By Matthew Scott Hunter

‘NeverDead’

(M)

**

Konami

Xbox 360

In most games, it’s annoying when you die. In “NeverDead,” it’s annoying that you don’t. As Bryce Boltzman — a demonslayer with some of the worst one-liners this side of Duke Nukem — you are cursed with immortality. Of course, being immortal doesn’t make you indestructible. One nasty swipe at your extremities from an enemy, and you’ll have to gun him down whilst hopping on your one remaining leg. Take enough damage, and you’ll find yourself entirely dismembered, frantically rolling your decapitated head around the level in search of the rest of your anatomy. While initially amusing, this grisly gimmick quickly becomes a chore. After you’ve gotten stuck in a few cycles of being knocked to pieces the moment you’ve finished reassembling yourself, you’ll be longing for a good, old-fashioned death to return you to the previous checkpoint.

Aside from a few mildly clever puzzles that require you to do things like pull off your own head and toss it into an air duct, the gameplay of “NeverDead” consists entirely of third-person running and gunning, with a dash of “Devil May Cry” swordplay thrown in. Enemies emerge from obvious spawn points, and you must repetitively gun them down until they finally stop spawning and you’re permitted to move on. Interminably long boss fights that reward patience and stamina rather than skill and intelligence break up these generic encounters. You’re also given a very mortal A.I. partner to protect, but her personality is so bland that if she didn’t occasionally die, forcing you to replay a small section of the game, you could easily forget she was there. “NeverDead” is a run-of-the-mill shooter with a single cool idea, implemented in the most annoying way possible.

‘SoulCalibur V’

(T)

***1/2

Namco Bandai Games

Xbox 360

Namco Bandai’s weapons-based fighting franchise just got a lot more complicated. Borrowing a little inspiration from “Street Fighter,” “SoulCalibur V” has included a power meter that gradually fills over time. A portion of this meter can be used for parrying or enhancements of your existing attacks, or the whole thing can be used to unleash a devastating Brave Edge attack. Between these additions and the new Defense Breaker, which limits how often you can block, “SoulCalibur V” is a fighter that favors the aggressive player.

‘The Simpsons Arcade Game’

(E10+)

**

Konami

Xbox Live Arcade

I like to think I was a pretty smart kid, with refined and discriminating tastes, and then I play something I fondly remember, like “The Simpsons Arcade Game,” and I suddenly realize that in my youth, I was more Bart than Lisa. Four players assume the roles of Homer, Marge and the aforementioned children and brawl their way through Springfield, jumping, attacking and jump-attacking. Though the game is cameo-rich, none of the characters seem particularly in character. When did Smithers turn into a baby-snatching jewel thief? I also have fond memories of the similar “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” brawler Konami made around the same time. I shudder to think what that’s really like.