Review of: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

Author: David Lam

Title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

System: Xbox 360/Playstation 3

Genre: First-person Shooter

The Call of Duty series has made an insane amount of money in the videogame industry. The most recent one which is the sequel to Infinity Ward's COD Modern Warfare was highly anticipated and believed to have sold the most copies out of the other COD games. Honestly every game is the same and it always has some sort of multiplayer system which sucks. Every game has a decent sort of story line and this game has the same level in decency. Pretty much it is a WW III scenario and you play as different character. One is part of an elite task force and the other part of the Rangers. Eventually you play as Soap the main character in the previous Modern Warfare. The campaign reveals a plot to instigate a World War between Russia and the USA. You act as a Ranger officer that successfully does his job in fighting the Russians. Also you play as Soap and end up killing the US General Shepard who is responsible for starting the World War. The campaign involves both stealth and action which appealed to me. It appealed to most player but the reason people usually buy the COD games is for the competitive multiplayer.

Top 10: Coolest Armor

Author: David Lam


10. Gears of War 2 - COG Armor

At ten we have the COG armor which has no special abilities meaning it is at ten. Since this armor does look badass it made it on the list. What is better than blowing off and alien's head while looking like a badass with a chainsaw bayonet gun on your back.

9. Oblivion's - Daedric Armor

Here we have armor that does what it is meant to do, Protect ya neck. This armor is great since its covers your whole body and it looks cool. What is better than looking like an anti Christ while you slash off someone's head. Unfortunately this armor has no special powers only the power to protect your body from an arrow.

8. God of War - Cratos's Armor

Enjoy bashing people with two swords attached to chains? Well then this armor set goes well with that weapon. Cratos's armor is plain badass. You wear this so you can go fight a god. Fighting a god is kind of hard and this armor is what will be your grundle guard while fighting Zeus.

Top 10: Shooting Games

Author: David Lam

1. Bioshock

The reason why Bioshock is first should be common knowledge. I mean it is great with some nice guns that are antiques yet they kick ass. Then of course we have the special elements you can add to the guns. Not only that but Bioshock features a nice story driven FPS game and most FPS games are driven through multiplayer and their plots tend to be so-so that is why Bioshock got first place.

2. Crysis

Ah Crysis brings tears to my eyes when I think of the action and happiness this game gave me. This game features cool weapons an awesome suit and

intense action. Don't forget the great graphics and the detail as you see the footprints in the sand. This game is great and ranks 2 with a well developed story line.

3. Halo Reach
Halo has made some good games and now we have Reach. New weapons and new abilities offer a nice change up in the normal Halo game play. Now you feel invincible as a Spartan who can sprint and wreak havoc ranking it as third.

Top 10: Hard Bosses

Author: David Lam

1. Final Fantasy VII

Awesome the ruby weapon just....great. Here is a boss that can kill you easily even when you did everything in the game 100% except kill this guy. No matter what he is a challenge and even at max level you will have a hard time killing this jerk. Even with the best sword in the game he can stomp you.

2. Final Fantasy Tactics

Enjoy killing this vain creature. Altima will own you period end of story. Unless you use the cheap tactic that Ramza is capable of you will lose and it will happen quickly. You kill her once she comes back stronger and second once again here she comes. Only after round three are you rewarded the ending of the game which you have worked hard for.

3. God of War II

Boy is he pissed and all you did was kill a bunch of gods who were his family. Well Zeus the king of Gods will whoop you good because there is a reason why he is the king. No more button mashing it is time to get serious because Zeus will destroy those of you who survived on button mashing.

Review of: Left 4 Dead

Reviewer: David Lam

Title: Left 4 Dead

System: Xbox 360

Genre: First-person shooter/Survival Horror

                Zombie Apocalypse, a scenario where the majority of the world is flesh eating hungry dead corpses. You are of the few survivors and have to survive the zombie hoards by shooting them in their brain which is their major weakness. You can be infected through bites and this genre has been showcased in books, movies, and videogames. In my opinion I think that everyone has at least once thought how they would do in a scenario like that. It is fiction and some think it would be enjoyable to live a an apocalyptic world like that. 

Review of: Conker's Bad Fur Day

Reviewer: Dan McDonough

Title: Conker's Bad Fur Day

System: Nintendo 64

Genre: Action/Platformer

Parental Advisory is suggested. 

I was looking to buy a new game for my n64, seeing how my 360 has the red ring once
again. Most of the classics were $20, or $25, but this one title I’ve never heard of was $40, which I was absolutely not going to pay for an N64 game. Then I asked the owner of the store why a game about a stupid squirrel was so much. He said “Conker’s Bad Fur day” may be the funniest, yet most vulgar game he’s ever played. Of course it has great graphics too, but who really cares about graphics, when you play a squirrel who gets piss drunk, quite literally. Your inebriated squirrel uses his urine as a gun, and the cherry on top, he fights a giant sewage monster. At that point I threw two Andrew Jackson’s at the man, and left with the most expensive N64 game I have ever bought. Honestly, I don’t know how this game got an “M” rating, it should be rated “A.” 

Spotlight on: Irrational Games

Author: Dan McDonough

Company:Irrational Games

Irrational games is a video game developer based out of Quincy, Ma. Take Two Interactive is its parent company, and this branch is also known as 2K Boston. It was founded in 1997 by Ken Levine, Jonathan Chey, and Robert Fermier, three former Looking Glass employees. Irrational was purchased by Take-Two on January 9, 2006. They have developed several critically acclaimed games including System Shock 2, Swat 4, and the Bioshock Series. They have also developed Tribes: Vengence, and Freedom Force. Irrational is currently working on Bioshock Infinite which is set to come out in 2011. 

Official Website: http://irrationalgames.com/

Review of: Final Fantasy 7

Reviewer: David Lam

Title: Final Fantasy 7

System: Playstation 1

Genre: RPG

Mario was seen as a revolution that brought out a totally new idea in the gaming industry that was much better than Pong. Final Fantasy 7 set a whole new bar to reach for all RPG games. According to Jay Boor from IGN Next Generation Online it took a total of 49 hours to complete the game. For those who don’t know; Next Generation Online is definately familiar with RPG games and were not new to the game style. The game has a comprehensive and rich plotline and an intriguing combat system at the time. Final Fantasy 7 also has many easter eggs and hidden bosses along with secret special moves. Many of the easter eggs deal with revealing the history of the many characters you can gain along with some of the secret characters such as Vincent, a gun wielding vampire. The plotline centers around your mentally distraught character known as Cloud who suffers the pain of losing his friend Zack Fair. You start out  in the city and meet Aeris, a flower girl. Eventually adventure takes place as you uncover the secrets of your past, and the corporation you worked for known as Shinra. You also uncover the mystery behind Sephiroth who is the main villain. Cloud’s past ties into the plot and is important while other characters allow you to discover new plot twists you don’t have to uncover their past. Also Cloud is a dynamic character that at first wants revenge for Zack but as he meets the other characters it becomes more about him stopping Sephiroth and his evil plan to destroy everything. As a point of comedy relief until Aeris’s death both Aeris and Tifa have feelings for Cloud which allows for some comical dialogue about their love triangle. The story spans through 3 discs and it was the longest RPG game at the time.

Review of: LocoRoco

Reviewer: Joe Ruffini

Title: LocoRoco

System: PlayStation Portable

Genre: Puzzle

Locoroco is most definitely one of the most addicting games you will ever come across. The first thing you see is this cute little blob, and that is the Locoroco. But rather than playing as that little guy, oddly enough you play as the planet that the Locoroco is on. It doesn’t sound very appealing, but as you play you just get hooked. Time passes as you play level after level without even realizing it. The controls are pretty simple, left bumper to make the planet tilt left, right bumper to make it tilt right, and if you pressed them both at the same time then the blob would jump. It sounds like a pretty easy game, but to get everything in each level requires a lot of play time and a lot of searching. The goal is to find all the Locoroco’s hidden inside these strange little fruits. There are other fruits that you can get that just get you points. Aside from fruit you can get, you can find these little people type creatures. I really am not 100% sure what they are, but there are only like 4 in a level and you have to be very good at the game to find all of them. Once you have the hang of the game then you start to see all the little possible places where the little buggers are hidden. But while you’re searching for your little blobs and other mates, you have to look out for some flying tentacle blob things called Mojas. They are annoying as all hell. If you don’t hit them right to kill them, then you start to get eaten by them, so you have to hop around frantically in hopes that you’ll be jerked free. But once you are free from the evil clutches of the Mojas then you will be able to continue on your way and rescue all your little pals and whatnot. As cutesy and silly this game is, it pulls you in and you get hooked quickly. It is a highly suggested buy for any PSP owner.

Graphics: B-

Sound: B

Gameplay: A

Lasting Appeal: A+

Overall: B+

Review of: PaRappa the Rapper

Reviewer:         Joe Ruffini 

Title:                PaRappa the Rapper

System:           PlayStation

Genre:             Music

The first modern rhythm based game was Parappa the Rapper for the PlayStation.  The game follows Parappa, the rapping dog, who is trying to win over the heart of Sunny Funny, a flower girl. The game was very simplistic, but it was incredibly fun. You had to press a sequence of buttons to pass the song. The graphics were 2D but it was relevant because Parappa in Japanese means “paper thin”.  I can remember playing Parappa when I was a little kid. It was so much fun to play because of had to time when you would press triangle or whatever it may be and you could just sit there forever playing because of how much fun it really was. Now-a-days the game is a classic. A new, unopened Parappa is worth more than $200. 

Graphics: B-

Game play: A-

Sound: B

Lasting Appeal: A+

Overall: A

Review of: Super Mario 64

Reviewer: Dan McDonough

Title: Super Mario 64

System: Nintendo 64

Genre: Platforming

Here’s the story in a koopa shell: Mario gets a note from Princess Peach inviting him over , but when Mario arrives the castle is deserted, and re-decorated with pictures that act as the portal to the different levels of the game. Your goal is to Collect all the “power stars” to free the castle of Bowser’s evil rule. Throughout the game you play as Mario doing tasks for bomb-ombs, snowmen, fighting various enemies such as goombas, boos, and the occasional Bowser fight. Every level has 6 stars, which are needed to open other levels. There are a total of 15 main levels, and several other hidden levels. The levels range from Slippery ice slopes, a lava land, a haunted mansion, lagoons, and islands. This is a significantly long game for an N64 game. An average gamer would take about 6-8 hours to completely finish the game.

Review of: Skate 2

Reviewer: Joe Ruffini

Title: Skate 2

System: Playstation 3/Xbox 360

Genre: Sports Game

Skate 2 starts out where skate. ends roughly. Skate is basically you starting your “skate” career, Skate 2 continues that story by having you spread your name out there. You get to create your own skater, and the character editor is pretty good, there are a lot of options and things you can adjust and customize about your skater. It isn't the most extensive out there, but it isn't limited too much.

Next comes the actual game play. The graphics are very aesthetically pleasing. They just look good overall. You can see everything down to the little lines in the sidewalk, and the wheels spinning individually. The faces of the people aren't really the best, and the way the shirts hang on the person aren't the greatest, but I'm not going to nit-pick. Once you actually start to pay attention to the little details it really surprises you how much of the tiny details they put in. when you fall you get scraped, and the more falls you take the more you'll be scraped. The more you do flip tricks, the more your grip will have marks on it.

Top 10: Scary Enemies

Author: David Lam

1. Left 4 Dead - The Witch

Listen to the sad crying of a girl as you walk through the empty streets. There are zombies everywhere and you think you must help this poor girl. Wait, she is actually an insane zombie that can knock you down with one hit from her talon like claws. Get too close and she will kill you. If you disturb this eerie creature you will die and all it takes is a flashlight, stray bullet, or simple stare to set her off the walls.

2. Bioshock - Spider Splicer

This just looks creepy I mean something hanging off the ceiling and a strange little kid running away. This is the spider splicer besides the fact it can ambush you from walls or ceilings it has a disfigured face and creepy body. Here is the icing to the cake this creature will attack you with meat hooks and who is not surprised by seeing meat hooks. They desire to tear you to bits and you have to go through Rapture fighting these crazed monsters.

3. Fallout - Deathclaw
This guy is plain stupid to take on a Deathclaw with his bare hands. This creature is tough it can take bullets like its candy and it also packs a punch. Worse than fighting one is being unaware of one and being attacked from behind. These guys can take huge chunks out of your health and so the only way to stop this creature is to keep your distance or turn your difficulty back to very easy unless you already had done so making you a player with no ambition.

Top 10: Skateboarding Video Games

Author: Joe Ruffini

10. Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland (THAW)

Probably the last good skate video game produced by Tony Hawk. After THAW then the Tony Hawk name in video games just went into a large hole. The fact that there were no loading screens once you actually were playing the game was so amazing. The story was definitely a different than all others. Rather than trying to go pro you were trying to make this giant park out of whatever you could get your hands on. By the end it was definitely one of the sketchiest looking parks that will ever grace your eyes but it was definitely fun.

9. Thrasher: Skate and Destroy

The skate game to start them all pretty much. It wasn’t perfect by any means but it was one amazing game. When I was younger I would play this game for hours. The tricking in the game was fun and easy to pick up for the average guy or girl. Then was the soundtrack, which was nothing less than amazing. It was one of the first games to have actual artists get on the soundtrack. Thrasher: Skate and Destroy definitely can claim to be a classic in the video game community.

8. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS)

The first in the series of amazing skateboarding video games, without THPS we would not have any of the games we do now. It was the first but since it was the first it had a lot of errors and what not that needed to be ironed out so it wasn’t too amazing. It didn’t have the most amazing graphics but it got the job done. THPS is a classic with Skate and Destroy, no doubt about it.

Top 10: Video Game Songs

Author: David Lam

1. At one is my personal favorite Ezio's Family by Jesper Kyd and it is exceptional. It has a nice vocal with a soft string guitar. The violins are always a nice added touch and the song fits the time period of the game.

2.  Ranked second is Kuja's Theme from FF IX and it is a well done piano song by Nobuo Uematsu. It is dark and sinister which matches his character. It has this mysteriousness behind it because no one knows who Kuja is and why he has a tail just like the main character.

3. Ranked third is the title song that plays in FF Tactics which starts off with a sad melody but ends strong and this song matches how the whole game is played. At the start we are sad and depressed over the state of the land and Ramza learns what it means to have determination and this song represents that.

4. Fourth is I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire by the Ink Spots. It is heard in Fallout 3 and fits the 1950s setting the game is in. It is nice and calm feeling good to hear in such a gloomy game with such a depressing environment.

5. The Halo theme is ranked fifth. A song with a nice monkish vocal chorus and many violins which add an epic melody to it the song represents the game entirely. It is epic and intense relating to the halo games and it has this ancient tone relating to the artifacts the chief must interact with to help save humanity.

6. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant is sixth. By itself this song is great and it fits the tone that Borderlands has throughout the game. It is nice and feels good to hear when killing scags and shooting psycho raiders. The music director really made a nice choice in having this song represent the game.

7. The Mario theme is a classic and it is great. it is very catchy and sounds good to hear on a gloomy day. Also the happiness is just a taste of what is to come because there is more in the game like killing goombas. Always remember the classics and Mario is one of them.

8. Can't put in Mario without remembering Link. What a nice song it was with its very interesting melody that seemed to tell the story of a young man on a quest. Who doesn't love the theme song from the original I mean it was just as catchy as Mario's theme.

9. To Zanarkand is such a sad song from FF X. What a sad melody and what great use of violins. Every sound is like a thousand words telling the story of a broken heart. This is the song you would want to hear when you think of sad movie scenes.

10. Heron Blue by Sun Kil Moon which played in the Gears of War 3 is a great song. It is a blues/ country song that has this nice melody played with the guitar. It definitely relates to Dom who has a grown beard which signifies that he is broken and sad just like the song.