VideoGamer.com Plays

What we've been playing this week.

Tom Orry, Editor - Darksiders, Xbox 360 and PS3

Darksiders couldn't have been a bigger surprise. The developer had made some noise about the game being more than just a hack 'n' slash, making comparisons to the classic Zelda games, but this was easy to dismiss as hype-building PR speak. It really is like Zelda in many ways, though, offering an action adventure game experience that we just don't see very often these days. It is part God of War, part Zelda, but it's also got some Prince of Persia-style platforming and Tomb Raider-esque puzzles. While 2010's best game to date is the superbly refined Bayonetta, Darksiders may well end the year as one of the games that most surprised people. Give it a shot.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, PS3

I'd ask you to sit down before reading on if I thought you weren't already. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves isn't as good as everyone makes out. Sure, it looks incredible, the voice acting's superb and the animations are probably the best ever, but it didn't blow me away with as much ferocity as it did others. Now, before you email me death threats and bang down my door with pitchforks, allow me to explain. I loved the story (even if it was convoluted), the characters and the exploration/climbing/puzzle sections, but I did not love the combat. For me, the combat, which formed a majority of the game, exposed Uncharted 2's failings, reminding me at every turn that I was playing a video game and not some revolutionary cinematic experience. The boss battles were worst of all; ridiculous, frustrating affairs that jutted out from the overall experience like Tibetan mountain peaks. I've finished Uncharted 2, wholly satisfied and impressed, but I'll probably never play it again. My verdict: great, but not all conquering.

Neon Kelly, Previews Editor - Phoenix Wright, DS

If I'm ever falsely accused of murder, I want Phoenix Wright to be my legal representative. Sure, his cases always tend to be worryingly close-run things, but he always ensures that justice prevails in the end. His hair is spiky, his tongue is sharp and he's the absolute master when it comes to accusatory pointing. All of these things come in handy in a world where shock revelations are par for the course, where spiritual mediums are an essential part of the legal process, and where your client will instantly be found guilty if you annoy the judge too much. I've been playing the first Phoenix Wright on the DS, but it's coming to WiiWare on Monday. No objections here...

James Orry, News Editor - Football Manager Live, PC

For a bit of fun while Sports Interactive waits to reset over a year's worth of progress, the St John game world decided to organise a new re-start Football Association in which each manager taking part chose a nation to manage. Having been inactive for a few days I missed the memo and ended up with the Czech Republic. Now, around two thirds of the way into the season, the Juicy Danglers (managed by Jiri Orry) sit two points clear at the top of the league with three games in hand. Juicy Danglers zvýší z popela, aby znovu získala bývalou slávu.

Sebastian Ford, Video Producer - Think Tanks (In-flight entertainment)

The list of video games on offer for the economy flight peasant seems to be constantly increasing, but has yet to achieve something close to "entertaining". Certainly new to me was the option for genuinely multiplayer games - the best looking of which was Think Tanks. I suppose I was hugely optimistic to assume it would be good, because it wasn't. The game struggled to offer more than four or five frames per second with no hint of controls or objective. I think I killed maybe one player before I slammed the controller back into the seat in front and tried to sleep for the next 28 hours. What a crappy flight that was.