FROM Software’s latest game, Dark Souls, has grown to become a huge phenomenon. An action RPG where you get to create and customize your character to set off into the land of Lordran in order to restore the land to its once former glory or….leave it to rot–Now, for those of you who have a very low patience and are easily prone to destroying a game after you have died more than 500 times, this might not be the game for you. To play this game you must be prepared to die. Again. And again. In the most horrifyingly and most humiliating way possible. Did I mention you die many, many times in this game? Just wanted to let you know. If there is one thing I have learned by playing Dark Souls is that the game hates you. I’m not talking about “Hey buddy, I hate ya! – Yea, I hate you too.” I mean, “Die. Die! DIE!” The devs at FROM Software have assured that this game is much, much more difficult than its spiritual predecessor, “Demon Souls.” One of the game’s concepts is of “Trial and Error” which most gamers who have played “Demon Souls” have experienced a couple times. If you did it wrong the first time, try about 500x more and see if you don’t find another way to do it right.

The game starts out with your customization of your character. The customization is very detailed in which there are many options.

Available options:
-Male/Female
-Skin & Hair Colour
-Maturity (Old, Young, In between?? Choose what you want.)
-Body Appearance (Big Head? Super-Skinny Body? SML/M/L/XL Body?)
-Specific Details (Nose length, Jaw Size, Thickness)
-Gift (i.e. Rings, Firebombs, Story Item, Master Key, etc. – Depending on item, ability may vary)
-Class (See (++) Subcategory)
++Warrior
++Knight
++Wanderer
++Pyromancer (Specializing in Fire Spells)
++Sorcerer (Specializing in Magic Spells)
++Thief (Automatically equipped with “Master Keys”)
++Bandit
++Cleric (Specializing in Miracle Spells)
++Deprived (Only equipped with a wooden club and wooden plank shield)

Each of the 9 classes come equipped with differences that the player will acquire at the beginning of the game. Each come customized to match the players class (i.e. The sorcerer comes equipped with a high Intelligence stat which is critical stat if one wishes to become a powerful sorcerer. And with being a sorcerer, the player shall start out with a basic Sorceror’s spell (Soul Arrow) and his primary weapon will be his Sorcerer’s Catalyst (Staff).)

Note: The class of “Deprived” is a class known most used by expert players and/or players who have experienced Demon Souls or have passed Dark Souls once. Although, the player starts out with all stats at 11, their beginning loadout is very limited, starting out with no armour whatsoever and only equipped with a broken sword and a plank shield, this makes it difficult for even the most experienced player to go through the beginning.

Throughout the game, there are three options that you will have pertaining to life. One; You can remain a hollow (A dark, and empty husk of a corpse [in which the player starts out as.]) Two; Use up a humanity and revive into a human [Humanities are small black sprites which like Humans, have no exact purpose in life. These are vital in order to become a human again.] Three; You can will die, this will be occurring a lot throughout the course of the game.

The Lore
In the game, there is an ancient story that sets the stage for the adventure you embark on, it tells of how the world rose and how it came to be. (See below for the lore.)

In the Age of Ancients,
The world was unformed, shrouded by fog.
A land of grey crags, archtrees, and everlasting dragons.

But then there was Fire,
And with Fire came Disparity.
Heat and cold, life and death, and of course… Light and Dark.

Then, from the Dark, They came.
And found the Souls of Lords within the flame.

Nito, the first of the dead,
The Witch of Izalith, and her daughters of chaos,
Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his faithful knights,
And the furtive pygmy, so easily forgotten.

With the Strength of Lords, they challenged the dragons.
Gwyn’s mighty bolts peeled apart their stone scales,
The witches weaved great firestorms,
Nito unleashed a miasma of death and disease,
And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own, and the dragons were no more…

Thus began the Age of Fire…
But soon, the flames will fade, and only Dark will remain.

Even now, there are only embers, and man sees not light, but only endless nights,
And amongst the living are seen, carriers of the accursed Darksign.

Now, if you just read that and have no idea what that was about, don’t feel alone. Most people didn’t really get what the main point of the story was, yet most continued playing it for the sheer pleasure (pain) of playing it. Heck, no one really questioned Super Mario Bros. when it first came out, they just played through it. You are fighting for something, but that “something” will be determined by you over the course of the game, whether you will follow the dark path or follow the path with the burning light of fire; it will be up to you.

Gameplay

As the gameplay goes, you will be a able to control you character from a 3rd Person PoV. It would be a bit difficult to attack a person if it weren’t for the lock-on system, which allows you to focus your attack at a specific character, whether it be an enemy or another player. Strategy is crucial in a fight, which is why it not really recommended using one weapon or spell (unless you really know what you’re doing). In order for one to win, you must learn how to balance your skills. Weapons and Magic, Speed and Strength, Vitality and Damage; all things thing that are come into play in battle.

If you spend most of your time as a “hollow,” you will only be attack by the AI’s. A rather lonesome world, but there are somethings that show you that you are not alone. Everywhere in the game you will find “player hints,” which are messages left by other players playing in the same area as you who will either help you along your journey (i.e. “Be wary of Fall,” “Treasure ahead.”) or will deceive you in your journey (i.e. “Safe Area Ahead” and then you find out there is a huge boss there.). In my experience, most tips were helpful, but never be too gullible, there are people out there who just wanna sit back and watch the world burn. As for player hints, you will also be able to see “ghosts” of players near your vicinity. While they are vague, blue and aren’t shown them in complete detail, they are actual players playing in the same world as you, going through the same obstacles as you and experiencing the same enemies as you. It gives you a sense of hope, that you’re not the only one going through this hell-hole. Near bonfires you will be able to see other players in full detail as they rest and repair their weapons and armour.

Along with the encouraging online features, there are other features that can sometimes discourage a player. Along your travels, you will find bloodstains. Upon standing near a bloodstain, you will have the option to press the interact button, by pressing that button, players will be able to see a recorded image of another players death that has occurred recently. The recorded image can show the player falling into the abyss, being eaten by a demon or even backstabbed by another player. The bloodstain itself has a timer in which it will eventually disappear, but it will be gone if the original player who died there goes back to the spot to collect his/her items.

During your travels you will meet other Hollows sent to this realm who slowly wither away until they become insane, until then they’re here to help you.

Visuals

Not only does this game have exquisite small details, but the grand views are really what grab your attention. Blending in a mixture of many elements, each world or “level” has it’s own unique style and atmosphere as too which the player will be playing in. Many times, you can find messages saying, “Gorgeous View” or “Amazing View Ahead” and they’re not just talking about Princess Gwynevere’s sweet chest. Haha! I mean, her chest filled with magnificent items. Right…

Overall, the visuals in this game go beyond anything I could have expected.

Sounds

For the most part of the game, it is without music during regular play when you are going about the free-roam world. The empty void of musiclessness is filled by the many sound effects that create a perfect scenery. You’ll find that those sounds can either create a harmonious and peaceful enviroment while others will fill you with fear and paranoia. You encounter music whenever there is importance in an area, such as the safe area you appear at the beginning of the game, the chamber of the princess or the large and climactic boss battles. All and all, the Dark Souls Original Soundtrack was very pleasing and is worth a listen.

Multiplayer

When the game first came out in October (USA), the co-op wasn’t taken so well amongst gamers. It was very difficult to play with friends, ever since the 1.05 Update in November, that problem along with many other glitches and bugs have been fixed and with that came a great boom in the Dark Souls community, more and more people have gotten together to help each other out in-game. Whenever alive, it’s possible to co-op with other players seeking to help out, but along with being alive you have a chance of having another player invade your world. When that happens, you must either deal with the invader a kill him off or make a run to the boss gate. It’s always a good idea to have one or two other phatoms assisting you, let them take care of it to save your own skin and make a quick getaway or take advantage and wipe that grin off their face by making a crude gesture after eliminating them.

Summary

All in all, this game was well worth my 60$, the gameplay is incredible, the multiplayer is outstanding when you get the chance to play with others and the replay value really gave me my money’s worth. Although there is no real sense of direction, it leaves the player to go out and explore to see what they can and can’t to at that moment. Dark Souls is a game that can let a player choose what to do, however they choose to do so and how their appearance will show in during the game and even during the video cut scenes. I would recommend his game to anyone out there who is interested and a great and challenging RPG that can bring any nostalgic gamer back to the days of the NES, and I can proudly say that Dark Souls deserves the Nintendo-HARD Seal of Approval.

The game starts off in the present day where Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan are in English pub. The minute the game begins you encounter action commands of sequenced of events and feel as if you were beating down the opponents yourselves. The game flashbacks to Nathan’s past and introduces how he met Victor and how he found Sir Francis’s ring which connects all of what happened in both in Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2. It also introduces new story plots and explains a lot of the back history of the Uncharted storyline. The game itself had a lot of interesting and unique chapters. The game itself is known for its significant historical references such as quoting from T.E Lawrence, a British archaeologist as well as words, maps, symbols giving reference to different historical landmarks and events. The campaign’s chapters all varied and had each its own unique individual experience. One chapter involved Nathan grasping for his life as he is stuck upon plane flying thousands of meters in the air, beating down the bad guys. Another chapter takes place in ship where the objective is to escape before you succumb to a watery grave.

Playing through the game there was these  “goose bumps moments” where I felt as if I were wrapped up in the moments where Nathan Drake is grasping for his life. I’m an avid fan of the series and the ending was amazing part of the game. The ending gave you wanting more and was adrenaline pumping till the end. The storyline as well as newly introduced characters were the key to the plot. Drake and Victor being pitted against Katherine Marlowe and her lackey Talbot was intense with the backdrop of Drake’s quest of his childhood transition into adulthood and survival to his limits and his conquering of his deepest fears.

The game took me about 6-8 hours over the course of two days to beat (Yep, non-stop), I managed to collect several trophies and collected all of the hidden unique treasures scattered throughout the world. Naughty Dog decided to remove all unlockable cheats and skins for the story mode which was a great idea. Once I beat Uncharted Drakes Fortune , I didn’t even bother using the unlockables of the story mode having played Hard Mode and the cheats themselves voiding any trophies or progression and merely added for a “fun factor”.

The game mechanics as well as graphics have improved since the previous installment. The physics visuals and environmental effects are very vivid and breathtaking. The environments are realistic with animations such as fire from burning buildings, smoke, as well as water effect of the ocean. The game has expanded its acrobatic actions as well as gunplay. The player can take cover and utilize blind-fire as well as use stealth attacks to take out their opponents. The game also has its usual Uncharted feel where you have to solve puzzles provided clues in order to progress throughout the game. The game also did a great job of providing the rush feel of having to do parker across buildings chasing down enemies, escaping to save your life, and even moments where you had to ride a horse and shoot down the enemies, which was a fun chapter might I add.

If the campaign wasn’t enough to fulfill the Uncharted fans with their needs. The multiplayer was also fun and addictive, with both co-op and multiplayer modes. The game features multiple player modes such Team Deathmatch, Free for All, Co-Op Arena, Co-Op Hunter Arena, as well as Co-Op Adventure. The modes all vary in the types of guns, kickbacks (which are known as the kill streaks), as well as the difficulty. I spent hours on the co-op arena as well as the co-op adventure, which is sweet when you have some buddies behind you taking out the baddies ahead of you. The competitive modes are fun as well with its unique system of medal kickbacks, power plays (where a losing team is provided an opportunity to catch up), and the buddy system (a system where you are placed with another player so that spawning is faster).

On a final note I give Uncharted 3 Drake’s Deception a 4 out of 5 for its adrenaline filled adventure full of breathtaking visuals and unique gameplay. Uncharted has done it again and deserves the top treasure (no pun intended). What are you waiting for? Go out and explore you pirate! Arrghhh! (Excuse my bad pirate impersonation).

Making use of the criticism Sonic Colors garnered, Sega was capable of recreating an entirely new game for the current generation of consoles that literally takes Sonic back to his glory days, re-imagining what fans saw back in the early 90′s.  It’s great to see Sega treading back to Sonic’s glory days, and I’m proud to say that Sonic the Hedgehog is back to redeem himself after the many failures gamers endured through the years, this time with a little help from himself.

The Sonic universe is at a total stand still where past and present come together building up one of the best Sonic experiences we’ve had in a long while. While racing through a timeless world, Sonic encounters his younger self and must work together to restore time back to where it was. Blazing at high speeds, gamers will run through beautifully re-imagined areas of Sonic’s past once more to uncover the mysterious force that lurks through time and space.

The unoriginal plot will be forgotten by fans, and for good reason. Where the story lacks, the gameplay makes up for it. Players will take control of either Classic Sonic or Modern Sonic and blaze their way through many zones we’ve come to love as Sonic fans. Both Modern and Classic offer up different styles of play, each with their unique actions and perspectives and offering up hours upon hours of addictive gameplay elements.

Taking gamers back 20 years, Classic Sonic’s gameplay consist of fast-paced, addicting, 2D side-scrolling action that fans of the original Sega titles should be familiar with. The classic 2D side scrolling gameplay is kept intense as Classic Sonic makes his way through the lush areas of Green Hill Zone at his trademark blazing hot speeds, or shimming his way through a sky bound temple of the Sanctuary Zone while the Death Egg rises in the background giving gamers a great sense of nostalgia.  With the help of the Hedgehog Engine, players will be able to spin-dash their way through loops and corkscrews at invigorating speeds.

Classic Sonic is stripped away from Sonic’s boost abilities and stripped of his ability to utilize the homing attack against his foes throughout the game, although the homing attack can be unlocked and equipped via skill set later on in the game. The player will have to rely on speed, a simple jump button, and the spin-dash in order to get by in the classic levels. The intensity of Sonic’s speed varies on how the player is able to maintain a steady path towards the goal. There are multiple paths to be taken in each level. Depending on how quick the player’s eyes and thumbs correspond together, they can take higher paths that are much quicker, however far more demanding of the player’s skills. Or, if things are a little too difficult, they can take the lower paths that require a little less skill but ask for a little more time. At any rate, the Classic Sonic gameplay is an engaging experience for those who are nostalgic over Sonic’s Genesis days. Fans will savor the Classic Sonic levels, as they are a joyous stroll through memory lane, and a reminder as to why they’re Sonic fans to begin with.

In contrast, Modern Sonic changes things up a bit. The modern gameplay will place the camera behind Sonic at all times giving the player a completely different perspective of the world around them. The 3D perspective adds in a lot more flavor to the classic Sonic gameplay we’ve come to love by granting Sonic his signature homing attack and boosting abilities, as seen in the more recent title Sonic Unleashed. The boosting ability can be triggered using the square button and can be triggered whenever Sonic’s boost meter is filled up. When boosting, Sonic becomes nearly invincible, allowing him to ram into enemies without taking in any damage.  Boosting adds a lot more intensity to the Modern levels and feels extremely satisfying as he makes his way to the goal ring. There are also Quick Step sections throughout the modern levels. Quick Step gives Sonic the ability to quickly move to the left or right without losing any momentum, and it’s an awfully fun move when speeding through a level. Quickstep works beautifully as Sonic smashes into oncoming enemies by knocking them into other foes, or walls. Yellow boost pads only add to the fun, as it will allow Sonic to perform a few cool stunts while sustained in mid-air. Moving the left stick in any given direction can do this, then when the player is ready to end the combination of tricks, pressing the R1 and L1 buttons add in a finishing move. The more stunts Sonic can perform, the more boost will be added to his boost meter.

Playing as Modern Sonic in Green Hill Zone was an exciting venture for me all thanks to the blazing fast speeds and the opportunity of viewing Green Hill Zone in a way I never thought possible. Speeding my way through the rampant sectors of the fan favorite level filled me up with delight at every jump, turn, and loop. Grinding through Green Hill Zone was simply awesome.

The Modern Sonic gameplay is not perfect though. I found there to be many control errors throughout a few sections of the game where the controls were completely irresponsive. When I was making may way down a few straight paths, the R1 and L1 Quick Step buttons refused to work when trying to dodge oncoming walls, causing me to take in damage and lose a few rings. There are also sections where Sonic can use his Ring Dash ability. However, thanks to some control flaws, I was unable to execute the ability properly. I repeated this multiple times, specifically on Planet Wisp, and no go. After a few attempts, I got it through but that required the mashing of the triangle button multiple times. It became rather frustrating. The Modern Sonic gameplay also feels a bit floaty during platforming sections, but it won’t be much of a hassle as Sonic will mostly be homing in on enemies or boosting through the level.

The boss battles in Generations are all redone for the more modern Sonic fans. They’re extremely fun, but incredibly short. The first boss battle Sonic encounters will be the DeathEgg Robot from Sonic 2 in which only Classic Sonic can fight against. The Boss Battle, while fun in its many ways, can be taken down within a minute’s time. The same goes for many boss battles including the rivalry fights against Metal Sonic, Shadow and Silver. Again, each is incredibly fun, but incredibly short as well.  Had Sega made them a little longer, it would’ve made for a much more fun experience. I wish Sega had given the boss battles classic and modern versions rather than being locked in for one Sonic.

There’s no doubt that you’ll comeback to replay through all of the levels or boss battles out of pure pleasure and delight. There’s plenty to do in Sonic Generations including discovering an abundance of unlockable content within the challenge modes, or collecting the Red Rings from each individual level, or perhaps fighting through a rivalry battle between Metal Sonic, Shadow, or Silver.

The level designs are magnificent! The landscape across the map as Sonic jumps through a loop or accelerates through a jump pad can be a sight for sore eyes. The landscapes and scales of each zone become a jaw dropping adventure for the player. Flying freely through the skies of Green Hill Zone while looking off in the distance to see a lovely blue ocean glimmering in the sunlight, the far off loops and hills casting back in bright green, the small lakes and ponds in between the tracks, and the lovely white waterfall raining down as Sonic jumps through it redefines “re-imagination”.  The zones and locations in Sonic Generations are beautifully constructed be it through the temples of the Sky Sanctuary Zone or through the evergreen areas of Planet Wisp.

Attention to detail in the game is a key reason for its visually stunning success in such places as Speed Highway or the Perfect Chaos Boss fight. While riding away on a chopper in Speed Highway, I noticed Sonic’s reflection being casted back at him from the glass buildings, or perhaps during the Perfect Chaos battle, when Chaos sends Sonic a line of raging water to attack him, I noted a watery Sonic reflection within the water. Sure, it’s just a little reflection. Big deal, right?  It’s a very big deal. If Sonic Team went through all the effort just to cast a reflection in water or on a building, there was more emphasis in detail when developing each world, and it shows.

Much like most racing games, Sonic Generations is a visually stunning masterpiece when in motion; all that is done away with when everything comes to a complete standstill. The attention to detail is visibly present, however, there are a lot of textural flaws that make things look a little less beautiful. The annoyance of framerate drops can degrade the quality of some of the most stunning visuals present in Generations. All in all, the visuals are amazing with the exception of the frame rate drops and textural flaws.

Sonic Generations incorporates all of Sonic’s most memorable tunes into one by remixing each song, delivering a new refreshing tracklist fans will appreciate. Both modern and classic Sonic have their own unique remixes to their levels and not one track is the same. Personally, I found the Rooftop Run: Modern Remix to be amongst my favorites throughout the entire game. It’s absolutely wonderful. Jun Senoue takes an original Sonic Unleashed tune and mixes it with an upbeat, cheery, piano-orchestrated mix that goes well with the level design and atmosphere as Sonic beams his way up the walls of a clock tower and atop buildings of the Rooftop Run. While the Rooftop Run track is only a few years old, many of the songs in Generations go as far as twenty years. Green Hill Zone has it’s own mix, Chemical Plant has it’s own mix, and so on. Each mix is amazingly fun to listen to while playing through a level. Throughout a greater duration of my playtime, I was dancing in my seat or singing along to a song. It’s pretty crazy, to say the least, how these tracks add more of an affect to how awesome the game is, more especially for me, a Sonic fan. It’s without a doubt that most fans will nostalgically speed through levels happily because of the remixed tunes Sonic Generations has to offer.

Roger Craig Smith and Mike Pollock are back in this adventure to reprise their roles as Sonic and Eggman. The two voice actors, as well as the rest of the cast, improve upon the voice acting, making characters a lot less annoying than in previous Sonic games. Much like Sonic Colors, the dialogue is a little more child-friendly as Sonic sticks to his comedic puns and quirkiness. A setback with the dialogue is that there’s hardly any interaction between characters. For a game that has Classic and Modern Sonic in the same world, it doesn’t have much interaction between the two. I’m sure most fans will find the lack of dialogue disappointing as well.

Despite Sonic’s daunting past at many failed attempts to bring him back to his glory days, I believe Sega, and the blue hedgehog himself, should stand tall and proud with this accomplishment. Sonic Generations is the game that fans have been waiting for within the last few years. It’s a game that fans should take in with appreciation, and smile, for it has been a long rough road for our blue hero and the Sonic community. This accomplishment that is Sonic Generations is not only a game to be played for fun, it’s a tribute to the blue hedgehog’s 20 years.

As a Sonic fan, I feel a great sense of pride; I feel ecstatic; I feel absolutely wonderful.  To play Sonic Generations was an honor for me, as it took me back to my childhood reminding me what it’s like to be a kid filled with an imagination and a future with endless possibilities, and wishful thinking. The sense of nostalgia from Sonic Generations is intense for anyone who’s grown up with the blue guy.

With all this said and done, I’m happy to say Sonic Generations is the best Sonic title to be released within ten years. I’m not sure what that may mean to many of the Sonic fans out there, but it means a great deal for me personally. I’m proud to present Sonic Generations with a 9 out of 10 for it’s intense thrill ride, beautifully re-imagined arenas, and for staying true to Sonic’s glory days.

Stand proud, Sonic. And cue the ending credit medley.

Visuals
As the previous instalment, the graphics were beautiful and visibly stunning. Sometimes I wondered, “Is this real life?” of course not! Otherwise I would be in jail for pickpocketting and assassination. In Revelations, we break away from the Italiano vistas we have been accustomed to in AC II and AC:B and return to back to the land of turbans, camels and sand. Lots of sand! As we travel through Constantinople, not Istanbul, during the time of the reign of the Ottoman Empire, be sure to expect lotsa warm colours, such as reds, oranges, and yellows. As always, we are given large vistas and beautiful scenery. The afternoon sun is partially blocked by an overpowering mosque and in the shade of that tree is a man being murdered by a a blunt swing to the head while the doctor goes around “healing” people–and what’s that? Oh, she’s just been poisoned. Ah, yes the wonders and sights of the Assassin’s Creed universe.

One of the new locations for the multiplayer is called the “Knight’s Hospital” and you won’t believe where it takes place. I’ll give ya time to think–too late! A Knight’s Hospital! The whole location revolves around this large hospital and it is a dangerous place to be. Whether you’re on the ground being assassinated from above or you’re on the top running around frantically trying to escape your hunter, it makes for a fun place when playing in the new mode, Artefact Assault.

Audio

Music
BAFTA award winning composer Jesper Kyde takes up the opportunity once again to compile a large and unique original soundtrack for Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Having worked on the music for ACii and AC:B, his unique style and originality has made the Assassin’s Creed series take on a whole new feeling. With the setting takes place within the Middle East, he is planning on incorporating a sort of Italo-Greko-Arabic hybrid. If you are as much a big fan as I am of the Assassin’s Creed music, you’ll be picking up the Original Soundtrack on November 15, same day as the release for the game.

Sounds
Do you hate the sound of a skull being cracked open like a baked potatoe? Or the flushing of blood seeping out of a man’s open neck? Or maybe you hate the loud boom of a hidden gun. If you answered yes to any of those be prepared to “suck it!” because the SFX are incredible. Through out the multiplayer you will encounter unique sounds that will become ever so common. Every sound and every movement will make you paranoid. Occasionally, you might murder a bystander just for looking at you funny, whatever the case is, be prepared to explore a variety of sound effects. My recommendation for a full audio experience, pick “The Bombardier as your avatar and crank up your tube to max volume. I guarantee you’ll have a good time.

Along with the sound of a beating heart when your’e near your victim, you will now also hear soft whispers whenever your pursuer is near, so keep on your toes.

Multiplayer Gameplay
As with the previous title’s multiplayer mode, on the available BETA the modes Wanted and Manhunt. Along with those two, a new multiplayer will be included, called Artefact Assault.

In Artefact Assault, the whole area (“Map” if you will) will be divided into two halves. On one side is your team’s side, in this area you are considered a hunter with the ability to kill in order to protect you artefact. Items like Poison and the Hidden Gun can be used to stop your foe. Passing across the stage, you will encounter a large red barrier. Beyond the barrier you will NOT be able to kill and the items such as Poison and the Hidden Gun are useless. Tread across the barrier… You are now being hunted. As long as you stay on your side and they stay on their side, no one can kill anyone.

The Abilities and Weapons from the AC: Brotherhood Multiplayer have also returned along with some very new ones. One examples would be Land-Mine with cause a minor explosion in a small area that detonates as soon as the area is entered by your oppponent causing your foe to become immobile for a few amount of seconds. Another new ability allows the player to activate all chase breakers within the vicinity, meaning that all trap doors close and all the levers shall be pulled down. A trap door will only open if you or your teammates approach it, so there is no need to worry about if you accidentally use it while your friend is between those doors. On the other hand, if your opponent has used it… Well, you just have to accept your fate

Thoughts and Impressions
Overall, I believe that Assassin’s Creed Revelations has surpassed it’s predecessors by 10xfold. It has removed some annoying features, improved those that needed repair and added new ones as well. Bringing in the first game of the instalment and intertwining it with ACii/AC:B will surely be a spectacle and will most probably answer most of my questions that have been burning inside of me since the the first game. WHY DID EZIO STAB LUCY!? WHO HE HECK IS SUBJECT 16?! WHY CAN’T I KILL THE DOCTORS!?  Ahem.  If your’e still having second thoughts on buying this game (which at this point in time you should have no second thoughts), don’t give into the thoughts. I assure you this is one must-buy game for this year.

And please remember; Vittoria agli Assassani!
Nothing is true, All is permitted.

I love the zombie genre, but only if it has to do with the slow-moving zombies created by George A. Romero and the late great Lucio Fulci. I still to this very day believe that Lucio Fulci’s zombies in “Zombie 2″ are the coolest-looking zombies ever to grace a movie screen.

As for the fast-moving undead, I never understood the concept of fast zombies. How can something dead move like a ninja? It makes no sense.

Candygun Games thankfully took the concept of the typical George A. Romero zombie and did something with it. Dead Block has a very unusual story, but for some reason it works for me (and hopefully for you too).

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Dead Block is set in the 1950′s when Rock ‘n’ Roll was starting to become mainstream. You had Elvis and his gyrating pelvis and the radio airwaves were changing. Basically Rock ‘n’ Roll is the reason why the undead are returning to eat the flesh of the living. That’s right, Rock ‘n’ Roll made the dead walk. It may sound odd, but the theme just works for this game.

Rock ‘n’ Roll is the ultimate weapon and it plays a huge part of the game. You will have to search for guitar equipment in order to complete level. Once you find all of the guitar equipment you will play a few chords using the controller buttons and the level ends. You have 10 different levels to play through. These levels range from a school, diner, radio studio and much more.

Dead Block features three characters. Jack is a construction worked. This character is basically the brawn of the three characters. The next is Foxy, a female police offices that has a gun at her disposal. The third is Mike, a plump boyscout that loves to suck on lollipops and set up poop traps. Each character has his or her own set of traps to use against the undead.

Traps are basically what you use to stop the undead. You can set these traps up at windows and doorways. Some of the traps will kill zombies while others can be used to slow them down. It all depends on how you want to play out the level. For instance, you can use Jack to setup the construction helmet trap. This trap makes the undead work on your side and break up furniture.

Breaking up furniture and items within each level is what help use the traps. If you break up items like wood you will be able to use the wood to board up the windows. If you find bolts while searching around, you can use them to set up the traps. The more advanced traps take a higher amount of bolts to set up. You can also find items like TV antennas and steaks to use. The TV antenna can be used to turn on a TV set and distract zombies. Each character also has what could be described as a finishing move that can be used once in a while. Once you use the finishing move, it takes a while for the finishing move to replenish.

The whole Rock ‘n’ Roll concept of Dead Block reminds me of the excellent zombie movie “Wild Zero” with Guitar Wolf. Wild Zero blended the undead with Rock ‘n’ Roll and the two concepts worked like a charm.  Dead Block uses those same two concepts and succeeds in many ways.

Dead Block simply oozes with charm. The game has a very unique look. The throwback to the 1950′s is enough for some cool nostalgia. The characters and zombies have a

The excellent soundtrack by Vampyre State Building adds to the game mood and atmosphere. I never heard of this group, but I was really impressed by the groups 1950′s  throwback sounds. You can check out one of the main songs featured in Dead Block right here.

My only disappointment about Dead Block is the lack of online multiplayer support. I honestly would have given the game an extra point (9 out of 10) if this game had multiplayer support. This type of game would have been a blast online with friends. In 2011 one has to wonder why this feature was left out? It just boggles the mind!

The Bottom Line:

Take George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” and the awesome Japanese zombie flick “Wild Zero”, throw them both in a blender and then pour the contents into a backdrop of the 1950′s with some Rock ‘n’ Roll and you have Dead Block.

I really enjoyed playing Dead Block, and I find myself going back to the game over and over again. I wish the developers would have added the option to play online with friends, and this is really missed!

Overall, Dead Block ends up being an extremely enjoyable game. It’s actually become one of my favorite Xbox Live Arcade/PSN games. Check it out today!

I had the benefit of growing up in the 1980′s. I consider those ten years some of the greatest years of my life. The 80′s was the birth of my beloved NES as well as the birth of one of my most beloved cartoons, Transformers.

But in all honesty, I HATE the Transformers movies. I believe that Michael Bay took a beloved franchise and ruined it. This is nothing really new, considering he did the same with A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

To put it plainly, I am not a fan of Michael Bay. The movies do not emulate the classic 1980′s cartoon at all. The original cartoon focused mainly on the Autobots and the Decepticons, while the movies seem to focus more on the humans.

With that being said, I have actually enjoyed the game versions of the movie. My problem always lies in the fact that the movies focus too much on the humans, whereas the games focus on what the original cartoon series did… the robots!

The latest is Transformers: Dark of the Moon from High Moon Studios, by the developers of the awesome game Transformers: War for Cybertron.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon takes place two years after the events of Revenge of the Fallen and well before the events of the upcoming Transformers movie. Humans believe that the Decepticons are no longer a treat to Earth. The Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime have been tracking the Decepticons and their movement all around the planet. The game starts off in South America and leads you all across the globe.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon plays much like War for Cybertron. Some things have been lost in this latest game while others things have been added to fit the robots vehicles. You will now have better vehicle movement thanks to Stealth Force. You can transform from robot to vehicle mode, but now with the addition of Stealth Force you can change your vehicle into a fighting machine. This mode allows much more fluid movement. The vehicle in past Transformers game had a straight and narrow movement because of the mechanics of the movement. Driving a vehicle with four wheels only allowed you to go forwards and backwards.

Stealth Force allows you to move around much like your vehicle is hovering, moving left and right as well as forward and backwards. It also allows your vehicle additional weapons. This addition gives gamers a more well defined experience while using your robot in vehicle mode.

The gameplay in Transformers: Dark of the Moon is much like War for Cybertron. The game is set in a third-person perspective. You basically complete objectives and tasks and blow up everything in your path. You will also have the ability to play as both sides. Each robot is unique with their own weapons, so you will not feel like you are basically using the same robot with just a different paint job.

The graphics featured in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I hate to keep bringing up War for Cybertron but while Transformers: Dark of the Moon does look great, it still does not match the detail of War for Cybertron. That game had some amazing levels, and it allowed the developers to take some artistic freedoms because it was set on a planet made of machinery. This game is set on Earth, so you have to make due with the limitations of the Earths surroundings. Some of the city levels (like a war-torn Detroit city) look awesome. The robots themselves look detailed and fans of the movie should be happy.

The music and sounds featured in Transformers: Dark of the Moon are also good. The great Peter Cullen returns as the voice of Optimus Prime. Lets face it, he is the voice of the Transformers franchise. Not having him in any Transformers game would be a huge mistake. Maybe it is also the nostalgia factor, but hearing the booming voice of Peter Cullen really sets the tone to this game.

But to be honest (and this is just a personal gripe), with the exception of Peter Cullen I personally do not care for any of the other voices in the game. Don’t get me wrong… The voices are well done, but being a fan of the original 80′s cartoon I really miss the likes of the late great Scatman Crothers (Jazz), the late Chris Latta (Starscream), Dan Gilvezan (Bumblebee), and the very talented Frank Welker (Megatron, Soundwave, etc). It is almost like having someone give Mickey Mouse a dark raspy voice. It just does not work for die-hard fans of the original series.

Multiplayer is also a plus for Transformers fans. The game itself is very much like its War for Cybertron counterpart. Actually its almost identical to its multiplayer and game modes. This is not a bad thing, because its a fantastic ride that5 allows you to level up and edit your robots. You have various classes to choose from and as you progress you will be able to unlock perks and weapons to use. Sadly there are not as many maps as there are in War for Cybertron.

The Bottom Line:

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is without a doubt the best of the “movie-based” Transformer games.I totally despise the movies, but I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy the game adaptions. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is by far the best of the 3 game versions released since the first movie.

High Moon Studios uses the great Transformers: War for Cybertron game engine, and while the game is not as polished as War for Cybertron it still manages to be a very good game with a good storyline leading up to the movie. The gameplay for Transformers: Dark of the Moon is solid and the online modes featured allows gamers some good replay value well after they beat the single player mode.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon does what the Hollywood movies don’t do… Focus on the robots, not the humans! Check out this game!

inFamous 2 couldn’t have come at a better time when students like myself found ourselves stressed over finals and all these other non-sense tests! It was actually painful deciding whether or not I wanted to fail a test or play Sucker Punch’s latest take on the superhero genre. Any “good student” would normally avoid gaming at all cost in order to grasp those extra points on a test, however not I! I took hours upon hours playing inFamous 2 during finals week that I ended up nearly failing every test! But you know, it was all oh so worth it!

The Story
inFamous 2 picks up approximately two months after Cole mopped the floor with himself, or Kessler as we knew him, and he is fully aware that “The Beast” is coming. He is thoroughly mindful that in order to terminate The Beast he will have to find a way to further advance his powers. Cole is later acquainted with a spy known as Kuo, who is also aware of the events that may transpire in the near future. She will assist Cole in gaining these new powers to eventually defeat The Beast. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worst as The Beast makes an unanticipated entrance in Empire City resulting in Cole fleeing towards New Marias, and the inevitable destruction of Empire City.

As the player would imagine, New Marias is now the lead setting for the game allowing Cole to have a “fresh” start in a new city.  However the local Militia is taking control of life in the New Orleans inspired town. It is now up to the player to decide whether to lead New Marias into further misfortune, or save what’s left.

Gameplay
Upon first playing inFamous 2, I was so pleased to see that the controls and style of play from inFamous 1 were still relevant in the sequel. Nothing much has changed in terms of controls and I’m sure many fans of the original will be pleased to hear that the game plays extremely similar to the original. However there are some slight modifications to the game that I feel the need to address.

Firstly, due to the game’s goal of giving Cole some new high intense powers, Sucker Punch required a little more space within the amount of buttons you can press. As such, players will now have the ability to easily swap out different abilities in the middle of a gaming session with the tap of the left directional pad. This will bring out a side menu listing each power with their corresponding button. For instance, if the player wishes to swap out their original lightening-bolt ability all they would have to do is press the left directional pad, press R1 and done. The ability will now be changed into whatever they please. The menu makes it far easier for the player to swap out powers with the tap of a button and is a nice touch, especially when in the middle of a heated battle and a power swap is imminent. It’s quick and easy.

The question that may be brought up now is, “How does one gain new abilities and powers?” Well it’s simple, especially if one has played the original inFamous. Throughout the game the player will encounter many ways of gaining XP. Be it through completing missions or killing enemies/bystanders. If the player accumulates enough XP for the ability of their choice, they may exchange the XP for powers in the “Powers” menu located on the pause screen. (Or tap the Right directional Pad). Here is where players will be able to customize Cole however they see fit based upon their personal playstyle. The abilities in inFamous 2 can satisfy almost every play style’s needs. If precision is what a player wants, they can look through the list and see what best fits their style of play. Personally I enjoyed the quick and sloppy electric mess. Cluster bombs, Bolt Streak, and guided rockets with the Ionic Vortex to accommodate.

Another modification in inFamous 2 is an improved melee system. Unlike the first, Cole will be fiercely wailing away at his enemies with the Amp. The Amp is kind of like a sword for electric super heroes. As Cole slams away at enemies, a combat bar will be filled. Once filled halfway, or fully, the player can press the Triangle button for a finishing move. While the new combat system is intense and awesome, the cinematic cameras make it a bit of a hassle. At times, when fighting near a wall using the melee system, the camera will jumble around and get a little funky with the player making it difficult knowing which direction they’re facing. While problematic at times, the new and improved melee system won’t be much of a bother. There are moments where you wish things within the melee department were improved, but overall it’s a tolerable dilemma and won’t take away from the experience.

Resembling the original title, inFamous 2 instills the open world environments and free roaming gameplay, as gamers would come to expect. Players will come across various objectives throughout the game’s plotline, however the game isn’t limited to just a campaign. There are a variety of things to do in the city of New Marias including various side missions, assisting fellow bystanders, collecting Blast Shards, and kicking the hell out of an array of enemy types. Justly, inFamous 2 offers hours upon hours of gameplay to satisfy every superhero nerd’s needs. Personally I found myself spending more time collecting Blast Shards, Dead Drops and completing side missions more than playing the game’s actual plotline but that’s not to say that the game’s campaign is short.

inFamous 2 takes roughly six to seven hours to complete one of the Karmatic stories. Multiply that by two, assuming people choose to play with opposing karma, and we’re looking at about twelve or fourteen hours of total playtime. Add in the side missions, blast shards, and dead drops… well, that’s just say the player is getting the most out of their sixty dollar purchase. An improvement to the side missions are the variety of missions the player can choose from. There isn’t any need to worry about tedious and repetitive missions.  Most of them are fun for the most part and they’re rarely ever the same.

The Karma system is once again a major factor in inFamous 2. Players will come across many karmactic opportunities as they trek their way through New Marias. It’s up to the player to decide how they would want to present Cole to the people. Some of these moments include defusing bombs, saving hostages, silencing police authority, silencing protestors against Cole, killing street performers, stop muggings or stealing Blast Shards from bystanders. Each one of these city occurrences contributes to Cole’s karma. Depending on how the player wants it, they can choose to be evil or a hero. Unlike the first inFamous, the path one chooses in inFamous 2 will result in a massive difference between endings. I’m not here for spoilers, but believe me when I say that both endings are significantly different.

inFamous 2 plays nearly perfectly but there is one thing that I couldn’t stand. The micro boss battles. It seems Sucker Punch was capable of removing the repetitiveness within the side missions, but when it came to the bosses, things just get a little aggravating. At first I was completely blown away with the bosses I had to face throughout the city. It wasn’t a problem at all! That was done away with fairly quickly. As I went on with the story, I found myself fighting the same annoying bosses over and over and over again. Devourers, Titans, Ravagers, giant Ice freaks…you name it. They kept coming again and again. These were the moments when I said to myself, “Uhhg, I hate this game!” They’re repetitive and often time consuming. It also became a nuisance when I had to fight two or three at once. Those moments were the absolute worst.

Other than the choppy camera and tedious micro bosses, inFamous 2 manages to satisfy in the gameplay department.

User-Generated Content
Sucker Punch has given players a chance to create their own series of missions for other inFamous players across the world. I haven’t gone too indepth with the UCG levels, but I have played quite a number of them. I’m both pleased and aggravated with some of the missions I had the chance of playing. Some felt like one’s that should have been packaged with the game, and others were down right stupid. I enjoyed the missions created that required me to beat down hordes of enemies as I walked through a makeshift tunnel. There were also missions were I’d jump off a high tower and flop down against a bunch of enemies at once. Some missions immediately spawned me with a horde of giant enemies to fight, and as you read before I hate fighting the giant enemies in this game. Many of the missions I played were dull, boring and uninspiring. Others were stupid but fun to say the least. I ran into one that taught me the life lessons of fanboyism and how it ruins gaming… a PC Gamer reference was made at the end and, well, it ended at that.

Because of the series of stupid, dull and boring missions, I decided to take a whack at it myself. It wasn’t easy, and I could understand why some people may have a problem with it. The UGC Level creator isn’t user friend and can be pretty overwhelming. Then again, so was LittleBigPlanet. Either way, I’m glad Sucker Punch allowed players to create levels with their own plots. It’s a nice touch and a way to keep things fresh to a certain extent.

Graphics
Much improved compared to the first game, inFamous 2 delivers the highest of quality graphics. They’re not up to par with games like Uncharted or Killzone, but they’re much improved when looking back at inFamous 1. The character details are clear as crystal, the facial animations are clean and the visual effects are a burst of awesome bright colors.

Walking through New Marias can be a pleasure as well. I walked passed shops with neon signs, lighting across buildings, detailed shop windows and doors. It looks like Sucker Punch took a piece of New Orleans and stuffed it into a Blu Ray disc. Night and Day gameplay is present too. At night the city is filled with an array of lights that give the prettier side of New Marias an awesome glow as Cole glides his way through the skies. During the day, the sunsets and sunrises give off the feel of time as the sun brightly emits from one side of the city to the other.

I did face some casual pop-ins as I paced myself through the city, but overall the pop-ins can be ignored. There are also some slight textural issues when it comes to the game loading up, which is also a part of the pop-in issue. Ultimately, these issues won’t ruin the experience and I feel players will be thoroughly pleased with the nicely detailed visuals in New Marias.

Sounds
InFamous 2 gives the player a nice touch of music and sound effects. The music is always fitting and intriguing. The sounds of urban objects in the music reflects throughout the general location of the city making it feel like Cole is smack dabb in the middle of a big city. One of the moments that caught my attention in the music department is the very beginning where Cole has to face off against The Beast. The violins and cellos in the fight song were so fitting and so catchy it made the experience of whooping The Beast’s ass a lot more pleasurable. Depending on the scenario, the music will always play a certain tune best fit for the occasion and it never fails to deliver.

Voice acting is a big part of inFamous 2. The cutscenes are always powerful and show players the relationships between each character as they converse. When things get heated, the characters will bicker amongst themselves yelling at one another. Or when things get a little emotional between characters, you will hear it in their voices as they apologize to each other or cry. Overall I loved the voice acting and felt it was a needed improvement from the first.

As Cole runs, glides, and grinds through the city, I was able to hear the sounds of cars driving past, or the background sounds of motorized vehicles off in the distance. The faint sounds of glasses hitting against each other can be heard as well. These sounds, as a whole, give off the feeling of being in a city. It was a nice touch in inFamous 2.

Fans have been waiting for inFamous 2 for the longest now, and it does me great pleasure to say that inFamous 2 far exceeds anything that the original inFamous ever did. Graphically, the improvements are obvious. The City of New Marias surpasses Empire City by a milestone. The character animations and voice acting are far improved. The gameplay is the same, however tweaked for a much more indepth experience. If anyone liked the first inFamous, they’re going to fall in love with this nicely polished sequel.

inFamous 2 scores an 8.5 out of 10

Almost every gamer is familiar with the Tomb Raider series. If you haven’t played any of the past few Tomb Raider games, here’s your chance.

Tomb Raider Trilogy includes Tomb Raider Legend and Tomb Raider Anniversary from the Playstation 2 and Tomb Raider Underworld for the PS3. This is a great way to catch up on the series and the adventures of Lara Croft.

The Trilogy does add a few new features such as 30 minutes worth of developer diaries and 2 trailers for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. For those of you that were dying for Tomb Raider XMB and Avatar themes, you got those too.  Other than these features, the trophies, and the remastered resolution, there isn’t much difference between this and the individual games but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth picking up.

The combination of puzzles, platforming, gunplay, and action/adventure is done very well in all 3 entries of the trilogy and still has that classic, Tomb Raider feel. The oldest of the series, Tomb Raider Legend was released back in 2006 and looks it too. The details and models of Legend is lacking when compared to Anniversary or Underworld but that doesn’t prevent the game from being fun.

After playing each 3 of the series in sequence, I could see and feel the improvements from game to game. The controls no longer feel as blocky as older games in the series do and the game overall just feels more streamlined.

In the end, it’s a good series, and a good buy, overall I’d recommend it if you like the genre’s this game combines.