The run-up to the holidays means new console, PC titles - Military Video Games, computer games, games, gaming - Navy Times

The run-up to the holidays means new console, PC titles

The floodgates have opened for the new season of pre-holiday video game releases. The word on a few of the most talked-about games of the fall:

“NHL 11,” EA Sports’ hockey game, is the only one available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 ($60) this season. Fortunately, as in the past, it’s a dream game for fans and players alike.

EA has updated its physics engine, making on-ice action such as faceoffs and body checks seem more realistic. Other features, such as new ways to take faceoffs or hit an opponent, are among the more than 200 enhancements, along with cool details including broken hockey sticks and video goal reviews by the referees.

EA also has updated the Be a Pro mode, expanding the number of other hockey leagues your custom player can join before moving up to the big show. It also has added the Hockey Ultimate Team, in which you collect trading cards, set lineups based on those cards, and then pit your team against the computer or another opponent online.

“NHL 11” remains the gold standard for authentic hockey.

“Dead Rising 2” (Capcom, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.99) continues the trend of making zombies fodder for comedy rather than the stuff of nightmares. They’re the same stumbling, lurching brutes we’ve grown accustomed to; the slapstick comes from the increasingly creative ways you can send them to a second death.

The hero is Chuck Greene, a motocross rider who’s devoted to his 7-year-old daughter, Katey. The girl, alas, has been bitten and needs a daily injection of Zombrex to stay human. To pay for the medication, Chuck signs up for “Terror is Reality,” a zombie-slaughtering game show just slightly more gruesome than “Dancing With the Stars.” Naturally, the carnage quickly gets out of hand.

You could argue that the flaws of “Dead Rising 2” — cheap deaths, cheesy writing, erratic production values — merely reflect its roots in low-budget horror movies. But this is one of 2010’s most anticipated games, and it doesn’t deliver on its promise.

“Civilization V” (2K Games, for PC, $49.99) is more balanced, more elegant and more fun than its predecessors. When legendary designer Sid Meier and his Firaxis Games studio produced a console version of their PC classic “Civilization” in 2008, purists howled: How dare they take one of the brainiest, most challenging games out there and dumb it down for joystick-wielding Neanderthals?

As it turns out, “Civ Lite” was the best thing that could have happened to the 20-year-old franchise. Those who no longer had 10 hours to spare for a proper “Civ” game could get a fix in about two hours.

Most important, however, is that lessons learned from the streamlining of “Civilization Revolution” have been applied to the new PC installment. If you liked the look and feel of the console version of this game, you’ll feel right at home here.

The goal remains the same: Build a civilization that will dominate the planet. You pick one of 18 historic leaders, from familiar names like Napoleon and George Washington.

It sounds complicated — and it is — but there’s plenty of on-screen help for newcomers, including “advisers” who suggest possible strategies whenever you ask. It’s almost as if Sid Meier and Firaxis read every complaint their fans have ever made and found a way to fix each one.

— The Associated Press