Tag Archives: game review

PS3 Review: Rayman: Origins

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Yup, you punch and kick without having arms and legs

I was initially indifferent to Rayman: Origins after playing the demo. The brief sample of gameplay displayed a typical platformer: run about a side-scrolling level, making ridiculous jumps and jumping on top of enemies as you race to the end of the level. Also, IT WAS HARD!!! I really hate being frustrated with video games, and this one seemed like it was full of punishment. But then the reviews started pouring in, not just from review sites but also some several friends who were praising the game. In the end I decided that I had to rent it to see what all the hubub was about.

I think there’s a story somewhere in Rayman: Origins, but I definitely missed out. I think someone was snoring, and this pissed off someone else, and then a bunch of evil inkblot-looking thingys were released into the world, and then you’re running around saving scantily-clad and heavily-endowed fairies. Luckily you don’t play a platformer for the story, so this incoherent attempt at crafting a reason to be running and jumping all over the place is rather unnecessary. You control your choice of one of four characters, all who have the same exact skills and stats. This is quite silly as they look uniquely different, ranging from the normal-sized Rayman to some big fat frog dude to these two little midgets with long noses. I was hoping it would be like Super Mario Bros. 2 where each character brought a slightly different skill to the table (Peach floated, Luigi had his crazy-legs jump), but what are ya gonna do. Also, the game does support four player local co-op, so you and the family can run around jumping on old men all you want. Unfortunately, the game does not support online co-op which is a real shame. I would have really enjoyed playing the game with someone else, and having someone there with me to support me would have probably been beneficial during really frustrating levels.

Four characters to choose from, though it doesn’t matter which Read More »

PSN Review: Trine 2

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Better than the original

I enjoyed playing Trine, but with it’s lack of online co-op I was forced to play it single player. When Trine 2 came out, I was hesitant to make the purchase even though I liked the first game and the sequel sporting a shiny coat on online co-op. However, when two buddies of mine from Co-Optimus purchased it and told me they needed a third, I gave in to the peer pressure and made the purchase. I’m glad I did, because Trine 2 is definitely one of the best downloadable titles of 2011.

Let’s get a few things straight. Firstly, it is a sequel to the original game, so the knight, thief and wizard return to once again save the kingdom. As I already mentioned, Trine 2 supports online co-op, so up to three players can meet up online to take on the puzzles that the game throws at you. In case you’re not familiar with the Trine series, let me give you a brief rundown: there are three characters who each have several distinct skills that are needed to get through the puzzles littered about each level. Along the way you are on the hunt for XP potions which will enable your characters to level up and unlock addition skills that are needed to get through levels. The knight has a sword, hammer and shield and is good for blocking projectiles, breaking down walls and beating down the baddies. The thief has a bow which can be used to take on enemies safely from a distance and she also has a grappling hook which can be used to access areas that other characters cannot. The wizard is not what you would expect, as his spells are limited to creating wooden objects (boxes and planks) and levitating objects, including obstructions, other players, and enemies. The three characters have to work together to make it to the end of a given level, and often times a single puzzle may require several different abilities from each character. A great example I encountered when playing is that the thief (me) had to grapple onto a platform of water to make it spill to one side. Then the wizard player had to levitate a box he created to angle the water flow off to one side. Finally the knight had to use his shield to further direct the water onto a tiny little plant that then grew, allowing us to climb it to the next section.

The game is much prettier but this is the best image I could find with three players

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PS3 Review: X-Men: Destiny

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Destined to be yet another mediocre Marvel super hero game

When I first heard the announcement concerning the release of X-Men: Destiny, I was excited yet pessimistic. The fact that the game allowed you to create a unique character with their own powers was a great idea, but I immediately thought about how horrible this idea worked in Activision’s X-Men: Legends game, in regards to the character Magma. I enjoyed both X-Men: Legends games in general, but how would this game, that was focused so much on a non-cannon character, end up being. I can tell you that after spending twelve hours across two complete playthroughs, X-Men: Destiny is a mindless, fun little romp yet leaves you yearning for quite a bit more. Spoiler alert: Activision has failed to live up to its work with X-Men: Legends.

At the start of the game you select one of three unique characters. Which character you choose doesn’t necessarily matter… they all have access to the same pool of powers and there are no unique missions or anything associated with each different character (though there will be dialogue changes to coincide with your selected character’s backstory.) Once your character is selected they immediately find themselves in the midst of an attack, during which they will finally discover that they are mutants. As you continue through the game your character will develop their skills, equip the genes of famous mutants, and ultimately decide if their loyalities lie with Cyclops and the X-Men or Magneto and the Brotherhood.

Your three character choices: the football jock, the ninja chick and the ex-soldier

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Crimson Alliance: A New Breed of Hack and Slash/ Dungeon Crawler

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That’s the Soul Siren, your arch-nemesis

I’m sure many of you fellow gamers are familiar with the hack and slash/ dungeon crawler RPG genre. Here’s the generic laundry list that typically defines this genre:

  • Fantasy setting
  • Two or more players
  • Simple, button mashing combat
  • Several different classes of character, each with unique skills
  • Develop skills by assigning points to skill trees
  • Grind to get XP
  • Smash boxes and open chests to find gold and equipment
    • Purchase new equipment and sell off old equipment
    Here’s what Crimson Alliance does:
    • Fantasy setting
    • Two or more players
    • Simple, button mashing combat
    • Several different classes of character, each with unique skills
    • Develop skills by assigning points to skill trees
  • Grind to get XP 
  • Smash boxes and open chests to find gold and equipment
  • Purchase new equipment and sell off old equipment 
  • Seems like your everyday, run of the mill dungeon crawler 

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    PS3 Review: Lord of the Rings: War in the North

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    That scary dude is Agandaur, and I think he raided the Witch King’s closet

    I’m a pretty big Lord of the Rings fan. My mother tried reading The Hobbit to me when I was like eight years old. I’ve read The Lord of the Rings series at least four times, possibly five. I own and cherish the lame 1970′s Hobbit movie. And I spent probably $500 or more on The Midde-Earth CCG game when I was a teenager. So when I heard there would be a Lord of the Rings game that took place at the same time as the War of the Ring, I was pretty darn excited. Oh, and did I mention it’s been developed by Snowblind (the studio behind one of the best hack-and-slash/ dungeon crawlers ever; Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms)? I was so excited I actually decided to pass up Uncharted 3 for the time being so that I could check out Lord of the Rings: War in the North. While it’s not the perfect game, it makes for an above-average RPG that any fan of Tolkien’s work will enjoy.

    According to War in the North, Minas Tirith and Rohan are not the only areas threatened by the forces of Sauron. To the northwest of these cities, a necromancer named Agandaur is raising an army of orcs and trolls in support of Sauron. It is up to a different fellowship of heroes to defend this area of Middle-Earth while the Fellowship we all know (Gandalf, Frodo and company) head east in an attempt to destroy the One Ring. This new, smaller fellowship is made up of three heroes; Eradan, Farin and Andriel. These heroes are tasked with hindering Agandaur’s actions and defending western areas such as the Shire and Rivendell. The game draws heavily from Peter Jackson’s trilogy in a visual sense, and you will recognize the looks of creatures like orcs and trolls, as well as major characters like Aragorn and Gandalf. As a fan service to other Tolkien nuts, you will also recognize names and areas that are never or barely mentioned in the movies such as Radagast the Brown, Gundabad, Elladan, and Ettenmoors. If you can’t tell the difference between Elrohir and Gwahir you may not be as awestruck as people familiar with Tolkien’s work, but that won’t stop you from enjoying a really solid RPG.

    You were wrong if you thought Legolas and Gimli were the only elf-dwarf tag team around Read More »

    PS3 Review: Batman: Arkham City

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    What makes a video game based on a comic book super hero perfect? Is it an original story that you can see unfolding on paper just as well as it comes to life on the TV screen? Is it great visuals and voice acting that make it seem like you’re watching a movie? Is it having a great supporting cast of villains and other heroes who either hinder or aid the super hero? It is all these things, and one more; a successful video game adaptation of a super hero let’s you “feel” like you’re in complete control of the guy under the mask, cape, and tights. Rocksteady got this formula down right with Batman: Arkham Asylum, and they’ve done it again with the sequel.

    The biggest thing that Batman: Arkham City has going for it is that the Batman you are controlling feels like Batman. Batman is not a hero possessing super strength and speed…in the game he slow, controlled and methodical. Batman is known for his wide array of gadgets, and there are plenty to use from the batarang to the grappling hook to a freeze bomb. Batman is also known for his criminal science skills, and as the great detective you will be analyzing crime scenes to discover evidence, interrogate henchmen and use your intellectual knowledge to solve a whopping 400 puzzles left behind by my favorite Batman villain, the Riddler. All in all, the game stays true to Batman, and this dedication to the source material make Arkham City THE BEST super hero video game of all time.

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    PS3 Review: Dead Island

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    I think I was one of many who were captivated by the awesome teaser trailer released for Dead Island several months back. The trailer looked too good to be true, and it appeared that the PS3 would finally be getting something it was lacking…a FPS zombie kill fest. One of the 360′s advantages is it’s hold on this genre with the Left 4 Dead series. So does Dead Island live up to the hype? Does it succeed in matching the awesomeness that is L4D? Read on to find out.

    Dead Island takes place on an island resort in New Guinea where a zombie infestation suddenly occurs. The peaceful, beautiful, lush island is soon overrun with the undead and the player is given the simple task of surviving. That’s about all the story you’re going to get. There are four different characters to choose from, each with his/her own backstory. Yet these backstories seem pointless as there is very little story otherwise. There are some cutscenes here and there to coincide with completing a quest but they are more filler than worthwhile content. Now many times you will hear be complain about how a game is lacking due to a lack of story, but not with Dead Island. It’s the kind of game that doesn’t need a true story, as it’s more important (and fun) to explore the huge environment on your own. In this respect the game reminds me of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in that I could really care less about a story as I was too busy doing whatever the heck I wanted to do.

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    PS3 Review: Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon

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    When I first heard about Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (which will henceforce be referred to as EDF) I was totally unfamiliar with the game. I did not know what it was about, what type of gameplay it was, or that there was a predecessor on the 360. All I knew was that between three and six players could team up to shoot a bunch of giant bugs. It sounded like a pretty sweet game, and when my friend mentioned wanting to play through it together, I agreed and popped it on my Gamefly queue. My friend and I have played through the game and also put some time into the survival mode, and I have to say I came away pretty impressed with it.

    The storyline behind the game is virtually non-existent. All you need to know is that there are a bunch of bugs and robots wrecking havoc on the city, and it’s up to you and your buds to stop them (the campaign is three players, and if your short a man or two, AI players will fill in.) The campaign in this third-person shooter consists of three chapters, each containing five missions. These missions are not very diverse…you go to each point on the map, kill all the bugs and robots there, and then move on to the next point and do the same thing. As you take on these enemies, make sure you take the time to witness your handiwork as the environments are virtually completely destructible, and most buildings will collapse with a couple of rocket hits. I’m sure you may think this sounds like it can be very repetitive, but the combat and the action are so overwhelming that I personally never got tired of it.

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    PS3 Review: The Shoot

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    One of my favorite video game genres is the rail shooter. I’ve enjoyed tons of these on the Wii, but it was hard to get a good experience on other systems due to available technology. With Sony’s introduction of the Move controller, along with the PlayStation Eye, the PS3 is now able to deliver this genre with great controls, along with even better graphics. One of the first rail shooters I tried out was The Shoot, and I was pleased for the most part.

    The Shoot is a very casual rail shooter, in that you are not shooting terrorists or zombies, but instead cardboard cutouts of enemies. In the game you control an action star, and each of the five levels (each containing four stages) is based on a different movie genre. For example, the first level is a western, so you will be shooting down cowboys and bandititos. Then the next level is a sci-fi flick, so you will be shooting cardboard robots and cardboard robot brains. The simplicity of the action, as well as the absence of blood and other violence, does make this a family-friendly game that is still a blast to play for even the most hardcore gamer, so long as you have a soft spot for rail shooters.


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    PS3 Review: Dungeon Siege III

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    I love a great hack-and-slash/ dungeon crawler RPG grindfest, but the current generation has been lacking in this department…until this year, when a large amount of these games are coming out. Dungeon Siege III is the first full retail game (Dungeon Hunter: Alliance was a downloadable title), and while the developers made some bad decisions as far as co-op goes, the general game is pretty sweet.

    The Characters:

    One of the main things that make a hack-and-slash RPG is the characters and/or classes. Dungeon Siege III focuses around a group called “The Legion”, and the four playable characters are all descendants of this order that was pretty much decimated thirty years prior. The four characters are all different and do, generally speaking, have varying play styles. The “rogue” is a female human who uses guns as weapons, and also has access to some curses for good measure. There is a human knight who deals heavy melee combat, making him a fine tank. There is a female archon (aka “fire demon”) who has two different forms; as a human she can deal melee damage with her staff/spear, but when in her fire demon form she gains access to some crazy fire magic. This makes her an ideal character as she can switch between melee and magic combat fairly quickly. The last character is a dwarven…something. I’m not entirely sure what he does since I haven’t played as him yet, but he claims that using mathematical calculations and his mind he can rip an enemy in two once he’s trained to do so, so that’s something to look forward to I suppose.

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    PS3 Review: Alice: Madness Returns

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    Alice: Madness Returns is a sequel to American McGee’s Alice, which was released on the PC in 2000. I had never played it before (since I don’t play PC games) but I am a sucker for anything Wonderland, and had heard nothing but good things about the American McGee game. So when a new game was released on the PS3, I jumped at the chance to check out this twisted version of Wonderland, and came away from it with some mixed thoughts.

    For starters, forget the blonde Alice persona you think you know…this Alice is a black-haired emo/goth chick and can definitely hold her own, whether it be the streets of London or an altered horrific Wonderland. The game is divided into chapters, and each chapter starts out in London where Alice is trying to discover the truth about her past. Eventually she stumbles into Wonderland, and that’s where the meat of the game takes place. Each chapter is set in a different area of Wonderland, ranging from the Mad Hatter’s steel works to the Queen of Hearts castle to a demented doll house area. Basically Alice navigates these areas in an attempt to discover how to stop a rampaging train that is in the process of destroying Wonderland.

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    PSN Review: Dungeon Hunter: Alliance

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    Anyone who truly knows that my favorite genre of game is not FPS or wrestling or even RPGs…it’s the good ol’ genre of hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers! Nothing is better than sitting down, choosing a class, and then spending fifty or more hours grinding that character by killing endless streams of monsters over and over again while searching for more xp and loot. The PS2 had quite a few excellent games in this genre, but the PS3 has been relatively lacking…the best being Sacred 2. Then along came Dungeon Hunter: Alliance; a PSN-exclusive that really scratched my itch for a genre that has been severely under-represented in this generation of home consoles.

    There is a basic story in the game. You play as a dead king who is resurrected by a fairy, who needs your help to stop your wife (the queen) from resurrecting a dark fairy who will destroy the world. There are three classes to choose from; warrior, rogue, and mage. As with most dungeon crawlers, each class depends on different stats (ex- warrior uses strength, rogue uses dexterity) and combat skills to take on the forces of evil. There are twelve acts, each one made up of a couple of different dungeons/maps that offer their own enemy type. While the lack of class choice is a tad disappointing (I compare most hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers to Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms), it works just fine for a $9 PSN title (the PS+ price, of course.)

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    PS3 Review: Mortal Kombat

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    My first impression of the new Mortal Kombat game was a pretty positive one. What was a stale franchise literally took a step back by changing from a 3D arena back to a 2D arena and also removed more “modern” features of the series. However, the changes resulting from going back to the basics, as well as some new innovations, have re-vitalized the franchise, and I think Mortal Kombat can arguably be one of the best fighting games on the market today.

    As can be seen by the name of the game itself (going by simply “Mortal Kombat” rather than “Mortal Kombat IX, which it technically is), Mortal Kombat is a throwback to the founding games in the franchise. The roster encompasses most of the fighters from Mortal Kombat I-III, as well as a few other characters from later games, as well as the PS3-exclusive Kratos (twenty-seven fighters on 360, twenty-eight on PS3.) Also making a return are the stages themselves, as most of the stages are a re-imagining of previous ones, such as Goro’s Lair and The Pit. The return to a side-scrolling 2D fighter is a good change, and playing the game feels as if you’re on your Genesis in the 90s, only with incredible graphics and a lot more blood and gore. Each character can perform two finishers as well as stage finishers (see knocking opponents into The Pit) and babalities. Sadly the friendships and animalities did not make a return, but what does make a comeback is pure win.

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    PS3 Review: Dead Nation

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    When it comes to zombie related games, my two favorites used to be the Left 4 Dead series, followed by Zombies Ate My Neighbors. However, I do believe there is a new contender in Dead Nation, the PS3-exclusive top-down, twin-stick zombie shooter. I had initially shied away from it based on it’s difficulty, but once it went on sale I jumped on it…and have been kicking myself for waiting so long to enjoy the game!

    There are two characters to choose from in Dead Nation…a guy and a lady. The only difference between them is the color of their clothing and gun’s laser sight (to help you differentiate between the two when playing co-op). The general story is that zombies have taken over the world, and for some reason these two characters are immune from the zombie virus. The two characters then embark on a mission to help a scientist trace the cause of the virus outbreak while surviving increasing hordes of zombies.

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    PS3 Review: WWE All Stars

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    This game is one heck of a slobber knocker as THQ redeems themselves for WWE Legends of WrestleMania with their newest title, WWE All Stars. I have been following this game for quite a few months now, and the end product was as good as I expected. First and foremost, this is NOT a wrestling sim like the Smackdown vs. Raw series. All Stars is a fighting game in every sense of the word, from having insane moves, devastating combos, tons of lockables…and the simple fact that it’s easy to pick up and play but challenging to master. That being said, I did not intend to make this a comparison of All Stars and SvR, but I ended up doing just that. This game is definitely on the radar of any SvR fan, so I think it is inevitable to compare the two at some points as a means of giving examples of what to expect.

    The roster of characters is pretty darn expansive for a fighting game. There are thirty wrestlers to initially choose from, with at least thirteen more revealed as future DLC. They are divided by old school legends and today’s current roster, and this really does make it the best roster for a WWE game ever. Tons of old favorites are represented like Stone Cold, Rock, Hogan, Macho Man, Andre, Ultimate Warrior and more, and they even have their classic attires. Then you have some of today’s hottest stars including Undertaker, Triple H, Edge, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, and others as well. Together, it is a very well-rounded cast of wrestlers and is definitely one of the biggest selling points for the game.

    But I’ve talked enough about all this basic info over the past three months, so now I’ll go more into what I got out of the actual game. Read More »

    PS3 Review: Knights Contract

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    Last weeks new releases were mainly FPS (Killzone 3 and Bulletstorm) and I wasn’t feeling any of that. So I decided to gamble on a action beat em’ up that was getting little attention in the gaming media. I believed that I would enjoy this type of game over a FPS, but I was indeed wrong.

    Knights Contract has a very interesting story/premise, but it just is not delivered well. You play as Heinrich, a knight who was charged with executing women accused of being witches. One of the witches you execute curses you, making you an immortal who just wants to die and move on. Eventually you meet up with this witch, Gretchen (who has returned from the grave), and the two of you become unlikely allies as you team up to take down the other resurrected witches who are trying to get revenge on mankind. The two of you will travel through a variety of bland environments where you walk to an area, beat up some enemies, walk to the next area, beat up more enemies, and rinse and repeat until you reach the boss. The catch in the game is that while Heinrich can’t die, Gretchen can, so you will be defeating enemies while ensuring that Gretchen is safe. If Gretchen dies, it’s game over. If you die (ie- lose your health), you will be downed for several seconds and need to rapidly pound on the x button to resurrect yourself and hope that Gretchen doesn’t die during this time.

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    PSN Review: Stacking

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    Have you ever played a video game where the medium involved Russian nesting dolls? Neither have I, so when I heard about Double Fines new downloadable game Stacking, my curiosity was piqued. I had enjoyed their previous work on Costume Quest, but the steep price of admission stopped me from going beyond the demo. When I saw that Stacking had a price sticker of $15 I knew I wouldn’t even consider purchasing. Then when it was released, I was shocked to discover that the full game was free to all PlayStation Plus members. Since that includes me, I was able to sit back and enjoy this little puzzler.

    You take control of Charlie, the youngest member of the Blackmore family. An evil industrial baron has kidnapped the family, and it is up to Charlie to rescue them all and thwart the Baron’s dreams of organized child labor. Charlie does this by solving puzzles across four different levels. Unfortunately, Charlie is pretty darn small, so he relies on the help of other nesting dolls to get things done. To break up the game a little bit there are cutscenes that play out like old silent movies. So you will have the characters moving around and doing basic actions (they are not very animated since they are nesting dolls) and then it will cut away to a screen with a line of dialogue, and then back for more action, and then more dialogue.

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    PSN Review: Hoard

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    Who doesn’t love the simplicity of top-down stick shooters? Now take that genre, and replace the gun-toting hero with a flying dragon, and you have Hoard. Hoard is a really easy to learn, challenging to master downloadable game that lets one to four players take control of a dragon and rain fire down on villages, castles, knights, and other dragons as well.

    As the title suggests, one of the main goals of Hoard is to collect as much gold as possible. Using your fire breath (and a few different power-ups), you fly about the map and burn down structures for gold. You can burn down fields, towns, castles, human enemies, carts of goods, and more that all drop gold. You then pick up all the gold you can and fly it back to your lair, where you can safely deposit it to add it to your score (and regain any lost health), and then head out and get some more.  As your score increases, you gain xp which can be used to upgrade your speed, fire breath, maximum amount of gold to be carried, and armor. Your stats start at the very beginning each match, so there is no need to worry if you assign xp to a stat you didn’t want. There are a few different modes, and each one is a little different, so it will probably be best to go over each one separately.

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    PS3 Review: WWE Legends of WrestleMania

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    I had given the game a rent when it first came out almost two years ago, and I gave it a pretty horrible review. I don’t mean horrible as in it is a horrible game, but horrible as in what I actually wrote was horrible. I was tempted to just delete it, but I would rather let it sit there to remind myself how far I’ve come with my writing.  Also, in my defense, I think it came from my old website, and I had just copied and pasted it, since I didn’t take my old site as serious as this one. Anyway, I rented the game again from Gamefly for two reasons. First, I am getting really excited for WWE Allstars and wanted to play something that would be a little similar to whet my appetite until the game is released next month. Secondly, I was pretty darn close to getting the Platinum, so I decided to go back and get it. I may have given the demo some horrid reviews, but the game is in fact pretty enjoyable.

    First off, the main draw of the game, which sets it apart from the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise, is the roster. Legends of WrestleMania lets you take control of one of thirty-eight WWE “legends” or your own CAW (create-a-wrestler) as you partake in a variety of matches and modes. The roster is full of old wrestlers I’m not familiar with, such as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Koko B. Ware, and Kamala. The biggest roster draw are probably the “classics”, such as Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant, Bret Hart, Yokozuna, Jake The Snake Roberts, The Million Dollar Man, and The Road Warriors. There are also current or recent roster wrestlers, but they appear as they did early in their career. For example, Triple H appears as the Greenwich-blue blood Hunter Herst Helmsley, and is nowhere near as buff as he later became, Shawn Michaels rocks a mullet, and the Undertaker looks almost twenty years younger before he was completely covered in tattoos. The youngest wrestlers to appear in the game (in terms of when they first came to the WWE) are Stone Cold and The Rock, who are indeed legends. There are also four classic managers that appear in the game, including Paul Bearer and Bobby Heenan. The ability to take control of these classic wrestlers is definitely a lot of fun and will fill any WWF/WWE fan with a ton of nostalgia.

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    PS3 Review: Two Worlds II

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    Before it was released, Two Worlds II was getting a bad rap due to the failures of the first game in the franchise. Having never played the first game, I had none of these thoughts in my mind. What I saw was a massive RPG that had many similarities to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and that was enough to catch my interest. I have spent about twelve hours on the single player campaign, and I think I can now give an accurate review of it. I had a semi-complete review ready to go last week, but I ended up writing way too much and it was too in-depth. Instead, I’m just gonna have a list of the good and the bad aspects of the game, and this should help paint an accurate account of the game, while hopefully being more condensed…because there is a lot to say about it!

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