8/10

                        When I was in the 9^th grade at the end of the school year, me and my cousin Adam and his friend Sherrard all ran down the street yelling of that the Apocalypse was coming and to beware the Horsemen. Good times. Well now, instead of yelling, we now have the pleasure of being one of the Horsemen and may the gods have mercy upon those who cross our path. Darksiders follows the story of one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War, and his quest for vengeance. You see, someone decide to jump start the Apocalypse, thus causing the kingdoms of heaven and hell to start their centuries long war again. your called in to cause mayhem and chaos. Now, as much as it pains me to say this, Darksiders plays like a bloodier, more mature version of Zelda (yeah, I said it. Got a problem? Don’t care, you can go eat a dick, this is my review you asswipes). The combat style is unique and is that of most action genres. You have quick attack button, strong attack, jump, grab, etc. Now your main weapon is your sword. That soon expands to Death’s Scythe and a gauntlet. These are you main and secondary melee weapons. The scythe is great for area attacks against large groups of enemies, the gauntlet good for dealing massive damage to one specific target. The sword is basically all around, so by mixing this up with your other weapons helps add and extra layer of excitement and style to the game. You can launch a foe with your sword, jump up in the air, hit them with the gauntlet, and then finish them with the scythe, all with a few button clicks. But these aren’t your only tools. As you progress through the game, you get a glaive like weapon (The Elemental Crossblade), a gun (Mercy), a grappling hook (The Abyssal Chain) and a horn (The Earthtrembler). Utilizing these are key to getting through the game and after experimenting with them, you’ll find some that fit your playing style. And that’s another good thing about the game. Once you obtain a new item, the game allows you time to practice with it and get a feel for it. Some items you’ll find you will need more times then others, but everything gets used basically as you move through the story. Another thing the game implements along with the hack and slash is platforming and puzzles. At first most puzzles are pretty average (fans of the Zelda series will be able to wrap their brains around many of them and figure out what to do) but even so, most are still challenging and will make one sit and think for a good minute on how to solve it. But the puzzles aren’t the only thing that gets harder as the game goes on. Your enemies, which include the likes of angels and demons (more demons then anything) although similar, often begin to increase in size, number and strength. As before you faced mere grunts and larger grunts, the soon begin to carry shields and don armor. Others carry guns; some are just huge and can toss you across the room. Fear not, even if you think your weapons are no match, you have two secret weapons at your disposal. You have magical attacks, which can be purchased and upgraded via the Vulgrim shop (a demon who sells you goods). Think Ninja Gaiden’s ninpos. You must feel your wrath meter up to use these attacks. You also feel up your (I believe a second Wrath meter) to transform into your true form, a hulking demonic entity made of fire called your Wrath form (you know, for a guy named war, he sure is stuck on this whole wrath thing). Anyway, in this form, you are unstoppable. You slice through foes like butter and take no prisoners. The form even works on most bosses (I say most cause you have to defeat certain ones different ways). Now the boss fights are straight up incredible. No two bosses’ fight the same and each one is a new experience.  One last thing I would like to throw in before I wrap this up is that one other thing that was added to this game was War’s horse, Ruin. I enjoyed riding around and slaying my foes while on horseback, but a lot of the time you really don’t get to ride Ruin, so its kind of a let down that it wasn’t a bigger part of the game. But the game is solid, despite some camera problems and at least two weapons are kind of let downs. But this is a good solid game and a true gem to have in your game library if you’re a fan of Devil May Cry and Zelda. If you see it for about $35, I say pick it up. You can find it for about $40 brand new, totally worth it. Although a survival mode pitting you against waves of enemies would’ve been perfect for a game like this. I hope for a sequel that includes the ability to play as the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

PROS

1. Incredible character design and artwork. Mixing modern weaponry with new age technology does the game wonders. Especially love the looks of the demons and angels. The design for War and his horse was also superb.
2.  Challenging gameplay. No same strategy will work on the same enemy twice. Just when you think you’ve figured an easy way to kill a specific foe they become stronger. You’ll never feel overpowered or that the game is a cakewalk.
3. Incredible storyline. The endgame was also very nice and left way for a sequel.

CONS

1. The gun, Mercy, is incredibly underpowered. I don’t even know why it was included other then to give War a projectile weapon other then the Crossblade. Even when powered up all the way, the gun doesn’t do shit more then juggle enemies in the air. No real damage value other then to solve some puzzles
2. Camera often causes issues during gameplay, especially in small corridors. That and no way point system for the map. There were many a time where I couldn’t find my way around because I took a wrong turn thinking I was going the right way.
3. The final boss fight was very lackluster. All prior boss fights were challenging and kept me on my toes, especially the one where you fought yourself. But the final boss fight just seemed too easy and was quite disappointing. Here I’m thinking I’m going to have my ass handed to me on a silver platter and I basically ripped through the guy like tissue. What the hell?

                   7/10

                        Three years ago, during my wait for Halo 3, I took a trip to a happy little place called Rapture. Now Rapture was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a game. The entire city was underwater and held mysteries and wonders of all kinds. I enjoyed my stay at Rapture, despite how crazy certain individuals were. So imagine my delight when I found out I was going back. Bioshock 2 returns you to the underwater paradise known as Rapture, but there’s a twist. You return as one of the most terrifying foes one has ever come across in an FPS, The Big Daddy. Well, the first Big Daddy to be exact. You play as the prototype Big Daddy, the first of the series. The story follows that your quest of trials and tribulations of trying to get back your Lil Sister who was taken from you years ago.

As you begin the game, it allows you to play through a series of events that ultimately leads to you being put into a coma. It’s from here the real game begins as you are reawaken by forces beyond your understanding. All you know is that you’re alive and need to find your Lil Sister. Now, just as the protagonist in the first game began with his trusty Wrench, you’ll begin with the choice weapon of all Big Daddies, the Drill. And oh, is it a thing of beauty. You’ll bash, smack, and eviscerate any and all that stand in your path. But this doesn’t mean that the Drill is overpowered or broken. You will have to rely on other weapons you find throughout the game. These range from the River Gun, Shotgun, Machine Gun, Grenade Launcher, and Spear Gun (my personal fave). Each weapon can be upgraded and is essential to surviving the annals of Rapture.

Your foes not only range from your usual Splicers and fellow Big Daddy brethren (the newer models along with several of the prototypes such as yourself), you must also deal with Brute Splicers (who resemble a British version of the Tank from Left 4 Dead), and the deadliest of your new enemies, The Big Sisters. The Big Sisters are the exact opposite of you. You use a Drill, she uses twin blades on her arms; you’re slow and clumsy, she’s quick and nimble; you’re big, she’s fragile (you get the picture). They are not only hard to kill, but will send shivers up and down your spine when you hear their ear splitting wails, letting you know they are on the way to fight you. That and the fact they can use plasmids (genetic mutations that allow them to perform feats such as telekinesis and summon electric bolts from their hands, or passive abilities like increased health) makes them all difficult to defeat. But don’t worry because you can use plasmids as well.

Yes, the prototype Big Daddy has the ability to use plasmids. But it doesn’t stop there. All the plasmids have gotten a complete make over. Leveling up your favorite plasmids to their maximum allows you to do more damage then before and hold different characteristics. For instance, Level 3 allows you to charge the Electric Bolt and then release an intense stream of electricity that you can sweep the room with, shocking everyone and everything in its path, doing massive damage.  Level 3Telekinesis allows you to pick up small enemies and chuck them across the room like a certain Jedi (October 13^th, that’s all I’m saying). So the odds are kind of even, but you’re still in for one hell of a challenge.

As Big Daddy, your duty is to help Lil Sisters collect Adam (the currency used for plasmids, think the red orbs in God of War). The way you get a Lil Sister is by finding a fellow Big Daddy protecting a Lil Sister and killing him. Once he’s out of the way, you can choose to either A) Harvest her or B) Adopt her. Adopting her makes her your ward and thus sets out the finding Adam hunt. By pressing Y (Triangle on PS3 I would suppose) you’ll be given a trail to follow to a corpse for her to harvest. Now while she is doing this task, you must protect her from other Splicers who will try to attack her for the Adam.

At first this is hard, but as you progress you’ll figure out your own strategies for keeping them from her till she finishes her task. When she is done with the harvest (at which time you’re able to claim your spoils of war from your fallen victims of your onslaught protecting her), you are prompted to either Harvest or Pick her up. You repeat said process once again till the hunt is over. When this happens, you can take her to one of the tunnels they come out of, which you will be prompted (again) to Harvest her or Free her.

Let me explain Harvesting.  It’s not pretty and Lil Sisters die. This is why you are prompted again and again to harvest them (its like they want you to be evil) but doing this gets you more Adam. So it’s up to you what you do. I believe it doesn’t change the ending like it did in the first game. But this game tops its predecessor in all kinds of ways, but also falls kind of flat. Couple of small issues I have here and there, but overall, a wonderful game. The online multiplayer isn’t too shabby either. The way that plasmids are done is really well balanced and not over powered. There are also several game modes you can play with variations on capture the flag and territories. I think though the best feature of the online is the ability to become a Big Daddy and lay waste to your opponents; and you can choose your weapon and Plasmid layout. You can also unlock more plasmids by leveling up.  Bottom line, this is a great game and a great sequel, although at this point, I’m hoping this is the last in the series. I don’t think I could see a Bioshock 3.

PROS

1. Great gameplay. Kept the same mechanics that made the first one a classic and added to it.
2. Plasmids are back and better then ever. Love being able to shoot a beam of electricity and then smacking an enemy with my drill to finish him off.
3. Challenging end game. At times you may feel overwhelmed; but by using a plasmid you’re comfortable with, along with your best weapon, you will get through the trials and tribulations.

CONS

1. Story at times felt slow and mundane; it doesn’t pick up till the end of the game.
2. Game was very lackluster and I just didn’t feel the same feeling of excitement I did with the first one.
3. Wondering why the ability to play as a Big Sister wasn’t included or a Co-op Campaign.

                                     6/10

Jack Black is probably one of the funniest comedians slash singers there is out there. He and his group Tenacious D (not actually a group, just him and Kyle Gas) have tickled our funny bones for a few years now. Now, Jack has hit the holy grail of media:  video games. Brutal Legend tells the story of Eddie Riggs, a roadie who is transported to a medieval land of rock and roll. The game’s story is well done, focusing on a group of humans trying to rebel against the master of the land. At times, the story can lag a bit, but most of the time, some of the things that go on during the game are downright hilarious. One scene shows Riggs running hand in hand down a beach with his love interest killing foes in their path.  The game’s entertainment doesn’t stop there. The dialogue is unique and funny.

                   Despite all this, the main focus is the gameplay, which is varied and diverse. At first the game starts out as an average hack and slash, with a bit of driving on the side. The game itself is kind of open to the player from the beginning, save a few areas here and there. Other then that, the game has exploration, racing, and one of the main side features: an RTS element. Yeah, this game features an RTS game mode called Stage Battle. Gather fans (resources) and build up your base and army. The cool part about this is that Eddie can do a double team attack with all of them. To add to this even further, the RTS element is an online game mode that allows you to play against friends as one of three different factions each with their own unique units and generals. But that’s not enough. They also allow you to do guitar solos to apply buffs/de-buffs to your troops, or summon special allies or attacks. Either way, everything about this game is centered around rock and roll. There’s even guest appearances from famous names in rock (Ozzie Osbourne, the leader singer to Motorhead, etc.)

                   The game is fun and a delight to behold. Everything has to do with some kind of rock album or the music itself. Finding hidden slabs around the world unlocks more songs that you can listen to during the game or when you’re driving your Deuce. The Deuce is probably one of my favorite elements of this game. By upgrading it with Fire Tokens (the credit you receive in the game for completing missions and side missions) you can turn it into a certifiable machine of death. You can also use the tokens to buy new attacks and upgrade your axe. Yes, you wield an axe, along with a guitar. The guitar allows you to do magic attacks and perform solos that have certain effects depending on the solo.

                   To wrap this thing up, this game is definitely one of a kind. You don’t often get a game that has so many different elements thrown into it like this one. Usually one element overshadows the other, but not in this one. Bottom line, it’s an ok game. It isn’t short either. It’s a good way to kill time or if you’re looking for something different to play to take a break from your other games. If you can find it for a reasonable price (I say $35 the most you should pay for this brand new), it’s an ok title to have in your collection.

PROS

1. Great gameplay. Very challenging. Knowing what attacks and troops are best against certain enemies is key in completing your missions.
2. Hilarious Dialogue and awesome soundtrack. Every rock fan’s dream. Everything from heavy metal to punk.
3. A fresh take on the RTS element. Rather then sit back and order your troops around, you can actually jump into the fray and fight alongside your army.

CONS

1. Game can sometimes drag and story at times seems to crawl at a very slow pace. I don’t expect it to be fast, but felt like at times I was getting no where.
2. The fact you could not attack while in the air was a bit of a problem.
3. The last couple of missions kind of throw you through the gauntlet and then the final battle is incredibly easy; it was kind of a let down.

                                  6/10

                   Show of hands, how many people remembers the last 50 Cent game…….no one? Wow. Not really shocked, the last game was terrible by any standard, don’t care if you’re a fan of the rapper or not. So, why make a sequel some odd years later? The answer is simple, money. Which is a main focal point in his second game; Blood on The Sand (BOTS for short). The game starts out with 50 and fellow G-Unit members hosting a concert in Iraq? Or is it Afghanistan? Either way, its over in the middle east. After the concert, he goes to collect his payment only to be told by the guy who owes him that he doesn’t have his $10,000,000 (and you know 50 don’t play when it comes to his money). Instead, he is given a diamond encrusted skull for collateral. From there, you are attacked as you attempt to leave the city and your skull is stolen. From here, your journey begins to reclaim what is yours. And god have mercy on anyone that gets in your way. Now, the game play is similar to Gears of War, 3^rd person camera, cover system, and weapon choice. Weapon choice plays a big roll in this game. In the earlier levels, your weapons will take down basically anyone who gets in your way, but as you progress, you will find you have to by better weapons to take on your foes, as their difficulty in dying increases. But, how do you claim these weapons? Money, money, money. As you go throughout the game, you’ll find crates that you can break open to gather funds from. It will take awhile to get together enough cash for the better weapons, but if your patient and frugal enough, you’ll have the money in no time. I wasted most of my money on the counter kills. Simply put, you walk up to an enemy or when an enemy approaches you, you’ll be prompted to press B (for the PS3, I would assume you press O). You then play a small minigame where pressing the prompted button at the right time will result in a brutal, if not efficient take down. Now, this game also features a scoring system (to be honest, think of this game as a mix up of The Club and Gears of War) killing your enemies in unique ways or in a row will result in a bigger score, along with find cash, picking up ammo, finding hidden posters and shooting hidden targets. Doing this unlocks more things, such as music tracks you can listen to while playing the game (as you can guess, there all 50 Cent songs). Not saying this game is that well, it does have it flaws. The voice acting is terrible, there is no sprint button, and sometimes you’ll be killed and not know where the bullet came from. This problem is often solved by using Gangsta Vision (yes, you may roll your eyes now). Using this slows time down, allowing you to easily dispose of enemies. But it is not infinite. You must kill multiple enemies in a row in order to build up your meter. Doing this also turns your current choose of pistol into a mini explosion. Shoot an enemy and they will blow up. This can be used to help yourself get out of a sticky situation. Bottom line, this game is a hell of an improvement to his first game. But to be honest, for all the money 50 has, you think they could of tighten up the game a bit more. I wouldn’t drop $63.50 on this game, maybe $20, but that’s it, so if your looking for a game to pass the time, this is it. Rent it or borrow it from a friend though if you cant find it for less then $25.

PROS

1. Very good gameplay. Reminds me of The Club but feels like GOW at the same time. Definite improvement to his first game
2. Nice selection of weapons, from machine guns to rocket launchers.
3. Realistic gameplay (to a point) when under fire from rockets, you won’t be able to see through the smoke. The games AI makes you constantly stay on your toes.

CONS

1. Terrible voice acting. Would of preferred it if 50 kept his mouth shut throughout the game
2. Boss battles were very lackluster. All were you fighting a Gunship. And the rocket launcher available at the moment was not the best choice to fight them. Better have a full bar of your Gangsta Vision handy to beat these assholes.
3. The story was completely hectic. One moment your chasing this guy, the next your after this guy, WTF!?!?!? Pick a guy and go after him, not everyone and their grandma.

                          6/10

Back when I was about the age of 5, I saw a movie called Predator 2. I remember watching the movie and seeing the skull if a Xenomorph from the Alien movies. So as you may know, I’m a huge AVP fan. So when they announced an AVP game for the next gen consoles, I was excited and the game delivered my expectations. The game is an FPS and a darn good one at that. You have 3 campaigns to choose from: Xenomorph, Marine, and Predator. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. The Xenomorphs depend on their speed to inflict damage upon opponents on and offline (I’ll get to the online in a bit). They can climb any surface and run at incredible speeds and are able to see Predators when cloaked. The marines play like your average FPS soldier. You can a variety of weapons (your main one being a pistol) and two other slots you can use. You use flares to illiuminate the dark and radar to track your enemies. The Predator uses a variety of gadgets and is probably the most exciting character to play with through the entire game with. You must learn how to use the gadgets properly though, from the mask different views (infrared, alien radar) to the shoulder cannon, wrist blades, razor disc, and combi spear. All these weapons become available through the campaign as you play through. Now the campaign intercedes with each other, so the various stories intertwine. The campaign isn’t really that exciting as other FPS’s, but its just as good. Now, the online is where the game can truly shine. You have your average deathmatch to team deathmatch, so on so forth. I think the best mode is the Mixed species Team Death Match. Cause is some games, one species has the aadvanteage over others (mainly that of the Xenomorphs). Its easy for a group of players that are Xenomorphs to swarm another player, due to their speed. Either way, it’s a fun game that most fans of the series will truly enjoy. If your just looking for an FPS to past the time cause you don’t have COD or waiting for Halo: Reach, this will do. Other then that, I say the game is worth at least $30, but not $60.

PROS

1. Playing as the Different species is fun. Lets you experience how it is to be the Xeno’s and Predators. The Marine’s campaign gives you a sense of fear and keeps your trigger finger on edge in case a Xeno pops out of a vent.
2. Online mixed species match are fun and exciting.
3. Playing as the Predator is probably the funnest aspect of the game. Jumping from the ground to the top of the building, using the cloak and activating stealth kills.

CONS

1. Game can quickly get boring during the campaign, especially as the Aliens.
2. Online modes are on sided often times and hit detection sometimes glitches up. The update might of fixed this, but pales in comparison to other online titles
3. Was not able to play as the Predalien, Prateorian, or Queen Xenomorph. This is a big disappointment to me cause I believe playing as these 3 alone would be take the game to the next level.

                                                             10/10                                                                                          

          Pokemon silver was the first game I ever bought with my own money. I remember taking all the money I had saved up to get the game and walking in the rain to the mall just to get it. I must have went through at least 20 AAA batteries that first week (then I got smart when my cousin informed me of the battery charger back and the charger cable, that and having a Super Gameboy also helped) any who, I played that game till I had unlocked every secret and had leveled my team as high as I could get them. So you can imagine my excitement when Nintendo announce they were redoing Pokemon Silver and Gold for the Nintendo DS. Upon receiving the game, you get a Pokewalker. This device allows you to carry your pokemon around like the old Digimon keychain games. The Pokewalker registers each step you take, which in turn can be used for one of 3 things: To catch wild pokemon on the walker (your allowed 3 pokemon at a time), find items (same as the pokemon, only 3 at a time), and trade it in to unlock new areas in the pokewalker. This isn’t even the game itself. When you turn on the game, your be asked to go through the usual process (name, boy or girl, so on so forth). You then get to decide your pokemon, in which the real adventure beigns. Everything is just as the original game was, with a few additions. The menu is now on the bottom touch screen, making it breeze to access the menu. You can easily do everything on fly. Need to give an item to a pokemon? Couple touches of the stylus and the task is complete. The menu being on the touch screen just makes the game so much easier and quicker to access. That and the ability to backwards access your Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. This makes things even easier where before you had to wait a certain amount of time before you could trade or travel backwards to the previous game. But even with all this, the game is still fun and lets you relive the glory days of the original. To me, this is the perfect pokemon game. So if you want to relive the days of glory, pick this up, its well worth the time you out into it (just don’t ignore your girlfriend or wife too much or let your dog get a hold of it *cough* Justin). Other then that, this game is just as good as the originals, if not better.

PROS

1.    Same pokemon game. New graphics. The graphical power is 100x better then the original game.\

2.    The ability to create your own Safari Zone and be able to trade created zones with friends is truly a welcomed addition. That and the fact you can capture certain pokemon that would usually require one to buy older games and put in time catching them makes it just as much better.

3.    The option of saving your fights with your friends to watch later finally allows one to truly have bragging rights.

4.    The pokeathlon brings back the glory days of the Pokemon Stadium mini games. These are truly fun to play with a group of friends.

CONS

1.    The game can become truly challenging after defeating the Gym Leaders of Kanto. If your team is not up to par, the Elite Four will end you instantly. And even if you somehow make it pass them, the Pokemon League Champion will also destroy you. So in short, you better be a true Pokemon Master to truly beat this game (ps, fighting Ash at the end is nothing like it was in the original. He is 100x more tougher this time round).

2.    The absence of the Underground tunnels. This was featured in the previous games is a real let down. Not only could you find items that are rare in the actual game, but it also allowed the availability to get evolution stones and heart scales. I suggest you hold on to your copy of Pearl, Diamond, or Platinum for this.

3.    As I mentioned in the above, having one of the previous games greatly helps when going through this game. Its almost required that you have one of the older games, just so you’re able to get certain items that are almost unattainable by regular means in this game.

    8/10

 Bayonetta was basically suppose to be like Devil May Cry. The only difference was that the main character was a female who carried guns on her feet and wrist. Yeah, you heard me. Guns on her feet. All for all, it’s a good solid game. When you first begin the game, you’ll notice the usual action game mechanics. The attack buttons are simple. One for kicks, one for punches. There’s a button for dodges, so on so forth. Now, this may make one say “sounds like an average game”, well, that’s where your wrong. By inputting various button commands and moving the left analog stick in various manners your able to pull of a variety of moves. Now let me tell you this now, almost all her movies are over the top crazy. From summoning giant fist to punch enemies to stomping on your foes with a giant heel. The assortment of moves and attacks that are at her disposal never cease to amaze one as they play the game. Often times with games like these, you spend to much time trying to figure out the button commands to appreciate the action. This game actually allows you to be able to look at the screen while these attacks take place. One of these attacks many will come to love is the torture attack. This attack alone can change the course of battle of greatly weaken your foe. Now, your foes are angels. Im not talking about biblical angels, but that of your Neon Evangaleon kind (wikipedia people, wikipedia). The angels more resemble birds and cyborgs. Often times you’ll have your average angel. Others times you’ll have to fight bigger enemies. Not matter the foe, Bayonetta has some type of over the top attack to take them down. Even the bosses. Oh the boss battles in this game is the stuff of legends. One minute you’ll be inside a Roman gladiator arena fighting a two headed dragon statue of sorts, the next you’ll be in the middle of the ocean surfing on a door of a place fighting a boss that looks like the transformers version of the Titanic. Whatever the level or situation, the game never ceases with the action or craziness it brings to the table. But be warned, this is a truly challenging game that many will often get frustrated with. But if you stick it out, you’ll get quite the experience playing Bayonetta and the story it offers. I mean, I don’t think the game is exactly $60, but $30 or $40 even and its well worth it. It will at least hold you over till you get the money to get God of War 3 or till your friend lets you play it.

PROS

1. Great gameplay and over the top action. Any fan of games such as Devil May Cry and God of War will appreciate the combat the game features.
2. Incredible graphics. Love the enemy art and the way the game represented them.
3. Some of the best boss battles ever. The battles themselves were incredible (it seemed as if each one outdid the one prior to it). And the execution sequence for each boss battle was truly a feast fort the eyes, especially for the ocean battle.

CONS

1. The acquisition of Halos (the currency in the game used to purchase upgrades and various other items) were a slow process that often times ended in frustration after having to spend on your hard earned cash on one specific item.
2. Some of the more powerful weapons could not be unlocked till one had either beaten the game or had accomplished certain task.
3. The game can become stale at times and really holds no replay value unless one wants to unlock all the weapons and extras of the game (which aren’t really worth the second playthrough). Unless you want a challenge.

     10/10

                                    Friends, family, loved ones.  Gather round. Mario has reclaimed his throne. He has returned in what I must call one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time. Gone are the 3D landscapes.  We have gone back to the glory days of Mario. To the dawn of games. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is one of the best games ever. Where do I begin? Lets start with the story. It’s the same as usual. Mario and Luigi must yet again rescue Princess Daisy from the hands of Bower’s children. I know the plot sounds like that of Super Mario World, but that’s where the genius of the game comes in. This Mario combines all previous Mario’s into one game and then makes it work. This game is truly a Mario fan’s dream come true. The usual array of power ups make their return (alas no cape, leaf, toad, or mega mushroom in this game though) along with three new power ups. The first is a helicopter suit that allows you to fly like one and descend slowly. The second is a penguin suit that allows you to slide on your belly across surfaces, traverse water with eases, and shoot snowballs, which allow you to freeze your enemies. The last is a ice flower that lets you shoot snowballs as well. Now when you enemy is frozen, you can pick them up and throw them at other enemies. That’s not the only thing you can do. You can also pick up another player and carry them throughout the level. This action is better put to work when the people who are playing the game work together, for it is needed to reach hidden coins and paths in each level. But that is another addition that this game adds on. Rather then take turns playing, the game is fully co-op with up to four players. This adds a frantic but fun spin on things as you all make your way through the game trying to save the princess. The levels are an array of nostalgia, from the sand level from Super Mario Bros. 3, the original first level, even the Boo House in each level, this game will have veteran players of the original reminiscing about the first time the beat Bowser or when they found the hidden 1-up on the first level. But that’s not the only thing that made a return. Yoshi is also included in the game in some levels. Only downside of this is once a level is complete, you lose Yoshi at the beginning of the next. Now, on to the boss’s. This game really sticks in the vein of Super Mario World by bringing back the eight castles in each world, heck the even bring back the Koopa Airship. Each castle has a different boss to face and is just as challenging as the next and no two boss fights are the same. Some play like they did in the original Super Mario World, others have a twist, like the entire stage being filled with water or having to run from a Giant Chain Chomp. This entire game is crammed with classic memories and chuck full of new ones. At the end of the day, this is probably one of the best Wii games to date, no matter how you look at it. This game is absolute gaming perfection.

PROS

1. This game is truly a gamers dream. This game is not to be taken lightly with its increasingly difficult levels. Only true veterans will be able to conquer this one.
2. The addition of co-op makes a huge difference. That and the bubble and carrying feature. Don’t think you can make it through one part of the level but your partner can? Hit the a button and a protective bubble forms around you and keeps you safe while you partner does traverses through the harder part. Also a great way to take a break without having to pause the game.
3. The final level and boss fight is a true test of platforming skills and gaming expertise. Just remember to duck when you can.

CONS

1. Co-op at times can be a bit hectic, especially with four people playing at once. You all must stay on the same screen or you’ll wind up killing your team mates (if you haven’t guessed, there was a lot of team killing during some gaming sessions.)
2. The difficulty of the game is not that for children. This game was crafted specifically for hardcore platformer fans. Especially the later levels. Not recommended for most children, they will break their Wii.
3. The fact the mega mushroom (allows you to turn into a giant and crush everything in your path) and the cape were not included really irks me.

   8/10

                        About two years ago, Assassins Creed one was released on next gen consoles.  The game quickly won over thousands of people with its unique style of gameplay and storytelling.  But alas, we were left with a cliffhanger at the end of the game.  And that is where the second one picks up, directly after the first game.  As you escape the facility that once imprisoned you, skills from the precious game are recalled and needed to get through the area.  Afterwards, the real game begins.  The main antagonist this time is Enzio (I can not pronounce or spell his last name, so bite me). His quest is not of redemption; like that of his predecessor, Altair.  No, no, Enzio is on a quest of revenge. How this comes about?  You’ll have to play the game and see (no spoilers for this one, it’s that good of a game). But as you begin to play AC2, you’ll notice that it’s an entire learning experience again.  The reason for this is due to the fact that Enzio does not have the training Altair had.  He is new and fresh to the world of the assassin, and so as he learns, so do you.  But this game doesn’t spoon feed you the whole time.  Instead it guides you as you go along and helps you acquire skills that are needed to traverse through the game.  And still with most of these hints and tips, the game is still quite challenging. At times, you’ll fell overwhelmed by the enemy AI and your little tricks from the first game won’ always work this time round.  Fortunately, you’re able to do a whole lot more and then some in AC2.  You’re now able to assassinate people while hanging on a ledge, while hiding in hay piles or roof top stands.  You can now hide your bodies so to avoid detection.  You can hire groups of allies to distract guards to give you access to certain areas with ease.  The amount of stuff crammed into this game is amazing, but it never once gets stale or repetitive.  And even when you’re not out assassinating your targets, there is a plethora of side missions to take in.  My two favorite are hunting down hidden glyphs that are throughout the game that contain puzzles that if solved will tell you more of the truth (trust me, find the glyphs, the truth will blow your mind for a loop). And the entering of the Assassin’s Tombs.  There are six in total and finding them all will allow you to unlock Altair’s armor.  The game also added a shop addition, where you can buy weapons and armor rather then receiving.  This helps mold your character into the play style your comfortable with.  If you want to counter more, some weapons are better then others, if you want more power, you have mace’s now (yes, basically every medieval weapon you can think of is in this game) and so on and so forth.  There is even a currency and real estate system in this game.  The designers pulled out all the stops in this title, even redoing the battle system.  Now, some enemies can not always be blocked, so you must rely on strafing and dodging as well in order to defeat soe of your tougher opponents.  Bottom line, this is a truly great game and out shines the first entry in the series.  At times, it can be frustrating, but if your willing to muck through the mundane parts and stick with it (it is gonna be awhile before you beat this game, but maybe that’s cause I hunted down all the view points and secret glyphs and tombs).  All I can say at the end of the day is; I can’t wait for Assassins Creed 3.  Where we gonna go next fellas?  Modern day?

PROS

1. Superb storytelling and gameplay. You’ll feel as if your actually there with Enzio the way the game plays out and the ending is a complete shocker.
2. Combat has been revamped and it does wonders.  You fight more smooth and fluidly and the AI challenges you constantly making you rethink your fighting strategy.
3. The final fight between you and the end boss is awesome.  A knockdown, dragout, bare knuckle fight.  Winner takes all!!!!!!!!!!

CONS

1. Camera angle can be irritating at times, especially if your making your way up a really high tower and cant see if there’s a ledge above you.
2. Controls at times can be too sensitive or non respondent.  Many a time I found my self jumping in a direction that I didn’t want to because of the slightest movement of my thumb.
3. The aiming system needs to be greatly improved, especially for the throwing knives and the gun.

       8/10

                        2 months.  That’s how long I’ve been playing this game.  Two months and I just finally beat it.  The longest I have played any game straight was the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and I was only on that for 3 weeks tops (I was stuck on the water temple the second week, go fig).  So, as you would guess, either I really suck at this game or it is that awesome.  The answer is the second.  This game is so deep and engrossing I don’t know where exactly to begin.  The story is based off the Final Fantasy lore of Cosmos and Chaos and their eternal battle against each other.  Each side picks a handful or warriors from different time periods in the Final Fantasy universe and let them wage war against each other.  Several favorites make their appearances in the game along with two surprise characters (the one I don’t know about, she’s kinda cocky and the other is force to be reckoned with).  Now, the combat system is similar to that of the Kingdom Hearts series, with a few minor tweaks.  You have two kinds of attacks, ones that attack your enemies HP and one that attacks their Bravery.  Now, Bravery is like your attack strength, the more you have, the stronger your attack.  You increase your Bravery in 3 different ways; either by attack your opponents Bravery thus giving you an increase in it, causing your opponent to break (this happens when you force your opponents Bravery to below zero), and by using summons (which I will get to in a bit).  Now each character has the signature favorites, plus some additional movies.  Finding a character that fits your playing style is crucial for mastering your game (my highest character is lvl. 71).  Now, this game follows the traditional Final Fantasy lore by allowing you to level up and equip armor and weapons.  You are also given accessories that range from giving you an additional boost depending on what your doing during that battle (for example: a 10% increase to attack for being above your opponent).  And then you also have your summons.  Now the summons wont come out and attack like they do in the original games.  Instead, they give you boost in bravery or cut your opponents bravery down or inflict other status effects.  Now, the way to getting all these items is by traveling through the story mode.  In this mode you will play through each of the heroes stories (sorry, no side story for the forces of evil, which sucks).  but even after you complete the main story, there are a plethora of things to unlock, including two hidden characters, a battle coliseum, and a whole bunch of other fun things that will keep you glued to this game for hours on end.  So, to close this review, this is one of the best games on the PSP to date.  I will admit, at times it can be frustrating so this game isn’t for everyone, but for those who sit down and give it the time and achieve beefing up that one character they use to decimate their foes with, it definitely worth the time. 

PROS

1.  Great story and plot.  Love seeing internal conflicts such as that of Cloud and Sephiroth or Tidus and Jecht.

2.  Incredibly smooth and tight game play.  Takes some getting use to, but once you figure out the controls and get your skills up, you’ll be on your way.

 3.  Love the EX attacks.  No two are the same and especially love how each character is unique in their own way.

 CONS

1.  Camera can be frustrating at times

 2.  The exclusion of a Story mode for the Warrior of Chaos.  Yeah, after beating the game you can play with them in some story modes, but one has to wonder why Square Enix left this out.  Leveling up the Warriors of chaos is a long and stressing task the kinda makes the game on sided when fighting the Warriors of light.

 3.  The final boss is cheap as hell and requires an incredible amount of patience and skill to beat (also a character at about lvl. 60 with really high defense and recovery).  Took me two weeks to beat him.  Almost made me take the game back.  Square made me really work for this one.

This is Nitsu’s review on Demon’s Souls for the PS3

Overall i give it a 9/10

Visually the game looks great it is a little dark which kinda messes with you and when some enemies just jump outta no where and attack you and you cant see them that is some crazy shit. Right now i still havnt completed the game im stuck in a spot where there are some flying stingrays that shoot spikes at you while your being attacked by skeletons and after you make it into the cave you have a grim reaper that summons shadowmen to attack and shoot eye lazers at you untill the reaper is dead dont get too close though he has his trusty scyth and magic attacks if you survive that you still  have the invisible shadow women to deal with and the only warning you get before they backstab you is a creepy laugh if you survive that you make it to another grim reaper and more shadowmen and women and if you make it trough them you get some slugs that squirt poison at you and floating lights that blow up needless to say im stuck at the moment… if you die you start at the last archstone you were at witch you get when you beat area bosses and all the enemies you killed on your first trip are back for some more and if you were in body form you become soul form only to lose half of your max health but you do more damage just try not to get hit.. wow i got off track there for a bit sorry. anyways back to the review… great visuals music track is pretty good if playing online you can team up with someone or they can invade your game to try and kill you more fun than it sounds if they come after you especially if you manage to kill them its like a slap in the face lots of replay value you can get a new game + which makes all the enemies harder to kill but your stronger at that time and any items you had plus your soul level carry over only things you lose are key items so overall a 9/10 good game for me to play great for the hardcore rpgers out there

9/10

Wolverine Origins is based off the Marvel comics movie of the same name. now I know most people have sat there and started to groan after what happened with the first Wolverine game; X2: Wolverine’s Revenge. But let me assure you, that this game gets it right. Even someone like me who hates Wolverine and believes he’s nothing more then a tool, have to give props to the creators of the game. The events of the game tie right in with the movie with some minor details altered here and there. The main story is that your on a quest for vengeance for the murder of the woman you loved. As you progress through the story you’ll flash back to 3 years prior to the present to see how the events in the game came to be the way they are. Now of course your gonna need some help progressing through the game, so let me introduce you to your new best friends; your claws. Just like Kratos wields the chains of fate with ease, as does Wolverine use his claws. You will use them to slice, shred, impale, and decapitate your foes over and over again throughout the game. Combat is standard, allowing for blocks and counters. That and thrown in your rage moves and you have a solid combat system that’s on par with such games like Devil May Cry or God of War. The only difference between the three is that you actually level up in Origins. As you gains levels (you do this by beating your enemies and defeating bosses) you’ll be given points that can be used to upgrade Wolverine further, such as enabling his claws to do more damage and speeding up regeneration time, which is another aspect I will get to in just a moment. As you level up, you’ll also unlock new attacks such as the claw spin (my personal fave) berserk mode, claw drill, and claw cyclone. All 4 of these moves can be used to help a tough situation easy, as you will see as you progress through out the game. But never fear about what damage you take. For Wolverine has his patent traditional regeneration mutant ability. This allows him to survive attacks that would kill or maim most people, but not Wolverine. Not to say you cant die in the game. You take enough damage and your internal organs will be vulnerable to damage. When this happens, you have one of two options: kill everything in the area before you die or run and take cover to you recuperate. That’s another thing about this game that does well is the graphics. As you start to take damage you will begin to see it take its wear on Wolverine. Every little bullet hole and blast will show up on your character with exact clarity. But your man Wolverine walks it all off with a smile on his face and a witty line. The variety of enemies in the game are wide and varied ranging from soldiers to robots. Don’t even get me started on the giant golems and mutated soldiers. And the boss battles are crazy also (crazy as in the scale of flying through the air from 50,000 ft). all in all, this is a terrific movie based game. I might not pay the $60 price tag. But die hard Wolverine fans will not be disappointed. A definite buy.

PROS

1. Incredible game play and probably one of the best movie based video games out there.

2. Incredible graphics, especially when doing special kills. Nothing like slicing off your opponents head in full HD.

3. The Sentinel boss battle is probably one of the craziest most thrilling boss fights I’ve played in a long time. From beginning to end, that is fight of the year in my book.

CONS

1. You have to pay 800pts for the Weapon X arena. Why isn’t this an unlockable?

2. No unlockable characters. The way the bosses played was like as if they were built of the same character engine. Really boggles me why Gambit nor Sabretooth were unlockables.

3. The story can get confusing at times and mundane, especially with the constant flashing back and forth to the past and then present.

Bosaka’s add on…. I can’t really add more to what b-man has written hear, what I would like to say is of all the games I have bought with my own loot this year this is my own personal game of the year!! And I know what folks will say and it dosen’t really matter to me, when Boe and I finished this game I ( as was he ) was sad that it was over! I love every thing about this game and have been serching for the next game that will be like this ever sence. I believe that the only game that will come close is ninja gaiden 2, but it is so hard that it kills the fun. With that being said I really enjoyed the gambit fight in this game it was my fav. Good job b-man

               9/10

                                                    Several Batman games have been released in the past.  From the NES to the Xbox, there has been a multitude of Batman games, but none of them truly captured the essence of Batman himself, until now.  Batman: Arkham Asylum is the newest comic book based game to come out for the next-gen consoles.  The game takes place on Arkham Asylum (hence the name), the known prison for Batman’s rouge gallery (wasn’t till after playing this game how big of a gallery that is.)  The story begins with you taking Joker to Arkham in the Batmobile.  After arriving at Arkham, you then gain control of Batman.  After going through a slow start in which the Joker breaks free of his constraints, the game thrusts you into one the 3 aspects, Free Flow Combat.  FFC (Free Flow Combat) consist of you using Batman’s fighting style to not only knock out, but stun and disarm your enemies.  At first your foes will use their fist or a lead pipe, but as the game progresses they’ll start using guns, stun rods, and knives.  Knowing how to use the FFC correctly will greatly improve your game.  Don’t worry though, its not hard to master, just takes practice.  The good thing about this is that FFC is very easy, but deep.  Depending on your play style, you’ll find that using it is a breeze.  Some might prefer the way of doing nothing but countering opponents and then performing a takedown (knockout attack) while others will enjoy flipping from one foe to the other kicking and punching and countering the occasional attack or two.  The buttons are set up as one attack button, one counter button, one stun button (which you use your cape for), and one gadget button.  Utilizing all these buttons are key to helping you progress later in the game.  Now on to the gadget (it wouldn’t be a Batman game without gadgets).  You have several gadgets at your disposal, some are available at the beginning of the game, others you unlock as the game progresses.  Either way, by the end you will have to master every one of your gadgets to solve puzzles and what not.  Which leads to the other aspects of the game: Predator and Detective mode.  Predator mode consist of you stalking your enemies.  You do this by sneaking up on them and performing silent takedowns, stringing them up from high places, and playing mind games with them. This is probably on of the most exciting aspects of the game.  I found nothing more hilarious then knock a guy out, having his buddies find his body and watching them start to panic as I picked them off one by one.  But as much of a cakewalk this is, as the game progresses, the Joker begins to up the ante setting booby traps that make you rethink your usual strategy of being stealthy (this game will constantly keep you on your toes, so stay sharp).  The last aspect, Detective Mode, requires you to investigate and solve puzzles.  This mode, plus the Predator mode require the same gadget to help you through these modes.  Enter your cowl’s Detective vision.  When activated, it reveals clues, enemy locations and stats such as armed or disarmed.  It shows trails left behind by your enemy’s or people that you must save.  At first it may seem annoying, but after awhile you’ll be thanking the creators for making this mode.  It helps you greatly with some of the tougher levels as the game goes on.  The story progression through the game is truly incredible and intriguing, revolving around a plot that The Joker is scheming.  Voice acting and character models are superb and the graphics rival that of Gears of War.  The end game is especially incredible, requiring you to use all your skills you have learned throughout the game.  And even when the game is done, you can explore Arkham looking for puzzles and clues left by the Riddler, which is aptly dubbed the Riddler’s Challenges.  These are not only fun, but require every bit of thought to solve each and everyone.  You will also need all your detective skills to find the Riddler’s Trophys and Riddler Symbols.  Another extra is challenge mode.  So even after you beat the main game, the is a plethora of extras to keep you visiting Arkham for weeks on end.  Bottom line, this game is solid gold and definitely worth buying.  A definite keeper.

PROS

1.  Great story and acting.  Best in video games to date.

2.  Incredible game play.  You will feel like your actually Batman as you use the batclaw, batarangs, and glide with your cape.

3.  Boss battles make the game memorable in ways that you can not imagine.  Enjoy the Scarecrow and Killer Croc levels.  The will f*** with you mentally.

CONS

1.  The button controls came sometimes be confusing, especially the A button (X button on the PS3).

2.  Wish there was a mini map in the corner.  Was a pain to have to pull up the map menu to find where you were and had to go.

3.  Was hoping for some unlockable characters for free play mode.  Would have killed to play as Nightwing or Hush.

         5/10

                                      Its been awhile since a Dragonball game was made for the Xbox.  Sure, the PS2 and Wii gets all the new ones, but the Xbox was left out (other then that horrible DBZ: Sagas).  But, low and behold, we now have DBZ: Burst Limit.  This game features the average fighting system featured in the previous Dragonball titles, but sports incredible cel-shaded graphics.  The game almost looks like an actual cartoon!  When you start, you’ll notice a very limited amount of options.  The first option you need to go to is training.  I repeat, complete every training mode or you will be murdered.  Trust me.  Training teaches you how to melee, shoot ki blast, transform, and do Aura Spark.  For those of you who haven’t figured out what that means, Aura Spark occurs by hitting the Spark button when you Ki (energy bar use to pull off attacks in the game and various other actions) is full (this will happen as the fight wears on by either attacking or just simply standing there).  After activating it, your given a brief moment of infinite Ki.  The only this bar will drain all the way is by performing and Ultimate Attack.  Other then that, doing regular super attacks (every character has two specific attacks) and also allows you to perform a pursuit attacks.  Pursuit attacks involve your character chasing your opponent at a high speeds while pummeling him the whole time.  You do this by pressing any of the 4 face button rapidly.  But you have to be fast, cause your opponent can defend by doing the same and vice versa.  If you win the pursuit mini-game, your character will either smack your opponent into the air or ground, depending on where you’re at.  Now other then that, the only thing Aura Spark does is increase your attack power.  But there are times where that’s not enough, so then you use your Ultimate Attack.  These can range from anything such as a really powerful energy attack to a meteor smash.  But be careful, cause a lot of these leave you open for an attack from your opponent, so timing is key.  That’s another thing about this game I can not stress enough: perfect timing.  If you excel at fighting games, this will be a cake walk for you.  For others, some skill is required, but after putting in an hour or two, you’ll be warping all over the screen just like in the show.  Which is another thing this game does well.  It sticks to the main plots of the show, and not the side ones.  Reliving certain moments via cut scenes are incredible and look like the actual cartoon, only crisper.  But then on the down side, some of the cut scenes are pointless and really have no meaning.  You’ll find yourself skipping a lot of these ones, as they take up so much time.  The game does feature an online and trial modes, such as survival, time attack, and the cell games (tournament).  The amount of fighters are okay, that being it’s the first game in this series. You’ll play with the main key figures that appear during the Saiyan, Frieza, and Cell sagas (yes, it stops at the Cell saga).  All in all, this is a very good title for the first game in this series.  If they just tweak a few things here are there, this will definitely be a contender with the Tenkaichi series.  Until something else comes out, this is all next gen consoles have in terms of a DBZ fighting game.  Worth $15 if you can find it in a bargain bin.

PROS

1.  Incredible graphics.  Looked and felt like I was playing the actual cartoon.  Epic moments that happen on the show look even better on HD with the cel-shading.

2.  Game is easy to learn, but takes skill to master.

3.  Loved the Bardock vs. Frieza fight.  Gave you an insight on what would have happened had he been defeated.

CONS

1.  Drama Pieces.  These items will mess a fight up time and time again.  Only a select few are useful, the rest are garbage.

2.  Online lags too much.  You’ll find yourself button mashing rather then actually fighting just to win due to this.

3.  Cut-Scenes and enemy A.I..  a lot of cut scenes are dumb and repetitive, and the A.I flip flops.  One minute the computer comes at you with everything, the next there easily beaten due to stupid mistakes, like attacking the wrong directions.  Games more frustrating then fun at times.

                  8/10

When I was little, there was a movie called Ghostbusters.  The movie did very well and spawned two cartoon series, a number games (8 bit, 16bit, arcade era) and a sequel to the original movie.  For years, fans have always wanted a third movie and there were rumors that one was in the works.  But, it was not a movie that was in the works.  It was a game.  A game that promised to end the curse of movie based video games.  But after being out of the spotlight for nearly  two decades, would Ghostbusters blast its way onto consoles or fizzle out?  Well, I for one can tell you this is the best movie based video game ever.  The Ghostbusters game plays just like it would if it were a movie.  Heck, I though I was playing a movie.  From the little one line jokes to the underlying serious tone of things, this game has a lot to offer to anyone who picks it up.  Picking up a couple of years after the second film, you begin the game as the newest Ghostbuster, a rookie if you will (that’s what you will be called throughout the game.)  I have only one small complaint about this:  you would think there would be some kind of character customization within the game, but the fact that this is missing doesn’t take away the games shine.  You begin in the firehouse, learning the ropes.  From here you catch your first ghost and learn some nifty tricks. Once you learn the ropes, you then receive your first mission.  Missions (for the most part) take place in familiar areas that were featured in the movies.    The game allows a limited amount of free roaming during and in between missions, but you truly feel a sense of realism, especially when traveling through such levels as the hotel and library.  Now as your progress through each area, you’ll come across certain enemies.  Most are in ghost form, while others take on humanoid forms via a collection of everyday objects.  From golems, gargoyles, heck even cherubs (yes, you fight cherubs in this game.  Laugh at them if you want, they will mess up your day.) The variety of enemies never really gets old.  Now, some of these enemies are hidden and require the use of your PKE meter. This tool of yours (along with the ghost trap and proton pack) will be one of your greatest assets throughout the game.  You use the PKE to scan, track, and discover all kinds of things in the game.  Proper usage of the PKE meter will make your time in the campaign much smoother.  The only drawback is that when you sprint while it’s equipped, you exit the scan screen till you stop running, so be careful when trying to scan certain enemies.  That and you can’t use your proton pack while your PKE is equipped (something I personally thought was ridiculous).  Now on to the Proton Pack.  This has to be the greatest aspect of the game itself.  You use it to blast, slam, and stun ghost (and everything else).  When you first get the pack, you start out with the Proton Beam, something you will need throughout the game.  But as you progress, you’ll then acquire other upgrades for your Proton Pack such as the Shock Wave Blast/Stasis Stream (and blue shotgun that does an incredible amount of damage and a blue stream that slows down enemies, sometimes completely freezing them) the Slime Gun/Slime Tether (shoots out green slime that does a considerable amount of damage to enemies and a stretchy rope that not only helps you solve certain puzzles but can also tie down some of your enemies) and the Messon Collider (a rapid energy projector that allow you to paint your targets making it so your shots follow them.)  By using these beams (which you upgrade with money you earn from capturing and defeating ghost) you’ll never run out of options on how to take down your enemies.   But even with all these weapons at your disposal, this game still isn’t a walk in the park.  Even after fully upgrading your weapons, you’ll find that none of them ever out does the other.  Some work better on one type of ghost then another one would, but before the games over, you will have to master all 4 upgrades in order to survive.  The game play itself is smooth and easy to learn.  By using a third person Gears of War style camera, you’re able to see everything that goes on around you.  Also, there is no HUD.  Your proton pack is your HUD, so I suggest you learn what each different light on it means.  There are a few moments of slow down here and there, but other then that, the game is fast paced and frantic.  Most people who’ve never played anything remotely close to this might wanna try casual difficulty, as in the experienced difficulty will test your skill to the fullest.  And don’t get me started on Professional.  But by beating these game modes, you’ll gain valuable training so you can go online.  Yes this game has online and is one of the best online multi-players for a game of this kind.  You and 3 other people can team up to play a number of modes such as survival, time limit, and annex (reference Gears of War).  Now I’m gonna tell you this now, this game is not short.  Not one bit.  So if you plan on picking this up and playing it, be prepared to be on for a while.  Bottom line, this is a very good game and is definitely worth its price.

PROS

1.  Great story and script.  Witty banter between NPC’s make the experience even more enjoyable.

2.  Incredible game play and graphics.  Nothing better then slamming ghost through tables, chairs, and everything else in your path.  In game physics are some of the best around.

3.  Incredibly challenging.  Never a dull moment.  From beginning to end, the game always keeps you on your toes.  Whether its battling Golems made out of books, to fighting off the Marshmallow Man, you won’t find this game getting dull anytime soon.

CONS

1.  During certain points of the game, you’ll find yourself stuck behind NPC’s and will have to basically wiggle your way pass them before they move.  What’s worse is that they always seem to stop in front of a door you have to go through.

2.  Alot of the enemies have cheap tactics and seem to spam their attacks when you fight them.  One example of this is the Stone Cherubs.  4 shots from them will kill you almost instantly.  The same goes for some boss fights, especially the second to last boss.

3.  No kind of map what so ever for this game.  I often found myself running in circles cause I didn’t know which way to go during certain parts of the game.  A map of some sorts would have helped eased this problem, especially in the hotel level and library levels.

7/10

.

  5/10

          Unknown to a lot of people, I am a die hard Dynasty Warriors fan.  Have been since the Dynasty Warriors 2.  I am also a Gundam fan.  So when they announced the first Dynasty Warriors Gundam, I was excited.  Got a hold of the game, played it, loved it, wanted a sequel.  I think Koei (the company that makes the Dynasty Warriors games) must have had my house bugged, cause sure enough, they made a sequel.  Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 is suppose to be better then its predecessor, but falls halfway there.  The first game supported only 19 Mobile Suits (MS’s).  This one has 62.  Yes, 62.  That may seem like a good thing, but its not.  Most of the new MS’s consist of mere grunt soldiers and a handful of MS’s from the other Gundam shows.  Out of all the new Gundams they have in the sequel, there are only five that are actually worth unlocking.  That’s right, 5.  Now your also wondering how can this be?  Well the developers broke their own rule.  In a statement during an interview, one developer was quoted saying, “We wanted to add MS’s from each Gundam series, but we were only allowed 2 per series.”  2?!  From the original Mobile Suit Gundam (the one that started it all) they have close to half the MS’s that ever appeared on the show.  What kinda crap is this?  Gundam Wing only has Wing Zero (wikipedia these names for reference for their pics) and Epyon.  G Gundam has Master and Burning Gundam.  The rest are from a mix up of Zeta Gundam, ZZ Gundam, and Gundam SEED.  How is it that they skip over two of the biggest Gundam shows and go straight for the others?  It’s a travesty.  But I’m trolling here, let me get back to my review.  Now the game is your basic hack and slash.  Your have your regular attack, charge attack, dash attack, and musou attack.  By combining your dash, regular, and charge attacks, you’ll be able to pull off combos that will help you against your enemies.  Each MS plays differently then other, so it might take awhile for you to find one that suits your playing style.  Now your musou attack is an ultimate attack.  You fill your musou meter when you take or deal damage.  Now there are 3 stages of your musou, each you must upgrade to (I’ll get to that in a minute.)  Some musou attacks do area damage, others do damage to one target.  How and when you use this attack is entirely up to you, but crucial to winning the game.  Now the upgrade system works two ways:  the first is that by defeating opponents, the pilot gains exp and upgrades automatically.  The second is by defeating generals (leaders of groups of enemies you fight.  Their MS’s posses the same attack abilities as yours, sometimes better) who you then acquire parts from.  Now sometimes you’ll get a part that will upgrade your MS to the next level, increase attack, defense, movement, etc.  Most of the time you won’t get these parts, you’ll get parts to other MS’s that you don’t have yet.  But, by getting these parts, you can unlock them to be unlocked.  Yeah, you have to get all the parts of the hidden MS’s just so then to be told you can now try to meet the requirements to unlock them.  And the confusion doesn’t stop there.  You have 3 playable modes.  Online, Official Mode, and Mission Mode.  Official Mode follows the storyline of each Gundam series, depending on who you pick.  Mission mode follows its on storyline (whatever that may be) and doesn’t really differ from who you pick.  Each mission’s enemies are randomized, although your objective remains the same.  Out of the two, I’d say the Official mode is the better of the duo.  Online is fun if you have a friend to play with.  Other then that your not missing much (and no, there is no online co-op.  Retarded, huh?)  Other then the 43 new MS’s (there were 19 total playable ones in the first) this game doesn’t really offer much more then the first game, say for the Giant MS’s that require time, skill, patience, and a decent level of MS to beat (due yourself a favor and beat them on easy mode till you get your MS up to par.)  All in all, this game is a severe disappointment compared to the first.  Honestly, I prefer the first over the second one.  This is Dynasty Warriors, which last time I checked, had like over 10 people per army.  Why can’t we get all 5 MS’s from  Gundam Wing and at least the top 5 MS’s from G-Gundam?  Koei, you fail.  You fail bad.

PROS

1.     Over 62 MS’s to play with.  Included in this line up is a new version of the Musha Gundam (see Wikipedia for reference) and Nu Gundam (also Wikipedia.)

2.     Official Mode lets you relive some of the greatest moments throughout the older Gundam history, from Chars and Armuro’s rivalry, to Char’s Counter Attack.

3.     You get to fight Dark Gundam.  Who wouldn’t want to take him on?

CONS

1.     Lack of memorable MS’s.  Where in the hell is Gundam Deathscythe Hell?

2.     Annoying voices and repeatidive dialouge.  At first its ok, but after hearing the characters repeat the same line over and over and over for 5 hours straight, you’ll really question your sanity.

3.     The upgrade system for the MS’s.  In order for my MS to get stronger, I have to repeatedly fight the same battles, over and over again and hope I get the part I need?  Should’ve stuck with the old upgrade system.

4.     Yes, there is a fourth one.  The first in AWG history.  The extra modes.  You access these via the mission mode.  Select your character and choose which mode you want to play.  How’s this bad?  Do you really feel like doing a mission that makes your friendship with one of the NPC’s stronger?  And at that, they don’t even give you parts or some kind of boost.  WTF?!  I would not suggest this game to no one.  Stick with the original.

  9/10

                                                5 years or so ago, Game Informer (the only game magazine that AWG refers to) had a cover story on a game called Prototype.  Hailing from the same studio that made Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, this game claimed to be a sandbox/action game like none other.  The game was originally slated to be released back in October and was to include multiplayer and other online modes.  Well, the release date got pushed back and the multiplayer got scrapped and the game seemed to be heading the way of the cancellation bin.  But , after waiting a few more months, Prototype was finally released.  Did the game live up to the hype?  The answer is yes, yes it did.  The game starts out describing everything that is happening and what is going on in the story.  You are then given a action filled tutorial that gives you a taste of what its like to be Alex Mercer (the game’s antihero if you will.)  after learning how to use some of your powers and the basic combat system (which is similar to that of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows) you are then placed back to the beginning of the game, where you begin your quest for the truth.  See, you’ve been changed into the ultimate Bio-Logical Weapon, capable of inhuman actions.  Be it from surviving a 500 story drop to being able to bench press cars and trucks like tissue paper.  But how and why you came upon these powers is a mystery to you.  It is then your quest to find out what happened to you and why.  Now to do this, you’ll need to make good use of your powers and use them to the fullest of your abilities.  You can run up the side of buildings, bound form rooftop to rooftop, and run at speeds that rival of most cars.  The area the story takes place (New York) is quite literally your playground.  If you see an area you want to reach or go to, you can most likely get to it.  Now some places require more work then others, but don’t worry, eventually they become easier thanks to EP (evolution points) that you gain by completing various task throughout the game.  These task come in the of story missions, side missions, etc.  Simply put, anything you do nets you EP.  The more dangerous the task, the more EP you get.  You then spend your EP in the upgrades menu.  Here you can upgrade anything from how fast you run to unlocking powers.  Now the powers are the bread and butter of the game.  Your powers range from the fast and efficient claws to the deadly and powerful blade.  Now I don’t wanna give a way all of the powers, lets just say all of them have their own uses throughout the game.  Now, even though you have the powers, your probably wondering how do you maintain your health, offense, and defense?  Well, the latter two are taking care of through the upgrade menu.  Your health is regenerated, but to a point.  The only other way to get health is to consume individuals, be it human (military or civilian) or infected (I’ll get to that in a minute.)  Consuming is the games main theme.  Anyone anywhere can be consumed.  Most of the people you consume give you health.  Others unlock nodes in the Web Of Intrigue. And then there are those that give you access to new abilities or areas that require certain traits (military generals get you into military bases.)  The web of intrigue is a net of info that explains what happened to you and how things came to be in the game.  In order to find out the truth, you’ll need to find every node.  But its not gonna be easy cause you have two enemies out to get you.  The military and the infected.  The military will call tanks, bazookas, helicopters, everything they have in their arsenal to try and take you and the infected out.  The infected consist of humans who have become infected by the same bio-weapon that gave you your abilities.  They come in ranges of not so strong (think zombies) to moderately strong (bigger zombies) to incredibly strong (really huge creatures that look like they’re straight outta a Silent Hill game) to downright absurd (as in grab anything you can and chuck at this mofo and hope it does some damage.)  Simply put, the city has 3 factions at war:  the military, the infected, and you.  Now the way the game is set up is that you’ll have to complete side missions that we’ll either have you fighting against or for each side.  Doing these side missions will net you additional EP.   With each main mission completed, you’ll find yourself closer to the truth.  In general, the game has a great story and a bunch of bonuses that are included.  The side missions are fun and a nice way of keeping the game fresh when you grow bored of doing the main quest (and you will get bored every now and then.)  There are also landmark and hint orbs scattered throughout the game that will give you additional EP by collecting them.  Now, I know your probably wondering if there’s anything bad to be said about this game and there is.  The camera at times will prove to be your greatest foe.  You’ll find yourself constantly trying to get a good angle at certain areas in the game, this becomes more frustrating when you have a multitude of enemies attacking you at once.  There is also the shortage of powers.  Unlike the PS3’s Infamous you only get 5 offensive powers, two defensive, and four other powers that include sight and camouflage.  The sight powers are only used twice throughout the whole game.  After that they’re both pretty useless. Wrapping this up, I must say I am very pleased with the final product.  For a game like this to do so well when so much had been cut out is a shock. Truly it is.  Even the vehicle controls (helicopter and tanks) are smooth and on par with that of most games that allow you to drive and shoot.  And they even give you a variety of tanks and helicopters (four of each) so that using them never gets stale (heck, you need them to make most missions easier.)    So to sum things up, I would definitely recommend this game to any action junkie.  The price is worth it.  Trust me.

PROS

1.     Great story.  Filled with so many plot twist, it’ll have you guessing what’s next.  And even when you beat the main game, there’s still more to find out.  Only by acquiring all the web of intrigue targets will you find the truth.

2.     Fluid and smooth game play.  Mercer hops over objects and runs up walls with ease.  No complex button commands needed, just hold the sprint button and pick a direction.  And if that’s too boring for you, grab a tank or helicopter and lay waste to all in your path.

3.     Challenging game play for the entire game.  You never become too powerful.  As you evolve, so does the enemy A.I.  Just when you think you’ve found a way to easily dispatch your enemies, they up the ante.  And if you think that’s challenging, try hard mode.  It is on par with that of Master Ninja on Ninja Gaiden 2.

CONS

1.     Limited amount of powers.  Most are fun and useful.  Others are completely redundant (infected vision?)

2.     Camera.  There will be times where you curse the gaming gods because of the camera.  Just take my advice and don’t get stuck in a corner fighting more then one Hunter.

3.     No multiplayer.  Everything else could be forgiven had this aspect been kept in the game.  Just imagining the amount of carnage that you could do is enough to make me want to drop my rating to 8/10.

Both these games are shaping up to be the biggest games this summer, but the question is:  WHO IS BETTER?  Many people say Infamous for its similarity to games like Crackdown and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.  Others prefer Prototype, with it being similar to the Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction game.  So, who would win and how do we settle this?  This week on AWG we will discuss and come up with a means to solve this problem.  For now, here’s the Tale of the Tape:

Infamous

Name: Cole

Age: 22-25

Height: 5’6” to 6’1”

Profession:  Bike Courier

Powers: The ability to manipulate electricity.

Backstory: Cole, a courier in Empire City, is told to deliver a package by an unknown customer, but when he arrives, he is told to open it, revealing a sphere-like device. It activates, causing a massive explosion that wipes out 6 city blocks, Cole being the only survivor. Empire City is put under quarantine, and without outside help, chaos quickly descends on the city. Cole, in the hospital under the care of his girlfriend Trish, recovers in about two weeks and discovers he has been infused with electricity-based powers.

Attacks:  Electric shield, Electric Grenade, and Electric Blades

Weaknesses: Water, areas with no electricity (this limits his powers)

Friends and Allies:  Zeke (best friend) and Trish (ex-girlfriend)

Prototype

Name: Alex Mercer

Age: ?????

Height: 5’9” to 6’6”

Profession: ???????

Powers:  The ability to modify his genetic code and absorb others memories and bio-matter.

Backstory:  Alex was an employee at GENTEK, a corporation centered on biotechnology, before the “incident” which took place 3 weeks before the start of the game.  Alex wakes up with amnesia in a morgue under the scalpels of two HAZMAT-suited scientists and escapes dazed into the city. He then begins to come to terms with his powers (including the ability to absorb memories – which is crucial to piecing together his own), and makes contact with his sister, Dana Mercer. Dana assists him in finding members of the conspiracy, which include government officials, military personnel and employees of bio-engineering firm GENTEK, where it is revealed Alex was previously employed.

Attacks: Bio-Blade, Bio-Shield, Bio-Tentacles

Weaknesses: Frequent use of powers drain life and can only absorb a certain amount of bio-matter at a time.

Friends and Allies:  Dana Mercer (little sister) and Karen Parker (love interest)

I have been a fan of the star ocean series since the begining. And this is no exception. Great game to ad to any Rpg Collection. Camera gets a little annoying at times but overall solid gameplay and Great story. Explains the way everything in the SO universe starts. I rate it a 8/10

Pros:

1. Battle system ease

2. Graphics and CG sequences

3. Story

Cons:

1. Main story to short

2. Camera Angles at times

3. Limited Invintory Space

So, this past Saturday I played two demos that left me wanting more.  Here’s my review on the two.

First was Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PS3.  This game was already hyped to be the best Batman game ever (how many Batman games were ever actually good one would ask) the question is will it live up to its hype?  Well, if the demo is anything like the game, it will be.  I only played a short fighting section of the game, but that was enough to hook me.  Batman’s movements are smooth and fluid.  This is no warping from one foe to another.  He either flips, dash, or glides to each opponent.  The controls for the fighting are tight and well thought.  Square is your basic attack, Triangle is to counter, Circle does a spinning move using your cape to stun your enemies, and X is used to flip or evade.  Now I know these controls might seem mundane, but this is only the fighting section of the game.  Supposedly the game is broken up into 3 parts: Fighting, Detective work, and Stealth.  I didn’t get to play the stealth or detective parts, but the fighting was incredible.  You attack and parry your foes with ease and grace.  At first it might seem hard, but after a few minutes it’ll become second nature to you.  Doing something like flipping over one bad guy only to kick another in the face and then parry a third wielding a metal pipe will be mere child’s play before you know it.  now the game isn’t easy.  You’ll have three difficulties: easy, medium, and insane.  Insane will test your knowledge of all your attacks and counters to the point of no return.  If this demo is any notion of how this games gonna be, then this will be one of the best games coming out this summer.

Now the second:

  When i first heard of Rock Band, i thought someone was trying to rip off Guitar Hero.  In a sense yes, but not quite.  You see, Rock Band uses guitars, drums, and microphones.  So you gotta wonder, how does a game like this play on a PSP?  The answer:  like a dream.  For someone who doesn’t know how to use the periphals necessary to play Rock Band and Guitar Hero, this game is perfect for me.  And you just don’t just play one instrument (you can choose to in certain modes) but all the instruments.  You’ll play bass, lead, drums, and singer.  How?  The game incorporates the same way of playing with a little twist: you have to switch between positions.  Each time you complete a phrase of a song, you switch to the next positions and repeat the process.  This adds a whole new level of skill needed to play this game. Personally, I can’t wait for it to come out.

Namauri’s Game of the month is…..

Ohhhh lightning >:D 9/10

INFAMOUS!!!! Ok most of us would love super powers lightning is one of the more populars now thanks to infamous. You start off as a character Cole who survived what looks like an atomic blast who soon masters such powers as using lightning (Emperor Palpitine Style), calling down a lightning storm(yes its bad ass), making a lightning shield, throwing sticky lightning grenades (i think some one played a little to much halo while developing the game :/), and biodraning enemies thru lightning. Overall the game has had a few glitches like finishing a mission and nothing happening like the game will not continue >.<. But my final verdict is the game is a solid 

Pros:
1. Cole’s climbing ability
2. Using the environment for kills and such
3. Well endowed aiming.
4. Powers Balanced Perfectally.
5. Excellent Story

Cons:
1. To many enemies
2. Insane accuracy and damage
3. Repetitiveness of fighting enemies
4. Power Development Cost
5. Lack Good and evil side missions and decisions

 3/10

                                    Terminator: Salvation is based off the movie.  The storyline of the game takes place before the beginning of the movie.  The plot is that your John Connor and after a botched recon mission, you receive a distress signal from a band of survivors that are stuck in a Skynet (the enemy you fight throughout the game) compound.  Your goal is to reach these men and get them home safely, while saving your own behind as well.  That’s the story of the game.  As you progress through it you’ll meet familiar faces from the movie also.  But that’s as good as it gets story wise.  The voice acting in the game sucks, along with the cutscenes.  I felt like I was playing a Japanese imported game with English subtitles.  And this is an American made game.  Now the gameplay itself is a straight Gears of War copy.  From the cover system to the carrying only two weapons at a time.  Good news is that you can carry two types of grenades.  Bad news is that doesn’t make up for everything else in the game.  Now the cover to cover system works well it terms of moving to each spot.  An indicator appears on your HUD when you push the left analog stick in the direction you wanna head, telling you whether or not you can take cover there.  But even this is a bit tweeked.  On more then one occasion I found myself killed because my character got stuck trying to take cover.  Now when your in cover you can blind fire or shoot manually.  This is actually done well.  Some may find they have to turn there sensitivity down to adapt to the frantic shooting, but this is the one thing the game actually does well.  Now the enemies you fight throughout he game are Wasp (mechanical aerial recon units), Spiders (mechanical patrolling ground units with four legs), Cycles (mechanical motorcycles), HK (Hunter Killers, giant aerial assault machine), of course the T-600 (mechanical humanoid).  And that’s it for the list of enemies.  That’s right, no boss fights, no giant tanks, just these 5 enemies.  Makes ya wanna cry, don’t it?  Well, on top of that, aside from the Wasp, none of these enemies are pushovers.  It takes at least a good 3 to 5 minutes to kill the Spiders if you don’t have any grenades and don’t get me started on killing a T-600.  All I got to say is that the Rocket Launcher and Grenade Launcher are your best friends.  Now the game itself is only about 9 levels long.  You start each level passing through checkpoints.  Before each checkpoint, you have to clear out the area of any machines that are present.  This is painfully frustrating in some parts of the game when you find you don’t have the right weapon to defeat your enemy.  So picking the right weapon and gathering enough ammo before moving to the next area is crucial throughout the game.  You’ll walk from place to place for most of the game (and I do mean walk.  There is no running/sprint button available) except on four different occasions.  Two of these occasions have manning a turret gun to protect your vehicle along with others.  One has you protecting a train, allowing you to use infinite rockets.  The last requires you to man the gun and rocket controls of a giant rolling tank/robot (see the beginning of Terminator 2 for reference).  The last two I mentioned are probably the most entertaining parts of the game.  Everything before and after pale in comparison.  Another note before I wrap this up is that this game can be played via Co-op.   I would only suggest playing this game with someone to torture them.  Bottom line, this game looked incredible during the previews and with the Terminator name on it, how can you go wrong?  The answer is yes, you can go wrong, especially after slapping a 59.99 price tag on this and calling it a video game.  Felt like I was playing my PS2.  in the end, I’d prefer the Sega Genesis’s T2 game over this one any day of the week.

PROS

1.     1.  Story.  Explains events that took place before the 4^th movie.

2.     2.  Nice variety of weapons.  From Assault Rifles to Pipe Bombs.

3.     3.  The train and tank segments give you some good old fashion blow up everything that moves fun.

CONS

1.     1.  The gameplay.  Blocky movements with patterned enemy A.I. made this game easy and difficult at the same time.

2.      2.  No sprint/run button.  If I was in a futuristic world ruled by killer robots, I think I would run when I spot them, not jog like I was in a park.

3.      3.  The game itself.  Felt like someone just slapped this thing together in less than a month and glued the Terminator name on it.  

       9/10

                    They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  I know that’s cliché, but really, they did make me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  When the first Godfather game came out, many people were skeptic about it.  The Godfather movie is one of the best movies there is out there, so to make a game based on it seemed like suicide.  In the end, it all worked out.  The first was one of the best sandbox games out there.  So, when a sequel was announced, I was kinda nervous.  See, as gamers everywhere know, sequels are not always good a thing.  Well, I can honestly say that this sequel is better then the first game.  In the first Godfather, your goal was to take over New York and work your way up in the family.  Now that was oodles of fun, but something seemed to be missing.  Well, this time around the creators found the missing element.  You were alone in the first game, in this one its all about the family, your family to be precise.  In the Godfather 2, you get the opportunity to start your own family.  Yeah, your still under Don Corleone, but you get to choose who you want to work for you.  This is well thought out as each member or soldier as they’re called has special abilities that range from medic, lockpick, bomber, engineer, bruiser, and arsonist.  Let me tell you from the beginning that a medic is a must in this game.  They are able to revive you if you die in battle, as long as you bring them with you are in the same area as them.  And all though you might think that you’ll only need this guy for the rest of the game, your far from wrong.  By the end of the game, you’ll need at least one of each skill set in your family.  But don’t worry, your able to teach your soldiers multiple skills (up to three max).  But that’s only for your under boss.  Your capos get two skills and your other soldiers get stuck with their original skills.  The good part about this game is that you can choose who to promote and upgrade.  You also upgrade yourself during this process, but that kinda falls short.  Your character itself (which you create at the beginning of the game but is named Dominic) can’t learn any of the skills your men have.  Yeah, you can do executions (which I will get to in a moment) but other then that, your just there to lead the troops.  But you don’t even have to be there to lead them.  How?  The Don’s View is your new pause menu.  It allows you to manage everything from your current location.  This menu is a 3D map of the world that allows you to either send your soldiers to capture, blow up, or defend a business.  From here you can also call in favors, upgrade soldiers, and check your stats and daily spendings.  I wish this feature was in more games, cause searching the map is a heck of a lot smoother.  Now, your probably like whats your goal in the game.  Plain and simple, to build your family and expand your criminal empire.  Doing this allows you to get different perks for you and yours.  Take over enough brothels and you’ll be charged less for guards.  Take over enough chop shops and you’ll gain access to the armored car (you’ll get this towards the end of the game) and so on and so forth.  Now, doing this is gonna take some work, thankfully you have your soldiers to back you up, along with your executions.  Executions can be activated with specific weapons when your enemy’s health is low enough.  These actions are violent, but effective to say the least, ensuring that your enemies stay down for good.  Bottom line, this game is a definite improvement on the first.  And with the addition of Xbox Live, makes this a definite buy.  I just hope if they do a third one, they keep the build a family option.

PROS

1.     1.  Build your own family.  You decide who you want to work for you.  You can customize your soldiers from what they wear to what weapon they carry and specialize in.  Before its over, your soldiers will be as strong as you.

2.     2.  Executions.  Some of the originals from the first make a return with some new ones that make killing enemies so much sweeter.  Try using the tire iron on someone when they’re on the knees or the bat on a enemy that’s stunned.

3.     3.  Location, location, location.  You’ll travel from New York, Florida, and Cuba in your quest to expand your empire. (Florida is the biggest place you’ll visit.)

Cons

1.     1.  You have to rely on your soldiers too often.  Many a time I couldn’t take a place over cause I had to get past a locked door or blow a hole in the wall and couldn’t because your character can’t learn any of these skills and because I had sent my men to take over another business while I went off on my own.

2.     2.  You’ll constantly get lost in some of the bigger buildings.  On more then one occasion I found myself on the opposite side of where I needed to be to destroy a compound or where the owner of the building was.  Sometimes you’ll get a way point to where your suppose to go, but most of the time your own your own.

3.     3.  Targeting gets screwy when your enemies are directly next to you.

So, now we have a Myspace page.  Look us up under:  afterworkgamers.

     8/10

As an avid and devote gamer, I’m up to try different types of games.  From an FPS that gets turned into a RTS (Halo Wars), to a game that usually uses ancient warriors as its players and substitutes them with giant futuristic mobile suits (Dynasty Warriors: Gundam).  But I’ve never played a game that was a parody of every action/shooter game out there.  Until now.  Eat Lead is a blast.  By far one of the funniest games I’ve ever played.  The story is about Matt Hazard, a videogame character that was around back when Mario first came out and steadily progressed through the ages as time went on.  Now, he’s fighting for his life against a guy who wants him permanently erased from games.  This is where the hilarity ensues.  When you first start the game, your are presented with a tutorial, which in turn gets you mocked by Matt.  I almost pissed myself cause I was laughing so hard from some of the things he says through this game. “How hard is it to learn to shoot?  Just aim and pull the trigger.”  “why can’t I just jump over this rail rather the run down the steps?  Hell, why don’t I have a jump button?”.  And then there’s my favorite, “sure keep shooting, the gun with magically reload itself.”  Now the game is a 3^rd person shooter with a cover base system that works very well (most of the time).  You have your average weapons, handgun, shotgun, and automatics (machine guns and AK-47’s if you will).  Now, even though most of the guns in the game are the same, you actually pick up some unique variations of each gun through out the game.  The reason for this is cause the game is constantly throwing different types of enemies at you when you least expect it.  One minute you might be facing butchers in a butcher shop, the next you’ll be fighting guys wearing paint ball gun gear using water guns.  Yes, water guns.  This game doesn’t stop with the jokes and reminds you every step of the way that its making fun of itself.  All in all, it’s a very funny a good game that is well done.  Couple complaints here and there, for instance the special system allows you to freeze and set you enemies on fire.  You do this by filling your upgrade bar by killing your enemies.  By there is the problem itself.  That’s the only powers you get.  Ice works well freezing your enemies on the spot, but fire isn’t as good, rarely killing your foes when you hit them with it.  But in the end, this is still a good game and I recommend it to any one whose a fan of actions and shooters that’s looking for a good laugh.  Who knows, with some DLC, this game might become a 9/10.  But I doubt it.

PROS

1.      Hilarious.  This game makes fun of every game genre that’s popular, even RPG’s.  “Why do the people who make RPG’s make the players sit through all this reading crap?”

2.      A variety of enemies  gives the game a challenging set of difficulty that you usually don’t see now a days.

3.      Weapon variety.  They give you everything from the wacky (water guns) to the powerful (plasma rifle).

CONS

1.      Clunky movements and controls make the game sometimes frustrating, especially when trying t take cover as your losing health.

2.      Aiming system could use some adjustment.  Tried tuning down my sensitivity, helped but didn’t fix the problem.

3.      Cover to cover system.  Works, but every now and then you’ll find yourself leaving cover when you’re trying to switch to another cover.

     3/10

    When I first heard of this game, I thought someone was yanking my chain.  The title itself sounds like one of those softcore porno’s that come one HBO at like 3am.  The title Onechanbara is translated as “big sister sword fighting”.  And that’s the main theme of the game, girls fighting with swords “except for one who uses guns”.  The main story revolves around two sisters with cursed blood and a company who wants to use the blood for their own evil intentions.  The story is very well done considering that it sounds like a plot from a B-movie.  The cutscenes aren’t that bad either.  The only problem with this game is that it is spoken in Japanese.  Don’t worry, there are English subtitles, but that kinda of where the story falls flat.  Most of the cutscenes involved reading, which to me is a big let down.  I don’t want to read what the characters are saying, I want to hear it.  Now once you get down with all this reading (which you can choose to skip, thank goodness) you get to play.  Now if your wondering what the gameplays like do this: take Dynasty Warriors, throw in zombies, mix them together and voila!  You have Onechanbara.  You main goal in the game is to hack your way through hordes of zombies, which at first isn’t many, but then increases in not only numbers but size.  But that also another bad thing, most of the enemies, bosses included, are the same.  Afterwhile you stop caring, but it really bugs one at first.  Now the fighting mechanics are kinda well thought out.  You have 3 basic attacks:  Sword, Kick, and Melee (throwing knives for one character).  By mixing these together, you can come up with various combos to punish your enemies.  While that seems all well and good, there are also quest you can complete throughout the game.  The quest range from defeating a certain number of zombies to performing one of the most difficult combos in the game (multiple times).  Even that trips itself up.  You might do exactly as the quest instructs, mess up on one little thing and have to start all over again.  Your reward for completing these quest?  Items to dress your character in.  Yeah, the game has a dress up option.  I swear, its like the Japs purposely intended for this game to be played by 12 to 15 year old males.  You can choose t have the girls where nothing but there undergarments, or various other costumes.  This all sounds well and good, but I personally don’t have the time to sit and play this game for hours on end for clothes for the characters.  All in all, this game is a crime upon itself.  From the $59.99 price tag, to the view mode (that is exactly what it sounds like, still no nudity) that you unlock by beating the game the first time round.  Onechanbara is a game that shouldn’t be bought even if you found it in the $1.99 bin at the game store.  Just like Bullet Witch, the same goes for this game:  Just cause it has hot girls with sexy costumes doesn’t make it a good idea.

PROS

1.     Good story.  The whole cursed blood and evil organization really pulls you in.  would make a good anime or manga.

2.     Draws you in.  You don’t know why your playing it, but you can’t stop playing it either.

3.     Finally, a game where I fight a Killer Zombie Whale.  Yes, you can finally “Kill Willy”.  LOL

CONS

1.     The gameplay itself.  Lots of glitches all over the place.  Constantly had to restart levels due to this problem

2.     Item system.  There was no way to purchase them.  You had to kill zombies and pray they dropped them so you could refill your life.  If that had added an item purchase feature, would’ve made it a 4/10 game.

3.     No nudity.  With a name like Bikini Samurai Slayers, you would think there’d be at least one nude scene.

       6/10

Wanted: Weapons of Fate (WWOF) is based off the movie Wanted, which is based of the comic (kinda creepy, ain’t it?)  Anyway, if you’ve seen the movie, the game picks up 3 months after the end of the movie (for those who haven’t, you officially have no life or your spouse controls your every decision).  The game starts out slow, focusing around mainly you and the secret your father took with him to the grave (reference the movie for the secret).  The game is basically your straight forward shooter, with a cover system similar to Gears of War.  This is a good and bad thing.  A lot of times I found myself leaving my cover when I wanted to switch to another one.  And the blindfire doesn’t work for s***.  I say out of the whole time I played this game, I’ve only killed 5 guys with blind fire.  But then again, blind fire isn’t the main focus of the game.  What is the main focus is eQm, Bullet Bending, and self accuracy.  Let me start with the eQm.  This feature allows you to slow time down as you switch covers, giving you more time to kill enemies.   This feature also doesn’t work as is.  You’ll find yourself trying to kill more then two and running out of time during this sequence.  But hey, if you wanna kill your enemies in a more artistic style, bullet bending is for you.  Now the bullet bending is the one thing this game got right.  It easy, seemless, and kills your enemies 90% of the time.  The other ten is either your foe had dumb luck, is really tough, dodges it, or is a boss.  Now the only thing that bullet bending does wrong is that it doesn’t lock on to your foe all the time.  This is also okay cause it allows you to bend it free aim style.  If your really skilled, you can kill multiple enemies with a single bullet (I’ve accomplished this at least twice).  But in order to use the features, you must obtain adrenaline, which you get from killing your enemies.  One dead bad guy equals one adrenaline.  You first begin with only one adrenaline sphere, but as you progress through the game, you acquire more.  After beating the game, you can unlock additional characters and the Killer difficulty level.  Other then that, the game has nothing else to offer, other then some witty dialogue.  But if your looking for something to play for like a week or so, this game will hold you over till something better (Prototype) comes out.

PROS

1.     Adds to the movie’s plotline.  For a game the continues after the movie, the story isn’t that bad.  Good even.

2.     Bullet Bending.  Nothing better then watching time slowdown as your bullet whips around the corner and kills an unsuspecting enemy.

3.     Funny as hell characters.  Especially loved Weslie’s dialogue with the Spider during their boss fight.

CONS

1.     Clunky movement.  Game should have been smooth and fluid.  But was instead stiff and robotic.

2.     Only two weapons out of the whole game.  You’re a super assassin.  You’d think you’d be able to use anything you get your hands on.

3.     No multiplayer.  Would have loved playing with people and bullet bending online.

        7/10

                        Resident Evil 5 (or RE5 if you will)  is the fifth installment in one of Capcom’s top game licenses (where’s Dino Crisis 4?!?).  if you’ve played any of the other RE games, you already know the storyline and the concept.  For those who haven’t, you play an elite international police officer (if you will) who is on a quest to stop a sinister corporation trying to sell bio-logical weapons to countries for purposes of terrorism and war.  Along the way, you’ll fight humans and creatures alike that have been affected with these weapons.  Some take on the normal human appearance, others mutate into grotesque creatures of massive proportions.  But, you need not worry, for you have a partner to back you up against your enemies.  The new co-op addition to the RE franchise was a concept taken from RE: Outbreak for the PS2.  here you can hop online and play the game with a friend or stranger.  If that’s not your thing, you can play split screen or solo.  Now I must say, my personal opinion is that this game is not to be played alone.  It is meant to be played with two players.  The A.I. of the computer controlling your partner constantly reminds of this fact when the repeatedly shoot you in the back.  But other then that the game itself is worth the price.  After beating the game itself, you can choose whether to go back in and play it on a harder difficulty, or opt for the Mercenaries mode that you unlock by beating the game itself.  This mode is a time attack mode where you must fight wave after wave of enemies while trying to keep your time going by finding either hidden clocks or killing certain enemies who drop them.  In addition to the recent DLC, RE5 is a game that’ll be in your disc tray for a good while.

PROS

1.      Good story.  Picks up where the last one left off and even ties in with the RE: Degeneration movie.  Fans of the series will have a lot of questions answered and will be very pleased with the ending

2.      Challenging gameplay.  Even vets of the series will find the normal mode challenging. I suggest easy mode for newcomers.

3.      Mercenaries mode is back and better then ever.  Also the new VS. and Survival mode add to the online fun.

CONS

1.      Too short.  Was kinda hoping the game would be longer like previous titles.  Can probably beat it in one days time if you really can sit there for about a good six or so hours.

2.      Partner A.I. is retarded.  Everytime you try to get some distance between you and an enemy, your computer controlled partner will run behind you and shoot you repeatedly in the back wasting precious ammo (and I do mean precious.)  even when you move the keep doing it.  WTF?!?!

3.      Not enough boss fights or different enemies.  Think of it like the bad guys in Ninja Gaiden.  Different appearance, extra attacks, but overall still the same enemy.

 9/10

          Back in October, Fallout 3 was released on the Xbox 360, PC, and PS3. Many long time fans were excited with this while others (such as my self) were skeptical of the supposed “ElderScrolls: Morrowind with guns” game. My wife bought me a copy of Fallout 3 for valentines day, so I figured I’d give it a try. The end result being a game with a rich and engrossing environment and story so great that I haven’t experienced since playing Halo 3 and Bioshock. From the moment your create your character and begin the game is like your literally living the life of a post-apocalyptic survivor. You fight off countless enemies, forage for food and supplies, and try to keep your items in top notch condition. The amount of realism in this game is staggering. At first, it kinda is slow paced, but before you know it you’ll be trekking across the wasteland that was once our nations capital on quest that range from saving innocent people to catching radiation (don’t ask). And while some of these quest will seem like a walk in the park, there not always that easy. When you first begin you’ll encounter ranimals that have been mutated by radiation. Soon, you’ll encounter raiders, then mercs, which are then replaced with giant bugs and super mutants. Before you know, you’ll be fighting Yaou Gai, Deathclaws, and Super Mutant Behemoths (the BAMFs of the game). Even with all these enemies, the game is never unfair. Often you’ll come across your enemies fighting each other, in which case you’ll have one of two options: Sit back and hide till one side wins or attack both sides. But this is just the first layer of the game. There our so many things about this game I could go on and on about, but I’ll talk about my two favorites: the PipBoy 3000 and Perks. The pip boy 3000 is everything you need, map and navigation tool, stat checker, and inventory. From here you can map out specificitems to specific buttons or change the color of the HUD. Without this item, you would be truly lost in this game. Now for the perks. Perks our special skills you can unlock and use throughout the game. They range from doing more damage with certain weapons to having animals fight for you (you’ll have to find that one out for yourself). All in all, this games most best feature is the V.AT.S. fighting system. With the V.A.T.S. you can choose what body part of an enemy you want to shoot, be it the current weapon in there hand to there leg so you can cripple them (try shooting a grenade while its in your enemies hand for a real show). The results of using the V.A.T.S. correctly will not only help you greatly progress in the game, but shows of the graphical powers of this game. There’s nothing more satisfying the watching your enemies head fly off from your bullet in slow-mo. Which brings me to my next point, Fallout 3 is not for the faint of heart and I do not recommend it to anyone under the age of 16. not saying is perfect, it has its flaws, but they are all forgotten while playing the game itself.

7/10                               

About 4 to 5 years ago, EA and Def Jam records released “Def Jam Fight for New York” on the Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube.  The game was a sequel to the cult hit Def Jam Vendetta.  Both games featured various rappers and other fighters which filled a pretty impressive roster.  FFNY (Fight For New York) was looked upon with a skeptical eye as in its game play had been changed from a mere wrestling game into a pure fighting game.  Many fans of the original (myself included) were very happy with the final product.  So when the PSP announced there own version of FFNY, dubbed The Takeover, I willing purchased the game, hoping to relive the good old days of stomping out the cpu and friends.  If you’ve played the first FFNY, then everything will come naturally to you.  But, EA decided to add some ideas that didn’t make the cut to first time round, and to be honest I kinda wish they did add some of the ideas.  You still create your fighter from scratch, training him to your own play style.  This time round though, you can choose to use different fighters later in the game while still gaining experience, which was a very nice refresher allowing some variety.  Two other additions that stood out were the mounted attacks and the ability to due your blaze move by just hitting the directional pad.  Late me start with the mounted attack.  Know when your opponent is down on the ground, you can get on top of him/her and rain blows on them, each blow increasing in damage.  Your able to reverse or escape.  But if you or your opponents health runs out, KO.  The one button blaze move allow for you instantly do your blaze move if you grab your opponent.  For instance, if you hit up on the directional pad and grab your opponent, your blaze move will commence immediately, giving your opponent no chance to counter.  But even with these additions, the game does have its flaws.  One the story lacks any kind of order.  Often you’ll just go to stage after stage till either a cutscene appears or till you receive a message telling you to go to a certain area.  That and sometimes the KO system doesn’t make sense.  You or your opponent will often have your health in the green and get knocked out and not know how or what happened, having your health still in the green.  All in all though, I really wish this had been the original FFNY and not a portable version.  All in all, if you liked the original, you love this one.  Just try to get some friends to buy a copy also so you can duke it out via Ad-Hoc.

Pros

1.     The addition of the mounted attack, along with the stun opponent grab give you a whole new level of attacks and ways to fight your opponent.  Also the ability to level up a fighting style up to 2 or 3x raises the create your own fighting style feature to higher levels (example: you can go Street Fighting, KickBoxer, Street Fighting).

2.     Difficulty isn’t too steep or hard.  Vets will probably set the difficulty to Hard for the challenge, but overall stimulating enough on normal.

3.     A new level Blaze move joins the infamous Window match and Subway Train.  The Barge allows you to throw your opponent in the same manner if their health is low enough, resulting in a one way ticket to Davey Jone’s Locker.

Cons

1.       No online play (technically).  Still cannot get online to fight opponents unless you have a friend or someone else in your vicinity who has a copy.

2.       No new blaze moves or fighting styles.  Some might be glad for this, but was kinda hoping for Drake’s Hackey Sack or Spyder’s Harlem Cartwheel.

3.       Story Mode is all over the place.  Ordered chaos is what I call.  Many a time fought mad people till a cutscene finally happened.  Also no new game modes.  Was hoping for a survival mode where you could post your stats online.

Due to technical difficulties and matters beyond our control, episode 6 was lost in a fight with the covenant forces, who in turn did not like my quirky commentary about how the UNSC forces in Halo Wars were better then the Covenant forces.  The Arbiter had this to say about my comments, “Puny human, I will squash you like the insect you are if you ever smear the name of the Great Journey ever again!”  His response, though very convincing, was met with a plasma grenade down his throat.  unfourtnately he was holding the original recording of last weeks show when his body was incinerated by the blast.  My bad.

  9/10                                  

About 3 weeks ago, Halo Wars came out for the Xbox 360. I was kinda skeptic at first (I mean come on, an FPS turned into an RTS? What were these guys smoking?) but I decided to give it a try, me being a fan of the Halo series. To be honest, I was completely surprised. The game plays better then any console RTS I’ve played in a long time. The controls are simple and easy to understand. You simply highlight the unit and/or building you want and open the menu up, which you then use the analog to choose your build. I like how all you buildings are in one area. No longer are the days of me flying around the map jumping from my barracks to my vehicle depot. On that note, the graphics are beautiful and superb. I can only imagine what it would look like in high def. There is also no trace of slowdown during gameplay like in most RTS’s. At one point, there were 10 or more Grizzly tanks on the screen and it didn’t skip a beat as they were attacking. The game is worth the 60 bucks, even without the maps. My suggestion to those who bought the game or plan on buying it for the maps, take my suggestion: why waste an extra 20 bucks on some maps that most of your friends won’t have?

Pros

1. Simplistic control scheme. No complex button commands or prompts. Novice players can easily get on and learn the ropes. The game isn’t hard to master, but isn’t easy either.2. Gameplay structure is very balanced and even. Every unit has another unit to counter it. Be it infantry, vehicle, or other you never get the feeling of being overpowered or that your opponent has an unfair advantage.

2.  Challenging campaign and great story.  Explains one of the many side tales of Halo lore.3.  Online is fun and plays smoothly.  No instances of slowdown or anything like that.  And be able to have 3 on 3 battles is amazingly fun to watch, let alone play.

Cons

1. The camera can sometimes be annoying. At certain times it was either too close or not close enough. Takes some getting use to.

2. Some of the units move slowly when grouped with each other. Found when grouping marines and warthogs together that the warthogs move at a slower pace from what they usually do with marines, making for tactics such as the warthogs going in first a softening the target up and then having the marines finish the job as they get there a bit of a pain.

3. People online who do nothing but mass produce Grizzly tanks. Make some other units you damn assholes!!!!

.          9/10 

When me and my brothers were little, we used video games as a means to settle our differences.  One of these games was Street Fighter.  My brother David (a Ken user), my brother Daniel (a Ken and Akuma user), and myself (a Ryu and just recently, a Sagat user) would play for hours trying to prove who was the best.  So when SF4 was announced, my blood got pumping.  I remember calling David and telling him it was on.  Well the game came out about 3 weeks ago, so I got hold of a copy and decided to see if it was any good.  The result, being an old school gamer, exceeds its expectations.  Taking a cue from the Dragonball fighting games, the game is cel shaded, a look that does justice to the series if you ask me.  All the controls are the same as you can remember.  Heck, if anything I think they’re a bit easier then the original.  You can map your button configuration to your liking, which greatly improves your game.  Never since Guilty Gear X2 has playing a 2D fighting game felt so fluid and smooth.  I like the new character additions, and most of the originals and some of the newer originals have returned in what is already an impressive roster.  I just wish that would’ve added more people though (but I’m sure the DLC will handle that problem, I hope) .

Pros

1.        Fun and easy to play.  Even people who aren’t or never have been good at fighting games can easily pick up the sticks and throw down.  Controls are tight and easy to use.  The addition of the focus attacks and EX moves really help balance out matches (for instance Guile users can now compete with Akuma users with no problems).  Veteran players will find all there favorite combos in place (word of warning: Guile’s flash kick Special and Ultra combo is done diagonally, not vertically as in previous titles).

2.        Story is simple and easy to understand.  From Sagat looking for some kind of redemption to Ken looking forward to a rematch with Ryu.

3.        All your favorites are back, along with some newer characters that help balance the game out (just an FYI, Ryu’s and Ken’s master is down right sick in the right person’s hands).

Cons

1.        The final boss is cheap, by all means.  You’ll see what I mean when he keeps constantly hitting you with focus attacks

2.        Fighter selection.  The line up is good, but could be better.  I mean where’s D-Jay, T. Hawk, and from SF Alpha 3 Cody?  Was honestly hoping for a bigger selection.

3.        Only two super combos per character?  WTF?!  And then the second is nothing more then a hyped up version of your super combo.