Chandlerr_360

Too Human is both one of the most expensive video games to ever be produced, and also one that has taken the longest...that alone creates impossible expectations for a game to overcome, but besides that Too Human had a lot going against it.

Too Human first started as a Playstaion title, but, due to technical limitations, Silicon Knights decided to set back production on the game. So, next, they tried re-making the game for the Nintendo Gamecube. Once again, they felt that they were being constrained to create the
"Epic" and "Immerssive" game that they wanted to make. So finally, 3 years ago (since day one for the PS1 to launch, the game has been in production for 10 years)Silicon Knights started on production for the Xbox 360. However, in a deal with EPIC games (makers of Gears of War) to use their Unreal Engine III, a lawsuit broke out. This in turn caused the entire project to be broken down, and re-formatted into Silicon Knights very own game engine built from scratch. And there it is, the bumpy and problematic creation of Too Human.

Now, going into Too Human I tried to forget about all this, and just wanted to enjoy the game for what it was...and that is a action packed, loot-whoring, dungeon crawler.

Too Human has a short 10 hour campaign. Now, even though it is short, it is definitely not bad. There are four stages in the game, and each one will take you about 2 hours to complete. You move from one stage to the next, with frequent visits to Aesir (the main city, you shop and rest there) and Cyberspace (separate world that you can explore and collect loot). In these four stages you basically do the same thing; get from point A to B, and kill everything that moves in between...while this sounds boring, the excellent combat and cinematic experiences in between make it tons of fun. The storyline and setting is extremely interesting, and completely different from any game before it.

All combat is done with the right analog stick, and the camera is controlled automatically by the game. This eliminates the normal "button mashing" gameplay, and gives the action a more fluid and controllable feel. Just flick the stick towards a enemy and you will slide to the enemy and attack it. From there you can do things like juggle enemies in mid-air and attack them, perform "finisher" combos, or use destructing AoE Ruiner attacks. You can also use guns with the right trigger, while using the right analog to lock on to different enemies. All in all, after going back and playing a traditional button mashing action game, Too Human's controls are much better suited.

The other portion of the game is 2 player online co-op mode. In this you can go into any of the games four stages and fight along aside another player. You can use any character (even ones from campaign) and bring them into the online mode, with all of their stats, weapons, and armor. In addition you can trade with the other players, go into Aesir together, or simply fight tons of ferocious enemies. However, in the co-op mode all cutscenes and AI from the campaign are completely absent. Online co-op is great for showing of your characters awesome armor and weapons, and leveling up.

Too Human is a great game in my opinion, and should definitely not be passed up. Reviews for the game are mostly not very well done (epsecially Gamespot's...5.5? What a joke), and use illegitimate points to lower the games score. Don't listen to anyone else, and at least try the demo or rent the game and see for yourself.

I purchased Geometry Wars the day it came out, and it has been my free time killing game ever since. Now, I felt I owed it to myself to download Geometry Wars 2 the day it came out. It is AWESOME!

There are new game modes, Co-Op, and even a updating friends leaderboard. The graphics are even better, and the great thing is, Geo Wars 2 actually scales to HD widescreen now instead of stretching to fit the screen like the original. If you are prone to seizures though...don't play this game lol!

Out of the several new gametypes (Deadline, King, Waves, Sequence, Pacifism), King is by far my favorite. It is just so different and innovative, and co-op with a buddy makes it even better. With more than two players it can definitely get pretty difficult to follow your ship around the screen, but who cares, it is a blast.

All in all, for 800 MS points, this game is a steal. A lot of people complain about the fact that it is not online, but I think it was a great decision by Bizarre. It makes it keep its "arcadey" feel, nothing beats playing a game with your buddies sitting right there.

Yes, even to all of you Starcraft fanboys out there, CoH is indeed the best RTS game ever to hit the market. Not only are the graphics unlike anything ever seen in the RTS genre, but it is an incredibly polished title.

Company of Heroes has a campaign that will take you about 12 hours to beat on the standard difficulty setting. The campaign takes you through D-Day, all the way through to the breaking of the German war machines back at the end of the war. All in all it is a fun, tactical, and progressive single player experience. It has Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulties for you to complete it on, as well as a uniqe "medal" for every mission to increase replay value.

However, where the game really shines is online. This games multiplayer is fantastic. The game is 2 - 8 players, and is playable for free over Relic's very own CoH servers. You are able to play as either the Americans or Wehrmacht, and if you purchase the games expansion (Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts), you can additionally play as the British and Panzer Elite (SS) factions. Due to the games amazing tactical depth and innovative gameplay mechanics, the multiplayer offers limitless hours of fun.

But what makes this game truly above all others in the genre, is simply the technical standpoint of it. The sound is AMAZING. Simply the best of  any RTS game, let alone war game, I have ever heard. MG 42 rounds ripping through the air, tank engines, soldiers shouting orders, and explosions that light up the screen. Which brings me to my next point, the graphics. They really immerse you into the game. On "Ultra" settings and a high resolution, it truly makes you feel like you are back on the battlefield during WWII. These two things, along with the amazing AI and cover system, really proves to thrilling and addicting. This is all a result of Relic's amazing Esscence engine.

Simply put, Company of Heroes is a game that everyone should at least try, and if you are a RTS player, it should be on your shelf right now...RIGHT NOW!

With all the mixed opinions about Lost Planet, it is hard to take it very seriously, but after playing this game for about four hours I was sold. At first the game seems to move much too quickly, starting you off in a underground complex with your father and a group of men, retreating from a horde of alien creatures known as the Akrid. Pretty soon you find yourself immersed in a cinematic like experience, running from a giant Akrid known as Green-Eye, your squad mates cover your back while you run to meet up with your father who is struggling to fight the beast in his VS ( Lost Planets unique mech-like vehicle) .

The single player campaign from what I have played so far is well structured and overall a very fun experience. There are 11 missions in all, which usually last anywhere between 25-45 minutes, or even longer on a high difficulty. Difficulties include Easy, Normal, Hard, and Extreme. In the campaign you fight both the menacing Akrid and angry Snow Pirates in fast paced, action-packed battles. You use T-ENG (which you collect from fallen enemies and scattered radar posts) to keep warm. If your T-ENG happens to run out, then you unfortunately die…but T-ENG is plentiful, and does not go away too fast, so does not really become the “BIG” problem other popular review’s make it out to be. I think it provides a realistic spin on the game. At the end of every mission there is a boss battle to be fought. Unlike most games where you absolutely despise fighting the boss and feel like throwing your controller into the wall, in Lost Planet Boss battles are very fun and entertaining , as a matter of fact you might look forward to them. VS’s are scattered all around most of the maps, and provide a different approach at the levels. They are easily one of the best parts of the game.

The one major problem in the game that I find rather annoying is simply the enemy Humans (or Snow Pirates) AI …it is absolutely terrible. Most of the time they simply stand there starring at you, squeezing off a few shots for the hell of it. Every once in a while they might decide to randomly dive into a wall to avoid your shot, but end up getting stuck in some random snow drift. But, it still proves fun.

Graphics and Sound are brilliant, even rivaling the Xbox 360’s current number 1 game, Gears of War. Snow and outdoor environments will simply make your jaw drop, while explosions and beautifully detailed shrapnel and debris fly past your characters head or impale your VS’s armor plating. Level design is awesome. I love the different environments, especially the awesome abandoned frozen cities with scattered frozen Akrid bodies everywhere.

 Multiplayer is not too shabby either. There are plenty of great designed levels to keep you busy, all of them boasting multiple VS’s and weapons to use against your opponents. Gametypes include Elimination, Team Elimination, Post Grab, and Akrid Hunter. My personal favorite is Post Grab, it adds a lot of tactical aspect to the experience. Lost Planet’s Multiplayer experience might not be the best on the 360, but it is certainly not to be overlooked.
Overall Lost Planet IS a must buy for the 360. If you already have Gears of War or Halo 3, then make sure you get this game to add to your Xbox 360 collection, you won’t regret it.

 Since the release for Halo:CE back in 2001, the Halo franchise has exploded, single handedly leading Microsoft into the big market gaming business. Now, with Halo 3, the series closing chapter and final part of a Epic trilogy, people all over are frothing at the mouth to get a hold on a copy of the game. Gameplay wise, Halo 3 still delivers the fast paced FPS shoot-em up that we have all come to know and love. But, Bungie has decided to throw the addition of a few new things into the old formula. Most notably, equipment. Equipment is just a really cool feature that Bungie has mapped to the "X" button, which allows you to deploy different types of equipment onto the battlefield. Some examples would be the infamous Bubble shield, Energy Drainer, Auto Turret, Radar Jammer, Flare, and many more. All in all Bungie has not strayed too far from original "Halo" gameplay...which is definitely a good thing. Now technically speaking, Halo 3 is not exactly a wonder.

I am sure many of you people of heard the huge amount of complaining from the community about graphics...don't listen to them! They are all quick to compare it with "Gears of War", but lets get this straight...does Gears of War have vehicles driving around, dozens of enemies fighting, ships flying around in the air blowing up AND a giant Scarab's stomping around all on screen at the same time? Why no, it does not. For what Halo 3 does and pulls off, it's graphics are astounding. Not to mention the games lighting effects...quite honestly the best out of any game I have played to date.

Audio is also top notch, providing good sound effects and voice acting all around. Cutscenes also look very good...the only one graphical complain that I have is the Anti-Aliasing...Bungie could have done a better job, but as it stands, it is certainly tolerable. Over all, the game is very pretty to look at.

Multiplayer is much different from Halo 2. While the core gameplay remains very much the same, there are so many new features it takes a while to get used too. First there is theatre mode and the "Save Replay" feature that allows you to watch recored in game footage of either the campaign or a multiplayer match. Next would be the "Forge" mode which allows you to edit and move objects in any of the eleven maps in the game. Then, there is the File Share that allows you to share your gametypes, custome maps, screenshots, OR gameplay footage to anyone who opens it up an looks at it. It is also automatically transfered to Bungie.net for the entire Halo community to see for themselves. Very, very cool. And finally, possibly what most people have been looking forward to, the campaign mode. After finishing Halo 2 and witnessing the worst cliffhanger in video game history, people were...angry, to say the least. But in Halo 3 all the loose ends are tied, and the story is AWESOME, Epic, and extremely entertaining. The Cutscenes are probably one the best parts of Halo 3's campaign, they are the best out of any previous Halo game. They move the story forward flawlessly and can be watched over and over again.

Playing alone on Heroic will take you about 10-12 hours to beat the game, on Legendary it will probably take you 16-18 hours, considering that you can beat it at all. While playing Co-Op it obviously takes less time, probably between 6-8 hours.

Overall, Halo 3 is easily one of the best games that I have played in a very long time. Barely any noticeable flaws in the game design, programming, or map design. Everything is very well thought out and has been executed to near perfection. And for $60.00? With the vast amount of entertainment that this game features it is easily worth $80.00 for the game alone.

Now what are YOU waiting for...FINISH THE FIGHT!