Army Of Two: The 40th Day
Enjoy hosing heavily armed opponents down with hot lead, then reveling in the primal rush of an inseparable ally's post-massacre fist bump? Then check the successor to one of the earliest games to champion trigger-mashing co-op action's flow. With aid from a buddy or computer-controlled teammate, help death-mask-sporting anti-heroes Salem and Rios survive devastated Shanghai streets by using creative two-man strategies and an arsenal of customizable guns. Inventive level design focused on dual-pronged approaches elevates it above the usual mindless bloodbath.
www.ea.com / PS3, Xbox 360
MAG
The name says it all: Short for "massive action game," said immensely multiplayer blaster-letting up to 256 neo-futuristic commandos simultaneously wage war in squads of eight-happily ratchets up both fun factor and body count. What's more, hours spent perforating the opposition using well-aimed shots or a hastily-tossed grenade offer lasting impact, as ongoing play awards access to enhanced skills, better weaponry and leadership bonuses. Between mile-a-minute gunfights and the ability to execute smartly coordinated strategies, enlistment has its privileges.
www.playstation.com / PS3
Tropico 3
If your idea of playing El Presidente involves puffing fat cigars, rocking aviator shades, and guzzling an endless supply of frozen margaritas, get ready for a reality check. It's mostly business, scant pleasure in this challenging Latin-flavored city builder, which casts you as despot of a Caribbean nation charged with establishing a banana republic's infrastructure, economy, and political backbone. Colorful setting and slick Salsa soundtrack aside, its engaging, but complex scenarios best suit armchair dictators with an eye for micromanagement.
www.tropico3.com / PC, Xbox 360
Dante's Inferno
Kitschy concept notwithstanding (storm Hell's nine levels as a vengeful Crusader bent on eviscerating Lucifer's minions), this epic adaptation of the Divine Comedy has two big things going for it: breasts and blood. But much as we appreciate atmospheric levels themed after deadly sins and singularly grotesque creature designs, the title's featured blend of puzzle-solving and brutal melees remains predictable. Not that we mind using scythe or soul-spawned powers to dispatch adversaries-it just feels like a more spiritually unwholesome God of War.
www.ea.com / PS3, PSP, Xbox 360
Bioshock2
As first-person shooters go, it's impossible to top this long-awaited sequel's forerunner, which raised the bar for storytelling and characterization sky-high with its tale of a gene-splicing undersea paradise gone wrong. Still, the obligatory follow-up tries its hardest, putting players in the ironclad diving suit of a drill-armed Big Daddy who guzzles DNA to fight adversaries with ice-/fire-flinging superpowers. Adding multiplayer support, underwater scenarios, and options to adopt glowing-eyed "Little Sisters," it's a less moving, but ultimately worthy heir to the sunken throne.
www.2kgames.com / PC, PS3, Xbox 360