Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception Review

Overall Score: 9.5/10


Genre: Action Adventure, Third-Person Shooter
Platform: PlayStation 3
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Developer/Publisher: Naughty Dog / Sony Computer Entertainment

Naughty Dog is known for:

• Crash Bandicoot
• Jak and Daxter: The precursor Legacy
• Jak II

Sony Computer Entertainment is known for:

• God of War
• Killzone
• Little Big Planet

Following Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is no easy task. And since one of the things that makes a sequel truly great is improving upon past games, I was suspicious if Naughty Dog could pull it off. So lets find out if they deliver the goods.

Gameplay: 8/10

They haven't strayed very far from the path on this aspect aside from the melee finishers, these are animations Nathan performs such as pulling the pin on a grenade attached to an enemy, kicking him toward another opponent and kaboom! The controls are all the same as previous games and still work considerably well. Gunplay is a lot of fun and has a very good cover system, although sometimes you'll stick to a wall you didn't intend. This can sometimes lead to death. And that brings me to my next point, you'll most likely die a lot. Trial and error is a big part of this game, so it's a good thing they have an amazing auto save feature. The guns feel great and there are a ton of them; they range from pistols to shotguns to grenade launchers. And although you're led by the nose through the entire game, it's not so bad, because it leads up to the best set piece moments I've ever seen in a game. Some of these action sequences completely blew my mind. Naughty Dog has introduced some concepts that I've never seen in a game before and it's left me wanting more.

Story:10/10

For those who don't already know, you play as Nathan Drake. He's a descendant of the famous explorer Sir Francis Drake. Thrill seeking is in his blood and he does plenty of it. The story starts off quickly and the antagonist is introduced, a woman named Kathrine Marlowe that Sully and Nathan have had encounters with in the past. In a scheme to obtain an ancient item from Kathrine, Nathan and his friends come across a map of a secret voyage led by Sir Francis Drake. The voyage was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I and the purpose was to find the lost city of Ubar. In their journey, they come across a secret order that Kathrine is part of. The purpose of this order is to find the secrets of the lost city and use it to gain power. Nathan is constantly impeding their progress and they do everything they can to try and stop him. It becomes a race to Ubar.

This game is very story driven, and it does it better than most other games out there. It really digs deep into Nathan's life. Because of certain plot developments you'll find yourself wondering why Nathan is doing the things he's doing. Is his addiction of treasure hunting going to get himself and his loyal friends killed? This is a question Nathan asks himself throughout the game and it inevitably leads to inner conflict he needs to deal with. Is it all worth it in the end? There are some heart wrenching moments, this adds to the fantastic character development that takes place. The character interaction is amazing to watch. You meet plenty of characters from Nathan's past and it's interesting to see how he reacts to them. There's definitively drama to be had, but comedy relief is added at just the right moments.

Graphics: 10/10
Can you say stunning? I can, and I did like infinity times while playing this. The graphics are so good and the cutscene to real time transition is so seamless, that I was utterly confused the first time it occurred; I was supposed to be fighting people but I was too busy picking my jaw up off the floor. The detail is amazing, just taking a moment to look at your surroundings is awe-inspiring. You can even see little particles of dust floating around. One thing that blew my mind wide open is the shadow detail. When your holding a torch with flickering fire the shadows are spot on the whole time. Facial animation isn't the best I've ever seen but it's still very good. The water effects are top notch. One other thing that made me very happy to be a gamer is the real time character animation. As you walk or run, Nathan will grab onto objects nearby to balance himself; he'll even do a little foot-shuffle hop thing when you turn around quickly.

Now onto the negligible negatives. There's some minor pixelation every once in a while. The physics engine is somewhat lacking; don't bother shooting objects in the world because they won't budge and you'll only waste ammo. Like I said, these are very easy to get past and they won't even come close to hindering the experience.

Sound: 10/10
The main menu music, at least for me, has become classic since it's basically the same in every one. And I can't help but think of Indiana Jones when I hear it. The music in general ranges from slow to heart swelling symphony and sets the mood appropriately. As always, Nolan North does a superb job as Nathan Drake. The dialogue that goes on between characters is insanely realistic. They did a great job of making the conversations sound real, you don't find that very often in games. I was impressed with the sound of footsteps; it changes according to the surface your walking on. You're dealing with a lot of ancient objects and structures; they've made theses objects sound old when handling them. The fact that this is something I noticed tells me that Naughty Dog takes great pride in what they do. The only downside is, you'll die a lot and get sick of the death music, but other than that the sound in general is fantastic.

Replay Value: High
In the campaign, there are five difficulty levels, the last one is grayed out until you beat the game. You can also find treasures scattered throughout each level; there's no real incentive to finding these other than to obtain trophies to show off to your friends.

They've completely upgraded the multiplayer. You can play on a LAN or over PSN. There's a ranking system and you earn money to buy things you unlock. You can buy things like new characters, new guns, gun enhancements and attachments, boosters, and medal kickbacks. All these, plus more, allow you to customize your load out to suit your play style. There are a few different game modes, standard team deathmatch being my favorite.

They also have co-op. This is by far my favorite. You can play arena, where you try to survive as many waves of enemies as possible. Or there's hunter arena. In this mode there are two teams, the heroes and the bad dudes. The heroes run around maps collecting treasures while the bad guys try to stop them. You can also play adventure mode. In adventure mode you play with up to two other people in campaign scenarios that are different than the single-player campaign.

This game is definitely worth your time, especially if you were a fan of the first two. And although the basic gameplay hasn't improved a ton, they've added some very innovative stuff that I've never seen in a video game before. The story is astounding, it's very much like playing a witty action comedy movie. The campaign is about eight hours in length, making it the shortest of the three; but when you're done with that, head over to the multiplayer and co-op, it's great!

If you like this game you might also enjoy:

• Assassin's Creed II
• God of War III
• Resident Evil 5

video credit: machinima 

video credit: RajmanGamingHD 

all photo credit: Gamespot

GameFly Digital Beta Review/Preview

PC Requirements:

• Intel or AMD 1Ghz or faster processor
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or faster processor is required to play HD video
• 512MB of RAM; 1GB recommended and required to play HD video
• Screen resolution of 1024x768 or greater
• DirectX 9.0-compatible video card with 32MB of video RAM; 64MB recommended
• Broadband Internet connection
• Windows XP service pack 2 or higher, Windows Vista, Windows 7

MAC Requirements: (MAC Games Coming Soon)

• Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor
• 512MB of RAM; 1GB recommended
• Screen resolution of 1024x768 or greater
• DirectX 9.0-compatible video card with 32MB of video RAM; 64MB recommended
• Broadband Internet connection
• Mac OS X version 10.5 or later

It's a tiny download, only about 10MB in size. 

I got the beta code, that I applied for months ago, in an email and decided 

that I better give it a try.

First of all let me mention, it opens in a window, unlike on-live. This makes it 

so much easier to work with. From here, you can do anything you're able to do

on the GameFly website, like put games in your GameQ. Essentially it's like 

Steam. You can purchase games to download and rent the games by paying a

monthly fee. But the thing that makes this stand out is, with your monthly

fee you also get free unlimited PC gaming. Sounds like a great deal, right?

Well, it will be if they get some better free games. I know this is just the

beta, and it doesn't fully represent the final product, but I really hope they 

step it up with the games. Another important thing to know; this isn't a 

streaming service, you have to download the PC games in order to play them.

It looks like it has a lot of potential. We'll just have to wait and see.

RAGE Review

Overall Score: 9.3/10 


Genre: First Person Shooter

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

Release Date: October 4, 2011

Developer / Publisher: id Software / Bethesda Softworks

id Software is known for:

• Doom
• Wolfenstein
• Quake

Bethesda Softworks is known for:

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Fallout 3
• Brink

Mutant Bash TV - Survive waves of mutants!

I'm not sure why, perhaps it's the fact that id (the creators of Doom) and Bethesda (the creators of the Elder Scrolls series) have teamed up to make this game or maybe it's because it's one of the only original intellectual properties to come out this holiday season, but it's been near the top of my most anticipated games of 2011 ever since it was announced. I'm very excited to get this one underway so here it is!

Gameplay: 10/10
It recommends you install the game to your hard drive. And even though it's 22 GB, I also recommend you do this if you have the space because if you don't you'll be waiting for the reeeediiiiicuuuuulooouuusly loooong load times. It comes with three disks on the 360 version, two for the campaign and one for the multiplayer.

This is where this game really shines. id has done a fantastic job of making you feel truly in control of your character and how you go about destroying your foes. And there are many different weapons to use to destroy said foes. There are tons of guns to choose from, lots of items such as grenades and wingsticks, and even a few bots like the sentry bot and sentry turret. In fact, there's so many sometimes it's hard to choose. The AI is very smart, they run, dodge, flank, communicate, swing from balconies, and team up. There are different enemy factions that control different areas of the wasteland. Each faction has a different approach to fighting tactics which gives much appreciated variety to the gunplay.

You're given missions in towns that act as hubs. You start out with just one town but will eventually be able to travel back and forth between three. In these towns you'll be able to talk to the locals, play a card game called Rage Frenzy, gamble on simple mini games, buy and sell gear, and participate in races. It's up to you to talk to the locals to obtain side quests, most of which are pretty basic and uninteresting.

Vehicles feel great and are fun to drive. You can participate in races to earn race certificates; you use these certificates as currency for vehicle upgrades. There are four vehicles in total ranging from very week and agile to very strong and clunky, all of which, if upgraded, can be devastating machines of death. Vehicle upgrades include bigger engines, performance tires, and better weapons. You can also buy supplies for your vehicles, such as: shields, mines, and a hover turret to help against the numerous enemy vehicles you'll inevitably encounter in the chaotic wasteland.

There are innumerous amounts of loot and it can sometimes be overwhelming. You can find loot throughout the world in nooks and crannies and on dead bodies. You can even find rare and powerful Rage Frenzy cards to add to your deck.

Perhaps the most enjoyable weapon to use in the game is a boomerang like device called wingsticks. They have razor sharp, three pronged flagella that can take off a mutant head with ease, and if you throw it right it will come back to you like a boomerang. There are different ammo types for most of the weapons. They include the explosive Pop Rocks for the shotgun, Electro Bolts for the Crossbow, and Fat Mammas for the pistol which are three rounds combined into one huge one. One of my favorite parts of this game is the engineering. You find or buy ingredients that can then be made into various items and ammo for your enjoyment.  Also, when you die you enter into a mini game, in which when completed it acts as a defibrillator, brings you back to life, and shocks nearby enemies in the process.

A few minor complaints are that you can't jump very high or vault over obstacles, there are only a small amount of weapon upgrades, a lot of the quests are "fetch and deliver," guns start to feel very week as you progress, and missions can be confusing at times. These are minor complaints and shouldn't distract too badly from your overall enjoyment of the game.

Story: 8/10
Let me start by saying that this would've gotten a better score if the ending wasn't so terrible. That being said, the rest of the story was very engaging. A huge asteroid is hurling toward earth and you are selected to enter stasis, you get into one of many small "Arc's" that keeps you alive during the devastation. You wake up years later only to discover that you're the only survivor in your Arc. You play a recording from the president at the time of the stasis. He basically says, "if you're listening to this, you've survived. We have no idea what's on the outside, so good luck." And then you venture off into the wasteland. You soon realize that everything is destroyed and it's pretty much a post-apocalyptic world.

Not even one minute into the wasteland and you're greeted by mutants trying to kill you. Dan Hagar, voiced by John Goodman, saves the day by shooting them with his trusty sniper rifle. Because Dan saves you he takes you back to his small hometown and gives you missions to do. You're first mission, eliminate the bandit threat just outside of Hagar's territory. After doing a few more things for Dan you're pretty much free to tackle objectives as you please.

You eventually make friends and enemies. And since you're what's called an "Arc Survivor," you're being hunted by a powerful human faction that calls themselves "The Authority". Everyone and their dogs seem to be afraid of this faction aside from a small resistance group that you eventually become a part of.

They do a great job at throwing some comedy in to lighten the mood. Although you get to know characters somewhat well, I wish they would've dug deeper into character development. My biggest complaint about this game is the ending. There's no real conclusion, it just suddenly ends. It's not even really hinted at that the game  is about to end. For this reason I had to knock a few points off.

What a beautiful disaster!

Graphics: 10/10
Although there's a little bit of pixilation, especially on structures in the distance, both cut scenes and real time graphics are completely stunning. It was no surprise to me to see RAGE as a contender for best graphics at the 2011 VGA's. This game sets the bar for animation, and character movements seem flawless. Both animation and the physics engine are nothing short of amazing. And although there is quite a lot of pop-in while traversing the wasteland, the detail on the AI and in the world in general is fantastic. The post-apocalyptic world and what's left of the roads and overpasses all look amazing. Water effects are great as the sun reflects into your eyes and your feet leave life like ripples as you walk.

I have a few complaints. I found myself getting stuck on small objects and invisible walls; this is especially frustrating when in the middle of a fire fight. There are numerous invisible walls meant to keep you on the right path. Shadows are decent enough, but your character doesn't seem to have one; nor does he have legs or feet when you look down. And environmental destruction is pretty much non-existent. These really are minor complaints in a graphical masterpiece.

Sound: 9/10
Sound in general is very good. Gunfire is realistic. The voice acting is great aside from some recycled voices from enemies. Things such as wind, footsteps, and machinery sound fantastic. The sound of your vehicle as you press the turbo boost is very pleasing to the ears. Enemies make noises that one would in real life and communicate with each other as a collective effort to take you down. It's great to hear an enemy moan after a well placed shot to the chest. Water and fire sound realistic. Although not great, the music is good and does an adequate job of setting the mood.

I found that the lip-syncing was off a few times and conversations would suddenly cut out mid word. You're character doesn't speak at all which can be good, it helps you to feel like you're part of the character. And people will often speak over each other in crowded areas.

Replay Value: High
There are four difficulty levels and tons of side quests to do if you so choose. And there are a couple engaging multiplayer mode. You can play either "Road Rage" or "Wasteland Legends". In Road Rage you battle against other players in vehicle combat. You get points for kills and gradually level up your character. You unlock new vehicle classes, weapons, and items.

In wasteland legends you experience the untold stories of the wasteland. These are stories about characters you come across in the campaign. You can play with up to one other person, and although you can play by yourself, it's highly recommended to play with someone alse. There are nine stories total. They are pretty short, but really fun and worth a play through. You can play these via split screen or over an internet connection.

Race to your hearts content!

Although the first few hours are slow, you'll soon be bombarded with stuff to do. And although this is first of all a first person shooter, it has some minor role-playing elements that I think most people will enjoy. This game isn't ground breaking in terms of story or gameplay, but it most certainly is in terms of animation and enemy AI behavior. They've also added a few easter eggs that I won't spoil, but I will tell you that you'll probably need a walkthrough to find them. I ended up doing a lot of side quests and it took me about 13 hours to complete, but it doesn't end there, head on over to the multiplayer for more action and fun.

If you like this game, you might also enjoy:

• Fallout 3
• Borderlands

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or99qjmxSmY

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4hRlyU-Www

All Photo Credit: Gamespot

Battlefield 3 Single Player and Co-op Review

Overall Score: 7.9/10


Genre: First Person Shooter

Systems: Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3

Release Date: October 25, 2011

Developer/Publisher: Dice / Electronic Arts

On Xbox 360 the game comes with two disks. One for the single-player campaign and the other for the on-line multiplayer and co-op. The hype around this game before it came out was huge. They've shown many amazing trailers to ramp up our anticipation. Lets see if they deliver.


Gameplay: 7/10
It has typical first person shooter controls. There's a lot of slow motion when something major happens like a big explosion or a team mate getting shot. The slow motion is pretty cool and adds emphasis to epic moments. There are tons of weapons ranging from assault rifles to crazy shotguns to rocket launchers. There are also a lot of quick time events such as pushing A repeatedly to do a certain action; this works for some games, Resident Evil 4, and although it can be intense at moments it falls short as a whole. A few earthquakes happen throughout the game and although they're cool, it's mostly done through unplayable cut scenes. I wish they would've incorporated this more into the gameplay. The vehicle warfare sections are a lot of fun and add something new to the typical over saturated military shooter genre.

The ally and enemy A.I. can be really dumb at times. They'll stand in the wide open waiting to be killed. At one point there was one enemy, I had about five allies, and just for kicks I wanted to see how long it would take them to kill this poor soul; about two minutes..... But wait there's more. This was actually quite comical. I was moving in on a large group of enemies; I had a huge allied force with me. We were eventually face to face with the enemy. And when we get there, they're all running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, but for some reason my allies still can't seem to kill any of them. So once again it was up to me to save the day. So I stroll around walking slowly, I might as well have been skipping, shooting them point blank and stabbing people. But what's this? A jeep cruises in with a mounted .50 Cal burning through ammo. Finally some action! So I go prone behind some cover. Try to take aim at the soldier manning the gun and ......... What the crap! My cursor keeps gravitating away from him like some crazy reverse gravitational force. This happens over and over again until I'm killed by the same guy I can't aim at. So I restart that section and the same thing happens again! It's not until I stand up and move away from the area that I actually take him out. One other time my character just dropped dead out of nowhere. There was also an instance where my gun changed in a cut scene from the one I was really using.

The auto aim is very lenient but you'll need it as you get more into the game. I really enjoyed being able to shoot enemies through their cover, this brings more realism to the game. Fighting in the streets with the tall buildings is a lot of fun. Mission objectives are boring and some aren't clear at all on what you're supposed to do. Because of this you're left re-playing parts until you get it right.


Story: 7/10
It's very hard to follow at first, but this is typical in these types of games.You play as Sargeant Blackburn. You're being interrogated, as if you were the enemy, about a threat to New York that you say is going to happen soon. The two agents doing the interrogation want you to tell them about your missions you did in Iran. You end up playing through these missions in flashbacks. The story continually switches back and forth between the interrogation and the flashbacks. You even play as other characters every once in a while to switch things up. Does any of this sound familiar? If you've played Call of Duty: Black Ops it should. The whole interrogation and flashback thing was done in the popular Call of Duty game and honestly they did it better. The enemies call themselves the PLR and appear to be led by a man named Faruhk Al-Bashir. I don't want to spoil anything but the story gets pretty wild as it unfolds. Although a little confusing the story will finally make sense just before the game ends. It tries to pull you in and get you emotionally involved and does an adequate job at best.


Graphics: 8.5/10
First of all let me say, the graphics on a high end PC are much better than console versions. That being said, they are still pretty dang good on console. Although the destructibility is good, I was hoping for much more considering this was a huge selling point for the game. Not even close to everything is destructible, but those things that are will make you want to pause and admire the detail put into it. For instance, watching a building crumble to the ground is quite the site to see.

Animations such as climbing and leaping over ledges looks awesome. Facial animation in cut scenes is top notch and can hang with the best, but fails to deliver in the actual real time gameplay. In fact, the graphics in general look fantastic in cut scenes. At one point you're flying in a jet over the open sea with carriers, battleships, and gray clouds all around you. And even though enemy fighter jets are trying to take you down, all I wanted to do was admire the truly stunning scenery. Fire effects are very unimpressive. Shadows seem to be non existent. The physics engine isn't very good. And I had many instances where the screen got choppy. But a midst all these drawbacks it's still a stunning game all around.

Rain looks awesome, especially when it hits your face because it leaves little drops of water. The lighting looks fantastic and gives the game sense of realism. I love the way the light penetrates the dark city streets and reflects off the raindrops as they pour down your face. Settings range from city streets to lush green jungles to open desert plains. Some of these set pieces look amazing.


Sound: 9/10
Yes, the sound was the best part about this game, sad I know. There is a ton of chatter between squad mates. They use military lingo, this is realistic but hard to understand if you're not familiar with it. The voice acting is really good. It has seven voice over languages such as Italian and French. I was very impressed with the other languages, they sound very good and not like they were just thrown in. The sound of a giant skyscraper crumbling to the ground is fantastic. The music ranges from fast paced symphony with loud drums to heart pumping electronic with deep base. The sound of gunfire and bullets whizzing passed your head gets the heart going. I had a few instances where some of the sound would temporarily cut out. That's just one minor complaint amongst fantastic sound quality.


Replay Value: Medium
I covered multiplayer in another review so I'm not including that into my decision to give it a medium score. There are three difficulty levels to choose from: Easy, Medium, and Hard, pretty generic. They've also added co-op in which there is no split screen option. I'm miss the days of split screen, it seems to be diminishing in games these days and that's not cool with me. Anyway, co-op consists of you and one other person. There are six playable missions that are separate from the single player campaign. You can unlock weapons for the online multiplayer by completing co-op missions. Although there is no incentive to replay the single player campaign, there is to play the co-op missions.

In closing, there really isn't a whole lot going for this portion of the game. I think the fact that it was hyped so much and compared again and again to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 made it disappoint that much more. It plays just like every other military shooter and in all honesty there are a lot out there that do it better. It's really not a terrible game, but don't expect much out of it. On a brighter side, the multiplayer is amazing. Check out my review where I gave it a 9.3/10. Happy Gaming!

If you like this game you might also enjoy:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Homefront

video credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrrAp1blaM

all photo credit: gamespot

Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Review

Overall Score: 9.3/10  

Genre: First Person Shooter

Systems: Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3

Release Date: October 25, 2011

Developer/Publisher: Dice / Electronic Arts

If you've played any of the Battlefield games in the past then you know that multiplayer is where it's at. They have also advertised the crap out of the single player campaign, and from what they've shown it looks great. But is it? No..... No it's not. That's why I'm reviewing the multiplayer seperately, because I feel like it deserves it. They recommend you install the multiplayer to your hard disk for better graphics. It's only 1.5 GB of space so it's definitely worth it. The Xbox 360 version comes with two DVD's, one with multiplayer and co-op and the other with the single player campaign. You need an online pass code to access multiplayer and co-op. This comes free with a bran new purchase of the game. If you buy the game used or rent it you'll have to buy a code on-line for $10, thanks EA!, NOT! You need to download the on-line pass after typing it in, it's very small but WOW, so many downloads.


Gameplay: 9.5/10


First of all let me tell you, this isn't Call of Duty. This isn't a run and gun shooter. It works very well for Call of Duty but Battlefield is more squad based. In order to do well, and I don't mean just get a lot of kills but to actually arm objectives and capture points, you need to work with your team and squad. You can browse for a specific server or choose Quick Match. You need to plan every move very carefully. Know your surroundings and know where your team mates are. You can be in a squad of up to four people. The bonus of having a squad is that you can spawn to their location.

There are five game modes: Conquest, Rush, Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch, and Squad Rush. In Conquest there are spots/flags on the map that each team tries to control. You receive points for capturing and keeping these flags. The team that achieves the score needed to win first wins. In Rush the map is broken into sections. You play one section at a time. The teams are broken into defenders and attackers. The attackers try to arm the M-COM stations and the defenders try to stop them from doing so. There are two M-COM stations in each section. Team Deathmatch or TDM is pretty self explanatory. There are two teams and the team with the highest number kills wins. Squad Deathmatch is the same as regular Team Deathmatch except you're in a squad of four and you're playing against a squad of four. This is cool because it focuses heavily on team work within your squad. Squad Rush is very similar to regular Rush except everything is smaller. Smaller maps, only two squads facing each other, and only one M-COM station instead of two.

It comes with nine maps ranging from mountainous regions with wide open plains to city streets with huge buildings everywhere. Aside from the tactical squad based gameplay, another thing that makes battlefield stand out is the vehicles. They range from Jets to Tanks to Jeeps with mounted guns. Every type of vehicle is up-gradable with things like shooting out a puff of smoke to hide yourself or having improved armor. I came across many annoying glitches such as trying to vault over a ledge but getting stuck on an invisible wall only to be shot dead because of it.

Their are four kits to play with: Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon. The Assault kit consists of Assault Rifles, Med Kits, and Defibrillators. The Engineer kit consists of Sub-Machine Guns, Anti-Tank Weapons, and Vehicle Repair. The Support kit consists of Light Machine Guns (the big ones), Ammo Resupply, and C4. The Recon kit consists of Sniper Rifles, Mobile Spawn Points, and Motion Sensors. Each kit can be customized to suit your playing style. You unlock new equipment, guns, scopes, etc. for each kit by playing with that kit. There are some guns that are unlocked for every kit such as shotguns. There are so many unlocks that it can seem overwhelming at times. Your soldier gains levels as well.

On occasion I found myself having to spawn at my base while attacking in Rush. This is bad because when there is no vehicle to drive you have to run a very long distance. This is the only downside to the huge maps. Like in the Bad Company games there is bullet drop. This means you need to aim above peoples heads when firing from a long distance. A cool new thing they did in this one is that you can spawn directly into vehicles that are in your base. Some other additions include the ability to go prone and snipers have a glare off their scopes so they can't hide as easily.


Graphics: 9/10


The destructibility is the best I've ever seen. Do yourself a favor and get in a tank and blow a building apart, if their are enemies in that building you will get major kills and points. Granted I haven't gotten my hands on Modern Warfare 3 yet, but this is the best looking online shooter I've played to date. Explosions look great and will explode your mind with amazement! Character animation is great especially when leaping over ledges. Detail on guns and vehicles looks fantastic. Maps also look amazing with great detail, and it's fun to blow up trees.


Sound: 9.5/10


The sound is incredible! Surround sound or a good pair of headphones only heightens the already awesome experience. Helicopters and jets flying overhead, tanks rolling out, and non-stop gunfire and explosions give you a feeling of being smack in the middle of war. Explosions sound oh, so good! Very realistic sound effects. Gunfire echos down narrow corridors. One complaint, I've had many instances, particularly when in a tank, where some of the sound cuts out. I'm sure this will be addressed in a patch.

All in all this game is a great triple A title that has a lot to love. It's hard to ignore the battle between this game and Modern Warfare 3, I suggest we play both! Why not? I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a great online experience. So go blow some stuff up! It's Fun!


If you like this game you might also enjoy:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2

video credit: http://www.youtube.com/user/Battlefield?v=eedRhcpOsuU&feature=pyv&ad=16610629540&kw=battlefield%203#p/u/3/FRqfFfuVuNE

Video By: sumner152

all photo credit: gamespot

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review

Overall Score: 9.8/10

Genre: Action-Adventure
Systems: PlayStation 3
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher/Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog

Publisher is known for: Gran Turismo series, God of War series, Killzone series, Little Big Planet series, Ratchet and Clank series, inFamous, inFamous 2

Developer is known for: Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, Jak III

                                                                                                   

                                                                                             Photo Credit: gamespot.com

Photo Credit: ps3.ign.com


I was very excited to play Uncharted 2 judging by all the hype and review scores. I know I'm very late on this review but better late than never I suppose. I guess you could say I was expecting a lot out of this game, which is something I know I shouldn't do, but with a game like this it's hard not to. Even with my high expectations it still completely delivered. Without further ado, here's the review:


Gameplay: 10/10
The parkour flows so well it's hard not to compare it to assassin's creed, which is saying something. Scaling landscapes is super fun and difficult at times. The gunplay is fantastic. I'm always skeptical of gunplay on the ps3 and third person perspectives but Naughty Dog pulled it off very well. I was impressed with the huge gun selection. You never felt like you were confined to one type of weapon. It's got a unlocked camera most of the time. My only complaint is the times where you couldn't control the camera were quite annoying, but at the same time it made those scenes a little more dramatic.


Story: 10/10
You, Nathan Drake, along with some friends are trying to find the Cintamani Stone in the lost city of Shambhala before Zoran Lazarevic, a Serbian war criminal bent on using the power of the Cintamani Stone for personal gain. You fight along side Chloe Frazer most of the time and are reintroduced to Elana Fisher, character from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Victor "Sully" Sullivan makes appearances in this iteration as well but isn't as involved this time around. It's a story of adventure, love, betrayal, and drama.


Graphics: 10/10
What stood out to me most about the graphics was the detail on the environments, simply amazing! Facial animation is among the best even during gameplay. Cut scenes flow ridiculously well and almost unnoticeably to gameplay. Guns look great, explosions and fire look fantastic, and animation is top notch.


Sound: 9.5/10
It's a little harder to give the sound a score. There isn't anything in particular that's amazing about it, with the exception of the voice acting which is incredible. Explosions, gun fire, grunts of pain, and cries of joy, all sound great.


Replay Value: High
With online multiplayer, a few different difficulty levels, and plenty of incentives to replay the game this scores a high replay value. There are treasures scattered throughout each level to find, and with the option to replay the level of your choosing it makes it easier than ever to do. You also earn money for performing a certain amount of headshots, hanging shot kills, etc. most of which are trophies. You then spend that money on things like infinite ammo and guns that you can equip as you start a new level, an example would be infinite ammo with the RPG-7.

Photo Credit: kotaku.com


I really enjoyed playing Uncharted 2 and would recommend at least a playthrough for all action-adventure fans. It's worth a playthrough for the cinematics alone, it's like watching a movie. This game deserves the hype and review scores it's getting. So go play it already!

Photo Credit: the-gadgeteer.com


If you like this game you might also enjoy: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (releases November 1, 2011), Tomb Raider Series, Indiana Jones movies (LOL but seriously), Resident Evil 4 and 5



Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPAyGWKd6c


Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIrCA17rIkE

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Review

Overall Score: 10/10

Genre: Real Time Strategy
Systems: PC and Mac
Release Date: July 27, 2010
Publisher/Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard Entertainment in known for:

• WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos
• World of WarCraft
• Diablo II

Do you happen to have a game that defines all that is gaming for you? A game that, when you think of it, makes you feel incredibly nostalgic and giddy? Well, for me that game is the original Starcraft. I can't tell you how many countless hours I spent building up my defenses, training huge armies, then unleashing them on my unfortunate foes. Then tack on the all nighters I pulled with my cousin destroying, and being destroyed by, the competition on battle.net. And this turns into one of my favorite games of all time. So naturally I was super stoked to play Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty.

Gameplay: 10/10
The score says it all. Simply amazing! Improves upon the first one in great ways. The new upgrade system is very addicting. The research you do from collecting Zerg and Protoss technology is also very addicting and adds a new challenge to every map. The fact that you're able to play missions in the order you choose is something that all RTS developers should take note of. You also get to play as Zeratul and take control of the Protoss. Ability to interact with your crew between missions adds a ton of realism to the game.

Story: 10/10
I was very impressed with the storyline. You play as Jim Raynor, an outlaw of the Confederacy. Arcturus Mengsk, a man that once fought alongside Raynor, became corrupt with power and used the media to make Raynor look like a criminal. You have a personal vendetta with Mengsk for leaving one of his Lieutenants, Sarah Kerrigan, on a planet that was overrun with Zerg. The Zerg turned Kerrigan into the Queen of Blades, a powerful Zerg leader. The story focuses a lot on Jim Raynor and how he deals with Mengsk and Kerrigan. You meet a lot of friends that help you along the way and a lot of enemies trying to stop you. They even give you some freedom to choose certain paths that alter the story somewhat depending on what route you take. I should also let you know that Wings of Liberty is a Terran only campaign. The Zerg and Protoss campaigns are going to be released as expansion packs. You can however, play as all three races online.

Graphics: 10/10
Jaw dropping in every way! I was playing on High settings and it looked incredible, there's an option of even greater detail on Ultra settings. Facial animations, textures, explosions, cutscenes, they all look amazing. This is definitely an area where Blizzard has always been ahead of the curve.

Sound: 10/10
My ears were loving life listening to this games sound effects and especially the music. I've grown very fond of the music in the original Starcraft and Starcraft II doesn't disappoint. All sound effects are top notch and the voice acting is among the best in gaming.

Replay Value: High
Has an option to go back and play any mission on any difficulty. There are achievements to strive for in each mission. And the online community, battle.net, is huge. Tons of online re-playability. Tons of custom maps to play around on. Tons, Tons, Tons!

All in all I highly recommend buying this game. You won't be disappointed, especially if you're an RTS fan. Bring on the nostalgic memories I'm sure to have in the future about this game!

If you like this game you might also enjoy:

• Starcraft
• Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
• Company of Heroes
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMuPVu749BE

Photo Credit: Gamespot.com

Mortal Kombat Review

Overall Score: 9.2/10


Genre: Fighting
Systems: PS3 and Xbox 360
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Publisher/Developer: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment/NetherRealm Studios

Warner Bros. is known for: 

• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

NetherRealm Studios is known for:

• Mortal Kombat

Usually when I pick up and play a fighting game I'm not expecting much when it comes to the story aspect. I expect there to be easy and hard to execute combos, killer special moves, a decent amount of replay value, and a mediocre tact on story that doesn't tell you much. Mortal Kombat punched my expectations in the face, threw them into a portal to the nether realm, and fatalitied the crap out of them.

Gameplay: 9.5/10 

Fantastic! NetherRealm Studios have out done themselves with this one. Going back to 2D side scrolling combat was a very smart choice. They completely packed the disc full of content. Story mode is by far my favorite but the challenge tower is a close second. In the challenge tower you need to complete certain tasks such as killing zombies before they reach you or performing certain fatalities for the victory. The x-ray attacks are so cool and can be executed quite easily. You earn koins in pretty much every mode that you can spend in the krypt. The krypt allows you to unlock concept art, extra fatalities, new costumes, etc. The roster of characters to choose from is huge.

Story: 9/10

The story is awesome! It's very similar to the movies that not many people actually watched. You're fighting to save earth realm from Shao Kahn and his army. What's so cool about it is you switch characters throughout so you're not stuck with one the whole time. It was quite a bit longer and in depth than I thought it would be.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are top notch. Special moves look great. Fatalities are absolutely brutal, some will make you cringe. All the stages look fantastic and are very animated with trains, cars, live trees, and fights going on in the background. All animations are superb.

Sound: 9/10
Voice acting is incredible and really adds to the story. Blood spurts and cries of agony, typical Mortal Kombat stuff, sound really good. All special moves such as Cyrax missile explosions and Sub Zero's freeze, just to name a few, all sound fantastic.

Replay Value: High
A ton of modes, unlocks, and online play make this a game that can be played for a very long time.

All in all there's a lot of good to say about Mortal Kombat and not a lot of bad. I highly recommend it to anyone even a little bit interested in fighting games. I warn you though, if you're at all squeamish around blood you'll find yourself needing to look away from the screen a lot.

If you like this game you might also enjoy:

• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
• Super Street Fighter IV
• Tekken 6

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVd7GU-rOls

Photo Credit: Gamespot.com

Marvel VS. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Review

Overall Score: 8.7/10

Genre: Fighting

Systems: I played it on PS3, It's also on Xbox 360

Release Date: February 15, 2011

Publisher/Developer: Capcom/Eighting

Capcom is known for: Super Street Fighter 4, Resident Evil 5, Devil May Cry 4

Eighting in known for: Bloody Roar Series

Gameplay: 9/10

• when playing offline there are four modes: Arcade (main mode), Versus, Training, and Mission (learn each characters moves)
• huge roster of characters
• normal and simple operation modes
• simple mode allows you to unleash powerful attacks with the push of just one button
• simple mode is great for those that don't care to master the game
• easy to pick up and play, difficult to master
• before battle you choose three characters and a special attack for each one
• during battle push L1 or R1 to call in an ally to unleash the special attack you chose, this is called an assist
• you have a meter with five levels at the bottom of the screen. the meter fills by landing attacks on your opponent. the levels of the meter work like this: first level: you can unleash one characters special attack, second level: you can unleash two characters special attacks at one time, third level: you can unleash all three characters special attacks at one time, levels four and five: basically extra levels that can be used as you see fit.
• each special attack uses one level in the meter, example: if you were to use all three special attacks at one time it would use up three levels on your meter
• allies need to be alive to utilize there special attacks
• tells you results of the battle after each match
• lots of fun when you get used to the characters
• made me install the game to my hard drive which was weird
• characters seemed a little unbalanced
• license card keeps track of your wins/losses, player card, fighting style, play state, history, and reserve unit
• reserve units are rosters of characters you've preselected, can have three

Story: 8/10

• marvel characters are having a epic battle with capcom characters, what more do you need to know
• you end up fighting Galactus (who's trying to destroy the world) to save the world
• each character you beet the game with has a unique ending story

Graphics: 9/10

• Opening cinematic was awesome, looked really good, and got me pumped to play
• great graphics
• very showy and colorful
• special attacks look the coolest
• three character special attacks look the coolest!
• all stages look really good and are very detailed

Sound: 8.5/10

• option to change the characters voices to English, Japanese, or their original language
• music is awesome for the most part. a mix of instrumental guitar, trance, and techno 
• musics fast pace goes perfectly with the fast paced gameplay
• music changes depending on what character you play as
• each character has a theme song
• voice acting is good enough but not great

Replay Value: Medium

• five difficulty levels
• unlocks character bio's for every character you beet the game with
• every character has a different ending to unlock
• each character has a 3D model to unlock
• a lot of art work to unlock
• battle online

If you like this game you might also enjoy:

• Marvel Vs Capcom 2
• Super Street Fighter 4

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvVTn2zafyA

Credit for Photos: Gamespot

Portal 2 Review

Overall Score: 9.7/10


Genre: Puzzle

Systems: I played it on Xbox 360, it's also on PS3, PC, and Mac
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Publisher/Developer: Valve Corporation

Valve Corporation is known for: Half Life 2, Left 4 Dead, Counter-Strike

Gameplay: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9.5/10
Replay Value: Medium


Let me start out by saying this game rocks! I was skeptical at first because Portal 1 was short and didn't have a whole lot of content. But Valve delivered a quality Game that is well worth the $60 Price tag. I'm going to try my best to keep this review free of spoilers.

When you first start, you wake up in a nice looking hotel room. You hear a man's voice over an intercom, he tells you to do some things such as looking at pictures on the wall and talking (which you can't do so you end up jumping instead). After this, what seems like he's testing your motor functions, he then tells you to go to sleep. When you wake up again the whole room is being torn apart. Wheatley, a small robot who's movements are confined to a railing on the ceiling, enters the room. You recognize his voice as the one who told you to look around the room earlier. Come to find out the whole laboratory is being torn apart. You and Wheatley are trying to find a way to escape. In order to keep this review spoiler free, I'm not going to tell you how, but you end up in the testing chambers. Now you need to play along and find a way out.

Wheatley is voiced by Stephen Merchant, a English actor, writer, director, and radio presenter. Wheatley steals the show. The voice work is all around some of the best I've heard. It's incredibly funny, charming, and clever. It's even funnier than the first Portal and that's saying something. You later get introduced to Cave Johnson, voiced by J.K. Simmons. You may know him as Juno's dad or J. Jonah Jameson on the Spider man movies. Simmons does an awesome job as Cave Johnson.

The music is very ambient yet motivating, a perfect mix for this game. All the sound effects are top notch and best experienced with a good head set or surround sound. The graphics are a little up and down on the Xbox 360 version. The lighting, shadows, and animations are really good, in fact I was blown away by it at some parts. For the most part the reflections are fantastic. My only complaint about them is that you can't see your own reflection in the water. The environments are pixelated at times and when you look down you can't see your feet, you're just floating, but aside from these minor set backs the graphics are stunning. I watched a friend play the PC version and I saw no pixelation. The PC version definitely has the best looking graphics.

The controls are very easy to use, anyone can pick it up and play it. Basically you shoot two portals that are connected together and walk through it like a tunnel. You use these portals to salve puzzles. It's a very simple idea, but the puzzles can be really hard and take time to figure out. This installment is quite a bit harder than the first. Although it was rare, I found myself getting frustrated at times. But when you finally figure out that puzzle you've been working on for 15 minutes, it makes you feel like a genius!

Portal 2 has a lot more puzzle pieces, if you will, to work with than the first game. These additions include: three different colored paints. Blue paint allows you to jump and bounce really high. Orange paint allows you to run and slide really fast. White paint allows you to put portals down anywhere as long as there's white paint to put the portal on. For instance, if I needed a portal on a wall that I normally couldn't put one, all I need to do is manipulate the white paint to splash on the wall. Then shoot a portal onto it. Combining these three paints to solve puzzles is a thing of beauty. There are a lot of other additions but I don't want to give away the surprises. You'll just have to play to find out.

The co-op mode is full of new test chambers that are completely different than the single player experience. You'll need to use teamwork to solve these puzzles. You can do cool things like placing a marker where you want your partner to shoot a portal or giving each other high fives when you solve a difficult puzzle.

In closing, this is definitely worth purchasing or at least renting. Although it can be frustrating at times, this game will expand your mind and leave you feeling like a genius. Valve has delivered another top quality game and they deserve all the good things critics are bound to say about it. Best game of the year so far.


If you like this game you might also enjoy: 

• Portal 1
• Half Life 2

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4siZQkSR7GY

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY7ikgmut4s

Photo Credit: Gamespot

Portal Review

Overall Score: 9/10


Genre: Puzzle
Systems: I played it on PC, it's also on Xbox 360, PS3, and Mac
Release Date: October 9, 2007
Publishers/Developers: Microsoft Game Studios and Valve Corporation/Valve Corporation

Microsoft Game Studios is known for: Halo series, Fable series, Gears of War series

Valve Corporation is known for: Half Life series, Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead series

Gameplay: 10/10                                                                            

• You get a gun that shoots portals.                                                          
•  You start out shooting one side of the portal and the other side is stationary.                                                                                                                                                                                  
• Not too far into the game you'll get access to the upgraded    portal gun, with this you'll be able to shoot both sides of the portal. The two portals act like a tunnel that you can walk through.
• You need to use portals to find your way through the test chambers. Test chambers consist mainly of finding a way to a cube, grabbing the cube, and placing it on a button. The button then opens a door so you can proceed to the next test chamber.
• Solving test chambers is very satisfying
• Takes a lot of quick thinking and/or trial and error
• Test chambers get pretty tricky toward the end
• Some puzzles blew my mind
• Can be frustrating
• 19 test chambers total
• Game is about 3-4 hours long

Story: 9/10

• You start the game in a room with a pod looking bed, a toilet, and a desk.
• A robotic womans voice, her name is GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), tells you that they're going to do an experiment and serious injury may occur.
• GLaDOS is constantly telling you all the different ways you could die or be injured and she is hilarious!
• She tries to keep you motivated with promises of cake after the experiment is over.
• Name of testing facility is Aperature Laboratories
• I don't want to spoil any of the story because it's way better to experience yourself, so go play it!

Graphics: 8/10

• My PC is well above the recommended specifications and it had average looking graphics.
• Detail on the portal gun is very good
• When looking through a portal at yourself, very weird the first time, the detail on your character isn't very good
• A little grainy at times
• Awesome physics!

Sound: 9/10

• The eerie, ambient music is really good and sets the mood perfectly.
• The portal gun has a really cool futuristic sound when fired.
• GLaDOS has the funniest dialogue I've ever heard in a video game.
• All the sounds combined with the music is amazing!
• If you don't plan on playing this game, you at least need to listen to the credits song. It's fantastic! Although it will make more sense if you play the game.

Replay Value: Medium

• Advanced Chambers: Can replay the test chambers but they've been twisted to be more advanced
• Challenge Maps: Test chambers with an extra layer of goal-based puzzles

I thought it would be relevant to review this game since portal 2 comes out April 19 (tomorrow). I love this game and know a lot of people who feel the same way. It's really easy to get into but toward the end you'll be racking your brain. Valve got really creative with this one. You can get Portal with the purchase of the Orange Box, it comes on the disk already. Or on STEAM, steampowered.com, for $10.

If you like this game you might also enjoy:

• Well there isn't anything else out there quite like portal. That's one of the reasons it's so great. Portal 2 comes out April 19 though.

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA9ChSA6wV4

Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRj249tBEVk

 credit for photos: gamespot