Game Room: March Roundup

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Mar 23, 2010

Game Room: March Roundup

MLB 10 The Show

For the past couple of years, The Show has owned the title of best baseball simulation on the market. This year's build goes a step further, putting the franchise in position to knock Madden off the pedestal as best overall sport simulation. The first-person Road to the Show 4.0 ups the ante by allowing you to play as a catcher and call all the shots from behind the plate. The visuals are spectacular, from stadium renderings, to All-Star face details, to in-game animations. Online play offers fully functioning 30-team leagues for you and your friends. This is the video game version of a can't-miss five-tool prospect. Score: 9.5/10

MLB 2K10

2K Sports stepped up its game for the franchise's 10th birthday. The new first-person career mode, in which you try to work your way up from the minors to the Hall of Fame, is the best way to experience the revamped hitting and pitching controls. The new controls are heavy on the joystick and a little hard to get used to, but detailed scouting reports will be a dream to sift through for baseball stat heads. The graphics really shine thanks to the Signature Style feature, which mimics baseball's biggest stars down to their batter's box routine. Unfortunately, there are too many glitches during gameplay for a next-generation console title, which detracts from the action. Score: 7/10

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

The first-person war shooter is a genre that has flooded the market over the past few years. Bad Company 2 is the latest to join the ranks, but right away you'll realize it's a huge improvement over the first game. The plot is pretty contrived -- your unit must track down an enigmatic super weapon dating back to World War II -- but it doesn't really matter. The action in the game is engaging and varied, as you get missions in vehicles, as a sniper, defending positions and plowing through enemy positions. The graphics are very good, and the amount of destructible elements throughout lends a real-world feel. The campaign is pretty short, but the game delivers a very strong multiplayer experience to make up for the length. With a good selection of modes and options, the multiplayer does a great job emphasizing team play. Rating: 9/10

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

He's back, and he's not alone. For the first time, Tiger Woods will have company on the game cover of EA's popular PGA Tour series. You might think the decision to include golfer Rory McIlroy on the cover was a result of Tiger's scandalous off-field activities, but EA says the shared cover is intended to enhance a new Ryder Cup mode that allows players to compete on teams in the prestigious event. Want Tiger on your team?

NHL 2K11

Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler has been tapped as the cover boy for the next installment of 2K's hockey game. 2K says the game will only be available for the Wii, and not the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. With the recent news that EA isn't putting out an NCAA Basketball this year, it seems as if companies are starting to back away from the shotgun approach. Whether that's a good thing remains to be seen.

MotoGP 09/10

The MotoGP franchise has been more rollercoaster, less motorcycle, over the past few years. But thanks to a complete retooling, the 09/10 game seems headed in the right direction. The game is very approachable, featuring four difficulty settings and light customization of the bikes. Controls are responsive and easy to learn. There's also an ideal racing line on the track -- you can toggle it on and off -- to help you learn the layouts of the tracks. The game sports arcade, championship and career modes, as well as three racing classes: 125cc, 250cc and 800cc. The look of the game is a little washed out, and the graphics don't measure up to the likes of Forza 3. The biggest disappointment, though, is the sound. Many of the bikes sound more like wasps than roaring engines. Ultimately, the game is far more arcade than simulation, but it's worth a look for motorcycling racing fans. Rating: 7/10

God of War III

Kratos, son of Zeus, returns to wrap up his quest for vengeance in God of War III. Fans have waited three years for this sequel, which is easily a system seller for the Playstaion 3. GOW3 simply looks and sounds amazing. The textures, details and sheer creativity of the level design are present throughout the game. The action matches the superior graphics, as users fight through hordes of monsters in epic locations before facing tremendous boss battles. The control scheme is very similar to the last game, where various attacks are mapped to buttons, though you can now switch weapons on the fly. This game is rated M for Mature and features plenty of gore and blood, but that's obviously part of it's' appeal. Rating: 9.5/10

The Road Warrior

If playing a great God of War III game isn't enough for you, then take it a step further and root for NASCAR driver Joey Logano. On March 21, Logano raced the No. 20 car in the Scotts Turf Builder 300 to a 14th place finish with Kratos' eyes emblazoned on the hood of his car. Suck on that, Zeus!

Classic Gaming Expo

Have a hankering for some Atari 2600 goodness? Wish you could fire up a game of Missile Command or track down an Intellivision game you once worshiped? Look no further than the Classic Gaming Expo. This year the Expo will be held in Las Vegas at the Tropicana Hotel from July 31-Aug. 1.

Donkey Kong Record

Speaking of classic gaming glory, there's a new record for the arcade Donkey Kong. On March 8, official record-keeping site, Twin Galaxies, confirmed Hank Chien's new record of 1,061,700 points. Chien's score, which was verified via a DVD of his performance, pushed him past previous record-holder Billy Mitchell. Mitchell and fellow Donkey Kong record-holder Steve Weibe were the stars of the documentary King of Kong, a must-watch movie for video game fans of all stripes. Congratulations Hank!