The graphics remind me of the approach Diablo 2 took but much more detailed and better looking. It is one of the better looking arcade games in my opinion and the art style fits the game perfectly. The character models are 3D and the backgrounds are 2D. The cut scenes are short but look great and advance the story well. As you move around the background moves as if you are moving around a tiny planet. It is difficult for me to explain but works well and does not get in the way. It allows you to travel easily and fits very well with the rest of the game. Content wise it is pretty clean the humour gets kind of mature near the end of the game but it is not bad. There were no real sexual references that I noticed and there is no gore when killing enemies so in that aspect it is clean also.

The quests are mostly pretty easy for the most part and take just some logic and paying enough attention to the quest givers to complete. There is a hint system which uses fortune cookies that you find from killing enemies and smashing barrels to help you complete the quests. A few quests at the end of the game stumped me but I only had to look up the guide to one of the last quests online. After I did I felt kind of like an idiot as from talking to the characters involved in the quest made it quite clear what to do. The bosses were pretty easy with the right strategy and as long as you are at an appropriate level and have decent armour.

There are a few basic quests, mostly involving killing, things collecting things, delivering things and a short escort quest. There are loads of side quests to do and if you make an effort to complete all of them as well as the main quests you will probably get around 15-20 hours game play depending on how much you focus on leveling up. I think I was at about 20 hours after completing all the side quests, getting to level 20 which is the max level and beating the final boss.

It is 1200 Microsoft points which seemed a bit steep to me initially but after playing the 20 minute trial I was hooked and bought it the next day. I would recommend that anyone download the trial play for the full time it gives you and if you enjoyed what you played you will not be disappointed with the full game. There is limited replayability as once you have beat it you do not have much incentive to play through it again but the content you get in a single play through is worth the cost to me. DeathSpank is well worth the 1200 points it asks for, will you help DeathSpank Dispense justice, defend the down trodden and vanquish evil?.

If you answered yes to any of those questions, stop reading this and pick up Singularity.  Raven Software are the developers of this game and you may recognize them from Wolfenstein or X-Men Origins: Wolverine amongst other great games.  They do a great job creating a world that you can really get involved in as well as destroy or rebuild.

The shooting is pretty tight, the guns definitely feel real and the graphics are slightly above average.  A’la Bioshock, the game is a little creepy with it’s atmosphere and it’s story telling but that makes it fun and interesting for me.  The premise is this, Russia has created a substance called E99 that they plan to use to make themselves a stronger world power than the USA.  While developing E99 something goes really wrong and causes mutations in people and destruction of things.  Years later 2 American soldiers are investigating something (I forget what) and they end up on this island when their helo crashes.  1 of the soldiers ends up discovering this device called the TMD that allows him to manipulate time and space.

There is a bit of language as it’s an M rated game and when you are dealing with mutants and Russians you are gonna see some violent content.  Kids, stay away.

That’s it!  There’s a ton of fun to be had with this game, for me because I liked Time Shift and Wolfenstein this game was right up my alley.  Check it out.

I must say right from the start that the film adaptation of Prince of Persia – The Sands of Time is not the pile of garbage most gamers thought it would be. In fact, it ain’t half bad. Unfortunately, it is one-third bad, give or take a few stupid moments and under-written characters. But that leaves two-thirds of goodness, so all is not lost for gamers hoping for the first decent adaptation of a video game. Friends, we finally have one.

Before I go into what worked for me, I’ll get the bad stuff out of the way. First up is Ben Kingsley’s so-called performance as the film’s villain, Nizam. I say “so-called” because he doesn’t really do anything. Kingsley seems to be sleepwalking through the film, standing on his marks when required, speaking his lines, then exiting stage left at the appropriate time. I guess that’s better than the ridiculous over-acting he’s given the film world over the last decade or so, but I can’t help hoping for more from the man who once won an Oscar for masterfully playing Gandhi.Next is Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina, plucky heroine and the titular prince’s love interest. Sadly, plucky isn’t the appropriate adjective for her performance. I’m afraid to say that “wooden” would be a better descriptor. Sure, she’s cute, and holds her own physically in the odd fight scene, but she’s no Meryl Streep—or even a Kirstie Alley (before she porked up). She never sold me on the princess’ plight; and that’s a big letdown, given that she is one the film’s key figures.

I was also let down by the finale, which sadly makes little sense given what comes before. I won’t spoil it, but suffice it to say many of you will leave the theater scratching your heads if you really stop to think about what just transpired. I’m sure some will say, Hey, it’s just a movie, and that’s a valid excuse if the movie is solid from beginning to (nearly) end, but here it is a lame attempt to escape a rational explanation of the finale. But I’m willing to forgive the ending if somebody can explain to me, in great detail, how it doesn’t completely disregard the rules governing the Sands of Time as explained by Tamina.

I have other miscellaneous quibbles—such as the occasional fight scene seemingly choreographed by a drunken baboon, or a few lines that are utter nonsense—but they’re relatively minor and not worth discussing in depth. Well, maybe just one more: the Dagger of Time itself. The dagger looked a bit like something you’d find in a Big Lots. I could probably make something better with a little time and patience. Okay, I suppose that’s a big gripe, but I had to get that out.

Let’s move on now to the positives. First we have Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, the film’s primary protagonist. Gyllenhaal, all-American white boy he may be, plays a fine Persian street orphan-turned-prince if you ask me. Gyllenhaal plays Dastan as a man uncomfortable with power, but ready to lead his men into battle if necessary. Gyllenhaal is so good here that you’re willing to forgive Gemma Arterton’s bland performance. He’s incredibly likable, even at his cockiest, and that’s important in a movie like this. If you don’t like the hero, who are you going to root for? Sir Ben “I’m just here for the paycheck” Kingsley?

Alfred Molina is also quite likable as Sheik Amar, a greedy businessman who hates paying taxes and loves holding ostrich races. Molina is a gifted character actor that can disappear into a role, making you forget you’ve seen him before as, say, Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2. Here he shines as Amar, even though he has little overall screen time. I’d almost like to see a short film just about Amar, running his ostrich races out in the desert.

I also dug the film’s story, which is quite faithful to the original game—if not in exact plot points, then definitely in spirit and mood. The film wraps up neatly enough that nobody will be left with lingering questions (except in regards to the ending) if a sequel never comes. It is also leaves the possibility of a sequel, come what may. I’ll come back to that in a bit.

Finally, I must mention the cinematography and visual effects. Both are outstanding, bringing to life jaw-dropping landscapes filled with rich imagery and believable magic. The time-rewinding mechanic is both a beautiful sight to behold and a faithful re-creation of the game’s gimmick. I just wish there were a few more scenes of it in the film. The film’s score is not quite as impressive, but it gets the job done without distracting from the events on-screen. That’s a big plus in my book.

Before I wrap this up, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention objectionable content for Christian viewers. Thankfully, there really isn’t any. There’s violence on display here, but nothing terrible. In fact, there’s little blood in the film, aside from one slashed throat (which happens quickly and isn’t lingered upon) and a few darts shot into chests. I don’t recall a single curse word, and there is no sex or nudity to speak of. There’s a wee bit of innuendo, but nothing overly obscene.

What we have here, my dear geek friends, is a video game adaptation that will hopefully make everybody forget about atrocities such as Super Mario Bros. (starring Dennis Hopper, God rest his soul, as Koopa) and Street Fighter. It isn’t going to win any awards, and it won’t exactly knock your socks off, but it won’t rob you of your hard-earned money either. Just don’t think too much during (or even after) the movie and you’ll probably come away smiling. Sadly, we probably won’t get a sequel, as The Sands of Time made a measly $30 million this weekend. But if we do, here’s hoping they hire somebody to play the villain who isn’t just in it for the money. And in the interim, they should get that Arterton girl some acting lessons.

As promised, here’s a quick rundown of games I’ve recently played. Some were reviewed here; some were not. I won’t write a full review for the unreviewed games, but I’ll try to be as specific about what I liked and didn’t like as possible.

Mass Effect 2

Though I was knee-deep in homework at the time of Mass Effect 2‘s release, I couldn’t pass up the chance to play the sequel to one of my favorite games of this console generation. I’m glad I did, as ME2 ups the ante in every possible way, making for the best sequel to any game. The control is tighter; the combat is more focused and a lot smoother; the AI is smarter; the story is longer and more character-driven; and the graphics will blow you away—and without any texture pop-in to boot. The DLC leaves something to be desired, but that’s a minor complaint. I can’t to see where Commander Shepard and his crew go from here.

Dante’s Inferno

If I had to describe this game in one word, I would probably use the geek’s favorite mediocre descriptor: “meh”. There are plenty of reasons for a Christian to take offense from the game, and little for any serious gamer to enjoy. The combat is straight up God of War, with little to nothing unique or interesting to differentiate it. The story, a loose (at best) adaptation of Dante’s famous poem, holds no surprises, predictable to the very end. Even if the game didn’t have such offensive aspects, I’d still say most gamers should avoid it. Just play God of War III instead.

God of War III

Did you enjoy the first two God of War games? Do you want to play another one? If you can answer “yes” to both of those questions, you’ll love God of War III. This is one of the few cases of more-of-the-same being okay. The series’ trademark combat is at its best here, tighter and more fluid than ever, with great boss battles and some of the best visuals of any current-gen title. The ending is a bit of a let-down, mostly because it virtually promises more God of War games when this was promised as the end. Still, this one is more than worth your time.

Super Street Fighter IV

Yo son! Did ya like that Street Fighter IV game? Word? OK, so, look, you’ll like this one too, yo!

Goofy voice aside, dedicated Street Fighter players need to buy this, and probably already did. Anyone even remotely interested in fighting games should pick this one up too. The fighting mechanics haven’t changed, although there was a bit of balancing work to make all things fair and equal (for the most part), and the online code is better and smoother. The new characters are fun to play, and everybody is unlocked from the beginning—no more playing through single player and getting destroyed by Seth. Of all the new characters, Juri is my fave. She’s a beast.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Hey, it’s another 2D Mario game. What’s not to love? You get an ice flower, dude. An ice flower. Think about that.

3D Dot Game Heroes

I’m still working my way through this one. It’s marketed as an homage to the original Legend of Zelda; but, for all intents and purposes, this is that game. You can even create your own character that looks and moves just like Link did, only with a 3D upgrade (though he’s still a blocky sprite). If you enjoyed that NES classic,  you’ll dig this. If not, skip this game.

Final Fantasy XIII

I liked the story. I really did, folks. I did not like it enough, however, and that’s a shame. The game takes too long to get interesting or compelling, and by that time most people will check out. Those that stick around may get frustrated with Chapter 11, where the previously linear gameplay suddenly opens up into a MMO-like experience that takes seemingly forever. This is the point at which I gave up on the game. I may go back to it someday, but I doubt it.

Red Dead Redemption

Now this is something special. I consider this game to be Rockstar’s magnum opus. Forget about the Grand Theft Auto games, folks—Red Dead Redemption take’s the winner’s cup by a long shot. Playing RDR is like playing a post-modern western. The game’s protagonist, John Marston, is easily my favorite character of this generation of games. He isn’t the stereotypical good guy hero, but he’s also far from evil. He, like most folks, is a sinner hoping to redeem himself. In the end, he does so, but only by paying a terrible (but necessary) price.

I know that Drew had problems with some of the material presented in RDR, and many of you will too. Thus I must warn Christian gamers to proceed with caution. I didn’t encounter half as many f-bombs or g-nukes in this game as in any previous Rockstar title, nor as much filth, but there is a bit here and there. Unlike other Rockstar games, however, none of it comes from the player character if you don’t want it to. When John passes a prostitute who offers her wares to him, he’ll automatically refuse, stating he is a happily married man. John constantly makes it clear to those employing him that he’s done with his old ways, ready to settle down with his wife and son and live a normal life as a rancher. Never has Rockstar created as humble and honest a character as John Marston, nor one as inherently good.

“Grand Theft Auto of the West” probably best describes the game though it’s more than that.  It’s an artistic recreation of the history of the United States.  It’s hard to believe that not too long ago our country was once being discovered inch by inch, square mile by square mile until it bloomed into what we know of as today.  With our lightening fast internet speeds and our airplanes it’s hard to imagine a world where it took literally days to get from one point to another on horse or carriage, but that is exactly what Rockstar recreated.  As frustrated as this may sound, it’s actually quite enjoyable to get back to the simpler ways of life.

As with all Rockstar games you are able to take the path of good or bad, honor or dishonor.  You can become infamous or famous and each of these traits are displayed with a meter letting you know your progress.  You can also decide to run around killing everyone and stealing their horses, or you can play it nice and save every damsel or gentleman in distress.  Yep, there are brothels but for the most part they are tame places where the women are dressed in their bloomers or underwear.  They will make comments to you but as far as I have played you are limited to just that.  No picking up prostitutes or the like which would lead to a negative impression of the game.  In fact the main character comments on the fact that he is happily married when approached by a prostitute.  The game is fun, and that can’t be denied but now we get to where the game falls short.

The game is “M” rated, so you can expect some very, very rough language and sexual context.  There are many times where you will hear Jesus’ name taken in vain or the reprehensible “GD”.  Throw in a gaggle of “F bombs” and you won’t want to play this game around your children or pastor.  As your progress through the game you will also bear witness to a sex scene in which the woman is topless and you will see some pretty explicit gyration. There is murder, bloodshed and general disrespect towards women and religion.

With all of that said, the redeeming qualities would be an experience that has yet to be done since the semi-linear “Gun”.  The graphics are top notch for an open world game and it is possible to be a good person, yet still experience some bad content.  Immersed with mini games like Texas Hold’em, Dice, horseshoes and Blackjack you can find a plethora of things to waste your time on.  In the end I can’t recommend the game as it just has too much negative for me to say “go get it”.  Take what I have told you and decide for yourself.

I played Just Cause long after it had been released in preparation of the sequel and I was a bit disappointed.  While the game had some cool features like the grappling hook and parachute, they felt very under-utilized.  It was fun to grapple a passing car and to commandeer the vehicle from a distance but I just wanted more from the tools I was given.

Square Enix’s goal for Just Cause 2 was to fix the complaints of the first one and add a bit of fun to the challenges of Just Cause.  The end result was just that, a fun game that you could play for hours in a virtual playground with plenty of weapons, vehicles and locations. You can grapple literally any item within range including enemies.  As you grapple them you pull yourself to their location or pull them to yours.  You can also lock your grapple onto an enemy and then attach that grapple to another item.  This move will allow you to attach your enemies to walls or passing vehicles or in some cases, a passing helicopter to a building restricting it’s flight.  The imagination is your only limit when it comes to the fun you can have with Just Cause 2.  If that doesn’t make you want to play this game, maybe the fact that the achievements are challenging and fun to attempt.  You get Achievements for doing stunts in the vehicles, for finding various faction items and more.  This isn’t a game that you would just want to finish in a few hours, there are literally multiple hours of game time to be had.  I have played over 35 hours in game and have only completed 40% of all there is to do.

There are 3 factions that you can complete missions for, in addition to the Agency missions which lead the story on to completion.  You are also able to discover and complete various towns or military bases planted throughout the world which consists of causing chaos and blowing up enemy items like gas tanks, radio towers and missile launcher platforms.

There has already been multiple DLC released for the game to enhance your gaming experience such as new vehicles, weapons and jet packs to propel your parachute as a vehicle and there is more to come in the future.  If you are looking for a game to pass time between titles and are in the market for a game that you don’t need to feel pressured to finish right away then Just Cause 2 is right up your alley and I cannot recommend this game any more than I have already.

Blood: Minimal

Language: Slight but nothing more than Prime Time TV

Violence: Strong

Started at 1 foot length and going up to 50 feet with competitively priced cables I would highly recommend them to you.  Free shipping is being offered right now, it’s quite a good deal.

1.) Singleplayer

Well when I bought Bad Company 2 I didn’t plan on playing singleplayer at all but with all the server issues that EA has been having I started to play singleplayer. My first impressions were…. Wow this really sucks. It was dull and boring and felt like it was just tagged on. I kept on playing and it slowly starts to do more things then just run with a gun, shoot a rocket at the tank and pwn noobs. I still have yet to finish the singleplayer but from what I’ve heard it’s a great ending. One major thing that really bugs me is the amount of cussing in the story it seems like every other word is a guy screaming a F Bomb, which is a MAJOR turn off. Overall 6/10

2.) Graphics and Sound

Before I go ANY further in this review I must say the sound in this game is AMAZING! With my Tritton AX Pro headphones I could hear everything from a tank to a boat-from afar to the rockets being shot at my building. The graphics could be better, they don’t seem very polished. Not enough to make the gameplay any worse just something that EA screwed up on.. Overall I give the sound a 10/10 and the Graphics a 7/10

3.) Multiplayer

Now this is why everyone bought the game and I must say this is a BLAST. There’s always something to do whether it be raining down gun fire from a blackhawk or storming the base with tanks. One thing that I don’t enjoy about the multiplayer is the fact that the guns you get at a levvl like 23 can destory a team of level 10s. Overtime I could see it being a issue. One other thing I really enjoyed was the fact that you get blow up anything in your way like being a wall or a tank. I give it a 9/10

Overall I have to say this game is one of the best games I’ve played and if anyone asked me if they should buy the game I’d say YES!

My Overall score for the game is a 8.5/10 with a boost in the graphics for this game it would be a 9/10.

UPDATE:

This is a formal apology to Drew.  Jeff pointed out to me that it was him that wrote the article.  Upon looking at the author of the title, I see that it was Jeff that wrote the article.  Sorry Drew.  I have therefore removed all references to Drew. 

P.S.  You need to fix the forum posts on these articles.  It looks like Drew wrote them.

I was going to post this yesterday but did not have time.  Good thing.  Looks like Jeff has gone and trashed Heavy Rain and mocked the people who bought it.  I guess I will have to disagree with Jeff on this one.

Story:

The story follows the lives of four people and their quest to find Shaun Mars, the Origami Killer’s next victim.  Throughout each story you must decide how far you would go to save this child.  The full story is revealed by your decisions and actions.  You have control over what happens (who lives, who dies).  The story does kind of stumble in the end but I think this is due to the choices the player makes.  They needed to find a way to make all these decisions work out to the general ending they picked (that is telling you who the Origami Killer is).  That is the only real sure thing about the ending is the Origami Killer.  The rest can change.  I played the game twice now and that was the only thing that did not change.

Gameplay:

I would agree with Jeff that the game basically an interactive movie.  But it really isn’t as simple as that.  True. You do a lot of watching in this game but the story will not move on with your character just standing there.  You move you character, look for clues, interact with your environment and engage in action sequences.  Yes.  You do things like make eggs and brush your teeth.  But what Jeff didn’t tell you that this is only at the beginning of the game so you can get used to the controls.  The gameplay shines with the split second decision making, how well you perform at tasks like quick time events and how well you search for clues.  This game is intense.  Heavy Rain is the only game that had me on the edge of my chair being scared to make any mistakes on the quick time events, knowing that one wrong move might be the end of my characters life.  And yes.  Any of your four characters can die if you fail or choose for them to die.  This does not stop the game and make you try until you succeed.  The story carries on with that character dead.  This is not God of War where the cost of missing a quick time even is a bit of health.

Controls:

When you start the game it asks you to choose a difficulty.  Go with the hardest one.

You make your character move around by holding R2 and the character will walk in the direction they are facing.  Move left analog stick to face the character in the direction you want to move.  It is this coupled with the fixed (only two) camera angles that makes movement suck.  But really it only sucks when they change camera angles on you when you enter a different room because you will most likely end up going back the way you came.  I find, when the camera angle changes, it is best to let go of all buttons and then move the character in the desired direction.

The next form of control is as you are moving around the environment, indicators will pop up letting you know you can interact with it.  You do this by moving the right analog stick in the movement that is indicated.

Another form of control as your character interacts with the environment you may be required to perform a game of twister with your fingers on the controller.  The game will tell you to press x and when you do that it will tell you to hold that and then press square.  For the most part the controls are really easy (as Jeff said) but this was the hard part for me.  But only in one spot in the game.  I had to hold 5 of these buttons (including two of the triggers r1 an l1).  If you do not have your fingers in the right place at the start you will fail this.  That is what happened to me.  I had to use my tongue for the last button press.  Yes.  That is right.  My tongue.

The forth and most used in the quick time button presses.  These are relatively easy.  The only problem quick time indicators can appear anywhere on the screen and move around while they are on the screen.  One good thing they did with this is have these indicators attached to whatever your character is trying to block or kick.  They kind of lead your eye to what is important or what the game designer wants you to see.

Ups:

- Graphics.  They are awesome.  With the exception of a few stiff shirts and pants when off the body.
- Diverse, ever changing story.  With the exception of the Origami Killer and the final location of Shawn Mars, the game changes every time you play through it.
- Intense Action.  I was on the edge of my seat during these, hoping that I would not make a mistake.

Downs:

- very mature title.  Tonnes of language.  Depending of the story line there may be a fair bit of nudity and sexual situations.  If I had kids, I would not let them play this game.  Mostly it is because of the choice to do the stuff in this game.  Sure it is a video game but this is the first one that offers a conscience choice.  I wouldn’t even play this game in front of my children.  But that is just me and who am I to judge anyone who does (hey – I played this game also).
- game is a bit easy as far as the physical skill required.  Had it on the hardest setting and only really had trouble on some of the more challenging “controller twister” sections.
- some bad acting.  Yes.  This game was acted (motion capture suits and dots on the actors faces).  Besides the guy who played Ethan Mars, the acting was bad.  That being said, I have seen much worse in most movies.  They need to get some big name actors to act in video games like this.  Would make them a lot better.
- story is pieced together at the end.  I figured that this was going to happen.  I kept thinking, while playing the game, that the end of the story was going to be bad because I saw no way to make a desent ending for all the choices you were making.  In this I was surprised that they did it better than I thought they were going to do.

Summary:

Heavy Rain falls somewhere between a game and an interactive movie.  Is it worth the $60 price tag?

If you do not want the mature content or you just hate quick time events that much, then stay away from this game.

At the very least I give this game a rent.  That way you only waste $10 if you do not like it.

If you are up for an experience, will play the game more than once and don’t mind a very mature game, then yes.  Where this game/movie shines is the way the story changes depending on how you choose to carry out a scene and how well you perform at the tasks given to you.  If you do not play this game more than once, you will not see how much the game changes with each choice.  The challenge of this game is in the choices you have to make.  Truth be told.  This game is refreshing.  I was getting sick of the same old games being done over and over again.

Mario, Luigi, Toad(s), The Princess and Bowser are back, but this time there is no taking turns.  Instead the designers have taken many of the successful elements of Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario World and combined them with co-operative and counter-operative (I’ll explain later) elements for the most fun and infuriating side scrolling game I have played in years.  The game allows up to four players to go through the level simultaneously and does it with a high level of success.  Players can grab each other, work together for mega jumps, utilize Yoshi and the new propeller hat to help them go through levels with a new and simultaneously familiar design.  Where the counter-operative element comes into play is the fact that you cant just “run through” one another…you will bump into, jump off of, and be the victim of friendly turtle shell fire time and time again.  It’s one of those experiences where 80% of the time, it is annoying in that funny endearing kind of way, but there is that 20% of the time when peoples’ playing styles will interfere with one another.  You will get speed players (like myself) trying to fly through a level as fast as possible bumping heads with players who are more explorative (Like Jenn).  As long as you can both agree to a speed to going through a level, it is a ball and really takes me back to my childhood in a number of ways.

Graphically the game is top notch for a Wii game.  It is crisp, fast and stays true to the animation style of the previous Mario games.  Sound is great as a lot of familiar tracks play when you are playing and the sound effects (like someone making a car hoking noise when they have run out of lives can be really funny…or really annoying).  As far as difficulty, the “bubble” mechanism is really handy if one player is having difficulty getting through a certain part of the stage, while not making it a cheesy cheat because if everyone bubbles, they all have to start the level over.  This happened a number of times and really encouraged people only to bubble when they absolutely had to.  Adults and children playing together can be fun, however I found myself getting impatient from time to time and had to remind myself that “Hey, they are just kids, relax Neil”.  The game also has a decent amount of replay value for a side-scroller as you can go back and find all of the hidden secrets, coins and power-ups.  That aspect of the game isn’t really my cup of tea, but Jenn absolutely loved it.

As far as issues specifically for the Christian: Unless you are EXTREMELY sensitive to fantasy themes, the game is very family friendly and I did not witness anything even close to offensive material.

Overall: 8.5/10

Pros:

• Extremely Family Friendly
• Very fun multiplayer
• Good replay value (for the genre)
• Nostalgia factor for the older players

Cons:

• Can be frustrating with players of vastly different skill levels/playing style

The game is available for purchase Here.

Here is a video review of the game from gamespot.com.