Video Game Review

CHICAGO – On paper, “Naughty Bear” sounded like a great summer video game alternative. Where most games fit into a pretty definable niche like shooter, sports game, RPG, etc., how do you categorize a game about a maniacal teddy bear killing off his teddy bear friends in unique and blood-curdling ways? Sadly, “Naughty Bear” merely proves that originality only gets you so far. You still need to make a good game.

CHICAGO – With only a few tweaks to last year’s very successful edition, “NCAA Football 11” maintains the franchise’s pole position as the best sports title available. “Madden NFL” is a great game. So are “MLB The Show,” “NBA 2K,” “FIFA,” and “Tiger Woods PGA Tour.” “NCAA Football” wins by a field goal.

CHICAGO – The highly-anticipated “Crackdown 2” has sucked in many Microsoft Xbox 360 players this month with its promise of controlled chaos, but does it live up to the expectations? With echoes of far-superior games “InFAMOUS” and “Just Cause 2” ringing in players’ ears, even hardcore fans will have to admit some disappointment but there’s still something oddly addictive about this relatively simple game.

CHICAGO – Leave it to the boy who lived to breathe remarkable new life into a gaming franchise that seemed to have run out of ideas. “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4” is the most entertaining family-driven title that you could possibly pick up this summer. It’s a great game.

Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – If you’ve ever played a solitaire matching game online like “Bejeweled Blitz” or “Chuzzle” then you’ll be familiar with the basic structure of D3’s remarkably addictive “Puzzle Quest 2,” now available on Xbox Live Arcade and for the Nintendo DS. And if you’ve ever been addicted to one of those popular solitaire matching games, clear your schedule and tell your friends that you’re going to be busy for a while. This is the best game of its kind in a long time.

Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Just as every gamer thinks of John Madden when it comes to football, Tiger Woods has long been synonymous with the pinnacle of golf gaming. Electronic Arts hopes that buyers can overlook his drama off the green and continue to think of Tiger Woods every time they want to play a round of golf without an actual 5 iron.

Video Game Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Being hopelessly addicted to the great “Zen Pinball” and a fan of golf games from the realistic (“Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11”) to the cartoonish (“Hot Shots Golf”), I was more than a little excited for Zen Studios’ “Planet Mini-Golf.” If they could capture the creative fun of an old-fashioned game as they did with “Zen Pinball,” I figured my new summer obsession had arrived. Sadly, it turned into my summer frustration.

CHICAGO – After seeing the amazing “Toy Story 3” (read our review here) this past weekend, you may be inclined to participate in the adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the gang in one of the many incarnations of the video game tie-in available on Sony Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP.

CHICAGO – Blending the worlds of “Super Mario Kart” and “Little Big Planet,” Sony’s “ModNation Racers” will be the perfect summer title for players who like their racing a little more cartoonish than most speed-based titles and for those who love to make a title their own. Grafting the “LBP” customization and game creation model on to a racing world makes for a unique release that will serve as a length diversion for some but not all.

CHICAGO – Harmonix and MTV Games took something of a surprising turn after the massive success of last year’s best music game, “The Beatles: Rock Band,” by choosing the follow-up band from a very different arena of radio rock and announcing “Green Day: Rock Band.” With dozens of bands on player’s wish lists of who they would love to get the “Beatles Treatment,” many were surprised that Green Day was chosen as the follow-up group.