From left, Zach Stewert, Travis Holtz, Tawny Ambriz, Juan Ayala, Jamel LeBranch and Chris Kuhn show off their killer poses.

Having to choose between participating in what may have been an occult ritual, and getting out of line to be the first to have a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Max Sexson, 21, Andrew Bleich, 17, Spencer Sexson, 19 and Charles Vitols, 22, chose to stay in line.

They arrived with lawn chairs in tow to the GameStop at 168^th and Dodge streets at 6:00 p.m. Monday evening. Prepped with snacks, they were ready to wait six hours for the privilege of being among the first to get their hands on Infinity Ward’s sequel to its 2007 hit, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Then this wild-haired woman approached them, Vitols said. She said she needed a group for a ritual to channel her dead husband, he said. She lit a candle and begun conjuring the spirits of the dead.

Nevertheless, as weird as it was, the foursome was not about to exit line for anything, even though they were the only people there at the time. They just silently watched as she poured her heart out and went on her way. What kind of game demands this sort of dedication?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is one of the most anticipated games in history, and may be one of the largest entertainment launches as well. Michael Pachter, who analyzes the electronic entertainment industry for Wedbush Morgan Securities, predicted sales would reach $500 million this week.

That’s half a billion dollars! The Dark Knight made less than $240 million its first week in the box office. Make no jokes about it; video games are big business.

Attention to detail and multiplayer action are what separate the Call of Duty franchise from other first person shooters, Max Sexson said.

“Multiplayer just grabs a hold of you and keeps dragging you back in,” Sexson said. “You’ll throw your controller at the wall one day, and the next day you’ll pick it back up and hope it’s not broken.”

By midnight, the line at one of the two GameStops at 72^nd and Dodge streets had grown to at least 200 people.

Among those was Brad Smith, 23, said Modern Warfare has some of the best multiplayer gaming he has ever seen. He had been waiting in line since 9:00.

“Plus it’s kind of fun to make 13-year-olds feel bad about themselves,” Smith said.

Smith took the bus from his Dundee home to 72^nd and Dodge, knowing he would be left hanging for a ride home.

“There’s not a lot of things that’ll make me walk 24 blocks at midnight,” he said.

Tony Stover, 29, was

Like many popular video games, controversy has surrounded this franchise. The first game had scenes where the player assumed the point of view of a leader being executed in a coup. Another powerful moment was when the player saw through the eyes of a soldier slowly dying after being unable to escape a nuclear blast.

A leaked video of Modern Warfare 2 caused some minor outrage because it showed civilians being gunned down in an airport from a first person point of view.

Micah Conner, 21, defended the game he was waiting for, saying the sequence was designed to show the atrocities of terrorists, and it was taken out of context. Besides, the entire section can be skipped with no penalties, he said.

Citing research from the book “Grand Theft Childhood,” Conner said there is not a positive correlation between violence in real life and violence in video games.

“The game is rated Mature for a reason, don’t let your kid play it,” Conner said.

Chris Kuhn, 25, and Jamel LeBranch, 20, agreed.

“These games are actually made for adults,” Kuhn said. “I wouldn’t even want my kid in the same room while I’m playing.”

You cannot say that games are just for kids anymore, because there are plenty of games that kids cannot even buy, Kuhn said. It might even be right to call social services if you see a young kid playing a violent game like Modern Warfare 2, he said.

Juan Ayala, 25, said age does not matter; video games are for everyone.

“Me, I will not give up my controller for anything,” Ayala said.

Kuhn and LeBranch were looking forward to an extended night of playing “killing” each other in multiplayer.

“There’s nothing better than playing with friends and family,” LeBranch said.

The buzz about the game has been tremendous, Kuhn said. Waiting in line with dozens of equally psyched fans puts a face to potential online opponents. While waiting in line, he received several text messages from friends on the East Coast about how badass the game is, making the wait seem all the more worthwhile, he Kuhn said.

Kuhn was one of the few in the line who was not planning to skip work Wednesday, although he admitted he might take an extended lunch.

From left, Shaun Bergmann, Corey Conz and Nate Williams.

Video games as a medium is in its infancy and are just starting to infiltrate the mainstream, said Nick Jones, 27. Comparable to silent movies in the late 20^th Century. He predicted that by 2010s and 2020s video games would be just as big in the cultural conscious as movies are now.

“It took a while to take off, games are just now starting to infiltrate the mainstream,” Jones said.

A large majority of those in line for the game had already arranged to shed their responsibilities Tuesday. Tony Stover, 29, said he took the day off from his job as a financial assistant. Vitols said he had the next four days off from work, and Bleich said he was skipping school.

“I’ve got wrestling practice, but I might not even go to that,” Bleich said.

Here’s hoping his coach is not reading this.

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There is a big hub bub on the net right now over the use of Kurt Cobain’s likeness as an unlockable character in Guitar Hero 5. This means Cobain can be the front man of your band while you perform the hits of Flava Flav and Bon Jovi.

While that may not initially seem like a big deal- gamers love unlockable characters- anyone familiar with Cobain’s work will get a creepy vibe upon watching this video of Cobain’s doppleganger in action.

Now compare that to some real footage of Cobain performing:

And now Cobain’s widow is threatening via Twitter to sue. Activision says she signed off on it. She says she thought his avatar would be on screen only during Nirvana tracks. He said, she said…. blah, blah, blah. Let the courts figure that out.

But Activision could have easily avoided this mini controversy if it took a little bit of time and evaluated how it utilizes the likenesses of rock icons in Guitar Hero. What they have been doing for years is simply paying for the rights for a familiar skin on their 3D models. Like many record companies, they viewed the rock artist as something that can be replicated for profits.

And they were right for a long time. But when they tried to copy the unmimicable anti-rockstar, Kurt Cobain, it blew up in their faces. Nirvana was a revolutionary band, and they forgot that. In many fans’ eyes, Cobain was more than a rock star, his music sparked a culture and way of life.

Oh, and then there’s the fact that Cobain’s suicide note states that the pressure of performing and pretending to have a good time when he wasn’t was a driving factor in his decision to take his own life. That’s OK, Activision says, We’ll just create a digital Cobain to replace you when you’re gone who won’t have those issues and we can all still get rich.

Nirvana’s entrance into the national spotlight sounded the death knell of hair bands and power ballads and introduced the world to a new genre: Alternative Rock. Bands with flamboyant stage shows, finger-blistering guitar solos and crates of hairspray in the trailer, bands like Bon Jovi and Van Halen, lost prominence as the teens began dressing in flannel shirts and baggy pants and listening to “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Cobain’s music was darker, moodier. It was the antithesis of the excess and corporate feel of every pop and pop-rock band from the 1980s. His songs were about conformity, apathy, societal contradictions, love and codependency. Cobain was very much against the macho man image, and even wrote songs like “In Bloom” that point out the irony of a “macho guy” listening to Nirvana because they were popular yet not understanding the meaning of their music.

“He’s the one
Who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he knows not what it means
Knows not what it means
when I say”
-In Bloom

Guitar Hero, Activision and Neversoft exemplify the irony in that song. This is where that little pit in your stomach comes from when you see Cobain’s image belting out “Shot through the heart, and you’re too blame, baby you give love a bad name,” while an adoring crowd sings along.

The Beatles: Rock Band

The most interesting part of the whole situation is the timing. This comes out at the same time when Guitar Hero’s rival, Rock Band, released an entire rhythm game based on The Beatles to critical acclaim.

Harmonix understood that they would be taking liberties with one of the world’s most cherished bands and went to deep lengths to make sure they paid sufficient reverence to the band. They ensured that the game was more than a quick money grabber by focusing on the Beatles, their music and their message. Harmonix didn’t try to force the Beatles into a Rock Band game… they tried to adapt Rock Band to accommodate The Beatles.

Neversoft and Activision, on the other hand, obviously didn’t put that much care into incorporating Cobain into Guitar Hero 5. It appears as if the Cobain avatar is just running through the same pre-programmed motions as the rest of the avatars in the game. There’s no consideration of his mannerisms, philosophy or his art. It’s cut and paste. There’s no context, and that’s a disservice to Cobain.

In the game he jumps around on stage like he is having the time of his life. In reality the pressure of performing and being the spokesperson for Generation X was too much for him to handle. Sure, Cobain wanted to be a rock star, but felt guilty when he realized that the greenness of the grass was highly overrated and he wasn’t enjoying his success as much as he should.

From his suicide note:
“I haven’t felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now. I feel guilty beyond words about these things.

For example, when we’re backstage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begin, it doesn’t affect me the way in which it did for Freddie Mercury, who seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd which is something I totally admire and envy. The fact is, I can’t fool you, any one of you. It simply isn’t fair to you or me. The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I’m having 100% fun.

Sometimes I feel as if I should have a punch-in time clock before I walk out on stage. I’ve tried everything within my power to appreciate it (and I do, God, believe me I do, but it’s not enough). I appreciate the fact that I and we have affected and entertained a lot of people. It must be one of those narcissists who only appreciate things when they’re gone. I’m too sensitive. I need to be slightly numb in order to regain the enthusiasms I once had as a child.”

Maybe this cut & paste tactic could have flown in earlier releases. But as more bands sign up for Guitar Hero and Rock Band as a new format to release their music the medium is becoming a more than just a game. As The Beatles: Rock Band shows, it’s about exposing people to music and art. It’s about interactively listening to music and paying more attention to the subtleties in the song.

But hell, maybe for Guitar Hero it is still only about making a buck. I guess this is the twelfth release within the franchise in four years, if that tells you something.

Activision, how about taking a couple years off and releasing DLC for existing games and spending more time in between titles? Do some soul searching. Figure out exactly where you want Guitar Hero’s place in our culture to be. Or is the franchise is going to end up being the next: “Now That’s What I Call Music #61.” A money maker, for sure, but void of any cultural relevance.

While I’ve been pretty harsh on Activision and Guitar Hero, surely Courtney Love has plenty of blame to share for this fiasco. I’m sure Activision was acting on good faith. Ignorant, maybe. But they didn’t wish to cause harm. Love signed some sort of agreement in the first place then obviously detached herself from the creative process if it took this long for her to make a fuss.

Why didn’t she catch this earlier in development and air her greivences then? On that note, why didn’t any of Activision’s employees pick up on this?

Let’s let surviving Nirvana band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl have the final word on this subject:

We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game. The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate – we have no control whatsoever in that area.

While we were aware of Kurt’s image being used with two Nirvana songs, we didn’t know players have the ability to unlock the character. This feature allows the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants. We urge Activision to do the right thing in “re-locking” Kurt’s character so that this won’t continue in the future.

It’s hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists’ music alongside cartoon characters. Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better.

-Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl

RIP Kurt.

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Wolfenstein 3D blazed the trail for id Software’s 1993 release of Doom, which took the gaming world by storm and cemented the genre’s place as a pillar of video game design. While the latest reimagining of the franchise is nowhere near as revolutionary as the original, it sticks close to the proven formula and delivers a fun, adrenaline-filled Nazi extermination experience.

Wolfenstein carries the franchise banner well. The player fills the shoes of OSA agent BJ Blazkowicz as he investigates Nazi occult research activity in the besieged town of Isenstadt during the height of World War II. But the first time you encounter an invisible blade-wielding Nazi assassin you will realize this is not your typical WWII shooter.

Along the way, he finds allies in the Kreisau Circle resistance movement and the secret Golden Dawn society as he battles Nazis in the streets and sewers of Isenstadt. The Kreisau Circle is fighting to liberate Isenstadt from Nazi control. The Nazis are investigating a mysterious energy called the Black Sun through occult archeological sites. The Golden Dawn is a secret society tasked with protecting humanity from the corrupting influence of the Black Sun. The story is uninspired, and the characters are forgettable. However, the marriage of Nazism and the occult provides a dramatic contrast to typical World War II shooters, which makes Wolfenstein, stand out in a saturated market.

Wolfenstein is not a strategic shooter, requiring the player to duck excessively behind cover and conserve ammunition, but is more in the “run and gun” school where you charge most enemies without much fear. There is also no need to search for health packs, as Blazkowicz regenerates health after taking cover for a moment.

Early in the game Blazkowicz attains a Thule medallion that grants him the ability to enter the “Veil.” The Veil is an overlay that casts the screen in a greenish tint that allows you to find hidden doors and ladders, and makes enemies, hazards and collectibles easier to see.

While in the Veil, Blazkowicz has access to super powers, including the ability to slow time, increased speed, a protective shield and increased attack power to the point where he can snipe enemies behind concrete walls. You initiate these powers with the directional pad, which seamlessly enhances combat.

Instead of a linear mission structure, the developers divided Isenstadt into three common areas from where the player can access the missions and even go back and replay missions to sniff out hidden items. The levels are still relatively linear, although the player has some choice in whether to tackle a Golden Dawn or Kreisau Circle mission first, or to take on a side mission.

Between levels, Blazkowicz has to shoot his way through the streets of Isenstadt to an allies’ safe house where he can accept another mission, or to the Black Market to purchase weapon upgrades. As you complete more missions, the enemies that populate Isenstadt become more advanced and aggressive, reminiscent of last year’s Prince of Persia.

A compass at the top of the screen that points to the next objective guides the player through the game. A map of the common area is accessible from the objectives menu, but it is impractical and of marginal utility because the path finding with the compass works so well.

Wolfenstein borrows heavily from some aspects of two-year old Bioshock. The story is somewhat narrated through collectibles dispersed throughout every level much like Bioshock. These pieces of “Intel” can communicate tactics on taking out Nazi defenses, unlock weapon upgrades or simply add flavor.

Additionally, Blazkowicz’s Veil powers are reminiscent of Bioshock’s genetic plasmid enhancements. However, where Bioshock waxed philosophical on economics and free will in a setting with personality, Wolfenstein simply tasks the player with killing Nazis in a drab, war-torn eastern European city.

Cut scenes are the other primary narrative device used in Wolfenstein. While the opening cinematic is jaw dropping, the quality of subsequent cut scenes never manages to top it.

Enhancing your favorite weapons at the black market is a necessity. Upgraded weapons are substantially more powerful than originals. In between headshots, Blazkowicz loots the occupied city for Nazi gold to trade to trade for upgrades. There is a limited amount of money in the game, and it is not enough to purchase every improvement, meaning players could have vastly different characters as they play through depending on their style and favorite weapon.

In addition to the single-player game, Wolfenstein offers a robust multiplayer mode. The multiplayer is class-based, meaning you will have to select between an engineer, medic or soldier, each adding to the team dynamic in a different way. Soldiers, of course, are combat specialists, while engineers handle explosives and medics can disperse first-aid pack to teammates.

Borrowing from the Call of Duty model, every action in multiplayer earns money, which you can spend on upgrading your weapons and abilities in multiplayer. While Call of Duty does not stand a chance at being knocked off its multiplayer throne by Wolfenstein, upgrading and tailoring your character is addicting while the extra dimension of Veil powers creates a distinct multiplayer experience.

The developers at id Software, Raven Software and Endrant Studios, who all collaborated on the project, successfully blended old-school shooter action with several more recent conventions in the genre to create a modern game that remembers its roots.

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Alex Mercer is Prototype’s protagonist. In the beginning of the game, he awakens in a morgue, about to undergo an autopsy. He flees, only to be riddled with bullets and escape again by jumping 20 feet over a fence. Mercer must discover why he has these newfound abilities by piecing together his forgotten past.

He discovers his city falling apart. A mysterious plague has infected the populace, turning citizens into zombiesque monsters connected to a hive mind. Bioresearch firm GENTEK is somehow involved, and a covert biowarfare military unit called Blackwatch is determined to stop the diseases’ spread even if it means killing everyone in Manhattan.

The story unfolds through cinematic cut scenes and a puzzle of memories called the Web of Intrigue. Much of the story is narrated by Mercer to a mysterious third party on the 18^th day of the infection, with the player taking control of the past.

Amnesiatic protagonists are cliché in the gaming world, but Mercer’s method of remembering his past forgives this sin. The way Mercer unlocks memories is grotesque. He literally extends his tentacles into an individual, rips them apart and consumes them to display a short cut scene. There are 131 people walking around the game world with a piece of the conspiracy in their that can help unlock the story’s mysteries.

Consuming a pedestrian or enemy is also how Mercer replenishes health, learns some skills and assumes their form. Mercer is a shape shifter, which adds a stealth element to this action-heavy title. He can blend into the crowd to lose enemies, or disguise himself as a soldier to gain access to a military base.

The stealth mechanic requires a major suspension of belief, but a necessary one to maintain the fast-paced action. For example, the military know they are looking for a shape-shifting superhuman, yet if they see you disguised as a random pedestrian or fellow soldier jump 30 feet in the air, glide and then run up the side of a skyscraper they don’t bat an eye.

Getting around the city is delightfully liberating. Mercer has super speed, can run up the side of buildings, jump three stories and glide on the air. This is particularly helpful when being pursued by angry Marines in helicopters, making it effortless to travel the New York rooftops.

Prototype is a brutal game, and Mercer is no hero. He does not care how many civilians are killed on his path to vengeance. In fact, the game rewards players for killing in the form of evolution points. This creates a disconnect between the Mercer you want to root for in the cut scenes, and the homicidal maniac you play in the game. This detachment is even more pronounced than in other games with this problem, such as Grand Theft Auto.

Evolution points are spent to upgrade Mercer’s abilities, and are earned liberally. Improvements include new attacks, new ways to view the world, new ways to get around and protective powers like armor. Although Mercer can pick up and use enemy weapons, his shape-shifting abilities provide a much more interesting method of dispatching foes. He can grow Wolverine-style claws from his hands, turn his fists into giant hammers or morph his entire arm into a blade or into whip like tendrils. His attacks are devastating, often hewing an opponent in two. That this is not a game for children doesn’t even need to be said at this point.

Melee battles are messy and chaotic. It is a good thing Mercer can take a lot of damage, because Prototype throws waves of enemies at you. The camera can sometimes be an additional foe, providing horrible views particularly when you fight too close to a wall.

If Mercer didn’t have enough ways to create havoc, he can also commandeer enemy tanks and helicopters. Jumping on the back of a helicopter, making your way to the door and consuming the pilot is one of the most rewarding experiences in the game.

The main story has more than 30 missions, and with tons of side missions this game could keep you occupied for a couple dozen hours, longer yet if you attempt to find all the hidden content and memories. The story missions have a great balance, straddling that fine line between challenging and frustrating. The side missions are mostly the standard combat and time trial fare, but a lack of innovation here does not impede their enjoyment.

What the graphics lack in detail they make up for in scale. Dozens of vehicles and seemingly hundreds of people can be on the screen at a time. Vehicles realistically swerve, skid and crash when approaching street battles. Citizens hysterically run away from you and the infected monsters. The combined effect presents a city gripped in fear at the violence playing out on its streets.

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