Left 4 Dead 2 does the sequel thing right. It takes the pseudo-random design that made the first game so replayable, expands it, and does so without sacrificing the original game’s feel. Add that to the franchise’s multiplayer excellence and a new narrative emphasis, and the only thing deeper than the smart FPS gameplay is the pool of zombie gore.

Fox News recently aired a segment where a panel of journalists discussed the sex scene in Mass Effect and its relationship to child rearing. The scene was described as, “full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex.” While the segment has already drawn criticism from the gamer community for uninformed pontification and general yellow journalism, Kotaku is reporting that EA has stepped up to the plate to defend the game:

[The journalists] have had zero experience with Mass Effect and are largely ignorant about videogames, the people who play them, and the ESRB system that governs their ratings and sales . . . The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

They go on to request a factual correction about the game’s content. Historically, whenever the ESRB or individual developers draw significant criticism in the media, they’re left to weather the bad publicity alone (or to try to make the best of infamy). It’s nice to see publishers actually standing behind the products from their developers, and by extension, the system designed to bring those developers’ work to market while ensuring that consumers are aware of its content.

With the degree of buzz surrounding the release of Valve’s Orange Box, it seems almost redundant to introduce one of its components: Portal. Nevertheless, amidst the hubbub about 5 high-profile games for $50, it’s easy to overlook the fact that these games can be purchased separately. Each game merits independent evaluation.