GRAPHICS (10/10)

Although EA Sports has trademarked its slogan “It’s in the game”, it should really consider leasing that motto to Sony for this game. It is amazing the amount of detail that made it into this game. It is amazing to see Derek Jeter come to the plate and do his little shimmy before getting in his batting stance or seeing an outfielder dust off his uniform after diving for a ball. There are just counteless minor details that baseball fans will just eat up.

The graphics themselves are pretty spectacular also. The players actually look like the players and not some crazy CGI rendered images of players. Often times player models will look good when up close or at the plate, but show that same player waiting on first base and he suddenly looks mildly deformed. This is not the case with MLB 10 where all the players look realistic all the time. The stadiums are all perfect replicas of their real life counterparts. If you’re playing at Fenway the Green Monster is brought to life with lush detail. Everthing from the billboards to the scoreboards to the players just screams authenticity in this game.

GAMEPLAY (10/10)

As pretty as the game looks, this is what it all really comes down to. Fortunately, the game more than delivers in thsi department. The game utilizes the same tried and true pitching mechanics that require you to push the proper face button to select your type of pitch, then use X to aim the pitch and determine how hard it will be thrown. Batting is also fairly simple as you use “x” for a contact swing or square for a power swing. I have never once used the quare button while batting and I haven’t had any problems connecting with X. Regardless, these control interfaces are by far the best ever created in a baseball game. Other games (such as MLB 2k10) use different control schemes and they wind up falling flat due to the high margin of error involved with the inputs.

The only gripe I had is with the fielding and how players dive for balls. For example, when you are using the shortstop and you are chasing a liner that your guy could easily pick up, sometimes the game never initiates the animation for the player to scoop the ball up, resulting in your player being on top of the ball and it rolling between his legs into the outfield. This is especially frustrating when you have a double play perfectly set up only to be robbed by some shoddy hit detection which prevented your player from picking up the ball. While this is not a gamebreaker, it is very frustrating. There were so many times when I would have pitched a perfect inning only to be robbed by a bobbled ball that results in a 2 run RBI. Maybe this is omething that can be fixed with a patch, but for now its just the way things are.

SOUND (7/10)

The sound of the games is actually pretty good. The crowd roars loudly whenever something exciting happens. The ump’s voice is distinguishable as he calls out strikes. The crack of the bat echoes through your speakers when a batter makes contact. All of he sound effects are great and really give off that stadium vibe.

The one thing that brings down the audio portion is the horrendous commentary. For the most part, the commentators are fairly decent. There are a lot of times when they will add their 2 cents at the worst possible times. If you ever strike out, you will most likely get an earful about it from the commentators as if they were the batting coaches. Its bad enough to strike out but then to hear the commentator ripping you about it just makes things so much worse. there were seriously times when I wanted to just walk up to their booth and punch them, they get that irritating.

ONLINE (7/10)

The online games I played were pretty lag free, but not completely. For a game like this, one second of lag can mean the difference between winning and losing. I can’t count the number of times I would’ve had a strike out only to fall victim to lag resulting in my pitch being slow and getting crushed out of the park. it is just too difficult to hit or pitch when you are fighting lag at the same time. I’m sure people with really good internet connections can probably play this game online without any problems but when I played I always fell victim to lag.

OVERALL (9/10)

This game is a must have for nay baseball fan out there. Unfortunately it is only available on PS3. This is one of the few PS3 exclusive titles that make 360 owners green with envy. When compared to the baseball offerings on other systems, MLB 10 smashes those hands down. The learning curve for this game is fairly steep, but once you start to get it down it is one of the most rewarding gaming experiences around. MLB10: The Show is by far the best console baseball game I have ever played, perhaps even the best sports game I have played.

• Assassins Creed II (PS3, Xbox360)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Madden 10 (Xbox360, PS3)
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Xbox360, PS3)
• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip

GRAPHICS (9/10)

The graphics in this game are very detailed. Everything looks crisp and colorful with a nice variety of environments. The last game suffered from a constant haziness to the graphics but for the most part that has been cleaned up in this game. The destructable environments really shine through as every detail is visible as buildings are reduced to rubble in seconds. There are other efffects in here, such as snowstorms, sandstorms, and smoke that are all executed to perfection. The team at DICE did an excellent job creating realistic looking characters and backgrounds for this game and it really adds a lot to the overall package.

SOUND (10/10)

BF:BC2 has some of the best sounding guns in any game period. Whether you’re unloading clips from an submachine gun or sniping rounds from a 50 cal, the gunshots all have an incredible depth to them. You really get a feeling for a weapon’s power and speed by the sound that emanates with each shot. Explosions are also very well done as a large boom is often followed by the sound of metal crashing or bricks crumbling. Mass destruction never sounded so good.

The voice acting is top notch also. the characters are all well acted and each voice is immediately identifiable with the character it came from. I wish there was a bit more music used in this game, but
other than that the sound is definitely top notch.

STORY (7/10)

I know people don’t really play these games for the story, but sadly BF:BC2’s story was severely lacking. It never really made much sense as it all seemed to just set up the next action piece. I never really felt threatened by any scenarios in the game as I have in similar games, mainly because there really wasn’t too much context setting up each piece. It is just shoot, take cover, boom, rinse repeat.

While the lackluster story is definitely forgiveable, the developers managed to butcher one of the things that made the first BC game so much fun- which is the squad’s interactions with each other. In the first game, the one liners and jokes flew about as often as the bullets did. I don’t know what happened, but the humor is definitely neutered in this game. While the characters are still cool, I only really liked them from my experiences with them from the previous game. Maybe they were trying to make the game more serious, but the banter between squad mates is definitely lacking in this latest installment, which is regrettable since not only was it one of the highlights of the first game, it is also what set it apart from so many other shooters.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

The gameplay is fairly smooth throughout the entire game. There are some control changes from the traditional FPS military controls, but for the most part the scheme is almsot identical to the COD franchise with a few minor exceptions. The game’s missions span the globe, taking you to various locales like jungles, deserts, and frozen tundra. There are a few unique gameplay elements that are introduced with regards to the elements. for instance in one of the snow stages you must constantly try to find fires to warm yourself or you will visually succumb to the effects of hypothermia. In one of the desert stages, your vision is obscured by a sand storm. Small touches like this help to give the game a much needed shot of originality.

One of the biggest draws of the BF series is its destructible environments. There is no such thing as ’safe’ cover as a shot from an enemy RPG can obliterate the wall you happen to be hiding behind. This happens very often and it adds a new strategic element not found in most shooters. The idea that cover is always temporary seems to keep the gameplay fresh and exciting as you can never really camp in the same spot too long once the enemies know you are there. Despite all of the changes to this game from the previous installment, it is good to see that these destructive elements are still in tact.

MULTIPLAYER (8/10)

While the campaign mode is a great deal of fun, what is being promoted as the game’s bread and butter is its multiplayer component. the multiplayer is unlike any other, which can be either good or bad depending on your perspective. The online gametypes are fairly limited, as the only featured game modes are: Rush (similar to bomb gametypes in which one team must detonate charges at specific locations while the other team defends), Conquest (similar to territories game types), and Squad Deathmatch (like Team Deathmatch only it pits 4 squads of 4 players against eachother). The multiplayer here is definitely teamwork oriented, meaning that unless you are playing with friends online you probably won’t have the greatest experience.

Where COD:MW2 allowed you to just hop into a game and run and gun your way to the top of the scoreboard, BF:BC2 defintely requres some serious strategy. Not to say that MW2 does not, but when was the last time you coordinated an attack with ANYONE on MW2? The multiplayer also features an extremely steep learning curve which can be discouraging for new players.

There is also an overabundance of snipers in any given gametype. Unlike other games, BF:BC2 doesn’t require players to hold their breath when sniping, making the scope very stable at all times and resulting in sniping being almost too easy. I’ve fallen vicitm to many veteran snipers who simply know all of the good camping spots and will sit there and just pick people off all game. As there is no real kill cam, it can be hard to determine where the shots came from, resulting in some pretty frustrating matches. Factor in the fact that most teams are comprised primarily of snipers doing this exact thing and you can see how the fun is easily ruined. While these issues aren’t exactly gamebreakers, it makes learning the game and the maps very difficult to newbies or even experienced gamers who are new to BF:BC2.

OVERALL (8/10)

The game is very fun, yet surprisingly I found the campaign to be a bit mroe fun than the multiplayer, which is rare for me. While this game has been promoted as the Modern Warfare killer, I still prefer MW2 over this. BF:BC2’s multiplayer isn’t very user friendly and is nowhere near as fast paced as MW2. Some people may prefer this slower, more tactical style but I found myself looking at the loading screen repeatedly after I was spawn sniped. While the multiplayer is definitely on the right track, they have some work to do and many things to improve on before they can legitimately challenge COD for the FPS shooter title.

This is a great game, but if you are getting it mainly for the multiplayer component I would suggest only picking this up if you have other friends who you can plpay online with. The learning curve is steep enough without having to handicap yourself by playing with randoms. You definitely need a few friends on here so you can watch eachother’s backs. The single player is excellent, but it is a bit too short to warrant paying full price for the game strictly for its campaign mode.

• MLB 10: The Show (PS3)
• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip
• Heavy Rain (PS3)
• Bioshock 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Mass Effect 2 (Xbox360, PC)

• Holiday Games Radar (2009)
• Halo 3: ODST
• Assassins Creed II (PS3, Xbox360)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox360)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox360)

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

To say that developer Quantic Dream is pushing the creative envelope with this game is a bit of an understatement. Heavy Rain takes the traditional control schemes found in most modern games and throws it out the window. What we are left with are on screen instructions that tell you what control inputs to make during a given situation. Need help getting out of that burning vehicle? Hit L1, R2, and rapidly tap X at the same time. This is just one example of control commands in Heavy Rain. While it may seem strange, after the first act, it becomes almost second nature.

The game starts out by introducing you to this control scheme. You assume the role of one of the playable characters and begin doing everyday things like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, and drinking coffee. It may seem a bit tedious at first, but once the action starts, it never really lets up. there is always constant tension fo what is coming next. Even more exciting is how you are going to handle the situation. In otehr games, you already know what inputs to make to ensure your character’s survival.

In Heavy Rain, you won’t know what these commands are until you are already knee deep in trouble. You may get a plist second to react by pushing the square button. These types of inputs, often referred to as Quick Time Events (QTE), have been seen in other games (God of War series comes to mind). However, unlike in other games, Heavy Rain has already established a context which makes these inputs all the more crucial. While other games will simply give you a “Game Over” screen while you wait to reload, the consequences in Heavy Rain are even more critical. If the character you’re playing as happens to die, the story will continue on without them. Get one thing straight about this game- nearly everyone can and probably will die no matter how crucial they are to the plot. No one is safe, which makes executing the correct control inputs all the more vital.

Many people have dismissed this game as nothing more than a type of interactive movie. Despite the unorthodox controls of this game, I found it to be one of the msot immersive games I have ever played. I was obsessed with finding out who the murderer was. I was equally obsessed with not letting any of the main characters die. There are numerous outcomes to the endgame, all of which are effected by the choices you make and who survives to the end of the game.

STORY (9/10)

Heavy Rain has an excellent plot. The city is being terrorized by a serial killer known as the Origami Killer. The Origami Killer kidnaps young boys and kills them after so many days have elapsed. He leaves origami animals at the scenes where he abducts his victims. You assume the roles of 4 different characters all of whom are tied to the origami killer in some way or another. There is Ethan Mars, a loving father who lost his oldest son to a car accident. His youngest boy has recently been kidnapped by the Origami Killer and he must race against time to try and save him. There is FBI Agent Jayden who has been sent to the local precinct to help the cops profile the killer ala Criminal Minds. There is the hardnosed ex cop turned detective Scott Shelby, who has been hired by to look into the Origami Killer case. Then finally there is Madison, an attractive young woman who is investigating the murders for reasons that are not revealed initially. While playing the game, you get the sense that anyone, even the main characters, can wind up being the Origami Killer.

You do not have control over which character you assume control of. In fact, you take turns on who you are controlling as the plot is unfolded through the eyes of these four individuals. While the game has its moments of disbelief, it is impressive when it all comes together at the end. One of the coolest things is how the lives of the other characters are affected by each character’s actions. In my first playthrough, I was unable to save one of the characters and he wound up being killed. Later in the game, another one of the characters was being accused of murder as a result of the character that died not being around to share evidence that would clear his name. Small details like this really enhance the game’s sense of immersion.

SOUND (8/10)

The brooding soundtrack of this game is excellent. It really helps convey the dreariness of the constant rainfall and the urgency to find Ethan Mars’ son. The music does an excellent job of setting the mood throughout the game while avoiding becoming overly cheesy and melodramatic. Occasionally, I experienced glitches where the sound would cut out or just the music would cut out and it really took me out of the game. There were even a few instances where it caused me to miss some key dialogue.

The voice acting in this game is pretty good overall. Some of the characters seem to be voiced by European actors who are badly trying to hide their accents while speaking in an American accent. Sometimes this gets a bit disturbing as their accent fades in and out. In the big scheme of things, it is not that important but it does take away from the game as it happens fairly often.

GRAPHICS (9/10)

Heavy Rain has some incredible graphics. The player models all look very detailed and about as lifelike as you can get in a game. The environments are all well fleshed out to really help contribute to the overall beauty of the game. Likewise, the water and rain effects seen throughout the game are flat out impressive. It is one of the few games I’ve seen in which water moves and flows like it is supposed to.

Despite all of this graphical praise, the game is not without its flaws. Sometimes the transition from gameplay to cutscenes is way too noticeable due to the difference in graphics between the in game characters and how they are depicted in the cutscenes. There are also random glitches where your character may get stuck on a wall or a step. When I first played the game, the opening scene had this wierd rainbow pattern all over my character. It finally went away in the next scene, but it just feels like these types of occurences happen a bit too often for a finished retail version of a game.

REPLAYABILITY (9/10)

For a game with no multiplayer componenet, Heavy Rain has a ton of replay value. Each decision impacts how the stroy will play out, so naturally there are quite a few ways to finish the game depending on your previous in game actions. Die hard fans will want to pay through every possible scenario in order to unlock all of the possible endings. There are just so many choices that can affect the game’s outcome and it should keep most people quite busy trying to figure them all out.

The game also features a chapter select option in which you can choose to replay specific chapters to see the effects of making different choices. There is also some planned DLC cming for this game in the near future. Another major replay bonus is trying to catch all of the clues that you missed the first time through. After I finished the gmae and found out who the killer was, I immediately started another playthrough to see if there were any signs indicating the killer’s identity. It is in the little details like this that willl keep people playing this game trying to unlock all of the possible scenarios.

OVERALL (9/10)

Overall I think this is an excellent game with a very strong plot. I was a bit skeptical at first as to how they would work everything out, but QWuantic Dreams seems to have found a solid formula for this type of game. I can’t wait to see their future offerings on similar type games as I can easily see this type of game becoming its own genre or even revolutionizing the way we play games in general. This game seems like the next step in bridging the gap between quality cinema and quality gaming. Hopefully more developers will help to evolve this style of game as the possibilities are endless.

• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox360)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Tekken 6 (PS3, Xbox360)
• Brutal Legend (PS3, Xbox360)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360, PS3)

With the huge success of the first game, a sequel was inevitably set to follow. This brings us to Bioshock 2 and also raised some new questions. Will Rapture still be as immersive as in the first game? Will the plot of the second game be anywhere near as good as the amazing plot of the first? All of these and more will be addressed as we dive in to Bioshock 2.

GRAPHICS (8/10)

The graphics are almost identical to those of the first game. This isn’t a bad thing since the first game was by far one of the best looking of its time. However, a lot can happen in 2.5 years. We have seen othe sequels released in this time who manage to completely outdo their already gorgeous predecessors. Mass Effect 2, Gears of War 2, and COD:MW2 are all games that spring to mind where the sequels have pushed the graphical envelope past the point of the previous games. Unfortunately, Bioshock 2 is not one of those games. The graphics do not seem to have aged very well. The graphics are not bad, but one would expect at least a slight upgrade to the first game.

Despite the lack of graphical improvement, the thing that keeps Rapture so gorgeous to look at still is the game’s incredible art direction. There is a tremendous amount of detail that went into this game and it really shows. They managed to successfully recreate the 50s era, while at the same time distorting it just enough that it fits in with Rapture’s twisted environments. If you were dropping acid back in the 50s, this is probably a good depiction of what everything would look like. What made the first game so great was the disturbing vibe that the city gave off, and this game is no different as Rapture is just as creepy as ever.

SOUND (10/10)

The sound in this game is incredible. While it doesn’t have the grandscale explosions of Modern Warfare, the sound is still probably the best I’ve heard in a game. The sounds of enemies eerily singing as they wander around, the crushing footsteps of larger enemies as they trudge down the walkways, and the fluid sounds of rushing water as various leaks spring throughout the city are all brought to life with the amazing use of sound in this game. Without a doubt, out of all the games released so far, Bioshock 2 makes the best use of surround sound systems by far. This helps maintain the creepy atmosphere and helps ensure that the hairs on the back of your neck never come down while playing this game.

The voice acting in this game is top notch also. There is something that seems very genuine about the voices and dialogue in this game. The characters all sound and talk like they are from the time period. Some of the mroe insane characters you run into are by far the highlight of the game, but their portrayal would not be possible without the incredible voice acting. This is just another detail that helps with the overall immersion.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

Publisher 2K games seems to have taken note of all of the problems with the first game and has improved upon nearly all of them. The hacking system which was so often used in the first game has now been revamped. it is definitely more streamlined, but still very difficult especially on higher levels. the biggest difference is that you feel that you have more control over the hacking elements. This is important as you spend a good portion of the game hacking into various devices.

Perhaps the biggest improvement is in the combat itself. Now you can use a weapon in one hand and a plasmid (power) in the other hand. Nothing is smoother than lighting someone up with lightning then unloading your machine gun into their shocked body. The combat is so smooth now that I can’t even remember how clunky it felt to have to shift from plasmids to guns to plasmids in the first game. This new “dual wield” system is definitely a nice addition to the series.

There are also some new weapons and powers, but nothing too revolutionary. This time around you get to play as a Big Daddy, but your movement isn’t slow and cumbersome like the big daddies in the previous game. The main character is very mobile and fairly agile. He moves almost identically to Jack from the first game. While the core gameplay elements are still very much the same, 2K has done a great job of keeping what worked and fixing what was broken. The end result is a much smoother playing experience.

STORY (7/10)

This is the area that the game suffered the most. In many ways, this game is a victim of the first game’s success. The plot of the original had so many twists, combined with the freshness of Rapture, that it set the bar very very high for the sequel. Unlike Bioshock, Bioshock 2 has more of a straight forward storyline. There aren’t any twists or betrayals. The story is simply you being on a mission- plain and simple. While the story is not bad, it doesn’t grip you like the first game did. The first game made me not want to stop playing in order to uncover what would happen next. This game almost encouraged me to take breaks from it.

One of the things that really hurt this game is the lack of a strong and charismatic villain. The first game had Andrew Ryan, who seemed charismatic and engaging enough to drive the entire game on his own. This time around, we’re stuck with Sophia Lamb, a scientist on rapture who has convinced everyone that her way is the right way. To make a long story short, she is less than engaging. With Ryan, I wanted to hurry to the end to see what he looked like or if he even existed. With Lamb, you never get a glimpse of her until the final ending, and even then she is a mediocre villain at best. As I mentioned earlier, the story is not bad, but it is nothing compared to the intensity of the first game.

MULTIPLAYER (6/10)

Bioshock 2 introduces a multiplayer component that the first game did not have. The multiplayer is decent, but the single player is definitely the game’s focus. There are standard deathmatch type games as well as other objective based multiplayer games, however none of them manage to really bring anything new to the table. The multi features multiple weapon loadouts similar to Modern Warfare, but nothing all that spectacular. I haven’t put in very much time into the multiplayer, and for good reason. The matches are unbelievably laggy.

When everything works, the multiplayer is still a bit average. I can see people really getting into this if they haven’t played some of the better MP offerings out there, but if you’ve even touched Halo or COD, you will be left scratching your head at the multiplayer of this game. There are some promising elements and hopefully if there is a Bioshock 3 that has multiplayer they will have fine tuned everything by then. For now, the single player is definitely the way to go.

OVERALL (8/10)

While an 8/10 is not a bad score, it just feels like this game could have been so much better. The fact that the developer who created the game was not onboard for the sequel may have something to do with it. Regardless, this is a solid game on its own but when compared to the first it doesn’t really hold up. I enjoyed playing through the game, but the drive to keep playing it just wasn’t there. For those who played and enjoyed the first, you will most likely get into this game. Don’t expect it to be better than or even as good as the original, but it is still worth a playthrough.

• MLB 10: The Show (PS3)
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Xbox360, PS3)
• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip
• Heavy Rain (PS3)
• Mass Effect 2 (Xbox360, PC)

The first Mass Effect was ambitious to say the least, as it promised not just an open world experience, but an open universe experience in which players could travel all over the galaxy recruiting team members and completing countless missions all on their path to save civilization. The end result fell a bit short of most people’s expectations. The pacing was a bit slow at times, there were issues with textures loading, the combat interface seemed clunky, and many of the numerous side quests seemed recycled throughout the game’s massive campaign. Despite all of these flaws, it is still considered one of the best Xbox360/PC games to date. Now that Mass Effect 2 is out, everyone is wondering whether it can live up to the expectations of the first game or whether it will actually raise the bar. I’m happy to say that this bar has been raised quite a bit.

SOUND (10/10)

The sound in this game is top notch. The sound of lazers zipping by is so sharp it feels like you may get tagged in the face by one. The explosions really rumble with the force of …well an explosion! You can hear your character’s footsteps as you run down the corridors of the ship. All of the effects are well detailed and everything really comes to life if you have a solid surround system.

Perhaps the best thing this game has going for it audio wise is the voice acting. Looking through the instruction booklet at the voice cast, there wasn’t a single recognizable name to be found. However, the voice acting in this game is simply amazing. The actors do a tremendous job of not only bringing the characters to life, but imbibing them with realistic attitudes and speech that just take the authenticity of the characters to another level. I’ve never encountered anyone from another planet or galaxy before, but if i did, I would expect them to sound like they do in this game.

GRAPHICS (9/10)

The graphics in this game are sharp and highly detailed. There are a few exceptions in which a couple of the planets seem like the same old brown and gray hued environments that populate so many other games, but for the most part the locales all look vibrant and fresh…even if you happen to be on a wasteland of a planet. The character models all look spectacular, however there are a couple of instances with the ingame cutscenes in which the character faces look a bit strange. However, all of the CG cutscenes are jaw dropping, featuring some of the most amazing graphics on a console.

While the game is great graphically, there are a few minor problems. There were a couple of times where my character got stuck on a railing or a box and it was difficult to get off of it, resulting in my cheap death. This only happened twice, but it bears mentioning as I have heard of it happening more often to other people. Overall, the graphics are a huge improvement from the first game. Gone are the slow loading textures and glitchy looking graphics from the first game. For the most part, everything has been smoothed out nicely in this sequel.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

Mass Effect 2’s gameplay has been completely retooled from the first game. Hardcore RPG fans may be turned off by the more simplistic approach taken in this game, but casual RPG players who would rather run and gun than figure out how to level up will definitely love the new system. With less focus attributed to leveling up your character, more attention is given to more important things…like combat. Unlike the first game, Mass Effect 2 has a much faster pace and is chock full of action. The gameplay feels less like an RPG and more like a 3rd person shooter, which is a huge plus. The combat interface is also a lot smoother, making battles less frustrating than they were in the previous game.

Despite the new streamlined combat and leveling controls, this game is still very much an RPG. You still gain experience from completing certain battles and events, but the real RPG focus here is on character development. You learn more about your character and your squad mates through their various interactions with eachother and the world around them. I often found myself just hanging out on the ship talking to the various squad mates to find out more about their backstories instead of going out on missions. The characters are just that interesting. There are almost countless side missions which you can undertake that will not only gain experience points for you, but also enable you to bond closer with your squad. While this may sound a bit too sensitive for such a game, the closer you become with your squad members, the better they fight alongside you.

STORY (10/10)

The story in this game is excellent. In short, colonies of humans have been disappearing without a trace. You again assume the role of commander Shepherd, albeit this time with a few twists that are unveiled near the start of the game. You command two other squad members for each mission, but you have a total of 11 to choose from by the end of the game. Each squad member has a unique backstory which is revealed in two parts. The first part is the recruit mission, in which you must go and recruit the squad member on whatever planet or ship they are on. Once you have acquired them as a part of your team, the second part comes into play in the form of a loyalty mission. Each squad member has unfinished business that must be taken care of before they can fully devote themselves to your mission. In order to fully gain their trust, you must complete their “loyalty” missions. These are great in that not only do they allow you to gaze into the background of each character and their motivations, you also unlock a special ability for each character upon completion of their loyalty mission. If you do the math that is roughly 22 missions for all the characters and this is NOT counting the main storyline missions.

Interestingly enough, by completing all of the missions for each character, it also causes you to become somewhat emotionally invested in their survival as well. This is the beauty of Mass Effect 2, as you soon realize that every in game action has in game consequences. Each choice you make influences the outcome of certain situtaions in the game. The story is so well written and immersive that by the end of the game you fully understand the consequences of each decision you made leading up to that point. In other words, you are the one shaping how everything will play out. There are multiple ending scenarios to the game which are determined by your actions throughout each playthrough. The storyline is definitely something that should be experienced by everyone as it is engaging enough to hold a place among some of the best sci fi movie plots ever.

OVERALL (9.8/10)

This game is a beast. Everything is so well polished and the only problems with the game are very very minor. For a game without a multiplayer component, Mass Effect 2 probably has the highest replay value of all the games I have, even those with a solid multiplayer. There is just so much to explore and do in this game. While most games offer up a sandbox world in which to play, ME2 gives you a sandbox universe. There are countless planets in the solar systems and each one is subject to exploration. Many of them feature side quests that would not have been discovered without exploration. Not to mention the numerous ending outcomes which directly result from your ingame decisions and you’ve got enough reasons for multiple playthroughs. This game is worth every penny and I encourage everyone to at least play through it once…or twice. The experience is well worth it.

• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip
• Assassins Creed II (PS3, Xbox360)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox360)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox360)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

STORY (9/10)

The story for this game is excellent.  You are still in control of  Desmond Miles, the descendant from the first game, only now you are taking control of a different one of your ancestors, the awesome Banderas-esque Ezio Auditore. The story takes place in Renaissance Italy, which makes for a surprisingly interesting backdrop.  You assume the role of Ezio from birth and then again as a teenager all the way up until he is a man. Right off the bat, the game immerses you so much more than the first one ever did. By assuming control of Ezio as a person, before he becomes an assassin, you really get to learn about him and ultimately you care about what happens to the character and his development.  Without giving away too much of the story, Ezio’s family is wrongfully accused of a crime and then publicly executed. Ezio vows to gain revenge and along the way discovers his assassin heritage and assumes his role in the lineage of assassins.

The future sequences are still the weakest link of the game. Every time you have to play them you’ll be hoping that you can go back to Ezio as soon as possible.  Even the graphics look a bit shoddy in these portions. compared to the Italy segments. It doesn’t help things that Desmond looks like a special ed version of Shia LeBouf, as if the real Shia wasn’t special enough already. Regardless, the plot is great with twist and turns abound and the ending is definitely a shocker that will have you yearning for the next installment.

GRAPHICS (10/10)

The graphics in this game are beautiful. This is probably the best looking game, other than Uncharted 2 (it even gives that game a run for its money), that I have seen on a console.  If you’ve ever wanted to see renaissance Italy, this game will give you a good idea of how things looked. The cities are that detailed.  The first game had incredible graphics also, but this game just puts those to shame.The player models are all very well rendered and the cities all look authentic. I didn’t experience any screen tearing or slow down at all, which says a lot since many times the screen will be filled with a mob of enemies for you to fight.  The graphics are definitely impressive and you can tell that developer Ubisoft put a lot of work into recreating the environments to look as accurate as possible.  the only negative is that the graphics on the future portions do not look anywhere near as detailed as the Italy segments. Still, the Italy segments look so good that I can’t help but ignore the future parts.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

It seems as if they took all of the complaints of the first game and fixed them for the second. Now the side missions aren’t limited to those in the first game. There is a healthy variety of side quests to keep you busy for some time without getting repetitive. You are no longer required to complete X number of side missions before proceeding with the story missions. Now you can get straight to killing instead of having to do boring and repetitive side quests. The game is long enough just doing the story missions, clocking in at roughly 18 hours of gameplay. 

One of the best new additions are the new instant travel booths. If you need to travel to another city, simply go to one of these booths and for a small sum of money, you can be instantly warped to the location of your choice.   This is a great feature which not only cuts down on travel time, but helps keep the pace of the game moving along.  Nobody wants to waste time riding across the countryside on a horse when there is the option to teleport there.

Controlling Ezio is greatly improved from the last game’s character, Altair. Ezio runs noticeably faster and his free running abilities are much quicker as well.  He scales buildings faster, which helps keep the pace up as you navigate through the game’s cities. There are also more weapons and the combat system seems to be greatly improved.  Ezio now sports two hidden blades, one in each hand, which work great for assassinating two guards simultaneously. My other favorite new weapon is the poison dagger. Stabbing someone with this will cause them to freak out and lash out at anyone around them. 

REPLAYABILITY (8/10)

The game is already fairly long for a single player game. There are tons of extras for you to explore and find. While most people dont play too much single player campaign anymore these days, ACII offfers wnough extra goodies and collectibles to keep you busy for some time. Not to mention that the story missions themselves are exciting. All in all expect to play through the entire thing at least twice. I’ll admit that single player games don’t get too much love from me, but ACII is one of those games that you just have to play.

OVERALL (9/10)

ACII is an excellent game. It seems as if the developers actually listened to the complaints and comments of people who bought the first game and improved upon them in nearly every department. This game is what people were expecting with the first one. Thankfully, Ubisodft learned enough from that experience that they have improved this game exponentially.  This is currently one of the few games that can tear me away from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and that by itself should speak volumes.  If you felt burned by the way the first game turned out, you might want to give this one a try. They managed to keep all of the good elements about the first game, while adding some welcome  improvements.

• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip
• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox360)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox360)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Holiday Games Radar (2009)

GRAPHICS (8/10)

While the series has never been known for its beautiful graphics, it looks like nothing much has changed. The character models look a bit funny at times, and most of the character movements look clunky and forced. The city, however, looks as beautiful and detailed as ever. The game’s main saving grace (graphically) is how great the city and everything in it look.  The city is so detailed that after playing for a while, you will start to recognize how certain neighborhoods look.  The graphics do a solid job of bringing the city to life.

STORY (9/10)

One of the greatest parts of any GTA game is definitely the writing. While the plots may not be super complex, the characters and the situations they find themselves in are some of the most unique, violent, and hilarious in any game.  The story ties in neatly with the last two episodes, resulting in one grand intersecting plotline between the three games. It neatly wraps up all the previous questions and it happens to be a non-stop thrill ride the whole way.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

Relatively little has changed since GTA IV in terms of gameplay. Perhaps the biggest addition is the inclusion of base jumping/parachuting.  This element has been seen before in past games like GTA: San Andreas, but it just seems more fitting in the big city playground that this game takes place in. Nothing is cooler than parachuting onto a skyscraper, infiltrating and assasinating everyone inside, then making your get away by base jumping onto a moving escape truck.

One major improvement is the addition of checkpoints within missions. Now you don’t have to start all the way from the beginning if you should die. Simply answer the ‘try again’ text on your phone and you will resume the mission from your last checkpoint. This helps keep the game moving along, while also helps prevent it from feeling to repetitive as you would have to repeat sequences over and over otherwise. This is good also since the difficulty is ramped up considerably in this game. You have a bunch of new weapons at your disposal, but make no mistake your enemies also have upgraded firepower. While little has changed in terms of overall gameplay, this is one series that only needed a few tweaks since the system was already rock solid.

SOUND (9/10)

The sound effects are pretty good throughout the game. The gunshots and explosions are nice and loud. perhaps the best part of the sound is the incredible voice acting. The characters and their voices are top notch. Although most of the voice actors are relative unknowns, they do a great job of bringing Liberty City and its inhabitants to life. The radio stations are also top notch. I don’t really care much for driving around in these games, but I kept catching myself taking the long route so I could hear the rest of a song on the radio. 

The background noises on the city streets are also excellent. You could be walking down the street and pass two people having a conversation. You can actually hang around and eavesdrop on what they’re saying. You can even hear people yelling at one another from their cars. It’s little details like this that really make the city feel alive.

OVERALL (9/10)

This game is a true return to form for the GTA series. While many people were a bit taken back by the somewhat slower pace of the last two episodes, GTA:TBOGT takes us right back to the adrenaline fueled missions of GTA: San Andreas. There is also a good variety of things to do in each mission so the game never really feels repetitive. Most importantly, the fun factor that made the series so popular seems to be in full effect with this episode. While the game is definitely driven by its plot points, there is a greater focus on action, destruction, and overal anarchythat seemed to be missing from the previous iterations. Most of all, this game is just flat out fun. While I didn’t spend any time doing any side missions and focused strictly on the story missions, I had a blast the entire time and I honestly can’t think of a boring or lackluster mission throughout the main campaign. GTA fans will definitely want to pick this one up. The price is also a steal, as it is only $20 roughly to download. There is also a disc that includes both The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned for around $40. This is a great option for those who do not have the original GTA:IV disc, as you can play both episodes without it.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Tekken 6 (PS3, Xbox360)
• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip
• Assassins Creed II (PS3, Xbox360)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox360)

GRAPHICS (8/10)

The graphics in the L4D games aren’t eye popping. This latest version is no exception. While the graphics aren’t poor, they lack the textural details of many of the more visually impressive titles this generation. What is important is that the zombies look like zombies and the people look like people.  The game does feature more graphical detail than its predecessor.  Zombies are killed, mutilated, slashed, and flat out abused with even greater detail than before.

Now when you shoot a shotgun at the legs of a zombie, you will see the legs disintegrate into shreds of bone and flesh. While that may seem a bit gory, this IS a zombie game afterall. Also, it adds a bit more authenticity to your attacks. If you can’t take them out with a well placed headshot, what better way to disable a zombie than to surgically remove his lower body with your weapon of choice? Overall the graphics have only improved slightly, but there is definitely more detail in the animations.

STORY (5/10)

The score may be low, but L4D games have never really cared much about a story. You basically know everything you ever will prior to playing the game. The zombie apocalypse is upon us and it is up to you and the other 3 survivors in your group to try and make it out alive. That is the entire plot in a nutshell. What is different is that this game takes place in Lousiana, allowing for some interesting environments.

Also, the original four characters from the first game have been replaced by a new group of four. There is Coach, a former pro football player who is now a coach at a local high school. There is Ellis, a good old country boy who is more than willing to share his bizzarre experiences and anecdotes no matter how innappropriate.  There is Rochelle, the tough female protagonist of the group.  Finally, there is Nick, the gambling hustler who seems to have borrowed his look from an episode of Miami Vice.  Luckily this new group is very chatty, offering up some of the funniest dialogue heard in a game in a long time. 

It’s a bit dissappointing that Valve put in the extra effort to make the characters more likeable, but then seemed to neglect the story behind how they got there and where they are going. With characters as interesting as these,  I’m sure many players would love to have more information about them.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

This is the area where the game truly shines. The game’s mechanics are basically unchanged from the first game. It is still a simple point and shoot game with a heavy emphasis on teamwork. There is one new gameplay addition, which is the new melee weaponry. Now you can hack, slice, and dice your way through swarms of zombies with chainsaws, katana swords, frying pans, and a number of other deadly objects. The melee weapon replaces whatever pistol you have in the secondary weapon slot. The new melee system actually works very well and it is a wonder why they didn’t include it in the first game.

Another gameplay addition is the ability to dual wield pistols. In the first game the pistol was a relatively useless weapon that served as a bit of a last resort. The only effective way to use it was with a headshot. Now, with two pistols, you can blast your way through just about anything, not to mention that pistols still have unlimited ammo.  With the exception of certain melee weapons, it is usually better to have two pistols than a melee weapon.

The gameplay is just as solid as the first game, with the exception of the improvements listed above. The difficulty level of this game, however, is through the roof. Playing on normal will feel like you are playing on expert. Making things even crazier for those who love punishment is the new ’realism’ mode. In this mode, there are no prompts to highlight items of interest (health packs, weapons, etc). It is all up to you to keep an eye out for these precious survival items. there are also numerous variations on the campaign modes, all making them way more difficult than the original modes.

 There are also the new “special” infected zombies they’ve added. The Jockey is a small midget zombie that will jump on your shoulders and take control of your character, usually steering them towards some hazard like toxic waste or fire. The Spitter is just that. She spits a flood of toxic material that will kill you if you’re exposed too long. The Charger is almost like a weaker version of the Tank. It tackles you out of nowhere and pins you against the wal, pummeling you to death.  Old favorites like the Tank, Witch, Boomer (now in Female form also), Hunter, and Smoker are all back to make your life miserable.

MULTIPLAYER (9/10)

The competitive multiplayer is pretty much the same as the first game, with the addition of new infected to play as.  The real gem of this series is its co-op multiplayer. There is nothing more fun than running through the game with a few friends. Even the best teamwork can unravel with some of the crazy situations that the random AI throws at you.  There are now 5 campaigns to play through, each offering some high adrenaline thrills. There is a carnival level, a swamp level, a burning building level, just to mention a few. It will take very excellent communication skills between squad members if you are to survive any of these campaigns.

OVERALL (8/10)

The game is an excellent game with improvements in nearly every department. When playing this, you immediately sense that this game is far more complete than the first one. It really makes the first one look outdated and after playing L4D2 you will have a difficult time going back to play the first game. Many of the improvements seem like things that should have been included from the series start. Melee is a perfect example. How can you have a Zombie game without melee capabilities (other than the lame shove move)? 

If there is one thing about the L4D series, it is the level of tension throughout the game. The first game had brief calm moments between major action showdowns. This game seems almost relentless in its pacing. Not that this is a bad thing, but after completing one campaign, you’ll be pretty much too drained to hop right into another one. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoy this game and I think that anyone who liked the first game will love this game.  If you hated the first game, this game will have little to offer since it is so similar. For zombie bashing fans, I highly recommend picking this up.

• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip
• Assassins Creed II (PS3, Xbox360)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox360)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Holiday Games Radar (2009)

GRAPHICS (9/10)

The graphics in this game are beautiful. The character models all look and move as they would in real life. Everything in this world is incredibly detailed. While the graphics are not the best on any console, you can’t help but to admire how seamless it all blends together to create the game’s immersive environments. Most of the time you’ll be caught up in a firefight, but the next time you’re just running around in this game, take a second to stop and admire the beauty of the graphics.

STORY (8/10)

Modern Warfare isn’t known for it’s storyline and this installment is no exception. The campaign is relatively short. I was able to plod through it on Veteran in just under a day’s time. Thankfully, Veteran difficulty has been toned down to “challenging” from “impossible” in previous installments.  As for the plotline, don’t try to figure it out as it will most likely just confuse you.   There are MAJOR plot twist, major characters are killed off along the way, and overall it doesn’t make much sense, even after completing the campaign. It is as if each plot point is just a reason to set up another incredible action set piece. Luckily, the action is just to satisfying and immersive that no one really gives a crap about what is going on with the plot. If anything, that is a testament to the excellent gameplay of this title.

GAMEPLAY (10/10)

I don’t really give 10’s out very often. However, I feel that this game definitely has it nailed in the gameplay department. They took their already excellent gameplay formula from MW and restructured it. Last year’s World at War seemed to mimic the MW formula very closely, providing some minimal tweaks. MW2 take the same formula and completely revamps everything, adding entirely new segments of gameplay and basically taking their already proven formula to the next level.   Big ups to them for taking the time to add more substance and depth to an already incredibly satisfying system. When you play this game, you will truly feel as if you are on a modern battlefield.   MW2 would’ve sold a billion copies even without these improvements, but it shows the level of pride that IW has in this project by how much more content they have put into this game. If only every game developer added this level of polish to their games also.

MULTIPLAYER (10/10)

The multiplayer portion is perhaps the best multiplayer game I have ever played.  When you start playing, it is instant chaos. Harrier Jets, Helicopters, Predator missiles, sentry guns, etc are all running rampant on any map you play. You really get the feeling of how mortal your character is when facing these mammoths of combat technology. the multiplayer is perfected to such an extent that the only cheap deaths are due to lag. Any other time that you die, chances are that you deserved to die.

The weapons and perks choices are just mindblowing. Endless combinations of weapons attachments combined with perk choices lead to endless customization of playing styles. Perhaps the biggest addition to MW2 is the kill streak set up. This game is all about the kill streaks as they can unlock anything from a simple UAV to a game ending NUKE. You can customize your killstreaks to unlock different rewards depending on how high your kill streak goes.  The custom options in this game are endless, and I haven’t even touched on the callsign/emblem options.

OVERALL (9/10)

I could go on and on about everything you can do in this game. The reality is- if you want this game then nothing I say will change your mind. I’m hard pressed to think of something negative to say about the game. The campaign is very short, but the overall game has the highest replay value of damn near any game I’ve played. The multiplayer is truly where this game shines. I picked this game up along with some of the other big holiday titles and I can honestly say that this is the only game that I have played every single day since its release. If you don’t have this yet, RUN out and buy a copy right away.

• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox360)
• Tekken 6 (PS3, Xbox360)
• Halo:Reach Multiplayer Clip
• Assassins Creed II (PS3, Xbox360)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox360)