Mass Effect 2
For: Xbox 360 and Windows PC
From: Bioware/EA
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood, drug reference, sexual content, strong language, violence)

“Mass Effect” marked a bold venture for Bioware, which took the underpinnings of its superlatively deep role-playing games and crammed them into a tactical third-person shooter with combat as real-time as in any other sci-fi action game. Surprisingly, it worked: The combat was highly imperfect but easily sufficient, and the branching storylines, deep character progression and ridiculous interplanetary scope made for one of 2007’s best games.

How impressive, then, that “Mass Effect 2″ comes along and makes its predecessor look like a rough draft by comparison.

Principally, “ME2″ doesn’t mess excessively with what worked previously. In particular, the storytelling — and the absolutely amazing branching conversation trees that allow the player to mold the personality of chief protagonist Commander Shepard and, by proxy, the story and galaxies around him — retains its considerable polish. “ME2″ is as saturated with planets, alien races and mythology as “ME1,” but it also benefits from not having to introduce it all to the degree its predecessor did. The story takes a sharp turn straight away — a dramatic change of fortune and a pretty serious turning of some tables dictate the game’s first sequence — and while “ME2″ has hours’ worth of optional side missions in tow, pretty much everything operates in the name of barreling the story forward.

(Side note for those who missed “ME1:” While “ME2″ offers additional benefits to players who are already familiar with the characters and alliances, Bioware offers enough guidance to bring new players up to speed without boring those who need no introduction.)

Though “ME2″ is large enough to span two discs on the Xbox 360, Bioware has done a commendable job of cutting fat where it needed cutting. A slick mining mechanic allows players to explore barren planets from the ship instead of via a pointless ride in the Mako buggy, which has been excised completely. The side missions, by extension, have more consequence in the overall ecology, and a cleaner set of menu interfaces makes it easier to (among other things) jump from one mission to another with little downtime in between.

Speaking of saving time, the famously long load times from “ME1″ are considerably more tolerable (and more elegantly presented) this time around. Even more importantly, the wretched save system — which almost everyone learned, the hard way, didn’t autosave like it appeared to — has received a very user-friendly overhaul. (It works, in other words.)

But what truly is remarkable about “ME2″ is how profoundly Bioware transforms the weakest ingredient of “ME1″ into this game’s most jaw-dropping asset. The combat in “ME2″ is more than just sufficient: It’s completely indistinguishable — in terms of speed, control fluidity, explosiveness, and enemy/squad A.I. — from the best cover-based third-person shooters available today. A stunning visual presentation, led by perhaps the best camerawork the genre has yet seen, arguably puts it at the top of the heap.

Best of all, Bioware sacrificed exactly none of the role-playing underpinnings that carried the combat in “ME1.” Those systems worked together well enough back then, but they sing in perfect harmony this time around, putting “ME2″ in a class all its own when it comes to blending two traditionally disparate genres into one.

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Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
For: Wii
From: Capcom
ESRB Rating: Teen (mild language, mild suggestive themes, violence)

Fans of Capcom’s lighthearted “Vs.” fighting games have felt understandable pangs of jealousy since the distinctively beautiful, meticulously polished but decidedly more serious “Street Fighter IV” raised the bar for fighting games nearly a full year ago.

Fortunately, “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars” doesn’t simply end the near-decade-long “Vs.” game drought; it also closes the gap almost completely between Capcom’s 2D fighting past and the arguably perfect mix of two and three dimensions that made “SFIV” such a staggering treat for the eyes and thumbs.

This being a Wii game, “TvC” understandably cannot match the level of visual detail “SFIV” pulled off on more powerful hardware. But in borrowing that game’s approach — characters animating in full, fluid 3D but fighting on a 2D plane — it reaps the same benefits: The fighters pull off spectacular moves with abandon, but the removal of unnecessary 3D space whittles the fight down to the same psychological science that made “Street Fighter” so special in the first place. (“TvC,” to its credit, closes the graphical gap by opting for a cel-shaded visual style that really makes its infectiously outlandish style pop.)

Though the fighting shines under the guidance of the new engine, “TvC” is unmistakably a “Vs.” game at heart. The two-on-two matches represent a paring back from “Marvel Vs. Capcom’s” three-on-three insanity, but the speed and accessibility of the fighting remain several notches beyond “SFIV’s” more methodical leanings. Per brand tradition, “TvC” provides a generous arsenal for button-mashers while reserving the really good stuff for players who hunker down and learn each fighter’s respective intricacies.

Whether the roster is a boon or burden will come down to individual tastes. The Tatsunoko half of “TvC” consists of anime characters who are big in Japan but significantly lesser known here, but while the relative obscurity robs “TvC” of the dream fights “Marvel” had, it’s an arguable benefit to players intrigued by the multitude of surprises 13 brand-new (and often wildly designed) characters will afford them. Capcom’s 13 offerings should prove a bit more familiar, but the wide diversity of the cast — Ryu and Chun-Li are here, but so is Mega Man, “Dead Rising’s” Frank West and characters from “Lost Planet,” “Viewtiful Joe” and “Rival Schools” — means a bounty of quirks and highly divergent (but reasonably well-balanced) styles awaits discovery on both sides.

“TvC” complements its polished gameplay by offering enough control styles (remote/nunchuck, Classic controller, Gamecube controller) to suit everyone, and it provides plenty of longevity with a 26-ending single-player component and online multiplayer (two players) that worked without incident in pre-release testing. (Whether that holds up under the stress of thousands of players remains to be seen, but so far, so good.)

Just for fun, Capcom tosses in a “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Shooters” mode, which is a bizarre but surprisingly filling top-down shooter that features the game’s cast and supports up to four players. The mode has absolutely nothing to do with anything else in terms of gameplay. But neither the freebie “Geometry Wars” mode that snuck its way onto “Project Gotham Racing 2,” and look how that one turned out.

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Dark Void Zero
For: Nintendo DSi via the Nintendo DSi Shop
From: Other Ocean Interactive/Capcom
ESRB Rating: Everyone (fantasy violence)
Price: $5

Capcom’s infatuation with making mock Nintendo Entertainment System games in the 21st century isn’t new (see “Mega Man 9″ and the upcoming “Mega Man 10″), but “Dark Void Zero” takes the trick to a new level of imagination. Like the new Xbox 360/PS3 game “Dark Void,” “Zero” is a standard shooter that sets itself apart by strapping a jet pack to the player’s back. In the case of “Zero,” though, that translates into a sidescrolling action game that looks, sounds and acts like a game from 1988. In a vacuum, “Zero” is perfect for the price: The controls are polished and responsive in spite of the retro presentation, and with three difficulty settings and a tough-but-fair continue system, it’s challenging without resorting to “MM9’s” level of punishment. But “Zero” is especially cool when viewed in context. The nostalgically sparse story sets “Void’s” table surprisingly well, and it successfully manages to imbue a sense of history into a franchise that doesn’t actually have any. The developers really run with the joke, too: “Zero’s” digital manual includes a mock story detailing why it didn’t come out in 1987 as originally intended, and the composer responsible for “Void’s” score also orchestrated an 8-bit facsimile for “Zero.” Other clever and funny touches await — including one right when the game boots — but they’re best left unspoiled.

Posted in Nintendo DSiWare, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360

Nintendo DSi
From: Nintendo
Price: $170

It’s always exciting to get a new toy, and unless you count the meteoric advent of the iPhone, it’s been a good two-and-a-half years since a new gaming system touched down.

As such, the arrival of the semi-new Nintendo DSi was cause for more excitement than it probably merits under the harsh light of rationality.

To Nintendo’s credit, the DSi marks improvement over the DS Lite in ways apparent and not so apparent. You wouldn’t know it just to look at it, but it’s more powerful inside than the Lite. Eventually, there will be games that either offer more features on the DSi or simply don’t work on the other DS models at all.

The system’s most visible new feature — a tiny camera on the outside and an even tinier one on the inside — promises similar results, though it remains to be seen how well the cameras function in the areas of motion and light detection. Nintendo’s first attempt, the downloadable “Wario Ware: Snapped,” fails pretty miserably.

Still, the cameras benefit from some fun applications in the DSi’s redesigned virtual dashboard, which also features a fun voice manipulation program. The dashboard also links to the new DSi store, which offers new games for download to the systems internal storage (new) or SD card slot (also new). Nintendo included $10 worth of store credit with each DSi — a shrewd move that could inspire untold numbers of users to give downloadable games a chance. But while the temptation to spend that credit straight away is strong, the iffy early offerings in the store make it wise to hold out for something better.

Elsewhere, it’s the little things that loom large. The buttons feel sturdier than they did on previous models. The battery light indicator says more than just red and green. WPA encryption support is included for wireless Internet access, though a convoluted menu arrangement makes setting it up trickier than it should be. The two screens are larger than before, though some may not even notice the difference. The DSi also finally includes the ability to hot-swap games and return to the dashboard without restarting the whole system — small but wonderful convenience.

The DSi does suffer one big loss with the removal of the Game Boy Advance slot, which both cuts off that entire library and marks an end to such weird attachments as the rumble pack and the goofy “Guitar Hero” guitar peripheral. The value of that slot varies wildly from person to person, but if you ever got a chance to use the paddle controller that shipped with the Japanese release of “Arkanoid,” you probably understand what a loss it is.

Losing anything from the $129 DS Lite becomes hard to swallow when you consider the DSi’s notably higher price tag. Similarly, while the system improves on the Lite in all those aforementioned ways, it’s hard to recommend it to Lite owners until some compelling games arrive that take specific advantage of its power and abilities. That day will come, but DSi’s price may drop before it does. The immense range of the DS’ library makes the DSi easy to recommend to anyone who lacks any kind of DS hardware at all, but Lite owners might feel some serious buyer’s remorse once the novelty wears off and there’s little else to show for their purchase.

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The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
For: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC
From: Starbreeze/Tigon/Atari
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, sexual content, strong language)

If selling games is a race, then “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena” is a 100-meter sprinter with an eight-second head start. In a move that hopefully becomes a trend, developers Starbreeze and Tigon have included a remastered copy of “Athena’s” prequel, “Escape From Butcher Bay,” as bonus content.

“Bay” was incredible enough to command $50 on its own five years ago, and its approach to first-person stealth still feels fresh in its 2009 incarnation. Tigon and Starbreeze took an oft-inaccessible genre and made it immersive and exciting by nailing the control scheme and devising some ingenious means of communicating your ability to hide and remain hidden. It didn’t hurt that the game’s storyline and characters were more engaging than those found in the “Riddick” movie that released around the same time.

“Athena,” at least initially, doesn’t monkey around with the formula. The story picks up where “Bay” left off, and following a brief reintroduction to the controls and nuances of the stealth system, you’re back in the shadows, avoiding fights whenever possible and dividing and conquering when that won’t do. As was the case in “Bay,” even the most pedestrian of enemies can deal quick and debilitating damage, and picking multiple fights at once almost always is fatal.

But it’s on the same token where “Athena” arguably loses its way. Following a deeply satisfying stretch in which melee weapons and a dodgy tranquilizer gun are your only bets, the game slathers you in guns and ammo, and it counters this bounty by sending waves of stupid enemies storming your way. You still can shoot out lights and lurk in the shadows, but you don’t necessarily need to, and once you face enemies who only succumb to gunfire or force you to fight in entirely cover-free environments, all that delicate balance takes a flying leap.

This isn’t to suggest “Athena” is a failure. It’s more fun than not, and some of its best moments are during these wheels-off-the-bus stretches. But with “Bay’s” meticulous construction feeling fresh all over again in the same package, the reckless abandonment of stealth and artificial intelligence feels sloppy even when it’s fun.

Even with “Athena’s” problems taken into consideration, though, the total package — two nice-sized campaigns and a respectable suite of multiplayer offerings (12 players, online only) that capitalize on Riddick’s special abilities — comes recommended without hesitation. “Bay” did things in 2004 that no game until now has done since, and its rerelease to a wider audience is absolutely deserved. That it brings a whole additional game along for the ride is merely a very, very nice bonus.

(For those wondering, “Bay” and “Athena” exist as separate options in the main menu, so you can play them in whichever order you please.)

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Flock!
For: Playstation 3 via PSN, Xbox 360 Live Arcade and Windows PC
From: Proper Games/Capcom
ESRB Rating: Everyone (crude humor, mild cartoon violence)
Price: $15

“Flock!” presents a stiffer barrier to entry than most downloadable puzzle games — and not merely because it’s $5 more expensive than most think it should be. In “Flock,” you’re a UFO, and your objective is to herd farm animals around hedges, past natural and unnatural pitfalls and doohickeys and onto your mother ship. The idea is inspired, and a fantastic look and personality pile on the whimsy. But because you’re merely herding animals instead of controlling them directly, “Flock’s” intricacies may give you fits. Things start to click when you learn not to overdo the controls and let the animals do some of the work for you, but that’s not an easy thing to understand when the game rewards speedy herding with medal bonuses. Fortunately, finding a way to carefully herd every single animal on the board is more fun and worth more in the rewards department, and “Flock’s” 50-plus levels don’t disappoint in the brainteaser department. The game also earns its price tag by letting players design and trade their own levels online. If the game finds a devoted following, that translates into months of continuous (and free) downloadable content. It’s merely a shame you can’t actually play the game online with those same people: “Flock” has co-op play, but it’s offline only.

Posted in Nintendo DSi, Playstation 3, Playstation Network, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade