Ninja Gaiden III Review

There is a game that comes around every so often that I am really excited for, that completely lets me down. Ninja Gaiden III does more than just let me down, it upsets me. This game is so bad, it doesn't even deserve to be connected in any way to it's predecessors.



Visually the game looks worse than Ninja Gaiden II, which doesn't make sense because that game came out almost four years ago. The game is extremely low res and there are frequent frame rate drops, especially in large battle situations. What I found was most annoying was the sporadic camera during battles. The game tries to be cool and stylish by zooming in on over stylized kills, but ends up hurting itself. How am I supposed to plan my next attack when I can't even see my enemies because of terrible camera angles? That's a question Team Ninja should've asked themselves when they decided to incorporate this feature in the game.

Gameplay has been completely stripped down leaving almost no depth in the game. They decided to take out awesome features of the game for some reason like multiple weapons and multiple ninpo attacks. Instead you have one weapon that you don't even upgrade and one ninpo attack that allows you to turn into a fire dragon (or at least what looked like a fire dragon to me). The shop has also been taken out, leaving you with nowhere to buy or sell items, removing another layer of depth. Most importantly, the combat is just plain boring. It isn't as careful and combo oriented as the past installments, all you really need to do to be successful in battle is mash buttons. Instead of open combat, you are just locked in an arena and fight off waves of enemies. It's not bad, but it really gets mundane after a couple of hours. Battle also gets annoying as Ryu will get caught behind objects or stuck between walls because he is moving too fast, and the camera is too sporadic.

A trademark of this series is the brutality. Ryu used to be able to slice and dice his foes until they were just a headless, limbless torso. Now decapitations have been taken out of the game, leaving this game feeling unfamiliar. I didn't think I would care that much, but while playing this game, I just wanted to see some limbs go flying for old time sake. Boss battles are also less impressive. The last two installments offered stimulating boss battles in which each boss differed from one and other. In Ninja Gaiden 3, you fight a bunch of giant robots and machines, making boss battles redundant.

The story is terrible and the dialogue is laughable. You really don't care at all about what is going on and don't feel compelled to even try to care. Ryu's arm is infected by the blood of all of the people he has ever killed and only has a week to live, so he has to do a bunch of killing in order to complete his goal apparently. They could have used this to show a compassionate and emotional side to Ryu, and they almost do it. In one part, a soldier is cowering in fear after Ryu kills his whole squad. You control Ryu as the soldier keeps backing away and begging for his life. Instead of giving the players the option to let the man live, you are forced to corner him and murder him. This does nothing but make Ryu look like an emotionless, heartless bastard, so why should I care if he is dying? Dialogue and voice acting have never been great in the series, but they are especially terrible in this one. In one line Ryu actually says "I will borrow your soul, Lord of the Dark Ninja." What does that even mean?

This game is downright awful and to be honest, I didn't enjoy one bit of it. Being a huge fan of Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II, I felt cheated by this lazy attempt to keep the series going. After Tomonobu Itagaki left Team Ninja, I was still confident that they would be able to keep the Ninja Gaiden series great, but man was I wrong. Don't play this game, especially if you're like me and loved the first two.

Mass Effect 3 Review

The wait from Mass Effect 2 to Mass Effect 3 wasn't a very long one, and it shows in the last installment of the series. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Mass Effect 2 was my favorite game of 2010 and I wouldn't be surprised if 3 ends up being my favorite game of 2012.

Visually, this game is absolutely stunning. At first glance the game looks very much like its predecessor, but once you dive deeper and deeper in, you will begin to notice the subtle intricacies. What immediately stood out to me were the background visuals during action sequences in the game. It came to the point where I was paying more attention to the action going on in the background rather than the action in which I was participating. Cut-scenes are also beautifully animated and masterfully framed, which isn't surprising at all seeing that incredible cut-scenes have become a staple in the series. I ran into a few rendering issues while playing, but it didn't take away from the experience. Though you'd think that BioWare would have fixed this since it's been a problem since the first game, it really isn't a huge deal.

Gameplay has been improved on as well, especially with the addition of voice commands. With a Kinect on Xbox 360, you will be able to command your companions with your voice. Instead of opening up the command wheel and choosing an option, you can simply say "Garrus, use concussive shot," and he will fire one off without hesitation. Being very unimpressed by Kinect thus far, I was extremely impressed with how responsive it was to my voice and how it actually made action sequences more enjoyable. The Kinect  can also be used to voice dialogue options instead of using the controller to select them. Other than that, action is pretty much the same. You have two crew members supporting you on excursions and you must use cover and command your crew in order to be successful in battle. Sometimes the cover system can be unresponsive or sloppy, but it doesn't lead to too much frustration. The omni-blade tool is a weapon now and can be used to strike down enemies at close range, making close range combat less clunky and awkward.  There is also a great variety in enemy types, and new enemy types are bigger and tougher, making it all the more satisfying to take them down.

The main strength in this series is the voice acting, dialogue, and story. Mass Effect 3 keeps up the tradition by continuing the great story, making this installment significantly darker than the first two. As more and more people get cut down by the reapers, your cause feels more hopeless. Especially when Shepard speaks in certain sequences, and his humanity is put on display. Shepard shows more compassion and pessimism and it shows especially in conversations with military leaders where feelings of certain defeat are expressed. Character development is still a huge part in the narrative and you will feel yourself come even closer with  characters from the past installments, especially at the end of the game when most questions are answered.

The multiplayer does what it is intended to do and adds extra depth to a game that is already extremely deep. The multiplayer won't sell the game to anyone, but it gives you a little more bang for your buck and gives you an opportunity to play a very well made game with your friends. There are two game modes; a four player co-op mode where you and your friends can tackle on missions, and a Gears of War like horde mode where you and your friends team up and take on waves of enemies. Both are fun and worth playing, but the multiplayer does not outshine the campaign, nor would I ever want or expect it to.



Mass Effect 3 is the best game I have played so far this year and I'm hoping other games can follow suit. What makes this game great for me is the fact that you can take the character you played from the first installment and bring them through the next two. It really helped me connect with Shepard and actually care about him, because I had gotten to know him so well. The same goes for the supporting characters, I have gotten to know them so well and actually found myself caring for them too as if they were real beings. This is a series that I'll find myself playing through again in a few years, because it will be too damn hard to leave the world of Mass Effect behind me.

Halo 4 video reaction

 Recently, 343 studios released a video about the making of Halo 4, similar to one Bungie released about Halo: Reach, released months before its release. The game will take off from where the third left off, giving players control over the man, the myth, the legend himself, Master Chief.

The video put a lot of environments they developed on display, including a multiplayer map. In the map, there is what looks like a mech sitting idle. My guess would be that this mech will be usable in multiplayer, and probably be an extremely powerful killing machine. What really impressed me about the environments shown is how beautiful the lighting looks. Light reflects off of metal objects better than anything I've seen in any video game before. The light even hits Master Chief's armor and reflects in the exact spots that it hits, making the armor look shiny and beautiful.

Chief's armor looks beautiful without the light shining on it too. A comparison using the Master Chief model from Halo 3, and comparing it with the new model shows how incredibly more detailed the new Master Chief is. There are armor lines that weren't there before, and the armor looks smoother and sleeker on the new engine. I was especially impressed that 343 will be including the latest in motion capture technology. In the video, people dressed in motion capture suits are shown vaulting and making facial expressions. This hopefully will result in an effective vaulting mechanic, similar to the one in Battlefield 3, and also realistic facial movements, similar to the ones in L.A. Noire.

What disappointed me about the video is the lack of comparison to the models in Halo: Reach. When making Reach, Bungie did the same thing and compared the new engine to the one of Halo 3. It is unimpressive that they are doing so with Halo 4 because Halo 3 came out 4 and a half years ago. It would have made more sense to compare Halo 4 to Reach, seeing that Reach is the most recent addition to the series. Although Reach looked fantastic, it looks like Halo 4 is going to blow it's graphics out of the water, so a comparison between the two would have been cool to see. I also didn't like that they talked about the new enemy threat, without showing what it will look like. It would have been nice to see the foes that I will be destroying as Master Chief.

All in all, this video was just as effective in increasing my excitement for this game, just as the video Bungie did on Reach increased my excitement for that game. There are still no details on a release date and I don't expect there will be until at E3 at the latest. I'm just hoping this game comes out this year so I don't have to wait until 2013.

New Assassins Creed 3 trailer

Today the debut Assassins Creed 3 trailer was posted on the web for the world to see. Just under a week ago, a couple of concept drawings were released showing the hero of the game dressed in a similar hooded ensemble, but armed with a tomahawk, a pistol, dressed in boots that look like they are made out of hide, and standing in front of a waving American flag.

The guess that I made when I saw the drawings was that this game was going to take place during the colonial era in America. After seeing the trailer, I now know that the game will take place during the revolutionary war. The end of the trailer shows American soldiers in blue coats charging into battle, with American flags waving, and a general that looks very similar to George Washington. This will hopefully make for an interesting change in game play since the setting is so different from the cities used in the old games like Jerusalem and Venice.

The hero is also shown using his tomahawk to silently take down foes. There isn't much hidden blade show, but it's doubtful that an assassins most used weapon won't be in the game. The hero is also seen using a pistol to blast an enemy in the face, after digging a tomahawk into the back of his skull. This makes me hopeful that the game will come chocked full of cool combinations that you, as the hero, can pull off. The way the hero climbs and swings through the forest on trees makes me wonder if the game will take place primarily in the forest. It would definitely be a change of pace from the advanced civilizations that were the settings of the past games in the series.

I'm not going to lie, this game has me more interested than I imagined it would. The change of setting will make for a breath of fresh air for the series, and not make it feel so stale. The game has a release date of October 30th 2012, so be sure to save the date and pick up a copy.

The Darkness II review

Although this game did come out a couple of weeks ago, I finally have been able to get my hands on it and concoct a review. The sequel will please fans of the first as it is more gruesome than it's predecessor.

First things first, the combat in the Darkness II is a lot more fun and polished than it was in the first. Though there was no problem with the combat in the first installment, there just wasn't much to it. All you could really do was point and shoot, and use the darkness to snap at your foes. In the Darkness II, there still is a lot of shooting, but it is accompanied by more darkness powers, and even a little minion that does your bidding for you. The demon arms can now pull off different maneuvers that can rip and tear Jackie's enemies in half in a few swift motions. As for Darkling, the little minion at your disposal, you can send him off to do his special attacks on enemies which include urinating acid on them and eating their flesh. The ability for Jackie to quad wield the demon arms with a pair of guns also makes for innovative and fun combat. The game encourages you to kill your opponents in various ways by rewarding you with points, similar to Bulletstorm. This includes using your environment, and any tools that you have at your disposal. The points matter because they allow Jackie to unlock new powers and moves. Jackie also has the power to grab objects in his environment and use them as weapons i.e using a street sign as a spear and impaling his enemies.

The multiplayer is a nice addition to the game, giving it more depth and a higher replay value. In the multiplayer, you and your friends take over the roles of Jackie's henchmen that are called upon to do jobs that Jackie doesn't have time for. All of the henchmen have darkness powers like Jackie, and are able to perform the same attacks. The multiplayer ties into the actual campaign of the game, so it's not some forced in, gimmicky multiplayer, but a thought out and well crafted addition to the game. 

The story is absolutely lackluster and brings this game down a bit. The premise is that an unknown person is after Jackie and wants Jackie to give up his powers so he can harvest them himself. Sounds decent enough, but the game doesn't do a good job of making you care. Though it's kind of cheesy, the excessive mourning over his girlfriends death give Jackie some depth and help us realize that he has weaknesses like any every human being. Though the story lacks, it really comes together at the end to make an exciting conclusion. You'll just be wondering why the first few hours of the game couldn't have been executed as well as the end.

The graphics in the Darkness II are impressive. The developers at Digital Extremes took a different approach after taking over the series, using a cel-shading technique similar to the one used in games like Sly Cooper. The music goes well with the overall atmosphere of the game, making it feel gritty and dark. The dialogue of the characters is fantastic as well, and almost gives this dull story some life.

Though it is successful with it's graphics and sound, the game falls short of excellence because of it's bugs and errors. Many enemies look the same which takes away from the experience and they also tend to fall through the ground or through walls. In some instances, the frame rate tanks, leading to frustrating moments such as dying because of the extreme lag. There will be glitches and bugs that will force you to go back to your last checkpoint,  so be weary of that before you buy the game.



If you can get past all of the bugs in this game, then you have a game that is solid. It's not incredible, but it's worth playing. I personally wouldn't drop $60 on it, but I would rent it, or even wait for a price drop and buy it used.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning; a pleasant surprise

Before about a week ago, I couldn't tell you anything about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Now that it has been released and has received some positive attention from major publications, I took it upon myself to see what this game really has to offer.

What I found was that this game has a lot to offer, and one of the things this game offers is outstanding gameplay. This game is revolved around it's combat mechanics and they are excellent. The combat reminded me of Fable in a way, but it was more deep and more fun. The battles you will fight require you to hack, slash, parry, roll, and use spells to attack and defend yourself from your foes. There are plenty of weapons and armor to chose from, so you can deck out your character to whatever fits the style you want to play most. The ability to customize your abilities and loadouts on the fly also make you feel less restricted with decisions you can make, or even less skeptical.

The story, like most RPGs today, is extremely deep and will suck you in. Written by New York Times best selling author R.A. Salvatore, allows the player to create his or her own character, and control them through a beautifully crafted fantasy world. The game starts with your player being revived in a structure that we find out is called the "Well of Souls." There is no predetermined destiny for your character, so the story will progress based on how you play, and the decisions that you make. This really gives you ultimate power in really playing the game how you want to play it. With such freedom, the possibilities in the game are almost limitless adding layers and layers of depth. Dialogue amongst random characters is well done and not redundant. You will venture to different regions and talk to different people and never feel as if you have talked to the same voice actor one million times before. One problem that I had was the characters, and monsters aren't all that stunning, but more so bland and uninteresting.

Graphically, this game is beautiful. There are five different regions, all unique in their own way, and the attention to detail in textures, shading, and lighting is phenomenal. Once again, the game reminds me of Fable, just a little more polished. Movement of the characters are strikingly similar, and the world itself is reminiscent of the world of Albion. The musical score is well done and adds to the overall atmosphere of the title.

Unfortunately, like most big open world titles, Amalur has some technical bugs that may take away from the experience. There were various instances in combat where my frame rate tanked, making combat much harder and more frustrating than it needed to be. That's really all I saw as far as bugs go. Unlike games in the Elder Scrolls series, I never fell through the map, or even got stuck in a spot that I couldn't get out of. This relieved me of the anxiety that something stupid and out of my control could happen, so I didn't need to save my game too much.



Since the game is so deep, there are countless hours of gameplay that you can invest in it. There are four different races and three different classes to choose from, and they all come equipped with different powers and perks. The races are Almain (cvilized Humans), Dokkalfar (Dark Elves), Ljosalfar (Light Elves), and Varani (nomadic Humans). The classes you can choose from are fighter, rogue, and mage, and each come with 22 abilities per tree giving the player a lot of choices and a reason to play through the game more than just once.

All in all, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a very good game that will give you a lot of bang for your buck. The combat is a whole lot of fun, the story is easy to get immersed in, and it looks fabulous. Though it is held back by a few technical bugs, and poor variety in character modeling, that shouldn't hold you back from playing this game. This is a game that is worth buying because not only is it well executed, but it is a game that you could come back to maybe a year from now and start another adventure that will most likely differ from your first.

Howard reveals potential ideas for Skyrim DLC

Todd Howard, the creative directer at Bethesda studios, mad much to say about new ideas that he and the team have been brainstorming over while he spoke at DICE 2012 games industry convention in Las Vegas. Howard stated that he told his team to just go away and brainstorm ideas that could be added to a Skyrim DLC. He also stated that all of the ideas listed are strictly experimental and there is no telling as of now, which will be added to the DLC. Here are some of the ideas that Howard's team came up with, courtesy of IGN entertainment, along with my input on each.


Spears- Hopefully much more useful than the spears in Fallout: New Vegas... those sucked.

Kill cams for magic: Kind of cool I guess, but will probably just remind me of V.A.T.S

Water arrows - Don't know what these means really...

Giant mud crabs - Will be cool if they actually can take a lot of damage.

Paralysis runes - This would make me happy because I love to paralyze my enemies in Skyrim. Nothing like hacking your enemies to pieces while they lie there and aren't able to do anything about it.

Seasonal foliage - This would add even more depth to this game. Especially if they go as far as have different creatures out and about during the different seasons of the year.

Speedy water currents - The currents in the game are already pretty fast. I guess they want to add some rapids in there, give the player a real drowning helplessly in the river experience.

Dragon mounts - That would be too good to be true. If Bethesda follows through with this, Skyrim will easily be the most epic game of all time. Especially if they add combat abilities like controlling your dragons fire breath or even just shooting fools with your bow while mounted.

Dark dungeons - Could add a little more realism to the game and actually force players to use torches, or spells that illuminate areas.

Adoption of children - Wouldn't really add much to the game, unless you had to bring food home to them and care for them (which I doubt will be the case).

Advanced home building - This would be a nice feature to add in the game. The players could become the Skyrim version of Martha Stuart.

Epic new mounts - Sabre cats, bears, mammoths, or even on  the shoulders of giants maybe? One could only hope.

Fast travel portals - Kind of pointless because we can just use the map...

Kinect dragon shouts - Honestly would give me all the reason I need to actually buy a kinect. Would also be really funny to see people try to pronounce the shouts, fail miserably, and look really goofy.

Enhanced water visuals - The water wasn't all that great looking nor was it bad looking. This is something that really doesn't matter, but couldn't hurt if added.

Ice and fire arrows - I mean... you can already enchant them can't you? Don't really see the point.

Lycanthrope perk tree - Please do it Bethesda. The whole werewolf thing was cool for like 5 minutes, then I decided to just get rid of it. A perk tree would add more depth to this power and probably make it a lot more fun to use than it is now.

Vampire imp minions - Who doesn't want minions? Actually let me rephrase that... what kind of fucking vampire doesn't want minions? Hopefully these little guys could actually be of use and do some damage on enemies.

Goblins - I forgot that the Elder Scrolls series usually has goblins as enemy creatures... kind of goes to show that they really aren't needed...

So there you have it. Some of the ideas on this list look really cool and promising, like the idea of various new mounts including dragons, and the kinect dragon shouts that will probably make everyone look insane. Most of the others I've seen done in mods already, but will be cool for console players to be able to enjoy. Others unnecessary like the ice and fire arrows and the fast travel portals because those are things that the player can already do regardless of which platform they are playing on. This has gotten me all excited now, but I still have to realize that there is no real information released on this yet, so who knows when we will be able to get our hands on this DLC.