Tekken 6

It’s been more than four years since gamers had the chance to play a new, numbered entry in the popular Tekken series, and the expectations for its latest installment are reasonably high. After all, it’s been quite a while since Tekken 5 arguably dominated the console fighting scene in 2005, and a number of rivals like Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue have stepped in to raise the bar.

Tekken 6 makes its next generation debut against some serious competition, but fortunately its extended hiatus hasn’t robbed this classic fighting franchise of any of its lethal prowess. Packed with a humongous roster of fan favorite characters, a number of gameplay modes and the same, fluid and violent combat gamers have grown to love, Tekken 6 is a reminder why Tekken games has been popular for so long.

The fighting in Tekken 6 will immediately be accessible to anyone who has ever played a Tekken video game before. The combat is one-on-one and lasts until the timer runs out or one fighter’s health bar has been depleted. How you go about beating your opponent into submission, however, isn’t so basic.

Each character has an impressive list of moves and combos at their disposal, and mastering move lists will be paramount to emerging victorious. Not only will you have to memorize long button sequences to execute deadly combos, but you’ll also have to learn when and where they’ll be the most effective. Should you try and launch your opponent in the air and attempt to juggle them, or would using a throw and transitioning into a ground attack be the smarter strategy?

It takes a keen eye, fast reflexes and a sharp mind to transform small mistakes into potential match winning combos, and a challenging bout in Tekken 6 can sometimes feel more like a chess match than fighting video game. You can try and button mash your way to a quick, easy win, but chances are your success will be very limited against anyone who actually knows how to play.

Part of the reason why the fighting is so addictive and enjoyable is because of Tekken 6’s diverse roster of 40 playable fighters. Most of the usual favorites like Jin Kazama, King and Nina Williams make their return. Gon is still sadly absent, but there’s also a number of new characters as well, like the gender ambiguous Leo or obese American martial artist Bob.

Each fighter offers a new style of combat to master. Steve Fox is a speedy boxer that relies on quick punches and lightening fast dodges, while Paul Phoenix is a Judo practitioner who moves slower but hits harder. It’ll take a while to find which characters suit your preferences best, and learning how to efficiently use each fighter is a challenge in itself.

Tekken 6 comes with the standard assortment of modes typical to most fighting games. Arcade Mode follows a character’s background story as you wade through a gauntlet of enemies and Versus Mode lets you challenge other opponents both offline and online.

A new addition to Tekken 6 is Campaign Mode, which functions like a generic beat-em up adventure game. Waves of weak enemies will attack you as you progress through levels, and it’s your job to beat them up using your character’s move list.

Arcade Mode and Campaign Mode are pretty lame and feel painfully tacked on, but then again, few gamers really purchase fighting games for the single player content. Tekken 6 is all about the multiplayer experience, and as long as you keep that in mind, the lackluster single player offerings won’t come as much of a disappointment.

One large problem with Tekken 6 is that the graphics don’t quite stack up against Street Fighter IV’s stylish aesthetic, UFC 2009’s realistic graphics, or even BlazBlue’s slick, cartoony visuals. The graphics in Tekken 6 definitely qualify as being next-generation, but they still pale in comparison to other fighting games on the market. Textures are more detailed, and the frame rate is solid, but there’s absolutely nothing breathtaking about the game’s visual presentation.

Another glaring problem lies in Tekken 6’s online multiplayer. Sometimes fights run smoothly. Other times, it’ll either take forever to find a match or serious lag will render the game unplayable. Hopefully these online issues will be smoothed out soon, but it’s been a week since launch now and, while the problems are nowhere as prevalent as at launch, they’re still periodic and still very irritating.

Tekken 6 is another solid entry in the franchise that fans will definitely enjoy. It packs an extensive roster full of unique characters, and learning how to effectively use each one of them can take quite a while. The combat is fast, fun and strategic and well worth taking the time to master. As long as you have some friends to play with (until the online issues get fixed at least), Tekken 6 more than holds its own against the competition and is a worthy purchase this holiday season.

[Originally posted on College News]

DJ Hero Renegade Edition Turntable Bundle - Wii

In a season full of unnecessary sequels and cheap imitations, DJ Hero brings a much welcomed fresh breath of creativity to the rhythm based music genre.

Guitar Hero and Rock Band had its turn in the spot light. But now it’s time to stow away all the other plastic instruments and dive headfirst into Activision and FreeStyleGames’ innovative and ambitious attempt to authentically recreate the art of DJ’ing.

Featuring a brand new controller, a diverse soundtrack with tons of famous artists, and tons of replay value,DJ Hero is by far the most novel and enjoyable music video game to come out in quite some time.

The plastic turntable that comes with DJ Hero is sturdy and has some weight to it. Additionally, all the various buttons and dials actually feel well-constructed, unlike some of the earlier guitars that were bundled with Guitar Hero. When you’re pressing buttons, sliding the cross fader or spinning the platter DJ Hero’s turntable actually feels like it could pass off as the real thing.

The only problem with the controller is that it’s difficult to balance it on your lap. With Guitar Hero, you could rock out anywhere, provided you had enough room to stand up. With DJ Hero though, you’ll probably need a flat surface to rest the turntable on.

DJ Hero’s gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of Guitar Hero or any other music based rhythm game for that matter. Three notes (red, green or blue) descend towards the bottom of the screen, and you hit the corresponding button once it enters the specific zone.

A “Euphoria” button lets you increase your score multiplier, and a rewind feature (accomplishing by spinning the platter) reverses the song for a few seconds and lets gamers rack up more points. However, DJ Hero adds even more realistic elements of DJ’ing that makes a seemingly familiar experience distinctly unique and awesome to play.

Turning the platter creates a scratch effect in songs and the mixer allows you to choose between certain sound effects. But the cross fader is where things really get interesting. On medium difficulty, the stream of green and blue notes racing towards you diverge to either the left or right.

These branches signify where the track changes, and you’re responsible for moving the cross fader to the appropriate position. Succeed and the mix continues uninterrupted. Forget to move the cross fader or accidentally shift it into the wrong position, though, and the music will completely fall silent until the problem is fixed.

On paper, DJ Hero doesn’t sound all that difficult. After all, with only three buttons, how hard could it possibly be? On the medium difficulty, the game is pretty easy. However, crank the difficulty to hard and things quickly become hectic. Tracks change frequently and in rapid succession, the platter can only be turned in the specific direction and notes descend much more quickly.

While DJ Hero never quite reaches the insane level of difficulty found in Beatmania, most gamers will have to spend a considerable amount of time practicing before taking on the game’s harder songs on more advanced levels.

Once you do acquire the skills to handle DJ Hero at its hardest, the experience is nothing short of amazing. Your hands will move faster than they ever have before as you press buttons, turn dials and scratch the record. With music blasting in your ears in tandem with the roaring adulation of the digital crowd, you actually feel (if only for the duration of the song) like a real DJ.

Regardless of how good DJ Hero’s gameplay is, its really the game’s compilation of songs that makes it shine. There’s 93 mixes featured exclusively in DJ Hero that span numerous genres, including rock, electronica, pop, hip-hop and more.

You’ll play through mixes created by artists like Kid Cudi, Tears for Fears, Jay-Z and many, many more. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are famous for ensuring that rock enthusiasts are provided with popular, recognizable tracks to emulate, and DJ Hero does the same exact thing for fans of music like hip-hop, electronica and other DJ-based forms.

All the recordings are crisp and sound excellent, and they actually playback according to how well you perform. For instance, if you miss a part where you’re supposed to toggle the cross fader, one of the tracks will play normally, but the other won’t.

Messing up leaves deafening, ugly silences that ruin the rhythm and flow of the song you’re playing, but all that does is make successfully playing a song from beginning to end that much more rewarding.

DJ Hero also comes with all the multiplayer options that you’d come to expect from past rhythm-based music games. You can go online to challenge other aspiring DJ’s, or you can play cooperatively and competitively offline as well.

Also, on certain tracks, another player can hop on with a Guitar Hero guitar and add a rock track to your DJ’ing. The addition of DJ and guitar tracks is a really nice touch and well implemented, but all in all, the multiplayer offerings, particularly the competitive modes, are a little sparse.

There’s definitely room for improvement in future installments, but regardless, the multiplayer mode in DJ Hero is still more than adequate. It may not be worth rushing out and buying another DJ controller, but if your buddy is willing to bring one over, the multiplayer is still a lot of fun.

DJ Hero manages to capture everything that made Guitar Hero such a runaway success in 2005. It’s incredibly addicting, innovative, fun to play and challenging, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that it has one of the most varied and robust soundtracks ever to be featured in a video game. The multiplayer options are a little bit on the light side, but regardless, fully expect to invest countless hours with DJ Hero as you master songs, unlock new content and play with friends.

[Originally posted on College News]

Section 8: Xbox 360

Developers TimeGate Studios have brought gamers some of the most enjoyable first-person shooters over the last couple years. Though they’re perhaps best known for their award winning RTS series Kohan, they’re also renowned for their work on the expansion packs for the first-person horror shooter F.E.A.R.

However, for their latest title, Section 8, TimeGate Studios, has departed from their established roots in strategy and the paranormal to embrace the more mainstream genre of sci-fi first-person shooters

Section 8 has you playing as Alex Corde, the newest recruit in a division of elite, hardcore and battle armor clad soldiers known as the 8th Armored Infantry.

The plot is as follows: A renegade faction called the Arm of Orion has seized control over a number of planets and are generally being in a pain in the butt. Of course, it’s your job to drop in mess up all sorts of faces and save the day.

The campaign is fairly straightforward and consist primarily of grabbing control points and accomplishing a series of objectives while shooting computer controlled players.

Section 8 is far from being anything exceptional in terms of narrative prowess or engrossing gameplay, but gamers can expect to put in a decent amount of time in playing the game, which will take couple hours to complete.

Additionally, Section 8’s single player mode serves as an effective gameplay tutorial to prepare you for its multiplayer mode.

Like most first person shooters, Section 8’s robust online–or system link–multiplayer is where you’ll end up spending most of your time. There’s a number of huge maps where up to 32 players can wage war on, allowing the possibility of some pretty epic and chaotic battles.

But let’s face it: Large scale battles between space marines isn’t anything we haven’t seen before in games like Halo or Killzone 2.

But lest you think that Section 8 is derivative, the game comes well-prepared with a plethora of fun, innovative touches that helps define itself in amongst the competition.

One original aspect about Section 8 is customizable battle armor. Sure, there’s the usual number of pre-determined class setups like Sniper or Assault, but you can also go ahead and modify what weapons your character uses and what passive perks they’re equipped with to suit your play style.

For instance, if you’re more into stealth and sniping, you can choose lighter armor that allows you to move faster, use your jet pack longer and turn invisible for periods of time using a cloaking device.

Fans of casually waltzing into the fray with a huge gun, however, will probably choose to take a machine gun or rocket launcher and then upgrade their shield strength and damage output. You’ll be a slow and an easy target for snipers, but you’ll completely demolish anyone foolish to take you on toe-to-toe.

The battles are a little different than the typical Deathmatch or Capture the Flag modes gamers are used to. Instead, they take a host of classic first-person shooter gameplay types and integrate it into one game.

While you’re busy running around killing your enemies and helping control choke points throughout the map, random, new objectives will flash on your screen.

Sometimes you’ll be tasked with escorting a VIP off the battlefield while your opponents are charged with assassinating them. Other times you’ll need to destroy a convoy that the enemy is supposed to protect, assault a base or steal the enemy’s intelligence.

The dynamic objectives add a nice spice of variety and immediacy to Section 8’s multiplayer and ensures that no two battles play out exactly the same.

Gun turrets are particularly lethal because of the creative way Section 8 handles re-spawns. Instead of inserting you back in the game at a designated location, Section 8 drops you from several miles in the sky and lets you plummet to the ground.

While dropping, you can decide to either glide to a smooth, controlled landing, or you can smash right into the ground. The latter allows you to drop in ready to fight, while the latter causes damage to nearby opponents, but leaves you stunned and dazed for a few seconds.

However, while dropping, you’re more or less helpless. If you make the mistake of dropping into enemy controlled territory where gun turrets are deployed, they’ll pick you out of the sky. Tanks are equally deadly.

They’re slow, but they’re incredibly powerful. If a team doesn’t swarm on them immediately with heavy explosives to knock it out of commission, a tank in the hands of a skilled gamer can become a nightmare for the other team.

Graphically, Section 8 is adequate. It looks like a next-gen title with some good textures, special effects (the drop sequence in particular is very impressive) and colorful maps, but it isn’t jaw dropping by any means.

Still, Section 8’s frame rate is fluid and consistent, which is no small feat when dozens of enemies are on screen shooting rockets at you simultaneously.

It’s also worth noting that Section 8 utilizes X-Server, a new technology that allows you to host servers on your PC.

One large complaint about Xbox Live is that it doesn’t use dedicated servers, meaning matches are sometimes laggy or end abruptly when the host disconnects. With X-Server, however, these problems should be rectified as long as the host’s PC doesn’t reset or shut off. Though still untested, if X-Server performs the way promised, it could become a popular way of playing on XBox Live in the near future.

Final Verdict

Dismissing Section 8 as an uninspired Halo rip-off would be huge mistake. An understandable one, perhaps, what with Section 8’s insistence in recycling the ho-hum space-marine cliche, but a gross lapse in judgment all the same.

Though the game’s premise may appear generic, Section 8 brings enough innovation to the genre to distinguish itself as a worthy contender. It doesn’t offer a whole lot in the single-player department, but if you’re ready to hop online and go to war, Section 8 is well-worth checking out.

Final Score: B

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Super hero video games generally don't have the best reputation because 90% of the time they're pretty terrible. For every Spider-Man 2, there's a Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, or Superman being churned out to tarnish the genre.

Then we have Batman: Arkham Asylum, a game developed by Rocksteady Studios that's so awesome it not only redefines what a good comic book video game is, but pretty much puts to shame most other game that have come out so far this year.

The story is simple enough. You play as Batman and you find yourself trapped in Arkham Asylum after the Joker frees all the prisoners and kidnaps the warden. Comissioner Gordon is being held hostage somewhere in the prison, and his daughter, Oracle, is the only person who can assist you by radio. The plot never really evolves beyond Batman freeing captives, ripping the Joker a new one and saving the day, but it's still a compelling enough of a story thanks in no small part to the game's excellent writing and its fantastic voice acting.

Arkham is teeming with bad guys, most of whom Batman was responsible for locking up in the first place. Naturally, they're not pleased to see him. Batman, though, is well prepared for the task of taking on hordes of bad guys simultaneously. Though he doesn't have any super powers like flight or supernatural strength , he does have some pretty sweet martial arts skills that the game's innovative combat system highlights wonderfully. With it, you can easily switch to one bad guy, beat his face in, and then twirl around and introduce your boot to some thug's groin.

The combat is fast, fluid, brutal and it controls smoothly. You can easily take on groups of five or six unarmed enemies at a time, and it's just as much fun to watch Batman beat up Arkham's inmates as it is to actually control the action. Batman is one hardcore, no nonsense dude when it comes to putting criminals in their place, and Arkham Asylum's stylish and efficient combat system lets you truly experience first hand how ruthless he really is.

However, no Batman game would be complete without some of his trademark tools. Not only does Batman have nifty X-ray goggles that help him identify threats and important objects in the game, but he also has a sweet batarang which he can use to attack enemies from afar. In addition to that, you also have some other neat gadgets that serves various uses. For instance, the explosive gel can be used to either open new pathways around Arkham or set up traps for patrolling enemies. Simply apply the gel, wait for a group of thugs to approach and then stand back and watch the fireworks.

No matter how strong or fast Batman is, though, he can't take more than a few bullets without dying. Which is unfortunate, since Joker's minions are insane and have confiscated the guard's machine guns.

Batman, however, is just as well versed as being sneaky as he is knocking heads together. You can rappel up onto rafters and gargoyle statues, and from there you can observe enemy patrols and strategically take out bad guys one at a time at your leisure. As you pick off your foes from the shadows, you can watch as they start to flip out and lose their cool. They panic, start running around, shouting and screaming until you drop from the sky and knock them out with a well placed kick to the skull.

There's also some of the more prominent denizens of Arkham Asylum to contend with. You'll square off with iconic Batman villains like Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, and each boss fight is unique, intense and memorable. Strangely enough, the last boss fight is pretty lackluster and lame in comparison to the game's myriad of other thrilling moments.

You can beat the story mode in around 15 hours, but there's still more than enough bonus content to keep you busy. There's tons of hidden goodies to find by exploring levels in the story mode and solving riddles scattered throughout, and there's also a nice selection of extra challenge levels to test your skill in both combat and stealth. Also, keep an eye out for future downloadable content which should be available soon.

While the gameplay is incredibly fun, where Arkham Asylum really shines is it's atmosphere.

Arkham Asylum is one dark gritty place, and the game manages to capture the kind of Batman gamers haven't seen in a very long time. The game is drenched in gloom and bathed in shadows, rife with morbid humor and disturbing imagery. This isn't your Saturday morning cartoon "Batman." There's no laser cannons that knock people out or gas that conveniently renders people unconscious. People are murdered, profanity is routinely used, and the character designs are shocking enough to raise more than a few eyebrows. This is Batman from the comic books in all its dark, eerie and sinister glory, and gamers and comic book fans will love it.

The game's impressive graphics engine also plays a large role in bringing the characters and setting of Arkham Asylum to life. Character models are incredibly detailed, and the level designs are nothing short of stunning. Another element about Arkham Asylum that shouldn't be overlooked is its superb voice acting. Batman and Joker's entourage of bad guys are all well acted, but it's Mark Hamill's turn as the Joker that truly stands out. Not content to be out done by Heath Ledger, Mark Hamill gives an award winning performance of his own by perfectly portraying the Joker's insane, masochistic personality.

Final Verdict
It may sound like Batman: Arkham Asylum is a perfect game, and to be honest, it almost is. The ending is pretty disappointing in comparison to the exciting roller coaster of a ride you'll have experienced to get there, but ultimately, even that can't detract from an otherwise amazing gaming experience. Everything about the combat, stealth, puzzles,voice acting and graphics will make you feel like your immersed in a "Batman" comic or one of the better, non-terrible Batman movies. You genuinely feel like you're controlling one of Batman's adventures, and that's no small feat.

It's enough to make you put down your controller, put on a ski mask, look in the mirror and, with your most fiercest, menacing scowl, growl, "I'm Batman!"

What more could you possibly ask for?

Final Score: A

Grand Slam Tennis for Nintendo Wii

Via College News

Grand Slam Tennis for the Nintendo Wii strives to do what every tennis game for the console has before it --authentically recreate the sport by taking advantage of the Wii’s motion controls.

Wii Sports Tennis was a decent effort, but not only was it lacking in depth, but the motion controls were mediocre at best once the novelty wore off.

EA Canada’s Grand Slam Tennis has the advantage of being one of the first games to utilize the new Wii Motion Plus, but does the added bonus give it enough to become king of the court?

The Good

Wii Motion Plus does amazing things for the motion controls in Grand Slam Tennis.

Though not a perfect 1:1 like Tiger Woods ‘10, the Wii Motion Plus gives gamers an amazing amount of accuracy, responsiveness and precision that would be impossible without it.

It may take a little while to master the controls initially, but once players get the hang of it, it is impressive how you’ll be able to launch lobs or deliver the ball exactly where you want. Grand Slam Tennis with the Wii Motion Plus is easily the first game for the console to make it actually feel like you’re playing tennis.

Grand Slam Tennis is probably the most accurate tennis game ever to grace the Nintendo Wii.

The motion controls give you great control of the action, and the game is rife with small details that help make it such an authentic depiction of the sport.

One thing that stands out the most is court physics. Expect play style to radically change depending on what kind of court is being used For instance, playing on a grass court and a clay court will drastically effect the ball’s speed.

There is a large amount of variety in the gameplay modes.

Create-a-character allows you to walk your invented persona through the plethora of available tournaments. You challenge the game’s roster of 20+ professional athletes and are awarded with skill and equipment upgrades to better your performance.

Additionally, there is also a clever calorie tracker that monitors how many calories you’ve burned. Grand Slam Tennis also has an enjoyable offline multiplayer component that allows up to four players to play tennis (and a couple of fun variants of the sport) simultaneously.

The online multiplayer is awesome.

The online multiplayer allows gamers to painlessly search for pick-up games against random players from all over the world, and the game does a great job of setting you up against gamers who are roughly equally as skilled as you.

Additionally, the leader boards keep track of what country you’re from. Depending on whether you win or lose, the victory/loss will boost or hurt your country’s international ranking.

It’s something small, but the knowledge that you and every one of your countrymen are working towards a common goal inspires an odd sense of nationalistic camaraderie.

What’s the most impressive about Grand Slam Tennis’ online mode, though, is how easy it is to find matches and add friends. No ridiculously inane friend codes, no cumbersome menus --it’s simple and convenient to set up games and play.

Though a third-party developer, with Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods ‘10 both boasting impressive online multiplayer, Electronic Arts is quickly proving they can make better online titles than Nintendo can.

The Bad

It takes some time before you’ll be able to feel comfortable with the controls.

Using the nunchuck to control your player’s movements and modifying your shots using the Wii remote’s buttons will definitely take some adjusting, and, even with that, it still isn’t the most natural feeling in the world.

Additionally, while the motion controls work most of the time, they can be rather finicky. It never became a glaring issue, but on a few occasions swings with the remote would be entirely out of synch with the game.

A quick recalibration (achieved by just holding the control still for a second) quickly remedies the problem, but it can be frustrating when the controls act up at inopportune moments.

The game without the Wii Motion Plus isn’t very good.

Like Tiger Woods ‘10, if you take away the Wii Motion Plus, you’re left with a game whose motion controls really aren’t anything exceptional.

For better or worst, the Wii Motion Plus is such an integral component of Grand Slam Tennis that without it, the game seriously loses most of its appeal. Unfortunately, buying enough Wii Motion Plus’ to outfit a party of four can be a pricey proposition.

Game presentation is rather lackluster for a game that is otherwise in-depth. Character models have a distinctly cartoon look, but they’re bland and certainly aren’t a good representation of what the Nintendo Wii is capable of.

Also, the banter of match announcers can get incredibly repetitive, and the electronic background music is distracting.

Final Verdict
Ultimately, Grand Slam Tennis is a real treat for tennis fans. Assuming you own a Wii Motion Plus, of course.

With the help of the new peripheral and robust selection of both single player and multiplayer options, Grand Slam Tennis delivers one of the most authentic and enjoyable tennis titles for the Nintendo Wii.

It does have a few issues here and there, but if you’re willing to shell out the cash to purchase the very necessary Wii Motion Plus, get ready for an awesome gaming experience.

Final Score: 8.7/10

Rated: Teen
Genre: Tennis
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Release Date: June 08, 2009
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada

Killzone 2 for PlayStation 3

Since its debut as a tech demo at E3 2005 (and then again at E3 in 2007) Killzone 2 has been a shining ray of hope in the Playstation 3’s list of upcoming exclusive titles. With its jaw-dropping graphics and Guerrilla’s promise to actually give gamers the “Halo killer” that Sony hyped Killzone 2’s mediocre predecessor to be in 2004, expectations for Killzone 2 are understandably quite high. After all, in the wake of the Free Radicals’ embarrassingly bad Haze, the Playstation 3’s library of quality, exclusive first person shooters as of late has consisted of Resistance 2. And that’s about it.

But does Killzone 2 finally deliver to gamers a revolutionary, next-generation first person shooter that can rival the likes of Halo 3, or is it another disappointment doomed to obscurity like Haze?

Killzone 2’s plot picks up after the events of the first Killzone. After repelling the Helghast invaders from the colony planet Vetka, the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) has decided to return the favor by launching a full scale attack on the Helghast, hellish home planet Helgha. You play as Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko, a Sergeant in the ISA military, who is tasked with leading a unit behind enemy lines to fight the Helghast and eventually square off against their charismatic leader, Emperor Visari. The story is pretty weak over all, plagued with predictable plot turns and some genuinely terrible writing. All it really does is give you an excuse to venture to a new location and kill more enemies, but I suppose that’s all a story really is supposed to do in a sci-fi first person shooter starring space marines.

The single player campaign is nothing special, electing to adhere to the conventional norms of the first person shooter genre instead of daring to explore uncharted territories. Armed with the standard armaments of your standard sci-fi shooter (including machine guns, sniper rifles, and a few weapons unique to Killzone 2) you go from one objective to the next, killing anything that happens to get in your way. Things are mixed up a bit with scattered opportunities to commandeer gun turrets or robot suits, but the campaign never really brings anything to the genre that we have not already played a dozen times before in different games.

Fortunately, what Killzone 2’s campaign does feature it executes extremely well largely due to its impressive enemy AI. The Helghast are vicious and smart. They won’t just stand in the open waiting for you to shoot them. Instead, they will take cover, flush you out with grenades, and pin you with covering fire while their comrades attempt to flank you. Killzone 2 does not encourage tactical thinking under enemy fire -it mandates it. Charging your enemies, guns blazing, may work in other shooters, but not in Killzone 2.

The combat itself is viscerally violent, laden with gory blood splotches and tons of explosions. It also strikes an interesting balance between intensity and methodic strategy. Despite the bullets flying around and the grenades detonating left and right, Killzone 2’s combat is decidedly slower paced in comparison to recent war games like Call of Duty 4. Your character moves slower, turns slower, and reloads his weapons slower. You may be a space marine, but the combat is a lot more realistic than the game’s science fiction background would normally suggest. As opposed to a game like Halo where you play as a badass super soldier capable of tackling an entire army, Killzone 2 does a great job of making you feel like you’re just another soldier lost in the chaos of war.


To help you cope with Killzone 2’s savage enemy AI, Guerrilla gives gamers a cover system which is sort of new to the world of first person shooters. Though Rainbow Six Vegas featured a cover system that would pan the camera out and let you fight in third person, Killzone 2’s cover system functions continuously in first person. It will lock you into place behind a wall, debris, etc. and you can pop out to snipe enemies, throw grenades, or sprint to a new hiding place. In theory this would work brilliant, but actually using it is a bit cumbersome and takes practice before you can utilize it with any real degree of efficiency. The game demands that you input an awkward combination of buttons on the Playstation 3 controller in order to lean out, aim, and shoot, and the end result hardly feels fluid. After a few hours of destroying the Helghast with accurate rifle fire bursts, you will probably get the hang of using Killzone 2’s cover system. Unfortunately, it never really felt as second nature as I would have preferred.

Despite a few other hiccups in Killzone 2’s campaign mode (enemy variety is a bit on the sparse side and boss encounters drag a bit) it still is genuinely loads of fun. Stricken with a plethora of glaring flaws, it may be one of the game’s weaker aspects, but regardless, it is well worth playing. It would have been nice to have the option to play through the campaign cooperatively however. Its absence is as noticeable as it is disappointing, especially since a cooperative mode is pretty standard in shooters these days. The campaign mode screams to be played with a buddy. You command a squad of AI controlled marines -why can’t your friend pick up a controller and play as one of them?

Though Killzone 2’s single player mode may have its ups and downs, you would be hard pressed to find anything worth faulting in its multiplayer. I absolutely adore multiplayer modes in first person shooters, and I have to confess that even amongst the myriad of top tier shooters on the market, what Killzone 2 offers is amazing. A creative hybrid of games like Team Fortress 2 and Call of Duty 4, you assume the role of a variety of different classes (sniper, medic, saboteur etc) and then head off to war in a number of modes ranging from typical team death match to capture the flag to assassination.

The class based system works wonderfully. Each class may play differently, but they are all a blast to use. And if some reason you don’t like a class, you can always customize its abilities to fit your fragging preferences. As you work your way through the multiplayer, you earn experience points which allows you to unlock new skills and new weapons. If the sheer awesomeness of the 32-man multiplayer was not enough to keep you playing, the incentive of unlockables will definitely keep you glued to your controller.

The class balance is not quite as well implemented as Team Fortress 2 despite Killzone 2 borrowing heavily from it. Most of the time, even during team oriented gameplay modes, the matches usually degenerate into a wild free-for-all. In Team Fortress 2, team work and balances is demanded in order for one team to triumph over the other. In Killzone 2, team work translates into merely not shooting your allies in the face. Of course, a well balanced and coordinated team will always dominate over a team that is unorganized, but its rare to encounter a game where you feel like a part of an army instead of a bunch of a lone wolves on the same team. It is worth noting that this problem is endemic to almost every first person shooter (and can easily be overcome by playing with friends or utilizing the clan feature which Killzone 2 supports) but it is more noticeable given Killzone 2’s heavy emphasis on classes.

Though not perfect and technically not even really that original or innovative, I really can not emphasize enough how much fun Killzone 2’s multiplayer is. It is easily the best multiplayer experience available on the Playstation 3 and probably one of the best multiplayer games I have played period. It may borrow extensively from other games, but it blends them all together to create one hell of an incredibly fun, intense, and addicting experience that you will not want to miss. If Killzone 2 shipped with a sixty dollar price tag and only its multiplayer component, it would still definitely be well worth the purchase.

In terms of graphics and sound, nothing I can say can really do justice to Killzone 2’s amazing presentation. Simply watch a few videos of the game in action and you will get a pretty good idea of what it offers. The graphics fully utilize the power of the Playstation 3 and are nothing short of astonishing. From amazing textures to insane effects, graphically, Killzone 2 more than live up to the hype set by the tech demo in 2005 and easily establishes itself as one of the best looking games ever made. Sound effects are spot on with gun fire sounding crisp and powerful, and the character’s voice work is also pretty good. Brian Cox fits the role of Emperor Visari perfectly, but there are a couple of characters in the game whose voices become grating and annoying after a while.

Killzone 2 may not be perfect, but it’s hard to concentrate on what it does wrong when there is so much that it does right. It is true that Killzone 2 does not necessarily add anything new to the first person shooter genre, and it is true that the campaign mode is light on creativity and heavy on terrible writing. Regardless, there is absolutely no denying how awesome Killzone 2 still is. From the stunning graphics to the exceptionally awesome multiplayer, Killzone 2 is a rare gem that completely demolishes its predecessor in every aspect. Gamers should expect to keep the disc in their Playstation 3 for quite some time; Killzone 2 is here to stay.

Final Verdict: Buy it
Final Score: 9/10

X Blades - Xbox 360

Gaijin Entertainment's next-gen title, (available on PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3) X-Blades, is a rather formulaic, hack-and-slash button masher, but despite that, really isn't as horrible of a game as one might expect from a title that seems to be desperately trying to sell itself by plastering a skimpily dressed anime girl on the cover. It definitely does very little to advance the genre -it even falls falls grossly short of meeting the expectations set by better action titles that precede it like Ninja Gaiden, Heavenly Sword, or Devil May Cry- but regardless, there is enough going for X-Blades to save it from total condemnation.

The story to X-Blades is almost non-existent, and you'll be hard pressed to find a reason to care about what's happening to the story's protagonist, a treasure hunter named Ayumi who apparently has taken the Lara Croft mentality of "the less clothes you wear the better treasure hunter you'll be" to the extreme because she runs around wearing practically nothing. There's some talk about a dark, ancient evil, an equally ancient race of creatures, the end of the world, etc. etc, but like I said before, there's really absolutely no motivation for you to care about the paper-thin narrative X-Blades half-heartedly attempts to entertain. It's pure window dressing and while X-Blades does have an alternate ending depending on which branch of magic (light or dark) you adhere to, like I mentioned before, you probably won't care all that much.

The game itself is pure hack-and-slash. You'll enter a level and be forced to take on wave after wave after wave of enemies until a little red bar on the bottom of your screen is depleted. Then, with absolutely no fanfare, the level will abruptly end and your stats for the stage will be displayed. Periodically you'll square off against a boss (who most of the time you'll only be able to damage with a single attack) but for the most part, get used to pressing the attack button over and over and over.

To vary the combat from the rather mundane and repetitive button mashing (on a side note, Ayumi dual wields gunblades which I haven't really seen since Final Fantasy VIII so kudos to that) Ayumi can learn or upgrade different spells and attacks using the souls she has reaped from her enemies. Sort of like Devil May Cry. And Ninja Gaiden. Well, no, just kidding. Exactly like them. As you take damage or kill your enemies, you progressively accrue rage which you can then use different abilities. For instance, Earthquake is an area of effect spell which helps clear out some room when you get overwhelmed, and Fireball is the only spell that will defeat certain ice elemental enemies. Some of the different skills you learn are actually pretty flashy and well animated, but again, it's nothing we haven't seen before.

The game varies from being super easy to being annoyingly cheap. There are times when you can breeze through a level by sitting in a corner and mashing buttons, and then there's others (particularly during boss fights) where you'll find yourself being consistently demolished without really knowing what to do. These movements of these extremes in difficulty though are rare though, and on a medium setting, X-Blades presents a decent challenge that casual gamers will be able to surmount in 10-12 hours of game play. Hardcore action junkies more akin to the Devil May Cry 3 or Ninja Gaiden school of hack-and-slash will want to turn the difficulty up to hard right away, and even then, veterans of the genre will probably find it too easy. You do have the option of running through the levels again for the sake of gaining more souls to unlock Ayumi's entire arsenal of magic and abilities, but only perfectionists will feel the motivation to do so.

While the gameplay itself may feel somewhat derivative and archaic when compared to other titles in the genre, it does control pretty well. The action is fast paced, and it is simple to pull off special moves and use spells as they can be mapped to the face buttons (or keys for PC users) on the controller. The camera is usually pretty consistent and does a good job of keeping track of the action, but the lock on system is what really mars the experience. There's really no way to designate what you want to lock on to specifically, and as a result, you'll often find the lock on bouncing from one target to the next as you move around. Normally this isn't that big of a problem since enemies die quickly, but against bosses, it's annoying to find yourself accidentally attacking some random monster when you want to target something else.

Though X-Blades may play like a game that would feel more at home on a last-generation console, graphically it is pretty respectable. Cut scenes utilize cel-shaded models that look sharp and fit X-Blades anime-styled presentation, and the environments are exceptionally detailed and look great. Additionally, the game runs at a very fluid pace even when the screen is bogged down with special effects and enemies. X-Blade's soundtrack isn't too shabby either, but the voice acting (and writing) is pretty subpar. It won't be the worst voice acting you've ever heard in a video game, but it definitely has its share of lines that will make you wince.

Perhaps my biggest gripe about X-Blades is just how little it brings to the table. It doesn't strive to reinvent the wheel, and that would be fine if it managed to execute the fundamental gameplay elements of the genre correctly. But it really doesn't. In every sense of the word X-Blades is a mediocre, mindless, hack-and-slash that is glaringly inferior in every sense of the word imaginable to games like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden. In order to succeed in this genre, a game needs to bring something unique about itself to distinguish itself from the masses. Devil May Cry brought style and Ninja Gaiden brought difficulty.

X-Blades tries to hide its obvious shortcomings by starring a scantly clad anime chick. That's really it's only selling point and I'm almost sure the developers know this all too well. There's nothing remarkable about the game itself, so it tries to sell itself using sex appeal. It's almost insulting really, and tragically, more than a few copies will probably be sold exclusively because Ayumi wears a dental-floss thong throughout the game. While games like Fear Effect and Tomb Raider have played the sex appeal card in the past, at the very least there was actually a strong game standing behind it. X-Blades has no such luxuries.

Aside from functioning almost exclusively as eye candy, Ayumi has the misfortune of being one of the most annoying, unlikeable protagonists ever. If games like Mirror's Edge, Half-Life 2, or Beyond Good and Evil have done anything to advance the viability of females being strong protagonists who can fight evil without it being necessary to strip down to their underwear, X-Blades is a game that sets that notion back several steps.

It is entirely possible that I'm underselling X-Blades, but I can't help but play this game and think that this is the sort of uninspired mediocrity that prevents games from evolving. It's entertainment in its most shallow form, but at the very least, it never makes any pretentions of being something it isn't. It's a mindless, repetitive hack-and-slash game that stars an annoying anime-looking chick in a metal bikini and thong who uses gunblades. That's X-Blades in a nutshell. If that sounds like the kind of game you want to spend ten hours (and sixty bucks) playing, then you probably won't be disappointed.

For anyone else, you're much better off saving your money. Sixty bucks is ridiculous for a game like X-Blades. Wait a few months if you simply must play it -I guarantee you it'll be in the bargain bins before long.

Final Verdict: Pass It
Final Score: 5.5/10

Dark Knight [Blu-ray Disc] Action & Adventure Movies

The Dark Knight is not only one of the best super hero, comic book movies ever made (second to perhaps only to Sin City in terms of remaining faithful to its source, graphic novel inspiration) but it also transcends the constraints normally imposed by its genre to become a dark, edgy film that simultaneously showcases brilliant acting and jaw-dropping action. Christopher Nolan more than tops his previous work with Batman Begins to truly deliver a Batman film that will please casual fans and the comic book hardcore. The acting is superb with Heath Ledger easily stealing every scene he's in as the insane Joker. Make no mistake, as amazing as the rest of the film is, it is Heath Ledger's performance as the cackling, conniving, and diabolical nemesis of Batman that keeps the audience captivated to the Dark Knight's dark and intricate storyline. He more than deserves a nod from the Academy Awards for his performance, and perhaps even deserves a posthumous win for best supporting actor. That's not to marginalize the other actors though. Aaron Eckhart is the perfect Harvey Dent, Christian Bale is a wonderful Bruce Wayne and growling Batman, and even Maggie Gyllenhall (while admittedly an odd choice to replace Katie Holmes from Batman Begins) does a commendable job as Batman and Harvey Dent's love interest. If there's one movie that you simply must see, it's the Dark Knight. Suspenseful, packed with action, and home to some of the finest acting you'll see this year -the Dark Knight is a movie that you can not miss.

As far as the Blu-Ray transfer, the Dark Knight is one of those rare flicks that you have to own on Blu-Ray. It blows its DVD counterpart clear out of the water. The picture transfer is crystal clear, and the sound is nothing short of impressive on a decent home theater system. If you have the 1080p HDTV, it's nothing short of criminal to watch this masterpiece in standard definition instead of the high-detailed, high-quality perfection of high definition.

Prince of Persia - Xbox 360

It has been quite sometime since our favorite acrobatic Persian prince graced consoles last (almost three years since the Sands of Time trilogy concluded with Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones) and Ubisoft has decided to revamp the franchise with brand new gameplay mechanics and a brand new look. But does the Prince’s next-generation debut exceed the stellar expectations set by its predecessors, or does the franchise need some more work before its ready to be finally crowned king?

Surprisingly, Ubisoft has elected to depart from the norms of the Prince of Persia franchise and made the story relatively non-existent. You’re the Prince and you find yourself teamed up with the magical girl/inevitable love interest named Elika. It turns out that a malevolent evil force has been released (which of course threatens the safety of the world) and it is your job to seal it away. There definitely is not a whole lot of depth to the rather one dimensional and bland storyline, which is really unfortunate given the complexity and actually good narratives of past Prince of Persia titles. What more, none of the characters are particularly likable this time around. While it’s true that in the last generation of Prince of Persia titles the Prince changed personalities from one game to the next (from normal, to brooding and angsty, to a hybrid of the two) he was still a genuinely interesting character that gamers could empathize with to a certain degree. In the new Prince of Persia, however, the Prince has the personality of your typical pretty boy, popped-collar, beer guzzling, chest bumping, frat-boy douchebag. He has the annoying tendency to crack the most awkward and inane one liners, promptly destroying whatever immersion you might have had in the game to begin with.

The gameplay itself is a mixed bag. Some will love it. Some won’t. Essentially, the new Prince of Persia has taken the game play elements of the previous titles and tossed it out the window. No innovative time manipulation techniques, no intricate sword play, and no nerve-wracking acrobatics. Everything about the game has been streamlined to become more accessible to the casual gamer, but ultimately, the gameplay feels rather soul less. The combat is dully simplistic and is comprised of spamming the same combo attacks without any need for strategy, and the platforming mechanics are equally as dull. Though they look brilliant and are pleasing to watch (and even execute to a certain extent) the fact that you can never die in this game removes a great deal of the tension and excitement that made jumping over bottomless cliffs so much fun in the old Prince of Persia games. If you mistime a jump or jump when you should have ducked, Elika is always conveniently around to save you. In the old Prince of Persia titles, every jump and trap was an obstacle as you would have to carefully ration your sand. This time, though, you can waltz more or less blindly into any predicament and feel confident you will survive.

There is one department that Prince of Persia nails perfectly -the visuals. The game looks absolutely gorgeous with beautiful cel-shaded graphics and some of the smoothest animations I’ve seen in a game to date. Though playing the game may be a rather simple affair, it is almost worth it just to appreciate the expansive and detailed level designs and stunning effects.

Conclusively, the new Prince of Persia does some things very well. I really can’t emphasize how awesome the game looks. Whether its the character models, or the amount of detail invested into the level designs, everything looks absolutely fabulous. Additionally, it is very possible for gamers to enjoy the gameplay given that they walk into the experience with the right mindset. The game has been altered to be more user friendly and appeal to a larger audience, and with its awesome visuals and simple but effective gameplay, it certainly succeeds in that respect.

However, simultaneously I feel that this game isolates fans of the old Prince of Persia. With a forgettable story, unlikeable protagonist, and the removal of pretty much everything that made the last-gen Prince of Persia titles so appealing, fans expecting more of the same Prince of Persia goodness will be in for an unpleasant surprise. I am not against the new innovations that the new Prince of Persia makes (the game does entertain a non-linear approach and unlockable powers that I found cool) and to a degree I can even appreciate the effort Ubisoft has made in creating a beautiful world that you can freely explore without fear of being killed and restarting at some obscure checkpoint.

But when it strays so far from the very foundations that made the franchise so awesome in the first place, it is difficult not to be disappointed.

Quantum of Solace [Theatrical Release] (2008)

Quantum of Solace is a great action film -let's just get that out of the way right now. It's viscerally violent and loaded to the brims with more car chases, boat chases, air plane chases, and shoot outs that even the most ambitious James Bond film has ever attempted. The gun play and fights are brilliantly choreographed (as they're both directed by the same man responsible for the brutally violent hand-to-hand combat in the Bourne series) and really there's enough explosions and bullets flying to sate even the most hardcore action fans.

That said, Quantum of Solace is really a mixed bag, and how much you enjoy it is really going to be heavily dependent on how much you've invested yourself in the previous Bond flick, Casino Royale. The story is a direct sequel. It doesn't "suggest" that you should have seen the previous movie to understand the plot of the second, it demands it. The film is built upon the foundation constructed by Casino Royale, and without an intimate understanding or even emotional investment with the plot and characters of the first, you really will not be able to appreciate Quantum of Solace to its fullest. At it's heart it's an action flick, but there's also a great story lying beneath its surface though admittedly its narrative prowess is periodically distorted and marred by the director's insistence on blowing something up every five seconds.

It's a good Bond film, but it's not a great one and certainly doesn't usurp Casino Royale as being the best Bond film ever. The acting is surprisingly good (with Daniel Craig and Judi Dench doing a phenomenal job reprising their roles as Bond and M respectively), but the rather absurd plot (which revolves around a terrorist organization ransoming the world's water supply) doesn't really give the actors very much to work with.

Quantum of Solace feels like it falls firmly in between the two different Bond worlds that directors have created over the years. On one side you have the old-school Bond with ridiculous villains, beautiful women, and awesome gadgets. On the other you have the new-school Bond which is more violence, more stealth, and more story. Quantum of Solace has a mixture of both, which, unfortunately may fail to satisfy members of either camp. It doesn't feel exactly like an old Bond flick with its exclusion of cool gadgets, catch phrases, etc. but it certainly doesn't feel entirely like a true successor to Casino Royale either.

Either way, it's still a very competent action film that any one who ever saw Casino Royale will watch to check out.

Left 4 Dead for Xbox 360

One thing that gamers have come to expect from Valve is that delays are inevitable, and Valve’s latest title, Left 4 Dead, certainly fails to disappoint in that regard. Originally slated for a release date in 2007, the co-op zombie shooter from the makers of Half-Life and Portal has finally arrived after months of eager anticipation, but does Left 4 Dead live up to Valve’s standards of excellent quality, or is this finally a blemish in their otherwise flawless portfolio?

Unlike Half-Life and various other Valve projects, Left 4 Dead isn’t focused on a narrative, but it never really suggests the pretense that it is either. While there are scattered little hints that help flesh out the game’s back story (sketched messages in graffiti on the wall of safe houses etc.) all you really need to know is that you are one of the four survivors stranded in a world populated by the undead. Escape and survival are your only objectives, and the only help you’re going to find is in your three team mates. And a whole lot of guns.

Left 4 Dead is a massive accomplishment in at least two different departments. First and foremost, it’s probably the most faithful video incarnation of the zombie genre that fans have ever been treated to. Yes, even better than Resident Evil 4. The other is in its cooperative gameplay.

While the game does offer you the chance to run through the game by yourself (with the aid of three fairly competent AI partners) you won’t get very far. Gunning through easy and normal mode is fairly straight forward and feasible though not entirely rewarding, but the inability to coordinate as a team and ration your equipment will more than likely spell out your demise on harder difficulty settings. It’s nice that Valve threw in the option for a single player mode, but let’s face it. This game was built for cooperative game play.

You and three other players are tasked with getting from point A on a map to point B. There are safe houses scattered throughout the four scenarios (each of which is broken into multiple levels) offering you a moment’s respite from the zombie horde to heal up and restock on guns and ammunition. Other than that, though, while you traverse through a subway, a forest, a city, etc. waves of zombies are constantly going to be after you. Sometimes only a few zombies might amble towards you, but more often than not, you and your fellow survivors while find yourselves contending with armies of screeching monsters. On top of that, you’ll also need to deal with “special” zombies -monsters with unique abilities that will be sure to make your life miserable. Whether it’s the Tank (a humongous zombie that will stomp you flat in a second), or the Witch (a sobbing zombie that will freak you out every time you run into her) encountering one of these special breed of undead ensures that gamers stay on their toes at all times.

Fortunately, you’ll be well armed to fight the legions of the undead. You’ll find shotguns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails etc. -all the tools you’ll need to paint the walls red with zombie brains. Each weapon has their own unique feel to it, and each weapon serves its own purpose. A submachine gun is weaker but excellent for nailing faster zombies, and a shotgun blast at close range will normally always put a zombie down for good.

The way the levels are paced allows Valve’s new AI to show it’s stuff. Essentially, the stage AI directs the tempo of the game, ensuring that each play through is unique. Items and weapons are staged in different locations, zombies are moved around, the “special” zombies are randomized, etc. Also, if the game ever feels like you’re taking too long or trying your best to turtle your way through the level, it will send packs of zombies rushing at you to encourage you to move things along.

What more is there to really say? When played with other people, Left 4 Dead genuinely makes you feel like you’re in a zombie movie. You’re consistently on edge, consistently worrying about what may lurk behind the next corner, consistently rationing your limited health and ammunition -the frantic nature of the game creates a wonderful atmosphere of tension, dread, and excitement that subconsciously encourages gamers to cooperate in order to survive. Sure, periodically you’ll run into some dickhead who will do their best to screw things up (and you will -trust me) but when played with a group of mature gamers, Left 4 Dead offers a multiplayer experience unlike anything you’ve ever played before. It may be true that the levels are a bit on the brief side -you can burn through a scenario in around forty minutes depending on the difficulty level. However, despite that, between the game’s inherent awesomeness and the constantly changing level AI, I’ve easily logged in several hours of Left 4 Dead with friends without ever finding the gameplay repetitive.

And in the unlikely event that you do tire of the campaign, Valve also included a zombie vs survivor mode that allows you to play as one of the “special” zombies. I haven’t even had a chance to play that though honestly. I’ve been too absorbed in the campaign to get the chance yet.

The graphics, perhaps, are Left 4 Dead’s weakest aspect. It’s running on Half-Life 2’s Source Engine, and while it’s been tweaked and refined to look awesome and run smoothly on the Xbox 360 and PC, it’s starting to show its age. It still displays some awesome shadows and lighting effects, but overall the visuals look somewhat dated in comparison to newer titles in the FPS genre.

In conclusion, Left 4 Dead is an amazing game that is an excellent addition to Valve’s vast repetoir of quality titles. While it is severely lacking in the single player department, Left 4 Dead isn’t made to be one. It’s intended to be played cooperatively, and in that respect, you will be hard pressed to find a game that does it better than Left 4 Dead. There may be, perhaps, some concern that the game’s four scenarios may not be enough to satisfy the hardcore FPS fan, but I can assure you, Left 4 Dead has a way of bringing you back for one more scenario even after you’ve played each of them multiple times. Maybe it’s because you’re playing with a new crew of team mates, or maybe it’s because the game just happens to switch up things on you, but each time you play is always unique, fresh, and one hell of a good time.

Final Verdict: Buy It
Final Score: 9.5/10

Mirror's Edge - Xbox 360

For months now I’ve been eagerly anticipating EA DICE’s parkour-inspired, free running based Mirror’s Edge; ever since I played the demo at PAX 08, I’ve been hungrily devouring every one of its beautifully artistic plot trailers and gameplay snippets. It is hard not to be excited about Mirror’s Edge -everything about it from its gorgeous graphics to its Dystopian based narrative to its fast-paced gameplay seemed to be the much needed breath of innovation and creativity in a market dominated by sequels, spin offs, and shooters.

But does this highly anticipated title take off running, or is it little more than a severe misstep?

The story puts you in the shoes (running shoes that is) of a girl named Faith. Faith is a runner, a courier of sorts who run across rooftops, speeding trains, etc. to get a message from point A to point B while avoiding the police and the Big Brother-esque totalitarian government. Think 1984 meets the French action film, District B13, and you get the idea. Unfortunately though, such an awesome (and fairly creative) premise never really seems to go anywhere. The characters are fairly one dimensional, and the story’s thematic elements are never fully explored. For the most part, the game’s narrative serves as a backdrop for Mirror’s Edge, giving an excuse, but not really a reason or motivation, for Faith to be jumping over huge gaps and punching security guards in the face. It’s dissapointing really. The trailers and previews seemed to allude to Mirror’s Edge’s inherent artistic nature. While that may be true about the gameplay execution, it is unfortunate that this degree of style and beauty fails to extend to the game’s plot as well.

The game play is amazing for the most part. Dubbed by many as a Prince of Persia in first person, Mirror’s Edge allows you to really feel like you’re in the action. The controls do take a little getting used to at first (including some of the game’s more complex maneuvers which have you pressing buttons in rapid succession of one another) but once you get the hang of them, running and jumping over buildings feels incredibly natural, fluid and entirely badass.

Your objective is ultimately to get from one location to the next (whether that location be a destination, an item retrieval, or someone you’re chasing) and the game does a pretty good job of providing multiple routes to get there. Granted, some are faster than others, but the levels do permit for a fair amount of exploration and experimentation. The game utilizes an optional “Runner’s Vision”, a creative concept that serves as a crutch to help gamers locate where to go next. It highlights certain objects in red to pinpoint where Faith should be running to next, and its helpful to beginners while simultaneously blending in seamlessly in the game’s environments and locals. However, even with Runner’s Vision, there are times where you’ll get stumped. Especially in indoor environments (like the shopping mall or sewers) it can be periodically tricky to figure out where to go next. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen very often, and the game does an excellent job of maintaining a fast-paced tempo.

Along the way you’ll find yourself going toe-to-toe with Mirror’s Edge’s host of bad guys. Ranging from security guards to SWAT teams, the enemies don’t pose a huge threat as they’re pretty incompetent for the most part. However, they do have numbers on their side, and you’ll have to be creative in order to dispatch or avoid them. Melee combat (aided by a Matrix slow motion effect) works fairly well, but gun play feels incredibly awkward and unbalanced. I would have almost preferred that DICE elected not to include guns at all. While weapons do help clear out enemies that would otherwise kill you, vaulting over a cliff and then suddenly picking up an assault rifle severely breaks up the game’s momentum.

Unfortunately, the game is fairly short. It clocked in for me a little under ten hours (but then again I die a lot) which is decent but far below the standard since Mirror’s Edge does not include any sort of multiplayer. It does offer Time Trials, though, which is a nifty feature. You can run through a series of levels, experimenting and exploring in order to achieve the fastest time. You can upload your time onto online leader boards for bragging rights, but that’s really about it.

The lack of multiplayer is severely disappointing. Not necessarily because the game necessarily needs one (though it would have been appreciated) but because the concept of Mirror’s Edge practically begs for one. Several of your objectives in Mirror’s Edge have you chasing someone. How hard could it possibly have been to implement a sort of Cat-and-Mouse multiplayer mode? Or a Capture the Flag mode? How sick would it be to have teams of runners racing through obstacle courses while fighting over a courier bag?

EA Dice is famous for creating the Battlefield franchise, a series (which the exception of Bad Company) renowned for having a great online multiplayer component while having virtually no single player. Because of this, it’s almost ironic that they would turn around and create an exclusively single player game like Mirror’s Edge.

Mirror’s Edge excels in both the graphics and audio department. The graphics are really unlike anything gamer’s have seen before, and the soundtrack perfectly suits the game’s atmosphere. On top of all that, the game’s theme song, Still Alive by Lisa Miskovesky, is just pure awesome and has earned a spot on my Ipod.

Mirror’s Edge is a really fun game, but your mileage with it will be largely based on how comfortable you are replaying the same levels over and over again. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys mastering courses to achieve the best times in the world (Time Trial) or merely enjoy Mirror’s Edge’s gameplay so much you won’t mind playing it one or two more times, Mirror’s Edge is a great game that’s well worth checking out. However, if you’re truly looking for your $60 worth, you might want to consider renting Mirror’s Edge first. Or at the very least, wait until it goes on sale.

It’s a beautifully artistic game with an incredibly creative and well executed concept, but due to its lackluster narrative, short gameplay time, and exclusion of multiplayer, Mirror’s Edge never fully finds the stride its looking for.

Final Verdict: Rent It
Final Score: 8/10

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 (DNDWXA2) PC Notebook

The Dell Mini 9 is the perfect choice for the busy professional on the go. Not to presume that I'm either busy or professional (quite the contrary in fact) but I am "on the go" and that is where the light weight Dell Mini definitely comes in handy. Incredibly small and compact (it weighs around 2 ilbs and has a screen that is 8.9 inches large) I can easily fit the Dell Mini in my book bag for easy and convenient storage and transport when I travel in between my classes and work.

The Dell Mini 9 is equipped with Intel's new 1.6 ghz Atom processor which works fairly well. One important thing about using a Mini notebook (or any notebook built for portability) is that while your laptop is a fraction of the size, its performance is only going to be a fraction of what a bigger laptop or desktop can offer. Because of this reason, while the processor is more than capable of dealing with tasks like running movies and basic programs, you will notice that loading things on your Dell Mini will take a noticeably longer time than normal. For instance, installing AIM on the Dell Mini took close to five minutes to complete. On my other laptop, it took less than a minute. On the other hand, though, I did notice that the Dell Mini boots up incredibly quickly.

Oh, also, just for fun, I tried installing Warcraft III on the Dell Mini and it actually works pretty decently. That was kind of surprising -the built in graphics card and 512 mb of RAM were actually able to keep up with the game and output a respectable 20fps.

It's worth noting that the Dell Mini's battery capacity is far greater than normal. On a full charge, with wireless turned on, the Dell Mini lasted for around 5-6 hours. However, after prolonged usage, the bottom of the Dell Mini does have the tendency to generate quite a bit of heat. It's nothing terrible, but it's worth noting.

The Dell Mini 9 comes installed with Windows XP Service Pack 3 which is a nice touch. For those accustomed to Windows, not having to learn how to use the less user friendly Linux is definitely something you will appreciate. Fortunately, the Dell's specs are enough to accommodate the Windows operating system, and things run fairly smoothly.

One gripe I do have about the Dell Mini is its storage capacity. After the OS, you're looking at only 4 GB of HDD space left on the Dell Mini. While this problem can be easily rectified by purchasing a thumb drive, it's still a rather minor inconvenience that will force you to decide which programs you really need to install on your new laptop. After putting on Firefox, AIM, MSN Messenger, Microsoft Word, video codecs and other miscellaneous software, I was already down to around 3 GB of storage space.

The Dell Mini DOES NOT have any sort of DVD-ROM. Which means you're going to be installing most of your stuff via flash drive. Not having a drive on your laptop might hamper your ability to install certain types of software, but if you're handy with computers, you should be easily able to find a workaround this problem. I did at least.

However, it's important to keep in mind that the Dell Mini is designed for portability, and in that aspect, is excels. There is a drawback to this, though. In order to be as small and compact as possible, the Dell Mini has modified its keyboard. Certain keys aren't where they should be (including the " key which is remapped to the bottom right hand corner of the keyboard instead of its normal place on the center right hand side) making typing rather difficult initially. I spent more time looking at the keyboard than at the screen for the first several days, but eventually you'll get the hang of it. The keys are also really tiny, meaning if you have larger hands, you probably will want to try out the Dell Mini before you pick one up.

It may sound like I'm critical of the Dell Mini's design, and while it does have its drawbacks, I really do love the tiny machine. It comes equipped with all the amenities one would want from a laptop (including VGA output, three USB ports, headphone jack, Ethernet connection etc.), its battery lasts for hours, it has the capability of doing almost everything I need it to (no next gen gaming though unfortunately) and on top of all that, it's so incredibly light and portable that I can easily take it with me wherever I go.

The Dell Mini isn't designed to replace your desktop -it's there to offer a very convenient device that allows you to take care of your work on the go. You won't be playing World of Warcraft with the Dell Mini, but if you need to finish up school work on the train (or merely want to check sports scores during class), it allows you the flexibility and utility to accommodate the demands of traveling students and business professionals. The keyboard does take a little getting used to and the hard drive space is disappointing, but if you can overlook those particular flaw, the Dell Mini 9 is a great, lightweight and portable laptop.

A video review (starring ME!) will be out soon so keep can eye out for it in the next few days!