasoned Dead Space players will appreciate environments that are familiar and new. Take heed to the Motion Sickness warning for this game, especially in the earlier levels. I haven't felt a level of this queasiness in a videogame since Prey. Whether you played the original Dead Space game (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) or not, this is one of those few, must play games on the Wii that caters to the older audience of Wii gamers.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Halo 3: ODST
Platform: Xbox 360
Developed by: Bungie Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
Release date: September 22, 2009
Official Website: Bungie.net

Game summary from xbox.com:
"Halo 3: ODST returns players to familiar ground on a vital, top-secret mission. The gripping story, cooperative campaign and new multiplayer content will have Halo fans "Preparing to Drop" in Fall 2009. Originally titled Halo 3: Recon, the new game brings the perspective of new characters to the Human-Covenant struggle, as it explores the ODST, or Orbital Drop Shock Troopers."

Review Summary:
Bungie's next installment of the Halo universe is Halo 3: ODST. What was supposed to be an expansion to Halo 3 is now a full-fledged title. It features a new hero, new campaign, new weapons, and an all new game mode called Firefight. Does Halo 3: ODST make worth of its value as a full game or does it fall short to "just an expansion"? The GamingBits.com review just dropped and is ready to show you what is in store. Read the full details below.


Rating: 4 out of 5

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MadBalls in...Babo: Invasion
Platform: Xbox 360, PC
Developed by: PlayBrains
Release date: July 15, 2009 on Xbox 360; September 17, 2009 on PC
Official website: playbrains.com

Game summary from xbox.com:
"Combat revolved! In Madballs in … Babo: Invasion, campaign across distant worlds either solo or with four-player online co-op, taking no prisoners in your wake. Challenge your friends (and your enemies) to see who's the baddest ball on the planet in no-holds-barred 16-player multiplayer arenas with freaky characters or with your own Xbox 360® Avatar! Or really push your limits and try your hand at Invasion Mode where combatants create the very worlds where they wage war. Dozens of unique character classes, weapons, special abilities, worlds, unlocks, secrets, maps, and game modes give you limitless gameplay!"

Review Summary:
MadBalls in... Babo: Invasion is a great arcade game that really exemplifies the value of having a quick, fun experience on Xbox LIVE Arcade. It has a lot of options and good gameplay whose only downsides are the camera and targeting system.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Available for Wii
Game Developer: Vanillaware
Game Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Release Date: September 8, 2009
Official Website: muramasathedemonblade.com

Game summary from Ignition Entertainment:
"Developed by Vanillaware, the creative team behind the critically acclaimed game Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a unique, highly stylized action adventure that showcases a striking visual look and a colorful cast of more than 100 characters. Muramasa: The Demon Blade features eye-popping hand-drawn 2D art that reflects the heritage and tone of its ancient Japanese storyline. Set in the little-known feudal Genroku era, players are invited to take on the role of a male ninja or female kunoichi, utilizing their prowess to traverse the perilous yet picturesque levels."

Review Summary:
Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a platformer with RPG elements blessed with breathtaking visuals, an exceptional storyline and tight gameplay. The game is a must for Wii owners, especially those who grew up with Castlevania. With the inclusion of a powerful soundtrack and voice acting, alongside Japanese mythology, this is a purchase you can't go wrong with. Muramasa will have you playing for at least 20 plus hours the first way through and with great replay value, Muramasa: The Demon Blade can't be beat.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Defense Grid: The Awakening
Available for Xbox 360, PC
Game Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment LLC
Game Publisher: Hidden Path Entertainment LLC (XBLA), Aspyr (PC)
Release Date: September 2, 2009
Official Website: defensegrid.hiddenpath.com

Game summary from Xbox.com:
"The definitive tower defense game for Xbox LIVE, Defense Grid: The Awakening is easy to pick up, engrossing to play, and hard to set down. Strategically place your towers on the map to prevent alien enemies from stealing your power cores. Play for just fifteen minutes or several hours! This award-winning game includes 10 hours of story play with 20 unique maps in the Awakening campaign, four bonus Borderlands maps, a wide variety of tower and enemy types, an interactive soundtrack, plus over 100 unlockable challenge modes adding dozens of hours of additional fun."

Review Summary:
Defense Grid: The Awakening is a must play game, whether you know about tower defense games or not. It's a well paced game that unfolds with many challenges and unique sci-fi environments, aliens and weaponry. Hidden Path Entertainment delivers hours of escape and challenge in Defense Grid: The Awakening.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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The Beatles: Rock Band
Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Game Developer: Harmonix (Xbox 360, PS3), Pi Studios (Wii)
Game Publisher: MTV Games
Distributed by: Electronic Arts
Release Date: September 9, 2009
Official Website: thebeatlesrockband.com

Game summary from EA:
"The Beatles: Rock Band allows fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles’ extraordinary catalog of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s legendary career. Additionally, for the first time in a music videogame, The Beatles: Rock Band introduces three-part vocal harmonies to gameplay, allowing gamers to revel in the unparalleled vocal stylings of The Beatles."

Review Summary:
The Beatles: Rock Band is a stunning and ingenious romp through Beatlemania. The Rock Band gameplay is basically unchanged, but the art style and psychedelic graphics are perfectly matched with the attitudes of The Beatles members. Although there are forty five songs, I would have wanted even more of the catalog to be on the disk and not offered as DLC in the future. This game, like The Beatles themselves, is not for everyone and if you do not like their music, you won’t like this game. The note tracking and complexity of the game are minimal, not because of lack of quality, but because of the simple nature of the source material. The Beatles: Rock Band is not the most robust music game out there, but does a great job in bringing Beatlemania to video game form.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Overlord II
Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Game Developer: Triumph Studios
Game Publisher: Codemasters
Official website: codemasters.com

Game summary from Codemasters:
"Overlord II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on the Glorious Empire, an advanced Romanesque nation, in a truly epic, yet familiarly warped, adventure. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it’s time to go Minion Maximus with a rousing cry of "Veni, Vidi, Vici" and send in the horde."

Review Summary:
Rarely do games let you have fun being evil like Overlord II allows you to. It's too bad you feel such a formula to the evil with tasks that can sometimes feel repetitive. One of the more frustrating parts of Overlord II is the save system, which will cause even more repetitive gameplay and a glitch in at least one point of the game. The controls felt convoluted, and I never felt I fully grasped it, even by the end of the game. Overlord II does have some good points with the various upgrades you can perform on your Overlord, rich environments, new Minion mounts, and a great soundtrack.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP
Game Developer: Double Helix Games
Game Publisher: Electronic Arts
Official website: gijoe.ea.com

Game summary from EA:
"As COBRA unleashes its deadliest plot yet, the G.I. JOE Team is counting on you and your hand-picked team of heroes to lead the counterattack. Every mission is critical and so is every G.I. JOE character. Picking up where the Paramount Pictures live action film leaves off, G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra is an accessible third person action-arcade shooter that allows players to recreate and relive the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action toy line."

Review Summary:
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is akin to a dual-stick shooter on a three dimensional plane. The game's bland, generic graphics, along with the lackluster control scheme and camera, show its mediocre quality. Playing through this poorly paced campaign felt more like a chore than something fun. The one bright spot of this rushed, unpolished game is the unlockable movies, PSA’s and concept art. Unless you are a huge G.I. Joe fan, skip this game because it is definitely not worth its $60 price tag.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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Madden NFL 10
Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP
Game Developer: EA Tiburon
Game Publisher: EA Sports
Official website: maddennfl.easports.com

Game summary from EA Sports:
"Experience first-hand what it's like to Fight for Every Yard in Madden NFL 10. With all-new Pro-Tak animation technology, players have more control over the outcome of each play. Whether driving a receiver towards the first down, or battling for a fumble at the bottom of a pile, the play won't end until the whistle blows. Take the fight online with an all-new Online Franchise mode, complete with 32 teams, NFL-style drafts and a custom league webpage. Add to that the most immersive broadcast presentation to date and Madden NFL 10 captures the authenticity and emotion of the NFL like never before."

Review Summary:
EA has brought some great new graphical upgrades and the same robust online franchise options that fans of the Madden series have loved for years. The new “Pro-Tak” animation system brings more natural movements and tackles, lessening the robotic look of the players. Other than these graphical upgrades, there are some interesting design choices this time around. They include micro transactions for “accelerators” and terrible camera for the new co-op modes. For the longtime Madden fan or even the casual fan of the series, the 2010 version of the game is the best one in its 21 year history.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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