Review: Army of Two

You finished Gears of War, but still haven't had enough quality time with your online friend. Well Army of Two is here to help. You may be thinking that this game is not all that different from GOW, you are right and wrong. This game is definitely trying to be Gears, but it does enough different to make it worth playing.

Army of Two is about two guys who are part of a private army, run by corporations. Their company is so good at handling missions that the government is considering making these privatized armies the countries only military. Before that can happen some things come to light that put our main two characters to the test. Obviously they are up to it, I mean they wear steel hockey masks to battle. The story in itself is fairly decent and is very similar to the better action movies. The story revolves around September 11th, but in a tasteful manner. Overall the story is satisfying. Most of the jokes in the game will even make you laugh the first time you hear them. This game however is very M rated.

The graphics on Army of Two will not disappoint, make sure you get to see this one on a HDTV. The models of you main characters are nice a detailed, from their war torn masks, to their pimped out guns. I'll explain more about that in the game play section. But back to the graphics, the blood does indeed flow. And it looks decent as it splatters on the camera. Also the bad guy models are decent and easy to see from a distance. The environments are very nice and varied. Each location will not make you think you have already been there as it like a new spot.

The game play on this game is mostly great. Now the reason I say mostly great is due to the fact that it is a co-op game. With it being co-op means that your partner needs to be good. No problem if you are playing online with a friend online or at home. Not so good if you are using the CPU to control your partner. The computer sometimes is fairly decent. Other times, you may just want to get a pet monkey and give it the controller. That being said, the enemy AI is fairly decent, and at the professional level a bit of a jerk. The computer will actively seek out better cover if it notices you coming around a side, which makes the game that more challenging. A huge problem I have with the game is the distance at which shotguns can shoot, which is the equivalence of a football field. You will be struck down by enemies shooting from somewhere off screen and your power will quickly diminish. But the coolest part of the game is upgrading your weapons. What I mean by that is you can add all kinds of things to the front of you gun, including a shotgun or grenade launcher just to name a few options.

Overall Army of Two is worth checking out. It has great game play for the campaign mode. It also has an online two vs two mode where the teams are pitted against each other while trying to complete objectives. There is enough here to warrant a purchase, and if you loved Gears you will enjoy this one. I give it a 4 out of 5.

News: Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS) announced!

That's right, Activision has finally announced officially that Guitar Hero: On Tour is in fact a portable version of Guitar Hero that is to be released on the Nintendo DS. The game will come with two peripherals: one is a pick style sytlus, and the other is four button (unlike the usual 5) fret board.

Now, all I've seen are the pictures here so I'm still not too sure on how it will all work together, but I'm sure it will be fun. The game is also said to feature the most diverse set list of master tracks ever offered in a Guitar Hero game and will include classic rock, alternative, and pop songs. (Hooray for master tracks!) Oh, and most importantly, there will be online multiplayer battles as well as local. :) I'm looking forward to it.

-CA

News: Forza Motorsport 2 new DLC

Well, Forza 2 has a new DLC pack coming up and they've made a video to preview the cars. Enjoy! 13 new cars, all of them are in the video (some you might have to look a little harder than others). It will be out on XBL on 3/19


-CA

Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix footage

Capcom recently showed off SSFTHR at their digital day. The grphics look amzing and I cannot wait to play it. The only problem I have with it is the graphics, although insanley detialed, are missing frames of animation. I know this is to keep the gameplay like the original, but it seems like a waste only having the same lame amounts of frames that would have put this over the top.

The footage is from gametrailers.com

Super Smash Brother Brawl Snake Codec videos

IGN.com has posted some great videos of Snake's codec taunt on their website. The video below is of their favorites. However they have video for every character that Snake can encounter. This includes himself. My personal favorite one is Mr. Game & Watch.

Double Review: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Well folks, here it is. After almost a week of constant smashing and brawling, I think it's time to give you my insight on the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl. There's so much stuff in this game that it might break your Wii (literally). But seriously; Nintendo and the good people over at Sora Inc. brought us what we wanted. With an all new, ridiculously long adventure mode called The Subspace Emissary, you get a chance to play with almost every character in the game. Its very different than the adventure mode in Melee, where there are actually cutscenes that, surprisingly, look really good on the old 480p console. The story pretty much follows all the good guy characters in their quest to prevent their friends from being turned into trophies and hauled off by Bowser, King Dedede, Wario, or Ganondorf as, well, trophies. Along the way you meet allies such as Snake, Zero Suit Samus, Lucario, and Ike who help you defeat the before mentioned bad guys. But don't worry, you get to use all the other classic characters as the story progresses.

Now, the game pretty much plays the same as Melee. Because you can use the controllers from Nintendo Gamecube on this version, the buttons are laid out the same. You're also given three other control options: Wii remote held sideways, Wii remote and Nunchuk, and Classic Controller. One of the cool things, when using the Gamecube controller, is you can now use the C-stick smash moves in all modes, not just versus; which was pretty cool considering that was pretty much all I used and was most effective. Also, there seem to be less clones in this version, which means more unique fighters.

Assist Trophies is another cool thing added to Brawl. During the game they come up just like any other items except they fight for you for just a few seconds; I gotta say my favorite is probably Gray Fox from Metal Gear Solid. Nothing says 'you've been pwned' like a little ninja following you around the stage waiting for the perfect chance to hack you into pieces.

There are also all-new stages reminiscent of the new characters, and variations/sequels of the Melee stages. Snake has Shadow Moses Island, Link has a new stage from Twilight Princess: The Bridge of Eldin. There are also several new Metroid stages and also a Mario Kart stage where shy-guys race around at high speed and pummel you if you don't watch out.

The final smashes have got to be the coolest new addition to the franchise. Each character has their own, unique finisher that is uber-powerful. The only way to acquire this finisher is when the smash ball randomly appears on the stage. Its pretty much a blue smash symbol that floats around annoyingly until someone inflicts enough damage upon it to break it and unleash fury. I gotta tell you, its pretty funny when you're in the middle of a four player brawl and that floating smash symbol comes out. It's like the opponents don't exist anymore. Everybody tries to break it at once, and most of the time fall off the stage because they're not paying attention. It's hilarious.

Here's one little con. I was a little disappointed in the little things that were different; for instance: Samus. Samus' down-B is morph ball mines. Now, in Melee you are able to infinitely stay in the air by using these mines because they explode as soon as you expel them causing you to shoot up ward a bit while taking damage, therefore making for a fast recovery. In Brawl, it take a lot longer for the mines to explode, which threw me off completely. But I guess they put that in there because too many people were being cheap with Samus. Now if they could work on Pikachu's down-B.....

Honestly, what was mentioned above, was pretty much the only thing I didn't like about the game, and even that is really nothing that would hurt the score at all. Overall Brawl gets a 9.8 for the simple fact that not much changed; its still as fun as the previous titles, it never really gets old or boring, its a great party or solo game, and, hey, its Nintendo. I would pick this one up as soon as possible; just don't get the Prima player's guide, wait for the Nintendo Power version. Its not a mistake you want to make.

9.8/10

Thanks for Reading
-JD

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This is our first double review. There will be more in the future, its basically a game that gets reviewed by two of us, big deal right? Anyway, I'm going to try and not touch on the same things as Josh. One thing I noticed after a week of pounding away at this game is that it blows all other fighting games out of the water. It may not be super violent or have fatalities, but it has everything else. 35 Characters, and some of those 35 have 2 characters within (i.e. zelda/shiek). Not only that but there are an obscene amount of stages and all bring such a different effect to what happens through the battle that it never really gets old. The reason I say it blows all other fighters out of the water is because there is no other fighter that you can play for 3 hours straight and still not be bored to death. I love this game.

The character list has been greatly improved but not only that, but even the clone characters are different. Unlike in Melee where Fox and Falco had nearly the same exact moves, they're actually a little different now. To the point where it's noticeable. A lot of the "cheap factor" has been removed from characters to. Samus can't be cheap with the bomb jump, and unlike what Josh said, I think they somewhat remedied pikachu's thunderbolt because of how so many of the stages have upper levels to block the lightning out.

There are multiple ways to unlock all of the characters, which is always good. I took what I felt was the easy route and had them all join me in the adventure mode "subspace emissary". The adventure mode is actually quite good, unlike what some might expect. It's also quite long too. I finished it today actually with the game timer at 6:07 but I need to figure out what is left for me to do because it says 91% complete. I also unlocked the final remaining characters today so I finally have the full cast. All of the characters have their strengths and weaknesses, so there isn't really a dominant character. The dominance factor comes from the individual being able to make up for and hide those weaknesses.

Apart from the usual brawls and SSE modes, the all star mode makes its return from melee and a new mode called boss mode. All-star mode is just like the one from melee, and I haven't gotten around to playing through boss mode yet. There is also a plethora of event matches (41 single player and they even have multiplayer ones now). Stadium mode has the return of home run derby, target practice, and the new training mode. The home run contest can now be done with 2 players as well. The SSE can also be done in 2 players (forgot to mention that earlier).

In the end, the game is phenomenal. The graphics are gorgeous and all elements of gameplay are fun and easy to use, I love it. I also give Super Smash Brother: Brawl a 9.8 out of 10.

9.8/10

-CA

News: Smash Bros Brawl Issues

Yesterday, Super Smash Brothers Brawl was released in the US and many people bought the game excitedly only to come home and have their excitement flushed down the toilet by a disc read error. Nintendo says that this is not a defect of the disc, but they claim that because the game was made on a high capacity dual layer disc if your Wii's laser that reads the disc is dirty, you will get this error. Nintendo says if you contact them here: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/repair/repair_form_us_ssbb.jsp and fill out the form, you will send in your Wii and they will clean it (free of charge). Nintendo asks that you do not try to clean it yourself because you are likely to damage your Wii and not to return the disc as it will not correct the problem.

-CA

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Is Almost Here!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out this Sunday (March 9th). In anticipation, I thought I'd give you a run through of the character list and what their Final Smash is. First up: the veteran fighters returning from Melee.

Mario
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Mario Finale

Link
Legend of Zelda Series
Final Smash: Triforce Slash

Kirby
Kirby Series
Final Smash: Cook Kirby

Pikachu
Pokemon Series
Final Smash: Volt Tackle

Fox McCloud
StarFox Series
Final Smash: Landmaster

Samus Aran
Metroid Series
Final Smash: Zero Laser (Turning Her Into Zero Suit Samus)

Princess Zelda
Legend of Zelda Series
Final Smash: Light Arrow

Bowser
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Giga Bowser

DK (Donkey Kong)
Donkey Kong Series
Final Smash: Konga Beat

Yoshi
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Super Dragon

Princess Peach
Marios Bros. Series
Final Smash: Peach Blossom

Ice Climbers
Ice Climbers Series
Final Smash: Iceberg

Sheik
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Final Smash: Light Arrow

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Next up: the newcomers joining the fray (some serious competition):

Pit
Kid Icarus
Final Smash: Palutena's Army

Wario
Warioware Series
Final Smash: Wario-Man

Zero Suit Samus
Metroid Series
Final Smash: Power Suit Samus

Ike
Fire Emblem Series
Final Smash: Great Aether

Pokemon Trainer
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
Final Smash: Triple Finish

Diddy Kong
Donkey Kong Series
Final Smash: Rocketbarrel Barrage

Meta Knight
Kirby Series
Final Smash: Galaxia Darkness

Solid Snake
Metal Gear Series
Final Smash: Grenade Launcher

Lucas
Mother 3 (Japan Only)
Final Smash: PK Starstorm

Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog Series
Final Smash: Super Sonic

King Dedede
Kirby Series
Final Smash: Waddle Dee Army

Pikmin and Olimar
Pikmin
Final Smash: End of Day

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Nintendo and HAL Labs decided to include several secret characters in this installment of the series. Some are brand new, others, veteran fighters. But it goes without question, these guys will be tough to beat.

Ness
Earthbound Series
Final Smash: PK Starstorm

Marth
Fire Emblem Series
Final Smash: Critical Hit

Luigi
Mario Bros. Series
Final Smash: Negative Zone

Falco
StarFox Series
Final Smash: Landmaster

Captain Falcon
F-Zero Series
Final Smash: Blue Falcon

Lucario
Pokemon Series
Final Smash: Aura Storm

R.O.B (Robotic Operating Buddy)
Bundled with Original NES System
Final Smash: Diffusion Beam

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Unfortunately, this list is not complete. It is missing about 5 characters: Toon Link, Ganondorf, Mr. Game and Watch, Jigglypuff, and Wolf. These characters have not yet been announced on Sora LTD's official SSBB website, smashbros.com. You can go to this website for details about every aspect of the game.

I for one can't wait for this game to come out. Yes, I pre-ordered it and will be at the store when it opens. If I know Nintendo and HAL Labs, SSBB will score pretty high when we review it next week.

Thanks for reading
-JD

Review: Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, DS)

Ah, yes. The latest installment of the Lego Star Wars series. I figured I would give this a review in light of the upcoming Lego Batman and Lego Indiana Jones games. I'll start off with the console version, whereas I have the PS3 version. I had Lego Star Wars 1 for Gamecube and Lego Star Wars 2 for Xbox 360, so I pretty much thought I knew exactly what I was going to get. It was a matter of whether or not it would live up to what I expected. I thought I was going to get a polished version of both games with a few extras. Well, it did, more so than I even expected!

The graphics are as good as they are going to get for a Lego game, which is fantastic. You literally look like little legos running around (except they're a little more flexible than real legos). The music and sounds are straight from the movies and 100% perfect. Apart from the old versions, there are a few more characters, a few extra 'extras', and even a few extra'ish levels. But the fun doesn't stop there.

In Lego Star Wars, you start off in what I will call, for lack of better words, the overworld. It's nothing like an overworld in most games but it is where you choose what episode and chapter you will play. But it is free roaming and such like an overworld area. Well, I found that there was so much fun that you could have in this little overworld area. (see pic below)

That is a picture I took with my camera of my TV (which explains the odd look to the picture), and I took this picture because of how ridiculous I thought this was (in a funny way). You don't just walk outside and there's a race track and go-kart thing, you have to do a few things to get them there, but this is one of the things I love about the Lego Star Wars series. Random stuff thrown in to make pure hilarious fun. The game is simple and fun, with plenty of game modes (including a new challenge mode for each stage), you won't get bored easily. The controls are great and easy, though the flying levels are still a little awkward. I give the console versions an 8 out of 10.

8/10

Now in the DS version, you obviously expect a downgrade in graphics and sound because the DS is not a powerhouse system. The graphics are quite superb for it being on the DS though. The screenshots your see from here on are actually from the DS version.

To be honest, there isn't too much different in the DS version from the console versions. There are the obvious shortcomings due to lack of storage space on the DS cart. Less levels, different sometimes shorter levels, not as many extras or characters, and it was semi side-scroller in play. But that doesn't make it much worse of a game at all. It is definitely a great portable edition of the series.

The only thing that really bothered me about the DS version is the cutscenes. They were basically stop-motion animation. A bunch of still images spliced together, they are so annoying to watch. They almost take the humor out of the cutscenes. The controls are the same as the console versions except for a few touch add ins (some you don't need to use). Now that isn't to say that the DS version is completely lacking. It has many extras that the consoles don't have. Quite a few mini games, most which utilize the touch screen. You can definitely tell that the game was built from the ground up for DS and not horribly ported. The game is great and if you like Star Wars, you'll like this game. I'm going to give the DS version a 7 out of 10.

7/10

-CA

Review: Mass Effect (Xbox 360)

I'd like to start this review off with a little bit of rumor control. I've read a lot of rumors about the sex scenes in Mass Effect and I would like to shoot 'em all down before we get into the game. The box of the game does say brief nudity but I would say nudity so brief that it isn't even worth mentioning. Sorry folks. There are two different times in which you can get into a sex scene in a playthrough the game, the first that arises (and unless you've heard about it, you probably won't get it because it's kind if weird how it happens) is with an alien race (asari) that only has 1 sex which is female. No nudity, though there are provocative scenes. Doesn't matter if your character is a guy or girl, you can get it. The second is near the end of the game and if you are a girl you can do a guy or an asari, if you a guy you can do a girl or an asari. It's nothing that will spawn a masturbation induced coma, but it was enough for the esrb to say brief nudity with the side view of a butt and part of the side of a boob (nothing you wouldn't see by simply walking down the street). But seriously, if you're expecting something out of those scenes, you will be disappointed. Having said that, let's review the freakin' game already.

I don't want to give too much of the story away in this review since it is one of the things that makes the game great (Don't wanna ruin it for ya). The game isn't your conventional shooter or RPG, though it is both. You start off building your character, male or female (has to be human though). You can choose the first name but your character will always be addressed as Commander Shepard. You can custom design your character's looks, or use the default, or use the 'cycle presets' option. The game (obviously) takes place far in the future and offers an entire galaxy for your exploration pleasure. The game starts you off on a sort of rescue mission where you get a distress call for some of your fellow Alliance military (human military) members on a local planet. The distress call is a video and is quite intense and certainly sets the mood for the game. When you get the the planet, a lot of stuff happens but most importantly a Turian (another alien race in the game) spectre (which is basically a rank that can be achieved that makes in the person able to travel anywhere without any legal attachments and are considered by many to be "above the law") turns out to the bad guy of the game... (his pic is below)

Now I feel as though I've given too much away even though I've only told a tiny bit of the story. On with the review then! So the graphics... jesus, just look at the picture above, they're amazing. Bioware certainly didn't hold back in the graphics department on this one. In fact, the graphics are so good that the xbox 360 can't keep up. Bioware thought that they could be clever and mask this little fact though. When you start the game, its graphical default settings are set to film grain 'on' and motion blur 'on'. The film grain is there so that you don't notice when things are 'undrawn' as I like to say, then are suddenly super sharp looking. I personally hated the film grain so I turned it off and that made the 'graphical lag' as I like to call it, much more noticeable. Also, many people know that the motion blur is used in many games to help with framerate issues. If the image can be blurred, it doesn't need to be drawn super pretty, thus it hekeep the frame rate even. Well, when you turn the film grain off, the motion blur gets really annoying so I turned that off too. Now this might sound like a big deal to a lot of people but it really is not. The level which this graphical lag occurs is often yet minimal (happens frequently but it's never anything major). I don't know why they added the motion blur because through my entire first runthrough the game I never notice the framerate decline and I had it off. The game is gorgeous, hands down and graphically for this review... that's the bottom line.

What's next? Sound! The game's sound effects and music are absolutely delightful. The voice acting for all of the in-game characters are amazing. I would go as far as to say that this game has the best voice acting out of any game ever made. Having said that, it does have a minor flaw. While the voice acting is spot on and the graphical motions of the characters are amazingly realistic, the characters hardly ever show any sort of emotion. This is the only thing in the game that actually bothered me.

The gameplay and controls are great, very easy to get used to even with technical moves. Like any rpg, you get experience points which lead to level ups as you progress through the game. With the level ups you get points that make your character stronger in whatever field you choose them in. Simple yet intuitive. You have 4 firearms on you at all times, a pistol, a sniper rifle, a shotgun, and an assault rifle. All guns are upgradeable and have multiple series'.

I feel as if I've only been pointing out flaws (the very few that the game has) and not saying enough about how great it is. The game is awesome in every way. You have dialogue options (oftentimes, a lot of them) which give the game a significant replay value. After your first runthrough you unlock hardcore mode and if you manage to beat that you unlock insanity, which are also a huge factor in replayablility. One of my favorite things about the game for me would have to be freedom. I don't mean the fact that it is free roaming (though that is great), I mean the things you can do. The developers went above and beyond for many dialogue situations. I know when I play certain RPGs and am threatened by characters, I think to myself, why can't I just shoot them? Well, a few times in Mass Effect, you will get that option; and you will get a kick out of how it happens too!

In the end, overall, this game is great. In depth story with a few twists make for a great rpg; solid controls and functionality make for a great shooter. With plenty of worlds to explore and seemingly endless amounts of side missions, you won't get bored with this game very soon. The graphics are amazing though the xbox 360 will sometimes have to play catch up, it is nothing that will hinder your gameplay experience such as framerate drops, etc. With great effects, and an incredible cast (of both characters and voice actors) you really can't go wrong with picking up this title. I give Mass Effect a 9.5 out of 10. If you're looking for an xbox 360 game to hold you over for a while, I definitely recommend this one! And if you don't have an Xbox 360, no worries for it is coming to the PC on May 6th. I can't wait for the sequel(s).

9.5/10

-CA