May ‘12 Videogame Update

After almost a decade between releases, Max Payne returns to our consoles, and he’s joined by Mario and a brief cameo by Balki Bartokomous.

• Sniper Elite V2 – If you’re looking for a game that places emphasis on both close-in stealth and long range sniping, this is for you. Set around Berlin, Germany during the height of WWII, you’ll be faced with missions requiring you to take out targets from far, far away. Unlike sniping in most other games, you’ll need to account for gravity, wind, your stability and more if you want your shot to actually hit your target rather than miss and scare him away. You also be faced with choosing an easy shot that will give away your location and make getting away tough, or sneaking past Nazis for a great shot and a clean getaway. And if you like your games with a nice gruesome edge to them, this one features x-ray killcams; when your bullet strikes your enemy, their skin and clothing disappears and you see the bullet’s path through bone, sinew, and organs, along with a satisfying spray of blood! (available now from 505 Games for 360 and PS3; rated M)
• Max Payne 3 – It’s been quite a while since the tormented Max Payne has graced our consoles—over eight years. He’s back and even more worse for the wear. Away from America and his troubled past, he’s now in Brazil working security for the wealthy, and when a client’s wife is kidnapped he ventures to Sao Paulo’s seedy underground to rescue her. And with Dan Houser at the writing helm, you can expect a strong story. You can also expect your favorite moves from the series to return, such as the slo-mo Matrix-inspired bullet time (that helps you evade gunfire and make precise shots yourself) as well as the diving shoot dodge that’ll let Max stay grounded and fire off a 360° hail of bullets. A new physics engine promises more realism than any Rockstar game to date and could potentially be a taste of what GTA V will feel like. (available May 15 from Rockstar Games for 360 and PS3; rated M)
• Battleship – Believe it or not, a videogame based on a movie based (loosely) on a board game is now a thing that exists. Derived from the first of what’s to be a string of movies developed from Hasbro properties, you’ll play as Cole Mathis. Situated out near Hawaii, an alien weather dome traps your immediate area. You’ll have traditional first-person shooting in beach battles after landing from a vessel, but there are also ship-to-ship battles out in the open water as you try to free yourselves. And as you progress, you may pick up some neat alien weaponry along the way! Of course, history works against movie-based games being very good since they’re typically rushed to sync release dates. However, if you’re a Wii owner there’s not much else new to choose from with most development shifted to the Wii U. (available May 15 from Activision for 360, PS3, Wii, DS, and 3DS; rated E10+ or T depending on system)
• Mario Tennis Open – Nintendo doesn’t let too much time pass between Mario-themed sports titles, and this month they bring 3D tennis to the palms of your hands. Bright colors and loud audio will complement this simple tennis game that lets you play as any of 16 Mario universe characters, or even as your Mii, and the characters will have specialties like power, defense, or trick shots. Adding to the fun are multiple courts with varying play conditions, from standard to icy, sandy, or woody. While there are four single-player game modes, most popular will surely be Open Mode. There you’ll get matched against other players from around the world, fighting for a place on the leaderboard and collecting medals that reflect your prowess on the court. (available May 20 from Nintendo exclusively for 3DS; rated E)
• Resistance: Burning Skies – It’s August of 1951 and the Chimera attack on the eastern coast of the US has begun. As Staten Island firefighter-turned-soldier Tom Riley, you’re not only concerned with the alien threat, but in finding your family that’s stuck in the middle of the combat. Favorite series weapons like the Carbine and Bullseye are back, with the latter’s tagging function activated via the touchscreen. Also new is the chance to play an FPS on a handheld device with two true analog sticks, giving an experience much truer to a console FPS. In addition to single-player, a multiplayer mode features eight-person Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Survival mode across six maps. (available May 29 from Sony exclusively for Vita; rating pending)
• Perfect Strangers – Yes, that Perfect Strangers. Not so much a game as a Flash-enabled romp on rails set to the awesome theme song (remember when shows used to have those?) with pictures of stars and recurring characters as a backdrop. You simply move Balki back and forth, with occasional jumps, to collect stars while chasing your dream. If you collect enough you get to do the Dance of Joy! It takes about three minutes, and it’s free.

Jeff is currently playing The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass; follow him on Twitter at JKLugar.