Call of Duty Black Ops

Lets face it, Black Ops might be good. I'm not immediately saying its going to be a bad game, but it is going to be placed on a franchise that died with Modern Warfare: 2. Now I am happy to see Treyarch is working on the title. I felt with MW2 that Infinity Ward played mostly on their success of Moder Warfare 1. Not much is known, other than the release date, slated to come out November 9th. If you want more information on Activisons latest scheme, visit their website, http://www.callofduty.com/blackops/intel. They'll have stuff up... at some point, I guess. Well all I can say is terrorist zombies, may be worth it.

New Call of Duty Announced:

The latest entry in the "Call of Duty" franchise is set in Vietnam and will be shown off tonight on "Gametrailers Tv" at 12:00 EST. The new "Call of Duty" is named "Call of Duty: Black ops" and is set to be the darkest entry in the series. Stay tuned for more coverage and check out the trailer that will be hitting tonight.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Back in January, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was released. I finally got a chance to finish it, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it.

-Backstory-

     Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is just the latest in a series of wonderful games. Seeing as the Ace Attorney series isn't extremely well known, I'll need to share some backstory.
     The first four games focus on two different defense lawyers: Phoenix Wright (games 1-3), and Apollo Justice (4). Each game features one prosecutor (though they are not the only one each game): Miles Edgeworth (1), Franziska von Karma (2), Godot (3), and Klavier Gavin (4). Each game takes place over the course of around a year, with the fourth taking place 7 years after the third. Investigations is set a few months after the ending of the third game. Each game is split into four or five different cases, in which the story switches between two phases: one in which you investigate the crime scene and related areas and ask witnesses about the case, and one in which you are in court. Investigations plays a bit differently, as I will explain in a section below. The games are largly humorous, and feature some very strange characters (whose names are usually puns), and a somewhat odd court system.

-Gameplay-

     The regular Ace Attorney games play like a mix between a point and click adventure game, a hidden object puzzle, and a visual novel. That is, you're mostly reading text, and to move from room to room you're simply selecting from a list of nearby locations. When you examine a room, you're presented with a view of a room, and you can then choose objects to examine. The court sections play out almost entirely like a visual novel, with you pressing or objecting (by using an item from your inventory that's proof of a contradiction) to witnesses' testimonies. Depending on the game, there may be slight differences in gameplay. 2 and 3 have the Magatama, which allows to know if someone is hiding something during the investigation stage, and 4 has the Perceive System, which allows you to point out small physical tics that show that a witness is lying.
Investigations changes this up a bit. The movement around a room is now shown in its entirety, with Edgeworth moving around the room to find things to examine. It loses a good amount of the hidden object puzzle aspect of the game, though there are many times where you'll switch to that view while examining. The movement between rooms is also a bit different, in that it's very rare. Changes of location are usually story based, though by the last case, you'll be examining a rather large number of areas anyway. Investigations also adds the Logic feature, which allows Edgeworth to connect various ideas in order to solve problems or fill in gaps of logic. It doesn't really add much, though it's a nice addition, and there's several moments where it's used very well, plot-wise.

-Story-

     Investigations' story plays out slightly differently than a normal Ace Attorney game. Usually, there are 4 or 5 different cases per game, and they're spread out over the course of about a year. The cases may have direct connections to each other, as in the third game, but often they are mostly unrelated. This changes entirely for Investigations, because Edgeworth deals with 5 cases over a course of only 3 days, the story is much more connected. Edgeworth is pulled into a series of investigations as he returns home from a brief trip around the world, and after encountering some old friends, he begins to uncover the truth behind a mysterious smuggling ring, as well as the true identity of the mysterious thief known as the Yatagarasu. The story is on par with, and at some points better than, the other games in the series. The change to investigating for the truth rather than trying to defend someone innocent hoping that the truth will be found on the way allows for a much more "epic" story to be written, and Investigations does not disapoint. It still manages to have a great deal of humor, and even begins to enter the realm of self-parody in some cases. The final scene manages to be both extremely tense and hilarious at the same time, with the series tendency to have allies burst in at the last minute in the final case being taken to the point where the characters don't even know who's interupting anymore!
     Additionally, the story shows the end of a great amount of character growth for Edgeworth. He started this growth in the first game, where he learned that always aiming for a guilty verdict was not the best path to follow, and continued it throughout the second and third games, where it was shown that he had learned to search for the truth instead. However, the fourth game did not include him, and as such we did not see the end of his growth till now. Investigations truly shows that Edgeworth has truly learned that the truth is the most important part of a case, and at the very end of the game there is a particularly strong scene that shows that he has even begun to accept that sometimes someone can not be perfectly lawful in their pursuit of the truth.

-Characters-

     The Ace Attorney series is known for its wacky characters, and its tendency to reuse them, and Investigations does this as well. Many fan-favorite characters make at least a cameo appearance, with some others (such as Phoenix himself) being seen in the background or vaguely mentioned. The only problem with the reuse of characters is that, as I've heard many people say, it lowers the amount of people that could potentially be the murderer, since only new characters could possibly be the killers.
     However, it also manages to add a strong cast of new characters. Kay Faraday and Interpol Agent Shi-Long Lang are certainly among the best characters the series has to offer. Kay fits nicely into the role of Edgeworth's assistant, and Lang's view of the truth plays nicely against Edgeworth's. Both manage to contribute a lot to the story, while still having some great comedic moments, and it's sad that they only appear in the third and fifth cases of the game. I certainly hope that they show up in a later game, because they are far more worthy of being reused than, say, the extremely overused Wendy Oldbag, who managed to be an annoying character in the first game, and still showed up in the second game, as well as this one, where she shows up twice.

-Music-

     The music, like the music from the Ace Attorney series in general, is awesome. Of particular note are the themes for Kay Faraday and Lang, which really carry the feel of their characters. There's also some very good remixed tracks that fit in greatly with the new tracks. If you're playing this game, you'll want to keep the volume up.

-Difficulty-

    Compared to the other Ace Attorney games, Investigations is, in my opinion, much easier. I had to check a walkthrough only a few times when I was unable to make sense of things, compared to the many times I've had to within the rest of the Ace Attorney series. I believe this is a result of playing as Edgeworth instead of Phoenix or Apollo- as a defense attorney, you're often fishing for thoughts and making jumps in logic, but as Edgeworth you have time to think things out and develop a well thought-out chain of logic. However, that does not bar the occasional annoying situation from occurring, though as long as you're good at looking over the evidence given to you and remembering what's happened, you should be fine.
     My only real problem with the difficulty is the life bar, which is decreased when you mess up, either by presenting the wrong evidence, or (in Investigations) connecting two unrelated pieces of Logic. This lifebar makes sense in the main Ace Attorney series, for you're trying to not make a fool of yourself in court, but it makes somewhat less sense when it's applied to the personal thoughts of Edgeworth. The main problem with the life bar in Investigations is the lack of opportunities to refill it. In the main series, it's refilled whenever you finish a court section or successfully use the Magatama, but in Investigations it is only refilled when you complete an investigation. The problem with this is that near the end of the game, you can go for long stretches of only testimony, and this leads to infuriatingly annoying portions of the game where you are forced to reload over and over to try to present different pieces of evidence, because you have such little life remaining that a single mistake will equal a game over. Thankfully, you can save whenever you want, but that only barely decreases the time you waste in reloading. It's still a problem though, and something they really need to fix, though it's not likely they ever will.

-Final Thoughts-

     If you have a DS (and for the first three games, a Wii with internet access), and haven't played the Ace Attorney series, you're missing out. Although a slightly different spin-off, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is one of the best games in the series yet, and I can't wait for AA5 after seeing how well made this game was. I certainly hope they do another Investigations game somewhere down the line, though I think it'd be a good idea to pick someone other than Miles Edgeworth for that, since his story was nicely wrapped up with this game. Nothing has been announced regarding the next game at all, though, because AA's creator is currently working on a very different game: Ghost Trick. Only time will tell whether a new AA game is in the works.

End Of Nations (Can't come soon enough)

You're probably thinking "Oh joy, another RTS report" WELL YOU'RE WRONG (kinda).

The debut trailer of "End Of Nations" was recently...well...debut on Game Trailers, and it is LEGEN...wait for it...DARY.

What I could gather from this trailer is basically, a 51 player RTS, or as they call it, a "MMORTS" (these acronyms are getting freaking ridiculous). This includes huge, and actually interesting maps, and a hint at customizable units, about time. I also saw that players have the ability to join matches at any point. This is all a bit difficult to decipher, but to see for yourself, check out the link.

New This Week:

Lost Planet Trailer:

New Red Dead Footage:

New this week is the "Lost Planet 2 Multiplayer demo", along with new footage of Red Dead Redemption. In the Lost Planet demo you can play "Elimination" or "Team Post Grab". The new "Red Dead" trailer shows off some new modes for the game, but free roam still looks like it'll be the shining part to a great game. May is definetly going to be tough on our wallets.

Machinima in the Works

Just a brainstorming of some ideas we had for a machinima we're planning to make. Production will hopefully start around the start of summer.

Halo Reach Beta Impressions:

 

Beta Trailer:

Developer Commentary: 

Footage 

Halo reach is shaping up to be the msot anticipated game of the year, and possibly of the decade. Bungie is bringing back in old ideas and borrow a couple from other succesful games, such as "Call of Duty" or "Battlefield", but the biggest things that people are excited about is the May 3 beta that is sure to take up plenty of your gaming time. So far their has only been a few trailers and some gameplay videos of beta, but speculation shows a much improved matchmaking and ranking system along with enough content to last months. From what news has said Bungie claims that armor will play a much bigger role this time around and that the spartan that you make will be with you in the campaign and even in co-op. The cmapaign is supposed to be much daker than previous games, along with plenty more characters and weapons to boot, but so far Bungie has kept quiet about it. The multiplayer has shown off a much more detailed and stylish graphics engine, along with more modes such as Headhunter. Each mode seems like a lot of fun and I cant wait to see what kind of maps and weapons "Halo Reach" has instore, but I do have a few worries with what the multiplayer has shown. The jetpacks seem like they will get really frustrating mostly due to how high you can jump, and what wepaons you can use. The grenade launcher is an autokill which is annoying because of the frustrtations that can be seen in games, such as "Call of Duty". These are minor frustrations that well all be able to test out in the upcomming beta, but until then Halo reach comes out this fall, but the blockbuster beta comes out May 3.

Too Many Games Was Too Much!

I wish i had pictures to show you the awsomeness of this great event in Reading, but my camera is not cooperating at the time, ill get them later. This big event had everything a gamer needs! From great classics, and showing how they can still be fun with a few moded parts. This event had at least every game system in the past, and every game made for the US and Japan. There was at least over 10,000 games from old and new also. In the back there was Anime AMV shows and a Cosplay contest. But there was also a couple of bands which brought techno, chiptunes, and a rockband. There were artists that drew game bit art, used parts from games, and drew anime. As we were looking, there was also some new game designers there showing the games Chemical Chaos, coming soon for X-box arcade, and Pixel Lincoln, a DS game that has just been shown at that event! This event had it all, and when the pictures come up, ill tell you more! All in all this Event gets 9 Happy Dan Stars out of 10!

Kickass Review:

                                                                                                   

Kick-Ass

    The past decade has offered many successful comic adaptations, which not only nail the feel of the comic, but also entertain fans and audiences alike. In 2008 we were given The Dark Knight which is undoubtedly the most successful comic adaptation of all time, but the newest adaptation Kick-Ass could very well be held to The Dark Knight’s standards.
     Kick-Ass is a well made, hilarious, and highly entertaining comic adaptation that grabs the viewer in and doesn’t let them go till the credits roll. The acting is excellent and the visuals are stunning, but the best part about Kick-Ass is it’s well told and well executed story.
     Kick-Ass tells the story of a teenager named Dave Lizewski who dreams of being a superhero and eventually reaches his ambition. Throughout the film he meets more vigilantes, such as Big Daddy and Red Mist, but the most memorable of these heroes is Hit Girl, due to her excellent acting and hilarious dialogue. Eventually the situation gets out of hand and it’s up to our heroes to save the day. The story gets more complex as you unravel each characters back story and the intentions of the villains. Much like past films like Watchmen the best part about the film is the characters backgrounds. Each character is given a decent enough back story that both keeps you intrigued and immersed into the characters, especially Nicholas Cage’s character Big Daddy.
Actors such as Nicholas Cage (no he doesn’t mess this up like Ghost Rider) actually make the film more enjoyable and well worth the ticket fee. Aaron Jackson does a great job in the lead role and Christopher Mintz-Plasse/McLovin is hilarious as Red Mist.  Chloe Moretz is the star of the show by far, due to her performance as Hit Girl, but if you don’t like little girls killing bad guys and cursing throughout, than Kick-Ass isn’t for you. Chloe’s performance is highly entertaining, and really steals every scene that she is in, such as the more emotional moments towards the finale.
The film is violent, but not to the point of being unnecessary. Every fight scene is well executed and the film always has a signature style that helps it stand out. Kick-As is definitely a comic adaptation for the books; it nails the comic’s feel, along with giving great performances and action sequences. It rises to fame, much like The Dark Knight rather than plummeting like Ghost Rider (Sorry Nicholas Cage). Kick-Ass is by far one of the best comic movies of all time, and all though a sequel is likely, I highly doubt that Matthew Vaughn (Director) can top this. I recommend Kick-Ass to anyone who wants a solid movie with great action, and dialogue that will surely be remembered. Hopefully Iron Man 2 will succeed like this.
4 out of 4 stars

Just Cause 2 is too little!

After playing Just Cause 2 i learned soooo much that i wanted to unlearn it! The main thing about this game is its giant sandbox map, which is superb in detail and types of environments. But now that the good stuffs out of the way, time to rip a new one on this game! not that this game was all bad, it lacked a strong, attention keeping campaign. Sure the explosions are pretty, and most of the map is blank, but it will keep you playing because of all the oil refineries i exploded. so the main story wasn't too long, but then bad voice acting wants to make you pick up your system and toss it onto the nearest railroad tracks and watch a train pulverize that stupid Spanish/Jamaican/????? accent out of the stupid chick in the game. The side missions are fun, but a follow a line of rescue, destroy, and retrieve missions. The most fun i had in this game was when i took the biggest cannon, multi-missile jet and blew up the main refinery. oh those pretty yellows and reds.... but still some play value is in this game, but its not in its story. Some improvements that they could have done is add multiplayer, or at least co-op.Yes the game has good graphics, like the water, and explosions, but when is the story sacrificed for look? sadly enough the game only gets 4 happy Dan stars out of 10. -Melonman

Lost Planet 2 Trailer impressions:

Lost Planet 2 New Trailer:
Lost planet was a awesome game featuring many intense boss fights and encounters, along with massive battles and fun multiplayer, Lost planet 2 intends to do all of this and more. Now with a four-player co-op campaign, you and your friends can battle the terrifying akrid and enemy forces in orde to ensure the safety of home. The games graphics look breathtaking and the very first boss puts the last Lost Planet to shame. The bosses are massive allowing you to fight them your way, wether taking the fight inside or fighting on thier backs. The fact of Lost Planet that makes it so much fun is that you can do everything your way and not have to worry about annoying AI getting in your way. I doubt that the game will be as fun single player as it is in co-op and im not sure if im a fan of the new game layout, which is supposed to be more like "Left 4 Dead". Each of the campaign missions are cut into chapters and each chapter consist of multiple levels, which include a mini boss (much like the first hold out points in l4d) and conclude with a enormous boss battle. I do think that the idea of multiple campaign and characters will be much more entertaining than the last ones, but I am worried about the voice acting and how all of these characters will intertwine. The game looks promising, and even with all of the issues I have so far, May 11 cannot come soon enough.

MW2 PC RANT!!!

Like many of my friends, I bought Modern Warfare 2 on the day it come out. I had just lost my Xbox 360 to the plague, and was ready for a fresh start. Aside from the fact that the game did not work for the first 3 months, I have some MAJOR issues with the online multiplayer.

HAAAX! was the phrase that I continued to scream at my computer screen, as every 1 out of 3 games was hacked at the end, and immediately shut down! ONE OUT OF THREE! The worst part was, for the first 50 seconds of the hack, your character is controlled by a hacker, which often causes you to loose a perfect streak, or, in most cases, toss your keyboard across the room.

But that!? That was just the beginning. What followed, is simply known as, the Level 70, 10th prestige NOOB HACK ERA!!! Though the title is pretty self explanatory, what had happened was, a new piece of software, known as "EAM", allowed players to become any level, any prestige, and any completion that they could ever want. This, along with hacks for almost anything your heart could desire, has killed Modern Warfare 2 for the PC.

So with that I say, welcome back home, Battlefield series, don't you dare screw thing up.

The wonderful world of Steam.

Steam, if you don't have it or haven't heard of it it is a very simple application. Steam has been the center of controversy, mainly due to some of its earlier activities of opening up your computers to hackers, but as of late, Steam has opened up a whole new market. Companies such as GameStop/Eb games have been selling less and less PC games, and giving no headway to the independent game makers. Such games as the Maw or even the remake of Aliens vs Predator:2000 were never released on the shelves. These latest things have actually opened the PC market up, showing that the PC is not as dead a console as some would believe. Now Steam in itself is a wonderful concept. Being able to buy from an online store and have the item downloaded almost instantly shows the ability that Steam has been working on for the past few years. A few competitors have attempted to rise against this company, but in all truth they have failed in the end. Steam as of this week has actually been doing quite a few deals, if you own a decent PC and have access to some form of buying online, I'd say check Steam out. You could find something very interesting in the digital shelves.

Community Event:

Kickass is being released this week and all of here at "Tzu" just wanna say, GO SEE THIS MOVIE OR ELSE. If you wish to attend hit me up at Pheonixdbf@aim.com.

WHOOOAAAA THERE, a push back on games?

As many people know, pushbacks on great games can cause chaos and confusion among the gaming centers of the world. Such instances include Left 4 Dead, Command & Conquer 3, and most recently, Red Dead. But you might be thinking "Why push back a game when it already looks sooooo good?". After taking the Game Design class at my home school, i learned that even perfect looking games (Call of Duty MW2) can be broken in ways we never would think of, and neither the programmers or developers could either! One reason is that the game testers, which we all want to secretly be, try every possible way to break the game so it can be fixed, like the arrow dupicator in Oblivion or the way Call of Duty released its multiplayer with so many gliches. But over the years, updates and fixes can come in a hour after release or never to be fixed at all, like EA with its server problems in Battlefield Bad Company 2, that was fixed in a matter of days. Yes another reason is that the date of release is coming on a day that is mixed with bigger titles, like recently Splintercell was thought of threatining the idea of Red Dead, so RD pushed itself back so when people were geting tired of that game, they could just move to the new. There are other reasons for all of this but if games dont end up like Spore (if i have to explain that to you you are not a true lifeless gamer) and like Call of Duty, the game is just being Perfected in both Gameplay and Price!- Melonman

Halo Reach Beta Trailer Impressions:

Halo Reach Multiplayer Footage:
Halo has been known for giving solid multiplayer and a good story, but Bungie claims that thier latest installment "Halo Reach" will completly redefine the genre and online muliplayer as we know it. A few weeks back we were treated to a look at the upcoming beta that will be coming to us in May. The multiplayer looks like loads of fun and with the addition of new modes such as invasion and headhunter, this could be the halo game that we've been waiting for. The action looks face paced, and the weapons look better than ever, along with noteable additions such as new armor, weapons, and even jetpacks. If this is what the mulitplayer is going to be like than maybe some players will stray away from Battlefield to give this beta a shot. Halo Reach looks impressive and I hope that Bungie can hold up on the campaign and not have a epic fail like Halo 3's story arc. Four player co-op should also be a nice addition and the armor upgrades and new ranking system are a welcome treat to halo and shooter fans alike.

Gears of War 3 Lambent

The Lambent. Our new friends in Gears of War 3. These creatures were actually introduced in the books from what I've seen and are essentially regular Locust on steroids. They are bigger, stronger and have actually been fighting the Locust before the storyline of the first game started. The Lambent are apparently the mutated Locust that spend to long in immulsion. Their armor and weapons are similar to the Locust and for the most part they carry the same tactics when fighting enemies. Really the only example of a Lambent creature is from Gears 2 towards the end with the Lambent Brumak. As seen in the game, the Brumak mutates and becomes extremely powerful, being able to literally take several hits from the Hammer of Dawn. These super powerful enemies will most likely be the main enemy for the rest of the series. As for the Locust and what remains of the humans it may come down to an uneasy alliance to fight back the Lambent hordes. Who knows, but Gears of War 3, is gonna be good... if they fix the damn multiplayer.

Next Big Event! or NBE

http://www.toomanygames.com/ for the funnest time of gaming on the eastcoast! this sunday. 8$ to get in, and all the fun of video, board and other gaming. be there, or be a guy who would rather be uncool!

Change is good. Right?

Anyone who likes any type of rock and roll has probably come across the Red Hot Chili Peppers every now and again. They have had a quite successful career in the industry since their conception in 1983. There have been many changes in the band's members throughout the years, for instance; the original guitarist, Hillel Slovak died in 1988 due to a drug overdose. The original drummer, Jack Irons, soon dropped out because of Slovak's death. Anthony Keidis and Michael 'Flea' Balzary kept with the band and tried to replace the lost talent. Chad Smith became the official drummer in 1989. For years band guitarists kept changing until, finnaly in 1998 John Frusciante had become official member of the band. They made three albums "Californication","By the Way", and "Stadium Arcadium". Frusciante soon left the band after completeing the "Stadium Arcadium" tour. The new guitarist for this legendary band is named Josh Klinghoffer. He was the backup guitarist for Frusciante during 'Stadium Arcadium'. Klinghoffer played with the band on January 29, 2010 their
MusiCares performance in their tribute to Neil Young.

Battlewho?

Yes the battlefield franchise has been out longer than some know about, starting with Battlefield 1942! Yes this Historic game was the prime start of what all FPS games wanted to grow up to be! with the feature of vehicular combat, including boats, tanks, and planes, and large over the top maps that can support 62 people! and this was in 2002. During the great reign of this game 2 expantion packs came out and added jets, and other new defining fetures. After a while Battlefield Vietnam came out in 2004 and added chopper combat and new Squad respawn. This game is not widely recognised as the best in the series but can be put up with call of duty. Not untill 2005 when Battlefield 2 came out would the franchise enter the heavyweight ring of gaming, with new graphics, physics, and everything online players loved.BF2 adds up to 30 vehicals now and weapons with its 3 expantion packs. one drawback from all of the BF's was a lack of a campagn or single player. whaen EA joined in this new idea of large scale gaming, they made Battlefield 2:vModern Combat, which added the series to consoles and added singleplayer. one problem was, the singleplayer sucked, and did not give players to open world feel of the online. As the times changed, games about future conflicts were popular, so Battlefield 2142 was made to compete, and proved its honor in the future of games, adding flying battleships and new ways to use mines, and equipment into shooting games. 1 expantion pack was made for 2142. Not untill Battlefield Bad Company did people really notice the open online gaming of battlefield games and with new phisics to boot, boosted battlefield to be one of the newest anticipated games of all time.Then as a quick look into the future, EA Remade Battlefield 1942 into 1943! today, we get a glimpses of Battlefield 3, and get to play Bad Company 2, and if you played the games, you will know Bad Company 3 is going to be announced in the future!

Why Battlefield is better than Call of Duty:

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Gameplay

Millions of people went to the store in order to buy the latest installment in the Call of duty franchise, but who woulda known that mere months later the multiplayer would be filled with hackers and glitchers ruining the experience. At that same time a much more improved and refined multiplayer game was just around the corner. Battlefield Bad Company 2 was the answer to our prayers, and these five reasons are why Battlefield is the only choice for online shooters.

You actually work with people: In more ways than one, in order to rack up kills and kick some ass, you have to work together with fellow gamers in order to kill dem Russians (or Americans if you're playing a communist). Unlike Call of Duty where it's more "do it on your own", Battlefield is structured in such a way that the only way to conquer objectives and push the frontline forward is by using the various classes at your disposal. Whether your squad is a bunch of engineers or snipers, teamwork is key and in order to complete your task you're going to need someone to watch your rear, or spawn as a medic in order to revive fallen comrades. Which leads to another key point: you can revive people in Battlefield!!

You get points for everything: In Battlefield, you get points for just about everything and ultimately leveling has a giant effect on how many kills you'll get. Now I know that sounds just like Call of Duty, but Battlefield makes you work to become better at the game, having you start off with nothing until you finally gain your tools of destruction. There is nothing better than spending hours playing and feeling the amount of accomplishment when you max out a class. You will rarely ever say bul#$3% when you get sniped because there is always a chance of a revive, along with the chance of finding the assailants position in the death cam. The weapons are well balanced and you'll hardly ever curse at your screen unlike with Call of Duty..................Yeah, I mean you, Dual Akimbos.

The Campaign is longer than 6 hours: Call of Duty's Campaign is one for the books: it had fantastic set pieces and solid story and gameplay, along with twist that you won't see coming. Yet 6 hours later and you have a game that only leaves you with a even shorter co-op campaign and multiplayer destined to fail. Battlefield's campaign offered a solid story and breathtaking set pieces. It was literally none stop action and truly improved from the original, but what makes this campaign better is the amount of work put into the characters and how they interact with each other. Battlefield is hilarious and has both intriguing characters and story- the only thing missing is four player co-op.
These are the reasons why I think Battlefield is much better than Call of Duty and hopefully knocked it off its throne.

Alice In Wonderland

Alice is back, out of the looking glass, and into a land of creepy looking British men. With amazing visuals, a promise of mid blowing 3-D, an A-List cast, and a timeless story, this movie promised a lot, but delivered little. The new story involves the 18 year old Alice being proposed to by your standard snobby, ugly, rich British character. The then runs away and falls down into a rabbit hole, entering wonderland. This change in story is, unfortunately, not a good one, the entire plot is very predictable, seeing as Alice’s goal is set for her within the first 15 minutes of the movie. The red queen has taken over, and it’s Alice’s job to stop her in a way that is so clichéd, you’d think it was a joke. With actors like Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Fry, and Alan Rickman, the movie has some major talent to work off of, but the shoddy script left the majority of characters feeling very one-dimensional. Luckily, what saves this movie is the visuals, Tim Burton is the perfect director. The art stunning and creative and it is definitely one of Burtons best design. Overall, this movies hits and misses. The acting is phenomenal, the art direction is brilliant, but the writing and story, which should be the strongest points in an Alice movie, unfortunately fall short.

A disappointing

2.5 out of 5

Why May is Going to Rock: Part 2

In addition to Lost Planet 2 and Red Dead Redemption, several other big titles are coming out in May.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
For those not in the know, the Prince of Persia series is split into three different series. The second is the "Sands of Time" series, and the one that most people are familiar with. This game, meant to be released around the same time as the upcoming Prince of Persia movie, will take place between the first two games in the series. It'll be out on the 18th for the DS, Wii, PSP, PS3, and 360, though I expect the PS3 and 360 versions will be the ones you'll want to look into.


Skate 3
Now, I'm not a big fan of skating games, so I have to admit I don't know too much about this. It comes out on the 11th for both PS3 and 360, and I'm guessing that if you enjoyed the first two games, you'll enjoy this one as well.


3D Dot Game Heroes
This is one game that I'm really looking forward to. It's a homage to old pixelated games with some new tricks, such as incredibly large weapons and character customization. It's a steal at $40, though it is PS3 exclusive. It will also come out on the 11th.



Super Mario Galaxy 2
I think, as this is a Mario game, I shouldn't have to speak at length about this one. It will improve on Galaxy with the addition of Yoshi and new power-ups, though it will apparently ditch the first game's hub world for a more traditional map-based level selection. It is, of course, Wii exclusive, and comes out on the 23rd.


Alan Wake
Telling the story of an author (named Alan Wake, of course) whose stories start writing themselves, this game features the rather interesting story decision of having episodic content without actually selling the game as seperate episodes. This horror game is 360 exclusive, and will arrive on the 18th.

Also coming out in May: ModNation Racers, a Mario Kart-like racer for the PSP and PS3 that arrives on the 25th; Trauma Team, the follow up to the Trauma Center series, will be out on the 18th- although Wii exclusive, it will only be $40; finally, the Game of The Year edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum will be out on the 11th- it will come with 3D glasses of dubious quality.

Farewell to the old Xbox live:

I have to admit that i will miss the logging onto my old xbox and loading up some classics. I will miss playing games such as Pariah, Kingdom Under Fire, and Crimson Skies with friends. Although it still makes little to no sense why microsoft Is shutting down such a memorable experience the one game that I will miss most is Halo 2. The groundbreaking multiplayer, long campaign and beautiful graphic will always be remembered even when bigger sequels are on the horizon (Halo Reach). Halo 2 had it all memorable characters, solid campaign, and amazing multiplayer, sure Halo 3 refined it, but the amount of fun that my friends and me shared can't be forgotten. I will miss those days of Halo 2, but am looking forward for what Bungie has in store.

Why May is gonna to Rock

                Lost Planet 2
Lost Planet 2 is shaping up to be better than the original, with the additon of four player co-op and a more refined multiplayer this sequel may be one of the best games this year. The thing that really stuck out to me about Lost Planet is the intense boss battles and how enormous they are, fortunetly that doesnt seem to of been forgotten in Lost Planet 2, due to the mroe enormous bosses. The graphics look breathtaking and the gameplay feels less awkward as the first one. Lost Planet 2 is gonna rock.
                            Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption..............................Enough said.

Gears of War Follow up!

Well as Trailers become more complicated, and deeper meanings are put into them. About what you see is Dom, unshaven and looks more depressed than ever, about to die, and seems to give up. But as this short trailer comes to a close you see something new, a new more intimidating enemy pops out of the ground. Simple Faction add-on, or a new type of storyline? we'll just have to find out till 2011!

Gears of War 3 Trailer Impressions:

Gears of War 3 trailer:

Overall the trailer was a nice surprise, now that we can see that Epic is taking the series in a much darker direction. From some speculation I think the guy we first see is Dom, he was depressed after Maria and most likely let himself go. Its possible that Epic is trying to go for a new look with the characters and these are what thier gonna look like now and the two gears seen later are baird and cole. This cant be a flashback cause they all didnt met till gears of war 1 before the whole first conflict. Looks nice and dark, i doubt the single player will be bad, but i hope they add more to the multiplayer. I am very happy that four player co-op will be in this one, but also i hope that someone in delta squad dies, mostly because of the big impact that that would have on players. Overall im very excited for this game, and it may even get me to stop looking at Red Dead Redemption gameplay just to see what Epic has in store for us next.

R.U.S.E Beta Overview

A few weeks ago, the RUSE multiplayer beta took the PC by storm, with thousands of download, obviously marketing towards the PC crowed, but seeing as any beta has yet to be announced for consoles, I've decided to give a brief rundown on what we can expect when it comes down to gameplay and design for RUSE multi-payer.

Design:

The design of ruse is very unique. When you zoom out, you are given a view of a war room, with a 3D map, scattered with icons of units and buildings. This is a good way to see all of your units, and makes it seem more like a board game. RUSE really shines when you zoom in, and can see all of the details of your units. This makes the gameplay far more interesting. RUSE has normal controls for an RTS, but introduces a very simple menu, making it easy to select and build units.

Gameplay:

There are some very clear issues with multiplayer, where it is nearly impossible to find a game that doesn't lag, or simply freeze every minute or so. But seeing as it's a huge beta, it's understandable. Overall, when you find a good game, the action is non stop, and very addicting.

Consensus:

Overall, when RUSE works, it works very well. And if every match works well when it's released, It will be a must-have for any RTS fan.

Hello Tzu! (yeah, I know, another introduction

Yeah, it's me, the noob. (Actually, I'm used to being one, seeing as I recently switched from Console to PC).

Anyways, about me,

I'm a gamer at heart,

I love just about every kind of game,

And I love movies even more.

I can't wait to post my movie review for Alice In Wonderland, and will be reviewing a game soon.

I might review a classic movie or two, seeing as the number of people who haven't heard of Humphrey Bogart or Hitchcock never ceases to amaze me.

Feel free to contact me through my email or facebook,

Don't forget to be awesome.

Hey gamers! im testing the texting communication for this thing! this will be 100% more convieniant!

Well, hello everyone.

Hey fellow blog-reader...people? I guess thats how it goes, anyway like the fellow authors on this blog, I'm a gamer. I'm gonna be writing helpful reviews towards games and pointers on what to do in those games to make them, playable. Other than review games, I'll also be putting the spotlight on the latest of machinima and really what ever I think of at the time. Yeah so, ask me random questions at cheatcommandosos@gmail.com or hit me up on Xbox, my gamertag is ghostsniperzw.

New Badass on the Block!

Hello GAMERS!!!!! I am Melonman56, or formally known as Kiel. I am here to give you the most recent news on the gaming network. I belong to a group known as Tzu, we play for Fun, and try not to ruin a game. I have the most current news from the near and far, even from programmers themselves! Yes i am here for you! any Questions send me a whisp! Kielsouders@gmail.com

Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans

    Remakes are hit or miss, but for the most part they are miss. Their are a few occasion where the directer actually nails what made the original so memorable, yet "Clash of the Titans" does the exact opposite. Rather than keeping the story from the first clash, this sequel adds more characters and subplots that not only add numerous plot holes, but also stray away from the original too much. Clash focus's more on the poorly executed 3-d sequences and visual special effects than remaining to the lore and story.
   The acting is hardly passable due to a wooden performance from Sam Worthington, which is disappointing  because of his entertaining performance in "Avatar". Sam can hardly led the movie due to the flawed script and the overwhelming C-G effects, in all honesty sams performance is almost as bad as Hayden Christensen's in "Jumper"(maybe not that bad).
   The film missed its mark, by a long shot and could of succeeded if the movie kept the plot from the original rather than leaving it for a more action oriented script. Liam Nessen can't even save this film. The acting is horrible, but with a few exceptions such as Ralph Fieenes who plays Hades. Ralph' brings a surprising amount of sadness to the film and actually makes you feel sorry for the lord of the underworld, but even a solid performance like his cant save the film.
   In conclusion the Acting is terrible, the plot is overflowed with subplots and the ending is as unsatisfying as the last "Transformers". The only thing keeping clash from no stars is that it was still entertaining at some points, Medusa's lair was by far the most well executed scene in the film, but the special effects were really the selling point for the film and it shows due to the underdeveloped plot. My advice would be to watch the original rather than wasting your money on a mediocre film, especially with so many good films just around the corner,such as Kickass and Iron Man 2. Clash of the Titans will only be remembered for being one of the worst remakes thus far.
1 1/2 stars out of 4