Overall, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 seems extremely promising with the improvements to the scenery, and to the multi-player mode. Definitely going to be worth purchasing upon it’s console-wide platform.

Because of the significance of timing in the game, the online mode really suffers. Playing against users with a slower connection than yourselves highly damages the game play because of the glitchyness of the timing. Personally, though, this isn’t a game I’d get just to play online.

Overall, Skate 3 offers a unique gaming experience and is definitely a move in the right direction for the franchise. With enough tweaks, this game could easily become the king of the skateboarding game industry, and is definitely worth the benjamins to pick up a copy.



8/10

Another plus to the Soldier class is that it is accompanied by a Soldier-exclusive weapon, the light machine gun, and if you want to use it, you’ll have to be a Soldier. The combat mastery exclusive class rank for the Soldier also offers options once the rank has been maxed. You can side with either the Commandos, which will increase your damage and overall weapon attributes, or the Shock Troopers, which will propel your agility skills to the next level.



So why is the Soldier class the feature of Mass Effect 2? Because it undoubtedly was the biggest improvement in the game. Instead of having to “level up” your mastery of armor and weapons, in which case you usually ran out of points, the player now starts with full mastery, which propels the gamer to much more realistic game play as the Soldier. Mass Effect 2 is a lot to look forward too.

What’s great about Guitar Hero 5, is that it was developed for a four-person band experience, rather than the past versions that were geared more towards solo peices. Having lead and bass guitars, drums and vocals will enhance the games true value, while jamming out with your buddies.

Guitar Hero 5 is different from it’s previous versions because of it’s friendly usability. New additions like Party Mode allow for anyone new to the game to simply pick up the controller and get going. The menu selection is much easier, which you may not think is a big deal, but it’ll help newbies select their criteria more quickly and easily.

With this new tweak comes the Career Mode. Scrap the world tour and earning money, it’s all about the stars now. Instead of making cash, you’ll be completing objectives throughout on your career on all songs. Whether it be solo or in online play with a band, playing out the game is a lot more fun because of the multiplayer aspect. This is such a great unique feature because instead of beating every song, or playing the tracks that you despise to hear, by beating older songs with new objectives, you’ll collect more stars to progress to the next level. Players no longer have to waste their time on songs they don’t like, or can’t beat.

Other multiplayer changes include band members being able to boost up their band mates Star Power. If one player’s meter is full, the rest will split into the rest of the bands meters. The base of the game is still the same, but the user features are definitely well improved, and that was a big leap for the developers.

Not only can you create your own rockstar, but you can use your XBOX Avatar as the character. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s fun, and a game like this should be both for the beginner and advanced. There is definitely a good balance in the gameplay.

For those of you that have a copy of World Tour, have no fear, most of the tracks will be compatible with Guitar Hero 5, minus the ones with strict licensing issues.

Featuring a 40+ soundtrack with Van Halen, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Foreigner and others, this installment of Guitar Hero definitely has some bands you could do without, including Third Eye Blind and Yellowcard. Don’t get me wrong, Third Eye Blind was a great 90s band, but considering that “Semi-Charmed Life” is around it’s 20th anniversary, they could have picked a better lineup. All you die hard Van Halen fans won’t be dissapointed as you’ll get to jam out to such hits as “Jump”, “Atomic Punk”, “Everybody Wants Some!!” and many many more, so fans will be able to drop their air guitar and bust out some real music on your console.

Many of the original Guitar Hero features are still here. You’ll be able to team up in a band of 4 to play online, and of course, be able to use the Guitar Hero mixer to create your own tracks. That’s pretty cool, but it’s nothing new and different. The game play itself is rather dominant. Rocking out to Van Halen is no easy task, as you’ll find out in attempts to solo “Eruption” on Expert as Eddie Van Halen.

As far as the interface goes, the game definitely has taken a step back as the stage and characters look mediocre. The game runs off the older Guitar Hero engine that Guitar Hero 5 has greatly improved on, but users and fans know they aren’t buying the game for the look, as much as they are to play their favorite Van Halen rock ballads. The crowds are still great to play for, and the noise levels are phenominal. Van Halen definitely sounds amazing in this game with a Dolby Digital Surround Sound, so if you’ve got killer speakers to play off of, you’ll definitely enjoy playing this throughout the night.

Overall, the band deserved a better game, and doesn’t come close to the magnitude that Guitar Hero: Metallica enjoys. Though the song selection is great, many gamers and fans may still be wanting more. It’s worth the rent, probably not the buy unless you’re a true Van Halen rocker.

Soldiers are the standard character from any other first person shooter with them being masters of firearms and turrets. Sirens have “phasewalk” power, which allows them to cloak for a few moments, adding a speed boost and extra power to melee attacks. Each class has it’s own “skills tree”, where abilities cannot be maxed out. These means spend your points wisely and add them to your classes strengths.



If you’re having trouble in the solo-mode, then just call some friends and have them join you in the multiplayer mode. Up to four of you can group together in tactical strategies to take down your enemies. This isn’t as challenging as playing by yourself, but it’s definitely more fun and doesn’t slow the game down at all.

The characters have a sense of humor and the animation and graphics are extremely unique and satisfying. You have the town doctor and even a guide who will lead you the vault in your search of treasure. Overall, it seems to be a promising game with plenty of action-packed explosions and shoot outs, while still allowing the RPG base of the game take form.



From the beginning of your first missions you’ll be threatened by a few doglike creatures, walking looking zombies, and then later some much larger zoo animals — just deformed. You’ll be equipped with an energy shield, which absorbs damage. This is extremely important to use because taking cover will become a necessity.



Borderlands is definitely a challenging game that allows you to go for the critical headshot, or simply mo down your opponent. Reloading is a little slow, and there are no crazy roll manuevers, so learning to strafe and protect yourself is a must. Like any other RPG, your experience bar will be shown so the player can track their level progress on the screen.

Defense isn’t to difficult. There are plenty of steals on defense in the middle of the paint. Seemingly, everyone can play D in the NBA, especially in the paint. The only other complaint is, like past versions, the shooting doesn’t look as realistic as it could be. It reminds me of NBA Live 96 on Playstation, I beleive Mitch Richmond was on the cover. This becomes extremely obvious when the graphics becomes a bit choppy, and the ball starts getting passed through defenders hands.

A great addition, as well as subtraction to the game, is the Adidas mode which pretty much replaced the Be a Pro mode. In the Adidas 5 on 5 mode you and up to five friends can create your own team and play online. You can’t create your own players, but the idea of playing a pick up game with no fouls has it’s advantages, especially when you start running sick pick and roll plays.

Overall, it’s not that it’s a bad game, but the 2K series is just amazing. Sure there is the auto-updater so that players and teams stay up to date with the progress of the season, but it’d be a lot better if the Season Mode was more dynamic so you’d be able to compete online. Oh well, it’s definitely an improvement, but nothing to crazy over.

7/10

It beats out competitors because of the easy amount of accesibility it offers. The interface and gameplay simply is not cluttered with burried menu options where you spend more time figuring out how to play the game than actually playing. The on-screen surface control, racing and assist options are right there in front of you. You are never penalized for using the assist option, but you do lose some cash towards your final score. The gameplay itself is also revolutionary.



Unlimited rewind is a great option. It’s helpful to be able to replay the entire track with different angles and options. It’s not just rewind. A great implementation is that the developers have become one with the gamer.

No one likes to break. It’s true. Especially when so many games today have you punching the accelerator until your thumb goes numb. The adjustments made to the “Auto Break” really help the player. It’s a great stepping tool to learning how to play the game your best, and also how to handle difficult turns and scenarios.



What needs to be understood about the absolute amazingness behind this revolutionary option is that it does it for you. That’s right, Forza 3 adjusts to your style of play to help you. The Magic Hat will be drawn, and it’ll place you in a race and class to further your learning on how to pedal and break.



Of course you will still be presented with unique, unlockable cars that you will progress through your season to get. They all will still carry their own individual handling differences, which once you master one, you move onto the next. The progression of the game is great.

So wheres the drawback? It’s in the XBOX 360, literally. If you don’t have a HD, you’re definitely in some trouble. Forza 3 comes with 2 discs, with over 100 cars and over 20 races on the 2nd disc, but it takes up about 2GIGS. Even with the HD, you’ll be losing load time which can become frustrating…but get over it.

Forza 3 is the best racing game of all time. Clearly it offers a challenging, yet extremely rewarding gaming experience. It’s also fun!

10/10

Where the game really gets new and improved is in the combat zone. Ezio is a master of blades, staffs and spears, with each weapon having it’s own special attack. This definitely brings some new flavor to the game, especially because Ezio is able to disarm his opponents, grab their weapons, and slaughter them. When without a weapon, Ezio is also equipped with two hidden blades, while Altair only had one. If you get good enough and time it just right, Ezio can take out two opponents at once in a single quick move.



Another improvement to the game was the computers AI. When fighting multiple enemies, you’ll have different fighting styles thrown at you. It’s definitely more challenging then the first game. What’s also great is Ezio, when without a weapon, has fists of fury with massive combos and head butts that will literally flip your opponent to their demise.

Throughout the game you’ll be able to make “sneaky attacks”, coming out from your hiding spot to gauge an enemy with your uber stealth skills. Be careful though, because making too much noise will up your notoriety system, which won’t allow you to blend into the crowd as much. When this happens, Ezio will be given different missions that will allow you to lower it. This will be done by bribing, killing witnesses and taking down “WANTED” posters.

Overall, this second installment is vastly improved and non-repetitive, unlike the first game which would get boring with the continuous “get a mission, kill, get a mission, kill” and so on. In Italy you’ll be enjoying missions that will change on the spot, which keep the game interesting and fun. The designers also did a fantastic job capturing the imagery and architecture of the Renaissance period in Italy. Also, be on the look out for Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous “flying machine”, which Ezio also gets a chance to play with.



The game will surely be a huge success, and a lot of fun for Assassin’s Creed fans. In the meantime, I’d check out some Renaissance history to prep you for this vastly improved game play and environment in Assassin’s Creed 2.