Bio-hazardous blogs

Achievement Hunting - Aliens Vs Predator (XBOX 360)

2011-07-19T07:21:00.000-04:00

Well I have finally begun my Nightmare runs in AVP and it is turning out to be way harder than I imagined at least on the Marine missions. For anyone who hasn't played AVP the Nightmare setting is the hardest mode where you don't get any checkpoints in the level, so if you die you have to restart the entire mission.

Walking through the colony and having the motion tracker pick up several signals creates a very tense situation. Last night I finished the first level of the Marine missions (took about 45mins) and the last bit has you holding out in a long hallway vs a ton of Xenos. My pulse rifle chewed through the first bit before they even got off the roof, the second wave well they got closer forcing me to melee the first one in the face and then sprint in the direction they were coming from so I could kite them some more. It sounds easier than it actually is, the Xenos have a tendency to jump around and are very good at flanking you, the key is to have a path in mind when backpedaling away from the Xeno and then when you have no more room to back up run like a mad man then rinse and repeat; Worked pretty well for the first level, hoping I can have more success with the second level and hopefully by the end of the week I will have completed Nightmare on at least the Marine side.

Bargain Bin Bio - Mercenaries 2: World in Flames(XBOX 360)

2011-07-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

Up this week from the Bargain Bin is Mercenaries 2: World in Flames for the XBOX 360.

This has been out for awhile, and I actually owned it when it first came out however I was lacking something my first go around, and that was having a co-op partner to enough non-stop mayhem with.

Graphics:

For being an older open world game the graphics are really not that bad, add on top of that everything can be pretty much leveled and its actually a marvel that the game runs as good as it does. There are some texture issues as well as some graphics disappearing all together.

Sound:

The sound effects are pretty solid ranging from the gunfire, to the sound of an artillery strike dropping onto your target. The only compliant I have with the sound is a weird glitch I encountered while playing co-op, when me and my buddy were raiding an enemy location I would get a weird echo effect when the AI would try and alert their boss, it also kept playing even when killing the caller it was kind of annoying but really doesn't detract from the overall game.

Gameplay:

Very few games come close to the fun I have had while playing Mercs 2. I know most of it is mindless running around and blowing stuff up, but what makes Mercs 2 unique (well for its time) was being able to approach a mission in a variety of different ways and still be able to have fun doing it. What is also fun is coming up with new attacks using a co-op friend my personal favorite being the jihad jeep (c4+jeep+speeding to the enemy building or tank) which by the way created alot of laughs, and pulling off a dramatic escape while one person flies a chopper and the other calls in a bunker buster on the oil platform racing to grapple the chopper as the structure crumbles into the ocean. Some of the missions can get repetitive and some get down right frustrating (I am looking at you cargo missions) but if you look past that and have a buddy to play with you will have a ton more fun with it.

I give Mercenaries 2: World in Flames a solid 3/5. Overall it is a blast to play despite the glitches and come on its like dirt cheap right now so go ahead add it to your game library.

Fallout New Vegas Caravan Master Achievement Guide

2011-07-12T08:19:00.000-04:00

Decided to make this guide since I seemed to avoid playing Caravan like the plague because the concept seemed so confusing and time consuming.

So here we go, you can do this without any in depth deck building, you will merely need to eliminate the Queens, Aces, and Jokers from your deck as they are pretty much useless (at least in my experience) you will only need to do it once so after you do that you are set for 30 games. What you need to do is travel to Novac and find No-Bark since after he loses all his money he will just play for free so this is just easier.

Now for the rules of Caravan. The object of the game is to get your stacks as close to 26 as possible without letting your opponent do the same. I usually start my stacks as a each different suites starting with a low number card if possible.

Break down of cards:
Number Cards - Self explanatory they add up as your would expect

Kings - Double the card you place it on. So for example you have a 10 card placed down putting the king on it will bump it up to 20. This can work in your favor in two ways one giving you a high number for your stacks, and two using the King on the opponent stack to make him bust.

Jacks- Remove the card it is placed on, great for messing up the enemy caravan or removing a king your opponent has placed to make you go bust.

Hopefully my guide helps as I was able to tackle the achievement in about an hour of gameplay, I also highly recommend saving after a few wins just in case the game decides to lock up on you. If you have any more questions or need more tips please let me know this is my second attempt at writing a guide and any and all feedback is appreciated.

Honest Brink Review

2011-07-12T07:48:00.000-04:00

Well it certainly has been awhile since I have updated the blog and I feel the time is right to get it going again.

For those of you who don't know my Wife and I are expecting are 2nd child in January so things have been hectic getting things squared away at home.

So since it has been awhile I am going to start off with my honest take on Brink for the XBOX360. Now I know there are alot of mixed emotions about this game it's really a love it or hate it game which is fine, but what you have to know going in is Brink in no way was attempting to be the COD killer labeled it as. Brink goes back to what made games fun and that is having the ability to play with friends against Bots, I know what your thinking Bots are no where near the challenge as a Human player and you may be right, but for me as I get older I have lost that competitive gaming edge and would rather hang out with friends online and stomp some computers down.

Graphics - Brink has some pretty cool visuals but at the same time suffers from some texture loading which to be honest in no way takes away from the game play and usually happens right when a match is starting. I actually like the cartoony style of the character models as it lends itself better to the experience.

Sound - This is one of the places that Brink shines, the gun sounds are nothing short of awesome and if the SMG sound effects annoy my wife they have to be good. The music is sub standard but if you are playing Brink to listen to the background music there is something wrong.

Gameplay - This is where Brink shines having the ability to play as 4 different classes each bringing something unique to the mix able to support their teammates whether through either buffs, heals, ammo drops, or just spotting enemy locations and marking mines. My only complaint with the gameplay has to do with the body types, for the life of me I can't see any reason to play as the heavy or medium body types yes they get access to different weapons but currently as it stands I can do as much damage with an SMG as I can with a rifle using a medium or heavy body and this really takes away from the point of even having them. Another thing that can get a tad frustrating is the friendly AI sometimes forgets that there is a primary objective and leave you and your human friends to do all the work, while the enemy AI is focused on the main objective and work as a single unit to make your life a living hell.

Brink is an amazing games despite the flaws it has that I am sure can be fixed with some patches. Also the devs are releasing free DLC for a two week period this month so be sure to keep a eye out for it on the dashboard.

Overall I give Brink a 4/5. If your looking for a solid shooter to play with friends vs AI this is your game, also if you liked TF2 you will fit right into the Brink world.

Bargain Bin Bio - Batman Arkham Asylum

2011-01-20T08:41:00.000-05:00

So I missed the first boat for Batman AA when it first came out mainly because my money was tied up in other new releases at the time. Recently however I was able to pick up a copy for about 25 bucks and was greatly pleased with what I had purchased.

Gameplay - The gameplay is surprisingly solid with well executed puzzles, and fantastic stealth elements... oh did I forget to mention that the combat is absolutely superb? With the right timing and moves Batman can achieve a combo that allows you to flow from each baddie in swift motions allowing him to pretty much down an entire room full of them. Instead of making a separate control section I will just include it here, the controls are solid and allow for easy movement and to execute combos with ease... well once you get the hang of the combat.
Sound/Music - Everything from the voice acting, to the sound of breaking bones is executed well. I can't recall too much on the music side but I do remember that it fit the mood.

Final Word: If you are looking for a solid single player experience at a killer price look no further than Batman AA. It features awesome combat, as well as a stellar voice cast that will make the entire game an enjoyable experience for hardcore Batman fans, to those just looking for a fun platform game. I give Batman AA a 5/5.

Batman Arkham Asylum

Back again.

2011-01-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Been awhile since I have updated the ole blog, been really busy with house stuff, and drama.

Anywho I plan on trying to keep this updated as there are a bunch of games hitting store shelves this year that I am psyched about. Recently picked up RDR again and have been playing through that and a little Fable 3 when I have time. I also plan on bringing back the Bargain Bin Bio article so I can review some good games that meet anyone's budget. So stay tuned as I put together some more articles and hopefully pull back some of my readers :).

Bargain Bin Bio: Spider Man Web of Shadows

2010-05-20T08:29:00.003-04:00

This week I dive into the Bargain Bin once again to bring you a review for one of the latest entries into the Web Slinger series Spider-Man Web of Shadows.

STORY:

Our story finds us taking over the role of Spider-Man it what shown to us by the tutorial to be in the heart of terrible goings on as we soon discover that Venom is back and he is up to no good, but it's not just Venom you have to worry about some of Spider-Mans other iconic villains make an appearance and can potentially become allies to our wall crawler. Overall the story is what you would expect from this sort of game where our hero sets out to save the city and potentially the world, however along the way choices can be made that affect not only who will fight alongside you but also can affect the outcome of the game.

GAMEPLAY:

The gameplay overall is fairly decent, but most of the OPTIONAL tasks get really really really repetitive and you will find yourself sighing after saving 100 citizens only to find out the next goal is 200 more. The good news is if you don't care for optional goals you do not need to complete them to move on, however if you are an achievement whore like myself you will need to complete 60 to get the achievements associated with them.

CONTROLS:

The game controls very well, and you will find yourself easily pulling off high hit combos with no problems. The only real bad thing is the insanely crappy camera angles that randomly make it to where you cannot see anything at eye level as trying to adjust it will either place you looking up at the sky or down at the ground an easy fix is to re-center the camera by pushing the left stick in.

GRAPHICS:

The graphics are pretty decent with crisp textures on some of the character models, however as with any open world game there are some draw distance issues, and the occasional texture pop in but nothing that really detracts from the experience.

SOUND:

Probably the weakest point in the game. The music I noticed at times would skip, and some of the sounds would stutter but really its not anything that would stop you from enjoying playing the game.

Overall I would give Spider-Man Web of Shadows a 3.5 out of 5, while it is not up to par with other open world games it is probably the best Spider-Man game since the one based on the second movie. For any fan of Spider-Man I recommend a rental at least, but at the low price of about 17 bucks it worth checking out.

Another Left 4 Dead Expert run complete

2010-05-20T07:53:00.001-04:00

Well we have done it again. Another person on my friends list has been helped to attain the "What are you trying to prove" achievement in Left 4 Dead last night after completing Blood Harvest on expert. Blood Harvest is probably by far the most difficult campaign on Left 4 Dead with some of the cheapest Director spawns for the Tank and witch. However with a little will power and 1hr and 47 mins of our time we were able to get NvaderJim safely on the rescue vehicle. I believe this marks the 3rd or 4th person I have helped through on this but each time is just as satisfying.

Next up on the agenda is expert on Left 4 Dead 2.

If anyone reading this needs help on Left 4 Dead or Left 4 Dead 2 please let me know I really enjoy running through them. You can reach me via comment here or by sending a message to me on Live GT: Biohzrd451

Update

2010-05-11T08:55:00.000-04:00

Well I should have been updating but have been busy with my Final and writing my research paper, but fear not I am still here.

So here is the low down, tomorrow my wife will be getting surgery so I will be at the hospital pretty much all day until she is discharged that evening, after that it is pretty much going to me being Mr. Mom and taking care of things around the house, however in between that there is gaming to be had.

On the agenda:
Complete the 7 Day Survivor achievement in Dead Rising... this baby right here is a 14 hour endeavor so I plan on getting up early to complete it, probably try and tackle this on Thursday if possible.

Complete the last two achievements on Tropico 3 finishing that game completely.

Finally trade in Just Cause 2 for ODST, while I have had tons of fun with Just Cause 2 I cannot pass up another opportunity to get some more co-op games in. I have already completed ODST but Rift33 showed an interest in playing it so I would be more than happy to assist, he also interested me in getting Halo Wars again which was a freaking blast.

So that is what is on the list right now, probably more to fall in there somewhere but who knows.

So if you read this blog which I seem to get atleast a few hits a day and would like to game with me sometime drop me a line on XBL: Biohzrd451.

Till next time.

Dead Space 2 Debut Trailer

2010-04-29T08:27:00.007-04:00

have to admit I was late to the party for Dead Space, but having recently caught up with it last fall I have to say I am eagerly awaiting to see what new horrors the game creators have in store for Issac Clark.

Check out this Debut trailer for pure epic win.

Whew

2010-04-29T08:07:00.000-04:00

Well finally getting settled into the new house, the hardest part is over now its time to unpack.
Got my TV and xbox setup as well as my Wife's TV and xbox. Now I get down to the nitty gritty which is setting up my wireless network, and I am planning on getting the D-Link DGL-4500 which is a shibby little number which appears to have the power to give my wife a seemless gaming experience and allow us to stream Netflix in our room.

Put one of the new links to amazon in this article check it out and let me know what you think.

Heads up on new stuff to the Blog.

2010-04-26T08:09:00.000-04:00

Well good morning their true believers.

Just a heads up on some new features I added to the ole blog.

From now on when I write a review I will be placing an Amazon ad for said product in my Blog.

If you are intrested in buying the game please feel free to use my link and help support Bio-hazardous blogs :). In turn the money I gain will be used to purchase new games and write more reviews.

Thanks again for the people who search here and support me.

The Passing DLC Review

2010-04-23T07:12:00.001-04:00

Just A quick review of the new DLC out for Left 4 Dead 2 titled The Passing.

The passing is a bridge between the Dead Center and Dark Carnival Campaigns and sees our rag tag team of survivors meeting the cast from L4D.

Overall this DLC proved to be 100 times better than Crash Course which hit last year for L4D, and it seems like they threw in alot more humor as seen in the writings on the wall. I really only have one complaint and I noticed it only while playing Scavenge; We noticed that the hit detection seemed way off, firing point blank range into a zombie horde with a shotgun would down maybe one or miss altogether, also another example my friend was grabbed by a charger dropping his gas can right next to him, now me being the team player unload into the charger chest level up only to have the gan can which is on the ground explode with the text stating I destroyed a gas can.... now mind you I was using the AK-47 which to the best of my knowledge does not have shotgun like spread.

Altogether this is a really good piece of DLC and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to renew their passion for Left 4 Dead2. Despite the few bugs which more than likely will be fixed in the coming weeks I give the new DLC a 4 out of 5.

Review - Just Cause 2

2010-04-19T07:36:00.002-04:00

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Well it has been awhile since I have updated... been really busy sorting out the new house and everything, but fear true believers I am back and have a fresh review this week for Just Cause 2.

Let me start by saying I never played the first Just Cause, and in fact the Demo for Just Cause 2 was pretty meh in my book, but coming across 50 bucks from work and having many friends rave about how much fun they were having I decided to take the plunge and pick up the game; I have to say I am glad I made that decision, and came to the conclusion that the demo did absolutely no justice for the full game as it throws players in without showing them the really cool things they can do and without letting the players get a feel for the controls.

Story

The game once again puts us in the shoes of Rico Rodriguez international man of mystery... and well chaos. You find yourself tracking down your former superior Tom Sheldon who has gone rogue on the island of Panau and it is your job to take him out. Well to prevent spoilers I won't go further than that, and to be honest I have not gotten too far into the game yet to give any spoilers, so far I have clocked 13 hrs into the game and have only completed about 13% of the game.

Did I mention how massive the game world is? No? Well here is a map of Panau and let me be honest for a Sandbox game this is huge.

Gameplay

Here is the real strength with Just Cause 2, you are able to go anywhere right after completing the tutorial missions, and to be honest you have alot of places to choose from, the game world is massive filled with snowy mountains, all the way to sandy deserts, and dense jungles. I found myself toying around quite a bit getting familar with the different controls, trying out things and pretty much playing around. There are lots of things to do as well, from freeing towns by destroying government property and collecting upgrades, to completeing challenge races, or just screwing around exploring the island. Be careful though the more chaos you cause increases your heat level and will draw the attention of the island military, but really they are no problem for the great Rico Suave. Be forewarned however this is a sandbox game, and as many of us know with any sandbox game comes some form of repeativness and Just Cause 2 is no exception you will find yourself completeing various missions that are laid out almost identical; For instance when playing the missions where you are taking over the stronghold it is the same task everytime you do it, escort a technician to the terminal so he can hack it and take over the base. Oh yes I almost forgot their are escort missions and yes they can be frustrating as the AI tends to love being killed.

Sound

The sound effects are pretty good, you can hear bullets whiz past your head, and I am sure on surround sound the explosions must be spectacular. The music is also pretty good, nothing really stand out but decent enough to not really get on your nerves.

Graphics

What can I say, Just Cause 2 features some of the best graphics I have seen in awhile, the world is absolutely beautiful, and I never noticed any slowdowns due to graphics.

Controls

Here is where I have a problem, not necessarily with the controls in general but with how stiff they feel. You will really notice how stiff it feels with driving a vehicle or flying a plane, however on foot I didn't really notice any issue with the controls other than it feeling a little slower than I like.

So there you have it my two cents on Just Cause 2. It's a really fun game with flaws that so far I have been able to overcome and have enjoyed my time in the shoes of Rico. I gave Just Cause 2 3.5 out of 5 it's a really fun game with lots of stuff to do, but stiff controls and repetitiveness might turn some people off.

REVIEW: Army of Two the 40th Day (XBOX360)

2010-01-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

Whew haven't updated the blog in quite some time due to changing work schedule, but never fear I am back and coming back at you with a review for Army of Two the 40th Day.

Story:

For those not familiar with the first Army of Two your are put into the shoes of either Salem or Rios two badass mercs who are out to make some money but somehow always find themselves in unfortunate situations. This go around we find them in Shanghai in what should be an easy mission that quickly turns into an all out battle for survival.

Gameplay:

Gameplay has made a vast improvement from the first game, and alot of the elements I found tedious from the first have been removed from the game or have been tightened to be easier to perform. There also have been a few new tricks added to the mix such as taking an officer hostage and have your partner tie up his cronies, or performing a mock surrender while your buddy lines up his shot from his rifle. The only thing that returned that I hated in the first game is the back to back areas while it might seem epic to be fighting with your buddy watching your back spinning around killing countless enemies I just found the back to back thing very tedious and at times extremely cheap.

The game itself is a co-op blast as anyone can guess the entire experience was built from the ground up with co-op in mind and it really shows. I played the entire game co-op with my wife and we have had a blast figuring out how to take down various enemies or planning out or strategies for getting past an area and to me this is co-op at its best.

Controls:

The controls are decent however I did notice at first they seemed very clunky but after a bit of gameplay they seemed really solid and I found myself running and diving for cover quite easily.

Sound:

The sound effects are pretty good. From bullets whizzing past your head or explosions going off around you everything sounded solid, however the background music is decent but not something really remarkable.

Multiplayer:

Tried out the multiplayer a few times and it is really fun if you can find a game without lag. Bascially out of the box if you did not preorder you are given a few game modes: Co-op Deathmatch (2v2v2v2) Warzone (4v4 competing to complete objectives) and Control (4v4 taking over points on the map. I enjoyed the co-op deathmatch the best so far as it pits you and a partner vs others and the teamwork can be nothing short of amazing. If you were smart enough to preorder you get exculsive access to Extraction which is pretty much a Gears of War style horde mode.

So altogether Army of Two the 40th Day is a very solid game to play with a friend, and the multiplayer modes provide a little extra to do when the story mode gets old. With clunky controls at the start but solid gameplay throughout the game I give Army of Two the 40th Day a 4 out of 5.

Baragin Bin Bio - Dead Space

2009-12-02T09:19:00.001-05:00

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year or so you will have heard of Dead Space, a third person survival horror published by EA that dare I say... is good?

Now I am one of those people who did not buy this game outright for 60 bucks when it was released nor did I purchase it when it dropped to around 20 bucks. I waited until this bad boy hit 17.99 and I almost feel bad for how much of a steal it was for this game.

STORY:Your are placed in the role of a space engineer by the name of Issac Clarke who with the other members of his crew is sent on a mission to answer the distress call from the Ishimura the largest planet cracker of its class. Upon arriving on the Ishimura it becomes painfully clear that this is no ordinary distress call and you quickly find yourself separated from your crew and fighting for dear life against a horde of monsters known as "Necromorphs". Let me start by saying the story is solid and fits perfectly with the overall mood of the game, and fans of any Sci-Fi horror movies will find themselves right at home in the creepy metallic hallways of the Ishimura.

GRAPHICS: Wow is all I can really say. The graphics for Dead Space are some of the best I have seen on the 360 to date, and mind you at the time of reviewing this Dead Space is a little over a year old. The first time I was really blown away was being in a room when a quarantine hit and this yellow caution light flashes around the room leaving creepy shadows and for me brought memories from the Aliens movie.

SOUND: Everything from the gun fire, to the eerie noises the Necromorphs make this game pulls it off. The music is downright creepy and always leaves you uneasy when things are quiet. Like I said before fans of Sci-Fi horror will find themselves right at home here.

GAMEPLAY: This I have to admit playing the demo left doubt in my mind how good this game really was, and I have to say having played the full version my doubt was unfounded. The full game offers better controls and explains all the controls to the player right from the start. Combat is downright intense and you will find yourself having to quickly react to each situation, lucky for us killing the Necros is not a matter of emptying X amount of bullets into their rotten torsos but rather strategically dismembering them is the key to killing of the beasts. Also unique to any game is the HUD system, Dead Space lets go of the normal HUD and replaces it all by stuff displayed on either your character or the weapon you are carrying; The only downside to this is your inventory menu/map does not pause the game so if you are in the middle of a battle I advise against going into these menus as well as menus of the store because you can and will be attacked.

Dead Space is a solid game to add to any library and with the 17.99 price tag at Gamestop you really can't go wrong. I give 5 out of 5 for having a fantastic story, easy to use controls, and for bringing something new to the survival horror genre.

Borderlands 360 Review

2009-11-06T08:20:00.001-05:00

So it has been awhile since I updated hasn't it? Well I have been sick, but I also wanted to complete Borderlands before giving the game a review so I could bring to the table the complete game experience, I also did not rush through the game so I could get a good feel for the world of Pandora.

STORY: Now if you were hoping that Borderlands had a gripping story line that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you may want to start looking elsewhere. The story for Borderlands is pretty simplistic, it places you in the role of one of 4 Vault hunters Lilith(Siren), Mordecai(Hunter), Roland(Soldier), and Brick (Tank) who are start of the game are told by a mysterious Lady that the Vault is real and to begin the long journey to find it. To be honest that is the story in the nut shell, there is no real branching out but that is fine considering Borderlands is a game similar to Diablo in which it is a constant quest to find better loot. My only complaint not really with the story but with the rushed feeling later game, I would get into more detail but this review shall remain spoiler free.

SOUND: The game features one of the best opening pieces I have heard in a game in awhile it is called "Ain't no rest for the wicked" by Cage the Elephant, and the timing in what I guess you would call the opening cinematic is down right awesome. The actual game music is pretty cool and really picks up with battle themes and over world themes.

GRAPHICS: Gearbox took a real gamble with the art style on the game, and for some it is a real hit or miss; In my opinion though I really don't think they could have pulled off the game using any other style, it just looks amazing and gives the world character. The only real peeve I have with the graphics is that none of the play characters have facial animations which bugs me.

GAMEPLAY: Ok so you take a FPS and mix it with some RPG elements and you pretty much get Borderlands. Other games have tried to form a marriage of these two genres only to fail miserably in execution, Borderlands however did not fail in its execution. The shooter elements are top notch and stand toe to toe with other FPS games out there such as CoD of Halo, and the RPG elements are good enough to attract both RPG fiends without pushing casual gamers away. So you like using a sniper rifle? Keep using it and the more you kill the better you get with it giving you bonuses to accuracy etc. The total execution of Borderlands is flawless.

MULTIPLAYER: Ok so I am not grading on multiplayer but felt it needed it's own section in my review. Multiplayer can be played a number of ways 2 player splitscreen (No online or system link support for this yet) 4 Players via live, and system link. I played the entire game splitscreen with my wife and the experience was very enjoyable a rivals the times we have had with Left 4 Dead, and Resident Evil 5. It should be noted that the more people you get in the game the harder the enemies get but the loot they drop gets better as well. Finding a game is easy over live with Matchmaking, but in my opinion Borderlands is a game best played with friends.

Overall I give Borderlands a 4.5 out of 5. I would have said 5 out of 5 but the rushed feeling of the game later on just leaves me thinking there could have been more. If you are looking for a game to add to your collection, or a present for a loved one this Holiday season I highly recommend Borderlands.

Left 4 Dead 2 Demo early to preorders?

2009-09-24T07:42:00.000-04:00

Well if you are one of the many people I game with online you know how much I love Left 4 Dead, and you probably know that I am super excited for Left 4 Dead 2.

So anyway the other day Valve confirmed that the Left 4 Dead DLC Crash Course will be dropping on the 29th which is very cool, also they announced the demo for Left 4 Dead 2 will be dropping October the 27th. Now here is where things get hazy; I was doing some searching and came across a tidbit that mentioned the 27th date is the day people who preordered will be able to download the demo, the rest will probably have to wait a few days before getting their rotting hands on it.

Stay tuned here for more news as I find it.

Till next time loyal readers.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 XBOX 360 Review

2009-09-18T07:19:00.000-04:00

Well it's been awhile since I have update this blog but its a good one this time I promise you.

So earlier this week on Tuesday the 15th Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 released in the US, now I don't know about other people but this was an anticipated game for me, I loved the first one and was eager to see what improvements they would make with the second, and trust me they have made vast improvements over the first.

Story: So our SuperHero saga begins during the events of Nick Fury's Secret War story line, and sees are heros performing a mission in Latevaria to unseat Lucia Von Bardas and leave their castle in rubble. The first mission is for all intensive purposes a training tutorial teaching you the basics such as character swapping, fusions, powers, and leveling your heros. The first act is basically the events leading up the Superhuman Registration Act which labels Heros as weapons of mass destruction, and makes all Heros reveal their secret identity to the government, which all Heros oppose at the current time, however due to actions by the New Warriors during their reality TV show the Act is passed in Congress and all heros are required to register. Here is where it gets interesting there are still heros opposed to the Act mainly Captain America who is approached by S.H.I.E.L.D to head up the act which he refuses escaping custody and becoming the leader for the Anti Registration movement, while Ironman heads up the Pro Registration forces. I won't go too much into the story but I will say it is solid and will not leave you bored.

Gameplay: If you have played the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance then you will be right at home with the controls, however I have to say that the controls feel alot smoother then they did before but it could just be my imagination. The Hero selection this go around is less than the original however I think it was a wise decision in the first there were Heros I would never touch because either I didn't like them, or their powers were useless, the latter is no longer an issue because gone are the multiple powers that you could level up instead each button is assigned a power right out of the box, and you are free to level up whichever you choose... I know what you are thinking limited choice right? Well normally I would say yes but if you played the first you remember how many useless powers there were, this is not the case in MUA2 the powers feel natural and some are just funny to watch for example the Hulk has a dash attack where he tackles the enemy and proceeds to smash their face in. Fusions a new addition to the game are absolutely brilliant each hero can preform a fusion with another hero these range from a variety of styles some more flashy then others but equally as deadly to your opponents, my favorite so far as been Storm and Gambit, Storm will create a tornado and Gambit throws kinetically charged cards into it creating a whirlwind of destruction to sucks up anything in its path. Altogether the gameplay is a vast improvement over the first.

Graphics: All I can say is the graphics and environments are a huge improvement over the first, the lighting, backgrounds, everything just looks ten times better than the first, the powers all look nice. Not much else to say about it other than it looks really good.

Sound: Not sure if this was an issue to anyone else but the first MUA had the most annoying soundtrack that made going back through levels almost painful, I didn't find that here, the soundtrack was nice and really fit the mood of the game. The sound effects are also all very nice from explosions, to the maniac laugh of the Green Goblin it is all good. Also the voice acting seems to be loads better and even some lines are based on what side of the civil war you are on for example playing through on Anti Reg as the Hulk he said "Puny humans say register... Hulk say SMASH!!" what really made this line stand out to me is I was doing the tackle move on a S.H.I.E.L.D capekiller at the time and it made me lol.

"Puny humans say register... Hulk say SMASH!!"

Multiplayer: If you liked the multiplayer on the first you will like the second, it features drop in and drop out, and if I am not mistaken you will be able to play splitscreen online. The only downfall of the multiplayer is the camera is shared by all players, which may not be a bad thing since teamwork is really necessary to pull off the fusions.

So basically I would say this is a very good game with the story lasting about 8-10 hrs with lots of replay options I would say this is a good buy for anyone looking for a good beat em up or one of the best Marvel experiences to date on the console. I give this game a 4 out of 5 because the camera angle is kind of annoying but past that this is a solid game.

Left 4 Dead 2 New Special Infected

2009-09-02T09:34:00.001-04:00

Ok so anyone who knows me, knows I am psyched for L4D2 so any news I found out about it makes me salivate profusely.

Looking around the net I found info on the new special infected that will be revealed at PAX this year is the Jockey, in case you were wondering a Journalist wrote Valve who did in fact confirm the Jockey's existence.

The Jockey changes up the ball game big time his ability is to pounce on the back of a survivor (similar to hunter?) and start ripping them apart... but it doesn't stop there once he is on the back of a survivor he can steer them... yes you heard correctly he will be able to control their movement... I can only imagine the sweet chaos that will happen in Left 4 Dead 2 versus now.

So far Valve has really changed the entire Dynamic of Left 4 Dead 2, now gone are the days when we would huddle in a closet meleeing the hordes away the Spitter has seen to that as well as the fatigue meter from using melee attacks, the charger will see to it that groups of tight knit survivors will be split up, and the Jockey seems like a deadlier version of the hunter. I enjoy the changes that Valve has made so far as it really pushes teamwork to a whole new level as we will have to develop our strategies on the fly.

So what are your thoughts on the changes being made by Valve, or on the new Special Infected that have been added to the game?

Lost Planet 2 Demo Impressions

2009-08-20T07:44:00.000-04:00

So the demo for Lost Planet 2 dropped last week, and let me tell you my co-op experience was fantastic. I never really played the first Lost Planet but I have heard lots of good things about it, so when firing up Lost Planet 2 it was all brand new to me.

Controls: At first (like many others I am sure) the controls felt sluggish I felt like I was not moving fast enough, and aiming felt down right tedious. A friend of mine offered a suggestion that made alot of sense to me, the armor you are wearing restricts your movement/aiming after hearing his theory and playing the game again it made perfect sense. I then found myself easily navigating the demo. Plainly put Lost Planet 2 is a game where you have to get use to the controls, because it is not your standard Third Person Shooter nor does it control like the standard FPS give it time and you will come to like it.

Looks like he needs a dose of Vitamin Bio

Graphics: Let me say the graphics for this game are amazing, My favorite moment was being down by the water and watching the grass sway and move as the giant Salamander emerged from it, or when he charged up his lightning attack and there was a gust of wind as he slammed into the ground. All around the graphics are awesome and make for a really visually pleasing experience.

Sound: Not really alot to go into as far as sound goes, but the effects of the weapons are awesome, listening to the whine of the mechs minigun as you unload into the enemy is amazing. I can't remember if there was music or not because we were too busy talking back and forth about how to deal with the boss to pay much attention to it.

Gameplay: The gameplay is amazing, there are so many ways to go about taking down the boss that it is just pure awesome. From hopping into a mech with a buddy, or launching your grappling hook into the Salamanders mouth... did I mention you can go inside of him? Imagine the worm from Gears 2 and then imagine instead of coming out the worms mouth being launched out his ass and you have the experience from inside the Salamander. Lost Planet 2 is a solid game and the co-op it probably the best I have seen since Left 4 Dead.

All together I would give the Lost Planet 2 demo 4.5 out of 5, while it is a killer demo the controls can put alot of people off to the experience which is the reason behind the 4.5 score. Still if you are looking for a solid demo to play get it... I mean it is free, and it gives you time to really peg the controls down. Here is looking forward to Lost Planet 2 around Easter.

Borderlands

2009-08-18T07:10:00.000-04:00

Ok so unless you have been living under a rock you will have heard about this game called Borderlands. Let's start off by saying that Borderlands has come out of left field and from what I have read is shaping up to be GOTY potential; Why you might ask? Well lets start off with the basics shall we?

Four player co-op online:Now this for me is a huge selling point because what is better than getting together with friends blasting away some aliens/raiders/puppies, gaining levels, and finding sweet loot? It is along the same vein as Diablo where the more friends you get online the harder the baddies get, but the more your rewards increase so it is a fair trade. Also each person can be a specfic class or if everyone wants to be the sniper class everyone can be, although with branching skill trees I am sure no character will be the same.

FPS/RPG elements: We have seen this before with Fallout 3 however where Fallout 3 was lacking I think Borderlands will succede. Reading some of the preview articles it would appear that by using a specfic weapon with you character you will increase your overall skill with it sort of how on Oblivion or Morrowind that when you used a specfic weapon it would increase your skill with it, only I believe this will not level you up rather it would increase your accuracy etc. It is also cool to see that each class will have skill trees allowing each player to have a totally different character than their friends, if I am not mistaken this will be the first time we see something like this on a shooter.

Tons o' Loot: The devs have been talking about this since day one; Randomly generated loot, which according to what has been said guns can have hundreds if not thousands of different variations making for a loot lovers best dream.

Unique Art Style: Some people love or hate the art style that Borderlands has chosen; I for one absolutely love it, it is gritty yet at the same time has a comic feel that I think really sets it apart from everything else out there. In a sea of similar games Borderlands is the shining lighthouse.

Borderlands is set to hit store shelves October 20th of this year for the PC,360, and PS3 and I don't know about you but I plan on picking up my copy on day one. Till next time, later days!

Weekend update

2009-08-17T13:43:00.000-04:00

Well yet again another weekend has passed us by, and I am here to provide a recap of mine.. it's kinda like a drop of water in the bucket of life I suppose lol.

Ok so Friday we ended up running around in Left 4 Dead through like 2 or 3 campaigns and we had a real good time with Zonf86 and his Girlfriend.

Saturday I ended up getting up around 6:30 to run to Wal-mart to get food and stuff for Logan's 2nd birthday party, was a good time not sure about you guys but the best time to go to wal-mart is either late at night or at the butt crack of dawn. After getting home around 7:50ish I unloaded grociers, then went to the dollar store at 9 to get pull ups and icing for the cupcakes... on my way out my Dad stopped me, did I mention we havent seen them in like 4 months because they are insane? Anyway after wasting like 3 hours of my life talking to him and my mom I ended up back home just in time to help setup for the party at 3. Good times I ended up grilling hot dogs and stuff for the party, and after everyone left played some Halo3 Campaign on Legendary... yea it was freaking tought.

Sunday.... Well I won't even go into sunday but I did do a nice 2v2 versus match on Left 4 Dead and managed to snag two achievements on Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Golden age of comics; and the one for getting the silver surfer, only 5 more to go and I have it completed to 100% woohoo.

Check back later I plan on writing a piece for Borderlands and Left 4 Dead 2, both are my most anticipated games this year.

Shotgun Safety

2009-08-14T09:34:00.000-04:00

This week I was bring you some very special tips given to me by Left 4 Dead's very own Francis about Shotgun safety, a topic which is very dear to both Francis and myself.

Never Point A Gun At Anything You Don't Want To Shoot -

I can't stress this enough if you pull your shotgun out and point it at a target make sure it is what you want to shoot, we don't need multiple shootings happening.

Safe Gun Handling -

When handling your shotgun you want to maintain a strong grip, also it is important to note that your hunting partner may or may not want you to place your shotgun in a sheath, when the sheath is on you will find the shooting experience less enjoyable. There are many types of sheaths on the market some are all natural and others are made of a rubber like material.

Shotgun sheath

Know your shotgun -

You really should know what your shotgun can or can't do. Also have your hunting partner take measurements of the barrel to make sure it is a weapon they can handle. Also you don't want to fire off a round early so make sure you test how responsive the trigger is, sometimes a sheath will help prevent early round discharge.

Always check your gun for barrel obstructions -

This is one I stress a lot, make sure there is nothing wrong with your shotgun, you really don't want your hunting partner handling a defective weapon.

Shooting, alcohol and drugs don’t go together. Don’t drink and shoot -

Although they can sometimes make the experience more fun they do tend to create early round discharge, and sometimes they will cause you to shoot the wrong target.

Never shoot across another shooter -

If there is another shooter present please don't whip out your shotgun wait till they are done then proceed to shot yours.

If you don’t know where your hunting partners are, don’t shoot -

If you are not sure your hunting partner is in the right place don't fire off your round it is always important to know where your hunting partners are and where they have been.

Cleaning/Maintaining your shotgun -

It is improtant to clean and maintain your shotgun on a regular basis. If your partner is around have them rub the barrel down with your choice of lubrication, also before cleaning the chamber I recommend discharging a round although this sometimes happens on accident when lubricating the barrel.

Always remember that when you are done shooting your shotgun please put it back in its holster.

Left 4 Dead Versus Dead Air recap

2009-08-14T08:34:00.000-04:00

So yea I gotta be honest, when I first got Left 4 Dead I was not big on versus, in fact I am not big on any kind of competitive gaming, but when you get a good group of people on your team it is on of the most enjoyable experiences.

Lately we have been getting a session of Left 4 Dead versus in just about everyday with Zonf86 since we seem to be on right at the same time he is everyday. Yesterday however turned out to be really awesome with us dominating the other team right off the bat on the first map... I won't give away too many clues as to how we ambush because some of my readers may be against us on a private vs match.

Some things I have noted while playing public games and some good things to know when approaching this for the first time.

Glitches-

One of the glitches that I have just found out about is called "Ghost Swiping" somehow the hunter before spawning is able to swipe the survivors without ever having to spawn; While the damage it does it trivial at best it is none the less cheating and I recommend taking note of anyone you have not killed in awhile because they are more than likely the ones ghost swiping, I ask that you note the name so after the game you can submit feedback against them while it may not do much it will prevent them from being in the same game as you.

Another glitch I have seen is somehow you can call a vote to change the difficulty to easy, not really sure if it does anything but it seems that you have less health as a special, yet again I find it trivial as every time the other team has used it we have beaten them.

Team Killing -

I have noticed this in about 9 out of 10 games. There will be a team of two usually friends who will team kill the other people and call votes continually usually resulting in a locked vote since the other two are friends anyway. This to me ruins the spirit of the game and yet again if you see it remember the name and submit feedback.

Dying on Purpose -

This is a strange one that I have noticed. There are alot of players out there who just want to play as the infected and will kill themselves on purpose just to make sure they are infected first the next round... this one I am at a loss of words on I love playing as the infected but half the fun it matching your wits against a team of human special infected/survivors.

I am not on a high horse when I say submit feedback nor do I have a stick up my bum, I prefer to just play fair and have fun and I know when people do the above it really ruins the fun and spirit of the game.

Anywho if you are ever looking for a fair game of Left 4 Dead be sure to look me up Biohzrd451.

Till next time loyal readers!

Thrusday gaming/weekly recap

2009-08-14T08:24:00.001-04:00

Well here are are again Friday, thank god.

Been a busy/costly week so far, Rent, Cable and electric bill all due so my paycheck just went out the window. Still in good sprites despite the monetary setback today is my Son's second birthday, seems like only yesterday I taking my wife to the hospital, standing there beside her as I witnessed the miracle of birth... don't ask her if it was a miracle it looked painful lol; but here we are two years later and he is talking, running around, and getting in to everything.

Tonight also happens to be my best gaming night it would seem. Usually we get a few hours worth of play with Zonf86 our good friend from the UK, as well as some of the fellows from Co-optimus who have been equally as awesome to play with. Tonight we are hoping to get some private versus action going, however if there is a lack of bodies we are probably going to make a run for Nothing Special. Last week we did a bout two rounds of private versus and it turned out really well, hoping to do it again sometime.

Tomorrow morning I am suppose to get up at 5:20ish am to run to the store to get the stuff for Logan's party... should be fun.

This summer in gaming

2009-08-06T10:11:00.001-04:00

Well its been almost a month since I last posted but never fear I am still around.

It has been a hectic summer so far with Florida temps in the 90s (feels like 100) and with the three birthdays back to back (my wife's, mine, and my sons) it has been expensive, but enough about that this is a blog about gaming and that's what I am here to talk about.

So anyone who knows me knows I love achievements, I just can't get enough of them. Well this summer I have decided to blow the dust off some of my games and see if I can't get 100% on them. The first one I got knocked out was Left 4 Dead and let me tell you Nothing Special was a long time coming, I managed to snag it with 3 bots and a handful of prayers. Now I am currently working on Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Crackdown, Crackdown seems like it is going to take a little bit more time I have already managed to snag all 500 agi orbs now I just need to hunt down the 300 hidden orbs which should be a real treat :P.

Anyway big plans for tomorrow I have scheduled a Left 4 Dead versus meetup and things seem to be going to plan. It should be a blast and I think everyone will have a good time, if not well then they can just get punched off a building by the tank :P.

Ghosbusters Review... Yea I know it's late :P.

2009-07-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

Ok so yea I am a little behind on getting this review up, but I have been well ya know busy. Anywho unless you have been under a rock for about a month you will know that Ghostbusters the video game released on June 16th in the US and I believe about a week later for our European cousins.

Let's start by saying if you are by any means a Ghostbusters fan you will enjoy this game, from throwing at your proton steam, to setting a trap to capture those pesky ghosts it's all there. Also the original cast from the movies reprise their roles of the Ghostbusters crew, with the exception of Rick Morannis who didn't with to voice Tulley as he is now retired but the game dev's still payed homage to him with his desk and a set of ear muffs over his uniform.

The graphics are excellent, and the characters look exactly how they did in the 80's, but graphics are not everything right? How is the gameplay you ask? Well think Gears of War Lite which basically means Gears without melee and with a limited selection of weapons but that is by no means a bad thing you will quickly find yourself using the weapons in different ways to capture ghosts. The best part of the gameplay to me is simply wrangling the ghosts into the trap now will this may seem repetitive it never seems to get old, especially when you get the hang of slim dunking. Now onto the music well not much to say really it sounds like it was pulled straight from the movies and will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy from nostalgia.

Now for my gripes with the game well actually only one gripe and that is the lack of a co-op story. Now don't get me wrong the story does a good job of making you feel like a new Ghostbuster but to be honest it feels lacking when you see 4 Ghostbusters you can't help but think of Co-op along the same lines as Left 4 Dead where each player picks their Ghostbuster and tackles the story together rather than solo with questionable AI. This brings me to my second gripe... yea I know I said I had only one but I lied and it is the Multiplayer it just feels like tacked on Minigames rather than a full multiplayer I would have liked to have seen where you select calls maybe even random to check out a located and hunt a ghost rather than the timed missions we have.

So my final verdict is if you are a Ghostbusters fan you could justify the buy, however with alot of games on the horizon I would probably recommend renting the game even on the hardest setting it should only take you a day or two to get through the story. I give Ghostbusters a 3.5 out of 5 for a solid story but the lacking of a good co-op and multiplayer the re playability just is not there after a few runs through the game.

Sacred 2 - Ascaron Fan Achievement

2009-05-28T08:47:00.000-04:00

Well some of you playing Sacred 2 might have seen the achievement/trophy for Ascaron Fan and may have wondered where in the heck this place is, well wonder no longer friends because I am here to help and its easy to do just follow these steps.

1. Cut a hole in a box
2. Put your..... wait a minute these are steps for something else.

Step 1.
A crude map I know but the starting point for this is the Archaeologist camp at the north end of the Jungle region. If you follow the road south you should come to a bridge, don't cross instead travel east along the river and maneuver around the trees to make your way around the mountain, you should come across a t-energy energy field so you know you are going the right way, you should come to a crude wooden bridge cross it and explore around until you see a dungeon. (The outside looks like a ruin) Go inside and in the center of the room is a switch, activate it and you should see the text saying "Something Wonderful has opened". Right now you are probably saying "Where in the heck did it open up?" never fear I am here to help again.

Step 2.
For this one warp to the Tear Drop Hamlet and follow the road south towards the desert region, you should see on your map a huge field of t-energy pools that run north along the lake, make your way through them and proceed north (Don't worry there is only one way through the fields). After a while you should come to a series of bridges that go over the waterfall cross them after enjoying the view it's quite lovely :). The next landmark will be a Temple of the Gods from there head south and you should see a wooden bridge near the dead end go across it and you should see the dungeon called "Something Wonderful" not sure if this is a good reference but for us there was a Hydra outside of the dungeon but I think if you follow the map you can't miss it.

Step 3.
Go inside and talk to the guy in there, he will give you a quest called "Office" or something to that affect (You do not have to complete this quest for the achievement) proceed up the stairs until the achievement unlocks. Congratulations you have completed this rather miss able achievement.

Weekend gaming Recap

2009-05-26T10:34:00.000-04:00

So another weekend has come and gone but it was not without it's fun moments in co-op gaming!

First up on my list were two sessions of Left 4 Dead one which was a complete success despite 12 restarts on the finale and one was a complete failure after breezing through the campaign only to be brought to a complete halt on the finale.

Saturday I believe it was myself, Zonf86, and my lovely wife MissLaceyT ventured out to conquer Dead Air. We breezed through the campaign only dieing I believe once on the third level, but the finale... oh man the finale is just brutal. The basic setup was that we would all get in the corner on the dirt hill and fire at the zombies as they rushed to us... it sounds awesome in theory but man it seemed to go south real quick once a smoker pulled on of us away... then it was like dominoes one of use would fall, then the next and so on. However after a grueling 2 hours and 36 minutes we pulled out a victory as we all climbed aboard the plane waving goodbye to Louis as the horde chowed down on his tasty innards.

"Eat me first my innards are tasty!"

Our second run through on Blood Harvest Monday met with disaster on the finale, words cannot describe how painful it was to constantly restart over and over only to be met with defeat. We did however fair a little better once Zonf86's friend joined up with us but due to a smoker tank combo our chance to win was quickly snuffed out. If anyone out there is interested we will be attempting this again either Friday or sometime this weekend be sure to check here for more details.

Smoker and Tank BFF

On a minor note got some Sacred 2 in over the weekend and got my Shadow Warrior to level 33 woohoo!

Hope everyone had a good and safe Memorial Day!

Lay offs rock the Halo Wars world.

2009-05-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

Following many of other UNSC field operations in the Galaxy the Spirit of Fire chief officers layed off all employee's working at the bases field armory just moments after finishing work on the new turret upgrade. "It was crazy one minute the Sparatans were praising our work commenting on how well our upgrades helped out the team, and then the next minute after they sent us 800 supplies to finish the upgrade for our turret system we were all fired" said a former field employee "I mean what in the heck am I suppose to do now?".

Pictured left is the field armory that was shut down late Thursday around 10p.m. after according to field operatives Biohzrd451 and A Satriani Solo had reached the end of it's usefulness and was no longer cost effective to keep it running at the base facility. "We had to make room for something that was more cost effective and the field armory just wasn't doing it, so we scrapped it, blew it up and replaced it with an Air Pad." said Biohzrd451 "If the base employees have a problem with the reduction they can come see myself of A Satriani Solo to be placed on new duties." According to reports these new duties were being placed in the flood infested territory with a butter knife and a prayer.

At the time of press Captain Cutter could not be reached for comment.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel review (XBOX 360)

2009-05-20T08:55:00.000-04:00

So it's been awhile since I have updated my blog, yea I know what you are thinking another failed blog.... well it's not the case just have been busy with other stuff :P. Ok so this week I am bringing you my review of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.

So what happens when you merge a Diablo style hack n slash with an open world like World of Warcraft? If you guessed Sacred 2 you are right on the money because that is how this game feels starting out. When first starting the game you will be asked to create a character from a pool of 6 available classes 4 of which can choose either a light or dark path and two that must follow only one path. Here is the class breakdown:

Seraphim (Female/Light only) - This is the first class you are shown, basically following the back story they are responsible for the creation of Ancaria but were banished to live there by the creator. She is pretty much stuck to the good path so anyone out there wanting to play a dark angel please keep moving along.

Shadow Warrior (Male/Dark/Light) - The Shadow Warrior can for the most part serve as the parties tank, however for my review I played as a Shadow Warrior light path using some of his Astral Lord abilities which made him into a sort of Necromancer with medium tanking ability. I highly recommend this character to new players.

High Elf (Female/Dark/Light) - Serves the role of main magic user, and probably is the only one you could consider a full casting class in Sacred 2.

Dryad (Female/Dark/Light) - Archer/Nature magic user seems great for ranged combat.

Temple Guardian (Male?/Light/Dark) - Cyborg creatures that look like the Egytpian god Anubis. The seem to feel a role as both ranged combat and have a variety of tech abilities.

Inquisitor (Male/Dark) - Another class I got to play while reviewing the game servers as sort of a mage warrior hybrid with debuff spells.

So pretty good selection right? Well even after selecting your class you are given your choice of gods to choose from which grants you a special ability that is mapped to the top directional pad on the 360 controller, and more often than not comes in very handy.

The world of Sacred 2 looks amazing while the character models may not look next gen the world certainly does, grass and trees move in the breeze and even some spells affect the environment for example playing as the Inquisitor I cast Malestorm which causes all enemies to be hurled into each other it also makes the trees and grass move as if there was a violent wind blowing which I thought was pretty cool; however don't think you can just stroll through the world taking in all the sights because you will find yourself constantly hounded by enemies to the point is seems ridiculous and this is one of the faults I found with the game it seemed like there were no safe spots except for in the heart of a city with guards, some towns even have bad guys walking through them if you can believe that.

Keep running no where is safe in Ancaria!

The character in Sacred 2 while not looking next gen do provide some level of customization for your character to make him/her look they way you want, just an example my Inquisitor looks like he got his armor from Master Shredder so some level of customization is there; on the same note as that your weapons/armor can be socketed with various items you find in the world granting them different abilities ranging from damage enhancement to skill stat boosts. The one thing I did notice is that Sacred 2 has somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to getting spells and upgrading your abilities; when you level you are not automatically given spells or a choice to choose them spells/abilities are actually gained by finding them as loot/or buying them from a vendor, each rune you have of the same spell/ability that you use will increase your spell/ability level... this to me was a confusing system and it wasn't until my second run through that I figured out the system so if you are jumping into this right out of the box I recommend using the manual to get familiar with the world.

"I really like your helmet!"

The combat in Sacred 2 suffers from the same problem that other Hack n' Slash games have had since the beginning and that is extremely repetitive combat which as I said before is around every corner, now for me this is not bad but for others out there looking for different ways to approach a situation you might want to look elsewhere for truly deep combat.

Now for the highlight of Sacred 2 something I feel was done so right is the online Co-op. Following the foot steps of great games like Diablo 2 where the Co-op experience was one of the best in the Hack n' Slash genre Sacred 2 offers a similar experience but in a richer environment where each class can be so different from the guy sitting next to you playing as the same class that it is amazing. You can I believe bring a guest online but you will be sharing a screen for you couch co-opers out there however if someone joins your game they are free to wander as they please in your world which can support three other players if you are playing online.

All in all Sacred 2 is a good game for fans of Hack N' Slash or those just waiting on something to tide them over till Diablo III comes out, either way you are in for a treat in the world of Ancaria. I give Sacred 2 a 8.5/10

Resident Evil 5 Review

2009-03-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

So yea I finally picked up Resident Evil 5 despite how much the demo put me off, why you might ask well let me put it this way it was a Friday night our friends were suppose to come over... well it didn't work out so sitting there in our boredom my wife and I decided to get Resident Evil 5 to play coop, and let me tell you I have not regretted that decision yet.

First off if your no stranger to Resident Evil 4 you will be no stranger to the layout of the game, however if you have never played Resident Evil 4 or and Resident Evil game and you are looking for a shooter you might want to keep looking. Resident Evil 5 sticks to the formula of you having to stop to aim and shoot (No more two-piecing darn) I will admit at first this was one of my turn offs about the game however after playing the game for a bit I will admit being able to move and shoot at the same time would have made the battles way too easy, in a way having to stop makes you think more aware of what is around you and has to react sometimes out of fear.

Resident Evil 5 puts you back in the shoes of Chris Redfield and the newest edition to the series Sheva Alomar who is Chris's new partner in the BSAA which is an organization setup to stop bioweapons for getting into the wrong hands. In typical Resident Evil fashion things go from bad to worse the more you progress in the game, and the further you get the into the game the tougher the creatures get you fight. Here comes one of my biggest gripes about the game, instead of making more unique enemies Capcom decided to recycle a few from Resident Evil 4 and throw them into Resident Evil 5, ok I can deal with the Chainsaw guy and the El Giante but coming across the same Minigun guy made me think ok they honestly couldn't think of anything else? On the plus side they did add a few new creatures to the mix one of my personal faves the ever popular Reaver who can one hit kill you if you get too close.

Another thing I didn't like too much about Resident Evil 5 is the rehash of enviorments, not to say that they are the same from Resident Evil 4, and not saying that the previous Resident Evils didnt all feature a Lab of some sort, what I am saying is the overall path through the game feels very similar to Resident Evil 4, once you get to the ruins you will catch what I am saying.

New to the Resident Evil experience (without including Outbreak) is the addition of COOP, and let me tell you it feels so right in Resident Evil 5, you will find yourself working together to take down objectives and to keep each other alive. I remeber when my wife and I first fought the Reaver and we worked together to knock him into the furnace, it was just amazing how much you can do with another person, but it's not all fun and games you will find yourself at times having to save your partner when they are in the dying stage, this can be an annoyance if you are at one of the parts where you have to split up, thankfully Capcom included a pretty generous checkpoint system so you will never be retracing your steps too far.

Overall Resident Evil 5 is a solid game for coop, however its probably not one I would pick up to play singleplayer, it's better left played with a friend over live or via couch coop.

I give Resident Evil 5 4 out of 5 for solid coop play and and overall enjoyable experience despite a few gripes I have about the game.

Halo Wars Review

2009-03-12T10:34:00.000-04:00

Ok yea it's been awhile since I have updated the old blog but that is due to cut in work hours, and me being up to other things.... like gaming.

This week I bring you my review of Halo Wars!

Halo Wars is set 20 years before the events of Halo and sets you in control of the crew of the Spirit of Fire a refitted colony ship that now serves as sort of a scout early base setup kinda deal. I won't get into much of the story or how the missions play out but after seeing the cutscenes it makes you wonder when the Halo FMV movie will come out, because the cutscenes are so crisp and clear and watching the Spartans in action is nothing short of awesome seriously feel my arm I have goosebumps.

Basically the game starts out with you reclaiming alpha base on the planet Harvest which humanity has just taken back from the covenant... or have they? Apparently the covenant have found a forerunner relic on the planet and its up to you the crew of the Spirit of Fire to find out what they are after. It's pretty much the typical Halo story only this time you are not just controlling one person.... you are controlling an ARMY!!!

For years RTS games have crept onto the consoles with little to no effect as coming off as a pleasing game that controls well with... well a controller. However Halo Wars is different it did not have to jump over the hurdle of going from PC to console, it was designed from the ground up with the 360 in mind, and let me tell you it shows Halo Wars is very easy to controll and you will find yourself zipping along the map commanding your units while managing your base in no time.

The graphics are really good as well for a RTS and Halo Wars goes the extra step of adding changes to units/buildings as they take damage, for example remember in Halo 3 when driving the ghost? when you took damage parts would fly off and you ended up with a jacked up looking ghost, well Halo Wars has that, it is these extra details that really make this game solid.

Prepare to be cleansed beeyotch!

Multiplayer is also a blast not only can you fire it up and battle people from around the world, you can also fire it up and have your friend(s) join your team a pit yourself against the AI which can be set to different difficulties depending on how saucy you feel.

Now let me say I don't care too much for Halo games outside of the story but this one gets a 5 out of 5 for not only being solid but also being the first true RTS on a console that works.

Friday Night Gaming

2009-02-20T07:06:00.000-05:00

Well its finally Friday and tonight is my prime night for gaming, so tonight we will more than likely be playing Left 4 Dead first running an expert campaign.

After we will probably be running Gears 2 on horde for a bit so if your up for a night of gaming we have two free slots on L4D and three free spots for Gears 2.

This week in review

2009-02-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

Remember when the Sega first came out and you were not the cool kid on the street unless you had one? Well know you can relive your glory gaming days with Sonic's Ultimate Gensis Collection which boasts a huge list of classic Sega games.

The List:

· Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
· Alien Storm
· Altered Beast
· Beyond Oasis
· Bonanza Bros.
· Columns
· Comix Zone
· Decap Attack starring Chuck D. Head
· Dr. Robotnik's MBM
· Dynamite Headdy
· Ecco the Dolphin
· Ecco II: The Tides of Time
· E-SWAT
· Fatal Labyrinth
· Flicky
· Gain Ground
· Golden Axe I
· Golden Axe II
· Golden Axe III
· Kid Chameleon
· Phantasy Star II
· Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
· Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
· Ristar
· Shining in the Darkness
· Shining Force
· Shining Force 2
· Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
· Sonic 3D Blast
· Sonic and Knuckles
· Sonic Spinball
· Sonic the Hedgehog
· Sonic the Hedgehog 2
· Sonic the Hedgehog 3
· Streets of Rage
· Streets of Rage 2
· Streets of Rage 3
· Super Thunder Blade
· Vectorman
· Vectorman 2

Plus 9 UNLOCKABLE GAMES:

· Golden Axe Warrior (SEGA Master System)
· Phantasy Star (SEGA Master System)
· Alien Syndrome (Arcade)
· Altered Beast (Arcade)
· Congo Bongo (Arcade)
· Fantasy Zone (Arcade)
· Shinobi (Arcade)
· Space Harrier (Arcade)
· Zaxxon (Arcade)

I gotta be honest most of these I never played growing up, however some of the ones on the list make the 29.99 price tag worth while for me, and I am sure some people out there will see a few games on there and pick it up as well.

Let me start by saying I have gone through every game on here since purchasing it, while not playing each one through I did play enough to get the achievements, however this allowed me to get a feel for games I might otherwise not have played, for instance Bonaza Brothers I had never heard of until playing this collection and it turned out to be one of my favs because you need timing and strategy to get past each level on one clean run one mistake and you lose time and points, another one that comes to mind that really gave me the old arcade feel was Super Thunder Blade man going for the 1,500,000 point achievement was tough but after getting the feel for dodging the fire balls that the enemy vehicles launch at you it turned out to be fairly fun/enjoyable.

What really sealed the deal for me was Sega including Shining Force & Shining Force 2 both are some of my favorite games on the Sega and with them I can see countless hours playing through again to experience the rich and enjoyful gameplay.

The one downside to this collection that could have made it really shine was the fact that they didn't include any Live play, sure you can couch coop but with the ability to play online with friends it seems Sega got lazy and just didn't feel like programming the games with the ability to handle it.

You may have your own favorite games on here that make it worth the purchase for you and if you only see a few I would still say pick it up to relive some of those good times you had when you were younger.

I give Sonic's Ultimare Gensis Collection a 4.5 out of 5.

Flashback Thursday

2009-02-19T09:16:00.000-05:00

This week on Flashback Thursday we go back to one of the Classic Coop games for the SNES, Secret of Mana.

Secret of Mana places you in the role of the Mana Knight who draws the Rusty Mana sword from a rock much like the Sword in the Stone thus beginning your quest to restore order to the world and stop a chain of events that destroyed the world before.

This game is still today one of my faves from the SNES era and the gameplay still stands the test of time today. I remember renting this with a friend and rushing to unlock the Princess character so we could play coop, and let me tell you now that is the way to play Secret of Mana, having a friend switching between both the princess/pixie allows them to cast support/offensive magic while the play controlling the Mana Knight dishes out punishment to the boss. The best time I had with this game was the time I rented it as I said before and my friend and I did a run through the entire game in less than a day, talk about amazing fun.

Secret of Mana while supporting coop play also had a killer soundtrack, one theme comes to mind really quickly and that is the Battle with the Lich King music, no other boss battle has gotten me that pumped with the exception of One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII.

Overall Secret of Mana was an awesome game and hopefully it will find its way to the Wii VC so new generations can experience one of the greatest games of all time in this bloggers opinion.

Played Secret of Mana? Got impressions you want to share? Then leave some comments on what you think about it.

Whew about time

2009-02-19T08:41:00.001-05:00

Well its about time I updated this thing, sorry for the delay but I was busy with ya know life lol.

Let's see we need a quick recap of the awesome Coop meetup last Thursday with Left 4 Dead. I was running expert with Armor Biff (The crack shot), KO Virtuoso, Myself, and JohnnyGameCrazy (The Joker). We ran No Mercy on expert which out of the 4 is one of the toughest to accomplish however we made good time and only really got held up on the 2nd and 3rd levels, darn tank spawns :P. We eventually made it past the tanks who kept moonwalking after us and got to the rooftop finale, which somehow I manage to get the infected to open up the glitch room (didn't think it was possible on expert) so we thought we had it in the bag... WRONG as soon as we step out I get snagged by a smoker, Biff quickly dispatched him and Johnny then gets downed by a boomer/hunter combo Biff makes a mad dash to the Pad while KO came back to rescue us only to get downed himself and thanks to a sucky tank spawn near Da Choppa Biff got downed in it and we lost the match, only to come back the next round and finish our run... good job guys!!

So the rest of my weekend went fairly decent got in alot of Gears 2 with bots/horde, and got in some Rock Band 2 on Saturday morning. Oh flash back to Saturday it was Valentines day right? Suppose to be a awesome time with the one you love... wrong ours went to hell right from the start... first off it was rainy, second off traffic near the mall was crazy and on top of rain it equals no fun. So we decide early on instead of eating in somewhere we will call up Outback and get curbside takeaway, well here is the first road bump, I order two meals, and a Bloomin Onion... yea they forget the onion its not even on the ticket... so I stop the guy and was like I ordered a onion too, he kinda looks at us like we are retarded for wasting his time, so he goes back in rings me up and about 10-15 mins later another guy comes out with my onion... ok it's not so bad lets get home... here is the second road bump going up on the interstate there is like a 10 car crash (remember it was raining) which caused all the people driving to stop and stare to see if anyone was dead (why?) so it takes longer to get home and I am steaming at this point (I hate traffic) so we finally get home to relax and eat right? yea do you even need to guess? lol Our dog decides it would be awesome to poop in the hallway and my Son thought it would be even funnier to take his blanket and smear it in the poop. Needless to say our day sucked.

So yea that's what was going on, fun eh?

Flash Back Thursday

2009-02-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

Ok so this week I am bringing you one of my favorite cinematic platformers of all time Heart of Darkness for the Playstation.

The story is basically about the main character Andy traveling to an alternate dimension to save his dog Whiskey from the Shadow Master who sent his minions to capture Andy however they goofed and brought him the dog instead. If you have played Prince of Persia, Flashback, or Out of this World you will be familiar with this game, you move from screen to screen fighting enemies and solving puzzles make any mistakes and you are treated to sometimes gruesome death animations of Andy.

I remember the first time my Brother brought this game home watching him die time after time (Did I mention he sucks at video games?) before he gave up and finally let me play. I spent countless hours figuring out the puzzles hands sweaty from mashing buttons to avoid incoming attacks that would spell doom for poor Andy. One level in particular was extremely hard and that was the Underwater one, if any of you remember the underwater level on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game on the NES you will feel right at home here, its tough and very unforgiving if you make a mistake with your timing, thankfully unlike Ninja Turtles you are treated to many Checkpoints during the game allowing you some breathing room if you happen to make a mistake.

If you can manage to find the game anywhere it is well worth the pickup and I highly recommend it if you were a fan of the orignal Prince of Persia.

Class recap from last week

2009-02-11T06:55:00.001-05:00

So I'm going back to college to finish up my BAS degree, and on Wednesday night I attend my economics class, now let me start by saying I have had some classes with weird people in it before, take for example when EMO first started becoming popular I remember during the week of finals there was this guy wearing a tattered shirt like he had been mauled by a bear... no I am serious, and was doused with fake blood.... I took one look at him and said "What class are you taking? Because that final must have been hell." the only response I got was an evil stare like he was going to devour my soul.

Seriously what is up with this guy?

Anyway back to my economics class, we are disscussing GDP or Gross Domestic Product and the different types of sales not included in its calcuation, well when it comes down to illegal sales the guy next to me (Hes a 40 year old flamer who wants to be senator of Massachusetts because he is too liberal for FL) says "Anyone want to buy a dime bag" granted this was kinda funny but the next comment floored me he says in all seriousness "Like tipping a Drag Queen" the class falls silent... the Professor quietly and calmy moves the class along letting the comment die on the floor, however leaving class I heard everyone talking about what a weirdo the dude is. What do you think??

"Drag queens need tips too meany"

Indiana Jones and the Vending Machine of Doom

2009-02-10T11:25:00.000-05:00

Yea so I dig up some change from around my desk hoping to dine on the fine delicacies that the vending machine offers. I approach scanning the selection looking for something to whet my appetite and what do I see? A Milky Way bar ooo man these things are so good and they are never in the vending machine, so I pop in my change retrieve my candy and march proudly back to my desk. Well here is where Indiana Jones comes in.... I open the wrapper and inside is the nastiest looking piece of candy I have ever seen... no joke it could be in a history museum it looks so old, but what do I do? I eat the thing and wash it down with a mountain dew... so I give myself about 10-15mins before I do the okey dokey shuffle all the way to the bathroom to expel the demon bar from my body.

"I ain't touching that candy bar shorty"

Weekend gaming recap

2009-02-10T07:05:00.000-05:00

Well this weekend in gaming saw many highlights and I am here to bring you all the awesome facts of awesomeness.

First off let me start by saying Friday I was sick.... yea really sick let me put it this way some friends of ours came over and the first thing I said to them was "I gotta throw up". Anyway starting off Friday night my friend brought over his PS3 so we could try out Killzone 2.... yea we were downloading it from 8pm to 11pm when they left, for some reason the ps3 blows on my connection yet my 360/computer fly when doing downloads. However the night wasn't a total loss we did get in some Resistance 2 which to be honest didn't feel as awesome as people made it out to be.... maybe I'm just a XBOX fanboy but the game doesn't look very pretty when compared to some of the titles on the 360.

Also on Friday I finally got to get some Gears2 in with Djinniman from Co-optimus.com was cool playing with him and I believe Armor Biff joined us for a bit on Horde mode on Day one.

For the rest of the weekend I spent most of it playing Gears2, and let me tell you I had some funny moments, in fact I am going to share one with you right now, bet you didn't see that coming :P. I was playing on one of the new maps Gold Rush on the Locust side (Locust FTW!!) well im sitting crouched behind some cover and Baird is rushing me, I do a quick blind fire with my shotty and BOOM! Baird is nothing but Gibs, well shortly after killing him Hoffman thought it would be funny to shoot me in my butt with the Torque Bow finishing me off.

Take that Q-tip.

It was a fun weekend in gaming and I look forward to many more soon, also be sure to check back here after Thursday when I can give Recaps of the Left 4 Dead Coop night.

Later Days.

Sick Days

2009-02-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

So yea being sick sucks, Friday/Monday I had sick days and let me tell you they were rough, I will spare the gory details though :P.

Lets see a quick weekend recap, Saturday went to my sis-inlaws 12th b-day party and as always I was the life of the party, she had her friend over who was quite annoying as she would not shut up (ADD maybe?) anywho Melody (My sis-inlaw) was on the computer with her friend while me and my Bro-inlaw loaded up his Nerf sniper rifle, which after it was loaded I set my sites on the friend gently pressing in the trigger careful to control my breathing, waiting for the perfect moment to take my shot, and then it happend *WHAM* she screams as the nerf dart nails its target I quickly duck under the bed careful not to give my position away as she quickly comes looking for the shooter. So yea maybe it didnt happen just like that but I did shoot her with the nerf gun... yea im 24 so what? I can't shoot a 12 year old with a nerf dart?

Oh yea here is the nerf gun:

Flashback Thursday

2009-01-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

Ok from here on out I am going to be doing a segment called Flashback Thursdays and once a week it will feature a classic game that us old timers will remember fondly. This week Super Mario Brothers 3.
Super Mario Bros. 3 according to most gamers is probably the best in the series hands down... and I am one of those gamers. I can remember very well the movie "The Wizard" which featured this game at a tournament seeing who could get the farthest fastest, it also featured the power glove, which is Nintendo's biggest flop ever but I digress.

"I make this sh@# look good"

I remember very fondly working my way through SMB3 trying desperately to reach the secret whistles to get past the annoying levels in the game, anyone remember the Desert level.... why are the Desert/Fire levels the most annoying in every game??

Actually beating this game was a feat I remember the last level getting past the airships took many retries before we were able to take down Koopa. All in all it was a fun game and one to remember fondly on the NES and if you are lucky enough to have a Wii I believe you can download and play it again.

First post

2009-01-29T13:43:00.000-05:00

Well here it is my first post on my new blog.

It has been some time since I tried out blogging and I usually end up giving it up because no one really comes to read them anyway. However I do find it nice to write down my thoughts or the events of the day as they unfold so there is some record of my mind (sometimes it is so sketchy I have trouble keeping up).

So a quick intro, and the writing of this post I am 24 years old, I am a Husband to my lovely wife Lacey, and a Father to my son Logan. My hobby is gaming... yes I have other hobbies but the on I explore the most is gaming, I have been gaming for as long as I can remember starting off with the old Atari, working my way up to the NES and so on and so forth. One memory that still sticks with me today was going down the street to a BBQ joint that had arcade machines and pumping quarter after quarter into the Mario Bros. game and Pacman.. man that takes me back.

So using this blog I will post my daily adventures not only with gaming but with life itself, so take a seat, grab some popcorn, and sit back and enjoy. Until my next post Later Days!