Arkham City Review

Rocksteady surprised the gaming community with it's release of Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009. Ranked as the most "Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever" in the Guiness Book of World Records, the sequel obviously had high expectations to live up to. Now Rocksteady has released Batman: Arkham City for the world to play, and it's safe to say that it meets and exceeds those expectations.

Dark Souls Review

Challenge, that’s the best word to describe From Software’s most recent title, Dark Souls. A spiritual successor to the vaguely known Demons Souls, this title brings some new, noteworthy changes but keeps the aggravation that the series has gotten a reputation for. For new players, the motto of the game “Prepare to die” is the best advice to follow, but veterans of Demons Souls will be met with more bosses and new enemies to sharpen their skills.

Gears of War 3 Review

First of all, I’ll go ahead and say that I have loved the Gears of War series from day one and I believe it’s one of the few games on the market that can sell the system, not the other way around. Ironically enough, I had to purchase another Xbox 360 to play this game. I have to say, I’m glad I purchased the system again.

Oh yea!

The campaign is typical Gears of War fashion with its cheesy one liners and huge, epic boss fights. Marcus is still emo, and seems to always get the job done while Cole Train runs around doing his thang. Dom is still a character of importance, but not as large a role as Gears of War 2. During the campaign, if you have friends online, they can hop in your game for some co-op, which is beyond fun. If you have a 360, buying this game to play the campaign with friends is more than enough reason for a purchase.

Gotta plan ahead.

Even without friends though, Epic Games stepped the AI on both sides for this title. Enemies actually use cover and flanking tactics, which makes teamwork one of the more important aspects of battle. Improvements were also done to the partner AI which is very helpful in certain scenarios. It’s one of the most annoying things in a game when you are forced with a partner who doesn’t know how to revive you, so it’s nice to see a game trying to get rid of that annoyance.

The sun light is a nice addition to the series.

On the graphics side, Gears of War 3 is remarkable looking on the Xbox 360. It’s very easy to see how much effort Epic Games put into polishing this title. The previous titles always seem to be a little darker toned but Gears of War 3 brings out the sun and showcases some real potential of the system. Even when playing online matches, the backdrops are fascinating and it seems as if the game tries to retain the same graphics of the single player.



Gears of War 3 stays true to the online multiplayer formula that it’s known for. A lot of fans were disappointed by Gears of War 2 and its multiple fails at multiplayer but this title has resolved all those issues and is definitely the best multiplayer of the Gears series. Despite it still being a shotgun-to-the-face-game, the inclusion of the Retro Lancer and improvements of the other weapons have given other players a chance and choice to use a different weapon and still come out with a victory.

Just not their day.

Easily one of the best features of Gears of War 3 is the fan-service and all it has to offer. The ability to level up your profile with online AND offline activities is a dream come true and something other games should take a note of. It’s something that gives people who aren’t pro status at the online multiplayer, something to achieve and gain while not spending all their game-time online. The various unlockables, character skins, weapon skins, hidden collectibles, in-game awards, and easter eggs show that this title is “Gears of War”.

Double-Teamed.

This title is definitely a reason to own an Xbox 360. Even if you never played the other two games in the series, players can just pop this game in and get a recap of the franchise and start enjoying the best of the best. Epic Games have stated that this will be the final Gears of War, so it’s definitely a worthy purchase and one of the best games made for Xbox 360. For a video review, you can click here!

Final Score = 9/10

Be sure to voice your opinion down in the comment section below and check back with GamersGameplay for future reviews!

Review by SteveThe1ne.

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Dead Island Review

Zombie killing should be its own genre in today’s market of games. With the release of Dead Island, fans of zombie killing have something new to experience with a game that has zombies that can actually hurt you and aren’t easily dispatched. Unfortunately, disturbing glitches plagued the release and trailers had many gamers expecting something else from the final product.

Batter-Up!

Dead Island’s title pretty much sums up the story, with survivors who are stranded on an island trying to survive a zombie out-break. There are some interesting twists and turns in the plot but don’t expect a blockbuster story. Out of the few survivors who are on this crazy island, there are four available to choose as the main character of the game. Each of these four characters has their own specialization in a particular weapon.

Welcome to Dead Island.

Out in the open world, players are met with a pretty backdrop which makes the game feel a little ironic as you bash away a zombie’s brain in broad daylight. The sunshine brings a unique aspect to a zombie game, mostly because it’s so uncommon that your guard will be let down to surprise attacks. However, the dark environments are where the game seems at home. Given a flashlight, which does have a battery life, players will be in some very fearful locations that are well designed.

This isn't Black Ops.

While looking around each dark corner, the game is played from a first-person perspective. With weapon in hand, the focus of the game’s combat is mostly melee. Each weapon you pick up and carry has durability and is usually customizable in some manner with weapon mods. Though there are guns in the game, there are very few in the early chapters which make choosing one of the main characters a little harder to enjoy due to their specialization with them.

Survive or Rage...the choice is yours.

While swinging your weapon of choice around to kill whatever mutated zombie stands in front of you, a stamina bar will be on display depleting. Without stamina, you cannot sprint or attack, adding a little more depth to combat. Also to enhance the combat, Dead Island has a few RPG elements such as leveling, a skill tree system, and questing. The skill trees allow each character can increase their abilities to wreck havoc on zombies or improve their chances of survival. Other than the main story, side-quests are spread throughout the lands to raise your level and reward you with cash, weapons, or mods. Unfortunately, enemy’s level scale with you which is something that personally irritates me in a game that has a leveling system.

He's not too friendly.

Despite all of the good qualities of the game, sadly Dead Island has had a rough release with glitches and bugs. Out of the various bugs, the most annoying had to be the loss of save data while playing online, which is disappointing due to the inviting aspect of the online multiplayer of Dead Island. Combat is also a little off, even with all of the options of upgrades. There is a lack of “feeling” when attacking a zombie that I wish was implemented, such as damaging limbs. The player is forced to just aim for headshots, leaving battles to seem repetitive and un-evolving.

Dead Island is a game that will probably have a mark in the gaming community as the “Zombie” to own. With plenty of hacking and slashing to dish out, survival is just as important and that is probably the best aspect of the game. Unfortunately, some will not be able to see past the glitches and presentation of the game to enjoy the zombie apocalypse. Be sure to voice your opinion of Dead Island in the comment section below and check back with GamersGameplay for other reviews, tips, and news.

Final Score 7/10

Disgaea 4 Review Dood!

Once again, Nippon Ichi delivers a franchise installment that keeps true to the series format while introducing new features to keep fans glued to the TV screen and Disgaea 4 is no different. As Valvatorez, a vampire tyrant who became a Prinny Instructor who no longer drinks human blood due to a promise, you are on a mission to find out why your Prinnies are getting exterminated. Though you start out with such a simple task, your journey will be met with trials and tribulations.

Despite it being quirky and interesting, the story isn’t the main focus of Disgaea. Gameplay is where the series shines, and takes away your soul. Disgaea 4 is a tactical RPG that kicks the tail out of other tactical RPG’s with a level cap of 9999, damage in the multiple billions, and items that can be leveled up to create overly powered characters that will demolish enemies. Tons of character and monster classes can be created, as well as passing bills in a senate to make enemies stronger or better the items sold at shops, this game doesn’t leave you with nothing to do.

Graphically, Disgaea 4 won’t blow you away but it will be easier to stare at the screen for extended hours due to the sprites being redone. Now all the characters will be seen in HD without seeing pixilated edges unless you choose to by turning on a “Classic” style in the options screen. Gameplay and text speed can also be altered which will be a necessity in the grinding end of the game, as well as turning off battle animations and switching the audio language on the fly.

Staying true to the format of grinding endlessly to become uber powerful, Disgaea 4 adds in new features to the formula, especially with the network incorporated. Hardcore fans will be pleased to see that Nippon Ichi created a decent balance of multiplayer that isn’t forced or just leaderboards. Custom maps can now be created and uploaded, as well as pirate ships to invade other players Item World adventures.

The Disgaea series has always been a difficult and hardcore strategy RPG that invites players in with cute characters and outrageous numbers. Disgaea 4 does not fail in giving every single aspect of this sequel something new and refreshing but staying true to the series. Hardcore fans will be playing this title for an extremely long time, while newcomers will either be treated to a frustrating tactical RPG or have a new addiction. For some beginner tips check out this article and be sure to leave some feedback in the comment section below.

Final Score = 9/10

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Review

For months I awaited the arrival of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron after playing the Japanese demo. Seeing the lush and vibrant backgrounds along with what seemed to be an in-depth battle system had me hyped for its release. However, after playing one play through, I have to admit my patient waiting was only for a mediocre game with a unique style.

Starting off, those looking to enjoy a fruitful story would be better off finding and reading the “Deutercanonical Book of Enoch” which the game is inspired by. If you want a quick summary, you play as Enoch, who is on a mission to bring back several fallen angels to prevent the end of mankind. The game doesn’t deliver more than what it tells you at the beginning. You are out to hunt the fallen archangels, no more or less.

Visually, the game is one of a kind with the art style being very unique, but is such a mixed bag amongst the levels with no consistency of direction. Each level has its own style but offers very little in the “bigger” picture of things. The chapters, separated by its own visual taste is tainted by being a variety of side-scrolling and plat-forming sections that feel very disconnected from each other, despite the game’s efforts to offer a great experience in either category.

Combat competes for the player’s attention when not jumping around the level’s plat-forming sections. With only three weapons throughout the whole game, combat is generally just a rock-paper-scissors match against the enemies. The bosses appear in different sections of the chapters to challenge you, allowing you a sneak peak of their repetitive patterns so you don’t fail when the final confrontation comes. As neat as that may seem, it’s more of an annoyance to have the same fight spread out through the entire game. Midway through the game you acquire an “Over Boost” technique which I found quite useless considering the ease of the one button combat.

I am very grateful at Igntion Entertainment’s idea and direction of mixing creative visuals along with a 3^rd person action game, however the attempt was just not polished enough for a complete game. Story and combat seem to take a backseat to visuals and that should have not been the case with such a large medium to base the game off of. Fans of the book might get more out of the experience than the average player, but the game itself is only worth checking out if you want to experience a visual acid trip with mediocre combat.

Overall Score: 5/10

Catherine Review

Catherine or Katherine…

Catherine is one hell of a game in today’s market. Atlus brings together a mix of horror, puzzle, and platforming for their first internally-developed release for current generation consoles. Described as “adult-oriented”, the focus of the game is about Vincent Brooks and his dilemma with his girlfriend Katherine (with a K) and a strange girl named Catherine (with a C). Players control Vincent, who after meeting Catherine, begins having strange nightmares, which can cause his death.

The game is separated into two parts, the day time at Stray Sheep Bar and his Nightmares. Stray Sheep bar takes up Vincent’s time with players able to send/receive texts, talk to customers, order drinks, play a mini-game called “Rapunzel” or listen to some catchy tunes in a jukebox which has a large collection of songs from Atlus titles.

Honestly, the core of the game is the Nightmare stages and the difficulty that befalls the player. In this dreamworld inhabited by Sheep, who are all men dealing with an issue as well; you are forced to climb upwards in a very unique style of puzzles. The puzzles in this game are beyond frustrating and the “boss” levels leave no room for player error. Playing this game on Normal difficulty was more than challenging for it to be considered “normal”.  Atlus did however add a patch that allows the “Very Easy” difficulty to be played but isn’t a selectable option, leaving the player to look elsewhere on how to activate it.

Catherine’s most enjoyable aspects are the scenes and playtime away from the puzzles. Vincent Brooks is a greatly designed character that draws the player into his journey of a harsh dilemma. The themes of relationships, commitment, and cheating have never been played out or focused heavily as well as this title delivers. Despite its strong story, the player is allotted very little time to enjoy the moments before going back to Vincent’s nightmares. It seems almost as if Atlus wanted the player to hate the Nightmare stages as much as Vincent hated participating in them.

Catherine is an experience that no other game offers on the market today with its share of difficult puzzles, character development, and involving situations that have never been implemented in a main stream video game before. The story is top notch and voice acting is beyond well but is almost shadowed by the hatred towards the puzzles and time spent retrying them. Catherine is not for the typical gamer, and for those who wish to indulge need to be warned of headaches.

Final Score = 6/10

Shadows of the Damned Review

"Just grab your Johnson and start shooting."

In Shadows of the Damned, you play as foul-mouthed demon hunter Garcia Hotspur. His mission is to travel through Hell to rescue his girlfriend from the Lord of Demons. With the combination of Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil creator) and Suda 51 (No More Heroes creator), this title definitely offers a wild ride through Hell.

Keeping a conventional gameplay style in the form of the third person shooter, Shadows of the Damned brings a few nice touches. The availability to move and shoot is nothing new to the genre, but is done quite nicely to keep a nostalgic feel even including a 180 degree turn. The camera can be quite odd sometimes, especially with the change of perspective when aiming.

Combat is where the game knew how to please its audience. Johnson, ironically named, is Garcia's companion on this journey. Able to take multiple forms such as a torch or motorcycle, Johnson is also the only weapon you need with the ability to change into the single shot Boner, rapid-fire Teether, or the shotgun-esk Skullcussioner. Each of these forms is upgraded with blue gems which are obtained after defeating bosses. The bosses themselves are fun but not really challenging as the most difficult aspect of the fights is solving the puzzle to their defeat.

Gems are not limited to being blue, but white and red also. White gems are the games currency in order to buy Sake, Tequila, and Absinthe to cure your health or purchase ammo. Red gems are hidden throughout levels and are used to upgrade Garcia's health or weapons reload speed, capacity, or power.

Another feature to add to the mix is the element of darkness. Some areas are covered with darkness, which slowly depletes your health. A goat head is usually nearby and can be shot with Johnson's alternative fire, the Light shot, to purify the area. If the goat head sounds surprising, gates are locked with crying baby demon heads with keys being in the form of brains, eyes, or strawberries.

Shadows of the Damned is plagued with crude humor, adult themes, and grotesque demons but it all adds to the ridiculously fun gameplay. Unfortunately the game is not without its flaws but can be generally overlooked with its silly jokes and odd exploits. The whole experience can be described as mindless and gratifying. Hopefully there will be future collaborations between these two great creators, possibly without all the penis jokes.

Final Score = 7/10

Record of Agarest War Zero Review

Love it or hate it, has always been the response for Tactical RPG's in the gaming community. There aren’t too many titles of this genre on current consoles so it's quite pleasing to see a new release. Record of Agarest War Zero brings a quality story and adds a few neat features to the tactical RPG format.

Record of Agarest War Zero takes place 1,000 years before the first title released. The world is at peace with a balance of light and dark, until an army of Dark forces crosses the border and confronts a girl named Mimel and Sieghart, a warrior on duty. After the confrontation, Mimel transfers a special "power" onto the main character, and the story unfolds from that point on.

Generations divide the story, allowing you to play the offspring of Sieghart with the introduction of a Soul-Breeding system. Throughout the game, a "dating-sim" feature is incorporated to build relationships with the female heroines. Before the start of the new generation, your choices will lead into a marriage and the birth of the next main character. It is definitely a unique feature to have in a RPG, but the only benefit of your bride is the inherited abilities and the weapon-type for your hero.



The battle system doesn't stray away from the typical Tactical RPG format, but brings along a few features of its own. The maps are relatively small and flat, giving you very little room for error in movement. Environmental advantages are only given by way of "field-types" that grant boosts to a particular stat on a tile. The most interactive feature on the battlefield is the ability to link attacks in a chain by placing characters in another characters "extended" zone. The game teaches the player early on how to utilize this system to its fullest, which comes in handy with the games difficulty. To help the harsh battles, a large selection of weapons and armor are available for purchase, creating, or upgrading.

When not in combat, the game plays out the story with cut scenes utilizing an Action Animation System. Large portraits of characters are displayed that animate to bring a little life to the dialog. The attractive artwork is met with an amazing soundtrack even though battle effects sometimes are faded or off. A small note, but worthy of mention, is that there isn't a dual-audio option so Japanese is all the player will hear while in battle or cut scenes.

Record of Agarest War Zero brings indulging combat, an amazing soundtrack, and an involving story to the table of Tactical RPG's. The game is loaded with a ton of gallery portraits, items, and weapons to collect for the hardcore players but this title is definitely not recommended to gamers who aren't fans of the genre. However, fans of the first title or gameplay shouldn't expect anything less than a great, enjoyable, and lengthy game.

Final Score = 7/10

Red Faction Armageddon Review

“Ain’t no Guerilla’s in the Armageddon.”

Red Faction has gone through multiple changes in its franchise.  The first two were a First Person Shooter and Guerilla was a sandbox destruction game. Armageddon is no different in the aspect of blowing things up and having fun, however it is more focused on a linear play-style. Throughout the game, you play as Darius Mason, the grandson of Red Faction Guerilla’s main character.

In the beginning of the game, events unfold that lead Mars’ surface to be disastrous, forcing the colony to be underground. Underneath these ancient mines and chasms lie unknown Martian creatures that are quick to attack. The dark caverns and lighting effects used in the game give an eerie vibe that resembles Dead Space, and ironically so do some of the enemy designs.  A downside to being underground is the lack of grand structures you can destroy, which is something I enjoyed a lot from their previous title. The story itself is pretty mediocre, nothing too in depth to have me enthralled. A noted feature that helped in the progression of the game is a yellow guideline that shows the way to your current destination, which can help immensely when lost in a maze of underground caverns.

When it comes to weapons, Red Faction has never disappointed. By far the best new weapon I’ve seen a game is one you get pretty early, the Magnet Gun. The first shot is the magnet; your second shot is the anchor which attracts the magnetized surface. Countless times I cleared an area full of monsters by shooting them and slinging them through a building, or just bring the whole building down to collapse on them. It’s insanely fun and its unlimited ammo! The fun factor of destruction is quite varied when traveling to each place, divided by a few segments not just on foot. A light-weight mech, a large ground-crawling Mantis, and even a flying ship can be controlled to help off the fighting swarm of creatures.

Surprisingly, Armageddon only has two available online modes, Infestation and Ruin. Infestation requires players to fight off waves of enemies while completing objectives, defending, or just surviving until the last creature is killed. Ruin however, is all about mass destruction in a short amount of time. Both modes are great fun, but Ruin is limited to purchasers of new copies or by purchasing an online code. Despite being intensely fun, I miss the online multiplayer types Red Faction Guerilla had.

Fun, is a great synonym to video games. The Red Faction franchise has definitely shown us that destruction can as fun as random killing. Armageddon takes a new approach for the series in a linear way, but keeps all the destruction elements that made its predecessor unique. Unfortunately, a mediocre story and a lack of online features the previous title had hold this game back from contending with some other Triple-A games that are due out this year.

Final Score=7/10

L.A. Noire Review

“The Case That Makes You, The Case That Breaks You.”

L.A. Noire can be described with two words, innovative and unique. Taking place in 1940’s Los Angeles, you play LAPD officer Cole Phelps. Phelps is a former military serviceman who served his time in World War II. Starting off as a patrolman, you take on cases and move through the ranks to traffic detective, homicide, vice, and arson. Each rank is divided into multiple cases which may have shootouts, chases, brawls, or interrogations.

During your case investigations, you’ll have to find clues at the crime scene and ask persons of interest questions. Using musical chimes and vibration hints, the clues can be found pretty easily. You do have the option to turn this feature off, which would make it quite tougher. During the interviews, the game closes in on the amazing technology it possesses. As you watch the facial technology work flawlessly, you are given three options; truth, lie or doubt. Choosing doubt is the only tricky one in terms of response. It seems like Cole always has to gain a louder voice and accuse them of lying, which sometimes is a little too dramatic.

Rockstar Games could have easily made another sandbox shooter, but I respect their risk of taking a chance in this game. The beautifully designed city and talented voice acting from the actors make the game one great experience. Gunplay works similar to their previous title Red Dead Redemption with a cover system and snap targeting. It could have used a little more polish in that area but there isn’t many in the game to make it a big deal. If you want a break from story cases, you can take on side-missions in the form of police dispatch calls, find numerous landmarks, search for film reels, or drive each one of the 95 uniquely designed automobiles.

L.A. Noire delivers a one-of-a-kind experience that no other game will have to date. If you are expecting another Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption, you will be disappointed. The game is all about finding clues, interviewing and interrogation. Playing as detective Cole Phelps, you get to witness a involving story in the Golden Era of Los Angeles. Car chases, shootouts, and fist brawls are fast paced and give breaks to the investigation element of the game. Rockstar Games delivers another top-notch title to their list, and hopefully a new franchise to capitalize on.

Final Score = 8/10