Ubisoft does it again with the squeal to the popular Assassins Creed 2 with Assassins Creed Brotherhood. AC Brotherhood continues off at exactly the same moment that number 2 left off bringing forth the second half of Ezio Auditore Da Firenze's life onto your system. This time however Ezio is ready to settle down and finally hang up his hidden blades for good... But no good game would allow that to happen as soon after his arrival back to the villa it comes under attack from the Borgia ultimately destroying the villa and taking the town with a massive army leading Ezio to Rome; the centre of corruption and power in renaissance Italy.
You're job as a master assassin is to rebuild the brotherhood and take the fight to the Borgia by hunting down all of the Borgias and wiping them out once and for all and establishing order in Italy. You're job is too hunt them down using the skills you have learned throughout the years and even ones that you learn throughout playing the game and put and end to the Borgia with the help of some new assassins recruits you gain along the way. You must destroy Borgia towers which loom over different districts causing a shadow of misery where they stand leaving Ezio to destroy them and open up shops giving it new life and stamping out the Borgia influence.
As you go through the story as mentioned before you will recruit and train assassins by using them in your fights or sending them on contracts that are actual historical events differing in difficulty and eventually level them from a level 1 recruit to a level 10 assassin and making them almost as deadly as Ezio himself when used right. However the AI needs some work and much of the game still feel incomplete such as mouths that don't move when they are talking or guards randomly kneeling on a banister or running into a wall and sometimes even walking right off the edge of a building for no reason and the horses look atrocious and unpolished and there movements just don't feel natural.
The story is still complex and cool as it has always been but in AC brotherhood it is concentrating directly on Ezio but at the same time offering alittle more in the story of Desmond Miles which is now able to free roam somewhat in 2012 Monteriggioni which is sad almost as in 500 years nothing really has changed aside from a few cars and Vespas... however the option is there aswell as the ability to repeat memories.
However despite it's bad sides it also has quite a few good sides such as multiplayer and character continuation. The multiplayer is extremely addicting as there are a few game modes such as Wanted, Alliance and a few others giving you more points for assassinating your target in more spectacular ways and how many you get instead of just how many you get in the end. This is good as it keeps the game fresh and it keeps you on the edge of you're seat as there is always someone hunting you while you hunt someone else and it brings a whole unseen kind of gameplay the the multiplayer world.
If you are an Assassins Creed fan this is definitely a buy or if you are someone looking too start you then I recommend you buy Assassins Creed 2 and Brotherhood in order to fully grasp Ezios story if that is what you are after.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty is one of the biggest franchises of the gaming community and for good reason. It has a multiplayer that is now iconic in the gaming community aswell as offering one of the most jaw dropping and cinematic experiences ever to grace our systems. Call of Duty: Black Ops stays true to the familiar ways but adds a few twists and doing what many developers fail to do which is change there familiar gameplay and still maintain it's playability and appeal.
First off lets get started with the singleplayer! Throughout the series history we have had some really awesome cinematic and action packed experiences but for the first time ever Call of duty is not only bringing you this but also giving you're character a voice and an in depth story! You play as Alex Mason who is you guessed it; a member of the Black Ops. An organization that ends wars before they even start going behind enemy lines to take care of what must be done in order to maintain “order” in the world.
The voice acting is amazing and the characters are believable however some of you out there might not get much of the story as a lot of it is based around historical events that actually transpired but that is not to say that you are going to come out of it not knowing what happened! When you play through the story you must pay attention as it is a mind-bender till the end almost as big of one as the movie Apocalypse Now.
There are some issues with it however such as the AI remains exactly as it did in all other Call of Duty games being unresponsive, not much help and clunky. It would have been nice to see them work on them to the point where they actually feel like a member of you're team and not just a possible meatshield who gets the occasional kill once in awhile. Our other issue with the game is the gameplay itself! Now I am no stickler too action and explosions mixed with vehicle chases and over-the-top action however in Black Ops every level is that which becomes slightly mind numbing at times given what CoD4 offered which is a stealthy approach to the sniper mission which was fun to do however when walking into Black Ops expect a cluster of blood, guts, explosions and gun battles.
The multiplayer however is just as fun as always. However in this one there are a few changes such as wager matches, contracts and cod points. Cod points are a form of currency which are used in order to buy things such as new guns, attachment, camo and other things which makes leveling up not as important. Not to say it is not important at all as it unlocks guns for you to buy with your cod points. Wager matches are a form of gambling now as they offer you to wager your hard earned cod points on matches where you stand to make a ton if you win or lose a ton if you lose which adds a whole new meaning to the word “intense”. And contracts are a new addition to the game where you spend a small amount of cod points to get a contract where you are given a goal which you must complete in a set amount of alive time before the contract expires and when you complete a contract you gain cod points and xp.
Zombie mode is also back and now it is more like Zombie 2.0 as the maps are bigger, better guns and more deadly creatures to be seen in the dark hallways of the 3 maps that are offered for it. You will now be playing as either a Nazi commander, American soldier, Japanese soldier or Russian soldier or my favourite JFK, Fidel Castro, Robert McNamara. You will now be facing demons aswell as zombies so watch out for those when you first enter the dark halls.
For yet another stellar Call of Duty game it is definitely a must buy for any Call of Duty fan or someone looking for an action packed game experience.
First off lets get started with the singleplayer! Throughout the series history we have had some really awesome cinematic and action packed experiences but for the first time ever Call of duty is not only bringing you this but also giving you're character a voice and an in depth story! You play as Alex Mason who is you guessed it; a member of the Black Ops. An organization that ends wars before they even start going behind enemy lines to take care of what must be done in order to maintain “order” in the world.
The voice acting is amazing and the characters are believable however some of you out there might not get much of the story as a lot of it is based around historical events that actually transpired but that is not to say that you are going to come out of it not knowing what happened! When you play through the story you must pay attention as it is a mind-bender till the end almost as big of one as the movie Apocalypse Now.
There are some issues with it however such as the AI remains exactly as it did in all other Call of Duty games being unresponsive, not much help and clunky. It would have been nice to see them work on them to the point where they actually feel like a member of you're team and not just a possible meatshield who gets the occasional kill once in awhile. Our other issue with the game is the gameplay itself! Now I am no stickler too action and explosions mixed with vehicle chases and over-the-top action however in Black Ops every level is that which becomes slightly mind numbing at times given what CoD4 offered which is a stealthy approach to the sniper mission which was fun to do however when walking into Black Ops expect a cluster of blood, guts, explosions and gun battles.
The multiplayer however is just as fun as always. However in this one there are a few changes such as wager matches, contracts and cod points. Cod points are a form of currency which are used in order to buy things such as new guns, attachment, camo and other things which makes leveling up not as important. Not to say it is not important at all as it unlocks guns for you to buy with your cod points. Wager matches are a form of gambling now as they offer you to wager your hard earned cod points on matches where you stand to make a ton if you win or lose a ton if you lose which adds a whole new meaning to the word “intense”. And contracts are a new addition to the game where you spend a small amount of cod points to get a contract where you are given a goal which you must complete in a set amount of alive time before the contract expires and when you complete a contract you gain cod points and xp.
Zombie mode is also back and now it is more like Zombie 2.0 as the maps are bigger, better guns and more deadly creatures to be seen in the dark hallways of the 3 maps that are offered for it. You will now be playing as either a Nazi commander, American soldier, Japanese soldier or Russian soldier or my favourite JFK, Fidel Castro, Robert McNamara. You will now be facing demons aswell as zombies so watch out for those when you first enter the dark halls.
For yet another stellar Call of Duty game it is definitely a must buy for any Call of Duty fan or someone looking for an action packed game experience.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Review: Resident Evil: Afterlife
Resident Evil: Afterlife is the fourth installment in the zombie-apocalypse franchise based on Capcoms survival horror video game series. The unforgettable heroine Alice is back and is on a mission to exact revenge and take down the evil corporation known as Umbrella (an evil bio-engineering company that led to the global zombie outbreak) and its leader the prestigious Albert Wesker (played by Shawn Roberts).
Near the beginning of the movie Alice had given an attempt to assassinate Wesker but is stripped of her powers and left for dead in a plane crash. When she wakes up she finds a radio transmission telling all survivors to make they're way towards a place known as Arcadia and is said to be a zombie free zone which is going to be used to rebuild human civilization.
Throughout her journey she makes friends that are new to the series and even re-unites with old ones, so anybody that had payed attention to the video game series will be able to catch the references. But in the end much did not add up and there were quite a few moments where I kind of rolled my eyes but all in all it was a good movie if it is a die hard action movie you want.
-Tyler
Near the beginning of the movie Alice had given an attempt to assassinate Wesker but is stripped of her powers and left for dead in a plane crash. When she wakes up she finds a radio transmission telling all survivors to make they're way towards a place known as Arcadia and is said to be a zombie free zone which is going to be used to rebuild human civilization.
Throughout her journey she makes friends that are new to the series and even re-unites with old ones, so anybody that had payed attention to the video game series will be able to catch the references. But in the end much did not add up and there were quite a few moments where I kind of rolled my eyes but all in all it was a good movie if it is a die hard action movie you want.
-Tyler
Overview: Cataclysm Beta pt1
As a longtime player of World of Warcraft I have always loved the lore and the gameplay that comes from the game and if you know me then you would know I spend a lot of time on WoW so this week I am nodding off to World of Warcraft fans out there and giving an overview of a few things from the Cataclysm Beta which is reaching it's final days before official launch on December 7th!
As you probably have already heard unless you are living under a rock is that there are 2 new playable races including the Worgen (Alliance) and Goblin (Horde). Now personally after playing through both of there starting zones I can pretty much say that both are equally awesome being as how the Goblins are money swindling con men with a steampunks dream of a metropolis and the Worgens takes place throughout 10 years taking you from the battle of Gilneas when the Worgen first started attacking to the end when most Gilneans are already turned and are seeking to leave there home because of the invading forsaken. As if the story alone would not get you pumped up to create one however I do have a few things wrong with how they are. Like for example the female sounds extremely similar to a man, no finesse in here voice to be certain but I guess that is what is to be expected from a bloodthirsty half woman half wolf. Then there is the repetitiveness of it all. Not from the beginning by no means but if you are like me and enjoys rolling on different servers once in awhile then sometimes you just want to get out of the zone instead of having to spend an entire hour and a half getting out of it.
Now for the Goblin zone. You start out as a very successful businessman or woman on the Goblin island of Kezan which has been turned into a sprawling metropolis by these ingenious yet explosive goblins and have to do a series of quests resulting in a major ego boost that deal with such things as extorting protection money, getting the fanciest cloths and accessories on the island so you can make a good impression at the biggest party Kezan has ever seen and sneakily planning to overthrow the current Trade Lord (Basically there king) in the process but soon after everything goes downhill when Deathwing flies overhead and erupts the volcano looming over the city and as greedy as you are you want off this island. Problem is only the Trade Lord has a boat leading off the island and he hates you! He has told you that he will let you off for a BAZZILION macaroons and what better way to get such money then by robbing a bank? So after you do that you get betrayed by the Trade Prince who throws you and some others into the brig of the ship and through the fog get lost and sail right into the middle of a skirmish between the Alliance and Horde. Your ship gets hit, you all wash up on shore and it is now time to try and survive which leads through another series of event... But I won't ruin it all for you.
Next up is the world changing. Now when Blizzard told us that it was going to alter the world forever, they were right! It has and there are many things that have changed like for example the giant split going down the centre of the Barrens and the flooding of Thousand Needles, the aftermath of the tidal wave that struck Booty Bay. However surprisingly like most things our mind sort of gets used to all these changed and they become almost unnoticeable after awhile but the thing that really excites me is the new quest-flow that offers up a short single player experience in each one of them taking you through a series of lore explaining and cinematic quest experiences dealing with much in the world of pop culture from the Bioshock quest-line the Ramo quest-line and the CSI quest-line Blizzard has not kept short of a pop culture hint here and there throughout your travels through Azeroth.
Thats it for this week I will be sure to give you all more of the juicy details next week as there is so much to talk about!
As you probably have already heard unless you are living under a rock is that there are 2 new playable races including the Worgen (Alliance) and Goblin (Horde). Now personally after playing through both of there starting zones I can pretty much say that both are equally awesome being as how the Goblins are money swindling con men with a steampunks dream of a metropolis and the Worgens takes place throughout 10 years taking you from the battle of Gilneas when the Worgen first started attacking to the end when most Gilneans are already turned and are seeking to leave there home because of the invading forsaken. As if the story alone would not get you pumped up to create one however I do have a few things wrong with how they are. Like for example the female sounds extremely similar to a man, no finesse in here voice to be certain but I guess that is what is to be expected from a bloodthirsty half woman half wolf. Then there is the repetitiveness of it all. Not from the beginning by no means but if you are like me and enjoys rolling on different servers once in awhile then sometimes you just want to get out of the zone instead of having to spend an entire hour and a half getting out of it.
Now for the Goblin zone. You start out as a very successful businessman or woman on the Goblin island of Kezan which has been turned into a sprawling metropolis by these ingenious yet explosive goblins and have to do a series of quests resulting in a major ego boost that deal with such things as extorting protection money, getting the fanciest cloths and accessories on the island so you can make a good impression at the biggest party Kezan has ever seen and sneakily planning to overthrow the current Trade Lord (Basically there king) in the process but soon after everything goes downhill when Deathwing flies overhead and erupts the volcano looming over the city and as greedy as you are you want off this island. Problem is only the Trade Lord has a boat leading off the island and he hates you! He has told you that he will let you off for a BAZZILION macaroons and what better way to get such money then by robbing a bank? So after you do that you get betrayed by the Trade Prince who throws you and some others into the brig of the ship and through the fog get lost and sail right into the middle of a skirmish between the Alliance and Horde. Your ship gets hit, you all wash up on shore and it is now time to try and survive which leads through another series of event... But I won't ruin it all for you.
Next up is the world changing. Now when Blizzard told us that it was going to alter the world forever, they were right! It has and there are many things that have changed like for example the giant split going down the centre of the Barrens and the flooding of Thousand Needles, the aftermath of the tidal wave that struck Booty Bay. However surprisingly like most things our mind sort of gets used to all these changed and they become almost unnoticeable after awhile but the thing that really excites me is the new quest-flow that offers up a short single player experience in each one of them taking you through a series of lore explaining and cinematic quest experiences dealing with much in the world of pop culture from the Bioshock quest-line the Ramo quest-line and the CSI quest-line Blizzard has not kept short of a pop culture hint here and there throughout your travels through Azeroth.
Thats it for this week I will be sure to give you all more of the juicy details next week as there is so much to talk about!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Review: Fable 3
Fable 3 is an extensive action, adventure, role-playing game that feels a lot like a polished up version of it predecessor Fable 2. Fable 3 takes place 60 years after the events of Fable 2 and you play as your previous heroes son or daughter whom is on a mission to take control of Albion away from your tyrant brother Logan. While on the journey to start a revolution and overthrow Logan you need to gain followers in order to progress down the "road to rule" thereby unlocking new gameplay elements such as spells or the ability to buy and sell property. Throughout your adventures you will also have to make promises to gain the support of the different people of Albion and the new cross seas continent Aurora.
Fable 3 has two major parts of its story, the first half of the game is the journey to rule and the second half of the game is becoming king. Along the first half of the game promises will have to be made but during the second half you don't have to keep them. The idea of Fable 3 is to show how hard it is to be in charge and it is implemented well considering that you are faced with difficult choices from the beginning of the game to the end. The choices made will heavily impact the world, from the environment to the moods of the people of Albion, everything you do makes a difference which will make your land unique from everyone else's.
In Fable 3 you are given the ability to join someone elses game as a henchman. As henchman you are given the chance to play co-operatively with your friends while earning gold. Unlike Fable 2, Fable 3 allows you to bring your hero and his/her dog with them. Players can do anything from questing to doing jobs and are even able to get married and have kids. When married players will share they're earnings and both players will have access to the gold, however in the case of a divorce, the money will be split 50/50 and custody of the children they may have had will be given to the player who was hosting the game. If players would like to share they're income and not get married they can start a business partnership which is essentially the same thing but with no children involved.
From my experience of playing Fable 3 I can tell you that it is a great game and definitely worth playing if you ever get the chance, and being fun is ultimately the most important thing you could ask for in a game. It is a big game yet it is able to cater to gamers of all skill levels and that in its self is a pretty big achievement. Fable 3 does have its shortcomings with a few bugs here and there but it is worth your time and money. I can respectively say that anyone that likes a good Fable game or is a fan of the genre should look into playing through this amazing game.
- Tyler
Fable 3 has two major parts of its story, the first half of the game is the journey to rule and the second half of the game is becoming king. Along the first half of the game promises will have to be made but during the second half you don't have to keep them. The idea of Fable 3 is to show how hard it is to be in charge and it is implemented well considering that you are faced with difficult choices from the beginning of the game to the end. The choices made will heavily impact the world, from the environment to the moods of the people of Albion, everything you do makes a difference which will make your land unique from everyone else's.
In Fable 3 you are given the ability to join someone elses game as a henchman. As henchman you are given the chance to play co-operatively with your friends while earning gold. Unlike Fable 2, Fable 3 allows you to bring your hero and his/her dog with them. Players can do anything from questing to doing jobs and are even able to get married and have kids. When married players will share they're earnings and both players will have access to the gold, however in the case of a divorce, the money will be split 50/50 and custody of the children they may have had will be given to the player who was hosting the game. If players would like to share they're income and not get married they can start a business partnership which is essentially the same thing but with no children involved.
From my experience of playing Fable 3 I can tell you that it is a great game and definitely worth playing if you ever get the chance, and being fun is ultimately the most important thing you could ask for in a game. It is a big game yet it is able to cater to gamers of all skill levels and that in its self is a pretty big achievement. Fable 3 does have its shortcomings with a few bugs here and there but it is worth your time and money. I can respectively say that anyone that likes a good Fable game or is a fan of the genre should look into playing through this amazing game.
- Tyler
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Review: Jackass 3D
This movie was awesome! Once again the whole Jackass team have returned for the third installment of the hilarious series that is Jackass. Knoxville, Lacy, Bam, Wee-man, Steve-O, Pontius, Jonze McGhehey and Dunn are all back and as funny and crude as ever. First of all, if you are not a Jackass fan, then this film is not for you. It is full of crude and disgusting stunts, profanity, and shots of male genitalia. If that's not for you, then you won't like it.
I, for one, happen to be a Jackass fan and a fan of funny, stupid stuff. Over the years of watching these guys beat themselves up for money, it almost feels like they became my friends, and in a way they are kind of like prostitutes. So, Jackass 3D was like a reunion. Hanging out with old friends. Though I did not see this film in 3D, I enjoyed it all the same, and im kind of glad I did not pay an extra 5 bucks to see it in 3D considering only a few of the stunts really would have worked well in 3D.
It starts off with a bang and doesn't let up until the very end. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time, I thought I was going to throw up from laughing, and I didn't want it to end. A worthy installment in the Jackass series, and the most fun at a film this year. Sheer stupid fun. So, if you like watching nut-shots and "poo cocktail supreme's," then definitely check out Jackass 3D in theaters. See it with friends. And see it in 3d if unlike me you don’t mind spending an extra few bucks.
-Cody
Review: Red Dead Redemption - Undead nightmare DLC
Red Dead Redemption is the latest of Rockstar games iconic sandbox free roam games taking place in the dieing west. You play as John Marston; one of the last true cowboys and you are seeking to redeem you're past by doing the governments dirty work for them by hunting down you're old gang. However in there latest DLC it is not government you are working for or former gang members you are killing... But zombies!
That’s right Red Dead Redemption has released it's fourth DLC Undead Nightmare and if zombie cougars weren't enough to put the fright into you then get ready for our review on this DLC. As gamers we are not new to the zombie genre as there are many out there like Left 4 Dead, Call of duty 5 Nazi Zombies and Dead Rising. But Undead Nightmare adds a whole new element to it that we have not seen before and that is the robust and extremely well designed open world you have gotten used to with Rockstar games with a zombie apocalypse twist in it.
This time unlike the other DLC packages offered for the game it brings it's first single player experience to the game. You start out once again as John Marston after you get almost to the end of the normal story mode. After a series of strange events your wife and son become infected with the virus and to Johns dismay and courage he sets out to find a cure taking him to all the places you remember from the normal storyline and even meeting a few of the characters you come across in it. It also offers up two new weapons into the mix which are the Blunderbuss which fires zombie limbs out of it causing devastating damage and the torch which replaces the knife to light the undead on fire whilst at the same time bashing them with a blunt melee weapon.
You also have the chance while wandering the undead west to find and break the four horses of the apocalypse being war, famine, pestilence and death all with different abilities that when rode into an undead does something different for each one. At the same time there are other animals like Sasquatch and a unicorn you can also break which rides majestically and has a rainbow stream come out of it's behind when you ride it which is kind of funny. And then there are the undead animals that roam... you will have a chance to ride some undead horses, kill some undead bears, wolves, cougars and coyotes and feel satisfied when you can say “I killed an undead bear that was not only 400 pounds but also on fire!”
However this is not the only thing this DLC offers. What it comes with is a multiplayer game mode called Undead Overrun and it is a 2-4 player co-op which is a mode where it
is not a matter of if you will die, it is a matter of when... There are several maps taking you to various places all of which are based around graveyards of the old west so you can almost guess where they will be placed at but this new game mode offers a rich experience that will keep you on the edge of you're seat once the waves start getting higher and higher. I myself entered a game with my posse of 3 and we got to work with the normal headshot after headshot doing out best to survive until it got to around wave 7 and we realized it was time to dig our heels in as there were no more ammunition drops and we were running low on ammo as the undead hordes came in much larger groups and were harder to kill... We fought hard but we only made it to wave 13 which is testament to the fact that an undead apocalypse would be one hell of an experience and an almost unsurvivable one at
that.
is not a matter of if you will die, it is a matter of when... There are several maps taking you to various places all of which are based around graveyards of the old west so you can almost guess where they will be placed at but this new game mode offers a rich experience that will keep you on the edge of you're seat once the waves start getting higher and higher. I myself entered a game with my posse of 3 and we got to work with the normal headshot after headshot doing out best to survive until it got to around wave 7 and we realized it was time to dig our heels in as there were no more ammunition drops and we were running low on ammo as the undead hordes came in much larger groups and were harder to kill... We fought hard but we only made it to wave 13 which is testament to the fact that an undead apocalypse would be one hell of an experience and an almost unsurvivable one at
that.
However some thing did not live up to what we thought like for example the two new weapons, now as fun as it is to literally blow an undead to nothing but a blood smear it just did not come through as an all-time fun weapon to have as when used on other players it does not do what it would to a zombie which was disappointing. And the torch as well did not live up to what we had though as the bashes it had were not strong enough to kill zombies as we would have liked but instead relying on the fire it caused to kill them. All would be fantastic until you face some of the stronger enemies like the bear or the bruisers and a fight can last up to 5 minutes trying to kill one creature with this torch.
The single player experience itself was not gripping as it was in the normal storyline as it almost rushes through the entire experience and it almost made you feel like you were in a dreamworld as much of the story did not line up with the man storyline however this is to be expected as the title of the DLC is “Undead Nightmare” but what is probably most disappointing of all is the fact that there is no zombie free roam in the multiplayer. It was asked by many and it was just too good of an idea to pass up but it was not delivered sadly. But overall it has a decent replay value if you want to just go back into the old west and save some town and perhaps finish off the 8 side missions that are offered
through the singe player game.
through the singe player game.
However for only 800 Microsoft points and 9.99$ PSN (7.99$ PSN+ users) it is quite a steal and should be a must-buy for anyone who is a Red Dead Redemption fan or just looking to purchase there first Red Dead DLC as it is so far the most enjoyable of them all. And for that we thank you Rockstar for giving us this overall great experience!
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