UPDATE!!!!

     Just letting anyone reading the site know we're not dead. With the technical difficulties, headaches, life in general, and a lack of motivation, things are progressing slower and slower. I just sent for technical support from the folks at Wix. Let's hope they don't copy and paste an answer back to me.
    

As for what's going on right now, I just got every achievement in Sonic The Hedgehog (2006). Anyone who's been gaming long enough to play that game is probably wondering how it's possible to get all the achievements in something so broken. My response is that it's not as broken as you think and I'm a gaming demi-god. Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about... Well just know that almost no one has done that. There's only a select few who have chosen to "torture" themselves enough to 100% it. After completing it, I don't really want to write a review. I actually want to try my hand at lightly analyzing the Sonic games as a whole and why people think it sucks now. It's going to be opinionated and I'm just going to offer the way I see it. It won't be a both-sides-of-the-story thing. It'll be the first time I do anything like this and I'm curious to see how it'll turn out. You'll also learn about me a little bit more in the process.
     Now, I'm replaying Dead Rising to review and nab some achievements I missed the first time 'round. I'm also trying to rid myself of these headaches... They definitely make me want to ditch the site lol. To add on to that, life is becoming very trying at the moment so I had to change my Gamefly to a cheaper plan and I can't spend a cent on new games. I'm going to start writing reviews on older games, at least games that are still relevant anyway. I personally think it'll be better that way. Games cost a ton of money. What if there was a $5 game you could pick up that had the ability to blow your ****ing mind? Would you buy it? I'd think that you would. After all, the only difference between an old game and a game coming out next week is simply when they were released. It doesn't make either better or worse. It does however mean savings and more games to play now when it comes to older titles. Trust me, if you want credit as a gamer, you get it automatically when you talk about how awesome Killer 7 is or how Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was a revelation for 2D games and the future of the series. Going old school is so much better than staying a scrub, clinging to each and every single new release just because everyone else is doing it. Sorry, colorful language but I'm quite annoyed by kids who think FPS's and Third Person Shooters are the only things worth playing. And if it's more than 6 months old or.... You know what, I'm just gonna stop. I'm going to review older games and you're going to like it dammit! AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU BETTER COMMENT!
     Simon's still around. Dunno what he's doing. Wait, yes I do! He's achievement hunting (you can tell from his recent reviews)... ANYway, he's borrowed a 360 from a friend so he's able to get some gaming done. Other than that I think he's just been busy in general. Isn't he always?
  
     Something else I want to say: IF YOU READ WHAT GOES ON IN THE SITE, LEAVE COMMENTS! I hear that there are some people who take a look at it. To me though, I don't think anyone reads this stuff at all. And if you do read the site, you should comment on the reviews. We do it for you guys (well technically I do it as a potential foot in the door as a game journalist BUT IGNORE THAT) and we can't make things any better or cooler if there's no feedback. And if you don't give feedback, there's also no drive to make more reviews. So really, if you want a review from me and Simon once a week, comment. If you didn't like the way a review played out, comment. If you think the newer reviews are getting better, comment. They all get sent straight to my e-mail so not a single comment is overlooked. So, one more time: COMMENT OR DO NOT EXPECT REVIEWS ON A TIMELY BASIS! Also, first one to comment will get any game they want reviewed ASAP! Requirements for the prize includes providing at least one point of constructive criticism in your comment. And even if you aren't first, don't think your plea will go ignored. It's what we want to do anyway. The point I'm just trying to get across is to SUPPORT AEGIS REVIEWS IF WE'RE SOMETHING YOU LIKE AND WANT MORE OF! You'll get it if you ask for it.

     Alright, I need to go lie down. I promise it won't be long till you hear from either one of us. At least not as long as this last stretch. Till then...

-Ashton

Forza Motorsport 3 Review for Xbox 360.

The Forza series has always prided itself upon it's uber-realistic approach to the racing genre. Forza can be simply described as the mirror-opposite of racing titles like Burnout and the upcoming Blur & Split Second: Velocity. For the true petrol heads out there, you may not want to read this review! :-)

GRAPHICS & PRESENTATION

+ Wax on! Wax off!! Graphically, Forza is an absolute delight to look at. Every car model is rendered with painstaking detail. Each race track, from New York to the Nurburgring, has been recreated in perfect detail also. There is very little to criticise. Lighting is put to excellent use with shading and light sourcing hitting the cars and tracks at the correct angles at all times. Reflections are virtually jaw dropping with every car having a crisp visual sheen.

= You're so vain! This may just be me being picky but, as nice as Forza looks, it does seem a bit sterile in places. Now maybe this is because I prefer tracks that have been created from imagination and not reality but everything looks a bit too clean for me.

SOUND

= I've heard it all before. There's nothing bad about the SFX or music in Forza but there's nothing that really stands out either. Each car sounds like they should from small engines to muscle cars. Screeching tyres and revving engines sound like....well....screeching tyres and revving engines. It's all appropriate but nothing outstanding. Music is fairly un-inspiring stuff and I found myself hitting the mute button after 10 minutes and listening to my MP3 player instead.

GAMEPLAY

+ Look what I made! One of the first things that needs to be mentioned here is the level of customisation. There are 400 cars in the game and every single one of them can be tuned and tweaked to racing perfection. From tyres to suspension to steering, there's enough here to keep the most ardent car-fiddler happy for hours on end. And once you've finished tinkering with the inside you can then customise your ride with a paint job of your choosing. Forza's paint+vinyl editor is so detailed it boggles the mind. If, like me, you have no interest in fine-tuning but want your car optimised for the races ahead there is a very handy quick tune tool before the beginning of the race! :-)

+ It's just like Ebay! After certain races and events you'll be given cars as prizes but if you're really impatient you can always go into the in-game auction site and try and win cars there for a fraction of the original price. Not only cars but custom paint jobs are available too. You can place your own items for sale and make yourself a few credits in return.

- This isn't an RPG. After each race, you're given a set amount of XP which is determined by the position you finish in, the difficulty you raced on and the amount of damage to your car. You can reach level 50 for your driver and level 5 for your chosen car. This is okay in itself but when you constantly have to race and re-race the same tracks it becomes very boring, very quickly. Turn 10 games claim to have over 100 tracks in this game but many of those are simply shortened or reverse tracks of the originals. And when there are 6 seasons in career play which contain an ever increasing amount of races....well, you do the math! Grinding, thine name is Forza 3!!

- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz! I like to think I can give games credit where it's due but I'm making an exception here. I'm not sure what happenned during development of Forza 3 but someone, somewhere forgot to make this game FUN. Y'know, what games are meant to be. I have never played a game that is so emotionless, lifeless, stark, sterile, humourless and boring. Please bear in mind that I am NOT biased against realism. I used to play all the TOCA games on the PS1 and since then have played many games that are realistic. Forza 3 just doesn't feel like an involving racer at all!!


SHOULD I BUY OR RENT?

Definitely rent first. I cannot, in all good conscience, recommend buying this game.


Forza 3 is an Xbox 360 exclusive. Hours played: 40+ on medium difficulty (Realism mode is for sadists and masochists)! Developed by Turn 10 Games.

Achievement difficulty: 5/10. The only reason it's a 5 is because the 'Solid Gold' achievement will take you a VERY long time! Every thing else is easy.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper review for Xbox 360

I love Sir Arthur Conan Doyles' books about the great London Sleuth. So I was pleased when I heard that they would be releasing a puzzle game based on the infamous Jack the Ripper case from 1888. If this introduction to the review seems very basic and bland then it's because the game is just that!

+ I'm gonna start with the positives........which won't take very long. A few of the puzzles are genuinely enjoyable. That's it! Now onto the bad things. This could take a while so you'll have to excuse if I rant.

GRAPHICS

- Graphically the game is beyond poor. I would expect this from a PS2 launch title and even then the graphics would suck! Everything from lighting to textures, character models, scenery. It's all bland and un-inspiring. The character animation is so lazy it beggars belief. I clicked on a light-switch in one point of the game which was shoulder-height with the character. He reached upto the ceiling! The game developers haven't even tried putting effort into this!

SOUND

- Sound. Oh my god! What the f**k were they thinking? It's not even passable as 'Resident Evil B-Movie cheese'. It's just horrible. I could be here all day trying to explain but it wouldn't even scratch the tip of the iceberg. Holmes sounds like he's got a blocked nose, Watson sounds like he couldn't care less and please, for the love of all you hold dear, don't get me started on the children in this game. My ears are still bleeding from awfulness of it all! The game does have sub-titles, so if you do play this tragedy of a game, turn the volume down. Music is repetitve and cliched and the ambient sounds of Victorian London are virtually non-existent.

GAMEPLAY

- Gameplay......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! *Ahem* Yeah right. What bloody gameplay? This is meant to be a point and click. I'm a huge fan of point and click games. Broken Sword, Monkey Island, Beneath the Steel Sky are all amazing games. This is not! You move your character manually and only click on clues which couldn't be any more obvious if they had a big neon sign above them. There's no 'run' button so you move at a snails pace everywhere you go. You would've thought that with a psychotic killer on the loose, they'd move a lot quicker.

- The game is also ridiculously linear with no exploration of any kind. The puzzles, as mentioned before, are sometimes enjoyable but for the most part are just bloody stupid! For example, I came across a door that was locked. In order to unlock it, you need to pick up some tarpaulin from the ground and use it on the door..........WHAT THE HELL?! Wire maybe but tarpaulin?! What were the developers thinking?

- There is no replay value. Trust me, you wouldn't want to play this through twice. I honestly can't explain how bad this game is. I wouldn't pay for this if it came out on the PS1. Seriously, it's THAT bad! One of the worst games I have ever played.

SHOULD I BUY?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Don't even rent this garbage. Instead, put your efforts into getting a petition going so we can burn every single copy of this piece of crap!!

Hours played 8+. I want those 8 hours of my life back. Achievement difficulty: 2/10.

Darksiders Review for Xbox 360 and PS3

"War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!" So sang James Brown back in the day. Well, as it happens I agree with Mr. Brown, in that, War is good for nothing. Just this once though I'm gonna make an exception.

Darksiders places you in the shoes of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (and the eldest of the four). Armageddon has come to Earth early and to put it bluntly, mankind is completely buggered!! For those of you who don't know, the 4 Horsemen (in historical context) should only be summoned to Earth to address the balance between Heaven and Hell. To summon them, 7 seals need to be broken, so War is just a little bit p*ssed off to find out the 7th seal was never broken!! So who was behind the deception? Sorry, I'm not spoiling the story for you. :-)

GRAPHICS

= Graphically, Darksiders has as many good points as bad. The visual style is very reminiscent of the Mid-90's X-men comics with big, bulky characters, vibrant colours and some decent character design. Earth looks okay but a bit too intact considering it's the end of the world. Animation is basic but workable whilst the game camera can be a bit erratic. However, the biggest problem (on the 360 version) is some pretty horrendous screen tearing. This really shouldn't be there and does annoy throughout.

- Although War looks the part, as do many of the main characters, a lot of the enemy models are repeated constantly. This is a shame as the developers (Vigil Games) could really expand on different enemy types. Bosses look good although one of them is nothing more than a giant sandworm which reminded me of Beetle-Juice.

SOUND

- In regards to the sound, again this is a mixed bag. Firslty the bad. Voice samples are used over and over in battles whilst the music is pretty un-inspiring stuff.


+ On the plus side though, sound effects are nice and throaty with all the appropriate clangs of metal and armour. The best, by far though, is the voice acting for the cut-scenes. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker, Joker 
- Batman: Arkham Asylum) plays a major role as The Watcher who is bound to War to ensure his loyalty. However, in my opinion, Liam 'O Brien pulls a stellar performance as the mean and moody War.


GAMEPLAY

= The scripting and pacing of the story are fantastic although this isn't always portrayed as well as it should due to the lack of flowing gameplay. And the gameplay is probably the most controversial part of this game. Here's the sum for Darksiders: God of War + Legend of Zelda + Legacy of Kain + Portal + (insert game of choice here) = Darksiders. Seriously, this game borrows, begs and steals elements from all these games. That in itself is a good thing but the game can occasionally seem a bit confused as to what it wants to show you although it soon becomes clear that the combat takes a back seat compared to the puzzles. This really niggled me. "I'M WAR!! 1st HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE!! I'M GOING TO.......push and pull levers for hours on end?" Doesn't seem fitting somehow.

= Combat is also a missed opportunity with only a couple of buttons used. You will however be hammering the X/square button like it's going out of fashion. Again, this is a shame when compared to recent games like Batman: AA and Bayonetta. Most of the weapons you get, you'll very rarely use unless, like me, you're achievement hunting. Wrath Powers (magic in any other game) are next to useless as is War's Chaos Form. Despite all this, I still found myself enjoying the simplistic gameplay. However, I am aware that I was playing for the story rather than the gameplay.

= The game is a reasonable length if you hunt out all collectibles. It took me 20 hours on normal due to the fact that I went out of my way to get all the achievements. I then replayed the game on the hardest difficulty and completed it in 10 hours. After that, there is NO replay value what-so-ever. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch, zero!!

For their 1st game, Vigil have done a decent job of introducing a new IP to the game market but it just lacks the polish to make it a classic. The story is enough to pull you through the game but I'm hoping that Darksiders 2 addresses all the problems listed above.

SHOULD I BUY?

As much as I enjoyed this game for the story, I would defintely recommend renting this first. Unless, of course, you're achievement hunting! ;-)

Game played for 30+ hours on Normal and Apocalyptic difficulty. Achievement difficulty: 4/10.

Batman: Arkham Asylum review for Xbox 360 and PS3

And I'm back! Many apologies, ladies and gents, for not posting up reviews for a while but here goes nothing.

First of all I'd like to say that I've been reading comic books for over twenty years now so this review may seem biased but I assure you I'll give it a fair trial.


Batman has, once again, captured the Joker and has transported him back to Arkham Asylum (a nut-house for the mentally insane and super-criminals). Things quickly take a nose-dive as you find out that Joker was counting on being taken back so he can act-out his newest plan to defeat Batman and destroy Gotham City (guy needs a new hobby if you ask me).


It's then up to you, as Batman, to track Joker down whilst beating several other recognisable faces (Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Scarecrow etc) along the way. Well, that's the story and, in all fairness, it's not the most complex of storylines but when the game is as good as it is, it doesn't need to be.

GRAPHICS

+ Graphically this game is a visual feast! For anyone who's read Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison, you'll have a rough idea of the visual style. A very dark and gritty pallette has been used to fantastic effect. The scenery design, as well as the game design in general, is simply stunning. Eidos have really created a superbly dark and moody atmosphere within the twisted walls of Arkham Asylum. Character models are brilliant (for most of it) although the henchmen are a generic character model but it's a small price to pay.
Action takes place all over Arkham Island and you'll find yourself in Botanical Gardens, Intensive Treatment Plants, Medical facilites and much more. Each location just feels right and never out of place. The level layout is open without being daunting. There's lots of little hidden areas that just dare you to find them but are never necessary to the game as a whole.
     Batman, himself, moves with all the grace and power we've come to expect from him whilst other characters are portrayed just as well, if not better. From Harley Quinn's schoolgirl-ish swagger, Ivy's seductive poise and Joker's frantic movements. Even the every-day cops seem to move with purpose. This isn't just a game of Batman, you're entering into the world of Gotham. :-)

SOUND

+ All the characters have brilliant voiceovers. The exception to this is Batman who can sound a bit wooden at times. The voices compliment the visual movements and styles of the characters perfectly. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker from Star Wars) reprises his role as the Joker and is, to put it simply, magnificent!! Ambient noise and music is also used to great effect without ever becoming intrusive. Combat noise is damn-near perfect and feel like they were ripped straight out of a Detective Comics issue.

GAMEPLAY

+ Gameplay could be described as simple yet satisfying but I feel that this would be doing the game a dis-service. You're given an XP system that allows you to unlock one of Batman's gadgets per level gained. This could be throwing multiple batarangs, extra armour, more comat moves etc. Speaking of combat, this is how it should be done!! Punching two goons, countering another, performing a takedown move on the next before leaping up and flying across the room to kick someone in the head, launching a batarang before using your grapple hook and explosive gel to take down crowds of enemies. Combat really feels fluid and makes the game even more enjoyable.
     Some sections of the game will have you picking off armed guards in true Batman style as you stick to the roofs and the shadows. A gung-ho approach WILL get you killed very quickly so don't try it!! However, the best part of this game (for me) were the set-pieces. By this I mean, certain cut-scenes that normally led-up to a boss battle. Never, will you look at the Scarecrow the same way again!! :-) I really want to say more but I would spoil what is a great piece of the game!
     There is also a lot to do once you've finished the game, not to mention free downloadable content from Xbox Live! Combat challenges, Predator Challenges, riddles to solve, trophies to find. Batman offers a lot of value for your hard-earned cash.

= During your adventure around the Asylum, you're given access to certain gadgets such as electronic doorhacking, grappling hooks etc. One such gadget is the ability to enter into Detective Vision. This is esentially X-Ray vision which is absolutely vital in the game. It also shows you the enemies heart-rate and emotional being (ranging from calm to terrified). This is a great touch but I found myself with Detective mode turned on for the majority of the game. This is a shame as it has a tendency to detract from the amazing graphical surroundings.



- You're Joking right (pun intended). The last boss fight is fairly lame. Almost as if the developers didn't know how to live upto the rest of the game. Such a shame. Thankfully, it's more of a missed opportunity than an out right game breaker.


Should I buy?

Oh hell yes!! Okay, so I'm biased but doesn't stop Batman: AA from being the best game of 2009. There is so much to do even after the main game has finished. Regardless of whether you've read 100+ comics or are stepping into the world of the Dark Knight for the first time, I think you'll be more than impressed.

Mass Effect 2 Review for Xbox 360

     Why have I taken so long with this review? When you have something that is regarded as perfection in your little world, you just can't form coherent sentences. Your speech is muddled by affection surpassing that of your own mum (Simon's rubbing off on me TOO much). I didn't know how I would end up writing this review; Would I write too much? Would I write anything that someone could objectively understand? I think I'm going to try to write as little as possible, leave a lot in the unknown territory of things. I personally believe that the less you know about an amazing game, the better it is. I don't want to ruin perfection for anyone.

Gameplay

+ Take cover, aim, shoot - That’s all there is to it. Just take the gameplay of any cover-based third person shooter and you got Mass Effect 2. Find cover, press the button to cling to it, aim, then shoot as much as you can. You can also hurdle over and sprint to other cover which is new for the series.  Stats used to be the focus of the gameplay in ME1 but this time, around, it’s all about the action. It all works great too. I had problems with it but I have a loose thumbstick (thanks Resident Evil 5...) so my guy would keep going out of cover because it kept thinking I was pushing out of cover. Other than that, it somehow feels more refined or deeper than the mechanics of a "Gears" game and that's a feeling I enjoy.
     Another aspect is that every mission is not just shoot this and that. You will be presented with different missions dealing with stealth, investigation, protection, and more. All of them are completely welcome additions and none of them were annoying in the least. It's rare that you see a development team take new directions within it's formula and succeed everytime. 

+ Pro-Biotics - With biotics in their current state, you control a bit more than what you used to in Mass Effect 1. Now you use biotics to change ammo type, use psycho-kinetic powers, and utilize technological powers. You also get less of them due to the new skill trees so you have to be more strategic when it comes to what class you choose and what party members you choose to work with. Playing on normal, you don't really need biotics very much. You pretty much just use them for fun. 

     On the harder difficulties however, you really need to think about what powers to use on who and when the best time is to execute it. You also want to combine powers for maximum effect. For example, there's a move where you dash at your enemy and you make impact using your whole body and they get thrown back a couple of feet. If you want to get the most out of this though, you might want to have a party member levitate the target causing them to fly across the entire room when you crash into them. They also gain damage from the impact, the hitting of the wall and then hitting the ground. 

     Some of the biotics also have unique ways of being executed. For instance, the pull biotic will should out an energy blast that levitates targets out of cover. You can tweak the way it seeks out targets though. The blast will alway home in on the target but you can aim up hight making it curve down from the sky or shoot it to the side making it swing around corners. It is EXTREMELY satisfying. You can even advance the power to pull multiple targets at once as well.

+ War has changed - Guns ain't like they used to be. Now you use thermal clips or what a normal person might call regular ammunition clips with a set amount of ammo that you have to reload. In other words, they work like normal guns now with the exception of universal ammo. They no longer overheat and have infinite ammo... Well they do still overheat but that's only in the story's context. Sorry, I'm confusing things. Anyway, now you need to look in the environment and around fallen enemies for ammo clips. This was extremely hard to get used to as I had JUST came out of Mass Effect 1 and you never had to pay attention to ammo. The clips themselves don't call a lot of attention to themselves either if you're not specifically looking for them. They do make a extremely visible flash to show themselves to you, but once again, if you're not looking for them you won't see them. I played the first 20 or so hours with a good friend of mine watching me and he was constantly pointing out during the entire 20 hours that I had missed a lot of ammo clips as I progressed. This doesn't even come close to being a problem, but it's worth noting. Should you come into ME2 without playing ME1, I don't think you'll have any problems with this.
     Guns are also more strategic in ME2, at least they appear to be. Certain guns work better against shields, barriers, and armor so you have to think of what guns you want to use in certain situations. And instead of constantly getting better guns, you normally just get a few different guns for each type there is, i.e. 3 different snipers, 2 handguns, 2 shotguns. They instead choose a different feel in exchange for different power stats. This sniper rifle could shoot faster, have more ammunition, but will be balanced with less power and less accuracy, or you could choose the other sniper with opposite stats. All of the guns and their variables are purpose built and are designed to take the specific play of your character and his/her biotics into account. There's a deep layer of strategy that comes into play when you get on the harder difficulties and it's EXTREMELY satisfying when you get everything to work seamlessly together. It's likely, however, that you won't notice any of this if you play on a lower difficulty setting.

+ Choose your destiny - There are numerous missions in ME2 and they all feel like they have some substance to them unlike the side missions in ME1 which just felt repeat missions with different contexts. Also, along the path of the game, you need to make heavier decisions than you were faced with in the first game. It felt as though a number of them had consequences that would lead to being further explored in the next game. And one more thing, you always know where you're going now. All of the major hubs are marked on your star charts and all of your missions, both main and side, are marked next to the corresponding planets and galaxies associated with them. You always know where you're going and how much you need to do.

= Less RPG, more action-adventure - If there was something to be disappointed about is that the RPG elements that were present in the first game are almost not even present here. They've either been streamlined or omitted which, even though some of them were good, the result feels like a more polished game. They also left enough of it in to still customize characters the way you want them to be for your preferred performance and style. Anyone that loves stats and equipment shouldn't be expecting it here. Expect a moderate choice of skills and a deeper real-time action experience.

- Scanning... Anomaly detected... - They replaced exploring worlds in the vehicle with scanning planets for resources. The only thing the resources are good for are upgrades but it's so annoying and slow that you would never do it if you didn't need those upgrades. Just the fact that it's bland and slow and needs reworking for ME3 is all that really needs to be said about this.

Story and Presentation

+ And our hero's struggle continues - The story is very deep, very emotional, and very intimate. Even without having choices to reflect on from the first game, you could still believe the story was custom tailored just for you. Should you have data from the first game, your choices will indeed be reflected in ME2's story making it that much more personal. Running alongside of the main cannon for ME2, I had a deep, personal struggle within the game. Because I made an uninformed choice in the first game, I performed a great deed but with a large cost and now the galaxy loathes humans and doesn't trust them. So at the same time that I'm trying to save the galaxy again, I'm dealing with my mistakes from the past and trying to correct them by proving humans aren't these hidden-agenda, meat-bags. I haven't tried different story paths yet but I believe the game is structured in a way that would not have the galaxy hating human beings if you had gone in a different direction. I really don't want to say anything more specific than I already have, just know it's worth all of your time and that you won't be able to resist late-night excursions through the game just to find out what happens next.


+ Our choices shape the future - Almost everything you did in the first game is reflected here, some in larger ways than others. It also leads you to think very carefully about the choices you make in this game. The fact that your decisions are so much larger this time around also adds to the previous statement. I cannot imagine how my choices will take shape in the third installment but I'm dying to find out.


+ A dream come true - I believe that everyone has at least one sci-fi, fantasy, or anime that features a large cast of characters working towards a shared goal; Whether it be Serenity, Cowboy Bebop, Stargate, Outlaw Star, Star Trek, Buffy, Xena, the motions that those characters go through are all represented in Mass Effect. If someone said you had the opportunity to build personal relationships with those characters and to work with them to achieve your goals, would you let it pass you by? I don't think so. Then why aren't you playing Mass Effect already?


+ Encyclopedic knowledge of the galaxy - I read it all, every word. In the game, you have access to a codex which will inform you about nearly every imaginable aspect of Mass Effect's world: How it's weapons work, classifications of space ships, different races' biologies, religions, governments, technologies, wars, militaries, etc. The thing that's so great about this is that it's not throw-away information like in Final Fantasy 13. It gives context to the way the game and the story plays out. Here are some examples:

• Guns now use heat-sink clips because it has been researched that a soldier can reload his gun faster than waiting for the entire thing the cool down. The result is now reloading your guns instead of having infinite ammo and overheating weapons. They also explain how the ammo is universal.

• Element zero takes extremely high heats to form. The result is that if you're looking for that resource, you might want to look for planets that are closest to the suns of their respective systems.

• All of the bios on the different races will explain how they react in certain situations and conversations as well as explaining why they normally take certain roles within a community. It allows you to feel more informed when communicating with other species. Why are there so many Turians in Citadel Security? Because Turians are a race that believe very highly in serving out justice. They almost have no crime on their planet because justice is such a revered thing where they come from.

     It's not as detailed as in the game but you get the idea. Your codex is something that if you take the time to read, you're almost instantly rewarded for it. It just adds so much to the overall experience that it's definitely something not to be skipped over. 

+ Oh, all the places we will go - All of the environments are a bit smaller than they use to be but as a result of that, they end up having more personality and life within them. I would say that it did slightly suck not being able to go around the Presidium at the Citadel anymore. I might suggest that if you want a closer feeling to the environments in this game, at least a closer one than what's offered here, do play the first Mass Effect. It helps build the worlds around you in your mind. I wouldn't say it's required at all though. 
     The places you go in ME2 are also a lot darker and in-depth. You're given the feeling that you are thoroughly exploring all there is to any given environment and it connects you even more to setting of this epic story.


+ Tell me what I want to hear - The dialogue is priceless in this game. It never gets old or boring. Having already gone through the game, I'm trying to speed through the harder difficulties but the longer I play, the less I skip the conversations. Now I sit there listening to every single one another time, just as interested as I was the first time I heard them all. The voice acting and dialogue is amazing.


+ Everyone is different - The characters and their personalities are so varied and different this time around. And they're all so interesting that any time you have something you can do to find out more about a character or gain a new one, you'll do it as fast as you can. I assure you that you'll rarely skip out on any conversations you could have with them since every one of them are so interesting. You can also do what are called "loyalty missions" which serve as buffers for that given character's background. Once completed they will gain a new ability and appearance. There should be a good handful of characters that have the ability to appeal to everyone who plays this game. There's someone for everyone, and I wouldn't dream of spoiling any of them... Well maybe one...

+ GARRUS!!!!! - He's ****ing back and just as badass. He's one of the characters that I share an extreme camaraderie with. Unfortunately, he's one of the characters with the least amount of conversation pieces. I do feel something deep with this character though. He just feels like a friend I've known my entire life and I feel compelled to sacrifice anything if it meant his well-being. Without spoiling too much, I actually felt compelled at one point to go back in time (play a previous save) just to see if I could make things swing more in his favor only to be saddened that my efforts could not change the future. If you love this character as much as I do, Bioware's going to have a field day with your heart in ME2. I'm not suggesting anything rash happens, you'll just have to play the game and find out what I mean.


+ All you need is love - I'm not going to dive into this one very much at all but this time, with the exception of just a couple characters, no one is off limits when it comes to romance. I will say that there's a lot more choice as a male Shepard than a female Shepard which is disappointing. Sorry, ladies...

Graphics

+You're gonna want an HDTV for this one - Character models are very detailed. One of which is a krogan that is so well rendered that I feel like it's a high-res cutscene every time I talk to him and see the way his face moves and what his skin looks like. There's detail in every nook and cranny of this game and I can imagine feeling very left out if I couldn't view it all in HD. 

Sound

+ Flawless Victory - Just as it were in the first game, sound was obviously important to BioWare when it comes to Mass Effect. It seals the deal when it comes to how believable, visceral, and tangible the world around you feels. Prepared to be blown away by earth-shaking explosions and seduced by detailed voice work.

- Where'd you go? - There is a problem in a few copies of the game where in one scene on disk 2, the dialogue just cuts out. It's not a widespread problem so I wouldn't be worried about it if you go to pick up a copy. But the problem exists and there's no known fix for it. It did kill the mood for me... *Weeps...*

Should you buy it?

     YES, a billion times over, yes! And if you haven't played Mass Effect 1, pick that up too. This is one of the greatest games I've ever played. BioWare officially has me sold on anything that has Mass Effect on the cover. I loved the game so much that I actually bought it twice! I bought the game for $30 around the time of it's release (I got lucky getting it that cheap) and I felt terrible that I didn't get the limited edition. I recently came across one for $100 and I snatched it up immediately without hesitation. I have no regrets. This game is worth almost any amount of cash.
     Despite how much I wrote, I left out A LOT of things. I could go into a lot of detail about the many aspects of Mass Effect 2 but it's very important to me that people feel like they discovered this game. If you can't get the personal feeling that goes with this game you'll miss out on a lot and that becomes a greater risk when you know too much about it. So I hope I didn't spoil much at all while convincing every one of you that if you don't have this game, there isn't even a way to express how lame you are as a person. Seriously, play it. NOW!

Mass Effect 2 was developed by BioWare and published by EA for the Xbox 360 and PC. Played through normal mode as a Vanguard Paragon for 50+ hours and still struggling to finish the game on Insanity mode, clocking in at 20+ hours so far. That's a lot of playtime for one game.

Splinter Cell Conviction Review for Xbox 360

     Sam Fisher's back. And this time, it's personal.... Yes, I really had to do that. Here's the review.

Gameplay

= Forget everything you know - The gameplay is actually well done. I just wasn't really feeling it. They essentially tossed out the whole "stealth is the key" thing and brought in "everyone must die". Now it ends up feeling like I'm playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. Splinter Cell was always a game about not killing, sneaking up on baddies, and covering your tracks. In this iteration, it's just about clearing the room full of enemies as best you can. There is still a certain element of stealth present but it's much more of an action game now. Essentially, you approach every situation by seeing who's around the area and if it's possible to take them all out without being shot. You'll normally see someone you can take out physically which will fill up your execute bar. With the execute bar you can mark targets (from 2-4 depending on your weapon) and then press a button to have Sam take them all out with automatic headshots. Other than that, it's all about routing enemies to your position so you can take them all out one by one.

     They designed the game in a way that's supposed to empower the player but I just felt gimped. I'm supposed to sneak around because Sam can't stand up to firearms but I have a lot of stealth abilities stripped away to force me to take aggressive stances against my enemies. So I feel like I'm supposed to take them down head on but not be seen doing so at the same time. Maybe if there was a little bit more complexity to the gameplay, like Metal Gear Solid 4, then I could choose how I wanted to play. With the way it is now, I can't hide in lockers and pick up bodies. Why? 

      I've always felt like Splinter Cell games were a little clunky with the controls and that there was a certain streamlining that it needed. This certainly is a streamlined experience, just not a stealthy one, which is disappointing.

+ So what's the plan? - It's satisfying when things come together like you want them to and this applies to Conviction. When you see the layout of the enemies, make a plan and execute it flawlessly, and then continue to scare the piss out of all who still remain, there's a great sense of accomplishment there to accompany the experience. I don't think it was the wisest idea to basically make the game revolve around this mechanic but it still works.

- Do what now? - I hate the controls in this game. I also got this game as a rental so I didn't have the booklet to tell me what did what. I was infuriated with them many times. There were also controls that weren't so clear when they were stated. When I wanted to change my weapon, nothing happened so I had to press it twice. The game didn't tell me that the first time I pressed it, it would draw out the currently equipped weapon. When I wanted to get a quick shot off, I'd have to compensate for the 2 seconds it took for Sam to pull out his gun and then shoot. I thought you could choose only one gadget to work with at a time. I was frustrated when I wanted to try something else and the loadout screen wouldn't let me change the gadget I was using. I didn't figure out until the last 3 levels that you had access to all of your gadgets at once. The "X" button is normally the reload button for most shooters. Instead, reload was on the left-thumbstick button and gadgets were on the traditional reload button. I kept tossing out gadgets when I was panicking to reload. Sometimes I would toss out a gadget, press the same button again to activate it, but they took a while to activate so I was mashing the button to get it to activate asap, unfortunately then he'd use another gadget even though I wasn't pressing the button anymore. 

     I went through a good majority of the problems. It seems to be this way for most stealth games I've played where the controls just feel awkward and convoluted. Somehow, Ubisoft felt that this was no longer a stealth game so nothing could be similar with past Splinter Cell iterations. Sam reacts to commands like he never has before and buttons give commands they've never given before. Why change what the player is used to and then go even further to make it worse?

+ Best Friends Forever - Co-op is where it's at in this game. It can be beyond fun at times. Just the feeling that you're both to work together to stay mutually out of sight and look out for eachother is rewarding in itself. Watching your partner proceed forward while you take out patrols to his left and right before he's spotted, walking into visibility while your partner shoots out the lights to cloak you in darkness, it just feels immediately natural and instantly intimate. It's hard not to feel close to someone who's watching your back while you got theirs. Everyone should play this game at least for the co-op. It's an experience that shouldn't be missed. 

     There are other game types but they don't feel natural or fun enough to play through. Just stick with the co-op story mode and you'll be having tons of fun.

= I challenge you! - There are challenges to complete in this game and they serve to show you things that you can do in the game that you probably hadn't thought of i.e. breaking a door down to incapacitate someone walking towards it, tossing someone you're using as a body shield into a door to break it in, etc. The only problem I had with it was that I didn't really feel motivated to complete any of them. When they are finished, all they do is award you points to buy upgrades with. I'll move on to why I don't care to buy upgrades soon.

     People should start learning a lesson from Bionic Commando (2009). Not only were the challenges unique and gratifying, you only had to perform them once and you were given extremely helpful upgrades.

- Weapon of choice - There is a bit of a selection within Conviction but it really doesn't make much sense to use the majority of them. Early on, I got a silenced pistol that had incredible accuracy and range and I got a M4 with a silencer and more power and range than what was available through most of the game. When you used a silenced weapon the enemy doesn't know where you are. Even when they're alerted, you can still take out a few guys without anyone noticing where you are. To use a weapon without a silencer, you only get a small fraction of added power and everyone will know where you are every time you use it. You can only buy three upgrades per weapon and they're specific to that weapon so it's not like you can get every gun a silencer. It just doesn't make sense to me to have so many variations on guns when, after you've already got the ones that work best in the beginning of the game, there's no motivation to change your weapon. When you work with the same old tools for the whole game, it begins to feel stale.

     The other problem I had was when a level would start without giving me my usual loadout, it would just start me off with what the game felt was better (read: more newly unlocked) than what I had. The majority of the guns don't have silencers so I was screwed at the start of some missions. 

Story and Presentation

= They killed my daughter - I think it should be known that when something deals with military-based plots, I usually don't follow them. I guess it a lack of personable appeal that makes it hard for me to pay attention to. That's why I was most excited for this game when the premise was taking revenge on Sam's daughter's killers. Very quickly it turned into something else and the whole plot lost me. I was able to follow it while playing the game for the most part but it was completely forgettable. 

= That's not like our little Sammie - Sam Fisher changed his character a lot from past games. I'll go on record by admitting I haven't played much of the Splinter Cell series but I always came away with the impression that Sam was a man of good moral values. I understand the circumstances that have turned him into a darker person (his daughter was killed by a drunk driver and he had to kill his best friend) but the extent of his anger just doesn't seem to fit his character. So many times were made all the more awkward hearing Sam Fisher's voice actor try to come off as thoroughly P.O.'d. It feels more like a little girl trying to sound like Solid Snake. It just doesn't fit and even when it sounds right, it doesn't fit the character. They could have explored different ways to express Sam's darkness through both gameplay and dialogue. Sam's one hell of an agent. He's done this stuff for years. Why would he go all mad-dog when he obviously knows better? 

= There's writing on the walls - There actually is writing on walls and stuff. It tells you objectives and sometimes describes Sam's feelings and thoughts in cutscenes. Ingenious Idea and I really love it. There just wasn't a whole lot of it and it wasn't really used in the most creative sense. Great idea with okay implementation.

= Tell me more... - One device used to push the story forward are the interrogation scenes. Basically you grab someone by the throat and you use various objects within the environment to beat them with. That guy up above just got his face put through a urinal. I don't know how he's expected to talk after that since I'm pretty sure Sam messed his face up pretty good, but you can bet that Sam'll get the info he wants.

     All of the interrogations were terribly predictable though. They refuse to say anything, they get their head caught in the fridge, they spill some beans and refuse to talk more, you put their face against an electric stove-top for 5-6 seconds, they spill some more beans and once again refuse to say more, you put a knife through their hand and they spill the rest. You will almost always have to torture them 3 times and they will almost always refuse to talk 3 times. It just feels more artificial than anything since there's normally only 3 ways to torture the victim. Once again, great idea with only okay implementation.

= I'm just a shadow, don't mind me - When you're in the light, things are in color. When you're in the dark, things are black and white. People will always appear in color no matter what. That won't stop you from looking for monochrome people while you're in the darkness and then feeling stupid when you see someone and they're in living color *wink*. Also, when it's black and white, it becomes very hard to see the environment. That leads to missed paths, different approaches and just all around safer/more conventient ways to get around. ONCE more, GREAT idea with only OKAY implementation.

Graphics

+ Another Unreal performance - The Unreal engine does wonders for the environments and the lighting. It didn't do so much, however, for the hair and the character models. They don't look terrible, they just don't look up to today's standard of detail which seems to be a trend at Ubisoft right now. Overall, it's a pretty game. Nothing should ever break the experience visually.

Sound

+ That's the sound of conviction - The music, the voices and the sound effects were mixed extremely well, to a cinematic degree even. Everything sounded clear, tangible, and visceral. This is sound mixing to aspire to.

Should you buy it?

     If you feel like you gotta buy it, go ahead. I feel that it's a rental but I wouldn't worry about spending money on Conviction. I'm sure you'll still feel like you got what you paid for. I just wouldn't expect it to perform any better than that.

     Don't get me wrong, I'm actually fond of this game if only because of the co-op. I would be happy to accept this game for it's experiments and treading of new territory if the sequel perfects what Ubisoft has started here. If this is their idea of a polished and perfected game, then I'm not sure about what's in store for our secret agent.

Splinter Cell Conviction was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for the Xbox 360 and PC. Played through normal mode single-player story in 7-8 hours and played co-op for a total of 5 hours on realistic difficulty. Reviewed on the Xbox 360 version. 

Crackdown Review for Xbox 360

     When Crackdown was coming out a long, long time ago, it's sales were boosted by the fact that if you bought the game you would get access to the Halo 3 multiplayer beta. That led practically every gamer to assume that this game would suck and the beta was just a way to get us to buy it. Well it did get everyone to buy it but the surprising thing was that Crackdown was actually good. It was fun and addictive. I've definitely spent my fair share playing the game back in the day so I thought I would give it another go to review it for the site.

Gameplay

+ Be something more than human - Think of playing Grand Theft Auto when you're just messing about with the world. Personally, that's what I felt was the only draw from the GTA series and Crackdown evolves that fun.
     Being that you're a genetically enhanced super cop, you can do everything better than a normal person. At first you can jump around the height of a one-story building, toss trash cans, drive special cars, toss grenades that make small enough explosions to almost take out one person. As you use these skills to annihilate gangs, you'll get orbs that pop out from the defeated that swarm into you, leveling up your abilities. By the time you've maxed out your skills, you can jump 4-5 stories high, use explosives that will now take out an entire city block if not more, pick up and toss tanker trucks.
     As you level up, your character's appearance also changes. He'll gain anything from new armor, tattoo, and hairstyles, to piercings and facial hair. My favorite of all is when you level up your driving and the car you're using changes with you. Not only will the car gain it's own abilities and just become all around better, it will physically change it's appearance every time you step in and out. Imagine a modern BMW transforming into the batmobile (not the tumbler) before your eyes. Every time I get in and out of the car, I actually stop what I'm doing just to see it go from normal to super and back to normal. Great stuff!


+ Do what you want, when you want to - There are specific tasks for you to do in Crackdown but you're never forced to ever do them or do them in any order whatsoever. I'm actually sure that it's more likely you'll get hooked to leveling up your agent than actually progressing through the game.


+ So many orbs, so little time... - Everyone feels this in Crackdown; You jump onto a building and collect a batch of agility orbs and it explodes into little orbs everywhere! Then you see another batch on the roof of a building across the street. After grabbing that one, you'll see another, and another, and another until you collect all 500! People will normally state this as the number one reason why they began to get addicted. And what a wonderful affliction it is. 

= Now what? - Even given all of the things you can in Crackdown, it seems that a lot of the fun comes from yourself. What do you want to do in this no-limits playground? If you run out of ways to make your own fun, it can get boring really fast. When it comes to doing the normal missions and side missions, they don't really feel different enough to stop the feeling of monotony. It's not a terrible problem but extra motivation to keep progressing through the game would have been nice.

Story and Presentation.

+ Wanna star in a comic book? - I can't recall this exactly but I remember reading a developer diary when the game was still in development, and they were talking about what they were trying to go for with the visuals. They said the director had this view of a city overrun by gangs and the like but he wanted it to look like it came out of a comic book. They nailed it perfectly. I've seen cel-shading in games before (Jet Set/Grind Radio series, Zelda Windwaker, Sonic Shuffle, Borderlands, etc) but this one seems to do something different to give it that awesome comic feel. The textures and effects have this hybrid aesthetic of looking hand-drawn and being real at the same time.

= Only if you want to... - While not having the most enthralling story ever, it does enough that when you do make progress, you feel like you've accomplished something worthwhile. The end of the game was a pretty decent surprise, decent enough to make me want to know exactly what happens next.

Graphics

= Style over substance - They easily nail the look they're going for but the game doesn't look much better on either a HDTV or a SDTV. These graphics will never blow you away. They just do enough to get the unique visuals to work.

Sound

= Humdrum - You really shouldn't care. It does have a soundtrack when you drive around sporting many multi-lingual sounds. I say, just use your own music and wreak havoc to your preferred music style. You won't miss the sound effects either.

Should you buy it?

     Rent it. And I think that everyone should, too. There will be those of you who love it and will buy it the first time you level up a skill. For everyone else, I'd suspect you'd have fun, just not enough to justify a purchase.
     This review was kinda tricky because there just isn't a whole lot to talk about when it comes to Crackdown. It boils down to how much you get out of the gameplay and how many "You gotta hear this" kind of stories you create. Just go out there and give the game a go. Just beware, collecting orbs is extremely addicting.

Crackdown was developed by Realtime Worlds and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. Played on Tough difficulty for 20+ hours only collecting 467 out of 500 agility orbs.