Game Room: June Roundup

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jul 1, 2010

Game Room: June Roundup

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

Tiger Woods' A Game and Q Score aren't what they used to be, but his video games are still going strong. The most recent release in Woods' franchise builds on the title's solid foundation while upgrading many key features. All new Ryder Cup play lets you choose which team you want to represent before letting you swap in and out of groups from hole to hole, depending on who's winning and losing. You can still pull off amazing shots with spin, power-ups and previews, but the new Focus Meter keeps you honest by limiting how often you can use those mid-flight adjustments. New shot types and a realistic gameplay mode called True Aim have also been added to make sure you won't get bored, no matter how much time you spend on the links. Score: 9/10 Game Room Video Review: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

NHL 11: Toews Knows

Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews is on a seriously impressive roll. Toews racked up a gold medal with Team Canada in Vancouver, a Stanley Cup with Chicago and the Conn Smyth award. Next, he'll grace the cover of EA's highly successful NHL franchise, which is scheduled for a September 7 release on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

NBA 2K11: Rare Air

NBA legend Michael Jordan was selected as the cover athlete for 2K Sports' upcoming NBA game. Jordan is a 14-time NBA All-Star, five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, six-time NBA World Champion and recent Hall of Fame inductee. NBA 2K11 is scheduled for an October 5 release on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP and PC.

NBA Elite: Durant Gets the Call

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant has landed the cover for EA's next NBA flagship title. Durant led the league in scoring and helped put the young and athletic Thunder on the map in the Western Conference after a dramatic opening-round playoff series with the Lakers that lasted six games. NBA Elite is scheduled for an October 5 release on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Xbox Live: ESPN3 Coming

At this year's E3 conference, Microsoft and ESPN announced that ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360) will be available on Xbox Live in the fall. ESPN says the service will allow users to access over 3,500 events, including college football, college basketball, NBA, MLB, soccer, golf and tennis. The service will be free to all Gold subscription members on Xbox Live. Unfortunately, the service will likely not be available to customers using internet providers that don't have carriage deals with ESPN.

Howdy Slim: Xbox 360

In a surprise move at the E3 conference, Microsoft unveiled the latest Xbox 360 model and announced it was already shipping to retailers. The new model is sleeker and smaller than the original 360 and features built-in Wi-Fi, a 250 GB hard drive, five USB ports, a digital optical audio out port, an Ethernet port, a Kinect port and an HDMI out port. The unit runs much quieter than its loud predecessors, which is a welcome improvement. The Slim retails for $299 and comes with a controller and composite connection cables. Sadly, Microsoft didn't include an HDMI cable or component cables for its flagship product. Microsoft says a less expensive version is coming in the fall, but has not released the details on what that unit will include. Score: 9.5/10

Hands On: Halo Reach

We got to see and play the Halo Reach campaign and Firefight mode, and it's pretty clear Bungie's final Halo effort is going to be epic. The campaign level we previewed features greater detail and richer graphics than we've seen in any previous Halo game. New space missions let you pilot about and shoot down Covenant ships and have a nice Star Fox vibe. The Firefight mode (first seen in Halo ODST) allows up to four players to duke it out with waves of Covenant locally or online. The available customization options seemed very impressive, and you'll be able to share your unique game types online. Halo Reach is scheduled for a September 14 release on the Xbox 360. Hello, sick day!

Green Day: Rock Band

Green Day: Rock Band comfortably occupies the space between a Rock Band track pack and a revolutionary spinoff like last year's The Beatles: Rock Band. The game looks and plays like Rock Band 2 in nearly every way, with the addition of vocal harmonies and motion-captured avatars specific to Green Day. There are 47 songs here, with Dookie and American Idiot present in their entirety, but you'll need to buy six songs separately to complete 21st Century Breakdown, which is a shame -- the game shouldn't ship requiring DLC to complete its song list. That said, most of the songs are well-noted and fun to play and, unlike with the Beatles game, can be exported to fill out your Rock Band 2 track list for an additional $10. Score: 7/10

Transformers: War for Cybertron

No Michael Bay. Check. No Megan Fox. Check. No Burger King tie-in. Check. Most gamers have grown to expect weak-sauce games based on movie and TV franchises. But we're pleased to report that the latest Transformers game has ditched that stigma and is, gulp, a great third-person shooter action game. The campaign mode allows you to play as either the Autobots or Decepticons. You'll have a blast blasting through various enemies and tasks, and you're sure to get a charge the first time you transform on the fly in the middle of a battle from a transformer to a vehicle or plane. The graphics and sound are spot-on for the source material, and the multiplayer options are robust and addictive. Score: 9/10

Toy Story 3: The Video Game

You've got a friend in this game, especially if you have kids. Like Transformers, Toy Story succeeds in creating a rich and immersive game despite being a franchise title. The game features a traditional story mode and the Toy Box mode, which is really where this one shines. Toy Box gameplay is wide open, allowing you to complete tasks or wander around and interact with a multitude of Toy Story universe characters. In this mode players can control Buzz, Woody or Jessie and pretty much create a unique experience based on their gaming preferences and desire to interact with the environment. Toy Story 3 is a game worthy of the movie on which it is based, which is saying a lot. Score: 8/10

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

LEGO game versions of key Warner Bros movie franchises have been steadily flowing for years, so it was inevitable that the Harry Potter franchise would join the fray. LEGO Harry Potter allows all the muggles out there to experience most of the key events in Harry's first four years at Hogwarts, either as a single player or cooperatively (170 playable characters include the usual suspects like Ron and Hermione, plus exciting fringe options like Hagrid's boarhound, Fang). In attempting to capture the complexities of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe, the game arms players will a handful of magic spells which they must use to solve puzzles and unlock access to other story missions. There's definitely a learning curve, as you have to use the spells in the correct order and under the correct conditions to keep moving. The graphics, sounds and LEGO cuteness all work well together. Potter fans are sure to be pleased with this one. Score: 8.5/10