The Collective

Getting Up is a tough game for me to score. I didn't think much of the concept initially, but within just a few minutes of playing, Marc Ecko's vision crystallized and I found that it was much to my liking.

The Godfather is generally considered to be a better movie than a book, The Dead Zone is better served as a television show than any previous versions, and even though Battlefield Earth is one of the worst films ever made, it's still better than the novel it's derived from. What I'm getting at, in a rather roundabout way is that, perhaps for the first time ever, a videogame is actually better than the book or film that preceded it. That game? The Da Vinci Code.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Violence

Game Description: The Da Vinci Code is based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel and Ron Howard's film. A strange murder at Paris' famous museum, the Louvre, leads two investigators to a great secret hidden in the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci. Explore massive conspiracies and shadowy groups—while solving mysteries and puzzles that go beyond anything you have seen or read. Elude danger and stay one step ahead of enemies that will stop at nothing to protect their secret.

Getting Up opens with the most disingenuous disclaimer in the history of legal doublespeak; It claims that while the game presents graffiti in a context where "street artists" are heroic anti-establishment figures, it in no way condones acts of vandalism against public or private property.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Strong Language, Violence, Blood

What I found most fascinating about Mike Bracken's review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is that we both enjoyed the game equally, but for very different reasons.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes

Game Description: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the first third-person action-adventure game based on the international hit TV series. Players take on the role of Buffy Summers, a 17-year-old high-school student who must balance adolescent growing pains with the responsibility of being the Chosen One. As the slayer, Buffy eliminates vampires and other demonic creatures that threaten the world's existence. It's up to you to save the human race from being "drained" during this devilish time.