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So I played around 3-4 hours of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (PS3) and I can honestly say that it's inferior to Ubisoft's Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the 360. Aside from the gorgeous graphics and slightly better fighting engine, the rest of the game's adventure mode has been utterly disappointing.

The missions are a bunch of disjointed challenges that don't really add anything to the story for people who don't follow the manga/anime. It's either a fight or some minor fetch quest. And some of the fights don't make sense in the context of the non-existent narrative. On the other hand, Ubisoft's game had a cohesive narrative and they even created new scenarios to try and have it make some sense. Why didn't the devs come up with something like that? It's like the devs didn't know what to do with this open-world that they created (or copied). Speaking of copied, one mission struck me as a direct rip-off. The Hide and Seek missions with the lil kid was done the exact same way as the Ubisoft version (and it was still worse).

And what's up with the loading? It is absolutely atrocious! Even with a 4GB mandatory install, we still have a pretty long loading screen every time you go back into the open-world or start a battle. Considering how BARREN the world is, it's inexcusable. And speaking of barren, Konoha looks like a ghost town. The pedestrians are few and far between and the devs didn't even include any ambient sounds for the world. You don't hear ANYONE say anything at all. No crowd noises or even a hint of someone chatting nearby. Is everyone mute or is Naruto deaf? It's just lame because Ubisoft's game not only had a bustling town but they also included a wealth of crowd noises and people reacting to your presence as you run by. I'm not sure how CyberConnect2 can mess this up so bad. Btw, I played with the Japanese track for both games.

I also want to mention the music. From what I played so far, it sounds like original tracks made just for the game. I was kinda disappointed because Ubisoft had used pretty much every single track from the anime in their game and it made the game feel like the series. Without the anime music, this version of the game felt different and didn't really make me feel like I was doing stuff in the Naruto world. It's sorta like playing a Simpsons game without the Simpsons theme being included...

Like I said, this game is beautiful but the gameplay is just shallow compared to Rise of a Ninja. I enjoyed some of Ultimate Ninja Storm's racing minigames but it just wasn't enough. For Naruto fans who want a true GTA-type version of the game with plenty of fun sidequests to do, I highly recommend checking out the Ubisoft version on the 360. You should probably only get this version for the fighting engine cuz it's the only part of the game I find enjoyable at this moment. If it gets better later, let me know...

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Completed Gears of War 2 (360) campaign last night in Solo mode with Hardcore difficulty. I'm not gonna rehash my impressions so I'll make it short.

This was an amazing game with a lot of great moments. It was a lot of fun to play through and the story was great. The set pieces and vehicle sections were awesome to play through and was incredibly exhilarating. I won't spoil it for you guys but there were plenty of MGS4-type climatic moments in the game. Epic really did their homework and made the game feel like a big blockbuster movie without sacrificing the gameplay.

Some of the boss battles were kickass as well. There's a new guy and he's way more badass than RAAM was. The battle with him was really challenging and epic. I wasn't a fan of some choke points in the game but I'd expect that it would've been much easier in co-op with a good player.

Anyways, the overall game is one long cohesive journey and it was quite fun. All the new weapons rock and the levels were well designed. Gears 2 is a great game and I will be playing multi very soon and enjoy it even more. Like I said, this is a must have. If you enjoyed Gears 1 even a little, this is a no-brainer purchase.

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For Fallout 3, it's definitely Oblivion with guns and mutants. That's not a bad thing because I loved Oblivion. I've never played the previous Fallout games (but I watched the GT Retrospective) so I wasn't too familiar with the world or the various terms they use. The opening tutorial prologue was well done but I felt it was rushed and didn't go into the nuances of what you could do in the main game. I think Bethesda should've added a few more sections so I was more comfortable with the various Pipboy functions. I simply pressed various buttons just to see what they would do. I don't read manuals anymore but I think I should cuz I accidentally found the flashlight button in the game on my own.  

Anyways, the game is beautiful in a weird wasteland-y barren way. Everything is crisp and the lighting is nice. The various locations are full of detail and junk so it actually looks like people are living it in. The character faces are a huge improvement over Oblivion. Not only do they look better but they're way more detailed. Btw, there are actually attractive female faces in the game so kudos to Bethesda for fixing that ugly-face problem in their engine. But the game has plenty of the same problems that Oblivion had. Characters and enemies move stiffly and there's plenty of fade-in and texture pop-in when you're in the open world sections. I also found that my character isn't quite as detailed as I like. But when you're entering or exiting buildings, the loading is quite fast. And if there's a major load, at least we get to see a nice lil slideshow-style presentation.  

The gameplay is the same as Oblivion except you got guns and the VAT system. It's fun to run around and chat with the various characters you meet. I prefer that aspect of the game over shooting guys though. I know this is a RPG but I'm not a fan of the somewhat inaccurate FPS mechanics. The VAT system makes it fun but you really need to level up significantly to have any fun with it since you might miss anyways. My biggest complaint is not the actual game but the menu UI. I hate that the menu is entirely devoted to the Pipboy screen. Not only is the screen hard to see cuz it's monochromatic, but it doesn't even take up the full screen. I'm not sure why Bethesda didn't give us an option to zoom into full screen cuz the game freezes anyways when you're fiddling with it. I'm sure people might feel more immersed with it hanging on your arm but it's not practical at all. Checking the maps and notes you find is a real pain unless you're playing on a PC monitor or sitting close to your TV. If there was a patch to zoom in full screen for the menu I would be happy. I also hate that you don't get to see your character in full 3D like you can in Oblivion. There's no way to see what you're character looks from the front except during various VAT sequences.  

The game's story is okay so far but since I only completed like 10 quests so far so it's hard for me to judge it. The game is still very addictive and very enjoyable. There are problems but it's definitely fun and worth playing.  

For Gears of War 2, it's been a blast. I've been playing the Solo in Hardcore cuz I wanna enjoy the story on my own. I'm in the last chapter but I had to take a break since my eyes needed a rest. This game is surprisingly beefy compared to the first game which is pretty short in comparison. If you loved the first game, the second one is even better. Not only is everything "bigger, better and more badass". But Epic has done an outstanding job improving the everything we loved about the first game.   Graphics are as beautiful as ever. It's basically Gears 1 with color and improved textures. The character designs are improved and animate a bit more fluidly. But I think Epic needs to work on the female faces since they're so bland and simple compared to the dudes. The world is very detailed and all the various settings and locale are diverse. There are some interesting locations which will surprise you.  

I also gotta mention the story (yes, it has one!). Unlike the first game which was basically a plot with no major story, Gears 2 HAS a story. The cutscenes are fleshed out and well directed. Not only do you learn more about your characters and the world they're in, but there are some genuinely emotional parts to the game. I won't spoil it for you guys but there was one cutscene which moved me and was a definite revelation. That wasn't something I expected from this game. I also love the additional humor and dialogue during the in-game segments. It really added a lot to the story and you feel like you're on a long adventure rather than a simple mission. You definitely feel like you're in a major war in this game.  

Btw, the game's levels are awesome. Every chapter has you doing something new. You get to kill plenty of Locusts (as usual) but you also get to do it in so many different ways. It definitely keeps the game fresh and extremely fun. There's even one chapter where it feels like you're in an obstacle course instead of a shooter. It was a very nice break after a major battle. The pacing for the levels are well done and going from epic firefights to some quiet exploration is evenly distributed. It's way better than the first game. The game's difficulty is challenging and there are some choke points which required plenty of retries but the overall game felt fair and was never punishing. Some boss fights required trial and error to beat but I figured them out without a guide which was cool. I do have to mention that I encountered two bugs/glitches with the game. They were resolved when I reloaded a checkpoint and only happened once but it was bit odd to see for a title like this.

I also have to commend Epic for making my AI allies useful. Unlike the first game, my guys rarely need me to revive them and they can kill a lot of guys on their own. Like I said, I'm playing in Hardcore and my guys ain't pushovers like they were in the first game. I also love that I sometimes have 3-4 other guys with me cuz it really made me feel like I'm in a squad. It's a huge improvement over the first game where you felt isolated most of the time.  

Anyways, I'm loving it and I can't wait to beat the Solo mode and join in some Co-op on Insane once I unlock it. I'm also looking forward to playing Horde mode cuz it seems like everyone loves it. Gears 2 definitely lives up to the hype. Must buy.

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Spoiler-free as usual.

I completed Fable II (360) over the weekend after a mega marathon. This game is friggin addictive! It's tons better than the first game and really fun. I couldn't stop playing it cuz there are soooo many sidequests. I didn't even complete them all when I finished the main quest.

The graphics are uber gorgeous. While the character models could've been more detailed, the world looks amazing. I was especially impressed by the art direction and lighting. I found myself sometimes stopping to stare at the beautiful locations. The colors really pop and the world is just full of life with swaying trees and little critters moving around. Even the caves look really nice and colorful. Whether it's day or night, the world looks fantastic. I only had a few minutes of slowdown and there's some fade-in but it's not too bad.

The audio is wonderful. The music is excellent and does a great job at creating the fantasy feel of the game. It's all very subtle and never overwhelming. I gotta say that there were a few tracks that reminded me of the music from the XBLA game, Braid. It's definitely a great soundtrack. The voice acting is just as good. Every single character is perfect. The main characters are particularly awesome and really do a great job with all their various emotions. The humor was great and the delivery of the jokes are spot on. Good stuff.

The gameplay is your usual RPG fare but the combat system is what I wanted to talk about. It's extremely simple and incredibly fun. The melee, range and magic attacks are all mapped to one button for each move. The ability to switch from one to another on the fly made every battle enjoyable. There wasn't one time where I was bored or tired of the combat. It's just plain fun and I hope other action RPGs will take a look at this. And just like Dead Space, the game allows you to find your objectives quite easily with a glowing trail. Very smart. FYI, you can turn it off if you don't want a guide which is a nice option.

One of the best features is your dog companion. This dog is great and might be on par with other great video game animal companions like the horse in Shadow of the Colossus. You really get attached to him and he's actually very useful. He'll look for treasures for you and help you in combat if you train him enough. But the best part is that he'll keep you entertained when you're running around all alone during some quests. I have a dog and I can say that Lionhead did a magnificent job capturing the behaviors of what dogs do in real life. He is incredibly life-like and is animated really well. Well done.

While the main quest's story was good, the sidequests are pretty interesting in their own right. They're a real joy to play through. They're not simple little jobs (which you can do on the side for the Jobs section) but there are a ton of sidequests which really are quests! They're pretty massive and some of them took a lot of time to complete. Some sidequests even have multiple parts which will have you going to various secret locations you wouldn't have found if you skipped them. I didn't finish or try some of them cuz they would obviously change my character's alignment but I will definitely check them out when I replay the game. This is one of the more addictive parts of the games.

But not everything was perfect. The menu interface is really annoying. Example: Whenever you use a potion in the menu screen you get dumped back into the game instead of staying in the menu screen. If you plan on using a bunch of potions like the EXP ones then you're gonna have to jump into the menu and look for the Potions tab over and over again which is just silly. The same thing applies to the Food tab as well. Ugh. I'm also not a fan of the whole Expressions function. It's kinda lame and not that deep. And once you're married, maintaining a relationship is a real pain in the butt. I won't hold much against the relationships aspect of the game since it's optional but the clunky menu interface kept me from enjoying the game as much as I can. Maybe the Dead Space devs could meet up with Molyneux and work something out.

Overall, Fable 2 was a real surprise. I knew it would be good but I didn't know it would be THIS good. I wasn't a fan of the first game like most people who played it. Fable 2 definitely improves on a lot of things and really made the game easy to play. The story is good, the combat system is stellar and all the various activities are incredibly addictive. This is a must buy for action-RPG fans. Btw, the British humor is just brilliant. ^_^

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