This Week in Xbox: June 25-July 2, 2008

New Releases
This week sees the release of Battlefield: Bad Company™. Given the popularity of the free demo on Xbox LIVE®, I'm guessing that a lot of you have already experienced the game. What might surprise you, though, is how good the single-player campaign is for this game. You expect top-quality multiplayer from a Battlefield game, and Bad Company delivers, but I was shocked at how much fun I've been having in the single-player campaign. (In fact, I'm stifling yawns as I write this, thanks to last night's 1 A.M. Bad Company play session.)


What's so much fun? The freeform nature of the missions, for one. You're dropped into the combat area, and you know where your target is, but how you approach the enemy is completely up to you. Do you hop into a Humvee and run in, guns a-blazing? Sneak around behind the target on foot? Or find a good spot on a hill and call in artillery strikes? Speaking of hills, the terrain here is amazing—this is one of the best-looking "outdoor" shooters yet, and hills and obstructions offer real tactical advantages. The writing is hilarious as well, particularly the running commentary from your teammates Sweetwater and Haggard.

Just in time for the movie's release is Wall•E, where you play everyone's soon-to-be-favorite robot. Check out Ryan Treit's preview here on Xbox.com for the scoop on this fun movie adaptation. Also hitting stores this week is Supreme Commander®, a real-time strategy game from the designer of the classic Total Annihilation; Hail to the Chimp™, a funny, politically-themed party game from the guys who brought you Stubbs the Zombie; and Operation Darkness™, a truly original WW2 strategy game where your allied unit includes werewolves fighting against Nazi zombies. Yes, you did just read that. This one I have to check out.



Happy Train Friends
I have to admit I wasn't familiar with the Happy Tree Friends franchise, so I was a bit surprised to see the "Rated M for Mature" on Happy Tree Friends False Alarm™. This is definitely not one for the kids—this cute, blood-drenched game gives new meaning to "cartoon violence." If you've ever wanted to see a teddy bear napalmed, this is the game for you. Check out the demo on Xbox LIVE Arcade.


Also new this week is Ticket to Ride™, based on the board game of the same name. The gameplay is simple—build train routes before your friends can—but there's a lot of strategy involved in figuring out which routes to attempt, and how to block your opponents. If you enjoyed Catan and Carcassonne, be sure to check this one out.


Wrapping Up
Stop by the This Week in Xbox feedback topic and let us know what you're playing, or what you'd like to see us cover in future episodes of Insider Moves.

Article by Denny Atkin