As the name suggests, the game is based in the future. However, not a very distant future. The developers of the game stress that they’ve tried to stay as true to reality as possible. The weapons featured in the game are already either being employed by Special Forces at the moment or are in the testing phase to be made available soon. Like most Tom Clancy games, Future Soldier is all about realism and Ubisoft have employed the services of four navy seals who’ve helped make sure the motion capture is as realistic as possible and that the game stays true to reality.

The game is set in different locales ranging from Bolivia to Peshawar. For our first look at the game, we’re going to talk about the map based in Peshawar. It was particularly interesting, as it was an urban setting. The mission starts in the middle of the city and you have a lot of civilians around. In order to mark out your enemies and differentiate them from civilians, you have to use one of the intel gadgets. You can either use a sensor grenade, which will mark out all enemies in it’s radius or use the drone to give you an aerial view of your enemies. Once your enemies are marked, you can use the magnetic view, which is a sort of X-ray mode to reveal enemies hiding behind cover.

Among the many futuristic gadgets at your disposal is optical camouflage. It’s like an invisibility cloak that you can turn on and it works when you’re moving slowly are or stationary.

A range of weapons are also at your disposal and each of them are customizable to your liking. A special “gunsmith” mode is also available for Kinect users who want to customize their weapons Minority Report-style. Those more comfortable with button mashing than waving hands and using cumbersome hand gestures can stick to their controllers while using the “gunsmith” mode.

While there’s loads of futuristic weapons to play with, the real focus of the game is the squad based combat. This is where the realism really kicks in and you get the feel of what being part of a Special Forces team is like. If you’ve played GR:AW, you’ll appreciate how much the squad management has been simplified. At a basic level, killing your enemies usually means identifying them via intel devices, using stealth and camoflauge to get into the right positon, tagging the enemies, so that your squad has them positioned in their line of sight and are ready to take them out on command, and finally initiating the kill sequence. You also have the option to get a team member to take out an opponent directly.

In addition to all this, Ubisoft gets so much right with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Character animations are realistic, levels are well detailed and the explosions can be breath taking. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier releases in May 2012. Watch out for a full review on MEGamers once the game is out.

There is little point in me explaining the back story to the Prototype games in detail – as you can very easily get a good run down of the game on Wikipedia – but for the few of you who need reminding Prototype is an open world game which saw the (anti-) hero, Alex Mercer, become some sort of super being with various abilities – mainly shape shifting, inhuman strength, and my favourite one, the ability to run up walls – which he would use to try and find out…well basically everything about himself; from how he came to have powers to why Blackwatch were doing what they were doing. You also destroy a huge chunk of New York City for shits and giggles.

Now I can’t go into too much detail about Prototype 2 at this point, but thankfully vague statements are what I’m sort of okay at doing every now and again. So here we go -

• If you’ve checked out the trailer for Prototype 2 you should know that instead of playing as Alex Mercer, you now take control of ex-military man, James Heller, who decides that Mercer needs to die for releasing the virus, thus killing Heller’s wife and child. What I found interesting is that the game brings in a twist that means things aren’t as straight forward as just killing Mercer.
• There are a bunch of new weapons that will make things extremely interesting, especially for those among you who enjoyed the Saw movies a tad too much, and like finding interesting ways to kill and maim people. No doubt I could have sat for half a day messing around with the different powers.
• Remember that part in the trailer where Heller basically rips apart a helicopter with this power called ‘tendrils’? Those are the best. While I didn’t work out how to go about deconstructing helicopters with what I can only describe as really meaty spider webs, I did realise that tendrils bring me more pleasure than about 65% of adulterated activities.
• Aesthetically, Prototype 2 is definitely a head above its predecessor with each of the three zones that make up New York City being uniquely created to stand apart from each other. You can easily tell the differences between being in the Green, Yellow, or Red zone, as each zone is different as opposed to being a carbon copy with more infected/soldiers to kill as a way of denoting the area.
• At one point while playing through the game I used the whipfist power, and while my brain wanted me to react and pick up my jaw from the ground, as well as wipe away the pool of drool; my gaze was fixed. The aesthetic qualities of a group of people’s upper bodies simultaneously sliding off of their bottom halves  is quite possibly the most beautifully grotesque thing I’ve ever seen, and subsequently made it incredibly hard to tear my eyes away.
• The open world aspect of the game is just as good, if not better, than the first game. You definitely need to time to explore the zones so you can find the perfect building to dive bomb people from.
• Going back to the storyline of Prototype 2, it has to be said that from my point of view the game seems a bit more straight forward and less likely to alienate players with a character like Mercer, who I found to be incredibly unlikeable. With Heller, players have a character they can sympathise with and root for, and in the end that allows for greater immersion into the game.

That’s about it for now. Expect our full hands-on preview in the coming week.

When will it release in the UAE? (Aboody Isaac)
The UAE release date for the PS Vita is February 22nd, with the Wi-fi and 3G editions being available. For full pricing information, click here, and for launch details outside of the UAE click here.

Where can I pre-order a PS Vita ? (Mohamed Shahin)
If you are in Dubai, pre-orders are currently being taken for PS Vita at Jumbo Electronics and at Geekay Games. Their pre-order campaign should also be available in branches in other parts of the UAE, but it’s worth just calling them first to check.

Is a PS Vita game bound to a PS Vita? Can I re-sell a PS Vita game? (Salue Salute)
To the best of our knowledge, games are not bound to the Vita, only the memory cards are. So you will be able to sell your game cards or borrow a game card to play from a friend. The only thing to pay attention to is that if you want to earn Trophies from the game, you will have to delete any game data that is saved on the game card itself – you will be prompted if you want to do this if the Vita detects save data on your game card that does not belong to your profile.

This handheld is non-UMD right? So it’s going be more like download games only? But I would like to know more about the game card. Are they having cards instead of UMD’s? (Kammie Dante)
The PS Vita will allow you to download games from the Playstation Store, and will also allow you to play games from the PS Vita game cards. The cards effectively replace the UMD discs that were used in the PSP.

Can Vita be integrated in games for PS3? I mean to be used as a controller for PS3? (various)
There are a few things you can do with a Vita and PS3. On games like Wipeout, you can use the Crossplay feature to play games against each other on the PS Vita and PS3. You can also connect the PS Vita to the PS3 system to copy or backup applications and multimedia such as photos, music, and videos. You cannot use the Vita as an additional controller or integrated it into any PS3 games. You can however use the Remote Play feature on the PS Vita to remotely connect to and control your PS3, as you could do on the PSP.

Can you play videos on PS Vita? (various)
During our test we were able to copy videos to the PS Vita, but they had to be of mp4 / .H364 format. Playback also only supports up to 720p, so any video content in high definition that you’ve downloaded on your PS3 from the Playstation Store won’t work on the Vita.

About the “3G”, will providers like Zain, VIVA or STC, Etisalat etc provide us with 3G for our PS VITA? Or are we going to stay with Wifi only? (Reaper Ex)
Playstation have partnered with Vodafone to provide 3G content for the PS Vita, however we aren’t sure if this extends to Middle East countries where Vodafone operates. In the UAE there have been no announced partnerships with local ISPs du and Etisalat, however you will be able to use a regular SIM card with an active data package in the Vita. The Vita is also not SIM-locked, so any SIM card can be used.

How are the graphics? Can it beat tablets? (@Saadie)
The graphics on the Vita are certainly very impressive for such a device. It handles graphics very well and most games look very smooth and glitch-free. While the screen size might not be as large as most tablets, its OLED screen offers a more than adequate gaming experience, and even web browsing is quite comfortable.

Is there a Metal Gear game on the PS Vita? (Al Kim)
Metal Gear Solid HD collection will be coming to the PS Vita, but no release date has been announced yet.

How good is it compared to the PS3? (Akash Ladkani)
It’s hard to do a direct comparison between the two as they are different pieces of hardware. The PS Vita is capable of near-PS3 graphics in games like Uncharted, and many others.

I heard that it can be use as a smart phone? How true is that? (Frank San)
Completely false. The SIM card you insert is for data services only, and there’s nothing on the Vita that will allow you to make or receive phone calls or send messages etc. Skype will be made available through the Playstation Store (its availability in the Middle East is unknown), however apart from Skype there is no other way to turn your PS Vita into a smart phone.

If you get the device from japan do we need a transformer to charge it? (Sulaiman Al-jaber)
Yes, as the voltage in Japan is 100 volts, so you would need to buy a power adapter that would be able to convert this into a compatible charge. One thing worth noting is that for Vitas sold in Japan, the X and O buttons are reversed, as X in Japanese games is to cancel an option, and O is to accept.

How does the PSN accounts work with the memory cards? (Omar Nassralla Ali)
You can only have one Playstation account associated to one memory card. So if you want to have multiple players sharing one PS Vita, they all need to have their own memor card.

Main questions, is it any good? And worth buying ? How are the graphics Speed ? Touch? (Charitha Rukshan)
Questions best answered by our in-depth Vita review!

Does it play PS3 titles too? 
Er, no.

Starhawk is the spiritual successor to Warhawk, a multiplayer-only game and the first ‘full retail title’ to be available on the PSN store as well as on blu-ray. The 3rd person, action-packed game pitted two teams fighting for dominance of the land and skies. Its main strength was the variety of combat options, allowing you to control armored vehicles, turrets, jetpacks or the ever-popular Hawk aircrafts. Much has changed and to the better thankfully, though, judging from the beta it seems this new iteration is pushing for a different set of user habits.

Sony has already confirmed that Starhawk will feature a single-player campaign, something some would argue was sorely missing from 2007’s Warhawk, though that is not on show here. The private beta focuses only on two multiplayer modes, ‘Capture the Flag’ and ‘Team Deathmatch’. Right off the bat, as you spawn, you descend to the battlefield in a pod. This new addition not only looks cool but allows you to adjust, within limits, where you’ll be landing. From there the game is unsurprisingly very reminiscent of Warhawk with a new space-centric theme and a substantial facelift. There are some notable new features and, more significantly, a new ‘build ‘and battle’ system. Upon collecting resources, players can now construct facilities such as automated defense turrets, sniper towers or even vehicle spawn stations within their bases effectively adding an RTS mechanic to the game. This new feature is bound to change the battle dynamics as it requires more strategic collaboration amongst team members. While I failed to establish synergy with my fellow team mates, the potential for tactical cooperation is apparent and that potential will undoubtedly be tapped come clan recruitment time.

Another notable change is with the aircraft itself. Sci-fi fans will be pleased to hear that the Hawk now doubles as…wait for it…a mech. At the tap of a button, you can take your aerial threat to the ground, making it easier to target land-based vehicles and infantry. Having said that, it is now the only way to effectively target land-based opponents as the Hawk can no longer hover. As disappointed as I was, the omission made sense to me, given the new ability the aircraft now sports.

Flying the Hawk is still as thrilling as ever, though I found the dearth of people willing to partake in dogfights a little disconcerting. I am fairly certain this was a symptom of beta blues and all that will change when Starhawk finally hits the shelves (digital or otherwise).

All in all, the game is showing alot of promise and already looks to be a sure bet for fans of Warhawk or newcomers alike. The single-player campaign will also prove to be an attraction for the old school gamers (like myself) that still find comfort in the offline gaming experience. Starhawk is due for release on the PS3 this May and I highly recommend you keep it on your radar.

I really hope you have saved up.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, Xbox 360)

About: Set several years after Lightning and the others saved Cocoon, some survivors have decided to start over by rebuilding on Gran Pulse. Lightning, however, is nowhere to be found and thought dead by many, but Serah believes otherwise. When her town is suddenly overrun by monsters, a mysterious man named Noel appears to save her. Together, the two set off to find Lightning…
Release date: February 3 (available in Collector’s Edition and Limited Edition).

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Soulcalibur V (PS3, Xbox 360)

About: SoulCalibur V picks up 17 years after the events of SoulCalibur IV with new heroes and returning warriors clashing in an epic showdown between good and evil. The tale of Patroklos, son of Sophitia Alexandra, unfolds as his family’s destiny intertwines with the Soul swords.
Release date: February 3

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The Darkness II (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

About: It’s been two years since Jackie Estacado, now the Don of the Franchetti crime family, used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s been unable to shake the memory of Jenny’s death since bottling up his supernatural power, and now The Darkness wants out. A sudden, unprovoked attack on Jackie’s life heralds the start of a full-scale mob war, which has clearly been orchestrated by some outside force. The botched attempt opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, and sets Jackie on a journey to hell and worse, as he unravels the mystery behind the attack and the motivations of The Darkness itself.
Release date: February 10 (UAE release date not yet confirmed)

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Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (3DS)

About: The much loved duo of Mario and Sonic are heading to London to participate in the officially licensed Olympic-themed video game, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. A host of exciting new headline events, including football and equestrian debut in this Wii version of the game, appearing alongside classic Olympic disciplines such as athletics, aquatics and table tennis. These new sports are sure to ignite even more fierce competition between friends and family in both single and multiplayer modes! The all new roster of Dream events that are set in popular Mario and Sonic worlds make for a truly unique sporting experience that can only be found in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Release date: February 10

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Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

About: Designed by open-world RPG legend Ken Rolston, Reckoning offers players unparalleled choice in a world of infinite possibility. Together, the visionaries and development team behind Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning are creating a game that aims to forever change the RPG genre.
Release date: February 10

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Pac-Man Party (3DS, Wii)

About: Pac-Man Party 3D brings together family and friends for dozens of mini-games for gamers to play with or against each other. Perfect for the whole family, Pac-Man Party 3D features a variety of control styles that utilize the system’s buttons, touchscreen, microphone, and accelerometer. With support for download play, friends can join in on the fun using just one cartridge shared across Nintendo 3DS systems.
Release date: February 10

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UFC Undisputed 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

About: UFC Undisputed 3 is the 2012 installment in the critically acclaimed and best-selling mixed martial arts (MMA) video game franchise based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The game marks takes players inside the virtual Octagon with extensive focus on intense toe-to-toe combat, impressive visual presentation and significantly increased accessibility, including the introduction of PRIDE Mode, two new weight classes and an impressive playable roster of more than 150 UFC fighters.
Release date: February 14

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Alien Breed Trilogy (PS3)

About: Experience the ultimate in science-fiction action with the Alien Breed Trilogy: three arcade-shooter titles in one fantastic collection, together for the first time. The Alien Breed™ Trilogy resurrects a much revered franchise with an epic narrative, swarms of intelligent alien enemies, high-impact weaponry and rich environments; all implemented with superb technology in a state-of-the-art gaming experience, developed using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3. In addition to the thrilling single-player campaign and “Survivor” modes, the games offer relentless, action-packed, two-player online co-operative battle modes.
Release date: February 15

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Binary Domain (PS3, Xbox 360)

About: Binary Domain puts players in the middle of a fast paced and intense battle for humanity in a robot-invaded 2080 Tokyo. Fighting through the derelict lower levels of the city, players control an international peace-keeping squad that soon starts to question their surroundings and the choices they make. Are the robots becoming more human, or are humans becoming more like machines?
Release date: February 24

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Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighter (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

About: Advanced Strike Fighters is set in the fictional country of Azbaristan; the once-great nation has been torn apart by a decade of civil war, followed by almost a decade of uneasy peace. The ten year war resulted in huge territorial gains for Northern People’s Republic Azbaristan and their controlling political party, the Northern People’s Party, giving them control of the country except for the oil-rich province that is all that’s left of South Azbaristan.
Release date: February 24

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Syndicate (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

About: In the world of Syndicate, everything is digitally connected, including the people. Players aren’t limited to the weapons in their hands. Through DART 6 bio-chip technology implanted in their head, players can slow down time and breach the digital world around them to take down their foes using a variety of upgradable hacking mechanics. Syndicate’s blend of fast-paced, futuristic, action shooter settings and story combined with innovative chip breach gameplay instantly immerses players in a unique digital world.
Release date: February 24 (Tentative)

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PlayStation Vita

About: The (rest of the) world will finally get their hands on Sony’s new handheld system, the PlayStation Vita this month. As such, and thanks to Sony, there are far too many games to mention, so here’s a quick run down through our most awaited: Uncharted Golden Abyss, FIFA, Rayman Origins, Reality Fighters, Unit 13, Army Corps of Hell, Touch My Katamari, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, wipEout 2048, Motorstorm RC. They all come out on the same day.
Release date: February 22

We started with a quick briefing session with the developers excitedly showing off some of the finer aspects of the game. Their excitement wasn’t without reason, the game looks absolutely spectacular – it just gets so much right – the beautiful lighting, the realistic character animations, the breathtaking explosions. What’s even more impressive is the squad based action. The developers have worked with Special Forces agents to simulate what squad work is really like and there’s a great sense of reality to this game.

We caught up with Yann Suquet, Associate Producer of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, to talk about what gamers can expect from the futuristic shooter.

Yann Suquet, Associate Producer of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.

Yann, can you please tell us about your role at Ubisoft?
I’m the Associate Producer for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and I work with the development team. I understand what the game developers want and I organize the work.

Tell us a bit about the game.
The game is a third person shooter and it stays true to the core pillars of Ghost Recon, keeping the team-based action intact and improving it further. As you know, Ghost Recon is all about Special Forces. We’ve improved the way your team takes orders and we’ve done this by working with Special Forces soldiers. We’ve found out that when Special Forces carry out their missions, they assign targets to each soldier and the kills are carried out. They don’t tell them where to stand or where to take cover. Targets are assigned and the soldiers take them out.

Even the weapons stay close to reality. You have sensor grenades, which can tell you where you’re enemies are located and you also have drones to help scout of the area. These are weapons which are either already available or being developed at the moment, so it’s not so inconceivable that these weapons will be used in combat in the very near future.

Also, a very important part of the game is the AI. It reacts to any threat it senses. The gameplay is not just dependant on the player anymore; it’s the team as a whole.

We’ve also spent a lot of time on motion capture with four different Navy Seals. Each character on your team is thus different and it really gives you a sensation that you are part of a team. It’s a smart third person shooter.

It also keeps to real life in that fact that you’re allowed minimum collateral damage but if you shoot too many civilians, then it is game over. You also have to be very smart and use all the items at your disposal including the sensors and drones. You also have to make good use of cover where you can.

The game also includes over one hour of cinematics. You get to see and experience what it’s like to be a soldier everyday.

Hardware
Even when it’s turned off, you can’t help admiring the PS Vita. It just sits there with its sleek finish and tempting curves, begging you to turn it on. While the device is of course a remarkable improvement from the Playstation Portable, it still maintains much of the PSP’s original design elements, but with a few changes. To the left of the device is the traditional D-pad, and the left analogue stick. This analogue stick is a welcome improvement from the flat disc that functioned as an analogue joystick on the PSP, and it feels much more comfortable to use when gaming. It’s worth nothing though, that the analogue stick doesn’t click down as on the PS3 controller. Right below the left analogue stick is the Playstation button, which you can use to quickly jump out of a game and return to the main PS Vita home screen. To the right of the device is the tiny front-facing camera (more on that later), and the four face buttons. These buttons have been made a bit smaller than what they were on the PSP, and it’s only after a substantial amount of gaming do you notice that this might not have been the smartest move. Of course, that could just be down to me having ridiculously long fingers. Below the face buttons is the right analog stick, as well as the start and select buttons.

Where the PS Vita makes a quantum leap forward from the PSP is with the additional controls that are hidden away on the device. The gorgeous front touch screen is mainly used to navigate through menus, but can also be used for various actions while playing games. At the back of the PS Vita is the hardly noticeable touch panel – I say hardly noticeable because apart from a subtle application of a design created with the face buttons, you wouldn’t really know that there was a touch sensor there. While the rear touchpad is a cool feature, I found it more of a gimmick than of much use in the games that I played. As mentioned before, the PS Vita has a front and rear facing camera mainly for taking player photos and for games such as Reality Fighters where augmented reality are the primary attractions. Both cameras are of surprisingly average quality, but I’m not going to hold this against Sony at all – the device is for gaming, not macro photography. On top of all of this, the PS Vita also has motion controls, which makes for plenty of fun in games such as Frobisher Says where shaking and tilting the Vita is the norm.

It would be cruel to not have a paragraph about the Vita’s screen – larger and crisper than the PSP, it is an absolute joy to behold. I’m raving so much about the screen in particular because I was able to game on the Vita for about 45 minutes non-stop without experiencing any of the discomfort in my eyes that I would experience with the PSP. The OLED display does every single game justice, and even viewing photos or videos on the screen are a real treat. The screen was responsive to my slightest touch, and swiping through menus and scrolling through web pages couldn’t have been simpler. You really have to see this screen in person to appreciate just how detailed things look on it. But as with similar high-resolution screens, the performance tends to be a bit lacking when outdoors – in direct sunlight the screen is just too glossy to look at properly, and even in shaded areas with maximum brightness I had trouble playing games like Uncharted.

At the top are small buttons for turning the device on as well as controlling the volume. This is also where you’ll plug in the PS Vita game cards, with the slot being covered by a plastic flap that you have to carefully pry open with your finger. It feels a bit fiddly at first, but in time I think you’ll hardly notice. Overall though, the Vita feels like it could withstand the daily wear and tear of being thrust into backpacks and shoved into your back pocket, a scenario that I could never imagine with my PSP which has never left its padded casing.

Despite the initial setup hiccups, when consoles were being consoles, the tournaments were quickly wrapped up, giving us our first ’3D Champions’. The winner names are below. They won themselves an assortment of 3D goodness from LG, including a LED TV, a laptop, and a smartphone.

Ashhad Alvi, winner of the Need for Speed: Shift tournament which was concluded at the Living Rooms Cafe.

Mohammad Faris, winner of the FIFA 12 tournament.

Hashem Bitar, winner of the Call of Duty tournament.

Shawn Joseph, winner of the Dance Central tournament. Joseph’s win came as a surprise considering he was up against Christopher Lawrence, a professional dancer and also the Guinness World Record holder for dancing for 16+ ours straight on Dance Central 2. Joseph described the win as “amazing”, saying he had practiced “bone-breakingly” hard for the finals.

More pictures from the event here.

So if you are interested in exploring game development in the Middle East, enter the field of video game development yourself, or simply play games with their own Middle Easter flavor, then this article might be your guide for doing so.

Company Name: Wizards Production
Location: Jordan

About:
Wizards Productions boasts not only developing the region’s first MMO for Facebook, but also having King Abdullah II of Jordan test the beta of it. Wizards Productions works consists of both localising foreign games as well as in-house development of their own video games, thus bringing the game genres we all know and love to the Middle Eastern settings.

Games:
While most of their games target dedicated gamers, the company does produce the casual games that target various demographics. Their most significant acheivement is their game Operation Arabia, a Facebook-based third person action game that reached 150,000 monthly active users after around 6 weeks of its launch. While their current portfolio sports both Flash and Facebook games, they will soon be launching their first iPhone game, therefore completing the three pronged indie game attack.

Links:
Official Website
Facebook Page
Operation Arabia
Operation Arabia Trailer

Comapny Name: Semaphore
Location: Saudi Arabia

About:
Semaphore is a subsidiary of Semanoor, a company which specializes in training systems for Arabic education curriculums. Sephamore aims at producing multiplatform video games that target both the Middle Eastern and the international market.

Games:
While Semaphore has not released any game yet, they are working on the highly ambitious project “Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Battuta”, a third person action adventure game which seeks to present the Middle East like never seen in a game before. Unearthed Online, the game’s multiplayer component, is available now free-to-play on Facebook. Sephamore is has garnered considerable hype for their game, and are aiming to bring Unearthed to a variety of audiences, as the game will support two languages, Arabic and English, as well as 18 different subtitle and menu languages.

Semaphore’s other project isn’t related to video games, but still falls within the creative media. They will soon be launching Rsooom, a tool which allows users to create their own full fledged animated clips and import to a variety of media.

Link:
Unearthed Official Website
Unearthed Online
Interview with Ahmad Jadallah, director of Unearthed
Unearthed Trailer

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

What better way to start off our list than with a movie-tie in? We always chuckle when we get video games based on movies, and Transformers did not disappoint. With a short campaign, average graphics and plain bad controls, we’re happy that this game is now tucked away in some dark corner of our office.

Call of Juarez

Bland, repetitive, and just plain boring, Call of Juarez failed to excite us in any way. Throwing caution to the wind and ignoring what was working best for the series, this installment was a poor excuse that fell short of expectations and ended up being a complete disappointment.

Dance Evolution

There are dancing games, and then there’s Dance Evolution. A game that made you look like you were performing Tai Chi on steroids, Dance Evolution was more about flailing your arms around in circles and swooping than actual dancing. Pair that with a techno tracklist and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Fighters Uncaged

In an attempt to tap into the wonder of Kinect, Ubisoft released a fighting game that made sure that you’d break at least a few bones in the process. With sluggish controls and idiotic gameplay elements, Fighters Uncaged was one of the worse Kinect titles we played last year. Sadly, we still have the bruises to prove it, so here’s hoping that we won’t ever see a sequel.

Need for Speed: The Run

While not completely awful, NFS: The Run tried to introduce a few new elements to the game in order to refresh the franchise, but unfortunately it didn’t work out so great. With a storyline that just barely held your interest and annoying QTE’s that failed to excite players, this installment of NFS headed straight to the junkyard.