Reviews galore coming up!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Rock Band 3

Fable III

Kirby's Epic Yarn

NBA JAM

And the hits just keep on coming!

Fallout: New Vegas review!

Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
# of Players: 1 player
Platforms: PS3 360 PC
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG, Shooter
Release:  Oct 19, 2010
ESRB: M-Mature, (Blood, Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong language, Use of drugs) 

Mean As Hell Rating
9/10 

Have you ever had that Deja Vu feeling? Like you've been somewhere or seen something that you have before? You may feel like that upon your first few hours of playing Fallout: New Vegas. Heck you may feel like that during the entire play through. To sum it up: if you've played Fallout 3, you played Fallout: New Vegas. I mean the writing and all is slightly better, there's a lot more to do and much has been improved but the actual experience is the same, flaws included.

From where I'm standing at; Fallout: New Vegas isn't so much a new game or sequel as it is an elaborate expansion pack or DLC. It looks and plays like it's "game of the year" predecessor. There is nothing really new but there is more of the familiar adventures that the fans have been longing for. And like every good adventure, it starts with an important death... yours.

Fallout: New Vegas takes place during the year 2281, four years after the estimated end of Fallout 3, and 204 years after the Great War of 2077, making this installment chronologically the latest in the series thus far. It is set in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, Nevada and the Mojave Desert known as the "Mojave Wasteland" which is roughly the same size as the "Capital Wasteland" in Fallout 3. Unlike other cities in the Fallout series, Las Vegas was not struck directly by a nuclear attack. Most building are intact and mutations are not as wide spread.The city is divided into various factions with New California Republic (NCR) being the most notable. There's also the slave driving Caesar's Legion, and other various factions of New Vegas itself.

The game places you as the main character in the role of a courier. In the midst of delivering a package with platinum poker chip and NCR war documents to a town called Primm, the player is found in a shallow grave, having been shot in the head and left for dead. You are then rescued by a robot named Victor who brings him or her to Doctor Mitchell. After that the player enters character creation (defining skills and attributes, name, gender, age and appearance) before investigating the assassination attempt on your life, recover the package, and explore the world. All in true Fallout fashion.

Don't get me wrong; the game starts off rather abruptly but it almost feels as if you have no real sense of purpose or connection.other than to find the man that put the bullet in your dome. Expedient as that is, some will feel very little emotional development or discovery. The moment of emergence is not there. The doc patches you up and sends you on your way. You are on your own.

New Vegas is a big game! There are lots of moral space to shape in the world. You have good and bad choices to make, but there is really no right way to play the game. By your 15th hour you should feel as if you are anchored in the universe and properly armed to handle whatever it throws at you.

One of the more noticeable features of New Vegas is the inclusion of real-world guns. Case in point: M4A1 Carbine replacing the G3 styled assault rifle of Fallout 3. The attempt to include more real weapons have made it a little difficult to find the larger, more powerful, but less common 10mm weapons that were so abundant in Fallout 1, 2, and 3. Nevertheless, weapons such as lasers and large guns like mini guns have returned to bring the pain.

 New Vegas also brings to the scene something that was missing from Fallout 3; the reputation system. It is mostly due to the quantity of factions. The degree of faction loyalty influences the player's reputation. Reputation effects the behavior of faction non-player characters (NPCs) toward the player, and it reflects the impact of selected choices in the world. The availability of dialogue options with NPCs are pretty much based on skills, reputation and karma. Skills have bigger effect on conversation choices. What I like about this is that your success or failure of speech is dependent on skill level rather than chance like it was in Fallout 3. There is a new companion wheel that controls companion behavior and task. It really offers ease of companion interaction.

Now with this being Vegas, you may ask yourself "what about the casinos?" Don't worry be happy, they're there and you can visit them to particapate in mini-games, including blackjack, slots and roulette. You can win or lose money at these mini-games. Word on street is that the mini-games were done by a programmer experianced in programming none-table gameing machines. There is also a card game called Caravan that is playable. The game explains how to play it.

I really liked Fallout: New Vegas. If I had any real complaints, it is pretty much the same as the last game; it's glitchy. Not enough to be really annoying or game breaking but don't be surprised if the game crashes after haveing a long game marathon. But it is a massive game so this was somewhat expected... besides there should be a patched released to help sort the glitches out. When it is all said and done this is a Fallout game and it has a wonderful big populated world for fans of the franchise to explore and you need not have played Fallout 3 to enjoy it. As long as you can look past the glitch issues you will have a good time in New Vegas.

Inception review

Inception
2010
148 minutes
rated PG-13


There are plenty of films that present the notion to the viewer that characters on screen are inhabiting a world that is not grounded in reality. But what happens when the characters are in a dream. Reality is thrown out the window because dreams can be on such grand scale that they border on infinite. Inception is written, produced and directed by Christopher Nolan and is a very sophisticated and beautiful film that hits you with such a stunning blow to the mind you'll wake up gasping for air just as Leonardo DiCaprio is on the shore of his own subconscious. Ok let's get the obvious out there; Inception is a science fiction thriller with a tightly coiled plot, cerebral conceits and formidable ambition. I honestly feel sorry for some of you "popcorn" movie goers, by mid reel you're going to be left scratching your head wondering what is going on. Let me save you the trouble, watch the movie let it wash over and drown you and save the head scratching for later. And for some there will be a later because Inception is that kind of movie. It is complex and you'll want to see it again.

But perhaps I was to harsh on my average cinema attendees, Inception is one of the few films that can be enjoyed on a casual and more open minded level. Come to think of it, the protagonist himself takes a journey on pretty much the same level. I'm referring to Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), he makes his living navigating the minds of other people, sharing their dreams and stealing ideas in an elaborate psychological scam known as "extraction." To complete his task he uses his right hand man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and a sleep-inducing gadget, his business is mostly involved with high level corporate espionage. But the movie opens, a client named Saito (Ken Watanabe) hires Cobb for a collectively different task: Rather than steal an idea, he wants Cobb and Arthur to plant one in the mind of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the would-be heir to an energy conglomerate, in a process called "inception."

To say the job is hard is an understatement. Cobb has to gather a group of "dream warriors" to make sure the mission goes off without a hitch. The group includes a slick forger named Eames (Tom Hardy), a chemist named Yusuf (Dileep Rao) and a young architect named Ariadne (Ellen Page), she is in charge of designing the mazelike dreamscapes much of "Inception" transpires in, she also acts as an essential proxy for film goers who are likely to find themselves utterly lost in the director's own convoluted ideas. All of that notwithstanding, the set pieces are nothing short of amazing. Nolan reportedly used as few CGI effects as possible while making this film and it shows. Nolan sets the example of the best kind of filmmaking, unrestricted from the laws of time, space and even gravity, but never from the most basic rules of good story telling fiction.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World review

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
2010
112 minutes
rated PG-13

Mean as Hell Rating
9/10 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the fourth film from British director/writer Edgar Wright. Wright captured world attention with the cult hit of his second film Shaun of the Dead (2004). Subsequent to this, he went onto the cop show parody Hot Fuzz (2007) and then entered the Hollywood mainstream with Scott Pilgrim. Ahead for Wright are a bunch of projects, including the conspiracy film Them (2011) and his long announced adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Ant Man (2012), as well as co-writing the script for Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011). Scott Pilgrim is adapted from a series of six graphic novels published by Toronto-based comic-book artist Bryan Lee O’Malley between 2004 and 2010.

Since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is adapted from a comic book that’s ripe full of video game references, the movie follows the same road. There are tons of musical cues from Zelda, Super Mario and Street Fighter. There are also really heavy video game references like Scott Pilgrim getting beat down only to get up and grab a life, (something akin to a 1-UP) or the evil exes turning into coins when they’re defeated. Also the films structure resemble a video game with each ex being boss battles of increasing difficulty and Scott Pilgrim “leveling” up between each fight.

All of this is going on while Scott and Ramona continue to work through their tenuous relationship — plus Scott tries to break it off with Knives — as if it were just another ordinary day. But it’s honestly hard for the casual observer to tell if that’s actually the case and what we’re seeing in the “Scott versus” matches is merely an allegorical depiction for how our hyper kinetic hero deals with his inner demons (especially since no one around him seems to realize what a bad-ass their bass-rockin’ friend really is). In spite of that… this is a WHOLE lot of fun, and you can pretty much throw caution to the wind! At times, the movie does indeed drag while waiting for the next adversary to appear; especially near the end where the wear & tear of the high-impact battles gets a little exhausting to watch.

Within this heightened unreality, the characters exist in a uniquely surreal and sugary pop world of their own. The characters’ emotions which are all but reduced to love and heartbreak are contextualized into exaggerated gestures – tears, rage, unbridled glee – like a silent film. The highly superficial character of Scott bares no psychological depth. We learn very little about Scott (except that he doesn’t own a cell phone or understand how to use the internet), and we gain no understanding of his true feelings for Knives or Ramona. With little rhyme nor reason, Scott is just going through the motions as if being controlled by someone standing off-screen playing with a joystick (he even jumps from scene to scene as if time and place are irrelevant) and lucky for Scott, the master of his destiny has mastered the game of life.

After all is said and done, it is sad that this film has yet to get the credit it deserves. Maybe when the DVD comes out it will gain a respectable cult following. As a "geek" I can really appreciate movies like this stroking my inner fanboy, but if the rest of us don't get together and start showing these films some love as whole... they will surely die apart.

Transformers game good?! it's about Optimus Prime!

Look mom, I can finally play as one of my childhood pastimes and it's actually fun! No it's not clunky, and yes I can transformer anytime I want. Ok,ok I'm trying not to be too nostalgic but man I love it when game developers get it right or at the very least make a good attempt. I'm talking about the new Transformer IP "Transformers: War for Cybertron" and as longtime fan, I'm loving it. I mean it isn't a movie game (thank God) so you get more flexibility from the story and characters. It's like all the G1 characters we actually care about: Optimus, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide, Jetfire, Megatron, Starscream, Thundercracker, Soundwave, Brawl and Barricade! I'm sure I missed a few but so what; I just gave you an A-list of awesome transformers! The single player is pretty good. You have the option of play as either Autobot or Decepticons. Chronoligically, the Decepticons campaign starts first. It was actually the more boring of the two but I still had ball playing Megatron in all his crazed filled awesomeness. And I loved that at the beginning of certain chapters you had the option to choose which Transformer you wanted to control, I mean if you don't want to be the leader you can be the scout. Pretty cool. I like me some Optimus Prime and this game actually shows you how he became the leader of the Autobots and required the Matrix of leadership. I mean I'm not going say the story is foolproof because some things aren't really explained but if you care enough about it go play the game yourself. How does the game play you ask? Well I only played it on one systems so I can't vouch for the others as yet. But on my PS3, it ran pretty smoothly with some slowdown here and there. Not enough to deter me from playing or completing the game. The multiplayer is really the "meat and potatoes" in this rodeo. There are several multiplayer modes to choose from. "Escalation" is a mode for exclusive pre-order characters and characters unlocked during the campaign. Non-stop waves of robots attack until the player(s) are defeated, similar to Gears of War "Horde" mode and Call of Duty: World at War "Nazi Zombies". Players are also able to spend points earned from defeated enemies on health, ammo, new weapons and unlocking new areas in the map. There is also the jack of all multiplayer modes, Deatmatch and Team Deathmatch! "Deathmatch" is a free-for-all game type where the player with the most kills at the end of the game is the winner. In "Team Deathmatch" players are divided into Autobot and Decepticon teams.[4] The winning team is the one who earns the most kills. There is also "Conquest" mode. Its a capture-and-hold style game, similar to the conquest mode found in the Star Wars Battlefront series. In "Countdown to Extinction" players must take an active bomb and place it at an enemy base, similar to the Assault mode in the Halo series. "Power Struggle" is the game's equivalent to the common Capture the Flag game type. Finally "Code of Power" is a mode consisting of two and a half minute rounds where teams vie for a giant melee weapon. Competitive multiplayer games do not allow use of canon Transformers. Players must create their own Transformer based on the class they wish to play which determines their vehicle form. They may then choose a specific look for that form, and customize the color scheme, weaponry and abilities they take into battle. Classes include a "Leader" class, a "Soldier" class, a "Scientist" class, and a "Scout" class, each with unique abilities, vehicular transformation, and weapon loadouts. Scouts are cars, Leaders are trucks, Scientists are jets and Soldiers are tanks. The multiplayer aspect also features a experience and leveling up system, including perks, and upgrades. After all is said and done, the game is awesome! It does the Transformers justice! It's more than meets the eye!

NBA 2K11 Review

Publisher: Take-Two Interactive
Developer:  2K Sports
# of players: 1 player, 10 online
Platforms: PS3 360 Wii PC PSP
Genre: Sports
Release: Oct 5, 2010
ESRB: E-Everyone(Everyone)

Mean As Hell Rating
9/10 

The greatest player of all time meets one of the greatest NBA games as Micheal Jordan returns in NBA 2K11. But did you ever imagine that Jordan would be a weak link on the basketball court?! I mean come on; he's only the six-time NBA champion! In any event; you get to play as his Airness for the first time on current consoles. That is great and all but you know how good news and bad news come hand and hand... Micheal Jordan is in the game but his presence is overshadowed by improvements in just about every other facet in this awesome NBA simulator. Ok, maybe it's all good but I wanted to point that out..


Most NOOBS(you know who you are)will want to play NBA 2K11 using only aspects of Micheal Jordan's career(and you can)and it would still be an awesome game. But that is only a fraction of what's in the game. It is easily the deepest basketball game ever not to mention one of the deepest sports games I've ever played. It will take you months to get through this game on the first runthrough. and you can bet your sweet behind that you are going to want to get as much out of the game as possible, every part is as good as the last because this baby never lets up.


When I first saw the game in action, I honestly thought I was watching a basketball game on TV. In addition, the stellar team of announcers of Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg are GREAT!! Sorry, couldn't resist. You have camera angles that make it feel legit and there are even promotions for upcoming games that are akin to what you'd see on TV. The developers knew their stuff indeed!


Now truth be told; Micheal Jordan is really no better than a bench warmer in NBA 2K11. That notwithstanding, it is impossible to ignore his presence. When you fire up the game for the first time you're introduced to the #23 legend as he walks into court for the player intros for the 1991 NBA finals. How ironic that you take control of Jordan in 2K11 in a game that he lost in real life. But it is a nice nostalgic nod to see these classic Lakers and Bulls teams recreated. There is an entire mode to replaying Jordan's most memorable games and it is a welcome reminder of the NBA glorious past. All the key moments are here. The Flu Game? Check. The Shrug Game? Check. Do you remember "The Iceman" George Gervin once played with the Bulls? 2K does and he's here too.

But let me be frank; the Jordan challenge mode isn't much fun at all. If you want to come out a winner in each of the 10 games you have to reach certain statistical accomplishments. If you fall short you have to restart from the first quarter and that sucks! I mean it basically makes you choose goals over greatness but at the same time devalues Jordan's achievements and makes you play like a ball whore.

The blast from the past stuff may be a lil lackluster but on-court action is realistic and very satisfying representation of the real thing. Now the game doesn't hold your hand; you have work at getting good at the new Dynamic Shot Control and Isomotion Dribbling Controls. And you're going to want to because there are nearly 50 moves to learn and incorporate into any game situation. Seriously, you could play for hrs trying to master this stuff on tutorial alone. Having patience is a given but getting it right is more satisfying. You could play "old school" and just press buttons but you would be selling yourself short.

But wait there is more... you get a slam dunk contest with the Blacktop mode. You also get a 3 point shooting contest, one on one and a game of 21. That's wassup! The only real issues I had with the game was the online segments. Lag plagued me in every mode, occasional hiccups are annoying, When you try to take on more than one player in team up mode it is almost stop and go. What kinda hurts the game on realism is that the players are clueless in loose ball situations. On long rebounds or steal attempts, they mostly just stand idly by while the rock rolls away from them. Another problem I had was that layups and point-blank shot are still to easy to miss, as always they can hurt critical moments.

What more can I say; this game is a huge improvement over last years. Everything has been improved and overhauled. It is the platinum standard of the genre. I was think that maybe 2K should take a chill pill and take off 2012 because I don't know how they are going to top this. Or maybe the Mayans are right and the world will end because that is the only thing that will keep fans from playing this gem!

I loved this game and give it 9/10. It is one of the best sports game I have ever played and is worth your time and money, don't miss out.

Good time to be a gamer... On PS3!

Marvel announced today that the X-Men arcade game will be coming to PSN this fall with full support for six players (local or online on the PS3). And that’s not all — Capcom and Marvel unveiled new characters for Marvel vs Capcom 3: Arthur from Ghosts ‘N Goblins and Spencer from Bionic Commando, Magneto and M.O.D.O.K..

Coming to PSN Tuesday: Sports Champions “Haunted” DLC – Sports Champions shows its dramatic side with Tim Burton-esque specter and skeletal character models.

Coming to PSN tomorrow: Deadliest Warrior: The Game – The goriest cable show of all time gets a PSN fighting game — and new DLC characters are on the way.

10 Things You Don’t Know About Alien Breed: Impact for PS3 – The creators of Worms have revived their classic shooter series in glorious HD, and it’s loaded with sweet Trophies.

ModNation Monday: Free Mod, “Family Guy” Spotlight Next Week! – Family Guy fans: stop by the PlayStation.Blog this Monday at 12pm PT. Shipoopi 

Dead Nation Online Co-op Confirmed, Special Zombies Revealed – Your prayers have been answered! Mine too, actually.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta “Origins” Trailer + Bonus – Kratos has a brother, and his name is Deimos. 

Killzone 3 Beta Starts on October 25th: Here’s Your Chance to Get In! – Guerrilla Games will distribute 5,000 beta codes to U.S. PlayStation Plus members, but you’ll have to act fast. 

What are you waiting for?!

It's time for DownTown Orlando to Shine!

Ok I know this is a little different and that not everybody lives in Orlando, Fl, but downtown just got a nice upgrade in the form of the Amyway Center! And it is about time; I mean New York has the Madison Square Garden, Boston has the Staples Center, Atlanta, the Georgia Dome. And now Orlando's time has come with the awesome new Amway Center. Even before it was finished, there was considerable buzz going around that the Amway Center was "a centerpiece, a showcase, a rallying point for the community", and Orlando's elected officials were praised as "smart civic leaders who get it." Many agreed, but some would argue that point.

"Some said it couldn't be done or shouldn't be done - but our community rallied and recognized that it would benefit Central Florida residents," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. "The city saw the project as more than just bringing additional concerts and sporting events."

I had the honor of attending the tour and I must say the Amway Center is the new Pride of Orlando. I mean isn't it wonderful to have a new facility that has already begun to pay for itself?! "Before contruction was even completed, the NBA announced that the 2012 NBA All-Star Game would be played here," said City Commissioner Daisy W. Lynum. "The economic impact of that event alone could be as much as $100 million."

I have to say that as an avid event goer, the Amway Center is going to appease many alike with it's numerous "Amenities and Concessions." I'm not going to list everything, but to name a few they have Disney Atrium, Metro PCS, Fairwinds, Coors Light, Budweiser, Cold Stone, Papa Johns and more. To keep the kids happy; Stuff's Magic Castle is on the scene. It is a children's play area available whenever the doors of Amway Center are open to the public.

All I'm saying is that if you live in Orlando or you happen to pass through; the Venue on your Menu should be the awesome new Amway Center. Bring your "friends and loved ones and create shared memories that will last a lifetime."