Massive Nerd

This weekend, I finished Prince of Persia. I'm a longtime fan of the series. I LOVED Sands of Time. The sequels... not so much.

The latest version has all the stuff I loved about Sands, minus a few bits. Running and jumping all over the place never gets old. I did, however, miss the deathtraps. Having Elika there to save your dumb ass every time you jump into an abyss is fine by me. It allowed me to take some leaps of faith I otherwise would not have attempted.

In the last generation, as fun as the platforming was, I despised the combat. No matter how they tried to pretty it up, it was just annoying. This game, they decided to just scrap it all. Very little combat to be had, and I didn't miss it one bit.

The ending was a slap in the face. Big cliffhanger screaming "PAY FOR THE DLC!" Nope, not happening.

Much like Assassin's Creed, Achievements are a blast. An easy 500-600 points just playing through. Another 200-300 for some fun stuff. Other companies can learn from Ubisoft.

All in all, a very fun game. Short, you can play through it in a solid weekend. Very repetitive, you must run through each environment 2 or 3 times. If you don't mind a fun game with a minimal amount of combat, and can find it for a good price, definitely pick it up.

Secondly, Dead Space.

Holy CRAP, Dead Space.

I never got into Resident Evil. Indeterminate blobs resembling zombies are not scary. At best, I'd label it "startling." Silent Hill, while a much better game, to me, was more "creepy" and "disturbing."

Dead Space is freaking TERRIFYING.

Modern day graphics allow for a very spooky atmosphere. The lighting effects play tricks on your eyes. Every shadow could potentially hide a Necromorph.

The sound will keep you up at night.

Mutant babies. With tentacles. Not. Right.

At one point, I stepped out of an elevator and saw an enemy run around the next corner. I spent the next several minutes staring at my map, looking for an alternate route. I did NOT want to go around that corner.

After playing through the first couple chapters, a small moth flew at me in the bathroom. I almost fell into the freaking tub. Yes, I will admit it. I have not been this scared of ANYTHING since I watched the first Halloween as a boy.

Additionally, big props to the devs for making a game with no HUD that is still perfectly playable. Everything important is represented on your character. Menus and video communications are holographically projected right in front of Isacc, for a very seamless play experience.

Don't WAIT for a good deal on this one. It's easily available for 30 bucks or less, and is easily worth MORE than that.