2K Games

CHICAGO – During a 4th grade sleepover party for a kid I knew named David, I waddled downstairs looking for the potty, and set eyes on a most fascinating game being played by David’s older brother on a computer. I’d never seen anything like it. There was a 3D globe, customizable characters, a haunting soundtrack and atmosphere, aliens, urban environments, and at the time, it was the most awesome thing I’d ever seen.

CHICAGO – I played the first “Bioshock” about a year after release and managed to avoid all the spoilers. What an experience that was. A deconstruction of game linearity wrapped in a beautiful, decaying, underground once-utopia that brought ideas and philosophy to the table, in addition to a huge arsenal of weapons and special powers - plasmids.

CHICAGO – The odds are if you own a “Borderlands 2” Season Pass, or are a member of its “Premiere Club” you’re very likely very pleased at the constant stream of high quality content being delivered to your Xbox 360.

CHICAGO – I sat on my porch in balmy 56 degree December weather. It was windy for New England, but having spent years in Chicago it felt mostly like a light breeze.

“Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty,” in addition to being an excellent title for a late night “Cinemax” title, also happens to be a new piece of pirate-themed downloadable content for “Borderlands 2,” available for a modest tribute on XBLA. Once downloaded, all one needs to do is access a fast travel station and hightail it to newly appearing “Oasis” on the list of travel beacons.

CHICAGO – Most of us thought it wouldn’t happen, others thought it couldn’t, and a select few thought it never should. Despite being the best in the world at what they do, dominating the competition, and improving themselves day in and day out, most of us were ultimately doubters. But we were proven wrong.

CHICAGO – Hi, my name is Paul Meekin, and I’m an “XCOM”-aholic. Firaxis, has brewed an almost perfect concoction; mixing the bitters of hardcore strategy gaming and punishing difficulty with the sweetness of character customization, resource management, plus a dash of ’50s camp as the proverbial sugar on the rim.

CHICAGO – “The Darkness II” may not be quite as artistically successful as one would hope but it works for what it is — a gory, violent, extreme journey to Hell through the eyes of a vicious gangster who made a deal with the devil. Visual creativity goes a long way to alleviate gameplay repetition and a lack of interesting storytelling.

CHICAGO – By now you’ve probably read that the long-anticipated “Duke Nukem Forever” is a total disaster, a glitch-heavy, poorly-written exercise that would have been disappointing as DLC but is downright insulting as a standard release. I really wanted to be able to give the game a pass, to report that critics have been too hard on it.

CHICAGO – It is not uncommon for major awards season contenders in the world of film to come off more like very expensive paintings with all the right visual flourishes and technical elements but lacking the soul or the heart to make them truly effective. It happens every year. 2K Games’ “Mafia II” is the equivalent in the world of gaming.