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Good Game: Halo Reach and Civ V Triumph, Blade Kitten Charms, Red Dead DLC Delivers, and Pocket Frogs Makes a Splash

Good Game is a weekly column about the latest news in video games and casual gaming.

New Releases

Halo: Reach (Xbox) – The much-anticipated FPS racked up a whopping $210 million in sales on its first day. I’m not a big Halo fan myself, but the game has received almost universal praise from reviewers and gamers – including my 15-year-old niece, who stood in line for three hours at a local Gamestop with hundreds of other people to purchase the game at midnight on its release date. (She was one of the few girls in line, and the only one smart enough to have pizza delivered.)

If you’re a Halo fan, check out this video debunking the top myths about the game.

Sid Meier’s Civilization V (PC) – Another big hit with gamers and reviewers, this turn-based strategy game is just plain awesome.

Blade Kitten (XBLA/PSN/PC) – I’m not usually a fan of platform arcade games, or animated games, but this new arcade game about bounty hunter Kit Ballard, her alien sidekick Skiffy, and her sword, the Darque Blade, is a lot of fun.

The graphics are great, the voice acting is strong, the gameplay flows smoothly. And Blade Kitten‘s tagline? “Her tale is one of liberation. Her tail is pink.” ‘Nuff said.

The Legends of the Guardian: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Xbox/PS3/Wii/DS) – Flying around as an owl dropping firebombs on targets is fun, but not worth $50 when that’s pretty much all you do. Playing the free demo gives you the same experience at no cost.

Pocket Frogs (iPod/iPad) – This free app became an instant hit when it debuted last week, with over 500,000 downloads in the first five days. The game involves taming, breeding, buying, and selling frogs; monitoring their growth and happiness; and gifting them to other players. With more than 10,000 frogs, there’s enough to keep you occupied for days.

I downloaded the game to see what all the fuss was about, and quickly got sucked in – until my frogs divided into tribes, started competing for resources, and began voting each other off the lily pad. Too much drama!

The company behind the game makes money by up-selling you potions and stamps that speed up the game, but you can easily play without these. And at a price of zero, what have you go to lose? (Besides dozens of hours, that is.)

DLCs

Red Dead Redemption “Liars and Cheats Pack” (Xbox/PS3) –

Although the single-player Red Dead Redemption game is fantastic, the multiplayer options have only been so-so. This DLC makes playing online much more appealing.

Rockstar’s latest multiplayer add-on for its awesome Western is the first really good one, with horse racing; a new explosive rifle; several new gang hideouts and hunting grounds; poker and liar’s dice (my personal favorite); and a new Stronghold mode in which you take turns defending an area against the opposite team’s assault. It also provides new multiplayer characters from the single-player game, including John, Jack and Abigail Marsten, Bonnie McFarlane, and Louisa Fortuna. (Finally, some decent female multiplayer characters!)

That’s me on the left, losing my chips in Texas Hold ‘Em.

Upcoming Games and Expansion Packs

Fable III (Oct. 26 Xbox/PC) – If you’ve always wanted a fancy crib in Albion, you’re in luck! The home decorating options have been updated in Fable 3, as this new video illustrates:

It’s no Sims 3, but it’s definitely an improvement over Fable II.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (Nov. 2 Xbox/PS3/PC) – A new gameplay trailer!

BioShock Infinite (2012 Xbox/PS3/PC) – Irrational Games released footage of the first 10 minutes of gameplay for their upcoming city-in-the-sky game.

Is it 2012 yet?

WEEKLY POLL

Last week, you all voted on which fall 2010 games you were most looking forward to. Fable III led the pack with 17% of the votes, followed by Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (12%) and Fallout: New Vegas (9%).

I was a little surprised that Medal of Honor scored so low (1.3%), because I love its predecessor, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, even more than Modern Warfare 2 (which got a little boring after I prestiged twice). Although I’m definitely looking forward to Black Ops (so many awesome new multiplayer features!), I like the variety of things to do in the Bad Company games – drive vehicles, destroy buildings, revive squadmates as a medic, etc. If you like ME2, I highly recommend you try BC2 or Medal of Honor. And if you currently play BC2 on Xbox, PM me with your gamertag if you want a squadmate!

This week, the poll focuses on the platforms you use for gaming. If you select “other,” let me know why in the comments.

<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/3813599/”>Which platform(s) do you play games on?</a><span style=”font-size:9px;”><a href=”http://polldaddy.com/features-surveys/”>customer surveys</a></span>

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

For the first time ever, downloads of PC games eclipsed retail purchases.

Online co-op for the 360 version of Lara Croft: Guardian of Light is now slated for release at the end of September. No date yet on online co-op for the PS3 and Steam versions.

Remedy Entertainment is currently working on the final DLC for Alan Wake, date TBD.

The release date for Little Big Planet 2 (PS3) has been delayed until January.

World of Warcraft (PC) now includes a Plants vs. Zombies mini-game.

A new study found that thinking about violent games make men (but not women) more aggressive.

Sony doesn’t want us to buy fake PS3 controllers that may explode. I guess I know what I’m not buying my sister for Christmas this year. Unless she gets on my bad side.

Sarah Warn currently runs EntertainHer.com and writes for TheTorchOnline. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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