Next up: BULLY

...because "kick me" signs never work in real life.

in the heart of darkness... with infinite ammo

Survival horror. Action horror. Just action actually. The recent exploits of Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar is an explosive, skull-punching, and relatively not very shocking journey through the various terrain of Africa. The weirdest aspect of Resident Evil 5 is how unphased the characters are to the utterly jaw dropping creatures they are faced with. So some beautiful women just transformed into a boat-sized behemoth and all Chris can focus on is how much he loves cliches. Taking a page from fellow Capcom comrade, Devil May Cry, the dialogue here is, ahem, a hell of a time. Chris is one of those characters who say things that sound so cheesy, but when we're waiting for him to crack a smile like Dante or Nero, he just keeps the bad dialogue rollin'. Playing the game, though very methodical, felt like a conundrum wrapped in frustration. Taking your time through an action game is like oil and water. You need to aim your shots accordingly, whilst a mutant praying mantis and his soldier buddies rush toward you from all sides. Also, Sheva, though competent when in attack mode, can go too aggro and get herself killed, wasting all the ammo and ending the game for both of you. And here's where co-op shines. I played the first 3 chapters of the game with a friend of the Playstation Network and was extremely satisfied. Not only is my partner now aware of his/her surroundings, someone can now hear my comments on the ridiculousness of each situation we get thrown into. From shanty towns to volcanoes, Resident Evil 5 provides the variety in environment like no other game in the series. The best part of this game is what I thought was the best part of Resident Evil 4, upgrading your weapons. Maxing out the firepower in any of the guns and plowing through what ever is thrown at you makes the game worthwhile. While mowing down enemies with a Magnum with infinite ammo, you can't help but how good the environments look. Lots of evening sunlight and the feeling of the sweltering African savannah kept the game from looking generic, but that didn't keep up throughout the game. Dull textures and boring environments like freighters or oil factory took away from the stunning caverns and marshlands of the rest of the game. Overall, Resident Evil 5 has tied up some loose ends in the Resident Evil universe, but has hit a wall in the gameplay aspect. For an entry in the series, there was so much potential for true terror and horror, but the earlier titles can easily beat this game out of the running. Don't you quit on me Resident Evil! /endcliche. Oh yeah, RACISM.

brand new heights

taking things nuclear

a dark sky has never been so blinding. the first moments outside of vault 101 proved to be the most striking parts of Fallout 3, but also, a more familiar feel. 2 years since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda have seemed to improve upon the "single hope of mankind" formula with Fallout 3, but the aging similarities get in the way of innovation. V.A.T.S., the weapons, and the setting were all great contributions to the action RPG world, but adding those aspects to muddy textures (and yes, i know its a wasteland), dated animations, and stiff conversations doesn't help bring out those features. nevertheless, my time with Fallout 3 was not as dystopian as the landscape. the setting of Fallout was by far the best part of this journey. over every hill or valley was something untraversed and mysterious that i just had to take a minute (or hour) to explore and know all the in's and out's of every fort, power plant, or house. its sense of abandonment gives such a thirst for more knowledge on what happened, who was here, and how much more can i carry? Oblivion had the whole exploration aspect as well, but Fallout has the pull and the sense of mystery that Oblivion did not convey as much. as dilapidated as the landscape is, i can't help but to want to know more... and loot it. though there are many titles to be played, exploration of the wasteland will not be hindered.

Weekly Top 5

Hello all im starting a new weekly post called Weekly Top 5 where I will run down a top 5 list of video game topics. This weeks topic is top 5 video games of 2008.

1.Fallout 3
2.Little Big Planet
3.Metal Gear Solid 4
4.Mirrors Edge
5.Burnout Paradise

Runners up: Resistance 2, Madden 09, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead

what i've been doing (other than posting)

2009 so far has been a rough year. from the get go, the tragic news of EGM's closure and the 1UP layoffs set the tone of how things are going to go, but though tragic, it is also inspiring. ex-1UP and ex-EGM staff have shown while they are down, they are definitely not out. RebelFM proves to be the hand bursting out of the rubble. talkingorange's plans proves to be the inspirational rise from a damaging fall. though i say EGM forever, the future can be even brighter for those affected by the layoffs. That hope and optimism shown by those groups of people have inspired me to write in order to support the cause of game journalism. game journalism seems like one of the best jobs, but it should be all about the passion. the layoffs are rough, but the passion for games still stands. and i'll stand by it.

through the filth and the fury caused by winter break, i managed to get though my pile of shame with great vengance. here's the list:
-resistance 2
-mirror's edge
-fallout 3
-prince of persia
-littlebigplanet
-yakuza
-persona 4
-and a shitstorm of movies (randomized game thoughts, but who cares?)

so i'll write. we'll write. and stay writing. forever.

-misclet

Review Time

I know, I was supposed to post on this site too but this years massive amounts of games has been occupying most of my time. Well the wait is over, it is time for some of my reviews. Now these reviews will be shorter then I will normally write but since I'm reviewing multiple games I'm going to keep it short...this time. One last note theses reviews will span from games that came out earlier this year to the present.

1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Now I have to be honest, I never played a Metal Gear game before this one so this review is only on my MGS experience from this game only. Now that being said this game made me wish I had played every single Metal Gear game leading up to this one. I don't think I have ever played a game with such a deep story line i mean what other game has to have a data base come out just so you can understand whats going on it the games universe? And MGS4 alone has one of the best stories I've seen and that's without knowing the lead up from the other games. and not only is the story good but the game play is amazing as well, from the stealth to the shooting it all leaves you feeling very satisfied. The graphics in this game are some of the best I've seen, the vast use of textures to the harsh environments make you feel like you are playing through a cinematic movie. The characters in MGS4 are also movie star like, from the heros to the villains they all make you want to learn more about them. as for my complaints I really don't have any i mean this game is not perfect but its damn close I guess if I had to name one thing that bothered me it would be what a lot of people said, that the cut scenes are to long, but that by no means takes anything away from this must play game.

MY SCORE: 9.8/10
A

2.Fallout 3
This game made me question what would really happen if the world became a wasteland as a result of nuclear war, I wonder why that is, OH YEA! because that's exactly what this game is about! Your quest begins in a vault as usual right? come on people, arn't we all in a vault? locked up in a safe little bubble? till our dad mysteriously runs out on us? then we go out into this strange new world? no? OK well this game is exactly like that you play as a lone wanderer out on a mission to find your father who has left out of nowhere and on this quest you come across many many other challenges and quests you must face (or not face). Now the game play showed me a new way to shoot someone in almost a strategic way by targeting limbs, genius right? no! this system although cool gets very old through out the game and eventually gets very routine and bland. The characters you meet through fallout 3 are a wide range of people streaming from punk rock like raiders to butch like hookers and an occasional mutant from here to there but they all add to the very wide world you explore. Did i mention there's a half tree half man in the game?? One thing i really do like about this game is the choices you get to make eventually making you evil and good and later effect the way the story turns out and ends. BUT there are many flaws in this game, like the glitches and the lack of trophies on the ps3. And the main story is very straight forward no twists or anything but the side quests make this game worth buying and playing (for along time).

MY SCORE: 9.1/10
A-

3.Resistance 2
Nathan hales final missions doesn't lack any size. This game is BIG from start to finish, what do I mean by BIG? I mean that from the bosses to the overall size of Nathans mission is well....very large. in this game you learn more about the soldier Nathan hale and his struggle to fight the Chimera on the battle field and within himself. This game is also a lot bigger then the first resistance as well, from bigger boss battles to more weapons and a vastly deeper multi player it completely blows the original fall of man right out of the chimeran battle ship. And the graphics in this game are greatly improved too. The united states looks much better then that of its former possessor England in fall of man, but then again doesn't it always?? come on people USA! USA! ok enough of that, where was I? Oh yes the graphics, not only do the Chimera look better but so do their ships looming over the ruined lands of America. The story in resistance 2 does focus more on Nathan hale but it seems that's all it focuses on, you don't get the story of whats happening around you only whats happening to you. Though this game is bigger I feel it doesn't deliver as much as the original which had a better story thus making it a better game, BUT this game is still a must play for any resistance fan or fps fan.

MY SCORE: 8.9/10
B+ (not counting multi player)

So there you go, some reviews for you to read and react to. Yes I know they are very vague and lack what a normal review must have but like I said, these reviews are not how I will normally review a game, I will go more in depth with my next reviews. These are more to reinsure you on buying or not buying a game or give you a brief overview of what I think of a game. So I look forward to writing more reviews in the very near future and I hope you continue to read them.