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games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i-1].body = "
Introduction
As video game reviewers, we get to play a whole lot of games (a difficult job, but somebody's got to do it). Some of these games we like, some of them we don't, and some of them - when we're very lucky - we simply can't put down.
With the holiday rush over and the new year's lineup of games just beginning to arrive on store shelves, we've had some extra time to spend with some of the games we've found especially captivating.
Here's a look at the games we're playing...when we're not busy reviewing video games.";
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games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i-1].body = "
'Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune'
I’ve accumulated a stack of games recently, but this week, I’ve torn myself away from “Call of Duty” for “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.” This game is charming, engaging and, for something completely different in action games, light-hearted. There’s a clear debt to “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” complete with a wise-cracking hero, crumbling temples and, yes, a treasure. Top marks for a female lead that isn’t bursting from the seams of an impractical outfit!
-- Scott Taves";
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games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i-1].body = "
'flOw'
One of the things I love about Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network is the way these two online services are giving independent game developers a chance to get their creations out in front of a broader audience.
One indie game that has been consuming my time recently is \"flOw,\" which started as an MFA thesis project out of the University of Southern California and now can be downloaded for $7.99 through the PlayStation Network. Deliciously simple yet extremely compelling, the game puts players in control of a multi-cell aquatic organism that grows and evolves as you play.
The game is both beautiful to behold and to listen to – the otherworldly visuals and ethereal music set just the right tone as you help your creature flit and float deeper into the abyss. Ultimately, the experience of playing \"flOw\" manages to be both soothing and gripping at the same time.
-- Winda Benedetti ";
games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i++] = new Array("","'Scrabulous'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080116/brill-scrabble-080116-11a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "272", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i-1].body = "
'Scrabulous'
I’ve played my fair share of the big-name games: “Halo 3,” “Assassin’s Creed,” “Super Mario Galaxy.” But right now, I’m addicted to the Web-based game “Scrabulous.” I’ve got two games going: One with my husband, the other with my good friend, Heather, who lives in New York. (She’s totally destroying me.)
I love the turn-based aspect of the game, I love figuring out which words will work where. But I really love that I can flip through my dictionary when I get stuck with two Qs, no vowels and the promise of a triple-word score.
What, that’s not legal?
-- Kristin Kalning";
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games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i-1].body = "
'Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day'
I’ve had the pleasure of playing some great games lately, like “Call of Duty 4,” “Zack & Wiki” and “Rock Band,” just to name a few. But the game I keep returning to is “Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day.” I love its Sudoku mode, and I play a round or two of it nightly before I go to sleep.
-- Ken Smith ";
games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i++] = new Array("","'Rock Band'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/January/080110/Brill_VideoGame/rockband_MTV%20Games.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "MTV Games", "259", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_CriticsPlay_080116_Motorcycles[i-1].body = "
'Rock Band'
Having enjoyed the entirety of the \"Guitar Hero\" series, I expected to like MTV Games’ \"Rock Band.\" What surprised me, though, was the absolute high of getting three other friends in the same room and completely nailing Red Hot Chili Peppers’ \"Dani California.\"
This is the best multiplayer game in town outside of \"Wii Sports,\" turning the mild-mannered into living-room rock stars. There's magic in those plastic instruments, I tell you.
-- Levi Buchanan"; // END editorial data