In a burst of light Infamous sparks to life. I mean this quite literally. There is no start menu or title screen. Your only option is to press start and watch as a giant explosion rocks Empire City. You then take control of Cole who is in the middle of a lake of fire. This is one of the most memorable ways a video game has ever started. Your goal at this point is to guide Cole to safety while completing tutorial actions. You are then left with some questions. What caused this explosion, why is Cole still alive, and what will become of Empire City? If you choose to play Infamous you'll have a good time answering these questions.

Someone had a good Canada Day.

Yesterday we wrapped up our Top 30 NES soundtracks, as voted and ranked on by members of the shizz message board. As a quick follow-up, I'd like to offer a quick review of the list itself, and a link to download and enjoy all of the complete soundtracks in their entirety. One thing I'd like to mention is that our list isn't an attempt to be definitive. Any poll that is based on opinion is, of course, open to subjective opinions and arbitrary decisions. I do think the list has some aspects that serve both as strengths and weaknesses, which I would like to quickly highlight. Strength: A fairly small, but not too small, number of voters. -Only 44 people voted ...

#1 - Castlevania III (137 Votes) Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami (JP + US), Palcom (EU) Year: 1989 (JP), 1990 (US), 1992 (EU) AKA: Akumajou Densetsu Taking the #1 spot as our voters' all time favorite NES soundtrack is Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Having a score over two to three times the size of previous Castlevania titles, with a quality of sound that is refined, it is no surprise that Castlevania III stands as a favorite for many. CV3 opens with Prelude, an ominous and powerful track that likens itself to a more orchestral sound as the back story is introduced. The second track ...

"Good-Evil; The Soundtrack" is a weekly feature that showcases an editor's song pick complete with a small write-up and a YouTube video or streaming version of the song. This week's selection by Chuck is "Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal".

#2 - Mega Man 2 (125 Votes) - Developer, Publisher: Capcom Year: 1988 (JP), 1989 (US), 1990 (EU) AKA: RockMan 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo - Yesterday, Mega Man #3 was revealed as the #3 entry in our top 30 list. What I failed to mention was that it actually tied Mega Man 2 with 125 votes, and it was only by an arbitrary decision that they were to be divided in a tie-breaking round along with the rest of the ties. Take into consideration that the #4 spot only claimed 74 votes- It'd be one thing if all the ...

Earlier this week, Chuck gave us his impressions of the new Transformers film, and that was a fine time to review what Good-Evil had previously said about other related Transformers media.

#3 - Mega Man 3 (125 Votes) Developer, Publisher: Capcom Year: 1990 (JP + US), 1992 (EU) AKA: RockMan 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? Near the top of our list is Mega Man 3, reminding us that no matter who you ask, the Mega Man series is widely regarded as one of the top franchises for having the best NES music. The classic Mega Man formula should be familiar to most readers; pick one of 8 levels, in any order, defeat their respective bosses and then face a final gauntlet of stages. Each stage has its own theme, with which we associate the music ...

#4 - Contra (74 Votes) Developer, Publisher: Konami Year: 1988 (JP + US), 1990 (EU) AKA: Probotector (EU) Entering our list at #4 is Contra, a classic title which should need no introduction. Contra boasts some of the most remembered themes for the NES, like the Jungle stage, which cements its place this high in our top list. What Contra does with incredibly well is its Konami-esque approach to energetic and driving game music. Most of the stage themes, like Waterfall and Energy Zone, offer catchy, fast-paced riffs and rhythms that are highly memorable. This soundtrack also has an excellent ...

#5 - Ninja Gaiden II (74 Votes) Developer, Publisher: Tecmo Year: 1990 (JP + US), 1994 (EU) AKA: Ninja Ryuukenden II / Shadow Warriors II Personal anecdotes, for the most part, have been absent from the reviews in this Top 30 list. It's not that I haven't been offering opinion, but I prefer to speak factually whenever possible, leaving stories of nostalgia and personal history in the backseat for any details I find worth mentioning. So, as an advance warning, I deviate from the precedent here a little. To get this out of the way-- If you want to know what I think makes ...