PS3

Celebrity culture and status seem to be at an all-time high in pop culture right now, and musicians are often to be seen in this sweeping spotlight of fame. Kids have always fantasized being pop stars; the likes of Disney keep pumping out fantasies of fame through musical vehicles like High School Musical, Hannah Montana and Camp Rock; and American Idol chugs along season after season. Harmonix rides that wave to produce the next vehicle in the musical fame fantasy-land: Rock Band.

I’ll admit that I’m not especially familiar with the history of the Need for Speed franchise. My first experience with the series was with 2006’s NFS Most Wanted, an average arcade-inspired racing game with a single standout feature: Amazing police chases. The follow-up, NFS Carbon, added a couple of new modes: the mildly diverting "drift" and the frustrating "canyon chase". The police chases were back, but hamstrung by the fact that the city map was so labyrinthine in its construction that it was nearly impossible to get a good chase going.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Suggestive Themes

Game Description: Need for Speed: Pro Street is a racing experience like no other. For the first time, you're designing and building a car, competing in iconic locations from around the globe and battling in four distinct racing styles- grip, drag, drift and the all-new speed challenge. The atmosphere is electric—complete with energetic crowds, photo-realistic vehicles and billowing smoke—all designed to embody the pressure and intensity of the gladiatorial challenge known as Show Down. Need for Speed ProStreet is the realization of the power, aggression and rivalry that embodies street racing culture.

It's as sure as death or taxes that anyone who takes up videogaming will find themselves rooting through a bargain bin or scouring pre-owned shelves sooner or later. For those that do, few things feel as satisfying as saving hard-earned cash and getting a gem of a game at the same time.

It's as sure as death or taxes that anyone who takes up videogaming will find themselves rooting through a bargain bin or scouring pre-owned shelves sooner or later. For those that do, few things feel as satisfying as saving hard-earned cash and getting a gem of a game at the same time.

Rainbow Six Vegas raised the bar so high that all subsequent FPS titles have looked pathetic in comparison. The only thing the developers needed to do to ensure that the sequel was a success was design a few new levels, add a few new guns, and wait for the dollars to start rolling in. What makes Rainbow Six Vegas 2 such a special title is just how far above and beyond the developers went, turning in a game that improves on the first in nearly every respect.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Game Description: The sequel to the award-winning next-generation first-person shooter—returns to Sin City. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is your last chance to rescue America's sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will force you into heart-pounding action from beginning to end. The best are back and this time winner takes all.

Dark Sector is a prime example of great execution elevating a tired premise. A cursory look at the plot: Special Forces Guy vs. Mutants might lead the average gamer to think they've played it before, and they probably have—it just wasn't this great before.