Around the time that the PS 3 was announced, a massively multiplayer online based on the DC comics universe was also announced. After several years in development, it has arrived. Although it received mixed reviews, players enjoyed being able to interact with heroes such as Superman and Batman while visiting locations such as Gotham city and the Fortress of Solitude. A few months ago, the game went free-to-play, and its subscriber base saw a huge jump. With most of the game’s features available for free, now is a great time to jump in if you’re a fan of superheroes.
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Since 1953, Hugh Hefner’s lifestyle magazine has been the bastion of men’s journalism. Each month, readers the world over have enjoyed the magazine’s selection of short stories, articles, and political commentary. Oh and of course pictures of nude women. ARUSH entertainment, along with Groove games have released Playboy the Mansion, a lifestyle/business simulator game allowing players to step in the shoes of Hugh Hefner. Because of its name, this one is clearly not for kids. However, unlike other titles of this nature (i.e Rumble Roses and Dead or Alive Extreme Beach volleyball) rated titles, this one focuses on creating a compelling (if flawed) gaming experience as much as it focuses on nude women.
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Let it be said that one of my favorite games of the previous console generation was the original Manhunt. It was one of those games that people either loved or hated. While critics of the game decried its slow pace and repetitiveness, I enjoyed the tense stealth action gameplay, the 8mm-style atmosphere, and the lunatics that made up the game’s adversaries. So, when I heard that Rockstar was developing a Wii-based sequel that utilized the Wiimote for motion-controlled killing, I was ecstatic. Then the controversy came. You see, the game received an AO (Adults Only) rating from the ESRB, and both Sony and Nintendo would refuse to allow an AO-rated product to be released for their consoles (and just for good measure, Microsoft also would not allow an AO-rated product to be released on its console, although there were no plans to bring the game to Xbox 360). I was worried that I would never get to see Rockstar’s vision. Then miraculously, the game was green-lighted for release after some censoring. Sadly, to finally play the game after the controversy was akin to dying, going to heaven, and finding Jesus strung out on heroin. Yes, the game was that bad.
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The controversy surrounding this game turned out to be hilarious. The media, anti-gaming advocates, ‘experts’ (people who never played a video game since Pac-Man), and everyone’s favorite disbarred lawyer decried this game as being everything from an entertainment medium that glorified bullying to a Columbine-simulator. The finished product actually ended up having more in common with Revenge of the Nerds than Virginia Tech. Instead of a gruesome Columbine fantasy, Bully actually ends up being a hilarious (and T-Rated) look at high school antics in the tradition of Porky’s.
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SimCity 2000 is the most well known entry in Maxis’ SimCity franchise. It expanded upon the original game greatly, adding new types of facilities. Would-be mayors can add everything from zoos, to prisons, to high schools. The game also added an underground plumbing system, a more complex tax system, and since the map was isometric (as opposed to top-down), there was also land elevation. You can play through several scenarios, many of which based off of real-world situations such as the economic depression in 1970s Flint Michigan. Even today, with more advanced city simulators being released, SimCity remains the gold standard in city building. If you have yet to play this classic, Gog.com has it on sale for $5.99.

With Halloween in two days, now is the perfect time to take a look at two terrifingly awesome games that are $20 or below. So with no further ado, lets go forward. Just make sure you got the lights turned on!
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Supreme Commander 2 is the sequel to Supreme Commander, which is the spiritual successor to Gas Powered Games’ creator Chris Taylor’s classic Total Annihilation. Square-Enix partnered with the developers in order to publish it, making it one of the company’s first forays into real-time-strategy. Like its predecessor, and its predecessor before it, Supreme Commander 2 focuses on RTS action with large amounts of units. And when I say large, I don’t mean swarming your opponent with 20 or 30 infantry. No sir, I mean hitting people up with hundreds of units, land, air, sea, and infantry in an coordinated assault on the enemy. You take control of one of three factions, the UED, Illuminate, or the Cybran. Each faction has its own unique units and characteristics, and the single player campaign will put you in control of all three of them. Various patches have address many of the game’s shortcomings, and new maps and units have been added via downloadable content. Although many critics argue that it’s system isn’t as complex as the original, its deep RTS gameplay will still keep you enthralled for sure.

If there is one video game icon who got to celebrate his birthday this year, it’s Link. Legenda of Zelda turned 25 this year, and not only do we get a 3DS remake of one of his greatest adventures (Ocarina of Time), a new Wii game (Skyward Sword), but we get a free version of Link’s first multiplayer outing, Four Swords. Originally an add-on to the Game Boy Advance remake of A Link In To The Past, Four Swords became a surprise hit among fans and critics alike. It is only available until February 20 of next year, so if you have a DSI, DSIXL, or 3DS, hurry up and download it.
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