Hardcore Halo fans already know this, but for the rest of you out there, Bungie’s Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack has officially gone live today. 800 Microsoft Points will get you Blackout, Avalanche, and Ghost Town.

I’ve been testing the three maps pretty extensively since about 8:00 this morning (it is now 11:00) and have some initial thoughts on all of the three maps.

The first map I played of course was Blackout, being a remake of everyones favorite Halo 2 map Lockout. My initial thoughts on the map is that it definitely does Lockout justice, weapons are placed perfectly, most of the jumps are there (the only ones removed are the ones that toyed with Halo 2’s physics), and the new UNSC weather station theme gives the map a fresh new feel while still staying true to Lockout. So far I’ve only played 2v2 Team Slayer on this map and I must say, it really feels similar to Lockout. The thing I am really waiting for though, is to see how the map holds up under the new MLG rules.

Next was Ghost Town. I went into this map without really knowing what to expect. I thought it was going to be a huge and complicated map that I wasn’t going to like at all, however I was wrong on most of these points. First off, the map really isn’t all that big, complicated yes, big not so much. I found that while running 2v2 Team Slayer it really felt like a map that wasn’t going to get veto’d when it appears in Matchmaking and that people are bound to like it much more than maps that came bundled with the game (Snowbound and Epitah to be exact ). Ghost Town is sure to be a hit with Zombie game type fans as it looks like a gloomy run down facility with a sort of creepy feel. There is a Mongoose on the map with a pretty much circular path around the whole map for easy transportation. Weapon placement is fine, Sniper, Laser and Rockets were three power weapons I found with relative ease. There is also an Over Shield and Active Camouflage placed nicely on the map and with the set up of the map these two power-ups will prove to be extremely useful.

Last but not least, Avalanche. Not being a fan of large maps, out of the pack I was least excited about one. After running through it I see how it could be fun in Big Team or a similar play list, but it is just too huge to do anything else with. The enormous man cannons they have placed around the map, that shoot you about 2 times as far as the main one on Valhalla, were extremely entertaining, to say the least, for the 5 minutes I played with them. Another thing I really like are the arctic themed skins for the weapons and vehicles on the map, making the map feel much more unique and immersive.

Overall, the Map Pack is definitely something that any hardcore Halo fan will be sure to download, on the other hand if you are just a casual player and don’t want to spend the money, wait a while until the maps are offered for free. Of all the three maps you can without a doubt expect to see Blackout being played the most, now all we need is a Midship remake.

For those not up to speed on the Gerstmann incident, Jeff Gerstmann was a review editor for GameSpot, who was tasked with reviewing Kane and Lynch. CNET owns Gamespot, and happened to be running quite the intense advertisement campaign. After Jeff turned out a negative review, he was unceremoniously fired, which Gamespot insists the two events were unrelated, but most of the industry suspects otherwise.

Now, the represcussions are still being felt as Alex Navarro, review editor for Gamespot, and a full time employee of 8 years has also announced he will be leaving the website. It’s hard to say whether the two events are related, but they seem closely well timed, especially for Alex, the review editor. It’ll be impossible to know exactly what went on over at Gamespot, but the infamous event will continue to live on, over the internal debate about whether reviewers really get to speak their mind without fear.

Rock Band is an outlandish concept that somehow came together and came together quite well. If it weren’t for the success of Guitar Hero, not even the most original concept, never would Harmonix have gained the support and cash to pull off such an over the top product. Coming in at 170 dollars, and well over 200 to get that second guitar (which you can’t do without purchasing the competitors product), it’s a wonder it’s actually selling. Plagued by hardware and launch issues, tons of confusing peripheral devices, driven by downloadable content, it really breaks all the rules and redefines the limits a publisher can take.

But in spite of everything going against it, Rock Band is an amazing game, that’s incredibly fun, and definitely worth the small fortune you are going to drop on it. There’s been a big push recently towards the blue ocean strategy, but more often than not a casual forgets its original and loyal audience by still achieving a challenging and interesting task for longtime gamers. Guitar Hero and now Rock Band are two of those success stories, where ingenuity and smart design can really create a title that anyone can be interested, and yet be extremely difficult and challenging for ‘hardcore’ gamers.

Rock Band really is a knock off of Guitar Hero, but given the circumstances, Harmonix was without an IP, needed something new, and decided it time to go all out and expand the genre beyond the guitar. Had Harmonix tackled the same project instead of Guitar Hero, it’s hard to say whether Rock Band would have actually caught on, or been the blight to EA’s financial forecast.

We all know the drill by now, over 50 new tracks, solo modes built just like Guitar Hero for Guitar, Drums or Vocals, and the usual included co-op. With the new release comes three separate new instruments, each with varying degrees of quality. Easily the worst piece of hardware you’ll be picking up is the guitar. Compared to the wireless option courteousy of Guitar Hero 3, it’s easily the worse of the two. My guitar fortunately did not have any issues with the strum bar, but it’s still a little soft. The buttons are harder to keep track of and overall the instrument itself feels less solid. Initiating Overdrive is a little unresponsive on my unit.

The drums are solidly built, although the actual timing still seems a bit more preemptive than the guitar counterpart. I soon realized with some calibrating of the system the timing was fixed nicely to my liking. The microphone is well built as well, I really have no issues with the mic in the least. Potentially in the future the guitar might get replaced in my collection, but the other peripheral devices should do nicely for some time to come.

But a part from all the instruments, and solo modes, where Rock Band’s magic takes place is 4 player multiplayer. The World Band Tour mode is amazingly entertaining. They really have gone above and beyond to make it seem like you are traveling around, gaining fans, money and new gigs on your way to the top. The one complaint I do have though is that a few songs, especially the early ones, can be overdone. I guess that’s the same frustration you’ll encounter in your own band, playing a song more than once can get repetitive. Fortunately, once more selection opens up it’s less daunting.

It is challenging as well. While the early portions of the game can be played with anyone, you’ll really need to tackle the end portions with seasoned players, or at least friends that have played with you up until that point. While each instrument can set their own difficulty, you will need to play a few songs on hard to gain the required fans to beat the game.

Few other titles manage to achieve the same level of teamwork, and sheer immersion that Rock Band has exposed me too. Even after hours and hours of playtime and clearing World Band Tour Mode, there is still much left to do, and I look forward to it. Rock Band is that title that will continue to be pulled out on a steady base in my collection for years to come, and even though the sticker price is shocking, the hours of playtime spent with it in the long run will be worthwhile. Guitar Hero may be its roots, but when you get four people together all rocking out, that’s where the real magic occurs, and is something Guitar Hero just can’t come close to offering. With a so far excellent steady stream of downloadable content, Harmonix is in this for the long run, and that’s something to be thankful for, because we plan on sticking with Rock Band for a long time.

Final Score: 97/100

The Positives: The best four player local multiplayer of 2007. Extremely immersive, and easily playable by anyone. With three separate instruments and a World Band Tour Mode, the amount of content more than quadruples Guitar Hero 3.

The Cons: The price tag is the only determent. The guitar is sub-par.

Let’s get something out of the way right off the bat. Super Mario Galaxy is the game of the year for the Wii, no ifs ands or buts. There isn’t even a contest for the distinction, as Super Mario Galaxy really is in a world (or galaxy) of its own. The only other title you could purchase on the console that holds the same level of depth and polish would be last years Zelda: Twilight Princess. Nintendo in recent years was in a downward spiral, its console wasn’t performing very well, platformers were a dying breed, and Mario was getting old.

Then Miyamoto came along and once again reinvigorated the franchise to go right along with the new consoles success. We all know Super Mario Galaxy represents the pinnacle in gaming, and you should pick up a copy, but just how good does Mario compare to other classics, even his own? We’ll touch on that shortly.

On so many other titles on the Wii, the Wii remote has really become an added gimmick, often needlessly including motion controls for something better mapped to a button. Mario Galaxy impressively did not become a victim of this trend, instead incorporating Wii controls only where they made sense and actually improved the quality of the title. Mario’s jump is mapped to the A button, the nunchuck is reserved for movement and camera centering, while the IR sensor works as your onscreen cursor and B reserved for shooting star bits. It works, it feels polish and solid and that’s something few Wii titles have managed to achieve thus far. The twist of the game is the spin attack, mapped to shaking the Wii remote. It’s responsive and the feedback feels great.

But, where Mario Galaxy really takes off is the planet system. I had some reservations about it initially, while running around spheres was definitely going to be an interesting addition, I was not sure if it would quickly become old, or the old large platforming stages would be missed. Most of the Galaxies in the game do represent this new breed of gaming, jumping between major objects of interest. However, the traditional stage design is still blended throughout, some stages being almost devoid of planetoids completely. It’s varied and interesting enough that the design never does get old, and is actually quite the interesting method of separating areas to make for an overall more graphically impressive game.

Super Mario Galaxy looks as impressive as it plays. Unfortunately, no matter how much we don’t want it to be, the Wii is a less powerful system. Super Mario Galaxy is the most graphically impressive game on the Wii and blows many high definition games on 360 and PS3 out of the water, but we are left with wondering what they could have done with a stronger hardware. Given the choice, between Wii controls or HD, the controls really make the game more than the lack of HD output potential. Camera control has been pushed as one of the big flaws on the title, but for the majority of the game it did not get in my way or distract from the experience in any major way.

One of the really cool features of Super Mario Galaxy that I did spend a good time with was the co-op play. I actually played through the first quarter of the game co-operatively with a non-gamer, and we had quite a blast doing so. It does fill a niche, a hardcore gamer would probably not put up with the secondary role for long, but for a strong gamer and a bystander; it’s actually a lot of fun. I will say, having learned the ins and outs of the game with a helper, I actually felt quite gimped once I continued on solo. Let’s be honest, not all of our friends are hardcore gamers, so when we have the opportunity of being challenged and letting a less experienced player join in the fun, and not be overwhelmed in the process, it’s an amazing feature.

Super Mario Galaxy in total holds over 120 stars, 60 of which are required to beat the game. Overall, I felt the run through 60 stars on the easy side, while once you start getting past 90 stars, the game really starts to get challenging. I think 90 stars would have been a more appropriate goal to complete the game, as there was simply so much that was left to explore when the game was ready to be completed. Of course, you can just avoid the final battle for a while, while you collect more stars, which is actually something I did. Call me a completionist.

When all is said and done, Mario is held to his own incredibly high standards. Even the so-called flops in the series are amazing top tier games. In that regard, Super Mario Galaxy for me was the true sequel to Mario 64, and in my opinion outdid it, proving to be the best 3D Mario title yet. Every Wii owner will have Wii sports in their collection, but it’s Super Mario Galaxy that absolutely needs to be the crowning achievement of their collection.

Final Score: 98/100

Hits: The rebirth of the platformer, amazingly tight controls, beautifully rendered, challenging and amazingly well thought out. Best game on the Wii, period.
Misses: If only we could have had it in HD! Some individuals find the camera clunky.

Unfortunately, I’ve grown extremely tired of waiting for Rock Band, in order to have at least an opportunity to gauge Guitar Hero 3 against its main competition. That will have to be left to a future article, likely sometime in the New Year. Therefore, it looks like Guitar Hero 3 will be judged mostly on its own merits, with only its predecessors as a point of comparison.

We’ve all grown well aware of the cultural phenomenon that is Guitar Hero. Only a year ago you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who had really heard about the series, but then it simply blew up and took off running with the release of Guitar Hero 2 on the PS2 and then later in March 2007 on the 360. Guitar Hero 2 simply was on of the best games available in 2006/2007, but oddly enough, the novelty wore a bit thin in such a short amount of time.

Guitar Hero 3 is still loads of fun, if not more so then its previous iteration, and it really should be better in order to justify a purchase. But, with the bar set so high, something is absent in the recent release; That sense of wonderment and newness (something that is almost solely reserved to the Wii in the industry at the moment), where a peripheral device really defines a game. The video game market is rapidly changing, and its moving into a surprising direction where peripheral devices and software are able to sell, and sell by the boat load at that.

Starting off on that note, the Guitar included with Guitar Hero 3 is an improvement. It’s a major improvement at that. Going wireless, it feels like a solid, less plastic piece of hardware that really is the go to standard for guitar based games. Despite whatever improvements Activision may make on their next guitar release, it will probably be more aesthetic than practical. The Guitar Hero 3 controller is one that I expect to hold on to for several years, despite whatever changes they make in the future, because they really are a quality product that should hold out.

While the guitar is worthy of an upgrade, I would recommend trading your old ones in without a second thought, the game itself is slightly less convincing. Everything is there. A great set list, tons of new content, multiplayer modes, and Activision even managed to maintain most of the feel of its predecessors while lacking the original source code. But with all that added content, we are left asking why we are forced and likely will be forced to buy a new Guitar Hero game every single year.

Well, naturally we know the answer to that question is money. The fact of the matter is, we will continue to buy Guitar Hero not for the new bells and whistles, but simply for the songs. With the trends pointing to downloadable content, it would be a better for the consumers to see cheaper and more thought out downloadable content rather than focusing on churning out a new game every year. Why re-invent the wheel to a great game, when all we really are after is that new set list.

I have one more negative aspect of Guitar Hero 3 to touch on, and this is something I will compare to the competitor who seems to have gotten it right. The downloadable content for GH3 has been lacking. It’s overpriced, it’s sporadically released and unfortunately it seems unlikely they will deliver on the lofty goals. We have gotten updates, including two awesome freebies, but with Rock Band delivering so far at least 3 songs a week without fail, and looking at full downloadable albums in the New Year, Guitar Hero needs to play catch up.

The game itself still retains all the classic Guitar Hero feeling, albeit at a higher level of difficulty. Medium is within realm of mastering, but the learning curve isn’t quite smooth, as Hard take quite a leap, comparing to Expert in GH2. The new boss battles and guitar battles are interesting, a bit gimmicky, but definitely a fun improvement.

Most importantly, with the added exposure, the sound track for the game is awesome, and has really hit some big named bands. It’s all a matter of preference though, having at least had an opportunity to listen to both soundtracks including Rock Band, I have to give the advantage to Rock Band. While Guitar Hero really represents the best of the best in guitar solos, Rock Band presents an overall more rounded song appealing to more than just instrument, which makes the sound list slightly more enjoyable to those who don’t love listening to five minute guitar solos.

Is Guitar Hero 3 a game you should buy? You likely already know the answer, but incase you don’t: Absolutely and positively yes, everyone should dive into Guitar Hero. The songs are great, and you’ll love the franchise all over again. However, apart from a new sound list and a few cool features, it’s still the same game we’ve grown to love. Guitar Hero is a weird franchise, because we aren’t really after new features, but new songs, and hopefully instead of milking yearly updates (which has already been confirmed) Activision smartens up and offers a better method of getting us what we want, more tunes to rock out to, instead of minor improvements and another 60-dollar price tag. With this whole new wave of Blue Ocean games really taking off, Guitar Hero is the poster child, and it’s the type of thing that can’t be manhandled in the same way many of our other franchises are. Hopefully Activision comes to realize that before they drive it into the ground.

Final Score: 87/100

Many have said that this November has been one of the best months to be a gamer in a long time. The amount of top-notch, highly anticipated titles released in these past few weeks alone has been remarkable.

Among those eagerly awaited titles is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. After four years of development the action adventure title has, after much anticipation, been released. Is Assassin’s Creed the first true next generation title as some have claimed? Find out after the jump.
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Gamers might argue about the merits of different consoles and about the benefits of console versus PC gaming but no matter what camp we started in, many gamers (at least the ones who were born in the early 80s) can look back on many of the classic cornerstones of gaming. While some classics like Mario and Wolfenstein changed and grew with the times others stayed in their original forms. Few franchises have updated and kept going while keeping the same classic feel quite so well as the Contra series. The simplistic yet challenging gameplay kept you addicted when it was on the original Nintendo Entertainment System and they’ve kept that same quality in the most recent title for the DS.

As with all of the games in the franchise, it’s very difficult. After a handful of tries through on the regular difficulty I was forced to switch over to easy mode. I still have yet to beat the game. Don’t let this detract from your desire to buy the game: the level of difficulty is such that instead of being frustrated and sick of the game, every life lost, every continue used and every ‘game over’ screen you’re presented with will only fuel your raging desire to get back in and blast more aliens.

The gameplay is incredibly addictive. We’re talking ‘almost miss your stop on the subway’ addictive.  It follows the classic ‘run and gun’ formula of all the other Contra games: it’s in your best interest to keep moving and keep shooting. Powerups still fly by in barrels overhead and pop out of boxes throughout the level: the classic spread, rapid fire and seeker are there along with some friends. They’ve kept the two weapon slots from the Super Nintendo Contra which allows for more versatility. In normal mode each weapon has a boosted form which can be obtained by grabbing a second powerup of the same type. (Or just use the Konami code! It’s true!) In easy mode all weapons are powered up when you get them.

The levels are varied and interesting. Some take you back to the original where after certain levels you’d find yourself in a faux-3d environment, gunning down enemies, wall-mounted turrets and jumping over barrels before fighting a hovering boss at the end.  Others will have you clinging from handholds on a missile and blasting small rockets out of the air. One of my favorites had you riding a sort of super jetski with the screen switching between air and underwater views. One of the newest features that they use to great success is that in addition to jumping your characters have a sophisticated grappling hook which you can use to ascend to higher platforms and handholds.

The bosses and mini-bosses are all interesting: some are seemingly organic in nature while others are more mechanical. Each one can be a little tricky to defeat at first but once you’ve figured out their attack pattern they fall with a little luck and a lot of agilely flipping yourself around.

The graphics aren’t technically impressive or demanding but their stylish sprite nature evokes feelings from earlier Contra games.  The design all around is rather interesting: along with the hordes of enemy soldiers in various colors of body armor you have interesting enemies: robots that after being shot once reassemble into a new form and chase after you again; shambling zombie-like creatures that explode when they get close enough; bird-men that leap down at you from higher platforms (another classic) and many others.

Playing through the game will allow you to unlock the challenge mode where you can attempt to beat challenges that allow you to unlock some of the earlier Contra games.

Gameplay: 4.5/5  It’s nothing new, but it’s dead-on classic Contra. Newer gamers might be frustrated by the level of difficulty, even on easy mode.

Graphics: 4/5   As we’re seeing from Nintendo, you don’t have to push the limits of visual effects to produce a satisfying game and this is just another example of that.

Sounds: 3.5/5  Again they’ve gone with classic semi-retro effects: synthesized music and amusing gun sounds. The highlights are the groans when your character dies and the cheesey one-liner they say upon respawning.

Replay: 5/5  With two different difficulty modes, challenge modes and additional games to unlock, this one will keep your fingers working for quite some time.

It’s not every day that a good game drops on our doorsteps. It’s less often that a great game falls in our laps. But how about when a game actually receives the greatest critical acclaim of all time? That event only happens once a decade. With 31 official sources on Game Rankings contributing to the count, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has an average review score of 97.6 on a 100 point scale. We can all agree that truly it was a great title, but one that has actually, until this point, held the highest averaged review score.

Until this point in time, where Super Mario Galaxy started strongly, but has actually as the reviews poured in climbed the charts. It was hard to say exactly where it would settle, but few probably expected it with currently 36 accepted reviews to be .1 higher on average than Zelda.

Is Super Mario Galaxy the greatest game of all time? Well the critics certainly seem to think so. I guess you’ll just have to wait for our official review when we reveal what a horrible piece of software it truly is. Now excuse me, I uh… have an important meeting, some coworkers have discovered a new galaxy. I assure it’s only professional business.

Here’s the brief rundown on Clive Barker’s Jericho: the storyline and gameplay are its strongest aspects. The voice acting is decent and your teammates aren’t spouting cheesey repetitive lines every five seconds. Its weaknesses lie in a relatively sparse set of enemies, occasionally uninspired design and an overly dark atmosphere.

Jericho is somewhere on the continuum between the frantic ‘run and gun’ style FPS and the slower-paced tactical squad-based shooter. Between six different squad members with different weapons and occult powers you’ll find a handy approach to every situation. Unlike many games where supernatural powers are best used as a backup/supplement to your weapons, liberal use of every character’s talents is the easiest way to defeat enemies. The quick and easy method of switching between squad members makes using different weapons and powers in tandem easy. Use a spell with one character that roots nearby enemies in place, switch to another and then lob a few grenades into their midst. The levels are set up to necessitate changing tactics depending on the surrounding environs. Some areas require hiding behind cover and sniping enemies while others are better suited to simply sending a hail of bullets in the direction of the enemy. The only really lackluster part is the ubiquitous button pressing mini-game that occurs when certain foes attack and in a few pseudo-cutscenes. It’s not badly executed, it’s just something that feels shoehorned in at times and doesn’t really add much to the excitement of the game.

The level design is not as interesting as games like Bioshock, but when you consider you’re in the ruins of centuries of cities there’s not a whole lot of extra anything the designers could have thrown in. The biggest complaint is an overabundance of darkness. While this would have been fitting in a Doom or Resident Evil game Jericho is more of an action-horror title. The characters themselves are exactly what you expect from a commando, black arts ops squad: they look like extras from the Matrix, decked out mostly in black leather. The design of your foes is only interesting if you are unfamiliar with Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” films. The black leather wrapped, metal pierced monstrosities are ugly and occasionally unsettling but aren’t really that frightening. There’s also a shortage in the variety of the enemies. You’ll find yourself fighting the same few bunches of bondage snuff film rejects in most levels.

Graphics: 3.5/5  Although well-executed the visual appeal of the game leaves something to be desired.

Audio: 3.5/5  The sound effects are good and the voice acting is well done and not used to the point of annoyance.

Story: 5/5   The overall plot behind the game is interesting, rather original and well fleshed out. The characters have their own back stories that are alluded to in cutscenes and conversations.

Gameplay: 4/5   Fun powers and easy interface make for an enjoyable experience, although fighting the same few enemies over and over again gets a little tiresome.

I need to make a confession before heading deeper into this review. This was my first romp through the Half Life universe, one that I was by and large unfamiliar with. While some careful reading was required in order to catch up to speed on the events of the original Half Life, Half Life 2 welcomed me like a long lost brother, with open arms.

Half Life 2’s game of the year status is written all over it. With the three-year release anniversary coming up this week, it’s unbelievable to think that this was a game released in 2004. That’s not to say it doesn’t show some signs of aging, but put against even some of the critically rated titles of this year, Half Life 2 holds its own.

Half Life 2

Arriving in a train after the events of Black Mesa, the story of Half Life 2 puts you in the role of Doctor Gordon Freeman. Someone who apart from appearing on the cover and title screens, you will never actually see. For many this game was their big title during the holiday 2004 season and for some the following year making an Xbox debut. Which really means one thing; those picking up The Orange Box with no experience of Half Life 2 are probably the minority. Instead, Portal, Team Fortress 2 and the episodes are the new content for the general consumer.

There is little point in preaching to the choir on this one, Half Life 2 is an amazing title: graphically, cinematically and game play wise, it raised the bar for its time. If like me, you have yet to experience Half Life, now is definitely the time. You can get your hands on the best-valued and most complete package around this holiday season.

For the rest of you, how does this title hold up after a few years? Quite well. The thing about most titles that push the envelope is that they always tend to be a few steps ahead of the more mediocre titles. Artistically, Half Life 2 is something that can never be broken down. While some of the newer experiences like Gears of War or Bioshock visually blow the game out of the water, that’s not to say Half Life 2 doesn’t hold its own. With the eternal debate about gameplay versus graphics, Half Life 2 still rocks both. The polygon count might not run as high, but even few current generation games actually look and are designed this well.

Something that to Half Life 2’s credit doesn’t feel so fresh is a lot of the game play mechanics. This is actually not a knock against the game, but just to say that something that was revolutionary in the gravity gun has been successfully reused in other titles – Elebits being a prime example. Similar to how unique Wii Sports first felt, if played for the first time a few years down the road, it certainly would have the same wow factor, mostly because so many minigame spin-offs have copied the formula. The other biggest competitor probably comes from the same package, where the Portal Gun tips out the gravity gun in sheer fun factor.

While occasionally you may hit an area, which completely boggles you with where to head next, Half Life 2 is an easy game. More often than not, death is a result of stupidity or a boss battle than the actual difficulty, and can usually be overcome with a single retry. That is probably the biggest issue, for those who will be re-treading the title, you are probably not going to be challenged as much as you should be. But there is a single saving grace, in the form of achievements.

All but two achievements are visible from the get go, and create an enticing replay value with the title. The other important decision I think they made was that all can be achieved in a single play through. Most of the achievements are quite entertaining and provide a good deal of challenge to some areas. One of my favourites was the achievement that doesn’t allow you to use a bullet in Ravenholme. You have to get pretty creative with the gravity gun, which certainly lets you quickly pick up the ropes. In the second episode you may choose to carry a garden gnome along the entire episode, for what may be the most cumbersome, but rewarding achievement around. Truly, the developers have designed some of the best achievements I have yet to run into, and all are possible for the dedicated.

Episodes One and Two

Both episodes are probably of bigger appeal to Xbox owners who are likely experiencing them for the first time. There are truly few other examples of decent episodic content, even with the huge push in that direction, and Half Life blows most of them away. Not everyone may be a fan of that push, and they do arguably have their strengths and flaws.

Episodes One and Two for lack of a better description might as well just be considered the extension of Half Life Two, in every way. In fact, apart from the time that separated their releases, if played back to back for the first time, there is little to distinguish them. That is both a good and a bad thing. Half Life 2 is a stellar title, so the episodes continue the positive trend. At the same time however, little is done in the way of innovation.

You will encounter most of the same enemies, the same puzzles, and all of the same guns. If Half Life 2 didn’t quench your appetite for the series, the bite sized portions will help, but if you’ve tired of the concept, little will drag you back. The locales are new, and the great storyline continues, and for most, that’s all that is needed. Valve could have incorporated the Portal gun to make episode two truly unique, but instead they developed another title completely. For better or worse, I feel that was the correct decision.

The thing to understand with episodic content is that it does not strive to be something new, but a continuation of what already works. It’s a means of taking an entire title, and delivering further installments without the wait for another numbered sequel. In that respect, the episodes achieve exactly what they set out to do, and it’s hard to speak negatively of something that is exactly what it ought to be.

Concluding Statements

When choosing to jump into the world of Half Life 2, the launching ground is the original game. There is little decision in playing the episodes, because you either already are addicted to the series, or will make the call with the original on whether to dive in, or hold out. Fortunately, the Episodes nail absolutely everything that they got right with Half Life 2, and makes the entire package all the more worthwhile. Should you take the plunge? With Half Life 2, the answer is unquestionably and irrevocably yes.

Half Life 2 – 97/100
Episodes One and Two – 95/100

Portal is an oddity to grace the current lineup in videogames. It’s blend of platforming and puzzles takes a new original idea, and runs strong and hard with it. In many of these ways, Portal continues to be the rare exception that’s included with one of the best priced packages you can currently pick up on any next-gen system this holiday.

The Orange Box was release just a few short weeks ago for the 360, PC, and will soon grace the PS3. Among this collection of both new and old games are Team Fortress 2, Half Life 2, Episodes One and Two, and Portal, which utilizes the Half Life Engine. The game places you, the nameless and for the most part faceless character in a strange training facility. Shortly you will learn that you are simply a test subject in a training facility for new Portal technology.

Two portals, one orange and one blue, once fired upon a surface with immediately create a link that you can slip through. The concept is simple in that respect, allowing you to utilize portals to overcome obstacles. But nothing is as easy as it initially seems. Shortly thereafter you are entrusted with the technology that allows you to fire off both portals on any surface, allowing you to only have one active portal open at a single time. The innovation really begins with the ability of a portal to maintain inertia and direction, forcing you to truly think outside the box. Do you need to jump to a high ledge, simply build up enough momentum falling between portals and fling yourself up there.

Most people by this point are somewhat familiar with the ingenuity and basic game play mechanics of Portal. However the game still really surprised me once jumping with the sheer amounts of variety and variations to be had. Boxes, Energy Balls, even creepy Droids bent on killing you join the fray. In what at first seems to be a simple training camp will soon cause you fighting for your life just to reach that next stage.

It plays like Half Life 2 in setup and control, except replace your gravity gun with a Portal gun and you are set to go. That said I had a minor gripe with the crouching, which activates itself more often than not, especially when you least want to. Nothing is more annoying then suddenly to be crouching because you bumped against a ceiling or hit the ground when trying to move quickly. The default should be to stand, and only to crouch yourself if holding down the thumbstick. Really however, that was the only annoyance I ran into.

We do need to get the fatal flaw of Portal out of the way before dishing more praise: The game is short, it clocks in at roughly 4 hours with 19 levels. At first the level count is slightly confusing, as you’ll probably have hit level 10 within the first half hour of play. However, later stages require more skill and time to work through, and are a lot longer than the first stages. I walked out of the experience feeling like there was enough content, and perhaps had the game extended further the portal mechanics would get old without further additions. That said, if you are after Portal alone, it might not merit a 60-dollar purchase. While the package as a whole is an amazing deal, if you are just after Portal (for console owners), you are stuck with some other quality titles in the transaction. If however, Portal is priced on it’s roughly 10-15 dollar share of The Orange Box, it’s a no-brainer purchase.

Will you have your cake, and eat it too?

Portal plays well, it looks good, but one of the biggest surprises when playing the title was the storyline. I wasn’t expecting much, it is more of a puzzle brain teasing title, and the only companion you have is a robotic instructor and a cube. But that’s really where the beauty is. It’s hard to get into details without running anything, but things really start flying off the handle. It’s clear the developers have a clever sense of humor that really shines throughout the plot. The creepy droids will talk to you, asking ‘are you still there’, wanting nothing more to shoot you down. You’ve probably never shed a tear for a box – and strangely enough, you probably will. Finally the burning question, will there be cake? Only those who finish the adventure will ever know, but one thing I can almost ensure is a catchy closing song. It truly makes the credits and finishing the game all worth it. If you aren’t going to play the title, at least do yourself a favor and youtube the end credits.

Finally, Portal doesn’t leave you completely with nothing to do. The game provides quite a few achievements to be had (The Orange Box contains 99 in all spread over its 5 titles). Many of the achievements can be snagged with the initial play through. Once beaten, some previous stages are opened with harder objectives, beat all six and at least you’ll have the chocolate cake achievement, (although who knows about the real cake). There are also other options like timed runs, and using the least amount of portals possible. These all make revisiting earlier levels worthwhile. Most of the achievements aren’t a secret, so you should be able to pick them all up on your own merits, but expect to still but in some effort for a few of them.

Closing Remarks
I really fell in love with Portal in ways I didn’t quite expect. The game itself is quite a revolutionary concept, and while it runs short, there is potential with these mechanics for a full-fledged title. Even though Portal gets its name from the new gun, my favorite part of the title all comes back down to that cake. In what seemed to be a quirky puzzler, a humorous and delightful tale unfolds; you may want to grab a box of tissues, because this is really one wild ride.

95/100

We’ll continue making our way through the Orange Box; stay tuned for a ride back in time to see how Half Life 2 has made the transition to the next generation.

For 360 owners, it’s truly been Halo mania these past few weeks. You can even check out our official review on that very subject. However, for those not desperate to Finish the Fight, or perhaps those whom have already finished it multiple times over, another 360 release quietly crept in just a week prior to Halo 3.

Eternal Sonata marks a list of several RPG’s orientated towards Japan, in a bid by Microsoft to win over some market share. While it has worked to some degree, the 360 remain fairly synonymous with first person shooters and also synonymous with poor sales in Japan. However, as it currently stands, on no other next-generation console do we yet have access to such a huge lineup of quality role-playing titles. Oblivion, Bioshock and Blue Dragon have already graced our screens, with Mass Effect and Lost Odyssey hot on their heels. While there seems to be an almost overwhelming number of RPG titles, for those fans of the more specified J-RPG genre, there Eternal Sonata only stands against Blue Dragon, and fortunately, it stands as the better of the two selections.

Read on »

Finally, after playing Halo 3 for a good week, we’re ready with our review of Halo 3, a game you might have heard of recently. For starters, we’re not going to introduce you to Halo 3 or the Halo universe, as you probably know all of it by now. Full review after the break. Read on »

Ladies and gentlemen, Halo 3 reviews are in the house, and they’re all, unanimously, loving the game. Enough said.

GameSpot (95/100) “Halo 3 is every bit the sequel you would expect it to be, in that it delivers meaningful upgrades to both the story-driven and competitive sides of the package.”

IGN (95/100) “There’s no first-person shooter on 360 that can equal Halo 3’s blend of cinematic action, adrenaline-pumping shootouts, and male- (and female)-bonding gameplay.”

1UP (100/100) “It’s hard to imagine a feature of this game that someone won’t love. Or you can just look at it as a sum of so many quality parts, that value-wise, Halo 3 is as sure a thing as it gets.”

Eurogamer (100/100) “Halo 3 is quite simply this - the best game yet in one of the best FPS franchises of the era.”

The long awaited strategy/action game World In Conflict is here, and the reviews are in too. And from the looks of it, World In Conflict is probably the RTS game of the year.

GameSpot (95/100) “If you’re a strategy fan, you should definitely try World in Conflict. And even if you’re turned off by standard real-time strategy games, you owe it to yourself to try out what Massive has come up with in this exquisite package.”

IGN (93/100) “It’s not very often that a real-time strategy title comes along and changes the way you think about the genre. World in Conflict is one of those, not because all of the ideas are totally new, but because they’re all put together in such a successful way.”

Eurogamer (90/100) “It’s intelligently structured, so you can lose yourself for hours or indulge in a quick twenty minute skirmish, while the multiplayer mode is an absolute monster if you’re willing to submit to its co-operative style”

GameSpy (100/100) “World in Conflict is a triumph for Massive Entertainment. The developers have managed to take a quirky “action game” take on the real-time strategy genre and wrap it in an instantly appealing, accessible and highly polished package”

Famed Japanese magazine Famitsu has reviewed Halo 3 for the few Japanese Xbox 360 owners, and the conclusion is what one might expect. Halo 3 scored 9/9/9/10, a total score of 37/40, commenting that Halo 3 is “undoubtedly the best console shooter on the Japanese market”, and highly recommending the game. Halo 3 is out next week, expect a load of reviews a few days prior to the release.

Heavenly sword is one of the few PS3 games that fans have been looking forward to. And it’s not just another pretty fantasy action game like Genji or Lair, Heavenly Sword actually manages to deliver a bit besides the graphics.

GameSpot (80/100) “Add it all up and Heavenly Sword is a fantastic game from start to finish. It’s just a shame that it’s not longer. “

IGN (70/100) “Heavenly Sword comes very close to being great, but nearly every element of its design falls short in one way or another. “

1UP (80/100) “For those looking for the next big triple-A action game, Heavenly Sword is close, but not quite there.”

Eurogamer (80/100) “As it stands, Heavenly Sword is still an impressive, epic hackandslash adventure, and one that’s full of memorable moments that keep you engaged right to the end.”

Apparently, when Factor 5 saw that Lair had received such low scores, they came up with a theory that it was not the game that was flawed, but the reviewers themselves. To fix this, the makers of Lair distributed a reviewers guide to Lair. Many of the pages were dedicated to the controls, which is understandable considering one of the main reasons that Lair received such low scores was because the reviewers felt that the controls were essentially broken. I’m not sure what exactly they planned to accomplish by sending the guides after the game was reviewed, but it’s definitely not a good sign if professionals need to be told how to play a game.

Medal Of Honor Airborne is the latest MoH game from EA, this time they try to introduce something new to the rapidly fading WW2 franchise. Overall, the game is a decent WW2 shooter, but not more, plus several reviews report of bugs, which is nothing new in games that seem rushed by EA.

1UP (65/100) “That might make this a nice tune-up for some while waiting for the upcoming multiplayer heavyweights soon to be released, but it comes up well short of redeeming the misguided single-player campaign.”

GameSpy (70/100) “Airborne has a few tricks up its sleeve, but that doesn’t necessarily take it to the next level. It seems more of a rental than anything else, but if you’re a die hard fan of World War II shooters and, more importantly, a fan of the legendary airborne, you’re in for a good experience while it lasts.”

GameSpot (70/100) “If you’re tired of the genre, Airborne won’t do anything to change your mind, but if you’re looking to fight for the Allied cause yet again, it’s a worthy tour of duty.”

IGN (79/100) “Medal of Honor: Airborne, while not perfect, is definitely the best game in the franchise to come along in quite a while. It may be fairly short, but those hours are pretty much one non-stop battle with Nazi Germany throughout the various paratrooper campaigns from World War II.”

Lair, the dragon flying-something-something game used to amaze us with the gorgeous graphics, back in the E3 days. However, the final product is out now, and, well, it’s horrible. The game looks nice indeed, but the gameplay and especially the Sixaxis motion controls fail to deliver.

1UP (49/100) “Ultimately, Lair is a game that you’ll want for its eye-popping experience rather than its gameplay. So buy it if you want to justify all the thousands you spent on your PS3 and that 1080p HDTV you can see from the International Space Station.”

Gamespot (45/100) “This is the ultimate example of how gameplay suffers when all the work goes into making everything look pretty. There is nothing fun about it, so forget the online leaderboards and don’t worry about unlocking a few dragons in the stable or gunning for a high score. Forget Lair entirely.”

IGN (60/100) “At one point, Lair looked like one of the most promising titles coming to the PS3, but the final version — even with its interesting story, occasionally impressive graphics and amazing score — falls well short of anything you should be playing.”

The long awaited Wii shooter Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is finally here, and the game is well received among reviewers. It’s certainly the best FPS shooter on the Wii, with precise and intuitive controls, as many of the reviews mention.

IGN (95/100) “Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was originally set to launch with Wii, but the year-long delay has been very much worth the wait. Call it a first- person shooter or a first-person adventure — doesn’t matter. I call it the best game on Nintendo’s console.”

GameSpy (90/100) “What you’re left with then is a rock-solid end to the Metroid Prime series, and one that deserves to be played by fans and Wii owners alike. It’s a fitting end to Samus’ exploits and ranks highly in the Wii’s current library of games.”

1UP (90/100) “On the whole, Corruption takes advantage of the Wii’s biggest strength (with its unique controls), and minimizes its greatest weakness (through astounding art direction), while otherwise maintaining or improving upon the high standards and overall polish the series is known for.”

GameSpot (85/100) “If you’re a Metroid fan, there’s no need to convince you to play Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It’s got exactly what you would expect from the last in an acclaimed trilogy of titles: great boss battles, involved environmental puzzles, and a smooth control scheme that cements exactly how FPS controls should work on the platform.

Another year, another football season, another round of Madden NFL. This year’s version of Madden has hit the stores, available on 10 (ten!) different platforms, that’s gotta be some sort of record, even for EA.

GameSpot (85/100) “Madden 08 seems to represent a tipping point of sorts for the series. You feel like the game is right on the brink of getting back to where it was four or five years ago in terms of stature and innovation.”

IGN (87/100) “Madden NFL 08 is a great game. It’s certainly the best Madden since the 2005 edition and a worthy offering for the new generation of gaming. The new animation system is outstanding and the game itself plays wonderfully.”

1UP (90/100) “You’ll find a much smarter brand of football in 08: Quarterbacks now scramble when no one is open, wideouts continue to make blocks 30 yards downfield, and defensive backs rarely fall for the deep ball. Some might even say that pass defense is a tad too stingy this season.”

GameSpy (90/100) “While it has been difficult to wholeheartedly recommend a Madden football game for a few years, Madden NFL 08 is a significant improvement over the series’ past, and has refined the formula in such a way that it actually brings something new to the game.”

Note: The reviews were based on the Xbox 360 version, which runs at a constant 60 fps, while the PS3 version runs at 30 fps, as several PS3 version reviews also point out.