Looking for a new review? Here's my review of Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. Enjoy!

In the meantime...

In between my sessions of Quarrel and Bastion, while I wait for my copies of NeverDead and Soul Calibur V to arrive, I happily received my beta code for Gotham City Impostors, a quirky multiplayer shooter with more humor than you can shake a Batarang at.

But before I begin, this has been bothering me for a while. Is that really how you spell the title correctly? Ever since I played the Pokemon TCG in elementary school, I came across two ways to spell "imposter." Is it "impostEr" or "impostOr?" Gotham City Impostors spells it with an "O" while I've seen it spelled with an "E." Want some proof of my confusion? Here are visual comparisons of the first Pokemon TCG card to offer this debate:

WHICH ONE IS REAL?

Okay, okay, moving on. After a pretty tedious log-in, I associated myself with the tutorial and dived into my first match. Players take sides of Batman or The Joker while capturing gas machines in a constant tug-o-war. While gunning down opponents, capturing gas machines tips the scale in your team's favor, until one team earns enough energy to bring hell upon their opponents. Earning more gas machine control speeds up the process. Simple.

Of course, this really doesn't have much to do with Batman. In fact, aside from obtainable grapples, gliders, and the occasional Joker chatter over the intercom, Gotham City ImpostORS really doesn't do much with the license. It's more Team Fortress 2 than Arkham City. It's surreal seeing Bat….people running around gunning each other down with machine guns than sneaking up behind them and knocking them out.

By far, Gotham City ImpostORS is a competent shooter that seems to bridge the gap between full-on team play and lone wolf shooterfests. I was very surprised how much I was able to contribute to my team, even in the heat of battle. Though there are customizable loadouts, roles are kept to a solid minimum. Just grab a rifle and defend your side. It's simple enough to be accessible, but cooperative enough to keep friends and rivals on board. While roles are essential in games like Battlefield 3 and individual strength is a must in games like Modern Warfare, Gotham City Whatevers finds a good middle ground.

I found myself getting lost in the game for a solid period of time. Controls work well, especially the grapples, and there's a ton of goofiness in the game. Trampolines and air ducts are scattered across the maps, while occasional boosts in defense, speed, and such will randomly appear on the stage for lucky battlers to claim. I'm tempted to change my motto on Xbox Live to "headshot tater tot," a wacky victory line in the game.

All in all, if you have access to the beta, you'll find a lot to love. It doesn't take itself seriously at all, but it's competent as a shooter, cooperative as a team game, and just open-ended enough to give lone wolves something to work for. If Team Fortress 2 isn't doing it for you, Gotham City Impostors is looking to be a fun downloadable diversion, however you decide to spell it.

Take care, everyone!