Fallen Earth’s vision of the future is a bleak one. Horrific mutants roam the desolate plains, violent splinter groups worship computer AIs, and you must rummage through bags and scavenge junkyards if you intend to survive. Unfortunately, the postapocalyptic setting isn’t this ambitious massively multiplayer online game’s only harsh attribute: An array of troubling bugs, a steep learning curve, and dated visuals make playing occasionally seem more of a chore than a pleasure. Technical flaws and missing MMOG-standard features are as much a part of Fallen Earth as its warring factions and mutated chickens, so if you’re not the patient and forgiving type, you shouldn’t make this your next virtual home. It’s unfortunate that Fallen Earth’s exterior is so troubled because underneath it dwells a complex economy and oft-brilliant quest writing that draw you in despite the blemishes. These diamonds are invaluable, but the laborious task of mining for them can be exhausting.

The game’s setting is intriguing and unlike any other MMOG on the market. The American Southwest is the last known cradle of civilization after natural disasters and nuclear war devastate the planet, and it’s here that you’ll struggle against the mutated beasts and lawless brigands that threaten what’s left of humanity. You and other players are clones–able to regenerate in a LifeNet pod after each death. After a brief tutorial that introduces you to combat and interface basics, you find yourself in the middle of a meager desert town with only the barest essentials to help you scrape by. And it will take you a long time before you feel like you’re doing anything but scraping by. Fallen Earth is a harsh mistress. You spend your first hours trying to get your bearings, seeking help from your fellow players, and slowly determining how you are going to earn enough gambling chips (that is, money) to endure. It might take hours before you as much gain your first level or even find a way to buy a weapon or armor effective enough to protect you should you venture away from the cold comfort of your starting village.

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• Wide variety of tasks.

The animated film Planet 51 turns 1950′s sci-fi about Earth being invaded by little green men on its ear. Life on the titular planet very much resembles the stereotypical vision of 1950′s America, but the inhabitants are little green men (and women), and the alien invader is an American astronaut. It’s a charming concept, but a bland presentation and serious control issues turn what should be an enjoyable excursion to a pleasant alien world into an experience that even the most patient young players will find dull and frustrating.

You spend most of your time in Planet 51 playing as Lem, the young, eager Planet 51 inhabitant who befriends NASA astronaut (and alien invader) Chuck Baker. Unfortunately, the only movie footage employed by the game is in brief, wordless snippets, and the story the game tells is an incoherent one that players may have a hard time making sense of if they haven’t seen the film. The plot here is a paper-thin excuse to send Lem on all kinds of odd jobs, putting him to work as a paperboy, a courier, a dog catcher, a taxi driver, and a waiter, among other things. The flimsy story is disappointing, and these tasks, while varied, just aren’t much fun.

Most of your missions involve controlling a vehicle, so it’s vital that the driving be enjoyable. Unfortunately, it’s anything but fun. The cars in Planet 51 resemble classic cars of the 1950s, except that they’re round and hover a bit above the ground. This freedom from friction with the road means that in addition to accelerating, steering, and braking as cars do in any number of games, they can freely strafe from side to side and leap higher into the air for a few seconds to get over obstacles or other cars. Given that they’re floating cars, you might expect the handling to be a bit floaty, but it’s much too floaty. As you turn left and right by tilting the remote, it’s difficult to keep your vehicle under control, which is especially frustrating during the game’s many races. You jump by jerking the remote upward, but this is so sensitive that you’ll sometimes feel like you’re riding a wild, bucking horse and find yourself focusing on holding the remote still so as not to jump at an inopportune moment. Driving is at the very core of this game, and with such poor handling, everything else just falls apart.

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• Striking art design seamlessly mixes black and white with color
• Shooting action is fun and chaotic
• Perks system gives valuable rewards for being creative
• Freeplay targets are an interesting diversion.

Sean Devlin is one tough Irishman. A single Nazi bullet may have ended the life of his best friend, but the protagonist of The Saboteur isn’t going to succumb to death’s waiting embrace nearly as easily. He absorbs rounds of German artillery like a plant sucks in sunlight, exhibiting an uncanny ability to regenerate his health in a way that would make even Wolverine envious. Despite the 1940s trappings–the dreary setting, old-fashioned weaponry, and painfully familiar foe–The Saboteur has very little in common with World War II. The strange thing is, once you get over the obvious clash between the real war and this over-the-top portrayal, The Saboteur is a really good time. It may not make a lick of sense that you can single-handedly shoot your way through a burning zeppelin, or dispose of waves of angry Germans with careless ease, but it’s so much fun that the ridiculousness of these situations only adds to the enjoyment. If you can get over a few rough spots and put your real-world knowledge of World War II to the side for a while, The Saboteur is a goofy reenactment of some of history’s darkest days.

It’s a shame the story doesn’t mirror the devil-may-care nature of the action. The cutscenes drip with drama, documenting the terror the Nazis are exerting on Paris. Sean Devlin has a score to settle with the invading army. Sure, the city he calls home is occupied by aggressive forces, but his beef is much more personal than that. His best friend was killed, murdered before his eyes, by a high-ranking Nazi with no moral qualms holding him back from committing unmitigated atrocities. Each new cutscene brings with it dark news from the war front, adding fire to Sean’s quest for vengeance. Taken by itself, the story is well done, despite some visual discrepancies during the cutscenes. However, the overly dramatic tale serves to further highlight the jarring disconnect between the ridiculous action and the depressing reality. Unfortunately, even though the story goes out of its way to put a damper on the fun of rebellion carnage, it can’t even keep a straight face long enough for you to care about the horrific events being told. The characters act in predictably stereotypical ways, which makes it difficult to confuse them with real human beings. Sean Devlin may be upset when his best friend is killed before his eyes, but after making his 10th whiskey crack in just a few sentences, he becomes an Irish caricature.

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