Halo Wars Rating

OVERALL RATING:9.0/10

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Ensemble Studios

Category: Action

Release Dates

N Amer - 03/03/2009
Gameplay: 9.0
A highly action-oriented RTS game, Halo Wars gets huge props for creating a control scheme that proves that RTS games can be done comfortably and intuitively on a console.

Graphics: 8.0
The game features some pretty cool effects and brightly colorful environments, and the unit models take on some impressive amounts of damage. Unfortunately, the choppy framerates are a problem when the action gets hairy.

Sound: 9.5
The soundtrack is on par with the rest of the Halo games, which is a big compliment. The voice work is also great and the sound effects are appropriately huge.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.5
Halo Wars is a great entry to the series, and also introduces a lot of story elements that provide some great insight to the Halo universe.

Multiplayer: 9.0
The 6-player skirmishes that allow you to choose between Covenant and UNSC are a great touch and a lot of fun online.

Overall: 9.0
A solid RTS on the Xbox 360, Halo Wars may not break the mold, but it does provide an impressive entry to the series and one that finally makes the genre feel at home on a console.

Halo Wars Review

If you’re a gamer, you’d have to have been living under a rock to have never heard of the Halo franchise. The flagship series behind Microsoft’s console efforts, Bungie’s Halo series has been among the most successful across two different console generations, first appearing on the original Xbox before finishing the fight on the Xbox 360. 2007’s Halo 3 marked the end of the initial Halo trilogy of games, as well as provided a bookend to the adventures of the Master Chief, leaving many gamers to wonder what the future had in store for the hallowed franchise.

Fortunately for Halo fans, Microsoft is not one to rest on their laurels, as 2009 is set to bear not one but two titles from the Halo universe, including a standalone expansion titled Halo 3: ODST launching this fall and a new prequel set before the events of the first Halo title, Halo Wars. However, in a departure from the previous titles in the Halo series, Halo Wars is a real-time strategy game instead of an action title, giving players the opportunity to command several units across the game map from a top-down perspective instead of a first-person one. While consoles and strategy games have seldom mixed in the past, developer Ensemble Studios (the highly-capable team behind the great Age of Empires games on the PC) has taken great strides to make sure that Halo Wars lives up to the Halo name, providing tons of action while staying pretty accessible for gamers of all skill levels.



Halo Wars takes place roughly twenty years before the events of the very first game in the series. Without giving anything away, the storyline and characters in Halo Wars are as deep as anything a fan of the series would hope for, revealing plenty of plot twists and elements from the series, as well as some pretty big revelations here and there.

As far as the actual mechanics of the gameplay, Halo Wars is a lot more action-oriented than most PC RTS titles. You won’t spend a lot of time building up your structures and units, as you’ll instead focus more on exploring the sections of the map and eliminating the threat of your enemies.

While Halo Wars does seem to focus more on the action element of things, there are still some pretty substantial unit creation functions. You’re able to create new structures and buildings capable of improving your current technology as well as build units as you play. The game also employs the use of Hero units that have special abilities and functions, setting them apart from other units on the map.



One of the elements that seem to be a hotbed for frustration when it comes to console RTS games are the controls. While several games in the genre have taken great strides to make the experience comfortable and accessible, none have come close to matching the mouse/keyboard configuration on the PC. Halo Wars also puts its own unique spin on controls, and while it still doesn’t quite hit the mark to matching the overall comfort of PC strategy games, it comes pretty darn close. 

The controls in Halo Wars are quite solid and benefit from being built from the ground up for console gaming. The thumbsticks allow you to look around the map and zoom in on your units, while the A button is used to select units that are highlighted by your cursor. The X button is your main interaction button, allowing you to move units around the map and interact with other units or attack enemies with your primary attack function. Pressing Y when targeting an enemy unit allows you to perform a secondary attack function, like throw grenades or run enemies over if you’re in a Warthog. The secondary attack function is a nice addition that helps keep the game in its action roots while still making it deep and compelling for hardcore strategy fans.

Additionally, aside from the basic functions of the face buttons, the game also streamlines the controls to allow you to select the units you want a lot more easily. Using the bumper buttons, you can select all of your units or all of the units currently on-screen with a simple button push, or you can use the right trigger to switch between different unit types. Additionally, the D-Pad is used to utilize any Heroes that you may have, using their special abilities, as well as cycling through your Bases, Armies and any Alerts that may come up. Halo Wars uses every button on the controller, but fortunately never feels overwhelming or cluttered.



The game also features some cool online abilities, allowing players to participate in six-player skirmishes over Xbox LIVE. Online, you can play as either UNSC or Covenant forces, utilizing each of their respective technological advances and specialized units.

Graphically, Halo Wars is a pretty solid looking game. The unit models are nicely rendered and take on realistic damage as they see combat, and the environments are colorful and feature some great details that fans of Halo games will get a kick out of. The one main issue with the game’s aesthetic are the framerates, which can be very choppy when the action is in high gear.

The game’s soundtrack is very well done, with a great score that punctuates the on-screen action very well. The sound effects are crisp and the voice work is also spot on.

While PC gamers and hardcore RTS enthusiasts probably won’t be able to see what all of the fuss around Halo Wars is about since their platform has put out much more groundbreaking RTS titles in the past few years, console gamers and Halo fans who have yet to experience a truly great RTS game on a console will now have their chance.

killzone 2 trailer

SCEA and Guerrilla have a nice new year’s treat in store for first-person shooter gamers who also happen to own the PlayStation 3 console system. One of the more anticipated titles of 2009 is merely months from release and Killzone 2 (slated to hit store shelves in February) is easily a strong visceral treat that will keep gamers on their toes.

SCEA sent along a preview of the game, and right from the opening level, it is apparent this is a full-throttle shooter that will leave gamers little time to relax. Now don’t expect this game to release on any other platform but the PS3. Why? Because it will be coming out on a Blu-Ray disc, which is the only storage device capable of holding this massive game. And massive even seems like a bit of an understatement.

There are eight maps, a robust multiplayer element, and customization features that will enable players to define not only the role they play in the conflict, but how that role plays out.In many regards, Killzone 2 trots the well-tread path of other shooters. You start out with a weapon, are thrust into the heart of the conflict – the opening level takes place in what appears to be a water-side factory complex – with your shooting skill and wits to sustain you. There are objectives, and – in the single-player campaign – NPC teammates that will help ease you along the path you need to take. The NPCs in this game are not dumb. The enemy will use cover, will lean out to shoot, and seem to coordinate attacks.

You start out with a weapon that will run out of ammo. You need to scrounge up new weaponry from the enemies you take out. Yep, pretty standard there, but weapons, and how they are used depend largely on the class of the character you are. There are seven different classes: rifleman, scout (can stealth), medic, engineer (can set up automated turrets), tactician (can set up spawn points in multiplayer), saboteur and assault (ready to get up close with the enemy).



The game takes place on Helghan in the battle between the ISA (the side you are on) and the Helghast. This is a fast and furious battle on the enemy’s home planet. Expect atmospheric conditions to come into play.

One of the more compelling elements of this game is the visuals. Not only does the dynamic lighting and environmental texturing produce some truly tasty bits of eye candy, but the animation of the characters in the game is truly impressive. It’s always nice to shoot an enemy from a high platform, and then watch the body fall – with full-on rag-doll physics – bouncing off protruding bits of the structure upon which he was originally stationed. Playing out in high-definition, the game also features full screen anti-aliasing, motion blur, internal lens reflections, and depth-based color grading. In short, this is one of the more visceral FPS experiences yet to hit the PS3.

The sound is just as impressive. The game supports 7.1 surround sound with location specific audio. That means if you hear a noise off to the right, chances are there is something either worth investigating or avoiding.

Killzone 2 is positioning itself to not only be a dandy FPS, and ample reason to welcome the new year, but to immerse players into a world that is vibrant and feels alive.

Killzone 2 Rating

OVERALL RATING:9.4/10

Gameplay: 9.5
The game plays off the disk (unlike some PS3 titles that load a lot of data to the hard drive), and so rather than out-and-out load times, you may encounter a few slow-downs. Still this is nothing to fret about. The controls are tight and well realized.

Graphics: 9.4
The particle effects are excellent and the animations are well done. This is a game that assaults the eyes with as much enthusiasm as the ISA attacks on the Helghast.

Sound: 8.9
Some of the voice work could have been better, but the game uses 7.1 surround sound and if you crank the volume, you will find this as much an aural treat as a visual one. 

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 9.0
The first foray into the PS3 uses a solid storyline, some familiar themes, but inserts an intensity that makes for a solid gaming experience. 

Multiplayer: 9.5
SCEA set up multiplayer sessions and these were a lot of fun. Challenging? Yes, but not only is this a reflexive exercise in some regards, but the dev team took care to make certain the environment was a factor. 

Overall: 9.4
This is quite a ride on several fronts – visually, aurally and in intensity. You will be challenged, but more importantly, you should have a lot of fun. Killzone 2 was one of those games that have been highly anticipated and the product that is heading for release lives up to expectations.

Killzone 2 Review

The past several months have certainly see its share of high-profile first-person shooters for the next-gen console platforms, but one of the titles that high expectations surrounded was the SCEA/Guerrilla release Killzone 2. 

Well, the game has released and while Killzone 2 does follow some familiar trends in terms of multiplayer (which is robust settings), this is one of the more visceral titles to release. 

For those who have not indulged in the franchise (which includes the original PlayStation 2 title and the PSP release of Liberation), Killzone follows the war between two factions – the ISA and the Helghast. Up until Killzone 2, most of the action has taken place on the ISA world of Vekta. But in a Quake-like move, with Killzone 2, the ISA has decided that enough is enough and have taken the fight to the industrialized world of Emperor Visari and Helghan.

It is into this setting that players are plunked and right from the get-go, you will feel the intensity, be drawn in by the harshness of the environments – which are destructible to some degree – and feel totally immersed in the action of the game.
You start the game as a member of a four-man team, dropped into a hot zone and working along a linear path, from point to point. 

There are eight maps, a robust multiplayer element, and customization features that will enable players to define not only the role they play in the conflict, but how that role plays out. There are seven different classes: rifleman, scout (can stealth), medic, engineer (can set up automated turrets), tactician (can set up spawn points in multiplayer), saboteur and assault (ready to get up close with the enemy).

In many regards, Killzone 2 trots the well-tread path of other shooters. You start out with a weapon, are thrust into the heart of the conflict – the opening level takes place in what appears to be a water-side factory complex – with your shooting skill and wits to sustain you. There are objectives, and – in the single-player campaign – NPC teammates that will help ease you along the path you need to take. The NPCs in this game are not dumb. The enemy will use cover, will lean out to shoot, and seem to coordinate attacks. 

You start out with a weapon that will run out of ammo. You need to scrounge up new weaponry from the enemies you take out. Yep, pretty standard there, but weapons, and how they are used depend largely on the class of the character you are. 

The game begins with the landing on Helghan, and the game sets the tempo right from the cut scene onset. Riding a lander to the planet, you see another lander blown out of the sky. That pops the intensity level and will have you landing and finding cover in a hurry. Helghast troops are on platforms with crossing fire on the invading forces. Particle effects are amazing, and the explosions are very well done. Snipe an enemy from a platform and you will be treated to a rag-doll physics that is not as silly as some games, but treads more toward reality. The body will fall, hit protrusions on the structure, be redirected and land with a sickening thud. As visceral as the graphics are, the audio supplements that with a great sense of urgency. Orders are barked, and the sound pouring out of the system borders on chaos, but really reflects the battle scene well.

The campaign is strictly single player, but you work as part of a team, with an AI that is rather well done. The team you are part of will take cover, give support and generally take up positions that are smart. The enemy will also use cover and not charge at you as though they are bulletproof. Different tactics are used depending on the type of soldier you are facing. 

The control scheme for the game is well done. The SIXAXIS motion controls come into play for certain in-game actions and these feel natural rather than a forced usage of the scheme. You can carry a primary weapon, and a secondary weapon. You can snipe, and even melee with your rifle. There are also grenades available. However, your grenades and primary weapon ammunition are finite and you have to replace them or restock. 

In addition to the single-player game, there is a Skirmish mode that allows players to enter the multiplayer settings offline against bots. There is a great selection of maps to play on (eight total), though the formats for the multiplayer follow familiar themes – there is a team deathmatch called Body Count, a Search and Retrieve (Capture the Flag) and a game where you grab control points and try to hold them. As you progress through the multiplayer, you can achieve ranks and move up from private status. This is all based on kills and multipliers that come into play if you are on the winning side at the end of the multiplayer session. There are also rewards that can be unlocked and trophies.
The campaign is strictly single player, but you work as part of a team, with an AI that is rather well done. The team you are part of will take cover, give support and generally take up positions that are smart. The enemy will also use cover and not charge at you as though they are bulletproof. Different tactics are used depending on the type of soldier you are facing. 

The control scheme for the game is well done. The SIXAXIS motion controls come into play for certain in-game actions and these feel natural rather than a forced usage of the scheme. You can carry a primary weapon, and a secondary weapon. You can snipe, and even melee with your rifle. There are also grenades available. However, your grenades and primary weapon ammunition are finite and you have to replace them or restock. 

In addition to the single-player game, there is a Skirmish mode that allows players to enter the multiplayer settings offline against bots. There is a great selection of maps to play on (eight total), though the formats for the multiplayer follow familiar themes – there is a team deathmatch called Body Count, a Search and Retrieve (Capture the Flag) and a game where you grab control points and try to hold them. As you progress through the multiplayer, you can achieve ranks and move up from private status. This is all based on kills and multipliers that come into play if you are on the winning side at the end of the multiplayer session. There are also rewards that can be unlocked and trophies.

Mirror's Edge Rating

Gameplay: 8.2
Learning the ropes is a little challenging, but once you get it, the game can play very fluidly and exciting. 

Graphics: 7.8
Pretty good, the white city gives an illusion that all is well, but as you know, once you scratch below the surface then all sort of other things come into view.

Sound: 8.3
I like how the sounds all work with one another. During conversations you can hear the sounds of the city and the wind in the background. It makes for a cool addition to the experience.

Difficulty: Medium
There are some challenges, but it never is so tough you can't get through it. Learning how to move to the rhythm can be rough.

Concept: 9.0
Years ago the Gizmondo game system was making a game based on freerunning, it never happened. I'm glad somebody decided to pick up where they left off.


Overall: 8.3
This is well-made, well-developed title. The end result isn't the new gold standard, but the idea and implementation sure are good.

Mirror's Edge Review

Freerunning is the sport that has been slowing working its way into mainstream culture. It's that exercise where men and women run around urban areas, leaping over walls and jumping incredibly far distances. You know, that Ford commercial features a couple of them and the really cool movie District B13 also features many, cool scenes of action in this vein. Well, Mirror's Edge is a game where the main heroine uses this gift of agility to move information around the city after an all-encompassing bureaucratic entity decides that any and everything needs to go through it. Basically most of the human race has given up their rights and you play a courier who moves this sensitive information to the people who don't much care for big brother.

Ok, now this title was also released on the PS3 and 360. The game moves at a breakneck speed (literally) and you will want/need a pretty hot system to run it on - not that it is so graphically demanding, but rather because of the movements of a quick-footed woman who leaps around the rooftops of a very big city. This movement is dictated by your customizable control scheme and various red objects that pop up as you run, letting you know that it is an item you may need to use. Want to jump to the next building? That red ramp will help you do it. As you run, you may need to slide or roll under that steam pipe; good thing it is red. The city is stark white and the red cues stand out easily amongst the backgrounds. 

Learning to freerun does take some effort as you will eventually need to learn how to find a running rhythm. Hopping from ledge to ledge while climbing up onto platforms and dodging gunfire takes some practice. And learning how to link all these movements together to form cohesive movements that keep your rhythm flowing is a pretty slick idea. But mastering it takes some real effort. I thought the developers did a good job of making the game feel like it had some real feel to it. Choosing to make it a first-person perspective literally can affect your stomach as some of the leaps can cause your stomach to flutter. It's really cool. 

The audio is better than your average game and the almost-futuristic techno beat of the soundtrack makes things move crisply. I felt the upbeat tempo of the music kept in line with the upbeat tempo of the game. Voice work was also really well dialed in. The voice acting along with the background noise of a busy city really brings you into the game. A well-scored, well-acted game.

Since our girl "Faith" has about the same amount of suicidal tendencies as a lemming, you can expect all sorts of crazy stunts and learning how to use the quick 180-degree button is essential for survival. Sometimes, you must jump across to a ledge, hit the 180 and then leap across to another six-inch-wide platform. The game is absolutely crazy and I really enjoyed the heck out of it. Some may liken this to the Prince of Persia games but I think it goes a bit further with the first-person perspective. You actually feel the excitement when you are attempting an almost impossible jump. I haven't sweated a game so much since Dead Space.

Now the visuals of the game do come in a bit higher than many other games. The design makes you see a city that is almost clinical in its appearance thanks to the almost gestapo-like regime. Buildings are accurate looking and even the physics of the game seem to fall into place, albeit a little stretched since you do make some leaps that are probably not possible. Either way the seamless way the city is put together, coupled with a smooth framerate and interesting looking character design makes the game come in a bit higher in the graphics dept. Its not phenomenal by any means, but rather, well done.

Mirror's Edge seems to find its strength in the actions that you do rather then the killing that is featured in many FPS titles. You will get your opportunity to dish it out, don't think you are helpless by any means, but the game is through and through an action title that makes you want to get out there and jump over concrete walls and across chasms 20 stories high. Do not, repeat, do not try this crap at home. Leave the crazy stunts to the digital action heroes.

The game also has some off-topic games for practicing and playing. A time trial mode really helps hone your moves and makes the game have a little more something to it. Sadly, there is no multiplayer mode, which stinks because it would be cool to race against others around the city, or even a really crazy version of tag may have added a bit more weight to the game. Seriously, if the sequel has tag in it I am going to want a cut, or the GameZone lawyers will be coming.

Lastly, the story is above par; the game does a good job of drawing you into the character's plight and then throwing some legitimate twists at you. Many of the levels are recovery missions and you are forced into action to help get your framed sister out of the jam she has been set up in. I won't go into too much about it because I don't want to ruin it for you. Much like a movie, there is some clever things going on in Mirror's Edge.

Mirror's Edge

STORY:
In a city where information is heavily monitored, agile couriers called Runners transport sensitive data away from prying eyes. In this seemingly utopian paradise, a crime has been committed, your sister has been framed and now you are being hunted.

You are a Runner called Faith - and this innovative first-person action-adventure is your story. Mirror’s Edge™ delivers you straight into the shoes of this unique heroine as she traverses the vertigo-inducing cityscape, engaging in intense combat and fast paced chases. With a never before seen sense of movement and perspective, you will be drawn into Faith’s world. A world that is visceral, immediate, and very dangerous.

Live or die? Soar or plummet? One thing is certain, in this city you will learn how to run. From the makers of the groundbreaking Battlefield franchise, Mirror’s Edge is an action-adventure experience unlike any other.
Hardware Requirements:
Disk Drive : DVD Rom Drive
DirectX : 9.0c
Operating System : Windows XP/Vista
Processor : Pentium 4 @ 2.4 GHz/Athlon 64 2800+
RAM : 1 GB
Video Card : 256 MB (GeForce 6 Series/ATI Radeon X1350 or HD2400)

SAINTS ROW 2 TRAILER

Features:
Bring vengeance to all those who wronged you and restore the Saints as the rightful kings of Stilwater
Play as fully customizable characters that are male, female or something in between
Customize vehicles, cribs and gangs for an environment shaped to your specifications
Experience seamless integration in a co-op full story campaign that lets one player drive while another shoots
Immerse yourself in a living Stilwater environment fully populated with police, innocent bystanders and rival gangs
Pilot planes, helicopters, motorcycles, boats and cars and use them as weapons in yourquest for vengeance
Explore more missions, activities, diversions, races, weapons, vehicles, cribs, city districts and interiors than ever before
Inflict vengeance with new combat options, including melee, fine aim and human shield

SAINTS ROW 2

Publisher: THQ

Developer: THQ

Category: Action

Release Dates

N Amer - 01/05/2009

Also available on: 360 MB PS3

Hardware Requirements:

• Windows XP / Vista
• 2.0 GHz Dual-Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2)
• 1 GB Available System Memory
• 15 GB Available Hard Drive Space
• 128 MB 3D Video Card w/Shader Model 3.0 Support (Nvidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon X1300)
• DirectX Compatible Display Capable of 640x480 16-bit Color Resolution
• DirectX 9.0c Compatible 16-bit Sound Card
• Broadband Connection for Internet Multiplayer

Recommended Requirements:

• 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2)
• 2 GB Available System Memory
• 256 MB 3D Video Card with Shader Model 3.0 Support (Nvidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD3850)
• DirectX Compatible Display Capable of 1024x768 in 32-bit Color
• DirectX 9.0c Compatible 16-bit Sound Card
• Recommended System Requirements Required for 2-12 Player Multiplayer or Co-Op

Features:

• Bring vengeance to all those who wronged you and restore the Saints as the rightful kings of Stilwater
• Play as fully customizable characters that are male, female or something in between
• Customize vehicles, cribs and gangs for an environment shaped to your specifications 
• Experience seamless integration in a co-op full story campaign that lets one player drive while another shoots
• Immerse yourself in a living Stilwater environment fully populated with police, innocent bystanders and rival gangs 
• Pilot planes, helicopters, motorcycles, boats and cars and use them as weapons in yourquest for vengeance
• Explore more missions, activities, diversions, races, weapons, vehicles, cribs, city districts and interiors than ever before
• Inflict vengeance with new combat options, including melee, fine aim and human shield

Some scenes in Saint's row:

Saint's Row blasted its way onto the Xbox 360, giving Grand Theft Auto clones everywhere – and the real GTA – a reason to be fearful. The new guy in town came with features and scenarios the others didn't have, which proved to be a big hit with many gamers. Now that Saint's Row 2 has arrived, we wanted to get the developer's take on this exciting open-world shooter.

"The Saints Row 2 team draws from a lot of film, games, and TV for overall inspiration, but our opening escape sequence wasn’t modeled or mirrored after any one particular source," said James Tsai, Lead Designer. "Overall, we just thought of all the cool stuff we’d love to see in a prison break and worked to integrate it into an exciting mission. Stealthy, sneaky prison breaks aren’t nearly as exciting as ones with spotlights, shootouts, alarms, machine guns, helicopters, and a boat chase back to the city of Stilwater."

While the original Saints Row featured your expected array of cars and trucks, in Saints Row 2 we’re giving the player a full complement of vehicles to explore the world in. Motorcycles, speed boats, dirt bikes, assault helicopters, fighter planes, jets, monster trucks…it’s all in there this time around. You’ll have the means to go anywhere you want in Stilwater.

mechanic in Saints Row 2 will allow you to customize all kinds of visual aspects of your car, as you’d expect – there’s a whole array of rims, spoilers, paint styles, window tints, decals, bumpers, and other stuff to personalize the look of your vehicle. But you can also add things like nitrous, stronger tires, a reinforced frame, and a beefier engine to enhance the performance of your car as well.

several melee fighting styles the player can use throughout the game, each of which has its own set of combos and finishers. Aside from adding that nice visual flourish to finishing off opponents after a flurry of strikes, the finishing moves and counters are used heavily in our fight club activity, as well as some cool sword fighting boss battles. You’ll have to time and counter attacks and follow up with strikes of your own rather than just pummel away.

The weather in Saints Row 2 adds a lot to the game. For example, we have some cool chase sequences that happen out in the open waters of the ocean and through Stilwater’s harbors. If the weather is stormy, you’ll be dealing with large swells that toss your boat around a lot, making for a far rougher ride than if the day was clear and sunny. It’s really exciting to be gunning down boats and helicopters while cutting through large waves and dealing with the risk of getting capsized. 

We also use weather for cool visual effects as well, whether we’re setting the mood in a dramatic cutscene or to using it to make the atmosphere of a mission brighter or darker. Players will see a full range of rain, from a light drizzle up through powerful thunderstorms in the game.

Saints Row 2 is a story about gangs and criminals – as you’d expect, it has its violent elements. There is still plenty of humor and there are funny moments throughout the game, but there are also some undeniably brutal happenings in some of the missions and cutscenes. At the end of Saints Row, your character was blown up and left for dead, so understandably there are a lot of revenge themes going on in the plot. But while the story we’re putting forth is compelling, we never take ourselves so seriously that it conflicts with the extreme, over-the-top feel the game has. We have an activity about shooting human excrement on people, for goodness’ sake!

 Saints Row 2 has lots of chaos and crazy moments, but it won’t have the unrestrained destructive capability that Red Faction: Guerrilla features. The player can wreck tons of things in Stilwater such as fences, mailboxes, park benches, market stands, et cetera, but not entire buildings. Our game engine specializes more on the complex interactions of a living, breathing city – we have pedestrians that go about their daily lives, complex traffic patterns, realistic police response and ambient gang life. Introducing destruction to the mix would be building a very different game from what Saints Row 2 is all about.

FALLOUT 3 PC GAME RATING

OVERALL RATING:9.2/10

Gameplay: 9.0

You can use your honed FPS skills to play and then switch on the fly to the VATS targeting system making it play more like a turn-based RPG. There is an absolute ton of things to do and you simply cannot find and complete every quest in one go round. This is a game that you can play over and over at least three times.

Graphics: 9.2
Very clean, very dialed in, very desolate and very, very bloody. The game has great characters, gruesome mutants and a heck of a lot of things to interact with, inanimate or not. Tons of things to find and places to explore and it all looks really top notch.

Sound: 9.6
A fantastic example of perfect voice work and actors, great sound effects, and killer soundtrack, this is a really great sounding title.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
You can approach things several ways, and sometimes that's the hardest thing to do. Utilize your charisma and talk your way out of a really tough situation, or go guns a blazin' and let your ammo do all the talking.

Concept: 9.0
Its a great idea for a game and those ideas are fully realized. I can't a wait for Fallout 4, this thing can keep on going for as long as it wants to.

Overall: 9.2
Fallout 3 is the best PC game I have played all year, the developers did a bang up job of making the series come alive once more and I for one couldn't be happier.

FALLOUT 3 PC GAME REVIEW

I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn't amped up about this game. Having played the first two RPGs featured exclusively on the PC, the Brotherhood of Steel third-person adventure on the original Xbox AND the game Wasteland on the Commodore 64 like, 20 years ago (if you know your games, you'll know this was actually the first in the series). Regardless, the game series is actually very, very good due to its original story lines, innovative combat and leveling systems and some really cool humor. Well, the third in the Fallout RPG series isn't so much an RPG anymore, more of a hybrid RPG/first-person shooter, and the result is nothing short of gaming magic.Wow, its hard for me to get started as I have been waiting so long for this title. So I'll start at the beginning: the Fallout games are all based on the concept that before the third world war, which basically launched the nukes, there was a series of Vaults built around the USA where "supposedly" the human race would continue. Well, unfortunately many of the vaults were stocked with people of "ahem" questionable moral fiber and in some cases, faulty equipment. So while the first two games involve peoples from vaults further West, Fallout 3's vaults, and surrounding cities/locations take place in the area formerly known as Washington DC.

And it seems all is not well in the land of our former leaders. Raiders, slavers, super mutants, ghouls, mutated creatures, robots, a really big bomb and all sorts of other nasties await you as you attempt to save the people of the DC wasteland from a really, really bad fate. And only by following in the footsteps of your father will you be able to discover the mysteries and complete the missions the game throws at you. And, let me tell you, the game has a very distinct open-endedness to it that makes playing the game such a treat. 

In fact, the game is set up so you can pick your characters look, abilities and attributes. You make the game your own by answering questions and having conversations with the different NPCs you run into. If you answer certain ways, new options to deal with problems and even new missions will appear. The point is the game has a certain charm to it where you think you are speaking with a homeless vagrant of the wasteland and it turns out that he needs you to help him out. Regardless, the game is gonzo-crazy and there is all sorts of crazy things happening. It turns out, that in an apocalyptic wasteland, people don't really treat one another well - go figure.The game can be viewed in either the first- or third-person perspective, and it all looks fantastic. If there was ever an apocalyptic game that convinced people how awful (in a good way) things were, well the bar has now been reset. This is the greatest-looking nuclear, blown-out world ... ever. The whole world is one giant outdoor environment, where you can walk across it and run into all sorts of interesting things. Old trailer parks, the Library of Congress, a whole series of subway tunnels, destroyed freeways, rocky areas and about a gazillion other things and places. Heck, there is supposedly an crashed alien ship somewhere out there. But the game just looks fantastic, beautiful character sprites, smooth textures, brilliant lighting as the game's real time reflects the daylight or night light. You can see things in the dark that you can't see in the day and even missions are time specific. The in-game targeting system called VATS, is a clever way to target specific body parts on enemies and, in some cases, is the only way to hit monsters that have only one weak area. In-game menus are clean and appropriately rusty and dirty looking. The various armor and clothing you find and wear reflects on your character's appearance, the blood flows deep red and flows often as the game and the franchise is known for the over-the-top violence; if that isn't enough, there is an actual character perk that increases the chances of very bloody, gruesome deaths.

To go with all the great-looking graphics, the audio is really cool as well. Using your PIP boy (a computer on your arm that assists you in your adventures) you can access all sorts of information including recordings you find around the wasteland that you can play like a CD and various radio frequencies that are playing songs or propaganda or even requests for help. There is a ton of familiar voices in the game including Ron Perlman, Liam Neeson and Malcolm McDowell as the president of the U.S. All of the voices are done with great care to the material and quite frankly, it helps move the creative storyline forward. The music, too, is cool in a retro sort of way since the music featured is a lot of big band-era style music. This, too, is a trait that has followed the game's progression through three iterations. Very slick, very cool

The gameplay of the game can be pretty exciting too. Fortunately walking across giant landscapes in real time can be daunting and painful if you are low on health and stimpacks (like a health pack) are no where to be found or bought. Thankfully the game has a really neat way of helping avoid that particular nuisance. Once an area has been discovered, and the GS location locked into your PIP boy, you can instantly travel there rather than walk the sometimes very-long distance. So oftentimes I would battle my way to a new location and then instead of trying to complete the mission, I would teleport back to my own home (you'll need to discover this) and heal up by spending the night in my bed. Then I can sell some of the things I have scavenged off my enemies or found in one of the bazillion places I have discovered and then buy more health and ammo from any one of the shop keepers or roaming traders that you can have business with. One quick teleport back and now I'm fully healed, fully armed and ready to tackle the mission. The game is awesome.

There is much to see and do in the wastelands of DC, so don't let the pesky main mission stop you from having fun. With all of the additional perks and skills you can level up, you can play the game several times answering some things as radically or as safely as you want. But inevitably you will have to deal with the game's main problem, good or bad. The Fable games owe a lot to the Fallout series since you have been able to play like this since day one. Perks that increase your attractiveness to the ladies, perks that make you a kill machine when your health falls so low and tons of other crazy and really cool perks that make the game so much fun to play. I suspect that Fallout 3 will win some awards this year and is a strong runner for game of the year on at least a couple different platforms.

PRINCE OF PERSIA PC GAME RATING

OVERALL RATING:8.8/10

Gameplay: 9.0

Well set up, because you set it up, but an effective and fun combat system. Some control issues if you don't get the mouse the way you like it, but the options are there so you can have a smooth controlling game. Don't worry, you still do the Prince's patented wall runs and some other new nifty moves that make you wish you lived in a land with no real physics.

Graphics: 9.0
Gritty cel-shaded beauty. I like the new look of the franchise and I like the design of the monsters and villians. The game is sharp.

Sound: 8.5
It sounds good, the voice acting is good, but more audio options are needed for those of us surround sound-less.

Difficulty: Medium
You can choose your difficulty and depending on what kind of gamer you are, you will find some challenges, nothing horrible but just enough to keep things interesting.

Concept: 8.5
Its a given that the Prince will run afoul of some really nasty folks and other things, but the game never makes you feel bored. A decent enough plot, even if it is a rehash of many other games; still, this is what it looks like when you have a committed dev team.

Overall: 8.8
This is a heck of a good time to be had on your PC.

PRINCE OF PERSIA PC GAME REVIEW

The Prince of Persia series is something of an aberration in the gaming community. Each new title in the series seems to change things up in one way or another. The prince has taken on decidedly darker tones in some games and in others is practically a comedian. And while I have never obsessed about the series, I always associated them with some well developed talent behind the scenes who were always giving it a good try to make a fun game.So in this iteration, our man the Prince, doesn't seem too princely. He starts off the game getting lost in a sandstorm and losing his donkey that just happens to be loaded down with treasure. The Prince seems more of a vagabond adventurer than a prince, but hey, who am I to complain? The artistic new style of the game melds nicely with the look of our man the prince. Well, no sooner does the storm lift and the Prince is smack dab in a situation that has need for his particular uses.

Prince of Persia takes the series into a whole new visual and gameplay direction. The game has a cel-shaded look to it but with an almost gritty feel to it. The clothing worn on our characters has seen some time under the sun and in the sand. A battle hardened claw glove good for fighting and navigating the terrain gives the Prince a look of somebody who should probably not be messed with. In fact, once the sand storm dissipates and the Prince is face to face with his new partner, Elika, we learn how to use the combat system and exactly what sort of trouble our newly formed pair needs to deal with. And it all looks really cool; the smooth fluid motion of both the Prince and the different enemies is well mapped; the Prince's acrobatic movements as well as Elika's magic, which really lets the sprite effects pop, comes together really nicely. Combined with some genuinely wicked-looking bad guys complete with body parts merged with light in lieu of muscle, and this is shaping up to be a real kick in the pants. 

It seems Elika is a member of a magic-wielding family who has been charged with keeping the Tree of Life temple safe and the mystical tomb of Ahriman in place because, as luck would not have it, the seal has been broken and Ahriman escapes infecting his evil across the four lands. Further death and destruction will occur unless you and Elika restore the lands and Ahriman put back into place. Not an easy task but somehow these things never are. Fortunately for all of us, once you get things going you and Elika work as one, taking on enemies with a combination of sword, clawed hand, acrobatics and Elika's magic. Controlling this is surprisingly easy once you have mapped all the keys to your liking but when applied into actual combat, you can daisy chain combat moves from here to the bottom of a grave (you enemies, that is) and so things don't become boring or repetitive, you can mix and match these moves as well creating even more stunning attacks.

When you aren't in combat, Elika acts as your de facto guardian angel, always snatching you if you miss a jump and begin falling, or in some cases adding to your jumping ability. She is the perfect partner, never in the way but only a button push from aiding you. In all my Prince adventures, this has never worked better, as far as a combat and adventuring control scheme goes. Nice to see a high-octane adventure on the PC working as well as it does here.

Now I did have some problems with the audio portion of the game, I am only running a stereo setup on my PC and with the limited amount of options on the in-game audio, could only hear the voice acting minimally and had to turn down the sound effects and music substantially to do so. I know, I used to have a surround setup on my PC, and clearly this game is designed for that, but there should have been more audio options for those gamers who have a average sound setup. I would probably be praising the audio to no end had I had the 5.1 setup, but in this case I can't, even thought the voice acting was actually quite good, if I did not have the subtitles to read as the characters spoke, I would have been lost in terms of the plot. Other then that hiccup in not having enough options, the sound effects and adventurers score sound loud and well made. Good hard clangs when swords meet and a full lush sounding music theme.

Interestingly enough, the game really scratches that itch for those players out there looking for some big time adventure. I have always thought that the Prince series was a sort of Indiana Jones style adventure only made into a video game. The mystical cities, the magic, the locations filled with danger, yeah, I know that sounds cheesy, but I always thought of it in that way. My current version of the game was downloaded from Steam and I have never been happier with a game from those folks than this time. I've got plenty in my library, but this one is top dog now.

WORLD OF WAR CRAFT WRATH OF LICH KING PC GAME REVIEW

There’s no denying that Blizzard’s MMORPG title, World of Warcraft, is the most successful MMO in the history of the genre, as well as one of the most successful titles ever. Pulling record numbers for a subscription-based online game, World of Warcraft is a title that transcends its genre to become something that gamers and non-gamers alike can get together and enjoy. Early last year, Blizzard launched the first expansion for their beloved MMO, The Burning Crusade. The Burning Crusade not only added in two new classes and allowed for Horde players to play as a paladin class (as the Blood Elf race), but also added in some great new areas to explore, including some fantastic new high-level areas in the new Outland area.The latest expansion for the game, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King doesn’t add any new races, but adds plenty of fantastic new elements that no WoW player should be without. From the new Death Knight class that can be accessed by players with character level 55 and higher, to the great new story elements involving the return of the fallen king Arthas, and an awesome new continent to explore, the frozen land of Northrend. While you will need to be at level 55 or above to really begin to take advantage of the major updates that the expansion brings to the table, its added content makes it more than a worthy purchase for any WoW gamer.

Wrath of the Lich King adds some compelling new story elements for fans of the Warcraft universe, reintroducing the land of Northrend and the fallen king of Lordaeron, Arthas. For those unfamiliar with the story arc presented in Warcraft III and its expansion, The Frozen Throne, Arthas is somewhat the “Darth Vader” of the Warcraft franchise, a once promising paladin and prince who was corrupted into becoming the evil Lich King, ruler of the Undead Scourge and the frozen continent of Northrend. The Lich King’s powers are increasing and getting ready for a new assault on the land, thus requiring you to travel to Northrend in order to stop the onslaught.One of the biggest new features introduced in Wrath of the Lich King is the first of the Hero Classes, the Death Knight. Once you have a character who hits level 55, you’ll unlock the ability to create a separate Death Knight character on the same server (you need an open character slot to do this). Your Death Knight will start out at level 55, and will have their own quest arc to follow that is unique to the class.

The Death Knights are a great new addition to the Warcraft class list, with some great new abilities and a unique gameplay feel to them. Death Knights can utilize heavy plate armor, making them suitable tanks, while they can wield a good variety of strong weaponry and are good at attacking as well. The real difference between them and other classes is their class-specific ability to use runes. Death Knights can use magical runes that function a lot like enchantments, allowing your Death Knight to perform more powerful melee attacks and spells.
Additionally, the quest arc for the Death Knight class that gets you started is very well done. Presenting a good mix of story and gameplay, the starting arc is excellently done, and very compelling from all fronts. The new phasing function, which basically allows players on a certain quest to experience environmental changes that are only visible to them, adds a great element to the world and shows the effects of your actions.However, there are some problems with the new hero class that will require some bugs to be ironed out down the line. The Death Knight class needs some more balancing, as they seem to be a bit too powerful at this point and don’t fit in terribly snuggly with the other classes in the game. However, this issue can be fixed through upcoming patches, and chances are that whatever Hero class Blizzard debuts next will be spot on.Additionally, players who are level 68 and above will benefit from a brand new continent to explore, Northrend. The frozen landscape that is the home of the Lich King himself, Northrend is filled with great new quests and tons of new features to explore.

Graphically, World of Warcraft hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years, but boasts a few subtle improvements. The game’s art direction is still unrivaled in the MMO genre, with excellently conceived environments and colorful areas. There are some improved lighting details in the expansion, especially apparent in Northrend, which is certainly a site to behold for fans of the game.World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King provides the majority of content to upper-end players who’ve hit the previous level cap of 70 and are looking for a great new class to try out or an awesome new continent to explore. If you’re just starting out and haven’t hit on the game’s higher level features, then chances are you won’t be able to get to the real meat of the expansion until you’ve done some leveling. Still, with the great new content, there’s really no reason for any WoW fan to not pick up this expansion.