The Forgotten Sands is Prince of Persia designed by committee. It certainly ticks all the boxes: handsome graphics—check, sweeping, epic soundtrack—check, clever, challenging platforming—check. Yet, despite having some of the most ingenious and fun mechanics of any Prince of Persia game (freezing and unfreezing water, in particular, is a concept that remains perpetually fresh and fun), it’s missing the one thing that has always made the series something special for me: heart.

.

About our scale… the number of words in our review reflects the score of the game. In practical terms, you could assume that games reviewed in 49 words or fewer should be avoided, games reviewed in 50-75 words would make a decent rental, and games reviewed in 76 words or more would make a solid purchase.

Who could have guessed that an American football game developed by a bunch of Europeans with the sole intention of showcasing their impressive physics engine would play like an American football game developed by a bunch of Europeans with the sole intention of showcasing their impressive physics engine?

.

About our scale… the number of words in our review reflects the score of the game. In practical terms, you could assume that games reviewed in 49 words or fewer should be avoided, games reviewed in 50-75 words would make a decent rental, and games reviewed in 76 words or more would make a solid purchase.

Look, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but nit-picking Uncharted 2 is tantamount to Pope Julius telling Michelangelo that, while the Sistine Chapel is a hell of a piece of work, he might have liked it more if Adam’s junk was a bit bigger. It seems a little ungrateful in the face of such a ridiculous bounty, you know? The entire package—both single-player and multi-player—is so polished, adroitly crafted, and fun, that whatever flaws are present become functionally invisible to me. Games like this one don’t come along often. Enjoy it—it’s perfect.

.

About our scale… the number of words in our review reflects the score of the game. In practical terms, you could assume that games reviewed in 49 words or fewer should be avoided, games reviewed in 50-75 words would make a decent rental, and games reviewed in 76 words or more would make a solid purchase.

The beta is underway for MAG, the Playstation 3′s ginormous 256-player online shooter. And Platform Nation is assembling their own army to join the fun. 128 codes are up for grabs, and you’ll have a chance to win one of ten that we’ll be giving away on this weekend’s Lunchcast. But if you want to increase your chances, check out all the other Platform Nation podcasts–each one has their own set of ten codes to offer listeners in the coming week.

EDIT: Codes are all claimed. Thanks for playing, kids.

There’s a lesson to be learned here for other developers creating narrative-driven shooters: keep your story very simple so you’re able to tell it very well. Bound in Blood does just that, and then seals the deal by adding gameplay mechanics that never get old (like bursting through saloon doors, fanning the hammer of your revolver at a roomful of cowboys) and a believable old west landscape that can, at moments, take your breath away. Multiplayer is… less impressive.

.

About our scale… the number of words in our review reflects the score of the game. In practical terms, you could assume that games reviewed in 49 words or fewer should be avoided, games reviewed in 50-75 words would make a decent rental, and games reviewed in 76 words or more would make a solid purchase.

“It’s like a new Ghostbusters movie!” If what’s meant by that is that the game drags the franchise down in the same way the original movie’s sequel did, then I’ll agree. The story, dialogue, and locations are inexcusably uninteresting and unfunny, especially coming from the movie’s original creators. Its only saving grace is that wrangling ghosts with your proton stream is seriously fun… until it isn’t.

.

About our scale… the number of words in our review reflects the score of the game. In practical terms, you could assume that games reviewed in 49 words or fewer should be avoided, games reviewed in 50-75 words would make a decent rental, and games reviewed in 76 words or more would make a solid purchase.

Fuel has some of the finest marketing trailers of any game in recent memory. And they lie. What appears to be a seat-of-your-pants off-road racer on the order of Motorstorm is actually a slow, boring slog through a sparse [though admittedly enormous] landscape. Want to just zone out and explore ad nauseum? Rent.

.

About our scale… the number of words in our review reflects the score of the game. In practical terms, you could assume that games reviewed in 49 words or fewer should be avoided, games reviewed in 50-75 words would make a decent rental, and games reviewed in 76 words or more would make a solid purchase.

In a few hours, stores around the country will begin selling Sony’s latest creation and virtual gasoline will be poured on flamewars across the Internet. I say “virtual” in the previous sentence because as far as I know no one has literally been set on fire tonight while waiting in line. But the night is young, tensions are high, and reports of violence continue to trickle in. My fingers are crossed that we can get through this thing without any immolation.

As for the flamewars? I’m sure they have already begun to heat up. I picture some opportunistic and spoiled adolescent on the east coast huddled awkwardly in front of their 1080p LCD, PS3 glowing, and a USB keyboard splayed out before them boldly posting on the official Xbox forums:

ps3 is here and xbox sucx! Reply if you can, o wait 360 hasn’t have a borser LOLOLO!

On a whim I decided to do a real-time weapon switch, hop in my car, and take a tour of the various stores around me for massive damage. Are we tired of that meme yet? I want to make sure that I am being historically accurate. Here is what I found:

Best Buy

I’ve never felt as hated in my entire life. I would describe the approach as an icy gauntlet of glares. Forty people (and eighty eyes) all simultaneously thinking “This guy had better not be getting in line.” I spoke to two gentlemen at the end.

- What number are you guys?
“37 and 38.”

- Wow. How many systems are they getting?
“We think forty. That is what they are saying.”

- If you get one, will you keep it?
“No. Hell no. I mean, I want one. But have you seen the prices on eBay?”
“I was checking it all day, refreshing like crazy.”
“I saw one for a pre-order close at $5700. That’s just the piece of paper. The ticket. The actual console will probably be worth more.”
“That is what I am hoping for.”
“Me too.”

Walmart

These people were too cold to hate me. There was no room for tents, but was there room for hope? I spoke to a woman toward the middle of the line and feigned ignorance.

- What is this line for?
“The Station 3.”

- Are you excited for it?
“Well, we have friends in Denver who are doing the same thing we are now.”

- Which is?
“We are going to sell this on eBay.”

What will cause the fall of man? Aliens in the 50′s, or greed? Dejected, I made my way back to the car.

Circuit City

As I pulled in, a car was just leaving the parking lot. Eight people stood in a pack in front of the store. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It all became clear once I got close enough to see the sign in the entryway stating that there were only eight consoles total.

- How long have you guys been here?
“2 AM last night.”
“What day is it?”
“Thursday.”
“Oh. Tuesday I guess.”
“That guy is the die hard. He has been here since Monday.”

- So are eight consoles from this store going on eBay tomorrow?
“You know that guy that was pulling out when you came in?”

- Yeah
“He just offered $1000 for a place in line. We all said no.”

- So wait, you guys are all keeping your systems?
Nods of agreement

- What are you most excited to do with it?
“I am going to play Soul Caliber 3 for the PS2. It has wireless controllers and I think I will really like that.”

Three stops. Playstation 3. Spiderman font. Faith in humanity restored.

There are going to be a lot of stories in the coming days about how no one really bought the system to play it and that the launch was just an eBay gold rush. But just remember that there were eight guys who were genuinely excited to spend the night on the pavement in sub-freezing temperatures for the privilege of dropping $600 to play a year-old Playstation 2 fighting game. Without rumble. And one of them looked almost exactly like David Bowie from Labyrinth.