beanz777's GameSpot Friend's Reviews beanz777's GameSpot Friend's Reviews beanz777's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:26:56 -0700 GameSpot beanz777'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, 19 Apr 2013 18:32:38 -0700 Bad_Gamers83 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/810435/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Bioshock Infinite takes what we know about the established franchise and turns certain elements on their heads, giving us a game that's both fresh and familiar. The biggest change is Booker Dewitt, the protagonist who is already defined as opposed to the anonymous Jon we traversed with in the original. The other big change is Columbia, an anti-Rapture of sorts whose populous blends political and religious philosophies together. Fit in some solid shooting, a great NPC companion, and an overpowered, but awesome, vigor system (replacing plasmids) and you have a game that at least equals the original in quality.
Booker is tasked with rescuing the girl Elizabeth from Columbia to clear a debt. Once you have rescued the girl, things start going more and more down a rabbit hole. Not only does the game spin a tale about the good, bad and potential of an alternate America, as well as ours, but brings a surprising amount of emotional connection and existentialism.
Following the franchise's form, Bioshock's fights are brutal and shooting guns and vigors feels great and look fantastic. Switching between the two weapons as well as your vigors is quick and easy.
Ammunition can be quite a problem, especially if you stick with the same two weapons throughout the experience. Elizabeth does help you during fights, adding some tower-defense style elements by being able to open tears that summon certain types of ammo, turrets, etc. based on what's available in the area.
The game as a whole looks fantastic, despite some minor pop in and flat textures on the PS3. Sunrays shine brightly and the white buildings literally glow with the impressive bloom effects. The townsfolk are animated well and often provide some amusing dialogue as you pass by them.
Overall, the game is hard to describe, much like the original. There is a lot that can be left up to interpretation, especially if you stick through the credits. The game's twists are surprising, but I never felt myself getting lost. Irrational spins a meaningful tale that never feels stretched too far, even at the game's relatively lengthy 12-14 hour campaign.
Bioshock Infinite is an impressive feat, sticking with things that are familiar while adding fun elements, such as the skyline and the strategic tears. Columbia is a wonder to behold and Elizabeth is a great assist in combat and a great character. Shooting and story progression may be a bit linear, but with combat this solid and a story this good, it's easy to overlook. In many ways, the adventures in Columbia surpass those in Rapture and show us exactly why this is such a celebrated franchise.

Pros:
Great story with great twists
Elizabeth is amazing
Combat is fun and frantic
Columbia
Cons:
Some texture issues, pop-in
Ammunition can be surprisingly scarce
Ending may be lost on some
Less emphasis on exploration than the original

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"Bad_Gamers83 reviewed BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by Bad_Gamers83 on Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:32:38 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock-infinite/user-reviews/810435/platform/ps3/ Sat, 06 Apr 2013 07:20:56 -0700 VintAge68 reviewed Inversion for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/inversion/user-reviews/809939/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

He was one of the lucky ones, with perhaps a bit too much private happiness to care about, yet the day the trouble arrives --his beloved daughter's birthday-- police officer Davis Russell sees his former life crumble just like Vanguard City's façade: his wife Carolina dies as he reaches their devastated apartment with his co(o)p partner Leo Delgado, while the little Leila, seemingly, is just about to being abducted by the strange, violent invaders.

This has been 38 days ago, and albeit the pain about his impotence in face of the catastrophe is real, all does appear yet so surreal "like some faded memory of another life." But which is this hollow reality they used to know, so visibly showing its weaknesses now a loosened gravity lets things aflow, and why physical principles are getting shifted anyway in this but so familiar place?
This sudden "inversion" having turned Russell's world upside down, with streets and buildings twisted like in an Escherian picture puzzle, how can those tribal savages called "Lutadores" be possibly responsible for a gravitational phenomenon of this dimension? Torn to pieces and swarming with enemies this isn't Vanguard City anymore; but perhaps it too is just some spaceship floating in space, another hidden truth behind a now shattered reality nobody was aware of, a life lie... The Lutadores, brutish men and amazonian women, are bringing the children somewhere so here is where hope is left: to find Davis' daughter Leila in all this bottomless mess.

Gravity used for both narrative and gameplay purposes is what makes the difference in this third-person shooter applying the well-approved Army of Two men constellation in either single or co-op mode to a Gears of War or Bulletstorm-like context. But whereas the blue Low and red High dynamic Gravlink powers manageable by means of the Omnitool-Rig the Lutadores brought along might recall Mass Effect's bionic or Dead Space's telekinetic techniques as do the adrift Zero-G zones, the combination of elements Inversion uses for its not too predictable story makes it peculiar.
Still, the campaign mode has its undeniable flaws: frequently taking or moving in cover seems inevitable when hordes of well-armed aggressive enemies are attacking from --literally-- all sides, but for the most time the cover-system does not obey as fluidly as one might wish (or need), neither in normal gravity situations --on their way through streets and prisoner camps--, nor when seeking cover behind floating debris in zones of altered gravity. Also the obligatory bosses while not too easy when tackled alone with a suddenly not at all helpful AI partner are unnecessarily repetitive so that one has to confront the same foes, like the Slave Driver with his zombie-like crazed-out minions, several times in a row.
Requiring to throw lava blobs and pull down containers, the boss fights make however better use of the consecutively upgraded Low and High Gravity powers, whose main purpose remain yet complementing the traditional firearms --Sniper, Pulse, Energy, Assault rifle (with Bayonet in the Lutadore scrap metal version), Sawed Shotgun, Rocket launcher, Flamethrower-- while the game refrains from employing them for other gameplay facets such as the telekinesis puzzles familiar from Dead Space.

What puzzles most, however, are still the story's actual circumstances: the gravitational anomalies controlled through the Lutadores imbued with their guru Kiltehr's malefic spirit. To tackle them, the Gravlink device locally provides quite some practical possibilities, though resource and time-limited its powers have to be well-dosed in order to get along: in addition to selecting, moving, and throwing objects like rubble or fuel barrels, enemies can be shocked or lifted out of cover using the levitating LowG, while the HighG acquired later on permits to crush objects and enemies alike, or to make a suspended object fall thanks to a temporary heaviness increase. Controls work equal in both cases upon just pressing Left Shift in order to turn light blue into heavy red powers and vice versa.
Naturally, gravity dominates also the destructible environment: balancing across fallen planks gets as necessary at times as diving between blue-outlined pieces of debris in areas of skewed gravity, whereas static or dynamic "vector shifts" allow or even force Davis and Leo as well as the Lutadores themselves to proceed along another plane where the wall becomes the floor or the ceiling, reorganizing the pieces as if in a kaleidoscope.

Well-nigh Newton's Nightmare, the gravitational gameplay elements for both movement and combat outline also the ambitious multiplayer where controls work in quite a more fluid and intuitive manner than in most of the singleplayer campaign. Letting one play as either Human (Uprising/Civilian) or Lutadore (Soldier/Light) the different game modes and maps which in cover mechanics and scenery may recall Hybrid or Mass Effect 3 include gravity and objective-based Grav and Skirmish modes for up to 12 players, as well as the yet known "vectors" to be attacked or defended or even changed in order to turn the map upside down, while Deathmatch or Survival mode against waves of progressively stronger enemies cater to the more common multiplayer habits. Besides "Matchmaking", the complimentary "Create Match" lets one compose a party's custom match out of eight different game modes (Hourglass, King of Gravity, Grav Control, Gravity Slaughter...) and ten splendid maps (Verge, Junction, Flyover, Skyline, Geostation...) taken from the futuristic areas explored during the campaign and providing sufficient space to experiment with the novel controls. Additional game options (Score Limit, Weapons Set, Gravlink Abilitiesç) permit to predefine the matches to one's liking, while completing the Basic, Weapon, Rank challenges help earning additional XP: a pity only that the obligatory GameSpy ID seems to be impeding wider co-op and multiplayer possibilities here.

In many aspects the 14 chapter-long campaign --Inversion to Reversion-- appears a descent to hell: the large-scale gravitational weapon that appears having distorted Vanguard City's gravity planes also ruined the environment whose lava rivers and red skies make it resemble the Lutadores' own devastated territory. --But where did they really come from? Massive Zero G-fissures finally lead to some underground area --that again befools perception for opening to battle-worn space installations apparently supervised through vigilant bots overpowering the Lutadores their way. And to Kiltehr who seemingly has the key to all this in his hands...

Inversion surely doesn't max out its full potential: the gravity skills appear rather accidental and not worked out as likewise the bionics of Mass Effect and the like; the cover system often represents an obstacle to a more cautious approach rather than a help; the delusions are not those of Dead Space, and the friendly AI --recover the partner and be helped-- does not really permit to act as a true Army of Two when playing alone. However, in addition to more than decent graphics and a suitable soundtrack, it still has potential, thanks to gravity providing additional gameplay options which make both singleplayer campaign and multiplayer modes different from many other comparable cover-based third-person shooters.
"Life often makes us regret things we've done and things we haven't. We often desire about going back in time to fix everything when it's too late." --Here is the occasion: play this game.

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"VintAge68 reviewed Inversion for the PC..." was posted by VintAge68 on Sat, 06 Apr 2013 07:20:56 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/inversion/user-reviews/809939/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 doç 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 WTFç 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. Wellç 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 oneç 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 isç 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 kindlyç move over Mass Effect? Would you kindlyç 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 commonç 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. Anywayç 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 factç 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 withç 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 scenesç 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/ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:42:37 -0700 ps2fatboy reviewed The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-survival-instinct/user-reviews/809191/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 4.0.

ok movie and tv show tie-ins do have a bad history in games, but last year telltales games did something, they created an original game with characters that you cared for and some suspenceful gameplay,it got rave reviews was a great game, how could this game go wrong it has actual characters from the show, Daryl Dixon and his older brother Merle, well activison have and terminal reality decided to just, rehash old gameplay and graphics i mean this game looks terrible, i thought aliens colonial marines was an ugly game, this is worse, i thought i was playing an xbox original game from 2004 the dated graphics aren't the only issue,the story is a prequal to the events of the show,but it just does'nt hold up,it weak and also been done to death,i knew what to do before in game characters would ask me,there was a real lack of ceativity in this game which is a shame,as the show and comic books are a huge success over the world, this should of been a no brainer, some ideas in the game are good when you get into a struggle with one of the walkers you have to aim down at the head to kill them or you will just stab them, but this idea cant hold this game up,its just really flawed,and buggy even the zombies just looked like they were taken out of another game and put in this one hell even the scenery aswell. looks like activision just wanted to get on the money wagon on this and didnt really care about the fans. do yourself a favour and wait for telltales season two of the walking dead and avoid this game like the undead.

audio 7/10 use of the tv show theme and the two main actors voices helps this game ,but not much
visuals 3.5/10
would be a great looking game in 2005 but in 2013 dreadful.
gameplay
3./10
predictable and repetitive
total score

replay value
0/10
no multiplayer or co-op so if u do the story mode im sure that would be it
overall score
4/10
has potential then just ruins it over and over again

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"ps2fatboy reviewed The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct for the PC..." was posted by ps2fatboy on Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:42:37 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-survival-instinct/user-reviews/809191/platform/pc/ Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:49:37 -0700 VintAge68 reviewed Sorcery for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/sorcery/user-reviews/808988/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Be nice with your cat --she might in reality be a fairy princess hiding from her malicious mother, Lady Everfair aka the Nightmare Queen, drawn to the dark side of magic power and willing to cast it upon the entire Kingdom.
Finn is, and so he finds himself soon together with Erline on their way to confront the latter in her stronghold.
But sure his formation as sorcerer's apprentice has to continue during the journey, as would have been their late master Dash's wish.

As suggested by the title, magic is the central element of Sorcery and the PS Move controller the magical wand permitting to cast the different spells necessary to continue the daylong journey into the Enchanted Kingdom, leading through dark catacombs and stony ruins full of sleepless revenants, over high cliffs and colorful glades filled with spiders and spiteful elves, to finally the Great Tower and the Throne Room where the evil Queen is residing with her obedient ninja-like minions.
And the trip would be triply difficult weren't there the powerful spells consecutively unlocked on the way: arcane, earth, ice, fire, wind, electricity magic combining both the Move button and the right move to resolve puzzles, open doors and chests, remove pillars and rubble, freeze water and flare shrubs, and of course fight off the many foes getting in-between.
So with some practice curved throws might easily be linked up to first freeze then crack in half an armored enemy, or to cause an ignited wind column to torch objects out of reach or gobble down the ever-emerging goblins, and also the Heroic strike --T button whenever the heroicness meter is full-- generally comes in handy here.
However, the boss fights against Orc-ish giants and other mischievous creatures --the Banshee, the Ice Troll, the Forest Guardian, the Elf Assassin-- can become quite tedious until figuring out the respective big beast's weak spot or the specific spell combination to properly defeat it, requiring also the use of fire against blue cryo foes and of ice against red pyro ones.

While the boyish Finn himself is relatively weak (though he may use his protective shield) and doesn't recover automatically but by swallowing a well-shaken health potion, crafting some of the 56 elixir-upgrades proves very useful: ingredients such as Bloodberry, Grave Dust, Faerie Honey, Troll Sweat, plus empty potion bottles, or gold coins to buy them from the Slavic-accented Alchemist salesdwarf, can be collected through smashing objects and opening chests alongside the road, so they are an economic means to permanently increase magic strike effects --individual damage, range, or duration-- and the Mana needed to apply them, as well as Finn's own health and physical resistance. But attention, some of the experimental brews --like Frosty Mug, Sticky Goo, or Shadow Hog--, while only temporary, are of rather unwanted nature, changing him into a block of ice or else valuable pig. The animal trick can also be employed to transform sheep into pigs and rats --and back-- while upon using the polymorphous tonic Finn himself may adopt the form of a rat or bird to get through small passages or over wide canyons what, sadly, cannot be used off one's own bat.

The nice and colorful graphics in Fable style illustrate well the fairy landscape through which the adventure leads the young wizard and his wise cat, whereas the narrow-angle camera might at times incommode further orientation in a surround.
Besides the usual friendly banter between Finn and Erline (Charlie Schlatter, Ashley Bell), the story is structured through designed cutscenes in fairytale book style which contribute as suitably to the original somewhat Irish touch as does the instrumental music accompanying it (Mark Mancina). And although the outcome as such might be somewhat predictable, the becoming magician's instructive journey does also have an end in itself.

Midway between Harry Potter and Bayonetta, Sorcery is a refreshing, largely underappreciated game whose great though not physical effortless use of the obligatory Move controller makes it a welcome addition to the game library of any to-be Motion wizard.
And while the game as such does not take more than ten hours and there is no multiplayer option being offered, thinking of it with indulgent fondness one might but recalibrate one's dust-covered Motion wand after a while to play it through for a second time...

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"VintAge68 reviewed Sorcery for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by VintAge68 on Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:49:37 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sorcery/user-reviews/808988/platform/ps3/ Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:12:25 -0700 charlesdao reviewed God of War: Ascension for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-ascension/user-reviews/808981/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The most amazing new thing about Ascension is the battle mini-games, where you no longer use Quick Time Events, but something new, like well you do a finish move a on enemy the camera changes you movement gets limited and you can attack and evade only, do this right for some time and the brutal kill happens, this is better than boring Quick Time Events. The multiplayer is one of the best parts of the game, each map is unique, so when you play Desert of The lost Souls you can kill the Cyclops but on other map you can take control of a Giant Medusa, each weapon has 2 magic attacks with more than 20 weapons makes more than 50 different magic attacks. And a Human kratos is waiting for you on the single player. They even make you fight 2 bosses at the same time. The trial of arquimedes that some reviewers complain is the hardest part of the game, but i got pass this and only died there two times.

Pros: Amazing graphics, amazing soundtrack, amazing multiplayer, you get to know kratos better.

Cons:Some bugs.

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"charlesdao reviewed God of War: Ascension for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by charlesdao on Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:12:25 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-ascension/user-reviews/808981/platform/ps3/ Sat, 16 Mar 2013 18:39:23 -0700 Bad_Gamers83 reviewed SimCity for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/simcity/user-reviews/808918/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

When I was around ten years old, we didn't have a gaming computer. Sim City 2000 came out and it was all the rage. We did, however, have the original Sim City, so we installed it on our computer and I got lost for hours. Jump ahead almost twenty years, and Maxis' hasn't lost their touch and their formula hooks its claws right back into me.
Sim City is flawed. The elephant in the room has been its understandable but heavily flawed always online DRM. Certain things break, saving doesn't always work right, there is quite an extensive list. However, this doesn't stop Sim City from being an enjoyable and challenging strategic city builder.
This is one game where it's obvious Maxis wants you to learn most things on your own. Notices of new buildings "available" pop up and guiding yourself through the menus and trying to figure out what is where is part of the fun. A brief tutorial gives you a lesson in the basics, but they leave the rest up to you.
The game also oozes charm. The smile inducing language of The Sims return as does their currency. The animation is a good mix of real world mechanics and tongue in cheek cartoonish animations. You see buildings in residential, commercial and industrial zones be gradually built while placed buildings land with a satisfying and smile inducing crunch. The music is very calming, making it very hard to gamer-rage when you realize you messed something up.
Sometimes things do mess up on their own. Traffic jams up in certain areas for no apparent reason, sometimes you can't update a certain building or you can't tell how much water/ power/ sewage your city is processing. It often requires exiting out to the main menu to temporarily fix the issue, but hopefully this is something that will be fixed for good. There's also the police criminal chases that remind me of watching something out of Benny Hill as the police icons go in a totally separate direction from the criminal icons.
This hasn't stopped me from putting roughly 70 hours into the game. Abandoning a region and starting another one is easy and runs smoothly. Choosing a region and which city to claim in a region is all part of the strategy. Finite space in each city means more space management than in past games is required. This also plays into the point of the region and the inclusion of multi player into the series.
I haven't experienced multi player, but have had fun building my own private regions and seeing how well (they do alright) the cities communicate. You can send money from a rich city to an up and coming city, send them power, water, sewage use, etc. Overall the simulation Maxis has set up is impressive.
Sim City is somewhat of a wallflower game. There are a lot of reasons to be turned off by all of the flaws, but the deep simulation and city building aspects make this a sexy ass game for me. Warts and all, Sim City is a triumph in my eyes and epitomizes the immersive experience.

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"Bad_Gamers83 reviewed SimCity for the PC..." was posted by Bad_Gamers83 on Sat, 16 Mar 2013 18:39:23 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/simcity/user-reviews/808918/platform/pc/ 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

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"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/ Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:16:40 -0800 ps2fatboy reviewed Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/sniper-elite-nazi-zombie-army/user-reviews/808312/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

what another zombie game really?, yes but a very fun and addictive one, i did'nt see much advertisement for this game, i saw some you tube trailers and thought why not, its ony 15 bucks on steam,
the gameplay is simple go from one area to the other blasting zombies to hell, its been done before i know that,but what i like is that its from a sniper point of view, your trapped in a alley with a horde of nazi zombies stumbling across to you, you do a steady aim and crack one maybe two or even 3 or 4 threw there heads and seeing the graphic x-ray view point from the previous game its brutal,but satisfying to see,also the type of zombies you have are great to, some have dynamite strapped to them and charge at you wanting to blow you up, or the sneaky sniper ghouls who leap from building to building,and then there the slow moving ones who will move on you or pop out of nowhere and try and tear you to pieces,the gameplay and mechanics are identical to sniper elite v2,even the back ground is, just all has changed ruined buildings and now in night to add to the atmosphere,what i was really surprised by was the music,it had an 80's suspence horror vibe to it,which worked for me, the solo mode in this game is enjoyable,
the co-op is even better you can have up to 4 players trying to defeat hitlers undead army.im not sure,what the online is like but from the videos on you tube it looks to be a blast.
ok the faults now sometimes when your in cover and try to get out of it you get stuck, or the trying to run away from the nazi horde the control system might let you down.
also the inventory setup was alittle confusing specially when you want throw a grenade and set up a mine instead.
but i really did enjoy this game,even if its just another zombie cash in its actually done well and i recommend this to anyone who wants to kill zombies, instead of playing zombies on cod or left 4 dead.
its a different type of zombie fun in the 3rd person ww2 style.
visuals 7/10 zombies look cool ,could been more inventive on the towns
audio 9/10 music and groaning zombies very creepy
gameplay 8.5/10 shooting zombies in the head fun,inventory could of been better.
overall 8.5 /10

zombie nazi madness
gameplay trailer down below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z42Hh20-7hM
[img]http://pc.sysblog.info/images/2013/02/61539.jpg[/img]

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"ps2fatboy reviewed Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army for the PC..." was posted by ps2fatboy on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:16:40 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/sniper-elite-nazi-zombie-army/user-reviews/808312/platform/pc/ Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:18:07 -0800 Bad_Gamers83 reviewed Journey for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/journey/user-reviews/808237/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.5!

Beautiful, poignant and uniquely intimate, Journey makes a strong argument that games can, indeed, be art. You play as an anonymous robed figure venturing in the desert. You see a light coming from the top of a mountain and spend the rest of the time trying to reach that light.
The game play itself is quite simple. You can move, jump and chirp; yes, chirp. This component communicates to flying ribbons that, in turn, give you the power to fly. If you play online, other players will either drop in and out, or you will spend the 2-3 hours it takes to complete the game together.
The co-op adds to the intimacy of the game. You can only communicate with chirps, and the other players name is hidden from you until the Journey is completed, and yet it's probably the closest I've ever felt playing with another randomly matched gamer. You go through the same things together, face the same dangers, communicate the best you can with chirps and going certain ways.
The worlds tale is shown, rather than told and is completely up to the viewers interpretation. I found it as a very relevant tale, talking about the power and danger of technology and about the relevancy of enjoying the small things, such as gaming. That's just my interpretation.
The game has little violence. What violence there is, though bloodless, is brutal and intense, adding a layer of fear and adrenaline to the masterfully done lite-stealth segments.
Journey is beautiful. Your robes blow appropriately in the wind and sway as you move. The snow and sand you walk through moves as you walk through it, the light vividly reflecting and bringing out the grains of sand. Snow sticks to your body later on, ensuring that you are indeed a physical being.
I did face some technical issues. Falling through the environment once or twice and oddly getting caught in a pillar, spinning uncontrollably and forcing me to restart the game, took only a slight edge off of what was otherwise a sublime experience.
Reaching the light in the mountain is a metaphor. What it means is up to you, but the beauty is in the Journey and the perseverance it takes to get there. It's a beautiful and dangerous world and I'm looking forward to face it again and again.

Pros: - Unique sense of intimacy, beauty and interpretation
Seamless, random, co-op
Feels like playing art
Cons: - A couple of environmental bugs

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"Bad_Gamers83 reviewed Journey for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by Bad_Gamers83 on Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:18:07 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/journey/user-reviews/808237/platform/ps3/ 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.

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"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/ Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:55:50 -0800 Bad_Gamers83 reviewed The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/808126/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Few games have tugged at my heart strings, sitting on the edge of my seat and feeling legitimately choked up and regretful of certain decisions I made throughout the adventure. The Walking Dead series from Telltale managed to do all of these things and more from the very start.
You play as Lee, a former history professor who starts off handcuffed in a police vehicle. To jump ahead a bit, you end up in the woods, rescued by a little girl, Clementine, who you come to care for just as much as Lee does. You meet a family and a few other people and with their help, you make your way across Georgia, hoping to escape these zombies and whatever caused them. There's one problem: they're everywhere.
Being primarily an adventure game, it's surprising how well it works. The dialogue is just as engaging as any action scene and the time bar often attached to the more important moments, like making a decision, makes you choose quick and sometimes even hope it's the right one. This is very much your adventure and you mold your crews attitudes and actions by your decisions, who you stand up for, etc.
The voice acting is fantastic across the board and the dialogue is smartly written. Humor, tense and even tender moments are really well done and makes the more tense scenes that much more harrowing to watch and the moments where you have to choose if you want to save someone more intense.
The game itself isn't perfect. There are sound cutouts and there were moments when some of the more important dialogue trees wouldn't respond to my inputs. Otherwise, the game looks and plays like a dream. I felt the pain and sting of some of the more painful decisions playing as Lee throughout the five episodes and plan on going back at some point to see what can be done differently. For me to want to play a game again from start to finish is quite a feat on Telltale's part. They did a great job of showing us a way to celebrate life and appreciate what we have.

Get the full article at GameSpot

]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series/user-reviews/808126/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

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"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/ Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:56:55 -0800 masterpinky2000 reviewed Far Cry 3 for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3/user-reviews/807952/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Ubisoft Montreal is arguably this gaming generation's signature contrarian. While other games have become exceedingly linear, and shooters in particular have grown into very short, episodic affairs -- the Call of Duty series is emblematic of this trend -- Ubisoft has consistently eschewed this model of gamemaking in favor of open-world designs that give the user a more varied, richer single-player experience. As Assassin's Creed II is to Uncharted 2, so Far Cry 3 is to Call of Duty.

Far Cry 3's ambition is not solely confined to its structure, however. The game features a storyline that is substantially deeper than in other games, with themes ranging from insanity and madness to the geopolitics of drugs and the slave trade. In many ways, this closely resembles the team's previous effort in Far Cry 2, in which you hunted a psychopathic mercenary through Africa in a storyline meant to recall Heart of Darkness. Here, the literary inspiration is Alice in Wonderland, a novel that is quoted during certain transitional loading screens throughout the game, and which underscores the themes of madness, surrealism, and unreality that permeate the game's long narrative. The story is not without its faults; the tribal warriors who are your allies throughout the game are painfully stereotyped as primitive, mystical, clad in their animal furs and bedecked in face paint and tattoos. But overall, the game at least tries to be somewhat serious, and it's a testament to the writers that it succeeds in part.

Far Cry 3 is perhaps best described as an open-world combat-puzzle game. Unlike the Call of Duty model of moving forward as quickly as possible in order to see the next grand finale of explosions and "surprise" twists, this game lets you move at your own pace. Almost every combat scenario presents you with some sort of defended structure or location that you must unlock with stealth, long-range sniping or archery, or with guns ablazing. How you approach these challenges is up to you, although I found that the game heavily favors the stealth or sniper player over the "heavy." In particular, when attacking outposts, there are alarms that the guards can sound to bring in reinforcements -- which often doubles or triples the number of enemies you have to kill. Thus, the best strategy is usually to sneak around and kill enough enemies so that you can deactivate the alarms. Only then is it a viable option to pop out of hiding and lay waste to the remaining foes.

The open world, like that in Assassin's Creed, also offers some interesting optional side quests. For instance, there are radio towers -- essentially the equivalent of the towers or vantage points in the Assassin's Creed series -- which unlock more and more of the global map. You must climb these towers to activate them. In addition, there are enemy outposts to conquer, hunting quests, and assassination missions. To say that the game takes an idea or two from Assassin's Creed would be putting it lightly, as everything that worked well in that series has been imported into this game, with the only major change being that you do it in first person now rather than third.

Overall, I highly recommend this game. For those who enjoyed Far Cry 2 but were intensely frustrated by its flaws, you will find that Far Cry 3 improves on almost every aspect of its predecessor. For those who want an open-world shooter rather than a corridor-slaughter-fest, this is the game for you. And for those who want to see an action game attempt an ambitious storyline, this game is . . . well, you get the idea.

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"masterpinky2000 reviewed Far Cry 3 for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by masterpinky2000 on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:56:55 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry-3/user-reviews/807952/platform/ps3/ Sat, 16 Feb 2013 05:31:53 -0800 ps2fatboy reviewed Aliens: Colonial Marines for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/aliens-colonial-marines/user-reviews/807577/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

ok so many negative reviews,do they have merrit,yes and no,i wanted this game to be the ultimate aliens game unfortunatley it isnt,what it is though is fun with friends online or co-op splitscreen,
ok lets start with the bad the textures and framerate is pretty bad in spots,also the ai of the aliens and some teamates is borderline dumb,its get frustrating when you hurt and your ai teamate watches you die,or the aliens just pop out of walls all choppy and stuff really takes away the feel of the aliens universe,also i wanted to be **** scared playing this,i wasnt i was just shooting,then going into another room and shoot some more.
Ok im done with the negatives what i did enjoy was playing this in co-op mode one of us used the tracker while the other waited for the aliens or human enemies, yes you read it you shoot people in this game but i ruin to much for you,that was fun working as a team,taking down aliens,also finding logs from the characters from the movie and also finding legendary weapons which were cool,the story mode if played by yourself i think you wouldnt like it that much unless a diehard alien fan,but with a friend or two or 3 its enjoyable,the mutiplayer is alot better better than story mode survivor was a very cool mode as 4 marines need to last as long as they can against aliens, the typical deathmatch is there to hopefully there be mode mutiplayer modes like a horde be cool but to early to tell, its a real shame that this game isnt the game we all hoped for yes its fun and is an ok shooter but with history of the whole aliens universe,here why on earth did it looked rushed in parts honestly some graphic were bad so i dont see why gearbox naffed it up really the game does look only half done,which is a real dampner im a huge aliens fan this just wasnt the aliens gam i hoped for ..who needs to answer to this im not sure gearbox i mean i saw video of such cool moments that arent even in the game so what happend,they the potentail to make the ultimate alien game and yet only made a passable shooter for a fun few hrs with mates rekindling on how this could of been the ultimate aliens..when its not shame on you gearbox... story mode gets a 5.5 out of 10 multiplayer gets a 6.5 out of 10

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"ps2fatboy reviewed Aliens: Colonial Marines for the PC..." was posted by ps2fatboy on Sat, 16 Feb 2013 05:31:53 -0800
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