All Reviews » XBox 360 Games

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

Mark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:26:23 +0000

After the development of The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena along with eight other games in development had been dropped on July 29, 2008, StarBreeze Studios confirmed on September 24, 2008 that The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena was nearing its completion, with Atari announcing in October 2008 that they would be publishing the game. The game was subsequently released on April 7, 2009 to North America and April 24, 2009 to Europe under the genres of first person, action-adventure and stealth, with an ESRB rating of M for Mature. It was developed by Starbreeze Studios in collaboration with Tigon Studios for the Xbox 360 platform. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena was supposedly developed as a remake because Microsoft could not make the Xbox 360 backward compatible with Escape from Butcher Bay in an attempt to get the Escape story to a larger audience before progressing further. It is said that the graphics have been improved with the addition of a multiplayer mode as well as an expanded version of the single player mode to include Riddick escaping onto a mercenary ship called Dark Athena. The voice and likeness of the title character belong to Vin Diesel who was also involved in the production of Assault on Dark Athena.

Reviews
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is made out of several disparate components of varying quality, making it difficult for players to come to grips with such a release. The main attraction of the game is the slick retooling of 2004’s Escape from the Butcher Bay which holds up beautifully, exquisitely building tension before settling into a satisfying, smouldering pace. Not only that, the other single-player component offered is the sequel to Butcher Bay, Dark Athena. When compared to its predecessor, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is positively limp, monotonously falling into a rut of predictability that the original always avoided. To add to the inconsistent puzzle, there is also an interesting but uneven suit of multiplayer modes that is mildly fun in spurts but too awkward to standout. In terms of the Butcher Bay, it has been freshened up a bit and looks surprisingly spiffy on a high-definition display, showing its age as the stiff character models move awkwardly and exhibit scant expression, as well as the low-definition textures which betray the graphic engine’s last-generation roots. However, the remade original impressively still stands tall, partially because few games have tried to duplicate its blueprint. Not only is that, the numerous gameplay elements are also well balanced. In the game, players play as the gruff criminal Richard B. Riddick whose main goal is to break out of Butcher Bay, the intergalactic equivalent of Alcatraz; a menacing, unforgiving and nearly inescapable prison. In order to do so, Riddick will require a quiet command of multiple talents, and correspondingly, a number of different gameplay devices to guide him out.

“The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is a difficult game to judge. The first half of the game, Escape from Butcher Bay, certainly shows its age, but is still an innovative game. The sequel, however, comes off as a poor imitation. It’s far more frustrating and seems more shooter than anything else. It’s not a terrible game for a sequel, but it’s inferior to Butcher Bay. If you played the original back in 2004, then there’s little reason to pick this game up. However, if you never played Riddick’s first adventure it (and its modest follow-up) are worth checking out.” (IGN, 2009)

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Mark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:20:20 +0000

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, also known as Night at the Museum 2 in some parts of the world, was officially announced on April 7 2009. It was released on May 5 2009, in advance of Twentieth Century Fox’s highly-anticipated theatrical release of the same name. The game comes under the genre of action and has an ESRB rating of E10+. It is developed by Amaze Entertainment and Pipeworks Software, and published by Majesco Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox for the Xbox 360. In the game, Ben Stiller reprises his role in the film as the voice of Larry Daley. Featuring the same scenes as in the movie, the gameplay will require Larry to explore certain exhibits in the museum. Larry will also need to swing from hooks using a rope and a flashlight to activate different contraptions. In order to start a battle, Larry will have to lead his enemies to a certain painting or statue and activate it for the object to attack. In addition to that, Larry will also have the ability to pilot vehicles such as the Lunar Lander, a Pitcairn Autogyro and Rexy the T-Rex.

Reviews
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is a rather short game that features the prominent likeness of Ben Stiller. The game is said to be blandly innocuous with very awkward platforming but offers up a few clever gameplay mechanics which provide for doses of amusement. In the game, Ben Stiller’s character, Larry Daily the protagonist leaves the confines of the American Museum of Natural History for the expanses of the Smithsonian where Pharoah Akhmenrah’s evil brother, Kahmunrah is threatening to do evil things using the power of a magical tablet that brings museum exhibits to life. The game lasts for about two hours or so, during which Larry befriends Amelia Earhart, battles Al Capone from atop a skeletal T-rex, pilots a lunar module, and meets an electrifying Ben Franklin. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian also tries to incorporate an educational counterpoint by adding in random historical facts which appear during loading time. There is also a voice-over option which players can activate while exploring the galleries for a virtual field trip. However, younger players might get confused between fantasy and reality as there is an inconsistency between the information conveyed throughout the game. The main objective of the game is to gather the pieces of Kahmunrah’s table that has been scattered around in fragments, earning a different special power for every one you find. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian features scenes which are easy to figure out but cute and cleaver enough to appeal to the game’s younger target audience. Some of the other sequences attempt at injecting some variety into the game, but they are all of an inconsistent quality especially in terms of platforming. Not only that, the controls are said to be imprecise, causing a frustration jaunt across a series of aircraft while the vehicle-based missions prove to be as frustrating. The game also has poor ho-hum sound effects and week cartoonish visuals that are prone to slowdown and make matters worse.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is surprisingly self-aware (and I don’t mean the few times where the fourth wall is broken). It knows it’s a licensed game, and doesn’t try to be more than a light, entertaining little collection of gameplay moments. Because of this, and because it actually uses the Smithsonian as a proper set piece, the game actually ends up being fun. Not exhilarating, not mind-blowing, but surprisingly solid. Good job, Pipeworks, you made a game that’s educational, simple, and, best of all, never outstays its welcome. (IGN, 2009)

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2

Mark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:12:18 +0000

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 was officially announced on 28 August 2008. It was released on 18 December 2008 to Japan, 21 April 2009 to North America, 24 April 2009 to Europe, and 23 April 2009 to Australia under the genre of Action role-playing game/ hack and slash with an ESRB rating of T for Teens. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 is developed by Koei and Omega Force, and published by Namco Bandai for the Xbox 360 platform. The sequel to Dynasty Warriors: Gundam which was released in 2007, is a tactical action video game based on the Gundam anime series. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 follows in the style of previous Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors games with is action-oriented hack and slash with some tactical elements. However, there are unique gameplay mechanics and twists to Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 which sets it apart from the core Dynasty Warriors series, with the biggest difference lying in the core content. Instead of using characters and story from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 draws their material from across the various Mobile Suit Gundam anime series. Not only that, the player’s choice of pilots and mecha was also designed to be independent of each other to enable the use of any combination of man and machine. There is also a change in gameplay as players are now given more ranged combat options as compared to other Dynasty Warriors games. However, melee combat remains the focus of the game. Besides that, the units in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 are also much more mobile, using its thrusters to dash, jump in mid-air, and even fly in some fights. In the Official Mode, there are 4 playable characters in stages set within the continuity of the Universal Century Timeline which coves the stories of Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ and Char’s Counterattack. The developers also claimed during the earlier stages of its development that the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 will include three times the number of mobile suits playable as compare to that of the first game. In total, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 has 62 suits of playable units.

Reviews
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 is said to be a repetition of its predecessors as it features the same gameplay: attacking brain-dead mechanical foes by half-heartedly pounding on the attack button ad nauseam. Similar to other Koei Warrior games, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 offers a seemingly enormous amount of content which does not provide any value at the end of the game as its gameplay is relatively repetitive. It is said that Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 asks a lot from its players, including a deep familiarity with the Gundam universe, as those who do not will be stymied by the nonsensical storylines of each character. Fortunately, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 has a lot to sift through, with each playable character possessing his or her own tale, providing opportunity for you to take dozen of hours guiding every character through every mission granted the patience and curiosity.

“Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 seems like it barely takes a step forward past its predecessor. In some cases, it even takes a step back. If you’re a hardcore fan of both the Dynasty Warriors brand and the Gundam universe, you’ll undoubtedly purchase a copy even without my blessing, but I beg you to reconsider. Sure, there’s nothing “wrong” with the game as far as I can tell — it still runs fine and there’s plenty to do. But it’s the same gameplay as the past five KOEI games I’ve reviewed. It’s just not worth buying again.” (IGN, 2009)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Mark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:04:09 +0000

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was officially announced on 15 July 2008 together with “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. It was released worldwide on 1 May 2009 to coincide with the release of the film under the genre of action-adventure with an ESRB rating of M for Mature, for the Xbox 360 platform version. Incorporating Unreal Engine 3 technology, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was published by Activision, distributed by Activision Blizzard and developed by Raven Software for the Xbox 360. The 2009 action-adventure game is loosely based on the film of the same name, in which players take control of James “Logan” Howlett (codenamed Wolverine) and for the first time in a video game, discover the character’s origins. It is said that X-Men Origins: Wolverine takes influences from other action-adventure games such as God of War and Devil May Cry, with the Uncaged version of the game featuring a large amount of blood and gore. In terms of the storyline, it comprises of a combination of the Wolverine backstory which is being explore in the movie of the same name as well as original story created by Raven Software. The lead developer, Dan Vondrak claims that roughly 90% of the movie storyline is featured in the game. That portion makes up only less than half of the overall video game story, while the remaining balance is exclusive to the game. However, the primary storyline is the back-story of Wolverine who uncovers his origins from his birth in the 19th century, his military service and eventual recruitment to Col. William Stryker’s Weapon X program, and eventually his confrontation with Weapon XI. The game is set in locations including Africa which is implied to be Wakanda, due to Stryker’s interest in meteorite desposits in the regions, Alkali Lake, Project Wideawake and New Orleans.

Reviews
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is said to give players new insight into how much damage indestructible, razor-sharp claws can do to a human body. It revels in gore, with decapitations, eviscerations, and mutilations drenching the screen in blood. However, it may also be derivative, a cakewalk and at time buggy. Fortunately, the sheer visceral impact of the extreme violence is enough to cover that up. The decent gameplay in X-Men Origins: Wolverine helps to back up the violence in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It is said that the game’s environment, especially its indoor ones are plain-looking, featuring various corridors and laboratories which lack real distinctiveness. However, the characters in X-Men Origins: Wolverine fair a bit better, sporting good animations although lacking a little in the detail and sharpness departments.

“Should any of the criticism I’ve launched keep you from playing X-Men Origins: Wolverine — Uncaged Edition? No, this is an awesome guilty pleasure. Usually, I’ll sit down to review a repetitive game that’s filled with the same attacks and just tear it apart because the repetition sucks the fun out of the experience. X-Men Origins has repetition in spades, but it’s the kind of repetition Wolverine/action game fans are going to love; I mean, can you get sick of literally slicing someone in two and watching the blood explode across the screen? Can you get sick of hoisting a bad guy in the air and savagely stabbing him in the gut over and over again? Can you get sick of watching Wolverine get beaten down to his adamantium skeleton only to sit there and marvel as his muscle and skin grown back in real time? I can’t.
The story is convoluted, the bosses are boring and the whole experience isn’t that deep, but this game sure is fun.” (IGN, 2009)

The Godfather II

Mark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:50:27 +0000

The Godfather II was officially announced in August 2008, although the development of this sequel was hinted as early as 2007. It was subsequently released on 7 April 2009 to North America and 10 April 2009 to Europe under the genres of action-adventure and sandbox, with an ESRB rating of M for Mature. The Godfather II is developed by EA Redwood Shores, incorporating the Godfather engine, and is published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 platform. The game is based on The Godfather Part II, a 1974 crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and co-written by Coppola and Mario Puzo. It is played from a third person perspective and contains some stratge aspects as the player’s character battles rival families and take over businesses to ultimately become a “Don” ruling over many cities. Reprising his role as consigliere Tom Hagen is Rober Duvall in both voice and likeness as he did in the first game. However, as Al Pacino who played Don Michael Corleone in the film did not provide his likeness or voice, the character itself was changed significantly in the game. The game features similar gameplay elements as the original game, with a few expansions and improvements. Similar to the prequel, The Godfather II is a third-person shooter game which takes place in an open world, with both story-based and side missions involving gunplay, hand-to-hand fighting and driving. In contrast, The Godfather II features a “Black Hand 2.0” control scheme in which players can grab, knee, kick and head-butt enemies. As for the weapons in the game, each of it including handguns, shotguns and machine guns have their own level and statistics. Not only that, players are also able to purchase licenses to use higher level weapons with more skill.

Reviews
The Godfather II is said to have been reduced to an uninspired, repetitive open-world action game with out-of-context movie quotes and a handful of recognizable characters scattered throughout its forgettable story, as compared to its mediocre, mindless action flick movie. It is also apparent that the game had been released in an unfinished state and is riddled with performance issues and bugs. In the game, players play as Dominic, an important member of the Corleone family who somehow managed to make it through the epic movie trilogy without ever wandering into camera shot despite apparently being involved in a number of key scenes. As one of Michael Corleone’s most trusted men, Dominic is groomed to head up his own family and after a brief introductory sequence set in Cuba, the game proper gets under way in a diminutive New York where players are instructed to set about making a name for themselves.

“The Godfather II places an interesting spin on the second film in the acclaimed series, adding emphasis on both strategy and action elements to give you a sense of what it’s like to create and control your own empire. Multiplayer also puts a creative spin on using your henchmen to gain money and even items for your soldiers. However, players of action or strategy games of any variety will blow through this title thanks to the lack of difficulty in the single player campaign, and probably will only turn to the multiplayer once they’ve beaten the game, since they won’t need to increase their henchmen’s skills. It’s still fun and has almost all of the elements of a great game, but until a harder difficulty level is added (which, fingers crossed, would occur with a future download or patch), The Godfather II falls a tad bit short.” (IGN, 2009)

Velvet Assassin

Mark — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:49:46 +0000

The Velvet Assassin is an Xbox 360 game that falls under the Tactical Shooter or Stealth Action genre and it was officially released on the 28th April, 2009 by its publisher, SouthPeak Games. The game is rated as M for Mature content which consist of sexual themes, more intense violence and strong language, which means that it is suitable for players who are more than 17 years old by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), while the game’s developer is Replay Studios. The Velvet Assassin (formerly known as Sabotage) features stealth game play and artistic, along with stylized graphics, plus it is designed based on the real-life of British secret agent known as Violette Szabo. The backdrop of the game is set during World War II where players will play the role of Violette Summer, an MI6 secret agent who infiltrate deep behind the German territory without the help and support from the British Government, risking her very own life to defeat the German war machine of the Nazi’s army. Players will go through Europe’s oppression era of Hitler’s regime, engage in various kinds of mission to sabotage and do assassination task in an attempt to help the Allied forces to defeat their enemy. Through-out the game, players will go through 12 authentic European locations similar to the scenario of World War II environment, plus during the assignment, you will also discover letters and treasures left by the German soldiers and forced to deal with frightening nightmares.
The story of Velvet Assassin is about Violette Summer who was born in Devon, England and grew up in a happy family. As an adult, she works in a beauty salon before the war started but during the war she move to London to join the weapon industry. From here, she was noticed by the Secret Services due to her beautiful looks, athletic ability and attention to detail, and was recruited into the M16. Violette lost her aunt during one of the first Luftwaffe bombing attacks and she was further depressed she later lost her RAF husband in battle. However, because of her strong willed and desire to succeed, Violette carried out several missions successfully before a mission gone terribly wrong that led to her captivity by the Germans. Now lost in a coma and dying in the hospital bed, she replays key moments from her past missions through flashbacks. The game provides you with 12 missions for you to fight against the German forces, such as assassination missions of a war criminal, try to survive Violette’s nightmares, destroying a fuel depot, complete a rescue missions, and other objectives typical for the setting.

The levels also provide players with odd alternate route that leads to a hidden supply of enemy weapons or armor. In addition to stealth attacks, players has a variety of ways to kill the enemies, such as releasing toxic gas from a barrel to suffocate them, pull the pin off a grenade of an oblivious soldier, or send a current of electricity surging through a puddle of water on the floor. There is also a play feature called ‘Morphine Mode’ (Morphine Mode allows the player to freeze time for a few moments, providing an opportunity to kill off enemies or try to attempt an escape) where you can enter a dreamlike invulnerable world and kill off the enemies by using morphine. However, the amount of morphine available is extremely limited and players cannot always rely on this mode regularly. Besides that, traditional firearm is also a weapon being used to kill the enemy. Its ammunition is also limited therefore you only use it when the need arises. The levels of the Velvet Assassin are designed for stealth kills and the gun is used as a last resort in defending your life against the enemy. It also features a wealth of authentic Allied and Nazi weapons from the World War II era such as MP40 submachine gun, grenades, Colt .45 pistol, Lugar 9mm pistol, flame-throwers, shotguns, STG-44 assault rifle and the MG-42 machine gun.
As an assassin, Violette’s skills are also customizable where every time a mission is successful player can change her attributes (which include stealth, strength, weapon handling and Morphine Mode effectiveness) according to the preferred playing style in preparing her to anticipate future combat situations. The game enables you to feel the actual scenario of the World War II through Violette’s missions like being inside a Gestapo prison with cries for help and gunshot blasts and crawling through a burning Parisian village seeing civilians being slaughtered by the Nazi’s forces. The sound and music that accompanies every scene also enables player to feel anxious and unnerved, as if you are really in that situation surrounded by violent forces.

UFC 2009 Undisputed

Mark — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:44:47 +0000

The UFC 2009 Undisputed is an Xbox 360 game that falls under the Fighting Simulation genre and it was officially released on the 19th May, 2009 by its publisher, THQ Incorporated. The game is rated as T or Teen, which contain violent content, mild or strong language, and suggestive themes meaning that it is suitable for players who are more than 13 years old by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), while the game’s developer is Yuke’s Media Creations. The game features a fighting simulation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with real atmosphere from its world famous Octagon. Players can choose from its extensive list of martial arts fighters of more than 80 top names in UFC competition across five weight classes to test their skill level in moving up the ranks to winning the championship title. It also includes popular commentators and announcers such as Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, referees, trainers and Octagon girls, along with background music from the likes of Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, and Hollywood Undead that provide the real feel of actual competition to the person who plays the game.
The UFC 2009 Undisputed offers various kinds of UFC fighters from five different weight classes that players can choose from. Each and every one of the fighters has their own type of skills specializes in two fighting disciplines for example one striking skill such as boxing, kickboxing, or Muay Thai, while the other one is grappling skill such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, or wrestling. In terms of controlling, the game map the fighter’s movements with the four face buttons. If you play as a striker, you will be throwing punches and kicks by targeting at opponents legs and body for slowing him down or just go for the knockout by targeting his head. Meanwhile, if you are playing as a grappler, your mission is to take your opponent to the floor and gaining full advantage over the opposition. The game also provides Practice mode for players to get familiar with the controlling aspect of the game and also getting more information about opponents fighting style.

Besides that, the UFC 2009 Undisputed features a Career mode where players can choose the options for customizing your fighter’s physical appearance with a number of different attributes and new fighting techniques, starting from the basic strength, speed, and cardiovascular health. There are up to 16 different offensive and defensive skills for players to choose from. Through the Career mode, a fighter really progress through out the competition and by managing the training process and sparring in between matches, the chosen fighter can improve on the attributes, plus also adding new moves to his skill. He can also make a name by winning all the fights in the championship enabling him to enter the UFC Hall of Fame. Apart from challenging the AI opponents, the game also comes with multiple difficulty settings to choose from and it supports online and multiplayer gaming where players can enjoy playing with friends or opponents from all over the world. There is also the Classic Fights mode which provides history on some of UFC’s greatest fighting matches via video clips enabling you to learn the fighter’s technique and also interviews from the game. This mode enables player to re-create the fights as per shown in the video. In order to win these fights, players need to win them in the correct round and the correct way using specific moves. The game also provides a Mini Strategy guide that enables you to know the strengths and weaknesses of a UFC fighter’s. The game’s publisher, THQ Incorporated, have selected the best fighters from three weight divisions along with their fighting styles, statistics and special moves. Some of the 15 UFC superstars featured in this mini guide include Chuck Liddell, Georges St-Pierre, Forrest Griffin, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva and the UK’s very own Michael “The Count” Bisping. The game displays photo realistic displays of the fighters where they can be instantly recognizable, while their movement from their breathing, sweating and movement, up to taking punches and kicks are just like their real-life counterparts.

Terminator Salvation

Mark — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:33:25 +0000

The Terminator Salvation is an Xbox 360 game that falls under the third-person shooter or Action genre and it was officially released on the 19th May, 2009 by its publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive/Evolved Games. The game is rated as T or Teen, which contain violent content, mild or strong language, and suggestive themes meaning that it is suitable for players who are more than 13 years old by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), while the game’s developer is GRIN Studios (the developers behind Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Bionic Commando). The Terminator Salvation started two years before the Christian Bale film in 2016. Player will play the role as a 30-year-old John Connor (a character from the Terminator movies and the Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series) who is the leader of the Resistance group to fight for survival against Skynet’s robotic monsters which include the dreaded T-600 and the newly introduced Harvester. The game features third-person’s perspective armed combat against Skynet forces from the film. The game also provides a Dolby Digital 5.1 sound along with and 720p widescreen resolutions.
The Terminator Salvation has the backdrop of Post-apocalyptic Los Angeles with its scorched landscape to the damaged buildings that really displaying the feel and look of a city survived from a nuclear attack, along with cinematic panorama from the movie release into the game. Apart from the character of John Connor and his AI members from the resistance group, the star of the game has to be Skynet’s controlled robots where it is developed similar to the movie from the way they move, up to their chrome-like exterior that shines and displaying a solid look. The Terminator Salvation is categorized as a third person shooter game where the main character, John Connor fights with the resistance against Skynet’s superior forces to rescue his fellow ‘freedom fighters’ who has been captured. As you go through the game, the storyline will provide you with information of how John is selected to be the leader for the resistance, or you can also skip the storyline to proceed with the battle with Skynet’s army. There are various forms of Skynet’s soldiers ranging from humanoid terminators like the T-600 (a tank like terminator whose job is to identify enemy target, and capture it at any cost) to spider-like robots. Meanwhile, the spider-like robots are more calculating and moves with caution, protecting itself from danger while finding a safe route in its effort to reach its target.
During the game, John’s mission is to find the weaknesses of the enemies and try to find a way to defeat them. There are basically three types of ammunition to use when fighting them such as explosives, bullets and shells. These ammunitions only cater to certain type of enemies, for example, player need to use explosives to when battling the hulking T-600 you will find great success with explosives where as the bullets will be able to handle any spider-like enemies. Player also needs to use certain strategy by taking various routes along the level in order to dispose of the various kinds of Skynet soldiers, such as to take a look at the surroundings, as well as the enemies, and come up with a plan to move around the level in order to succeed in killing the enemy. The developer also provides the main character with competent AI assistant to help him kill various enemies that he has to face. Although the AI team mate is not designed to be super soldier, they do need some cover when under attacks. However, they will always assist you in drawing away the enemy fire away from you in order to assist you as you move in certain level to attack the weaknesses of the terminators. In addition, the Terminator Salvation also has an innovative cover feature that enables player to stay alive in the game. It is a reticule that allows player to ‘point’ to any particular covered areas and head directly to that direction by pressing a specific button. Although the hiding or covered area is distance away, player can still “point and press the button” enabling John to make all effort to go mentioned location. Although the cover is not indestructible during attack, it does give option for player to send blind and normal fire to the enemy.

In terms of sound, the game provides a solid weapon and explosions sound with mixture of available weapons ranging from your regular assault rifles and shot guns, heavy machine guns and grenade launchers. All of the weapons sound differently and it enables you to differentiate it from one another. Its overall in-game soundtrack also manages to give the feel of playing the game according the situation of certain mission. The game support co-operative multiplayer mode that enables you to play with your friend by only using the split screen, and as for online gaming option, the game does not provide this feature. The game’s campaign only lasted for about five hours depending on the skill setting the skill that you have mastered.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

Mark — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:22:53 +0000

The Sacred 2 Fallen Angel is an Xbox 360 game that falls under the Role-Playing Game (RPG) or Action genre and it was officially released on the 12th May, 2009 by its publisher, CDV Software Entertainment USA. The game is rated as M for Mature content which consist of sexual themes, more intense violence and strong language, which means that it is suitable for players who are more than 17 years old by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), while the game’s developer is Ascaron Entertainment GmbH. This hack-and-slash RPG comes with an improved interface with epic length adventure where you will be playing the role of either a hero in the light campaign or as a villain in the campaign of shadows in the land of Ancaria. Players will encounter war against the super power of Highelves who is trying to take control of the T-Energy (a glowing magic fluid that serves as Ancaria’s oil and is pumped all over the land in pipelines) and also conquer the world. The game play involves al lot of quests and missions, along with fighting and slaughtering thousands of monsters, collecting corpses, and leveling up your power.

The Sacred 2 Fallen Angel comes with a diverse array of quests with huge map and players will be getting a lot of assignment from every corner of the maps. With a lot of quests involve, players will encounter stereo type kind of chores for example, rescuing a hapless wanderer to find his way around, searching for magical herbs, and killing a numbers of monsters. There are six types of characters (each character has their own distinct look, special abilities and in-game motivation) for players to choose from before starting to play the game which include the standards like the high elf mage, the seraphim battlemage, the Will-O-Wisp who can incinerate dozens of enemies at the same time heals your friends, and also the weird temple guardian warrior (a robot version of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis) who has various kinds of weapon and a laser blaster. The environment through-out the game takes place mostly in picturesque scene such as flower-strewn fields, dense forests, and bubbling brooks, along with mountain and desert terrain resembling like images from postcards. Besides that, the creatures and monsters in the game are designed with distinctive element where each type of the creatures generally comes in half-dozen or more varieties with different appearances and abilities.
The Fallen Angel’s single player mode integrates with the Net over both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, while it also supports online and multiplayer (support up to 16 players) gaming where players can enjoy playing with friends or opponents from all over the world, plus it comes with drop-in-drop-out co-operative game play options. It comes with four distinct multiplayer modes that can on each map or task. The game also provides players with a game pad instead of the normal mouse-and-keyboard control, with special-ability functions that has been mapped along with trigger buttons. The game also comes with widescreen ratio of 16 to 9, support EDTV 480p, HDTV 720p, HDTV 1080i, and it also provides a Dolby digital sound of 5.1 channel surround sound. In terms of background music and battle effects, the game’s provides in the usual string-plucking and sword-clashing sound, while its soundtrack consists of licensed songs from German hair-metal band Blind Guardian.
The Sacred 2 Fallen Angel also has combo features that enables players to set it up and mapped it to a key. By default, you will be restricted to two combat arts with a single macro, and later on it can be expanded to three and more depending on your skills. The development of the character’s skills and attributes will determine the effectiveness of the combat arts combo, and improvement on character building enhances the combat, plus earning players more XP. There are also a lot of treasures to be earned from the victory fight, thus by collecting all these treasures, more creatures come forward to challenge you in a fight. The game also offers a Hero Chests option where you can save all winning treasures into one of the Hero Chests that are also strewn around the land. You can have up to eight characters on each account, where with the Hero Chest, it enables you to deliver items on to your less-established characters, plus any of the Hero Chest will give you access to these items wherever your locations are. When you are able to established your character’s through-out the game, it will be more difficult and challenging where new difficulty levels need to be unlocked by completing the campaign. Players can build up the character, as well as the character’s gear by adding components, such as rings or gems, to add attribute, for example adding a lump of lava to a normal sword would enable it to be sets on fire and providing flame damage.

Red Faction: Guerrilla

Mark — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:11:31 +0000

The Red Faction Guerrilla is an Xbox 360 game that falls under the third person shooter or Action genre and it was officially released on the 02thJune, 2009 by its publisher, THQ. The game is rated as M for Mature content which consist of sexual themes, more intense violence and strong language, which means that it is suitable for players who are more than 17 years old by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), while the game’s developer is Volition Incorporated. The backdrop environment is set on the open world of Mars, from the desolate mining outpost of Parker to the gleaming EDF capital city of Eos, 50 years after the events of the original Red Faction. The main character of the game is Alec Mason, who is a guerrilla member from the underground group known as the Red Faction. The group tries to take out the powerful Earth Defense Force (EDF). He joins the Red Faction to avenge the death of his brother in the hands of the EDF soldiers.

The Red Faction Guerrilla allows players to do battle in the environment of Mars with plenty of red hills, open plains, and dust, and a few populated areas. The game started off with Mason’s mission to free the six sectors of Mars from the oppressing control of EDF. Each sector has its own level of EDF control. By lowering down the EDF control, the game will open up to new story missions through out the game, for example protect a settlement, join a group of rebels in storming an EDF stronghold, intercept an enemy shipment or destroy EDF property. One of the powerful weapon’s to be used in the game is the simple sledgehammer where it is a powerful object that has the ability to destroy the entire building. Another useful object is known as Cover which is a temporary haven for you and your enemies, since all walls can be demolished and it is also used to cover from enemy sniper on top of a building. Besides that, players can use tactical advantage destruction such as blowing up a bridge as you pass it so that pursuers will unable to continue following your track, setting ambushes or chain reaction explosions to attack enemy strongholds, blow holes in a wall or floor to set an ambush or escape, or drive vehicles through blown out walls.
Players will be equipped with only four weapons at a time but it can be switch between them by holding down the right shoulder button. The weapons include pistols, machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers, and sniper variants, or some of the unique weapons, such as the killer disc-spewing grinder, the electricity pulsing arc welder, the nano rifle (a weapon which sends out a bolt of microscopic nanites that corrode anything they hit which includes people as well as buildings). The Red Faction Guerrilla’s also supports online and multiplayer gaming (supports up to 16 players online) where players can enjoy playing with friends or opponents from all over the world. Players can used 10 different backpacks which act as either offensive, defensive, or support aids during combat, for example the rhino backpack which allow you to charge straight through walls at a hiding player, while the thrust backpack can propel you quickly up a few levels to out-gun snipers. The stealth pack will make you invisible for short period of time, while the heal pack will quickly regenerate lost health. There are also some basic versus modes that the games provide, like the standard deathmatch, team deathmatch and and capture-the-flag variants. In the multi-player mode, players also will be able to use the ability to rebuild or repair damaged structures by using the re-constructor gun (this can be found in the Siege and Damage Control modes). Other online mode in the game also includes the Demolition mode where one player on a team is randomly chosen as a destroyer. In order to gain points, the destroyer must do as much havoc as possible. In addition, there is also an offline multiplayer mode called, Wrecking Crew where you can engaged up to four players, to take turns in doing damages to a certain area. Players can also run around and destroy EDF propaganda’s property to earn salvage points, which enables you to purchase new weapons and upgrades, plus getting the civilian support to fight with you in your mission against EDF.