Tom Clany’s HAWX

Rating: 7/10

Achievements: 6/10
If you were to play through the campaign (approx. 10 hours) on normal difficulty you would earn approximately 300 gamerpoints. More if you play on the harder two settings. The bulk of the G’s are obtained through online death matches.

Review:
Let me be honest with you about my experience with aerial combat games. I have none. I have not owned a game like this since Top Gun for my NES. For what ever reason I just couldn’t land on the aircraft carrier and I would always crash into the water. This must have been a traumatic experience for me, since I haven’t given a flight simulator an honest chance since. However, I am not sure I would call this a flight simulator, because I find it hard to believe that a jet fighter can carry a couple hundred missiles at a given time. I can also cruise with my afterburners maxed and never worry about fuel. Most importantly I never have to land the plane.

There is a wide variety of jets that are unlocked and they are all fairly newer models, except for the A-10, which is a beast and probably my favorite. The different jets are unlocked by leveling up with experience points earned through the campaign and online. You have the choice between two ways of controlling your aircraft. The default version will take you a little while to get used to and after a few levels you unlock the unassisted control, which I still have a hard time controlling at times. The fact that there is an achievement for a ground kill in the unassisted mode should only further explain. While in the default (assisted) mode you have a few extra on screen displays. You also have the ability to press the X button to show a suggested path to take to avoid a missile that is locked on to you. When on offense this button will show the most direct path to the six o’clock of your predetermined target. The benefit to the unassisted mode is it’s supposed to be more maneuverable and it looks pretty damn cool. You will either love, or hate this mode.

Before each level HAWX will show a breakdown of the enemies you are about to face and give you a recommendation as to what jet you should select. It’s a lot more fun to go through the levels once you have unlocked a bunch of jets. The levels are mixed well between attacking & defending targets. A map in the lower corner will show the enemy locations and sometimes their expected path. Once you select your target you decide what type of missile you want to blow them away with. It's not hard to imagine why the best missiles are the multi-target missiles for ground & air units. Once you have locked on a single target the multi missile will lock onto up to three other targets if near by. Firing four missiles at once was fun to watch. If they were not available I found that climbing to a high altitude and then locking onto & shooting multiple targets while dive bombing was effective. There were a couple of missions when you are tasked to attack a target within a specified time limit. These are tough and can turn into a pretty chaotic scene of launched missiles.

There was a story that I tried to follow, but after so many missions it really didn’t matter. Not to be misunderstood; I don’t mean it was a good story, but didn’t really matter for the total game experience. The story started off good, but quickly turned terrible and monotonous. The game was fun to play, so there is no need to watch garbage when you could be playing...skip ahead.

Tom Clany’s HAWX has some decent online play. There is 2-4 player co-op along with ranked and unranked battles. The best part about the co-op is that the game keeps score on the number of kills each player has, so it basically turns into a competition with plenty of trash talk while you’re skipping past the cut scenes. As far as playing the ranked battles they are enjoyable when you are playing, but there is far too much loading and each player is allowed to select their desired plane. Some people forget that while they are meticulously looking at each plane the other players are waiting impatiently to play.

Brand new this game is going for $39.99, which isn’t a bad price if you plan on playing online matches along with completing the campaign. I beat the game in an extended sitting, so a rental may be a better option.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh

Rating: 6/10
Achievements: 7/10. Half of the achievements can be unlocked simply by completing the game once as Rorschach and once as Night Owl. There is an achievement for completing a co-op game and this would be a lot easier if Watchmen had online co-op, but for some crazy reason there is none. The most difficult achievement is to complete a level while sustaining no damage…good luck.

Review:
If you have not read the book or seen the movie there is no need to worry about The Watchmen spoiling the plot, since this is a completely separate story. Instantly I was disappointed with this game, because it stated co-op, but online play was not available. The sole reason for me downloading this game via Xbox Live was to play a simple button masher reminiscent of Streets of Rage, while having a couple beers with a buddy. You can still do that, but just not as easily.

You have the option to play through as either Rorschach or Night Owl. The story is the same with each character; the only difference is their special attack and finishing moves. Personally, I think Night Owl is kind of a whiner, so I select the never compromising Rorschach for my first playthrough. When you start the game don’t let the opening scene ruin you’re your first impression, because the actual game play looks better than the cut scenes. Heck, South Park looks better than these cut scenes. Just as expected this is a pure button masher where you travel though six different levels with countless waves of enemies coming at you. Some of the enemies have some foul language and others are pretty funny with their insults. In the movie and book costumed heroes were outlawed and you would understand why when playing the game. In one of the levels the enemies were actually the New York City police.

This button masher actually makes you slow down the mashing and press the buttons slowly to perform the very powerful combo attacks. They are actually pretty easy to perform and be ready to counter attack when surrounded. The other enemies do not hesitate to attack you while you unload on their buddy. Once you beat on the enemy long enough you will be prompted to press a single button to perform a gory finishing move. This was another reason I was surprised to see Rorschach snapping the necks of NYPD with reckless abandon. It also makes you wonder why the police keep coming at you with their night sticks and don’t just shoot you. While you fight you will also power up your additional attack power. Rorschach has a rage mode that makes him faster and a lot stronger, while Night Owl has the ability to electrify his suit to shock those around him. Yea, it sounds pretty lame because it is. Rorschach’s rage is the way to go.
When the game is completed there is a quick scene that made me chuckle and then it was over. The Watchmen left me with this ‘Meh’ feeling. Overall, it wasn’t a bad game, but I don’t think I ever really got over the lack of online play. At a hefty 1600 Microsoft points I have a hard time recommending this game. If you’re lucky enough to still have your Sega Genesis I would break it out and pop in Streets of Rage III instead.

Trivial Pursuit

Rating: This is a very difficult game to rate. Consider how much you like trivia, and read the review to better gauge your interest. I could see different people falling anywhere within the spectrum of loving or hating the game.

April ’09 Value: $20-$35 (again depending on how much you like trivia)

Achievements:
Achievement Difficulty: 7 out of 10 (average, with a few G's that are extremely difficult)
-500 G’s with 10 rounds (about 6 hours of play). The other 500 G’s can be a real challenge.

Review:
The 360 release of Trivial Pursuit in March '09 was much awaited by me. I've really enjoyed the two "Scene It?" games I have, and thought this would be another good party game. The typical game websites gave it an average to below average score. I think a lot of this has to do with the lack of any online capability other than leaderboards (which are pretty worthless). Although this is a strike against the game, I have enjoyed it and will continue to play it for a long time to come. Overall, I have not been disappointed, and see a lot of replayability potential. I've now played over 20 rounds, and have had only a few repeat questions. One free DLC of "Movie" questions can be downloaded. It isn't anything special, but adds more questions and fresh material to the game. Whether they have more DLC's, will probably depend on the game sales. I would buy any DLC right away.

The questions may be difficult for your average younger gamer. The typical high school student may find the game too challenging. For them, I’d recommend not purchasing the game. For the average college student, fan of the board game, and trivia nut, this may be right up your alley. My post-college working-man IQ gets me between 40% and 70% of questions correct. Each person will certainly find their niche category as you can focus your game toward questions on: Entertainment, History, Sports & Leisure, Geography, Arts & Literature, and Science & Nature. I avoid the Arts & Literature, although at times they do me a favor by sneaking in a question from something created this century that isn’t related to a murder mystery book. All other categories have, what I consider, fair questions related to worldly knowledge.

The new game goes for around $35 right now (April '09). If you like trivia and the classic board game, it is worth every penny. I was never too big of a fan of the board game, but I’ve grown to enjoy trivia. In the end, I like the game a lot. For those a little hesitant, you may want to wait for the price to drop to $20. If you don't like trivia, and don't have someone else willing to play with you (note: no online capability), forget about this one.

Positive: A wide variety of questions with few repeats, challenging but not too difficult, 3 game modes [Single player, Classic multiplayer (based on the board game), and Facts & Friends multiplayer (better referred to as a "lightning round") ]

Neutral: Most questions are multiple choice with four options. This can help you, but also helps your opponent if they’re lucky.

Negative: No online play (this is kind of a biggy), Scene It controllers can’t be used, Classic Mode games can take 45 minutes to an hour, and games can come down to the luck of the dice roll. Frustration can set in during the Classic game mode when you’re one block away from a win, but have to wait numerous rounds until you roll the die to the correct number, then also get the question right. This problem doesn't apply to single player or "lightning round" modes, which can take 20 minutes or less, and the modes I prefer.

ShellShocked 2 Blood Trails

Really the only blood trails you'll see, will be on the way back to return this title. No that was too harsh. ShellShock2 has tons of potential. I feel the FPS category is just crowded and when you couple that with the continually over used backround of the vietnam war it just becomes plain. But wait lets toss some Zombies in there, that should fix it right up? It feels like they took the top 5 hot topics and mushed them into a typical playing field. I almost feel bad, because this really is an average game that totally gets overshadowed by the Call of Duty's, Far Cry's and Bioshock's. I do not want to discuss the storyline. It is fairly interesting but not worth writing here about. If I take away any of the story, then this game will be a bear to play through. The story is about the only reason to play this game to the end.

The graphics are sub par. Pretty basic stuff. Poor level shading and rough character casts lead the way. The upside is the super dark scenario's do set the stage for a few jump out of your chair scare tactics. But not enough to lift the game up. Over use of blood splatter, and gore for shock value leave you yawning. No map. Nothing, not even in the pause menu. This ultimatley leaves you wandering through the forests, caverns, and camps. Red flares sometimes point you in the right direction. One chance to ratchet up the graphics are the cut scenes that become all too repetitive by the third of the ten levels. These simple but unique cut scenes have button prompts to decide your fate.


The controls are basic but good. There is an issue with the tossing of hand grenades, but they are used so limitedly that it probably won't be an issue for most players. A small handful of weapons can all be located and used by level 3. A absolutley useless knife is available most of the time. A pet peeve I found is that you somehow always start the level with only a knife. The story line weaves a path that tends to leave you in a bad position, and relies on you to find and arm your self.
The sound department mailed it in on this one. They must have been tasked with 2 creative noises per level. They succeeded. I loved the crying baby in the backround but they never tied it in. A few zombie moans help set the tone, but they just leave you wanting more.


At least the Achievements come easily. They better because you will only play this game once, so you might as well get as many as you can. There is a achievement for playing through twice, which I guess is the publishers way of tourture. The AI is dumb enought that you could actually play through a second time and come in under 4 hours. With NO MULTIPLAYER, this game will be stocked in massive quantities at your local Gamestop. Pick it up for no more that $10 bucks. This game will be overlooked, and probably should be given a fair chance. It has been getting mixed reviews, but none have been over a 7 out of 10. If you bored during this slump of new releases RENT this game.

Stay tuned to Achievement Unlocked for later this week we will have the long awaited review of racially hyped Resident Evil 5. I now know why they had to play the race card. Find out!!??!!

The Lost and Damned

Last spring marked the release of one of the most anticipated sequels to a game, being Grand Theft Auto IV. GTA IV made headlines outside of the normal gaming media outlets due to the midnight sales and even CNN.com covered a story about trucks shipping the game being broken into and boxes of the game stolen. Surprisingly, the game faded away quickly even though it garnered great reviews.

I bought the game and invested many hours into it and was happy with both the monetary & time investment. Strong story, crisp graphics and the overall size of the game was amazing…no, it really was amazing. You could travel around three main islands by car, boat and even helicopter, all while scanning different radio stations (including comedic commercials) with no loading times.

When I heard that there was going to be an Xbox Live release of new downloadable content I was immediately interested. But, this wasn’t like the normal DLC that added another side mission or additional weapons/vehicles, but was a new completely separate story. Alright, what’s the catch? Well, the DLC cost $20.00, but the idea of downloading a full game for a third of the price of a new game with packaging was a new idea that even caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal. I thought about the price tag and eventually figured I would give it a shot.

I download Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned and was immediately happy that the developers didn’t try to reinvent the wheel by changing the controls and style that made me appreciate GTA IV so much. Now, instead of being an immigrant from Eastern Europe looking for a new beginning I was Johnny, a cynical, high ranking member of a biker gang, who’s world has just been turned upside down with the former gang leader, Billy, release from prison.

Of course, things go drastically wrong for Johnny and the rest of the game is spent cleaning up the mess caused by our pal Billy and his decisions. Nothing is ever easy, especially in Liberty City. Again, the map and selecting missions is very similar to that of GTA IV, so I easily navigate Liberty City and dive into the main storyline. Along the way we even meet some of the characters that were a big part of GTA IV. There are also a couple of cameos by our old buddies Niko and Roman.

I am pleased by the story of The Lost and Damned and am even enjoying this game more than its predecessor. One, I don’t feel like such an errand boy with missions consisting of drive to point A, pick up person X and drive them to point B. Two, I don’t have to call somebody to open side activities like a race. The map clearly pinpoints were I can enter a race, or even start a quick gang war. Nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning! Finally, there is no dating…I repeat; I don’t have to call boring women or friends to hang out with by playing darts or going to a show. I can still do that if I want to, which is cool with me, but I don’t have to. Quick non-spoiler tip; it would be in your best interest to call Terry & Clay for back up when starting a mission or just driving around. As you include them on more missions they become more battle hardened, which will only increase their effectiveness and possibly earn you an achievement.

When I complete the game I am not only satisfied with the game, but also, no longer question my purchase of a $20 DLC. In all I have logged about 13-15 hours into the game and have the option to go back and complete some more of the races and gang wars, which could easily bring my gaming time to over 20 hours. Solid entertainment for less than a dollar an hour is hard to come by, so I would quickly recommend GTA: The Lost and Damned for anybody who appreciated Grand Theft Auto IV. **To play The Lost and Damned you must have the GTA IV disc in the Xbox.

The post heard around the world

Recently I had the oppurtunity to play WWE Legends of WrestleMania. I picked this title up mostly because I loved the WWF in the late 80's through the early 90's. I even attended a few live events at my local venues. With that said, WWE was a instant return to those days. The soundtrack is amazing. They match up well with the realistic opening sequences. Every wrestler that was featured in a Wrestlemania will be found somewhere in this game, and not only the wrestlers but also their managers. The game actually captures the personalities of the wrestlers. The game consists of a few different modes. It has your standard create a character, online matchups, and exhibition modes. What I found to be the most entertaining are the live re-enactments from Wrestlemainia. This is where the game shines, actual footage from live events set up the feud lines, background, and stages you to take control at Wrestlemainia. The very first thing I did was set up Hulk Hogan against Andre Giant. Damn right I slammed him. So we got a great sound track, awesome graphics and presentation, that leaves us controls. A friend mentioned the controls are terrible. I really didn't understand that statement until I played the game for about 5 hours. What he should have said is there are no controls. Basically this is a button masher. A and X are basically it. Hold A down a little longer for your power move. I find this strange, as THQ has produced the Smackdown Vs. Raw series of wrestling games, and they have slightly more complicated controls. I feel they may have dumbed them down expecting a wider range of audience to play this game. Just a feeling.

Once you get the basic controls down, the game really exposes it weaknesses. There is no challenge to this game. Yes I know you can tweak the settings and slide the bar all the way to the right, but again I feel they have dumbed down the diffuculty. Then there is the huge issue of wrestling outside the ring. Near the ring, basic controls work fine, but move to one of the outside areas and all hell breaks loose. A pop up appears on the screen, to press "A" to move to next area, problem is "A" is also the grapple button. The recognition is ridiculous, and cripples the fluidity of the game. Returning to the ringside area is almost impossible, as you tap "A" to return the computer character will dodge, block, or enter into a grapple. For what ever reason, it does not recognize the fact that you are trying to return not grapple. Simply frustrating. So lets get down to it. If you are a fan of late 80's early 90's WWF wrestling then RENT this game. If you find it for $20 bucks pick it up. The videos are worth $20 bucks on thier own. The lack of difficulty and low replayability, is the downfall of this game. The video clips and soundtrack leg kick this game out of a 2 count. It is no Wrestlemania, but it is a great Royal Rumble, which is a exhibition game type by the way.

Dead Space Review

Rating: (Bad: 1-3, Average: 4-6, Good: 7-10)
Story: 6
Graphics: 8 (but at times too dark)
Sound: 7
Controls: 8
Overall Gameplay Experience: 8
March ’09 Value: $35
Achievement Difficulty: 4 out of 10 (a little easier than average)

Achievements:
-700 G’s with one playthrough in 20 hours.

-850 G’s with second playthrough in 35 hours.

-1000 G’s with third playthrough and 50 hours.

Review:
EA can do no wrong. Their sports games can rarely be beaten. They have had some non-sports related successes since they pushed Sega Genesis to new heights. This game was no different. Although this game was an impulse Ebay purchase for me. I based my decision on the good reviews of Gamespot.com and the EA reputation. The decision ended up being a good one. I’ve been a fan of survival horror since the first Resident Evil. This game has the same basic gameplay and story development style as that successful series. Although it took me a bit to warm up to this game, it ended up being a great game that I highly recommend for fans of this genre.

Basically, it is set in space in the future. A friendly ship has been attacked and is broken down. You are part of a team that is sent in to fix the ship and investigate. You are quickly thrust into survival horror situation. For the time being, although you have others characters assisting you, you are the man tasked with doing just about everything to save the ship, your compatriots, and yourself. Although the story is linear, it gives the feeling of making decisions. You have a little freedom in where to go next, what weapons to use, and what to purchase, upgrade, and store. Kinesis and the occasional zero gravity play are a little unique and fun.

After playing one time, I didn’t like it very much. I’ve now played through the entire game 2.5 times, logging over 40 hours and like it a lot. As with some games, it takes a while to get into the story while getting to know the controls and the purpose of what you should be doing. Give this game a chance. Controls are difficult at first, but become second nature soon enough. The 3D in game map is very pretty, but not of much use. It doesn’t matter much, as you don’t really need it. By pressing your thumbstick down, you will be directed toward your next objective.

The game probably isn’t for everybody, but drew me in. It is a great late night game to play in the dark for that suspense feeling. After only turning it on two times, I became entrenched in the story and excited to keep playing. I think any player will like the game even more each time they play. The G’s seem to come pretty easy too. I’ll definitely buy part 2 right away, whenever it comes out.

For more information and a printable GAME GUIDE, open the following 2 jpg files:

So I recently downloaded the new content for Scene it? Box Office Smash. It was dubbed "Award Winners" edition. It would add a new puzzle type and over 300 new questions. I am calling bullsh@t. I have played 5 matches with almost the same exact questions coming up each time. I have played custom games with the DLC Only content checked both online and off line. The new puzzle type is a fast paced true\false answer style that is not worth the price. I just do not see the 300 new questions. I am questioning the quantity not the quality of the DLC.

Anyone else out there download and play the "award winner" DLC? Drop a comment and let me know your thoughts.

I need some help with Fable 2

So, I need a lot of advice in my quest. First, let me tell you I am going the path of the good guy. Not sure what that entails, but due to my audience, I typically choose the good guy path first. Also it should be known that I did not play the first game at all. I know very little about the background, and still a little foggy about this story line.

First question, how important are the side jobs? Example, wood cutter or blacksmith. Should I concentrate on improving my star rating or just do them once? I realize they result in gold, but how important?

Second question, should I just follow the little gold line that appears? Is this game linear, or is it like Fallout3 where you SHOULD wander to fully appreciate the game?

Third question, how important is the dog? Besides the obvious, treasure chests and dig spots, should I be giving him much attention? I threw the ball a couple of times, and gave him a treat but that is about it right now.

Fourth and probably the most important. The experience I gain from battles, do I spend that right away? OR do I save up and focus on improving 1 aspect of my character. I cannot tell from the help messages that continually pop up. You can spend them any time by pressing the d pad...thanks but enough already.

Fifth, should I get married??

Sixth and final question, what do I spend my gold on? I have to assume that buying property is the way to go, because you get a return on your investment. But not sure.

Please drop some advice in the comments!!

Got Cheats?

While reading through one of my gaming magazines I always come across the back section that highlights a few games and gives cheat codes for them. When I see this section I always ask myself the same question; Why?

What do people get out of using these cheat codes? Of course I will get the obvious answer of unlimited ammo or invincibility, so the question should be worded as: What satisfaction do people get out using cheat codes?

I remember a day when a buddy brought over his Game Genie for my NES. At first I was excited to plug it in and then about 15 minutes later I was bored. Playing Double Dragon there was no longer a need to jump kick the big guys, because I couldn’t die, so what’s the point…

I also remember playing Golden Eye and there was a code for the giant heads, but could that actually be considered a cheat? Again, I ask the question why?

With the Xbox360 many games will cause you to lose out on valuable achievements if you enter cheat codes. So, not only are you missing the real satisfaction of completing the game as it was intended, but your missing out on the those valuable G’s.

Am I missing something?