More Than Enough

I'm not sure if you've seen the post on GiantFreakinRobot.com, but this shit is getting out of control. And while I rather enjoyed the new Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena demo, and plan to buy the full game when it releases, there's a part of me that wishes for the whole film series to stop, just so I don't waste another ten dollars on something I'll regret I'd seen. Of course there's a silver lining: the games are freakin' tight. Check out this interview, if you're interested. Or play the demo (or Escape from Butcher Bay) to see how awesome this title is going to be. Athena is supposedly Butcher Bay plus multiplayer, another campaign, and more choice--whatever that means. Though I bemoan the film series, I want to see this video game franchise flourish.

I'm going to see the Watchmen film this weekend, so until then, I'm keeping my eyes off Rottentomatoes.com and Metacritic. I've played the demo of Watchmen: The End is Nigh on Live Arcade and, well...it didn't suck, if that's what you're wondering. This one is pleasant, though straight-forward, beat-em-up fare; you choose either Rorschach or Nite Owl II and go around kicking the shit out of pretty much everyone you see. The controls are fairly intuitive: X and Y do various attacks, Right Bumper evades. Pick up tokens in the demo level (set in a prison, by the way) and you acquire the abilies to grab and chain attacks in a limited way. I saw a list of moves online and was impressed by its depth. The game is rather graphic--startlingly so--with plenty of slo-mo finishing moves that occur at random intervals as you fight.

I didn't get to use Rorschach's "Rage" meter as much as I wanted to. Supposedly, the meter fills as you dish out punishment, and allows you access to a few choice moves--"Bullrush" is available in the demo--that allow you to vary the way you dispose of enemies. I still prefer throwing guys over railings.