God of War 1 & 2 arrive on Playstation 3

When I converted from XBox to Playstation a few years back, God of War was one of the first games I bought that was exclusive to the PS2. I’ve always loved Greek mythology, so I suppose that may be part of the reason why I quickly fell in love with the tragic story of Kratos. After finishing GoW1, I eagerly awaited the release of God of War 2. It was truly amazing that the PS2 was capable of producing such beautiful graphics. The story was even better than the original, and it left me hanging for part three in this wonderful franchise.

More Reviews: God of War: Collection

I’ve been patiently waiting for God of War 3 to hit the shelves, so I was quite surprised when I found out that the original two titles in the series were being remastered in high-definition for play on the PS3. I got my copy home, opened it, and loaded it onto my PS3. I’ll just tell you right now that ALL of the content from the first two games is on one Blu-ray disc, including all of the extra features from disc 2 of GoW2.

So, is this worth an upgrade????? The answer is a resounding YES!!!! If you are a fan of the series, then you owe it to yourself to get this title and enjoy all of the improvements that have been made to both games. First of all, they have both had an overhaul in the graphics department. While GoW1 still doesn’t quite measure up to the latest PS3 graphics standards, it is a big improvement over the old PS2 version. The game now fills the screen on a widescreen TV, and there is a noticable difference in the details of the graphics. The sound has also been improved and adds to the overall enjoyment of playing back through one of the greatest games ever created. You will also notice that the rumble feature is present, and there is quite a nice trophy collection for each game. Some of the trophies are quite funny. For instance, in GoW1, you can earn a trophy by dying so many times that the game offers you the ability to move to an easier setting. It was fun dying over and over just to earn this trophy. It’s been a long time since I played GoW1, but it was amazing how much of the game I could remember.

God of War: Collection Screenshots and Video

The storyline for both games is completely the same, but the improvement in the graphics and sound is well worth the cheap purchase price for both games. This set should keep you busy trying to earn all of the trophies while you wait to get you paws on GoW3 in March 2010. And just to make things a little better, the demo that was available at E3 for God of War 3 is now available to anyone who purchases this collection. And let me tell you, the demo will leave you waiting in anticipation for the arrival of what will surely be the best game of 2010. In my humble opinion, God of War is one of the most enjoyable game series I’ve ever played. OK, ok, before I close out, I’ll come clean. It’s just so much more enjoyable ramming your blade down the throat of a minotaur and watching the blood gush out in high definition. Or maybe grabbing one of the bad guys and pulling their body in half with a mighty torrent of HD blood going everywhere. Yes, it does bring a smile to one’s face to relive such great gaming moments in the clarity that only HD can provide. Whether you are a longtime fan of the franchise as I am, or if you are new to the God of War trilogy, you MUST get this new collection. I guarantee that you will NOT be disappointed.

Buy it now: God of War: Collection

New Super Mario Bros justifies owning a Wii

I have been playing video games since the Atari 2600, and was a kid during the Nintendo Entertainment System era. Some of my fondest memories involve one iconic set of characters: Mario, Luigi, Toadstool, and Princess Peach. Over the years, games have changed (some changes for the good, and others…not so much), but I love that the Mario series have stayed true to their roots. Every Mario game that I can think of has stood the test of time, and has served as a model to countless other games. However, despite being one of the best game franchises around, one component was always missing: multiplayer. Sure, previous SMB games had a “2 player” option, but all you were able to do was pass around the same joystick, or take turns using 2 joysticks. The idea of 2 characters on screen at the same time seemed strangely impossible for these games… and why Nintendo wasn’t able to make this happen sooner than 2009 boggles the mind. But, having spent 7 or 8 hours playing New Super Mario Bros yesterday, I don’t care why or how they were able to finally do it…because this game is an absolute blast to play!

More Reviews: New Super Mario Bros

As soon as the game starts, you start to get an idea of just how great this game is going to be… especially if you have played Super Mario games before (and cmon…who hasn’t?!?). Everything looks very familiar, but in a good way. The game really feels like they took some of the best ideas, bosses, levels, and music from each of the Mario games and retooled them for NSMB Wii (New Super Mario Bros Wii). In fact, it feels mostly like Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros 3 rolled into one, with a little bit of Super Mario Galaxy thrown in as well… and that, my friends, is an AWESOME combination! Like I mentioned earlier…I have played hundreds…maybe thousands of video games in my time. And this game ranks right up there with the best of them. It is, in my humble opinion, on par with Super Mario Bros 3, which has been rated by numerous gaming sites as the best game of all time. Playing the game for the first time, there were lots of “oohs and ahhs”, plenty of mischievous giggles, lots of punching and name calling (see multiplayer), and even several times where one of us paused the game just to point out how great this game is. I hate to gush over this game, but it really is a work of art. It’s easily one of the best games I have ever played, and certainly one of the best available on Wii. Here are some of my observations about it:

Old Skool SMB: Mario games are good, and they work. Period. This is one series of games that doesn’t need to be retooled, revamped, updated, or changed dramatically in order for it to compete with the likes of Modern Warfare 2. In fact, there really is no competition for Mario games. Historically, they sell, are highly rated, and have a long shelf-life. This game is no different. It is classic Mario at his best. There are some updates that make the game fresh and interesting, but it is mostly classic Mario 2-D action, and that is a good thing.

Music: Mario games have always had great music. Who hasn’t found themselves whistling or humming one of the iconic Mario tunes? This game has some really cool new music, as well as some remixes/revamps of classic Mario music. When I found myself in the first of the Koopa Kid castles and I heard the original music from Super Mario Bros 3(??), I was ecstatic.

Screenshots and video: New Super Mario Bros

Multiplayer: For the life of me, I couldn’t tell you why Nintendo was never able to incorporate some genuine multiplayer in a Mario game previously. But, add it they did, and it is great. The multiplayer component of Super Mario Bros Wii is really well done. There are some competitive modes where you and your friends (or opponents) are running through a level and competing to get the most coins, and it is really fun. But where multiplayer really shines is when you are actually playing through the games with a couple of your friends. All of you are on screen at the same time. When you hit one of the “?” boxes, 3 or 4 mushrooms may come out… or maybe 2 mushrooms and 1 Penguin suit…and you have a choice: Will we all go scrambling for the penguin suit? Or will the most skilled player just take a mushroom suit and leave the penguin suit to the others? Or, will I scramble and get all of the mushrooms and the penguin suit, leaving my teammates out in the cold? I tried all of these scenarios, and it was pure joy to see the look on my friends faces either way!

You see, the multiplayer can be either competitive or cooperative. There will be times where getting a big coin or a 1-up will require that you cooperate…maybe I will need to pick up one player and hold him over my head, and then another player will bounce off his head to get the 1-up. Or, maybe there will be a player that I want to give some grief… so I can pick him up and throw him down a pit or in the lava… or I can throw a green shell at him. There will also be times where you are all trying to accomplish something (like jumping across a lava pit), and because we are all scrambling and trying to save our own skin, one player will bounce off the other’s head, giving themselves a boost up and over the lava, but sending their friend to their death. As you can imagine, the cooperative multiplayer would FREQUENTLY and unexpectedly become competitive, and there was no shortage of amazed/shocked looks back and forth (i.e “Dude… I cant believe you just did that!!”), punches in the shoulder, name calling, calling “dibs” on power ups only to be disappointed, and laughing ranging from a mischievous giggle to rolling on the floor in stitches. When we were playing, one guy even got really upset and went home! LOL. It was one heck of a fun afternoon! Once the sore loser left, we started cooperating more and competing less, and it was equally fun. Almost equally anyway…

Difficulty: I hate easy games, and I hate short games. I especially hate short and easy games. This game is neither. From what I have experienced so far, this is one of the most challenging Mario games I have ever played. It isn’t necessarily HARD…anyone can pick up New Super Mario Bros Wii and begin playing. That is the case with every Mario game. But it is challenging. You will die…a lot. Especially when playing multiplayer, since frequently one of your teammates will do something that sends you to your end on accident. Plus, the difficulty really starts to ramp up in some of the later worlds/levels. Also, there are 3 hidden achievement coins in each level, as well as these special “star” coins that you can go out of your way to find…and getting to some of these can be a real challenge. I estimate that it will easily take 20+ hours to complete this game… and even once it is done, it will be a blast to start over and play again. And the truth is, Mario games are always long and fairly difficult… I never did beat Super Mario 2! I think this game is going to have a long shelf life at my house!

I will spare you any more gushing details about this game. Clearly, I enjoyed it immensely. If you own a Nintendo Wii, you should own this game. If there was ONE Wii game I would recommend you buy, it would be this one. If you are considering buying a Nintendo Wii because you like this game…I guarantee it will be worth it. This game is destined to be a classic, and it would be a shame to miss out! Here is my personal rating for the game:

Gameplay: 10/10
Presentation: 9/10
Sound/Music: 9/10
Multiplayer: 9/10
Difficulty: 10/10
Lasting Appeal: 9/10
Overall: 10/10

Buy it now: New Super Mario Bros

Left 4 Dead 2: You had me at Pipe Bomb

When Left 4 Dead 2 was announced about six months after the first game came out, a lot of people were shocked for a few reasons. It’s Valve and Valve is notorious for taking their sweet time releasing quality games, was one reason. And then there was the more important question. Was this a cash grab? Is it merely an expansion pack masquerading as a fully priced game? And now it’s released and the answer to the above questions is evident: Left 4 Dead 2 had me at “improved pipe bomb.”

But you’re not here to listen to me go on about how cool the pipe bomb is and how awesome the changed effects of zombie bodies literally exploding through the air is. At least I hope not. The fact is, after playing through Left 4 Dead 2, the original game feels more like a blueprint. Everything that was in L4D is in the sequel, but the sequel is a completely different beast. I was surprised, when we played through the opening campaign “Dead Centre” just how varied and improved the game was. You begin at the top of a hotel, bringing to mind the small apartment complex that began the first game. Except that this time, there’s a whole lot more. You see, the building is on fire, you can create backdrafts through doors, and the entire event feels more context driven than…well, than the entire first game.

More Left 4 Dead 2 screenshots and video.

Fire will cause impromptu passages, forcing you to discover different ways through the crumbling building. This means sometimes climbing out a window and balancing precariously on a ledge, moving from window to window in your escape. The intensity is further exasperated by the introduction of the special infected. Imagine playing this in Versus as a Jockey, hopping onto one of the survivors and moving them off the edges or being a Spitter and spitting the goo at just the right moment. Moving through the hotel, the fire increases and eventually, smoke will cloud your vision, creating an extremely claustrophic even where zombies charge out of the dense, dark smoke or other zombies, wearing hazmat suits, will simply rush, unharmed, through the flames at you. This diversity continues as you race through the chapters. In the first campaign alone, you will race through a burning hotel, tear through a grocery store in search for cola to bring back to a crazed, holed up hermit so he’ll destroy a barricade and eventually reach the climax where you have to locate gas cans (like in the new mode) to gas up a car to escape.

Left 4 Dead 2 reviews.

The thing is, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Later campaigns like “Dark Carnival” add a bit of whimsy as you can play some of the carnival games (kudos to Valve for bringing back the Half Life 2 gnome for an achievement), race up and down a roller coaster as zombies chase endless after you, and eventually reach the end which culminates in an inspired ending scenario that’s completely different (and a tad whimsical) than anything else in the game. This diversity only continues through the later campaigns as well, with “Hard Rain” being my absolute favorite. In “Hard Rain,” as you move through the maps, it starts raining harder and harder. It’s by far the most atmospheric and most interesting, since you eventually have to backtrack through the zones, but this time they are flooded and the weather adds a completely different challenge to the map. Additionally, unlike the first game where the campaigns all felt a bit too similar, resulting in my group relying on a couple campaigns we liked the most, each campaign offers so many differences, that I find myself wanting to replay them over and over. With five fully-developed campaigns, there’s a lot more content than in the original game. Also, if you’re feeling especially masochistic, try turning on the Realism mode which gets rid of the glowy outlines around survivors and ammo, makes infected harder to kill (headshots, please) and gets rid of the spawning closets…

And that doesn’t take into account the other features. Of course, there’s Versus and Survival Modes like in the original game, but L4D2 also throws in Scavenge. Scavenge essentially is L4D2’s version of a capture the flag mode, with the myriad of gas cans being flags. The survivors race around the map, fighting both the infected and the clock, trying to get as many gas cans to start a generator as possible. Meanwhile, the infected obviously try to stop them. What I love about Scavenge is that it’s not the time commitment that Versus is. It’s a quick best of three or five game that ratchets up the tension and can create some truly inspired situations. My only complaint about this mode is that there’s only one per campaign right now. Ditto the Survival mode which doesn’t seem to have as many maps as in the original Left 4 Dead. Hopefully Valve rectifies this with DLC.

After you get past the myriad of modes and campaigns, there’s still more tiny additions that made me smile. Guns are now strewn across the level and you won’t find conveniently placed groups of weapons that contain everything. The guns also have a lot more variety, with a few different options for each type of weapon (I really enjoy the combat shotgun). The newly introduced melee weapons are interesting. In lower difficulties, they are seemingly overpowered; however, as you start to play on expert, I’ve found their limitations to be too great. Still, a nice additional and some of them are fantastic: taking down a witch with a chainsaw is perfection. The two grenade types return as does vials of Boomer bile. This operates under the same concept as the pipe bomb, except that the undead will race to the impact point and try to destroy whatever’s there…like a Tank. Not that they will destroy a Tank, but they do provide some assistance. Then there’s the other miscellaneous items, like defibrillators that will bring back dead party members.

And I haven’t even talked about the characters and story. I do miss the original gang of archetypical characters; I miss Frank’s acerbic comments (“I hate vans…”) and the camaraderie they had. But the new gang is also better developed and their banter is fresh and entertaining as they move through the campaigns, which, by the way, feel a lot more connected and there’s more story here. So here’s the thing. Those who didn’t care for Left 4 Dead will probably not be swayed by L4D2 because it offers more of what the first one did. It’s not a radically different game, it just feels…more complete. When I blasted through the first game, I wanted more…I felt like I played through a blueprint of a fantastic game. L4D2 delivers on that promise. It’s not an expansion, it’s a great, new, longer and better game.

Very much recommended for fans of the original.

Buy it now: Left 4 Dead 2

Assassin’s Creed II improves the original in every way

I’ll be the first to admit that the first Assassin’s Creed had it’s faults. However, I did enjoy it quite a bit. Although I was pretty sure I would enjoy Assassin’s Creed II, I had no idea exactly how much I would love it. Read on for the full review, or skip to the BOTTOM LINE for the short and to the point recommendation.

GAMEPLAY
Admittedly, I haven’t finished the game yet. However, I can tell you that the structure is greatly improved from the first one. Gone are the rigidly structured assassinations where you must complete a certain amount of the same sidequests. Now, you can see the sidequests on your map (including race, beat-up random guy, etc.) but they are completely optional. Another part of the first Assassin’s Creed that I didn’t like was the insane amount of collectibles placed in the various cities in the form of flags. These are gone as well. There are still things to collect (statues in the home city and codex pages), but they are a lot more fun to find and, in the case of the codex pages, are marked on your map. In addition, there are secret glyph puzzles and crypts to find and explore, but these are revealed to be near when you get close to the buildings that house them. The combat system has remained largely the same, but you get many of your abilities much faster. You can also customize Ezio with various types or armor and weapons. But by far the most fun is the hidden blade, which has been improved for the sequel. How, you ask? Well they just gave us another one to play with. This leads to some truly spectacular assassinations, as Ezio leaps from a roof to take down two guards at once. If you invest the time and effort to remain undetected, you feel truly powerful as you pick off guard after guard, then leap from the shadows to quickly eliminate your target. You truly feel like an assassin. And further into the game, I am told that you can acquire even more toys to kill your foes in even more inventive and, most importantly, fun ways.

Assassins Creed II Reviews

STORY
This is another area that the first game fell short, in my opinion. Half way through I just got bored and had to take a few weeks off to play other things. This game has succeeded in completely drawing me in. You truly care about Ezio, and, without revealing any major events, his motivations make him a very realistic character. As he is ripped from his youthful shenanigans into a plot bigger than himself, he grows into that assassin’s cloak in ways that Altair never did. Simple gestures like sometimes removing his hood when talking to friends and allies make him seem more real, like there’s a real person under that getup that I’m actually interested in seeing through to the story’s end. As I mentioned before, I haven’t completed the game, but it looks as though Ubisoft has succeeded in making me feel emotionally invested in the story and the characters in a way that the first Assassin’s Creed never came close to.

GRAPHICS
Some people have said that the game’s graphic engine is beginning to show it’s age. Maybe in some ways that’s true, but in others ways this game is truly beautiful. The cities have a busy feel to them, much like the first game, and when perched high above the ground in one of the many viewpoints, the scenery can truly take your breath away. To be fair, there are some clipping issues with Ezio’s clothes and weapons, but that’s true of most any game. And the characters themselves could look a little better, but that would be nitpicking. Overall, this game has a beautiful environment that represents classic Italian cities very well.

More screenshots and video: Assassins Creed II

SOUND
Sound is usually one element of games that I don’t notice as much. But I found myself noticing subtle touches added in to enhance the experience that really work well. Like the best game music, it’s unintrusive, but enhances what you’re seeing if you pay attention to it. No complaints here.

BOTTOM LINE
This game is excellent. It takes elements of sandbox games, stealth games, action games, and even a few quicktime events (but undressing your lover is an acceptable use of this often overused mechanic) and turns them into a game that exceeded my admittedly high expectations. It’s attention to detail is impressive, and it strives to be historically accurate where it can be. The voicework is good, and I like that they included some Italian to be true to their setting. The story is good, and does its job in making the characters interesting and three-dimensional. It’s even quite funny at times. And if you’re interested, there are a lot of very interesting lore-type bits of items to find and obsess over that really develop the already interesting Assassin’s Creed world. So, if you liked the first game you should get this. If you found the first game too boring, you should get this. If you like Italy, you should get this. If you are even remotely interested in the premise, you should get this. In short, this game is excellent and should be on your list of must-haves for either console.

A note on the rating:
This game is rated M for a reason. While the aforementioned “undressing your lover” scene is quite tame compared to other love scenes in video games (or virtually every prime-time tv show) it could be a little much for the munchkins. Also, there is a lot of blood. You are an assassin, after all. Particularly brutal murders are shown, like stabbing people through the face. This is not overdone, and all you see is blood spray, but this is not a game for the kiddies. In addition, there are several cases of harsh language, including some uses of the f-word. You have been warned.

A note on religion:
The game opens with a screen explaining that it was developed by a multicultural team of various faiths. This is because, to put it simply, the story of this game may be offensive to those of religious faith. It is not truly hostile toward religion, and I would compare it to Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” in terms of offensiveness. I viewed it as entertainment, as a fictitious story, and I took no offense at the story. But once again, this game and its story are for intended for those who can appreciate it for what it is: a somewhat violent and (relatively) realistic take on Renaissance Italy society with mature sci-fi themes thrown in. Adjust your buying decisions accordingly.

Edit (11-22-09):
Finished the game. Wow. If, like me, you liked the sci-fi style near-future storyline of Desmond, then you’ll love the ending. It literally blew my mind. The story is immensely satisfying and comes to a completely awesome conclusion that sets up for the next game. If you despise the collection elements of the game, you might be disappointed by some mandatory collection at the end. I was lucky enough to have collected 29 of 30 codex pieces and so only had to find one more, but it is kinda jarring to be made to stop right at the climax of the story to find a few things you may have forgotten. Thankfully, they mark every missing piece on your map, but it still breaks the flow of the game. While this was a little irritating, the next hour of gameplay more then made up for it.

The much-hyped flying machine sequence was (thankfully) a short one time thing that, honestly, seems like it was included only for the awesomeness factor and didn’t, in my opinion, really seem to fit in with the rest of the game. Ezio’s character really develops into a mature and intelligent protagonist, even going so far as to lament about the seemingly endless killing that doesn’t bring him any closer to realizing his goals, exactly at the point when I was thinking the same thing. He is incredibly well written, and this makes him one of the more believable characters I’ve seen in a video game.

Since finishing the game, I can honestly say with certainty that this game is everything the original should have been. The story, while starting off slow, kept my attention the entire time, so much so that I finished the game in roughly four days. The length seems about right, and I finished in about 23 hours. If I go back and find all the collectable feathers I could probably get an additional five or so hours of playtime. The replay value isn’t very high, as there is no other difficulty level or any other reason to play again, besides a desire to see the admittedly good story again. And I’ll say it again: the story is very, very good. The difficulty is on the low side, and I don’t think I ever died, other than from long falls resulting from bad jumps and trying to get the Flyswatter achievement during the flying segment (the only missable achievement, fellow achievement hunters). The graphics and sound grew on me even more as I played through the rest of the game and experienced the other cities and locales. The many weapons and skills made for even more fun and amusing ways to kill my targets. The story missions stayed varied and fun, and I never got bored with them. I tried out every type of optional side mission and while they were amusing once, I didn’t feel the need to do any more of them, with the possible exception of the assassination missions.

In short, after finishing the game, my initial impressions remain accurate. This game is very good, and is well worth adding to your collection.

Buy it now: Assassins Creed II

Braid: The definition of a killer app

Braid
What is a killer app? An app that is so strong and valuable that it drives users and usage to a platform. By this definition, Braid is absolutely a killer app.

I’m a lifelong gamer. In fact, I’m a borderline game system collector. (I finally managed to part with most older systems, but I still have my beloved Dreamcast and even my Atari 800 cluttering my garage shelves.) Plus, many of my friends urged me to get an Xbox 360. Despite all this, I was not convinced. The Xbox 360 had serious hardware issues at launch (which now appear to be resolved), and there just weren’t any games that demanded such a hefty platform investment.

Braid changed the equation.   Read more Braid  reviews.

Two gaming friends insisted that I give Braid a chance. In fact, they sat me down and forced a controller into my hands, and they watched — for two hours, because I coldn’t put it down. The next day, I spent $600 on equipment (the best Xbox 360 system with all the bells and whistles), just so I could continue playing this $15 game. Braid is *that* good. And I’ve introduced other friends to Braid and they, too, ran out to buy the console.

Normally, I spend review space describing the game, especially for off-the-beaten-tracks titles like this, but I won’t do so in this case. I had the rare opportunity to experience a masterpiece cold, with no spoilers, and I really appreciated it. So instead, I will merely say this. If you enjoy puzzle games or platformers, if you enjoy games with intriguing and unique mental challenges, games that require more thought and less button mashing, if you enjoy beautiful artwork, both audio and video, you will definitely enjoy this game. If you need more information, other reviews and this site will no doubt provide it. (BTW, you likely won’t spoil yourself on Braid’s “plot” by reading other reviews, you’ll just spoil yourself on the groundbreaking game mechanics. If you play the game cold, you can discover the game mechanics yourself and have many fun “aha” moments in the process.)

Braid  Videos and Screenshots.

I’ve heard that Braid is coming out on PC soon. I can’t speak to the PC version, but I can say that the investment in the Xbox 360 was well worth it, and not just for Braid. It’s the strongest game platform available today. These opinions are best saved for a review of the platform, but my point is, if you want to play Braid but don’t have an Xbox 360, you can either wait for the PC version or take the Xbox 360 plunge. If you play a fair number of video games, you definitely won’t regret getting the Xbox 360 platform.

Regardless, Braid truly is an exquisite game and work of art, and I believe it’s a worthy contender to be added to all-time hall-of-fame game lists everywhere.

P.S.: in case this helps anyone decide about this game, I’ll point out that I view Braid as great in many of the same ways as I view Portal as great. The two games are quite different, but they both have excellent finishing touches, groundbreaking game mechanics, and are both transcendentally impressive.

 Buy it now: Braid

A look at the Wii Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex

By SegaGuy217

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex

Finally Modern Warfare has come to the Wii. I had a lot of hope for this game and to be honest it delivers on a lot of fronts. The game is not perfect but it is great nonetheless and offers one feature rich game. Wii owners almost never see a release with this much online content to back it.

I am no sound expert but it sure sounded good on my surround sound. The graphics are far better than what is shown in the screenshots on this site and pretty much all video game sites as they are showing off pre beta screenshots instead of final version screenshots. The graphics are improved slightly over World At War which I loved that game a lot as well. All the fire/particle effects look great. The game has excellent level design and this is a game you do not know what you are missing until you have it in your system and you are seeing it with your very own eyes. There is a minor inconsistency in the frame rate but it is minor and does not effect the gameplay as it only last a a few seconds at best.

More Reviews: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex

The campaign is one of the best single player ventures I have experience in my 23 years playing video games. Intense scenes mixed with intense gameplay is all here. Mix that with killer production values during the cutscenes that carry the story you have a great experience for single player. I have seen on message boards and review sites that the controls are slow and unresponsive and thats a pure lie. It does take a few minutes to find your perfect controls. What I did was I selected intermediate, shrunk the dead zone and increased the sensitivity under the settings which you can access at the before playing or you can do in game single player or multiplayer.
The online multiplayer is very feature rich and it is extremely fun. Thats the only way I can explain it. You get a ton of guns, perks and maps to boot. You level up and as you level up you unlock the other modes, challenges and of course get more perks. The maps are pretty big and vary in quality. Meaning most are very good to great but there was a few maps I just did not like but it does not hurt the experience because you are still playing an intense experience. Also if you played World at War or played the original Modern Warfare the Create a Class is here also. Thats the best thing about this series online for me as your not stuck with a set selection of guns. You customize your own weapons if you want and can select your own perks which makes the game ten times better.

Overall this is a great game for the Wii. Its not perfect but it crams a lot of gameplay on a system that is filled with so many missed opportunities. I give Kudos to Treyarch who last year got the COD4 engine to not only work on the Wii but they brought us a great title called World At War and now they bring us Infinity Ward’s amazing COD4 Modern Warfare. The only real issue I have found in this game is the dip in frame rate and it will not kill the experience as it is barely noticeable in most instances.

A lot of people are upset this contains no Wii Speak. I am not a fan of voice chat so it does not effect me in the least but if I am going to write a review I might as well include that portion.

EDIT Nov. 20,2009: My first play through on the campaign I had some frame rate issues that caused some problems with the aiming. The second play through I had little to none frame issues. Not sure if it varies or just happens randomly. Just wanted to add this on but I still think the game is great ! 32 hours in a week in a half is a lot for me.

Buy it now: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex For the Wii

An indepth look at Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

I’ve divided the following review into sections, based on the type of gameplay from Modern Warfare 2:

Single-Player Campaign:
Pros:
1) Action: The single-player campaign from Modern Warfare 2 is one of the most intense, white-knuckle, action-packed campaigns of any video game I have played EVER. The story is relatively good, and, except for one or two points (mentioned in cons), flows reasonably well. The missions themselves are adventures that will blow your mind. I don’t want to spoil anything for prospective players, but as seen in the multiple trailers that preceded the game itself, snowmobiles, silenced snipers, heartbeat sensors, and steering television-guided missiles are among the many amazing things that come in this package. I have played the entire campaign through twice since the game’s release midnight on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 -- the first time on regular difficulty and a second time on veteran difficulty -- and it definitely did not get old in between. Imagine a blockbuster action cinematic -- but you’re the hero.

More: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Reviews
2) Challenge: The single-player campaign from Modern Warfare 2 is very challenging, more so than that from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Some might see this as a con, but I deem it otherwise. I would say that playing the campaign on regular is approximately equivalent to playing COD4’s campaign on hardened. Regular to hardened represents a reasonable level of difficulty; veteran, however (and speaking from experience for the entire campaign) is, at some points, nigh impossible, and I’m NOT exaggerating. On two or three missions there were certain points where I died probably about two dozen times before managing to fight past the enemies or figure out a way to evade them. This, however frustrating, makes for all-the-greater amount of satisfaction when you beat the level, though.

Cons:
1) Storyline: Although the storyline flows reasonably well for the most part, there are one or two crucial turning points in the campaign that, simply put, just don’t make too much sense to me. This is kind of jarring to a player who places emphasis on believability and cohesiveness. However, the fun of the campaign is damaged only slightly by this.

Campaign Overall Rankings:
Story: 3.5 stars
Action: 5 stars
Variety: 5 stars
Challenge: 5 stars
Replay Value: 4 stars
Overall: 4.5 stars

Special Ops Missions:
Background Info:
The special ops missions are additional content missions that, for the most part, resemble campaign missions from either Modern Warfare 2’s single-player campaign or, on occasion, from that of Call of Duty 4. You can play the missions solo or with a friend on split screen or over Xbox Live, etc. The ops are divided into 5 categories of difficulty, Alpha through Echo. You unlock the higher levels by earning certain amounts of “stars” in the spec-ops missions. For most missions, the number of stars you earn (1-3) depends on the difficulty of the mission that you set (Regular-Veteran). There are 69 possible stars total, which means there are 23 spec-ops missions. I have unlocked all levels through Delta so far, and each has 5 missions, which presumably means that Echo category has only 3, albeit they are surely very challenging.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2  Buy it now

Pros:
1) Action: Spec-ops missions have several different determinants when determining how much action is in a given mission. Among these determinants are the mission type (more on that in just a second), difficulty, and playstyle. Some missions are definitely run-and-gun, others you will need to rely on stealth, and some the choice is really up to you. Personally, I like the ability to determine how to play a mission to some degree.

2) Variety: The Modern Warfare 2 Spec-ops missions have a lot to offer in terms of different playstyles and objectives. Each mission is categorized based on how it plays in general. Examples of categories include stealth, wave defense, race, assault, and timed assault. The environments also vary a lot, just like that in the campaign, which many of the environments are based off of. So, if you love sniping Ultranationalist dog patrols in the snow, there’s something for you; same story if you want to run-and-gun through a marketplace in Rio de Janeiro defusing bombs before the clock runs out.

3) Challenge: Once again, Modern Warfare 2 comes up challenging, and once again I state this as a pro. Although there are slight variations based on the individual missions, the difficulty you set can make a huge difference. I have played through all of the Alpha and Bravo missions on veteran difficulty and the decisions a player makes, as well as how you work with your teammate in split-screen or online co-op, can make a huge difference. Players will also be forced to use good judgment, such as in the stealth missions when they decide whether they should engage or try to sneak past.

Cons:
I really can’t think of anything I would genuinely change about the Spec-ops mode. The only thing I can think of that frustrates me is that I definitely pay for my mistakes on the harder difficulties -- but that’s to be expected, right?

Special Ops Overall Rankings:
Story: N/A
Action: 5 stars
Variety: 5 stars
Challenge: 5 stars
Replay Value: 4 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2  Screenshots & Video

Multiplayer:
Pros:
1) Maps: For the most part, the maps in Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer mode are very well-done. Most of them are larger than those in Call of Duty 4, although there are still some nice small ones like Rust that can be fun with as few as 2-6 people. The main thing I notice about the maps is the vast increase in dynamics. Nearly all the maps have many routes from point A to point B, whether that be across a street, along some back alleys, underneath in a tunnel, or over the rooftops. The environments themselves are quite interesting, and the graphics are, of course, exemplary. All the gametypes I have played (mainly Team Deathmatch, Sabotage, and Capture the Flag) work well in terms of where players start, where they spawn, and how they can approach the game.

2) Equipment: The sheer amount of STUFF you can acquire in Modern Warfare 2’s leveling-up system will blow your mind. While the number of weapons is increased about a third to a half again that of Call of Duty 4 -- with additions of new firearms, some of which replace others that have been removed, as well as a number of new equipment and sidearm options -- the number of ways to customize said weapons has at least doubled. Whereas in COD4 one could only put one of three equipment attachments on a given weapon (four if you count the grenade launcher, the others being silencer, red-dot sight, and ACOG scope), there are at least 6 for pretty much every gun in Modern Warfare 2. Examples of new attachments include the heartbeat sensor, extended magazines, full-metal jacketed bullets, underslung shotgun, and holographic sight. This variety provides tons of fun when unlocking new attachments by completing challenges and experimenting with different customizations. On top of this, with the bling perk, one can put two attachments on the same weapon, allowing even greater possibilities when building your loadout with the class customization tool.

3) Other Variety: Some other aspects of multiplayer have also been expanded on in Modern Warfare 2 from Call of Duty 4. Some that bear particular mention include the killstreak bonuses, perks, and game modes.

A) Killstreaks: Whereas in COD4 there were three killstreak bonuses (UAV radar, Airstrike, and Attack Helicopter, given at 3, 5, and 7 kill streaks respectively), there are 15 in Modern Warfare 2. Some examples of new ones are predator missile strike, stealth bomber run, AC130, EMP, and (the one that scares me the most) Tactical Nuke, the description for which simply says “End the game with a bang.” However, you don’t gain them all at once (that would turn games into ridiculous streak-fests). Instead, at certain levels you are able to unlock another killstreak bonus, having started out with UAV, a new bonus called Care Package, and Predator Missile strike. Once a player has more than three bonuses unlocked, the player can choose, at any time prior to any game, which three to have active.

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B) Perks: Perks, for those not familiar, are selected bonuses or abilities that a player selects as part of their class when playing multiplayer. There are several new perks in the game that confer interesting and useful, but not overpowered, abilities. Additionally, prolonged use of a perk now eventually allows the achievement and use of a “pro” version of the perk, that gives an additional bonus. A few examples of this are the Bling and Stopping Power perks. Bling “Pro” allows a player to extend the bonus of Bling (two attachments on primary weapon) to the player’s secondary weapon or sidearm. Stopping Power “Pro” gives the player an additional damage bonus against vehicles.

C) Game Modes: I am very happy that there are a few new game modes in Modern Warfare 2, particularly with the inclusion of an all-time favorite, Capture the Flag. Other new additions include a gametype called demolition and several traditional game types that are played in third-person mode, similar to Gears of War.

4) Volume: Whereas Call of Duty 4 had 55 levels in any given progression, Modern Warfare 2 has 70. Add that to 14 different online playlists and 16 starting maps (and Activision has announced at least 2 DLC map packs will be on the way), there is a great deal of replay value in Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer.

Cons:
1) Party Chat: It’s in practically every review, I know, but I should include it anyways: most playlists in Modern Warfare 2 (all except Mercenary Team Deathmatch, Free-for-All, Ground War, 3rd Person Teams, and 3rd Person Cage Match) require you to be in game chat mode -- no talking to friends who aren’t in the game over a separate party. This isn’t an extremely big problem in my opinion, but it can be slightly annoying, especially if there is someone else in the game who is being annoying. However, you always have the option of muting particular players. If you really wanted to, you could just mute everyone in the playlist except your friends, unless they’re not playing with you.

2) Particular Maps: This is a purely subjective con, but I’ll throw it in here anyway. One or two (and only one or two) of the multiplayer maps are not very well built for gameplay, in my opinion. If you buy the game, I personally would advise trying to avoid Wasteland, but maybe that’s just me. For the most part, nearly all the maps are quite fun.

Neutral Comments:
This is a section where I’ll mention just a few of the differences between Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2 that don’t fall into pro or con in my opinion.

1) Death: Simply put, you die easier in Modern Warfare 2. Whether this is a move to reflect realism, a “consequence” of more advanced firearms, or just a change Infinity Ward happened to make, it is a reality. It took me an hour or so to get used to it, but it’s just part of the game, and it’s the same for everybody playing. I don’t think this is a positive or negative change.

Multiplayer Overall Rankings:
Story: N/A
Action: 4.5 stars
Variety: 5 stars
Challenge: N/A (depends on other players)
Replay Value: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Total Game Overall Rankings:
Story: 3.5 stars
Action: 4.8 stars
Variety: 5 stars
Challenge: 5 stars
Replay Value: 4.3 stars
Overall: 4.8 stars

Would I recommend this game to a friend?: YES

Band Hero is a guilty pleasure – review

There are 2 groups of people that typically play Guitar Hero: Those who are score obsessed… they are all about mastering the most challenging of songs and having the highest scores on the leaderboards. Then there are those who love having a group of their friends over to play plastic instruments and yell at the top of their lungs for hours on end. For the most part…I fall into the second category.

I have loved every entry in the Rock Band series, and more recently fell in love with Guitar Hero 5. However, these games have failed me in one vital area: the soundtrack for these games is kinda niche. Oftentimes when friends or family would come over for a “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band” party, it would turn into each of them taking turns scrolling through hundreds of alternative, progressive, or heavy metal songs until they find one or two that they know and KINDA LIKE… and since they don’t necessarily own a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game, they aren’t overly concerned about scores or anything like that…they just want to play music they know and love. That is where Band Hero swoops in to save the day (or at least save my party!!)

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Rather than focusing on niche genres of music, Band Hero does the exact opposite… Band Hero’s soundtrack is focused on Pop music. The very definition of POP MUSIC is music that is popular… songs that everyone knows and loves. And I have to say, Band Hero delivers. There is some great music on Band Hero. Granted, the setlist on Guitar Hero 5 was more appealing to me personally… but Band Hero’s setlist will be a HUGE hit at my next party, which, thanks to Band Hero, will be more of a “Karaoke party that also features all of the cool Guitar Hero elements for those interested” than a “Guitar Hero party”. Here are some of my observations about the game:

*The Music -- As I mentioned, the game focuses on pop music, with artists ranging from Yellowcard to Hillary Duff to Taylor Swift to No Doubt and so on. There are several “guilty pleasures” songs that, while I wouldn’t admit enjoying any other time, will be a HUGE hit when having friends over to play (especially my wife’s friends)… like The Spice Girls, Taylor Swift, Joss Stone. There are even classic songs like “Rio” by Duran Duran, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” by Culture Club, and “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas (right?)… and cmon…who can really claim not to love singing any of those songs? Sure, they are really easy to play on guitar/bass/drums for the most part…. but they are fun. Besides, if you want a challenge…check out the SONG IMPORT feature!

Buy it now: Band Hero

*Song Import: For a small fee, you can import 61 songs from Guitar Hero 5, and several of the songs from Guitar Hero Smash Hits and Guitar Hero World Tour. Before importing Guitar Hero 5 (and after importing smash hits and world tour), I already had a total of 140 songs available to play in Band Hero! So, in addition to the pop songs included on the disk, I am also able to include alot of the great and more challenging songs from Guitar Hero 5 (like “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Medicate”, and lots of other great stuff!!!)

*Downloadable Content: Like Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero:World Tour, Band Hero includes an in-game music store that allows you to purchase additional songs. Hopefully, this means that, in addition to the more hardcore downloadable songs available for Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero will also be getting downloadable pop music! Also, most (if not all) of the dlc that you purchase for Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero World Tour are AUTOMATICALLY playable in Band Hero! If, however, you want these to be excluded from Band Hero, there is a place in the Options menu that allows dlc to be disabled. With downloadable content and importing the songs from other versions of Guitar Hero, I should have a library of over 200 song available for playing in Band Hero by the end of the week!

Band Hero screenshots and video.

*Band Hero = Guitar Hero 5 with more neon lights: Guitar Hero 5 for Wii is a game that any person with a Wii should own. Period. It was the first of the rhythm games to use high-capacity sd cards, effectively adding a hard drive to your Wii. It had AWESOME features like Party Play mode, drop-in and drop-out multiplayer, and the ability change difficulty on the fly. “Beginner” difficulty is also included, which will allow ANYONE to pick up this game and start playing, no matter what skill level. And then there was the AWESOME, Wii-exclusive “Roadie Battle” mode that allowed someone to sit on the sideline with a DS and sabotage other players…. PRICELESS!!! ALL of the features from Guitar Hero 5 are also implemented in Band Hero. That automatically makes Band Hero AWESOME. Period.

 

I really hope Band Hero sells well. Activision took a great game and made it more marketable. Between DJ Hero, Band Hero, and Guitar Hero 5, there is no longer any excuse for people not to jump in and enjoy rythym gaming. Unless you hate music and hate fun, you should own this game. =) Some parents/players were put off by some of the art style used in the Guitar Hero games (lots of skulls, demons, lightning bolts, and heavy metal)… and those people will be happy to know that the look and feel used in Band Hero is more family friendly…they’ve replaced those things with neon lights, starbursts, glitter, floodlights… it really feels like “Guitar Hero” meets “The MTV VMA Awards”. I really enjoy the game, and hope you will too!!

Lego Rock Band undeniably adorable

When developer Traveller’s Tales make the Lego games, one common criticism is that there’s not much that changes from previous games other than the license. How apt it feels then to have them do a Lego version of Rock Band and surprisingly it doesn’t suck. But then again it’s not perfect by any stretch and there’s some annoyances that really grind my gears so to speak but then I’m an adult and when you mention the term “Lego Rock Band”, it feels like you’re 4 talking about quantum physics, it just doesn’t look right, does it? Keep in mind there’s nothing wrong with the game and I actually smiled quite a few times playing the game but then as far as gameplay is concerned I noticed some step downs from Rock Band 2 and even the Beatles game that I wish weren’t part of this game. Families won’t mind but if you’re looking for more songs to play than you’re kind of out of luck.

This is kind of a simple review since it’s not really that story extensive or there’s much to talk about so I’ll just mention the gameplay. Personally, as a frequent Rock Band 2 player I’m not exactly digging the interface. Keep in mind I’m mainly a drummer in these kind of games so I’ll chat about that with some mentions later of the guitar. If you play on expert you know how vitally important it is to distinguish when to hit a certain pad and cymbal together and when it’s just one or the other in more complicated sections. I don’t know if it’s just me but I found it really hard to tell what to play when the bass pedal got more active and there was more notes as opposed to Harmonix games where I could easily tell and more than once I couldn’t tell if it was just one note or a double tap or if the note was exactly on the bass pedal or in front of it. As far as the guitar is concerned, this was where it got tricky since at times it was hard to tell what was 2 separate notes and what was hammer-ons/pull-offs and while it’s easily understood in lazier sections, when things get kicked up a notch, you’re like “wait, are these all hammer-ons or separate notes?”

More Lego Rock Band Reviews.

Another annoyance is in regards to the setlist during story in that it doesn’t give you the option to automatically pick the next set. For example, the game is telling me to advance I need to play a Rock Challenge (describe those in a minute) at a certain set yet I can’t see it, well turns out I had to go to my Rock Den where you can buy your instruments, decorate your lair and customize your character, pick another vehicle and play the set. Why isn’t it like Rock Band 2 where upgrading your vehicle automatically upgrades your tour dates? For the rock challenges, these are actually quite fun even though they’re just regular old playthroughs of songs, catch is you have to perform and through the power of rock, something special as to happen. The first you’ll run into is to demolish a building with a Hives song (because it rocks? or because it’s terrible and the building couldn’t take it?). The one that practically had me smiling ear to ear though was where you have to exorcise ghosts from a mansion and what better way to do that than Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters”.

Lego Rock Band video and screenshots.

As far as the setlist, it’s incredibly odd. There’s some songs for the younger kiddies like Ghostbusters and even Kung Fu Fighting and Pink and songs that I’d personally would love to have in Rock Band 2 such as Summer of 69, You Give Love a Bad Name, and wouldn’t you know it, another Foo Fighters song (seriously Harmonix, we don’t need their entire catalogue as DLC, stop) but then you get indie bands barely anybody knows about and while I’m glad to see more Queen, I’m not lying when I say We Will Rock You is one of the most repetitive drum charts I’ve ever seen. Not to mention it’s actually a short setlist and while DLC from RB1/RB2 will work, only select ones that have been cleared will transfer over which makes for some weird moments when the random song set gave me Won’t Get Fooled Again, still one of the hardest Expert drum songs there is and at 7-8 minutes long, a curious entry to a family game with decidely short attention spans. Speaking of, there’s a Super Easy mode where all you really have to do is hit the notes, regardless of what it is and you’ll pass which sounds good for players but considering No Fail option is here, it feels kind of superflous. Oh and there’s an option to have automatic kick drums too. Too bad this wasn’t available for Visions, eh?

I think most people will just buy this game so they can export the setlist to Rock Band 2 or if they’re into family games. While there’s some songs here I’d love to have as DLC, the game itself feels like a step back despite the fact it’s undeniably adorable.

Buy Now: Lego Rock Band

Dragon Age Origins an immersive single player RPG

Dragon Age is a kind of game that is becoming increasingly rare: a deeply immersive single-player RPG with an interface clearly designed for the PC. It’s easy to sling around the word “immersive” at any game that looks pretty, but DA isn’t messing around -- the world of Ferelden shows a unified sense of design and depth that blows even famously vast games like Oblivion out of the water. Coupled with consistently excellent writing and across-the-board quality character design even down to relatively unimportant NPCs, the game truly does feel like it’s reacting to your choices dynamically from the very beginning, and how you play your character can have amazingly subtle effects on the way the story unfolds.

More Reviews: Dragon Age: Origins

Graphically, the game’s a little uneven. All the design elements are there, and it has plenty of high-quality textures and strong environmental visuals -- particularly fire effects. The polygons themselves, particularly on character faces, are a little simpler than you’d expect from a 2009 game. Overall, the game looks about on level with Oblivion, although the visual distinctiveness and design ethic of areas and characters are significantly better. Animation stands out as a strong suit here, particularly during the game’s frequent dialog sequences, with none of the dead-eyed staring or bizarre walk cycles that plagued other RPGs like Fallout 3.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward, and very much in keeping with previous Bioware titles like Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect. You control a party of up to four characters, each of whom develops a plethora of useful abilities to keep track of. The inclusion of a minor programming element (very much in keeping with the gambit system from Final Fantasy XII) will let you set up a few default actions on each character so you’re not stuck frantically switching between them to make sure they drink their healing potions, but battles frequently require some degree of tactical planning. Setting up ambushes and planning your party strategy to play to strengths is necessary to get through some tougher areas. The interface is, shockingly, clearly tailor-made for the PC (the console versions have their own interfaces designed from the bottom up and are apparently easier games to allow for the sacrifice in easy access to skills). You have an insane number of quick-access slots, and nearly the entire keyboard is bound to one thing or another. It’s the kind of interface that hasn’t been in vogue since before the PS2 came out. The game is extremely linear, although the frequent and varied dialog options give it the feel of a more free-roaming game, and it’s very tempting to go back and replay huge chunks of the game just to see how the complex and dynamic conversations will play out. The main downside is that there’s no easy way to level-grind, which is to the game’s benefit to a point (no tedious circling around killing wolves) but occasionally means you can get in over your head.

Screenshots, Video: Dragon Age: Origins

What the game sacrifices in terms of sandbox free-roaming it more than makes up with in the excellent writing and characterization. An absurd attention to detail and across-the-board excellent voice acting breathes a lot of life into the game’s conversations, which make up a significant chunk of gameplay. Characters are extremely varied and the interplay between them is a major draw, a trademark of Bioware’s games, but Dragon Age has some of the most likable characters I’ve ever seen in a video game and the excellent performances from talents like Tim Curry, Kate Mulgrew and Claudia Black really put the game a notch above. Even the game’s fairly generic-on-the-surface fantasy world is livened up by a few critical details -- for example, the elves in Dragon Age are a massive underclass of servants.

It’s actually difficult to find things to level complaints against in this game. One petty gripe is Morrigan’s visual design -- her character is one of the game’s strongest, and she has great personality and some very clever writing, but visually she’s a pair of giant breasts with a cloth draped improbably over them. Other women in the game are treated with a bit more restraint, though, and female armor is gratifyingly sensible. Another issue is that it can be difficult to manage battles on the fly, and accurately targeting enemies with skills frequently requires tactical pausing just to line the cursor up over their relatively small active areas. It’s a petty annoyance, but the game clearly wasn’t meant to be played Diablo-style anyway.

A few other things to know about the game:
-The game is mostly DRM-free, and ships only with a simple disc check. EA has a reputation for fouling up its customers’ computers with DRM malware, but DA seems to be free of those problems.
-If Dragon Age were a movie, it would be rated R. I don’t remember ever seeing any swearing, oddly, but the game is rife with violent imagery, extremely dark themes and frank sexuality (including a handful of relatively tasteful sex scenes and occasional demonic nudity). The game handles all of it with maturity and depth, but it’s clearly not meant for children, and even parents of younger teens should be cautious.

Overall, Dragon Age is one of the strongest games to come out in recent memory, and is another installment in Bioware’s increasing resume of superbly-written RPGs. Players looking for a fast-paced hack-and-slash “rpg” should look elsewhere, but anyone who likes deep and elegant plot development, memorable characters and excellent role-playing will love this game.

Buy it now: Dragon Age: Origins

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