Picks of Coming Video Games
NBA 2K8 2K Sports, Take 2 Interactive PS3, Xbox 360, PS2 $29.99-59.99. Sure, the latest 2K Sports football game, All Pro Football 2K8, pales in comparison to Madden 08, but there is little doubt that video-game b-ball purists have migrated en masse to the company's hardwood game recently. It isn't hard to figure out why. The controls and pace of this game make you feel immersed in a realistic simulation, unlike Electronic Arts' NBA Live (also out next week), which still feels like a league game in the 'hood. One crazy aspect of 2K8 is the on-screen shot tendencies of each player, based on their real stats. That means 76er Kyle Korver drains his threes best from the corner, just like in real life. Other highlights include multiple coverage options within man-to-man or zone defense and simple controls for non-ball handlers. This game also has the absolute sickest slam dunk contest I have ever seen.
NBA 2K8
2K Sports, Take 2 Interactive
PS3, Xbox 360, PS2 $29.99-59.99.
Sure, the latest 2K Sports football game, All Pro Football 2K8, pales in comparison to Madden 08, but there is little doubt that video-game b-ball purists have migrated en masse to the company's hardwood game recently. It isn't hard to figure out why. The controls and pace of this game make you feel immersed in a realistic simulation, unlike Electronic Arts' NBA Live (also out next week), which still feels like a league game in the 'hood. One crazy aspect of 2K8 is the on-screen shot tendencies of each player, based on their real stats. That means 76er Kyle Korver drains his threes best from the corner, just like in real life. Other highlights include multiple coverage options within man-to-man or zone defense and simple controls for non-ball handlers. This game also has the absolute sickest slam dunk contest I have ever seen.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Id, Activision PC, $49.99.
PC gamers can get their frag on next week with another glimpse into the immensely popular universe of the 12-year-old Quake franchise. The warring factions are familiar - the alien Strogg have been around since Quake II, and the human Global Defense Force is again trying to save itself from being a footnote in the galaxy's history books. The difference in this game is that it is based completely on team play. Although they are called different things, each side has five classes to play as - assault, medic, engineer, support, or scout - and they are all vital to the success of the team. Weapons and vehicles are also some of the best balanced I have seen. The maps are quite large and divided into sectors. Success in a sector affects the next battlefield. As it should