Batman: Arkham City (Game Of The Year Edition) PS3 Video Game Review

Batman: Arkham City Game Of The Year Edition

07/02/2012
Today, my girlfriend and I celebrate our 1st Year Anniversary and being the sweet and loving girlfriend that she is, she decided to let me choose a PS3 game that she would buy for me. I chose this game, because I had been looking to get this for quite sometime now but never got around to doing so, lucky for me, my timing was right as the GOTY Edition has already been released, this means for little extra amount of money, I get bonus content for free! This includes the following: Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC, Catwoman Pack, Robin Bundle Pack, Nightwing Bundle Pack, Arkham City Skins Pack and a Challenge Map Pack. All this included in a game 200 bucks (PhP) more than the original/standard one.


Now the folks at Warner Bros. Games and Rocksteady have went all out on this game which is the direct sequel to the amazing first chapter of the Batman franchise which is Batman Arkham Asylum. Now for those who played the first installment, you would know that it had a pretty dark setting going about it and for Arkham City, things got a little bit darker. And that's something would be expected, just picture this: Gotham's baddest of the bad, all in one place, a prison the size of a city, within Gotham City.


We don't start off straightforwardly as our famed caped crusader, but instead, you start off as Bruce Wayne, trying to make a little protest against the presence of Arkham City, this doesn't sit well with it's "Warden", Professor Hugo Strange disrupts his speech using his personal army. You eventually wake up dazed within the walls of Arkham City. But of course, being the hero, you get to a point wherein you eventually get geared up for action. Apart from this, you also have the opportunity to play a bit of a side story as Catwoman in various parts of the game. Similar to Arkham Asylum, the area of play is quite vast and almost fully explore-able. The map is vast and the  to make you feel like you are actually going around an entire city. You also get to experience some weather effects which add to the graphical architecture of the game and this also adds to the feeling like you are moving within a big and dangerous city.

The fun from the previous game hasn't changed and I'm referring to the straightforward jump in the middle of battle and beat everyone who comes within reach. Or go for the stealthy approach and pick the bad guys apart little by little striking fear with every stealth takedown. Free flow combat has also been retained and improved as well with some nifty new moves and takedowns. And the enemies aren't as dumb as you'd make them out to be because the foes here now have access to firearms and various weapons that they can just run and pickup despite temporarily disarming them. This means taking on the bad guys involves a little bit of strategic thinking.


The gear and the moves definitely will not disappoint players, as it seems that Arkham City has taken best or good bits and pieces from the entire Batman franchise and put them all into one solid game or in this case, one solid character. The storyline is something that was well thought out, simple yet complicated and apart from the main storyline, of course you have the various side missions, ranging from saving political prisoners, to saving Riddler's kidnap victims by solving his riddles, to tracking down Victor Zsasz by dashing throughout the city and catching ringing payphones to save victims. These side missions give the game a high replay value, plus the DLCs included will definitely prolong your adventure in this game.


Getting around Arkham City is pretty fun, you pretty much glide and grapple hook your way around town. Although I wish they would have thrown in the Batmobile just for the heck of it, it is after all the iconic vehicle of Batman. But overall, in my opinion, this game could be considered an ultimate game. Simply put, it is like a movie wherein the player is interactively involved, the audiovisual aspect of the game is thoroughly pleasing and the storyline offers depth and intensity.

Ranking:
Story: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10

Overall: I think this game deserves a 10/10. The story is intense and deep and the gameplay is very fluid and action packed. The replayability of the game is also very high due to the fact that there are various sidemissions as well as DLCs make the game very long and interesting.

Battlefield 3 Video Game Review (PS3)

Battlefield 3

                Once again, my awesome girlfriend has showered me with her love by pre-ordering me the limited edition Battlefield 3 a couple of months back, today was claim day and I finally got my hands on this much awaited game! Along with the Limited edition in game freebies, I got a pretty cool free shirt too as a part of the package, too bad they only had medium, it's a bit too big but what the heck.

                Let's get to it! To anyone who has played games from the Battlefield franchise, you know that when comes to making awesome virtual warzones, Battlefield makes it to the top of the list, well, my list at least, but I’m sure many would agree. When I purchase a game, I consider 3 things, the campaign aspect, the multiplayer aspect and the replayability of the game.

                First off, let’s tackle the campaign aspect of the game, the story revolves around a conflict between the Middle-East, some Russians and the United States. Since I hate spoilers, I won’t discuss this one too much. It’s a short campaign where you are put into various scenarios with some dramatic events and effects which adds more flair to the well structured storyline, the scenes are acted out well too adding more life to the story. Although the main scenes are quite one dimensional, which kind of show similarities to Call Of Duty Black Ops (I won’t go into any more detail, buy the game and play it to see what I mean). I was a bit disappointed though because the wit and personality of the previous games in the series such as Bad Company and Bad Company 2 weren’t integrated, I think that these aspects would have given the campaign more strength.

                On to the multiplayer aspect, this is where the magic happens so to speak. There are two parts here, the Co-Op multiplayer and the real deal 12 vs 12 multiplayer. The Co-Op multiplayer is technically a two player online mission based experience, meaning you’re up against AI, yes, sadly it can only be played online and only 2 players can be utilized, and there are only 6 missions to play and replay, which are somewhat related to the campaign. To be honest, these missions are more challenging than some of the campaign missions, too bad there are only 6 to choose from. They also added a nice touch to it though, you can unlock weapons by earning points from the missions and the weapons you unlock can be used in Multiplayer. To unlock all weapons, would require multiple repeat playthroughs of the missions here. Now on to the icing on the cake, the real multiplayer, which I believe is the heart of this game. There are about 9 maps where the 24 player action can take place, each one varies in size and scenery as well, ranging from urban, industrial, military and more “nature oriented” locations. And one of my favorite parts of this game is the concept of destruction, which I first got introduced to in the Bad Company series. But in this game, it seems to have been enhanced and which makes it more awesome. Most of the structures can be damaged and destroyed using the various tools for destruction at a players disposal, this adds more dimension to a game because this can create new paths as well as remove locations to hide behind. This environmental manipulation is key in creating more strategic opportunities for you and your team and as we all know, it’s always good fun to just blow stuff up.

                Of course, one can’t forget the vehicular aspect of the game, this time around, there is more variety added and each map, may or may not have vehicles in them, each map will also have a different set of vehicles available for use. From Humvees to Buggies to Transport Vehicles to Tanks to Rafts to Helicopters and to the latest addition, Jets. Each vehicle provides a tactical advantage, if used properly and effectively, these can turn the tide of a battle in an instant. Sadly though, there is no way to practice Jet flight and Helicopter flight offline which is needed because these vehicles are one of the most complex ones in the game but once mastered, they prove very effective and useful but to the inexperienced (myself included) they prove frustrating and annoying or entertaining to the rest of the players when witnessing an out of control jet or helicopter plummeting to the earth or heading straight into a mountain or building.

                But I believe the most important aspect of the game is the one closer to the player, which is the class and loadout selection. It’s pretty much the same as Battlefield Bad Company 2 which is composed of Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon classes each having class specific loadouts. There are new items that have been added though such as the EOD Robot for the engineer which can arm charges and repair vehicles. There are class specific unlockables, including weapons and gadgets, as well as weapons specific unlockables that include accessories and attachments, you can also unlock specializations that enhance your classes, there are level specific unlocks as well. There’s one noticeable part of the multiplayer that is new and I find quite a fun challenge, it’s knife killing, in Battlefield 3, you can no longer just walk up to an enemy and slash him in the chest, it takes about 2 slashes or a sneak attack from behind which rewards you not just with the dogtag of your victim but a pretty cool short action sequence as well. Similar to the previous Battlefield games, the key to victory and progression is through the use of teamwork, because almost every teamwork related action is rewarded, from spotting an enemy to assisting in a kill. When your team is working well together, it provides an exciting and rewarding multiplayer experience.

                Going back to the 3 things I consider when buying a game, I’d say Battlefield 3 gets 2 ½ out of 3, multiplayer and replayability which is pretty good considering that the campaign isn’t too bad to play. Overall, I think that Battlefield 3 is worth the purchase, you are sure to have a decent campaign experience, then once that’s accomplished, you can move on to the intense and fun multiplayer aspect of the game or just start right there and play the campaign later on. Either way, the game holds a high replay value as well as a challenging and rewarding experience.  For those who enjoy a good first person shooter, intense multiplayer experience, I highly recommend this game, and as for veterans or fans of the Battlefield franchise, this is an automatic purchase.




Ranking:
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Overall: I think this game deserves a 9/10. The campaign is short but intense and exciting. The Multiplayer is really what makes this game shine.

                

Driver: San Francisco Video Game Review (PS3)

Driver: San Francisco

                So, my awesome super sweet girlfriend just bought me Driver: San Francisco for the PS3. :) I know, I haven't written a review in awhile so please excuse me if I'm a little rusty.

                Ah, the Driver video game series, being an avid car fan and racing game enthusiast, my gaming "career" would not be complete without this series. Making its debut in 1999 on the PlayStation, I was already hooked by the concept of the game which involved epic car chases, realistic damage physics (for its time), free roaming the city environment and a gripping storyline. Although it lacked a few things such as vehicle choices and the ability to get out of your car (which was later corrected in Driver 2, released in the following year). This game represents the 5th installment of this series (Driver, Driver 2, Driv3r, Driver: Parallel Lines and now, Driver: San Francisco). There has been a huge gap between the last game which was released in 2006 on the PlayStation 2. I have actually been waiting for them to make one for the PS3 and now that there is, after finding out the Ubisoft would be behind the game, I was excited to see what they have in store for us this time around on a new platform. And I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed at all.

                First off, I would like to thank http://gametestlabs.com for posting if not all, at least the majority list of cars that would be available for use in the game. (I usually check what toys can be used before I play a racing game, adds to the pre-play excitement.) And boy did this list excite me! Names like Lamborghini, McLaren, Jaguar, RUF, Aston Martin, Audi, to name a few, will be available for use within the game, these are just a few out of the car list that was provided.

                Now, onto the game, don't worry, I hate spoilers, so there won't be any here. There are three new interesting additions to the game. First is the "Shift" or car-hopping principle of the game which allows a player to kind of "possess" other drivers, it's pretty much John Tanner's soul floating above the entire map, you focus on a car, any car and then BAM, possess the driver in it, I know it's kind of freaky. But that's a new twist that unfortunately replaces the concept of getting out of your car (you'll need to play the game and go through the story to find out why it's no longer possible to do so.) It has its ups and downs, the upside is, you get to "shift" without consequence pretty much possessing whatever the heck you like. The downside, for me is that this kind of takes out the thrill and excitement of having to get out of your car, run around the city in search of a new vehicle because you wrecked what you're currently using. But the reason for this new feature was justifiable enough for me to go along with it. I believe it adds a new element of fun into the game though, somewhat breaks the monotony and makes it kind of stand out. The second addition is the Garage concept, which for car fanatics such as myself is a nice addition because this allows to you to purchase garages, wherein you can buy cars, store cars and upgrade your driver abilities, you also get to access movie car chase scene remakes and other driving challenges from here too. Lastly, the addition of a multiplayer area of play which includes online play as well as split screen play which is a pretty sweet addition. I believe this gives the game a huge boost because online play is interactive and with various modes to choose from, the replay value of this game is quite high and to top it off, incorporated into the multiplayer is the "Shifting" principle which can be used to your advantage in order to succeed. It adds an element of challenge and unpredictable excitement because after all, you are going against other real people as opposed to AI.

                Upon starting the game, you will be treated to graphically pleasing cutscenes that switch in and out of you controlling it and watching it which is pretty exciting, the main idea of the story is immediately introduced so you won't be lost, then after the pleasantries are out of the way, the fun begins. Being a Ubisoft developed game, I can't help but see a little bit of Sam Fisher in John Tanner, but that's just me. Although the in game graphics are not as graphically jaw dropping compared to Need For Speed or Gran Turismo, it provides pretty decent detail and damage physics. And I must say, once you get used to the whole "shifting" idea, you discover endless possibilities and get to watch and control them through an out of body experience, no pun intended. I can't really go into detail about this because I promised no spoilers, so if you want know more about it, go grab yourself a copy of the game!

Ranking:

Story: 9/10- Very enjoyable and refreshing story concept and plot

Gameplay: 8/10- Just like the original driver, fun, fast paced, intense and exciting

Graphics: 9/10- Not exceptionally great, but pleasing enough to be appreciated

Soundtrack: 8/10

Cars: 9/10 - I'm very pleased with the wide range of makes and models available in this game

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Video Game Review (PS3)

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

                As a kid up until now, I've always loved cars, so it was already pre-determined that I would purchase a pre-ordered copy of the latest Need For Speed Franchise installment, which is Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. The latest version of Hot Pursuit is simply a "remake" of the Need For Speed Hot Pursuit sub series which had versions for the 1st and 2nd Playstation, both were great by the way. But EA's partnering up with Criterion (developer of Burnout Paradise) has added an edge over the competition when it comes to an adrenaline pumping, high-speed, intense racing game.

                Right off the bat, you will already notice how simple the interface of the game is, it has a  very straightforward Career mode basically composed of various point-to-point races over a vast map and long stretches of road. You can blow past the whole career as either a cop or a racer and choosing either path will have no effect on anything as each side is independently progressive, plus if you feel like playing cop, you can take a break from being a racer and participate in a police event at any point your career. Being a cop or a racer offers a uniquely different experience with its own set of challenges, aside from the obvious reasons where as a cop you do what you can to stop racers and as a racer, you do what you can to finish a race without getting busted by the cops.

                When you start racing, you will notice very precise controls and response which is very important in a game like this where split-second decision need precise response in order to execute effectively. But aside from the dead-on controls and responsive system, NFS: Hot Pursuit is awesome because its core concept is so simple and yet so diverse. It's more than just escaping from the police as a racer and catching felons as the police, there's a certain uniqueness to each that even though you're driving on exactly the same roads, the same map, the two roles make things feel entirely different. Each location, which is linked into one big map that gives you varying scenery, from the desert countryside to snowy mountains, which are all graphically pleasing if I may add, not only do they and an element of size to the game, these locations also offer you various shortcuts and side roads that can be used to your advantage as either a cop or a racer.

                The game has opted not to use a currency system and has switched this out with "Bounty Points" which you earn by driving well (insane yet precise), winning races, busting bad guys, etc. which then boosts your rank as either a cop or a racer, which in turn, makes new vehicles, car classes, equipment (used for either catching or escaping from the cops which are exactly the same items except used differently depending on what role you choose.) as well as upgrades for these equipment.

                Another cool factor that I liked about this game is the new feature called "Autolog" system which is pretty much the heart of the game because your career progress directly affects your online gaming experience, what you unlock in the career can be used online, it also happens vice versa because the progress/bounty system is one and the same, this feature allows you to keep constant tabs on your friends' progress with regards to all the events they have accomplished, this boosts the replay value of the game because we all have competitive side right? Your friend beats yours event, you beat theirs, and it just goes on.  The Autolog system tracks events in real time (you need an internet connection of course, access to PSN and the Autolog network) meaning while you're playing in the career, you could get a prompt telling you that your friend just topped your score in another event, then by simply pressing R1, you load directly into that event and try to reclaim your title. Aside from this, you can also set challenges for your friends under the event suggestions tab, for example, you finished a race under a certain time, you can suggest it and see if your friends can beat it. There's also a message board function where messages and screenshots can be shared. This is where the game truly stands out in my opinion, the online experience. For one, I really enjoy the Hot Pursuit game mode (one of the various online modes), because it's pretty much a no holds barred cops-and-robbers/cat and mouse game that really involves a lot more strategy than most people think, bottom line is that it's a fun experience playing online.

                Last but not the least, I cannot forget about the CARS. @_@ I'm drooling as I type this (okay not really, but you get it.) I do not want to discuss this in detail because knowing me, this review might turn into a novel. So let me just give you the down-low, the cars are beautiful, graphically sexy and visually appealing, they all seem to be handcrafted by the automobile gods themselves. Excellent detailed.  And just to give a little overview, you will be seeing manufacturers such as Porsche, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bugatti, Bentley, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Chevrolet, Dodge, Aston Martin, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Ford, Audi and Jaguar. (I think I said em' all?)

                So if you love cars, you enjoy speeding, you like challenges, you like running from cops, catching bad guys, making records and breaking records, doing it in style if I might add, then Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is a game for you!

Rating:

Story: N/A

Gameplay: 8.5/10

Graphics: 8.5/10

Soundtrack: 8/10

*CARS: 9.5/10, could use the Gran Turismo lineup, but all is forgiven thanks to the vast selection of exotics. @_@

Overall: I believe this game deserves an 9/10, a very straightforward game with a very rewarding online experience, not to mention visually rewarding as well as a high replay value.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Video Game Review (PS3)

Call Of Duty: Black Ops

                I just got my copy of Call Of Duty: Black Ops, third person to purchase it at the store, I've been waiting and itching to play and write this review for quite awhile now.

Campaign Review:         

*No spoilers, no worries

                Alright, let's get to it, first off, the game throws you into a pretty vague scene wherein you don't really know what's going on but as you wait, things start becoming clearer. I can already feel the tension of the story as the beginning unfolds, as a matter of fact, you already get a faint hint as to what to expect by sticking around the main menu screen for awhile. There's a more serious vibe of suspense and a dark intrigue around this game, which is to be expected based on the plot of the game which generally revolves around the Cold War/Vietnam War era and the conspiracy and things that happened "behind the scenes" during the that was kept hidden from the general public. The first area of the campaign already gives you a taste of things to come later in the game, it kicks off with the usual "simple get acquainted/re-acquainted with controls" type of level where you're given a bunch of enemies to practice on, but without sacrificing the solid storyline of course, kudos to the developers for keeping things interesting right off the bat, because personally, I didn't like how Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 began, the whole camp and training course thing (of course the rest of the campaign made up for that). The cutscenes are also well structured and created, a good mix of realistic aspects and digitally created aspects, very visually appealing and adds to the suspense, at one point, I was actually reminded of Assassin's Creed because of the way the cutscenes were used to help tell the story.  Another feature I found  cool was that they included Zombie mode in this game, kinda like Left 4 Dead but Call of Duty style, at least there's a fun a pastime aside from the main features of the game itself (campaign and multiplayer).

                The environments are beautiful, great texture and detailed in almost every aspect, shadows look great, walls, far away backgrounds, these all  look good and very artistically, yet realistically designed, the models of the characters look good as usual, nothing too great, but they look good, I've gotten used to the way the people look since I played previous Call Of Duty games so it's not really a big deal, they are detailed enough to be visually pleasing. Things seem to have become a bit more bloody and gory (Which quite frankly, I love. Haha.), also, I'm not sure if this "feature" has been present before but I seem to notice more semi-realistically but accurate enemy deaths (e.g. grabbing of the arm when he is shot, although I think being shot in the arm by a Makarov may not be lethal, but what would I know, I've never been shot. Haha. ) in addition to the "feature" mentioned above, another sweet addition is the utilization of the Crossbow with explosive tipped arrows which can be used on both vehicles and infantry (I personally like using it on infantry, I'll leave the rest to your imagination. @_@). The physics is sometimes off though, but I don't mind, it adds a bit of comic relief to the game, seeing a fallen enemy end up in an awkward position. Also, I also noticed the DISMEMBERMENT  feature added, gives the game a bit more realism/exaggerated realism in my opinion. @_@

                Moving on to the gameplay, if you've played Call Of Duty Modern Warfare/Modern Warfare 2 or any Call Of Duty game for that matter, then you should have no problem adjusting to this game, everything is pretty much the same, controller mapping, movement, etc. The game gives you diverse level of sensitivity which is always a great touch, it makes things more personal because not everyone uses the same aim/look speed. The aiming mechanism is simple and accurate as usual, which provides easy target acquisition and decent hip fire capability. And you can't forget the "cutscene-within-gameplay" scenes where there are some epic "movie" moments embedded in the actual gameplay, one of my favorite features.

                The campaign soundtrack is pretty awesome too, although not as epic as the soundtrack of Modern Warfare 2 (Hans Zimmer rules), it's still quite good , fitting to the scenarios and events that are present throughout the game. The voiceovers are star-studded too with celebrities like Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Ice Cube (I knew this was him as soon as his character spoke. Haha.), Emmanuelle Chriqui, Topher Grace, Oleg Taktarov, all lending their voices to add to the epic-ness of this game, in addition to them lending their voices, some of the characters actually look like the real life actors whose voices are in use!

Multiplayer Review:

                We all know how highly acclaimed the Call Of Duty franchise is when it comes to Multiplayer, when Modern Warfare 2 came out, the multiplayer was instantly addictive. But if you thought Modern Warfare 2 was addictive, wait until you see what Black Ops has in store for you in terms of multiplayer.

                To get the ball rolling, what basically happened was that the developers kept the basic multiplayer aspects of the game that most people accustomed to and then added some pretty sweet stuff to the already saccharine coated multiplayer component of the game. But before getting into that, one distinct feature that was added to the game is a form of currency called CoD Points, I think this is an awesome touch to throw in because it opens up a whole new avenue of opportunities! This currency enables a player to purchase weapons, attachments, perks, equipment, grenades, etc. This adds a bit of a challenge to the game because unlike Modern Warfare 2, you gain firepower simply by leveling up, in the case of Black Ops, you do gain access to firearms as you level up but you can't just equip them, you now have to purchase them, not only that, but you also have to purchase every other aspect that makes up your personal arsenal, from attachments, to equipment, to perks. This adds a little "economic equilibrium" to the game because in order to earn, you need to play, kill, level up, pretty much do what you do and get "paid" for it. Okay, before you whip out your credit cards, CoD points cannot be purchased with real money, come on people, really? How desperate are you? Haha.

                Another nice add on is the "Contracts" aspect of the game where you can use your CoD currency to purchase contracts that have specific requirements, you fulfill them, you get the monetary/experience award. There are three categories: Mercenary, Operations and Specialists, I'll leave it up to you to play and explore these categories, see where you fit best. Aside from that, there are some pretty cool killstreaks added such as RC-XD (Remote Controlled Car with explosives), the Attack Dogs killstreak and the SR-71 Blackbird killstreak. There is also an add on that players can utilize as a "practice" match of sorts, it's called Combat Training wherein you set the AI difficulty and play against bots in an independently progressing mulitplayer aspect, meaning what happens in Combat Training, stays there.

                Now for the unique features of the multiplayer component, they have now added an aspect called Wager Matches, wherein you can bet your CoD points, the top three players split the winnings. But there's a catch, it's not as simple as killing your opponent and taking his money, there are four ways where you can do it:

1. One In The Chamber: It's sort of like a Mexican Standoff wherein each player has a pistol with only one bullet in the chamber, you shoot an enemy, he dies, you get another bullet, you miss and you're left with a knife.

2. Gun Game: Everyone starts with pistols, each kill you get upgrades  your weapon and you move on to the next level (20 Levels total), so it's a hierarchical path from pistols, to submachine guns and so forth. First to get a kill with every weapon wins.

3.  Sharpshooter: All players begin with a randomly generated weapon, the same random weapon for all players, then every 45 seconds, the weapons change at random again. A true test of one's versatility with firearms in the game, if you want to win, you need to be a jack of all trades, the same tip goes for Gun Game.

4. Sticks And Stones: Each player starts with a crossbow, a ballistic knife and a tomahawk, whoever dies by tomahawk goes broke.

                Another unique feature added here was the high level of character customization, you can customize pretty much everything, from decals and logos on your weapon, to face paint, it seems like a very vast range of player customization combinations which leaves a lot of room for the imaginative and the artsy.

                So in summary, if you're an FPS junkie and firearms enthusiast like myself and you've liked the previous games from the Call Of Duty franchise, especially Modern Warfare 2, then you're going to have to get this game, well worth buying and spending a whole lot of time on.

               

Ranking:

Story: 9/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Graphics: 9/10

Soundtrack: 8/10

Overall: I think this game deserves a 9.5/10. To put it simply: Great story, great gameplay, beautiful graphics = a really awesome Call Of Duty game.

Star Wars: The Force Unleahed II Video Game Review (PS3)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

    Okay, so I just got Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, I'm pretty psyched about this game because I enjoyed the prequel a lot, come on, who wouldn't appreciate the abusive use of The Force?, Plus when I saw the cinematic trailer of the sequel, which was pretty epic, I was sold. (Thank you YouTube and E3 for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94-4c0eJikk). And let's face it, I grew up to the Star Wars movies, during the age of the Laser Disc, so this was pretty much a done deal.

*Don't worry, I hate spoilers so there aren't any story giveaways here.

     The beginning of the game treats you to the traditional Star Wars music as well as the "scrolling into the stars" story presentation. I wasn't expecting much but when the opening cut scene loaded, I nearly dropped my controller in awe, the graphics are beautiful, I mean, really amazing, one of the best ones I have seen in a long time, I can't stress enough how beautiful the cut scenes are, coupled with the always epic musical score to go with it, I was blown away. So as the game starts, they give you a brief "tour" of the controls which are pretty much the same as the first one except now, you have 2 Lightsabers, I repeat, 2 Lightsabers! If you recall all the destruction you dealt with one Lightsaber, imagine the diversity that 2 gives you, you are now equipped with a few more combos and an expanded move set. Aside from the graphically pleasing environment, a nice little touch has been added to the battle gameplay: DISMEMBERMENT. For those fans of video game violence (like myself), this is awesome, you can literally chop off limbs of Storm Troopers, behead via Saber Throw, just like how it should happen based on the movies (e.g .Luke's hand getting chopped off). Another neat little weapon added to Galen Marek aka Starkiller's arsenal is the move called "Mind Trick", it's pretty entertaining to use because you get to turn enemies against each other, you can even get some to commit suicide by either jumping off a platform or into a laser force field.

   

    At times though, the targeting system goes haywire and doesn't really lock on to what you want to lock on to but then you rarely need it unless you're against a large enemy or you want to torture the heck out of an infantry member by holding him in your Force Grip and continuously throwing your Lightsabers at him or electrocuting him over and over again (which is kinda fun, I have to admit.). The way to kill the larger enemies hasn't changed from the first one wherein you must inflict enough damage before being able to perform a button sequence finisher that pretty much does the same thing for the same types of enemies. The skill upgrade system has been simplified a bit, not that it was complicated to begin with, the process is pretty much the same as the first Force Unleashed.

      

     Overall, the game is pretty good if you're a fan of beat em' up games on graphical steroids and you don't mind repetitiveness and lack of a deep storyline then this is a game for you.

Ranking:

Story: 7/10, lacks depth

Gameplay: 7/10, despite new additions, the game still tends to be a bit repetitive

Graphics: 9/10, beautiful environment and cutscenes

Soundtrack: 9/10, expected from a Lucas Arts production

Overall: I'd give it an 7.5/10, I'm really into a game with a good storyline, the graphics would have been a perfect complement to the storyline if there had been more depth into the plot, also a highly expanded move set would have been great, don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the new additions, but it feels too close to the first game that I hardly notice the add-ons. I'm quite disappointed that the story wasn't as epic as I expected it would be, just like any game, this has it's pros and cons, but I enjoy it so I don't regret purchasing it.

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Console: Sony Playstation 3 Slim 320GB
Monitor: Viewsonic 24" VX2439WM 1920x1080 Full HD
Sound System: Creative Inspire 5.1 A500 SBS Surround Sound System