In the early twentieth century, where the wild West is falling like the setting sun, John Marston roams one of the last patches of dusty rural America as he tries to redeem his past and return to his wife and son. Red Dead Redemption lays an exotic setting in the near lawless West, where you can let your gun do the talking as you rise to fame as a hero or an outlaw. Packed with missions, side missions, and open plains, you've got hours of action in this Western adventure.

Though the game is packed with long cutscenes and lengthy dialogue exchanges between characters, RDR's story leaves a lot to be desired. The game focuses more on the characters than the plot, but despite the wide cast of characters, it doesn't quite succeed in developing any of them fully. Instead the plot dwindles as the game progresses, ending with a distinctly weak bang. It might be...

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After the success of 2007's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Nathan Drake is back on another adventure, this time following Marco Polo's trail to the ancient untold powers of the Cintamani Stone. Gameplay is split between platforming sequences that see Nathan clambering across derelict buildings, and combat portions that pit you against waves of enemy soldiers. With some amazing visuals and top-notch voice acting, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a thrilling action-adventure.

The plot in Among Thieves feels like it was taken right out of a summer blockbuster movie: the wily treasure hunter is out to find a mysterious, ancient treasure when danger rears its ugly head. It's not setting new ground in video game narratives, but the characters are fun, the plot is interesting, and the cutscenes are entertaining. For a medium that is often trying to compete with...

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Following the events of the first game, Assassin's Creed II sends Desmond Miles into Renaissance era Italy through the memories of his ancestor to train as an assassin. What follows is a thrilling action-adventure that will have you sprinting across gorgeous cities, hunting targets and killing silently. Though the plot leaves a lot to be desired, the gameplay and presentation create a fantastically addictive and memorable game.

ACII's story is an odd mix of compelling and completely bizarre. I will admit here that I do not have the benefit of having played the first Assassin's Creed game, but the plot still leaves a lot of awkward moments and questions that it doesn't even try to answer. In the year 2012, Desmond uses a machine called the Animus to tap into the memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore, and relive his exploits in Renaissance era Italy as...

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In the year 2277, the devastating effects of the Sino-American War can still be felt in Washington D.C. Water is irradiated, mutated creatures and humans wander the earth, and every day people struggle for scraps. In an underground fallout shelter, titled Vault 101, life is much simpler, with all daily comforts met in a clean and save environment. When the protagonist's father goes missing from the shelter, though, the player will have to journey out of the safety of Vault 101 into the Wasteland, to discover the truth of his (or her) father's past and fight for survival of the entire Wasteland. So begins Fallout 3, a monumental action-adventure across a post-apocalyptic setting.

Though the main plot is about finding the main character's father and continuing the work he started, there are a ton of side stories and characters that bring the Wasteland...

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Set in a fictionalized Europe in 1935, Valkyria Chronicles follows the exploits of the Gallian militia, a small band of civilians fighting against the invading East Europan Imperial Alliance. Welkin Gunther, a student of Animal Sociology takes command of Squad 7, leading them through a variety of explosive battles in pursuit of peace in Gallia. With a mix of turn-based but also real-time strategy, Valkyria Chronicles is a challenging and addicting game that will keep your mind racing as you plan your path to victory. For an original, engaging, and entertaining strategy RPG, look no further.

Admittedly, the story is full of clichés. The unlikely hero rising to strength and recognition, the ancient power unearthed, and the lessons about friendship, trust, and the acceptance of others have all een done before, thousands of times. Some of the early cutscenes ...

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