Overlord

Get in touch with your inner ###hole. Worth: $12
based on 360 retail

For bossy people of all ages.

Control a platoon of minions who obey your every command. Sounds great, right? It is, kind of.

GRAPHICS, MUSIC
The game looks great, sounds great, all that good stuff. Honestly, I take this for granted now, but it stills bears mentioning because I'm sure it's hard to do.

CONTROLLER
Maneuvering a squad of minions is mapped to your controller in a way that mostly makes sense and is easy to use. It's just that controlling a horde of minions is so different from every other game that it takes a while to get the hang of it. Then if I go off and play some other game I have to re-remember how to play Overlord.

MAPS
There is something about the maps that make them impossible to remember where to go. They're like Halo 2's difficult-to-remember maps gone to hell. I'm lost - all the time! Even the GamerGal can't figure them out, and she has a preternatural sense of direction.

MINIONS
They're hilariously enthusiastic. Vicious and utterly without fear, they _are_ the game.

OVERALL
For some reason, I just can't stay with this game. It's too hard, and I spend so much time lost that it becomes an exercise in frustration. As good as this game seems to be, I can always think of something else I'd rather do instead.

Tomb Raider: Underworld

Another great leap. Worth: $50
based on 360 retail

Put those in your rack.

I've been watching the GamerGal play Tomb Raider since it was on a PlayStation 1. She's always liked the platforming and puzzle-solving and I've always marveled at the environments and character animations. Almost every installment in this franchise has brought a fresh level of dazzlement, and TR:U is no exception.

The graphics are amazing, especially in high-def. The music is beautiful, both when it's setting the mood in the background and when it's up front to help underscore a dynamic moment. Lara looks awesome, very athletic and sexy but without such ridiculously huge tits. They're still, uh, well big. But not so outrageously Los Angeles looking as they were in previous TR games.

This game is great in every way, and it's adjustable difficulty level may make it appeal to gamers who normally wouldn't touch a Tomb Raider game. I'm almost tempted to play this game myself.*

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* While TR has always been fun for me to watch, actually playing was a drag because it was so hard-core. TR:U on Easy seems more approachable for people (like me) who don't need a CHALLENGE every time we play a game. I'm CHALLENGED enough building website and databases for my clients. I'm CHALLENGED enough brooding on the meaning of life. When I'm gaming, I like it to be RELAXED. Not that I want to be spoon-fed, but any game sequence I need to do more than three time is just a pain in the ass. I'm sure some gaming-ninja-twerp will say I should simply get better, but he can shove it until he has to move out of his parent's house and get a job.