Dead Space

Survival horror at its finest! Dead Space raises the bar of this genre, pushing the horror to the limits of what most gamers will be able to stomach. Instead of the neat and clean head shots of your typical zombie shoot em up, the mutilated, hybrid, alien-like remains you face in Dead Space require severe dismemberment before death. Lucky for you, you'll find a diverse array of futuristic weaponry aboard the derelict mining craft, each with a secondary mechanism, and each one able to be upgraded into powerful tools of destruction.

Some of the greatest, most frightening moments of this game happen when nothing seems to be happening at all. The power may flicker before failing totally, plunging you into total darkness for several excruciating moments when all you will see is the narrow shaft of light projected from your raised weapon. Every weapon is equipped with this small flashlight beam that you grow to depend on as you are continuously thrown into the shadowy depths of the spacecraft.

The designers very cleverly string you along through a maze of corridors utilizing a 3d mapping tool and inventory menus that do not appear during a pause menu, forcing you to manage inventory and get directions on the fly. Most of the cinematic elements of this game occur during game play with contextual action prompts, extremely limiting wait time as the story unfolds.

Personally, what set this game apart from so many similar type survival horror games that I have played was the psychological horror of doubting what my own eyes were seeing onscreen as the main characters began to succumb to the sickness and suffered with hallucinations. Also, the zero gravity areas and the areas exposed to the vacuum of space added a stressful dynamic to enemy confrontations and puzzle rooms that was unique and refreshing.

It will take about two and a half play throughs in order to comfortably purchase all upgrades for all weapons. However, in order to maintain your cleared game inventory, you are forced to play the same difficulty level. If you want to play a higher level you have to start a new game. Although this is fair to the few brave enough to start out by choosing the hardest difficulty available, the rest of us choosing normal will become quickly overpowered by the middle of the second play through and will be bored before fully upgrading each weapon entirely.

One thing I wish I knew before starting this game was the "one gun" trophy requiring a player to complete an entire play through using only the plasma cutter. I found this frustrating because on my first play through I used the cutter about 90% of the time, only falling back to the line gun for clustered enemies and saving all my pulse rounds for boss battles requiring fast, direct targeting. On my second play through I wanted to experiment more with all the weapons, but felt compelled to go after the "one gun" trophy.

Overall, a compelling and frightening experience. I'm very excited to play the sequel unveiled at this year's E3 convention.

I felt compelled to revisit this post after achieving the platinum trophy on a play through where I also simultaneously achieved both the "Three Tier Engineer" and "One Gun" trophies. It was a very challenging and frightening experience to say the least. I had thought it might be boring relying only on the plasma cutter, but I was wrong. Not only is it more challenging, it also creates an interesting dynamic when it comes to determining how to spend each hard earned credit.

If you're out to achieve these three trophies at once, here are a few tips that will help:

1.) Conserve ammo, well obviously, but this includes all the ammo that you won't be using because they're compatible with weapons other then the plasma cutter. Sell all the random ammo at the store for extra credits. Contact energy is especially valuable. Also, take advantage of every explosive canister that you come across even if you have to carry them with kinesis from one room to another. Look for these especially near outbreaks of those little leech things, one thrown canister can kill a swarm of them at once.

2.) Skip every other suit upgrade, meaning level two and level four. Now this is a double edged sword. You'll definitely save a lot of credits, but you'll have less damage resistance and fewer inventory slots during these odd periods. If you can manage your inventory well by making the most of the extra storage space provided by the store, this can be a very effective strategy. Also, if you consider the fact that you'll not need to pick up any schematics for these even numbered suit levels, or pick up schematics for weapons or gear that you'll not be using, you really don't need the few extra slots of space that these suits provide. If you only want to skip one suit upgrade, skip level four because you find the level five schematic so soon after this one, it's really a waste, something like 40k vs 50k ten minutes later. If you buy the level four suit you'll definitely have the level five schematic long before you can save up the credits to afford it.

3.) Another useful tip to manage your inventory is to place extra items near the tram car if there is not a store present. Since you always return to the tram car, up until the last chapter, this is a safe place to leave items. I would typically leave a heal or two there at the start of each new chapter so that I could heal before starting the next if needed. This strategy will also help you conserve the heals because you'll be less likely to quickly use up what you are carrying if you know that you left one just beyond the next corridor.

4.) The best tip for conserving heals is to take advantage of the automatic heal you get when upgrading your rig's hp. If you look at the nano map for your rig you'll see that to reach each hp boost costs three nodes, quite expensive at 10k per node if you're buying them from the store. You can limp to a bench near death and get completely healed by an hp upgrade. A full heal costs 10k at the store, so if you even only can manage to take advantage of this twice, you've saved 20k.

5.) Don't buy nodes until the very end. Chances are you know most of the hiding places after previous play throughs and since you'll only be upgrading a few pieces of equipment on this run you shouldn't need any extra. On my run I bought a couple along the way and ended up with one extra that I had to sell back for a measly 5k, don't make that mistake. It's better to end up in a position where you can afford to buy one rather than sell one because you don't need it.

6.) Destroy whole corpses! You may already know this, but in case you don't, this will vastly improve your odds at survival. There are several locations throughout the game where you will find whole corpses, often sitting against walls with sacks over their heads. One room in particular has a dozen or more, you can't miss it. When you come across them they will be dead, but these bastards can be reanimated by those fleshy, bat-type things. The trick is to mutilate them before this happens. Don't waste any ammo on them, instead just stomp a mud hole in them and make sure you've busted off a couple of limbs. I don't know if you need to mash off each limb, or just upset their pose, but just to be safe I stomped the hell out of every one I came across. When you revisit these areas you'll often face only a single bat-type thing that will be unable to reanimate any of the corpses you've stomped. It's disgusting work, but it definitely pays.

7.) Plan for extended fire fights nearing the end of the game. There are a few sequences during the last two levels where you will burn through ammo very quickly. You'll have to buy extra at the store, especially when you first reach the store at the beginning of level 12. After you move the artifact into the colony you'll reach a section where you have to raise bridges to keep the monolith moving. Moving halfway into this area will trigger a quarantine and you'll get assaulted by possibly the largest and most aggressive horde of enemies in the game. Make sure to have well over 100 rounds for your cutter before entering. Make sure you're planning for the rest of the level as well, otherwise you'll be back tracking. You'll have one last chance to visit the store before facing the final boss, so you don't need to be carrying everything, but I would recommend at least 150 rounds, extra heals, and stasis packs of course.

8.) Just before the final battle you get back to the store and bench. Now's the time to buy any extra nodes for upgrades if you're not fully upgraded yet. If you've followed these tips you'll probably have a pretty impressive inventory at this point, but take the time to stock up on anything you're low on since this is the last opportunity. Saving at this point, my inventory was stocked full to the brim, 1/5 health, 1/5 stasis, and 3/5 ammo and I didn't need nearly as much as I had to finish.

Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 was released in 2009, hot on the heels of its wildly popular predecessor, and took the market by storm. This first person shooter showcases an arsenal of the newest and most destructive weapons of present day and offers a diverse array of challenges that will take months for even the most dedicated of gamers to complete. Similar to the original Modern Warfare, it is the online game play that attracts most players, with a upgraded reward system, customizable weapon classes, and a cyclic leveling up that provides for near infinite progress.

The competition in 2010 is tough with new games emerging such as Mag and Battlefield 2 that are very similar, yet allow many more players to compete within a single match. In these cases, unfortunately, the quality of the graphics is compromised in order to allow so many people to participate within a single match. In contrast, these new games offer new abilities and mission types that have persuaded many gamers to switch to these platforms for their first person shooter experiences.

Personally, as a serious gamer myself, I rarely find myself in a position where I have more than eight friends online at once, all looking to play the same type of match on Modern Warfare 2, so although the prospect of 200+ players per match sounds enticing, the practicality is somewhat lacking, especially if I have to give up the high quality HD graphics. In addition, I believe that the core story mode of Modern Warfare 2 is better developed and more challenging than similar modes on these newer games that almost feel like token additions to games exclusively designed for online play. Therefore, I believe that the makers of Modern Warfare 2 paid more attention to the needs of their target audience by crafting a game that can be thoroughly entertaining even for those without an internet connection.

Mag

Mag is a new release first person shooter serving up some serious competition for games like Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield 2. Mag allows players to compete in massive online multiplayer game modes capable of producing battles involving over 200 players at one time. Vehicles offer a powerful dynamic to an already chaotic environment with complex objectives and diverse terrains. Respawning is squad based, which naturally promotes squad based play, offering both a solution to spawn streaming and providing for a more realistic experience where team based games have often fallen short.

Although the game play offers unique new abilities such as repair, enabling you to repair field equipment with a quick swap of a tool, the animation leaves a bit to be desired, especially when viewing explosions and close up enemies. At it’s core, Mag is a large scale military strategy simulation that often results in a severely one sided stomping, especially with larger teams in excess of 50+.

Resident Evil 5

Players : 1 - 2 (online 2 - 4)

Required Space : 5000MB

Supported HD Output : 720p

DLC : Yes

The latest installment of the survival horror franchise that spawned the genre, Resident Evil 5 delivers brilliant, high definition graphics and vicious, fast paced action that will leave your hands sweaty and trembling.

This game is packed with so much unlockable content you'll find yourself revisiting chapters again and again to hunt down every last speck of hidden loot while developing an arsenal of upgradeable weaponry that you can impress your friends with on cooperative online play! That's right- TWO PLAYER! Resident Evil fans have been asking for it for years and now we finally have it! In addition to the regular story mode, you can team up with your friends in other exciting game modes like Mercenaries or (DLC) VS Mode that will test the skills of even the most battle hardened Resident Evil veterans.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoy this game...still. The online VS Mode in particular creates a frantic, competitive environment swarming with enemies that still makes my heart pound with adrenalin even after logging 80+ hours of game play!

Although there are no genuine cheats for this game, there are several game mechanics that can be exploited in order to harvest ammunition, weapons, health items and heals. Here are some quick tips that will help you survive any difficulty setting:

1.) Conserve ammunition. This should be obvious simply because it is limited to begin with. Choose which weapon you equip your partner with carefully as they are liable to use up any of this type of ammunition they find. Leave the AI a pistol most of the time, since that is the most plentiful ammo type. Alternatively, if you are skilled with a pistol, allow the AI to carry an automatic so that you are primarily utilizing the two cheapest forms of ammunition. This way you can save the shotgun rounds, rifle ammunition, and magnum ammo for heavier enemies.

2.) Repeat the levels you have already conquered. You can do this over and over again to collect more items. Once you beat chapter 1-1 you can immediately play it again, so sell your pistols instead of upgrading them right away and play the level again, getting two new pistols. Just by having the left over ammo and health items from a single play will give you that much of an advantage a second time, and a third. Utilizing this tool you can progress through the levels with a significant advantage of fire power and gold.

3.) If you're on the network, you can actually leap frog to levels you have not even reached yet by joining another player's game. The most effective way to take advantage of this exploit is to save up some gold in the early levels, then join a player's game near chapter 6-1 or 6-2. You'll get into the inventory organize queue and you can immediately purchase weapons available up to and including those levels. Even if you die or get booted you'll get an opportunity to overwrite equipment status. I did this to get my hands on the Lightning Hawk Magnum after playing 1-1 and 1-2 a couple of times in order to amass two shotguns, two smgs, and four pistols, sold a couple for some gold and had one of the baddest magnums in the games.

4.) Don't pack your inventory. One of the most common mistakes I see on network play is carrying a full inventory into levels and leaving items lying around everywhere. I can understand if you've unlocked everything there is, but if you need gold for anything, make the most of what little space you have. In any level you can play with a primary weapon, a secondary, a heal, an applicable body armor if necessary. Okay, and one extra slot of the cheaper ammo. You'll find more ammo, you'll find more health, no sense carrying it all around to watch it go to waste.

5.) Utilize your AI's limited commands. Use attack for offensive tactics and cover otherwise to keep them close to heal you. Sometimes when equipped with different weapon combinations they will favor one weapon for cover and another for attack. For instance, if equipped with a smg and the electric rod, Sheva will swap weapons as tactics change. It doesn't work with every combination, but you should experiment with it in order to get the most out of it.

6.) Take advantage of melee attacks whenever possible. They strike the target with a powerful blow and can also knock back other nearby enemies. Target the head or knee cap to set up the opponent for a melee combo, if they do not die, they will at least fall, and you can run up and perform a second melee attack while they are on the ground. Tougher opponents may only get knocked back, but this also provides an opportunity for a partner to step forward to keep the combo going back and forth. There is a trophy related to this skill, so practice maximizing the number of successive attacks the two of you can deliver. Also, another good way to start a combo on a tough foe is to trigger a fall to the knee with a grenade or mine. Flash grenades can become a powerful tool when coupled with an onslaught of melee attacks.

Below I've provided a short walk through of chapter 1-1. This is one of my favorite areas of the game and it also provides you with plenty of ammunition that can easily be harvested on repeated play throughs.

Chapter 1 - 1

The first time through this level will be challenging, but as soon as it is completed you can play it repeatedly to harvest the items and ammo. If you carry a shotgun, rifle, or machine gun into this level you'll find those ammo types appearing in random enemy drops.

The beginning of this level is very simple; follow the path to the butcher shop and enter a door on the right side to speak with your contact. You'll be presented with an attache case containing two pistols, and once you have equipped a weapon a cut scene is triggered, after which you're free to move. You are now facing a breakable crate containing some gold. There is a similar barrel outside to the left. Head down the stairs to get a nasty closeup of some carrion and turn right into a small house containing a few more crates and some herbs.

Once you exit the house you'll hear a scream from up ahead. Run forward down the path and up a few stairs to another house that when entered will trigger another cut scene. Dispatch the lone zombie easily by actually letting it grab you. Sheva is right there to help, and more often than not the melee hit she delivers will set you up to deliver a second. If not, just knife the unarmed zombie to death. Afterwards head into the next room, grab some ammo, and leap through the window to the alley below.

In the alley you'll get attacked by a mob of zombies. Just turn around after the cut scene and run around the corner into a house. Once you're both inside the last one through will block the door and you'll be safe. If you're returning with unlimited ammo, or have enough to waste, you can alternatively blast away the entire mob to find a rare gem dropped by one of the last zombies that appears from the right fork in the alley. There will also be a few items in the first room of the house, and after a co-op kick through the door you'll find some more ammo and gold in the second room.

Descend through a hole in the floor into a tunnel and follow it out. Grab some ammo and herbs in the house you reach then head through the door. Outside you'll follow a path around and drop down to the rear of another house where you'll find some more herb and ammo. Once you enter the house a cut scene begins.

There are many different strategies that work well in this battle, but whether this is your first time through, or a repeated attempt to gather more items, this path works very efficiently with the limited amount of time you are provided with:

First, block the door by pushing the book case. Leave the window clear, you have time to run around and collect all the ammo, making sure to grab the hand grenade hidden in the pile of fruit near the window. By this time they will be breaking the window. Stand right in front of the window and slash with the knife at their legs as they come through. Keep hacking and you can probably kill enough to unlock the knife related trophy before the next cut scene appears. Jump out the window, turn left and get your back to the wall. This way enemies will only come from the front and through the window on the right.

Around this time the executioner will bust down the gate so be ready with that grenade, aiming a little low. A grenade blast will take him down to one knee providing you with an opportunity to run forward and perform a melee attack. Run by him and all the way down the center path of the village and hang a right after the fruit stands, just before the stack of flammable drums. Grab a machine gun from the attache case. Run back to the center path and the executioner, along with a handful of ghouls should be about halfway to your position now, providing a perfect opportunity for you to shoot a transformer above them. Whip out the machine gun and empty it into the executioner if you need to, there's more ammo to be had in this area.

The two buildings on either side of the path where the transformer fell can be entered and blockaded with book cases just like the first house. I advise that you destroy the executioner first because he can smash through certain walls here. Collect all the ammo and grenades in each house. There are also more grenades and a random drop on the top of the initial building that can be accessed via a ladder around the side.

This area is great to revisit to get multiple trophies due to the abundance of destructible items like flammable drums, transformers, and oil canisters. The knifing opportunity at the window can also be used to easily unlock the stun rod trophy. The sheer abundance of enemies in this area can be used to unlock several other trophies. One in particular, lead aspirin, I found very difficult to achieve but finally accomplished it here using the top of the buildings near the fence by luring them to jump across the gaps. Lots of fun.

My only complaint (if you consider it a complaint) would be that the Ndesu boss battle in Chapter 2-3 on Professional Mode was just too challenging. I had completed the entire game on each difficulty level several times over before finally vanquishing Ndesu on Professional after 6+ hours of the psychological torture of failed contextual action prompts while shouting profanity at my innocent television. My best advice, if you find yourself stuck at this section, is to partner up online with a skilled player and be patient while playing. Focus only on Ndesu, the other enemies in this area do so little damage that you can survive the entire section while absorbing their attacks, so long as you avoid every attack by Ndesu. If you have time in between animations you can certainly blast the few majini that show up, but the real problem is nailing every contextual prompt that appears onscreen. Only shoot the red barrels to force Ndesu to drop a picked up weapon. Otherwise leave these alone. Igniting one when Ndesu is moving to pick up a boulder will cause a contextual action prompt that disappears so quickly it is near impossible to register. Also, Ndesu's attacks aren't scripted the same every reload, so it may take you several reloads to experience a survivable sequence of attacks. Don't give up. Ndesu has killed me 80 times. Watch for a pattern heavy with Ndesu punching, this I believe is the most favorable attack to avoid not only because it is so clearly coming at you before the prompt appears, but this animation also affords a second to cool down your guns in between point blank shooting. Also, if you didn't notice, the mounted weapons during this fight can zoom slightly with the left analog like the rifles do. It only is a slight zoom, but it can help when shooting at the small parasites that appear on the chest and arms.

Overall an excellent game deserving of only my highest review. Detailed graphics, compelling plot, and tons of unlockable extras make this a must have for serious gamers.

I felt compelled to revisit this post after downloading the two new expansions "Lost in Nightmares" and "Desperate Escape". The six dollar pack also includes a special Mercenaries reunion mode, as well as two new costumes for Chris and Sheva. I must say, of all the expansions I've ever downloaded, I really feel like I got a bargain with this one.

Mercenaries Reunion is not much different than the original Mercenaries mode, but there are several new characters to experiment with including Barry and Rebbecca from the original Resident Evil. My favorite part of this mode is definitely "Heavy Metal Chris" armed with the unlimited gatling gun. My only complaint is that while you have to unlock the levels on this mode by scoring well, all the characters are immediately available, so if you've already grown bored with the original Mercenaries mode, chances are you'll grow bored with this mode quickly since there really isn't anything else to unlock.

Desperate Escape is a great new addition to this game. Play as Josh and Jill in a story that runs parallel and occurs within the original Resident Evil 5 story mode. It picks up right after you pulled the mind controlling parasite from Jill's chest. Although this mode can be completed within 30 - 40 minutes, it's also possible to take your time to draw out every last enemy in which case it will take between one and two hours. The map area is impressively designed with many places where players will be able to experiment with different cooperative strategies. Random weapon placement makes it even more interesting and provides for some variety on repeated playthroughs. Unfortunately, the random placement doesn't always work in your favor. For example, I played a game the other night and couldn't find a magnum where I had found it on previous games. Sadly, I reached the end of the game with two slots of magnum ammo and no weapon to fire them. Alternatively, on another game I found a shotgun in the first section, conserved the ammo throughout most of the mission, and was able to face the final battle with over a hundred shotgun rounds. I actually threw away my pistol and rifle near the end to gather more shotgun ammo.

There is one trophy on this mode that is a little tricky- defeat all three agitator majini in a single play through. If you look online you'll find several different methods to pull this off, but the real trick is just being patient. This will also virtually guarantee that you'll receive the 150 enemies killed trophy at the same time. There are a couple of specific areas where you'll want to draw as many enemies to as possible. If you exit these areas before the agitators appear you'll miss your opportunity to destroy them. Unfortunately, the music does not stop when an area is cleared like it does in the normal game, so you have to be patient and attentive, sometimes waiting an extra minute in an area just to make sure no more enemies show up.(The agitators are the blue shirted ones carrying the megaphone by the way.)

The very first area you come to (the one with the dish shaped platform with the ladder in the center) is the first area you need to spend some time in. No matter what difficulty level you are on you'll find lots of enemies here. Make sure to explore this area thoroughly and vanquish every enemy before going near the doorway to the next area. This includes waiting for all the enemies in the next area to climb over the fence to come to your position. It may take ten minutes depending on the difficulty, but whatever you do, do not touch the next door until you've climbed up a ladder and surveyed the area completely, waiting a full minute with no activity to make sure you have killed every last one of them. Once you are satisfied, unlock the door, go between the fences and look for a ladder to the right where an assist jump button appears. If you've pulled off the first section correctly, as soon as Jill is boosted up a video will begin and you'll see the first of the three agitators appear back in the first area that you have just left. Run back there and you'll probably find the megaphone wielding agitator halfway up the ladder in the center of the big dish shaped platform. Kill this bastard quickly because he has a tendency to flee once you blow off his noggin and expose a plaga. He'll run away and climb over a fence to an area you cannot reach, so if you have a flash grenade, here's a good spot use it. If he gets away, reload, there are no second chances.

The second agitator appears several sections later. You'll come to a section with mounted grenade launchers on towers. You'll have to make your way through this area using the grenade launchers to blow out orange doors arranged diagonally from one another. Once you've blown out the last doorway, situated in the rear center of this area, you'll be able to see an area ahead where there are two mounted grenade launchers right next to each other. They will be firing at you as soon as you start walking through the rear center door. Make your way up to these two mounted grenade launchers and use them to fire across at majini situated on the top of the wall you came through when you blew out the last orange door. Once you've killed all the enemies in this area a video will start and you'll see the second agitator appear on top of this wall. Dust him with the grenade launchers and you should see 1000 point bonus get added to your star score once he's dead.

The third and final agitator appears in the last area you come to. You don't need to kill any specific amount of enemies to make him appear, instead, this one shows up at a specific time, about 25 seconds before your time runs out. He appears in the elevator with two big man majini and this one also has a plaga to expose with a head shot so you'll want to target him as soon as he appears and hit him with everything you have left. Even with powerful weapons, timing is critical here because if you fail to kill him before time runs out you'll have to do the entire mission over, and remember, you must get all three in a single play through. The best strategy I can recommend for dealing with this last bastard is to save a launcher, mines, or grenades (especially flash) and situate yourself on the upper platform opposite the elevator door so that you have a clear shot once those doors open. There is also an explosive barrel near the elevator door that can be helpful if you haven't blown it up by this point, but don't rely on it. To give you an idea of how short 25 seconds can actually be in the midst of battle, playing on amateur, and targeting only the head of the agitator with the shotgun, took me 19 seconds to end this foe with several head shots to the exposed plaga. Focus on him and only him during these last precious seconds or you'll surely regret it.

Finally, "Lost in Nightmares" is definitely my favorite part of this expansion pack. You play as Chris and Jill in the historic mission where Jill falls into the abyss with Wesker, not to be seen again until Resident Evil 5. Fans of the original Resident Evil will find this mission a nostalgic delight chock full of references to the original game, from the basic map layout reminiscent of the original mansion, to puzzles similar to those found in the first installment of the Resident Evil franchise. The game play itself redefines the survival horror genre by bringing it back to its roots to a time when ammo conservation and dodging actually mattered.

If you choose amateur or normal, chances are that you'll find just enough weapons and ammo to vanquish every enemy providing that you're reasonably accurate and take advantage of melee combos as often as possible. By making use of grenades and mines to provide melee opportunities early on, you can conserve your bullets and probably have a few extra rounds to afford a few missed shots along the way.

If you choose veteran or professional you've probably already realized that you're just not going to have enough fire power to destroy every last enemy. On these more difficult modes you'll encounter additional enemies in areas that previously had none and if you try to kill them you'll definitely run out of ammo quickly. Random weapon drops complicate this further since sometimes you'll find flash grenades or pistol bullets in areas where you may have previously found a magnum or shotgun. The trick is to rely on running and dodging enemies, and for that, the flash grenades are more valuable than a shotgun or magnum. The only enemies that you actually need to kill are the ones in the sewer area that you kill by raising and dropping the spiked platforms, and by that point, you've lost your entire inventories during the fall. Once you've realized that the weapons you're carrying only provide a false sense of security you'll have an easier time with this mission.

Here are some tips to help you to survive a play through on professional:

1.) Discard your weapons once you begin. This will keep your AI partner from squaring off with enemies and it will also remind you what you should be doing- running like hell.

2.) Use the enemies' attacks to provide you with opportunities to run by them. Go close enough to make them swing their weapon, take a step back so the attack misses, and then run by while they are recovering. You'll find many of the enemies will be situated just around corners, and by approaching corners slowly you can often provoke the attack before the enemy is even seen.

3.) Rely on the shortest distances between areas and keep moving. Try not to run circles around obstacles to confuse the enemies because once a couple of them are on your tail they'll be more likely to corner you in these areas. Instead, just ignore the creepy music and sound effects and run to the next goal. Be patient because it may take you a few tries to determine the optimal path.

4.) Once you're in the sewer area, although your map is still your best friend, it does not show the location of enemies on professional mode. On previous games on easier modes your eyes seldom need to leave the map. Professional mode will force you to rely more on direct line of sight to spot the enemies. In addition, you'll have to find all four pieces of crest to unlock the gate.

5.) Pick up only one crank at a time. Each time you pick up a crank another enemy appears, making it very difficult to manage the trap without the partner cranking getting grabbed. To compound this, the player cranking will not be able to see the enemies on their map, and cannot change their view while cranking so they are going to be depending on you to lure the enemies away or alert them if one is coming near.

6.) After grabbing each piece of crest, make sure to run back to the gate and place each piece as soon as you acquire them. Each time you do this it creates a checkpoint and you'll avoid having to repeat your work.

7.) Grab every flash grenade you can find in this area and make sure to have them equipped. Occasionally an enemy will wedge its weapon in the falling spiked floor and you'll need to toss a grenade at them to upset their balance to allow the platform to crush them. This seems to happen very often in professional mode, but rarely in easier modes so be ready for it if you haven't experienced it yet. Don't waste your flash grenades on anything else, you may need each one you find.

8.) During the final battle with Wesker there are a couple of strategies that seem to work well. If you are good at hitting those split second contextual action prompts, then by all means, draw his fire as much as possible by firing at him, dodge his attacks and hit back while he recovers. If these prompts are just too fast for you, allow Jill to draw his fire, but stay close to her so that when he moves it to attack you can step forward before he attacks and press "o" to help partner and deliver a melee attack each time an opportunity is provided. You may end up having to heal her several times if you choose this strategy, but either way, the fight ends after a set amount of time and you've successfully completed "Lost in Nightmares".

Borderlands

Players: 1-2 (Online 2-4)
Required Space: 2.7 GB
Supported HD Output: 1080p
DLC: Yes

Boderlands is certainly one of the most addictive RPGs ever created.

When I first started playing this game I was unimpressed. The line art style of graphics took a little getting used to, and frankly, the first few missions were so easy that I almost quit playing out of boredom.

After fifteen minutes I was hooked. The mission and level pacing is excellent, especially on single player mode. The bosses are tough enough to require some experience farming beforehand and the enemy AI seems to be constantly evolving according to the player levels and skill.

The game box boasts "BAZILLIONS OF GUNS", and they truly deliver. Every gun is unique in some way due to seemingly random values of stats and they are also color coded by rarity, allowing you to quickly identify items of interest among the plentiful drops and crates.

The multiplayer drop in/drop out interface automatically increases the difficulty of enemies and occurrence of valuable loot in random drops, encouraging cooperative play. All the money and experience earned during cooperative play is distributed to every player, but it is not divided among them, instead it is duplicated. While this is beneficial to most players, allowing them to level up quickly by joining another player's game, I found it a little too close to cheating. On my first play through there were several difficult parts of the game that I only conquered with the aid of other players, sometimes earning achievements based on their performance.

On my second play through I played mostly alone in order to experience the full game without help. The second play through is a lot more exciting because the enemies and items continue to level up to level 50 (if you have not purchased any expansions). You'll find much more valuable loot the second time around and the enemies are very challenging.

Here are a few tips that will help you get the most out of your gaming experience:

Weapons are plentiful, and they will be constantly increasing in level and effectiveness as your character levels. Because of this you shouldn't be concerned about holding onto to every weapon you come across. The vast majority of the weapons you'll find you'll end up selling, so keep a light inventory so that you have room to carry as much as you can. Generally, you'll find that your character will excel with a particular weapon type depending on how you choose to allocate your skill points, and which class mod is equipped. For example; A hunter with a gunslinger build will mostly be using pistols. It's a good idea to have at least one good short range weapon and one good long range weapon. As the game progresses you'll want to hold on to at least one good caustic weapon and one good static weapon due to late game enemy types. Aside from that, you can sell everything else that you're not using. If you're a pack rat and can't help yourself from collecting, keep in mind that you'll want at least one or two slots free at all times in case you need to quickly grab a rare item.

Weapon crates and enemies reset each time you load a game. For example; New Haven is a perfect place to harvest weapons. This area has five weapon crates scattered around the town that can be harvested before quitting and saving. Simply reload your game afterward and harvest them again. This can be done repeatedly and is best taken advantage of when you have an ally to join your game since chests tend to yield better equipment according to how many players are present.

Watch for weapons that have ammo regeneration listed among their attributes. From my experience, these are just as rare as eridian weapons and they are almost always gold coded rarities. Even if you come across one that is rather weak, you can equip it temporarily in order to restore ammunition. On my first play through I found a caustic revolver with ammo regeneration rather early on and I carried it through the entire game using it mostly to generate ammo for a better revolver I was carrying.

Power leveling is possible if you have a friend invite you to a game that is much farther along than your own. Although you will most likely be ineligible for the quests, you will still share in the cash and experience earned while you play. Even if you have not completed the first play through you can join a friend playing on their second play through and level very quickly. I wouldn't recommend this on your first play through, but if you're looking to level up a second character to experiment with you can even do this on split screen mode and just let the second player sit there gaining experience while you slay enemies.

Upon entering a multiplayer game you may be challenged to a duel. Players can strike one another with a melee attack to initiate a duel. Don't be afraid of dying, other players cannot kill you like enemies can. If you lose a duel you'll be near death but you will not have to respawn.

Arenas are very similar in that they are based on player versus player action. Although you may die in the arena, you do not have to pay for respawn like you would if an enemy had killed you.

Watch out for mods (not to be confused with class mods). Class mods are in game items that a player can equip one at a time to bestow the wearer with specified benefits. Class mods come in a great variety and are unique to each character type. A mod, on the other hand, is basically a hacked item. Programs exist where players can load their collected weapons and manipulate the values attributed to each item. Most of the time mods are easy to spot because they will be ridiculously over powered and may or may not show in your inventory in the correct category. For example; A few days ago I was given a shield called "Ironclad Ironclad". The item, when not equipped, appears in an unmarked category separate from other shields in my inventory. The shield can absorb several hundred thousand points of damage and can recharge almost instantly. While this sounds great, I assure you that the game gets very boring. Also, I don't know what the network's official position is, but I'm hoping that a patch comes out soon to prevent mods from appearing in online games.

All in all, Borderlands is a very entertaining game with tons of replay value and a simple, intuitive user interface very similar to other first person shooters. I highly recommend it!

Little Big Planet

Players : 1-4 (online 2-4)
Required Space: 600MB
Supported HD Output : 720p
DLC : Yes

Little Big Planet is truly a world unto itself creating a unique genre of creative gaming where players learn how to manipulate the mechanics of the game during their first play through and then move on to create online worlds of their own afterward. A truly unique and engaging experience for children of all ages.

Released in 2007 this charming adventure game quickly became popular among children and adults alike. The player controls a sack person with innocent, little, button eyes who embarks on a journey of incredible peril to save its toy friends from the clutches of a fiendish collector.

As missions progress, players collect stickers and game play items that can be stored for later use while designing your very own playable levels that can be shared with other players online. The online community provides for near infinite replay value, encouraging players to design their own levels and providing feedback through a player rating system.

The downloadable content for this game may be the most impressive aspect yet, offering far more downloads including costumes and levels more plentiful than I have ever seen for a disc based game. Even now, in 2010, while we are seeing promotions for the sequel, they are still releasing new expansions for the original. Bravo!

I highly recommend this game. Even after completing this game and playing many user designed levels I know that I still have not seen all that this game has to offer and I still have a long way to go before unlocking all of the achievements. This game provides some serious challenges and encourages creativity in a refreshing way that should be adopted by more game creators. I will definitely be buying the sequel.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Players : 1 - 4 (online 2 - 4)

Required Space : 2.5 GB

Supported HD Output : 720p

DLC : Yes

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 delivers a powerful multi-player arcade experience packed with almost all of your favorite Marvel heroes. Hot on the heels of the original game, this sequel showcases 24 playable Marvel heroes and villains with additional downloadable playable characters and content available.

This game provides a simple and intuitive user interface with drop in/drop out cooperative play as well as the new fusion abilities that allow players to pair up to form special combination attacks utilizing a mixture of both powers. These fusion attacks are powered by successfully scoring hits on common enemies, thereby further encouraging the cooperative aspect of the game.

The plot of the game loosely follows the Civil War time period in the Marvel Universe and allows you to choose sides between registration and anti-registration following the primary characters Iron Man and Captain America through the storyline.

With all the characters to choose from there are many different team combinations available that the game will attribute special bonuses to, such as classics like The Avengers and X-Men, as well as many newer and obscure combinations like The Thunderbolts and Natural Forces to name a few. In addition, there are team boosts medals that can be won and equipped three at a time, affecting your entire team and allowing you to focus your team bonuses in ways that will augment your primary methods of attack as well as protect your team from specific weaknesses. The combinations are endless.

Overall an exciting, action packed game with great replay value for children of all ages.

Try out these team combinations:


Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (+15% Max Health): Daredevil, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Ms. Marvel, Nick Fury, Wolverine

Agile Warriors (+2 all Attributes): Black Panther, Carnage, Daredevil, Deadpool, Iron Fist, Spider-Man

Authority Issues (+35% Fusion Gain): Gambit, Magneto, Juggernaut, Wolverine

Best Friends? (+15% Max Stamina): Cable, Deadpool, Spider-Man, Venom

Bruisers (+5 Striking): Hulk, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Thing, Thor, Venom

Classic Avengers (+15% Max Stamina): Black Panther, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor

Defenders (+2 to Body, Focus, Striking, and Teamwork): Hulk, Iceman, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Wolverine

Double Date (+35% Fusion Gain): Black Panther, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Storm

Fantastic Four (+35% Fusion Gain): Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Thing

Femmes Fatales (+5% Damage): Invisible Woman, Jean Grey, Ms. Marvel, Psylocke, Songbird, Storm

Former Horsemen (+10% to all Resistances): Gambit, Hulk, Iceman, Wolverine

Heroes For Hire (+10% to all Resistances): Deadpool, Hulk, Luke Cage, Iron Fist

Martial Artists (+5 Striking): Captain America, Daredevil, Deadpool, Iron Fist, Psylocke, Wolverine

Marvel Knights (+5% chance for Critical Hits): Black Panther, Daredevil, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine

Master Minds (+15% Max HP): Iron Man, Magneto, Mr. Fantastic, Nick Fury, Spider-Man

Masters Of Energy (+15% Max Health): Cable, Gambit, Iron Fist, Jean Grey, Ms. Marvel, Nick Fury, Penance

Maximum Carnage (+5% Damage Inflicted as Health Gain): Captain America, Carnage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Venom

Natural Forces (+5% Damage Inflicted as Health Gain): Human Torch, Iceman, Jean Grey, Storm, Thor

Natural Leaders (+5% Experience): Black Panther, Cable, Captain America, Jean Grey, Magneto, Mr. Fantastic, Ms. Marvel, Songbird, Storm

New Avengers (+10% to all Resistances): Iron Fist, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, Wolverine

Pro-Reg Heroes (+15% Max HP): Deadpool, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Ms. Marvel, Songbird, Spider-Man

Repentant Killers (+5% Criticals): Jean Grey, Penance, Psylocke, Wolverine

Secret Avengers (+3 Teamwork): Cable, Captain America, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Nick Fury, Spider-Man, Storm

Secret Warriors (+5 Damage): Captain America, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine

Shut Up Already! (15% Extra Health): Deadpool, Human Torch, Iceman, Spider-Man, Thing

Thunderbolts (+5% Damage): Green Goblin, Penance, Songbird, Venom

Think Tank (+15% Max HP): Black Panther, Green Goblin, Hulk, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man

Unrepentant Killers (+5% Damage Inflicted as Health Gain): Carnage, Green Goblin, Magneto, Venom

Weapon Specialists (+5% Criticals): Black Panther, Cable, Captain America, Daredevil, Deadpool, Gambit, Green Goblin, Thor

X-Men (+15% Max Stamina): Cable, Gambit, Iceman, Jean Grey, Juggernaut, Magneto, Psylocke, Storm, Wolverine

Fallout 3

Players : 1

Required Space : 6000MB

Supported HD output : 720p

DLC : Yes

The third installment of the wildly popular post apocalyptic role playing game, Fallout 3 is one of the most impressive games I have ever played. It has the largest game environment I have ever experienced and it is packed with interesting and challenging quests, some of which will test the skills of even the most experienced gamers.

The most noticeable change from Fallout 2 must be the level of detail and the switch from a 2D static bird's eye view camera to the the 3D first and third person cameras available in Fallout 3. The ability to play from the character's view provides the immersion in the environment that its predecessors were lacking. The sheer size of the free roaming environment is incredible, especially with the addition of the five expansion packs, each offering a new section of playable area chock full of new creatures, weapons, and items unique to each area. More than that, the environment is expertly rendered, depicted as gritty and lifelike as possible down to the smallest pieces of scattered debris.

The role playing in Fallout 3 is thoroughly developed, offering a nearly endless level of customization through character development that begins when the game begins at your character's actual birth.

For fans of the series there are many other little improvements such as ammunition having zero weight. Although some complained that this makes the game a little unrealistic, it provides an ease of game play allowing you to pick up any type of weapon at any time without having to run all the way back to your base to dig up some ammo.

My favorite change from Fallout 2 would have to be that in Fallout 3 the V.A.T.S. mode, or turn based strategy interface is purely optional. In older versions once you were within targeting range of an enemy, the interface would pop up and lock you into combat until all enemies were vanquished. In Fallout 3 you can choose to enter or leave V.A.T.S. at any time and you can also attack outside of the interface which can be very helpful when targeting multiple enemies or when swinging away at enemies with weapons like sledge hammers.

My only complaint about this game is that the main quest is a little too quickly and too easily achieved. The design of this game seems to depend on people exploring most of the map outside of the main quest on their own since the main quest only occupies scattered parts of the whole map. Unfortunately, it is possible to complete the game in less than eight hours without having explored the vast majority of the map. I would have preferred to see a more complex main quest difficult enough to compel me to explore optional quests along the way in order to achieve my primary goals. My first time through I passed up many of these optional quests that would have taken me out of my way thinking that afterward I would return to complete them. However, without the expansions, the story does not continue past the end of the main quest, so I would generally recommend that if an optional quest is available and of interest, take advantage of it sooner rather than later.

I highly recommend this game. Even after several play throughs with different types of characters, and even after unlocking the PS3 platinum trophy for this game, I still find myself returning to the "capital wasteland" to lay waste from time to time.

For first time players the stat and skill allocation can be a bit daunting and can lead to frustrating mid game experiences regretting the choices that you've made. My favorite build is 2 points to intelligence, 1 to agility, and at least 1 to perception, and the skills: small guns, repair, and either lock pick or science for the third. This build provides for almost every gun related perk available, and allows you to repair weapons and armor immediately after starting, which is a crucial skill to not only survive, but to flourish by creating a valuable inventory that can be traded to merchants. I also like to choose 3 early ranks of quick learner to provide for a faster level progression along with 3 ranks of gun nut to augment the tag skills. With this formula traversing the wasteland between cities can become profitable rather than expensive concerning both the ammunition and the experience points earned.

I would also advise first time players to choose whether you're going to be a good, bad, or neutral type of character before choosing your skill allocations. Most skills are great for any character type, but some certainly lean in one way or another. For example, an evil character will excel with skills like lock pick, or sneak, while a good character would make better use of medicine.

Just as important, is to consider what type of combat your player is going to rely on. Even a good guy will have to do quite a bit of killing, so you want to make sure you're good at it. Choose a combat related skill as one of your tag skills and immediately allocate some points to it during your first few levels. I don't recommend melee weapons or hand to hand combat for reasons that should be obvious, but if you do choose either of these skills as your primary combat skill, be sure to allocate some of your 5 initial attribute points to strength and endurance in order to make these types of attacks effective.

Feel free to comment and post your favorite character builds:

Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360

Clearly, each system has unique benefits over the other, but what are they, and how should they affect your decision to buy one console over the other.

As a Playstation 3 owner I am constantly debating this with several of my friends who all own Xboxes, which brings me to the first point. Xbox is more widely used. Since the networks don't intermingle this gives Xbox owners a decided advantage since they will be more likely to be able to play with people they know.

Xbox owners can also play split screen mode with multiple users signed on simultaneously. While some PS3 games offer this function for offline play (or online play utilizing offline profiles) it generally does not allow you to sign on as two separate users in games like Resident Evil 5 (which was designed to be a two player cooperative game). Although you can still play two player split screen modes, trophies and progress cannot be shared between two profiles unless you manually copy the save game data and transfer it onto the other user name. I admit, I find this very frustrating as a PS3 owner.

PS3 owners have enjoyed higher definition graphics from the beginning. Even now, with XBox 360s updated to be capable of HD output, they are still a stage behind PS3 who recently updated to HD 1.4, capable of 3D output. In addition, most PS3 games are designed for HD output to begin with. A standard def Xbox game isn't going to magically be capable of HD output after the console is updated. As an owner of an HD TV, this was a big factor in my decision to purchase a PS3.

A PS3 is also a blu-ray player! As an owner of an HD TV, this was another big factor in my decision to purchase a PS3. With a high output home theater system system I was already in the market for a blu-ray player but wasn't ready to buy a player alone due to the cost, as well as the fact that I've only recently developed a respectable DVD collection and was reluctant to invest in a technology that might only have minor benefits over what I already had.

The final reason that I chose PS3 was more personal and biased, I must admit. In my youth I had a Sony Discman that I carried everywhere. From middle school, through high school, from one side of the country to the other, I took that dependable piece of electronics everywhere. I mistreated it, scuffed it all up, dropped it countless times. After several of years of misuse it would occasionally disassemble when dropped from 5 feet or more, the motor and laser popping out, the lid would fly off, the button covers worn off, and the batteries held in by tape after cracking the battery cover. I would just snap the pieces back together and it would always work. In fact, I still have this wonderful piece of technology years after graduation, and even though I don't use it because I have moved on to MP3 players, it still works, and it still never skips unless I deliberately rap it on the lid while playing. Even though this has nothing to do with the PS3, Sony has consistently delivered dependable and affordable products and when I was ready to invest the money into one of these two expensive consoles I wanted to go with a brand that I trusted.

I have had a PS3 for a year and a half now and I have not had a single problem with it. In contrast, my girlfriend has gone through five Xboxes over the last three years due to system failure, "the dreaded red ring of death".

In summation, if you want an affordable system strictly for gaming that may or may not have serious design flaws, buy an Xbox. If you want a slightly more expensive system capable of higher HD output and able to play blu-ray movies with a tried and true history of delivering the best electronic components in the industry, buy a Sony PS3.