Mass Effect 2
Developer: Bioware
Price: $59.99
Platform: Xbox 360, PC

When Bioware released the original Mass Effect, players lauded the combination of third person shooting and an intricate, personal role playing story while pointing out its technical flaws and cumbersome inventory system. In Mass Effect 2, the developer addressed these issues and attempted to streamline both genres once again to reach a synergy. However, has unity been reached to a create a fulfilling game for both demographics or does it compromise fundamental genre-specific aspects in order to craft a wholly new audience? (more…)

Plants vs Zombies
Developer: Popcap Games
Price: $3 Dollars
Platform: iPhone
Genre: Tower Defense

There is something delightful about the charming simplicity of Popcap’s titles, and Plants vs Zombies continues this legacy. Much like Peggle and any of its past franchises, Plants vs Zombies takes a single round to comprehend all of its basic rules. Though it never becomes difficult to progress, there is always a continued sense of mystery due to the constant experimentation that it asks of the user. It differentiates itself from most tower defense games, by relying on the constant variation of enemy (ie Zombies) and weapon (ie Plants) types. The player is rewarded with a new armament after each round but the structure of the game never forces the player to adapt to a certain play style. Include this with an attractive art style and practical iphone controls, making the 3 dollar price tag much too easy to swallow. (more…)