When Kelly and I purchased our house a few years ago, the yard was a massive sea of green perfection. After years of neglect, it now doubles as a weed garden. Being the lazy bum that I always aspired to be, I refused to do anything about the lawn problem until my neighbors said something about it. Don't think poorly of them. They had the right to speak up. My yard looks awful, and is the source of disease. My weeds are popping up all across the neighborhood. You probably know where I'm going with this story. I spent most of my weekend pulling up dandelions, thorny monstrosities, and an underground root system that apparently feeds all of the evil growth. My game time took a major hit. I did manage to complete Spec Ops: The Line, but didn't have the chance to jump back into Dragon's Dogma, or venture into Resonance for the first time. The bad news: I still have three days of lawn work ahead of me. Never procrastinate lawn work! You'll pay for it later.


Spec Ops: The Line – Xbox 360
Do yourself a favor: Crank the game up to the “Suicide Mission” difficulty setting. I wasn’t enjoying the game’s by-the-numbers combat scenarios until I made them a challenge. Suicide Mission delivers a nice intensity, not to mention the need to lean on useful teammate tactics such as the flash-bang command. I also found that I could draw fire away from my location by telling my teammates to target different foes. Enemies read and react to their movement.

I was forced to make a few difficult moral choices along the way, but Spec Ops’ story really didn’t do much for me, especially with the final act unraveling and becoming an unbelievable stretch. The draw for me is the Dubai setting. Most of the interiors are lavishly detailed with golden statues, beautiful aquariums, and signs that the rich once lived like kings here. As the eye pans across these awe-inspiring sights, devastation and the effect the harsh climate has had on them is usually present. I wouldn’t say Spec Ops is a must-play game, but it is engaging from start to finish, and it does bring you into a world you haven’t experienced before. My score: 8 out of 10.


Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure – 3DS
The back of the box reads: “Raphael has a secret identity as Phantom R, a thief famous for stealing art and returning it without explanation. Will his life as a burglar help him unlock the secrets of his mysterious past or will his exploits end in capture?” Avoiding capture either means dancing or rhythmically timing stylus swipes to evade police. With a smartly written story, gorgeous animated sequences, a great variety in the music-based gameplay scenarios, and a hilarious dog sidekick, Rhythm Thief is a real treat so far. Think Professor Layton meets Space Channel 5.


Subway Surf – iPhone
I’m a sucker for endless runners. Subway Surf delivers exactly what you’d expect: Running and coin collecting. The one big difference is the inclusion of moving trains, which can create frantic darts from track to track.


The Walking Dead: Episode II – Xbox 360
I’m only 10 minutes into this second chapter and I’m already regretting a decision I made. I’ll just say this: I’m not a fan of high-school jocks. If a character is wearing a letter jacket in a video game and he or she needs my assistance, I’m either going to take my sweet time in assisting them, or will outright refuse to. Unfair people labeling aside, I didn’t expect chapter two to deliver such a high level of intensity out of the gate. My plan is to finish this game up before the weekend hits.