Top 10: Most Violent Videogames

Author: David Lam

1) Manhunt
Manhunt has received a lot of controversy on its release date. This game encourages players to kill people in horrific manners for extra points. You must be stealthy and use the various executions that are in the game. You could use a variety of weapons such as bats, plastic bags, crowbars, blades, and firearms. You will also have the ability to throw items in order to distract the people you are hunting such as bottles, cans, and severed heads. The gruesome variety of executions and the dark stealth setting combine to make this one of the most violent games out there.

2) God of War 3
God of war is a very gory game featuring combos and kill moves gained when playing the game. It is an action adventure video game based on Greek mythology that will require the players to kill Zeus. The theme is revenge and throughout the game you will receive weapons such as a whip, cestus, or gauntlet. There is gore and blood pouring on your character as you defeat the gods and their minions.

3) Grand Theft Auto IV
GTA had to make the list and that is because of the violence that is encouraged in the game. It is set in a real urban lifestyle that requires the player to do many illegal activities which mostly involves killing. You are provided with various firearms and explosives as you gain more money. At the start of the game you are forced to use less costly weapons such as bats, knifes, swords, and pistols. Due to the setting of the game many critics believe this game encourage violence in teenagers and they firmly believe that this game has caused crime rates to go up 

Review of: Fable III

Reviewer: Dan McDonough

Title: Fable 3

System: Xbox 360/PS3

Genre: RPG, Action, Adventure

                

                Lionhead Studios is back with Fable III, the third installment of their highly successful franchise. Fable 3 was kept pretty quiet, not making promises they cant fulfill. From my many hours of playing this I can say that it is not a game to miss, even if you are compliantly new to the series, although I recommend playing the first two first. The story takes place about fifty years after the second one in an Albion in dire need of a hero. Albion is being oppressively run by your brother Logan, and you must build an army to take his throne. Like the first two the game is a decision based game where your choices effect you throughout the game. 

Spotlight on: Square Enix

Reviewer: David Lam

Company: Square Enix

Square Enix is a Japanese video game publishing company that is responsible for three very large franchises known as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix was formed by the merge of two companies known as Square co. and Enix Corporation.  The merger occurred in 2003 and since then we have seen differences in their games. They are well known for finding franchises based on popular characters and media. Enix was responsible for the publishing of Fullmetal Alchemist (manga series) and because of this they made a lot of money by creating an anime show based on the manga. The Dragon Quest franchise is considered third most popular game after Pokemon and Mario.

                Their most recent franchise being Kingdom Hearts is very popular while their older franchise Final Fantasy (which has been worked on for 20 years) still continues to show a high amount of popularity. Other media that the company dived into was online gaming and the MMO experience seen in one of their pretty recent Final Fantasy games. This company has benefited from the merger and they have even gone into the filming industry which stars one of the most popular final fantasy games. The company is large and so are the various franchises that they continue to work on. It is simply amazing as to how they keep coming up with new idea while reusing the same old concept. Simply put Square Enix is a very large, well known, and popular company.

Preview of: L.A. Noire

Reviewer: Dan McDonough

Title: L.A. Noire

Genre: FPS/Sandbox

Platform: Xbox 360

            Rockstar’s next big title L.A. Noire is set to come out in spring 2010. It is set in a perfectly recreation of 1940’s Los Angeles. It draws aesthetic elements from film noir of the 1940’s, and 50’s, giving the game a very unique look. It also uses global illumination, adding more realistic lighting to the game. Unlike Rockstar’s previous games, L.A. Noire is much more linear and puts more emphasis on the story line. You play as Cole Phelps, an honorable police officer in the middle of a department scandal. You start as a cop in training and soon become a traffic cop, investigating car crimes. You work on several different desks with many missions, working your way up to Homicide Detective. A very cool feature is the level of how much you can interact with witnesses, and suspects, and absorbing information to solve the case you are working on. L.A. Noire looks great, and with Rockstar’s reputation should be, but we can only wait and see.

Review of: Gears of War 2

Reviewer: David Lam

Title: Gears of War 2

System: Xbox 360

Genre: Third Person Shooter

 

            You are a soldier that fights for the human race against the monstrous species known as the locust. Gears of War 2 continues the epic story experienced in the first game and it also features new gameplay features such as executions. This game is well done and thought out, also Epic Games would update Gears of War 2 whenever they found a problem. It is good to see a game being taken care of like it should.

            Gears of War 2 has Marcus going into the hole with his friend Dom. In there they will find the home of the locusts and they are taking the fight to the locust’s home now. Along the way friends die and new plot twists are discovered. Some concern Marcus and his father while another tells us the fate of Dom’s wife. The plotline has you fired up and intense through the game.

Literature Turned Videogame: Romeo and Juliet (Zombies!)

 
Author: Amy Pistone

The star-crossed lovers have died. The Capulets and Montagues are in mourning. As their children are laid to rest, something sinister is going on… The bodies of Romeo and Juliet twitch. They slowly rise, with muffled groans accompanying each movement. Soon, they are walking. At their funeral, unsuspecting people are gathered around in mourning, when Juliet takes a bite of a guest. Panic has arisen, and by then the zombified couple has taken another five. The mourners flee, and as the parents run, they turn to see their lost children starting the zombie apocalypse.

            The player will play as the Apothecary, the one who sold Romeo the poison that started all this trouble, not knowing that Romeo would end up infecting the world with the virus. He will soon figure out an antidote, but as he goes to duplicate it the zombies overtake his home. He must flee and find the materials elsewhere, which turn out to be in 5 different countries – Italy, France, England, Spain, and India. While he goes on his journey to collect the ingredients he must fight off zombies, and eventually encounters Romeo and Juliet. Knowing he must kill them, as only the infected can be saved, not the undead, he must kill the two to effectively abolish the virus. This game of culture, exotic lands, and zombies would be a traditional zombie game except with a twist of having to use the now-ancient weapons in Shakespeare’s novel.

Review of: Call of Duty Black Ops

  

Reviewer: David Lam

Title: Call of Duty Black Ops

System: Xbox 360

Genre: FPS, Action

            Alright so this game came out and I felt like I had to analyze it since all I could hear from my brother recently was vulgar profanities that was caused by playing Black Ops. So I asked my brother what the problem was although I knew because I have played and looked over previous COD games. The problem that day was that he lost his killstreak from a person camping in the corner. Now that incident caused him to yell loud vulgar language resulting in my sister telling my mom, leaving me a sad brother and unoccupied Xbox 360. So seeing as it was unoccupied and I was looking for something different I played Black Ops although I generally dislike Call of Duty and their style of gameplay.

            So one positive from Black Ops was an interesting and well done plotline for the campaign. I am a history junkie and seeing JFK along with other well known people such as Fidel Castro caused me to become delighted. Black Ops presented us with a couple of conspiracy theories and also the majority of the game is played through memories. Even the main menu which consists of TV’s and an interrogation room gives this tension to the game. The plot kept my interest as I attack Cuba in the Bay of Pigs and defended against the VC in the Vietnam War. 

Review of: Halo Wars

  

Reviewer: David Lam

Title: Halo Wars

System: Xbox 360

Genre:  Real Time Strategy

          Halo expands their storyline universe once again by adding Halo Wars to their list of games. This game is different from all the others because it is a real time strategy game that features the basics such as troops, tiers, bases, and hero units. The game provides story concerning Halo before the near end of all the Spartans. On the timeline you could say it is like a prelude to the Halo series.

          The game is built like any typical RTS which features barracks, supply bases, and special units. There are 6 leaders each with its own special unit, ability, and passive specialty. Some units are offensive while others are defensive and this game features a very complex battle triangle. In short some units are capable of easily destroying others and it is always good to have a diverese combination or else you could be eradicated by the anti air units attacking your air hornets.

          The special abilities provide advantages and are useful while simple tasks such as scouting go a long way for your battle. Each battle is different giving you not just story but also challenges. I warn you that this game is suited for those who enjoy RTS and also have great patience.

Graphics: B-

Sound: B

Gameplay: A

Lasting Appeal: A-

Overall: B

Top 10: Final Fantasy Games

 

Author: David Lam

1) Final Fantasy VII

                Final fantasy VII provided a whole new gaming experience and it is one of Square's biggest milestones when it came to the Final Fantasy franchise. This game provided a whole new unexplored world that involved new battle features and game play styles. The cyber punk setting along with the good animation/ artwork went hand in hand in convincing players to play this game.

2) Final Fantasy X

                Final Fantasy X is probably the second biggest game in the series which received mostly good reviews. It was large and kept the players' attention for a very long time. The artwork and graphics are at a level that surpasses most games. The summons that aid your characters is not a new concept. However the summons are all well designed and are visually appealing. There is various mini games and secrets to keep players busy for more than ten hours. Such an interesting story combined with great graphics makes for one of the best Final Fantasies in the franchise.

3) Final Fantasy X-2

                Following the surprising ending of FFX, FFX-2 provides a continuation that is well thought out and executed. The game features dramatic changes to the heroine in the previous game and also an ending to the tale between Yuna (the heroine) and Tidus (hero). There are new weapons and abilities that will astonish players as to how much time has passed since the previous game. FFX-2 has provided a wrap up to the story and it ranks third because of its great reception.

Review of: Burnout Paradise

Author: Joe Ruffini

Title: Burnout Paradise

Platform: Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC

Genre: Racing

               

                The Burnout series has been around for a while. I remember playing the first one for the original Xbox.  It was wildly fun and addicting. You can do race after race after race after race without even realizing it. The style of the game has changed a lot. Rather than just selecting your race on a menu, it is an open world and you drive up to intersections that have a race option. They have added a few game types over the years, and new worlds and streets to race on. You have multiple race types to choose from. There are burning routes, marked man, race, road rage, stunt run, and road rules. To start a race you have to roll up to an intersection, and the race option will appear. You have the choice to select it or not. 

Review of: RadianGames Fluid

  

Reviewer: Joe Ruffini

Title: RadianGames Fluid

System: Xbox 360

Genre: Indie Game

                Indie Games are getting bigger and bigger in the gaming world. They are getting more attention and plays. It is creating a new set of games.  My personal favorite indie game is Fluid. It is like an extreme Pac-Man.  You play as this little tadpole like thing that races around collecting all the golden orbs, yeah sounds like Pac-man. BUT here is the twist, every single golden orb turns into a red enemy that chases you and if you get touched, you die. So it creates the problem of not only having to get all the orbs, but also having to avoid the enemies when they are multiplying. There are special things that if you collect then something special happens. With one you grow big and can eat the red enemies, another is a vortex that will suck the enemies into it, but it doesn’t kill them. And finally are the boosters and teleporters, which get you away from the enemies in a quick instance. It is a highly addicting game and it will keep you playing for hours.

Graphics: B

Sound: B

Gameplay: A

Lasting Appeal: B+

Overall: B+