Video Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

After the betrayal, the controversy, the fighting, and the reorganizing the new Call of Duty game is out. Will it impress, or does this game deserve a good tactical strike on it?

It’s been an odd time for the Call of Duty series. With the original creators out of the picture from last years controversy the series has been in limbo.  The fans were split, and even we journalists found our selves upset with the giant known as Activision. However, the game has been played, and the hour of truth is here. It’s time to put bias to the side, and talk about how this game is.

The story starts out with the main character Alex Mason tied up in a room filled with all kinds of equipment and tools. A voice begins to interrogate him on his recent military career. It is not certain what the voice wants from Mason at first, but it acts as a guide through Mason’s memories. These memories being about 90% of the game’s story. The story its self is your classic Cold War conspiracy story, topped off with a fictional WMD called Nova 6. Bes

“Comprehensive” Fallout: New Vegas Patch On Its Way

Bethesda, the publisher behind Fallout: New Vegas, have announced they will be releasing what they have described as a “Comprehensive” update to fix a number of the problems with the game.  Many gamers have been left disappointed by what was expected to be a solid sequel to the hugely popular Fallout 3 as a number of significant bugs and glitches have plagued the game. The patch will be available for all three versions; PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, 

Hitman 5 Coming In 2011?

If voice actor David Bateson’s confirmation of a new Hitman game was not enough to convince you that a new entry in IO Interactive’s stealthy assassination series was on the way, take heart. A fifth entry in the franchise is looking increasingly likely thanks to a few postings made recently on LinkedIn. IO employees Theo Engell-Nielsen, Rasmus Hoejengaard, and Damien Simper have all updated their resumes on LinkedIn to include Hitman 5, some of them even going as far as to list a 2011 release date for the game. With all of these people coming out of the woodwork claiming to have worked on the game, a public reveal for Hitman 5 seems all but inevitable. Maybe IO should change the focus of the next game, because this Hitman’s approach has been anything but stealthy.

Midweek Sales November 9 20010

Did you finish playing all the games you bought during the big Halloween sale a week ago? And you just can’t wait for the inevitable Black Friday sales that will come at the end of the month as well?  Don’t worry, you can find a few nice deals on spies, soldiers, and adventure in today’s crop of online sales.  Gamestop.com generally doesn’t do much for PC Gamers, but today they are offering 10% off on Mafia II on any platform, this comes out to $35.99 for PC, or $44.99 if you buy it for a console. This deal is only for today, Tuesday.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom Preview

Teamwork is a big part of Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. You take the control of a young thief who has managed to befriend a mythical beast named Majin in order to exterminate a blight called the darkness from the land. Majin is an intimating giant that looks like a cross between a rock golem and a tree. Enlisting Majin to your quest not only provides you with an intense bodyguard, it also opens up new possibilities for puzzle solving or exploration.

On your own, the thief is an agile sneak that can easily get the drop on enemies before they see him and assassinate them with one hit. The thief is a lot smaller than Majin, so getting through tight spaces is more his forte.

Hoard Review

I went into Hoard with almost no expectations. Other than one vague press release a made public around a week ago, I knew virtually nothing about the game. Still, the game’s description on the PSN promised much castle burning and villager scaring, which was enough for me to justify throwing down fifteen bones without a second thought. Sadly, Hoard never quite lives up to my wondrous visions of flames and chaos.

Although Hoard is technically a dual joystick shooter in the vein of Super Stardust HD or Everyday Shooter, the focus is less on the shooting (or, since you play a dragon in Hoard, perhaps it is more apt to call it breathing) and more on strategy. Burning buildings, farms, and roaming wagon carts will earn you money, which you can then deliver to your lair for points. You can only carry so much gold, though, so repeated trips to your hoard of gold will be necessary. Occasionally it will also be possible to nab a princess from one of several royal carriages that travel from kingdom to kingdom. Returning the princess to your hoard and subsequently defending her from the knights who will come to rescue her will earn you a large ransom bonus.

007: Blood Stone (X360) Review

I have no connection to the James Bond series. I’ve watched a few of the movies but never enjoyed them that much. So the thought of a James Bond game was largely something I had no interest in, granted I did enjoy Goldeneye on the N64. Bizarre Creations, the developer of 007: Blood Stone are mainly known for their racing games, namely the Project Gotham Racing series (which I’ve always adored). My main attraction to 007: Blood Stone was to see if Bizarre could make a solid shooter with a bit of driving. It seems a James Bond game was almost the perfect fit.

In 007: Blood Stone, you’re James Bond. That’s pretty much all you need to know. Of course, you’re having to take down some big boss man, but he’s mostly forgettable, similar to the rest of the story. If you came to 007: Blood Stone for a great Bond story, you’re in the wrong game. The plot is mostly nonsense stacked upon nonsense and serves mainly as a stepping stone to the many ridiculous and fun sequences you find throughout the game. The characters (except for Bond himself) are never that fleshed out or interesting in any way. You’ll find yourself counting down the seconds to the next gameplay section in almost every cutscene. All of this is topped off by one of the most random, unexplained plot twists I’ve ever seen. It literally made me burst out into laughter.