Post Tagged with: "Wii"

NBA 2K12

NBA 2K12

NBA 2K12
2K SPORTS (XBOX 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PC, PSP)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Basketball fans with a case of the lockout blues will find their happy place in NBA 2K12. This virtual shrine to the sport takes 15 b-ball legends—including Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—and drops them into classic team matchups from the heights of their careers. The presentation shifts to reflect the era (Wilt Chamberlain’s 1971 Lakers vs. Knicks game appears in grainy VHS-quality color), while the athletes are rendered in period-accurate detail, right down to their old-school Converse court-stompers. Win each legend’s classic game and you’ll unlock his teammates for exhibition games against modern teams, finally putting an end to ages of what-if speculation.

NBA 2K12 NBA 2K12

Holiday Gaming Survival Guide

The annual Armageddon of the holiday release is nearly upon us. Survive the onslaught with out big breakdown of the games made just for you.
By Crispin Boyer

Couples Therapy

Couples Therapy
Play nice with your girlfriend in these chick-friendly games.
Couples Therapy
Just Dance 3
Ubisoft (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)
The good guy: You, for buying this game for your lady.
The bad guys: Uncouth dudes who sit on the sidelines just to ogle your girlfriend.
The gear: The Kinect is required equipment for the Xbox 360 version; on PS3, each player needs a Move controller.
The gist: Chicks love to dance. Chicks love guys who can dance. This game teaches guys how to get down with chicks. Those three simple facts of life sum up the appeal of this four-player dance party. Its track list has Top 40 songs from every musical genre, including hiphop, disco, rock, R&B—even country. Rhythmically challenged players can tone down the difficulty and sing along for bonus points.
Couples Therapy
Rayman Origins
Ubisoft (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)
The good guy: Rayman, Mario’s French equivalent.
The bad guys: Nightmare-spawning Darktoons.
The gear: Telescoping fists and pompadour-powered flight.
The gist: This is a throwback to the days when game worlds were two-dimensional and game heroes were built from dozens of sprites instead of thousands of polygons. The limbless hero—and up to three other players—go through 60 levels of good old-fashioned hop-and bop gameplay. Your lady friend will love the oil-painting environments, adorable enemies, and silly storyline (it’s just so … French). You’ll look like a hero when you summon old-school skills to help her topple the trippy end-of-level bosses.
Couples Therapy
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
Sony (PS3)
The good guys: Fur-ball alien Ratchet, his robo-companion Clank, and musclehead superhero Qwark.
The bad guy: Dr. Nefarious, forced to team up with the heroes as a playable character.
The gear: The Sheepinator, the Pyro Blaster, the Morph-O-Ray, and dozens of other silly guns.
The gist: Four players take on goofball foes while wielding the wackiest weaponry in videogame history. “Use weapons together to unleash devastating co-op pwnage,” says Shaun McCabe, production director at Insomniac Games, “or compete with your teammates to build up your weapon arsenal.” Take our advice: Let your girlfriend get the good stuff.

2011 Penthouse Holiday Gaming Survival Guide, Also See:

Adventure Quenchers

Adventure Quenchers
Visit new places and kill interesting people in these action-crammed adventures.
Adventure Quenchers
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Sony (PS3)
The good guy: Nathan Drake, glory-hound descendant of Sir Francis Drake.
The bad guy: The ruthless leader of a shadowy cult.
The gear: Rifles and pistols/thousands of customizable variations.
The gist: A routine treasure hunt turns into archaeo logical pay dirt for the redoubtable Mr. Drake, who winds up investigating the mystery of a lost city. He battles cultists in a run-down French château, and chases desert mirages that almost make the PS3’s graphics chip belch smoke. Once the cinematic story is said and done, players will find hours of thrills in extensive multiplayer modes that retain the movielike quality of the single-player campaign.
Adventure Quenchers
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Nintendo (Wii)
The good guy: Sword-wielding elfin hero Link.
The bad guys: Habitual evildoer Ganondorf.
The gear: Master Sword, bow,
bombs, grappling hook, slingshot—typical tools of adventure.
The gist: This epic unleashes its ageless elf hero on a new continent full of far-flung dungeons reach able via flight atop a giant bird. The whimsical fairy tale does have one cutting-edge feature that adds an element of manliness: realistic sword-fighting (MotionPlus accessory required). The swordplay adds swashbuckling fun to enemy encounters—although your Madden playing pals might give you a wedgie while you’re playing.
Adventure Quenchers
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Ubisoft (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
The good guy: Ezio Auditore, scowling, cowl-wearing master assassin.
The bad guys: The Knights Templar, history’s super-duper-secret club of troublemakers.
The gear: The spring-loaded hookblade; new bomb-making materials.
The gist: The silent-but-violent Ezio goes on a sixteenth-century killing spree, stalking Templar bigwigs on narrow streets seething with sweaty humanity during the Third Crusade. His journey to track down five ancient seals of the assassins’ brotherhood takes him to Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire melting pot. Like a Renaissance-era For rest Gump, he bumps into various real life characters. Whether he rewrites history is up to you.
Adventure Quenchers
Batman: Arkham City
Warner Bros. Interactive (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
The good guy: The Dark Knight.
The bad guys: The Joker, the Riddler, Two-Face, and Catwoman (playable in her own heist missions).
The gear: A visor-mounted CSI lab, plus the usual utility-belt toys.
The gist: The mayor has turned a vast chunk of Gotham City into a sprawling super prison. Naturally, the criminal mas ter minds locked inside plot their escape and world domination, giving Batman more excuses to work out childhood trauma with his fists while uncover ing the prisoners’ plans with his gadgets. The first game’s famously fluid combat has been upgraded with twice the number of attacks, counters, and takedowns. Catwoman’s lithe acrobatics will overstress your analog stick.

2011 Penthouse Holiday Gaming Survival Guide, Also See:

Driver: San Francisco

Driver: San Francisco

DRIVER: SAN FRANCISCO
UBISOFT (XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, PC)

Any real-life high-speed chase through San Francisco’s hilly, curvy streets would likely culminate in the kind of car carnage seen only in driver’s ed. films—but the latest installment in the Driver franchise lets you fulfill your Bullitt-inspired fantasies without becoming an organ donor. More than 200 miles of roadways—from the Golden Gate Bridge to Lombard Street’s famous switchbacks—have been faithfully re-created, while a stunt camera records your deft weaving through rush-hour traffic and drift cornering at Haight and Ashbury.

The game puts you behind the wheels of more than 120 licensed autos—almost simultaneously. A novel twist lets you hop seamlessly from vehicle to vehicle to coor dinate roadblocks, terrorize entire convoys of foes, and use your enginepowered ingenuity to stop a mob boss from terrorizing the city. If single-player stalls out, you can take on friends in nearly 20 multiplayer modes, or try special challenges modeled after famous TV and movie chase scenes. We can almost hear Steve McQueen spinning his wheels in his grave.

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