Critical Gauge replaces the Soul Gauge and allows you to use the Critical Edge, Brave Edge, and Guard Impact mechanics dependent on how full your meter is.  The new Critical Gauge works in a similar fashion to Street Fighter IV’s Super and Ultra Combos.  Guard Impact has changed in SCV, now repelling attacks regardless of the attack attribute, if pulled off at the right moment.  This doesn’t help against unblockable attacks, throws, or Critical Edges however.  The most noticeable difference is that you are no longer able to parry attacks.  Just Impact is gone and has been replaced with Just Guard which, if timed right, will allow you to move faster than normal guard and you can use it against unblockable attacks.  Quick Step allows you to dodge vertical attacks as well as gain a better position to attack your opponent.  You will see your character get blurry with white speed lines when executed properly.  Stagger Recovery from SCIV seems to have disappeared as well.  Getting up after being knocked down can be a very difficult task here as your opponent will be relentless in attacking you once you are down.  Critical Finish and Soul Crush have been removed from SCV completely.  Equipment destruction is still a mechanic however there is no armor gauge indicator as to when it will happen.

There are plenty of game modes for online and offline play.  For local and single players, you can play the Story mode called Story ~ 1607 A.D. ~, Arcade, Quick Battle, Vs Battle, Legendary Souls (unlocks once you complete Story mode), and Training.  Online modes include Ranked and Player matches and the new Global Colosseo lobby.

The story mode is a little disappointing as you can only play through it using set characters like Patroklos, Pyrrha, and a few others to follow the game’s main story line unlike in previous games where you could play through with each character to follow their individual story and how they all come together.  Playing through the story mode will unlock characters, stages, and more. Story mode uses a mix of cut scenes and charcoal-styled drawings to push the story along.  While the charcoal drawings are nice, I was a little disappointed that there weren’t more cut scenes.  I just find that cut scenes keep me into the story more so than watching the camera pan across a drawing whilst dialog is being spoken.  Arcade mode consists of six stages of battle with four different routes: Standard, Europe, Asia, and Leaderboard.  You can set the difficulty before you start.  Quick Battle allows you to fight varying opponents and will unlock titles that you can set in your Player License.  You can choose from a list of opponents before play quick battle.  VS Battle allows you to select the stage and your opponent and allows you to play against the CPU, friends, or just watch a CPU vs CPU battle.  You can choose the settings like number of rounds and battle time prior to the match.  Once you complete the story mode, you will unlock Legendary Souls, which is a series of CPU battles on high difficulty.

Fighting over Xbox Live allows you to fight ranked games that will affect your Xbox Live ranking or you can play more casually with player matches or in the new Global Colosseo, a lobby that can accommodate up to 100 players where you can chat, battle, or spectate.

If you have played any of the Soul Calibur games, you shouldn’t have too much of an issue just picking up SCV and playing. However, you will notice that the changes to the battle system results in you getting your ass kicked…a lot.  I will admit that when it comes to fighting games I lie in between button masher and move learner.  I’ll learn a few key moves and then button mash my way through matches.  This has worked in the past but it seems that this new generation of fighting games has made button mashing a very limited mechanic.  I ended up spending a grip of time in the Training mode.  Training modes in most fighting games can be a frustrating experience.  No fighting game trainer has been better than the one in the Virtua Fighter series and it annoys me that none of the other fighters will use this system.  In the SCV trainer, you have to go to a Moves List in the pause menu.  From there you can sift through the TON of moves your character has as well as select a move and watch each one as they are supposed to look when executed correctly.  However, in order to practice said move, you have to back out of the menu to get back to training and then remember the move.  Easier said than done as some of these moves are quite complicated.  The player input is shown on the screen but that doesn’t help when you can’t remember the actual move.  At any rate, I have learned enough moves to help me complete a good portion of the game but not without wishing it was with Virtua Fighter training.

Timing is especially important in gaming and is one of the things that fighting games really focus on.  For the most part, I noticed that getting the timing just right is relatively easy in SCV.  Another thing to note is that you really have to be fast with your attacks.  If you aren’t, your opponent will hit you with a barrage of attacks that will leave you almost completely helpless.  I have played against the CPU where I wasn’t able to get one single hit in because the opponent simply never let up, ever.  I also found that once you start getting your ass handed to you, it doesn’t stop.  The more you lose, the harder they seem to get, to the point of having to quit the battle and restart it.  Honestly, I don’t know if this is because it is getting harder or if I am simply getting so frustrated and tired that I let up.  I noticed that when April played against the CPU, she experienced similar scenarios.  Character balance seems off as characters that wield much heavier weapons seems to be just as fast as those that use smaller, faster types of weapons.  Doesn’t seem very fair that a character like Nightmare can swing his sword as swift as a character like Natsu and her Ninja blades.

Character Creation is back and has some improvements.  You can edit character height and weight as well as edit separate parts of the body.  You can create a character from scratch or based upon an existing character and you can choose to make a male or female version.  You can even use male equipment on females and vice versa although not everything will be available.  You can change the color of the weapons as well as their visual affects like the weapon trail color and the effect the weapon has when landing an attack.  Items are unlock throughout gameplay, gone is the credit and store system as in previous game’s creation modes.  You can spend HOURS creating a custom character and you can save up to 50 of them, so have fun!  In SCV, however, the equipment is simply aesthetic and does not enhance your character in any way other than looks.

Since Soul Calibur II (skipping SCIII), each game has introduced a guest character.  A few have been console specific but in SCV both the Xbox and PS3 versions feature Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series.  Another special character is Katsuhiro Harada, producer of both the Soul Calibur and Tekken series.  He appears in the Quick Battle mode as Harada TEKKEN and once defeated will unlock the Devil Jin style.  I have faced him once and was not able to defeat him…yet…however, it seems to be a random appearance as he has not shown up again since.  Dampierre is a returning character (from Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny (PSP)) however he is a pre-order bonus and requires a code to unlock.

Overall, Soul Calibur V is a great fighting game and is worthy of the series.  Barring some slight character balancing issues and a slight learning curve to adjust to the changes in the battle system, Soul Calibur V is a game you will likely spend hours on playing with friends online or locally or just fighting lone battles against the CPU.  The story mode in SCV is probably the weakest of the major console versions, but seriously, who really plays a fighting game just for the story?  The graphics are gorgeous, as usual, despite my disappointment in the lack of cut scenes in the story mode and I really found myself enjoying the music this time around.  The dialog is over the top ridiculous along with the voice acting, but again, who chooses a fighting game based on voice acting?  If you are a fan of the Soul Calibur series or fighting games in general, you won’t want miss this one!

Soul Calibur V is rated T for Teen and is available now for the Xbox 360 and PS3.  A review copy was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.  This review is based on the Xbox 360 version.

Before I do so, let me first just say that the game is great, and if you liked the first one, there is no reason not to get the second to complete the collection. I just wish that there was some sort of connection between each game; a way to import data to tell the second game what you have accomplished in the previous game(s). Any other issues you can read about in my review of the first game, as they are essentially the same.

The developers at Telltale Games continue to refine the gameplay, but that has become inconsequential because it doesn’t really matter if you fall off a cliff or lose all your hearts, and that’s really the worst thing that will happen to you in the game. There isn’t really a whole lot of new items and spells, most of them make a return from the first game. The cooperative play is as good/bad as ever, with easy drop in and out, the ability to switch characters on the fly, and an embarrassing wealth of hidden collectables to find and unlock.

And why change? The formula for these games is practically flawless for what it is: fans of the movies get to cooperatively play in an interactive playground with the characters they know and love. These games have evolved in such a way that gives them so much charm, that it becomes difficult to judge the game based on a system of pros and cons. I can only judge them based on how well they did the job of capturing the magic of the movies for me.

In one broad paint-stroke, I will say that Years 5-7 has done the best so far of all the series to convey the basic story of the movies to the players. Scenes are easily and readily recognizable, and played out through Lego characters that express themselves extremely well despite only being able to grunt and emote. I laughed several times at the genuinely creative way they recreated all the important scenes of the movies, whether in cut-scenes or within play. All the epic scenes in the movie are epically charming in the game, and this is strangely true for even the most dramatic moments.

It is clear that the creators spent less time trying to redefine the genre, and really focused on story telling, and that’s where I realized that this has become a genre of art; it’s own class of interactive story-telling; a way of extending the life of a great movie even beyond its own bounds. And it does so by appealing to the very core element that draws casual gamer to get sucked into Bejeweled or the hardcore gamer to WOW: the need to get everything.

It baits you with Lego studs that permeate the entire game with various alluring colors like blue and gold. The feeling you get when you wave your wand at a statue and watch it dance, sing, then explode with studs flying everywhere is similar to being in one of those cash booths with bills flying in your face: one part excitement, one part panic, and eight parts smiles.

You have to enjoy this exhibit with a friend, otherwise the experience is stifled. Getting immediate feedback on the effectiveness of a cut-scene, wandering off in separate directions without a clue as to what the other person is doing, and exiting an area while the other person is still exploring has become the joy that is the Lego games.

If you and a friend, significant other, or child enjoy the Harry Potter movies, then this exhibit is worth the price of admission. You will enjoy hours upon of casting fun spells to solve simple yet fun puzzles, collecting countless Lego studs and bricks, and unlocking a plethora of characters and costumes. It will make you laugh, it will never make you cry, and best of all, it’s fun for the whole family.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS, 3DS, and PC.

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 of the game.

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.

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.

For those new to the genre, the game will take you through a quick tutorial that explains the basics while putting you through the motions. This serves as a quick and easy guide to all the tricks you will need to survive. It also will quickly explain special moves the first time you are expected to use them. This makes it simple for anyone to pick up and play.

And for those who are familiar with this series, you will notice some major changes right from the get go. The opening credits are pretty exciting and sets you up for a whole new type of adventure. You will be gunning down enemies from a chopper, painting targets from a bomber, and flying a whole arsenal of death machines.

But you won’t be mindlessly facing off with nameless Migs. There is a story here too. While it’s little predictable and cliche, it is penned by the best-selling military author Jim DeFelice, so the set-up and dialogue are solid and makes the combat much more interesting. This is especially true when you start facing off with characters you know, but enough about the story before I start spoiling things. Let’s just say that there is a decent story behind the whole thing which makes it a little more engrossing and fun.

The real fun comes with the flying. Flying is simple and intuitive, and while you may feel lost in the skies at times, the H.U.D. really helps keep you on track while never feeling in the way. It tells you where you enemy is, when you are locked on, and when someone is locking on to you. It also tells you when you can enter dogfight mode, which is a really cinematic roller-coaster ride.

You can perform all sorts of aerial combat tricks, and you can enjoy watching your flying prowess by changing your view to behind your aircraft or in the cockpit. One of the best moves is the one Maverick made famous in Top Gun where you apply the brakes hard when you are being tailed so they fly right by you, then you lock on to them and blow them out of the skies. Yes, you get to do that maneuver in this game. And just when things start to get a little repetitive, the game throws a different challenge at you.

There is online co-op featured in this game, and while it is fun, it’s a little too chaotic to really get any kind of synchronous strategy going with a partner. The real fun is just flying solo and kicking butt through the campaign. And that’s really enough to make this game a standout in flight combat games. Don’t expect Crimson Skies here, this is a much more fast-paced,  in-your-face, dogfighting flight game that makes you feel like the Ice-Man.

I recommend this game to anyone that has enjoyed the After Burner series or really loved the combat scenes in Top Gun. If you are new to flight games, there will be a little bit of a learning curve, but the game takes you through the paces slowly enough to learn on the go without making it too easy for those with experience.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is rated T for Teen and is available for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

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

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.

You choose from one of four pre-made characters. Lucas – a fighter, Katarinna – a gunner, Anjali – a shapeshifter, and Reinhart, and entropic mage. Like most of these types of games, the characters are secondary to the action, however Square-Enix goes out of its way to give these characters some personality. Since the characters are all pre-made, they are featured with full voice-acting in both the cut-scenes and during the action.

Most cut-scenes feature a dialogue wheel where you can choose your responses to non-player characters. While most of these are pretty straight forward, some of them offer some real moral dilemmas and will force you to make some pretty tough decisions. For the most part, the meat of the game isn’t changed by these choices, there are ultimately some consequences to your actions that make it interesting to play through the game a second time.

Leveling-up is a little confusing at first, but it turns out to be a fairly simple. Part of the learning curve deals with a new concept to these types of games: Stances. You have two offensive Stances and a defensive Stance. You assign Abilities to each Stance and you can enhance them with Proficiencies. Then you select a Talent, or power-up a talent up to five times. Talents give you bonuses that improve your attacks, healing, or giving you bonuses when you are hit.

Most of my confusion stemmed from the names they chose for everything. Having played many a table-top game, I’m used to Abilities and Proficiencies being very different so it took me a bit to absorb the way they use them.
Here is the problem: you don’t have a lot of options to create really unique characters. To keep the flow of the story going, Square Enix chooses to make you fill the shoes of one of their heroes instead of allowing you to create a hero in their universe. There are two advantages: it simplifies an otherwise cumbersome leveling-up process and it allows your character to have a voice and personality in the cut-scenes.

I honestly prefer to be able to create my own character and choose spells and weapon proficiencies instead of being forced into a limited path. While Dungeon Siege 3 simplifies things quite a bit, it’s also a very constricting format. As a spell-caster, I like to choose various elemental attacks, yet I am forced into using electricity and entropy as my only options. The only way I can use other elemental attacks is by equipping certain weapons. Much of the fun of these types of games is finding a power combination that works best for you. This game limits those choices to the Proficiencies that you choose to add to your Abilities and the equipment you choose. And while the process of leveling-up your character is fairly simple, your equipment management is incredibly complex and confusing.

There are tons of weapons and armor in this game. Equipment comes in different varieties from Normal to Unique, and many have special attributes, such as Doom and Fire. The menu displays how equipping a certain item will affect your character’s attributes, but its effect changes based on your Stance, so you have to balance weapon sets for each Stance. Also, you have to use the in-game guide to understand what each of the attributes do. Weapons and armor have so many traits that you will probably be spending most of your time in the equipment menu trying to put together the best combination for your enemy. Unfortunately that comes at the expense of the co-op experience.

When playing local multi-player, you can’t level-up your characters at the same time. In games that are over ten years old, you had a split-screen so you didn’t have to wait for your partner to level-up their character before you started on yours. Missing the split-screen really pushes you to hurry your Attribute, Proficiency and Talent selection. This goes the same for equipment management. You share equipment, so one player can sell off your equipment or use an item that you would like to use. It’s kind of nice that you can look at your whole party’s equipment all at once, but it also adds to the confusion of managing the whole thing, and only one player may equip themselves at a time, so you have to wait for your partner to check out the new item they picked up before you can look at yours.

You also have to carry equipment for the other two characters you are not using. You can switch between the four pre-made characters and level them up as you choose. However, if you are going to use them, you better use them throughout the game as you have to equip them and level them up as you go. This encourages you stick with one character through the whole thing, for better or worse.

When you are playing co-op, the person who starts the game is in control. They control the camera and they choose which character will be the focus of the story. The second player can add and drop at any time, and each time they join, they have to choose one of the other three characters. It’s strange at first, but after awhile you realize this just gives player two more options, although I feel it is best to stick with one character through the whole quest.

The story continues the lore of the Kingdom of Ehb on the continent of Aranna. This was the setting for the first two games, although Dungeon Siege 3 takes place approximately 150 years after the first game. It is clear the developers put a lot of emphasis on the lore of their world, as you can read all about it by examining books and papers that you find throughout the game. The story is affected by the choices you make, which makes you think about some of the moral dilemmas the game puts you in from time to time. You will be saving, judging, and killing a variety of characters, but in the end the only thing that will matter to you is the combat and the treasure it yields.

Combat is pretty chaotic; it’s fast paced and the enemies will surround and overwhelm you at every turn. Unless you have a ton of protection, you will be doing a lot of stick and run maneuvers as you try to avoid the main crowd of enemies. It’s fun, especially with two players, yet a bit repetitive. Understanding how all of your stats work together and how that affects gameplay is tricky. While there are a ton of ways to buff your characters, I have a hard time actually figuring out what I’m doing that makes my character stronger in certain instances.

Fortunately, the controls themselves are simple enough. Your character responds well, however I have a hard time trying to activate my powered-up abilities because I have a hard time figuring out when I can use them. You need to have enough mana and spheres to activate them, and in the din of combat you have to be sharp to find the right time to use them. It’s still a joy to rip through a hoard of enemies with a friend.

And that is what is most important in a game like this. Square Enix has kept it simple and it’s a fun game for friends and couples to enjoy together.

Dungeon Siege III is rated T for Teen and is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

A review copy was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.

DiRT 3 allows you to step into the world of world class pro racers but in addition to the competitive off-road racing and Rally events, DiRT 3 also features Gymkhana events that have become a YouTube Phenomenon pioneered by Ken Block.  Gymkhana is basically an obstacle course for cars where the driver must maneuver through a track and perform “tricks” like 180 & 360 degree spins, drifting, jumps, and more as well as cross the finish line with a good time.  This is really what sets DiRT 3 apart from any of the other racing games I have played in the past.  While the Gymkhana events take some practice, it’s a lot of fun.  I mean, who doesn’t like to perform spins and donuts in parking lots?  Who doesn’t want to smash into blocks and drift underneath large trucks?  If my car insurance didn’t skyrocket because of it, I would want to do this everyday!  DiRT 3 gives me the opportunity to do so, at home and without a seat belt – and without $100′s, no $1000′s of dollars worth of car and property damages! The events throughout the season will range from speed runs to full on timed obstacle courses.  The best part is when you unlock the DC Compound which is quite literally a playground for all your Gymkhana fun.  London’s Battersea Power Station serves as the backdrop for the compound which was also the most recent course that Block showcased his Gymkhana skills at a few months prior to the release of this game.

DiRT 3 offers more than any game in the series so far.  There are over 100 routes and an incredible line up of cars that represent five decades of rallying.  This is the first in the DiRT series that lets you race on snow.  In addition to snow, you will race during day and night, through rainy and dry weather, all of which offer up different challenges in performance.

One of the coolest features of DiRT 3 is that it is built with every gamer in mind.  If you have never played a racing game, not to worry, you can quite literally pick up the controller and race with ease.  The game features three control schemes – casual, intermediate, and advanced – all of which are fully customizable to suit your needs and handicaps.  This is especially great for gamers like me who enjoy racing games but have no clue how suspension and gear ratio can affect how the car handles.  Casual mode will actually even break for you as you take curves so you can quite literally put the pedal to the metal and just steer the car.  I tried all the different difficulties and even the slightest of tweaking will drastically alter your car’s and consequently, your performance.  I chose to baby step it…I was coming in first place each race and that made me quite happy.  I say if it ain’t broke…why fix it?  This definitely increases the game’s replay value since you can try out every race with a variety of cars and difficulty levels and have many different experiences.  You can decide what works best for you.

The game has a tour mode which takes you through fours seasons; multiplayer modes where you can take your skills online over Xbox Live, in splitscreen, and via system link; and single player gameplay in the form of time trials and single races where you can race whatever you want where ever you want.  You can event upload your race replays to YouTube and share your greatest moments with the rest of the world.

There are several different racing locations from Kenya and Norway to Michigan and Monaco and every location is absolutely stunning.  Codemasters has out done themselves in the graphics department with gorgeous recreations of the cars and the recreation of the locations and tracks.  My favorite thing was the fireworks lighting up the sky during the night races.  The detail is amazing and I found myself taking in the scenery on more than one occasion.  In most racing games, you don’t have the opportunity to check out the world you are racing in since you are usually preoccupied with the twists and turns of the course.  In DiRT3, during most races, you have a co-driver who calls out the track to you as you drive it.  You also have a small mini-map in your HUD for further assistance or when you don’t have a co-driver.  This coupled with the casual racing difficulty allowed me to race with ease and take in the breathtaking scenery that Codemasters worked so hard to deliver.

I enjoyed the game’s soundtrack as well which was a mix of euro-techno tracks.  The sound effects were great and loud especially during the Gymkhana events and practice when you have the engine revving and your car spinning and drawing black circles in the pavement.

The game offers a wide variety of customization varying from the racing difficulty to being able to turn on and off vehicle damage.  With damage on, you will feel the effects that damage can have on the car’s handling.  At the beginning of the Tour you can even choose the gender of your pro racer.  This doesn’t affect anything other than your own inner satisfaction, but I was happy to see that as a choice.  You can even choose the gender of your co-driver.

Overall, DiRT 3 is a great triumph in the racing genre.  It offers something for every one, from the casual gamer to the hardcore gamer.  There is a decent level of customization without being so completely overwhelming.  You don’t have to be a car expert to play the game but you may come to a better understanding of how cars handle after playing the game for a while.  If you like racing games, definitely give this game a try.  If you love racing games, you already have this one.

DiRT 3 is rated T for Teen and is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

A review copy of the game was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.