James Bond: Quantum of Solace (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2, DS)
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Gerasimos Manolatos
Price: $59.99 (360, PS3), $49.99 (PC, Wii), $39.99 (PS2), $29.99 (DS)
The Skinny: 007 returns with
a new babe, more intense action, and a movie tie-in game that doesn't suck!
The Good: The presentation of the game is flawless. From the opening scene when you infiltrate Mr. White's mansion to having the screen turn into the trademark 007 gun-barrel when your health is low, you feel like you are in a Bond movie. Complementing the gunplay is a slick, yet simple takedown system, allowing you to give enemies the ol' heave-ho without making a peep. When you're done saving the world in the single-player story mode, Xbox Live and PSN awaits, where you'll find a deep and satisfying reward system. Everything you do yields a certain amount of money which you use to either unlock new weapons or upgrade them with scopes and grips—you can even "goldenize" them, so don't be surprised if you get taken out by a shiny sniper rifle.
The Bad: The game is fun, in the same way the
Super Mario Bros. on the NES is still fun to play today.
QoS fails to really set itself apart from other first-person shooters, especially with
Gears of War 2 and
Resistance 2 soaking up the multiplayer market. That's not to say that there aren't people playing this game online, because there are plenty. But, when you've got 60 bucks burning a hole in your pocket, it's hard justifying purchasing a game with a five-hour single-player experience with noticeable AI quirks.
Maxim Tip: While the game straddles both
Casino Royale and
Quantum of Solace, those worried about having the upcoming sequel ruined for them will only find a relatively small amount of spoilers—namely, everything except the very last location of the movie is revealed. Just a word of warning.
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Rent it. It's got a short, but sweet singleplayer and the online portion may hold your attention long enough until
James Bond: 2 Quantum 2 Solace.
Resistance 2 (PS3)
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Gerasimos Manolatos
Price: $59.99
The Skinny: The Chimera virus has spread across the seaboard and now threatens the United States. Nathan Hale, infected by the virus, straps on his carbon rifle and heads back onto the battlefield, hoping to save a world that's slowly succumbing.
The Good: Sure the set-up is formulaic as hell (
cough cough Halo 2, Halo 3, Gears of War 2 couch cough), but that's because, well, it works. After escaping the first section of the game, you'll encounter the full extent of the Chimera virus invasion: three gigantic Chimera capitol ships hovering over the Golden Gate Bridge, a sight that'll have you looking out your window just to make sure that it isn't actually happening. Even more impressive are the co-op and multi-player options, which allow you to team up with up to seven other friends and go through very different missions based around the impending Chimera invasion. Either way, you'll level up and increase your e-penis with trophies and other such spoils of the Internet.
The Bad: The story isn't exactly Tom Clancy-in-motion, but all you really need to know is that there are a shit ton of aliens invading and you need to go kill them. Again, it's a formula and again, we're not totally sick of it yet.
Yet.
Maxim Tip: Sony is boasting that it will take 420 hours to complete everything there is to do in the game, or approximately 18 days of continuous play. Better get to it!
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it.
Fallout 3
Rating:
Reviewed by: Gerasimos Manolatos
Price: $59.99
The Skinny: In a post-apocalyptic America, everyone has gone underground to avoid the massive wars raging across the world. You play a boy, raised all his life in a fallout shelter, who has to venture out into the world for the very first time in search of his father.
The Good: Gears of War 2 may have you chainsawing people in half, but
Fallout 3 is one of the most violent games you will play this year. The weapon targeting system, called VATS, is spot on, allowing you to aim your gun—small pistol and large missile launchers included—so precisely that you can behead mutant enemies, rip their limbs off, or tear their torsos in half. The gameplay also gives you the choice of becoming a knight in shining armor or the biggest rat bastard in all the land. Plus, you won't find a more expansive game around, with a running time estimated between 50 and 75 hours. Not a bad investment to make with the
real world slowly deteriorating as well.
The Bad: The gameplay is solid, but there are way too many times in the game when you're either looking for something to do or are faced with traveling across the whole map just to get to a target. That could easily mean 20 minutes of walking through enemy-infested territory just so you can deliver an envelope. Seriously, that's one mission. While you'll be able to transport instantly to places you've already visited, you are still going to have to manually get to all these places at least once in your adventure in order to "discover" them. Also, while the presentation of the game seems to be first-person shooter intensive, there's a surprising amount of meticulous planning and maneuvering you'll have to do before jumping into fights. Great for those who have a lot of sit-down time, bad for those who just want to pick up and play.
Maxim Tip: You'll encounter lots of weapons and items traders across the region. You can either buy their wares legally or just kill them and take all of their money, guns, and clothing.
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? It's a great value at just 60 bucks, but if you've never played Bethesda's previous
Elder Scrolls games, we'd recommend renting before buying.
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