Gamerscore Update: 04/10/10

It has been a long time since I did one of these. That was mainly due to PAX and then moving got in the way. Also, I didn't play anything 360-wise last week so the dry spell just kept piling up. I did get a bunch this week though.

Dead Rising 2
This was the clear winner this week with 400 points achieved in it. Though this may not seem like a ton, especially considering the amount of time I put into it, compared to most people with the game - it's a lot. On my friends list, I don't think anyone else have even broke 200. I really enjoyed it, and though it is an open world game, almost every achievement is for doing something non-story related. Oh and also, every achievement is 20 so that was annoying.

Quantum Theory
This game sucks and I have no idea how the points are because I only got 15 in it and didn't care to spend any more time with it.

Loot of the Week

Alright, back with some games cause stuff came out!

Borderlands: Claptrap's New Robot Revolution
I downloaded this on Tuesday but should note that I only did the first objective and have yet to return to it. This is because I realized that the level cap increase wasn't included and I didn't feel like wasting my time later when I have to grind through all that again. So I am planning to wait on that until I can level up while playing soon. The release date isn't announced but it was said to be before the GOTY edition so I have less than a month to wait.

1400 Microsoft Points
I bought more of these, I think I have around 2600 at the moment. I mainly got these because of Microsoft's 800 points back deal going on this month. I already knew I wanted to get enough stuff to meet the requirements but I just needed the points and Blockbusters was giving a good amount of trade credit for Bioshock 2.

Quantum Theory
I should start off by saying that this game is garbage and I can't wait to get it out of my house. I only have 15 points in it and I know I could get more but I'd rather stab myself in the eye.



Pick of the Week

Dead Rising 2
This game was a lot of fun. I never really got into the first one, despite owning it for the last few months and having access to it for years. I don't really know why, I think it was the psychopaths if I can't remember correctly but it was years ago. I very much enjoyed my time with this and already beat it, however, with it being very sand-boxy, I can't see myself going back just to mess around.

Loot of the Week

I picked up a TON this week. I'm going to write about it all!

Alpha Bounce
This was the first game I ever picked up for the DSiWare. I found an article over at IGN that updates weekly with micro reviews for each DSiWare title. I basically ran through that seeing which ones they liked (or loved) and decided if the price point sounded alright. I believe this was 500 points and they really loved it. It's a traditional brick break game with some RPG elements (specifically a loot system). I definitely see myself playing this game a lot.

Escapee Go!
This was another of the DSiWare games I found from the IGN article and mainly bought because they "liked it" and it was 200 points. I find the $2 price point very appealing, that's basically pocket change and even if the game sucks, oh well. I haven't played much of it yet but the premise I got from the first level sounds interesting. Looking forward to diving more into it on the way to PAX.

Don't Cross the Line
This was the last DSiWare game I picked up this week. It's the most puzzle oriented considering it's literally a series of variations on one logic puzzle. You need to connect like images without letting your connecting lines cross - hence the name. It's very straight forward and the number of different levels make this an easy steal for $2. The one downside I find with it is the lack or a quick restart to each level.

Gunpey
I'll be honest; I know nothing about this game besides that it got some average reviews from almost everyone. I just found it for $3 and the box art immediately drew me in. The concept of a simple puzzle game developed by Q Entertainment is what sold me though. Considering the fact I'm going on a series of trips soon, it was an easy choice. I am really looking forward to playing it.


Ultimate Board Game Collection
I have no idea if this is really the ultimate in board game collections. I highly doubt it is. The fact alone that it doesn't have Scrabble is criminal, but it does have Go so there you are. It was $5 and I could really go for some Go (see what I did there?).


Shank
I am very much enjoying this game and feel that it's worth the 1200 Microsoft Point price. There is a great single player campaign and the fact that the co-op has its own prequel campaign is great. Co-op specific bosses and some great silhouetted moments are amongst my favorite parts to this game. I'll probably run through it again on hard to get every last achievement.

I've decided to start doing a "winner" or "prize pick" section to these each week. The prize pick (maybe "choice pick"?) will always be at the end and will be either the item I had the best time with, or maybe spent the longest with. It may also be the purchase I'm most interested in and haven't even tried out yet. I'll go about explaining them each time they come up.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game
My love for achievements made me wait for this game to finally come to the XBLA and I'm glad I did because they are easy. I've played through the game three times now and I'm already on my fourth and awaiting my fifth. Really great game, can't say that enough. Despite the numerous bugs I've found it still remains incredibly charming. There is so much detail in this game and the fact that it came out for 800 was amazing.

Gamerscore Update: 29/08/10

This week was mainly downloadable games and the total stands at 74 585.

Shank
This was an overall good game and, though I'm not done the main campaign, the achievements are coming in quite regularly. The majority of them are from beating each of the single player bosses so I'll get those at some points. I currently have 80 of them and since there's one for 1000 kills and beating it on hard, I'm pretty sure I could S-rank this game.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game
I am loving this game and the fact that the achievements are quite easy. I've beaten it three times already and plan to do it another two times to wrap up one more of the achievements. I currently have 170 points in it.

Monopoly
This is where the points really came rolling in this week. I have 480 points in it so far and that was around five hours of play. I should note that three of these hours I had another TV on so I could watch something else because Monopoly is SLOW. Most of the points seem relatively easy, and considering all of this game seems to be pure chance, I think I can get another hundred or so just by having it on in the background. I don't plan to spend too much more time with it however.

Gamerscore Update 21/08/10

This week was good for points. I picked up several games since last weekend and earned around 1 300 points.

Gamerscore total is at 73 455.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
This was the big release this week and though I ran through it twice (once alone and again in coop) I can't bring myself to like it. I got 545 points out of it and almost all of it is from the main campaign. I don't have much interest in the multiplayer but I may jump into it for a few more achievements.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
This was the final release in the 2010 Summer of Arcade and it is really fun. I only got Limbo and this from the series this year so it wasn't the best. I got 175 points in this game, missing only one of the achievements. The last one is collecting all the relics, artifacts and weapons so it will definitely take some time.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This was the game that got me the most points this week. I got 595 points in the game and I'm on the fourth level out of the five in total. Most of them come from killing a certain number of people in different ways. I'm quite enjoying it and I really like Raven Software. I plan to finish it which will get me another 100 points or so.

Singularity
I only got another 30 points in this. I finished up some multiplayer stuff and decided against doing a play through on hard. I had to move on to other games.

Bioshock 2
I got 10 points in this. I only played about 15 minutes so I can't really talk about it yet.

First Impressions: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

This will be ongoing as I take part in the first bit of the game. I am playing it on the 360, hopefully things don't lock up.

• Great start screen menu music
• It has it's own in game achievements menu (love it when games do this)
• Reloading takes way too long
• Visuals are great
• Progressing really fast, this is a short game
• So many enemies
  

Gamerscore Update: 16/08/10

This week was two games mostly, however there was an extensive amount played of both of these.

Total gamerscore stands at: 72 100

Singularity
I finished this game and enjoyed it vastly. I currently have 765 points in it. What really surprised me is how much I enjoyed the multiplayer as well. I was content with just running through it once and being done with it there but I heard the online was good so I gave it a chance. I really like it. So much in fact that I have almost all the class-specific achievements for the multiplayer. I have a couple more online ones to get and I think I'll just back in for a run on hard to get a few more. I might even S-rank this game.

Split/Second
This was a new one to me and I ran through all of it in about three days. Granted these days consisted of about 4-6 hours of gameplay straight. I got 455 points in the game and I feel I'm done with it. Like the reviews have said, it puts it best foot forward early and the AI cheats a TON. With that, there aren't many online achievements to keep me staying with it. The main ones are reaching certain ranks but with the number of games I played and where I ended up in the rankings - that's more time than I want to commit.

He-Man is always great

I just started up Split/Second and upon using one of my event triggers I unlocked an achievement. What makes this so note worthy is the name of the achievement: I Have The Power. References to He-Man are always great.

Gamerscore Update: 07/08/10

Alright, another week has gone by and another week's worth of points has been gained.

Current total is 70 980. This is about 400 points more than last time, let's see where those came from.

Clash of the Titans
This game isn't that great for points, by finishing the game I got 365 points. This was around eight hours of play - and repetitive and terrible play at that. Most of the points were for just completing each of the chapters and a few were for getting some quick time events perfect a few times. Getting any more points would require some grinding with the combat. Considering that 99% of the game is repetitive combat, I couldn't come to do any more.

Singularity
I only have 100 points in this so far. The majority of them seem like weapon based ones, specifically were you need a certain number of kills with each. I'm definitely enjoying my time with it so far. I also hear the multiplayer is quite fun so I'll definitely check that out at some points.

Tales of Vesperia
I finally got back into this never ending RPG. Just as fun as I remember but I still have a ton of stuff left to do in it. As it is an RPG, the points are terrible, I only got 30 since I got back into it and that was around 12 hours of game play.

First Impressions: Singularity

Ongoing as I play through the first bit:

• Way similar to Bioshock in terms of themes and feel
• Friggin' jump scares
• Damn monsters don't die very easily
• Dismemberment is great
• Handles nicely
• The Seeker is very fun to use but doesn't turn enough to be incredibly useful
  

Gamerscore Update: 31/07/10

It's been a while since I've done one of these, then again it's been a while since I used this site. All is changing and change is good (not really).

So the current total is 70 535.

Red Dead Redemption
I finally got around to making my way through the main campaign for this. I really didn't get into it back when it first was released but with all the positive talk I kept hearing about it, I figured it needed a second chance. My opinion changed significantly but it's still just not my game. Open world games tend to turn me off a bit. It should say something when I tell you I never once did anything apart from story missions. This shows why I only have 320 points in the game which, compared to the time I put into the game, isn't that much. The ending is great though.

The Darkness
This came from my run of the $2.50 games at Block Buster and sat in between finishing Red Dead and waiting for Clash to come out. It's an interesting game, the darkness powers definitely set it apart from other first person shooters. I'm enjoying it for the most part; my only grievance is the lack of a navigation system. I can't tell you how many times I got utterly lost. As for the points, I have 235 of them which, once again, isn't a lot for the time put it. I do like the achievements though since the majority can be collected just through playing the game normally. I can see a lot of them unlocking closer to the end though since I have to get a certain amount of kills with each power for the most part.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate
I rented this game, since it's around three hours long. I already played this game on the PS3 since I picked it up from Block Buster for $2.50 and felt that I could get some easy points and fast on the 360. I was right. I have 485 of them and that's just from one run through on normal. I'm not sure if I'll go through it one more time on hard, I probably should since that will get me another 300 or so. It doesn't seem like a hard S rank at all.

Alan Wake
I mention this because I gained around 200 from it just from playing through The Signal DLC. That's the only reason I went back to the game, I had already finished it. I enjoy the DLC, found it pretty solid - especially for being a free download. It's much harder than the standard game so getting the two collectables achievements got really frustrating. Overall, good amount of points for the hour or so I put in.

Clash of the Titans
I don't really have much to say about this yet, I haven't played that much. I'm maybe an hour or so in and have around 90 points. A lot of them seem like they'll take a bit, we'll have to see.

Fallout 3 (PC)
I left this one for last since it's the one that got me the most. As I'm sure any achievement hunter knows, the points in this game are mad easy since you can just type in an unlock code for everyone; this includes the DLC. So it might be a little dirty but it got me 1 550 points in about three minutes.

Review: Crackdown 2

My review for Crackdown 2 is finally online and over at The Comic Book Bin. Took me a while to buckle down and get it up but it's there.

For the most part I was having fun. I did address some of the issues there are but the biggest by far is the games relation to the first Crackdown; mainly the fact that they're almost the same thing.

Review: Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot - 7

Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot is the second piece of downloadable content for the first-person shooter Borderlands and is centered around a wave-like cooperative multiplayer style of game play. The content sticks to the game’s gorgeous art style and sense of humour along with introducing new multiplayer modes and several new in game options. However, the content surrounds this new cooperative coliseum style fights completely and can cause the content to come up as slightly shallow in overall value.

The main feature about Mad Moxxi is the new coliseum mode to play in. The object of this mode is to survive a number of rounds while enemies flood into the area. Each round has five waves and contains different enemies and different handicaps or bonuses. These little add-ons can range from increasing the damage or one weapon while reducing the effect of others, to game play devices like making the enemies more accurate, have more ammo, or even taking the players shields away from them. There are a number of handicaps that can be set up for each wave and the more rounds you complete, the more bonuses will be added at one time.
The waves also differ from how the enemies will go about trying to kill you and as you progress through each round they will become smarter and stronger. One nice addition to the rounds is that the final wave of each one is called the Boss Wave and pits you and your team against either one of the main story’s bosses or a new one for this content alone.

The waves are formatted like Horde mode from Gears of War 2 or Firefight from Halo: ODST. Like these other games, the coliseum causes your team to stay together and work as one. Leaving to fight by yourself will quickly lead to death when playing on the higher rounds and finding precise locations to set up a camp is important. Each of the three coliseums are based on areas from the main campaign and are set up in very different ways. For example, The Gully consists of a tall sniper tower with three levels of arena beneath it, while The Angelic Ruins is wide open with not many closed off areas to make a safe place to hide out in.

There are a total of three coliseums and two different round caps to choose from. The first being a short five round game (25 waves in total) and the second being a long 20 round game (100 waves). A short game can take around 30 minutes to complete while the latter can last over four hours. Apart from these three arenas to play in, Mad Moxxi also includes an all new bank system and the ability to unlock two more skill points for your character. The bank is probably one of the more intriguing features to the game. It allows players to stash any of your guns and equipment. You can also purchase bank upgrades that will give you more room to hold your stuff. The bank is a very welcomed feature since you now have a place to hold those weird weapons that you’re only carrying to show off to your friends.

The one downside to this add-on is that it focuses completely on the coliseum battles and nothing else. This causes the content to feel a little short and shallow when you look at what you’re really paying for. Despite some of the matches lasting very long, finding out exactly how to position and use your team over and over can come off as a bit repetitive. With that said, the handicaps for each wave add a random element to each fight and can cause you to mix up each of your formations. This addition greatly s and alters the otherwise monotonous nature of simply kill everything.

Despite the short length of time between this and the previous piece of additional content, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot feels like a solid addition to the game. Even though the arena fights can get repetitive during your third hour of the 20 round games, the number of different bonuses and handicaps can still keep you on your feet. The bank system is very welcomed to anyone who has come across a weak but unique gun that they don’t want to have to sell off in order to keep some inventory room. And to anyone who has hit the level cap - but still wants to upgrade their character - the two unlockable skill points are a great addition. Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot not only gets the wave-like cooperative game play right but alters it enough to make it feel new and very exciting.

Overall: 7/10

Review: The Ballad of Gay Tony - 8

Like the first piece of downloadable content added to Grand Theft Auto 4, The Ballad of Gay Tony brings new forms of gameplay and a completely new story. Though the story remains separate from the main game’s campaign, there are enough references and ties between the two games to present a real connection. The story that you play through remains as well written as ever and despite the look of the aging graphics, The Ballad of Gay Tony feels like a solid addition to the already massive game.

You play as Luis Lopez, the body guard of Tony “Gay Tony” Prince, as you help revive the chain of nightclubs that you both have a stake in. Not only has Tony managed to piss off the Russian mob group in Liberty City, but everyone you meet seems to want nothing more than killing the flamboyant business owner. As the trusted friend, you take it upon yourself to win back your enemies by either helping them out, or gunning them down.

A great inclusion to the game is the various references towards events are characters from the main game and even the first piece of downloadable content. Many characters make a return and sometimes even play a more major role in some of the missions. It was great being able to see characters like Roman Belic try and squeeze his way into one of Tony’s clubs. The addition of these constant references really make the world created in Grand Theft Auto 4 and The Ballad of Gay Tony much bigger and real.

The Ballad of Gay Tony’s strongest aspect is the writing behind the characters. Each one of them either feels very realistic or completely ridiculous. A personal favorite is Tony himself. He is set up as this rich club owner who seems to have it all. However, as the story plays out, we learn his life is far from glamorous. The game does a great job at showcasing this drugged up shell of a man. Another great character is the main protagonist Luis. The drama he has to go through to keep his boss from killing himself and getting himself killed is very well handled. Along with the constant issues we are presented about Luis’s home life, we can see how crummy this character really has it. On the more playful side we have Yusuf. His only dream is to build the biggest skyscraper in all of liberty city. Along with that goal, he wants to spend all the money he can. This is most often played out by getting Luis to steal him helicopters or even tanks. The mix between the two contrasting personality types really helps this content pack to live up to the tone set in Grand Theft Auto 4 but also relate back to some of the previous, less serious Grand Theft Auto games.

As always, the conflicting parties in the story will have the main character performing various tasks for them and this is where the main gameplay comes in. These missions can be anything from car pursuits to shooting your way out of a museum. Along with these, the always amusing helicopter missions make a return. The game can be quite fun when you are instructed to take out a ferry ship with your missile equipped copter.

A new type a mission is included in this download pack known as base jumping. These will have you either ride a helicopter into the air or get to a very high location and jump out. From here you can freefall down until you wish to pull the ripcord to release your parachute. With the ability to play these outside of story related missions, the game becomes all that much more enjoyable. The map is filled with dozens of different base jumping missions and they all differ by either the location and height or if you are intended to land on a moving object or not.

One of the main downsides to the game is the return of the incredibly awkward driving mechanic. Like the original Grand Theft Auto 4, the cars’ handling is very different than most driving related games and the learning curve can last you longer than the time spent going through the story. The problem is that the vehicles feel as if they’re constantly on ice. The inclusion of a hand brake doesn’t help much either. Many times I found myself performing donuts when I had anticipated an easy right turn. Though the cars can become easier to drive when finding and unlocking better vehicles, the main ones that are given to you for each mission aren’t very fun to use at all.

The final complaint to be had with this download pack is the visuals. Since they’re almost identical to the main game’s, they begin to look a little dated. The character models don’t have the same realism they had last year and some come off looking a little to polygonal. However, the environments remain good and the lighting and water effects throughout the enormous Liberty City is just great.

The Ballad of Gay Tony is a solid piece of additional content that is worth the $20 being charged for it. Whether you’re just into the series’ fiction or want to find new ways to cause havoc in the streets, this game has it covered. Despite the steep learning curve to the cars, there are many ways of becoming accustomed to it and with all the replay ability, you’ll get used to it in the end. This pack delivers what you’d expect and want when continuing a Grand Theft Auto game and it does very well in doing so.

Overall: 8/10

First Impressions: Balled of Gay Tony

I received a download code for the Balled of Gay Tony from some publishers last week and started playing that today after getting a hold of a copy of GTA4. I've only played about ten minutes of the main story and around two hours of the online multiplayer. Here's what I think so far:

• Delivers exactly what you'd expect from a GTA4 add-on
• The new character is pretty cool and his relationship with Tony and some of his other associates feels good and real
• The cars' handling is still not the best
• Motorcycles take forever to get used to
• The online multiplayer's lobby is great since you can just run around shooting the other players while waiting for a game to begin
• The super robot bubble gum anime cartoon is on the TV and still awesome
• The other TV shows I saw while watch the super robot bubble gum anime show look just as ridiculous as you'd want

Overall it feels very well done and I look forward to diving further into the main story.

I need to write more here

I plan to start up more stuff here. I have a download code for Balled of Gay Tony to dive into, that should give me some stuff.

Review: Halo 3: ODST - 8

Halo 3: ODST is a first person shooter set in the Halo universe and prequel to the original Halo 3 game. The controls and overall game play are very similar to Halo 3 but ODST contains enough new features to make this feel like a new experience. However, the similarity between the two games can cause ODST to come up a bit short.

You play as a no-named Orbital Drop Shock Trooper who, along with his teammates, encountered problems when entering the atmosphere. After awaking and noticing you have been separated from your squad, you set out to round up your teammates. As you search the area, you will come across several objects that had been used from your team several hours previous and upon finding them, a new mission will begin. Each of these separate missions has you take command of a new teammate as you discover what happened to them during the crash landing.

Each mission brings something new and different for you to utilize. Some will have you focusing on using your sniper rifle while others will want you to drive throughout the level using huge laser cannons against the enemy. The diversity is quite nice and shows how much this game has to offer.

You also have the choice to play through the campaign with up to three addition players. This can really skyrocket the amount to do in the game since tackling harder difficulties seems like a more achievable task. This also allows you to discover new ways to complete the levels and missions. One downside to the cooperative play is that there is no system in place to continue a game is a player chooses to quit. If at any point one of the players drops out the game, the rest will experience the game freezing and then kicked back out to the lobby. This is a really bummer since random loss of connections can cause you to have to replay many areas.

The story telling in the game is a nice touch since you only get bits and pieces of the whole story. Finding new items from your team and engaging in each teammate’s perspective reveals more to the story. However, the main characters in the game come off as quite stiff and easy to forget. Since you only play as each one for around ten to fifteen minutes, there isn’t enough time to develop an attachment to any one person. Even playing as the rookie for the duration of the over world section feels the same since your main character stays mute throughout the game.

There is the addition of collectable audio logs spread out through the game. Each one is a piece of a side story involving a civilian girl and the enemy Covenant. The depth and character development in each of these are great and along with the ability to play them while searching the over world for more of your teammate’s items can cause these characters to become far more interesting than the main campaign ones. In addition, the game tries to help guide you to these hidden logs by having indicators point you in the right direction. What might look like a construction sign telling you to “stay right” may actually be a hint on which path to take forward.

The controls and game play are very similar to Halo 3’s but there are several new features. The most noticeable is the night vision mode you have. Pressing the X button will allow you to see things more clearly. Not only does it brighten up darker areas, but it outlines your comrades in green and the enemies in red. These bright contour lines are great for being able to find hidden audio logs or items and it can even help you against enemies with invisibility. The only downside to using this mode is it takes some of the detail away from the environment. Though, the look of the contour outlining is nice but not being able to see the great looking atmosphere is a downside.

It’s safe to say that this game looks wonderful. The dark environment you explore as the rookie looks great when illuminated by the small fires and broken street lights. And when playing in the day time missions the bright colors and detail is very well done. Your night vision mode even changes the detail a bit and even though it lowers the quality, the style used with its colorful contours lines is great in its own way.

Partnered with the great visuals, ODST’s audio and soundtrack is perfect. The soft and slow music played when exploring the main over world is great and fits in with the lost and lonely feel to it. At the same time, the music is just up beat enough to fit in with the various enemy encounters. And when playing through your teammates missions to the fast paced music as they fight their way to extraction is just great. The music is this game is a real treat.

Another new feature ODST brings is the Firefight multiplayer mode. This is a standard survival game mode that can be played with up to four players cooperatively. Much like Horde mode from Gears of War 2, this setting stations you in a small area where you need to survive as long as possible while more and more enemies enter and begin to fight you. To keep things interesting, the game awards score multipliers and bonus points when you pull off certain moves. Killing two enemies in quick succession will double your score while using a grenade to blow up several at once will increase it that much further. This is a really great mode to play with your friends and adds loads of replay value.

Halo 3: ODST comes across as a bit of a double edged sword. For anyone looking something new and different from the typical Halo game won’t be completely satisfied. The game stays very true to the series’ formula and delivers on all accounts. But if you are no huge fan of the original trilogy, you may just find this to feel more like an expansion of the third game. Though the new multiplayer mode and great visual/audio choices make this game feel just different enough to keep it separated. Overall the game looks and handles very well and with all the audio logs to discover and story to unlock, there’s a lot going on.

Overall: 8/10

Gamerscore Update: 19/08/09

LOTS has happened in the way of achievement points and me in the last two weeks. I finished playing all of the games from my last update and got a whole bunch of new ones for this time. I'll run through these in the order I played them.

Armored Core 4
This game was awful and has one of the worst user interfaces I have ever seen in a game. So bad in fact that I had to turn off my game due to it and, thinking it auto saved after a few of the missions I had done, lots everything I had done. So I got 20 points. That is all.

Shellshock 2
This game is pretty dumb but I did get a decent amount of points for the hour or so I played. I got 11 for 175 points by going through the first three missions. A lot of them are from getting a certain number of kills without reloading specific guns. You also get a massive 40 point achievement for beating a level without dying. And that's pretty easy to obtain by going through the first mission on easy. Overall I am never going back to that game, I didn't enjoy it.

Ninja Gaiden 2
This game is mad hard, MAD hard. I got 20 points (3 achievements) for starting up the second level and playing through that. I never want to play this game again.

Bioshock
This is the big one. I finally sat down with a friend and made my way from the start to the end of this game. It actually gets a lot less creepy as you proceed through the game. Playing on easy also makes it that much easier since you will never die. I got a total of 47 of the 51 achievements, which is 900 of the possible 1100 points. Overall this was a good game that has some easy, easy points.

Rainbow Six Vegas
So since I made my way through the second game, it only makes sense to try the first one. I don't like the first Rainbow Six Vegas. There is not enough checkpoints. I got fed up by playing the same part over and over, getting further and further each time but still dying from like two hits and ending up at the same check point. You die far too easily. The second game was MUCH better than this. I got 6 achievements for 125 points.

Splinter Cell Double Agent
I'm not a Splinter Cell fan, never have been. I thought I should give one a try and this confirmed it. When it comes to stealth games, it's Metal Gear Solid or nothing. So I got 3 achievements for doing the two training missions and completing the first level. This got me 80 points and that's all I plan to get.

Tales of Vesperia
Once again I sat down and got a good chunk of this game done. I think I got around 5-10 hours more into that game. It never ends; but I realize that I enjoy its length. It's a great game with so much in it to do. I got 5 achievements this time for 75 points. This was mainly from clearing out all the Giganto Monsters and then a few for normal story bosses. The last 10 point achievement was from earning over 100 000 chips from gambling. I recommend doing this because their "poker" game is mad easy. I bet 500 chips in one hand and finished with over 700 000. A good way to get Gald is to then buy some of the items with your chips and go sell them. Then repeat.

Shadow Complex
This is the latest game I've played. It came out today and I've spent around two hours on it so far. I've gotten 4 achievements for 55 points but I am no where near finishing the game. I plan to get at least 5 more of the achievements to get and I'll try for the others depending on how long they take me. The game is great and is definitely worth the 1200 Microsoft Points.

Can't wait

I think finally preordering this game has gotten me at the level of excitement I should be. I simply can't wait for it now and plan to be spending many a sleepless night working through it.

Here's a video from Kotaku showing some of Batman's gadgets at work.

Review: Splosion Man - 8

Splosion Man is a 2D side scrolling platformer where you make your way through some of the hardest and mind numbing levels ever imagined. There are a total of 50 levels to play in the main campaign and an additional 50 for multiplayer. The game presents itself nicely with sharp graphics and good humor but can begin to become quite tedious and frustrating very quickly.

Armed with the ability to “splode” you must explode yourself in order to jump or damage enemies. Your only option is to hit any of the four face buttons (A, B, X, Y) to cause you to blow up and propel yourself slightly upwards. You can continue to explode up to three times before you run out of energy. Sliding on a wall or standing still will recharge you instantly. You will come across enemies that can also neutralize your character and cause you to become vulnerable to enemy attacks. The game has a very simple set-up to its gameplay and uses it in tons of great ways.

Each level is very different and comes with its own unique perks. Some levels will have you dodge laser shooting robots and blowing up rocket launchers while others will pit you against rising acid as you use explosive barrels to propel yourself to safety. To keep things interesting, there is also a hidden item in each level. There is an entire cake to be found and is usually tucked away in a corner or some place that requires much more time and effort to reach.

On paper the game can seem quite easy, but the difficulty in Splosion Man is one of its biggest drawbacks. The game starts out easy enough as it introduces you to each of the game’s several mechanics that you’ll have to master. However, the game is set on split second timing and it doesn’t leave room for error. You will need to nail every jump and every landing almost perfect if you want to proceed. The difficulty also starts off quite quick making you deal with some extremely intense stage only after a few levels in.

However, the game counters this in every way it can. Each time you pass a certain section, you will come across a checkpoint. You will find a checkpoint every 30 seconds to a minute on each level. The game also features no load times during the stages so you aren’t sitting there after each death just waiting for the game to load the level again. Lastly, it includes the Way of the Coward option which lets you skip a level you have died on repeatedly. This is nice to keep you interested and not let you become permanently stuck as you get more and more frustrated. And though the levels may get incredibly hard, there’s enough charm and jokes in here to make you keep coming back to try.

The game also features up to four player cooperative play with 50 multiplayer specific levels. This brings the grand total of different and unique stages to play up to 100. Each of the multiplayer levels can be completed with a minimum of two people. However, having extra players to help cut down on time always helps. The addition of another splosion man also adds new elements to play with. For example: exploding off of one another to reach higher and farther platforms. This does make the split second gameplay yet again harder but the inclusion of a timer you can use (pressing LT) can help you and your team coordinate your jumps and explosions. This addition is quite nice when playing online with someone who doesn’t have a headset.

The multiplayer can be done local or on Xbox Live but at this time the online play is quite broken. When two separate Xbox’s are playing with each other, the games desynchronize from one another. This causes players to see the game at two different times. For example, one player will see the platform close to him while the other will see it far away. This renders the gameplay useless as you’re already up against some of the hardest stages imaginable. Also, any lag experienced what so ever will completely ruin your chances of succeeding. The only way to play with someone else is locally. It allows the game to remain constant and there is no chance for a lag in connection.

Splosion Man also looks great. It is set up on a two dimensional plain but the camera moves and rotates enough to shows the 3D space around you. This gives the game a 2.5 dimensional feel to it. The movements in the camera are also quite appreciated to help you see further down the hallway or the entirety of the room you are in. The stages are very well designed and feature great vibrant colors. The splosion man will also glow brighter with the more energy he has and become a burnt crisp when exploding too much.

The game’s sound is also quite good and very funny. The splosion man will constantly make weird and comical noises as you play. He will also choose to run and sound like a monkey every now and then. Also the addition of Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes and references are just great. Lastly, the humorous and lovely Donut Man song found on several stages is a great surprise and a real treat.

Overall Splosion Man is a fun and hilarious game that makes it a steal at only 800 Microsoft Points. The variety of levels, hidden items found throughout the game and a harder difficulty to unlock give the game loads of replay value. However, the difficulty can be quite harsh but with the whimsical appeal and enough help to keep you playing, the game manages to be fun enough to make it worth struggling through. And though the online multiplayer being broken is a real shame, getting some friends over and playing locally is great and doubles the length of the entire game. Splosion Man is a great and charming game and despite a few draw backs, it becomes an easy recommendation for anyone.

Overall: 8/10