In this apparently inferior sequel to the 2008 hit Marvel Comics adaptationIron Man79, a now-famous Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is under pressure from the government to share the secrets of his suit, and faces a new nemesis: a Russian inventor with his own powerful armor. Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, and Mickey Rourke also star.

What the critics like:The best part of the movie can be summed up in two words and an abbreviation: Robert Downey Jr. Critics are once again loving his "quirky" performance (Roger Ebert), and even those reviewers who aren't huge fans of the film still have praise for the actor (and, to a slightly lesser degree, the rest of the cast). Some critics feel thatIron Man 2is a satisfying and entertaining sequel.

What they don't like:It's confusing, incoherent, too busy, and overstuffed with characters and plot. Many critics feel that the movie is far less fun than the firstIron Man, with the screenplay largely to blame. A few critics go so far as to call the film "bland" (Time Out New York) or "inessential," (Empire) while The Globe and Mail basically labels it soulless. Note that many of the most negative reviewers — including The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt — actually liked the first film, so it's not just a case of the critics not being fans of the genre.

This week's major videogame release,Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, is the latest in a long line of games endorsed by Tom Clancy. Indeed, while an older generation probably knows him best as a best-selling author of spy and military fiction, and Baltimore residents may think of him as a co-owner of baseball's Orioles, the Tom Clancy name is most closely associated these days with the world of videogames.

In the 1980s, Clancy first became a household name behind strong sales for books revolving around CIA analyst Jack Ryan. Several of these titles also became movies, including the Alec Baldwin-starringThe Hunt for Red October58andClear and Present Danger74with Harrison Ford, further boosting the author's name recognition.

After conquering the worlds of publishing and film, Clancy moved into gaming in the mid-1990s, establishing the developer Red Storm Entertainment, which, among other titles, began churning out games based on Clancy properties. The developer was so successful that it was eventually acquired by publisher Ubisoft. Over the past 15 years, the Tom Clancy brand has appeared on over three dozen game titles, including the ongoingRainbow Six,Ghost Recon, andSplinter Cellseries, although Clancy's actual involvement in many of the releases is minimal.

The latter series — all stealth action titles — gets its newest chapter this week withConvictionfor the Xbox 360 (a PC version also arrives in two weeks). The first newSplinter Cellgame in four years,Convictionfinds protagonist Sam Fisher, formerly an elite government anti-terrorism agent, striking out on his own in search of his daughter's murderer. Reviews are generally strong, with a lot of praise for the gameplay, though several critics feel that the new game is far too short.

Decision time is approaching:shock::shock:One way to end an alien invasion: cancellation

During the week of May 17th, the major broadcast networks will announce their fall primetime schedules, at which point they will also reveal the fates of any existing shows that haven't yet been renewed or canceled. Many programs — from first-year hits likeModern Familyto veterans such asSurvivor— have already received word that they'll be back in the fall, while others (like Fox's24and ABC'sUgly Betty) are officially ending this season. But that leaves a number of programs in limbo over the next few weeks as they await an official announcement.

ABC's biggest bubble shows are sci-fi serialsVandFlashForward, while the uncertainty at CBS chiefly revolves around its comedy lineup, which could see a shakeup in the fall. At Fox,Human TargetandLie to Meface uncertain futures, while the fate of the CW's newLife Unexpectedis the biggest mystery there. (Many experts believe thatLifeis competing againstOne Tree Hillfor the network's final open slot.) NBC's major question mark isHeroes, which recently completed its most poorly-rated season to date and seems unlikely to return. Fellow Monday night seriesChucklooked like a sure thing for renewal after its strong start this year, but has been shedding viewers over the past month and now could be in trouble.

GamingXP

For many people Heavy Rain won't be more than a progression of quick-time-events, but for me this game has everything a great game needs. The thrilling story, the beautiful graphics and the innovative controls will let you play on and on, till you just can't look any longer into your TV.

It is best to place your console horizontal because as stated if you are playing it vertical for example your pet dog or your mother could potentially knock it over and damage your disc. I would suggest that you dont place it on the direct floor or carpet where the system fans and ports can easily become filled with dust wich could cause miscomunication and system errors.

So the best way to place your console would be elevated from the floor in an open area placed horizontal on a stand. This way you have less changes to damage yor disc and the system obtains maximum airflow.

The Sony PS3 is a great centerpiece for a home entertainment system, since it not only plays outstanding games, but it also doubles as a Blu-Ray player. The PS3 also offers connectivity features with Sony's online service PlayStation Network, which offers downloadable game content, as well as full-on downloadable games which can be purchased at the online PlayStation Store. The PS3 is also home to PlayStation Home, a social networking application that lets you create a virtual avatar for yourself and chat online with other users. Finally, the console comes equipped with an Internet browser, text chat, video chat (using the PlayStation Eye peripheral for video), and is adding support for Netflix movies using the Netflix PS3 disc.

Empire: Total War

Game Info

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Creative Assembly

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: March 3, 2009

Summary

Empire: Total War is set in the 18th century, a turbulent era that is the most requested by Total War's loyal fan base and a period alive with global conflict, revolutionary fervour and technological advances. The game features themes such as the Industrial Revolution, America's struggle for independence, the race to control Eastern trade routes and the globalisation of war on land and sea. Empire: Total War sees the debut of 3D naval combat within the Total War franchise. PC Gamers intuitively command vast fleets or single ships upon seascapes rich with extraordinary water and weather effects that play a huge role in your eventual glorious success or ignominious defeat. After pummelling your enemy with cannon fire, close in to grapple their ship and prepare to board taking control your men as they fight hand to hand on the decks. Empire: Total War also sees further enhancements to the Total War series signature 3D battles and turn based campaign map. Real time battles pose new challenges with the addition of cannon and musket, challenging players to master new formations and tactics as a result of the increasing role of gunpowder within warfare. And the Campaign Map – for many the heart of Total War – will see new improved systems for Trade, Diplomacy and Espionage with agents, a refined and streamlined UI, improved Advisors and extended scope taking in the riches of India, the turbulence of Europe and the untapped potential of North America. [Sega]

Anyone is always welcomed to read and please feel free to tell your Friends especially GameSpot Editors. Because i wasted allot of mygaming time to write this. (If my Englishteacher could only see my Now). And Ya know Id like more than one or 2 comments. Im not saying make me an Advertisement just ya know.....

MAG is a Very Interesting Game. its set a few years into the future andright off the bat it make you give your allegiance to an unknown PMC (Private Military Company) Without so much as a Video giving you a look at what your about to get in to. It is only a Beta but that's the whole point i want to decide now so i can make my final decision on January 26. It does give a paragraph explaining some little detailsthat aer confusing with a 5 photo slide show. Also there the thing that you can play with Friends of a Different PMC. Which is actually good cause they stick with the Loyalty thing.

MAG PMCsyou are forced to choose on of the 3 Above.

Valor:A PMC of American, British, and Mexican Army Veterans. You have all thestandered ModernWeaponry.These guys are basiclylike theMW2 PMC.

Raven:Who seen to be the popular chose especially for *Cough* *Cough* "Younger" Gamers.... Raven is were the future opart comes in. They're European Soldiers fresh out of traing camps with all the latest gear and they look sweet.

S.V.E.R.:Which stands for something, They currently have the least amount of members. Why? Well Right off the bat the Sipper Team tells you there the newest and least advanced PMC of the 3.Full ofCriminals, Russians, Chines and Everyone else who hate America! But they gut Hockey masks and AKs!

Now all this is cool and you say I want to try out all of them But Your gona Get sock with an "Early termination fee" You got to Delete your other character making Loyalty a big part of this game. Well you say that's not so Bad but You get all this help full stuff wen you rank up and if puts you farther away from Getting a Squad leader role or playing with 256 players.

I Pick to play as a Raven cause like everyone else I thought they Look BadAss and have sweet gear well thats not all true. Yes you look sweeter than any other PMC but the Weapons are Pretty weak. The Assault Rifle has a small clip and trying to reload will get you killed.The Machine gun is ok but you need a Halo Sight it you wan to actually hit a guy which causes another problem the Halo Sight is Weird... They try to make it futuristic and stuffbut it look bad but it get the job done. And the Sniper Rifle is just an Assault Rifle with a scope. Now these all are Basic weapons and you more ass you get Skill point by leveling up.After playing as Raven for and still not reaching Level 10(mostly because of playing time) so I can play a 256 match im probably going to switch over to S.V.E.R. because they sill look Cool with the Hockey masks, The Ak, and Valor's too much like MW2. I might switch to Valor to see how it is before the Beta Ends but If I like S.V.E.R. and I can get my friend to go along with me Im might Stick with them for the Full Game (Which is still in Question but its really a good game).

Nowlets get to the good Stuff...GamePlay & StuffNow a Problem everyone including me has been having is Connection. This Is a Big Buying Breaker. Some Have Problems getting onto the Server, others finding games, and I Keep getting kicked from games. It seem like if the Server thinks your gona cause lag by having a "Bad Connection" it kicks you. Now Some time you wont get kicked for awhile the game will just freeze or lag while your trying to re spawn. This could be a reason not to buy the game if it is like this in Full Disc Version. If you can get on get a game and not get kicked, Which isnt that Hard You can usually just sign back in aget a gamewithout any problems but some people have more problems then me.

The Gameplay is Great. You feel like your in a War. Even thoughtthere'sonly 60 Playersin the basic gameplay modeyou feel like your in a war with a your friendly squad battle right next to yours. You can only see the PSN Names of your squad making it feel like you and your squad really know each other. Resistance 2 had a squad thing similar to this but this time you fight along other squads.

Shooting and Aiming are the basic with the L1 & R1 but your gona have to get use the layout. You see In Stead of the Basic FPS Controls You got an inventory that you cycle through. One for your Weapons(only 2) and another for your Inventory is up to 3 but if you choose to use grenades they give 2 grenades so if you throw on to get to your next item another pops up. I choose to have no grenades on some of my ****s or a just grenades along with my med kitbecause if you have a money limit on ****s and the cycling thing. I Usally put a Med Kit First you can upgrade its and if you have in equipped a Med Icon appears next to your name showing teammates you can heal them and if upgraded revive them. Overall I hope they can add an option to createyuor ownButton Layout but you get use to it.And Lastly the Graphics. Making good graphics for 256 player battles isnt easy. Thought to tell you the truth i have never played 256 because you have to be a level 10 but Im hoping all the Graphics and Connection things carry over from 60 to 256. Im Pretty sure the Graphics will carry over its the Connection i want to test out.

Well anyway The Graphics are Good. Really Good for this game. Me and my Friend were saying how the graphic looked like crap in the trailers but they look veryimproved in the Beta. Character Models look the best as in most game and themapslook pretty good. While lacking detail i most areas every thing looks good. Ive never Glitch oncedor anything. So its no KillZone 2 or R2 but its pretty cool.

So overally this game is Good. Its a game I might get No matter that the GameSpot score is.I really want to get it day one and you know how GS is about early Reviews(Sarcasm).I just Hope GS or IGN Will have any early review before i wast $60 on a game that could be worst then the Beta. Believe it or not some people still care about there opion on a Game and GS hardly give early thoughts especially on PS3 Exclusives.So MAG, Play the Beta is free like PSN and its looks like a game that will be a reason to own a PS3.

In spite of a very gentle difficulty curve, the Sonic series actually has a few really annoying enemies and traps. The Spike-Pit-Of-Unnecessarily-Slow-Super-Sonic-Death from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the notorious Barrel of Doom from Sonic 3 both deserve mentions here, but are ultimately disqualified from the list for not being enemies. Instead, we open with Toxomister, a rather vexing enemy from the series' last 2D Genesis entry. An enemy from the Lava Reef Zone, Toxomister, at first glance, appears non-threatening; it's really just a metal pole with an eye on the top of it. Unfortunately, it has the ability to spit out a toxic cloud that Sonic or his friends can easily run into in a moment of high speed absent-mindedness. But this cloud doesn't kill you! No, that would be far too simple and unannoying... Instead, it slowly (VERY slowly) drains your rings, one at a time. In addition, it greatly decreases your running speed and jumping height, making continuing the level almost impossible. The only way to get rid of the cloud is to die, wait until it has drained 100 rings from your health, or kill the Toxomister that poisoned you (easier said than done since, while under the toxic cloud's effects, you cannot jump high enough to hit the jerk's weak point). While not really all that dangerous, Toxomister is certainly very annoying and he gets #10 on the list.

The Most Anticipated Games of 2010, Part 2: Platform Exclusives

January 17, 2010

More big names for every platform Halo's reach extends this fall

Earlier this week, we previewed the most-anticipated cross-platform games of 2010 — a list that included titles like Mass Effect 2 and BioShock 2.

But that list tells only half the story. The coming year will also see the release of hotly-anticipated titles like Halo: Reach, Fable III, God of War III, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and our personal favorite, Star Trek Online, to name just several of a long list of platform-exclusive games.

Those games and more are described in detail below, beginning with upcoming releases exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Xbox 360 Exclusives Alan Wake
(Spring 2010)

In development since 2005, Alan Wake is a psychological horror thriller set in the Pacific Northwest and influenced by Twin Peaks and Stephen King stories. The story-driven game from the developer of the Max Payne series centers on a writer whose wife mysteriously vanishes, leading him into a nightmarish journey that pits him against dark forces. Additional episodes will be available for download after the game's release. [A PC version, originally planned for 2010, has been postponed indefinitely.]

Crackdown 2
(Spring 2010)

An open-world, third-person shooter like its mostly well-reviewed 2007 predecessor, Crackdown 2 features more of everything present in the original: more customization, more power-providing orbs, more verticality (including the ability to glide, and an unlockable helicopter) and more multiplayer modes. Players can roam free in gang-infested Pacific City as "The Agent," who must also deal with a group of escaped mutants.

Fable III
(Fall 2010)

Picking up 50 years after the events in Fable II 89, this new action RPG sequel finds the land of Albion under the rule of a tyrant. Playing as the child of the hero from the previous game (your previous saved games will be imported into this new title), you must lead a revolution against the evil king and defend the continent from a foreign invasion.

Halo: Reach
(Fall 2010)

Already predicted to be 2010's best-selling title, the latest shooter in the massively popular, platform-defining series will be the last Halo game developed by Bungie (although Microsoft will continue the series with a different developer). Reach takes place in the days before the events depicted in the original Halo, with players taking on the role of a soldier in an elite special ops unit (the "Noble Team") on a somber planet named Reach that's about to fall to the Covenant alien alliance.

Project Natal
(Fall 2010)

Microsoft's answer to the Wii, Project Natal (rest assured, that's not its final name) is not a game itself but offers an entirely new way to play them. Like the Wii, this new 360 add-on necessitates the use of a sensor bar near your television. Unlike Nintendo's console, however, Project Natal requires no physical controllers; instead, your body becomes the controller. The sensor can detect your three-dimensional physical movements, gestures and speech, opening up a new range of possibilities for game design. It is expected to be released in time for the holiday shopping season, but the number of Natal-capable titles that will arrive this year is still unknown (although Fable III, above, will be one of them).

Xbox LIVE Game Room
(Spring 2010)

Microsoft's new virtual arcade will ultimately feature over 1,000 ****c 8-bit games — presented, oddly enough, in full 1080p — available for download with Microsoft Points. (The Game Room itself — in which your avatar can wander among the retro game cabinets — is a free download.) At launch, the service will include 30 titles (including Crystal Castles, Centipede and Tempest), and additional games will be released weekly.

Playstation 3 Exclusives Agent
(Fall 2010)

A brand-new title for the PS3 from Rockstar Games, Agent is a Cold War-era espionage adventure set in the 1970s. Shockingly little is known about the game — and no images or trailers have been released — but Rockstar has set its sights high, declaring that Agent has the potential to have a GTA-level impact.

God of War III
(March 2010)

The fifth title in the God of War series (those Roman numerals merely indicate its place in the overall story), God of War III is both the first new GoW title for the PS3 and the final installment in the overall series. Like its predecessors, the new game offers plenty of gory combat set in the world of Greek mythology. But the increased power the PS3 offers compared to previous-generation platforms means a wealth of improvements, including shockingly bloody details and more challenging battles (with up to 50 enemies on screen at once).

Gran Turismo 5
(March 2010)

Sony's acclaimed racing series returns with its first major installment for the PS3. Five years in the making — and with a production budget exceeding $60 million — GT5 has fans hoping for not just another racing game, but the racing game. And there are a lot of encouraging signs, including a host of new features and a greatly improved physics engine. The new title will offer close to 1,000 different vehicles and 20 tracks (playable in both day and night conditions, with weather a factor), and includes licenses for NASCAR, Indy Racing League, World Rally Championship, and Super GT for the first time. An online mode will be available, for up to 16 players at a time. Another first for the series: you can inflict realistic damage on the cars (both external and mechanical), and cars can even be overturned. (Not that you would try to do that intentionally, of course.)

Heavy Rain
(Feb. 16)

A stylish, film-noir ****crime thriller from Quantic Dream (Fahrenheit 83, also known as Indigo Prophecy), Heavy Rain blends unconventional gameplay with a cinema-quality story and visuals. Many of the specific plot details depend on the actions and choices you make, but the story does involve a serial killer known as "The Origami Killer," and players may choose between four playable characters who are trying to track him down. (Should your character die, the story continues with you playing as one of the others.) The unique control scheme relies upon separate head and body controls and "contextual actions," and also requires players to turn their characters' thoughts into actions.

The Last Guardian
(Fall 2010)

Although we prefer the literal translation of the Japanese title ("Trico, the Man-eating Sea Eagle"), The Last Guardian represents another unique release from the team behind the acclaimed titles ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. This hybrid of adventure and puzzle game puts players in the role of an unnamed boy who befriends a gigantic, feathery, griffin-like creature who accompanies and assists the boy on his quest.

MAG
(Jan. 26)

This Massive Action Game (yes, that's what the title stands for) is a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter from Zipper Interactive, the developer behind the SOCOM series. MAG is set 15 years in the future, when national armies have effectively been replaced by private military organizations — who are now battling each other in a "Shadow War." A whopping 256 players can compete in each battle, divided into teams (consisting of squads, platoons and companies) whose leaders are determined by experience.

The world's worst lightsaber PlayStation Motion Controller
(Spring 2010)

Like Microsoft's Project Natal, Sony's new Motion Controller (a name change is expected) aims to steal some of the Wii's thunder by allowing motion-based game controls. Whereas Project Natal requires no physical controller at all, the Motion Controller is much closer to the Wii Remote, with the addition of a glowing orb at the end of the device. Motions are tracked via a combination of inertial sensors within the controller and the use of the PlayStation Eye camera.

On the next page, we continue our preview by looking at the hottest upcoming games for Wii, PC and PlayStation Portable