"We want to be entertained and engaged, not frustrated"

Valid point, and I totally agree that in an escapist realm frustration would simply lead to putting down the joy pad and (potentially) never returning to pick up the adventure. My main concerns are that games in general have gotten far too easy. (I'm firmly in the 50/50 camp and this was more a discussion point than a statement) My gametime is also limited by real world commitments, but I still crave a good challenge.

I felt a bit let down by Bioshocks "Big Daddy's" whose appearance clearly sent out messages their bodies couldn't back up. Maybe when I go through on Hard I'll be thankful for the re-gen tubes but for now I'm craving a few more gritted teeth moments.

The original Halo on Co-cop Legendary is a prime example of when developers get it spot on. True, it uses regenerating armour and save points but the battles felt epic. Sitting for two hours to finish one level. Trying to make every shot count and reduce the seemingly endless barrage of covenant forces felt amazing. Maybe Halo3 Legendary Co-op will bring back those emotions which have been lacking of late.

After recent gaming on Bioshock and The Darkness I returned somewhat briefly to xboxlive arcade for a bit of old school thrills courtesy of Streets of Rage 2. I remember the now "retro classics" with fond memories and in part this was due to the limited lives, health and continues available. The true test of a gamers skill was based on whether they would ever see a conclusion to the story, and this got me thinking about when we made the transition to becoming virtual immortals.

In part I welcome this shift in focus as I too have become stricken with the modern sickness of repetition boredom syndrome, but have the goals shifted a little bit too far recently to appease the masses? From all I read of Bioshock prior to its release I was quaking in my boots at the thought of my first "Big Daddy" encounter. The in game reality is that death equals a short walk back to pick up the battle where I left off without any noticeable penalties. This is true with so many games now. "Thiiiss iiis nooot your time" whispers The Darkness as I respawn at a checkpoint from 30 seconds ago. I take multiple gunshot wounds to the body which magically heal as I take cover behind a crate in Rainbow Six Vegas. In Prey I'm transported to the spirit realm to idle away a brief moment before being reincarnated.

I understand that modern storylines are far more intricate and developers naturally want us to see then to completion, but are our boasting privileges now limited to completing a game on hard, or finding 500 hidden orbs for a 20 point achievement score? Or are we just so sick and tired of death in the real world that we no longer want to feel its icy finger in our virtual playgrounds?

Sorry to all our US cousins out there, but I'm sure this is probably one of the few times the UK actually gets a better deal.

For anyone else looking to buy I'd be quick. My Bro didnt get off the mark quick enough and missed out on the faceplate.

Stocks are obviously limited.

And yeah, I totally agree that Blockbuster is'nt my first choice for games supplier, but at that price I think they're pretty much unbeatable. (with the exception of play-asia...but no tin box or faceplate)

Two Worlds has already been released in Europe,

ThaSod

Not so bro, it aint out until 31 Aug. BioShock is due 24 Aug.

I'll probably end up getting both but Bioshock will dump on Two Worlds. Its all about what floats your boat I suppose ,..I loved Oblivion and the idea of a similar game online is very intriguing but Bioshock looks absolutely amazing and the style is totally unique.

Provided they both turn out to be multiregion (which they're rumoured to be) getting both from play-asia will cost the same as buying one game in the regular shops here in the UK. Good times.

There's nothing innovative about Stranglehold lge777. It has no hope at all of holding it's own against the likes of Halo 3, Bioshock, Call of Duty 4 etc....imo.

Gameplay - 7.5
Graphics - 6.5
Controls - 6.5
Sound - 7.5
Storyline - 6.0

Overall- 6.8

Shame, I was hyped up for this game last year. The demo was poor and the graphics were noticeably under average for a current gen game.Gregoroth

I totally agree.

This is supposed to be next gen. Even 1080P output can't polish a turd.

I'll be more than happy to buy this game cheap from play-asia since its gonna be multiregion. So I'm sure I'll get my monies worth, and I'm also sure it'll be a giggle, and being a red blooded male and huge HK cinema fan it'll be a good ride while it lasts...but GOTY??? You gotta be kidding right? You must be on a Midway payrole to think that, or maybe this is your first taste of 360. There's way better already out now and true next gen games around the corner.

To even mention this in the same breath as Mass Effect, Assassins Creed or Bioshock is crazy. Even in their chosen genres these games are pushing the boundaries way further than this pretty 2007 max payne/dead to rights lovechild.

For the record, I really enjoyed it. But this unwarranted hype smells of subversive forum PR.

This whole issue is as ridiculous as the "master of unlocking" dialog from the first Res game. I love this franchise and would hate to see it dragged down to the negative PR levels experienced recently by games like Manhunt 2.

I totally agree with the majority of comments here surrounding the issue of "Political Correctness" gone mad. It's set in AFRICA. What would be the sensible choice here??? A hoard of 10 foot tarantulas? A 10,000 strong pack of rabid Doberman Pinschers? Or maybe we could kill only white humanitarian aid workers.

Personally I treat people as I find them regardless of creed or colour.

If you are a friend I call you friend.

If you are a d1ck I call you d1ck.

If you're a zombie, then you're clearly part of a fictional form of entertainment that should never be held responsible for societies own evils.

With a gamespot score of 8.5 and an average user score of 8.2 I'd have to say The Darkness.

Yeh, it didn't re-invent the FPS genre but as an experience it's the finest I've had so far on the 360. Adult story, humour, violence, superb voice acting and in 1080P it looks as heavenly as Salma Hayek in From Dusk Till Dawn. (well almost)

I checked my recent players list and narrowed it down to 3 contenders but I wont be naming and shaming until I'm sure.

To be honest I'd actually like to thank him more than anything. It's been a while since I went to bed and chuckled myself to sleep. Good all round nudity skeeeellzzz.

For all of you missing out on the camera antics there's some good deals about at the minute. I got my camera, Spare headset, UNO, Robotron and a 12 month live subscription for £35 from an amazon.co.uk trader. I already had the camera and UNO but this worked out cheaper than renewing my xbox live subbies with MS.

Never come across (pardon the pun) strip UNO. But judging by the male to female ratio of xboxlive users I think thats probably for the best:)

Halloween was a great time for camera based antics too. We had a gimp masked weirdo in one session that was straight outta Pulp Fiction. Another classic was two young lads performing what should have been a friendly boxing match for our benefit. One of the lads knocked the other clean out, when he came round he started crying and ran out of the room screaming for his mother. His mate apologetically said he'd have to go now as he was in big trouble. I only wish he'd left the camera on for round two.