Rocksmith

Finally, a beat-matching game that is bold enough to use a full, real guitar as their controller. Ubisoft’s San Francisco-based development studio has created a cross-platform videogame that can potentially teach someone to learn to play the guitar from scratch. The player can attach any electric guitar or use a pick on an acoustic guitar as a controller for Rocksmith. The game assists in tuning the guitar before each song or minigame. The player starts with very basic lessons that will get progressively harder. The experience is fun and challenging, and before I knew it, I was playing Nirvana the way it was meant to be played. Downloadable content in the form of new songs will be available. Rocksmith is set to release September or October 2011 on Xbox and PlayStation 3.

Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns

Harvest Moon is a long-standing franchise with many beloved fans. This title is its offering on the Nintendo 3DS. The game is primarily a farming simulator with a bevy of RPG elements. There is a lovable appeal in buying upgrades to your house, finding animals for your farm and working toward gaining a husband or wife. Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Townsoffers a choice of two starting towns, which fight over food: Konahana, which is an East Asian-themed town focused on crops and farming; or Bluebell, which is more of a meat-based town and is European-themed and barn-focused. There is a questing system for gaining certain crops, animals and mining. The 3-D effect from the 3DS added an immersive level of depth to what is a simple, charming art style.

The Darkness II

In the second installment of The Darkness, Jackie fights a whole new enemy called the Brotherhood. Jackie is our lead protagonist and has the ability to manifest the power of the Darkness. The Darkness II is a first-person shooter with an atmosphere and art style befitting its namesake. The moment you step into the environment, there is a feeling of dread. This feeling is enhanced by the art style that the developers refer to as Game Noir. This is referring to the stark, contrasted and saturated look to the world that makes the game feel like a graphic novel.

In this game, Jackie exploits a quad-wielding system composed of a gun in each hand as well as two Demon Arms used to attack enemies in melee and mid to short range. In the dark is when Darkness powers can be used. It is necessary to stay out of the light, and the Brotherhood knows this weakness. The Brotherhood has ancient knowledge on its side and uses high-powered handheld lights and flashbangs to drop Jackie’s guard and attack. Essence is collected from the player’s victims and used to advance particular skill trees. One skill tree that was shown in the demo was called Gun Channeling. This would allow Darkness powers to be put into the gun and allow for powers such as unlimited ammo for a certain interval and the ability to see enemies behind cover. The Darkness games are based on a comic series by the same name and provide a unique FPS experience that fans are sure to enjoy and newcomers will find hard to ignore.