Finger on the Trigger

Finger on the Trigger
When you need to blow off some steam by blowing shit up, try one of these shooters.

Left 4 Dead 2
Valve/EA/Steam (Xbox 360, PC)
A new team of four survivors fights an encroaching zombie apocalypse, taking on an even gorier onslaught across a number of Southern states. Lucky for you, there’s a slew of melee weapons to use against the undead if you run out of ammunition.

Good to know: The paths you’re required to take through each level are more difficult and the zombies are harder to kill,
so make sure you have your first-person-shooter skills down before you jump into an online battle.

Wet
Bethesda (Xbox 360, PS3)
We know a lot of people were not terribly impressed by Stranglehold, but we loved John Woo’s overuse of acrobatic moves and bullet time. Wet will treat you to more of the same. You step into the boots of the doublecrossed/out-for-blood beauty Rubi, who cuts down her enemies with her sword, her gun, or, if she’s feeling really nasty, by setting them on fire. All’s fair in love and war, right?

Good to know: This killer has many nimble moves and they’re mapped to intuitive controls. You won’t be left fumbling if you have to run up a wall to escape enemy fire.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Activision (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
This heralded franchise dragged us back to the trenches of World War II last year; after the welcome taste of modern combat in COD: MW, our spirits sank a little. But now, developers Infinity Ward return (they’re responsible for the great ones—COD, COD2, COD: MW), and we pick up where Modern Warfare left off. You’ll follow Sergeant MacTavish through Russia, strange castles, underwater worlds, and the slums of Brazil to take down a nationalist organization.

Good to know: You’ll be able to engage in an intense two-player co-op Special Ops mode, test your agility skills by ice-climbing in the Russian mountains, and use heartbeat monitors to detect your enemy’s fear.

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
Ubisoft (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC)
James Cameron has always been open to what tech developments mean to film making, so it’s no surprise that he’s embraced the 3-D format. Ubisoft’s team has been working with him on effects for his upcoming film, and simultaneously developing its 3-D game. We can’t give away too much about the plot, but we can say you’ll be able to play as either one of the Na’vi, the freakishly tall natives of Pandora, or as a military avatar traipsing through the deadly world and trying to claim the land for his own.

Good to know: Beyond the customizable characters lies a vast land to explore and some ridiculously cool flying machines, both living and mechanical.

Alpha Protocol
Sega (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
On the surface, this resembles a third-person shooter. There are lots of bullets flying, after all. But you can change the way your rogue CIA character plays by switching up his weapons, gadgets, and skills, so you get to decide whether or not you want to brawl; your alternative is to use your espionage skills to win.

Good to know: You’ll run into some seriously sexy women whom you can pair up with. Yes, pair up like that.

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Rockstar Games (Xbox 360)
GTA returns, sort of. This is a new episode continuing the storyline of GTA IV that we assume is intended to tide you over till the Rockstar team is ready to release GTA V. Here, you play the bodyguard of the nightlife king Tony Prince; you’ve got to protect him from the gangsters who want him dead. There’s more classic GTA action, with new weapons, vehicles, storyline, and multiplayer modes. We’re psyched about the return of the tank and explosive weapons.

Good to know: You get plenty of flamboyant action, but, sorry, no naked Lady Godiva.

Rogue Warrior
Bethesda (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Dick Marcinko is a badass former Navy SEAL who developed two counter terrorism units (and received 15 medals). This brutal third person shooter, which is based on Marcinko’s fictional stories, focuses on the visceral elements of war: using your trusty knife to slay your enemies up close, blowing up bridges, and taking down Russians with nasty melee maneuvers.

Good to know: Mickey Rourke voices the fictional version of Marcinko, which just seems totally perfect.