A Great 2d Fighter No Fighting Fan Should Miss!!

Guilty Gear was an awesome fighter back in the day with great visuals and had a fair amount of challenge to it if you wanted to master the characters. Any fighting fan knows Guilty Gear, from the quirky characters, to the beautiful 2d character models, and insane combos that could be pulled off. Arc System Works was the brainchild behind Guilty Gear and they have come back with an amazing "spiritual successor". BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is an amazing game that despite being in a world of 3d fighters stands out as a great 2d experience no fighting fan should pass up.

BlazBlue follows the story of Ragna the Bloodedge on his quest to destroy the Library which controls the world's use of Armagus (a mix of magic and technology) that was originally created to destroy the "Black Beast". Along the way you meet some interesting characters that all have a distinct personality as well as intriguing looks. Any anime or manga fan will feel right at home with the characters in the game and the conversations they have. Casual fighters or people looking for a new game in general might be put off by the weird characters and/or no real stand out characters (like Ryu or Ken in Street Fighter). This is one of BlazBlue's downfall; yet, should be overlooked when a fighting game is this much fun to play.

The action in BB: Calamity Trigger is fast, furious, and fun as hell. Most of the characters are easy to pick up and start pulling off moves; however, there are some that will definitely scare away gamers that don't like to put time in learning a character and would rather jump in and start fighting. That brings the only other gripe that would come to mind with BB is that the fighter roster is very small compared to other fighters. With that said, it puts a good balance between new players and veterans so at least a new comer can pull off moves instantly and not feel overpowered by someone that has played the game since it came out in arcades. The controls are very tight in this game which makes it all the more fun to pull off moves and execute finishers in They were a little more floaty in the Xbox 360 version compared to the PS3 one but that is the only difference between the two versions and more a matter of opinion on my control preferences than anything else.

Between the amazing 2d graphics that burst out of the screen with color, to the pin point controls, and an actual good AND interesting story (how many times can you say that about a fighting game?), BlazBlue is an amazing fighter. Every fighting fan should give it a shot if you haven't already picked it up. Support this game and let Arc System Works know we want more amazing fighters from their twisted minds.

Just Another Bargin Bin Movie Game.

I am somewhat upset with the outcome of this game and at the same time I'm not surprised at all. Transformers: ROTF is your typical movie tie-in game. It doesn't bring anything new to the table; however, what it does bring is void of any creativity or substance.

The story loosely follows the new movie that released today. It tells this "story" through horrible "cut scenes" of transformers standing around talking using in game graphics which don't do it any justice. If you are buying this game you won't be buying it for the story. You love Transformers and you want to play as them. This is where the game shines. You really feel like you are playing as your favorite autobot or decepticon. The ability to morph into certain modes definitely is a treat for core gamers and fans alike. It did; however, feel very awkward in how you switched between modes and use the abilities of each one. It does take time to feel comfortable with the button layout but once you figure it out you'll be riding in vehicle form, super jump and flip into your robot mode, grab onto a building, and jump up to the roof to survey your immediate surroundings. It is here that makes trying this game worth it. You will be flipping in and out of modes destroying your enemies with ease and a smile on your face. That is until you notice one of the bugs in the game. In the copy I played i couldn't help but find random bugs that interfered with my play time. Some of the noticeable ones were getting stuck on buildings in car form, enemies running into walls for minutes on end, and one that sold it for me was the first "boss" you fight in Shanghai. A friend told me about their fight with him and how he was tough to fight being the enemies flying above you and the boss always on you made it semi-challenging. When I got to the same boss he just sat in one corner and spun around not moving at all while all the helicopters in the sky just circled me and didn't shoot at me once no matter what I did. Not sure if this was just a fluke with my copy but I tried it twice and the same scenario took place. Even in a movie game things like these should not happen if even a drop of quality testing is done.

Aside from a barely average multiplayer mode that will keep your attention for about an hour this game is a huge let down. From the bland graphics to the uninspiring story, this game is exactly what it's supposed to be...a way to cash in more on the Transformer's name. Play it because you are a fan of the Transformers not because you are looking for a great "mech" game.

Where Do These Stairs Go? They Go Up.

If you are having a problem with pesky ghosts in your house or business who ya gonna call? Obviously you would call the Ghostbusters. Now if you are looking for a summer game based off a movie that doesn't suck what are you gonna play? Well, you could give the Ghostbusters The Video Game a spin. The Ghostbusters game takes place after the second movie in 1991. Instead of getting a rehash of the first or second movie, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykryod wrote an entire new script that is more like a 3rd Ghostbusters movie in video game form than some random cash in on an old movie. You play as a new recruit for the Ghostbusters who is basically there to try out Egon's new and untested equipment. During your training exercises the team realizes that this seemingly normal ghost catching is more than meets the eye. What follows are some catchy one-liners from the team as well as some frantic moments and events that are done so true to Ghostbusters that if they wanted to make a third film they could just add a few more cut scenes and call it a day.

The game play is the standard for third person shooters now a days. Run from room to room, catch some ghosts, pick up collectibles, watch short cut scene, rinse, repeat, dry. It is a fun romp none the less but it still can't really get out of the shadow of the movie it is portraying. Fighting the ghosts in the game are a blast and there are even some times when you feel you could be playing some type of goofy horror game with the sound effects they use and little jump out spots. One room that was exceptionally creepy was the kid's room in the library. Walking into a room filled with little chairs and storybooks isn't too bad; but, when you add giggling and crying from kids that aren't there and hand prints on the wall...yea you have something going. Kudos to Terminal Velocity for sticking true to the movies and not making it more goofy just to appeal to the kids of today. As much fun as it is to run around as a potential Ghostbuster...It seems that with all the time the developers took to recreate the feel and look of the movies, they forgot to add A.I. to your teammates. Taking on one or two ghosts at a time and you have no problem. It's just good, clean, fun wrangling ghosts. Throw in three or four more ghosts and you will probably want to start throwing controllers at your wall in frustration. The Ghostbusters are about as dumb as rocks and seemed to get themselves knocked down about every five seconds during the more intense fights. This would be okay if they knew how to revive each other....and they will....after like three minutes of someone being down, which doesn't really help your cause when you have five ghosts chasing you down and the other busters are just throwing off bad one-liners and getting knocked out. The game play is fun, don't take it the wrong way. You will just notice the frustration especially on higher difficulties but it shouldn't stop you from finishing the game.

The graphics are more of a mixed bag than the game play is. Sometimes the likeness of the busters are incredible and you feel like you stepped through time to when Bill Murray was a lovable actor. There are some wonky sections though with in game cut scenes that are kind of weird. When first stepping off the boat in a later level, Egon was supposed to be talking to us but for some reason decided to look over in a corner and proceed to finish his story. This wouldn't be that big of a deal but when he is making gestures like he is talking to someone in front of him then you kind of go...huh?

All in all this game is a blast if you have any recollection of the two films or are a die hard fan. It'll be more of the die hard fans buying the game and enjoying every little movie tie-in they throw at you. For the rest of us, a simple weekend rental should do the job.

Join The Faction! Save Mars!

Congratulations to Volition for taking a first person shooter from the PS2 era and going with a third person action game perspective. Not only is this one of the best transitions between genres, it brings a whole new meaning the destructive environments. When you look at Red Faction: Guerrilla for the first time, it might not seem any different from your generic third person shooters out there..and you would be right but only to a certain point. There is depth to this game that does make it stand out from the crowd. One thing you will notice right away is the ability to destroy anything and everything that you come across. If there is a wall in your way, just bust it down with your sledgehammer, EDF (Earth Defense Force) barracks ruining your day? Just set some charges to it and watch it crumble while you giggle like a little school girl.

The story is one of slavery, rebellions, saving miners from the EDF, and taking back Mars. You are Alec Mason who is basically tricked by his brother to come help fight for the rebellion on Mars. What ensues is total chaos across all of Mars. If you have played any of the Grand Theft Autos you will know what to expect when it comes to the game play. It is an open world game so you can go anywhere and do anything. The world is broken down into zones which have their own missions, side missions, EDF control, and miner morale. Your job is to liberate each zone from the EDF and gain miner support. Some of the side missions do tend to get repetitive but they at least help weaken the EDF in the area. The main story is great although it felt like some of the side mission stories were just thrown in to give you a reason for doing it. The place where RF: Guerrilla really shines is the multiplayer.

In terms of the modes, it offers the usual CTF, deathmatch, large battles, Headquarters mode called damage control, and the two exceptions; siege and demolition. In siege you have attackers and defenders. The attackers are trying to destroy certain buildings and the defenders must stop them from reaching that objective. Demolition has a demolisher on each team trying to cause more destruction than the other team while his/her teammates try to keep them alive. These modes added in with a great assortment of backpacks to level the playing field as well as secret challenges, badges, sledgehammers, characters, and different ranks to unlock make this multiplayer more than just an afterthought. When it comes down to it, nothing beats watching a giant building come crashing down on your enemies and hearing them scream while they are being crushed....yea...now that would put a smile and any wannabe rebel's face.

One Biological Weapon You WANT To Use

Just to get it out of the way right off the bat...Prototype is almost identical to Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. This time around though you have a new IP with a new main hero and slightly new story with the old Hulk game play. That isn't to say that Prototype is bad in any way, it is actually quite the opposite. This game is a blast from start to finish. The amount of chaos on screen at one time is very impressive. I understand that a lot of people are bashing this game because the graphics aren't up to par with "today's standards". You have to look at the big picture, looking at a screen shot of this game and you wouldn't really think anything of it. Now watch the game in motion with about 6 helicopters, 4 tanks, around 10 hunters, and countless infected and military troops with no frame rate issues and you'll see why the graphics aren't up to par. The story....is somewhat there and somewhat not. Some of the cut scenes are great and get you interested in what is going on in this virtual world. Then...some of them aren't that great and usually cut back to game play before anything is fleshed out. Needless to say the story isn't why you come to this game. It is the total chaos that ensues every 5 minutes. Aside from little flaws in this game there isn't really much to gripe about unless you just have a grudge for the game. The controls can be a little wonky at times but nothing that will ruin the game for you. I wanted to keep this short and sweet but try the game out for yourself. There are a myriad of powers to unlock and upgrade, tons of side quests to do ( although repetative ) that help lengthen the game and help you gain experience, and last but not least...the ability to be one bad ass mother f***er that will have you fighting entire armies of infected and humans in one 5 minute sitting.