ppandakaru's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ppandakaru's GameSpot Friend's Reviews ppandakaru's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Sat, 18 May 2013 01:11:17 -0700 GameSpot ppandakaru'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/ 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

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"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/ 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.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"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

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/ 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/ Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:13:35 -0800 DownToOne reviewed Crysis 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-3/user-reviews/808018/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Totally hyped, getting into Crysis3.
My blood pressure is raising, I can almost hear it in my ears.

Let's get started:

Installation… and Boom!!! , we are in…let's see the menus, everything seems in place.
Start new game, of course I want to do the tutorial.
I want to learn quickly how to operate this damn suit and be the most badass in the field.

I've done the tutorial, and jumped straight to the campaign.
First thing to acknowledge is the brief cut scenes to each level.
I'm getting the picture and the atmosphere much better instead of someone yelling in my ear transmitter the situation, desperately trying without luck to draw a picture for me.

The graphics, oh my…The graphics are incredible. My old machine is barely able to run the high graphic level but even at the lowest the game looks fantastic.

After almost 7 minutes of gameplay you get the bow, and here is where it all comes to the easy mode. The A.I. is simply not smart enough. The enemy troops are like 10yo boys with guns and uniforms playing hide and seek game.
"Let's flank him…" they shout and then standing waiting to see who's gonna be the first fool to go and flank me.

The game encourages me to make stealth approach to every mission, at least until the third or fourth mission that I played.

I ask, WHY????
I have this super-duper Nano suit, I have those big guns and grenade launchers and rocket launchers, so why would I sneak around when I can blast my way killing everyone and destroying everything in my way. It is so much fun. Let the enemy hear I'm coming. Maybe it will scare them and they will run off.

And if you already do this stealthy sneaky game, where is the button to drag bodies I'm killing??? There is no sense of killing someone and then a moment later discover that the enemy bringing the heavy artillery and the choppers around, thanks for briefing me about that at the first place :), because apparently someone left a body lying on the, visible to all road without any intention to even move it to hide place.
So what is the reason to go stealth in the first place? … FAIL.
(You might disagree with me, but I don't care, I think the game should have had this option).

The suit is now have only two modes, Power and Cloak, oh sorry it also have the useless thermo-vision mode. It is greatly done. Can't it be in my binoculars? I guess not, for whatever reason, like having a free hand to hold a gun maybe. Okay, let that be.

The suit also has this upgrade system which I found kind of lacking. I mean the upgrades are rather rare thing and I don't know. It just feels dull to me, like more of unnecessary feature.

I also find it strange to jump. Why would it trigger near some sort of high obstacle to jump on. Yes I sometimes mistime my jumps and I want to feel it, not feel like someone is helping me getting up like a child. I find it annoying, there I've said it!

The hacking from distance is nice and welcome addition to the game; I like to have the ability to hack turrets and disable mines and traps and watch the enemy getting hit by it.

The first encounter with the aliens is unpleasant. I don't like them. I didn't like them in previous games and nothing is changed, I still don't like them. So I won't discuss them any further.

After about 3-4 hours of gameplay it becomes a boring and repetitive.
Don't get me wrong, a shooter is a shooter, what would you expect to find there, a baby feeding simulator? I know, but it everything that we saw already in previous games, there is nothing new here. It feels more like a DLC of new environment with a mode on. Maybe the story is getting an amazing twist at the end or something like this, but I didn't stay to see the outcome.

My hype has died as quickly as it rose and I left disappointed, as the feeling been there done that made its mark.


Get the full article at GameSpot

"DownToOne reviewed Crysis 3 for the PC..." was posted by DownToOne on Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:13:35 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/crysis-3/user-reviews/808018/platform/pc/ 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

Get the full article at GameSpot

"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

Get the full article at GameSpot

"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/ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0700 Bad_Gamers83 reviewed Borderlands 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/borderlands-2/user-reviews/801693/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Three years is a long time for someone to wait for the next entry in one of their favorite series or franchises. Borderlands 2 was three-years in the making well spent. Gearbox takes everything from the original, amps it up (with a bit of wub-wub, of course) and sends it out the door with a coat of gorie sheen. They may have stuck to the basics of what would make it a sequel, but Gearbox also shows us that "more of the same is more!" can, indeed, work.

This time there's a cohesive plot to follow. Sure it's a typical "race the badman to big bad weapon so he won't cap a fool and rule the world!" scenario, but it's a lot more interesting than the originals vague set up and the villain, Handsome Jack, is really a [not nice person]. The plot that is based around Jack's racing to the super-weapon that is in a vault directly and indirectly involves the vault-hunters and this is where you come in. Sure, it may be clich…, but it fits Borderlands' insane sense of humor and visual design very well.

You get to choose from four vault-hunters, you lucky gamer you. Salvador, the Gunzerker, can duel wield guns, regenerating health and ammo while gleefully shooting baddies. Axton, the Commando, can throw out (and redeem) a customizable turret, which can emit a defensive shield, act like a nuke, or shoot missiles. Maya, the Siren, has a Phase-lock enemies, lifting them into a force-field, paralyzing them and leaving them prone to bullets, explosions and other kinds of unpleasant acts. Zero, the Assassin, can snipe, stealth and use his samurai sword for some serious crittastic melee damage, he also releases a decoy to distract enemies while in stealth. Each has their sets of one liners and zings to make them even more distinguishable.

Pandora, though, remains the most endearing character. At once beautiful and deadly, Gearbox has done a great job of showing us that there are more than just deserts and pretty-plains to Pandora. From icy tundras, to acidic caverns, to warehouses and cities, the environs in Borderlands 2 are very diverse.

Gearbox shows us that it's not the ending that's important, but the journey and those we meet along the way. And the loot! Oh, the sweet-sweet loot! There are guns, lots and lots of guns! There are shields, relics, class mods, and grenade mods as well. Most of the gear that drops is random, so there's mostly no guarantee you'll get the same gun, shield, etc., twice.

Characters, old and new, make up a large part of Borderlands 2's zany-charm. From fruit-cake favorites like Clap Trap, Zed, and Marcus, to newcomers like Tiny Tina and the now NPC vault-hunters from the original game, the writing is fun and the delivery is pitch perfect. The humor may mostly be low-brow, but good writing and execution make it hilarious and fresh all the same.

Large and diverse talent trees for each class let's you hone in on your play-style. If you want to tank with Salvador duel-wielding a rocket launcher and shot gun, go for it. If you want to snipe with Zero and communicate all of your enemies critical spots, there's a build for that too. Each character has three different trees to spread their points around. Unfortunately, there are 50 levels and leveling begins at level 5, which at first feels very, very, far away, but so good once you finally obtain it.

New head and body customization drops have been added. You can now change your character's (and your vehicles) appearance via the new New-U machines scattered throughout Pandora. This only really matters in menu screens and co-op, considering you never see yourself in game, but it's a nifty little add-on that gives loot hunters that much more to hunt for.

The customization also stretches to the PC settings. From standards like Resolution to an fov slider, there are plenty of graphic, sound and rebinding-key options for your gaming enjoyment. The game runs at a pretty smooth 30-60 FPS with my medium-grade gaming PC with PhysX options turned on high. There are very short load times and the game looks gorgeous, especially with the PhysX and lighting options on.

Playing with friends is also fast and easy. If they're in your Steam list, you can just join their games. You can also invite them to yours, complete with a lobby where you can see yours and your friends avatar.

Of course, playing with friends is the preferred way, considering you trust them and all. Loot is once again free-for all. There is a trade option available, but if you're pugging, you should probably still expect to play a game of "Who's the Fastest Ninja?"

Gearbox does not introduce a whole lot that's new. They took what they had, which was very solid three years ago, and polished, spit shined it, wrapped it up in a larger container and laid it before our feet. The vehicles still control with mouse and key-board. Characters, both hostile and friendly, blurt out crazy and often hilarious lines. Weapon chests still have that awe factor to them when they open. The game play is still based around shooting stuff and blowing stuff up but good.

It's also not perfect. Rag-dolls get caught in the environment and sometimes enemies will stare ahead of them as they're being flanked and shot from the sides. I also experienced one or two quest glitches that may have since been fixed.

Borderlands 2 is a fantastic and fun journey. It may be more of the same, but everything I loved about the original feels improved. The water color tapestries that make up the environments where I spin donuts in my bandit truck or ruthlessly slaughter bandits shows a new and beautiful side to an old friend. The increased use of voice acting gives great depth to the characters and makes the aged plot that much more palatable. Having a defined purpose also makes for great incentive to go out and stop that Jerk, Handsome Jack.



Pros:

-More of the same "Borderlands"

-Diverse quests, great writing

-Plot gives room for character development and emotional moments

-Pretty environments

- Things blow up good



Cons:

- A few graphical and quest bugs

-More of the same "Borderlands"

Get the full article at GameSpot

"Bad_Gamers83 reviewed Borderlands 2 for the PC..." was posted by Bad_Gamers83 on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/borderlands-2/user-reviews/801693/platform/pc/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 04:33:16 -0700 DownToOne reviewed Dishonored for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/801638/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

After hearing from couple of game reviews around the web about the huge success of this game I decided to pick that up and see by myself what all the noise was about.

Dishonored is a first person stealth game (Don't know if you can change the POV).

You get to play the assassin by the name Corvo.
The game begins with you heading to deliver a massage to the empress but things go not as planned, long story short, you are accused of a murder and kidnapping and you sent to jail. Now you need to break free, find the responsible of the murder and the kidnappers, simple eh?

So the prison is where you actually start your game. Quickly learning the mechanics and the essential use of your abilities that were granted to you by some strange dude, whatever. You begin your quest of revenge.

There is an "open" world you can explore and seek for runes that improve your powers. By "open", I mean that there is a chunk of the world that in this particular mission you are doing. So you can explore it.

The combat system is great, really great. You can block, use your blade and pistol and highly crafted crossbow with various arrows, plant traps and more. You can make use of your special powers and make very satisfying kills. Like when an enemy is starting to shoot at you. You can slow time, possess the enemy, move him to the spot where he was aiming and then watch him die by his own bullet. The kills are sometimes brutal and you might see some limbs and heads flying around which I think it's great. :D

The enemy's A.I. is rather stupid and even on the hardest difficulty won't give much of a challenge. Your powers and weapons are far more superior.

The story is somehow predictable and not impressive but the game does well by bringing memorable moments or dialogs during the missions.

The game combines various elements from games that we already seen. Some say that it reminds them of Assassins Creed, Bioshock, Hitman, Mirror's Edge and other games as well. Although the fact that the game uses so many elements, it does it really great.

The replay ability does not exist. The enemies are placed at the same place and you already know their movement pattern so nothing new here.

Bottom line:
Although, this game is great I found it lacking of something that I can't point out, but other than that, it's awesome. You should try it.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"DownToOne reviewed Dishonored for the PC..." was posted by DownToOne on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 04:33:16 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/801638/platform/pc/ 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

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