Anomaly: Warzone Earth >> Review

Two energy domes of alien origin—the titular anomalies—have taken Baghdad and Tokyo, cutting off all communication to the areas, and your job is to find out what is going on inside these bubbles. In typical video game fashion, you lead an army straight into the center of the otherworldly regions and blow stuff to pieces. It’s an investigative approach that seems about as effective as paying off college loans by stealing fistfuls of pennies from wishing fountains, but it’s hard to ridicule Anomaly: Warzone Earth when it’s such a well-designed game. 

Anomaly is a tower defense game with a twist. Rather than setting up towers and defending against swarms of enemies, you play as the swarm looking to penetrate the enemy’s defenses. It’s an innovative concept and surprisingly well-realized in 11bit Studio’s debut game.

Throughout the course of each mission, you control a lone commander who can run around the battlefield at will. You need to make sure that your six-unit convoy reaches the end of the map alive. While you can’t actually control the individual units, you can set routes for them to follow, and these can be established any time by opening a tactical map. Is your convoy badly damaged? Choose a path with less enemy resistance. Conversely, if you’re looking to upgrade your army, you may want to set a route with more enemies, as killing the alien towers nets you money.

Effectively managing your convoy is critical to beating each mission. Throughout the game, you’ll gain access to everything from armored personnel carriers and tanks, which soak up damage but are a bit lacking in the offense, to walking rocket launchers and flame-throwing units, which pack a mean punch but are easily destroyed. Utility vehicles can shield other troops or give your commander power-ups vital to the mission. Creating a convoy that leverages the strengths and weaknesses of each unit type can mean the difference between overcoming the alien opposition and succumbing to it.

Your convoy isn’t the only threat to the extraterrestrial invaders. Your commander can also deploy area of effect power-ups that raise him above bystander status. For example, if your team is about to enter an intense fire zone, your soldier could pop a smokescreen to give your troops cover. Or if your convoy is in need of repairs, you could deploy a regeneration field that heals your units as they pass through. While these power-ups can turn the tide of battle, they are also limited and can only be regained by destroying enemies, so using them appropriately is key.

The various commando abilities ensure that you are a part of the action and not merely a witness to it. As skirmishes get hectic, you’ll be dashing around the battlefield laying down power ups and picking up new ones, all while trying to plot out the best routes for your convoy. Successfully navigating through an intense firefight and having your troops come out on top with only a sliver of life left awards a sense of accomplishment that few games ever manage to achieve. Anomaly does it multiple times per mission.

While the 14-mission campaign mode is shorter than Gary Coleman is tall, Anomaly does a great job of slowly introducing new units or challenges so it stays fresh and exciting throughout the duration. If the game isn’t giving you access to a new weapon or power-up to use against the alien invaders, it’s powering up the difficulty by throwing in a new enemy type or a unique mission element. To top it off, Anomaly actually has a fairly engaging story with a few mid-game plot twists, which provide even more incentive to plow through to the end.

The lack of content is Anomaly’s only pressing issue. As previously mentioned, the single-player campaign won’t take you too long. What’s there is triple-A quality, but it only takes four or five hours to stave off the alien invasion. After that, a few challenge modes are there to pit the player against waves of regenerating towers, but that’s about it.

Despite the innovative approach to the tired tower defense genre, Anomaly proves to be a one-trick pony halfway through the game. There tends to be one ideal way to handle each enemy type, so rather than trying new formations and strategies, players may end up using the same convoy build for the entire game—except for the one or two missions that they’re forced to use a new vehicle.

Still, for less than the price of a movie ticket, Anomaly is an easy game to recommend. The new approach to the stale genre ensures a fun single-player experience, even if it is a bit short-lived.

Pokemon Black Version >> Review

Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version feature new Pokemon that players can catch, train and battle as they progress through the game, and some Pokemon can only be caught in one version of the game. For example, the Legendary Pokemon Reshiram can only be caught in Pokemon Black Version, while the Legendary Pokemon Zekrom can only be caught in Pokemon White Version. Additionally, the two games feature different areas for the first time in the series, with the game world of Pokemon Black Version featuring a unique metropolitan area called Black City, and a lush, green area named White Forest only found in Pokemon White Version. Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version also mark the first time in a Pokemon video game that the seasons will change in the game world. Certain Pokemon appear more frequently during different seasons, and players can only access some areas during a specific season.

Release Date: March 6, 2011

Dead Rising 2 >> Review

Capcom's crossover fighters have shown it is no stranger to the Marvel Universe, but now the publisher is taking a page from the comic company's "What If?" series. Capcom today announced Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, a stand-alone spin-off that answers the question, "What if Frank West had been present at the Fortune City outbreak?"

Set for release this fall on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, Off the Record offers an alternate storyline to last year's horror action game, with photojournalist West--the star of the original Dead Rising--getting the scoop on a zombie outbreak in the Las Vegas-like Fortune City. In addition to the combo weapon feature introduced in Dead Rising 2, Off the Record will bring back the original game's photography feature, where players gain experience for snapping pics that are judged for their horror, drama, brutality, and erotic content.

As for new features, Off the Record includes new missions, enemies, combo weapons, environments, items, and vehicles. The game will also feature technical improvements like reduced load times and better network performance for online play. Capcom is also promising "enhancements" to the save system and co-op modes

Bulletstorm >> Review

Bulletstorm tells the story of a futuristic confederation protected by an elite band of mercenaries: Dead Echo. You play as Grayson Hunt, the foul-mouthed commander of Dead Echo. After finding that your team has been working for the wrong side, you're betrayed by General Serrano and exiled to the far reaches of the galaxy. As fate would have it, you happen upon Serrano's flagship in space and end up crashing it, yourself and killing most of your squad mates in the process. You find yourself surrounded by hordes of mutants, flesh eating gangs, and worse in an abandoned paradise. Your objective: get off the planet alive and exact revenge upon the man who betrayed you.

While the overall plot is pretty straight forward, there are a few twists to keep things interesting. There are also new characters introduced during the campaign that help move it along. Don't expect much in the way of character development, but you can be sure of a VERY entertaining story and some VERY clever scripting. The voice acting is also top-notch. There are also some very well done set pieces that would give any summer blockbuster a run for their money.

Yes, the dialogue is incredibly vulgar at times. Yes, you will probably find yourself laughing out loud during these converstaions. Luckily, Epic Games and People Can Fly included not only filters for gore, but filters for mature language. I actually found myself halfway through the single-player campaign turning the mature language off so that I didn't have to worry about the kids sneaking into the room and attending "Swearing Like A Sailor: 101." The dialogue is actually written so well that I didn't miss it once I turned it off.

Don't plan on having much fun if you're expecting to pick up Bulletstorm and play it as you would a traditional military shooter. Bulletstorm's "Kill with skill" motto isn't just a cute marketing slogan, it's a requirement if you want to do well in the game.

"Skillshots" (how creatively you can dispatch the enemy) earn you varying levels of in-game currency, with which you can unlock in-game weapons, upgrade them and even buy ammo for them. The trickier the skillshot, the more points you earn. Simply kill an enemy, as you would in other shooters, and you earn a meager 10 points. Shoot him in the "private" region and kick his head off while he's doubled over and you not only earn the "Mercy Killing" skillshot, but you also get 150 points to spend on weapons and upgrades. Not only are the actual skillshot requirements creative, but the skillshot names can be downright laughable: "Voodoo Dool" requires you to throw an enemy into a sharp object, "FastFood" is earned by ramming an enemy to death with a hot dog cart, impale two or more enemies with the Penetrator and earn the "Shishkebab" skillshot.

Each weapon has its own set of skillshots that can be unlocked and earned, which will lead you to use various weapons throughout the game. You'll undoubtedly have favorites, but in the end you will end up using each of the weapons during the game for the extra points and to see what gruesome skillshot you can pull off next will be.

To make skillshots just a little more challenging, and much more rewarding, try drinking one (or more) bottles of alcohol that can be found in various locations of the game. Yes, it's almost impossible to aim down the sites or even walk, but you get a very nice bonus for any skillshots you are able to pull off while in your alcohol induced stupor. Prefer not to drink? You can destroy the bottles of alcohol instead. Find and destroy enough of them for a nice little achievement or trophy.

The game is absolutely beautiful. You will find yourself not only stopping to figure out what environmental obstacles you have at your disposal for dispatching enemies, but just to gander at the impressive land and cityscapes that Bulletstorm has to offer.

Bulletstorm ships with a co-operative multiplayer mode similar to Gears of War "Horde" mode, or Halo's "Firefight." The major difference is that Bulletstorm's "Anarchy" mode isn't about survival. It's about scoring enough points using skillshots to clear the level. You are able to team up with up to three of your friends and earn massive amounts of points as you try to earn individual and team skillshot awards. There is also a single player mode called "Echoes," which are various pieces of the campaign. Echoes allow you to replay specific pieces as well as compare your best score(s) to those of your friends. It also includes leaderboards and the bragging rights that go with them. Some will find this game mode highly addictive, but we're betting that most gamers will leave it untouched.

As much as we liked the game, we did find a few drawbacks. Most frustrating is the lack of hit detection when you are being attacked by an enemy. Some type of onscreen indicator as to the direction you are being attacked from would have been wonderful. Unlike most games, there is no way for you to know which direction you are being attacked from. There were several times that we died due to an enemy clubbing us from behind, and we had no idea he was there...

We also had issues with the online multiplayer mode. There are several maps available, but in the end we found ourselves getting bored with only the one mode of play. Due to the skillshot system, it's understandable that a versus-based multiplayer mode would be difficult to pull off, but it's disappointing nonetheless. A co-op campaign mode would have been appreciated as well... The single-player campaign did leave the door open for a sequel, so we're hoping that Epic Games and People Can Fly will include it in an upcoming title.

Overall the game is a complete blast and an entertaining take on the FPS genre which has been saturated with military shooters. If you're looking for an entertaining story, addicting gameplay, and a simply beautiful game, you won't be disappointed with Bulletstorm. We highly recommend it for FPS and Sci-Fi fans.

Overall Score: 4 out of 5

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6056233

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 >> Review

The Tiger Woods franchise, now in its eleventh editions, has been a great source of excitement for those who can actually play golf, and been a source of frustration for those who still practice.

Electronic Arts opted to make a few changes to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, and not all of them benefit the different skill levels equally. The major inclusion in this year's iteration is the fact that player will be able to take part in the Ryder Cup.
For the first time in the game franchise's history, golfers can join Corey Pavin, Colin Montgomery and Tiger Woods in the bi-annual tournament, which pits the US against Europe.

Not only will players be able to play in the tournament, they will also be able to partake in another first. The game includes a 24 player online multiplayer mode allowing game players to compete in the Ryder Cup online.

The title also included a golfer creator, where new players can create their own golfer, with customisable hair, clothing and clubs. The EA Game Face can also be used to download a digital photograph of the player and insert it into the game for a bit more realism.

Speaking of realism, the game seems to be slightly harder than previous versions. The three-click button system can be used, but the analogue swing is still a challenge in the Xbox version.

Although the game will give the player a suggested strength to make a certain distance, that should only be used as a guide under perfect conditions, which is never really the case in practice.

It is also easy to forget that when it rains, the greens will be slower. It goes without saying that when teeing off, wind speed and direction should be taken into account, but luckily on the easier difficulty, player will be able to spin the ball mid-air, allowing for a bit more off-the-ball control. Starting with a new player is a bit of a tedious task, as they virtually have no skill to speak of. That is where the Skill Challenges come in. The Skill Challenges aim to improve of power, accuracy, control and putting.

A selected amount of real-world golfers, including Retief Goosen, will pose a number of challenges with each section, and completing these challenges will earn the golfer more XP. These can be spent on improving skills, but also to purchase various items such as celebrations, new clubs and attire.

The ability to boost the first swing has been retained, but the putting system might prove a bit of a struggle for new players. The game tried to improve the accuracy and precision by introducing a new putting system, but the traditional three-click seems better. It's also difficult to read the greens, and Putting Previews should be used sparingly. This is because they use focus, another new addition to the game. Where the player could previously put added power into the ball at leisure or spin it as they liked, these actions now consume focus. Focus is also used to increase accuracy, but it is in limited supply and replenishes rather slowly.

The graphics seem to have been improved in some areas, but then drag a bit behind in certain aspects.

The level of course detail and shrubbery is well-done, but golfer likeness might need some work. Tiger Woods himself looked better in Tiger Woods 10, even though EA added flowing hair and textured clothing.

The game should only be approached by those who have played the previous Tiger Woods games, but it might also be suited for someone who really enjoys the relative difficulty of golf. The title has evolved to the point where it is no longer a game, but is venturing into the territory of sports simulator.

Those who don't really enjoy golf, or don't take the sport too seriously, will find almost no satisfaction in playing it.
They might even find it incredibly frustrating, as there are just too many factors to take into consideration before making a swing. But those who know what they are doing, truly understand the mechanics of golf and know how to use the system to their advantage, will gain endless hours of joy from it. The level of customisation is highly applauded, as well as the time and effort that went into developing it.

Verdict:
Although the game could be fun, a lot of work in needed to fully understand it.

Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Distributor: Electronic Arts SA

Platform:
Xbox 360

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6051274

Dead Space 2 >> Review

Dead Space 2. One of the best horror games out there since Dead Space. There have been many horror games out there, including Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and others, but none quite like Dead Space. The original took you to a place that you didn't really experience much before in horror. Space.

In Dead Space 2, you continue the story of Issac Clarke and his battle with the Necromorphs. But instead of trying to escape the USG Ishimura, you now have to face the wrath of deadly alien threats on the Sprawl, a huge space colony occupied by many other humans, such as yourself. The only problem is, the Necromophs have followed you there. You know that when the Necromorphs crash the party, the fun goes down the tubes really fast.

Now, it's a fight for survival as Issac tries to make it through the massive colony in one piece. And with the growing insanity that is plaguing With the help of others, will he make it through to see another day?

GRAPHICS/VISUALS

On a visual level, Dead Space 2 is creepy. It's dark. It's freaky. It's even amazing. The graphics are just as good as the original game, if not better. The many ways to dismember the enemies is still very cool looking, and very gory. It's great when I can take my weapon and watch the head of the nasty little Necromorph roll across the floor after pulling the trigger. It's a thing of beauty. Just as in the first title, I loved the lighting effects of the ship. Both the interior and exterior light sources that appear throughout the Sprawl really add an awesome atmosphere to the game. There would be way too many times I wouldn't be able to see where the enemy was until they moved into the light after hiding in the shadows. Seeing some of the new enemies was also pretty creepy.

After playing through Dead Space 2, I get nightmares of the little Necromorph children and babies. Both of these new enemies were done really done well. The way they look are just so creepy they're cool. Being able to look outside the Sprawl was awe inspiring for me. I loved the way deep space looked from both a window and from the outside in zero gravity. If I was to choose, I would take the zero G sections that centered around being outside the ship. Visually, being able to look at the entirety of the station was just the coolest damn thing. The details of the ship and the physical scale of the ship was pretty freakin' sweet.

SOUND

One of the most important parts of any media, like movies and video games, is the musical score and ambient soundtrack. Dead Space 2 certainly makes excellent use out of the audile section of this horrorfest. Just when the visuals of the game might get to you as your exploring the expanses of the Sprawl, the music is that part of the game that tops it like a cherry to a sundae. The creepy music as you're walking down the hall in the dark with nothing but your Plasma Cutter can really creep you out, making you wonder when that next creature will pop out and try eating your skin like a potato peel. And just as you think there will be nothing happening, something jumps out at you are runs across a window on the outside of the ship, and the music will suddenly change into a quick and fast tension filled violin number, making your jump. The combination of the music and sound really go well together with the visuals, making the game totally well constructed and enjoyable to play.

GAMEPLAY

As gameplay is concerned, the game feels pretty good to play. Not much has changed since the original Dead Space. So if you are one of the people who has played Dead Space, you pretty much have the jist of the gameplay. But for those who hasn't, the controls feel really good when you get that controller in your hand. The movement of your character feels really tight. Fighting the enemies feel satisfying as you blast them away with your weapons, from the basic Plasma Cutter to the Contact Beam. Each weapon has two different uses and each one has a benefit to handling different types of enemies. One of my favorite weapons is the Line Gun. Boy, when I find that a Stalker is coming up on me fast, my favorite thing is to fire this bad boy right at their legs and watch them fall square on the face as the bottom half of their legs detach from their thighs. The most wonderful feeling in the world is watching them sprawled out on the floor and then coming up to them with a final round from your weapon to the head.

Just for those who are wondering, Dead Space 2 is more linear than the original Dead Space. Take this as you will, some people will like it, others won't. I didn't mind at all because the game as a whole was so engaging that I didn't really notice it. Some may find the linear aspect of Dead Space 2 a little disheartening because they will feel that there is a total lack of freedom in the game. This can lead to the thought that the player is simply being lead down a single rabbit hole and not be given a chance to really explore. Other's won't care as much. Those who won't care are those who will be glad that there is no more backtracking involved to get from here to there and back again. This can make the game faster and more suspenseful.

Another aspect of the game, which I will honestly say I haven't given much thought to was the multiplayer portion of Dead Space 2. In this mode, up to eight players are divided up into two teams of four players each. Four players will play the part of humans, and the other team of four will play the part of the Necromorphs. In any of the five modes and maps, the humans will be given an objective to complete, and the Necromorphs will try there damnest to stop the humans from completing said objective.

IN THE END

In the end, Dead Space 2 is a solid game, and a solid sequel. I'll admit, I had a few points in the game story where I was frustrated because I always being outnumbered in a fight of me against about 10 or so enemies, and barely any ammo left in my collection. I almost felt as though I should start over, but after several tries, I would finally make it through that part of the game. Even in cases like that, I think that the overall experience of Dead Space 2 was very cool, and I am satisfied with the game.

If you got the Limited Edition version of the game, (I got it on the PS3), the game came with Dead Space Extraction, a prequel of the original Dead Space game. The game is more of a on-rails shooter that seems more of a quick draw shooter game than a normal first person shooter. That's not a bad thing, because it is different from either of the other two main Dead Space games, so in a sense it can be refreshing. Despite that though, it almost doesn't seem as great as the main games in the series, but it's still enjoyable sense it came with the game for free.

I felt this game was great, and a great purchase.

FINAL SCORE - 8.9/10

PSN ID: Daquine

60 Gamertag: Daquine

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6130765

Yu-GI-Oh 5d Duel Transer >> Review

Want to know a way to become a better player without leaving your home? If you happen to have a Nintendo Wii you can play the latest game available, Yu-GI-Oh: 5d Duel Transer.

You see I bought this game since I'm not able to go play with my friends all the time. This will allow me to stay focused on my target, which is to become a better player. Remember the more you play the better you get.

I've never played any of the previous video games, so I really didn't know what to expect from it. I was hoping it would be like a real duel. Guess what!!! It is!!! I'm really impressed with the game play. It does resemble an actual duel. Even up to how you get your cards for your deck.

You start off with a starter deck and some money, they call it LP. In order to get new cards you have to duel people and earn some points, which you can use to buy packs. The type of packs you can buy depends on who you have defeated in a duel. If you beat officer Trugg, you can purchase Duelist Genesis packs which you can pull his amazing syncro monster Goyo Guardian. Once you defeat Yusei you can pull his star synchro monster Stardust Dragon. The same goes for Jack Atlas with Red Dragon Archfiend.

The packs you can choose from range from Dark Beginnings all the way to the most recent Duel Terminal 4. I wish I could pull cards in real life like I do in the game. I say this because I pulled a Pot Of Duality in the first 5 packs I bought of Duelist Revolution. And you know that is one of the 5 top cards from Duelist Revolution.

The type of decks you play again in the beginning are not that great. But remember you don't have that many great cards in your deck to begin with. As you start to win more duels and get better cards, your opponents decks become better too. So the game keeps it a fair battle.

One of the best things I have learned from the game is the timing of certain cards. Meaning when can you play certain cards. It actually reminds you of either a quick spell or trap you can play at that moment. Having it pop up all the type can be a bit annoying after a while but you can change that setting. I have not since I really enjoy the feature. It has won me some duels due to me forgetting I could use a card to stop what they were doing. So it's a great learning tool too.

The only thing I disliked about the game is that it comes installed with the banned list prior to September 1. So you can play with Heavy Storm, Mind Control, Rescue Cat, etc... So you can't play all your spell and trap cards in fear of getting hit with the storm. Funny how one card actully changes how people play. I've seen the true power of heavy storm in the game.

Now if you have WiFi you can install the latest banned list. So it's not really an issue unless you don't have WiFi.

The game can help you become a better player because you can build any deck you want to test play with and against. Decks like Blackwing's, Lightsworn, GBs, gravekeepers or whatever you want to try. You can figure out their weaknesses and see what their big plays are, so you know how to stop them. You may also just wanna play them without having to buy them in real life. You can test them out to see if you like them before spending $100's of dollars on the key cards and hating it.

I almost forgot, you also get 3 cards. They are not the greatest cards in the world. But you can only get these cards when you purchase the game. The cards are Ape Fighter, Roaring Earth and Clsed Forest. They all deal with beast type monsters.

If you have a Wii and want to improve your game play and become a better player, you have to buy this game. It's a must have in your yu-gi-oh tool box.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6114653