People love points. It seems like there are points involved in everything now. Use an airline enough, and you'll get points towards free miles or what have you. Talk on the phone enough, and you'll get points towards free minutes or something like that. Buy enough stuff at pretty much any big retailer and you'll earn points for future purchases. Shoot enough people in the face in pretty much any multiplayer game made in the past year, and you'll earn points. So, considering mathematics is a very polarizing subject that many (if they can help it) won't choose to continue with after high-school, why do people love points so much?

Although I'm sure someone much more qualified than I to talk about such things on an actual scientific level might be able to reach a very different conclusion, the reason I have found for people's love of points is simple: they put the money, time, or effort into something (even if it's driving a few miles to the closest electronics store to buy a $20 pair of earbuds), and receive an immediate reward. And even if said reward doesn't amount to much, it triggers something in our reptilian brains that makes us feel as if we've accomplished something, or that we're working towards something, and we want to keep on accruing those points for further rewards.

To make it clear, what I'm about to say isn't another ridiculous attempt to vilify the Call of Duty series or its creators, but once Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released in November, 2007, the points craze met multiplayer shooters. From there on out players would be hard pressed to find a multiplayer game where a number didn't flash on screen every time they performed a significant action. Sure Kill/Death ratios and more basic points systems had existed, but Call of Duty 4 pioneered that sense of grinding points for purposes of advancement or receiving rewards that had until that point, only really been seen in role-playing games. A simple '+10' would show up every time a player killed somebody, or completed an objective, and it proved to be as oddly, senselessly mesmerizing as any real-life rewards program.

And finally we've arrived at my argument: the "Points Game", as I like to call it, is ruining multiplayer shooters. In multiplayer FPS's of yore, namely games such as Counter-Strike, or Battlefield, your reward was in your working with team mates to triumph over the opposing force. Although having a nice Kill/Death ratio gave players some bragging rights, it was victory that they aimed for above all. In more recent titles, when you get points towards advancement with your every action, victory takes a backseat to amassing points. Players greedy for points will often abandon all teamplay, lone-wolfing it to gain as many points as they possibly can before the round ends. Say you're playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2's Rush mode. There's one crate left, and you're on the defending team. Why bother actively defending so that you might win the match when you're rewarded more for just going out on your own sniping anything that moves? Points make players change their strategies, making them become less, and less part of a team.

If a player killing a ton of enemies helps their team win a match, that should be their reward. The meta-game of advancing through ranks, and gaining access to new content through points systems has to stop if multiplayer shooters are to be fun again. Multiplayer gaming is about fun competition, a concept that becomes obsolete when players are rewarded for their every action. They become less focused on the outcomes of individual matches, instead caring more about a meaningless sense of advancement. Multiplayer shooters have pushed aside friendly (or not so friendly) competition, and teamwork in favor of numbers, and that is very sad indeed.

Next week is going to be ridiculous. Red Dead Redemption, Alan Wake, and a Dragon Age: Origins add-on all come out on the 18th, as well as the new Prince of Persia (which, admittedly, I'm still on the fence about), and topping the week off is Super Mario Galaxy 2. I'm all for great games being released, but that kind of influx in just one week is wallet abuse.

Fortunately, next week also marks the beginning of what seems to be a great summer for video games. Usually us gamers are faced with summer droughts that force us to spend our vacation time productively, but this year we're going to get a lot of good games from the aforementioned titles to Sin and Punishment 2 (which has already gotten good reviews), Alpha Protocol, Crackdown 2, Starcraft II, and Metroid: Other M.

As many of you may know, the Halo: Reach beta came out at the beginning of this week. I was one of the people stupid and fanboyish enough to buy ODST, so naturally I downloaded it as soon as I came home on Monday and have been playing the hell out of it. Here are my top 3 favorite, and least favorite things about the beta.

Favorites:

1. Armor Abilities - This is the most important change to the Halo multiplayer formula that Reach has to its name. Unlike the Equipment introduced in Halo 3, Armor Abilities add a significant twist to the classic Halo multiplayer gameplay. They're all simple to use, requiring only the press of a button, but need a certain level of mastery to pull off effectively. Raining death down when elevated twenty feet above the battlefield with the Jetpack is just as fun as hunkering down with the Guard class to charge up an EMP. The use of the Armor Abilities is rewarding, well-balanced, and ridiculously fun.

2. Invasion - Invasion is simultaneously the most chaotic, and strategically demanding mode that the Halo series has ever seen. Rounds go by extremely fast, but teams have to accomplish three different objectives within that 8-10 minute time frame. Spartans defend while Elites invade, tasked with breaching through two lines of defenses to get a power core which they then must take to their extraction. Both sides must act quickly, and intelligently if they are to be the victor. Invasion also delivers a fantastic sense of progression, even in a short span of time, new loadouts are introduced every step of the way, and things get especially crazy once the vehicles are busted out towards the end of the match.

3. Matchmaking - The new Matchmaking system is fantastic. In Halo 3, it was always infuriating to find a lobby, get stuck with Shotty Snipes only to veto it and receive an even worse alternative (although not much can be worse than Shotty Snipes). In Reach, all that is gone. There are three modes the lobby can choose from right off the bat, and there's even a fourth option if you somehow don't like any of those. It's a great idea that finally solves the issue of being having to suffer through the maps and game modes you don't like.

Least Favorites:

1. DMR - Bungie decided to ditch the Battle Rifle for Reach. Fair enough, but it's alternative, the Designated Marksman Rifle (or DMR), might as well be a BB gun. It does very little damage - you'll have to use most of your clip just to take down an opponents shields, and with a single-shot weapon, that pretty much guarantees that you'll be dead by then.

2. Customization - After each match, players are rewarded with CR, which they can use to buy armor variants. Said armor variants are merely for aesthetic purposes, not affecting your character in any way. 'So, what's the point?', you may ask. There is no point, this is simply another way for a developer to put a play-time check into their multiplayer component.

3. Headhunter - In concept, this mode seems like it could be pretty fun. Killing an enemy will result in four or five flaming skulls bursting forth from their dead body. Players must collect a total of twenty five of these skulls, and deposit them into a designated area on the map. Like I said, it's definitely cool in theory, but when there's a good player in your match, rounds go by very fast (fast as in two minutes), because essentially all it requires is five kills and good use of your Armor Abilities to make it safely to a deposit.

The Halo Reach beta is a lot of fun, and seems like it could shape up to be the definitive Halo multiplayer experience.

I've just finished two marathons of different sorts. The first (and gaming related one) is the completion of Final Fantasy XIII. I'm done with the story mode, and have no real interest in doing anything beyond that (the game is long enough as is). I'll write a review soon.

The second (and music related one) is that me and my friends wrote seven songs in the past week (that is to say: about one song per day), finally allowing us to flesh out our library, and have more songs to choose from when playing a gig. Hopefully we can find a way to record soon.

Thirdly (and not relating to any of this), I've read Roger Ebert's essay arguing that video games are (still) not art. I've read a few rebuttals across the internet, but as of yet, have not found one which conveys how I feel about the matter, which compels me to write something of my own. So I'll try to write something about that sometime this week.

I don't know why this review ended up being as long as it is, but here you are:

Watch out, I'm going to start this review with an anecdote.

For father-son bonding time, my dad and I always watch action movies. We're not particularly outdoorsy, so sitting on the couch watching Die Hard is much preferred to a fishing trip. One thing we've noticed over the years is that in each of the classic action movies, the hero is given the license to kill because their child is kidnapped, or their wife's been murdered or what have you. The hero's subsequent rampage is justified because someone messed with his family.

And that's exactly the plot archetype that Splinter Cell: Conviction follows. When talk of his daughter's supposed death seems to resurface, Sam Fisher decides he's tired of hiding, and the people who have betrayed him - the very same people who have ordered him around throughout his career as Splinter Cell - are all going to pay.

While that doesn't sound particularly original, it's certainly entertaining. The plot unfolds more like an episode of 24 than a plodding Tom Clancy novel. Twists abound, and people aren't always who they seem to be. The plot also gives some very interesting insight into Sam Fisher's character, as the silent badass becomes more human. You really get a sense of who, and what he's fighting for, and it's a real treat toward the end-game when his philosophies on revenge, duty, and trust really come to the surface.

The campaign is short - five hours short - but it's very fun, and even finds some strength in it's brevity. After a brief introductory sequence in Malta, Sam spends the rest of his time lurking around Washington, D.C., visiting various locations to unravel a treasonous conspiracy.

Perhaps "lurking" isn't the right word, though. Stealth elements in Conviction have been stripped down to the essentials, crouching in shadows, and watching enemy patrols for the right time. Beyond that, Splinter Cell plays more like an action game with an emphasis on keeping to the shadows. Players can swiftly take down enemies with the push of a button, and if things get out of hand, they're armed to the teeth, or if they're a bit more sneaky, they can make a quick getaway with one of the new gadgets.

Thankfully, even with the absence of some of the older features, Ubisoft has added in quite a few awesome new gameplay mechanics. The first, and most important is Mark and Execute. The player can pick out a number of enemies, and with the tap of a button, quickly dispatch them all, making it easy to get passed overwhelming patrols. But, it's not like it's a win button either, you have to get a melee kill to charge up your Mark and Execute meter, which pretty much perfectly balances out the new mechanic. The second notable new feature is Last Known Position. Upon being spotted, a silhouette of Sam will appear so you can tell where the guards thought you were last. This makes it easier to escape, or even set up an ambush.

There are some spots that change up the formula, and they can be quite entertaining. Chasing a conspirator around the Washington Monument, and, in a throwback to the old style of Splinter Cells, a sequence where you have to maneuver around an environment completely undetected. There are some pretty superb moments beyond that which I won't spoil, but there are some moments which don't work as well. Interrogations are brutally satisfying, but they serve to slow things down quite a bit, and are little more than slightly interactive cut-scenes.

The campaign is quite good as long as you're not expecting a lengthy adventure. The game has changed, Sam Fisher has changed, and in most part, it's for the better.

A Co-Op campaign was disappointingly absent from Splinter Cell: Double Agent, a letdown indeed after its memorable debut in Chaos Theory. Co-Op is back in full force in Conviction, however, in the form of The Prologue, which might just be the best of Splinter Cell: Conviction's three main pillars of game modes.

The Prologue doesn't have as much of an emphasis on story, but it does rather well in leading up to Sam's rampage as seen in the Campaign, and the character development is actually pretty great. Archer, a Third Echelon agent, and Kestrel, a Russian agent working for Voron (an international Third Echelon equivalent) must form an alliance to track down some stolen weaponry. Oh, and there's an awesome twist ending.

In terms of the gameplay, things remain pretty much the same as in the Campaign, however, working together on coordinated strikes against guards is a lot of fun, and, as mentioned before, co-op Mark and Executes are pretty insane, allowing you to clear out quite a few guards with a little bit of team work.

The Co-Op in Conviction is tons of fun, and in my opinion, the best mode the game has to offer. The story is well told, if simple, and the gameplay really lends itself to a co-op experience.

Deniable Ops is the last piece of the Conviction equation, and it doesn't totally stack up to the rest of the game's offerings. It's essentially a quick-play mode for one or two players in which an objective must be completed on one of the maps from the Prologue (as well as one additional one exclusive to Deniable Ops). There's Hunter, in which players must take down a certain number of enemies, Last Stand, where they must defend an EMP against waves of attackers, Infiltration, which requires players to take down guards without being detected, and Stand Off, Conviction's only adversarial multiplayer mode.

Of these, Hunter is the only one that really works, since the core gameplay (as in guard-killing fun) holds up just fine. Last Stand and Infiltration don't work as well because they require either all-out gunplay, or total stealth respectively, which goes against the game's natural balance of the two. Stand Off is a simple spy vs. spy deathwatch, the twist being that A.I. guards litter the map. For the most part, it works pretty well, but it's nothing outstanding.

While it's disappointing that there's no Spies vs. Mercenaries mode, Deniable Ops does the trick when it comes to quick, pick-up-and-play Splinter Cell action, just don't expect anything deep.

Campaign, Prologue, and Deniable Ops are held together by PEC Challenges, which can be completed across any of the game modes. The challenges range from simply escaping from a heated situation, to more whacky stuff like killing a guard by throwing another guard at him. These challenges award points which can be used for upgrading weapons and gadgets (for use across all game modes), and uniforms (only usable in Deniable Ops). These challenges actually offer a decent incentive for replay value, and outfitting your gear quickly becomes addicting.

Conviction's production values aren't stellar, but they get the job done. The graphics run on the now-dated Unreal 2 engine, although it does well all things considered. Lighting effects continue to impress, and the art-st.yle is quite good (especially noteworthy is the projected text), however, close inspection of pretty much anything in the game will reveal how low-tech it is. The sound department is decent, too. Voice acting is hit or miss, with Michael Ironside's gravelly Sam Fisher being a highlight, as always. The music is quite good, and really sets the tone for sneaking, or all-out confrontations. Sound effects can get repetitive, but for the most part the game does its job in looking, and sounding fine, but there's nothing amazing here.

From Conviction's Campaign, and Co-Op Campaign offerings, you're play time will probably clock in at around 12 hours, but Deniable Ops, and PEC Challenges can chew up a lot of time as well. The individual pieces of the package won't provide a whole lot of mileage, but combined, this game definitely has the replay value to justify a purchase.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is a very hit or miss game when it comes to everything from gameplay mechanics, to production values. The game is certainly not without its flaws, but the good ultimately outweighs the bad making Conviction a game worth checking out.

As I think I mentioned a while back, I play bass in a band, and yesterday we played to a crowd of about 300 people. It was sheer craziness, definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life.

In gaming related news, I got Just Cause 2 which finds itself in the "games I have to beat" queue just behind Final Fantasy XIII, and Red Steel 2. So in short, it'll take a long freaking time to really delve into Just Cause 2.

Zeus picked the wrong guy to betray. On the outset of God of War III, Kratos is on the back of Gaia as she ascends to the peak of a Mount Olympus put in a panic. Kratos is out to kill Zeus, and he'll get through everything, everyone, and every god that tries to stop him. And thus is the setup for God of War III, one of the most striking, epic, and, needless to say, violent games of all time.

As mentioned above, Zeus got on Kratos's bad side, and if the deaths of approximately 10 bajillion people, centaurs, gods, or what have you are any indication, it's not good to get on Kratos's bad side. The story is a bit uneventful for the first six hours or so of the game. You'll wander around Olympus, and Hades, meeting various mythological figures, and usually end up savagely murdering them. Run-ins with Hephaestus (voiced by Rip Torn), and Hercules rank among the most memorable.

The cat and mouse hunt for Zeus is enough to hold your attention, but it isn't until the final act when God of War III truly shines. While I wouldn't dare give anything away, just know that it's truly memorable stuff, and you'll end up seeing Kratos as much more than the savage brute he seems to be throughout the whole series.

The game's first hour, depicting the initial assault on Mount Olympus, is unforgettable. The knob doesn't stay at 11 for very long, however, as you'll soon be thrust back into the usual God of War formula: combat, puzzles, exploration, platforming. But, as per usual, all this stuff is awesome.

Combat is pretty much perfect at this point. This remain pretty much the same, you'll get tons of moves, weapons, and magical powers which you can use to beat on your enemies until you can horribly dismember them through a quick-time event.

Anyone who's played the previous games will know pretty much exactly what to expect, but there have been subtle refinements. Kratos has a new grapple move that pulls enemies toward him, which is particularly helpful for keeping up a combo. Most importantly though, and a vast improvement on something the God of War games have always struggled with in the past, all the weapons feel useful. Kratos starts off with his trusty Blades of Exile, and he'll acquire three more during his journey. All the weapons feel useful, they each have their own magical attack bound to them, and you can come very close to fully upgrading all of them, so needless to say, the Blades of Chaos (now dubbed Blades of Exile) might not be the go-to armament.

Puzzles have been vastly simplified, and I imagine some may like that, and some might not. Unlike the constant, seamlessly integrated environmental puzzles of the second God of War, God of War III's puzzle rooms are very deliberate, and are presented as tests from the gods. The thing is, most of these puzzles can be completed quite easily. So, for those who just want to get back to chopping up bad guys, this is a welcome change, for those looking for the puzzle integration of God of War II, you'll probably be disappointed.

Disappointingly, the constant barrage of set-piece moments that we're used to seeing in a God of War game is absent. The first hour of gameplay is pretty jaw-dropping, and there's a particular boss fight around the middle of the game that will blow you away, but other than that, God of War III is surprisingly low-key.

God of War III's production values are some of the best the PS3 has ever seen. Models, environments, and effects are all top-notch, and the cutscenes rarely leave the in-game engine. The sound department is equally amazing. Stars like Rip Torn, and Malcolm McDowell are among an awesome voice cast, and the booming orchestral score is great.

God of War III will take about eight hours to complete, but as it's paced pretty much perfectly, it shouldn't be viewed as much of a problem. Besides, the game gives you reasons for further play-throughs (beyond the fact that it's awesome) with Godly Possessions (items hidden throughout the game), and various other unlocks. On top of that you have the Combat Arena, Challenge of the Gods, and a ridiculous amount of making-of videos which are sure to occupy your time. While God of War III may not be as lengthy as it's predecessor, it has a lot more replay value than any other game in the series.

God of War III is an excellent game. With near-perfected combat, truly jaw-dropping moments, amazing productions values, and great replay value, this is a worthy conclusion to the series, marred only by the scarcity of the aforementioned jaw-dropping set-pieces, and some underwhelming puzzles. Still, seeing Kratos's vengeance through to the end is one hell of a ride, and the story truly becomes something special during the last few hours of gameplay. Time to go god hunting

A game centered on a group of heroes joining an ancient order to defeat an evil force that threatens the typical fantasy realm hardly sounded original, but Dragon Age: Origins pulled it off beautifully. It was a hardcore role-playing game that hailed back to the CRPG's of yesteryear, namely BioWare's own Baldur's Gate, and one of the best games of last year. Given all that, it's not surprising that like Dragon Age: Origins Awakening. Although it might not be as awesome as the core title, it improves on Origins' formula, and offers a memorable new campaign.

The story in Dragon Age: Origins Awakening comes very close to one-upping its predecessor. The campaign is much more tightly wound this time around, as pretty much no time is wasted setting up your quest; you're pretty much thrown into the thick of things as soon as the game begins.

You can either import your Warden from the first title, or start up a brand-new Orlesian Warden Commander. Neither choice, however, changes the game in any meaningful way. You will see the effects of very few of your decisions on an imported Warden, and the Orlesian Commander origin doesn't have the same unique opening quest as the characters have in the core game. Either way, it's disappointing, but it's kind of hard to expect every decision you made in Origins to work its way into Awakening in a meaningful way, even with a company like BioWare at the helm.

There are five new characters and one returning one, and the cast is mostly hit or miss. Characters like Nathaniel Howe, son of the conniving Rendon Howe from Origins, or the tough-as-nails Dwarven scout Sigrun are really memorable, and are up there with the best of the first game's cast. However others, such as Anders, and the returning "favorite" Ogrhen, are more annoying than anything else.

As mentioned before, the story is a lot tighter. You start out traveling to a land in north Ferelden known as Amaranthine, where Darkspawn still lurk even after the death of the Archdemon. What unfolds is a story that's halfway about investigating the Darkspawn beyond what little you learned of them in Origins, and dealing with governing the land, as your Warden Commander also becomes a very important player in Amaranthine politics. For the most part, the tale is great, but there are some instances of very poor writing which come around often when using two of the aforementioned party members, who can best be described as gag characters. Still, the story is gripping, and is most certainly not your typical fantasy plot.

In terms of gameplay, it's more of the same good stuff. Time is split between killing, and chatting, and both are just as fun as before.

The same real-time/cooldown-based combat (similar to something you'd find in an MMO) returns, and there are plenty of challenging encounters. Luckily the level cap has been bumped up, and as such there are tons of new abilities, and two new specializations for each c.lass Each of these new specializations offer some awesome new abilities, and are definitely a great way to train your characters as they advance beyond level twenty.

The conversations in the game are just as great as ever. Most characters are genuinely interesting, and there is plenty of room for role-playing (especially as the Orlesian Commander), although the previously mentioned problems of the occasionally questionable bits of dialogue, and lack of decision carry-overs do hurt the conversation system somewhat.

Dragon Age: Origins was pretty mediocre in the graphics department, and Awakening is no different. There are some great new designs in terms of characters, but the environments, particularly interiors are just like what you'd find in Origins, which is sort of a shame. Still, any true RPG fan will easily be able to look passed the graphical shortcomings.

The sound department is pretty great. The voice-overs and sound effects are all excellent, and the music is mostly good, featuring your usual slew of epic fantasy songs, although there are a few new tracks which I've noticed popping up during combat sequences which really seem out of place.

Awakening will last you about 20 hours going through the story, only occasionally dabbling in side quests, although there's certainly room for a higher play time depending on how deep you delve into the bevy of side quests.

Dragon Age: Origins Awakening is a hard game to deliver my judgment on, as it is indeed markedly worse than its predecessor, but I can easily look through it because of how much I love the series. Dragon Age: Origins Awakening is a good expansion pack, but it really can't keep up with Origins because of a lot of mistakes that could have been easily avoided. If you liked Origins, you should without a doubt pick up Awakening, but just know it's not the endearing epic that Origins was.

Welcome back to Bad Company. Two years after Marlowe and the gang's first misadventures, Battlefield Bad Company 2 comes back in full force with tons of addicting new multiplayer features, and a surprisingly good singleplayer campaign. Get ready to blow things up.

Last time we saw the misfits of Bad Company, they were chasing around a massive amount of gold held by a group of mercenaries. However, that awesomely oddball story has been tossed out the window in favor of something a little more cliche, but enjoyable nonetheless. This time, the squad is after a weapon of mass destruction, which a big-time terrorist is coincidentally out to get as well. The plot itself is, as mentioned, cliche, and twists can be seen from a mile away, but it does serve to take the player through awesome set-pieces; not to mention all the quirky characters, and black humor return.

The campaign in Bad Company 2 is surprisingly good. The levels are a bit more linear this time around, but the player is still given plenty of options in terms of how to approach any given firefight. Whether you want to get up close and personal with a shotgun, do some sniping, or take a ride in a vehicle, Bad Company 2 will pretty much always throw in something that suits your play style.

Also welcome is the addition of set-piece moments, which really serve to spice things up. There's also plenty of room for exploration, too, with dozens of collectible guns to arm yourself with, as well as hidden communications relays. There are moments where the scripted sequences fall flat due to the relative non-linearity, but other than that, Bad Company 2 is a series first in having a great singleplayer component.

Of course, the centerpiece of any Battlefield game is the multiplayer, and that seems to be no different here. Combat is a mix between run-and-gun, and tactical. Players have a bevy of vehicles, and powerful guns at their disposal, and can certainly dish out some damage on their own, but working with a squad is key to completing objectives, and earning points.

The points system has a lot of layers. You'll earn points for pretty much anything that serve to boost you towards general rank-ups, which reward guns, and equipment usable by any cla.ss or cla.ss/vehicle specific rewards.

Bad Company 2 ships with three great multiplayer modes (with a fourth on the way), each with a few of their own arenas, as well general maps that are tweaked to fit each mode. There is Conquest, the tried-and-true Battlefield mode which focuses on capturing and holding different key points, Rush, which tasks one team with destroying two objectives, and the other with defending them, and my favorite, Squad Deathmatch, where four teams of four duke it out. Conquest, and Rush will be known by any true Battlefield fan, however the newcomer mode, Squad Deathmatch is truly awesome, as it provides some of the most intense, and frantic action the series has ever seen.

The 24 player cap is a little disappointing, but maps have been scaled accordingly, and everything is generally well balanced, although there are a few cheap guns. Overall, just as with every other game in the series, you can't go wrong with multiplayer in Battlefield Bad Company 2.

You can't go wrong with the Frostbite engine, either. The game is beautiful, with some jaw-dropping locales in the singleplayer game, and a lot of detail in the different character models. Bad Company 2 is also one of the few games that can skillfully implement environmental destruction. This time around, whole buildings can be leveled, which is particularly cool in multiplayer, as maps will often drastically change by the end of a given match. The graphical detail does take somewhat of a hit once you start up multiplayer, but it's nothing too noticeable.

The sound department is decent. The sound effects are generally well done, and the voice-overs are pretty good, too. The music isn't particularly memorable, and there's nothing that really stands out in the sound department, but it does the job.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 can last gamers a while depending on whether or not they're into multiplayer. The campaign is about 6-8 hours, and is definitely worth a play-through, however once you dive into multiplayer, it'll be hard to stop playing thanks to the bevy of great maps, modes, and rewards.

Bad Company 2 is a great game which finally nails bringing the Battlefield series to consoles, but it also pushes the series forward in its own right with a memorable campaign. With good singleplayer, awesome multiplayer, good production values, and high deployability, Battlefield Bad Company 2 is easily recommended to fans of shooters.

...who the Origami Killer is right as you walk in to the Best Buy to purchase Heavy Rain.

Oh well, what else are friends for?