“Halo” and Microsoft go hand-in-hand. In fact, some say the Xbox 360 may have never even seen the light of day if it weren’t for the success of the original “Halo: Combat Evolved.” Yet, here we are, years later and millions upon millions of copies of games from the “Halo” universe sold, and the franchise continues to go on strong.

It now appears that the “Halo” franchise might be getting another huge, innovative boost to its universe with Microsoft’s new Natal technology, when “Halo: Reach” sees its release later next year.

Bungie president Harold Ryan spoke with the Seattle Times and talked about the potential of combining the Natal technology with the “Halo” universe. Ryan states “I absolutely think Reach could be enabled with it.” While news of a Natal/Halo collaboration is exciting, “Reach” remains a ways off, and Bungie is currently focusing on putting all its efforts behind the upcoming “Halo:ODST,” which sees its release later this year.

Writer and creative director Joseph Staten explained his excitement for the first “Halo” game to take players out of the role of Master Chief saying, “We’re doing a lot of pretty neat things in terms of mixing it up, introducing some non-linearity, some free exploration.” Staten goes on to say, “This is also a mystery story so there’s a lot more clue-finding and mystery-solving than you would normally find in a game of this kind – nothing that strays too far from the fun Halo experience, but we definitely decided to take a little bit of risk and have some fun with this one.”

Well, “ODST” aside, “Halo: Reach” is beginning to sound pretty fricken’ exciting. What kind of possibilities do you TGH’ers think the Natal technology could bring to the world of Master Chief. Throwing stickey’s, opening doors and typing things in to computer systems are a couple of obvious examples, but can anyone say HOT ENERGY SWORD ACTION!!! Think of all the awesome possibilities and share below, gamers.

Till tomorrow, kids.

Manhattan has always been the center of all forms of disaster in the media. From the Die Hard movies to the web shooting Spider-man comics, this concrete jungle of historic landmarks, such as Time Square, serves as a backdrop for Activision’s latest game “Prototype.” What makes “Prototype”’s disaster scenario stick out from the rest of the flock is its sheer magnitude – you’ll see buildings destroyed and burned, piles of bodies littering the streets, crushed taxi cabs occupying the sidewalks, and the military performing questionable acts to maintain order. While this sounds like a delightful concept for a sandbox action game, is it worth it?

The game’s plot begins with its protagonist, Alex Mercer, waking up in a morgue. He doesn’t know what happened, or how he got there, and runs off to find out his identity. Almost immediately after his escape, he realizes that he is now beyond human, as he makes Olympic breaking jumps with ease, runs extremely fast, can pick up cars, and can run up walls. But, the military is after him and there are reports of a viral threat in New York, so he goes around consuming people to gather their memories as he tries to make sense of what is going on, and that’s where the game’s first problem appears.

While it sounds pretty stupid to criticize the writing in a video game, since it’s usually on the same level of comic books and manga, it’s generally not expected to be great, and “Prototype” tries so desperately hard for you to take it seriously. You will be constantly bombarded with cut scenes, consumed memories, and Alex’s brief monologues, making it very hard to ignore the plot, but there are just so many cliches and plot hole that one can’t help but criticize it. For example, the virus is nothing more than something that turns people into zombies and mutants. There is a person in the game who you think is an ally but they’re actually the antagonist. Finally, the conveniently placed amnesia is basically just a cheap way to create a “mysterious” background. And that’s just within the three first missions, although there are plenty of more cliches and plot holes to encounter during the duration of the game like why are people walking outside when 80% of the population are infected?!

Fortunately, the game itself and the controls seems to have more work put into then the plot, although not by much. Like many other sandbox style, superpower games, you gain experience (or EP) as you perform missions and kill your enemies. You then spend the EP to gain new power-ups, although certain power-ups can only be gained during certain plot points; some of these are passive, while others have to be activated by either selecting it in the “power wheel” menu or with a certain combination of buttons.

As you progress through the game, you’ll feel that Alex Mercer might become a little too overpowered, but in comic book fashion, the antagonists raise the stakes by adding new enemies and hazards to overcome. However, despite these attempts to increase the difficulty by adding new obstacles, the game does tend to actually get easier, and you’ll find some of your powers posses enough kick to one-shot opponents with ease. A perfect example of this is the bladed arm where you leap in the air and hold the strong attack button; you’ll lock onto your target and if you hit him just right, you’ll kill it with just one blow, whether you’re firing at a tank or a mutant.

However, the targeting system has problems of its own. You might find it difficult to target the right opponents since the locking system tends to be your enemy during the chaotic battles. In the beginning you’ll think this is one of the best systems available, since it does everything with ease especially when there are only a few targets. But later on, when apartment buildings are on fire, mutants are destroying cars with tanks, and birds fly overhead feeding on the dead, the controls aren’t your friend as you’ll have trouble locking onto specific targets while being constantly attacked off-screen. To make matters worse, the designers thought it would be a good idea to have the enemy attacks not able to be interrupted, so if you play aggressively, or jump in at the wrong moment, you can lose a good chunk of your life, sometimes as much as half, and you won’t be able to evade because the enemy animation cannot be canceled.

Aside from the combat and storyline, is there anything else to do in “Prototype”? Unfortunately, there is nothing near the scope of other sandbox games like “inFamous” and “Grand Theft Auto.” All of your side missions are basically mini-games where you get to abuse your powers. Some examples include a race to collect orbs, killing a certain number of enemies with a selected power, or consuming a chain of people in a short period of time. These can be easily forgettable and ignored, especially since they offer very little EP as rewards.

The only really praiseworthy part of “Prototype” are the graphics – while other games say they allow you to play a superhuman being in an urban environment, none of them could come close to how this game presents itself. Your character is a living weapon, and this game demonstrates that over and over by by allowing you hijack helicopters while in the air, plow through hordes of zombies with your claws, and throw a human being at the speed of light towards an occupied mutant. This game is visually stunning, and it includes many small details that reinforce the anarchistic scenario in New York, and no game currently matches this experience.

That being said, “Prototype” isn’t that bad or that good. The controls are a pain in the later parts of the game, the plot is laughable, the side missions are terrible, and the difficulty is a hack job. At the same time, the game evolves as it grants you some additional powers that are not witnessed in other games, and being involved in New York’s destruction, at least on this scale, is not something that happens everyday. This is a rental at best and certainly not worth the full price tag, especially since the storyline doesn’t last more than 10 hours.

[Rating: 3/5]

“Prototype” was developed by Radical Entertainment and released by Activision for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on June 8, 2009. The version reviewed was the Xbox 360 version.

“Def Jam Rapstar” is going to be big. At first glance it may just appear to be another music game, just with hip-hop instead of rock music, but it’s really a whole lot more. “Rapstar” may take a few ideas from fellow rhythm game “SingStar,” but, the thing is, there’s an inherent level of competition built into hip-hop, that is going to work exceptionally well in video game form. Add to that the very well designed online community centered around uploading performance videos from the game, and “Rapstar” ends up being one of the most unique (and fun) rhythm games to hit the stores in a long time. Yeah … the kids are gonna love this one.

Action figures are a fundamental cornerstone of almost every young boy’s childhood, so much so, that many adult males have trouble letting them go. At some point, early on in every boy’s life, he picks up his favorite armed service themed figure in his right hand, and then reaches for his favorite plastic sculpted wrestler in his left and proceeds to smash the two of them together, attempting to ask the age old question; “Who would win in a fight, G.I. Joe or Hulk Hogan?” While those fights may only be pretend, and usually result in someone losing their arm, “Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic” is now here on Sony’s PlayStation 3 to either help recreates that same type of experience by taking it to the next level, or help you work through some of those residual childhood issues.

Set in a variety of different location, all inspired by the Orient, “Rag Doll Kung Fu” won’t help you figure out whether or not Jake “The Snake” Roberts could take down the Cobra Commander, but it will put you in control of some pretty great looking kung fu fighters. “Rag Doll” is a multiplayer party game at heart, similar to Nintendo’s classic “Smash Bros.” franchise, borrowing the same type of level design, and gameplay style, but, after that, it pretty much goes off in its own direction.

Over the course of the last few years there seems to have been a fundamental shift in the thinking behind the way many games are made. Instead of kickin’ old-school and creating a really deep single-player thinkfest, most games that have been released include some kind of multiplayer options. Some games have tacked them on as useless mini-games, others have created co-op story modes, to go along with the ultimate time waster (not a bad thing) – online multilayer, and while these modes and options don’t necessarily detract from the game, adding in obvious option for replayability, they don’t always result in great games. Sometimes you tend to get the feeling that the game should have been designed as a single player only experience. However, “Rag Doll Kung-Fu: Fists of Plastic” players might actually experience the opposite, and realize that this was originally intended to be a multiplayer game, and it somehow ended up with a single player mode tacked on for training purposes.

The single player challenges mode serves as a great tutorial for the game, introducing the controls, and the different game modes, but that’s all it really accomplishes. You can unlock all of the challenges in about an hour off game time, but you’ll keep coming back to them to best your high scores, and unlock new items that you can use to customize your character. You’re also briefly introduced to some of the game’s other characters, but they really only serve as a showcase of the items that you can unlock if you do well enough in that challenge. They don’t come back as an evil arch nemesis or anything like that, they’re just there to issue the challenge. Don’t get me wrong, the single player is fun, vital to learning the game, and will have you coming back to it time and time again, especially if you want to unlock more parts for your character. However, in the end, the multiplayer is really where it’s at for “Ragdoll.”

Four player on screen fighting has worked extremely well for more than a few years now, and adding another game to that genre can’t hurt. “Rag Doll” offers a deeper level of character customization than any other game in the genre does, going so far as to include the ultimate unlockable, a Sackboy costume. But, beyond that, it’s your standard on-screen wackiness with items randomly appearing to either help you or hurt your opponents, along with the occasional nunchuck or staff that you can use to kick some plastic ass. Simply put, “Ragdoll Kung Fu” is a great game for you to either play with a few friends huddled around your flatscreen, or take online and showcase your skills against the anonymous masses.

At the same time, it’s not all about fighting; the mulitplayer offers four unique modes of play. There’s your standard Deathmatch battle to the death; whoever has the most kills wins. But, in addition to that, there’s also King of the Hill, Capture the Fish, and Dodgeball modes for you to choose from. King of the Hill is pretty straightforward; you just need to stay in one specific section of the screen for longer than your opponents to win. Capture the Fish and Dodgeball are the two modes that truly make “Rag Doll Kung Fu” a unique multiplayer game. Capture the Fish is very similar to basketball, if the hoop was a basket, and the ball was a fish. Basically you need to fight it out with your competition to deposit the most fish in the basket to win – weird, yet surprisingly fun. Dodgeball is not unlike the schoolyard sport of the same name. It’s played with one ball, and up to four players on screen at once. Essentially you need to throw the ball hard enough to knock your opponents out, and if you knock out the most, you win. All in all, the multiplayer is where this game shines, and it does a surprisingly good job, even with only a few modes to choose from.

The controls are pretty basic, sticking with punch and kick as your main course of attacks, and keeping with the general kung fu theme of the game. There are some intricacies that make it slightly more complicated than some other fighters because it basically gives you control of each of your characters arms. “Rag Doll” also takes advantage of the PS3’s six-axis motion controls in a unique way; allowing the player to flip the controller upside down putting their character goes into a zen like state where they recover health and become extremely vulnerable. It’s a nice little risk/reward system that rewards those players that know how to get away from the action for a few seconds.

“Fists of Plastic” offers a pleasently refreshing art style, where the characters and levels look realistic, and yet artificial at the same time. The game draws obvious inspiration from action figures, and keeps that aesthetic throughout most of the game, forcing each character to be subject to the rag doll physics (get it now?) of the Havok engine. It’s a smooth party fighter, that looks quite good in HD. You really get a sense of the game’s humor through the graphics and art as well, since it basically makes fun of every Kung Fu movie ever made.

“Rag Doll Kung Fu” isn’t going to be a game for everybody, but it is for gamers that like to play with (read: beat up) their friends. It’s also worth checking out to get a sense of the beginnings of, the soon-to-be classic, “LittleBigPlanet,” as one of the founders of Media Molecule, Mark Healey, created this game. Everything from the jumping to the controls feel very familiar, and there’s even an appearance “LBP”’s star, Sackboy. If you’re looking for a well-crafted, funny, multiplayer party game on the PS3, you don’t have to look too much further than “Rag Doll Kung Fu.”

[Rating: 4/5]

Microsoft is looking to expand the “Halo” universe, yet again. An online job posting suggests that the company is aiming to create a “Halo” community that not only spans consoles, but possibly reaches out to the web and mobile worlds as well. The listing, which calls for a software development engineer says several interesting things about creating a new “Halo” community.

“We’re looking to blend console, web, and mobile to create an immersive Halo world that follows the dedicated Halo fan wherever they go. We need engineers that can build connected technology while working in a startup environment.

As an engineer on this team, your responsibility will be to deliver a great out-of-game interactive experience that takes the next step beyond the systems found in Halo 3. You will work with artists, designers, developers and testers to finalize design plans, implement those plans, and help coordinate large-scale testing of the out of game Live experience by gamers across the world. Your work also will involve several external teams-including other MGS studios and the Xbox Live team-coordinating development dependencies and design considerations of experience as a whole.”

What this all means is anybody’s guess. Could it be a “Halo” type community similar to that of “Home”? If the “games” are going to expand to the web and mobile worlds, how will they integrate toward one complete experience? I guess only time will tell, but with a franchise as big as “Halo”, don’t expect Microsoft to sit on any news for too long. Keep it here to TGH for any new info on this mysterious “Halo” world.

Alright, I had to cover this story since I live in Wisconsin and I’m a glutton for punishment (read: Brewers fan). Price Fielder, 1st baseman, and slugger extraordinaire for the Milwaukee Brewers is going to grace the cover of 2K Sports’ “The BIGS 2.” While I’m not that biggest fan of baseball games, or most sports games for that matter, I did play “The BIGS,” and it was a hell of a lot of fun. Since my boy is on the cover this year, I may have to go out and pick up a copy. Also the Brewers probably won’t be as good in next season’s baseball games as they are in this year’s.

Anyways, the game is currently set for release this summer, and will most likely see a Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii version. Go check it out TGH’ers. Fielder is the man, after all, just look at that face. If Fielder wasn’t enough for all you baseball fans, legends like Reggie Jackson, Wade Boggs and Roberto Clemente are all set to make appearances as well. Check out the trailer for 2K Sports’ “The BIGS 2″ below.

Richard Thornhill, a resident of England and father of two, went to a local Gamestation store in Cheltenham and walked out with a little more than he bargained for. Inside the instruction manual of one of the games were four tablets of ecstasy. Somebody get me a map, I’m taking a trip to Cheltenham! Alright, alright I kid. Drugs are bad, remember?

The store, undoubtedly, had to deal with a little bit of fallout. Thornhill, who was understandably upset said, “When I opened the box up, the cling film wrap fell out. I could not believe it. I have two children and my son plays Xbox all the time. He could easily have opened the box and found them. I dread to think what the consequences would have been if he had. He is only 12.”

Somewhat coincidental is the fact that both copies of the game were used copies of games in the GTA franchise. “It was a pre-used game,” Thornhill said, “but that should not make a difference. My wife is beside herself over this because she keeps thinking about what could have happened and so do I.”

Gamestation was quick to reply. “We have rigorous procedures for accepting pre-owned titles and checking them before they are put back on sale.” a statement said, “We have launched an immediate investigation and we will work closely with police to find out what happened in this instance.”

Whatever happened, their procedures can’t be too rigorous. What I want to know is whether or not they were playing techno music in the store when Thornhill bought the games. Let this be a lesson to all of you used game buyers with children out there. Check your game boxes before your kids get there grubby little paws on them.

Huh, that’s weird. I just got a sudden urge to go read my “Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour” instruction manual. Later, all!

Batman games don’t normally have the highest success rate in the gaming industry. Whenever a new Batman game is announced, it’s usually met with much excitement, however, when they’re released they normally disappoint without fail. Fortunately, Eidos and Rocksteady are looking to change all that with “Batman: Arkham Asylum.”

The game is being shown off on the GDC show floor, and if ya ask me, it’s looking pretty sweet. In the video below, Game Director, Sefton Hill, takes the liberty of explaining exactly how we will be disposing of the Joker’s baddies once inside Arkham. It looks like a pretty interesting take on stealth gameplay, (the explosive foam in the shape of a bat logo is a nice touch). What you see in the video is not actually part of the single player campaign, but a challenge mode that can be unlocked upon completion of the game. Apparently the game will be loaded with unlockables that will make Batman fans giddy in their pants.

“Batman: Arkham Asylum” is set for release in June for Xbox 360 and PS3. The special edition will be available for a hefty price of $100, however, it comes with a list of goodies, most notably a real live batarang.

If you’re one of those gamers that was hoping to someday see a sequel to “The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” you may have to wait a little longer, but if you can settle for a spiritual successor, then you might be in luck. Radical Entertainment, the studio that developed “Ultimate Destruction,” looks like it has another winner on its hands with “Prototype.” Darker and more smashy than the Hulk game, “Prototype” looked like it had a whole lot of potential, especially when it comes to destroying NYC. Check out what Radical Entertainment’s Chris Ansell had to tell us about their upcoming game.

The Resident Evil franchise has always been a cash cow for Capcom, and for a good reason – good games, especially ones about zombies, usually sell a lot of copies. The survival horror genre may have already existed in 1998, but the original “Resident Evil,” arguably, brought the genre into the limelight. While the “RE” franchise may be known mostly for its scare factor, and thrilling cutscenes, it’s also known for its longevity. In 2005, Capcom took a series in dire need of a transformation, and gave it a makeover that resulted in critical acclaim, the world over, with the release of “Resident Evil 4.” Thus, the bar has been set extremely high for “Resident Evil 5,” and while it’s a worthy addition to the storied franchise, it will ultimately fail to achieve what its predecessor did 4 years ago.

“Resident Evil 5” stars series veteran, Chris Redfield, and his partner/newcomer Sheva Alomar. Without giving away any of the game’s secrets, some other characters from the series’ past will make appearances as well. Hopefully, by the time you play “RE5” you’ll still in the dark about most of major plot points, event hough Capcom could’ve done a better job keeping certain things under wraps. If you are lucky enough to have avoided either leaks or hints about the game, the story will not disappoint you. A new company has overtaken the role of the Umbrella Corporation, and is manufacturing a new wave of horrific bio-organic weapons (B.O.W.’s). “RE5” also includes its fair share of mysterious, yet memorable characters, many of which are up to no good. The game does emerge a little on the short side, but its length never becomes a noticeable problem, as one can complete its six levels in roughly 10 hours, and still have a satisfying experience, since the action seldom lets up.

One impressive feature of the game is the amount of series history it offers. Not only will many dangling plot lines from previous games be answered, but there is a myriad of information uncovered about many of the characters and events from past games in the form of files and debriefings. While it wouldn’t hurt to have played a “Resident Evil” game prior to “RE5,” you’ll definitely have the chance to catch up on the franchise’s storied history, provided you have the willpower to read all the information presented. The game also comes with a complimentary coupon to get your head checked in case you haven’t played a “Resident Evil” game before.

The gameplay for “RE5” is its greatest strength, and weakness. A “Resident Evil” game finally has co-op, and it works blissfully, feeling like a game that was made fore two people. Numerous amounts of enemies take cooperation and coordination to take down, and it’s completely satisfying to do so with a friend. However, purists may argue that this is a franchise made for one, and for those without online, or a buddy willing to put in the time, problems may arise. Every so often your partner Sheva’s AI starts acting like its missing a few screws, and while she rarely is the cause of death, she sometimes feels like deadweight. While the solo experience is fine, it simply doesn’t match that of playing with a friend.

Most of the game’s controls deviate very little from those seen in “RE4,” and the formula still works great. The tank controls have always been a slight pain in the ass, but that seems to be a “RE” staple, and it’s nothing you won’t be able to get past after the first ten minutes. Controlling Chris and Sheva soon becomes second nature, and the combat is as gritty and pleasurable as ever before. The weapons are a fairly standard “RE” affair, with your rocket launchers, magnums, and shotguns all thrown into the mix, but the game does offer some brutal weaponry if you’re willing put in the time to earn them. Boss battles, another “RE” cornerstone, are frantic and intense, and, for the most part, never disappoint. There were a few scenarios where strategies for toppling end-level foes weren’t abundantly clear, but with enough experimentation you’re likely to survive.

“RE5’”s biggest downfall comes in the final third of the game, where the infected suddenly wield guns, and force you to use cover. You may remember in “RE4” the machine gun Ganado, they’re also present here as well, but are accompanied by a throng of baddies that carry other weapons as well. During these segments, the game throws you into situations that are very similar to that of “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune,” and feel thrown in to appeal to the action gamer junkie. However, in reality, they destroy any cohesiveness between the beginning and end of the game. Since you don’t encounter these scenarios until the later half of the game, you’re forced to adapt to this new mechanic amidst some of the more demanding parts of battle. This truly is the game’s biggest letdown, because it results in a loss of that “Resident Evil” feel, and substitutes it for the feeling of playing a generic, bargain bin action game.

With all that said, “Resident Evil 5” is still damn fun to play. With a huge amount of unlockables, the return of Mercenaries mode, and the addition of co-op, you’d be a fool not to give it a try. Graphics, sound, and replay-wise; everything is all there, but if you’re looking for something as memorable and genre-defining as “RE4” you’re likely to walk away disappointed. Hopefully, Capcom will work out the kinks by the time “Resident Evil 6” rears its head, but if they keep straying away from what made the series popular, which was delivering unforgettable scares, and instead continue to cater to the action adventure crowd, the “Resident Evil” franchise has its darkest days ahead.

[Rating: 4/5]

“Resident Evil 5″ was released on March 13th, for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. This review is based on the PS3 version of the game.