And we’re back!  We had a plan, and then chucked it in favor of talking about a bunch of games.  We also introduce a new game this week, though it has no name as of yet.

Sam talks about how L.A. Noire has grown on him, once he realized it’s a puzzle game, not an action game.  He wants to get the crap scared out of him, but unfortunately F.E.A.R. 3 hasn’t released yet.  He also wishes he’s just looking over the “Motorcycle” menu in Forza 3, but we’re pretty sure he’s not.

Alex talks up Frozen Synapse, a game that takes the planning stages from the early Rainbow Sixes and turns it into a simultaneous turn-based tactical action game.  Alex also talks about L.A. Noire, and the World of the Living Dead beta.

Jonathan’s not had much opportunity to play more L.A. Noire, though he’s still very pleased with it.  In addition, he’s been playing the toddler-soothing music game, Chime, and enjoying it quite a bit.  Less enjoyable was Mindjack, a game with an awesome concept that falls flatter than a planker.

Other games that get mentioned include F.E.A.R. 1&2, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, FortressCraft, and Terraria.

We wrap up the show with a new game, one involving terrible translations and full coffee.  If you’ve got an idea for a name for it, let us know!

Next week, an eye doctor and E3 predictions!

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Reaching two hours in MindJack was difficult.  The gameplay is dull.  The story is incomprehensible.  The level designs are boring.  The dialogue is representative of the “best” of the early Resident Evils.  All of which is disappointing because MindJack has some interesting ideas.

First, you can jump in and out of various innocent bystanders’ minds, commandeering them to fight for you.  The trouble is, nothing changes when you jump into a new body.  If unarmed, the mindjackee materializes a gun out of thin air, and the enemy immediately recognizes you as a threat, ruining any stealthy options.  No special abilities. No new ways to overcome obstacles.  Just another body for the firefight. 

Also interesting, you can open up your game, allowing others to jump in and fight for or against you, gaining experience as you progress.  Unfortunately, I never felt like I was playing a well-crafted single-player game, but rather a series of random multiplayer maps with some terrible connecting dialogue.

The gameplay is passable, and could be enjoyable if the story was compelling, but it’s not.  Yahtzee explains why better than I can here. I’ll just say skip this one.  MindJack didn’t deserve the two hours I gave it.