CrippledPoet's GameSpot Friend's Reviews CrippledPoet's GameSpot Friend's Reviews CrippledPoet's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Sat, 25 May 2013 11:58:21 -0700 GameSpot CrippledPoet's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Sun, 12 May 2013 01:53:05 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/castlevania-lords-of-shadow/user-reviews/811223/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

I wanted to get the game when it launched, unfortunately I got distracted and went off the radar until I got it for cheap recently. I must say, wow, why didn't we hear a lot about this game? From the reviews it made it sound like an average game, but is much better than the recognition it got. This game is a wet dream for someone who is a huge fan of Dark Gothic architecture flanked by sweeping vistas stretching all the way into heaven; haunting soundtrack along with everything else which resonates with Dark Fantasy.

Lord of Shadow is a reboot of the Castlevania franchise according to I never played previous Castlevania games, I know shame on me, so going into the game I had no idea what Castlevania is all about other than a gothic dark fantasy game. I heard many complain that Lords of Shadow is more like God of War than Castlevania, which might be true but then again I never played the classic games so I cannot draw comparison, nor does it matter as long as it is a good game. So, is it a good game? Lets find out.

You play as Gabriel Belmont, one of the young knights of the Brotherhood of Light. A group of knights sworn to protect the world from any supernatural threat that casts darkness to the land. Something strange happened, the darkness tipped over the scale of balance and opened the floodgates to abundance of creatures from the knightmares to enter the world and cause massacre everywhere. Among them, Gabriel's wife was a victim. Fueled by rage, righteousness and sorrow; Gabriel sets out on an impossible quest to bring back order to this world.

The game is developed by a Spanish studio called Mercury Games, leading the development was Dave Cox and the mastermind behind the Metal Gear Solid series, Hideo Kojima.

Before we dive into the review, let us talk about understand the differences between fantasy games. There are mainly of two types and are vastly different from each other.

There is high fantasy and then there is dark fantasy. The key to dark fantasy is all about subtle nudges towards beauty as well as something that is mysterious. The whole portrait comes out as something which is .... very unsettling. Your mind can't decide whether the thing you're looking at is beautiful or something you should be afraid of. The form of communication is also another pillar of dark fantasy. The dialogue between characters tend to be less, however the dialog between the player and the environment take the center stage. It is through the environment the players can deduce the story behind the place and the world around it. So it is very tricky to pull off dark fantasy. If you end up throwing in a lot of magic, myth, creatures and craft a world with the most epic architectures imaginable...even though those are some of the staples of dark fantasy, it looses all the subtle things I mentioned and comes comes out flat. What happens is it tries to say too many things at the same time, and not the right things at the right time, so in the process the whole narration suffers greatly and becomes a mess. The team at Mercury Studios under the guidance of Kojima, aced the feel and look of their dark fantasy world, 2nd only to From Software's Dark Souls, which I think is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow's greatest accomplishment.

Lords of Shadow plays to the ambience most of the time, like the screeching of batmans in a cave or being greeted to shivering howl of werewolves as you enter a dark forest. During these moments the music is nowhere to be found as the environmental sound takes front row and center and creates the mood and sort of warning for the dangers lurking ahead.Then suddenly, the music swirls in and sends shockwaves down the spine...Lords of Shadow sits at the very top among among all the video games and movies with incredible music that feeds into the very fabric of the atmosphere like a vampire.

At first glance the combat may appear a straight up hack and slash, like the one in God of War series, but...like the very nature of the game itself; first glances can be deceiving. As you will very soon realize that playing like God of War will drastically cut your adventure time and drag you under the dirt. God of war series values attack and urges players to overpower their opponents to victory. However, Gabriel is not a fallen god like Kratos, he has his limitations. That is why LOS believes a strong defence is the key to surviving an encounter and hence eventually, come out as the victor. With that notion, combat is tend to be more slower paced, lengthier and tactical affair where patience see you to the end instead of heroism. The game even has a focus system that encourages defence. Basically the less hits you take which means when you dodge, block or counter more, the meter fills up and can be used to absorb orbs from the enemies which you can spend on either healing yourself or making your attacks more devastating.

Lord of Shadow would have been much better experience if it had a good camera. The static camera sometimes swings wildly, or getting distracted to something else over our hero. I died a few times because I felt I got betrayed by the camera. There are some platforming sections in the game, and some require a degree of precision which is beyond the tuning of the controls in the game, and makes platforming unnecessarily frustrating. I also felt the game

Overall, it is a stunning experience for me playing the game. I honestly enjoyed playing the game more than any of the God of War games to date, that includes Ascension. Do yourself a favor, forget the reviews for a second and get this game.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/castlevania-lords-of-shadow/user-reviews/811223/platform/ps3/ Mon, 06 May 2013 23:36:32 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3-blood-dragon/user-reviews/811079/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

I really wanna know what happened at the boardroom during the first meeting behind Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, also what kind of substance the guys were on. All because the concept behind Blood Dragon is just ridiculous, crazy and not something any modern designer in his/her right mind would pitch in, but yet it did happen.

Ok, I am just gonna put it out, Blood Dragon is the most awesome thing happened to videogames since.... video games. I have no idea what ubisoft was thinking (if they were thinking at all), but was the most brilliant decision ever made and potentially, a start of another great new franchise for them.


With the core game being Far Cry 3, the game is extremely flexible allowing the player to reach his/her goals with vareity of tools, approaching from multitude of direction.

It is the most fun game I've played in recent memory. The core game being the superflexible Far Cry 3, with added speed,agility and awesome weapons and everything coated with neon and purple hues make the game standout while still as fun as ever to play by your own rules.


The game is dipped in neon, to further emphasize that this sci-fi world is the one you left in the 80's.

The nod to the 80's cheesy sci-fi moments and many references is what really makes Blood Dragon pure...gold. What makes the game further standout from other games is that Blood Dragon is bold enough to make those references, not subtle at all, but in your face. The game made me smile to all the way to falling on the floor while laughing like a maniac.

You're getting incredible value for 15$. All I can do is hope that the numbers turn out to be good and Ubisoft makes a separate franchise out of it.

To sum up Blood Dragon, this game is Ultra Mega Awesome!

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"Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon for the PC..." was posted by Gamer_4_Fun on Mon, 06 May 2013 23:36:32 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3-blood-dragon/user-reviews/811079/platform/pc/ Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:57:27 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/809553/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Do you crave a good story and characters in a game? Do you want chaotic but controlled exciting game play? You do… then Columbia is the place to be. BioShock Infinite is everything in one. It has a beautiful world to explore, a story that plays out perfectly and characters worth caring for. This was my top g desired game of 2013 and it delivered in every way. :)

Plot/Story:
The game takes place in 1912. Booker DeWitt is hired by and unknown to "give them the girl and wipe away the debt", and provide him information on Elizabeth's location in Columbia. Booker is taken by boat to an island lighthouse near Maine that houses a rocket silo, from which he is taken to Columbia.
I won't share anymore of the story with you. The best part of Infinite is the story telling. It plays out perfectly. It draws you in like a really good show that you have to know what's next. Booker and Elizabeth's characters are a joy to watch and listen too as they interact with each other and the world around them.
If you have played the original BioShock then you are aware of the ability of Irrational Games to write stories with a WTF… moment at the least expected time. I played Infinite slowly watching and listening to everything trying to figure out the WTF before it could WTF me. Well… I failed! :) Irrational Games pulled it off. There several moments where you can't believe what you are seeing and hearing. I'm not afraid to say I was confused too. It keeps you thinking long after the credit roll. You will want to play this game again. Just so you can see everything again but through different eyes that have now seen the light.
Infinite is up there with one of the best stories told. You will love every moment of it. Though, you might not fully get it. It will have you pondering until it finally clicks. I love stories that make you think things through way after it is done.
Game Play:
Infinite plays a lot like the previous BioShock games at its core but Infinite does have some very nice additions to make the game feel extremely fresh. For one… Elizabeth is with you most of the game. She is not there just to be there. She is there to help Booker. She does this in several ways. She can throw you ammo, salt and health packets as needed. The other thing she adds is the ability to bring objects from another world into the current world through Tears. She can pull walls in for protection, health crate or even a mechanical gun to help you out. There are several things you can use through her powers and abilities.

To turn the action up a notch Irrational Games combined FPSs with roller coasters. They did this nicely. All around Columbia is rails that Booker can attach to the rails and take a ride while still having the ability to fire his weapon in his right hand. This changes how you play Infinite. It is so much fun to do and sometimes enemies are so far off or high up. You have to jump on and take a ride on the "coaster" to get to them in order to kill them.

In my opinion Infinite plays the best out of all the BioShock games. It was easier than the previous two but that was on Normal difficulty. I'd like to go back and play at a higher difficulty and plan to do so soon. Infinite plays at the highest level a FPS can play at. It has so much to offer the player. It has set a new standard in terms of FPS game play.

Graphics/Presentation:

Back in 2007 the original BioShock set the bar with next gen. (current gen) graphics. Game in 2006 and 2007 were nothing more than HD versions of Xbox and PS2 games. That was until BioShock came out and blew everyone away with its stellar graphics and amazing world. So going into Infinite the bar was set very high. Did Infinite deliver? You bet they did. Infinite is one of the nicest looking 360 games you will ever see. It may end up being the best looking game for all of this generation. The world of Columbia is so alive. I literally felt like I was walking around Disney World as I played the game in the beginning. The world changes as the game goes on and keeps the excitement of it alive in doing so. The characters are extremely detailed with stellar animations. Elizabeth is just beautiful. I could stare at her for hours. :)

The art style is unique and one that only Irrational Games can do at the level they do it at. Dishonored tried to rip it off and did solid but not even close to what Infinite pulls off. The world is big and there is so much to see and with how wonderfully looking it is… you will want to explore and soak it in.

The Final Word:

My expectations of Infinite were through the roof. I'm a huge fan of the first and BioShock and loved the second as well. I did manage to protect myself from spoiling anything about the game. I refused to watch trailers or read articles. I just wanted Infinite to be fresh to me. Infinite delivers in every way possible. The story, game play and presentation are flawless. This is GOTY material and one I don't see being passed by any game in 2013 for me. It is as perfect as perfect can be. That blows me away that I can say this about a game I had so hyped. It actually delivered.

This is my new favorite franchise. Would you kindly… move over Mass Effect? Would you kindly… please have a seat somewhere else KoToR. The new King has arrived to take his throne. His name is BioShock. :)

Plot/Story: 10
Game Play: 9.5
Graphics: 9.5
Replay Value: 9.0

The Final Score: 9.5

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"WCAR18 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:57:27 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/809553/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:30:17 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/user-reviews/809486/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Witcher 2 puts players in the shoe of Gerald of Rivia in a rich fantasy world, awesome cast of characters and deep political story.

I love how it is more Game of Thrones type of fantasy realm than Lord of the Rings, basically the focus is on political drama and turmoil than something like out worldly foes putting humanity on the brink of chaos.

The visuals are stunning Not only the fantasy world comes to life with great graphics, but the artists need to be applauded for their fantastic use of hues and contrast to highlight the mood without getting much in the way. Witcher 2 is a great looking game.

The voice acting is equally stellar. The main characters are voiced by clear professionals who brings life into their characters. However, outside of that, the rest of the characters range from anywhere between average to poor. Also the random battering the characters make feel repetitive and takes you out of the experience if it happens too often.Considering how good the main characters are, its a shame they couldn't even the quality among the rest of the cast.

This game unfortunately has a horrible map, it makes it hard to know where to go: A big portion of my time I spent wondering where to go, who to talk to. The game is sometimes not clear on it's objectives and even if you know what to do, it is hard to actually do it with the horrible map which tries to be authentic rather than functional.

The combat is deep and awesome in witcher 2 and requires tactical approach to them, however it is somewhat diminished by the uneven difficulty the game throws at you. At times playing on normal is virtually impossible because not only there are tons of enemies on screen, but mostly because their attacks hurt you a lot compared to a measly poke your sword slash comes out. When you switch to easy, the game comes way too easy and it just takes the tactical approach out of it

I enjoyed Witcher 2 a lot. Yes it is rough around the edges, but those are just that...edges. On surface however, this game shines.

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"Gamer_4_Fun reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the PC..." was posted by Gamer_4_Fun on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:30:17 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/user-reviews/809486/platform/pc/ Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:19:52 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed Gears of War: Judgment for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war-judgment/user-reviews/809334/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Gears of War Judgment is a prequel to the very popular trilogy from Epic Games. I personally came into this game very excited. I got a taste of the multiplayer during the beta and loved it. As far as my excitement for the single player, well that's because I knew Baird was the main man. I've never liked Marcus Fenix. In fact I've never really cared about any of the Gears characters or the world they were fighting to save. Baird was the lone character I liked in the Gears games. Him and I have something in common… we both are annoying smart asses. ;) So does this Gears game surpass all the others or is it something not worth fighting for?

Plot/Story:

The plot of Gears of War Judgment is complete rubbish. Sorry I had to say it. Anyway… let me at least explain it out. We come into the story when Lieutenant Baird and his squad (Augustus Cole, Sofia Hendirk and Garron Paduk) are arrested and immediately sent to a courthouse for their trial. (During the middle of the war mind you. Really???) They are arrested for their unauthorized use of a lightmass missile. Col. Ezra Loomis is playing judge. He is by the book and very stern. So in his eyes this is a serious offense that the Kilo squad has committed. The SP plays out by flashbacks based off what each Kilo squad member shares during the trial.

Here are my issues with the plot/story. There isn't one. I love good game play and the Gears franchise always provides that but I love a good story too. In fact… I prefer a good story over game play. Don't get me wrong. I know Gears games are not loved for their plots and stories but they can do better than this. MS needs them to do better than this. I did not care why I was fighting or what the heck I was doing during the campaign once. I was just doing what I was told and that was it.

Characters: Baird was terribly written. He was not funny and not a good leader. He just seemed like he and his squad were just there. None of the characters were interesting at all. They weren't really annoying but they weren't exciting or humorous and the least bit.

Game Play:

Gears Judgments game play is solid but it has been changed a bit. Not dramatically but definitely changed. The game has been changed from less cover based shooter to more of an action 3rd person shooter. I personally do not like that change at all. I prefer the old cover system. I liked the fact that you would get downed pretty quickly if you were caught running around. I also fell like the A.I. was dumbed down for the enemies.

Multiple times I experienced enemies standing next to me as my gun jammed reloading and they didn't even kill me. They just stood near me. It's easier to take down enemies as well. Either they got weaker or I'm just an amazing shot. I'm going to go with… they got weaker. :)

If you liked the previous Gears games you will still like this one. It is a lot of fun to play but I prefer the original trilogy game's play style over Judgments.
The shining star in Judgment is most definitely the MP. There are great modes for everyone. If you like competitive or cooperative you will be satisfied. I can justify my purchase of the game in the MP alone. That is high praise coming from me. My personal favorite mode is OverRun. It takes team work to win not just individual play that I see in a lot MP games now a days.

Presentation/Graphics:

The in game graphics and menus look great but the cut scenes… not so much. They seem foggy and the coloring is band compared to the game play graphics. There aren't many cut scenes anyways and since the game doesn't really have a plot worth caring about I don't see this as a major annoyance.
I've always enjoyed the world of Gears. It's beautifully detailed world and Judgments is as well. Although I find most of the areas you are fighting in are bland compared to the games that came before it.

The Final Word:

If you love Gears then you will like Judgment. The best part of Judgment is the multiplayer. There is a mode for everyone. This is coming from a guy who hates MP in games. :) If you have not played a Gears game before and were interested in Judgment. Then save your moneys or buy the original trilogy. Those games exceed this game in every single way.

Story: 4
Game Play: 8.5
Graphics: 8.5
Final Score: 7

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed Gears of War: Judgment for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:19:52 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war-judgment/user-reviews/809334/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:32:24 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed Tomb Raider for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/808657/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.


Story:

The game begins with Lara setting out on her first expedition aboard the ship Endurance: to find the lost Japanese kingdom of Yamatai, home to the legendary shaman queen Himiko, called the 'Sun Queen' and said to hold mystical power. Traveling with Lara are Conrad Roth, an old friend of the Croft family and former Royal Marine; Joslyn Reyes, the ship's mechanic; Alex, a computer specialist; Jonah Maiava, a fisherman; Angus "Grim" Grimaldi, the helmsman; Samantha 'Sam' Nishimura, Lara's best friend and the group's camerawoman; and Dr. James Whitman, a celebrity archeologist desperate to make a big find and escape bankruptcy. Against Whitman's advice, the group begin searching in the Dragon's Triangle, a place infamous for missing ships and violent storms. The ship is struck by a violent storm and splits in two, stranding everyone on an isolated island. Lara tries to reach the rest of the group, but is captured by a strange, savage man and trapped in his cave home. (Taken from Wikipedia)

This is where the story really begins for you. You become the innocent and young Lara and you begin your journey of survival. The game does a really good job of making you feel like you are lost, alone and scared. In the beginning Lara has no idea what she is capable. She is surviving off fear and instincts but as the story progresses... so does Lara. She become confident to take on whatever may come against her. It doesn't matter if it's a wolf or a savage man. Lara goes from a scared young woman to a warrior who can overcome all odds. The developers did a very good job make it all believable even though it is still just a game.

Graphics:

The game from a far is a good looking game. The world is beautiful and really feels alive. I loved all the weather changes on the island. When going into different areas you felt like you were going to entirely different place even though you were still on the same island. But that is how the game looks from a far. The game up-close... is a different picture. I felt like Lara looked odd and so did all the other characters. Lara's pony tail in particular got on my nerves as it looked like a raccoon tail or something. :) The animations felt glitchy and sporadic up-close.

Still overall... a good looking game but the character models were a disappointment for me.

Gameplay:

Tomb Raider's gameplay immediately feels like Uncharted and it is Uncharted for the most part but the developers did such a great job with the survival aspects. That at times you felt like you were in Far Cry 3's world. Hunting, scavenging, and trying to stay out of sight to survive. There were still a lot of times where you would go in guns blazing and take cover but there was still a lot of stealth elements as well. The bow came in handy for these quiet attacks. The bow could also be used to make noises to move enemies so you could either pass and enemy or strategically set Lara up for easier kills.

The gameplay is good and it's fun but there was stuff that frustrated me too. For one thing... why must every shooter have enemies that stand next to fuel barrels? Tomb Raider's enemy AI was nothing special. Several times I faced 5 or more enemies and killed them all with one shot to a barrel. That frustrates me. Uncharted is guilty of this as well. I love the explosions but come on already. Not every enemy is an idiot and the protagonist is a genius. We need to get away from this in shooters. The enemies want to live too right?

If you like Uncharted, Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed you will love Tomb Raiders game play. The combat is well done, the plat forming parts are smooth as well. This is the best part of Tom Raider.

Replay Value:

The campaign took me around 12 hours to beat. I didn't do many Tombs or treasure hunting either. That is perfect for a game like this. It's just long enough to not feel short but not too long to feel like it is dragging on. I can definitely say I will come back a second play through at a later date.

Final Word:

Tomb Raider is a great game. Is it a perfect game? Nope not at all but is there really a perfect game? There are things that could have been done better but I'm fully satisfied. There is something for everyone in this game and I highly suggest you take this journey with Lara. It is one hell of a ride.

Story: 8.0
Graphics: 8.5
Gameplay: 9.0
Replay Value: 8.0

Final Score: 8.5

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed Tomb Raider for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:32:24 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/808657/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 03 Mar 2013 01:39:44 -0800 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Dead Space 3 for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/dead-space-3/user-reviews/808192/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Completed Dead Space 3 solo run on hard difficulty. I was very skeptical and disappointed having played the demo, however having completed the game, it was a fun intense game.

Loved the trademark Dead Space spooky sci-fi hallways with just the right amount of colored lights to make it look scary, yet attractive to look at. I loved the attention to detail the developers given in designing the world. The upgrade system can be daunting at first but very soon becomes a whole lotta fun, it is deep and flexible. The puzzles are not that difficult to figure it out, but still fun to solve and nice change of pace from time to time.

However, Dead Space 3 is not nearly as scary as the 2nd one, especially the 1st. Although at times it can be scary when you cornered and ran out of ammo having wasting all of it on immortal-like creatures and only being able to watch it as it comes towards you without loosing a beat; not when it does cheap scares by making a creature jump near you. My advice, play the game without expecting to be scared like the first 2 games, once you put that thought out of your mind, you'll greatly enjoy the game. Also the story was bad and it felt it was just made to revolve around the action if nothing more.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Dead Space 3 for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by Gamer_4_Fun on Sun, 03 Mar 2013 01:39:44 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dead-space-3/user-reviews/808192/platform/ps3/ Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:06:02 -0800 WCAR18 reviewed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-rising-revengeance/user-reviews/808085/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Story:

Raiden is working for the Colorado-based PMC Maverick Security to raise money for his family, performing multiple tasks such as the training of armies and VIP protection in an unknown African country that is recovering from a previous civil war. Raiden encounters an army of cyborgs from Desperado Enterprises, a self-proclaimed PMC that has been involved in various terrorist attacks. Their leader, Sundowner, kidnaps Raiden's protectee, Prime Minister N'Mani, and Raiden goes to his rescue.

The story goes on to be a bit more personal for Raiden but I won't reveal what it is because I don't want to spoil it for you. That being said... the story is not special. The voice acting is good but overall the story the characters are playing in is nothing worth really caring about. I wish more Hack & Slash games would do a better job with storytelling. To this day GoW and DmC are the only Hack & Slash games that I remotely cared about... when it comes to story.

Graphics:

The look of MGR is average. Not bad but also not good. The cut scenes are well done and full of great action and decent dialogue. DmC was prettier game to me. The coloring in MGR was very blah and the scenery was generic. All the buildings looked boxy. (Is boxy even a word??? :)) I never cared about a single environment I was in. I would say the graphics and story are pretty much the same. Not bad but not good. Platinum games did not push any boundaries with this title when comes to looks and storytelling. They played it safe.

Gameplay:

Here is why I bought MGR in the first place. I didn't buy it for its looks and storytelling. I bought it for the love of Hack & Slash action games.

The combat is really well done here by Platinum. This is nothing new for them. They have a bit of experience in this area. :) The basic slashing feels the same as any other H&S game but where I felt Platinum took the game to a new level is with the Free Slicing ability. At first controlling can be frustrating but as you do it more and more it makes the game so much more fun and separates itself from all other H&S style games. You hold LT (Played on 360) and use the Right Stick (RS) to control the slashing. For those who don't want to use the Right Stick you can hold LT and push X and Y for horizontal and vertical strikes in Free Slice mode. Very well done Platinum. It really was fun to play.

My main issues (For me, for others they will like this) was there was no block button or enemy lock on ability. DmC didn't have lock on either so that doesn't really bother me but in some battles it would have been nice to be able to focus on certain enemies that were more powerful. Let me explain the blocking. There is no designated block button there is a parry ability. It was a pain in the ass to pull parries off when being attacked by multiple enemies. This led to a lot of frustration for me. Again.. for me. I know many "hardcore" gamers who love ultra difficult games will love this about MGR. So for me it's a negative because but for some it's not. You decide! :)

Now let's talk camera. The camera is fine in open areas. The camera is not so fine in enclosed areas with multiple enemies. This leads to more frustration when consider the game is already difficult with a good camera. Nothing major but something that on a sequel needs to be fixed.

Replay Value:

The campaign took me around 5 hours to beat. I don't plan on playing this game ever again. So $60 for me stinks. Lucky me I'm not out $60 for it. There are some cool unlockables but nothing for me worth pissing myself off again to replay for.

Final Word:

Overall MGR is a solid game. It does gameplay very well and everything else average. MG games have always been about story. Even though this is a spin off and not a "Solid" game. Platinum should have done a better job to engage players with a great story. Not just another cheesy filler story between action sequences. I want more from H&S games. They need to start moving forward and all aspects not just combat.


Story: 5.0
Graphics: 8.0
Gameplay: 8.5
Replay Value: 6.0

Final Word: 7.0

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:06:02 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-rising-revengeance/user-reviews/808085/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:35:21 -0800 WCAR18 reviewed Crysis 3 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-3/user-reviews/807989/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Story:

The story of Crysis 3 is not anything we haven't seen or heard before. You are Prophet, a Nano Suit wearing soldier with a mission to save Earth from the Ceph. But there is a third party involved... The CELL. They are using the Ceph's energy for World dominance. (Greedy bastards) You must take the fight against both the Cell in the Ceph in hopes to save humanity. Are you up for that?

I was and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The voice acting was wonderfully done, although cheesy at times. The facial animations are some of the highest leveled animations you will see in a game. That helps immerse the player into the cut scenes thus helping the story and characters feel believable.

If you have never played a Crysis game before you will probably be lost but do not fret. Like I said... the story is nothing we haven't seen before. You will still be able to keep up even if you don't exactly know who Prophet, Psycho and Claire are.

Graphics:

Come on now... this Crysis were talking about. Graphics are what Crytek does best and they did it again. This is easily one of the best looking 360 games you will ever see. The characters, world and cutscenes are an amazing sight for your eyes.

The thing I enjoyed most about Crysis 3 was New York. Crysis 2 was full of dull buildings and streets but in 3, New york has turned into a jungle. Literally... grass, weeds and trees have taken over. One of my favorite parts in the entire campaign was fighting Stalkers in 6 to 7 feet high grass. The way the grass moves with the wind and player/enemy movement is off the charts. I just loved everything about the look of Crysis 3 and you will too.


Gameplay:

The gameplay of Crysis 3 is also well done. I won't say it's the best FPS out there because it's not. It's not even close but it a damn smooth game to play. The combat is fun, the AI is decent but the difficulty is way to easy. You can expect to die very minimal in the entire campaign. No real challenge except for a few battles but once you get the hang of how to go about defeating those specific enemies it becomes easy. Way to easy. I played on Normal so for those of you looking for a challenge you should go ahead and pump it up to a higher level of difficulty on your first playthrough.

So if there is no challenge then how is the combat fun? Good question inner Derek! I will answer you now. The game is fun because of the openess and freedom they give you. You want to play Crysis 3 stealthy? Go ahead. If you want to run in guns blazing... then go right on a head. This again is nothing we haven't see or experienced before but it is still done well here in Crysis 3.

Replay Value:

The campaign clocks in around 6 to 7 hours. This immediately brings a negative thought to many gamers but the mindset of today's gamers can be wrong. This game is fun and if you beat it once then beat it again. Take 6 to 7 hours and double that. I'll take replaying a good game over a 12 to 14 hour bore fest of a game filled with lame fillers and unnecessary back tracking. I'm looking at you Halo!!! So I would say the Replay Value is decent here and I'm not even talking about the multiplayer here.


Final Word:

If you can't tell I like this game. I enjoyed 3 more than I enjoyed 2 but in reality there are a ton of FPS out in the market. I say this game is worth a purchase if you are a fan of the series or if you can get a good deal on it. I so happen to be a fan of the seires and got a good deal on the game. I wouldn't recommend just dropping $60 on it. I can say this... if you are a FPS fan you will enjoy this game.

Story: 7.0
Graphics: 9.0
Gameplay: 8.0
Replay Value: 8.0

Final Word: 8.0

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"WCAR18 reviewed Crysis 3 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:35:21 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-3/user-reviews/807989/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:51:21 -0800 WCAR18 reviewed DmC: Devil May Cry for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/dmc-devil-may-cry/user-reviews/806846/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Story:
The story of DmC is easily the best of all DMC games. This is not hard to do as all the previous DMC games were not really written well. I know most people hate the new Dante but I liked him. In the beginning of the game he was obnoxious but as the game moves on, you start to see why he was so annoying. Dante later becomes a likeable guy. Well... kind of... I think it was intentional for Dante to be this young punk who didn't give a freak about anything. As the story moves forward, so does Dante's growth as a person. He becomes more caring for others and less selfishly motivated about his life. This gives us the players... an in depth look as to why Dante slays Demons in the first place. I won't go any further into the story because I don't want to spoil it but It is worth playing through and experiencing yourself. The characters are worth caring about but there are some missteps in the story and characters. NT did not do a great job of building the relationships between Dante and his brother Vergil and another main character as well. The ending was fine but predictable. I think the writing was lazy towards the end. Which stinks because it was really well written and voiced acted throughout most of the game.

Graphics:

I played the 360 version of DmC and I found the graphics to be very good. Could it have been polished more? Sure... but it still is a damn good looking game. The menus were bland but it takes nothing away from the games overall look. It's easily the best looking DMC game and competes with the likes of GoW 3 on the PS3 when it comes to looks. (Don't freak out... GoW 3 is still a prettier and smoother game than DmC. I just said it competes.)

Gameplay:
The gameplay ultimately is what matters. This is why we buy DmC. I just went back and played some DMC 4 to compare DmC to. (I know I'm alone on this) I like DmC better. The controls and moves are smoother. I'm not talking 30fps here. I'm talking controlling Dante and pulling off combos is very well done.
You add more weapons as you go through the game. This has it's good and bad. The good is... switching from weapon is made simple by the D-Pad. The bad is... the gameplay is more enjoyable in the beginning of the game compared to at the end. This is because the beginning you have more freedom to use whatever weapon combo, against all enemies. The end of the game... not so much. The enemies become specific to certain weapons. Angel and Devil weapons. I get why NT did this. They wanted the end enemies to be more difficult to take down but it does take away combo freedom from us the player. Overall still my favorite DMC to play. Very well done.

Replay Value:
There is only one story to tell but a hell of a lot of modes for it. You have your standard difficulties but each time you playthrough and up the difficulty. You open up more difficulty levels. Some of the Modes are seriously insane. Example would be... one hit kills. All enemies die from one hit. Sounds easy? Well... there is a catch. Dante can only take one hit to before he dies. ;) Have fun with that.


Final Word:
This was by far the most fun I had have with a DMC game. I loved DMC 4 but I'm a story guy and 4 was just terrible when it came to the story. Just a bunch of stupid characters and events that I never cared about. DmC on the other hand... gave me a reason to keep playing. I wanted to beat the game. I wanted to see the end. That for me is what makes a game great. DmC did that for me.

Story: 7.5
Graphics: 8.5
Gameplay: 9.0
Replay Value: 8.5

Final Word: 8.5

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed DmC: Devil May Cry for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:51:21 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dmc-devil-may-cry/user-reviews/806846/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:33:49 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Dishonored for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/802183/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Dishonored takes place in a fictional city of Dunwall in an untold time line. The artistic vision of the city resemblance the Victorian era which paved the way to the Industrial Revolution coupled with modern science. Creating a fascinating world with high tech equipment and machines run by iron, fueled by oil...in this case, whale oil.


You are Corvo, a body guard and close friend to the Empress and her child. However, things go really bad one day as some group of assassins manages to outfight you and murders the Empress, to make things even worse the group who orchestrated the assassination pins you with the murder. It is up to you to somehow escape their clutches and not only clear your name, but also redeem the death of a friend.


Despite being a First Person Shooter, Dishonored stays away from the pitfalls the genre brings while exchanging those with some RPG elements creating a hybrid in the process. Most FPS are all about being in a simple linear level level for you to just shoot to Kill > open door to a new room and repeat. However, Dishonored does things differently. The level design in Dishonored is very open most the time, the game gives you the tools which you can combine to not only find alternate routes, but also alternate ways to approach a situation. For example you can always shoot your way to an enemy compound, or, you can take the soul of a fish and swim your way to the compound without arousing any suspicion. The tools may be basic, however what makes them so powerful is how they stack up with each other and create special combos. These combos are not given to you, but it is up to you to explore these powers and discover your own combos. It is very satisfying as a player when are able to accomplish tasks using creativity instead of gunpowder. If creativity is not your thing, you can always go with all guns and powers blazing, but often this approach makes the game a lot harder. In this game, a steady mind often has better chance of coming out alive.


The beauty of the world cannot be understated, the Victorian touch gives away that familiar feeling, while at the same time, the sci-fi topping deviates from that timeline making you feel your in a strange world. Ambient sound equally plays a very important role in the game, from the metal plates colliding with each other to the constant propaganda of the Overseer, reminding you of the current state of the world, which is often reflected by your prior deeds.


The problem with Dishonored is that it spends way too much time on the Assassination missions instead of telling the player why he/she should care. The game does not give insights on the target's life and the effects they have on the city and more importantly, the people. Early on the game you will come across a dead couple, holding each other before they died with the plague. This simple scene tells more about the city's downfall than an hour worth of dialog ever could; sadly that was it and frankly it irritated me a lot. The folks at Arkane Studios created this blueprint of this amazing world, but they were reluctant to build on that by exploring the stories of the individuals who actually lived there. If they have told these untold stories, the assassinations would have had more meaning to them and dare I say, would have felt more personal.


Even if your someone like me who takes his time to explore every inch of the game world as much possible and gets distracted and eventually sidetracked in every imaginable way...Dishonored is still quite a short game. It took me about 6 hours to complete the game. Make no mistake as those 6 hours were hardly wasted, but still you can't help feeling this world was begging to be filled with content.


New IP usually is a very risky proposition for publishers, especially with seasoned core franchises like Bethesda. It was very refreshing for them to endorse this new project, for their risk, they got rewarded. Dishonored is a fantastic start to a new franchise, hopefully Bethesda sees success (money) in it as much as I do so that they willing to pour even more capital for a sequel perhaps somewhere down the line.


twitter: adnan_ahmed

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"Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Dishonored for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by Gamer_4_Fun on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:33:49 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/802183/platform/ps3/ Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:34:59 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed Resident Evil 6 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil-6/user-reviews/802013/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

I finally have beat the 3 main campaigns of RE 6 and unlocked Ada Wong's campaign. All the Fan Boy-ism has faded away. So now I can give an un-bias opinion and review. I want to talk about the Pros and Cons in general of RE 6 and then I will go over each campaign individually.



Pros:

I love that there are 4 campaigns that all come together in the end.

The acting is great.

The story is intriguing enough to care.

The gameplay is done well. It is not broken.

The environmental melee kills never got old.

Co-op is fun and companion AI is great for Single Player.



Cons:

It doesn't feel like RE at all.

Although I love the 4 campaigns. I didn't like watching the same reused sequences and movies for the parts where the characters met up in the game.

The boss battles were annoying. The bosses keep coming back. They just dragged on.

The times the camera was stolen from you as the player were frustrating.

The driving sequences were TERRIBLE!!! WTH Capcom… really?

The cheap deaths in Jake's campaign were pissing me off.



Now here is my honest thoughts and feelings of each campaign.



Leon S Kennedy



Leon's campaign starts off great. It gives me that RE 4 feel that I wanted oh so badly. The first few chapters are set in dark areas with limited ammo and some puzzles to boot. Then it loses itself. Capcom must have thought Leon was Chris in the last 2 chapters because it turns into an action flick with ammo galore and infected everywhere. It doesn't make his campaign horrible. It just takes away from the direction Leon's campaign had started in. The tone in the last 2 chapters should have stay the same as the first 3 chapters. So the RE 2 and RE 4 fans could have really enjoyed Leon's campaign more. I give Leon's campaign a 8 out of 10.



Chris Redfield



Chris's campaign was exactly what I expected. It was RE 5 all over again. Lucky for me… I love RE 5. So I did enjoy Chris's campaign but it still wasn't done as well as RE 5 in my opinion. Chris's story is the best out of the bunch as it ends on a high note. If like action the Chris's campaign will be enjoyable. I give it and 7.8 out of 10



Jake Muller



Jake's campaign starts out solid and then mid way through it… I wanted to kill myself. Absolutely TERRIBLE!!! The decision's made by Capcom in this campaign were mind numbingly dumb. The thing is… Jake as a character is pretty cool but his campaign is not. It just was a cheesy action flick with no RE in it at all. Worst then a Gears of War cheesy too. I didn't think I would ever say that. I give jake's campaign a 6 out of 10.



Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 7/10

Story: 7/10

Replay: 9/10

Final Verdict: 8/10

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed Resident Evil 6 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:34:59 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil-6/user-reviews/802013/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:38:36 -0700 SNOOP_CAT reviewed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/user-reviews/800530/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

The next chapter in the Elder Scrolls saga arrives from the Bethesda Game Studios. Skyrim reimagines the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose. Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want. The legendary freedom of choice, storytelling, and adventure of The Elder Scrolls is realized like never before. Skyrim's new game engine brings to life a complete virtual world with rolling clouds, rugged mountains, bustling cities, lush fields, and ancient dungeons. Choose from hundreds of weapons, spells, and abilities. The new character system allows you to play any way you want and define yourself through your actions. Battle ancient dragons like you've never seen. As Dragonborn, learn their secrets and harness their power for yourself.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"SNOOP_CAT reviewed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by SNOOP_CAT on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:38:36 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/user-reviews/800530/platform/ps3/ Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:55:11 -0700 Gamer_4_Fun reviewed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/user-reviews/799919/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Very good brawler, awesome fights. Only problem is there are platforming sections which is just plain bad! The controls are fir for a brawler, but platforming needs precision and I found myself dying needlessly because of the controls.

Other than that, a very good brawler, even more fun to play with friends. Enemies are varied, so are the locales and one needs to adapt to it as simply button smashing won't get you no where.

Typical Scott Pilgrim fashion, the boss fights are colorful and bring cool challenge and colorful scenes to the game. The whole 8bit visuals bring a cool retro style look and feel to the modern gaming world. What is even more impressive is how he 8bit soundtracks really gets in your head, and before long you start to hum the music!

If you manage to overlook the platforming sections, thank god there isn't much of it, then it is one of those games that are simple and yet so fun that you just wanna keep back coming for more!

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/user-reviews/799919/platform/ps3/ Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:15:24 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/user-reviews/798333/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The Witcher 2 Review:

To start my review of The Witcher 2. I will start by saying... I bought the game day one. Yep, I paid the $60 for the 360 version. I came home that night played a few hours and had mixed feelings. I eventually stop playing it and let it sit for a couple months untouched. I then decided to trade it in for $20. Damn... that is a $40 dollar loss. :( Well... 2 weeks passed and I bought The Witcher for $3 from Steam. So I decided. I need to get The Witcher 2 back because I'm an idiot. I ended up working out a way to get it back for $5. Yay me! Haha! I am happy I did. Now lets start the review...

Plot: (Taken from Wikipedia) Not going to waste my time typing out the plot! :)

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings contains many different paths and storylines, along with multiple endings. As in the first game, the player takes control of Geralt of Rivia, one of the few remaining witchers. Witchers are humans that have been genetically enhanced and trained to fight monsters from a young age. They have special powers, different in each witcher. These include alchemy, magic, and sword handling.

(Me) I will add, that the game is about Geralt recovering his lost memory as he tracks/pursues the assassin who has killed several Kings. Hence the name of the game.

Gameplay:

The gameplay for The Witcher 2 is action based. No taking turns here. Very fast paced, fluid movements and strikes with your weapons. It reminds me of a Fable feel but better in my opinion. There are magical abilities to use and Geralt carries 2 swords. He can carry a Steel and Silver sword. Steel generally does good damage to humans while the Silver works well with beasts and creatures you will meet along the way. So that brings in some strategy to the game. Also, with the magic abilities you need to adjust based off your enemy. For instance (Not a spoiler)... I fought a boss and he was on fire and powerful with his attacks. So I had to adjust my magic. No reason to shoot fire at him like I did with humans. I instead... took a defensive approach by using my magic shield to take away some of the damage he could possibly bring. This is common in most RPG but it was well done in The Witcher 2. Very satisfying combat indeed.

Presentation:

I played The Witcher 2 on the 360. Although it doesn't compare to the PC versions graphics. It is still well done. There are some glitching or odd movements because you can tell the 360 struggles to handle the game. But overall it is a beautiful game. The menus are very easy to use. Really my only gripe is that I can't play this on a PC because I don't own a nice gaming PC to handle a game like this. Other than that... this is a gorgeous game with great scenery to explore. The worlds remind me of Dragon Age. Just bigger and better.

Final Word:

The Witcher 2 is the reason I game. It has a lot in common with the Mass Effect/Dragon Age style games but does a great job of being itself and doing it well. I loved the plot after I finally got into the game. A third way through the game. The choices and decisions you face/have to make the rest of the way through the game. Are heavy and difficult. It literally stressed me out. I had no clue who to trust? What to believe? What I should do? If I do this, how will it effect the others I have become close too? These questions race through your head and you only have a few seconds to decide what you are going to do. Well Done I say! Well done. That is what I love the most about The Witcher 2. I will mark the score down in one area. The end of the game was a little unsatisfying. I won't go into why. No spoiler zone. But I know I'm not alone in my reasons. I highly suggest this title. You will get your monies worth. Trust me.

Story 9.0
Gameplay 8.5
Presentation 9.0
Final Word 9.0

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:15:24 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/user-reviews/798333/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:47:35 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed Spec Ops: The Line for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/spec-ops-the-line/user-reviews/796737/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

To start my review of Spec Ops The Line I want to give you an idea of what my mind set was when I first saw and played the game's demo. When I first saw the game on Game Spot. I initially said... "This is just another crappy shooter coming out." Then I saw the demo was available and I downloaded it. My first reaction to the demo was that this is not only just another shooter but a rip off of what Gears of Wars and Socom 4's baby would be if they made sweet love. :)

I didn't even finish the demo I was so convinced the game would fail and get ripped to shreds by reviewers.

Let me state firmly... I was WRONG!!! Dead wrong about this game. It is more than just a rip off. The creators actually put thought it to this game. You maybe wondering why would I own this game if I was already convinced it was going to suck? It's simple... the reviews came out and said it was good and so I decided to see for myself. (As a side note... This is proof that Mainstream Reviews are not just one person's opinion. They have a much larger voice an directly impact the sells of game, So I don't ever want to hear it's just one person's opinion!!! Yes it is their opinion but Reviewers need to be mindful when reviewing a game to not only judge a game based how they like it but also based off if they feel others would. Just my opinion on this subject. I would have never bought this game on day one if it wasn't the voice of reviewers.)

Plot: (Taken from Wikipedia) Not going to waste my time typing out the plot! :)

The Line's fictional version of Dubai, like its real-world counterpart, was an extravagantly prosperous city in the United Arab Emirates. Trillions of dollars were invested in infrastructure, opulent housing, and recreation for the rich.

Six months prior to the game, the worst series of sandstorms in recorded history began across the Dubai Emirate. Dubai's politicians and wealthy elite downplayed the situation before evacuating in secret, leaving countless Emiratis behind. Colonel John Konrad, the decorated but troubled commander of "The Damned" 33rd Battalion, U.S Army, was returning home with his unit from Afghanistan when the storms struck. Konrad volunteered the 33rd Battalion to help with international relief efforts, then deserted with the entire unit when ordered to abandon the city and its refugees by the U.S Government. As the storms intensified, a massive storm wall engulfed Dubai for miles, disrupting any satellite surveillance and communication, air travel, and all but the strongest radio broadcasts. The 33rd declared martial law, and struggled to maintain order amid 80 mph winds, riots, and dwindling resources. The last communication out of Dubai stated that the 33rd was attempting to lead a caravan of more than a thousand civilians out of the city. The caravan never arrived, and soon afterwards the UAE declared Dubai a No-man's-land. All travel to the city was barred, the 33rd was publicly disavowed for treason, and no further news left the city.

Two weeks before the beginning of the game, a mysterious looped radio signal penetrated the wall. Its message was brief; "This is Colonel John Konrad, United States Army. Attempted evacuation of Dubai ended in complete failure. Death toll: too many." The United States military decides to covertly send in a three-man Delta Force team to carry out reconnaissance. The team, consisting of Delta Operators Captain Martin Walker, SAW-gunner/aviator Lieutenant Adams, and translator/medic/marksman Sergeant Lugo, are told to confirm the statuses of Konrad and any survivors, then radio for extraction.

Gameplay:

The gameplay is very similar to the Gears, Ghost Recon and Socom series'. It is a third person cover based Military shooter with squad based tactics. You play with two AI companions throughout most of the story. The gameplay pretty much stays the same through the entire campaign. No upgrading or anything here. There are a few moments where you are doing other things but when it is all said and done. The majority of the game is just walking, shooting and then walking some more. For what Spec Ops is. It is pretty good on the gameplay side. The shooting mechanics aren't perfect but still good.
The AI companions are well done. Only a few times did they pop out in the open and just stand there and get shot until they were down. I loved that when I targeted on a enemy and told Lugo (AI Campanion) to kill them. That he would make it a point to take them out ASAP. If I picked an enemy that Lugo couldn't get too. He would tell me he can't get a shot but would make a goal to get into position to take the enemy out I want him too. I loved that about the gameplay.
The enemy AI is decent. There was times where the AI was very aggressive and smart and times where they just stood in the open and kill them. I would say the enemy AI was done pretty well but there could have been some improvement there. Overall the gameplay is done well.

Presentation:

Spec Ops The Line has solid presentation. I felt the graphics were done very well. I wouldn't say Spec Ops is the prettiest game but it is a nice looking game. One thing I loved was as the game goes on the three main characters apperances begin to change. The battles are starting to wear on them mentally and phisically. They have sand, dirt and blood all over their hair and faces. This was well done. Side characters and enemies are decent looking as well. Overall the presentation is good in this game.

Final Word:

When I finished this game. I was immediatley in love. I wanted to play the story again. It clocks in around 6 hours. So playing again is an option. The highlight of Spec Ops The Line is definitely the story and the characters. The voice acting is done super. The main character Walker is voiced by none other than Uncharted's Nolan North. He is to me the greatest voice actor in video games these days. He does another steller job here in Spec Ops. All other characters are voiced good as well. It helps having great acting to keep you engaged in the story and what a story it is. I won't spoil it so I won't talk about it. Except to say it was great and unexpected surprise! There is some heavy stuff in this game the brought great sorrow to me as I pushed through. The game started to weigh on me and the in game characters as well. The choices you make will make you think real hard before you make them.

I highly recommend this game! You will enjoy it! I guarantee.
Story 9.5
Gameplay 8.0
Presentation 8.0
Final Word 8.5

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"WCAR18 reviewed Spec Ops: The Line for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:47:35 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/spec-ops-the-line/user-reviews/796737/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:32:24 -0700 ElfaLupin reviewed Mass Effect 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/user-reviews/796260/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

I really enjoyed playing this game. I've started with playing Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 with Garrus as my Love Interest and I continued with my save game from both games in Mass Effect 3. I was disappointed that my character wasn't imported along with the choices I made in the first two games, and was disappointed that my character's expressions were mostly glaring and scowling - there were no smiles at all, and the mouth was like a downturned U all the time.

The gameplay in itself was amazing. I loved doing all the sidequests and main quests, and I cried a lot while playing - like the cure of the Genophage and Mordin's death. The cutscenes were epic.

However, I was most disappointed with the ending. I'm not saying I hate it - I ended the game with sacrificing myself for the synthesis ending since I played my whole 3 games with a 100% paragon and being nice to the Geth. It was a good ending - the only things that bothered me were the destruction of the relays and the inconclusive end scene. It never explained what happened after the relays were destroyed - who else survived and what they did after the Reapers were defeated. It never told us what our Love Interest did after Shepard died.

In conclusion - this is an amazing game that I love to play and replay - I would just like to know what happened after and to see some modifications in the character creation to make Shepard not so... Snape-like...

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"ElfaLupin reviewed Mass Effect 3 for the PC..." was posted by ElfaLupin on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:32:24 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/user-reviews/796260/platform/pc/ Tue, 29 May 2012 08:26:42 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed Dragon's Dogma for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/dragons-dogma/user-reviews/794941/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Story

Here is a synopsis of Dragon's Dogma taken from Wikipedia.
"During its raid on the fishing village of Casadeis, a dragon approaches the hero of the story, telling them that they are the "chosen one," before proceeding to tear out their heart. Lacking a heart the hero's death is inevitable. However, through some unknown miracle, the hero is saved from certain death. Now revived as an "Arisen," the hero is destined to find and kill the dragon that stole their heart."

The story is not awful but it is not why I am playing Dragon's Dogma. I think the big disconnect for me is there is no real interesting characters in the story. I really don't care about anybody. Even my character is boring because he doesn't speak. He is just there. I would have like to have the option to speak and make choices more often in DD. A great example of this (no spoilers) is I'm confronted by the Duke who is enraged at me in a cutscene but neither one of us even speaks. It was just awkward in my opinion. I will say this about the story. it is interesting enough that you will still want to see the outcome at the end of the game.

Gameplay

This is why I am in love with Dragon's Dogma. I can't explain how good the GP is… but I sure will try. You and a crew of three pawns our (one created by you and 2 others chosen by you but created by other players) sent out into an open and very beautiful world. You will encounter many beast along the way. This is one of the things I love. The entire world is open for you to explore. There is no warning when entering an area where beasts or bandits are at a higher level than you and your party. That might sound annoying but it isn't. Here is why. As you travel the game gives you the feeling of survival. It's just you and your crew. You must do what you must to survive. Therefore, just like in real life if you were in this situation. There would be no warnings. You would discover as you moved. The same thing applies here with this game. Each step could be a risk or a reward. Especially at night. Visibility can be tough and that's when the creatures and animals come out. So save often!!! I can't stress to you enough the importance of saving. There is only one save slot so that is a drag for an RPG but I get the sense. The creators of the game want us as players to feel as if what we decide in the game the first time is how it is. No changing it. Meaning, there is no rewind button or save I can jump back too. If that was the goal I'm down with that. It adds to the realism.

Now to the fighting. The fighting in the game is great. It's all done in real time and your AI partners are not babies. They are actually intelligent. You can command them but most of the time there is no need. Sometimes I exhaust myself in combat an need to call for help to restore some stamina and pawns react quickly. They come right away. It really feels like you are all fighting as one. They use their specials often. Again… no babying needed. They are very self sufficient.

The combat is exciting like a Kingdom's of Amular feel but still it's own. You upgrade moves, weapons and armor as you go. The game does a real good job of giving the player the feel they are getting powerful but not to powerful as there are always beasts out there that can take you out. For me in the beginning of the game my crew struggled with wolves. They were quick and tough. Now… I just slice and dice them like they're nothing. Some battles can last a while and it is fulfilling and exciting when you take down a Cyclops or a Griffin. I can't iterate enough how fulfilling and fun the gameplay is. To me… it is the highlight of the game.


Presentation

The presentation of DD is where work needs to be done if a sequel ever comes… and I hope it does. The graphics are awesome during gameplay. The world is beautiful. I love watching the bushes and trees being moved by the gusting winds. It really add to the atmosphere. At night is where you can really see screen tearing. That is unfortunate because it makes night time more frustrating to see. When it is already difficult to see. Minor issue in my opinion. The real graphical let down is cutscenes. Although there are not many of them. They are not done well at all. The Dragon looks amazing but people… well… not so much. I felt the graphics an animations were very poor. This is very minor issue as again, there is not many cutscenes. The voice acting could use an upgrade as well.

The Menus are another item that needs some work. There are 2 separate menus. Not a big deal to me but for some they will not like that they don't have access to everything in one spot. I would have liked a little more clarity on the Mission section of the Menu as to what was a Side Quest and what is part of the Main Story. No reason to include that.


Final Word

Finally!!! The Final Word. Well although I pick on the game a bit my score and love for this is game is extremely high. At first when I played it I was ranging from a 7.5 to at most an 8. I was hanging where most reviewers were hanging with this game. I watched a good amount of reviews and one reviewer really grasp this game very similar to me. That was Machinima's. I feel the reviewer really dove in and try to see what I believe the creator's of this game set out to do. I got to give love to Capcom as well. They have been making many poor decisions lately but to support this game. That was a risk and one I'm glad they took. If you are the fence on this game… I say get the heck off the fence. It is a tough game and you will have to put in work to enjoy it but dang it. It is worth it.

Story 6.5
Gameplay 10.0
Presentation 7.0
Final Word 9.0

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed Dragon's Dogma for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Tue, 29 May 2012 08:26:42 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dragons-dogma/user-reviews/794941/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 20 May 2012 17:00:09 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed Max Payne 3 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/794273/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Story

Let's start with the story. The game is about Mr. Payne leaving NY to become a bodyguard for a very wealthy (The Brancos) and powerful family in Sao Paulo. He works with an old friend (Passos) of his, from the Police Academy back in NY. Seeing as Payne has no reason to be in NY this seems like a great opportunity to start a new life. All is well, until his boss's wife is kidnapped and Max has to get her back alive.

Solid premise for a story but nothing we haven't see or heard before. What draws you in. Is all the characters are not completely trust worthy. You can sense it and so can Payne as you play through. So as the story unravels, plot twist come out. Some expected but there were a few times I was utterly shocked as to what the heck happened.

The story is driven by cutscenes during loading of the upcoming board. Most of the time it is just Max talking to himself but there are some scenes that go on for several minutes to move the story along. This is good but I felt the presentation was annoying. I will hit on that later.

Gameplay

When we talk about Max Payne, we have to to talk about gameplay. That is what Max is all about. The mechanics of this shooter are great. You do have 3 options on targeting. There is Free Aim, Partial Lock On and Complete Lock On. I played with partial which is how the game was set up. I noticed that when I would LT to lock on an enemy. That most of the time, it would lock on near the enemy or on them barely. That is not a bad thing as it gives you the ability when in Bullet-Time to move the target over the enemies head. My main issue was this... several times I could not see my white targeting dot and had no clue where I was shooting. This becomes frustrating because all the enemies are good shooters and will kill you in a heart beat. Not to mention sometimes in the game, ammo and health were scarce which added to the frustration of wasted bullets. This is a minor complaint. Again sometimes frustrating but not a deal breaker at all.

The gameplay pretty much remains the same throughout. Not much changes except enemies definitely get tougher as the game goes on. That encourages you to use Bullet-Time more and go for head shots only. To kill enemies quicker and save some ammo.

Two major positives that set this game apart from many shooters is enemy AI and a cover system. Lets start with the Cover System.

The cover system feels a lot like Uncharted. I love the cover system although it does take away from old school Max. When just Bullet-Time jumping to kill all the enemies was the way to go. But again... the cover system makes the game smarter. When you have 15 guys shooting at you. Even with Bullet-Time Max wouldn't stand a chance without a little cover in his life.

The AI is phe-nominal. They have their moments of standing out in the open and letting you shoot at them. But 90% of the time the AI is working hard to kill you. Like I said previously. They have great aim and will kill you in a flash if you are left out in the open to long. Some of the enemies are very aggressive and force you to move or die in close quarters.

Presentation

The presentation is done well when it comes to the look of the game. This is a pretty game. The menus are basic but effective. The environments are detailed and just done right. Max looks good in game and in cutscenes. Like I said... it's a beautiful game. My only gripe is the cutscenes being blurred. I understand this probably was done because Max is an alcoholic and pain pill addict but it gets annoying. Every scene is blurred. I wouldn't have minded a blur if Max was hungover but not on every scene.

The Final Word

Max is back and I got to say... I am pleased. He is fun to play. The game is one for all shooter fans. I would even suggest it to gamers who don't play many shooter because it is a classic. One I could see me returning to at least one more time.

Story 8.0/10.0
Gameplay 9.0/10.0
Presentation 9.0/10.0
The Final Word 8.8/10.0

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"WCAR18 reviewed Max Payne 3 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by WCAR18 on Sun, 20 May 2012 17:00:09 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/794273/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:03:18 -0700 WCAR18 reviewed Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii... http://www.gamespot.com/xenoblade-chronicles/user-reviews/792068/platform/wii/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

I have to talk about how great this game is. I had laid my Wii to rest. But this game... this game brought my Wii back to life. I'm only 15 hours in but I'm hooked. I think about playing it when I'm away from it. The game play and the world draw you in. As you play the game more, you begin to care about the characters and their stories. You genuinely care for them. You feel the pain of the Colonies at the hands of the mighty Mechon. You feel their desperation and suffering.

This is what all RPGs should be/do. Give you, the player a desire to keep moving forward because you have to know what happens next. If you own a Wii and like RPGs then this is a must. The only semi-let down is the graphics. The Wii just can't handle a game like this but on the other hand. What the Wii is being pushed to do by this game is indeed impressive.

The game play is the strongest aspect of the game. Each battle is quick and to the point. Which gives you the desire as a player to seek out battles. This leads to gaining experience. Which improves your experience as a player with each character leveling up and your party connecting more. The battles are complex while simplistic at the sametime. That's what I love. I can't just walk in to a battle and hit a button a couple times knowing the end result is a simple victory. (Unless I pick on lower level enemies of course) The boss battles I have encountered so far have been challenging but didn't give me the feeling that I have no chance of winning either.

I am not close to finishing this game but I believe this game is so good I will want to finish it. Despite my life being very busy and hectic.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"WCAR18 reviewed Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii..." was posted by WCAR18 on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:03:18 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/xenoblade-chronicles/user-reviews/792068/platform/wii/