Welcome to the Loadout. Our philosophy is that the working week is a recurring boss battle that you’ll need the proper weapons to take down. The supplies at hand won’t always be pretty but you might just be able to hold out until the weekend. Green means add it to your arsenal, yellow leaves it up to your discretion and red means back away slowly. With that, let’s see what we’ve got this week:
The Game: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Specifications: After centuries of war have ravaged Earth, desperate tech adept Trip indentures battle-hardened loner Monkey to escort her home. The dysfunctional twist? If her lifesigns flatline, so do his. The gameplay mixes up brawling, traversal and a few other bits of other genres, all done up in gorgeous graphics.
Ideal Usage Scenario: If you’re over the parade of sequels that have marched through your console and want a new universe to play through, Enslaved‘s a great option. Look for an in-depth review later today, but the quick take is that Namco Bandai delivers a surprisingly strong start to what could be a new franchise.
The Game: NBA 2K11
Specifications: Michael Jordan’s been missing from basketball video games for more than a decade. 2K Sports’ new hoops game finally lets you inhabit as the greatest b-ball superstar of all time, as well as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and the rest of the present-day’s elite players.
Ideal Usage Scenario: Now that EA’s indefinitely delayed NBA Elite, 2K11‘s got a clear lane to win video gaming’s slam dunk contest. Aside from a game that looks and feel incredibly sharp, 2K11‘s Jordan Challenge lets you relive His Airness’ most epic performances. Even if he whupped on your hometown team on his way to six rings, that mode alone is reason it’s a must-buy.
The Game: Def Jam Rapstar
Specifications: Karaoke video games get some flava in their ear at long last, thanks to Def Jam Rapstar. Along with the rap-along gameplay, the social network integration lets you challenge contenders and compare scores with people in all kinds of area codes. Feel free to record and share your performances, too.
Ideal Usage Scenario: You no longer need gnash your teeth at the utter lack of hip-hop in the songbooks of your local fake singing emporium. Rapstar starts off with dozens of certified bangers on the disc and the developers at 4MM games are promising new songs weekly, including current chart-toppers. If you’re not musically dedicated to beats, rhymes and life, DJR may not be for you.
The Game: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Specifications: The beloved 2D vampire-slaying franchise ditches the side-scrolling for a new 3D chapter from publisher Konami. Mysterious knight Gabriel Belmont embarks on a quest to conquer ancient evil gods to resurrect his dead wife. The medieval melee action’s gory and occasionally gloomy but voicework by Patrick Stewart classes things up a bit.
Ideal Usage Scenario: C:LoS draws heavily from the God of War and Shadow of the Colossus templates, but, hey, haven’t you always wanted to know if Kratos could take down one of the latter game’s gigantic monsters? My time previewing the game gave me the impression that it’s going to be fun but derivative.