The Games We Play is a weekly feature about what has been going on in our gaming lives. Tell us what you've been playing in the comments.

Terry: There are two settings in video games that I'm always a sucker for - snow and the old west (this probably explains why I loved Lost Planet and Gun a little more than most). So when Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood came out recently I knew, especially after playing the first one, that I'd be picking it up. 

It was a little slow at the start, I even remarked on Twitter that I wasn't impressed, but now I'm at the halfway point and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Because the two characters you play as are different, it takes a little while to get used to their varying abilities. But once you do, the setting and the gun play become fun. I highly recommend it.

Ian: I got a lot of gaming in this week with Prince of Persia, Wolverine and Punch Out. I beat the final boss in Punch Out but now have to start the "defend your title mode." Is every boxer now more difficult? To be clear, Punch Out is a HARD game to begin with.

I had some quality time with Prince of Persia and didn't find it as easy as so many have said. It takes awhile to get a hang of the controls but overall they work well. I wish the environments were colorful on the first playthrough because the unique art style shows a lot better that way. The openworldness of the game feels like a gimic and I would have rather seen level based gameplay.

Finally, I had a chance to play Wolverine for the 360. I have not seen the movie and pretty much ignored the cutscenes but the gameplay is really fun. There is a great level of brutality as the camera slows down as you decapitate your opponents. The environments have been somewhat varied so far, but I hoping for some more outdoor scenery instead of dark interiors as I progress through the game.

Sean: In an eight-person party chat a few nights go on the 360, my friends and I threw out ideas of what downloadable games we wish we could play. Some of the more prominent answers that I remember are: Clue, Family Feud and other board games where your avatar could be used and everyone in your party could play or observe the game. The 1 vs. 100 Beta is an innovative way to bring this all together but it only runs certain times a day. As opposed to playing multiple games this week, this heated debate of what XBLA needs to do was the front runner.

But that's what XBL does for people, it gives them the opportunity to speak on, essentially, an eight-person phone call. It brings individuals together and allows you to meet new friends from across the globe. In a matter of seconds, you can switch from playing Uno -- which I did a lot this week -- with three other friends to Call of Duty 4, where we're all soldiers out to kill the opposition. The possibilities seem endless, yet, suggestions are still out there. Please Microsoft, feature more game show and board game type downloads. That's what this is more about: the community.

Andrew: Another week, less games. I found myself wrapped up in the old west with Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood pretty much the entire week. I love how they took everything that was wrong with the first one and scrapped it. Stunning landscapes, wonderful visuals and some very intuitive gameplay mechanics certainly make this something to check out. Other than that I have been trying to catch up on my sleep since work is killing me with these late night shifts now. Lastly, DLC digest has been a huge part of my week with tons of hilarious post it something that everyone needs to check out.

XNA has a ton of offerings and like just every console, there’s plenty of good and bad. But like my personal hero Vanilla Ice used to say, “the cream always rises to the top”. Say hello to Angry Berry.

Angry Barry is a 2D side-scrolling beat’em up along the lines of Final Fight and Streets of Rage, but it has serious political overtones.  Featuring high definition, hand drawn and animated 2D graphics, tons of political humor and parody, and an original soundtrack composed exclusively for the game, it’s good to see a game of this quality come out of the XNA community.
In Angry Barry you play the role of the titular Barry and fight a vast assortment of characters through 9 stages in your quest for the presidency of the United States. You will have to battle a wide assortment of enemies ranging from secret service members, old political candidates, democratic and republican rivals and a robot villain. Yeah even the robots make it into this political debacle, just like Al Gore in 2000.
Packing all of this into a XNA game seems almost too good to be true. For a measly 400 points you and a friend (oh yes, I said XNA multiplayer) can tag team your way to political victory. So get your credit card handy to make a purchase and remember vote or die, or in this case kick or get your assed kicked!
Pros: Great visuals, gameplay and soundtrack
Cons: No achievements
GamePro Score: 4.5
The Info: Platform: Xbox 360 (XNA), Publisher/Developer: Arrogancy, Players: 1-2, Price: 400 MS Points
Related Links: Make sure to check out the 5 XBLA Games Every 360 Owner Should Download, DLC News - Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed, Quake Arena Arcade  and GPArcade Giveaway: Fallout 3's Point Lookout

 

Gamers have plenty of options when it comes to selecting downloadable games on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC. But with so many choices, how do you separate the good games from the bad? GamePro Arcade is here to help, offering up the 5 best games for each platform that no gamer should go without.

The first edition of our 4-part series series starts today, as we tackle Xbox Live Arcade.

XBLA is flooded with games, too flooded in fact. While there is something for everybody - from classic ports like Cyberball and Battlezone to new IP's like Cloning Clyde and Penny Arcade Adventures - so much content makes it tough to pick out the must haves from the must avoids. In order to save you time and money, we've compiled a list of the Top 5 games every 360 owner should download.

 

Another week, another chance for you to win something for free from GamePro Arcade. This week we're giving away one (1!) XBLA code for Fallout 3's most recent downloadable content, Point Lookout. 

Winning is easy, just write a comment on this post telling me which Fallout 3 enemy gives you the most trouble. Post as many times as you want, one lucky gamer will be randomly selected by the GPArcade Super Computer and announced on Sunday. One other thing, since this content is M rated, only gamers 18 and older are allowed to participate. 

Good luck!

Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/terryterrones

 

 

As someone who has never been a fan of the Magic the Gathering series, I expected it to be difficult to grasp the newly released XBLA version. However, there was plenty of handholding available to understand the basics of this popular card game. Multiple levels of tutorials are included for the unitiatied. Luckily for veterans, the depth that hardcore fans would be looking for is there as well.

The basic rules of the game consist of starting with 20 life and seven cards. Each player takes turns drawing a card, using a land card and then casting spells. Each card can be used to battle against your opponent, but they have a chance to block attacks. Once your opponents' life bar runs dry, you win.

The complexity of play transitions well onto the virtual screen, with decent special effects when using certain powers. Action will never be mistaken for anything but a card game, however. There is no question that we will see additional decks as DLC in the future as there currently may not be enough variety for some players.

A variety of modes keep the game interesting with a campagin, challange mode and online play at your fingertips.

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers is seemlingly everything Magic players would want in a virtual adaptation of the now classic card game. The question is still whether games traditionally played in the physical world are as much fun. In my experience, board games are not nearly as engaging but Magic fans will definately have a tough decision on their hands as this game is very well made.

Pros: True to card game, not lacking in modes

Cons: May not be enough cards available for some players

GamePro Score: 4.5

The Info: Platform: Xbox 360 (XBLA), Publisher: Wizards of the Coast, Developer: Stainless Games, ESRB: T, Players: 1-4, Price: $10.00 (800 MS points)
Related Links: Learn about The Games We Play and vote in our weekly poll.

 

Xbox Live Avatars are certainly an interesting concept but so far they've been poorly used. While gamers can use them in a few arcade titles, their potential remains largely untapped.

Next Wednesday Ninja Bee, the creators of the first fully enabled Avatar game (and one of my personal XBLA favorites) A Kingdom for Keflings, will add Avatar support to one of their other Xbox Live Arcade titles, Band of Bugs. Available as a free upgrade, gamers will be able to replace the original story's hero with their own Avatar.

To help give life to its 2-year old arcade game, Ninja Bee is also releasing new downloadable content. The Tales of Kaloki DLC adds new characters, sets, story, attacks, and abilities and will sell for 240MS Points ($3).

Hit the jump for all the details on all the new Band of Bugs content that drops July 8.

Catch me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/terryterrones

 

By now gamers have a good idea of what they can expect when new Fallout 3 downloadable content is released - a new mini-story that loosely connects to the original Capital Wasteland plot, new enemies, new perks, new weapons, and a new location. 

Point Lookout, the fourth round of Fallout 3 DLC, sticks with this tried and true formula, so you're not going to find anything new here. But don't let this familiarity discourage you from diving in anyway. What Bethesda does works, and much like a favorite TV show that takes long breaks between seasons (Heroes, Lost), its good to see what the creators of something you've followed so closely have in store for you next.

Congrats to supps and killquick, you are the two winner's of our latest GamePro Arcade giveaway - download codes for XBLA's "Sam & Max Save the World".  Email me with your GP login name at tterrones@gamepro.com and I'll send you your code. 

Didn't win this week? Get over it. GamePro Arcade, as always, will be handing out another freebie on Wednesday. 

Catch me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/terryterrones

 
Fact: You don't need a generic lower half of the human body to wield a heavy-blasting gun and pulverize everything in site. Hell, it's even easier with a rocket torso to be completely honest. A lot more enjoyable too. Brace yourself and buckle your seatbelts kids, it's going to be a bumpy -- and destructive -- ride through the sky.
 
In Rocket Riot, you'll shoot to kill enemies of all shapes, skill levels and sizes in a side-view style, equipped with some of the most crisp, colorful graphics you'll ever see in a downloadable title.
 
Power-up icons pull the game together, adding to or shutting down offensive and defensive motor skills while in attempt to obliderate everything around you and dodge the debris that will weaken your health. The common steroid-type boost in strength is apparent, alongside screwy missles that go every which way. Do your best to stay clear of red icons. Hint: They don't help, but are funny to try and manuever with.
 
A "regeneration map" keeps gameplay at a face-paced, yet enjoyable speed while competing in 80 single-player missions and four multiplayer modes (with up to eight players on XBL). Customize your rocketman, too, altering armor type and color. And of course, an online leaderboard exists as well as stat lines after each level completion.
 
The title is loaded with a variety of gameplays, other than the simple single-player campaign. Conquer waves of enemy fire in Endurance Mode. Multiplayer modes consist of Co-op (Endurance Mode with more people), Golden Guy (survive with armor and no shooting capabilities) and Deathmatch is self explanatory. Online, play Rugby Riot --- scoring goals -- and Destroy the Object -- blasting enemy items, protecting yours -- with three of your friends.
 
Pros: Gorgeous graphics, funny power-ups, addictive level-to-level gameplay
Cons: Handling a big shaky at first
GamePro Score: 3.5
The Info: Platform: Xbox 360 (XBLA), Publisher: THQ, Developer: Codeglue, ESRB: E, Players: 1-4, Price: $10.00 (800 MS points)
Related Links: Sam and Max Save the World review. And The Punisher: No Mercy as well as Final Fantasy VII are worth a look, too.

 

This morning Majesco announced the upcoming release of "Serious Sam: The First Encounter". Coming to XBLA later this summer First Encounter is an original Xbox game (it was also released on the PS2, PC and GameCube) that starred Sam "Serious" Stone as he battled aliens hell bent on, what else, world domination.

You can tell Majesco is excited about this title, check out this quote from the press release.

Serious Sam HD is not your mother's generic, large-scale, orchestral scored, Space Marine-themed epic FPS with dialog that pretends it's an RPG...instead, Serious Sam HD is a grab you by the jibblies run and gun, twitch FPS: BIG guns, TONS of enemies, 4-Player Online Co-Op and stunningly superfluous HD graphics that rival retail boxed games. You've waited forever but Serious Sam is back from the nether with its award-winning game play that will remind you why you play FPSs in the first place.

A Halo dig? From an arcade game developer? Jibbly grabbing? Those are fightin' words. We'll find out if Serious Sam can deliver later this year. Hit the jump for the complete press release.

Catch me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/terryterrones