Darksiders Review for Xbox 360 and PS3

     What to say about Darksiders. I was always looking forward to playing this game. Unfortunately though, the more I heard about it, the more I was kinda scared to play it since the word wasn't always so positive.
     Darksiders is about the apocalypse beginning early and one of the four horsemen, War, being blamed for it. Instead of War being sent into Oblivion, he is sent back to Earth and given a chance to prove his innocence. Then the game really starts off.

Gameplay

+ Explodey Gun! I had one really great moment in Darksiders when I picked up this one gun on an enemy that explodes enemies. You aim at enemies, shoot at them with harpoons, and then you press another button to make the harpoons explode. I just felt really cool taking on all of these huge demons that would take forever to kill without this little weapon. Too bad you could only use it in one level...

= What is this? I don't even... Devil May Cry, Prince of Persia, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Soul Reaver, Zelda, God of War, they're all in this game in some way or another. Darksiders takes elements from all of the above and tries to put it all into one good game. It's one of those ideas that are much better on paper than in practice. They successfully copied aspects of those games but it didn't necessarily make a better game because of it. All of the attack moves and weapons were completely ripped off, animations as well. It was the same with the platforming too. War could use his gauntlet to slide down certain walls he could climb on like Prince. You ride a horse with the same mechanics as Epona from Zelda: Ocarina of Time and War can attack just like Altair from Assassin's Creed. Almost EVERYTHING came from another game.

- I should go play some... The problem about copying something from another game and then implementing it in a less than stellar way is that I'm gonna want to go play those games you copied. There was not a time where I wasn't thinking I should go play Zelda or Prince of Persia with the reasoning that it wouldn't feel like a waste of time.


- Just like weekend chores. Yay...  It's not good when everything in your game begins to feel like a chore. Towards the middle of the game, I wanted it to just end. Every battle and puzzle that I had to go through was bothersome to the N'th degree. It wasn't challenging and it wasn't fun. And then, when I finally thought I was at the end of the game, I had to go through 3-4 more levels and then backtrack through the entire game to collect stuff... LIKE ZELDA: WINDWAKER! It just wasn't worth it. If I wasn't writing reviews I would've stopped playing a lot earlier...


- Do what now? May God have mercy on you if you forget what you were doing or missed a cutscene showing you what you should be doing. Darksiders will not help or remind you. There were a few times where I was solving a puzzle and I happened to daydream while it was showing me what to do next. I felt screwed as I went back through the dungeon to find out what I changed. Also, after having completed a certain task, I would forget where I was headed so I had to go everywhere to find out if that was the right location or not. Darksiders is a terrible game to play in small pieces if you happen to forget what you were doing when you stopped.



- What does this do? The control scheme was SO CONVOLUTED. The controls barely made any sense. I just couldn't understand why they made things so confusing when it's pretty easy to simplify what they had.


- One more time. Every enemy was essentially the same. It was rare to treat one enemy differently from another. The strategy for everything you came across was just to keep attacking it until it died. It's funny how I can totally enjoy the repetitive nature of Dynasty Warriors but I can't stand this.



- Who's there? You think Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry had terrible cameras. Darksiders copied the "Z-targeting" system from Zelda and it sucks. The enemy AI isn't built like other action games where you can predict when they're going to attack. They don't work in a certain order. If you can't see them, it's a big problem because you'll start getting hit by invisible enemies. This will happen a lot since the targeting will zoom in and only show the enemies in front of you.


- I think you're broken. This could just be me but one of the bosses was terribly broken. When you dodge in this game, you're not invincible, you just become incredibly immobilized. Since boss attacks normally take two dodges to get away from, you're going to get hit if you start right when you see the attack animation. And on the one boss I was facing, she would attack with her fist and I couldn't dodge that in time so I thought to go behind her. What she did instead was immediately cancel her punching animation to hit me with her tail. And then she has a very large range attack that you normally get just enough warning for. For me though, she would just do it. It normally involves her getting ready to jump in the air and then come slamming down. For me, she would just disappear and she'd just be crashing down instantly, no animations or start-up time to speak of.



- Like a snail... Everything felt slow; The attacks, recovery from your dodge, walking, response to pressing the jump button, getting your horse's butt in gear. I messed up a puzzle one time. It took me 5-10 mins to mess up and it took me 10 mins to fix. I do not want to spend 15-20 mins on a puzzle so easy a 2nd grader could solve just because the camera confused me! And you know why it took so long? Because War is slow and everything he does is slow. Kinda reminds me of the worst puzzles in Zelda.



- But I don't want to walk! There are these portals you can enter to quick travel around the overworld. I can not, for the life of me, understand why it is that when you enter one of these portals you have to walk around in an empty dimension to pop out the other end. I went into the portal because I didn't want to waste time walking to my destination, not because I wanted to waste slightly less time than ACTUALLY walking there. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a cool concept to go into these portals and travel through a world of nothing where I have to get to another portal to come out where I wanted to go. It just doesn't belong in a game and it was completely pointless.


- But wait, there's more! There's a little bit more I could go on about but it would just feel like excessive nitpicking. I feel I've already said enough to help you make up your mind about whether this gameplay is for you or not.

Story and Presentation

+ It's like a comic! From the story to the aesthetic, Darksiders played out like an American comic book filled with troubled heroes and grit. All of the characters were visually stimulating and the voice-acting was enticing. I enjoyed listening to and looking at everything in the game.

+ Uriel. Because her allure makes her a plus.

+ In theory... I personally enjoy the concept of the story. I find it fresh and intriguing. I wanted to know why the apocalypse started early, why one of the horsemen was blamed and how he could prove his innocence. For me, it was just interesting from the get-go.

= Once upon a time, the end. The overall story was ok, although, It felt like the story almost wasn't even there being that they never really showed any development of the characters or fleshed out what their true motivations were. In Mario, all you're doing is saving a princess story-wise but the game's so fun, it doesn't really matter. In Zelda, you're saving a princess but you feel close to the people you help out or rally against which gives the world some feeling so that pushes the gameplay forward as well as some solid gameplay mechanics. What I'm trying to say is that Darksiders' story feels one dimensional, and with some slightly shallow gameplay, you'd expect more from it. Unfortunately, they don't give you much to work with so you tend to ask yourself why you're playing.


- It's like a comic book... Sometimes comic stories and art work for a game. I enjoyed the Darkness a lot and I felt that the game stood apart from the comic very well. When it comes to Darksiders, the story could have been so much more if it was a comic or an animation. Because the story was so secondary and was provided so little focus, it's concept was completely wasted. All the depth of characters and the deeper effects of certain events were completely lost and I find that to be a shame.

- Do I know you from somewhere? Why did War use all of his weapons like Dante from Devil May Cry and platform like Prince from Prince of Persia? They even went as far as blatantly copy the textures pf things Prince climbs on in his game. Aside from character designs and some environments (which I still feel like I've seen somewhere else) there was just a lot of originality lost in the making of this game. Next time THQ makes a game, I hope their thought isn't to make a game by solely using ideas from other games. It's not flattering and it isn't fun.

- Needed more Uriel. It seems they realized this at the end of the game but, alas, they realized it too late.


Graphics

= Not bad, rookie.  There wasn't anything really special about the way Darksiders looked but it wasn't an ugly game either. Some effects really popped and some characters looked to have great detail. Another visually pleasing game.


Sound

+ I ain't no slouch. All of the voice work in Darksiders was wonderful. I recognized many of the actors and felt that they lent a good bit of themselves to each character. No grating dialogue to speak of. Very exceptional performances

- What was that?  The sound effects in the cutscenes were odd at times where you would expect something to make an extremely gutteral "BOOM" and then it'll make with a mousy "pimff". It's like seeing a lion roar and hearing it mew like a kitten. Just not right. It also does this outside of cutscenes, just not as often.

Should you buy it?


     No, I say rent it. I'm aware that some people really enjoyed this game, although I don't know why, so I don't want to flat out say pass it up. Just don't buy it before you try it. It only lasts a meager 8-10 hours and there's very little reason to replay it. Save your money and buy something cool like Mass Effect 2, No More Heroes 2, Bioshock 2 or Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Maybe even one of the games Darksiders copied! Those are all great games). You're money would serve you better with one of those titles.

     Darksiders was developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. Played and completed Normal difficulty in 10 hours. Review is based on the PS3 version.

 

Bayonetta Review For Xbox360 and PS3

     IT'S HERE! I've been waiting for this game for so long! I even avoided importing it. I LOVE Hideki Kamiya! He's the man responsible for Leon Kennedy of Resident Evil, Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry (1 and 4) and the ever beautiful Okami. All of those titles have had a huge influence in my gaming tastes and experiences. I feel like I became a better gamer from playing his games. And now, here's a completely new series from one of my favorite directors.
     Now, this game isn't all rainbows and sunshine. It's got a few hitches here and there but I don't think it overall effects this title. Let's set into this "Infinite Climax" review!

Gameplay

+ Great for beginners and challenging for pros. Normally, when it comes to these types of games, they'll bury you into the ground until you get the point that you just need to work a bit harder to get through the current level which is normally what turns away casual gamers. The other thing that factors in is that you also used to play through a level and if you died, you'd have to start the entire level over from the beginning. Well, Bayonetta has a LARGE amount of checkpoints and the game is fairly easy to get through, even if you only know how to do one combo. Even on lower difficulties, Bayonetta comes equipped with a special item where you can just mash one button and she'll chase down enemies and do spectacular combos for you. The only drawback on taking the easy route is that you'll get less halos for buying new accessories, items, weapons, etc. 
     When it comes to the veterans, the more diverse your combos are, the less damage you take and the faster you can get through a level, the more halos you get! And at the end, all of your scores for sections within a level are added up and you are rewarded with a trophy based on your performance which will net you MORE halos! Then your scores are added to a leaderboard where you can compete for the best scores and times. You can go ahead and slack through the game if you want, but then you'll never have enough to buy all of the cool stuff available to you in the shop. Believe me, you want halos to buy that cool stuff.
     Also, just to note, when you dodge in this game, you can avoid damage and your dodge will make you invincible for a fairly large frame of time making it beginner friendly. However, if you can dodge at just the RIGHT moment, you activate Witch Time which will slow down time for you temporarily to allow you to nail an enemy with a combo without worrying about taking damage. You'll also deal more damage and obtain more halos in the process.


+ Combos for the combo masters! For me, what I loved about Devil May Cry is that there were all of these moves that you could link any way you could imagine and so I felt more creative when it came to the combos I'd produce. When it came to Ninja Gaiden and God of War, I would always go through all of the combo lists and just find the one or two combos to stick with for the rest of the game instead of utilizing an entire list. Bayonetta brings these two worlds together to lend itself to however the player wants to play. You are given a very large list of combos consisting of different combinations of punches and kicks. Those combos will figure into all of the weapons that you obtain in the game. Some combos may be removed or given different timing, some combos might be useful for some weapons and less so for others. Though, as long as you've been studying up on what she can do, it's fairly simple to jump into a different weapon and know what you're doing. 
     You can also purchase moves that can be performed in the middle of any combo string by utilizing a specific motion and button press ala Devil May Cry. By modifying your combos with these moves, you can set them up for an air combo, stun them to perform a more devastating combo, or give the enemy chase if they end up moving too far from you. You'll also end up netting more points and halos by using these moves to link your combos.

+ What's the difference between this enemy and that enemy? Almost everything. All of the enemies in Bayonetta will have strategies of their own to try and take you down which means you'll have to adapt to each enemy you face. You can go ahead and use the same combo you've always used but that doesn't mean it's going to be just as effective against one enemy type as it is for another. And when you're facing multiple types at once, they actually have a way of attacking you together. Some beat-em'-ups have a sense of just killing as much as you can and as fast as you can but with the enemies in Bayonetta, you'll start to dissect the battle situation and begin using strategies of which ones to dispatch first, which combos would work the best if you end up needing to interrupt it. The enemies in this game made me think, and not only did I feel and look cooler when I took them on, I felt smarter too.


+ The difficulties are what they are. The pacing of each difficulty felt absolutely perfect. Normal didn't start ramping up to max difficulty in the end making you think, "Man, I'll never be able to do this part on a harder difficulty..." Normal will be narmal through and through. The difficulty will come out of learning how to handle new enemy types on their own and then how to handle them when they're mixed together. The game's challenge comes more from how you can adapt, not from, "Good luck surviving this one." And then when you move onto the harder difficulties, it uses new combinations of enemies for each level and picks up the pace in a way that feels like a natural step up from when you beat the game on a previous difficulty.


+ The weapons are wicked. The weapons are definitely unique in this game. There wasn't really a feeling that I had used a weapon in some other game before. With the way they combo'd, they felt intuitive and also different from everything I'd used before. And there are plenty of weapons. You are also allowed to make two sets of weapons attached to your hands and feet and you can switch them on the fly. You can also make your weapon sets whenever you want instead of only being able to pick them out in the beginning of a level. Play around with them, use what feels good; It's what this game is about.


+  Torture whenever you like. There are torture attacks in the game which are essentially what you can use to finish off enemies to save time and net halos. When you land a lot of hits and don't take damage, you have a magic bar that starts to fill up. When fills all the way, you get a prompt to perform a torture attack. You can perform these whenever you want, no matter the enemy's health, as long as you have a full bar to use. In most cases, it will flat out kill the enemy or, at the least, do a TON of damage.


+ Finally! A dodge BUTTON! I prefer the Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden way of dodging where you hold the target enemy or block button and press a button (usually the one assigned to jump) and a direction to dodge. I can keep my thumb on the important buttons to retaliate after I dodge and I can react quicker with my dodge. I got beef with whoever thought taking your thumb off of the pad to use a controller's right-stick to dodge was a good idea (I'm looking at you God of War and Dante's Inferno) because it's not. Kamiya has actually found a way to more conveniently allow the player to dodge by just using the RT or R2 button. She will automatically dodge backwards and avoid the attack. If you want to dodge to a specific direction, just move the stick wherever you want when you press the dodge button. It's convenient, intuitive and just plain awesome. THIS was a good idea.


= This isn't Shenmue! I swear, it feels like ever since Shenmue started using quick-time events, every other game thought it should too. Bayonetta doesn't really flood it's gameplay and cutscenes with them, but they're still there and they can still be annoying. Some of them are fun though so it's not really bad. It's just not really good either.


- It does what beat-'em-ups don't. There are certain sections of Bayonetta that have you doing tasks that break up from the usual fighting to change the pace. Now, they'd be kinda cool and fun seeing as how they're tributes to other games, but they just feel like they go on FOREVER. If they were short and sweet excursions, they'd be welcome editions. Instead, they wear out they're welcome real fast. On one of the levels, I was riding a motorcycle. I thought I was going around in circles because I would go through the same tunnels, turns and bridges really often. I was trying to figure out where to go the whole time only to find out that it was just incredibly long-winded and that I was doing the right thing by just going forward. There are only two sections in the game that do this which only accounts for a very small portion of the game and they don't mar the overall experience. Just don't do it again P*. Don't.
 

Story and Presentation

+ Robert Rodriguez, anyone? This game has a campy, fun vibe to it. When you watch the opening, all of the characters felt like they came right out of a Rodriguez flick. From the dialogue, to the action being cool but not fully taking itself seriously, you'd think Kamiya had just finished watching Desperado. I personally think it's a good thing. At the same time, I can take the characters and events seriously. But when Bayonetta starts to goof off with comedic and cheesy sexy moments, I can have fun with it too. One moment, Bayonetta will make a provocative, over-played sexual motion, blow the head off an angel with style, and then proceed to slap an angel silly. The game was made more to have fun with. If you take it too seriously, it's really likely to just turn you off. It's not really trying to hit gamers over the head with sex-appeal, it's poking fun at everything that does.


+ Ooooh, what's that? Every angel and boss was creatively inspired with a lot of thought put into how they would act, and look. For example, with the angel, Iustitia, or Justice, he came off as a demon with how scary he appeared. "This may be due to the fact that those depicting the angel are filled beyond comprehension with awe at the sheer difficulty of encouraging justice in the world." I liked how the enemies weren't just put because you need enemies that look cool. They all have their own backgrounds and reasons for their appearance. It was always exciting to read about the different forces of heaven.


+ I'm killing angels? Yep, you are killing angels. And not because Heaven is evil in this game. You are killing good-willed angels that protect the world from demons and the like. To me, that was a really intriguing point. Normally, when you're on the bad side in videogames, they always tend to either make the good side come off as being evil or totally stupid in a satirical manner. Sometimes they'll even twist the bad side to work for the good making one large good force against a greater evil. Instead, Bayonetta puts you on a very ambiguous side where you aren't trying to go forward with evil intentions, but they're not exactly good ones either. I just thought it was about time someone really say, "You know angels, right? The ones that help people and guide souls to heaven and work for God? Yea, you're going to go kill those," instead of, "Yea, they're angels but they're trying to kill mankind so it's ok." Bayonetta kinda looks at both Heaven and Hell objectively showing that the creatures of Heaven feel like they should help humans out because it's the right thing to do, not because that's what they exist for or that it's what they're supposed to do. It feels like a breath of fresh air to me.


= But I thought you said... The story in Bayonetta isn't the strongest I've ever gone through. You can tell the effort was there to make a good story and it was interesting and intriguing up until the end where it just felt like it fell apart. Not like Borderlands did, mind you. More like the dialogue got really confusing and just left you there in left field trying to make sense of it. At least it did for me.

= Sex-Appeal. Bayonetta is a constantly teasing game when it comes to sexual innuendos and body language. I don't see it as something that doesn't fit or makes the game worse. It actually lends itself to creating a lot of the comedy in the game. Some people that can't see that think it's just over sexualizing Bayonetta, trying to get gamers to buy it through T&A thus making it offensive. I say lighten up. It's supposed to be ridiculous. I don't think of it as either good or bad. It's just a part of what the game is. It does enhance certain moments with comedic flare but otherwise, it's just there.


= This is just a tribute. There are tons of references to past Kamiya creations, SEGA games, and I really want to say even No More Heroes. Unfortunately, sometimes it felt like there may have been so many references and tributes that it made Bayonetta feel more like a culmination of these things instead of something that stands alone by itself. Luckily, Bayonetta does have enough of it's own personality to be something that can stand on it's own two legs. The references are cool though, if you can catch them. I just wonder if maybe they should have held off on a few...



Graphics

+ I feel happy! I liked the graphics very much. Not everything popped so I wouldn't say that this is a game to show off visually but there's a lot that's very detailed and lends itself to the style and aesthetic of the game. In this case, the graphics enhanced the experience for me with all of the special effects and it's unique visual style. This was a visually pleasing game.


Sound

+ Pop-star party!  The soundtrack was a lot of fun. Bayonetta's themes were very pop-styled including a remix of "Fly me to the moon". The orchestral pieces did a very good job at adding tension to struggles in battle or to give you that push of hope when you're just about to deal the final blow to one of the game's bosses. I kinda want the soundtrack actually...

+ Where do I know this from...? There are remixed themes of classic sega games in here and they are VERY awesome. Keep an ear out and see if you can recognize them.

+ BOOM! The sound-effects had a great oomph to them that made you feel like you were really pounding on your enemies. The creatures also have very cool noises that they make. Good luck trying to figure out what animals they used to make some of those sounds though.


Should you buy it?

     Totally. The first run through the game has a fair amount of length to it. This game was made for replays though. You'll need to play through all the levels and difficulties to get enough halos to buy all of the items in the shop, get all of the weapons, unlock secrets and find all of the Umbran blood tears. The mere challenge of trying to get the highest award on each level is already addictive and fun on it's own. It's a satisfying experience worthy of your attention. Great Job, Platinum Games!

     *SEGA took it upon themselves to port Bayonetta to the PS3. Unfortunately, it has increased load times (even for pausing), reduced frame-rates and the graphics take a SLIGHT hit. I don't think it should deter you from playing or purchasing this game if you only have a PS3 since the game is still just as enjoyable and addictive. If you can choose what system to get it for though, get it for the Xbox 360.


Bayonetta was developed by Platinum Games, published by SEGA. Played through Normal, Hard and Infinite Climax difficulties, clocked a whopping 40+ hours and is still going strong. Review is based on the Xbox 360 version.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Parents

Parents 


Here's the ESRB:
ESRB rates this game M for Mature, ages +17 for the following:
Blood
Drug Reference
Intense Violence
Language

This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the roles of members of an elite squadron on the trail of a Russian ultranationalist. Players defend the U.S. from Russian armed forces, engage in skirmishes and combat missions, and track the ultranationalist in an attempt to discover his true motivations and co-conspirators. Players use machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades, and missiles to kill enemy soldiers throughout the battlefields. Realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain are heard during the frequent and fast-paced combat. The most intense depiction of violence occurs during a "No Russian" mission where players take on the role of an undercover Ranger: Several civilians are gunned down at an airport as players are given a choice to participate in the killings (e.g., players can shoot a wounded civilian that is crawling on the ground), or walk by and observe without opening fire. In either case, civilians scream and emit pools of blood as they are shot to death. Within the multiplayer portion of the game, players can unlock "emblems" to be used on their player name cards. Some of these emblems contain images that reference drugs (e.g., a cannabis leaf; a name card with a depiction of a joint). Dialogue in the game contains profanity in both English (e.g., "sh*t") and Russian (e.g., "f**k" and "motherf**ker").

     Ok, let's talk about this No Russian business. The ESRB explained pretty well what happens during that mission. Allow me to go deeper into the background of it. I'll also put everything in simpler terms so that it's really easy to understand. First off, when you start the game, it tells you that there is offensive content within this game and that you may choose to opt out of playing the mission containing the offensive content. It goes on to mention that should you choose to opt out, it will not ruin the game for you story-wise or gameplay-wise. There is nothing forcing you to play this level.
     In the mission, you have the chance to settle in with a group of Russian terrorists if you carry out an operation with them while undercover. If you succeed, then you would have access to their plans to commit further terrorism. The terrorists make sure that while they perform their mission that they speak no Russian. This fact is important. Then they proceed to mow down a lot of russian civilians within an airport. As a player, you do not have to kill any innocent civilians. The game will let you kill if you want to but you're also free to just walk along and witness the event. In the end, they know that you were undercover the whole time and that you are an American. They shoot you and leave you behind, dead at the airport. The reason why they performed this mission and kept themselves from speaking Russian was so they could use the Americans as scapegoats and rally their country against America. Because no one heard them speak Russian and there was a dead American dressed as one of the terrorists left at the site, everyone was led to believe America had committed this terrorist act, thus evoking a war between Russia and America.
     The news will tell you that this game makes it ok to be a terrorist and that it forces you and teaches you to kill innocent civilians. They also say that the "no Russian" reference means to not leave any Russians alive. The thing is, this level is completely optional. You are never forced to play it. Even when you're in the airport, you aren't forced to kill any civilians if you don't want to. Let's also not forget, this game is intended for a mature audience; Adults like me and you.
     The news never played this game. They caught word of it, saw a minute of gameplay and decided that this game trained people to be terrorists and that there is no merit to this experience. I'm telling you that I played through this game twice, I played it for an entire week and I've been playing games for a LONG time. This is not a game that shows how to effectively become a terrorist. It is an optional mission that begins the conflict of the plot within this game. Undercover operations are real. People sometimes perform duties that go against their beliefs if it means the safety of the country, or in this case, the world. This mission is merely giving perspective from a person performing their duty. Here is a video of the mission from start to end. This is violent footage so please watch at your own discretion.

Assassin's Creed for Parents

For The Parents

     The ESRB is lacking a description entailing specifics of what occurs in Assassin's Creed but let's see if I can help sort out what they refer to.

Assassin's Creed is Rated M for Mature, ages +17 for Blood, Strong Language, and Violence.

     Blood is in this game but there is an option to tone down the blood and it actually makes the game a bit more appropriate. If the blood is turned on, there'll be a sort of red mist that appears when you wound an enemy. Violence kind of goes hand in hand with blood since there is no blood without violence, right? There are depictions of violence that I'm not sure I'd ever let my kids see unless I thought they were mature enough for it. There are instances, just to name a few, where throats are slashed, torsos are stabbed multiple times, heads are jammed with blades, and much more. And as for strong language, it's just standard fare. You got your fucks, shits, and damns. Here's a clip that gives a pretty good idea of what to expect when it comes to the violence that occurs in the game:

Left 4 Dead 2 for Parents

For The Parents

Here's what the ESRB has to say:

Rated M for Mature, ages 17+

Content descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language

Rating summary:  
Infected zombie-like creatures roam the bayous, backwoods, streets, and parishes of a distinctly Southern United States in this first-person shooter set in the aftermath of apocalyptic pandemic. Groups of one-to-four players (i.e., the "Survivors") work cooperatively to battle the "Infected" zombies and reach safehouses at the end of each round/chapter. Player-Survivors use realistic pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, and assault rifles to kill hordes of zombies throughout the game; chainsaws, machetes, axes, and baseball bats can be used in frenetic close-quarter combat (i.e., melee attacks). In most cases, large sprays of blood shoot out of injured zombies, and they can stain the ground, walls—players' screen; for example, the "Boomer"-Infected explode in a shower of blood and bile when shot, which clouds players' view of the impending zombie swarm. 

Bladed melee weapons and direct hits from rifles, shotguns, etc., cause decapitation or dismemberment; intense depictions include: piles of the Infected in a pool of blood along the roadside; intestines spilling out of abdominal wounds; zombie gibs shooting in all directions; charred innards; and skeletal bits and unclaimed torsos. While the litany of somewhat "gruesome" depictions attests to the Mature rating, the over-the-top onslaught is, in some ways, mitigated by the exaggerated menacing evil (camp?) of the drone-like zombie horde; the genre homage (horror, zombies, . . . cricket paddle) is palpable. Consumers might also wish to know that the game includes profanity, such as "sh*t," "a*shole," and "b*tch"; however, it is the intense violence, the blood and gore that are the primary factors for the Mature rating.

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=27786

     I think the ESRB did a pretty good job on this discription. I don't even need to add in that even though it's violent, it's almost light-heartedly so with how over-the-top and campy it is. Here's a video for reference: 

 

Borderlands for Parents

FOR PARENTS

Here's what the ESRB has to say about Borderlands:


Rated M for Mature, ages 17+

Content descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Strong Language 

Rating summary: This is a sci-fi first-person shooter in which players assume the roles of mercenary treasure hunters on a mission to the fictional planet of Pandora. Players undertake missions/quests that increase characters' skills, eliminate an assortment of mutant creatures, and drive and collide with advanced alien vehicles. Players kill hundreds of enemies (e.g., human bandits and mercenary soldiers) over the course of the game by using a wide variety of guns (shotguns, sniper rifles), explosives, and special ammo types (fire, acid and electricity, etc.). The combat is frenetic, and enemies moan or scream when they are hit. Damage from weapons also results in large spurts of blood, dismemberment, and decapitation. When a human or creature is decapitated, an effect resembling a fountain of blood will shoot from the neck for a few seconds and stop. Some weapons cause enemies to split in half, the top being separated from the waist. During the course of the game, characters make jokes about streaking, body parts, rape, and mothers (e.g., "…more busted than my momma's girly parts"). Strong profanity (e.g., "f*cking," "sh*t," "p*ssy," and "d*ckbag") can be heard in the dialogue.

Yep, this game is definitely intended for a more mature audience. It was not intended for young kids and I'd say the ESRB did a pretty bang up job describing the content in the game. Do keep in mind though that this is more going for a graphic novel or comic book kinda vibe so it's all very over the top and not as extreme as it would be if it were represented in a more realistic manner. Here's a video for reference:

Katamari Forever for Parents

FOR PARENTS

I, personally, see nothing inappropriate about this game. It's rated E for Everyone. Here's what the ESRB  points out is in the game:

Alcohol and Tobacco Reference
Comic Mischief
Mild Fantasy Violence
Mild Language

"This is a puzzle/adventure game in which players roll a small ball around cities, collect random items (e.g., dice, beer signs, candy, smoking pipes, buckets, etc.) that stick to the ball, and make the ball grow in size. Players can eventually work their way up to rolling over cars, buildings, and even mountains. Sumo wrestlers, children, animals, and police officers can join the ride, though they sometimes cry out and wriggle around as they get stuck to the giant ball. One of the character descriptions mentions that "[h]e's trying to work out a way to fart without making a sound." The expletive "dammit" appears once on the screen."

     The "Alcohol and Tobacco Reference" is really about the items that you can roll up. There's no encouragement to smoke or drink in the game. I haven't personally run into anything about a guy making a noiseless fart and I can't recall anyone saying "dammit" in the game and I've put maybe 30+ hours into the game. It just shows that you could play for quite a while and never run into certain things. The ESRB also, to me, makes it sound like you're harming people in katamari when you're not. I've provided a clip of the game to show what the game looks like. I think this game would be appropriate for anyone of any age and the ESRB agrees.

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for Parents

Parents


ESRB rates this game as M for Mature ages +17 for the following:
Blood and Gore
Intense Violence
Strong Language

That's about all there is on their site. I would say it's one of the more tame games that are out there. It has it's moments but I've seen much MUCH worse in videogames. There are events when the game puts you into the shoes of someone who's going to die. One of the characters gets caught in a nuclear explosion; You see the death of someone being executed from their perspective. There was a remake of this game for the Wii. It's not exactly the same as Call of Duty 4 on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it may or may not share all of the same content, but they're VERY similar. Here's the ESRB descriptor for the Wii version and a clip of the game in motion:

This is a first-person shooter, set in the modern day, in which players join an elite army squadron on missions to hunt down terrorists. Players navigate battlefields in the Middle East and Russia; use machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades, and missiles to kill enemy soldiers; and attempt to disable the launch of nuclear warheads aimed at the United States. Realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain are heard during the frequent and fast-paced combat. Soldiers emit large puffs of blood when they are shot and killed; there is blood pooling around corpses in some levels. In one sequence, players' successful sniping attack results in an enemy's arm becoming dismembered. One of the more dramatic sequences involves a depiction of a prisoner of war who is tied to chair, then shot in the head by a teammate. Strong profanity (e.g., "f**k" and "sh*t") can be heard in the dialogue.

Just to clarify about the last bit mentioned, the prisoner in the chair was executed by your side, the good guys, after your squad interrogates him for information.

Bioshock For Parents

From the ESRB:

This game is rated M for mature, ages 17+ for the following:
Blood and Gore
Drug Reference
Intense Violence
Sexual Themes
Strong Language

     Unfortunately that's all that was there. To embellish a bit, this is an extreme game. The sound effects, coupled with the visuals deliver some high level violence. There are a lot of corpses in this game shown crucified, disemboweled, electrocuted, tortured, the list goes on. The whole premise of this game is about a community driven horribly insane from a dependence on newly invented drugs called "plasmids". Plasmids allowed people to reconstruct dna to grant themselves abilities such as controlling electricity, fire, telekinesis, etc. It demonstrates a philosophical view that when mankind is left to it's own devices without regulation and order, the worst is bound to happen. There isn't a curse word left off of the table. Prostitution is present theme in the game, none that you can partake in or view, but it is there in the form of an abandoned bar, dead bodies and it's referred in audio diaries. This is one of those games where it offers a very great story with a deep message for you to walk away with but it only has adults in mind. Bioshock should NOT be played by minors. In my own personal opinion, I'd be more afraid if my kids played this game way before fearing them getting a hold of Grand Theft Auto or Call Of Duty simply because of all the violence in the game and the amount of fear it can cause. Here's a couple video's displaying violence. Some of it can be pretty gory so I'd warn anyone a with weak stomach to prepare themselves before viewing.

Here's the opening for the game that demonstrates a bit of what the game entails:



And here's the actual game in motion:

Bioshock Review for 360, PS3

     This game is amazing in practically every aspect. It's amazing that a game's story, gameplay, and graphics can hold up so much over the years. A true masterpiece. If I were you, I wouldn't read this review. The less you know about Bioshock, the better it is. Even knowing what kind of genre is hidden in this game is almost a spoiler in itself. If you never played Bioshock and you really want an immersive, unique, and lasting experience, just go buy it and play it. It's worth any price.

Story

     Bioshock's tale takes place in a city under the sea called Rapture. Rapture was created by a man named Andrew Ryan who believed that a man was entitled to his own endeavors. He didn't like the laws and limits posed upon man by governments and authoritative organizations so he decided to create a utopia where all limits and laws were lifted and man was free to pursue his dreams to greater heights than was possible back on the surface. Unfortunately, Rapture fell into chaos and now there is only death and suffering.
     You happen to be on a plane that crashes into the ocean leading you to Rapture. When you arrive in Rapture, you are greeted by a man named Atlas who is trying to save his family, free Rapture and help you escape from the clutches of this utopia gone wrong.

+ This game is storytelling at it's best. Not only is the story well-written, there is an extreme effort to immerse you into this crazy setting. People are insane, killing and pillaging, screaming. When they discover you, you want to disappear, you feel threatened. There is almost never a point in this game when you feel safe. Inside of every room, there is a story to tell and every story is relevant to learning of Rapture's downfall and it's denizens. The story is mainly portrayed through audio diaries and static reenactments of tragic events played out by ghosts. You end up feeling sorry for the people who came to Rapture and were exposed to so many terrible acts of crime. It really hits home whenever you're at the scene of a murder and you hear what happened before hand on an audio diary. You feel close to each and every one of the game's characters. And since you're so outnumbered and alone, you almost feel like you need to trust each and every person who reaches out to you. The story starts small in scope at first but it's just a facade. Bioshock's story is deeply philosophical and epic in proportion. It's likely that this is a story that will become a part of you and an experience you won't forget.

Gameplay

+ This is a first-person shooter that does not care to stick to the paved path of other shooters. I'd almost say that this game is a first-person survival horror. You need to act like a scavenger, looking for meds, ammo, weapons, parts, tools; it forces you to search out all of your surroundings. And after it gets you to play into that mindset, it begins messing with you. You'll be minding your own business, looking around, and then the lights just go out, nothing but black. You're now stuck in the middle of a pitch black room, objects falling and rattling around you, people laughing behind your back, completely vulnerable and pissing your pants. I've played this game twice before and most of the time I know what's going to happen, but because this game is so immersive, it doesn't stop me from screaming when something scares me. And it works EVERY TIME.
     The other thing that adds to the scares in this game is that fact that all of your enemies always feel like they have an advantage over you, even when they don't. There's just something innately creepy about every creature and enemy that you wish you were alone and never ran into a single living soul. Even at the end of the game, I was stronger than everyone and could deal with anything with mild difficulty but I was still scared. I wanted them to go away and leave me alone.

+ The weapons and plasmids in this game are sweet. Most of the weapon in the game are pretty basic i.e. pistol, shotgun, machine gun, grenade launcher, wrench. The trick is that you get different ammo for every gun making your weapons more all-purpose than they start off as. Ammo is also limited if you don't really dedicate to looking around so it makes for more interesting strategies when dispatching baddies. Instead of, "I want the shotgun because that's my favorite gun in every FPS" you'll think, "I can probably hit him with my last proximity grenade, use the last of my armor piercing rounds in my pistol and hopefully that should be enough to finish with an exploding buck from my shotgun." You also get to upgrade your guns later in the game to make them do more damage, add more accuracy, use less ammo, etc. I enjoyed the simplicity of the weapons and the strategy that came with them. It made me feel super intelligent and it gave every encounter lots of meaning instead of just offing an enemy and forgetting about it after they're down.
     When it comes to plasmids, think of X-Men. Plasmids are these powers you fuse yourself with to give you supernatural abilities like shooting lightning bolts, setting people on fire, freezing people into ice, etc. They don't have an extremely diverse variety available to use, just enough to have different choices when strategizing for defeating an enemy. They also have incredibly creative uses too. Instead of just using them directly on enemies, you can use it to greater effect on your environment. The enemy AI in this game is very smart (and I'll work up to talking about that). If you light them on fire, they'll search for water. Instead of just electrifying someone, and you know there's water nearby, set them on fire. They'll run for water and dive in. Then electrify the water dealing much more damage than a straight-up shock. You can shock machines giving you time to hack them without being shot at. Let's say you wanted to hit more than one target with a heat-seeking missile. Light something in your environment on fire, pick it up with telekinesis, toss it between your targets and shoot the missile off. When you hack a machine, there's a little mini-game you have to play that's timed by water. You can actually freeze the object you're trying to hack to slow down the water buying you more time to complete the mini-game. This game will reward you for thinking outside the box and it feels awesome. 
     The next best part about all the weapons and plasmids at your disposal is that you don't have to think about it either. If you just want to deal with everyone in a straight-forward manner, go for it. If you want, you can be more creative and make encounters easier for yourself but there's nothing forcing you to. Play it your own way.

+ Tonics modify the way your character works. You can use them to make med-packs give you more health, make you invisible to detection when you stand still, hack machines faster and easier, do more damage with certain plasmids and certain elemental damages. There's a large number of tonics in Bioshock and they do a great job of supplementing the way that you want to go through the game.


+ The enemy AI is a delight. They work around problems in their environment in an intelligible manner. They won't sit there and get shot. If you deal too much damage, they'll retreat to use a healing machine. Light them on fire, they'll run for water to put themselves out. The way that they interact with the environment gives them believable life. The setting is supposed to be about a HUGE community under the sea that went stark-raving mad, killing eachother. There's no set amount of enemies in an area. You may have taken down everyone at the moment, but soon, there'll be more scouting the area, looking at dead bodies for supplies, searching their environment for survivors. If there's music playing in the area, they'll whistle along to the tune.This world feel tangible and alive and it's thanks to the great design of the inhabitants in this game.

+ Everything else. You can study enemy behaviors to think of better ways to take them down. You can hack turrets and security cameras to work against your enemies. You can use junk and trash you find to make ammo, tonics, hacking tools, etc. This is just one of those games where, while you're not playing the game specifically for it's gameplay, it still offers more than other games in it's genre and it keeps the game from ever becoming dull as you work your way to the end of it's story. There's tons of fun to be had here.


Graphics

+ The graphics are engrossing and highly detailed. They had a specific team just work on the water in this game and it's still the best looking water to date. There's detail everywhere from run down party halls and blood covered kitchens, to flooded bathrooms and decaying apartments. There's a story to tell in every inch of Rapture. There's some very unique lighting effects that may make you wonder why no one else utilizes shadows and light to the effect that Bioshock does. The textures of the characters are very well done with disfigured faces, scars, and tattered clothing. There is detail in everything and everything tells a story. It's exactly the level of attention that every game should aspire to.



+ The water. The water in this game is gorgeous. There's never a time where you feel like the water is just a part of the background. It almost feels as real and alive as Rapture's citizens. The way it runs down walls, sprays from a leak, gathers into a pool, it's easy to become mesmerized. Kudos to the development team and artists for all of their hard work. It really paid off.


Sound

+ The noises and ambiance in this game with strike you with fear and anxiety. There were times where I would just have to take a break because I kept scaring myself and became too paranoid to make progress. Every item interacts with your body so if you walk into a piece of trash, it will make a sound and you will believe someone is behind you. When walking in water, you can hear your own sloshing to an alarming degree. Listening to audio clues is very important in this game. It's the only way to know what lies ahead and what might be behind you. Unfortunately, Bioshock knows how to make your friend your greatest enemy. Sometimes, you might get so paranoid that you just can't go on. And don't feel bad if that happens. Not only does that mean that you're getting the most out of this game and really living it, it's also happened to the best of us. You wouldn't be the only one.


+ The voice acting is superb. There is dialogue to last for days. Not so much that you won't hear the same thing twice, but it's likely that you could go through the whole game and never hear all that there is to listen to. Insanity is something that is commonly portrayed in this game via dialogue and it's always engaging and believable. There's a lady in the beginning of the game that is rocking a stroller and you can overhear the things that she says. Pretty soon, you realize that everyone is just as crazy as she is, if not more so, and you believe it. Hell, you fear it. It further adds to the immersion of actually being there and feeling that these are real, live people. 


+ The sound effects are very punchy with a lot of feel. When you launch a bolt from your crossbow into a skull, you feel the bolt leave the gun and you can hear the bolt insert through the skull with a crack and a gush. The feel is satisfying to no end and you'll want to do it over and over. When you walk on floorboards, wade through water, eat some food, bump into liquor bottles, you feel as though you actually did it. Very detailed work indeed.

Should you buy it?

     There's not too much replay value for this game, however, this is a very high quality product. The attention to detail in every aspect of this game is astounding. It's professionally crafted into an experience that you'll carry with you for years to come. The level of immersion is incredibly high. There's so much life in this game that you feel like you're a literal part of it and after the game's done, you'll feel like you need to return to Rapture as though it's your new home. I would never be able to let this game leave my collection, and after multiple play-throughs, it's still worth going back to and revisiting a time you became a momentary citizen of Rapture. I HIGHLY recommend this game as a must-buy. This is a reason to play videogames. It's worth almost any price of admission.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox 360, PS3

     Everyone's pain can finally end, Modern Warfare 2 is finally here! I believe it set a new entertainment industry record for sales in it's release week. They sure do deserve it.

Gameplay

+ It's still the same as Call of Duty 4. I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it. They DID however polish it much much more this time. The guns all feel very unique and purpose-built. They added a map onto the HUD so you can see enemies as red dots when they attack you. I didn't have anywhere near as much trouble with the grenade indicator as I did in the last game. It still could be improved upon but it didn't burn me as much as before. The AI finally helps you on the harder difficulties. They fixed a whole lot in this game to just give it a better feel. I can say at least I appreciated it. A lot.

+ The level design was wonderful! It had a feeling of every level being an open environment when in reality, it was extremely linear. I never had the feeling that I was lost. The game feels a bit easier but I think that it's because the level design had more thought put into it and mission objectives had more clarity this time around.

+ Every level in the campaign felt like it's own set piece. Every scripted event felt more natural, not like it's something forced. There are tons of moments to remember for years to come. In some of the AAA games that I play today, they seem to go for the whole "the action never stops!" deal and it actually makes me tired of the rinse and repeat gameplay they use. MW2, however, knows exactly how to pace the game to make it all feel refreshing and new all the time. Way to go guys! 


+ Multiplayer is back. It's the same affair that it was before. It's still just as addictive. Every weapon has it's own unlocks and attachments. There are challenges for every weapon and action in the game which helps extend it's replay value a TON. There are new killstreak rewards. Depending on how many kills you score without dying, you'll be rewarded with some helpful equipment such as radar upgrades, supply drops, AC130 kills, HINDs, tactical nukes, and plenty more where that came from. And from as much as I played, I don't think you need to worry about killstreak rewards harming the experience. I never felt like it decided the game when someone got a killstreak. It did make it much more interesting though. There are also titles and avatars to unlock to go next to your gamertag to brag about something you've done or just to give that little touch of personality to your name. Expect to spend weeks on this.


+Spec Ops is a new and VERY welcome addition. Spec Ops is a set of, well, special operations that range from races, to demolitions, eliminations, score attacks and more. All of them are quite exciting, just delivering that perfect bit of rush to make you feel like you're the hardest soldier out there. You can also play these ops with a friend for some added help. I had a lot of trouble finding people to play this with simply because all of my friends were already done with the ops, other people were too hooked on multiplayer, and some people just had no patience or communication skills to finish the missions. I finally found someone who stuck with me the whole way through and it was a blast to do. Either playing by yourself or with a friend, it's fun.


=  There's no co-op campaign to go through. It's not too big of an issue for me but I know some people were really looking forward to this feature. I don't feel like it really has an impact on the overall experience that's already here though.



- The infamous No Russian level was kind of lacking for me. I found it boring and I didn't feel like it was executed as well as it could have been. I'm sure there could have been a way to make it a much more emotional experience but I just wasn't feeling it with the way it is now.

- There's no matchmaking in Spec Ops. When a mode emphasizes team work as much as Spec Ops does, it doesn't really make sense when there's no matchmaking.

Graphics

= Just like Call of Duty 4 before it, Modern Warfare 2 is also just normal looking. The textures, while vastly improved, still look blocky and pixelated up close. The special effects still look just as mediocre as they used to. The character models however have been totally revamped with lots of detail. Otherwise, the graphics, while still an improvement over it's predecessor, still don't rise above mediocrity.

Sound

+ The music score in this game is very emotional and heartfelt. The themes throughout this game can really stir something sentimental in you. They also help liven up the battles you encounter by adding pressure or anxiety to what's already a fast-paced action-fest.

+ Sound effects are still going strong in this series. The guns sound unique from one another. You'll be freaked out every time you hear a ghillie snipe you. Explosions pack a mighty punch. It's all very high quality.

- Sometimes it's really important to listen for enemies in your surroundings and that can be very hard to do when the music in the background won't stop playing. Unfortunately, you can't toggle with the sound settings to turn the music down or off so you'll have to rely on your sight instead.

Story

= I wouldn't expect too much in this dept. It only does what it needs to when it comes to supporting the action but not much beyond that. It does have some cool references to the first Modern Warfare but I wouldn't say you need to play it to enjoy this game. It still managed to make me care about what was going on. I also felt like this game really introduces the horror of warfare on our own land which I think is something this generation needs. Wars don't need to be glorified, they need to be shown for what they really are. This game happens to execute that very well. So once again, it did more than it's predecessor, but not much more than what was required of it. 


Should you buy it?

     YES! Stop being that person who ignores these kinds of games and play it now. It lives up to the hype that proceeds it. Not to mention, you could play this game for months and it'd still be just as addictive. The campaign is worth a couple revisits, Spec Ops is a good test of your mettle with time attacks to boot, and then you have the multiplayer which is completely solid and always fun. It's worth the full retail value. You'll be glad you bought it.

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for Xbox 360, PS3

      This game has really made it's rounds. It's been around for years and it's sold tons upon tons of copies. A new copy of the game still will run you for about $40-$50 as of the time of this review. Now, for me, I never played any of these war-time shooters. They're a bit too mainstream for me and I've always been too much of a snobby gamer to care. I've sat and watched people play Medal of Honor, past Call of Duty games, etc. I just never saw a point to the games. They seemed way too repetitive with almost no story backing them up. It seemed more like a cash-in on kids who fantasize about kickin' ass in a war only glorifying the act further in the process. However, everyone always raved about Call of Duty 4 being this beast of a game. And with Modern Warfare 2 on it's way, with myself wanting to become a reviewer, what kind of credibility would I have if I never played as many games as I could, let alone the most popular one of the last few years? So yes, I played it, beat it, beat it again on Veteran, and toyed around with the multiplayer. So was it all hype or was it just your everyday war game?

Gameplay

+ It plays the same as most shooters in it's genre so there isn't much that's new to pickup or understand. In the end, it relied on the experience it could deliver instead of introducing something new and innovative. The game had a way of really immersing you into what was going on around you that played out thanks to it's scripted events. It always made sure you were in the middle of all the action all the time. Paired with some really tight mechanics, the game was quite the adventure. There are some moments I don't think you'll ever forget. 

+ The online versus mode however, that's where the game shines. It has a level system that unlocks different skills for your soldier. These skills enable you to create something that would let you play the game the way you want to. If I like running like crazy and knifing people, you can make your guy run faster, be invisible to radar, and you can give him a larger melee range. If I wanted to gun people down in close-quarters encounters, I can increase his bullet fire speed, damage, and accuracy. It makes the multiplayer affair addictive and refreshing.

- The game is pretty thin after you beat it. Unfortunately, the scripted events were one too many and some of them pretty faulty. 

-The weapon variety was meager and most of the guns felt the same. Most of the differences were pretty slim and it didn't feel like it really mattered which gun you had. 

-The grenade indicator was RIDICULOUS. It had caused the majority of my deaths in the game. The game will tell you where a grenade is by showing you where it is via a little picture on your hud. If it's at the top of the screen, it means the grenade is to the front. At the bottom, it means the grenade is behind you. So on, so forth. Here's what happened a number of times: 


"There's a grenade over there."
"Alright, I'll just run away from it."
*runs away*
"Yeah, about that grenade, sorry. It wasn't over there. It's actually in front of you...."
"WHA-"
*BOOM*


Yeah, it was not exactly the best of times. 

- On the harder difficulties, the friendly AI was basically playing the role of being your worst enemy. They would not help you at all but they would stop you from advancing by blocking doorways and cover. They also enjoyed pushing you out of cover into 100% accuracy bullet walls of death. 

- Flash grenades. If I'm correct, flash grenades blind people and make a big disorienting bang. It can't necessarily affect them the same way it would if they looked at it compared to if they didn't look at it. So why was it that it would have a harder time doing it's job from the front of the enemy? How does tossing the flash behind the enemy blind them? 

-The game wasn't super clear on what you needed to do all the time. I felt like I was guessing most of the time and the destination marker seemed to act up at times, telling me to go the wrong way when I was on the right path.


This game could've really used SOME polish. 


Graphics

= I guess at the time the graphics were awesome but they were just mediocre to me. All of the textures were low resolution if you took time to notice it. Most of the effects, like fire and smoke, were just revolving 2D images. Most of this game just used what it needed to get the job done and no more than that. I don't see why everyone clamors over how great the graphics are when there's a LARGE number of games that put in much more effort to make beauty bloom in their game. It was by no means an ugly game. It just wasn't anything pretty either.

Sound

+ The sound effects in this game are really where it's at in this game. You play a VERY large chunk of this game without music so all it comes down to is you and the sounds of the battlefield. The explosions were punchy, the guns felt like they were tangible. Let's see you not get freaked out when bullets start whizzing past your head and you run into a claymore. It felt like a lot of attention went into this department.

Story


- I never felt like there was a story, at least not one that had any weight to it. Throughout the entire game, you play as someone else every mission like some war edition of musical chairs. Because of this, you don't really get attached to any of the characters, making all of the slightly emotional "Oh my god!" moments fall flat. They were still cool to watch and be involved in but it just felt like the game was trying to get some kind of sympathy out of you whenever something shocking happened without really giving you a reason why you should care.


- It felt more like there was a war going on just because there was one instead of really delving into the reasons of why there was one. Modern Warfare basically showed you who that bad guys were and that they should go down just because they were marked as the bad guys. I got more of a sense that the game was trying to show how awesome a war was instead of showing the real sacrifice that both sides have to make in a war. Modern Warfare's plot seemed shallow at best.


Should you buy it?

     No, I don't think it's worth the purchase. The initial run through the campaign can be a cool experience at times, and the multiplayer is great fun. However, the campaign is short  and you could become a bit more cynical towards the experience if you go through it multiple times. Multiplayer is also lacking currently since the release of Modern Warfare 2. It was hard to get a really good room going although I happened to be playing around MW2's release. Don't spend the $40-$50 people are asking for this game. Infinity Ward and Activision only put the minimal amount of effort required into this game. It only deserves the minimum amount of what it's worth which I would say is somewhere around the $5-$15 mark. I suggest renting it if you really want to play it to get some of the references in MW2 although, personally, I don't think it's really necessary to play this before the sequel.

Assassin's Creed for Xbox 360, PS3

     I remember when Assassin's Creed came out. I was really excited to play it since it was done by the same team who worked on Prince Of Persia. I pictured it to be this really slick looking game with the great gameplay Prince delivers in all of his games. I was so wrong. You held two buttons down, pushed forward and there he went, climbing, jumping, doing everything for you. Then there were the guards who would hunt you down for going faster than an old man on a dialysis machine and the fact that you could block indefinitely in battle and just counter any attacks coming your way. Not only were you essentially immortal, Altair would do everything for you. If the game just essentially plays itself, why sit through it?
     I sat through it for a couple reasons. I wanted to play Assassin's Creed 2 so I figured I should know the story since this game series is supposed to play out in a trilogy and I wanted something monotonous to do while I listened to music. Life has been a bit stressful for me and nothing heals me more than a romp through a game while I blast my music as loud as I can. AC delivered on what I needed from it and then it gave back a bit more. Because I didn't truly expect something specific from it, I couldn't be disappointed by it. Take note that this is the third time I've tried to go through this experience and it's the first time I didn't hate it's guts. The first assassinations were a tad on the boring side; This is a bad guy, kill him, I killed him, now kill this guy. There wasn't too much motivation to go do these killings and it didn't help that Altair came off as such a conceited A-hole. And look, I normally like those kind of characters but this is the first time I hated one because of it. Then the game starts rolling with the plot.
     Mysteries occur that are left for you to decipher, the assassinations gain greater meaning, Altair changes into a humble person and then the obligatory plot twist occurs. While the story is on the predictable side, I always wanted to get to the next assassination to progress the story and learn more about this world. Why do I feel like I'm talking about No More Heroes? Anyway, In the end, I felt rather rewarded for all the work I did and I'm anticipating the second in the series just that much more.

Is It Fun?

     It depends. If you want something structured and the feeling that the game is really doing it's best to convince you that it's worth it to play it to the end, this is not that game. Assassin's Creed is one of those games where it doesn't seem to care much about you. It is what it is and it knows what it has to offer, and if you don't like it, then it doesn't care if you play. You get back what you put into it. It never tells you to toss fifteen guards off of a three story building or to assassinate every annoying little beggar that comes your way. You do it because it entertains you and you thought about how the game would be more fun for you. I could block and parry all day during a battle or I could make it interesting and actually go on the offensive just to see if I can, even when there's no incentive to.
     It should also be noted that the climbing, jumping and scaling in the game was a great idea but it needed A LOT more work. I can't count the number of times where I'd reach the top of the roof or needed to scale to the next object and Altair would just sit there as if he had instantly become an invalid. It's not like he couldn't do what I wanted him to, because he certainly was capable of the task. He just wouldn't do it. And that happened through the whole game.

Do I Get My Money's Worth?

     The game is a one-shot kind of experience. Once you beat it, it's likely you won't touch it again unless it's to refresh yourself with the story. Should you decide to do everything in the game (collect flags, kill templars), it could last you a bit. It took me 4-5 straight days to beat it entirely. I'd say Assassin's Creed is worth $10-$15 but I don't know if I could justify a higher price than that.

Left 4 Dead 2 Review for Xbox 360

     "Smoker's on me- WAIT! Hunter is ripping my face off... awww Boomer got me... Would you guys hurry up and save me?!"
     "Yea, we're coming. I'll throw a molotov to get the zombies off of you."
     "No, DON- awwww... Well, isn't that nice.... I'm on fire now... Great... Wait, Is that a Spitter?"
     *Spitter spits acid on the incapacitated survivor*
     "Now I'm on fire AND I'm bleeding out in a puddle of acid... See you guys..."
     *Survivor dies*
     "Not on my watch!"
     *Revives dead survivor with defibrillator*
     "WHY WOULD YOU BRING ME BACK!?"
     *Charger grabs revived survivor and runs off of a 5 story building, killing the survivor... again...*

     Sorry, I felt like writing a skit and sharing a personal experience at the same time. Left 4 Dead 2 has arrived and I sure am glad it got here in one piece what with all the petitions and complaints against it. A lot of people felt like this game was a rip-off when it was first announced. They hated the characters, they hated the daytime cycles, and they felt that anything new was stuff that should be coming out in small little packages of DLC for Left 4 Dead. If you ask me, it's just a bunch of whining from gaming snobs that are, for once, being paid attention to, getting results from requests and then saying it's not enough. Well I'll tell ya, it certainly IS enough.
     L4D2 is essentially the same as the first but with everything upgraded and improved upon. There are five new campaigns to go through this time around and they all have their own distinctions from one another. In one map, you'll have to deal with a zombie infested swamp, in another you need to work your way through a mall to get to a car on display, fill it with gas, and catch a ride outta town. My favorite was the Hard Rain campaign. There was always something different going on in that campaign and you always found yourself dealing with something different in every chapter. I'd like to say as little as possible so as not to spoil it's awesomeness but I thought it was a creative idea with VERY convincing effects. All of the campaigns felt like a good amount of thought went into them to make sure not a single one was just a throw-away or felt like filler just to make a longer game.
     Another thing that makes the campaigns and other modes more interesting are the inclusion of new "uncommon infected". When Valve made L4D, they didn't like how people would sit in a corner in a high-tensity situation and just kill everything without taking any damage at all so all of these newcomers were made with the thought of dispersion in mind. The Jockey will jump it's target and guide you around like he's riding a horse, dealing consistent damage at the same time. The Charger, my favorite, accelerates to a shocking speed, and rams everyone in his path, sending them into the air and in different directions. If he hits someone while charging, he'll grab them and run away with them. The only thing that'll stop him at that point is a wall, and when he reaches that wall, he will use the survivor as a cushion and proceed to pummel them into the ground until they die. He's a pretty intimidating guy and I ALWAYS get shocked when attacked by him. Finally, the Spitter will shoot out a projectile of acid which will, in turn, create a large puddle where it lands. If you ever get caught in those acid puddles, I think you'll find that they do A LOT of damage too. One last thing, when you kill the Spitter, she also leaves behind a small patch of acid to further damage you. All of the new infected work very well with the Hunter, Boomer, and Smoker and there's a lot to like and hate about each one. Definitely look forward to using them in versus and scavenge as well. They're simply a blast.
     Yes, I did mention another new thing. There is now a mode called Scavenge. You play in two teams of four, like versus, a human team and an infected team. The humans are tasked to gather cans of gas to fill a generator and the infected need to prevent that from happening. The humans lose if they run out of time or if they all become incapacitated. You're given one minute and twenty seconds to collect gas with every can you turn in netting you another twenty seconds on the clock. If the clock hits zero, you can stop the game from ending if you have a can in your possession, but should you drop it before turning it in, you lose. The infected lose the round if the humans collect and turn in sixteen cans successfully. Each round consists of both teams taking a turn as the infected and human sides and the winner is decided by whoever collected the most cans in that round. If the same amount was collected, the team who gathered it the fastest is the winner. This mode takes teamwork. Don't just walk into a game and expect to be the MVP or neglect your teammates, that's a sure way to lose. Scavenge is about keeping an open mind to suggestions, working together, and communication, even more so than what you would normally encounter in the game. It's also a place where strategy can REALLY be applied and greatly add to your chances of winning.
     There are also a few more new inclusions to the game such as new support items, weapons and one last new mode. In addition to med packs and pills, there is adrenaline, deployable ammo caches, and defibrillators. Defibrillators will revived deceased survivors, ammo caches can be deployed to supply the team with incendiary and explosive rounds, and adrenaline will make all of your actions, except reloading, noticeably faster. There are now melee weapons in the game and they're life-savers. The end up taking the place of what always used to be reserved for your pistols and I'd say you should go for the exchange. Since there's now a limit of how often you can push zombies away from you, the limitless use of the melee weapons will make dealing with surrounding swarms of zombies that much quicker and easier. And also, if you are incapacitated, it still gives you a pistol to use specifically for when that happens, so no worries if you do trade your pistol for something more melee oriented. There are new guns but I haven't found them differ from what's already offered aside from aesthetics. There is a grenade launcher, but I haven't found it incredibly helpful. Finally, there's also the Realism mode that modifies the difficulties for the campaigns to make them even more challenging. The game will not point out weapons, healing items, partners, zombies, etc. You're left to keep track of eachother and search out helpful items yourself. Zombies also have more health so the only real effective way to kill them is with headshots. Yeah, it's a little hard, heheh...
     All in all, Left 4 Dead 2 isn't a radical change from what we had last year but they didn't just cut and paste elements into the game either. There's plenty to get excited about and play. I've been playing L4D for a long time and this was just the kind of refresher I needed. All the improvements you could want without ditching what made the game great in the first place.

Is It Fun?

     If you never liked the first Left 4 Dead, you most likely won't care for this one either. I also wouldn't recommend it for anyone who's looking for a good game to play by themselves. This is very much a multiplayer-cooperative affair. Otherwise, there's tons of fun to be had. If you're looking for a game that'll bring you closer to friends, create memories that last a lifetime, and give you tons of hilarious situations to talk about and reflect upon, this is the game you're looking for. And if you liked the first one, definitely give this one a try. I think there's a bit here for you to sink your teeth into.

Do I Get My Money's Worth?

     If you haven't played the first one, it most DEFINITELY is. Stop reading this and go get it right now. If you played the first one, try to see if you can get this for somewhere in the $40-$50 range. I think it's still worth the $60 but it'd be much sweeter for a cheaper price.
     I played the first game from when it released to the release of Left 4 Dead 2. It was addictive and rewarding, a total and complete pleasure to play. After playing L4D2, I don't know if I could ever go back to the first one. I'm just as addicted now as I was then and I see myself playing this game for a long time to come. I could play Scavenge alone for ages. Add in all the other modes and things to do, the re-playability of this game is limitless. It's worth the cash for sure.

Borderlands Review for Xbox 360, PS3

    First off, I'd like to state that this review will be referring to the Xbox360 version. With that said, I was actually pretty lucky to be able to play this game. My friend loved it so much that she bought it for me so we could both share in the Borderlands love. And boy, is there a lot of love to give.
     Borderlands is essentially this: A first-person shooter set up with MMORPG-like elements. Every gun you pick up will have it's own unique stats referring to areas such as power, rate of fire, accuracy, bullets fired per shot, scope zoom, etc. In MMO's, there's always a certain hierachy within certain groups of creatures like mushrooms, black mushrooms, rogue mushrooms, king mushroom and so on and so forth. Borderlands does this with it's creatures as well but also diversifies them in more ways that actually matter instead of just changing the name and color of any given creature. For example, you first run into Pup Skags. They die pretty easily and even more-so with a critical hit chance if you happen to hit them in the mouth when it's open. Then you eventually get to Spitter Skags that spit acid at you that drains a good chunk of your shields. And then from there, you'll run into skags with much more armor around their front which makes criticals a must and skags that are powered up with elemental damage. Eventually, as you level up, the classes of your enemies become very diverse and they, ultimately, never end up being boring.
     The guns are vast and plenty. When you first get into the game, some of the stats may make your head spin. Because the game randomly generates these guns, you might wonder to yourself, "Well if this gun is like that, then is it better than the gun I have now?" Honestly, you probably won't understand why they gave you a super powerful shotgun with 0 accuracy and why it should matter to you when your shotgun has 80% accuracy or why the rocket launcher with 1000 attack power does less damage than your sniper rifle with 300 attack power. But the more you play the game, the more guns you use, you start to get a very good sense of what a gun can do and how it differs from others. Eventually, the prospect of finding new guns is enough to make you drool and when you do find them, you'll automatically find yourself attached to them. It's akin to the way swords are set-up in Muramasa for the Wii.
     You can choose from four different classes to play through the game. I didn't really feel that they differed from each other much aside from their skills though. For instance, the game let's you know that the hunter prefers magnums and sniper rifles. From what I've experienced, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll use those weapons better than others or that he can only use those weapons. I see it as more of a recommendation of what to use based on his skill set and how he levels up. It's the skill set that seems to dictate more of what you should use. Because the hunter doesn't gain many skills to up his defense or health, you'll find some trouble in dashing into a firefight.You'll need to use snipers to get critical hits from afar and magnums for their high damage output and accuracy in case you get caught in a close quarters scuff and you need to make a quick exit. Otherwise, it all comes down to each class' distinct abilities and skills that differentiate them and their play styles from each other.
      Another aspect of the available classes is that they all seem to have at least two different paths to go down, even though there are three specific sub-classes to level up for each class. For example, a berserker can level up his brawler, tank, or blaster sub-classes. Since the level cap is set to level fifty, you'll only have enough points to complete two of those sub-classes. Tank, will give you a bunch of health and defense. Brawler, will upgrade your berserk ability which is based around melee attacks and it'll upgrade your normal melee attacks. Blaster, will help you become an absolute star with rockets. Now, I can pretty much choose one that's really important to me and then one to support that choice. I could be a guy who outlasts everyone else and goes to save people in the firefight which would make my berserk and melee skills important. Or you could be good with rockets, then the other sub-class would be your preference. In my opinion, I kinda wish there were more skills to choose from and more ways to play the classes but what they have is still very good and very well thought out.
     The game is set at a good pace and length. You'll always have many quests to do at once and you'll always be given cool rewards for what you complete. Borderlands also doesn't have any difficulties to choose from per se, but the enemies level up with you so that the game is never too easy or too hard. It still has hard and easy areas but you'll never find yourself having to grind to get something done. If you do play single-player, it can be a very rewarding experience. However, the game also lends itself to it's cooperative play. When you have a lot of the classes working together, it feels really good. I don't think I could say that it's on the same level of coordination as Left 4 Dead, but there are strategies to apply to combating certain enemies that really adds to the game as a whole. Overall, I'd say the game took me a day and a half to two days to complete on single player and I pretty much took my time the whole way through. Borderlands does have a mode called "playthrough 2" to get through which gives you some VERY cool guns with MUCH TOUGHER enemies. And if you manage to beat playthrough 2 and try it again, the enemies will be even stronger still. If there weren't so many good games to play right now, you could easily stick with this game for quite some time.
     There are some negatives to mention. The invisible walls in this game were not so greatly designed in this game. They tend to limit your exploration of the world and sometimes even lock you into it. There were one too many times where I accidentally fell into an "invisible-wall hole" and I couldn't get out unless I restarted the game or got my party to go to another area. The game runs well in single-player but there can be some EXTREME slowdown in co-op. The driving in the game is also pretty bad. It's not like Grand Theft Auto 4 where everyone was complaining that it sucked because it had a learning curve, it's just straight up bad. There are delayed responses to turns, the collisions with other cars, the environment, and other objects can cause your car to roll over easily or go somewhere completely arbitrary to where you should be heading and the cars also have a nasty habit of getting stuck on EVERYTHING. The effects you can add to your attacks, like electricity, corrosion, fire, most of them didn't feel like they were doing too much for me. Most of the time, they didn't feel like they worked the way that they should. Corrosive weapons are recommended for shielded enemies but I never felt it gave me any more of an advantage than I already had. I also had some audio problems with some of the dialogue in the game. Some of it would be out of sync, it would randomly restart, overlap other audio tracks, sometimes it would just straight-up cut out. Most of these things can be overlooked but they really should have put more work into the driving and the physics of the car. Hopefully it can be worked on in the sequel.
     Borderlands is a very charming game with a unique look and interesting characters. I don't think you'll ever find yourself as deep into the game as Fallout 3, which is a game that it's compared to very often, but, rather, I think you'll enjoy what comes off as a love letter to Fallout and other first-person shooting franchises.

Is It Fun?

     It's fun. You could spend a lot of hours finding guns, shootin' skags, trading equipment online, working with a team, starting a new character, there's lots to do to keep you occupied. Borderlands has some very rich characters as well, especially the quirky little claptraps. The only thing that ever got me mad was the driving but that was easy to overlook with such a great game in front of me.

Do I Get My Money's Worth?

You bet you do! This game really is worth the $60 especially with some DLC coming it's way. This game has plenty of re-playability and I don't think you'll question if you made a good choice to invest in this game. Go out there and get it.

Katamari Forever Review for PS3

     Oh, Katamari... When you first rolled up into our lives, you ended up rolling into our hearts too. Aren't puns fun? Katamari's back!  It's also the same it's ever been, meaning that everything that's been good or bad about the series up to this point is still good and bad. Of course, for those of you who haven't played the Katamari series yet, it's a game where you roll a ball called a katamari and you try to pick up miscellaneous objects that range from thumbtacks, dice, fruit, pencils to cars, buildings, continents, suns and other crazy things. Honestly, there's no substitute for explanation after you see the game in motion. People have referred to it as a puzzle game and it is in a sense. You need to find a good path of items within any given level so that you can make your katamari as large as possible as quickly and effeciently as you can since you are to make the katamari a specific size in a set amount of time.
     In Katamari Forever (which will be referred to as KF for the rest of the review), the King of All Cosmos is in a coma and Prince makes a Robo-King to take his place for the time-being. Unfortunately, the new king destroys all the stars due to a malfunction. Given the coma and the destroyed stars, your goal throughout the game is to restore the King's memories to wake him up and to make large katamari's to replace the stars. The game plays out like a greatest hits using We Love Katamari levels for the King's memories sections and Beautiful Katamari levels for the Robo-King's sections. Robo-King's levels are more the straight-forward roll-your-katamari-this-big-in-x-amount-of-time gameplay we've been used to. The King's are more goal-oriented like, "Roll up hot objects" or "Roll up a bright katamari to help a student do some late-night studying".
     The whole game, I felt, was paced extremely well. It never sticks you to too many King or Robo-King levels at once so the gameplay never feels especially old. It also has a good length rounding out at 31 levels, 17 for each king. The new features of the game also help to freshen it up a bit. You can now jump by pressing R2 or L2 (you can also use the sixaxis to jump but it's not very reliable at all). Throughout the levels, you'll find Royal Hearts which act as magnets either sucking up objects around you as you roll for a short amount of time or vacuuming everything in a wide area into your katamari instantaneously. It also has some off-line multiplayer but nothing too great. The music in the game consists of remixes of popular songs from previous games in the series. The songs don't really come off as great at first, but over time, they really stick to you. Overall, I felt the game was very well put together with some great humor and well-thought-out presentation.

Is It Fun?

     Yeah, tons of fun. I personally haven't played Katamari since Beautiful Katamari and I was really turned off by that game. All the levels felt bland and the game didn't really feel put together. This game feels very cohesive with lots to do. In fact some of my favorite levels in this game happened to come from Beautiful Katamari; It must have been the presentation. It's just hard to hate much about the game. It does still have some camera issues and the occasional control problem but nothing that truly sours the experience. There are also new modes, Eternal and Drive, that unlock after you beat the game and meet certain quotas for each level and both of them are great. Drive gives you a super fast katamari to go around with and it's a BLAST! It really made me want to replay every level it was so fun. Eternal mode lets you run around the level for infinite amounts of time which really serves to answer the question, how big can you REALLY make a katamari? There are also minigames from past games' credits and there's also a new punishment minigame and those are fun every now and then. Finally, you could spend days collecting every cousin, present, and object in the game. KF is definitely BIG on fun.

Do I Get My Money's Worth?

     I'd say that it's worth the cash. It was released as a budget priced title at $50. I still think it's a little on the high side but if you can get it for $40, GET IT. Otherwise, it has a good replay value and decent length. If you're a newcomer to the series, it's a must buy. If you haven't played Katamari in a while and you remember it being really fun, not only will it validate your nostalgia, you'll feel that you got your money's worth. If you never liked Katamari, this game probably won't change your mind. In the end, KF is a great game at a great value and is worth the price any day.