By Matthew Scott Hunter

‘Gears of War 3: RAAM’s Shadow’

(M)

***

Microsoft Game Studios

Xbox 360

The “Gears of War” trilogy may be over (at least until Microsoft decides it should be a “quadrilogy”), but, in the meantime, that doesn’t preclude a prequel or two. Our first dose of back story comes in the form of this downloadable expansion, “RAAM’s Shadow.” Attentive fans will recall that RAAM was the Locust Horde general and final boss of the original “Gears” game, who had a tendency to surround himself with those winged piranha known as Kryll. You and Zeta Squad are tasked with evacuating the city of Ilima before Kryll overtakes it. Having not yet hosted the devastation of the Locust Horde, Ilima doesn’t have the “Gears” games’ characteristic atmosphere of decay, and the cleaner-than-expected visuals are a pleasant surprise (at least for the brief period before the destruction begins). The game play, on the other hand, has no surprises.

Despite a smattering of enemy types from the later “Gears” games, “RAAM’s Shadow” plays very much like the original “Gears,” meaning you’ll be dividing your time between dodging berserkers and clearing grubs from emergence holes. The cover-based gameplay is as polished as ever, but if you’ve played any game in the trilogy, you know what to expect. You also have the option to play as RAAM, but it turns out he’s as overpowered as he was at the frustrating conclusion of the first game. Unable to run or take cover, he lumbers around, virtually invulnerable to attack, lopping the heads off nearby enemies and sending swarms of Kryll to devour the rest, which quickly becomes a morbid chore. If you’re looking for a fresh “Gears” experience, you’ll have to wait, but if you’re content with three more hours of the same, it’s a quick download away. CV

‘Duke Nukem Forever: The Doctor Who Cloned Me’

(M)

**1/2

2K Games

Xbox 360

Despite 14 years of development, “Duke Nukem Forever” was a massive disappointment, so it’d be foolish to expect much improvement in a mere six months. “The Doctor Who Cloned Me,” certainly doesn’t redeem “DNF’s” embarrassing missteps, but it does reduce them. The frustrating platforming and dull driving segments are kept to a minimum in this downloadable content, and the humor — while still immature — is less scatological. There’s even a decent parody of “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” So maybe, just maybe, Duke can grow up after all.

‘Scene It? Movie Night’

(T)

***1/2

Sarbakan Inc.

Xbox Live Arcade

Without all the bells and whistles of recent retail versions of the game, the Xbox Live Arcade version of “Scene It?” is most like the original DVD version. It’s a bit barebones for a video game, but still perfect for a night of raucous movie trivia with your film aficionado friends. And thanks to questions that test your memory of the clip that just played rather than your overall movie knowledge, you don’t have to be a cinephile to rack up points. You’ll burn through all the content after a few hours, but in the meantime, you’ll have your knowledge of classics like “The Terminator” and new films like “The Social Network” thoroughly tested.