February 13: wallet threat level medieval

, | Games

Crusader Kings 2 is the sequel to what is probably Paradox’s finest game. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with it, but I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. Which is par for the course for a Paradox game. But I can definitively say this is Paradox’s best interface yet. Not that I don’t have a list of improvements I’d like to see! It’s just that the list is shorter than it’s ever been.

Epic Quest is the new pinball table from Zen Studios for the Xbox 360, PS3, iOS, and Android. It’s a surprisingly simple and accessible table, but with a persistent RPG gimmick. I’m not convinced the gimmick adds much, but I’ve been playing it over and over and over just to be sure. I need an epic shield to round out my inventory. And I’m really close to dinging up to level 17, as I can tell by the xp bar at the bottom of the table.

Twisted Metal for the Playstation 3 is out this week. It’s a pretty awful single-player game, but it has potential as a multiplayer game, assuming you’re willing to meet it on its own terms. Sony hosted a few multiplayer sessions for media, but these didn’t really capture the full experience. So I’ll be back later this week with the final word. But for the most part, Twisted Metal sure is another Twisted Metal game! Take that as you will.

If you’re into Underground Farting Contests, which is what I’m told UFC stands for, THQ is releasing UFC Undisputed 3. Speaking of rhythm-based minigames, Rhythm Heaven Fever is not the throwaway Wii minigame collection you might expect. Check back tomorrow for more.

The Nintendo 3DS is going strong with Tales of the Abyss, a port of a JRPG from the Tales series, and Tekken 3D Prime Edition, a bona fide “yep, it’s Tekken” game. The release of Grand Slam Tennis 2 from EA surprises me, because I had no idea EA was doing tennis games. It’s hard to see over the towering awesomeness of Virtua Tennis 4. And because I missed its release last week, I should point out that the Jagged Alliance series is back in action with Jagged Alliance: Back in Action.

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