Home > Feature Articles > #168

Screenshots | Visit Website

Sliced Gaming Feature: Christmas Trade-Ins

Writer: Nick Schaedel
Posted: 2nd January 2008, 1:14pm

Ahh, parents. They just don’t get you, do they? Face it, as much as you tell them that you want Super Mario Galaxy or Bioshock or Uncharted for Christmas, you can be sure they’ve used your list to make cigarettes and are always drunk when you tell them to please stop because they’re hurting you, and if getting a videogame is too hard then something to eat would be nice, please? But luckily for you, stores will generally let you trade in a dodgy game if you have the receipt, and if you don’t you can always head to a specialty gaming retailer who will buy it off you. But what should you get in return? Here are our recommendations.

Xbox 360:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare:
Finally, someone had the sense to move away from World War II and to do something original with their shooter brand. Modern times means modern weapons, resulting in much more satisfying ends to your opponents in this spectacular effort from Infinity Ward. With a more cinematic plot style and a deep online mode featuring experience points that improve your abilities after you perform well, Call of Duty 4 is winner.

Mass Effect:
BioWare’s attempt at a Knights of the Old Republic-style game in their own original IP expands on the success of that series in a big way. The elaborate and detailed plot is reflected in the refined dialog tree system that lets you choose the way conversations play out, with voice acting to boot. While combat takes place in real time, you can pause to give orders to squad mates and alter your weaponry. It’s hard to describe Mass Effect as anything other than epic.

Assassin's Creed:
You play as Altair, an assassin in the Middle Ages that fails at an assignment and is demoted to ‘Uninitiated’, the lowest rank of the Assassin Order. He is given an opportunity to redeem himself by taking out nine men in Holy Land, and he’ll need to eavesdrop, pickpocket and interrogate to get to them. The environments and vast cities are gorgeous, and you’re rewarded for exploration and even climbing in this very elastic game. Yes, there’s a sci-fi twist – all we’ll say is look forward to Assassin’s Creed 2 in late 2008/early 2009.

Guitar Hero III:
Quite possibly the definitive version thanks to the availability and ease with which you can download new tracks, Guitar Hero III rocks hard on the 360. Of course, the added horsepower of the system over consoles like the Wii and PS2 is meaningless, as the gameplay is the same, but with a great set of songs and the promise of more available for download well into the future, Guitar Hero III offers great value.

Wii:

Super Mario Galaxy:
Some people found Super Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube to be a bit too much of a departure for the series, with the hover ability of your water pack removing the any challenge from the platforming. Thankfully, Super Mario Galaxy removes (continued next page)