Probably the most awaited Massively Multiplayer game is here! In Star Wars: The Old Republic, players explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to play as Jedi, Sith, or a variety of other classic Star Wars roles, defining their personal story and determining their path down the light or dark side of the Force. Along the way, players befriend courageous companions who fight at their side or possibly betray them, based on the players’ actions. Players can also choose to team up with friends to battle enemies and overcome incredible challenges using dynamic Star Wars combat.

You’ll Love:

You’ll Hate:

• Instancing can make open areas feel empty
• Frequent, uninspired corridor levels
• Shallow space combat is a missed opportunity.

 

Overall the game has many Star Wars fans all excited and getting their force on. Bioware I believe has done an excellent job in bringing the overall franchise into the RPG mould. The attention to detail is astounding with very little character you meet along the way and their voiceovers are very well done.

We’ve seen combat as a big plus point to this game and the character depth is very well outlined throughout the game. Space combat is a little disappointing, but it does little to detract from the whole experience.

All in all we’d say it’s a good buy if you’re a Star Wars fan. For non-fans I’d still say pick it up, because as an MMO the game is solid. For Star Wars noobs – don’t bother as the millions and millions of references to the Star Wars universe can overwhelm you and leave you lost.

I’d give it a 3/5

[Show as slideshow]

Welcome to 2012 dear readers and what better way to kick it off than checking out whats in store for the coming year! In case you haven’t done so already you can check out our re-cap of 2011 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

With 2011 gone, it’s time to get deep into 2012. Today we’re going to give you a sneek peek of what to expect in 2012 and our favorite picks! Let’s get started!

Soul Calibur V

Get ready for the  sixth installment in Namco’s Soul series of fighting games, and will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 . he game will take place 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV.^[2] The main protagonist is Patroklos, the son of Soul series veteran Sophitia, while her daughter, Pyrrha is the deuteragonist. The only revealed guest character so far is Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Assassin’s Creed series. Do you need any more reasons to be excited?

The Darkness II

If you haven’t played the first Darkness then I suggest you get to it right away, because from what we’ve seen of the Darkness II – it’s going to blow your mind away! Don’t miss a moment of this awesome trailer!

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

RPG fans look no further – a super awesome, fluid and deep action RPG is coming your way. Massive worlds, excellent voice action and at the helm of it is L.A. Salvatorie himself! So this is one game you’ll want to pick up when it’s out!

Mass Effect 3

RPG fans can now go into a frenzy with Mass Effect 3 just months away from release! The game is scheduled for a March 6, 2012 releaseand will mark the final chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy of video games, completing the story of Commander Shepard.

Max Payne 3

oh I’m sorry, did you actually need some bit of text here to describe “Max Payne”?

Silent Hill: Downpour

Silent Hill returns for an 8th installment of the series and by the looks of it; it’s getting creepier and creepier. Silent Hill Downpour was to release for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 25, 2011; but obviously it didn’t happen otherwise it wouldn’t be here now would it? So it’s gonna happen in 2012. Watch the trailer and keep those screams down.

Street Fighter X Tekken

Kuzuya has big plans for Ryu and his abilities in this official cinematic story trailer for new fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken.

Ninja Gaiden III

Ryu returns and descends into hell in the 3rd installment of the Ninja Gaiden series! Check out the trailer and don’t tell me you didn’t get any goose bumps!!

BioShock Infinite

If you’re not kicked about it then you’re a few marbles short up there.

Tomb Raider

Square Enix is rebooting the series and we got a first look in at E3. All I can say is that you’re going to fall in love with the franchise all over again…and yeah, she’s tough as nails in this one!

Diablo III

it’s not just us…it’s the whole wide world that’s waiting on Diablo III and this for me has to be the most anticipated game of 2012!

Grand Theft Auto V

You know you want to steal cars and beat people up. GTA V is going to let you do that like no other. Can’t wait!

The Last of Us

Watch out for the PS3 exclusive from the makers of Uncharted 3. It’s an epic saga you’ll not want to miss! oh and the footage below is from an actual PS3.

If your gaming platform is the PC, then you’ll not want to miss this! Kick back and read through some of the greatest games that made it to our BEST list in 2011.

Best PC Action Game

Batman: Arkham City

Sure, Arkham City came out on all consoles, but it’s the PC version that really stood out head and shoulders compared to the rest. Rocksteady proved with Arkham Asylum that it was possible to make a great Batman game. Arkham City expands upon its predecessor, giving Batman an open metropolis to explore and fight through. A huge cast of villains, a plot that twists in often unexpected directions, and gameplay mechanics that make you feel just like Batman create an extremely satisfying action experience.

Honorable Mentions:

• Dead Space 2
• Magicka
• Saints Row: The Third
• Sonic Generations

Best PC Adventure Game

Portal 2

Portal 2 was the best PC adventure game this year. Its an adventure of a life time which takes you across vast and varied landscapes and providing an unforgettable experience by forging friendships and overcoming overwhelming odds. Yes sir! this is one hell of an adventure you don’t want to miss!

Honorable Mentions:

• Limbo
• Minecraft

Best PC MMO Game

DC Universe Online

It was a tough call especially with games like Rift and Black Prophecy in contention – but we believe that DC Universe online takes the cake here. Agreed there have been hassles initially, but now that the game is FREE (till a certain point), it bodes well for the franchise and the ability to fight alongside Earth’s mightiest Heroes (or is that what Avengers call themselves?). Either way, DC Universe is a game you cannot afford to miss!

Honorable Mentions:

• Black Prophecy
• Dragon Nest
• World of Tanks

Best PC Racing Game

TrackMania 2: Canyon

You’re probably wondering why the big wigs didn’t take the crown? – That’s because while most racing games strive for realism, some add a story, but Trackmania 2 is focused strictly on delivering fun. It may not make much sense, but it’s a supremely entertaining racing game. You can choose to race solo to learn the standard tracks laden with wild turns, corkscrews, loops and spine-tingling jumps. For the best experience, though, you should hop online and take on time trials alongside others, competing for the fastest run from start to finish across official tracks or custom courses. Trackmania 2’s replayability is nearly limitless as the dedicated community continues to churn out new content using the built-in creation tools.

Honorable Mentions:

• Dirt 3
• Driver: San Francisco
• Shift 2 Unleashed

Best PC Role-Playing Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim bags the title of best RPG yet again for the PC, as it did on the Xbox 360. It’s superb game that delivers on all levels – immersion, graphics, gameplay, story, dragons, fighting, dragons and yeah…dragons. You can play virtually any role you want in Skyrim, and you can play it nearly endlessly.

Honorable Mentions:

• Bastion
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Dungeons of Dredmor
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Best PC Shooter

Battlefield 3

Yet again another game takes top honors on the PC and Xbox 360. This game sets up a level of chaos and craziness that just has to be experienced to believe it. Offering balanced weaponry and vehicles, diverse classes, sprawling maps, and whopping 24-player online shootouts, Battlefield 3 offers an unparalleled amount of depth and tons of action. Even in an arms race like 2011, Battlefield 3 is the type of game that  rises above the rest and leaves the competition in the dust!

Honorable Mentions:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Crysis 2
• Rage

Best PC Strategy Game

Total War: Shogun 2

I had very very difficult time choosing a winner here. A PC strategy game should allow a certain level of complexity that makes you feel like you’re in the midst of something and yet, offer that delicate taste of victory from time to time tying back the entire package with tactical depth and customization. Yeah, Shogun 2 does it all and does it very very well. Combining turn-based campaign map management with sprawling real-time battles between thousands of troops, there’s something here for every kind of strategy fan. Not only does Shogun 2 deliver the best visuals of the series, lots of strategic and tactical depth, and tons of options to customize your faction leaders through skill trees to gradually win over 16th Century Japan, but includes an immense multiplayer component.

Honorable Mentions:

• Anno 2070
• Frozen Synapse
• Tropico 4
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II — Retribution

Best PC Multiplayer Game

Battlefield 3

The only game to win top honors across ALL platforms and that again is Battlefield 3. Featuring huge maps, destructible buildings, vehicular warfare, tons of unlockables, and a focus on working as a team, all the pieces of this unrivaled multiplayer battle fit together perfectly. Battlefield comes from a long line of successful online competition, but Battlefield 3 truly sets itself apart as a new bar to reach for when it comes to online chaos. The experience on the PC is by far the best of all the 3 platforms. You cannot go wrong with this game at any level.

There you have it forlks the BEST PC games of 2011!!! Let’s hear your thoughts on these!!

Welcome back again to the best of the best series – after reviewing the Best PS3 games of 2011, we now took a look at the stunning games on the Xbox 360 that clearly made it a huge year for the Microsoft console.

Best Xbox 360 Action Game

Gears of War 3

It’s beyond a shadow of a doubt that the best Xbox 360 Action game this year was Gears of War 3. The third Gears wrapped up the story and the characters with a sense of closure and offered some of the best action sequences in the whole franchise. The classic Gears of War ‘stop and pop’ cover mechanics were more refined than ever, and the game generally played tighter and more intense than ever. While this may be the end of the Gears trilogy (possibly the franchise), it’s a fantastic note to end on.

Honorable Mentions:

• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
• Batman: Arkham City
• Portal 2

Best Xbox 360 Fighting Game

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Trust me when I tell you that we had a heck of a time deciding which one takes the cake here, but through it all, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 pulled it off and we believe it to be the supreme fighting game on the Xbox 360

Honorable Mentions:

• King of Fighters XIII
• Mortal Kombat
• Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition
• Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition

Best Xbox 360 Racing Game

Forza Motorsport 4

The Xbox 360 has the best Racing sim ever! There’s no doubt about it and the Forza series with their latest edition races to the finish line with this one. When it comes to providing an experience that every car owner will immediately fall in love with, nobody does it better than Forza 4.

• Dirt 3
• F1 2011
• Shift 2 Unleashed

Best Xbox 360 Role-Playing Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This game is easily one of the best RPGs for the any platform, but more so for the Xbox 360 thanks to it’s near flawless execution. Skyrim comes to life in a way that no other RPG has, surpassing its predecessor Oblivion in every possible way. You could be pulling off assassinations for the Dark Brotherhood, chasing down dragons, or simply catching butterflies; Skyrim is as engaging and addictive an experience as you’re going to find in an RPG this year.

• Dark Souls
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Dragon Age II
• Dungeon Siege III

Best Xbox 360 Shooter

Battlefield 3

This year FPS games were hard to judge for consoles, especially when the contenders are so damn good! Once the dust settled, it was Battlefield 3 that stood tall. Offering balanced weaponry and vehicles, diverse classes, sprawling maps, and whopping 24-player online shootouts, Battlefield 3 offers an unparalleled amount of depth and tons of action. Even in an arms race like 2011, Battlefield 3 is the type of game that  rises above the rest and leaves the competition in the dust!

Honorable Mentions:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Crysis 2
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
• Rage

Best Xbox 360 Sports Game

FIFA Soccer 12

FIFA ends up scoring perfectly again this year to shut out the competition. With a complex and realistic collision system that sends players tumbling over each other, FIFA 12 simply feels fantastic. Add to that the advent of precision dribbling to truly control the ball and FIFA 12 soars beyond its past iterations. Every new soccer game will be held against FIFA 12 until a new title can take the crown. It’s a great year to be a soccer fan.

Honorable Mentions:

• Fight Night Champion
• WWE 12
• NBA JAM

Best Xbox 360 Multiplayer Game

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 takes the crown as the best Xbox 360 multiplayer game of 2011. Featuring huge maps, destructible buildings, vehicular warfare, tons of unlockables, and a focus on working as a team, all the pieces of this unrivaled multiplayer battle fit together perfectly. Battlefield comes from a long line of successful online competition, but Battlefield 3 truly sets itself apart as a new bar to reach for when it comes to online chaos.

Honorable Mentions:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Dark Souls
• Gears of War 3
• Portal 2

There you have it folks, our list for the best Xbox 360 games of 2011!!!

You can also buy these games right away!

It’s that time of the year again when we take a look back at what was in 2011. The first of the 3 part series where we’ll cover the PS3, Xbox 360 and. We kick off this series with the PS3.

The PS3 had a less than stellar year with a couple of exclusives and a few big names that didn’t exactly translate to the best experience on the platform. However, you want to know it and we’ll give you just that. Here are the top games for the PS3 in 2011.

Best PS3 Action Game

Infamous 2

There were a lot to go with and some stunning titles that battled it for the ‘best’ title, but Infamous 2, being a PS3 exclusive really stood out in terms of graphics, gameplay and the overall storyline to take the crown of the BEST PS3 Action Game.

Honorable Mentions:

• Batman Arkham City
• Dead Space 2
• Portal 2
• Uncharted 3

Best PS3 Fighting Game

Mortal Kombat

I’m going to go with MK here because this game felt like it really re-invented itself this year after a 11 year long hiatus. It’s not a game with the greatest technical skills, but the re-birth of the franchise with blood, gore and fatalities like you’ve never imagined before – yeah, that’s enough for me.

Honorable Mentions:

• Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3
• Street Fighter III: Third Strike
• Tekken Hybrid

Best PS3 Racing Game

Dirt 3

Dirt 3 had some stiff competition this year; but it successfully throttled ahead as being the numero uno racer for the PS3. Stunning graphics, accurate physics and a brilliant single player and online experience really brought this game together to take the checkered flag.

Honorable Mentions:

• F1 2011
• Shift 2 Unleashead
• Motorstorm Apocalypse

Best PS3 Role Playing Game

Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 came late to the PlayStation 3, but when it did, gamers finally got a taste of one of the finest RPG series of all-time. Mass Effect 2 is a role-playing dynamo, with deep, fleshed-out characters, an incredibly well thought-out story, deep gameplay and myriad choices and options that give the game inherent replay value. Quite honestly I wanted to go with Skyrim here, but given the PS3 experience for it, Mass Effect was the clear winner.

Honorable Mentions:

• Dark Souls
• Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best PS3 Shooter

Resistance 3

The Resistance series has been with the PlayStation 3 for as long as the PlayStation 3 has been on the market. As a launch title, Resistance: Fall of Man told the beginning of a tale chronicling an alien takeover of the planet Earth, a situation that got progressively worse for the human survivors the further along the series went. By Resistance 3, 90 percent of humanity has been killed and the alien Chimera have all but won. Playing as Joe Capelli (who murdered the main character of the first two games at the end of Resistance 2), players are thrown back into this alternate history universe, complete with its smooth gameplay, beautiful graphics and compelling narrative. Resistance 3 is one of the most criminally underappreciated exclusives on PlayStation 3, so if you haven’t played it yet, rectify that mistake posthaste.

Honorable Mentions:

• Rage
• Crysis 2
• Modern Warfare 3
• Battlefield 3

Best PS3 Sports Game

FIFA Soccer 12

No true contender for this this title. FIFA Soccer 12 adds tactical defending and precision dribbling to make a virtual soccer game that mimics the tempo of the real thing — hell, the breathtaking stadiums and player likenesses ensure that FIFA Soccer 12 looks like the real thing. There are contracts to worry about, modes to dive into, and a gameplay that’s so satisfying to soccer strategists. FIFA Soccer 12 is an easy pick for the PlayStation 3′s best sports game this year.

Honorable Mentions:

• WWE ’12
• Virtua Tennis 4
• NBA Jam

Best PS3 Multiplayer Game

Tied: Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3

I’m sorry I couldn’t make a choice here – but Battlefield 3 and MW 3 for me had to be the best!!!

Honorable Mentions:

None.

There you have folks, those were our favorite games this year and the ones we think deserved to get top honors. Let’s hear your thoughts as well!

‘Prometheus’ trailer debuts, marks Ridley Scott’s return to science fiction after nearly 30 years.

The teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated science fiction epic, set to hit the big screen on June 8, 2012, debuted online Thursday.

The 20th Century Fox film was originally designed as a prequel to Scott’s famed 1979 classic – which later spawned three direct sequels. However, the movie was later altered, and the British director has insisted it is not officially part of the “Alien” series.

Despite that, the teaser reveals some stark similarities to the film.

The visual designs, such as the alien space craft and the space suits, bear a striking resemblance to ones seen in the 1979 film. There is also a very brief shot of what appears to be the “Space Jockey” – a mysterious creature seen in “Alien.”

Even the title treatment, which slowly spells out the film’s name, is done in the same fashion as “Alien.”

Scott has said that elements of his celebrated sci-fi horror are in the film, but stresses that there won’t be any of the acid-blooded killers.

“No. Absolutely not,” he told Filmophilia recently.

“Prometheus” marks Scott’s return to the science fiction genre after nearly 30 years. His two previous offerings, “Alien” and “Blade Runner” in 1982, changed the genre and inspired countless other films.

Watch the Video after the break.

Click on this view - really....you don't want to miss this!

The WWE Franchise returns after dropping the ‘Smackdown vs. Raw’ monicker; with a brand new Predator engine. There’s been a lot and I mean a ‘LOT’ of buzz around it with the millions (and millions) of fans chanting the new name…WWE 12, WWE 12…um..yeah, I get carried away. So does it live up to it? Read on to find out.

WWE ‘12 is in my view an overall improvement over last year’s game, but I have to be honest. It’s more like Smackdown vs Raw 2011 & One Half than a brand new game. And it is worse off for the fact that for all its marginal improvements and ostensible “newness” it still suffers from so many overlookable but ultimately annoying detracting factors.

Is WWE ‘12 the best WWE game Yukes and THQ have put out yet? Yes, arguably. But is it a great game outside of that? Not in my opinion, no. It merely succeeds at being “very good” – like its predecessor – instead. Which is more than sufficient of course, and which makes it just as much fun as last year’s game, with a few added and much needed conveniences. So don’t get me wrong: this is a good game.

Wrestling isn’t about any one move or moment in time. It’s about a story, one that is woven in a ring over 20 minutes, escalating in intensity until a victor is revealed. If a game can’t find a way to bring that theatricality to players, it might as well not be made.

Brock Lesner is delivering some real pain

WWE ’12 finds that pacing. The changes start with the controls, allowing players to grapple and chain into light moves and execute more powerful attacks as opponents get weaker. More dynamic systems for submissions and pins escalate in tension, creating narrow windows of opportunity to escape while visually highlighting that struggle on the screen. The animated transitions between offense and defense are more fluid, eliminating many of the jarring, awkward moments that previous games so repeatedly featured. Occasionally wrestlers revert to a stunned state a bit too easily, and the animation and hit detection for objects like ladders and chairs feels a little off, but the impact of these inconsistencies is minimal.

The game’s designers have clearly spent a lot of time making sure matches have a natural progression, one that subtly incorporates all of the above ideas into something that simply feels right. It tells the story of wrestling in a brilliant way while never losing itself in the process. Remarkably, the developers WWE ’12 seem to understand wrestling better than the writers creating the television product do. As revered as WWE No Mercy is, that game never managed to naturally tell an in-ring story like this game can.

The Divas get it on - 1x1 style!

The most immediately noticeable change from previous years is the new (or old, if you’ve been playing the series long enough) control interface. You can still do all of the things you could before (and not much else,) but how you do those things has changed.

To initiate a grapple, you now press the A button and push the left thumbstick in one of four directions. From one of these four grapple types, you press A and push the thumbstick in a direction again to execute one of four moves, or push the stick without A to change grapple types. You hold down A when facing an opponent or already in a grapple (without a stick press) to execute a submission hold. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. This is the same basic mechanic used in last year’s game, but remapped to the left stick, and bringing the A button back into the mix.

When an opponent has become groggy, the same steps execute different moves. Striking is still done with the X button. Irish whips are performed with the B button. Holding RB while in a grapple (or facing a groggy opponent) allows you to enter the new limb targeting mechanic. Like the new controls, this throws a fresh coat of paint on things you could already do last year, but it does admittedly feel like a more obvious and satisfying way to wear down an opponent for subsequent submission attempts. In limb targeting mode, you see the four face buttons assigned to the head (Y,) body (X and B,) and legs (A) and can perform moves designed to damage those body parts. Nothing too fancy, but it works.

CM Punk with a stunning bulldog on Rey Mysterio

When you do finally slap on a submission hold, you’ll find that the struggle submission has been replaced by the “breaking point” system. This too is more of a return to an older standard than a new system, but it’s an improvement over having to move a thumbstick around and feeling for the correct position nonetheless. Instead of doing that, you now simply wail on the face buttons and a meter in the form of the words… you guessed it… “Breaking Point” either fills (in your favor) or empties (they’re getting closer to powering out of the hold.) The trick is to release the hold (LB) before that happens, or to succeed in making them tap by filling the meter. Opponents (and you) can also wiggle toward the ropes and escape that way, which is a great addition and much more accurately reflects real matches.

Taken together, limb targeting and the new submission system make submissions feel like they matter more. (Now if only there were more submission holds in the game. But moving on…)

Getting in and out of the ring is done with LB, as is picking up objects. Running is done with the left trigger. Tapping B while pushing toward the turnbuckle allows you to remove the buckle pad, but gone are the ultimate control moves like the ability to bash your opponent’s head into the exposed steel. They have been replaced by actual moves, which means you now have to get your opponent into the corner, turn them so that they’re facing it, and then execute that move. You then press the strike button (X) which bashes them into it. It’s a little more involved, but it also means you can drag them into the corner now without whipping them into it, which is also a little but more reflective of real in-ring performances.

Manual targeting works much better this year than last year. When it’s enabled, you can simply click in the left stick to instantly switch focus to another opponent (or the ref, for those times when you want to take him out in order to inject some illegal foreign objects into your match.) This is a huge improvement over last year, but, once again, the joy of the improvement is detracted from by the frustration that comes along with it. Despite setting (and saving… repeatedly) the option for targeting to be manual, you for some reason must switch from manual to auto and back during every match in order for manual to be enabled. Why? The most probable answer is that it’s a bug. But it’s still annoying.

This year’s biggest addition was supposed to be a new engine, incorporating so-called “Predator Technology” (named for Randy Orton, nicknamed WWE’s “apex predator.”) Supposedly this was to allow us to break up moves and holds in a more action-oriented and free flowing manner, akin to the early Smackdown games. While this is technically true, in practice matches really don’t feel particularly different from last year’s. You can break up a move by striking or grappling (when you connect, which you inexplicably won’t always do) at any point during the actual move being performed, but not right as the animation is being initiated. You can do things like hit multiple opponents during strikes again as well, but this doesn’t usually happen despite my best efforts to the contrary. The most I’ve managed is to hit someone with my feet as I’m falling for an elbow drop on a downed opponent. It’s cool, but not game-changing. (I anticipate more extensive implementation next year, as usual.)

Hit detection is just as floaty as before, and possibly more so when it comes to doing a running strike in the corner. I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried to do a running strike only to have nothing happen at all (of course, I have this grouse with almost all WWE games, except WWE All Stars) as my opponent simply stays in the corner not getting hit. This lack of precision extends to a few other specific parts of the game (but not enough to really hurt it.) You can still whip your opponent into the ring post when you’re outside the ring. But you can press A repeatedly and never manage to grab them to bash their head into it. It will eventually work, but you have to be standing in precisely the right spot. The same goes for picking up downed opponents into a standing state. Unless you’re literally right on top of them and in the right spot, nothing happens. This isn’t a big deal, as you quickly learn to close the gap between you and them before doing anything. But it is annoying regardless, because that isn’t something the game demands of you the rest of the time and it feels unintuitive as a result.

You can now have more chairs in a match at a time, and the announce table will break when performing moves on them even if you haven’t yet removed their tops. The game is replete with these kinds of minor improvements that may not be massive, but will entertain you and make you smile when you see them.

And that pretty much remains the case with WWE ‘12 as well.

Other elements like the Road to Wrestlemania, Create Modes are all there and they have been massively revamped to provide hours of entertainment, especially with the Universe mode. For starters, you can now create title matches whenever you want, in any kind of match you want, with any participants you want. They aren’t limited to pay per views either. You are no longer reliant on the CPU to book itself. This removes one of last year’s most harsh and frustrating limitations.

Because the mode is centered around rivalries and alliances, interference during matches in Universe still quite frequent. However, it seems to happen with greater consistency and conveyed purpose than it did before. Universe’s ability to create, change, and end relationships and rivalries does still mean that it can and will frequently alter or completely disband teams you spend a lot of time creating entrances for. But the ways in which these moments are presented seem more acceptable and believable than last year. The best part of the mode this year is your ability to mold it to your liking. There are 20+ title belts in the game from WWE, WWF, WCW, and ECW history, and you can edit Raw and Smackdown to use any of those as their official Major, Minor, Tag, and Divas championships. For example: I eliminated the brand split by giving the World Heavyweight Championship to both shows as their major belt, gave the classic IC strap to Raw as its minor title, gave the Unified Tag titles to both shows, and used only the Women’s title for both as well. (No “Divas” title on my shows!) I put the rest of the belts on people I didn’t want on my shows (you can assign an unlimited number of belts to anyone you want) and put them on a brand none of the shows in the mode draw from.

Yes, you can now create your own shows and brands… sort of. You can use any created arena and logo (more on user created content later in the review) on any show, permanently associating them with Raw, Smackdown, or Superstars which then (again, sort of) “become” those shows. You can save brands you create, and assign people to those brands’ rosters, and best of all, dictate which of those rosters the three shows in Universe draw their wrestlers from. That’s right. You can now eliminate anyone you want from the mode (for the most part) as well as any titles you don’t want. Needless to say, this is an awesome addition to Universe mode, and something we all wished we could do in last year’s game.

Overall

WWE ‘12 is the best WWE branded wrestling game I’ve played in years. Just like last year’s game was for its time. It makes incremental but important improvements over its predecessor, and the result is a more robust, satisfying game than last year’s. At the same time though, it also introduces a bevy is frustrations of its own – things that seem like they should and could have been addressed with just a bit more polish. In a larger, more content-packed game, these might be overlooked. But in what is essentially a yearly sports game that seems to repeat this pattern every year, they’re harder to look passed.

I’d give it a 4 stars!

Source:

IGN, Gamespot and Game FAQs

Buy the Game

It’s been hailed as the Greatest Online Multiplayer FPS. Does it really deserve that title? With 64 player matches and a robust gaming engine; it’s a Hell Yeah!!!!

Before I get any deeper into the review; I want to make one thing very clear – you’re putting down your money for the multiplayer aspect; not the single player campaign. Just so you know; there is a single player campaign, but it’s more of a side note where you go from checkpoint to checkpoint killing terrorists who come in your way.

Now with that established – let’s move on.

Battlefield 3 (BF3) manages to bring in and mix many modern FPS features (like the progressive unlocking of weapons and abilities) with the massive mixed-arms battles of previous Battlefield games. Most maps are populated with an amazing assortment of helicopters, tanks, mobile anti-aircraft guns, and jets. Ground vehicles are easy enough to maneuver, but aircraft are tricky and they’re best controlled with a gamepad.

I liked the leveling up scheme in the game, it’s not very different from most in the genre; but the sheer different ways in which you can level up adds to the game’s depth and keeps you coming back for more. Also the game’s smart; you’re not just rewarded for kills; which is probably the most intrinsic part of the game; but even stuff like team work, how many allies you saved and many more – all the time adding up to much needed experience for upgrades.

You’ll be able to track all of your progress through Battlelog (BL), a complete social network built for Battlefield 3. Use of the service is mandatory; if you have an active Internet connection the game can actually only be launched from your web browser while you’re logged onto Battlelog. Single-player, co-op, server browsing, and matchmaking are all handled through the network’s website. If, however, you set Origin (EA’s answer to Steam, and BF3′s other required online “service”) to offline mode, the game will launch directly to the single-player campaign. Despite this hassle, Battlelog does its job quite well.

The next big question: System Requirements? and PC or Console version?

Firstly – A quad core with a DX 11 card is more than enough to get you going.

Secondly – PC version, get the PC version – 64 players for PC vs. 24 for Console. As far as eye candy goes; the lowest graphics settings on the PC is slightly worse than that of the console. So if you’ve got a mid range machine and you turn up the settings to medium – it will look way better than the console version. We tested it on a AMD Phenom II with an AMD 4870 – it didn’t crank up at Ultra; but played very decently (45-60 fps)  at medium-high settings.

Overall, this is a solid multiplayer game. If you’re buying it for the single player – stay away; but if you’ve got multiplayer in your veins, you need this fix!

With that said; I’ll leave you with a comparison of the PS3 vs PC – see for yourself and judge in terms of graphics.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations sets the stage for one last hurrah for Ezio and Altair. This folks…is a history lesson you’ll never forget!

What’s Hot:

Nathan Drake returns for a 3^rd installment of Uncharted and it promises to be one hell of a ride!

What’s Hot:

• Stunning visuals
• Excellent level design
• Well-paced

What’s Not:

• Slight AI issues

The Review:

There are games that make you cringe and then there are games that make you want to be a gamer. This is one of the latter…and thanks heavens for that!! Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is a masterpiece and there’s very little to choose between this and the sequel. While most consider it at par or maybe slightly under par; either way this is one treasure that you’ll want to grab on to and not let go.

While Uncharted 1 set the stage for a visual standard rivaled only by uncharted 2; Uncharted 3 has gone on to slightly better that. It’s no surprise that the 3^rd installment of the game would look best visually. The large environments, stunning visuals and intriguing level designs make this one of the best looking games for the PS3.

The gameplay hasn’t changed much from Uncharted 2. You still have the same depth to combat and the exploring uncharted areas, no pun intended, but what has changed is the larger than life action sequences have given way to a more bar room brawl format. While you may think this is a step back; it doesn’t detract from the fun in anyway. In fact the new animations for the fist fights give it a little more depth than most fighting systems. There are certain animations that make the gameplay very satisfying from the typical run and gun formats and this is a huge step forward for the Uncharted series. Gameplay is relatively easy in the ‘’Easy’’ mode; our recommendation is to play it on “Hard’’ to experience the way it was meant to be.

But if you do become lonely, there’s a chaotic cooperative mode. There are three different options, but the best of these is Adventure. Here, you team up with one or two friends and take part in five reconstructed levels from the campaigns of Drake’s Deception and Among Thieves. Puzzle and platforming sections have been removed, so the focus is placed entirely on combat. And it’s incredible. Enemies are more susceptible to your fists than in the single-player campaign (two punches should finish them off), and it’s a hoot to sprint around the battlefield cracking necks and punching groins until you fall to a barrage of gunfire. Just hope your friends resurrect you because you have a limited number of shared lives and the difficulty can get steep. There are sections where you can’t rely on your fists to come out ahead, and these require you to carefully coordinate to stay alive. One friend may unleash suppressive fire with an assault rifle while you move in with a shotgun or just snap someone’s neck when he’s distracted, and there are so many ways to play that going through these levels multiple times is still fun.

The other two cooperative modes aren’t quite as good, but they have their charms. Arena is a series of co-op challenges against an onslaught of enemies. You may have to reach a certain kill count or steal a treasure, and it’s fun teaming up with some friends to take on the unrelenting horde. The other mode mixes competitive play with cooperative strategizing. Hunters is a two-versus-two assault where one team tries to steal treasures while the other tries to stop them. The defenders also have AI teammates, which makes it pretty tricky when you’re trying to nab their goods. Although both of these modes are good fun, they get tiresome more quickly than Adventure. Things enter a predictable rhythm after a few rounds, and though the core mechanics are satisfying enough to overcome this, they have limited appeal.

The real draw of the online offerings is the competitive mode. Uncharted 2 introduced multiplayer competition, and Drake’s Deception builds on that strong blueprint. The versatility of the single-player combat is well realized here, so a wide variety of tactics can be employed to kill those who challenge you. Hand-to-hand fighting, long-range sniping, grenade tosses, shotgun blasts, and all of the other great maneuvers from the campaign are here, and the well-designed levels give you plenty of different options. One big difference is the speed. Playing online is much faster than offline, so hunkering behind cover isn’t nearly as effective. The sprint button is far more useful, and you better use it frequently or you’ll be run down by someone who knows what he’s doing. Sprinting to a safe place, firing a few choice shots, and then moving on delivers a satisfying rhythm, and the fear that someone may be sneaking up behind you keeps you from becoming lax. Experience points give you money to buy new weapons and perks, which changes things as you sink more time into it. And if you want to start on the same page, a hardcore mode strips out those bonuses so skill, and skill alone, is what determines a winner.

All of these different modes and gameplay types look phenomenal, thanks to impressive technology and strong artistic design. A stirring soundtrack beautifully complements your journey, drifting between hard-edged riffs and delicate acoustics, depending on the situation. Everything that Drake’s Deception attempts, it pulls off with flying colors. This is a beautiful, cohesive, and, most importantly, fun adventure that cements the Uncharted franchise as one of the best around. More of a good thing is welcome here. You’ll laugh with joy, yelp with excitement, and, above all else, be thankful that you’re playing something as expertly crafted as Drake’s Deception.