A Gem of a Sequel -- Starcraft II Rocks

I have updated my review of Starcraft 2, which was featured on Gamepro's homepage for almost an entire month.
Unfortunately, Gamepro has a word limit installed on user reviews and I couldn't make the cut. :(
You can go here to read it: http://www.ign.com/blogs/SimCritic/
SNEAK PEEK:
When a game becomes so immensely popular that it achieves a cult-like status among its legions of devout players, equally immense skepticism surmounts regarding its sequel. In the case of Blizzard's most renown RTS and quite possibly the most notoriously competitive game ever released, you can...safely, consider this premise to be in effect. In fact, go ahead and amplify it by a google.
...

Save your money

Save your money as Trayarch have now way near matched Infinity Ward. A PS2 medal of honour graphics style game. Activision have just shot themselves in the foot although not with a gun from this game as they are pea shooters.

The Multiplayer is also a major disappointment with lousy gun sounds and grenades that sound like farts more than explosions. It drops out a lot and you have to shoot people 100 times before they die.

Sucks, will be selling on Ebay asap.

game is horrible!!!!!!

this game is absolutly horrible.....graphics suck and totally misleading ,nothing like the commercials look!

A Tactical War Shooter with a few faults, but not a bad game

So lets start this review off by saying I've never been a SOCOM fan, and have never played any SOCOM game before this one. So although I was behind, the game is excellent at keeping players at a good pace. Some issues take away from the fun, but otherwise you'll have fun with Confrontation.

Confrontation is an all Online third person shooter, and SOCOM's first game on PS3. Although it isnt as hardcore as Call of Duty, SOCOM has quite a few great moments and pretty fun tactical gameplay. You can have fun with it, but lobby issues make this game somewhat troublesome, along with communication.

So lets just start the game up. As soon as we start, we see that we need to have an online account. No problem for me, but not for the broadbandless person. The game has absolutely no single player content, so if you just bought this game expecting a large single player campaign, you're SOL. Now when we get passed the sign in screen, we find an armoury with two guys. These guys are you're players, one for Mercenaries, and one for Commandos. You can upgrade them, swap out armour, and give them weapons with cool attachments (everything is readily available from the start, no unlockable content here). Then, you go into the Briefing Room area, where you must dive into lobbies. Basically, instead of giving you a large menu, you must first choose an area to play in, where the host comes from. So for example, you can join a match from US WEST 8, or any of the other dozens of options. Then, you can play in various missions, such as Bomb Rescue, Ssaving hsotages, or good old fashioned Team Deathmatch (sorry, no indiviual player games in this SOCOM).

So once you finally pick a game, you can play a pretty large 16 vs. 16 match. It plays like any first person shooter, and even has a cool cover system, where the right and left d-pad buttons allow you player to lean left or right. Gameplay wise, SOCOM is pretty fun. Its pretty much gun versus gun, cuz there's no Tactical Nuke or other cheap deathes in this game. The maps are massive, and allow for many different appoaches to gameplay.

Now Communication can either be a small issue, or a big issue. The game comes packaged with a mic new, so you can use it for matches where everyone has a mic, but for most others, you're better off not using it and muting all the other players, with all the f-bombs and sexual and racial insults that you are likely to be bombarded with. This is a shame, cuz communication can be used tactically too. There is no text option, so if you dont have a microphone, you're out of luck.

SOCOM is a great game, and a must buy for Online Multiplayer fanatics. Non-fans of the series may not like the game compared to other online MP games such as Modern Warfare 2 or MAG, but I wasnt a fan either and I liked it.

Sonic, It's not your fault...

If you're looking for pretty visuals and a lot of over hyped running, this is the game for you. If you're NOT looking for long loading screens, atrocious story telling, and controls that make Dark Void's controls look good, go ahead and pass this one up. I tried to like this game, I really did. I probably put 15 hours on this game before I had enough.

***

Controls
I don't think I have ever seen a good end result come from something going 100 MPH, and not having any control. In levels where holes are opening up, buses are falling from the sky, and appearant Hell is a missed jump away; I would like the ability to be able to move Sonic without making him fly off the handle. A tap throws Sonic all over the place and when going so fast you can only process so much. Absolute failure on this part...

Storyline
How Sonic and all his friends ended up in some human world that looks to be in medieval times is beyond me. Not only are they in medieval times, they are being attacked by robots. A little setting resolution would help. Another issue I have is virtually any time the words "saving" and "princess" are used in the same sentence and are in literal context, something is wrong with the design department. I won't even get started on the headgehog-to-human relations...

Mechanics
Here is where the heart of the problem lies. So, in Sonic, you must do quests for people in the medieval town with lots of normal looking people to get money to buy things to make the game easier. I will now explain the process of doing the quest. This is not an exaggeration...

*Go up to person*
*LOADING SCREEN*
*Person Talks*
*LOADING SCREEN*
*Try level*
*LOADING SCREEN*
*(if actually beaten, go on your merry way, if not, repeat as previously posted)*

Look up Youtube for a more tangible view of my description

***

I'm sorry Sonic. I'm sure you're offended at what they made you do and it's not your fault. The description for one star says it all... Please for the sake of gaming destroy this game if you ever see it.

CRAP

This game would have been better if they spent time making it. It felt rushed. I know the wanted to get it out before christmas but i would have been happy if they pushed it back till summer to fix ALL the bugs. Its all about money and not about games anymore. sorry gamepro but this game gets a big fat 1 outta five from me. I dont like to pay to beta test a game cause a company is lazy. Treyarch= EPIC FAIL.

The Heart of all Worlds

What's to say about this game? Great characters, awesome story, and PS2 quality graphics. Old faces are made new (really new). And finally a KH game with more than one storyline view point. I loved the melding of commands and finally you can get Ultima Weapon just by fighting. I haven't tried the multiplayer yet, but from my single expereinces in the Mirage Arena, it's bound to be great. KH fans and RPG fans need this game for their collection.

New Super Mario Bros is Fun with Friends

New Super Mario Bros (Wii) is a fun game to play solo, but it's best when you play it with friends. With a second player, or even better a 3rd or 4th, some levels are easier, but more enjoyable, while others are actually harder as you can get in each other's way and can have fun jockeying for power-ups. In between the required levels, the mini-games are a great diversion as they are a single screen vs. the longer levels.

The gameplay is great, the story-line just so-so - yes, Princess Peach is captured again - big surprise, but you're not in this game for the story anyway. So enjoy the game with friends whether competitively or cooperatively.

A.V.A. ITS LIKE A FREE COUNTER STRIKE 1.6 X 10 plus MODERN WARWARE PUT TOGETHER!!!!!!

I mean just because I say that, doesn't mean it's true. No. No way. It's way more than that. I'll tell you this. A.V.A., Alliance of Valiant Arms is worth every buck you'll spend on it. And hey, you don't have to - it's free to play. So for those who aren't familiar with F2P games, unless you got that sudden urge to get an edge in the game with the latest weapons (and trust me, remake/modern versions of WWII weapons are something worth buying the lottery capsules), you can just play 24/7 without IJJI mailing you a bill.

For those looking out for new fps, A.V.A. comes out in tip-top shape with the Unreal Engine 3, which means it can go toe to toe with America's Army 3, Medal of Honor 2010- heck just name another Unreal Engine 3 game- this game can even match with Modern Warfare 1, which is pretty impressive for a F2P game. The physics are 99.9% of the time fantastic. The visuals go well with the special effects that affect the battlefield. And the blood is 100% blood. And permanent on the walls for a reminder of your victim. And for those who getting this idea of a CoD rip off, prepare to be amazed.

The audio is the most incredible thing I have ever heard. The audio is fact fun to hear, interesting to understand, and is also a very important part of the gameplay. It is in fact a way you'll be able to tell the difference between friend or foe, Russian or British(actually it's European, but British in audio), friendly or unfriendly, and of course noob or pro. It is very fun to hear the opposing team- especially the Russians- taunting players, communicating among themselves, but the British also have their way of being heard, too. And it's amazing what you can actually understand the British are saying, and/or when you just realized what they were trying to say. Plus you learn a couple words yourself as shown below.

The gameplay is quite interesting- anyone familiar with Counter-Strike can get up to speed easily. Anyone familiar with Modern Warfare and that's a bonus. Anyone who knows the feeling/use of double tap on W for sprint can count themselves awesome and/or you too happen to have played Warrock... In A.V.A. you get to choose your character's looks. And he comes with three weapon classes: Point Man, Rifleman, and Sniper. Point Men are up at the frontlines first and (though not quite true) the first to die. They are quick, stealthy in terms of speed, and are great with silencers and knives. Riflemen are your average soldiers. They may seem like a boring all-rounders, but they actually in fact have better armor, plus they can actually use the equipment better than the rest, e.g. better throws. Snipers are purely snipers... cool-looking snipers. While they have their own perks, they are widely used for having the best survival rate (compared to other roles), the best accuracy(but ironic as it is, it's the player, not the weapon), and obviously, the best one-shot kills. Tactics play a great role in A.V.A. and changing classes during a matter of death and/or round helps. Just like MW, you too get perks. All of them as matter of fact. As it is only one character, you can develop the character in any of the three classes, all at the same time. Point Men can train to sprint faster, stab longer and more viciously. Riflemen can improve their gun handling, improve armor, and also headshot defence. Snipers can work on their gun draw, and also their footwork while aiming. You can earn achievements in forms of medals, pins, and statistics.

The modes in the game are fairly simple. Annihilation- Team Deathmatch, Demolition- Search and Destroy, Free for All (no translation needed), Convoy (Objective Grab), and Domination- (MW HQ mode). Domination pits two teams for control of a base. When one captures it, the other team can bide time and call in an air recon and a heli attack on visible enemies. The one to hold the base under their control till time finishes wins. There is also Escort and A.I. Missions. Escort is truly amazing. One team must protect a tank while escort it (as namesake says) to the objective point within time limit. The opposition must stop them before they make it; they may use RPGs to disable the tank, but the other team can repair it continuing the big push through enemy lines. Then they'll switch sides. In fact Demolition will do the same thing- switch team sides. A.I. Missions are fun co-op missions that everyone can enjoy for the most part. This mode involves shooting zombie-like prisoners while trying to survive. The missions are varied and there are also chances of getting your hands on some powerful weapons. The A.I. is also available for Annihilation when there are vacant spots that make the game small.

The game shop, in short, incredible. Not only are they stocked with great weapons, but you have the option of customizing them. Sights, barrel, and stock are just a few to name. Most submachine guns and few pistols can equip a silencer during gameplay, which calls for tactics, as putting on silencer can conceal the direction of impact from your opponent's view, but lowers power and accuracy. You can also customize the appearance of your character, which actually help you in battle: armor for defence, backpack for equipment, extra ammo, etc., and goggles which can read ally movement around maps. There also items that can be bought with real cash for bonuses like exp, euros(ingame currency), and accessories.

This game is jammed packed with features that make this game addictive, fun, and worth coming back for more. It's got a fairly good population of loyal players, who are also waiting for newcomers to take them head on. So what are you waiting for?

Oi, go ahead! Shoot some more you bloody tossers! (E.U Soldier Taunt)

Just awesome...

Call of Duty - Black Ops

Call of Duty Black Ops is the latest offering from the now familiar gaming giant Treyarch. It is the spiritual successor to the other highly popular Call of Duty games and seems particularly similar to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. This game certainly contains some features of obvious similarity with this predecessor, much of the weaponry, game-play modes and ideas have been plucked from that source. It is however a dis-service to suggest Black ops is simply a new chapter in a popular franchise, quite the opposite in fact. Having played through this game back to front, inside and out and from just about every other conceivable angle, I can assure both hardcore fans of the game and those who are new to the Call of Duty series, this is a game not to be missed.

Let's start with the campaign mode. This is really well done and right from the start we are thrown into the action. Whether it's from the huge, Hollywood style explosions, to the high speed thrill of a desperate escape attempt, you are quickly going to feel that you are on the front lines. The enemy AI seem to work fairly intelligently and this certainly racks up the exertion level if you are willing to try a higher level of campaign difficulty. The main problem I found with the campaign is that the story is told like a narrative, with your character being questioned about different events during the Cold War. This in itself is by no means a problem, but it does mean that there are certainly too many long, drawn out, cut scenes. These are not necessarily always exciting either and at times I found my mind wandering, wishing that the next mission would start.

The next feature worth discussing is the totally gripping multi-player mode. This is where I feel Black Ops most impresses and Treyarch displays it's real talent for quality gaming. Pre-game the matchmaking system is quick and generally balanced and rarely did I find myself on grossly unbalanced teams. There's also a huge choice of different game modes to satisfy the modern gamer, from the stalwarts of team death-match, capture the flag etc to newer game types for the more adventurous amongst you. What is really important in any multi-player game though is whether it makes you want to keep coming back for more and black ops doesn't disappoint. I was impressed with how many different strategies could be employed in this mode and after many hours of play was still undecided as to my favourite guns, perks etc. There are less of the weapon unbalances that were seen in Modern Warfare 2, with certain guns being slightly powered down to ensure fairness. Treyarch also introduces us to a new Wager Mode, whereby players can gamble a stake of Cod points against other players, in order to gain big rewards. This really ramps up the competitive edge for people who want that extra challenging multi-player experience. There are still a few problems with modders, cheats and boosters, (who break the rules of the game in order to rank up quickly) but when I played these incidents were extremely rare and in no way were able to detract from what is an excellently balanced gaming experience.

The final mode worth briefly discussing is the appropriately named Zombies Mode, which follows the attempts of four people to kill as many waves of zombies as possible. This game type brought about a mixed reaction for me. On the one hand it is fairly good fun and I really liked that as we got more kills we were able to unlock new places, weapons and special traps to deal with the Zombie horde. It was a mode however, that felt a little underdeveloped and for lovers of the zombie survival genre it's no Left 4 Dead. In essence it served as an enjoyable little side game when I grew tired of owning my friends on multi-player and the campaign was completed. At least you can play it through co-op with a friend or join a matchmaking lobby of three other gamers.

In conclusion therefore Call of Duty Black Ops really warrants it's record as the highest earning entertainment launch. The campaign is well written, extremely engrossing and keeps up the action packed story from start to finish. Multi-player mode maintains the fun parts of Modern Warfare 2, but learns from the predecessor's mistakes and the improvements made to weapons, perks etc really helps to push the game into the top gear of quality gaming. Zombie mode serves as a nice distraction and am sure there will be plenty of gamers who really enjoy it. Call of Duty's action packed formula continues to cash in on a well established rote, the game play is fun and the game well finished and presented, it can't fail to do well.