Motion Control! Natal! PlayStation Move! Krispy Kreme! Pepsi Clear! iPhone Apps! Pokemon! eBay! Listen!

Madden! Football! Special Guest! Left 4 Dead 2! Mass Effect 2! Battlefield: Bad Company 2! Listen!

Dante’s Inferno! The Divine Comedy! Poetry! Listen!

In some cases, however, the game makes it very difficult to remember that I’m working. Dark Void was one such title. As soon as Will and Ava crash landed in that lush jungle inhabited by freakin’ aliens under mysterious circumstances, I was hooked. Within a few minutes, I was sucked into the Void. The Dark Void.

I could go on about how much fun it was to sit down, grab the controller, and “get to work,” but you’d think I was just bragging (you’d be right). So instead of digressing about the job some more, let me share some nuggets of wisdom for you to employ while adventuring in Dark Void. Mind you, I learned many of these during my second playthrough.

While Archons are some of the most exciting enemies to bring down, they can also be the easiest. After slowing them down by blasting the joints on their legs, your first instinct may be to rush the Archon’s head. Don’t! Instead, rush the Archon’s tail and follow the on-screen prompts to bring them down quickly, easily, and get an Achievement (or Trophy) while you’re at it.

Perhaps one of the most rewarding enemies to bring down are the Watcher Knights. Sure they can hover out of reach and make most covered areas a dangerous place to hide, but once you bring them down, they gift you with one of the best weapons in the game! After bringing down a Knight, search through the rubble to find their large caliber machine gun! You won’t be able to run quickly with it in your hands, but you won’t need to with that kind of destructive power at your fingertips. Whenever you face multiple Knights, destroy one, grab its machine gun, and turn it on the others. You’ll shred through them in no time.

Finally, don’t be afraid to explore and locate all of the hidden Tech Orb Caches. Yes, you’ll get Tech Points by defeating enemies, but in order to get your weapons fully upgraded and gain a real advantage over the enemy, you’ll need to seek out all the extra Tech Point Caches scattered throughout the game. Fight the urge to blast to the next mission to find out what happens next and instead, do a little recon and locate some of those glowy orbs. You may not reach the next objective as quickly, but you’ll be happy you did when your weapon is maxed out toe level three and you’re mowing down the Watchers with ease.

Dark Void Prima Official eGuide

Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition – Prima Official Game Guide

Perhaps the most exciting feature of the new game is the weapon customization option. Not only can you buy a large assortment of assault rifles, sub machineguns, shotguns, sniper rifles, and light machineguns, but you can tear each weapon apart and apply its parts to different weapons in your arsenal. Want to add that AK-47 stock to your M416? No problem. Or maybe you just want to attach a shotgun beneath the barrel of your semi-automatic grenade launcher? The customization options are absolutely insane allowing for the creation of some truly brutal implements of war. I made sure we paid a great deal attention to this feature in our guide, complete with stats and info on every weapon and weapon part. We even put together a helpful quick reference table in the back of the guide showing all these stats.

Army of Two was one of the first games to take co-op gameplay seriously, taking a ground-up approach in its design. I’m pleased to see that the co-op experience is even more fluid this time around. For example, co-op sniping can be initiated at any time; a great way to eliminate two target simultaneously. Plus you can perform some awesome new co-op actions such as the mock surrender. But the co-op interactions don’t end with the gameplay. Your team’s choices can affect the outcome of the story. Throughout the campaign there are a variety of co-op choices requiring you and your partner to make a tough decision. Are you in it for the money? Or are you more interested in helping your fellow man? Even better, none of these decisions are real cut and dry. But don’t worry; we cover all the co-op choices in the guide, describing the rewards and consequences for each. Also, if you’re a completionist you’ll be happy to know that we also have labeled maps illustrating the locations of all collectibles including weapon parts, radio transmissions, civilians, cash drops, and Maneki Neko cats.

Late in the project we had the chance to play through the different multiplayer game modes with the developers. And I’m pleased to say that we didn’t get totally embarrassed. Still, it helps when you have experts on your team. In all there are four game modes: Control, Co-Op Deathmatch, Extraction, and Warzone. Of all these modes, I had the most fun with Extraction, requiring you and three buddies to hold out against wave after wave of AI-controlled enemies. It’s a very tough mode but the teamwork required to come out on top is very rewarding. The developers even took the time to write some tips for each map pointing out crucial locations and tactics necessary for achieving victory.

After this one, I’m eager to see what’s next for Salem and Rios. I’m happy to see EA is investing in this franchise, complete with a new comic book set to release this month from IDW—we have the first few pages of the debut issue in the back of our guide. These characters are perfect for a comic series and I’m sure it will help maintain interest while we wait for the next video game adventure. I know I’ll be checking it out every month.

Connecting for Cash! Left 4 Dead App! PC Code App! Army of 2! Halo Movie! Listen!

Congressional Cyberbullying Bill! Nintendo eGuides! Dragon Age Web Site! The Saboteur! Listen!

What an incredible game Spirit Tracks is. Everything that made Phantom Hourglass so wonderful has been improved. Motoring around the Overworld by train is a blast, and to my surprise, it was even more enjoyable than sailing the ocean was in Phantom Hourglass. Though the train-based combat is similar to those engaging nautical skirmishes, the biggest thrills came from the villains I couldn’t defeat: enemy trains that chase after Link’s trolley, ending his adventure if they manage to ram him. Shifting gears and altering course just moments before a head-on collision produced some of the biggest thrills I’ve experienced yet on the DS.

Driving the train was also a joy due to the constant eye candy. Rather than being surrounded by endless ocean, you’re treated to scenic views of dense forests, rolling hills, rocky mountains, and snow-covered plains. Whenever I wasn’t blasting pesky enemies or obliterating trackside objects with my trusty cannon, I found myself slowly scanning the horizon in constant awe of the visual splendor the developers were able to produce from such a tiny a game cartridge.

There’s also a big and satisfying twist! I don’t want to spoil it for you, but when you first fire up the game, it’s revealed in the opening cinematic. I knew instantly that this was going to be a memorable adventure. And that it was.

Spirit Tracks just never disappoints. The adventure is huge, the production values are top-notch, and as we’ve all come to expect from Zelda games, there’s just so much to see and do. Rest assured we’ve left no treasure chest unopened in our sizeable guide, which boasts a versatile walkthrough and pages of checklists to ensure you never miss a thing.

Turning 30 isn’t something I really wanted to do, but I was literally begging my betters at Prima for a chance to write the Spirit Tracks guide. Looking back at the project, I now recall a haze of long hours and late nights, but I couldn’t have asked for a better way to ring in my fourth decade. Thank you Prima for this special gift; it’s just what I wanted. And thank you Nintendo for continuing to innovate and reimagine, even after all these years. Growing up with you both has been a wonderful ride.

Happy Holidays!

In each of the six hubs, there are many different levels. Each has five story levels which take players through the stories from the movies. In addition, there are five treasure levels in each as well as five bonus levels. By the time you complete the story levels, you can go all over the playset to play the different levels whenever and however many times you would like.

One of the exciting new features of LEGO Indiana Jones II: The Adventure Continues is the driving levels. Each level offers one story and one treasure driving level for a total of twelve in the game. Players can hop into a variety of vehicles and drive around jungles, deserts, and cities crashing into and forcing enemy vehicles off of the roads. These levels are a lot of fun and add more excitement to the game.

As with all of the LEGO adventure titles, LEGO Indiana Jones II: The Adventure Continues can be played by one player individually or two cooperatively. There is even a split screen option so the two players can move apart from each other. No longer will you fail to make a daring leap across a chasm because your partner is at the opposite end of the screen. Not only is this a great game for playing with friends, LEGO Indiana Jones II: The Adventure Continues offers a lot of fun for parents and children to play together. My children and I really enjoy the driving levels as we work together to crash all the enemy cars or solve the puzzle challenges in the bonus and treasure levels.

by Michael Knight