Trouble in Paradise

For those of you who don't know, I have a PS3, Xbox 360, and a Wii. The reason I have all systems is because I know that there are games on all systems that I want to play. However my PS3 is my primary system because I like the controller better, and also because I think games look better on the PS3 and I know they sound better because they are on a Blu-Ray disc and not a DVD, so the audio fidelity is much higher.

Also I have had many issues with my 360, one full on red ring incident, and several minor self solved problems since I bought it back in 2007. However I never had a problem with my PS3 since I bought it at launch until this past weekend.

My PS3 shut down on me while I was watching a movie and wouldn't boot back up. I contacted customer support and now I am waiting for a box to arrive so that I can package it up and ship it off so that I can get it back in time for my Christmas present....Skyrim.

Sony isn't actually fixing my system they are getting a new 120G sku to replace it instead. So farewell my original launch sku PS3......you have served me well.

Review

The Assassin's creed series is definitely something that I would have made if I had ever been in the game industry. Everything about the series is a great base that Ubisoft keeps improving on each time the release the newest addition to the series.

Graphically it is still an Assassin's Creed game....there will be some texture issues, camera glitches, pop in of things, and other common problems to any open world game. The locations and vistas are still some of the best in the gaming community and really make you feel like you are in the times and places that you are put.

The sound shines most with dialog filled with native accents and of course the squishy sounds of metal cutting into flesh.

The gameplay is still the same combination of fighting, free running, and stealth we have come to love from this series. Truth is with these games you either love them or hate them.....and that all depends on how much you like being an Assassin in this world Ubisoft has created.

The story as usual is filled with intrigue and deception and has many things based on historical fact, just goes to show how much this team puts into these games.

Of course I recommend this game, I recommend all Assassin's Creed titles. If you have played and liked the last ones then you are all ready into this one. If you haven't played a single one then get out there and play one of them today.

Review

So it is no surprise that I am an Uncharted fan, I have played every game in the series and every time a new one comes out it blows me away.

Graphically Naughty Dog is on the top of the food chain. The first game made realistic jungle and water effects a possibility, the second one made snow function like it is supposed to. This time they made me believe in sand, there is a scene in Uncharted 3 where I felt myself getting thirsty. Not even to mention the house fire scene.

As far as audio goes there is no more overworked voice actor than Nolan North....and there is a reason. He is fantastic and the rest of the cast holds the high bar of voice acting for this series with no problems at all. I also recently realized that Emily Rose who voices Elena is also the star of a show I really like called Haven.....and she totally looks like Elena. Of course every little pop and flash of sound is movie level quality.

The story is far and beyond the range of most blockbuster films that release these days but I won't spoil anything so go play it.

The gameplay is standard fare for Uncharted, shoot, punch, climb, solve puzzle, repeat. But it al1 continues to flow more and more smoothly.

Honestly there is no reason not to play this game. It is a definitive reason to own a PS3, and considering how fleshed out the multiplayer is, it is sure to take months of your gaming life.

Review

I remember playing the first Assassin's Creed and thinking how they needed to make a Batman game with a similar game engine. My prayers were finally answered with Batman Arkham Asylum. It was pure magic, finally a comic book game where you actually felt like the hero was supposed to. I knew it couldn't get any better.....I was wrong

Batman Arkham City from Rocksteady studios is beyond my expectations. The attention to detail is astounding from the differences in how Batman and Catwoman fight, to the personalities of all the villains I was grinning the whole time I played this game.

The graphics are stellar, the feel of Arkham City is pulled right from the glossy pages o DC. The entire place is seething with character and I never got bored with it because of the little touches that dotted the map.

The sound is perfect, from the hits and breaks in combat, the sounds of the gadgets, and of course the impeccable voice work from veterans of the series. Rocksteady has raised their all ready high bar when it comes to appreciation for source material.

The gameplay is improved from Arkham Asylum, which is saying something considering how smooth it played. I noticed little touches and tweaks all over the place making the whole experience tighter and more responsive.

The story is something I can't even begin to get into. Not just the main story line but all the little side missions were done with such reverence to the Batman universe. I was enthralled by the whole experience and only hope that DC gives Rocksteady a shot at the most dangerous game concept of all......a Superman game.

I can't more highly recommend this game. If you liked Arkham Asylum get this game. If you like Batman get this game. If you like action adventure games get this game. If you have the cash in your Christmas budget GET THIS GAME! There is no reason not to add this to your gaming experience.

Hopefully I will be doing my Uncharted 3 review soon, once I get a little more time in with the multiplayer component.

Dual Review

Okay I know I am slacking on my reviews or any post at all for that matter but I am going to try and do better. Here is a dual review of two games that I played in the last month or so.

RAGE and Gears of War 3 are two very different shooters. Gears is a linear third person shooter, and RAGE is a semi-open world (meaning that the world is open but there is very little outside of the linear story to do anyway) first person shooter.

I liked both of these games for different reasons. Gears was great because it was the same great play style and action that we have come to know and love. Also that it was a very satisfying ending to the series for me. I think some people expected more at the end but I thought the ending fit the characters quite well.

RAGE is a fantastic title for ID they took all their great shooter mechanics and added too it with the crafting of items. I particularly liked the wing-sticks. The driving surprised me by how well it handled and how fun it was to do. I did about half the races, which is saying something because I am not really a racing fan.

I am currently playing Batman Arkham City and I will try to post a review once I complete it. If there are any games you all would like to talk about feel free to do so in the comments. Heck you could just post your wish list for this Holiday if you like.

Review

Everyone in the gaming community should appreciate the Deus Ex series (Invisible war does not count because it wasn't an actual Deus Ex game) it is a corner stone of first person RPG mash ups.

Deus Ex Human Revolution is a great addition to the series and hopefully it's success will guarantee additional entries into this stellar series. I can't reveal too much about the story, but I will say that it is full of mystery and conspiracies and you have to unravel them.

The graphics are good and the art direction is great, the world feels familiar and unique at the same time giving you a sense that this world is real.

The audio is stellar, voice acting is top notch with just a few hiccups of poor delivery only a very few times. The explosions, gun fire, and close quarters attacks ring with devastating beauty.

Of course the gameplay is what makes this game epic. The joy of Deus Ex is being able to choose your own path depending on your play style. You can sneak through air vents hacking security systems to unleash turrets or robots on their owners or you can equip a heavy rifle and politely knock on the door with a hail of gun fire. THe point is that no matter what your preference is you can play this game and have fun.

This game is a must play for this heavy holiday season and a great addition to any RPG lovers collection. My next holiday game I know I am playing is RAGE, and of course a review will follow it's completion. Hopefully faster than I am posting this one, since I am half way through my second play through of Deus Ex all ready.

(Hopefully some day I will get my hands on Dead Island, I am very interested in that title as well)

Review

Yes I am aware that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is an older title, but I never had the chance to play it before. I think it is a big improvement over the original. The graphics are sharper, the gameplay is tighter and it covers a big topic in the Marvel Universe. The Super hero civil war over the registration act.

It follows the same pattern of the X-men Legends games and the original Ultimate Alliance. It is a top down view action RPG. One big draw is the ability to play online with friends up to 4 player co-op each controlling a different character. The fusion abilities of the characters are cool too. Being able to mesh powers for major damage attacks is always fun.

I am a huge comic fan, I prefer marvel to DC, and any game where you can play as Captain America is always worth a look to me. If you never hit this title and you are looking for an action game with RPG elements then give Marvel UA2 a look.

Any recommendations out there for games I should play? I am coming up a little unsure as of late, and none of my holiday titles come out until October.

Reviews

Okay so I have been very busy, between school, my family, and getting ready to move I have really slacked on updating my blog. I have several posts to do in order to catch up so I am going to do one massive post here of several reviews. Kind of like a shotgun......messy but effective.




First off I played two very different Fighting games. Mortal Kombat and Marvel vs. Capcom 3, as much as I love Marvel and Capcom I was not very impressed by this game. It played very erratically it was a complete button masher and there just didn't seem to be any tactics to the combat. Mortal Kombat on the other hand I was pleasantly surprised the fighting felt smooth and there was very deep levels of tactics on how to approach different encounters. If I had to recommend only one I would say go with Mortal Kombat instead of MvC3.



The next two games I have been played are both in a very similar boat and it is also the same situation that Tron Evolution found itself in and I liked that game too. It seems common place lately that games that aren't shooters keep getting bad reviews and I often wonder if it is because the market is so saturated with first and third person shooters that reviewers are somehow brain washed into thinking that if a game doesn't give you a gun then there is something wrong with it. Anyway first off we have Hunted the Demon's Forge, a fun and frantic hack and slash game with a few flaws but very solid mechanics and an intriguing story line to boot. I have high hopes for a sequel to this game so that the developer can fix the problems that it faced.



The last one, and one I bought on a risk, is Captain America Super Soldier. I picked this game up despite the many reasons that I shouldn't have: first it is a marvel game produced by Sega and they have a horrible track record thus far with the two Iron Man games and the Thor game; second that it is a licensed movie tie in game and frankly they are always less than good. But I love Captain America, he is my favorite Avenger, and my second favorite Marvel character overall. This game is not an amazing game, the story is a side story from the movie so at least they avoided that pit fall but it is not very deep as action adventure games go and the platforming is more of a following a line sequence than an actual platforming area. The thing that I love about this game though is that the combat is amazing, it runs on a free flow combat engine very a kin to Batman Arkham Asylum, and as Captain America with the shield it is even more fun than in Arkham Asylum. I highly recommend this game simply because I love the Cap, also as a side note the Movie was fantastic and you must all go see it.

Okay so that sums up the last few weeks of my gaming and I won't blog again until after the move. So read or not take my advice if you wish but don't be so quick to judge some games just because they aren't First Person Shooters.

Review

I love Sucker Punch, I was a fan of the Sly Cooper series and I love the Infamous series. Anyone who knows me knew I was getting Infamous 2 after how much I loved the first one. I thought it was one of the best open world games ever and one of the most well done superhero games as well.

The story of Infamous 2 is similar to the original trying to power up to fight a main baddie and doing Karma choices to decide if you are a Hero or Infamous. I can't give much more away without spoiling some of the story from either games.

The audio is much better this time around. The dialog is fantastically delivered and the music is perfect for the New Orleans type setting, I love the haunting guitar and deep rhythms.

The graphics are great, my only complaint is that the faces all look a little too smooth. Granted I could be forever ruined by the technology behind L.A. Noire.

The gameplay is the real reason I love this game. You play a powerful but also vulnerable super hero. Cole has amazing abilities but can get killed quite quickly is you are not careful.

When all is said and done I of course love this game. I hope Sucker Punch keeps making them, and if they do I will keep buying them. Also the reason the picture is up top is of the Hero edition is because I bought it......mainly for the backpack and I love it.....I am such a Geek.

Review

When I played the first portal I was blown away. Not by the gameplay it was basically a first person adventure puzzle game, new yes but not overly impressive by any means. What blew me away was the execution how smooth and natural the whole thing felt, and of course the humor.

Any one who played the first one has all ready played Portal 2. Basically I am speaking to those who have yet to experience this series. Like all of Valve's projects the Portal series is a testament to creativity and polish. I can't say much about any Portal game without giving away anything important. Needless to say these games need to be played just like anything else out of Valve's library.

Dual Review

Two very different FPS games to review today. I heard a lot about both Brink and Homefront good and bad things.

First a look at Brink, this is a multiplayer only game. Not because there is no single player option but because there is no point in playing it alone. I only had fun when I was playing with other people. All together it is a solid package if you are looking for a multiplayer focused FPS. One thing I liked about it was how task focused it was. It was never just about shooting people there were always things to be taken, or captured, or defended. The SMART system was a little hard to get used too and I had played Mirror's Edge before. If you are not familiar with the SMART system it is basically the fact that you can move around the battlefield parkour style. I would recommend this game as a rental at least to give it a try.

Homefront was a game I went into with pretty low expectations. Another FPS only this time instead of being an American soldier in a foreign land you are a guerrilla fighter struggling against the foreign occupation of America. I was hooked in by this game within five minutes as I saw all the horrible things that were happening to Innocent civilians. And the feel of the great struggle never went away the whole time. If you are a fan of Red Dawn you need to play this game. Everything else was standard for an FPS so rent it and have fun with the very short but compelling campaign.

So I am going to be off grid for a little while since Infamous 2 comes out next week.

Review

Best selling game of all time? This is a joke right? Our gaming universe is over saturated with FPS games and some of them are great (Rainbow Six Vegas series), some of them are awful (Like that Rouge agent one or whatever it was called), and some of them are just levels of okay (Battlefield series, MW series, and COD series).

I finally played this game months after release because I keep getting bugged about playing it. I had it for about 48 hours before it was returned to Gamestop. Seriously the multiplayer was stale. Most FPS multiplayer is lame to me after playing so much MAG. The campaign wasn't bad but it wasn't great either, the set piece moments in it were nothing compared to something like the Uncharted games. The graphics, sound, and gameplay are all capable for our current generation but nothing to rave over.

Honestly I see no reason to own this game, like most FPS games it felt pointless to go back after the campaign was finished, and the only saving grace this game has is a zombie mode where you can play as JFK, Castro, and a few other political officials from the 60's.

Seriously people if games like these keep getting bought in such large numbers they will keep making them. We need something to break up the monotony in our current gaming trends. More projects like L.A. Noire (see below), or anything from team ICO, and maybe more like Heavy Rain. Honestly we just need games with more depth, enough with this FPS train that we all seem to be riding.

Review

I believe this game will be a changing force in gaming. It is also one of my top five games of all time.

Let's start with the graphics. This game is going to be known for it's facial animations; everything else in the game is standard for this generation, but the facial animations are unlike anything we've seen before in gaming. With the tech that Team Bondi used, you can actually see emotion in people! There were enough actors in the game whom I recognized, that I kept saying things like, "He is in Fringe" or "Hey, he was in Heroes". When my character would accuse someone of lying, and I'd see them freak out in front of me and display real emotion was a pure treasure for me. It shows not only how far gaming has come but the direction we could take adventure and RPG games in the future. To top it off the re-creation of 1940's L.A. was surreal.There are not enough good things I can say about this game!

When it comes to sound this game is on the level with great movies. The voice acting and delivery of the dialog is superb. I was also impressed by the 1940's music throughout the game as well.

This game played unlike anything before it. With the questioning of suspects and witnesses, and investigating crime scenes for clues, it gives a real freedom to how you approach things. It was also great to know you could mess up....miss clues.....lose suspects and arrest the wrong people. I think this game will play different for everyone depending on how they see the cases. There were several times that I felt I was arresting the wrong person even though the evidence said they were guilty.

The story is unbelievable, all I can really say is that if you complain about games being shallow and empty then you owe it to yourself to play this game. The story will sometimes play out in ways you won't believe.

In closing I love this game, as I said before it is now in my top five games of all time. I can't wait for the DLC to start to drop or for the PSN store to be back up so I can download the traffic case that I got for my pre-order.

Top 5 List if anyone cares (no real order to it)

Act Raiser (SNES)
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Red Dead Redemption (PS3 & 360)
L.A. Noire (PS3 & 360)

*this post was lovingly edited and made easier to read by my super awesome wife*

Review

Now for a review of two very different shooters. Crysis 2 was boring for the first 5 or so levels but really picked up after that and became a lot of fun with all the nano suit powers to play with. However I enjoyed Bulletstorm so much more, it had better characters better weapons and much better gameplay. It was however much more vulgar....and filled with language.

I liked both of them as rentals but I would never own either of them.

Review

I remember spending hours in Diablo and Diablo 2 grinding levels but mostly looking for better loot. Now I am able to scratch my Diablo itch with Torchlight, this game is fantastic.

As stories go it is something a 5th grader could write, there is a town called Torchlight and underneath it there is a great evil. So you need to go down through the mines and unexplored ruins to vanquish it.

The sound is standard fair for a click and kill loot game nothing fantastic and nothing bad.

The graphics are nothing to marvel at but the art style brings this world alive.

The gameplay is why this game is so popular. It is very much a Diablo clone even down to some of the on screen HUD. There are three class types to choose from a warrior, a mage, and a rouge type. You also have a pet that follows you where ever you go and they will fight along side you killing weaker foes if they can. The big draw is what made the Diablo series great killing masses of enemies and finding new gear to make you better at killing masses of enemies. I have heard some complaints about this but honestly it is no different than playing a FPS and going through random rooms shooting cookie cutter characters.

In closing this game is great for adventure and RPG fans, and if you were a fan of Diablo you are doing yourself a great disservice if you do not play this game.

Quick Review

Okay so I played these three games recently, I got LIMBO half off, Harry Potter and Halo Reach I borrowed from my Nephew. I will be doing single paragraph reviews for each of them.

First Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. In my opinion the best Harry Potter game out there, The open world Hogwarts is great and it made the game feel more under my control. I also liked using the right stick for spell actions. One question I have when it comes to Harry Potter is why there is no MMO for this universe yet?

LIMBO is a fantastic game, it is very short but infinitely re-playable because it is just fun to play. I hope they make more games like this I really like this company.

Halo: Reach is the best of the series, it plays better in every way and I loved playing the campaign with the Noble team....you finally feel like your teammates can actually fight.

Review

Yeah I am on a bit of a FPS kick right now. I picked up Bloodstone, Singularity, and Killzone 3 at Gamestop about a week ago when I traded in some of my old stuff. Anyway Singularity is one of those shooters that I think is highly under rated. I like shooters that have more to them than just go here shot that guy repeat, it could be unique weapons or gameplay elements. Singularity has both of these things.

Graphic wise it is a standard looking game on today's systems. There are some cool effects with time manipulation and some great art style but nothing that I will remember forever.

The sound is mixed well and provides a nice atmosphere for the creepy factor this game has sometimes. The dialog is also well done, even if some of the accents feel fake.

When it comes to gameplay it feels like most shooters in a lot of ways. However the time manipulation device (TMD) brings a lot of variety to how you play. It does just what it says it does manipulates time, you can age people past dust or revert them to giant crazy blind fetus looking things that go crazy and try to kill everyone. You can also do all this to things in the environment, you also have other powers like a time bubble that freezes time inside it, and a push back melee attack.

I really think that Singularity is a shooter that you should play if you want an FPS with more variety to it. The story line is very cool as well and I think would make a great movie.

Review

I know this game is pretty old but I borrowed it from my Nephew because I like the Naruto series. Just to sum up this game, if you like Naruto you will like this game. It starts at the battle between Orochimaru and the Hokage and goes through the fight between Naturo and Sasuke when he runs away. So I liked it but if you don't like Naruto don't play this game.



As James Bond games go this is not the best one out there. However it is not the worst by far, The gameplay is fluid the shooting works well. The close quarter takedowns are fun to watch. The driving sequences are amazingly done and I think are the most Bond worthy parts of the game. The story fits well into the Bond form and I think it would work just as well as a film. The two problems I have with this game are first that I beat it in 5 hours and secondly is that the skin mapping for the characters is awful. Everyone looks like restructured burn victims, it is just creepy. I would recommend this game as a rental but not a buy.

Review

Anyone who follows my blog knows that Bioware is my favorite developer, and so it should be no surprise that I picked up Dragon Age 2 on opening day. Also that I love this game. To caveat this review know that I play Dragon Age on the 360 just like Mass Effect so none of the issues that some reviewers have about this game are my concerns in fact most of their gripes I actually like.

Graphically the engine had an overhaul everything looks crisper and animations are smoother and more realistic. Not to mention that Kirkwall is a lot brighter and greener than Ferelden, so there is more light and color effects this time around. There is a gripe about recycled locations set up in various ways through out the game but I really didn't care that I was seeing the same places or types of places over and over again.

The soundtrack is composed by the same man (Inon Zur) and it is great. The dialog is better than Dragon Age origins and the fact that your protagonist actually talks now, in the vein of Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, works so much better than the silent protagonist from the Origins.

The gameplay is where some reviewers (mostly the PC gamers) are complaining. It is because the combat has a much more action oriented feel to it this time and the PC version doesn't even have the zoomed out combat camera for strategic views. But as a primarily console gamer the new combat is better it feels more involved and your talents and spells actually have a defined purpose.

The story has taken some jabs as well but that is one place where I disagree completely with those reviewers. The complaint is that in Origins there was a steady and solid narrative and you were on a straight path of stopping the blight. But in DA 2 you are thrown around by a bunch of side quest and such. I think the story works for exactly the purpose of the character you are a regular adventurer type trying to take care of your friends and family and you get involved with all the factions and politics of Kirkwall. The ending did leave a solid opening for a sequel and that is no surprise since this and mass Effect seem to be Bioware's Flagship franchises (and Mass Effect will end when part 3 comes out later this year).

In Closing this game is amazing and I think it is better than Origins. if you like the DA universe there is no reason not to play this game and if you want and RPG with more of an action pace get it as well. Also I played through the campaign the first time as a rouge and I am now going through as a mage in case you are wondering.

Review

Yes I know that Just Cause 2 came out last year, in fact it came out right near Red Dead Redemption which is why it took me almost a year to play it. But I had some interest in the game and it wasn't until recently when I stumbled upon a bunch of videos on YouTube about it that I decided it was finally time to pick it up.

To put something right out there this game has a ridiculous set of characters and an even more ridiculous story. But Just Cause 2 is not about story and the developers knew that.

Graphically the game is right on cue with the current generation but the level of draw distance and the amount of stuff that can happen with out a frame rate drop is impressive.

The sound effects are great making explosions rock and gun fire different for each weapon. The dialog is ridiculous, it isn't actually horrible because it is delivered well like the actors knew they were reading a B movie script.

The gameplay is.....well in truth it is completely ridiculous too, but the awesome side of ridiculous. Seriously where else can you tether a guy to a gas tank and shoot it sending him miles into the air only to have the tank explode and watch him fall to his death. Or ride on top of a jet like a surf board and jump off it at the last minute as it does a nose dive into a gas refinery. And lets not forget your parachute that seems to be able to replicate itself so you always have one to use but every time you release it it still floats off like any other parachute would.

This game get extra love from me simply for the fact that there is an island with little Easter egg secrets dedicated to the TV show LOST. Like the crashed flight and the hatch, not to mention the smoke monster (who doesn't actually hurt you but is just creepy) All in all this game is silly but extremely fun, at this time I have about 45 hours of play time and there is plenty left to do because like all sand box games after you finish the story you are free to roam the world and complete other tasks.

A Gamer's Rant

Okay so let me start by saying my PS3 is my primary system that I game on. However I own a 360 and a Wii as well and I consider myself a true gamer because I have a very broad taste in games. I am not an FPS gamer or and RPG gamer, I am just a gamer. I play games that look interesting and I keep playing games that I like. For example I have MAG for my PS3 and I am looking forward to Dragon Age 2 while I am currently playing Just Cause 2. My tastes are very diverse.

One thing that I am really just starting to get into in the last few years is online gaming, and here is where my rant begins.

Why are we paying for XBOX live? I have a PSN account that let's me do everything that XBOX live gold does without me paying Sony for it. Case in point Netflix, I can not watch Netflix on my XBOX without a Gold account. But I can watch it on my PS3 even if the PSN is down because it goes through my Internet access on my PS3 not the PSN.

People keep trying to tell me that we pay $50 a year for XBOX live gold because of everything it gives us access to. So tell me where I am wrong then.

PSN - Free

Online play
Demos
free content
content available for purchase

XBOX live Silver - Free

No online play
No Netflix access
No Facebook access
limited access to game demos
content available for purchase

XBOX live Gold - $50 a year

Online play
access to your Netflix and Facebook
Demos on day one
No free content
Content available for purchase

Now we need to consider one more thing in this situation. Playstation Plus a pay program from Sony that is still in it's first year.

Playstation Plus - $50 a year

Free downloadable games and content
Access to special promotions as well

Now I have paid for Playstation Plus since day one and so far it has paid for itself about twice over because of all the free content that I have downloaded. So if you think I am wrong tell me so, but don't just hit me with "you are a Sony fan boy!" or some crap like that. If you are going to argue with me about this then show me where I am wrong show me how paying for XBOX live Gold is worth the money when the PSN seems to offer everything that Gold offers only they do it for free.

Review

Dead Space 2 by Visceral games is simply amazing. When they announced the first Dead Space I had a mixture of excitement and dread. Mainly because survival horror is a genre that is hard to get right but Dead Space was amazing and part 2 blows it out of the water.

The best way to explain Dead Space one and two is by comparing them to the only two good movies in the Alien series. Alien and Aliens, Dead Space felt a lot like Alien, being someone who was thrown into a situation that he really wasn't ready for and using everything around him just to survive.

Dead Space 2 feels like Aliens because Issac Clark is a lot like Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley. They both survived a horrible situation and even though they are dealing with the trauma from it they both step up and deal with the threat when it rises again.

The improvements made to how Issac controls actually makes this feel real. In the original he was a little clunky and slow to move now everything about his movements are smoother and faster. He handles his weapons better and his Kinesis ability is actually a viable way to deal with enemies this time around. Everything about the gameplay is improved without messing with what made the original great.

Graphically the series is still amazing everything in Dead Space 2 looks sharper, the effects are great from the weapons and smoke to how everything floats in zero gravity is amazing, seriously seeing blood floating in bubbles is fantastic.

As with the original the sound is perfect the score under lays the tone without missing a beat. The voice acting is great I like Issac more now that he is not a silent protagonist. But this game shines with it's ambiance using the subtle sounds to punctuate the scares. I actually jumped a few times and the entire game is unnerving in the best way possible.

I won't give away anything about the story, but needless to say it flows great and shows just how deep this universe is. Dead Space could go on for years in movies (one anime is all ready out with another about to release as well as a major motion picture in the works), books (there are all ready a few of these as well), and the games. I am impressed with how well Visceral developed this series when there was a chance it could have bombed with the first one. And I am so happy EA is no longer the devil of the industry and supports games like this.

In closing there is no reason to pass this game up, and if you haven't played the original get it first and play it then move right into this one. But don't play it in front of the kids, I certainly did not. Also I will be posting a review of Dead Space Extraction (the rail shooter game that was originally on the Wii and was redone in HD and packaged with the collectors edition on the PS3) once I finish it in a few days if I can keep myself from starting my second play through of Dead Space 2.

Review

Yeah another Gamestop rental (picking it up used and playing it for a week then taking it back for a full refund). I enjoyed Bioshock 2 almost as much as the original, however I think it could have been better.

The graphics are still impressive with amazing art direction and design that let's you feel the dark soul of Rapture.

The sound is amazing great dialog delivery, and the ambiance is perfect in surround.

The gameplay actually has an advantage over the original, you can dual wield plasmid powers with weapons allowing a better flow to combat.

The game is solid, it keeps the feel of the original and gives more of Raptures story to revel in. If you liked the first Bioshock pick this one up. If you haven't played the original Bioshock......shame on you go get it now.

On a side not I am picking up Dead Space 2 tomorrow and my spring semester has started so it probably will be a little while until I post again. If you have questions or request for me feel free to put them in the comments.

Review

Now some of you might be wondering why it has taken me so long to review Fallout New Vegas. But since I new what the situation was going to be (with the bugs and crashes and all) since I played Fallout 3 and Oblivion (both built on the same engine) I planed on it being a Christmas present so there all ready would have been a plethora of patches to fix a bunch of flaws.

First with the graphics it has good draw distance and great artistic design. However the tech is starting to age and Bethesda needs to build new graphics software.

The audio is great, the weapons sound great and the old school music is amazing. Not to mention the cast is fantastic and most of the key characters are unforgettable. I particularly loved the King and his gang (they are all Elvis impersonators).

The gameplay is amazing, that is to say it plays just like Fallout 3. If you didn't like Fallout 3 don't play this game because it easily could have been an expansion to Fallout 3. I do think that the weapons handle smoother than in Fallout 3 though.

All in all I can't recommend this game enough. If you like the Fallout series go play it, if you liked Oblivion or Fallout 3 play it, if you want a deep, funny, and long RPG play it, I finished out at 120 hours of gameplay after I got 3 of the 4 endings.