Playing Critic

I had serious doubts about "Assassin's Creed Brotherhood," given that its predecessor was released just last year.

Surely, I thought, this release would be more akin to an expansion pack than a full game, a storyless excuse to make a quick buck and test out an idea for a multiplayer game.

But my expectations couldn't have been more wrong.

Among the hottest manga/anime properties of the last few years have been "Naruto" and its sequel "Naruto Shippuden," which tell the story of the world's No. 1 knucklehead ninja (Naruto Uzumaki) and his quest to become leader of Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves.

I've often found that what works in an arcade doesn't usually work at home on a console.

My initial interest in reviewing "John Daly Prostroke Golf," a PlayStation 3 exclusive, was as a test of Sony's new Move control system.

The basic question: Could Move handle the sport? Would the controllers adequately track powerful swings? Were they capable of following slower, subtler movements, during putting for example?

Late this afternoon, after I had just woken up (yes, I keep odd hours) I checked my e-mail and found I'd received a voucher code for a PS3 game I'm going to review.

This Saturday, the University of Illinois Library will take part in the third annual National Gaming Day @ Your Library, in conjunction with American Library Association.

The original "Valkyria Chronicles," for the PlayStation 3, remains one of my favorite games of this console cycle.

It wasn't until I played "Ys Seven" on the Sony PSP that I realized I had had a mistaken impression about the "Ys" series.