So apart from updating you all on our lives, this whole house buying process has been quite a learning experience which brings me to video games.  Within most video games, buying a home is not really an option.  When you play a game like Call of Duty, Halo, or Gears of War, the idea of a place called home is an afterthought.  Of course these characters have some kind of place they call home but it’s a place that we will certainly not be invited to see.  Then you have other games like, most notably, The Sims, Animal Crossing, and Harvest Moon which revolve around the notion of getting a home and building a game pretty much around that.  Most recently, however, games like Fable, Fallout 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim feature homes as a large part of the game’s mechanics.

Now, while buying a home in real life has it’s obvious hoops and obstacles, the only real obstacle in video games lies in earning, making, or stealing enough money to buy the house outright.  Off hand, Animal Crossing is the only game that comes to mind that actually offers you a mortgage that you can pay off (at your absolute leisure).  This bank, however, doesn’t care that you have a piddly job at Tom Nook’s store or run a credit report.  Nor do they care that most of your significant income comes from digging holes all around the town, shaking trees, and doing odd jobs for your neighbors for cash under the table.  They also don’t care when you pay your mortgage and they don’t assess late fees if you don’t pay for three months.  They don’t have a minimum payment so you can pay as little as you want or you can pay the house off in full in one fell swoop.  At the same time, you don’t have monthly utility bills nor do you have the ability to max out any credit card bills – in Animal Crossing you can only buy things that you have the cash on hand for.  You do have the option to save money at the town’s bank.  This does not earn interest (nor do the real ones for that matter!) but you can put away some extra cash for, really, whatever you want.

In Fable, you can buy a house once you earn enough money as well as (sigh, if I remember correctly) once you satisfy certain conditions within the game.  From there you have a place that you can call home to sleep in, have sex in (lol), and even redecorate.  You can also rent out houses to earn more money.  The nicer your house is decorated, the higher amount of money the house is worth if for rent or for sale.  If you are evilly aligned, you can even raise the rent above market value to make more money.  In Albion, there is no mortgage. You have to earn the money, ALL of it before you can buy a place.  Houses in Albion even grant the owner certain bonuses that can help (or hinder) you in the game.  You can also switch the home you live in with, quite literally, the push of a button.  The “A” button to be exact.

In games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim, a home is also a place to store all the crap that you collect from dungeons, quests, and killing stuff.  You can decorate the house, you can cook in it, and you can even alchemize potions of all kinds in it.  Like in Fable, you have to earn the money to buy the house.  Earning money, in the beginning of the game, is really hard in both games yet no one has a problem doing so.  We stay late at work (killing anything we can find), we collect as much as we can hold (yah! this book is worth one piece of gold! I’ll take it to town with me and sell it), we even pick town’s people’s pockets or steal from their homes and stores just to earn enough money to buy a coveted home.

So that brings me to real life where we all have a hard time saving money (well, at least I do).  Keeping my eyes on the prize, in a video game, is really the whole mechanic to playing a video game.  Do this to get to that then to that to get to this.  Why is it so much harder to keep your eye on the prize in real life?   Why don’t I opt to stay at work longer and why don’t I find stuff and sell it?  Obviously, I can’t run and and kill shit to either loot the body or sell its pelt (I guess I could do the latter, but a hunter I am not).  I try to recycle but it’s almost more work to recycle than it would be to just stay at work an hour longer.  (I guess I do the recycling thing to get my CRV back, feel less guilty about how much I waste, and feel that much more superior to you assholes who don’t recycle. I’m kidding about that last bit).  With “Buying a Home” being a true real life achievement to unlock, you would think that, as a video game achievement whore, I would have been working harder and longer to unlock said achievement.  Well, the one thing that video games have over real life is accelerated time.  Time happens a lot faster in game than in real life and that makes it a hell of a lot easier to keep your eye on the prize.  That and there are probably a bunch of side quests that need to be done thus earning you even more cash to put towards your home or that new shiny armor you’ve been eyeing in the blacksmith’s shop.

Another thing that is virtually absent in video game home buying is the bank (except in Animal Crossing of course).  the stipulations and hoops that home buyers must jump through are ridiculous.  Of course, it’s somewhat necessary since we are just trying to bounce back from the housing crash that happened a few years ago.  It’s a great time to buy but you really have to make sure that all your ducks are in a row.  Minimize your credit card debt (have as little as possible), pay off your cars, and for Pete’s sake, pay your bills on time – all of them.   You want to have a good credit score basically so you won’t pay a higher interest rate.  Next, you want to have at the very minimum , $25,000 in the bank.  This number is dependent on a number of factors: the price of the home, the status of your credit, your income amount, your debt to income ratio, the type of loan you need, the type of sale, and the condition of the house.  We only had $11,000 saved up so we had to come up with a way to pay the closing costs that satisfied the bank and basically assured them that we can indeed afford the house.  The bank will need to verify where the down payment money comes from so you will need to be prepared to explain it by either making sure it’s obvious or writing a bunch of letters of explanation.  Then there are all the things you have to gather together to prove to the bank that you are worthy of getting their money to buy your home.  Your bank statements, your pay stubs, everything that proves that you make enough and have enough to purchase this house.  Then there is the waiting and oh yes, you will wait.  Even for a home that is bank owned.  A home that makes the bank absolutely no money for every day it stays unsold.  You would think that the banks would do their shit faster so they can stop losing money on it, but they don’t, they take their sweet time and take a process that is supposed to last 30 days into one that takes anywhere from 30 to 45 days and sometimes even longer.  This is assuming that the buyers as well as the sellers are on top of things…if both parties are lagging, the whole process does the same.  In our case, we had all of our ducks in a row and had satisfied all the requirements as early as possible but because the bank took so long to open escrow, we wait.  And wait some more.

And that brings us to the present and possibly, the whole point of this article, in my mind.  Why can’t buying a home in real life be more like buying a home in a video game.  It’s a hell of a lot easier and we seem to enjoy the whole process that much more.  One more thing to note, moving homes in a video game is sooooo much easier than even thinking about moving in real life.  Hell, in Skyrim, I can carry like 350 lbs and all of it fits into my adventuring satchel or whatever it is I keep my loot in (a bag of holding?).  If I had that encumbrance and strength, for that matter, this would be a whole different story!  Anyways, Norm and I will be back soon, once we have completed our move and have settled in, and we will be able to come back and focus on what Married with Video Games is all about – video games, relationships, and more video games.  Thanks for reading!

The call for entries left editor, Daniel Wade, more than 2600 pieces to sift though and this year, we get 358 new characters to appreciate and drool over.  You may recognize a few gaming characters like Reiko Nagas from the Ridge Racer series, Sarah from Tabula Rasa, characters from and inspired by The Legend of Norrath, Magic: The Gathering, and even fanart of Marvel comics character, Ms. Marvel.  The programs used for each piece varies.  Most have been created using Photoshop and Painter with a complete listing of the programs used featured in the book’s index.  The index also features a list of artists with email addresses, websites, and page numbers of their featured artwork.

I’m always so impressed with not only the artist’s skill with the digital paint programs but their unbridled imaginations as well.  One of my favorite pieces featured in this collection is entitled “Sakura” by ScarletGothica from Italy.  It features a beautiful Geisha with Sakura branches growing painfully from her back with a big red sun, cherry blossoms, and koi fish in the background.  The background also features the famous wave from the Hokusai woodblock print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.  While I say that this piece is one of my favorites, with so many wonderful pieces, it’s very difficult to narrow it down.

Exotique 7 is a must have for people who love and appreciate digital character art.  Use it to inspire your own artwork or just to enjoy some of the hard work and endless imagination that these artists have shared with the world.

Exotique 7 is available for pre-order now though Ballistic Pulbisher’s website in a standard soft cover edition for $59.00 and a hardcover edition for $115.00. The hardcover edition is bound in black leather and features gold metallic embossing.  The first 100 customers to purchase Exotique 7 will also receive a  free A3 poster print of “Nimhue” by Omar Diaz which is featured in the collection and will be sent separately in a flatpack mailer to keep the print fold-free.

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However, Ben 10 Galactic Racing marks the first racing themed video game for the series.  The game is a pretty straight forward kart racing game.  The gameplay is very similar to Mario Kart, where the race to the finish line is about disabling your opponents using power ups and special attacks and coming in first place.  The game features about 15 playable characters, including Ben Tennyson and Kevin Levin, as well as 13 fan-favorite aliens from the shows.  A new alien, Fasttrack, is introduced to the series and the Ben 10 classic Diamondhead makes their first appearance in this game.

There are several game modes starting with the Galactic Grand Prix where you race a series of circuits.  In order to unlock additional circuits, you will need to place at least third or better and as you advance to newer circuits, you will have to place 2nd or 1st in order to unlock them.  You can also race in the Short Circuit which will allow you to make custom circuits from any of the unlocked tracks.  Along with just racing, there is the Single Race, Time Trials, and the Showdown modes.  The Showdown mode is more than just a race to the finish line.  There are three modes in Showdown – Ultimate Alienation, Omni-Tag, and Ultimate Elimination.  Each mode offers a different challenge other than crossing the finish line first.

The game features over 25 racetracks,  15 characters, and up to 30 karts to play with.  While you have to unlock most of them, there is a pretty robust character line up to start.  Once you choose a mode to play, you can choose your character and a kart – either light or heavy – then start your race.  Each race consists of about 3 laps and is loaded with several power ups, speed boost tracks, shortcuts, and hazards.  The karts you drive are not very fast and other than steering, drifting, and the ability to move forward, you are pretty limited.  You will have to pick up power ups and use the speed boost tracks to gain an edge on your opponents.  The power ups range from offensive to defensive and some will even give you a temporary speed boost.

There are ramps throughout the tracks where you can get some air and perform mid-air jump tricks.  Performing these tricks is key to filling up your Ultimate meter.  Once the meter is filled, you can unleash an offensive or defensive move by utilizing a special ability or in Ben’s case, transforming into an Ultimate Alien form.

The karts control moderately well although you really need to master drifting to give yourself an edge.  The game is designed for gamers of all skill levels so younger kids and parents will be able to join in on the fun.

Ben 10 Galactic Racing is missing online multiplayer action but makes up for it by putting in a robust local multiplayer option for each mode.  You can play with up to 4 people on one screen and wreak havoc on each other in your battle to be the first to cross the finish line.

While the game is extremely reminiscent of the Mario Kart series, Ben 10 Galactic Racing features some very unique and mind-bending race tracks, which was one of the things I really enjoyed about the game.  Fans of the Ben 10 series will enjoy racing as their favorite characters, whether they play the game solo or with a few friends.

Ben 10 Galactic Racing is rated E for Everyone and is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS.  The game will come out for the Nintendo 3DS in November.

A review copy of the game was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.  This review is based on the Xbox 360 version.

Disney Universe is a virtual world containing six different Disney and Pixar lands.  Your guide is an AI cube named VIC and has been “hacked” by his evil alter ego named HEX, who loves chaos and destruction.  HEX has hacked into the Disney Universe and summoned evil programs to wreak havoc.  It is your job to rid the Universe of his evil doings.  You play as a funny, little, big-headed being who dons a suit of one of over 40 different Disney and Pixar characters.  Only a handful of the suits are unlocked to start, the rest to be unlocked whilst progressing through the game.  Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland are two of the six worlds are available to you at the start.  You must collect Golden Mickeys in order to open up the other worlds.

The Pirates world is based on the most recent film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  The areas within the levels are pretty small and claustrophobic however they are filled with puzzles that need to be solved in order for you to advance.  The game defaults with guide arrows to help you along, great for just casual, fun play or for young and inexperienced gamers.  You have the option to turn these off if you want a little more of a challenge.  You collect golden Mickey’s that will allow you to unlock worlds and purchase costumes.  These can be found throughout the levels as well as dropped by enemies and appear when items get destroyed.  Each level also has a collection item specific to that world that will unlock either character art, music, or a new costume.  Once you get to a certain point in a level, a challenge arcade will open.  The challenges are optional and range from running from explosions to defeating a set amount of enemies.  Completing challenges will win you gold.

Each character suit can be leveled up to four stars and they do get stronger with each advancement.  I played through with the Cheshire Cat suit for a while before I realized that no matter how many level up stars I collected, it didn’t do anything so when I unlocked the Alice suit, I changed over to her.  It’s a nice way to get you to play with all the different characters.  There didn’t seem to be any difference with any of the characters other than the look so choosing a character is really just player preference.  There are a lot of costumes, art, and music to unlock and, for added replay value, certain things can only be obtained by replaying levels so multiple playthroughs will be required for completionists.  Other costumes will be available as DLC for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

The game also allows for up to four players in local co-op to battle it out against the evil bots or against each other.  While the game is mostly aimed to be co-operative, you can mix it up by messing with your friends in the game.  The game can be played in single player mode as easily as it can be played in multiplayer mode.  At the end of each level, the game tallies up your experience which is determined by how many enemies you kill, how much gold you collect, and how many times you respawn.  You can respawn an infinite amount of times in a level but the more you die the less experience you will earn.

This review is based on the Nintendo Wii version and graphically, the game looks decent.  The worlds are more reminiscent of the films as opposed to exact replicas as is the music.  I was a little disappointed to see that the Alice in Wonderland world was based on the recent Tim Burton film, but that’s because I am a die hard fan of the original animated film.  The music is also more reminiscent of the themes from the film.  They are definitely recognizable but are more based on the music than the actual pieces themselves. The games controls pretty well.  There were no Wii specific controls.  Nothing about the game is super difficult, although I had some issues with platform jumping but I seem to have this issue with all games of this type.

Gamers that have played any of the LEGO series games and/or Little Big Planet will feel right at home with Disney Universe.  Overall, Disney Universe is a great game for players of all ages and skill level and can serve as a fun game to pass the time in single player mode as well as a fun party game with multiple players.  You may not blow hours and hours of your time at once, but it’s a great game to pop in and play for a bit either by yourself or with a friend or two.

Disney Universe is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 years and up and is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC.  A Mac version will be available but no release date has been announced yet.

A review copy of the game was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.  This review is based on the Wii version of the game.

Of course, I have heard of The Sims, but I have never really played the game.  I think I toyed around with the PS2 version but not enough to have any lasting memories of it so this is my first time actually playing a Sims game.  As a relative newcomer to the series,  I can tell you that this game is a lot to take in.  I love to play Role Playing Games like Oblivion and Fallout 3 but the amount of customization and freedom that you have in a Sims game is infinite.

First of all, in The Sims 3 Pets, not only can you create a human Sim, but now you can create AND play a Cat or Dog Sim.  Certain things can only be done with the pets as well and there are specific quests for cats as well as dogs.  The pets have just about equal access to the world as the human Sims do and it’s kind of hilarious to see a taxi pull up and a cat jump out.  It happens, I swear.

The first thing you do is create your Sim and any pets.  You can have up to six Sims in a household that you can play.  I started with three only because I didn’t actually realize at the start that I’d be playing all three of them.  The Sims is really the ultimate RPG.  Not only do you control what your Sim looks like, you control all aspects of their lives.  You have to feed, bathe, and relieve them (yes, they go potty).  First you create your Sims.  Everything is customizable although for some reason the Sim I choose has crazy face paint on and I can’t seem to get it off and her legs are green.  Maybe I missed something but that’s her – face paint with green legs.  Hey, she’s MY Sim and she WANTS to look like that!  With pets you can choose the breed and still alter them from there.  You can assign Traits and Lifetime Wishes to your SIM and for the first time in the series, you can choose Traits and Lifetime Wishes for your pets as well.  There are five new Traits for Sims and five new Life time Wishes.

Next, you choose where in Sugar Maple Coast you want to live.  You start out with some money but you will have to start out modest.  What’s nice is that you can buy a home completely furnished and as you make more and more money, you can buy newer (and better) furniture.  Once you have chosen where to live, you will need to find a job because, yes, even a Sim must pay the bills each month or get a visit from the Repo Man.  There are plenty of jobs in the town to choose from from law enforcement to running a book store.  As you progress, you will fulfill wishes and want more.  You will also be presented with opportunities that will earn you cash prizes.

Karma Powers are back in the game.  You can use Karma Points to mess with your Sims’ lives either by using good Karma or bad Karma, but beware of the consequences!  There are seven unique Karma Powers available in The Sims 3 Pets.  AS you fulfill wishes, you will earn Karma Points and as you complete challenges, you unlock new Karma Powers.  You can spend your Karma points and use the powers to either boost or mess with your Sims.

There are five mysteries to solve in the town which serve as the main storyline of the game, however, you can get hours and hours of gameplay without touching a mystery.  Mysteries will unlock locations, allow you to earn more rewards, and you can find relics that you can donate to the museum or sell for profit.

The Sims 3 Pets really focuses on what you want to do in your game.  With so much to do, the possibilities are endless.  As a newcomer to the franchise, it took me a few hours of game time to really get used to just how open the game really is.  Once I settled in with the controls and how things worked, I was able to focus on each of my different Sims, splitting time almost equally between them.  Using the nights for my human Sim to sleep, I was able to focus on honing my cat’s hunting skills and slowly start working on my dog’s skills.   Dog’s require a little more interaction with other pet or human Sims to teach them tricks and such but eventually, your dog can become more independent and take on jobs.

Each version of the game offers something unique.  On the Xbox 360 version, Kinect owners can use voice controls to control Sims and their pets.  I tried out the voice commands briefly and it is quite an extensive list of things that you can do.  Voice commands may be more useful to veterans of the series as it mostly overwhelmed me.  The voice commands are available all the time – as long as your Kinect is plugged in – and there is a mic indicator on screen.  The mic is quite sensitive and will actually pick up other voices in the room as well.  I was playing while other people were talking and suddenly, my Sim was commanded to be mean to someone.

The Nintendo 3DS uses the pedometer and pets to collect Play Coins that you can spend on making you  Sims happy or miserable.  You can use StreetPass to trade your Sims pet with others.  You can also have a household of up to three Sims and an entire family of pets to control.

The PC/Mac version will allow you to create, customize, and adopt horses in addition to dogs and cats.  Unicorns can be encountered (UNICORNS!?!) as well as smaller pets like birds, rodents, lizards, and snakes that your Sim can interact with.

I really only had issues with the in-game camera.  Sometimes it would allow me to go into and see inside buildings and other times it would feel like it would get stuck on one axis and not move as freely as before.  I did encounter one glitch where my Sim got out of a taxi to get to work and she got stuck inside a square area surrounded by hedges.  Every time I told her to go somewhere, she would just shrug, say some gibberish, and give up.  I eventually had to just quit my game and reload it.

The Sims 3 Pets has a lot to offer gamers of all levels.  You can play the game as casual as you want or you can go hardcore and try to complete as many (or all) the challenges and achievements in the game.  Sims veterans will probably enjoy the ability to control the pets as well as the human Sim as well as all the new additions to the game.  Newcomers may feel overwhelmed by all the game has to offer, but with a little time and effort, they will be addicted to the Sims.

The Sims 3 Pets is rated T for Teen and is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo 3DS, and PC/Mac.

A review copy was provided but did not affect the outcome of this review.  This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game.

Our demo began about 45 minutes into the game, akin to leaving the sewers in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or Vault 101 in Fallout 3.  You are able to create and customize your character during this time but we were able to create our character right at the beginning of our demo.  Not much has changed in the character creation – you can choose your race, gender, and name – and from there, you can customize the look of your character as you could in previous games.  There are ten races to choose from – all the same races from Oblivion – and they look a lot more realistic than before.  One of the biggest differences in the character creation is that you will not have to choose a character class as you did in Oblivion.  In Skyrim, you can choose to mold and shape your character depending on how you want to play your game.  As you level up, you can focus on skills that you want to build up and ignore the ones you don’t. The choice is ultimately up to you.  I didn’t spend too much time on creating my character as I only had three hours to play the demo and I wanted to try and experience as much of the game as I possibly could during that timeframe.  I chose to be a female Nord (I played a Nord in Oblivion as well) and I started from there.

As soon as I entered the world of Skyrim, I was just completely sucked in.  I paused for a moment to just take a look around at my surroundings.  The graphics are amazing and the detail in the world makes it pop with life.  I immediately began collecting herbs and flowers – you can even collect bugs – as I knew I wanted to try out the alchemy system as soon as possible.    I had no active quests yet so I went to the world map and found the town of Riverwood nearby and set my destination marker.  I made my way, on foot, to the town and got there relatively unscathed.  I ran into a small pack of wolves and realized I didn’t have any weapons (I actually did, I just assumed that I didn’t have any).  I tried to fight them off with my fists but quickly took off running.  The town was pretty close by so I was safe from any danger at that point.

As in the previous Elder Scrolls games, you can interact with just about everything and you can take what you want.  Of course, be careful not to take what’s not yours or you could get yourself into a spot of trouble with the law.  Lock picking is a lot more like it is in Fallout 3, which is not the first time you will make the comparison between the two games.  Even though I picked a few locks and got threatened by the home owners, I refrained from stealing any items.  I did however, take almost everything else that I could get my grubby little hands on.  Upon finding an alchemy set, I tried out my potion making skills.  Each item has four properties which will be discovered as you alchemize things.  I created a few potions via trail and error – I also failed at making some potions as well.

Talking to the NPCs in the area will get you more familiar with the world and what is going on in it.  Some will offer you quests so it is beneficial to talk to pretty much everyone.  I was in search of weapons and armor (since I was too lame to realize that I actually had some already) so I found the blacksmith and immediately started talking to him.  He offered a few small tasks that basically introduce you to the blacksmithing processes in the game.  At a Blacksmith, you are able to forge your own weapons, armor, and jewelry (providing you have the right materials and the appropriate skill level) as well as improve your items.  As you go on, you will level up in smithing which will allow you to craft and improve more items as you achieve more experience.  After that, I roamed around some more – picking locks and talking to more people until I took on a quest that led me to another town called Whiterun.

Fully equipped with armor and weapons that I crafted and improved, I headed to the town of Whiterun.  On my way, I continued to collect more items for alchemy but now I was on the lookout for things to kill.  It wasn’t long until I was found by a small pack of wolves so I fought them off rather skillfully.  New to combat in Skyrim are finishing moves similar to those in Fallout 3.  I’m not sure what triggers these offhand as it didn’t happen every time I killed something (or someone) but nonetheless, they looked awesome.  Combat is relatively simple and you can pretty much customize the way your character will fight.  Use a shield and sword, use a two-handed weapon, dual wield swords, use a spell in one hand with a sword in the other, and once you gain the skill (or perk as they are called), you can even dual wield spells.  The combinations are almost endless.  Ranged combat seems to have gotten better as well.  I remember not really using the bows and arrows in Oblivion as often as it felt very clunky to me.  However, this is not the case in Skyrim.  I was able to kill a few enemies using ranged weapons and just in the few hours of playing, it will be something that you will need to learn to use effectively.  You can still choose to play the game in first-person or third- person with the click of a button and the game will allow you to customize your controls.  You can even hot-key your weapons for faster access.  During combat, I kept pressing down on the left thumbstick, which puts your character into stealth mode.   This is where the ability to customize the controls will come in most handy.

In Whiterun, I followed a side questline that led me to a group called the Companions and after completing a few quests, I was allowed to join their group.  Joining groups is a great help to your character as members of the group will offer to train you for a small price allowing you to level up certain skills a little faster than by traditionally leveling up.

The leveling up system has gotten quite an overhaul.  Since you no longer choose a character class, you are able to level up according to your play style.  You can choose your perks based on what kinds of weapons and armor you use down to the spells or schools of magic you want to use.  You will eventually cap out at level 50 but in Skyrim, you will level up faster in the beginning and slower as you gain higher levels.  Bethesda has been doing a lot to balance out the game so that while enemies will level up with you, facing a pack of rats at level 32 won’t mean certain death as it may have felt in previous games.  During the three hour demo, I managed to almost hit level 7 so you can see how fast your character will level up in a short amount of time.

The talent tree-styled level system is represented by a series of constellations.  Each proficiency within a perk is a star within the constellation shaded by ability for quicker identification.  They all require a certain amount of points to open up so you will want to explore the options in the tree if you want to plan out your character’s path.  I wanted to get the ability to dual cast (cast a spell from each hand at the same time) a destruction spell but I had to take the Destruction perk first, then take on the spell – Burning Touch.  I had to use that spell enough to level up my skill in Destruction Spells and then I would be able to take on the dual casting skill.

My three hour demo pretty much ended there and it left me hungry for more.  I didn’t touch on the main quest at all but I was able to do a little dungeon crawling in my Companion quests.  If you are at all familiar with the Elder Scrolls series, you will see that a lot of care has gone into the making of this game.  Bethesda took a lot of elements from Fallout 3 and Oblivion to create what is going to be a fantastic game that will keep you quite busy throughout this holiday season and for quite sometime after that.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be out on November 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Two Tales Titles Being Updated and Re-Released

Since the release of Tales of Phantasia in 1995, the Tales series has spanned over 12 titles. From the Super Famicom to all the current gen consoles, Tales has seen them all, the classic Japanese RPG continues to thrive by giving the player the freedom to make the gameplay as deep or as simple as they would like. You can micro-manage each little detail, or play straight through the story. And now two of the stories, Tales of Graces F and Tales of the Abyss, are receiving a touch-up and are being released on new systems.

Tales of Graces has really been overhauled. So much so it is being called Tales of Graces F. Moving from the Wii to the PS3 has allowed the developer to really upgrade the graphics and include some new content as well. Most of what we saw in the demo was content from the original game, however we got to see a new cut-scene, which shows that they are including some new story development. There will also be some new Blast Calibers and character outfits. Another awesome addition is an epilogue called Lineage & Legacies that will add around 10 hours of gameplay and fill in some of the stories from the main game. There will also be drop-in/drop-out co-op multiplayer.

Tales of the Abyss is also receiving a port, this time from the PS2 to the Nintendo 3DS. Tales featured the Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System that was used in Tales of Symphonia (play this one if you have a Gamecube!). This version is more of a port than a remake. They have added a 3D effect that doesn’t do anything but spruce up the visuals a little. However, if you missed it the first time around and you own a 3DS, you may want to give this game a try as it is a great JRPG.

Inversion
Namco Bandai is working on the upcoming third person shooter, Inversion, due out in February of 2012.  We got a hands on preview of the game last week.  What makes this game stand out from other shooters is the ability to manipulate gravity.  You can use a device called a gravlink to command and manipulate gravity to your advantage.  You can use it to provide cover, to kill your enemies, and you can eevn use it to retrieve items like ammo.  The trick is that the enemies have this device as well and they can use it to do the same things to you.

Another cool thing about this game is that there are these patches of gravitational forces that manipulate particular areas allowing you and your foes to walk on walls and ceilings affording you a better vantage point to defeat your enemies.  There are even portions of the game where you will engage in weightless gameplay in zero gravity.

The game focuses around two police officers, the main character, David, and his partner, Leo.  The game can be played in single player mode with an AI partner as well as in co-op.  Multiplayer modes are also available however the specific modes have yet to be announced.  The game will support up to 16 players online.

I played through the short demo and it controls like Gears of War and, in fact, it uses a similar cover system.  There are no health packs to pick up, you regenerate it over time.  The weapons are pretty standard for a shooter but it is the gravity manipulation that really sets this game apart from some of the games on the market right now and I can see a lot of potential in the multiplayer.

Inversion is due out on February 7, 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Ridge Racer Unbounded

Ridge Racer has been a popular arcade racing game since its debut in arcades in 1993 and made it’s first home console appearace shortly thereafter.  Namco Bandai is currently working on Ridge Racer Unbounded a new experience for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and marks its first appearance on the PC.  This is also the first time that Ridge Racer has not been released as a launch title.  Ridge Racer Unbounded stays true to the series and features no licensed vehicles and keeps the cars clean and damage free during races regardless of how many times you crash into a wall or building.  However, Ridge Racer Unbounded is just that…now you can destroy building and other obstacles on the course.  Destroying buildings will create shortcuts within the race so you will want to keep an eye out for them.

The game plays like a normal racing game and gives you indicators when a building can be crashed into and destroyed.  I suspect that many players will crash into anything and everything because they can.

Another cool feature of the game is the City and Track creator, which will allow you to create your own custom cities and tracks ready for racing and destruction.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is slated for a March 2012 release and will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi is the newest installment of DBZ fighting games that follows the story of the anime.  The 3D fighter allows players to control characters from the Dragon Ball Z franchise and introduces Hero Mode which will allow you to create your very own custom DBZ character using new and existing attributes to customize your character’s hair, clothing, voice, and attack moves.

The game features a story mode and boss battles to fight agains AI or other players locally or online.  The game looks like it ripped right out of the anime and features chaotic fighting sequences.  Since this was my first time sitting down with the game (or any Dragon Ball Z title for that matter), there was a slight learning curve in terms of what to do and when but overall, the game is aimed towards a younger audience so it should be easy for most players to pick up and play.  I won the battle against one of the other previewers but I couldn’t honestly tell you how!

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi should be another fun fighter for fans of the series.  The game drops on October 25th, 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Impact

Coming to the PSP on October 18th, 2011, is the latest Naruto game, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Impact.  Built on the Dynasty Warriors engine, the game strays from its usual fighting game style to an action adventure fighter where you take on multiple waves of multiple enemies.

The control scheme is the same as other Naruto games so fans of the series will have no problems making the transtion to the new game style.

The game will be available via the PlayStation Network as a download as well as a UMD disc available at game retailers on October 18th, 2011.

Now Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is a very unconventional sequel.  It’s basically an alternate timeline in the story where instead of Chuck Greene being the hero, Frank West is.  The game gives you a bonus outfit if it detects an DR2 game save and having played the original Dead Rising 2, I was already familiar with the story – especially the characters and the locale.  The game still takes place in Fortune City and you get to run around the same casinos and shopping places you did in the previous DR2.  Other areas like the Uranus Zone, a crazy theme park, have been added.  All of the elements of the first DR2 are there along with some new additions.  There are new combo cards which also means new combo weapons.  Since you are playing Frank, they brought back the camera so you can take pictures again and earn PP.  You can photograph things or situations to earn points and you have chances to earn a lot of extra PP which helps you level up.

The storyline is familiar if you have played DR2, but there are some subtle changes that make it feel like a new game.  The psychopaths that I have run into so far have been the same as the original DR2 however I feel like they are easier to beat.  This could also be due to the addition of the new Sandbox Mode.  In Sandbox Mode, you can travel through Fortune City without the time limit thrust upon you in the campaign.  In it, you are free to take your time and explore all of Fortune City, earn medals by completing challenges, take photographs, and of course, kill more zombies.  The sandbox game features crazed survivors and opportunities to earn a ton of cash and PP.  The single player game and Sandbox Mode use the same character (as long as they reside on the same game save) so you can actually level Frank up in Sandbox Mode and then he will be stronger when you load your regular game.  So I think I that the Psychopath battles are easier because I am several levels higher than I was when I first encountered them in the first DR2.  Without spoiling too much, gratuitous scare tactics were employed in this version of the game.  Entering a room and being surprised by a quickly attacking zombie is still unnerving even if it is a cheap thrill.

No real noticeable changes to combat style.  The game is still in third person and Frank moves as clunky as in the past.  His stats level up automatically so you can’t really shape him to your play style.

The co-op experience is also still available.  Drop in-drop out co-op over Xbox Live in the main story campaign as well as in Sandbox Mode.  The achievements and trophies are different from DR2 so that may be a challenge for achievement hunters.

The biggest issue had is the load times.  Haunted by extremely long load times in DR2, I was sad to see that the loading improvements were slight at best.  Just loading and saving your game take a long time although moving from one area to the next seem only slightly better than before.  Installing the first DR2 made no difference so I didn’t even attempt it in this case.  My Xbox is an older version so I’m not sure if that makes a difference.  I did experience a little bit of lag in parts of the game with a lot going on, but other than that, it ran fine.

Graphics were on par with the first game and are decent by today’s standard.  Lots of blood and guts so zombie fans will be happy.  The zombies are a little more varied in look and action but for the most part are the same.   The music is the same as the first DR2 but features some new music tracks.

So, is Dead Rising 2: Off the Record worth buying?  Well, first of all, it retails for $39.99 so at least it’s cheaper, especially if you played the first DR2.  Fans of Frank West will be happy to see his return along with the camera mechanic.  I think that this game is worthy of the series and it’s always nice to get a little bit of fan service.  The big plus here is the Sandbox Mode.  If the time constraint kept you away from the series, Sandbox Mode extends the life of this game by hours and hours.  I wish they had this mode in the first Dead Rising…sometimes I would just load the game, kill a couple hundred zombies, then quit.  Nothing like killing zombies to get out a little aggression.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is rated M for Mature and is available today, October 11th, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

A review copy of the game was provided but did not affect the outcome of this review.  This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game.

While Rage has some RPG elements, it’s not really an RPG.  You don’t gain experience points, you don’t level up, and you don’t choose your stats.  In fact, you are not involved in the creation or nurturing of your character at all.  While you don’t earn experience points, you do earn money and money is still important in a post-apocalyptic world.  Money affords you guns, ammo, and other supplies and upgrades that will make your character stronger and more prepared for battle.  You can pick up objects as well as loot bodies to get supplies, ammo, or junk to sell at shops.

The gameplay is made up of a series of fetch quests that all somehow link to your main storyline.  There are optional side quests like jobs from the Job Boards but for the most part, you will want to do most if not all of the quests in the game.  Quests will get you money, rare items, and upgrades that will be helpful.

Driving plays a big role in the game as well.  You will earn vehicles through quests and these dune buggies will get you from one place to another and you get to engage in some fun vehicular combat.  You can also participate in races to earn more money as well as racing flags which you can use to buy upgrades for your vehicles.

The shooter aspect of the game is respectable.  It felt a little loose at first but as I progressed in the game I got used to it and quite a bit better at sniping as well as some of the more fast and furious shooting of the mutants that are similar to the wretches in the Gears of War games (wiley little bastards).  The weapons are pretty standard – pistol, shotgun, sniper rifle, assault rifle, rocket launcher, and crossbow.  Where things get interesting is in the ammo choices.  Most weapons have alternative ammo types that may be stronger against certain types of enemies.  One of my favorites are the Dynamite Bolts for the crossbow.  Nothing like sticking an enemy with one of those, counting to 3, and bang – blood and guts everywhere!  The special ammo can be picked up, looted, bought, as well as engineered.  There is a small list of items that can be engineered once you have the schematic.  Schematics can be purchased from merchants and are most often the reward for completing certain quests.  There are some really cool things you can make like the sentry bot, which is a robot that walks around and attacks enemies; the RC Bomb car – remote controlled cars that will detonate at a push of a button.

The world, dubbed The Wasteland (pretty typical name in the post-apocalypse, eh?), is a barren desert wasteland. Settlements of the various friendly and hostile factions are spread throughout.  Once you add weaponry to your dune buggy, you are able go out and explore the Wasteland where you will encounter motorized bandits that you will have to engage in vehicular combat or drive really fast to escape them.  Most of your time in the Wasteland is spent traveling from one settlement to the next but a lot can be discovered by just taking the scenic route.  Driving is the only situation where you get a map in your HUD.  If you have a mission highlighted, a dotted line represents your  pathway to it.  Sadly, there is no overworld map that you can refer to in the menus nor is there any kind of fast travel mechanic.  While the Wasteland looks big, it isn’t large enough to warrant fast travel, but it would be nice to be able to see a map so you can get an idea of what direction you may need to head in.  But if you drive around a little, you will get a pretty good sense for where things are and they did a pretty good job of giving you some landmarks to help get your bearings especially for a directionally challenged person like myself.

Graphically speaking, Rage and the Wasteland looks simply amazing.  The sky, the land, down to the dirt swirling through the air all look incredible.  The game suggesst that you install it to the hard drive for better performance as it does sometimes take the game a second or two to load a texture and the load times are quite long.  However, it will take 22 GB of space.  This is a good time to note that the PS3 version of the game will ship on one Blu-Ray disc whereas the Xbox 360 and PC version will be spread over three discs.  You have the option to install one disc at a time but I decided not to and the game ran fine.

Some of the cooler effects were the water drops that streaked across the TV screen if you walked under or into a stream of water.  Much like the effect on Samus Aran’s helmut in Metroid Prime although, I’m almost positive that my character is not wearing a helmet with a visor so the effect is either the water streaking across your eyes or was just put in because it looks damn cool.  Either way, I’m cool with it.  I was only disappointed when the effect did not replicate when you walked under streams of pouring blood.  (Yah, the walls bleed real blood in some parts!).

The NPC characters looked great as well.  I was pleased to see a little less of the cookie cutter NPCS and see some more individual NPCs.  It seems like more attention to the little details were taken when designing some of the main characters – from Janus, who wears glasses that are made up of two different pairs held together by tape and Captain Marshall, who has one robot leg.  These details really give the characters some life and make them a little bit more memorable.  On the flipside, other characters are spread out through the world with names and no way to interact with them.  Some will stare blankly at you while others might spill their spiel about something, possibly offering up some small tidbit of useful information.

Another great thing in Rage is the musical score.  The composers did a great job of setting the mood and tone with the score.  The music seems linked to areas so each place sort of has its own theme music in a sense.  The music really does heighten your anxiety as I found myself feeling quite tense throughout some of the levels.  The sound effects are also a bit eerie and unnerving at times but serve as early warnings of nearby enemies as well as setting the mood.

There are a variety of multiplayer modes available.  Sadly, there is no co-op mode in the single player campaign.  This saddened me a little but I recalled my co-op (split-screen local co-op) experience with Borderlands and how poorly designed it was and I was happy that it was not included.  What you can do co-operatively is the game mode Wasteland Legends, where you fight through unique challenges for high scores on the Leaderboards with a friend online or locally.  The other game modes is Road Rage, a series of modes of vehicular combat.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed Rage and was always looking forward to playing it.  Nothing was ever too difficult but there were a few challenges that took a few tries.  The game has a Normal, Hard, and Nightmare difficulty so replay value is high.  It may take a few tries to get 100% completion although I’m fairly certain it may be attainable in one playthrough.  If you even remotely enjoyed Fallout 3 or Borderlands, you are gonna want to pick this game up and get your Rage on.

Rage is rated M for Mature and is available today, Tuesday, October 4, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

A review copy of the game was provided but did not affect the outcome of this review.  This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game.

Dark Souls is an action RPG with a lot of focus on combat (and dying).  You can choose the character that you would like to play – name, gender, race, class -  and you can customize their overall appearance as well but it’s very limited in how custom you can get.  While you will be able to level up your character, you will be lucky to stay alive long enough to let some of those advancements stick.

Dark Souls isn’t very story centric – there is a story but I have died so many times now, it is lost on me.  So far, the key to this game is figuring out how to stay alive long enough to get to the next bonfire, where you can save your game.  However, saving your game is both a punishment and reward.  Saving your game will respawn you to that bonfire when you die but saving will also revive all of the enemies in the area.  You will also replenish your Estus Flasks (health potions).  Still, you will want to save when you get to the next bonfire so you can level up, replenish your health and Flasks, and have a closer respawn point when you die.  When you die, you will lose all of the souls and Humanity you have collected and can only get them back by retrieving your lost power which is left in the spot you last died.

So why is the game so hard to review?  Well, I have died a lot since starting the game.  In fact, I think most of my game time has been spent dying.  It’s frustrating, yes; it’s also challenging.  Amidst the combat and RPG elements in the game, the underlying element makes this game a very advanced puzzle game.  You must find a way to get from one point to the next, without dying.  Simple?  No.  Not at all.  With each death, in theory, the player, not the character, gains experience.  You learn the ins and outs of a certain enemy and you begin to figure out what kind of attacks they have and what weapon or attack will work the best against them.  This is not to say that controllers won’t get thrown and people won’t scream cuss words out to their TVs in anger and frustration.

Plainly stated, this game will not appeal to everyone but if you are a gamer that can appreciate a challenge and don’t mind dying – A LOT – you may want to give this game a go.  Mind you, for most people, this will not even be a fun experience.  Dark Souls is a game that can conquer you but I imagine that it feels pretty damn good if you get through and complete this game.  Hell, I’d be happy to complete the first mission!

Some of the other elements in the game are rather amusing.  Since we got this game about a week before its release date, much of the world has not been “populated” with spirits yet.  Only a few can be seen roaming around.  Bloodstains are splattered around the world which represent the deaths of other players.  Touching the bloodstain will resurrect the spirit and show you their last moments before death.  Sometimes, watching these ghosts can give you clues to the upcoming encounter, warn you of common mistakes – like falling off the edge – or even help discern the validity of messages.  These ghosts cannot be interacted with.  Messages are the glowing orange lines on the ground.  You first encounter these in the opening tutorial level where they offer combat tips and tricks but once you advance to the next portion, you will notice that some of the messages are a little strange.  An item can be purchased that will allow you to leave messages as well as rate them.  Be wary of messages that tell of treasure ahead, right before a long drop off the edge of a cliff.  Some messages are extremely helpful and others not so much.  Some are quite comical and others will even remind you to stop and check out the gorgeous sunset in the distance.

Dark Souls has multiplayer modes as well.  There is a co-op mode for up to three players.  You can also choose Invasion, where you invade another player’s world and fight them.  Winners in either mode gain humanity.  The game does not include in-game chat or Xbox Live Party support so if you want to talk to your partner/opponent, you will need to Skype with them or get them on the good ol’ telephone.

The game looks great.  The world is so massive that anything that you can see in the distance, you can get to and explore.  The game also controls well, once you get the hang of it.  It’s important to learn the basics of combat because this is not really a game you can hack n’ slash your way through with a lot of success.  I had some issues with the sound, your character’s footsteps are unbelievably loud and seem even louder when you walk on grass.  One very noticeable thing is the absence of a score throughout most portions of the game – it kicks in during boss battles.

Dark Souls is a difficult game to recommend.  Fans of Demon’s Souls may enjoy this or then again, maybe they won’t if they had a hard time with Demon’s Souls.  If you are looking for a righteous challenge, this game falls into that category.  I may suggest you rent the game first and if you can make it through the first portion of the game and want to keep on going, then buy it.

Dark Souls is rated M for Mature and will be available on Tuesday, October 4th, 2001 for the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

A review copy of the game was provided but did not affect the outcome of this review.  This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game.