Be warned, though, there are some MAJOR SPOILERS beyond the cut, so if you’re as big a slowpoke as me and haven’t gotten around to playing it yet, I’d avoid this post. Otherwise, let’s dive right into “Things to Do in Bioshock.”

That’s all folks! Thanks for reading.

-Annie Leonard

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envelope on what the medium can be capable of. Sure, 2010 was an awesome year, but 2011 looks to be upping the ante and here are the top five games to look out for during the year.

5. Brink
Shooters are becoming more and more formulaic as the years progress, and what game better to break the cycle than one with the tagline “Defies all genres”. Brink is hard to define in any small amount of words, but the easiest way to put it would be Battlefield: Bad Company 2 meets Mirror’s Edge. With levels designed specifically to promote mid-combat parkour and intensely acrobatic battles, it’s hard not to see how Brink could redefine the way developers approach level design and the gameplay therein. Combat in Brink looks incredibly fluid, with combatants moving around, above, and below one another with speed and agility. Unlike in most other shooters where camping is encouraged, Brink seems to have a distinct focus on constant movement and surprising pathways through combat as the quickest way to success. The story behind Brink’s singleplayer is equally as interesting as its gameplay, but I’m going to refrain from any spoilers here.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
One would be hard pressed to find someone who would say The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a bad game, and anyone that did would be lying to themselves. The problem with Twilight Princess was not that it was bad, but that it wasn’t what Zelda fans were looking for, which at the time was a step forward. Twilight Princess was not revolutionary like it was expected to be, but instead was a rehash of Ocarina of Time with newer visuals and a different story. Also, the Wolf stuff was incredibly lame. That said, Skyward Sword looks to be what Twilight Princess should have been. New visual direction, new controls, and a host of new gameplay devices that will hopefully be the step forward that the series needs.
3. Batman: Arkham City
If you have played Arkhan Asylum, you know why this one is on the list. Asylum was a game that was full of surprises and increasingly cooler moments that really made it an exciting new experience for the player. Rocksteady Studious, the game’s developer, has decided that for the sequel they would be moving Batman to a more open and engaging environment, a city sized Arkham Asylum with no guards or laws, only criminals vying for notoriety and infamy. It seems Batman will be spending the game sneaking his way through this new criminal city using his new found gadgets trying to save Catwoman from a public execution. Also, for those seeking a more mature Batman experience (as if Asylum wasn’t dark enough), Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy promises the game to be “really, really dark”. All of these elements put together is bound to create a fresh, exciting new experience.
2. Infamous 2
Flying around a city shooting lightning tornados and skating on train tracks is pretty much the coolest thing ever. In fact, the only thing that could make that experience better would be an awesome story to explain it, and in a nutshell that is Infamous 2. After the events of Infamous Cole has moved south to New Marais, which is essentially New Orleans, in hopes that he can increase his strength and powers to prepare for his eventual confrontation with the Beast (antagonist). The real star in Infamous is the fluidity of its gameplay. It is easy to run, shoot, and maneuver with ease, which leaves combat up to individual preference and creativity, creating a world in which combat and exploration are equal parts of success.
1. Bioshock Infinite
Whether or not you thought Bioshock was as revolutionary as everyone says it was is irrelevant. Bioshock pushed the story in games to a new level, it pushed level design

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to a new high, and above all it set an incredibly high bar for a successful sequel. Fortunately, Irrational Games is looking to step it up in Infinite by changing up the formula. Infinite is set in a sun bleached, 4th of July esque city in the sky. Without trying to spoil too much of the story, it’ll suffice to say that Infinite doesn’t just have a focus on surprising the player with a rich new world to explore, but also on a rich new story to unravel. Revamped and refined combat mechanics and better environmental combat also help to put a bow on what is essentially the best present a gamer could ask for.

A Whole New World but Still No Money- I NEED HELP!!!

            Ok, so for a long time I went without playing videogames because I didn’t have the money to buy a new system (My going rate on the street corners was only a couple of bucks and I guess that was a bit cheap).  My only system was a PS2 which was ok but when everyone else is playing awesome, mind-blowing games it seems kinda lame to be playing games that I had beat 4 years earlier.  Most of the new games for PS2 are just the ugly cousins for PS3 or Xbox360 games that just didn’t do anything for my gamesterbation.  I need excellent games to gamesterbate to damnit! 

            As it turned out the gods smiled down on me and I was able to nab a PS3 for Christmas…thank you mom and dad.  Since I got the PS3 I am tortured with not having money to get new games.  I know I could rent them but for some reason I just don’t like having a time limit to gamesterbate.  I like to take it slow and soak it in.  The only games I have are Modern Warfare 2 and NHL 10.  This is because these are games that I could buy and play forever.  I’ll be playing NHL 10 for the next 5 years by just updating the rosters over and over and over again.  I have just sooo many games that I want to buy.  I want Bioshock 2 but I have to play Bioshock to keep things in order.  I want to play Assassins Creed 2 but I have to play the first one before that.  I’m a slave to sequential gamesterbation and it’s killing me.  I’m also concerned about replay value.  Any game that I buy will be beat within a few days and I need to know I can get more out of it than that first exposure.  That’s why I am coming to you Gamezombie nation.  I need to know what games would give me the best bang for my buck because there are just so many games I want but I only have enough money for a few of them.  I need your input prease!

We discuss Dante’s Inferno vs. Bioshock 2, Sonic 4, an Australian hacker, and if Nintendo been dropping the ball

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