Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 PlayStation 3 Version Hands-On

No sooner have the corporate logos disappeared from the screen and the Mass Effect 2 logo boldly emerges, than the cautious hope that BioWare could actually deliver on its promises and satisfy such high anticipation begins to dawn. Picking up events directly after the original, much of the interest surrounding the sequel stems from the way in which choices made in the first game will affect the proceedings. Did you save the Council? Did Ashley or Kaidan survive? All of these choices and many more have consequences to what you'll see in Mass Effect 2.

A long list of potential spoilers is shaping exactly what we can talk about in terms of returning characters and plot developments. Ultimately it all comes down to a dozen or so decisions made in the original Mass Effect, which shape the backdrop to events and who you might end up seeing in the sequel. That Shepard dies and is resurrected shortly into the game shouldn't be too surprising, given BioWare used it as a tease when they first revealed the game. But it's not long before he's back to normal, albeit with a few facial scars that demonstrate alignment (apparently good people heal quicker), thanks to the appropriately named Lazurus Project.

The project is a shrewd method of invalidating Shepard's stats and abilities from the first game (although you do get bonuses), and handling newcomers who might want to change Shepard's appearance. Due to the permutations and restrictions on what we can reveal it's almost impossible to discuss this feature openly, but there's little doubt that the way in which BioWare has tied the games together creates a sense of cohesion beyond any trilogy we can think of and builds a strong personal attachment to the proceedings. For this alone we've got nothing but admiration towards BioWare, although such efforts to bridge the gap are so well achieved that it's almost to the point of being detrimental to newcomers.

Viewed on this factor alone, Mass Effect 2 would be an early candidate for the Game of the Year. Fortunately BioWare has majestically delivered a sequel that expands the epic space-opera trilogy in every aspect. Shepard is quickly rescued by the shadowy Cerberus organisation, fronted by the equally shady and appropriately titled Illusive Man (he's the X-Files Cigarette Smoking Man played by Martin Sheen). It seems he shares Shepard's fear of the Reapers and wants to discover the reasons behind entire human colonies recently disappearing with the appearance of an alien race known as the Collectors.

Obviously the Illusive Man feels Shepard owes him a thing or two; having brought him back to life it's hard to argue. So Shepard begins a journey to the outer reaches of the galaxy to amass a team capable of heading through the mysterious Omega 4 Relay to take the battle to the Collector's turf. Exactly what their relationship is with the Reapers isn't known, but it's your job to find out and it's a journey nobody expects you to return from.

Realising that it's as much an action shooter as it is an RPG, Mass Effect 2's improvements to controls and combat bring it into line with what's currently expected of a third-person shooter. The tighter covering system and Shepard's new-found agility to clamber over and on the environment helps things immensely, providing a welcoming sense of freedom to the restricted set-like nature of the stages. It's never going to offer the sense of freedom and exploration of a Bethesda RPG, but it's a step beyond the path-like nature of its predecessor and other examples such as the Fable series.

The blend between weapons and powerful tech/biotic continues to provide a satisfying dynamic to combat, opening up advanced techniques and developing sufficiently as the game progresses, while the ability to command team mates more effectively via the d-pad is a slight but welcome addition. Combat has also been bolstered with the division of many more weapon types and the addition of Heavy Weapons at the cost of grenades. A relaxation on armour and weapon upgrades provides a surprisingly stronger and deeper sense of customisation, but weapon and ship upgrades obviously cost a pretty penny, which is where the new planet scanning mini-game comes into play. Purchasing probes allows you to scan the surface of planets for valuable resources and the occasional hidden mission. It can be a pretty laborious process (until you've unlocked better probes), but serves as a nice diversion from the main gameplay and is certainly better placed than the poorly received Mako vehicle sections that appeared in the original.

The success of the original Mass Effect appears to have given BioWare license to be more creative in terms of mission challenges. Obviously with the emphasis still being on action, combat plays the major role. But it's satisfying to see BioWare change things around with challenges such as a scorching hot sun restricting movement to the shadows, or engaging in a conversation long enough for a team mate to snipe a particular target. Equally there's a selection of challenges that are more mentally taxing and require information to be gained, and it's always assuring to note that some challenges can be solved through dialogue choices alone. Ultimately there's an engaging ebb and flow to the proceedings, particularly if you decide to indulge in the various side missions and those attached to building loyalty amongst your team.

So it's a case of enhancements, additions and changes across the board, but the defining aspect of a BioWare title comes from the dialogue and alignment choices, and it's here that the biggest improvements are apparent. It's often too easy to read between the lines in games that propose dialogue choices; the difference between good and evil (or Paragon and Renegade) being a little too clearly divided into black and white. Such a rigid structure makes it too easy to slip into choices based on a predetermined decision to play as either good or evil; thankfully it seems that BioWare realises life isn't always so simple. The introduction of the Interrupt System is a further component of this, appearing in specific sections where Shepard can shape the outcome with either Paragon or Renegade actions. These are dramatically staged and pack a sense of weight, playing up to the strengths of the dialogue system and reinforcing the notion that sometimes you have to play a bad choice for the greater good.

That conversation works so well in Mass Effect 2 is largely a combination of several factors. Cut scenes between characters are enhanced with more dynamic camera work, but it's the immense production value and meticulous direction that makes them genuinely impossible to skip; there's a tangible sense of guilt that you're passing up BioWare's hard work and efforts whenever you hit the X button. Such attention to detail brings characters to life, almost to the point of sharing a strange sense of empathy with their cause. This is crucial as it helps to break down the barriers of the dialogue system, relate with the characters, become absorbed in the adventure and make choices as a result not because of a predetermined agenda.

It's not quite at the stage where player driven conversation flows with the natural continuity of normal chit-chat, but it seems we're getting close. Mass Effect 2 brings dialogue to the point where making a choice isn't as clear as it should be, and in this regard you really get a sense that BioWare is honing its craft with each subsequent release. Above all else it helps to soak you up into the Mass Effect universe; it really does feel as though you're making choices with consequences and playing a part in a rich and tactile universe.

It all builds up to a superbly paced and dramatic finale in the daunting shape of the suicide mission. The determining outcome of the mission, including whether Shepard lives or dies, depends on how well you've prepared for the final mission. Sufficiently upgrading the Normandy 2 and ensuring loyalty amongst your team mates is the key to a successful mission. Not only does it put genuine weight behind the decisions you make - such as choosing team members to complete tasks but not knowing whether they will survive - but also shapes the things to come with choices that will pan out for Mass Effect 3.

Admittedly the final boss is a bit of a letdown, but that doesn't detract from the sense of being engaged in something pretty epic for the duration of the 25+ hours of the primary campaign. Eventually the credits roll, but with the option to continue playing to discover missions you missed or the option to start again with a powered-up Shepard, Mass Effect 2 manages to make a second playthrough a genuinely appealing prospect - something that can't be levelled at most games.

System Requirements
Intel Processor	-	Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66GHz
AMD Processor	-	Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+
Nvidia Graphics Card	-	GeForce 8800 GTS
ATI Graphics Card	-	Radeon HD 2900 XT 512MB
RAM (Memory)	-	2 GB
Hard Disk Space	-	15 GB
Direct X	-	9

World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Review

Until recently it might have been considered hyperbole to say that World of Warcraft bears little resemblance to the game that it launched as six years ago. But now, following the recent releases of both a major free update and the eagerly anticipated Cataclysm expansion, there's no denying that the fantasy world of Azeroth has changed forever. Entire regions have been brilliantly redesigned following the dragon Deathwing's destructive flyover, and you don't need Cataclysm or even either of the earlier expansions to enjoy exploring them (though you do need Cataclysm to fly around them). Cataclysm brings plenty of great content to the table in addition to old-world flying, but like Wrath of the Lich King before it, it's an expansion aimed primarily at players with high-level characters.

The most noteworthy content that Cataclysm offers for newcomers to World of Warcraft comes in the form of playable goblin and worgen (werewolf) races. Like all races, they have unique traits that make them particularly well suited to certain classes or professions, but the most compelling reason to play as them is to experience the all-new zones where their adventures begin. The two could hardly be more different; the worgen starter area is reminiscent of a perpetually dark Victorian England during a werewolf epidemic, while the goblins' is almost futuristic by World of Warcraft standards, with flashing signs and marketing personnel that you can cruise past in a garishly painted hot rod. What these zones have in common is that they both feature a decent variety of quests, and like many of the other, redesigned starter zones, they do a good job of making you feel like a character of some importance from the outset, as opposed to one who starts out performing menial tasks and killing unsuspecting wildlife.

Regardless of which of the 12 available races you choose to play as, there has never been a better time to come to World of Warcraft as a new player. Not only are the redesigned starter zones significantly more fun than they used to be, but the game now does a much better job of explaining class abilities as you unlock them. For example, when you unlock the frostbolt ability as a mage, the tooltip associated with it tells you not only that it hurts and slows down enemies, but also that it's a good spell to open a fight with. And as a hunter, you're told that your damage-over-time serpent sting attack is especially useful against enemies that take a long time to kill. If you're a newcomer, these tips are invaluable, and if you're an experienced player who has previously found one or more of the 10 character classes too confusing to play, now would be a great time to give them another try. Don't bother attempting the archaeology profession with your new characters for a while, though.

Available to characters as soon as they hit level 20, archaeology is a new profession introduced in Cataclysm. It's a secondary profession like first aid, cooking, and fishing, which means that you can learn it without having to give up either of your gathering or crafting professions. On paper, archaeology seems like it would be one of the most compelling professions in the game, but in practice it's a time-consuming grind that rewards luck rather than your considerable efforts. After spotting a dig site on the map of your current continent (there are always four sites to choose from on each), you first have to make your way to the correct zone, which, even if you have a flying mount, can take a pretty long time. Then, once you're inside the area marked on the map, you start surveying it; you break the ground with a pickax and then, assuming you haven't found artifact fragments on your first attempt, you find yourself looking at a tripod-mounted telescope with a colored light next to it.

This telescope points roughly in the direction of the nearest fragments, while different colored lights let you know how far you are from them. It can take several minutes to find the three fragment deposits at any given dig site, and much longer if your character isn't a high enough level for nearby enemies to ignore you. Fragments must be collected in significant quantities before you can hit a "solve" button to piece them together and make objects that have already been randomly assigned to you as projects, and that you probably have no interest in making. The problem isn't just that the vast majority of archaeology items serve no purpose other than to be sold to vendors for insignificant amounts of money, but also that you know exactly which pointless item you're going to get as you work your way around multiple dig sites to assemble it. It's like knowing that you're holding a losing lottery scratch card, but having to get a coin out of your pocket and scratch it anyway, several times, before you're allowed to try another. There are some very desirable rare and epic artifacts up for grabs via archaeology, including mounts, pets, weapons, and crafting recipes, but it's unfortunate that there's little fun to be had trying to obtain them.

Fortunately, there's plenty of fun to be had with Cataclysm content elsewhere, starting with five new high-level zones that boast more than enough varied quests (more than 100 in each) to get you from level 80 to the new cap of 85. Like those from the original game that have been revamped, each of Cataclysm's zones has its own story to tell and is almost entirely self-contained. This portion of the game feels less organic since you more or less just move from zone to zone rather than rely on quests to gently nudge you toward other areas, but this is ultimately a better system because you're more likely to see quest chains and their respective stories through to their satisfying and occasionally spectacular conclusions. These stories all relate to the overarching Deathwing narrative, but you certainly don't need to complete every quest in every zone to understand what's going on. In fact, depending on how you play, you're likely to reach level 85 before you reach the end of your fourth or even third Cataclysm zone. You'll still want to play through all of them though, not only because they're a lot of fun, but also because completing quests is the only way to unlock many of the faction vendors, repeatable daily quests, and portals to and from your faction's capital city.

All five of the high-level Cataclysm zones (as well as many of the low-level zones that were revamped prior to Cataclysm's release) make extensive use of the phasing technology that was introduced and used sparingly in Wrath of the Lich King. As you progress through each zone's quests, your actions have an impact on the world around you that, though dramatic in your instance of the zone, are visible only to other players who have completed the same quests that you have. For example, while you're taking part in a large battle against elemental forces in the visually striking underground realm of Deepholm, another player who hasn't spent as much time questing down there (or who is further along than you are) might fly overhead and not see a battle at all. Key characters appear in different places, significant enemies don't respawn after you've killed them, and even the scenery changes on occasion. By the time you finish in a zone, you really feel like time has passed and that you've made a difference, which definitely beats wiping out an enemy force only to see it causing chaos again a few minutes later after it respawns for the next player.

In addition to Deepholm, highlights of Cataclysm include the turbulent underwater zone of Vashj'ir and the windswept desert zone of Uldum. The former is a beautiful environment with coral reefs and ancient ruins that you can admire from the comfort of a seahorse mount, while the latter is a fantastical take on ancient Egypt that incorporates large underground chambers, huge statues and pyramids, and towers that float on clouds high above the sand. Those towers, incidentally, are where you can find the entrances to one of seven new dungeons and one of three new raids. You have to find these entrances before you can use the game's superb dungeon finder option to automatically get a group together and run them, which--if nothing else--negates the problem of players dying in dungeons and then having no idea how to get back to them from the graveyard.

Five-man instances can typically be completed in around 30 to 45 minutes if you're in a group with players who know what they're doing. Runs through these diminutive dungeons are certain to get easier over time as players gain access to better armor and weapons, but a week or two after Cataclysm's launch they still demand good teamwork and--in some cases--crowd control. You should find this challenge refreshing if you've spent the last year cruising through Wrath of the Lich King's dungeons in heroic mode, and you certainly shouldn't expect to be running Cataclysm's dungeons in heroic mode right away. That's because where previously you could skip the normal difficulty dungeons completely and just go straight to the more challenging ones where better gear is up for grabs, you now have to equip a certain quality of gear before you're allowed into the heroics. Specifically, you need to wear a lot of gear of the caliber that you get from regular difficulty dungeon bosses and by completing lengthy quest lines. It's a good system, because it greatly reduces the odds of getting grouped with players who are hopelessly undergeared and/or are attempting to defeat heroic bosses that they've never even encountered at the regular difficulty level. In addition to heroic versions of the seven new dungeons, Cataclysm features level 85 heroic reworkings of the low-level Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep dungeons that have been in World of Warcraft since day one, making for some enjoyably challenging trips down memory lane.

When you've reached level 85 and you're not questing, crafting, or running dungeons, you can take part in player-versus-player contests on two new battlegrounds and in a dedicated zone that works in much the same way that Wrath of the Lich King's Wintergrasp does. Battle for Gilneas is a domination battleground that's reminiscent of the old Arathi Basin; two teams of 10 players compete for control of a mine, a lighthouse, and a waterworks, and the first to gather a predetermined number of resources from them is the winner. Twin Peaks, on the other hand, is a two-flag capture-the-flag battleground that works the same way as Warsong Gulch, in which teams score points by holding both flags in their base simultaneously. These battlegrounds are every bit as enjoyable as those that have come before them, and because only level 85 players are permitted to participate, there's little danger of teams being horribly imbalanced.

Tol Barad is a new island zone on which large-scale battles play out every two hours as the two factions vie for control of three capture points. The defending faction (that is, whichever faction won it last time) has an easier time of things, because while the attackers must control all three locations simultaneously to win, the defenders need retain control of only one until time runs out. Because of this, it's not uncommon to see defenders simply swarming on one capture point after another, while the attackers (who get limited access to siege engines) leave defenders at any points they control and then move on to the other locations with a smaller force. It can be frustrating to play as an attacker at times, but it's still fun to pit your skills against other players, and the victors get exclusive access not only to a dungeon but also to a number of repeatable quests that can be completed to earn Tol Barad commendations used to purchase PVP gear and the like.

Whether you're taking part in large-scale PVP battles, running dungeons in a group, or just questing on your own, you can now earn both experience points for your guild and reputation points for yourself within your guild by doing so. Guild levels, achievements, perks, and rewards are all new features introduced in Cataclysm, and while they got off to a rocky start (guild achievements earned guild experience points at launch, but this was changed a day or two later), they're all good incentives for guilds to work together and stay together. As guilds level up, members automatically gain perks that run the gamut from small experience and mount-speed bonuses to instant mail between guild members and the ability to summon an entire raid group to the same spot simultaneously. In addition, guilds that level up and complete achievements together gain the ability to purchase items that can't be obtained in any other way, including pets, mounts, and heirloom items that can be worn by (and are automatically appropriate for) characters of level 1 and level 85 alike.

Like those heirloom items, World of Warcraft has something for everyone right now. After six years of iterations on what was already a superb formula, this phenomenally popular massively multiplayer online game is in the best shape of its life. Areas of the world that were starting to show their age have been updated, new players are being made to feel more welcome than ever, and Cataclysm has added enough great new content to keep most players entertained for many months to come. It's unfortunate that the new archaeology profession is mind-numbing and that there aren't enough new zones that you can level multiple characters from 80 to 85 without repeating large chunks of content, but most of Cataclysm's content is so great that playing through it a second time isn't a hardship. You don't need Cataclysm yet if you're thinking of getting into World of Warcraft for the first time, but if you've got a level 70-80 character already you certainly won't regret continuing their adventures in this great expansion.

Minimum System Requirements

Windows® System XP/XP64/Vista/Vista64/7** OS (with the latest Service Packs or updates):

- Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
- 1 GB or more of RAM
- NVIDIA® GeForce® FX or ATI Radeon™ 9500 video card or better
- 25.0 GB available HD space
- 4X DVD-ROM drive (Downloadable Installer also available)
- Broadband Internet connection
- Keyboard/mouse


Mac® OS X 10.5.8, 10.6.4, or newer:

- Intel processor
- 2 GB RAM or higher
- 25.0 GB available HD space
- 4X DVD-ROM Drive
- Broadband Internet connection

*Note: Due to potential programming changes, the Minimum System Requirements for this game may change over time.

Recommended Specifications

Windows® System Vista64/Windows 7 OS:

- Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2
- 2 GB RAM
- 256 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600 or ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 or better
- Multi-button mouse with scroll-wheel


Mac® OS X 10.6.4 or newer:

- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor - NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT or ATI Radeon™ HD 4670 or better
- 4 GB system RAM
- Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel

Quake Arena Arcade

Quake 3 Arena was awesome when it came out, wowing critics with its graphical prowess and its fast-paced combat. More than a decade later, it has arrived for Xbox Live in the form of Quake Arena Arcade. It's as fast as ever and has new, high-resolution textures to boot, but there is one major setback: almost no one is playing it.

The railgun is really difficult to use.

Quake Arena Arcade is surprisingly fun for being so dated. I still enjoy the sense of speed that I get flying off the jump pads, sprinting down hallways, or being launched across a level and battling it out in mid air. It's definitely a first-person shooter designed for a mouse and keyboard, and will probably surprise any newcomers with how much of your attention it demands when playing with a controller; You look away for just a moment, you're going to find yourself flying off a cliff or eating a rocket because you weren't paying extreme attention to your surroundings. When people talk about "twitch" gaming, it was titles like Quake 3 that defined it. Every moment in Quake Arena Arcade is brutal, and much faster than a lot of console gamers are used to.

The speed of Quake Arena Arcade is a welcome change of pace, I just don't think it translates very well to a controller for some of the weapons. When you have a machine gun or a weapon that does area damage like a rocket launcher, the controller is more than adequate to aim and hit the target fairly regularly. Precision weapons like the railgun, on the other hand…well they just require more accuracy than the controller can effectively provide when everyone's moving a mile a minute. I generally found myself avoiding any weapons that I couldn't spam with, something I would never do back when I had a mouse and keyboard at hand.

Quake Arena Arcade's speed and controls mostly work on the console, but it would have been nice if they'd done more to update the game graphically. The game looks like it's a decade old, and those graphics that wowed our reviewer back in '99 just make people kind of wrinkle their nose now if they don't know about the game's legacy. Still, with the graphics at the current level it performs flawlessly, and that's super important in a game as fast as this.

Finding a way into one of the few online matches is pretty easy, the only problem being that people aren't really playing it right now. The included Quick Match feature brings Quake into the 21st century, popping you into the first available match. You can also look at a server list and jump into a match that is more in line with the specific game type you're looking for. If you want to play a specific type of game, like say Capture the Flag, you can also just choose to host your own match. If you are determined to play online you can fill out the slots with AI controlled bots, but they aren't as much fun as two full teams of players. All of these are nice features, sure, but it doesn't matter when I get on and less than 100 people are bothering to play. Moreover, it's annoying that the games shut down repeatedly when the host decides to leave since they can't find enough players.

Campaign is just a series of arenas with specific objectives. No story.

Of course you can always just play Quake Arena Arcade's Campaign mode or in a practice arena if you don't want to venture online. The Campaign has no story and is really just a ton of arenas but it will take you through all the modes, while practice arenas allow you to set up matches however you want and then jump in with bots. It's still fun to play against bots if you set them on a high enough difficulty, it's just a bummer that this is the only way to play full matches regularly since not many people are playing.

Closing Comments

Look, the bottom line is that Quake Arcade Arena is $15, and how much enjoyment you’re going to get out of that boils down to how many of your friends you can get to play with you and how much nostalgia you have for the original Quake 3 Arena. If a huge population sprouts up around it then it’ll have some serious legs and be worth any shooter fan’s attention, but for now it’s kind of a ghost town. Quake Arcade Arena is fun and fast, just like fans will want, but I’m not sure they got the message about its release. Or maybe they’re playing Quake Live on their PCs, a game that’s similar and has the more compelling price tag of free.

Def Jam Rapstar

Def Jam Rapstar

For years, people have gathered around the television, USB-powered microphones in hand, to test their singing prowess across a wide variety of musical genres. Karaoke games like Karaoke Revolution track pitch and timing to rate how a singer is doing, but because rap songs involve more rhythmic speaking than tuneful singing, the genre has been underrepresented in such games. Enter Def Jam Rapstar. As the instantly recognizable name suggests, the game features songs from some of the most famous rap acts in the world, both past and present. The songlist is impressive, and the added dimension of lyric tracking allows the game to reward you for singing the right words. However, without the video recording and community-sharing features of the other console versions, the Wii version is merely a straightforward karaoke game. This makes some of the game's flaws more apparent, like the imperfect display and some questionable choices when it comes to what parts you do or don't sing on a given song. Def Jam Rapstar isn't the best karaoke game around, but its unique songlist still delivers a lot of entertainment.

Any self-respecting karaoke game lets you get straight to singing from the get-go, and Def Jam Rapstar does just that. In any mode, one player can sing solo, or two players can either sing a duet or battle each other for a high score. Party mode offers most of the robust songlist right away, from old-school tracks like Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" to recent hits like "Live Your Life" by T.I. feat. Rihanna. Lyrics range from tongue-twisting (Busta Rhymes' "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See") to mind-numbing (Soulja Boy Tell'em's "Turn My Swag On"). And though there are some notable omissions, Def Jam Rapstar covers an impressive cross section of the genre. The game is, however, rated T for Teen, so some of your favorites may have gaping holes where lyrics should be (especially if you're a Lil' Kim fan), though you can fill them in without penalty. Seeing the references to older songs in more recent songs helps cultivate a neat sense of continuity across the 45-song catalog, though it's a shame there is no online store from which to download more tracks.

There are two types of judging mechanics at work in Def Jam Rapstar. Melodic sections are represented by bars that indicate the relative length and pitch of each note in a phrase, as is the standard in karaoke games. Rap sections display a dot over each syllable, and a bouncing ball indicates when you should speak each one. The pace of the ball is meant to dictate your cadence, but it is small and moves quickly, so it doesn't make a very good guide. While it's possible to use the pitch bars to guess what the pitch and duration of a given note are, players who are unfamiliar with a song will likely have a harder time picking out the rap sections. If you're braving an unfamiliar track, your best bet is to listen to the rapper and try to follow his or her cadence, though some artists make that easier than others. Some tracks can also cause problems for solo players because of odd phrasing that, for example, makes you sing the lead vocals and the chorus in rapid succession (like "Put On" by Young Jeezy feat. Kanye West). Nelly's "Hot in Herre" has you sing both the male and female parts of the call-and-answer chorus, while other melodic sections have you sing a pitch that isn't the obvious choice. Finding a spare moment to breathe and pick out the right pitch can occasionally be challenging, but on the whole, Def Jam Rapstar does a solid job of presenting the songs and tracking your performance.

Not so lil anymore, are you Wayne?

Nailing the lyrics gives you big bonus points, but even if you just manage to mumble along to the beat, you can still get a reasonably good rating on most songs. Doing well fills a multiplier meter that boosts your score and rewards you for chaining successful phrases together. The difficulty levels are forgiving and allow players of all skill levels to progress through the five-stage career mode. Success in this mode unlocks a few new songs, as well as new tracks for Freestyle mode. Songs in Freestyle mode don't have any lyrics; they just provide a background track with which you can experiment. Whether you thoughtfully compose your own verses or just let loose some freestyle flow, this mode is a unique opportunity for creativity that most rhythm games don't offer.

Unfortunately, that is the extent of what Def Jam Rapstar does offer. On the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, players can record performance videos, add visual effects, and upload videos to the community website for other players to rate and share. Although Wii owners (and anyone else with a Web browser) are free to peruse the online community, the game doesn't connect to these features at all. Without this social outlet, Rapstar is just another rhythm game, and though there are some rough spots in the game's execution, it stands firm as a solid karaoke experience. The songlist is unlike any other on the market, and whether you prefer the smooth Slick Rick or the manic Beastie Boys, anyone with even a passing interest in rap is likely to find something to enjoy here. Def Jam Rapstar confidently captures this underrepresented genre in a unique way, giving you an entertaining new way to rock your living room mic.

Gears of War

Gears of War 2 Review

The original Gears of War was about laying the foundation and setting the stage for a massive struggle between man and monster. It introduced us to a planet named Sera and a band of warriors who will stop at nothing to preserve their people and make their home world safe yet again. Standing in their way are the Locust, a race of subterranean aliens hell bent on bringing down the Coalition of Ordered Governments and crippling the human race.

Now we're entering the second chapter in the universe Epic Games created. The events of the first ended with Marcus and Dom delivering the Lightmass Bomb into The Hollow after killing General Raam. Sadly the bomb had about the same effect as sticking a bull in the ass with an ice pick. The Locust only doubled their efforts and have been sinking cities on Sera ever since. Now only one remains: the city of Jacinto whose foundation is thick enough to keep the Locust at bay. But not for long. The Locust are poised to crush Jacinto just as they have every other city. Soon humanity's struggle will be over, all hope extinguished.

But not yet.

Click to watch our Video Review in HD.

Yes, Gears of War 2 is indeed more impactful than the first. Cliff Bleszinski, Rod Ferguson and company tried their best to create a deeper and more involved storyline with the second game in the series and for the most part they succeeded. In some areas flawlessly so. For example, one of my concerns when hearing of the new additions -- Tai Kaliso, Dizzy Wallin and Anthony Carmine – was that they would take focus off of the main focus of Dom and Marcus. After all, we've seen series add characters that are either focused on too heavily or are just plain uninteresting. Without spoiling anything, Epic did a wonderful job of keeping the focus where it belongs while still giving the new characters meaningful roles that not only enhance the drama but also evolve the motivations of the Locust.

There's no question that storyline plays a much more important role than it did in the first game. Characters are more emotional, more is revealed about the Locust and where they come from (as well as a look at the Locust Queen), and there are also plenty of new story threads that are opened up. Some of which are wrapped up in the end, most of which are not.

The focus of the story is Dom's search for his wife, Maria. It's important to note that while Marcus Fenix is still the main character of Gears of War, hearing him say some of the emotionally charged lines that come out of Dom's mouth would have been just plain strange. It was a good decision to go with a character who not only has a normal speaking voice, but whose personality is more conducive to being naturally emotional. That having been said, there are plenty of moments when you'll crack a wry smile at what you just heard on-screen. The writing is much improved -- as is evidenced by Prescott's introductory speech after the first chapter -- but that doesn't stop the voice actors from sounding extremely cheesy at times. Still, I bought into Dom's search for his wife -- and the Gears Universe as a whole -- for the second game.

But those not looking for a story intensive experience might be a bit turned off by the increased number of cutscenes and dramatic outbursts. There's certainly more to watch than in the first game, nothing like a Metal Gear Solid title, but there are frequent breaks in the action that rely on the player investing in the characters in order to hit home.
Fleshing out the Gears of War universe goes much deeper than simply expanding the scale of emotions and unearthing some back story for the Locust horde. Instead Epic took things further by expanding the all-important scope and scale of the action. It's there that Gears of War 2 separates itself from other videogames.

Players are fighting in a massive planet-wide war and in Gears of War 2 you feel the importance of your actions in a big way. The battles are massive and enemies that only made brief appearances prior are now being thrown at the player in droves. Brumaks and Corpsers are dispatched with ease and even the common courtyard battles are bigger and a bit more intense than before. Some of that is to do with the new enemies – including the likes of Raam's replacement, Skorge – and their number on-screen being much greater than in the first, sometimes stretching into the hundreds.

Click to watch clips of the campaign in HD.

Luckily all of the skirmishes aren't designed in the mold of Gears of War 1. Gears 2 does a wonderful job of differentiating its levels and keeping things as fresh as possible without ever deviating from what we all love about Gears. There are vehicular levels, each with its own mode of transport; there are also ice levels, water levels and even one that goes out of its way to show off the new meat physics. Despite all that, seeing the lair of the Locust is the level that takes the cake. The color palette changes throughout, the gameplay stays varied and it's made all the better by the fact that the campaign is a good two or three hours longer than the original's.

But all is not well with the structure of the campaign mode. The first four acts are wonderful and exciting and the fifth act is too, up until the last few chapters. The last boss is a complete joke and the ending feels just a tad too abrupt. I'm not talking Halo 2 style cliffhanger or anything, but the climax to the storyline and the action happen just a bit too early. Also, while there's no doubt in my mind that we'll see a Gears of War 3, I still would have liked to have a few more of the plot threads tied up before the curtain closed.

Luckily the core gameplay that pleased and excited so many in 2006 has remained largely intact, with every change bringing improvements to the system. The coveted A button is still the catch-all for most actions but it now functions with better responsiveness and is much more intuitive when it comes to predicting when and where you're trying to enter into cover.

There are also plenty of new moves that blend seamlessly into the already established foundation. It would have been a disservice to exclude new executions from the list of additions so Epic did their best to come with some of the squishiest, gushiest and most disgusting moves possible. Different weapons now have different finishers, as well as different active reload benefits, and Marcus and company have new abilities like taking downed enemies as meat shields and utilizing new, bigger weapons than were available before.

Mobile cover is another new advent to the world of Gears. There are three main types: the Rockworm, the Boomshield which can be carried and planted, and the retractable cover that makes an appearance later in the Locust lair. The Rockworm is probably the most unnatural feeling of these new forms of cover, but it's still an interesting creature to see. The Boomshield will be used the most and is great when you're stomping towards an enemy who can only continue to futilely try and shoot through the metallic cover. Moving between pieces of the environment is also much more fluid than it was before. You can interrupt SWAT turns and other moves if things get a bit hairy. In the end there are any earth shattering changes to the cover, but the alterations that have been made make total sense and fit right in with the rest of Gears 2.

Gears of War for PC Mimimum Requirements

Operating System: Windows XP
Processor (CPU): 2.4GHz Intel | 2.0 GHz AMD Athlon or better
Memory (RAM): 1GB
Hard Drive Space: 12 gigabytes free hard drive space
Video Card (GPU): NVIDIA GeForce 6600 | ATI X700 or better
Audio: DirectX Compatible
Misc.: Online Multiplayer – Games for Windows – LIVE Silver Membership (included)

Drake's Deception

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception surprised many with its recent announcement, but the action/adventure title continued to surprise when we were offered a meaty demo of one of the early levels. There really can be no dispute that the Uncharted series has essentially mastered the marriage of gaming and cinema, providing a visually spectacular, action-packed experience with smart scripting, solid performance and tight, visceral gameplay. In fact, the year in which Uncharted 2: Among Thieves released, the game simply couldn’t avoid comparisons to the recent Indiana Jones film, a lackluster failure in comparison to Uncharted’s mastery of the genre in any medium.

As shown in the recently released trailer, the third game in the franchise will be set against a desert backdrop, providing a fresh challenge for developer Naughty Dog, having already mastered jungle landscapes in the first game and snow/ice environments in the second. We’re told that the narrative will focus primarily on the relationship between Drake and Sully with the adventure shifting back to the mysterious adventures of Nathan’s ancestor, Sir Francis Drake. Whether the deception in the game’s title refers to Nathan or Francis – either being deceived or doing the deceiving – is purposefully vague.

But we know for certain that Drake will be traversing the least explored region in the entire globe, the deadly deserts of the Rub’ al Khali, otherwise known as the Empty Quarter. His goal? The very same pursuit as Lawrence of Arabia himself, the famous archeologist T. E. Lawrence: the legendary City of Brass, the Atlantis of the sands, the lost city of Iram. His search, however, will pit him against an ancient group that will conjure Drake’s deepest fears.

While Drake’s time in the billowing sands of the desert will set a new visual landmark for the series – including heat haze, shifting sand formations and even mirages – the level we were shown takes place earlier in the game, prior to Drake’s arrival in the Empty Quarter. Set in an abandoned, over-grown château in the forests of France, the level begins innocently enough. Drake and Sully are trapped on one of the upper levels, searching for a way across the collapsed, rotting floor, when Drake leaps onto a hanging chandelier, showing off Nathan’s new ability to climb and interact with physics objects in the environment. The chandelier twists and turns as he shifts around the base and pushes an old column across the divide for Sully.

Which, of course, is when all hell breaks loose. A pair of enemies douse a far-off wall with gasoline. As Nathan tries to sneak around, hanging from the top of a grand stairwell, two other men set the gasoline alight. A small explosion sends flames in each direction and the fire begins to spread across the woodwork, seemingly in real time. As the combat beings in earnest, we noticed the fire move across the floor, up a column behind which we were taking cover, forcing Nathan out into the open, one hand raised against the heat.

As Drake and Sully make their way through the burning building – now a full-on conflagration – the changes to the hand-to-hand combat system become increasingly evident. Brawling is now a multi-target affair as Drake can switch between enemies, using a heavily expanded range of contextual moves. For instance, while fighting one thug, we were restrained from behind by another. As the first enemy unholstered his gun, preparing to shoot us directly in the chest, Drake reached forward, pulled the man’s gun-hand under his arm, and forced the assailant to pull the trigger, killing the grappler behind him. The gun was then wrestled free and used against the shooter himself.

Later in the game, we’re told, a bar brawl might shift in your favor as your attack button will cause Drake to smash a nearby bottle over an enemy’s head, or break a glass to use as an improvised knife. Even this early on in the game’s development, it feels that the combat will offer a robust, but logical set of surprises and “Oh, sh*t!” moments as the adventure progresses…

As always, however, even in a burning chateau, there’s a fair amount of platforming, and the newly tweaked animations continue to impress. Drake can now back-jump to ledges behind and above him, as well as shoot while shimmying on platforms or moving across balance beams. But most importantly, these platforming moments are where Naughty Dog truly gets to blend the cinematic with the mechanics of gaming.

A simple jump to a nearby ledge can turn into a harrowing moment where an entire wall gives away, falling back across a chasm, seemingly into the fire below. One misstep finds the floor giving way beneath your felt, sending Drake careening through a weakened wall, out into a stairwell, over the railing, grabbing desperately for any surface that’ll prevent his fall into the flaming pit three stories down.

Graphically, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception continues to impress. The small, decorative details of the chateau, overgrown by the surrounding forest, really set the scene. Dust-filled streams of light poured in through every crack and window. The spreading fire gave off heat plumes, ash and smoke, moving dynamically throughout the environment. The rapid-fire transitions from platforming to scripted cinematic were seamless, pulling the viewer viscerally into the experience. And while the improvements to the game – at least in this non-desert level – were less visual and than they were contextual, the franchise certainly seems to be moving forward and we cannot wait to see what awaits Drake in the Rub’ al Khali.