Gears of War 2 continues the story of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad, locked in an increasingly desperate battle against the nightmarish Locust Horde for the survival of humanity. The game is an epic saga of survival, loss, and retribution. Just as Gears of War set the standard for high-definition visuals, Gears of War 2 raises the bar even further with the amazing technological advances delivering a bigger, badder, and more intense experience as the story continues.

Gears of War 2 is an epic saga of survival, loss and retribution. Gears of War 2's single-player campaign has been given a lot of attention leading up to the title's November 7 release…and deservedly so. Still, it's important to remember that while the single-player is what initially draws players into the Gears universe, it's the multiplayer that keeps that disc spinning. Gears of War 2 is changing the face of the series' multiplayer with a new co-op mode called Horde. Horde mode is the star of the Gears of War 2 multiplayer lineup. Oh sure, you’ve got your classic death matches and capture the flag crap (and that co-op mode is still insanely solid); but Horde mode is where it’s at. You and four other players pick a Gears character and choose weapons. Then you’re dropped on a relatively small map littered with ammo and perfect areas for cover, sniping, and dying like an idiot when you get cut off from your group.

The idea is to survive wave after wave of Locust hordes that the game throws at you. You lose if every member on your team is killed. You win when you kill every Locust in a wave of the horde – after that, the game pauses to show you which players had the most kills and then chucks you back into the map with another wave.

Gears of War 2's multiplayer is enhanced further by the addition of bots. I just recently spent some time running through different maps and modes with all nine other characters set to AI control. There are moments of oddities and matches that take too long because three bots could never find each other, but there are also times when the artificial intelligence is too much for a team to match. They understood objective-based games and did a good job of executing when needed and reviving their teammates when they cam crawling for help.

The bots aren't perfect, but they're a great training ground for people who aren't quite ready to take the fight to the masses. It's just a bummer that Horde mode isn't compatible with bots. For that mode, friends are absolutely required.

Gears of War 2's multiplayer looks like it will once again be the star of the show, but this time that will largely be because of Horde mode. It takes co-op game play and turns it on its head with cool arcade flair. Submission and Guardian are great in their own right, but if I had to guess which mode people will be playing when they rip open their copy of Gears 2 on Christmas day, it would most definitely be Horde.

In terms of pure fun factor nothing else comes close to this game in this mode.

NBA Live has had a rough transition to the current generation of consoles but slowly but surely, the games have gotten better every year. NBA Live 09 doesn't make the same leap forward that 08 made, and the much-hyped dynamic DNA feature has little effect on the game play. However, new pick-and-roll controls, as well as signature play calling, make this live the best in several years. Still, there are two things in particular that we would have liked to see changed and they aren’t. Lousy defense leads to lots of dunks and dribble moves are too often ineffective.

NBA Live 09 has dynamic DNA. This means EA will be updating Live's rosters on a daily basis to reflect what is happening in the NBA. Basically, you're going to have really up-to-date rosters; if that's important to you, you'll enjoy the feature. If you were pretty happy with the frequency of roster updates in previous years, you won't get as much out of it.

Live 09 is the latest EA Sports game to include the Be a Pro mode found in NHL 09 and FIFA 09. However, unlike those games in which you control one player throughout the course of his career, you're only able to play a one-off game in Live. This makes the mode downright uninteresting because you have no vested interest in how you mesh with your teammates. You'll have a little more incentive to be a team player if you play the five-on-five Team Play mode online. Not only do you receive a rating based on your performance, but you'll have to deal with some pretty unhappy teammates if you hog the ball or play like a jerk and cost your online club a win. Online play lags a bit when playing with more than a few other human opponents, but in general, the online experience is fairly smooth.

Live 09's presentation is inconsistent. Pregame intros are nicely done, most of the better-known players look reasonably like their real life counterparts, and there's plenty of great animation. However, the transition from one animation to the next is often poor, and the in-game presentation is pretty dull. Marv Albert and Steve Kerr are back in the booth, and once again, they do a nice job calling the action.

While it's a little disappointing that Live 09 isn't a drastic step forward, it is an improvement over Live 08 and a very solid basketball game. Dynamic DNA isn't going to change the way you enjoy a basketball game, but effective pick-and-roll mechanics and intuitive play calling certainly will. If you want a basketball game that's fast-paced with easy-to-manage controls, NBA Live 09 is worth the cost.

Review: Dead Space

The Good:

• Deeply engrossing story
• Breathtaking visuals and nerve-wracking audio
• Strategic dismemberment adds an entirely new, satisfying dimension to combat
• Truly terrifying gameplay keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The Bad:

• Repetitive mission objectives
• Close-quarters combat is troublesome.

The Basics:
The survival horror genre is rife with games in which you are isolated in a hostile environment full of monsters, and Dead Space is no exception. But from the moment you're thrown into the middle of the fray in the heart-pounding introduction until the bone-chilling conclusion, it's clear that this is something quite unique. With its disturbingly twisted visuals, its deeply engrossing story, and innovative strategic dismemberment combat system, Dead Space is a best-in-its-class game that surpasses other entries in its venerable genre in nearly every way and will be the standard by which they are judged for years to come.

One of the first things to notice in Dead Space is that it features a complete lack of a traditional heads-up display; instead, pertinent information is integrated directly into Isaac's RIG uniform. To see his current health you need only glance at the iridescent meter built into the RIG's spine (or pay attention to his physical cues), and to see how much ammo is left in your current weapon, simply check the display readout visible whenever you raise it into the ready position. If you ever find yourself wondering where you need to be next, you need only press in the right analog stick for Isaac's RIG to temporarily trace a beam of light on the ground toward your next objective. When called up, menus are holographically projected ahead of you in real time, producing a sense of urgency as you remain vulnerable to attack. These simple yet ingenious systems ensures that you remain firmly within the realm of the gameworld at all times, preserving the horror experience.

From engineering to hydroponics and beyond, Dead Space never fails to impress with its visuals. Whether you're watching the torrential rainfall of asteroids across the hull of the Ishimura from the bridge atrium or witnessing the way a corpse spins serenely in a zero-g vacuum, the haunting yet beautiful graphics of Dead Space have a way of sticking in your mind long after you've quit playing. Semi-interactive cutscenes such as the one in which your team's rescue ship explodes within the Ishimura docking bay simply must be seen firsthand, and the tremendous lighting and environmental effects lay the groundwork for an intense horror adventure.

What really rounds out the entire experience, however, is the incredible sound design. Throughout the halls of the Ishimura, you are stalked mercilessly by the Necromorphs, and while you can't always see them, you are constantly surrounded by the menacing noises they produce or the eerie pitter-patter they make as they crawl through the ventilation shafts. You'll occasionally hear the distant screams of Necromorph victims or the creepy singing of a mentally unbalanced survivor, and environmental effects such as those generated by the sudden release of a burst of steam will keep you on the edge of your seat. Perhaps the most impressive use of audio in Dead Space takes place in a vacuum: any sounds that originate outside of Isaac's helmet are muffled and barely audible, while those from the inside, including his breathing and grunts of pain, are amplified.

Dead Space is a remarkable game from a well-tread genre that manages to stand out from its competitors in almost every way, from visual presentation to engaging story, innovative combat mechanics to fright factor. Whether you're looking for a terrifying horror experience or a deeply story-driven adventure that will keep you engaged for 15-20 hours, Dead Space is a fantastic game that you should not pass on.

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