Just as “Tough Actin’ Tinactin” does for foot fungus, Madden NFL relieves our burning itch for pigskin.  Every year in August, Madden wakes up from his golden bed, puts on his golden slippers, takes a golden shower (or at least a shower in a golden bathroom) and empties our Velcro wallets of hard-earned cash.  This is how it has gone for centuries.

But this year, things are a little different (not really. But I like the drama)!

This year’s Madden update features new rosters, better graphics and presentation, and most of the same old things you know and love about the franchise.  The biggest improvement/addition is in the engine itself.  The new locomotion engine puts a greater emphasis on precision while running the football.  Your ball-carrier is more reactive and the lack of a sprint button (I still hold down the right trigger for old-time’s sake) really forces you to evade would-be tacklers by flicking the right thumbstick.  This small tweak to the gameplay makes a huge difference and really seems to refresh the running game.

The other new feature worth noting is the “GameFlow” system, which automatically calls a play for you based on the current situation.  Hardcore footballers may laugh at the simplicity (and the occasional WTF? play call) but casual gamers will appreciate the faster pace and accessibility.  I happen to like it.  But there are a few things that confuse the hell out of me.  At times you have no idea what play has been called and the little voice coming through your headset sometimes adds to the confusion.  Also, playing a game with a friend via local exhibition with the “GameFlow” feature ‘on’ is somewhat impractical.  Neither you nor your opponent knows exactly what play you’re getting, which turns most of the match into a guessing game—this can be strangely fun or really annoying based on how much you care.  Either way, Madden 11 is at its best when enjoyed with a friend.

One more thing that is a bit wacky is the in-game advertising.  Now, I know that big-budget advertising is a huge part of real broadcast football, but it would be nice if the Achievements I earned weren’t sponsored by Old Spice!  On a hardly related note, it is pretty cool that after you win the Super Bowl (sponsored by Verizon Wireless, of course) you get to visit the White House and chill with Barack Obama.  Yes you can!

Madden has a long, and mostly unrivaled history in console gaming.  Once again, this year’s game adds to that legacy by streamlining the experience rather than re-inventing it.  Depending on your love of the franchise, this could either bring you much happiness or a long, drawn-out yyyaaaaawwwwwwnnnn (excuse me).  With the NFL exclusivity license in its twilight years it will be interesting to see if EA Tiburon decides to change their tried-and-true formula in the near future.  Things should get interesting soon.

A little over a week has passed since I first played Heavy Rain.  And I really wasn’t planning on doing any kind of review for it. Because, you see, it’s not really a game—in the traditional sense, anyway—and I was afraid many of you pubescent Modern Warfare gamers here wouldn’t really care.  But a few days after finishing the story, I just can’t seem to get it out of my head.  So, I’ve decided to do a small review.  If not only for closure for myself, to spread the word to you “hardcore” gamers about an amazing interactive experience that you really should play.

Spending a whole lot of time talking about the story would be a disservice to you, so I’m not going to talk too much about that here.  But as to not leave you completely in the dark, Heavy Rain’s story is about a father whose son gets kidnapped and the trials and pain he goes through to try to save him.  Think somewhere between the movies “Saw” and “The Fan.”  Just know that Heavy Rain’s narrative is really great, and not just great for a game, great for a movie.  And that’s really what Heavy Rain is—an interactive movie.

Though the main story revolves around the aforementioned father, you also get to play as a great cast of supporting characters like an FBI agent, a Private Investigator and a pretty lady who shows her boobies a few times.  As the mystery unfolds, the characters’ stories eventually intertwine to reveal the kidnapper/serial killer dubbed the Origami Killer.

The gameplay aspects of Heavy Rain are pretty simple.  As you explore your surroundings you will be prompted to press certain buttons to make your character interact with people or items in the environment.  It may be as simple as hitting a face button or it could be a timed series of acrobatic stick movements and button presses that test your fingers’ dexterity.  If you’ve played video games in the past five-years you are probably familiar with the QTE—well, it’s a lot of that.

Now, that may not sound very awesome, but somehow the quick time events feel strangely fresh here.  The tension-inducing exercises take a symbiotic coordination of eye and hand that really add to the suspense of the game.

Further adding to the suspense is the fact that your actions in the game effect the overall story in a much greater way than you’re used to.  If you make the wrong decision at crucial moments during the game or miss certain quick time events, things can go south quickly.  Maybe you won’t find your son alive or maybe you won’t find him at all.  Make a big enough mistake and you’ll just die—for good.

Quantic Dream and Sony have built a high budget action game with Heavy Rain.  The art direction rivals anything Hollywood has to offer.  Your mood is stirred by a great soundtrack and the above average voice acting carries the story for the duration.  And did I mention boobies?

Overall, Heavy Rain is an amazing interactive experience that you owe it to yourself to play.  It is a rare game; one that can be enjoyed by both the person who holds the controller and couch-lurkers like girlfriends and roommates.  If you have a PlayStation, go out and buy the game immediately.  If you don’t have a PlayStation, get one!  Show your support for fresh game ideas like Heavy Rain and we’ll all be rewarded with more great games like it in the future.  Believe me, Microsoft and the creators of Natal are playing Heavy Rain right now just dreaming about the possibilities.

Luckily a diamond in the rough has revealed itself that not only does what it claims, but exceeded expectations. The FPS Freek, from Kontrol Freek, is an analog stick enhancement designed to offer gamers a greater degree of control and motion sensitivity to improve a player’s accuracy. Sitting atop the standard analog sticks for either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the adaptor snaps into place with a bit of pressure minus awkward or obtrusive changes to the appearance of the controller.

At the most basic level the controller has taller analog sticks. With this simple adjustment the controller has more sensitive analog sticks that either lessen or remove many of the complaints commonly levied against first person shooters on console. The extra height decreases the amount of force a player uses to push the sticks, thereby limiting the amount of overthrow a player could experience in a heated firefight. The greater degree of accuracy can be appreci ated by any serious  first-person shooter player, but  the improvements aren’t exclusive to that genre alone; FPS Freek also works well with any game that makes use of the right analog stick.

Due to added height the FPS Freek adds to the controller there is a definite learning curve players will experience when they first adopt the product. It took about three hours before we really became comfortable using the device and another three to when shots had markedly improved and surpassed prior FPS prowess. This becomes all the more evident when the FPS Freek is removed. There was an immediate decrease in performance. Shots were less accurate and we regularly overthrew our reticles and required quick adjustments. The Freek was quickly snapped back on.

Players looking to step-up their performance quickly and efficiently need look no further than Kontrol Freeks’s FPS Freek add-on.

Few games were quite as immersive as the first Assassin’s Creed.  I guess there’s just something about climbing to the top of a tall structure—to bask in your own glory and take-in the view—that really intrigues us as human beings.  That, and killing people.  The combination of those two things equals a novel concept, by which the first Assassin’s Creed produced a mostly enjoyable gaming experience.  Pockmarked with imperfections and missed opportunities, though, the first game was met with plenty of criticism.  But ultimately, people must have ignored its shortcomings—as more than enough copies were sold to warrant a sequel.  And it seems that most of those critics are shutting up now anyway, as Ubisoft has addressed many of the niggling issues of the first game and created the highest form of redemption—a true contender for Game of the Year.

Assassin’s Creed 2 picks up right where the first game’s cryptic ending leaves off—Desmond, in a lab and confused.  Almost immediately, Kristin Bell-voiced Lucy, who apparently got collagen injections in her lips since last time you saw her, breaks you out and brings you to meet your new friends—a snobby Brit and a really excited lez who want you to save humanity by joining their little revolution.  After jacking-in to the Animus, you find yourself in the middle of the Italian Renaissance, and a street fight.  Once you’ve bested your foe and learned the basics of combat (which later in the game you’ll realize merely consists of mashing the ‘X’ button and waiting to counter) you’ll begin your tale as the likable Ezio Fiorno Rubella Prosciutto (or something really Italian).  Ezio suffers tragedy early on in the game that shines light on a conspiracy and causes him to go on a killing frenzy that ultimately guides him in to fulfilling his destiny as an assassin. 

Unraveling the conspiracy leads to branching plot lines and a story that is far superior to that of the first game.   This time there is much more to do and the side-quests rarely feel like the same “wash, rinse, repeat” snore-fest as they did in the first game.  Besides the main quest-line of assassinating rival family members and church officials, you’ll take-on optional missions that have you killing lower priority targets, beating up unfaithful husbands and searching the cities for ancient relics.

City exploration is familiar (treasure box’s, viewpoints, etc…) but renaissance Italy poses as more of a main character than the landscapes of the first game.  One of the cities, which acts as your base of operations, is even upgradeable—as are your weapons and armor.  These customization options and other RPG-ish elements add a Fable-esque feel to go along with the Hitman stealth action and Prince of Persia platforming thing already going on.  And that is really where Assassin’s Creed 2 falters a bit; it’s a Jack of all trades but a master of none—a victim of its own ambition—something that more time in development could have remedied.

So really, my only major gripe about Assassin’s Creed 2 is that it came too fast.  Ubisoft Montreal had some big ideas but many seem incomplete in their execution.  And that’s an inherent problem with the video game industry as a whole.  The pressures for the developers to meet deadlines and skimp or cut-out features to get a game out before Christmas often results in exactly this—and I believe a game with as much potential for greatness as Assassins Creed 2 deserves better.

Overall, Assassin’s Creed 2 is a huge step forward; and it possesses the same overall feeling that made the original a video game-escapists dream.  Many of the first game’s follies have been corrected, but there is still plenty of room for improvement within the AC mythos.  Trust me, though, you’ll be staying up late past your bedtime for a week-or-two telling yourself “just one more quest” until you finally succumb to your wife’s (or mom’s) pleas to get to bed.  You’ll get your money’s worth here.  At 20-30 hours—depending on how obsessive compulsive you are—Assassin’s Creed 2 is one of the few games worth $60.  And even if it doesn’t end up winning Game of the Year, I can not wait for the inevitable Assassin’s Creed 3.

Freek Score: 8/10