Alpha Protocol -- All-In-One.

I've completed Alpha Protocol for the Xbox 360. Alpha Protocol was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by SEGA. Alpha Protocol met with less than stellar reviews when it launched in May of last year. It also comes from Obsidian who are known for developing sequels to the games of other companies. In fact, Alpha Protocol is their first original effort not connected to something else. Obsidian are also sort of known for a buggy end product. Alpha Protocol is an RPG with an espionage theme. The game sets out to replicate a spy thriller and actually does a pretty good job at doing just that. If I were to compare Alpha Protocol to another game it would have to be Mass Effect. One of the biggest complaints you'll hear about the Mass Effect series is that BioWare have forgotten their RPG roots and Mass Effect is really just an action game with Choose Your Own Adventure character and story development. You'll go through the game until you're provided with a choice of A or B and that's the limit of Mass Effect's depth. The same complaints can't be applied to Alpha Protocol. In both the action and story or character development every little thing you do counts in ways you can both see and not see. Everything has a potential repercussion and everything hinges on your choices. And it's not just at the predetermined spots for the major choices. It's not as obvious as that. It's constant. No matter how insignificant the conversation may seem. And the changes can be extreme. To the of degree of not seeing entire levels or characters. The number of variables that can factor into the ending is rather impressive. The character progression side of the game is just as impressive. You'll be given a certain number of points to spend on leveling up. You can spend them in numerous categories that really can alter how you'll play the game on the action side of things. From specific weapon specializations to stealth and hand to hand and gadgets and more. You really can play it your way. Play the game like Rambo with assault rifles or shotguns, or like a ninja and take down enemies in silence, or use every gadget under the sun to outsmart enemies, or any combination thereof. I really liked the flexibility in the action half of the game and the depth of possibilities on the story and character side of the game. So what's the problem? Why was the game treated so harshly by critics? The game isn't going to win any awards for graphics. They're competent and a tad less than they should be for what amounts to a mid generation release. The game also continues Obsidian's track record for buggy games. I never encountered anything that was truly game breaking but it is annoying to lose progress and have to reload. And you will have to reload. Alpha Protocol was well worth the $20 entry fee. I'm giving the game a 7.

Forza Motorsport 3 -- All-In-One.

I've been beyond lazy with timely updates. I've recently completed Forza Motorsport 3. The game was developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. I used to be a big racing game fan once upon a time. Back when the best racing games were all SEGA arcade racers. The key word there being arcade. Back in the original PlayStation era they released Gran Turismo and racing games started to shift from arcade to simulation. I purchased Gran Turismo back then and was nearly bored to death by its simulation based gameplay. I haven't really bought any dedicated racing games outside of Mario Kart and Crazy Taxi since then. Cut to this summer and Riddel was wanting an online game we could play. She was playing Forza Motorsport 3 at the time and I was transitioning between games so the timing was good. I went out and purchased Forza Motorsport 3. Little did I know a huge chunk of my summer backlog time would be taken by a racing simulator. That speaks volumes to me how good a game Forza Motorsport 3 actually is. It makes a genre I haven't liked in ages fun again. First off, the game is great looking. The cars are modeled with the utmost attention to detail. The same thing can be said for the tracks themselves. Everything is handled with an exacting level of detail. The game is also just loaded with content. A single player campaign featuring two-hundred multi race events. A full online mode. Beyond the hundreds of hours of racing in the game, you can spend hundreds more tuning cars, browsing player shops and the online auction house, as well as designing decals to decorate your cars. The game has a wealth of options that allow you alter just about every single aspect of the game. They truly allow you to tailor the game to your liking. You can make the game as arcade or as simulation based as you prefer. I personally can't think of anything you don't have control over. Forza Motorsport 3 is the best racing game I've played in a long time and I'm giving it a 9.5. My one complaint is that the game almost has too much content. You can lose yourself in this game. It will take a Herculean effort to earn the final achievement in this one.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet -- All-In-One.

Here I am late again. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is the third title in this year's Summer of Arcade promotion. It's a metroidvania style action game that was developed by Fuelcell Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is an almost perfect game in my opinion. I truly enjoyed it. It has a simply gorgeous art style. It might be the best looking Xbox Live game I've played. You're playing as an alien in his ship trying to prevent a malicious shadow life form from corrupting an entire planet. The alien's ship has an arm that enables you to use weapons and tools. It's classic metroidvania in that you'll explore the world and you'll find your path blocked until you can acquire and use the weapons and tools that enable you to continue. The game's art style and graphics are second to none. The music is minimalist and works great with exploring an unknown planet. The controls are great with simple twin stick controls and radial menus. The game features some strong puzzles and some impressive boss battles. The only sort of flaw in the game is it's a bit short. Around five hours or so to one-hundred percent completion. And that's arguably not much of a flaw considering it's a downloadable title. I'm giving Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet a 9.5. You might balk at the $15 entry fee, but when this game goes on sale down the line on Xbox Live Marketplace, it'll be a steal.

Ms. 'Splosion Man -- All-In-One.

This one is a little late. I've completed Ms. 'Splosion Man, developed by Twisted Pixel and published by Microsoft Game Studios. I've completed both the single player and co-op campaigns. 'Splosion Man was one of my favorite games for 2009, so it's a little surprising that I didn't like the generally improved Ms. 'Splosion Man as much. I say generally improved as it is the typical case of a sequel. Everything is bigger and tougher and better looking. The game is also more complex as they've added new mechanics into the mix. From gameplay that switches from the foreground to the background to taking a saddled bomb for a ride there is just more to contend with the second time around. The co-op frustration of de-synched gameplay returns. The game is great when it works, but all too often you're finding yourself having to adjust to altered timing because both players aren't in perfect synch. It drains the fun right out of the game. I'm giving Ms. 'Splosion Man a 7.5.