| The following is a review of the Top 5 | | | | Johnson returning home from Liberty City |
| video games searched for on the | | | | to Los Santos after learning of his |
| Internet. | | | | mother's murder. CJ finds his family and |
| Looking for a game? Looking for a gift | | | | his old gang, the Grove Street Families, |
| for a gamer? Just curious? | | | | in disarray. Over the course of the |
| Rank 1 Grand Theft Auto IV: | | | | game, CJ gradually unravels the plot |
| Grand Theft Auto IV is an upcoming | | | | behind his mother's murder while |
| sandbox-style action adventure video | | | | reestablishing his gang and exploring |
| game. It will be the ninth title (and | | | | his own business ventures. |
| the first in the fourth generation) in | | | | Grand Theft Auto series is rich with |
| the Grand Theft Auto video game | | | | controversy, the most notable for San |
| franchise. It will be released worldwide | | | | Andreas was over the "Hot Coffee" |
| on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 for both | | | | minigame, which was disabled but left in |
| PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game | | | | the code, which caused San Andreas to be |
| will be set in a redesigned Liberty | | | | re-rated briefly as an adult game and |
| City, based heavily on New York City and | | | | pulled from shelves. Since its |
| New Jersey. | | | | re-release the game is rated as follows; |
| Niko Bellic is Eastern European, between | | | | Price: Approx. $19.99 |
| 28 and 32 years of age and has come to | | | | Game Rating: M (Mature) |
| Liberty City to pursue the "American | | | | Rank 4 Guitar Hero II: |
| Dream". Niko was persuaded to move to | | | | Guitar Hero II is a music video game |
| Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who | | | | developed by Harmonix Music Systems and |
| claimed in multiple e-mails to Niko that | | | | published by RedOctane. It is the second |
| he was living a fabulous life, with a | | | | installment in the Guitar Hero series |
| mansion, women, hot tubs and sports | | | | and is the sequel to Guitar Hero. It was |
| cars. Roman's claims turn out to be lies | | | | first released for the PlayStation 2 in |
| to hide his own failures, however, and | | | | November 2006 and then for the Xbox 360 |
| in reality he only owns a small taxi | | | | in April 2007, with additional content. |
| business, which he wants Niko to work | | | | Like the original Guitar Hero, the |
| for. | | | | player uses a guitar-shaped peripheral |
| Roman is the only person Niko knows in | | | | to simulate the playing of rock music as |
| Liberty City to begin with, and is one | | | | notes scroll towards the player. Most of |
| of his major connections in the first | | | | the gameplay from the original game |
| part of the game. Niko is a tough | | | | remains intact, with new modes and note |
| character, whereas Roman is friendly. | | | | combinations being the major additions. |
| Roman is heavily in debt and a lot of | | | | The game features more than 40 popular |
| people are after him. He desperately | | | | licensed songs, many of them cover |
| needs Niko's support, hence the reason | | | | versions recorded for the game, spanning |
| he deceived Niko into travelling to | | | | five decades (from the 1960s to the |
| Liberty City. They are constantly | | | | 2000s). |
| bickering. It is later revealed that | | | | Since its release, Guitar Hero II has |
| Niko has also been avoiding other, as | | | | been met with both critical and |
| yet undisclosed, problems at home. Both | | | | commercial success, helping the Guitar |
| characters are new and there are | | | | Hero series become a cultural |
| virtually no returning players. | | | | phenomenon. |
| Price: Approx. $59.99 | | | | Price: Approx. |
| Game Rating: M (Mature) | | | | Bundle with Guitar $79.99 |
| Blood | | | | PS2 $39.99 |
| Intense Violence | | | | Xbox $49.99 |
| Partial Nudity | | | | Game Rating: Teen |
| Strong Language | | | | Rank 5 Mortal Kombat: |
| Strong Sexual Content | | | | Mortal Kombat (commonly abbreviated as |
| Use of Drugs and Alcohol | | | | MK) is a popular series of fighting |
| Rank 2 Saints Row: | | | | games made originally by Midway |
| Saints Row is an action-adventure video | | | | Manufacturing Company. Mortal Kombat |
| game published for the Xbox 360 console. | | | | began as a series of arcade games, which |
| It was developed by Volition and | | | | were picked up by Acclaim Entertainment |
| published by THQ. The game arrived in | | | | for the home console versions. Now |
| stores in wide release on August 29, | | | | Midway exclusively creates home versions |
| 2006 in North America, and on September | | | | of Mortal Kombat. It is especially noted |
| 1, 2006 in Europe and Australia. | | | | for its high levels of blood and gore, |
| The game has been described as being in | | | | including, most notably, its graphic |
| the same vein as Grand Theft Auto: San | | | | fatalities - Finishing Moves, requiring |
| Andreas in terms of story and gameplay, | | | | a sequence of buttons to perform. These |
| with the developers referring to it as | | | | were so extreme that they, in part, led |
| an emerging genre called "open world"; | | | | to the founding of the Entertainment |
| both games focus on urban gang activity, | | | | Software Rating Board (ESRB) 1 Mortal |
| with the main character attempting to | | | | Kombat is available in PS2, Xbox, Mobile |
| strengthen his gang's standing amongst | | | | and PC. |
| three other rival gangs. Saints Row | | | | The original Mortal Kombat was developed |
| makes additions to the genre, adding an | | | | as a reaction to the popular fighting |
| extensive character customization | | | | game Street Fighter II, with digitized |
| feature and online multiplayer modes. | | | | graphics of real game actors as opposed |
| Price: Approx. $29.99 | | | | to animated cartoon graphics. Critics |
| Game Rating: M (Mature) | | | | said the game's graphic violence was |
| Rank 3 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: | | | | only included in order to generate a |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a | | | | public outcry and controversy that would |
| sandbox-style action-adventure computer | | | | gain publicity for the game. Although |
| and video game developed by Rockstar | | | | highly controversial, the mix of realism |
| North. It is the third 3D game in the | | | | and violence propelled Mortal Kombat to |
| Grand Theft Auto video game franchise | | | | widespread and historic renown. |
| and fifth original game overall. | | | | Price: Approx. $19.99 - $39.99 |
| Originally released for the PlayStation | | | | Game Rating: M (Mature) |
| 2 in October 2004, the game has since | | | | 1. Descriptions in large part by |
| been ported to the Xbox and Microsoft | | | | Wikipedia. |
| Windows, and has received wide acclaim | | | | Wikipedia - The biggest multilingual |
| and high sales figures on all three | | | | free-content encyclopedia on the |
| platforms. | | | | Internet. Over 7 million articles in |
| Set in late 1992, the game revolves | | | | over 200 languages, and still growing. |
| around the main character, Carl "CJ" | | | | Please visit us at The Software Spot! |