Stealth

So I've been thinking a lot about this Steam Greenlight thing for a couple of days, trying to come at it from a few different angles. I had originally written up a blog post about it, but after discussing it a little further with some (very smart) friends of mine, I decided to do something else.

Tonight, we talk games. Lots of games. Sleeping Dogs, Risen 2, Darksiders 2, Papo & Yo, Spec Ops, Way of the Samurai 4 and so many more! We're back and in full force, ladies and gentleman! With Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Richard "Children must be taught to draw from birth" Naik, special guest Jeffrey Matulef and Dylan Collins.

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Looking back at the various ninjas that have populated the gamescape over the years, the vast majority of them have focused on combos and combat, rather than truly employing stealth to its greatest degree. Klei Entertainment wants to change all that. With its upcoming XBLA release, Mark of the Ninja, they aim to bring sneaky back, and they're doing it in a big way—2D.

Welcome back to a semi-regular feature here at GameCritics.com: TouchTalk. While this series was inspired by one of my old features, the Bargain Basement, I've got an all-new focus for an all-new phase in gaming. Rather than highlighting discounted gems in the used section of a retail shop, I'll be reviewing downloadable mobile games and apps that you might want to check out… and maybe some that you'll want to avoid.

Theater of War Crimes

HIGH The quarter-mile shot.

LOW Are those tank guns manned by psychics?

WTF And then the bullet plowed through his head, popping his eyeball before blasting off the back of his skull! (Repeat 100 times.)

Nose First into the Dirt

HIGH The moment I decided never to touch the Desmond missions again.

LOW Losing a race to someone who isn't actually going through the checkpoints.

WTF Spawning, losing my contract, and getting stabbed in the face within the span of about ten seconds. Doesn't this sound familiar?

I'm Batman

HIGH Taking down Mr. Freeze.

LOW "That crazy bitch!" "I'll make you meow bitch!" "I want you to tear that bitch apart!" "Two guns, bitch!"

WTF Who the hell thought that creating Arkham City was a good idea?

Criticism of Deus Ex: Human Revolution tends to be mostly directed towards its boss battles. That's fair, because they don't fit the game very well, but the overwhelming focus on these moments seems to have distracted people from an equally significant problem, namely that the game seems to fall apart in its final level.

Unlike previous entries in the Deus Ex franchise, Human Revolution has a clearly characterized protagonist. Except for his extremely dry sense of humor, J.C. Denton was essentially a blank slate for the player, and Alex Denton had even fewer set characteristics. Adam Jensen, on the other hand, comes into his game with a long, involved backstory and several pre-existing relationships.

How Do All Those Augmentations Run Off of One AA Battery?

HIGH Earning the Pacifist and Foxiest of Hounds Achievements in one run.

LOW Constantly dealing with low energy for augmentations.

WTF So I'm a corporate superspy who never... gets... supplied?