Daimon's Lair

I'm mostly enjoying this game. The gameplay is well thought out and, while linear, it is thought-provoking because of the tactical possibilities that the weapons provide. This has what may be the best-designed weapons of any FPS I've played. Even the conventional human weapons are well-done. Details on that to come when I complete the game and can offer a full review. The negative so far is the heavy-handedness of the narrative in the cutscenes. A bit too much, in my book. Tell the story within the game whenever possible.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

I'm really enjoying this game. It's tweaked from the previous game, but every tweak has been a good one. Everything from the music to the story and, most importantly, the combat is great. Can't wait to finish this one so I can write a review. Thanks honey! (My wife gave it to me for Christmas.)

The Orange Box

 

So far I've finished Portal (see the review in the previous post). Now I'm playing Half-Life 2. Trippy game. Really enjoying the atmosphere and the fun tributes to the first game. Only an hour or two in, so not much else to offer at this point.

Dragon Age: Origins

This is another game I've heard good things about, and so far haven't been disappointed in the least. BioWare has to be one of the most consistently good developers out there. Every game I've played from them I've liked. And there's bits and pieces clearly cribbed from those games' successful formulas.

One thing I was skeptical about was that many reviews knocked the game for aspects of its 'high fantasy' setting being unoriginal. Darkspaw=orcs, elves, dwarves, etc. So far I would have to disagree. Yes, the basic formula isn't terribly original, but the details of the world have been quite interesting. Especially the ruins of the Tevinter Empire scattered about and the way the Grey Wardens achieve their power over the Darkspawn.

Also, the story is excellent. I'm four hours in and already there have been three MAJOR plot twists (only one of which I saw coming). I'm looking forward to more, especially to see how deep the characters go--particularly how the romance is handled, because that's something many games pride themselves on but ultimately fall short (for me). First time through I'm going after Morrighan. Because, dude, she's hot.

Grand Theft Auto IV

I enjoyed GTA: San Andreas to a point. After about fifteen hours in, the game was really starting to piss me off. That subsequently turned me off the entire franchise until GTA IV got so many excellent reviews.

So far I'm not wowed by the game, but I haven't gotten to spend much time free exploring Liberty City either. It's fun--addictively so--and so far all of the characters I've met are interesting. The addition of the GPS makes navigating the city a TON easier. I can tell this game will take a long time to beat, especially since I can't play it while my kids are up. So look for more updates in this section.