Catherine Review!

Pros (The Good) 

• Beautiful animation 
• Interesting and unique story
• Well written characters
• High replay value
• Challenging puzzles 
• A different type of game 
• Characters are interesting and entertaining

Cons (The Bad & The Ugly) 

• Camera has some issues 
• Game could be extremely hard and unforgiving especially for new players to puzzle based games

What is this, what's it about?

What do you get when you combine horror, comedy, romance and puzzle platforming in an adventure game? You get Catherine of course! Catherine follows the main character Vincent, a thirty two year old adult who continues to be haunted in his dreams. What is he being haunted by or why? Well Vincent himself is far from the heroic main character we normally get to play as, instead he's a man of many faults. Being in a relationship with the character Katherine, life begins to take its tole on our backwards hero. When his girlfriend begins to give him at times not so subtle hints that she wants to get married, Vincent begins to panic finding excuses to escape that conversation. 

Being content with where they are now, Vincent begins to drown his life issues in beer at the local pub with his friends. During this, he meets the mysterious and flirtatious Catherine. Vincent not being one to turn down the company of an attractive woman, ends up spending the night talking to her. Only to wake up to realize that he had slept with her, now the liquored up romantic begins to form a secret love triangle. Trying to balance two women who know nothing of each other, and trying to decide how he should approach this conflict. Stay faithful to his girlfriend or continue being involved with Catherine. All while being thrown curve balls by each party, not to mention Vincent begins to suffer from nightmares. 

Haunted by visions of sheep's and other creatures Vincent is forced to climb. Just like reality he climbs to escape his problems, however if he were to die in his dreams he'd be found dead in reality. Like many recent games Catherine offers you options and choices that alter the story of the game. But unlike most games, the way Catherine approaches this and shows your progress is different. After each action that determines which side you're leaning on (good, bad. ect) a bar will come up showing you exactly where you are.  A hero who doesn't fight to save the world, universe or anything but his relationship? Can a game like this even sell itself to an audience?

It's starting to get a little too real. I want a game not a relationship.

Catherine is one of those rare games unlike anything in stores now. What makes this game so unique? Throughout Catherine, Vincent will have to go through a variety of questions. After completing each stage, VIncent will wonder around talking to a array of sheep. After conversing, you enter a confession booth where a mysterious voice asks you a question. These questions will further determine how vincent's personality (good guy, bad guy meter) will change. Each question is different but ask very personal questions. Questions such as "do you prefer younger or older women?" and a variety of others dealing with sex, personal preferences of women, and more. After choosing your answer the game compares your answer to other players on xbl or psn.

So depending on the way you play, the game will ultimately make you feel like a scum bag or the ultimate ladies man? Personally I felt bad at times for talking to both Catherine and Katherine in a certain way. Since the game uses such a realistic conflict, you can't help but personally feel affected at times. Since the game revolves on a guy who cheats and tried to cover it up, running away from his problems can be relatable to a lot of people in some aspect. The game finds ways to take these characters and make them feel real, each with their own problems and back stories you can't help but get lured in.

In fact the game is so well written at times you forget you're playing a character. Focusing on the emotion behind the characters, at times you might find yourself answering questions as if you were Vincent. While some players might choose options depending on which ending they want, the game will make you forget you're answering for Vincent and you'll make it more personal. The drama in the game also leaves you feeling as if you're the main character, because again it's a realistic problem with human characters. Anyone can have relationship issues, so when the game plays on that as the player one might play differently than the next.

Climb! Climb like theres no tomorrow! Love is over, retry?

Catherine is a game thats divided into two parts of gameplay. Half of the game takes place in the bar, where you as Vincent can wonder around and socialize. Walking around the bar, you'll find the locals hanging out and each of them offers a conversation. While walking around the bar, Vincent can check his cellphone for text messages, look at pictures of Katherine or Catherine and drink. The other half of the game takes place in his dreams, or nightmares. This is where the game really shines, during these nightmares Vincent has to move and climb up these set of boxes to survive. 

Each stage becomes more difficult and throws surprises your way, heavier boxes, boxes made out of ice that cause you to slide when walking on them, and even boxes that shoot spikes. There are various ways to find your path up to the door at the top, making the way you play and set up paths a more unique experience. Although you aren't being timed in these stages, the faster you make your way up the higher the score.  There are a total of eight levels in the game, each level typically has three to four stages. At the final stage before you move on to the next level and wake up will have a boss battle of sorts. Normally each boss battle has Vincent running away from a figure that represents his real life fears or problems, although not technically timed if you don't out run the boss you will be killed. 

During the game when climbing if you make a mistake you can simply undo your last move, this gives players a better chance to get used to the game. Even though the game can be more lenient towards new players, the game on the easiest difficulty could still be pretty challenging. The core gameplay is basic, move the blocks and climb them until you get to the top. However the camera in the game doesn't offer you much control or as much control as you'd like. Along with being chased by horrid monsters, Vincent also has other sheep(people) moving towards freedom. These sheep will try to knock you off some blocks so at times you have fight back, Vincent does so either smacking them with his pillow or by using a power up. Power ups range from being able to create a block, a heavy block, an energy drink that allows you to jump up two blocks at once or a book that shoots down lightening that kills enemies around you. 

When you first start a new game like any other they ask you which difficulty you want. The game even goes as far as to advise you to play it on easy for your first time. Not only does it do so to have you get used to the game, but it asks if you're just interested in the story to play it on easy. If you're going to play the game on a higher difficulty, be prepared to die....and die a lot. Certain boss battles could be extremely hard for new comers to play it on any other difficulty. The harder the difficulty the more challenging you'll find the same stages, nothing really changes except the speed of the game. 

The verdict!

Catherine is a unique game with nothing else like it out on the market. Combining realistic issues, with fantasy and challenging puzzles it surely stands out on all levels. However because of the realistic issue of the game, it can either draw a player in or push them away. While most people play games to escape problems or just experience something totally new, Catherine could remind them of failed relationships or other issues. It's hard to sell someone on a game these days that isn't a FPS, and in fact touches on modern problems without holding a gun or a weapon. I mean who wants to play a game and get reminded of their own terrible life right? 

The fact that the game has a realistic core theme, shouldn't put anyone off, beyond that core theme Catherine is a fantastic game. Having beautiful anime like cutscenes, a well written main character and support characters, interesting storyline and challenging puzzles. Make no mistake about it, this game is very Japanese. From the humor used in the game, to the reactions characters give even down to the overall design this title screams Japanese. 

If you love a challenge, or just want a game thats totally different Catherine is it. For those gamers who love puzzle solving and drama this is the perfect title. It was a risk for Atlus to create a game thats so different from whats out, taking the chance that they did personally I'm happy. Catherine is either a game that you've already researched and wanted or just another love it or hate title. Honestly this game isn't for everyone and not a lot of people might support it and that's a shame. Catherine deserves much more, hopefully people will be drawn to it. It's not everyday that we get a game that we can say is actually original. 

On a personal note, I have been excited about this game ever since I first heard about it. Catherine is highly enjoyable and even though at times frustrating, it's still so much fun and unique that you can't help but love it. As a person and not just a gamer you want to see what will happen to Vincent, you want to see how those questions you were asked and answered will effect the game. Atlus did a fantastic job creating this game and it's story, it should be experienced by everyone who loves a game with a amazing story.

The score!

4/5

(I wanted to give the game a perfect score of 5/5 however, because of the difficulty the score had to be lowered. New players to puzzle genre will have trouble even with the easy difficulty. On a personal note to me its a 5/5 but for consumers I will have to warn them. It's a hard game and it will get people frustrated.)  

The Hangover Part 2 Review!

What happens? 

The wolfpack is back and this time they bring the party to Thailand. The original cast returns Bradley Cooper (Phil), Ed Helms (Stu), Zach Galifianakis (Alan) and Justin Bartha (Doug) all return to play the characters we loved in the first movie. Like the first movie the sequel follows the exact same premise as the original, I guess if it's not broken don't fix it right? The Hangover Part II manages to follow the same story as the first film, with just a change of location and addition of a few new characters the movie still holds up. In the first film we follow Phil, Stu and Alan waking up in a daze, trying to piece together what happened the night before. All while trying to find their friend Doug before his wedding starts, The sequel makes a few changes but overall its the same. The film opens up with Phil making a phone call explaining how they "Fucked up" again. Taking place roughly two years after the first movie, this time the boys travel to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu still recovering from the previous events, decides he doesn't want a bachelor party. Having decided instead to have a bachelor brunch at iHop just so things don't escalade like last time. While in Thailand, just like in the previous film the night ends with the group having one drink. After that one drink everything goes down hill and its up to the group to try and figure out what happened, and where Teddy (Mason Lee / Stu's fiancee's younger brother) is.

Are the characters the same? 

One noticeable change has been made to the character Alan. While in the first movie he was funny man child who meant well, in this film he isn't as charming. Most of the time Alan is acting out in a bratty manner, making him say and do things that are completely uncalled for. While in the first movie everything he did was in good spirit, in this film truth be told he's a bit of a douche. Acting in such ways that make you question why Phil and Stu don't just call him out on his attitude, or better yet beat him. Although they sort of barely touch upon why he's acting out, since Vegas the group hasn't really hung out with him making him "sad". That's still not enough, there are countless scenes where Alan is completely messing things up for everyone. To the point where it's obvious to anyone with a brain, that he's doing it on purpose. Basically if you've seen the movie Due Date and remember Galifianakis' character, thats pretty much who Alan has become. For those who didn't see it, in Due Date Galifianakis' character was this needy, bratty, stuck up man child who always messed things up. Most of the time Alan is acting out because of his new found rivalry. A rivalry with Teddy, feeling threaten and jealous that Teddy is getting in the way of the Wolfpack. Even though his character has changed and became a little annoying, Alan is still one of the funniest characters in the film with some scenes reminding you of the Alan from Vegas. Doug still doesn't play a major role in the film, Instead Mr. Chow's role got extended to be more of a main character. Alan and Mr. Chow have formed a close friendship, which at times is seen as questionable.  Phil remains as the cool easy going leader of the group, and Stu is still the nerdy and when drunk, crazy one.

Isn't this the same movie as the first? What's new?

The Hangover Part II is basically the first film with a location change, however thats not necessarily a bad thing. Like the first film this one is still funny, not to mention they bring back one of my favorite characters Mr. Chow! Also like the first film you barely see Doug, which I thought was a shame. Doug as character seemed like the only one with common sense and the one who was able to hold the group together in this film. But Doug being gone the movie moves on and misfortune falls upon the group again. Alan wakes up with a bald head, Stu wakes up to find a Mike Tyson face tattoo and Phil wakes up with barely any damage. Is it just me or is Phil always the one that has to look cool? While the others wake up  to find something wrong with them, Phil just has a little bit of red eyes. Making him able to wear his cool Bruce Lee like sun glasses almost the whole film. Also like in the first film they do have a stolen animal involved. This time the tiger has been replaced with a drug dealing gay monkey, who really makes the movie funnier. As for whats new, well theres not much thats new to be honest. Besides the location and new fiancee the movie is exactly the same. 

Whats the problem? 

Where the film has it's problems is in the characters. Some characters just act or say things that are unbelievable in those situations. For example Alan's speech at the dinner, that would never happen in reality because no one would tolerate it. Another example would be how Stu's fiancee's (Jamie Chung) father speaks to him. Giving him nothing but harsh words in public events, no man would just take that then again it is Jamie Chung so I guess I would too. The film itself is funny, would I go as far as saying funnier than the first? For some scenes that resemble the previous films yes, but overall? No. While The Hangover Part II is funny, there's just not enough original material there. The group is still funny, the situations are still hilarious but you have seen all of this before. The film also follows the originals structure closely when it comes to the situations the guys get into, down to the group looking at photos of  what happened the night before. But lets be honest those photos are one of the best parts in the movie. Even if this movie is mirroring the original, it's still full of laughs and filled with funny dialogue. There's a certain situation that happens to the character Stu, that is in my opinion the funniest thing in the movie. I won't spoil it, but lets just say "That's why they call it Bangkok". 

The Score and Final Thoughts :

The Hangover Part II is a hard movie for me to score. While it did its job and made me laugh, I couldn't help the overpowering feeling that I already saw this movie. The only way I can properly score this film is by giving it two ratings. The Hangover Part II gets a Low Ticket Price and a High Rental.  Low Ticket Price because the film is funny and does have a good time and manages to never leave you bored. If you see this movie in Theaters go with a big group of friends, or make sure that theater is packed. If it's packed and the audience is good the movie will be that much better. A High Rental because lets be honest the first one was original. The sequel tries to hit the same punch lines and even spends the first ten-twenty minutes of the movie reminding you of the first one. In no shape or form is this a bad film by any means, it's a comedy and the best one out right now.  Personally I loved this movie, I thought it was hilarious. Not to mention the character Mr. Chow has a bigger and better role in this movie it hit every joke fantastically, I just wish they had done a little bit more. 

Been gone for a while

Its been a while since I've written a review or posted anything. But I will be getting back into the grove of things. In June many games will be released and I will be sure to write my review for them.

Games I look forward too in June


Alice Madness Returns

Release date : June 14th 2011
I have been waiting for this game for years. Having played the original years back as a child it is very exciting that this title is so close. One can only imagine how the story will turn, with its original and unique twist on an old favorite Alice Madness Returns should be another classic.

Duke Nukem Forever

Release date : June 14th 2011
There should be no explanation as to why the Duke has highly anticipated game release. A game that has been through development hell and back starting its cycle in 1997. From the videos being shown and all the absurd crude macho humor packed in the game, Duke Nuke Forever will definitely worth the years of waiting. Also the demo will be released June 3rd.

The Legen Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time 3D

Release date : June 19th 2011
It's no secret that me being the zelda fanboy that I am will be more than happy to get a hold of this game. With the release date coming closer and closer, this game isn't just a remake its much more. I mean sure nostalgia plays a major part for the title. But with all the features added on and tweaks done, this won't just me a stroll own memory lane but a whole new adventure with familiar faces. Ocarina Of Time being one of my favorite Zelda games (Others being Majora's Mask, Oracle Of Seasons, A link To The Past, Twilight Princess) hell I love them all. This is going to be the one game handheld or not that will constantly have my attention.

There will be many more games released like Super Street Fighter 4 : Arcade Edition, F.E.A.R 3 and more. I will have full coverage of all those titles and more, not to mention E3 is right around the corner and although I will not be going I will have my take on some announcements. Bringing you the stories revealed at E3 with my opinion and thoughts, and there will be plenty to talk about.

For those of you who care as to why I have posted anything in a while, while to sum it up I spent my time with school work. Studying, and taking finals even starting a script for a short film I will filming soon. But I promise to continue to put out posts on this site, even if not many read it.

Mortal Kombat Review!

After releasing some, at points questionable games (MK Vs DC Univers with no blood?) the rebooted Mortal Kombat is finally here. After a long awaited release is the game that will restore fans fith in the series?

Pros (The Good) :

1) A great roster
2) All those brutal, gory fatalities are back
3) Babalities
4) Plenty of modes to keep you busy (story mode, verses,challenge tower, test your might/sight/ ect, battle tower, online)
5) Enhanced fighting engine
6) The level designs are gorgeous offering you more than just eye candy
7) Plenty of things to unlock (fatalities, costumes, artwork, ect.)
8) The details of characters wounds are amazing to look at

Cons (The Bad & The Ugly)  :

1) Story Mode is entertaining but at times is pretty corny (fighting games are never really known for the stories anyway.)
2) The boss battles, at points it can be unforgivingly cruel
3) graphics at cretain times lose it's sharpness and makes the characters look dull
4) Handicap battles can be unfair and cause frustration (you shouldn't have to rely on doing the same four moves to win : jump, duck, uppercut, repeat)
5) You're unable to skip cutscenes

It's about time!

Mortal Kombat has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, from playing with my brother as a child to watching the movies with my family (yes even seeing Mortal Kombat Annihilation in theaters). Mortal Kombat has always and will always be a arcade classic, but with games like Super Street Fighter 4 and Marvel Vs Capcom 3 leading the fighting game army how does Mortal Kombat stand? Well truth be told a lot has changed gameplay wise in the newest installment of the blood splattering series. Mortal Kombat adds a whole new super meter which will change how you play. With the super meter it can do a variety of things, each of which can alter the end results of a match. The super meter can help you pull of longer more impressive combos, enhance your special moves to do more damage, or if you fill it up to the max you'll be able to pull off your "X-Ray Attack". What the X Ray attacks do is slow down the gameplay and zoom in to see your character break the others bones and pierce organs. Along with the new super meter, the game also brings in a tag team mode. Players choose two characters to make a team, while playing you can call your partner in for assistance or tag him/her in. This mode leaves you open to do a variety of things you normally don't think of doing in a Mortal Kombat game. Combos are a big part of this, with your partner you can use an assist and continue your combo into your X Ray attack, giving you a new way to play Mortal Kombat. Everything in the game runs smoothly, the combos connect perfectly, and tag matches don't seem forced or added on as a cheap gimmick. The game itself is uses 3D graphics with the classic 2D fighting system. Running a modified version of the Unreal Engine 3, and a all new fighting mechanic to enhance the gameplay. The features a roster of twenty six characters to choose from, each of them plays different to each other so you don't feel like you're using the same character with a different skin.

Blood, Blood, Blood!

One of the things that Mortal Kombat is known for are what? Fatalities of course! This game does nothing but live up to the standards that fans set, not only that they take it one step further. The fatalities in Mortal Kombat look fantastic, each character has rich detail to them making every cut worth awing at. With character molds so realistically designed with veins, organs, and joints you can't help but just appreciate the carnage that is happening before you. Just when you thought Scorpion was cool taking his mask off and burning you, wait until you see Kung Lao use his hat to cut you vertically in half. Not impressed? Picture the same thing happening and add the body falling after the opponents guts, lungs, veins, and spine all fall to the floor. After being disappointed by MK vs DC Universe (ultimately not a terrible game, but far from a Mortal Kombat game.) this new game is nothing but fan service at best. Fans demanded blood, Nether Realm's took noticed and went a step further. Fans demanded gorier fatalities, Nether Realms took noticed and delivered. Along with bringing back the series to a 2D plane, and making it the bloodiest and goriest in the series Mortal Kombat has more to it than that.  Offering many modes to keep you busy and never bored. Online matches (Ranked, player, king of the hill) Battle Tower, Story Mode, Challenge Tower and more. Mortal Kombat offers you more then most fighting games out right now, giving you hours worth of modes to play and complete.

Whats this? I didn't order a story with my order of kick ass fights. 

When you hear a 2D fighting game has a full fledge story mode you normally just shrug, however Mortal Kombat pulled it off. To be honest the story isn't perfect, but it gets the job done and keeps you entertained. Although sometimes you'll just chuckle at how corny some of the dialogue sounds, for example theres a where a character (I will not mention who due to spoilers) says to another character "If you do not let me go.....THEN YOU ARE MY ENEMY!" and the fight starts.  Although the story does do a good job explaining the history of the series, for those who are relatively new the series you'll get the gist of whats going on. The story takes place after Mortal Kombat Armageddon and returns to the beginning of the series, now taking place in the time  lines of Mortal Kombat I,II, and III. But how is this possible? A simple plot twist to which Raiden now knows what happens in the future and tries to alter the events that lead up to that. As far as fighting game stories go this isn't bad, in fact I was personally entertained the whole way through. The one major problem that holds this game back does happen during the story mode. That is the ability to skip to cutscenes, why is this such a big deal? You're forced to watch every cutscene that happens without the choice to skip it or pause it. If you leave and restart the story mode, you will have re-watch the same scene again. It's not bad in the sense that it affects the game, it's just really annoying. The story mode does a good job in letting you play with a variety of characters, so you won't be bored going through the entire thing with the same character.

I'm about to break this controller!

It just wouldn't be a fighting game if it didn't get your frustrated at times would it. Mortal Kombat offers its fair share of moments that make you want to power toss your controller. For example during the story mode you will be pinned in a handful of two on one battles. These handicap battles play like a regular battle, meaning you have to win two rounds. Which would be fine if you weren't fighting two people by yourself, to win a round you must defeat both characters while they just have to defeat you. It doesn't really sound like a big deal does it? Well I said the same thing until I came across some pretty obnoxious team ups. Characters will spam moves at you leaving you at times unable to attack or get around them. These computer players aren't exactly always easy too, there will be times where you have to press that retry option many times. Two of the most annoying teams you will battle will be Noob Saibot and Quan Chi, when they're not spamming moves at your or teleporting you (Noob Saibot) they will corner you. The other team will be Goro and Kintaro, keep your distance or else with three regular hits you'll suffer 32% damage. If that's not bad, when they grab you in a X Ray attack it does about 52% damage way more than yours. Also your moves on them will do less damage so keep upper cutting! Along with these handicap battles you're also tossed into boss battles which are even worse. The final boss battle of the game will drive you to the point of sheer anger. If you're the type of person who gets easily angry, the final boss battle will make you to put the controller down for a while. The final boss moves at a ridiculous speed at times, does massive amounts of damage, and leave you no other choice but to be cheep and spam moves.

The Verdict!

Although a very different fighting game when compared to Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat stands its own against those two. Giving you that old school arcade feeling that Mortal Kombat games used to give you, and at the same time it's evolved into something more. Having a solid new fighting mechanic that allows for more strategy and combos, this is a step forward for the folks over at the Nether Realms. Fans of the series will not be disappointed, new comers will enjoy the game just as much as the fans. With hours worth gameplay and many collectables to keep you busy Mortal Kombat is a great game. Even with it's hiccups in the story mode, nothing about this game will get you bored or disappointed. The roster is solid, the game offers a high entertainment value and tons of fan service making this the best Mortal Kombat game to come out.

The Score

5/5

- After spending some fair time thinking about what score to give this game, I was set on giving it a 4 but then I started thinking harder. The more I thought about this game, the more I started to remember the story mode and everything I did with the other modes. You know a game is when you go to bed at night and before you shut your eyes, you start thinking about that game in your head. Picturing some of the moves, and start to think of possible combos the next day at work or school. It's these qualities that as a gamer myself, I decide if a game should get a certain score. The game gets a perfect score of a 5/5 due to the fact that there is just so much to like. Even though the game has problems, there is so much it offers and delivers on. With what you get in this game all those small problems can be easily over looked. If you love fighting games, and love arcade fighters this is the game you should definitely get.- 

Gears of war 3 beta thoughts

The Gears of war 3 beta is finally out, for those of you who have the epic edition of bullet storm at least. After spending my morning playing the beta for a fair amount of time, I've broken the beta down to some of the pros and cons it suffers from. 

Pros :

1. Customization 
2. Ability to set a pre-chosen weapon scheme 
3. Team death match & being able to re-spawn.
4. Lots of things to unlock (medals, skins for guns, ect.) 
5. New maps 
6. Maps showing you where the weapons are before each round 
7. New weapons 
8. New executions 

Pros : Discussion. 

 One major change to the gears of war series is the ability to customize your character. You can set pre-chosen weapons to him/her along with the ability to add skins to your guns. One character which you are able to unlock is "Thrashball Cole". Sporting his thrashball attire and a golden retro lancer, if you unlock this cole in the beta when Gears 3 officially releases he will transfer over. Cole wont be the only transferring over the full game, all of the medals you win will supposedly transfer over as well. Team Death Match in gears 3 is incredibly fun. You and your team share a certain amount of respawns you're allowed in the round so the more you die, the less your team can respawn. After your team uses up all of the shared respawns, you are unable to respawn until the next round, making you pull harder and clutch through the rest of the existing round. One very useful feature is the map of the level you see before each game, this map will show you where all of the weapons will be. This comes in use when you're playing a map you have no experience in and want to go for the frags, or sniper. What makes this game feel more fresh and polished then the previous gears game are the new weapons and executions. The retro lancer for example might not have the the accuracy of the lancer, or the grip but it does make up for it in damage. The sawed off shotgun is an extremely powerful weapon, being able to kill or down an opponent if close. (The gnasher shot gun can kill close range we know, but that doesn't always happen. The sawed off shotgun at just a foot or two away can kill/down an opponent with one shot.)Also the executions have improved and add a whole new aspect of insult to injury to a downed opponent. For example I can keep punching your face while you're downed and the longer I do, the more points I get.    

Cons :

1.  Ink grenade can now stun. Leaving you helpless and unable to avoid it, if it's tossed head on at you
2. Sawed off shotgun id basically a one hit kill if close enough, or a foot or two away. (However it's power is balanced out, the weapon does have a longer reload time and you only have 4 rounds.)
3. If you're taking cover and move over the cover you can kick a player leaving him stunned. (Can be unfair and easily abused online, should be tweaked so the stun time wont be as long)
4. Retro lancer bayonet is the new chainsaw "n00b" kills. 
5. Shotguns are still overly powerful

Cons : Discussions 

 While the game in beta form is still very fun, and entertaining it still has its faults. For one take the ink grenade, in gears 2 you were able to have it fall near you and and side dive away. That is not always the case in the gears 3 beta. The ink grenade now stuns you if you're near it, leaving you unable to move and get downed and even killed without a chance to fight. Another problem I've noticed online is the retro lancer bayonet kills. Listening to people online describe it as being a "chainsaw whore on roids". It's understandable while it is fun to charge the battle field gun first and killing a person whose in front of you automatically, it can be a bit cheap. Especially when while on the charge, if a person has a gun out like the lancer they either have to be farther away from you to down you while running, shooting you the whole time. Or they would have to have a shotgun out and quickly fire it, killing you. It should be noted that while charging you can steer your character, but only slightly no hard turns. As for the cover stuns I'm kind of on the fence about it. While it is nice to end a stalemate by just hoping over that cover and kicking the other person, the stun effect can be unfair. By the time the person is hoping over the cover, you don't always have the time to move leaving you to get kicked, stunned and shot gunned down.

Final Thoughts 

While this is still the beta version of the game, it is still very impressive and entertaining. Hopefully for the finalized game, some of the cons I talked about will be tweaked. Leave the cover stun in but just make the stun time shorter, giving the other person a fighting chance. Fix the ink grenade stun, but even with the cons of the game and minor faults, Gears of war 3 beta is still the most fun I had online in a while. The beta gives us a little taste of what to expect, for those who did not get the epic edition of bulletstorm don't be upset. The beta will be open publicly to those who reserved GoW3 from gamestop on 4-25-11. The online play is smooth, the level designs are amazing, personally I can't wait to go offline and see what the campaign mode will be like. It's going to be a sad day when they close the beta, but the way things are looking gears 3 will be the best installation of the series yet. 

Gears of war 3 will be released on 9-20-11 and the beta closes on 5-15-11

Game Update! Street Fighter X Tekken. (And my personal thoughts on the game)

Finally more news about the highly anticipated cross over game Street FighterXTekken has been announced! Not much on the game has been revealed until now. The first ten characters have been announced characters including :

    (Ryu Street Fighter) 

(Ken Masters Street Fighter)

(Chun Li Street Fighter II)

(Guile Street Fighter II)

(Abel Street Fighter IV)

(Kazuya Mishima Tekken)

(Nina Williams Tekken)

(Bob Tekken 6)

(King Tekken)

(Marduk Tekken 4)

So far the roster to me is pretty impressive. I'm glad to see Guile and Ken back in a game, since they were left out of Marvel Vs Capcom 3. For the first 10 characters to be announced, I'm surprised even though as of now the game looks unbalanced it still seems to work. For example you have characters like Guile, Ken, Ryu, and Chun Li who are able to throw fire balls and awesome sonic booms, against pretty much the entire Tekken cast who are more hands on close up fighters. Even with that, characters that don't use projectiles still seem to be able to handle themselves fairly well. We've all seen or used Abel a character in street fighter with no projectiles just grabs and strikes, take down some of the heaviest hitters i.e Akuma and Ryu online and offline.

That was the first rough video shown when the game was announced. Since that time a lot of progress has been made, with more details to be revealed at this years E3. For those that don't know there will be two versions of the games. Street Fighter X Tekken and Tekken X Street Fighter, what's the difference? Street Fighter X Tekken as you've seen from the video will both look and play like a street fighter game. Using the same engine and design as Street Fighter 4 did, while Tekken X Street Fighter will play more like a Tekken game. Along with Tekken X Street Fighter it won't be that cell shaded look as seen already, but the Tekken 3D look to game which should be interesting. Not much besides those facts have been announced or revealed for Tekken X Street Fighter, but when more news comes along I will keep tell you. 

 

While the game still looks a little rough, keep in mind it's still in its early stages. This is one of the games that I cannot wait for. Having been a fan of Street Fighter since I was a young kid and a fan of Tekken since a early age as well, to me this one of my dream games. The only thing that could make this game better to me was if Capcom decided to make it a Capcom vs Namco vs Nintendo game. That would be my ultimate game where I can place Power Stone characters, Street Fighter characters, Devil May Cry characters with Tekken, Soul Calibur and Pac Man! against Zelda, Metroid, and Earthbound characters! That would be the ultimate game...yeah

 

Who do I think should be in the game?

(Akuma Super Street Fighter II Turbo)

   Akuma would make for a perfect fit in the Street Fighter X Tekken universe. With his dark personality and Raging Demon, who wouldn't want to see Akuma take on Panda from Tekken. 

(Steve Fox Tekken 4)

 Steve Fox the boxer, what more can I say? Being one of my personal favorite characters in the Tekken series, he would honestly fit in perfectly with the Street Fighter cast. With his ability to dodge moves, while still being able to lay quick hard strikes it's easy to understand why he could stand up to any character...fire balls and all. 

(Juri Super Street Fighter IV)

Juri happens to be one of the best new editions to Street Fighter. With her unpredictable moves, deadly kicks and aggressive personality she's not afraid to stand up to anybody. Another one of my personal favorites, Juri would be a more then welcomed edition to the line up. I could definitely see her having something to do with the storyline. 

(Eddy Gordo Tekken 3)

    Eddy Gordo and his Capoeira would certainly be different. His unique fighting style would fair well against those in Street Fighter, it would be interesting to see him go against Elena another Capoeira fighter from Street Fighter. 

Other characters I would love to see in the game are :

• Makoto (Street Fighter III : 3rd Strike)
• Cody ( Street Fighter Alpha 3)
• Alex (Street Fighter III)
• Elena (Street Fighter III)
• Fei Long (Super Street Fighter II)
• Cammy (Super Street Fighter II)
• Sakura (Street Fighter Alpha 2)
• R. Mika (Street Fighter Alpha 3)
• M.Bison (Street FuiFighter II)
• Dudley (Street Fighter III)
• Panda (Tekken 5)
• Jin Kazama (Tekken 3)
• Hwoarang (Tekken 3)
• Paul Phoenix (Tekken)
• Marshall Law (Tekken)
• Lei Wulong (Tekken 2)
• Bryan Fury (Tekken 3)
• Lars Alexandersson (Tekken 6 : Bloodline Rebellion)
• Alisa Boskonovitch (Tekken 6 : Bloodline Rebellion)
• Julie Chang (Tekken 3)

There you have my picks and quick picks, what are yours? I will be posting more on this game as more news comes in. This is a game that remains on my radar and one that I will be waiting for. I will now leave you with this image.

Top 5 games to look forward too!

E3 2011 is right around the corner, along with E3 we also get a glimpse of whats to come. Since last years E3 we've been teased with some great games. However, not every game is going to be released this year. Here's a top 5 list of my personal favorite games that should be on your radar.

Number 5 - Metal Gear Solid : Rising. (Xbox 360, PS3) (TBA 2012)

Metal Gear Solid: Rising follows the events that resulted in the transformation of Raiden. Raiden, who made his debut in Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4 :Guns of the patriots. Metal Gear Solid : Rising will take place between those two games, unlike the series Rising will be a fast pace game. The reason why this game is number 5 on the list, is because Raiden himself is a interesting character and one can only imagine what this game will bring. The game itself looks visually stunning, and the game play seems solid, I'm interested in this game because it's not your typical metal gear game. Although I hope in this game, there won't be awkward naked raiden flips.

 

The game has no release day as of it, supposedly slated for a 2012 release this is a game you should keep your eye on. Especially for those who are fans of the metal gear solid series, I'm more then sure you'd want to know what really happened in the gap between those games with raiden.

Number 4 - Alice : Madness Returns. (PC, Mac, PS3, Xbox 360)(June 14, 2011)

Alice : Madness Returns is the sequel to the PC game American Mcgee's Alice which was released in 2000. Madness Returns takes place eleven years after the first game, Alice has been released from Ruthledge Asylum. Still haunted by the traumatic events of her parents death, Alice returns to wonderland feeling that's the one place shes safe from her thoughts and hallucinations. This is a game that I have been overly excited about for a while now. There's a reason this game is number 4 on the list, and it's not just because its one of my favorites.Not only is the story interesting, but for those who actually got to play the first game know how special this game is. The original game is pretty hard to find, if you were to find it on Amazon or Ebay, the seller always asks for a ridiculous price. This game took everything we liked about Alice in wonderland( Alice's adventures in wonderland) and gave it a sadistically dark spin. From the weapons you use, to the re-imagined characters you meet everything about the game feels fresh. Even while maintaining that freshness, the core game play of having these puzzles to solve, and an improved combat system makes this game one to look out for. 

Number 3 - BioShock Infinite (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) (TBA 2012)

BioShock Infinite is the third game in series, unlike its predecessors BioShock Infinite wont be a sequel. Instead the game takes place in 1912, also to be noted the game takes place in a "air-city" rather than under water. Taking control of the main character Booker DeWitt, a former agent of the pinkerton national detective agency. Being dismissed from the agency for behaving beyond the agency's acceptable bounds. BioShock Infinite looks to be great a game, with a compelling story and gorgeous graphics. The game blends a futuristic steam punk look with the old school 1912 colony look beautifully. As a fan of the series personally I expect nothing but greatness, after all with its trailer it's hard for you to not get even slightly excited. 

 

Number 2 - The Legend Of Zelda : Skyward Sword ( Wii ) (TBA 2011)

First off, let me say that the Zelda series is my personal favorite video game series of all time. Zelda was on of the first games I ever played, I was raised on Nintendo me and my brother owned the NES and played the crap out of it. One of the first games that wasn't a Mario game, or a fighting game that I beat to completion was The Legend Of Zelda : A Link To The Past for the SNES. Ever since that game my love for the characters and games to come have only grown. To this day my top five favorite Zelda games are A Link To The Past (SNES), Ocarina Of Time (N64), Majora's Mask (N64), Oracle Of Seasons/Oracle Of Ages (GB Color) and Twilight Princess (Wii). I could write a whole book on why the Zelda series is so great, but that's a different subject for a different day. Shigeru Miyamoto has gone on to create some of the most successful video game franchise's ever, including Mario, Donkey Kong, Starfox, The Legend Of Zelda, F-Zero and Pikmin. Miyamoto is the reason I've played so many video games, if it wasn't for him I would of never been happy. A bold statement true, but nevertheless I spent so many hours as a young kid refusing to go outside and play with others. Instead of enjoying the day and playing tag, I spent my free time inside exploring dungeons, solving puzzles, racing cars, trying to save the princess all because of this guy. Instead of remembering notes for tests, my mind was filled with remember the previous time I played as link. Filling my mind with useless facts and trivia on the game, such facts like the obvious Link is left handed but in certain games he was right handed, the names of all the transformations in majora's mask ect. Wanting to be link, or trying to figure out a puzzle so I can go home and try my new take on the world. The Legend Of Zelda series only gets stronger and better, Skyward Sword looks to be no different. Call me a fan boy or whatever you'd like, but anyone who has a history playing a game or is a real gamer has played a Zelda game before. The fact that to this day I remember those games perfectly, shows how not only important the series is to the gaming community but how much of a part in your life a game could be. Skyward Sword is a prequel to Ocarina Of Time. In this game Link was born and raised in Skyloft, a group of islands floating above the clouds. Link lives a ordinary life until one day where finds the Skyward Sword, which leads him to a unknown land beneath where evil forces rule it. (I was going to add The Legend Of Zelda : Ocarina Of Time 3D. But I didn't want to fill the page with to much of one game.)   

 

 Number 1 - Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3) (TBA)

Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been a mystery for the most part. With only a trailer to go by and no release date, many have been exploring the corners of the internet for more information. More news on the game has been rumored to be announced/reveled in E3 2011. The game itself was unveiled in 2006 at E3, following the character Noctis Lucis Caelum. Noctis is the last heir of a dynasty ruling over the only remaining city to control crystals. Why should this be the number one game on your radar? Well for a few reasons, one the game looks absolutely beautiful and two the gameplay will be something completely new to the final fantasy name. Tetsuya Nomura (the director of the game) has stated that the gameplay will be a realistic derivation of Kingdom Hearts battle system, with some third person shooter elements to change things up even more. This won't be the typical final fantasy turn based game but something much larger. Although the turn based battle system is traditional in the final fantasy games, think about it after watch Advent Children didn't you think to yourself "they should make a game like this!" well with this battle system this could be that game. Along with the new battle system, the battles themselves will take place in real time environments. You will still have a party of three players on your team, players will be able to switch between the controlled characters. Ever since I saw this trailer I got blown away, the characters look interesting and everything looked beautiful. Given it was a cut scene, final fantasy games have always had beautifully done cut scenes with amazing graphics and this game only further pushed that. 

   

(trailer)

(extended trailer with game play)