VideoGamer.com Plays

What we've been playing this week.

Tom Orry, Editor - Aliens Vs Predator, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

While I enjoyed SEGA's AvP, it's made me want a full-on Aliens game even more. The troubled Gearbox title Colonial Marines sounds like it would fit the bill perfectly, and presumably it's still in development as SEGA still includes it on its release schedule. AvP had glimmers of what made the movie Aliens so brilliant, but from what we saw of the Gearbox game, that might as well have been called Aliens: The Videogame. Something AvP did get very right, though, is the gruesome execution moves performed by the Xenomorphs and Predators. Is that a man's spinal cord still attached to his disembodied head? Oh, yes it is.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor - Mass Effect 2, Xbox 360, PC

Having finished Mass Effect 2 with a Renegade disposition, I'm now role-playing Paragon for my second playthrough, to see how differently events play out. The verdict: It's just not as fun, and Shepard's starting to annoy me, a lot. She's just so righteous, interfering in people's lives and dispensing her high and mighty, heroic pearls of wisdom not just to those who want her help, but, seemingly, to those who don't. She's like the most annoying Goodie Two Shoes; like your incredibly attractive friend who just so happens to be one of the nicest people in the world. I preferred her when she was a cold, ruthless bitch, when she pushed mercenaries out of windows and punched reporters in the head. Now I have to sit there and watch her "understand" NPCs. Gah.

James Orry, News Editor - Heavy Rain, PS3

I absolutely loved Heavy Rain. I'd dabbled with an earlier preview version, but last weekend I sat down and played the game from start to finish over two captivating evenings. Once it was over, all I could think about was what I could have done differently in order to carve out a different conclusion. The biggest disappointment about the whole thing is having very few people to talk to about the experience, having to tread extremely carefully so not to spoil what happens. It'd be like a good friend telling you that Haley Joel Osment can see dead people in The Sixth Sense, then acting like it wasn't a big deal and insisting that any intelligent person would see the huge plot twist immediately. What the hell; the killer in Heavy Rain is... Bruce Willis. Bet you didn't see that coming.

Sebastian Ford, Video Producer - Plants vs. Zombies, iPhone

Credit where credit is due; Pop Cap knows how to make simple, yet sickeningly addictive games. The first time I played Peggle, hours of my life flew by in what felt like a heart beat. I think I even wept a little at one point… Plants vs. Zombies has a very similar effect, lessened only slightly by the lack of Ode to Joy playing whenever you complete a level. While it is technically a tower defence game, it's not like any other I have ever played before. It's set in your own back garden, and you plant a variety of passive or aggressive flora to defend your house from a horde of comically dressed zombies. It's completely ridiculous, and having it with me all the time on my iPhone means I don’t really talk to people anymore.

Neon Kelly, Previews Editor - Red Steel 2, Wii

"Use the Wii Remote to chop up the bad guys". If that's all the instruction and encouragement this game gave you, it'd still be enough. Red Steel 2 has lots of things going for it - pretty cel-shaded graphics, a slick framerate, and, heavens above, an FPS Wii control system that actually works – but none of this matters as much as the fact that the basic swordplay is hugely enjoyable. Rush an enemy, block his attacks, then hop sideways and stab him in the kidneys. It's the stuff that dreams are made of, and I can't wait to get my hands on the full game.