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Halo 4 Review

Posted on November 29, 2012November 29, 2012 by GameNinjaX

Halo 4 Review

Congratulations 343 Industries on improving upon Bungies epic classic. Halo 4 is a masterpiece and is my favorite game this year. The game developers at 343 Industries did a great job of keeping the feel and gameplay of the Halo series while improving the visuals, sound, and graphics (not an easy feat, considering the Halo series is the landmark game for Xbox). Most people already do this but I highly recommend playing the Campaign before you head straight to multi-player. The campaign storyline, video clips, and character development was so well done that both my girlfriend and I thought we were watching a movie at times. This is really on the second time in my life where a video game was so captivating that the characters really came to life and I gave me that awesome feeling (Final Fantasy 10 for PS2 was the first). I won’t talk to much about the campaign because I don’t want to give away any spoilers but my only complaint is that the campaign isn’t longer (took only about 5 1/2 hours to beat).

Gameplay

The gameplay experience for Halo 4 is much like Halo reach with being able to sprint, use special abilities like Jet packs, Holograms, Invisible Cloak, and some new abilities such as promethean vision (much like thermal vision), thrusters (short speed boost), and auto sentry (a floating sentry turret). There is a new set of weapons added to the game that are not of human or covenant origin. These weapons are from the sentry/robotic like race called prometheans. In my experience with the promethean weapons they are a mixed blend of the human and covenant weapons whereas the guns shoot at a medium fire rate but seem to do slightly more damage than the human weapons. There is also a new, and so far useless grenade that once thrown creates a timed sphered that eventually explodes like a frag grenade. The one issue with these grenades is that everyone can see the giant red sphere and get out of the blast radius before it explodes!

Multi-Player

The multi-player gameplay is very similar to what we love from the other halo series but with all new maps, leveling system, and weapons. There are very few noticeable changes to the multi-player gameplay such as once you vote for a map you cannot re-vote, and there is a new loadout system (similar to COD) where you can unlock starting weapons and abilities. The modes in multi-player are all the same from previous versions except the zombie mode which is better now! The new zombie mode is called Flood and instead of being a spartan with an energy sword in previous games you get to play as the flood which is a lot more crazy looking when you are the last man standing and see 7 flood players jumping around and dashing to kill you.

Spartan Ops

There is also a new feature called Spartan Ops which seems to be a remake of the Firefight mode. In Spartan Ops a new episode of 5 parts will be released on a weekly basis where you can complete a small storyline or mission. I think Spartan Ops is far and away better than Firefight mode and adds to the everlasting experience of Halo. Spartan Ops makes me feel like a mini-campaign is being released every week which keeps the game interesting and keeps people playing online.

Graphics

One of the first things you will notice is that the darker tone and lighting from the previous Halo series has been lifted to a more visually appealing and brighter look. The graphics and colors used are top notch, about the same as Crysis 2 which is known for pushing the envelope on graphics. The worlds and maps visited all have a unique feel to them which is great because it makes you feel like you are visiting different planets while playing the campaign and keep you interested during Multi-player games. The visual effects of the weapons have also impressed me from the way the spartans turn on the energy blades to the plasma bullets that fire out of covenant weapons could not be more impressive. I think with the new generation of consoles just around the corner, Halo 4 shows us the extent of the Xbox 360’s power which isn’t to shabby.

Music

The music in Halo 4 is up to its standards and blends well with the game. There isn’t an epic opening intro song like in Halo or Halo 2 but those are classics that is hard to compete with. One of the things you will notice is the sounds made when unleashing an energy sword which sounds almost like a light saber! During the campaign the music does its job and can help captivate you into the moment but on the downside there isn’t one real epic moment like in the first Halo when you drove away from the Maw in a warthog. That would have been a great climax to a great campaign mode.

Halo 4 Rating

Gameplay 9/10 Halo 4 is probably going to become the fan favorite of the franchise which is a monumental task and a good job on the new developers at 343 Industries. Halo 4 has all of the fun looks and feel of the series but only more modernized and up to date.

Graphics 9/10 Pushed the Xbox 360 graphics to the limit and I have yet to see a game that does better than this.

Music 8/10 Nothing to special with the music in this game but it doesn’t disappoint either.

Replay Value 9/10 This game will be an instant classic and has many different gaming modes plus Spartan ops to keep you entertained for a long time.

NBA 2K13 Review

Posted on October 5, 2012November 29, 2012 by GameNinjaX

NBA 2K13 Review

There are only 2 reasons why I purchased NBA 2K13 this year, one is because if you go online with NBA2K 12 it will have the same amount of players as NBA Jam online. The second reason is because it was produced by Jay-Z. Other than those two reasons I do not see an upgrade in graphics, gameplay, or any significant game mode changes that is worth buying an entire new game for. The monopoly on sports games is outrageous because the developers at 2K (basketball and baseball) & Electronic Arts (Madden & College Sports) know that every year they only have to release a game with a new title for the next season and everyone will buy it regardless if it sucks. I find this very frustrating especially in the NBA2K franchise because this game is not a whole lot better than last years or the previous years game. That is an extra $120 for what? Roster updates?

Not to mention, NBA2K graphics looks like I am playing on an N64 and you can barely tell the difference between a point guard and small forward. It’s almost 2013 and you are giving us graphics from 1996?? I remember playing NBA Live 09, 4 years ago and the graphics were bone chillingly real. The gameplay demo of Boston vs Lakers seemed like an actual game was on. Where did NBA Live go and why can’t we get a game that has the great gameplay of NBA2k with NBA Live graphics, is that too much to ask of these companies?

Take a look at the difference in this mug shot of Dirk, even though it is from 09 NBA 2K 13 still looks exactly the same.

Gameplay

The only reason I believe that this franchise is making money is because of the most realistic style of game play. NBA2K found a great way to simulate the dynamics of basketball into a video game and make it as life like as possible. It is the most competitive basketball game compared to old NBA Live games and playing online can be fun if everyone on the other team doesn’t quit.

Graphics

As a explained above, Nintendo 64 graphics. If NBA2K doesn’t upgrade their graphics significantly with next years game and if an NBA Live 14 comes out, I think they would give them a run for their money once people realize that Live is a better overall game. When playing sports games it is enjoyable because you can get a feeling of playing as your favorite sports star. So when I am draining 3’s with Chris Paul and it panes out for a close up and my player looks like a 5 year old drawing, it is really, really disappointing.

Music

What would you expect from a video game produced by Jay-Z other than a whole lot of songs that feature Jay-Z and Kanye. The Audio tracks are great especially if you like Jay-Z’s & Kanye’s music but if you don’t then you are probably going to turn off the sound in this game. I think a played NBA2K 13 for more than a week and didn’t hear one song that didn’t have Jay or Kanye in it. The music in the game does get you pumped up to play and helps with the overall experience of the game.

NBA 2K13 Rating

Gameplay 7/10 Would be more fun to play if the graphics were not stuck in the mid 90’s.

Graphics 4/10 I have raged about the graphics enough already.

Music 9/10 Executive produced by Jay-Z pretty much saved this game for me.

Replay Value 6/10 This game will be irrelevant next year, and hopefully NBA live will come out with a game to compete.

Madden NFL 2013 Review

Posted on August 29, 2012November 29, 2012 by GameNinjaX

Madden NFL 2013 Review

There are a lot of Madden lovers out there that are raising the pitchforks at EA for taking out franchise mode. This years Madden NFL 13 has received lower ratings and reviews than last years Madden which to my knowledge hasn’t happened before. Well here is what I think, GET OVER IT! Madden NFL 13 brings so much more in terms of the infinity engine and the running game that I thought was a huge advancement in the football gaming franchise. In every Madden before this year the one thing that stood out like a sore thumb was the running game. You just pick a back with great stats and run it up the middle for 4 yards with the occasional 10+ yard play. Even if there was a wall of linemen your negative play could return a 4 yard carry because of this fault in the video game. Well not anymore because with the new infinity engine you now have to have skills like a real running back to find the holes, cut corners, and not trip over your own linemen. If you even try to push it up the middle with a 300 pound lineman in front of you, your player will trip and fall for 0 yards just like he is supposed to, not push through a human shield.

Not only is the running game solved, the infinity engine now makes plays look more realistic and not bring you the same motions during every hit. For example, if Ray Lewis is going to tackle a smaller running back like Darren Sproles you would expect a different impact and motion than Ray Lewis tackling Adrian Peterson, well the infinity engine does just that. Players weight, height, power, and speed all come into play when being tackled with the infinity engine. This is perhaps the most noticeable upgrade for a Madden game and yet most gamers are complaining about one mode taken out that ruined the ratings.

Gameplay

I already discussed how the running game made a vast improvement and there are noticeable differences in the passing game as well. There used to be several plays in every playbook that dedicated Madden players could find and utilize for automatic first downs, automatic touchdowns, or easy 2-point conversions. I tried those same plays on every team and noticed that they only work about 50-60% of the time if the play is executed perfectly. This is a great improvement because it will convince those who go for it on every 4th down to hesitate and think about the punt or field goal. Same goes for the automatic 2-point conversions that can easily give an unfair advantage to someone playing against a friend. Every year Madden becomes more and more realistic and this year doesn’t disappoint.

Graphics

The graphics are realistic and confuse older people that a live game is on as usual. I don’t see a huge advancement in the graphics here compared to last years Madden, it could be that we are seeing the maximum potential of graphics for sports games on this generation of consoles or the developers at EA focused more on the actual game play. Whichever the case may be the graphics are always raising the bar for sports games.

Music

What is interesting about this Madden is the noticeable change from popular Hip Hop and Rock songs to more traditional football audio. When you are in the game menu’s picking your teams and settings the background music is as if you were about to watch a Monday night football game (which I enjoy). However, if you liked listening to popular songs in-between games that get you excited to play then you may not like this switch. Overall, I don’t think it is a bad idea what they have done with the music but perhaps a blend of traditional football music and adding in a more upbeat Hip Hop or Rock song would be best.

Madden NFL 2013 Rating

Gameplay 8/10 The running game is vastly improved and the passing game is still great. With the infinity engine upgrade this game can literally be played for hours.

Graphics 9/10 The graphics in this game are the best for sport simulation games to date.

Music 7/10 The soundtracks in this Madden are more focused on traditional football rather than modern hip hop and rock songs. Like I said before a blend of both would be best.

Replay Value 7/10 The only reason the replay value isn’t higher is because next year this game will be in the $5 bin

Kingdoms of Amalur Review

Posted on April 15, 2012November 29, 2012 by GameNinjaX

Kingdoms of Amalur Review

Kingdoms of Amalur takes you into a land full of magic and wonder that creates a world similar to world of warcraft. One of the first things you will notice when playing Kingdoms of Amalur is the fighting game play for an action rpg is top notch. Much like Fable, your character can learn magic while swinging giant swords, daggers, or a unique weapon called fae blades. The fighting style and progression of skill tree’s keep the game flowing and interesting throughout the lengthy storyline that takes your character to three different continents. Each continent has lots of quests that take you on separate adventures and minor story lines where you meet with a large cast of characters.

Storyline

In the story you create a character who wakes up on a pile of carcases because he/she was resurrected by gnome magic. Of course, your character has faint memories of the past and can’t remember exactly who he/she was and tries to put the pieces to the puzzle back together. You quickly find out that the kingdom of Amalur is at war with the Tuatha – Winter fae and that your character is the one who can change the fate of the kingdom. Throughout the storyline you meet intellectual and crafty gnomes, the fae which are elven like immortal creatures, and various humans in need of help. The storyline is written by author and helps you delve deep into the world of Amalur.

Graphics

The graphics are very similar to a World of Warcraft feel but with the game engine of a xbox 360/PS3 console which adds an even more detailed world. There are many areas throughout the game that make you stop and enjoy the artwork and scenery. Not to mention the graphics for spells and attacks are well done and complement the fighting style. If you enjoy playing Wow or action rpg’s this game is a must have.

Music

The music in Kingdoms of Amalur fits well with the game and reminds me a lot of the background music in the Fable series. There was not a song that particularly stands out like the “Victory” song in Final Fantasy or opening theme song in World of Warcraft, but the music does go along with the game. There could be an improvement here which would make Kingdom of Amalur a real classic. Think about it, when people think back about Super Mario Bros what is the first thing that everyone starts doing? ….. You guessed it, sings the theme song!

Summary

Kingdoms of Amalur is an all around great game from storyline, fighting style, and graphics any role playing game fan will enjoy this adventure. If you would like a mix of final fantasy, Wow, and Fable elements blended nicely into one epic adventure than Kingdoms of Amalur is calling your name. I am hoping that there will be a sequel and more great games like this to come, perhaps with kinect features?!

Kingdoms of Amalur Rating

Gameplay – 8/10 Very fun action hack and slash style rpg. Does get a little bit repetitive over time but questing and storyline keep you entertained throughout.

Graphics 9/10 Great graphics and visual effects.

Music 7/10 Nothing to special about the music but like I said earlier, does fit the role of the game.

Replay Value 6/10 I don’t see much replay value in this game because once you run through the campaign there isn’t much of a reason to go back and play.

King of Fighters 13 Review

Posted on February 12, 2012 by GameNinjaX

I’ve been playing the King of Fighters series since the 7th installment and King of Fighters 13 is my favorite next to Maximum Impact. King of Fighters 13 is back in its’ classic 2D form which the developers of fighting genre games finally realizing that the 2D side scrolling is a tried and true formula that will not go away.

That being said, it is a little disappointing having to purchase an Xbox 360 game for $50 and have it feel exactly the same as a game I could have bought for $25 back in the 90’s. King of Fighters 13 doesn’t incorporate the new styling and functionality of a 2D fighting game that Mortal Kombat 9 and Street Fighter 4 was able to accomplish.

Those games were using the 2 Dimensional platform but they looked and felt like an Xbox 360/PS3 game because of the amount of detail and smooth gameplay that went into the game. King of Fighters 13 lacked in this area and ultimately made it worth a rent but if they had spent the time and energy that the developers of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 4 did then this game would have been amazing.

King Of Fighters 13 Characters

There are a decent amount of characters to choose from and looks like all the favorites are there, however one thing to note is that Iori has lost his “flame” powers and that changed his fighting style a bit (he sucks now). Ash Crimson is one of the newer characters introduced in the last KOF and is pretty fun to play as well. Another downside of this game is that there are only two unlockable characters and you deliberately have to suck on the arcade so that you don’t get 2,500,000 points by the end of stage 6 and won’t have to fight the final boss ‘Dark Ash Crimson”.

Unlockable Characters

The unlockable characters are Billy Kane and Saiki. Billy Kane is unlocked by performing at least 2 target actions per match and Saiki is performing at least 5 target actions per match.

Story Mode

Lets talk about the Story Mode, there is no story mode. It is just cut scenes that are about 5 pictures fading out very slowly with no voice acting.

Arcade Mode

Arcade mode is really the only fun thing to do on this game and is what makes it bearable. The arcade mode is quite fun and challenging because by the end of tournament you quickly realize how annoying computer controlled opponents can be. It actually takes a bit of skill to defeat the last tournament match and if you score enough points good luck on fighting True Saiki and Dark Ash.

King of Fighters 13 Online

This was another frustrating part of King of Figthers 13 was the fact that everytime I tried to start an online match I would fail the search criteria and there was no explanation as to why. I tried multiple times to get a quick online match going and the game basically denied me access. Could be because I was renting the game from GameFly? Who knows.

King of Fighters 13 Rates:

Gameplay 7/10 The game play in King of Fighters 13 is more fluid than its ever been but still not up to par with Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. The developers over at SNK have to push themselves a little bit harder next time and this series can really become popular.

Graphics 6/10 If you are going to make a 2D fighting game that doesn’t mean you need to make it look like the game is from the 90’s. That is one of this games biggest faults and frustrations is the fact that I could have played this game on a Gameboy.

Audio 7/10 Most of the background sound effects are your usual 2D fighting game sounds but for the arcade/story mode there are some nice songs they inputted during the slide show.

Replay Value 6/10 After I ran through the Arcade Mode a couple times I put it straight back in the mail because it just wasn’t that exciting.

Warhammer 40k Space Marine Review

Posted on January 16, 2012 by GameNinjaX

Warhammer 40K Space Marine is one of those games that when you’re playing you wish that the developers had a bigger budget or spent just a little bit more time on this game to make it a classic. Warhammer 40K for the Xbox 360 and PS3 is a third-person action shooter that resembles the Gears of War game play with heavy gun power, chainsaw blades, and duck and cover shooting. Warhammer also adds to the mix shields and melee weapons such as a Power Axe, Chain blade, and perhaps my favorite weapon in the game the Power Hammer.

The Campaign quickly starts you off with little background information about the Warhammer world except for the fact that the only solution to an Ork invaded planet is sending in a squad of Ultra Marines. You play as captain Titus who is the typical badass hero that knows how to survive the worst situations, his right hand man Sidonus who is old and probably reaching retirement but very experienced in combat, and the Rookie straight from boot camp Leandros whose loyalty lies elsewhere.

Throughout the campaign there are a lot of dull moments and somewhat lifeless emotions that each character displays which gives you a disconnect from the storyline. The one thing this game had going for it was the amount of fun it was to blast through waves of Orks with your choice of 4 different guns carried at one time and your choice of a melee weapon. Another fun feature of Warhammer 40K is there are no health packs in the game, how do you get health you ask? Simple, rip through an unconscious Ork with your melee weapon and absorb their health! This feature was perhaps the best part of the game and will keep you entertained for hours.

There is a multi-player mode as well that is just downright boring. I’d rather be playing Halo 1 from over a decade ago then this mult-player. There is just to much of an unbalance and zero fun factor when playing the multi-player mode. The leveling system is average and grindy and I didn’t really stick around to get to high of a level to give you a full description. The mechanics in the campaign are slightly different then the way the mult-player mode plays, if the developers had more of an interest in the online multi-player mode Warhammer 40K could have been an amazing game.

Warhammer 40k Space Marine Rates:

Gameplay 7/10 The campaign is a lot of fun through the first play through but once that is over this game really has nothing left to do.

Graphics 7/10 The graphics are similar to Gears of War and Unreal Championship video games which is decent for a Xbox 360 shooter. There is nothing that you can awe at though.

Audio 6/10 Nothing really special here, just normal music/background effects for a shooter game.

Replay Value 5/10 Once the campaign is finished, you may want to check out the multi-player mode but I think you will quickly realize that there are other games that are more worth your time.

Batman Arkham City Review

Posted on December 13, 2011 by GameNinjaX

Arkham City

Batman Arkham City is perhaps the best action adventure fighting game to date. The only issue I had with the game was that it was too short!

The addictive fighting style introduce in Batman Arkham Asylum is even better in this game because of more combo’s and extra ways to kick the crap out of thugs as the Dark Knight and Catwoman. The storyline itself picks up where Arkham Asylum left off with the Joker being contaminated with the Titan virus and all the criminals being shipped from the Asylum to the open streets of Arkham City. You will see old villains from Arkham Asylum and a host of new villains from the Penguin all the way to Ras ah Ghul. The voice acting is impressive and the exciting storyline will literally keep you playing for hours. There are also hundreds of Riddler Trophies to solve and collect throughout the city while on your campaign which can take weeks to get every single one.

In Batman Arkham City you can also play as Catwoman in 4 different parts throughout the storyline which intertwines with Batman’s main story as well. Catwoman has her own unique set of upgrades, gadgets, and fighting moves which refreshes the gameplay of Arkham City. One thing that the developers could have thrown in to make this game outstanding is having Robin and Nightwing as playable characters in the main storyline as well. Instead they are only available as DLC and can only be played on challenge maps, which was disappointing for me.

The graphics of Arkham City are quite amazing and sometimes made me stop and look around for a bit to enjoy the view. Not only is Arkham City fun to look at but it’s fun to glide and grapple around which was a big improvement from the contained Asylum in the first game.

Batman Arkham City Rates:

Gameplay 9/10 The storyline is very intriguing and almost makes you feel like you’re watching a movie. The amount of characters introduced from the Batman comics is quite good. There is also a good mix of fighting then playing detective throughout the game which kept me entertained.

Graphics 9/10 The graphics in this game are very detailed and makes you wonder how good the graphics will be on video games in the future.

Audio 8/10 The sound effects were pretty much the same as Arkham Asylum but they worked nonetheless. The voice acting was done very well though.

Replay Value 9/10 The fact that you can unlock over 400 Riddler trophies, new costumes, and play as downloadable characters make this game interesting to play through multiple times.

Overall this game would have been a perfect 10 if the storyline was a big longer and if Nightwing and Robin were playable characters during the main storyline. If you are a fan of Batman this game is a collectors item so you must buy it!!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Review

Posted on November 30, 2011December 3, 2011 by GameNinjaX

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 the newest installment of the Call of Duty series is a decent sequel to its predecessors but doesn’t quite live up to all the hype.

Now, that doesn’t mean I think Modern Warfare 3 is a horrible game because it isn’t by any means. There are major improvements in the graphics, and the campaign will literally blow you away but the suspense and hype of the game didn’t live up to expectations for most. For one example, the multi-player doesn’t work on internet service providers that have a strict NAT which is frustrating but if you avoid that situation, the multi-player maps released right now are compact and hard to deal with. I personally played multi-player for a couple rounds and had to stop playing because of how shitty the current maps are.

MW3 Multi-Player

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer

MW3’s multiplayer engine has been upgraded and downgraded in several different ways. The graphics are outstanding and probably has the best first-person shooter graphics besides Crysis 2 in my opinion. The Killstreak rewards system has been revamped and changed to a Pointstreak rewards system. There are multiple ways to accumulate points instead of just getting kills such as: capturing a flag, planting a bomb, or various game mode objectives.

The ranking system has also been changed in Modern Warfare 3’s multi-player system by no longer using currency to unlock weapons and attachments but rather unlocking weapons depending on your own rank. You can still prestige at a certain rank and the first time you choose to prestige you will unlock a new “prestige shop” that can be used to purchase exlcusive features such as double experience and extra custom classes.

The disadvantages of Modern Warfare 3 Multi-player is the small map sizes, and strict NAT internet issues that won’t allow default internet settings to play. The current maps on the multi-player mode are not as fun as Modern Warfare 2’s or Black Ops. I am assuming they are using that to leverage the downloadable maps and make players more interested in purchasing additional content. For me and my friends it was a huge disappointment and left a bad taste for this game.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Campaign

The Modern Warfare 3 campaign was simply beautiful. The detailed graphics, engaging storyline, and voice acting all make you feel like you’re in the starting role of an action movie. The storyline picks up right where Modern Warfare 2 left off as Nikolai and Price escape with the injured Soap in their care. You play as various characters all with important roles in the war and intertwining stories. I won’t reveal anymore details about the storyline so there won’t be any spoilers in this review.

I was surprised how far Infinity Ward was able to push the graphics with this game on an Xbox 360 because it really looks like a blu-ray quality game. Just look at this picture of in game graphics of New York city, Wall Street.

The campaign does a great job taking you to a detailed environment in high profile geographic locations such as: New York City, Berlin, London, and Paris. The campaign also does a great job of utilizing vehicles during game play such as helicopters, submarines, remote control mini-guns, and escape boats.

The only thing that bothered me about he Modern Warfare 3 campaign is its length of about 5-7 hours. You can spend an evening going through the campaign and all of the sudden it’s over. Maybe they are saving the rest of the storyline for Modern Warfare 4-6. Even though the campaign is very short it is definitely worth a run through.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Rates:

Gameplay 8/10 The campaign is spectacular and brings a lot to the table but the multi-player needs a lot of updates to make it worth while. If the campaign had sucked I’m sure Modern Warfare 3 would have been a complete flop.

Graphics 9/10 The graphics are simply amazing. If you are an Xbox owner and want to compare games to PS3 graphics this would be the game to boast about.

Audio 7/10 Nothing to special here, normal Call of Duty sound effects and background music.

Replay Value 7/10 If the multi-player releases new maps that are actually fun to play then the replay value would be much higher. As of right now there is no incentive to be playing this game over Modern Warfare 2 or Black Ops.