As you may well have figured out by now, there have been a few changes on the site in preparation for a big content pushout in the next couple of weeks. The written review for Freedom Force is done, and I am now solely focused on putting together it's video.

I'll be the first to admit that I am (at times) easily distracted. I've been playing Burnout: Paradise a lot more than I would care to admit on the PC. It's probably the most entertaining racing game I've ever played (although I think some of the earlier Need for Speed games were excellent as well). Despite not having even touched the multiplayer (and the multiplayer is somethng to behold from what I've heard) there is a ton of stuff to do in the game. As with the earlier Burnout games, there is a lot more than just racing involved (which is good...strict racing games get boring really quickly). My favorite event types are Marked Man and Road Rage. Marked Man involves trying to get to an endpoint without getting totaled by the multiple unbranded Mustangs trying to total your car. Basically you have the choice of driving a fast car and being very susceptible to getting shoved into a wall (and having better ability to maneuver) or having a go at it with a larger, more durable car (or SUV, conversion van, or 4x4 truck) that is less susceptible to getting pushed into a wall, but much slower, with a turning radius roughly equivalent to that of a houseboat. The Road Rage event is exactly what it sounds like...your job is to smash cars into the wall (a specific number in a certain time, which is extended with every car you takedown). This is where the visuals shine brighest in the game...cars flying all over the place trying to wreck anyone they can, with spectacular crashing animations when you manage to takedown another vehicle. Criterion Games was not messing around when they made this game...it always runs butter smooth, looks fantastic, and there is a ton of variety. Is that too much to ask for from every racing game? (And the answer from every other racing game maker is YES). After I've gotten the highest license in single player (which will happen soon I'd imagine) I'm going to finally go online and I'll be sure to tell you if my overall opinion of the game gets better or worse (and at this point I'd give it a 9/10 if I were reviewing it, the only downfalls being the cumbersome menu system and the all over the place soundtrack).

I also played a few hours of Left 4 Dead this week against some former coworkers...I'm still trying to figure out if there is a good way to bull through the final chapter of No Mercy (on the roof of the hospital) without taking massive amounts of punishment. Every other campaign seems to have an almost foolproof gameplay trick on how to get through the last chapter (at least in advanced and below). If anyone knows of a good way to beat No Mercy without getting messed up, let me know, because I'm seriously tired of dying after the helicopter gets there when the third tank shows up.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to email the retropixels.org staff.