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Good Game: BioShock Infinite, Madden NFL 11, Dragon Age DLC, Black Ops, Crimson Gem, and more

Good Game is a new column bringing you the latest news in video games and casual gaming.

I’ve spent the last decade or so monitoring developments in entertainment for my professional life – first for AE and now for EntertainHer – but somewhere along the way, I turned into a gaming geek. First it was The Sims and city-building games on the PC; then all types of games with my nieces on XBox, PS3, and the Wii; and now iPhone/iPad games – and I love them all, from Mass Effect 2 to Little Big Planet, Uncharted 2 to Scrabble, Bad Company 2 to Bejeweled.

Well, almost all. I just can’t get into Facebook games like Farmville. Please don’t hate me.

The popularity and proliferation of games and platforms means a lot of gaming news. This column is designed to justify all the time I spend gaming cut through the clutter and bring you an overview of the latest gaming news and reviews. Not all news or all games will be mentioned – there’s only so much I can cover – so feel free to add any news I’ve missed in the comments.

Oh, and if you want more gaming news and reviews, be sure to check out ThumbBandits.com, run by AE vloggers and gaming experts Tracy and Angela; and GameShark.com‘s podcast “Jumping the Shark,” co-hosted by AE writer Danielle Riendeau. It’s one of my favorite gaming podcasts.

Now on to column!

News and Announcements

The big news this week is the unveiling of BioShock developer Irrational Games’s next project: BioShock Infinite, a mystery set in 1912 in a city in the sky.

Former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt has been sent to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned in Columbia since childhood. Booker develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

The trailer is just plain awesome:

Is it 2012 yet?

For more details about BioShock Infinite, which is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in 2012, read my lengthy blog post about it.

The first art for Batman: Arkham City (Fall 2011), the sequel to the popular Batman: Arkham Asylum game (Xbox, PS3, PC), was released this week, and it includes Catwoman!

No word on whether we can actually play as Catwoman, but it’s cool just to have her in the game. Watch the new trailer on the game’s official site, and see more photos on GameInformer.com.

Ubisoft announced CSI: Fatal Conspiracy (October) for Xbox 3650, PS3, PC, and Wii. It’s a mystery involving five new connected cases written by the same writers from the television series, and Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne), Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) and Nick Stokes (George Eads) are among the characters you can partner with in the game. No mention yet of whether we’ll see Sara (Jorja Fox). Regardless, given that none of the CSI games have been that great, I’m not rushing to buy this one when it’s released.

Activision made two collector’s editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops (Nov. 9) available for pre-order this week – the Hardened Edition ($79.99), and the Prestige Edition ($149.99!). There are several cool extras included in these special editions, but I’ll stick to the $60 standard edition.

They also released a teaser of the multiplayer that has my 15-year-old niece and all her guy friends going nuts.

The video came with details about some of the new devices/rewards you get in multiplayer, like a camera you can set up to see people coming up behind you. I can already tell I’m going to be using that one a lot.

Blizzard’s sci-fi RTS StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (PC) is now the betselling PC game of 2010, with over 1.5 million copies of the game purchased in just the first 48 hours.

LucasArts released a new video glimpse of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (Oct. 26), and announced that the game would not be released for PSP. It will be available on all the other usual suspects (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PC).

Finally, the developers behind Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Nov. 16) released a teaser trailer talking about the story.

Gotta love that the staff managed to keep a straight face while wearing those hoods.

I’m really looking forward to this game, because I loved Assassin’s Creed 2. So did my niece when it I lent it to her this summer; I was never prouder than when she showed me how easily she could assassinate someone from within a bail of hay. And I was never more annoyed than when she finished in an hour one of the maze-like puzzles that took me days to complete.

New Releases

Madden NFL 11 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP and Wii) – the latest installment in the football giant has a radically redesigned gameplay format called “GameFlow.” Not everyone likes the new format, but I do because it lets you stay in the game instead of spending most of your time in your playbook. This new format also makes the game much easier for newcomers to play the game, which is probably why some veteran players don’t like it. Definitely worth buying if you like football.

DLCs and Demos

Mafia II demo (Xbox Live, PSN) – An open-world setting with a narrative-driven story about a young member of a crime family working his way up, the game does a great job of re-creating an American city in the 1960s. The game is one big Italian-American stereotype, and I could have done without the Playboy magazine collectibles, but the high-quality graphics, open world, cool cars, and Mad Men-esque feel to the game is likely to make the game a hit. We’ll find out when it’s released on August 24.

Red Dead Redemption, “Liars and Thieves” (Xbox Live, PSN) – Rockstar’s first DLC for the excellent Western gives you several new multiplayer characters, maps, and a tomahawk. But it’s really only worth downloading if you play a lot of multiplayer. I mostly play single-player, but I downloaded the DLC just to get a decent female character to play on multiplayer (since you have to reach something like level 20 to unlock any women except the first one).

Dragon Age: Origins, “Golems of Amgarrak” (Xbox Live, PSN) – I love Dragon Age, but I really, really didn’t like this short DLC set in the deep roads below Orzammar. You can read my more detailed review here, but the short version is: cool golems, but frustrating puzzles and too much running around in circles in the dark.

Naughty Bear, “Episode 8” (Xbox Live, PSN) – In this free DLC, Naughty Bear receives an invite to a cake-tasting party and ends up fighting a “gang of superhero bears led by Danger Bear.” Additional costumes, hats, and weapons included.

Casual Gaming (iPhones/iPad)

Several new games were released for the iPhone/iPad this week (I don’t have an Android yet, unfortunately – Lori’s planning to get one soon – so feel free to mention any new Android games in the comments). Here are a few of the highlightts:

Crimson Gem Saga (iPhone) – A popular JRPG previously only available on PSP.

Little Things (iPad) – If you have good attention to detail and liked Where’s Waldo?, you’ll love this well-made hidden object game.

Madden 11 (iPhone/iPad) – Football on the go. ‘Nuff said.

Let’s Create! Pottery (iPhone/iPad) – More ways to create an ashtray for your dad! Actually, this is a pretty cool game. Although I’m guessing my 9-year-old niece will still love Cookie Doodle more, because it lets you “eat” what you create.

Chuck Gnome (iPhone) – You chuck gnomes at various targets in the game. Seriously, that’s the game! Love it. (Read a more detailed review here.)

Which of these games do you play (or want to)? What are you playing now? Discuss!

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

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