New Things Coming Up!

"Where the f**k you've been?" Many people asks. Today I am here to answer the questions! Due to the few years of packed schedules, I've been inactive. I know I've missed great games such as SKYRIM, SAINTS ROW 3, CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3. But fret not, new game reviews are coming up. Maybe I'll try to spice it up a little. Stay tune, and game on!

Portal 2

System: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Developer: Valve
Publisher: Valve
Release: April 19, 2011
ESRB Rating: Everyone (10+) (Fantasy Violence, Mild Language)

Given Portal's meteoric rise to become one of the gems of the game world, a sequel was more-or-less inevitable, but questions and doubts lingered. Could Portal 2's writers possibly top what many (including yours truly) consider to be one of the finest examples of modern game writing? Would it be another three-hour experience? Worse, would it be a three-hour experience artificially dragged out to feel longer? Would the portal mechanic feel too gimmicky when stretched out over a longer game? I have to admit that I had my doubts about whether Valve could deliver a worthwhile, entertaining sequel to one of my favorite games of this generation. So, did they? In a word: No.

In several words: No, they somehow managed to craft a game that actually exceeded my expectations in nearly every way. Portal 2 is a near-perfect example of what can happen when all of the elements of modern game design are combined to create a beautifully cohesive whole. Perhaps not surprisingly to anyone who played the first game, Portal 2's lynchpin is its writing, which expands and expounds on a universe only touched on briefly in the original game. Over the course of Portal 2, I learned nearly everything about Aperture Science's storied history, including how the wonderful evil GlaDOS came to be, how those cute little turrets are made and tested, and why human research subjects aren't allowed to have nice things. The writers actually show a surprising amount of range this time out, deftly switching from sarcastic humor to sad pathos multiple times with ease.

Part of what makes Portal 2's writing so great is the near-constant stream of humor, both in its dialogue and in the many Easter eggs scattered about its 10 chapters. In the first game, the inhuman GLaDOS was the obvious star of the show, and while she makes an equally (and hilariously) mean-spirited return in Portal 2, she's not alone. The bumbling, spherical A.I. named Wheatley (pitch-perfectly voiced by British comedian Stephen Merchant) is sure to be a fan favorite, but for this editor's money, the show was completely and utterly stolen by the brusque Cave Johnson. The founder of Aperture Science (and former Shower Curtain Salesman of the Year) dedicated his life to the advancement of science, and it's hard not to feel oddly honored to take part in some of the experiments that ranged across his entire career. J.K. Simmons' (best known as J. Jonah Jameson in the Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films) voiceover adeptly blend gravitas and silliness, and I found his segment to be just as great the second time I played through the game.

Of course, even the best writing in the world wouldn't be able to save a puzzle game with crappy (read: unfair) puzzles, and thankfully, Portal 2 packs some truly mind-bending puzzles from start to finish. While it starts out with a variety of portal-to-portal puzzles that feel like they would have been right at home in the first game, the focus quickly shifts to include several new, highly entertaining puzzle mechanics. Yes, I still spent most of my time firing an orange portal onto one surface and a blue portal onto another to cross between them, but now there's propulsion gel that allowed me to run very fast, while repulsion gel was perfect for launching myself up to hard-to-reach places. Although these might sound gimmicky, the additions made it feel like each and every puzzle was beautifully crafted to make perfect sense (once I finally wrapped my head around it). Satisfying "Ah ha!" moments abound in Portal 2, making this one of the year's best puzzle games, if not the.

While the wonderful single-player campaign is a lot of fun, it's the new cooperative mode that really pushes Portal 2 into that rarefied "instant classic" air so many games fall just short of. Rather than simply shoehorning a co-op mode into the single-player game's template, the developers crafted an entirely new campaign, designed for two players from the ground up. The puzzles are quite a bit more challenging than those in the solo mode, and this definitely isn't a case when two heads are necessarily better than one. In fact, if my own experiences with the co-op mode are any indication, many players will accidentally kill each other quite often, only to laugh it off before jumping right back into the puzzles again and again until it's finished.
This is precisely what makes the co-op mode such a blast: the distinct emphasis on teamwork and communication, something seen far too rarely in many co-op games. It's quite literally impossible for the puzzles to be completed without both players working in unison, and those aforementioned "Ah ha!" moments found in the single-player game are magnified when playing co-op. Portal 2 "suggested" that I play co-op with friends when I was searching for a game, but I had plenty of great moments getting to know complete strangers during my time in this mode. If that isn't a testament to great co-op design, I don't know what is.

Sporting some of the best writing and voice work in years (as well as some deviously designed puzzles), Portal 2's single-player campaign is superior to its predecessor in every way. It's the co-op mode, however, that makes this 2011's first must-play game -- even for those gamers that don't like first-person or puzzle games.
by GameSpy

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Avaliable on: PC, XBox 360, Playstation 3
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Rated: "M" for Mature






I can't believe i was so near to forgetting about this awesome game.


Brotherhood takes the formula created by Assassin's Creed 2 and adds a few much requested features including multiplayer and adds them into the mix. No, this isn't the next chapter in the tale of the Templars, it feels much like a director's cut re-release of the second game, but luckily, it's a pretty meaty package. Whether or not diving back into this world so soon is worth the full price depends solely on how much you enjoyed your time the first go-round.

Brotherhood picks up almost directly after the events of Assassin's Creed 2, after confronting Rodrigo Borgia below the Vatican, Ezio is ready to take a break. You know what ruins this nice ending? The ticked off son of your latest victim launching an all out assault on you. The villa is destroyed and our hero(Ezio) loses everything, yes, everything!!! Those who played and devoted a ton of time to building up the weapons sanctuary in Assassin's Creed 2 will find that their progress means nothing here. You can say that it's the nature of video games, but why not include some sort of save file feature which enables you to give you extra weapons etc. I'm not expecting to take all of my weapons with me, but it feels cheap to not reward your dedicated players.

Much of Brotherhood's content takes place in Rome. Broken up into 12 separate districts, your job is not only to take down Borgia and get your revenge, but also restore faith and vitality to the city. In each of the 12 districts stands a Borgia tower, which also means that soldiers patrol the city and oppress the people and the merchants. Find your way to the top, take out the tower head and burn it to the ground and you'll be able to revitalize the city, including blacksmiths, and doctors, which of course will be vital in your game progress. It's not really a new mechanic as liberating Monteriggoni did the same thing in Assassin's Creed 2, but it's much more prevalent here in Brotherhood. You really don't have to even deal with the towers at all if you don't feel like it, but doing so opens up a ton of extra content that you're going to want to explore to get the full experience.

At its heart, Brotherhood's missions play nearly identical to those found in the second game, and that's the game's main problem. While it's set in the same world, there's little here to advance the story. Instead, you'll be taking on additional contract assassin quests, looking for treasure and doing busy work. There are new weapons, items and a few new characters spread throughout the world, but none offer a ton of new variety to the game, which is a shame because with Brotherhood, Ubisoft asks for the full $59.99 price, which could prove to be too much for some.

The most disappointing aspect of Brotherhood though by far is the fact that some of the same problems that hindered the original game are still persistent. Targeting still sucks, and you're going to have a hard time dealing with a crowd of attackers. There's also an issue with the load times being incredibly long. Yes, there's been an improvement, but it's still quite lengthy more often than not.


Undoubtedly, Brotherhood's biggest addition to Assassin's Creed formula is the addition of multiplayer, and It's quite fun. Each player is given a target to kill, which of course means that at least one of the others players is hunting you. The truly remarkable aspect of Brotherhood's online suite though is that it takes place in a fully populated world much like that of the main quest. As a result, players are going to have to take a few minutes to think about how they're going to take out their target. It also helps that XP is handed out based on performance (stealthy kills are worth more than your normal kills.)

It's hard to say whether Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is worth your money. On the one hand, it's got an extremely fun multiplayer suite, but the real questions is "is it worth a full $60 price tag." If you can't get enough of the tale of the Templars and their assassination attempts, jump right in to this director's cut like package, if not, you may just want to wait for the eventual third game.

Project For Awesome(P4A)

Project for Awesome is an annual community campaign to raise awareness for causes and charities. Charities which includes Toys For Tots, Children International, Homeboy Industries etc. You can purchase raffles ticket. Items donated by Youtubers includes A Signed Ryan Higa Shirt(Donated by Ryan Higa), Hand Made Pottery(Donated by Tessa Violet/Meekakity), MysterGuitarMan's Signed Guitar(Donated By MysteryGuitarMan) and even ShayCarl's Beard(Donanted by ShayCarl)!! The money you use to purchase the raffles ticket goes to the specified charity that the Youtuber is supporting. 100%. There is also a live show on Saturday 18th December (Pacific Time. Alot of the Youtubers would be there all for a good cause. Let someone have a happy Christmas. Put a smile on their faces.

For more info about P4A & the Live show (Sat 12/18):
www.projectforawesome.com

Project For Awesome Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/P4A

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

System: PS3, X360, PC, Wii Review Rating Legend
Dev: Criterion Games
Pub: Electronic Arts
Release: Nov. 16, 2010 2
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10












Like all the best video game locations, Seacrest County is a completely ridiculous place. The roads are universally pristine and peppered with awesome shortcuts. The national parks are gloriously free of gigantic RVs. And when people decide to break traffic laws, they do it at 200mph in exotic supercars. If that sounds like a slice of heaven pie to you, then you're going to want to check out Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, a reboot of Electronic Arts' cops-and-speeders driving series from veteran developer Criterion Games.

You might recognize the Criterion name from such over-the-top virtual driving experiences as Burnout: Paradise, the 2008 open-world racer that placed a premium on high speed and crazy crashes. Criterion has brought its amped-up aesthetic to the Need For Speed series, and the result is a slick and surprisingly focused driving experience that's positively bathed in adrenaline.

The concept of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit could have been dreamed up at a middle-school boy's sleepover party. What if there was a place where both cops and the illegal street racers drove Lamborghinis, Mercedes, Bentleys, Porches and other drool-worthy marques around a gigantic network of roads at supremely high rates of speed? Oh, and wouldn't it be sweet if they could crash into each other and drop spike strips and call in helicopters and run each other off the road? And when you crash into someone, it should drop into ultra-slow motion and give you a ton of points!

What I love about Hot Pursuit is that it completely embraces that spirit of adolescent madness and just runs with it. There is no wedged-in storyline here. You can play as a cop or a racer, and you increase your rank or wanted level as you run people off the road, drift around corners, drive into oncoming traffic (as a racer), and generally behave like a motoring maniac. Along the way, you'll earn Bounty to unlock new cars, expand your arsenal of weapons/gadgets and open new sections of the Seacrest County map. The more you drive, crash, smash and win, the more cool stuff you get. It's simple, and it works.

This is no racing sim, but the cars do have their own distinct personalities. The Bentley Supersports, for example, is basically a tank with leather seats. But it handles surprisingly well, making it a great choice for Pursuit events where the goal as a cop is to smash racers into submission. If you're entering an Interceptor event where it's just you against a single wily racer who's liable to pull constant U-turns and shortcut maneuvers, you're better off in something light and agile, like the brilliant Pagani Zonda Cinque.

Hot Pursuit isn't a car collecting game. Although you unlock vehicles as you progress, there's no real garage to speak of. The focus is on driving these cars, not upgrading, tweaking or painting them. But that's OK because the list of vehicles in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit reads like a multi-billionaire's Christmas list. The Bugatti Veyron, McLaren F1, Lamborghini LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, Mercedes SLS AMG, Nissan GT-R SpecV and Porsche Panamera are all here. And that's just a sampling.

Criterion has created a racing landscape that feels alive. Traffic (all licensed vehicles) comes and goes, aircraft fly by as you're driving, weather effects are realistic and dramatic, and the buildings along the roads just seem, well, real. Hop into Freedrive mode, and you can hop into any car you've unlocked and just tool around the entirety of Seacrest County. As you motor along, weather will come and go, the sun will rise and set, and the world will just sort of roll along.

Freedrive doesn't affect your career, so all the damage you do to your car will just slide right off (if you choose). It's a great mode for taking perfectly-staged screenshots of your car in action. Unfortunately, there's no way to access the Seacrest County overmap while in Freedrive mode, so you'll have to rely on your smallish mini-map to explore the landscape. It's a bit of a frustration in an otherwise nice addition.

But most of your time will probably be spent in the Career mode. Unlike Criterion's last effort, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit isn't an open-world game. You won't be driving around randomly in your race car or cop car waiting for something to happen or triggering it from your vehicle. Hot Pursuit's single-player mode is far more focused than Burnout: Paradise. In order to start off an event, you'll choose a marker on a map of Seacrest County and bring up a list of available events. Choose one that strikes your fancy, and you'll be taken into that event after a brief (and skippable) cutscene. And there's no decision to be made up front about which side you'd rather be on – you can alternate between cop and racer events at will.

These events are the meat and potatoes of Hot Pursuit. As a racer, you'll have access to a handful of different basic event types, all of which involve you trying to get from one place to another faster than everyone else. Sometimes you'll be chased by a cop or two; other times you'll just be up against other racers. And if you need a break from the intensity of those events, there are also time trials that are just you and the clock. As a cop, your main goal is to shut down these illegal street races

One of the linchpins of the Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit gameplay is the arsenal of weapons and gadgets. As a cop, you'll have access to spike strips, helicopters, EMP blasts and roadblocks. Each has a different purpose: spikes are good for taking out the fools behind you, EMPs are for those in front, helicopters can track suspects who are far ahead or off-road (in addition to dropping spikes of their own), and roadblocks are nasty far-ahead speed traps.
Racers can also deploy spikes and EMPs, but instead of roadblocks and choppers, they have turbo (blazingly fast) and a jammer, which shuts down everyone else's weapons for a spell, negates pending EMP blasts and blocks out cops' radar/mini-map. It's a devastating little device when used correctly.

The good news is, all these weapons are fun to use and none end up feeling too overpowered. The downside is that the weapon mix ends up being what differentiates many of the later events. Because there are a limited number of chase event types, these events become mainly about permutations of weapons and conditions (nighttime with only EMPs and Roadblocks, rain with only Helicopters and Spike strips, etc.). Because of this, event fatigue can set in after a while. Once you've tried every event type with every imaginable weapon mix, things do get a bit monotonous. Sure, there are time trials and car previews to do, but isn't the whole point of Hot Pursuit to crash into things, not to avoid them?

But that's where Autolog comes in.

It may not have a sexy name, but Hot Pursuit's new competition engine is one of the coolest additions to game design in a long time. In the world of online-connected gaming, there is a small fraction of the population that actually expects to rank at the top of a global leaderboard for any given game. If you're like me, when you post a hot personal lap time in a racer like Forza 3 or Grid, you hop over to the leaderboards to find out where you stack up. And then you instantly realize how much you suck. But then, to make yourself feel better, you toggle over to see where you compare to your friends. There's bound to be someone crappier than you, right?

Hot Pursuit's Autolog takes that idea and boils it completely down to this idea: The only thing that really matters, in terms of player-on-player competition, is how you compare to people you know or people you come to know while playing the game. But Hot Pursuit doesn't just bury that data in a stats menu somewhere. The Autolog system takes your friends list and makes it central to the experience. From the launch screen, Hot Pursuit is telling you how you're stacking up, what your friends are doing, and who's achieved what rank. With a quick click on the Wall, you can see a stream of information about what your friends are up to in the single-player game, from times they've posted in events to pictures they've taken of the cars they've unlocked.

The Wall is a collection of posts from your friends, things they've chosen to share. But there's also an Autolog Recommends function that's constantly gathering info about your friends accomplishments and sharing them with you, daring you to step up. If someone on your list beats your dearly held time in your favorite event, Autolog Recommends will track it and tell you so. Click on one of these messages, and you'll jump straight to that event. If you end up reclaiming your place on the podium, a message will pop up asking you if you want to post your news to the Wall. You can even customize your message so you're newly-owned friend will see your trash-talk.

In addition to the single-player career mode and the Autolog overlay, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit also has a full online multiplayer mode that allows up to eight players to team up and compete in cop and racer events. The mix of weapons allows for some real strategy online – coordinate as cops to drop spike strips ahead and then have those at the back fire EMPs. It's tough to avoid spikes when you're drifting out of control for a few seconds. Whereas Autolog provides a way to compete with your friends at everyone's leisure, the competitive online multiplayer brings everyone together for a head-to-head battle. The party system is intuitive and smooth, and you continue to build your Bounty with everything you do online. There's no split-screen multiplayer. But you can pass the contoller around, still having a blast.
By IGN

NBA Jam















Avaliable on: Xbox, Playstaion 3 and Wii
Developed by: EA Canada
Pulbished by: EA Sports
Rated: "E" for Everyone


EA's resurrection of the NBA Jam franchise is unapologetically fun and harkens back to a day when arcade sports titles were king. If you can forgive a few missteps from the developers, you're sure to find much to love here.

First things first, EA has done a superb job of recreating the original NBA Jam experience we all remember - for the most part. The game's original announcer Tim Kitzrow is back to shout his classic catch-phrases, and the visuals come off as an HD twist on a retro style. Yes, this is the original NBA Jam you remember, it's just spruced up. Player faces are far more detailed than earlier versions (even if they sometimes come off as looking like South Park's Terrance and Phillip at times).

The most important aspect that's returned though - the game is still insanely fun. You could be the most hardcore sports sim fan of all time, it's still impossible to deny the feeling you get dunking an alley-ooped ball from the free-throw line in the faces of your opponents. Games are quick, and you're sure to have plenty of “oh-my-god” moments with your friends. The highlight of the game is undoubtedly the back-board shattering yet physics bending dunks. Even after 17 years, the rewarding feeling of dunking it in someone's places with a blazing ball is the same. Now that's longevity.

When it was announced, some gamers were apprehensive that NBA Jam was (at the time) a Wii exclusive due to the inevitable inclusion of motion controls. While you'll will have their choice between using the Wii remote and nunchuck, the Wii remote by itself (held sideways) or the classic controller; it's the latter that is surprisingly the most effective. I'm not the biggest fan of adding motion controls where they don't fit - but they work here. Using small, mostly sweeping motions you can do everything from passing to shoving, and even dunking. What's even more surprising is the fact that the classic controller doesn't fit the game as well as it should. The game's reactions to the Wii remote and nunchuck were easily quicker and much more effective.

Quick fun and flash may be a specialty of NBA Jam, but depth is not. As much fun as the game is, it wears thin very quickly. You're likely to see many of the game's animations during your first game, and the title quickly loses momentum shortly after. NBA Jam is at its best when its life is prolonged by being played with up to three other friends and letting the trash talk fly. There are a multitude of modes to be found in NBA Jam, but you're likely to have the most fun with the classic campaign which finds you playing against progressively better teams in an effort to defeat the entire league. There are a number of other modes, including a few half-court modes and boss battles, and while they do offer a change from the normal gameplay, they're nothing special and you're not likely to go back to them much.

When a game company brings a classic franchise like this back to life, they often go overboard - stripping the franchise of everything that made it so interesting in the first place in exchange for modern flash. With NBA Jam, EA went the complete opposite route, leaving much of the original intact, but leaving out what makes this era of gaming so interesting. For instance, with NBA Jam's core experience being built on multiplayer - where is the online play? I grew up playing this franchise with my friends and family and now that we all live spread throughout the country, it'd be nice to get that back, but sadly the game is local multiplayer only. It's a minor complaint when the game is this fun, but a valid one none the less.

EA's NBA Jam rebirth is as much of a fun and exciting experience that we all remember from the franchise. It's over the top, it's flashy - it's just what you remember from NBA Jam. There's a few missing features like online play, and you're unlikely to ever stray far from the main portions of the game, but those are all more than forgivable. NBA Jam is a must own for sports fans of all ages.
by CheatFactor

Call Of Duty: Black Ops














Avaliable on : PC,Xbox, Playstation 3 and Wii
Developed by: Treyarch
Published by: Activision
Rated: "M" for Mature


The really long awaited game for the gamers worldwide. Rumours about this game was
heard last year. Call of Duty is the Goliath of the video game world. The series has sold millions of copies and catapulted itself from a solid, World War II shooter to the sprawling multiplayer playground and Hollywood-style campaign that we know today. Call of Duty: Black Ops takes much of what made Modern Warfare 2 great and slightly expands and modifies it. That's not to say that there aren't mistakes to be found within Black Ops, but I think Call of Duty fans are going to be happy with Treyarch's latest effort.
The only thing I'll say about the storyline is that it's the best of the series. You begin the game as Alex Mason, a soldier being interrogated for information that he can't remember. You play through Mason's memories in search for information. Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, and Gary Oldman deliver expert performances and really nail their respective characters. There are twists, some of which work better than others, and the plot seems to get bogged down and slightly disjointed towards the middle. But unlike Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops does a wonderful job of cleaning everything up for the finale.

Black Ops is not just a linear game, but sometimes feels like it's on autopilot. Just one example is when you "guide" the takeoff of an SR-71 Blackbird. I tried to not pull back on the flight stick when the game told me to, just to see if there was any other alternative to taking off, but the Blackbird lifted off on its own.

The artificial intelligence of both your friendly soldiers and the enemies you face is pretty poor. Both friendly and enemy soldiers behave like fools for most of the campaign. I once watched a friendly shoot the back of an armored car that he was using for cover for a solid 20 seconds.

There are also a few design flaws and annoyances, not least of all was a game-ending bug in the first level that made me restart the entire mission. No one else in the office ran into that one, but everyone who'd played Black Ops has run into a major design issue at the Battle of Khe Sanh. The mission never tells you what to actually do and even misdirects you

Despite these issues, I really enjoyed the story that the campaign presents and I think it's the best of the series. The characters are well-crafted and the plot rarely disappoints.

Of course, most gamers are more interested in the multiplayer. Call of Duty: Black Ops largely succeeds, presenting a similar (but not identical) set of modes as Modern Warfare 2. Black Ops is a more focused effort, and there will inevitably be those who miss a few of the omitted modes. But you will get some of the playlists later added to Modern Warfare 2, including the Killstreak-free Barebones list.

Black Ops makes its most significant departure from Modern Warfare 2 by adding CoD Points. Earning experience points and leveling up now handles macro stuff like unlocking more custom class slots, Create-A-Class, new modes to play, and the availability of certain weapons and bonuses for "purchase." Everything else (weapons, perks, killstreak bonuses, emblems, different colors for your targeting reticule) is bought with CoD Points.

The system itself is overwhelming at first, especially if you're totally new to Call of Duty, but once you get your head around the CoD Points mechanic it's actually pretty cool. When you level up you're handed 1,000 CoD Points that you can spend on whatever you please. It basically allows you to sculpt your style of play however you'd like. The only catch is that once you buy a weapon, perk, or killstreak, there's no going back. In other words, you'd better be damn sure you want that sniper rifle before taking the plunge. This de-emphasizes what made Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer so much fun; the leveling itself.

The new Wager Match modes are designed to highlight the importance of CoD Points and they're fun in their own right, but nothing ever reaches the level of enjoyment I had with the traditional leveling mechanic. We've talked at length about the specifics of each Wager Match mode. Just know that One in the Chamber and Gun Game are highlights. The first is a lesson in patience and accuracy and the second gives you a guided tour of 20 of Black Ops' armaments with each kill earning you a new gun.

Standard modes including Team Deathmatch, Domination and Headquarters are still there and are great for leveling up and if you do hit Level 50, Prestige Mode is there with some extra challenges to make it worthwhile. I would have preferred if the new features added to the pre-existing level of fun, rather than pushing what everyone loves to the back burner, but Wager Match is definitely the focus.

The CoD Points system does lead to a higher level of customization in Black Ops. Not only can you customize your title and emblem, but you can write your clan tag on your weapon, change the color and look of your targeting reticule, and lots more. Of course, each and every thing that you add to your character will cost you valuable CoD Points, so you need to have a big stockpile of disposable income before the customization really becomes a viable option.


Overall Ratings: 8/10
Presentation: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10