Gears of War 2 Official- My 5 thoughts

Watch out Sony, Microsoft may have blown their load of AAA titles early, but they still have some tricks up their sleeves. Gears of War 2 is officially coming to the 360 in November. Here's 5 things I think about the matter:

5. The only thing surprising about this announcement is the fact that the game is scheduled to release this year.

4. Locking Chainsaws would be a cool addition.

3. Gears of War 2 gives Xbox a much needed hyped game. Fable 2 and Halo Wars is not enough against: Metal Gear 4, Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, Resistance Fall of Man 2.

2. Gears of War really needs to step up the Multiplayer Balance in order for me to get excited about it. The game exists as a glitch & bug fest currently.

1. The trailer doesn't reveal anything! The models even look they're from the 1st game.

Devil May Cry 4 Review

Devil May Cry 4 is a very solid entry into the Devil May Cry universe. It doesn't suck like DMC2 did, though it is significantly easier than DMC1 and DMC3. Dante's styles return and you can change styles at any time during gameplay...which is fantastic. Nero is an ok addition and plays drastically different than Dante, but he plays a little too much of a predominant role. It's not really 50/50 Dante/Nero which is what it should be at the minimum. Great Action games don't come around often and Devil May Cry certainly delivers in the genre.

Gameplay: 9/10
Pros: Same great DMC gameplay makes a triumphant return (even if its a lot easier). Dante is especially fun to play as with his 4 styles, multiple guns, and weapons. Changing styles at any time is a great addition. Nero's arm is a cool tool and he plays as basically a simplistic, melee heavy Dante.
Cons: Too much Nero, not enough Dante. This would be more forgivable if Nero had more than 1 lousy gun and 1 sword (though the Red Queen is pretty badass)...regardless having only 2 weapons and the demon arm makes Nero's repetoire much more repetitive than Dante's.

Graphics: 10/10
Pros: While DMC4 is not the best DMC yet, it is the best looking. Not only is the animation and graphics top-notch, but the game offers the most varied locales of any DMC game yet. There is a gothic town, icy castle, dense jungle, and a massive scifi research facility type tower.
Cons: Cutscenes do not secretly hide the mission number in them any more. This was a very fun little addition in DMC3.

Sound/Music: 9/10
Pros: The voicework is pretty solid and all the sound effects are superb. The music works well to get your adrenaline going. There are some great opera and orchestral pieces during cutscenes.
Cons: The music is a little on the "hardcore" rock side of things and can be a little much. Some lines are overly corny/cheesy/poorly written.

Lasting Appeal: 9/10
Pros: Several difficulty levels and unlockables give you a constant stream of challenge and incentive to keep playing. The biggest incentive of course is to constantly upgrade your character's moves and abilities. There's always the Secret Missions to find and play as well.
Cons: Only 20 missions (though they are much longer than previous DMC missions) and a story that focuses too much on the more boring of the action duo. Dante needs more missions plain and simple.

Average: 92.50%
Tilt: + 0.50%

Playing DMC4 is a treat even if you have to wait awhile to get to Dante. Nero and the new easier difficulties allow more players to try and hopefully enjoy Devil May Cry. Nero is a good new addition to the series and is fun to play...he just dominates the game's story too much. It would have been better to have 2 more distinct and separate stories where you could select and play through each character's story (equal lengthed levels) in whichever order you preferred. Oh well, perhaps for DMC5.

Verdict: 93%
this review is based on the playstation 3 version

Indie Showcase: Everyday Shooter

Everyday Shooter is THE BEST downloadable game I have played on a console. It takes the popular geometry wars formula and adds a chain system and puts it all to music. Playing the game really is like playing through a music album. Each level has a unique music track, mood, feel, and a new chain system to learn. Learning how to chain is crucial to beating the levels and progressing through the game. The game is a little hard, but the incentive is always there to unlock the next level and experience a new song and shmup system. I can't recommend this title enough. Check it out in the PS3 store.

Rez HD Live Arcade mini Review

Rez HD is a freaking steal at 800 MS points ($10). It is among the best downloadable shooters I have played. The evolution system of your character/virus fighter is great and the way the music and sounds add to the experience makes the game work. The crazy vector graphics look great in HD too. This game was a sort of cult classic for PS2, but it has truly found it's home as a downloadable game. The gameplay is very very reminiscent of Panzer Dragoon (lock on and release) and has some phenomenal boss battles. In fact, Rez is really just a simpler Panzer Dragoon wrapped in psychodelic graphics and given a superb soundtrack/music interaction. Rez is definitely an enjoyable and unique gaming experience that should be experienced by all. Well worth the $10 investment. Rez is a retro game (not too old though) that actually still feels fresh today instead of nostalgic and dated.

Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound/Music: 10/10
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Average: 90.00%
Tilt: +2.00%
It oozes style so you have to give it a bump...plus it's a great value.
Verdict: 92%

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

First Released: October 18 1985 (USA)

Gaming Era: 8-bit
CPU: Ricoh 8-bit Processor

Cost: $199.99 (SMB bundle)

Sales: 60+ Million Units
Controller: Gamepad
Death: 1995 (Japan continued manufacturing them until Oct 2003)

Life: 10 years
Best Games: Super Mario Bros. (1-3), Metroid, Legend of Zelda, BattleToads, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden

The Nintendo Entertainment System was a game changer. It was released despite the video game market crash of 1983 and was extremely successful. Atari blew its chance to distribute the system and the NES went on to become the best selling video game console of all time (at the time). The Nintendo is also the birth place of many of Nintendo's stellar franchises: Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. The NES has also had one of the longest lifespan's of any system. In fact, Nintendo of Japan still repaired Nintendo's up through 2003 when parts became too scarce. Atari may have started the home video game market, but Nintendo revived it and made it what it is today. Many gamers today started on the NES and know it as their first system. It is definitely the king of the 8-bit crown and the best system of the era.

MotorStorm PS3 Mini Review

MotorStorm for Playstation 3 remains a gorgeous looking game and really boils down to this: It's an intense racing title with gorgeous graphics, a great variety of vehicles, and a bunch of levels and tracks that all look very similar. I understand that Motor Storm takes place in an undisclosed desert and is an undersground event...but do all the levels have to be sandy gold, gritty orange, and muddy maroon? Don't get me wrong...the different textures and tracks and how different vehicles all handle them is very fun. It's just a shame that all the tracks look so similar. There's actually not many tracks at all which further hampers what could be a fantastic game. It's a great start and a great showcase title for the PS3. It could be a franchise to contend with the next time around. Imagine Motorstorm 2 with grassy levels (with varying muddy batches, high grass, etc.), snow covered and icy terrain levels, new vehicles (snow mobiles, hovercrafts, monster trucks), and a wider selection and variety of tracks. That would be a game to contend with! As it stands now. MotorStorm is a damn good game and a wise choice by Sony to package it with the 80GB PS3.

Graphics: 9/10 - Fantastic but lacking level variety
Gameplay: 9/10 - Vehicle diversity, and terrain strategy make this game visceral fun. Enemy AI is a little bit "let you catch up" or "catch up with you"
Sound/Music: 8/10 - Music fits the tone, explosions and other vehicle engines all add to the atmosphere...sometimes it's all alittle much
Lasting Appeal: 7/10 - The lack of tracks and track variety really hurts the game, but different vehicles and terrain adds to it. After awhile though, everything just is all too sandy and the incentive to unlock the harder mode of the same level you've played already just isn't there.
Average: 82.50%
Tilt: -3.50%

Verdict: 79%