The apocalypse came suddenly, or so we thought. It has been years since the first infection, and the Willamette incident, and sequel to the hit title Dead Rising have finally been released in the grandeur that is Dead Rising 2. Dead Rising 2 rises from the depths of the ground and bites into every player that gets an experience for the amount of thrill it offers with gut-tearing gameplay, a blood splatteringly good storyline, and a zombie revivification journey that is truly engaging to even someone who is not exactly commodious with bearing a weapon into an undead skull. In this apocalyptic infection of Dead Rising 2, I have come to realize that the struggles that await me are beyond reality, but no matter how much I want to close my eyes and forget: they are always lurking for the next red spill in the shadows.

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Guitar Hero:  Warriors of Rock is an exonerating title that surpasses a riveting journey which bases itself on a high priority of utter carnage and temporal base notes that make the foundations of Rock and Roll come through the rift calling its name. The single player revitalizes a new formula that bases itself on the skilled hands of the veteran, all the while teaching a new sensation of musical melody that rocks the Earth to its core. Multiplayer takes the formula of cooperative gameplay and adds a set of more refined gameplay which challenges players on both teams to different riff section of music. Unfortunately, the weak setlist might seem off-putting for most rock-hardcore enthusiasts, but the pacing of the notes and the different gameplay style are still challenging and impressive. The world of rock is coming alive, and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock makes sure that we are dying to try out some rock in our lives.

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Civilization V brings the dawn of a new era through strategic warfare with the strength for the edification of a small group of people willing to create their own society in a parapsychological title that encompasses the roots of diplomacy, growth, freedom, and politics. Civilization V has changed the model of strategy from not just the modes, but also the way players balance short-term and long-term goals to create an unforgettable title with illustrious logistics. The visuals have been greatly improved through the use of DirectX 11, some leaders are more stern with policy in Southeast Asia while others focus on what makes their Civilizations great and symbolic, the outdated religion system has been removed and the Civilization branch along with the Civilopedia exude an incredible amount of detail. Civilization V has been in development by developers Firaxis Games for more than 3 years, and each of these years has brought a more refined and concise set of systems and interfaces to Civilization V, all of which culminate the nostalgia in making the entire Civilization series from the floppy disk days to the portrayal of what Civilization has always stood for, both spiritually and realistically: the test of time and power of a people’s civilization.

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With Formula 1 racing becoming increasing more interesting and exciting with Michael Schumacher leaving Ferrari and finally letting other drivers have a chance to win, it was disappointing that the Formula 1 games released did not quite match the quality of the real life thing, that is until Codemasters bought the license and completely revitalized the whole aspect of it. It was never that the previous games were awful, but it just felt more like they lacked something that brought the feeling of actually driving a 200 mph+ car but it seems now with the 2010 iteration that it has finally been cracked and it feels totally immersive.

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PlayStation Move heralds a new beginning for the PlayStation 3 era, presenting an extension into the motion-based experience and adventure that the Nintendo Wii first introduced to gamers worldwide. The PlayStation Move intends to introduce their own set of motion-based tools into a more hardcore gamer following where graphics, accuracy, and hardcore combine. By allowing their former follower base to extend into using motion in an already exclusive lineup of titles for 2011, Sony remains dedicated to the PlayStation 3’s PlayStation Move platform to make an influence into those demanding more off the couch action. The PlayStation Move presents a completely unique new interface and interaction in a world where motion-gaming based schematics are becoming further realized into the mind of everyday gamers.

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The imaginarium of the PlayStation Move begins at the launch titles, some of which will be covered in detail here. The collection comes bundled with the following titles: Sports Champions, KungFu Riders, and Racquet Sports (Ubisoft) for a nice variety of titles that entertain any sort of play style to a certain extent. While the launch titles are decent, most of the PlayStation Move technology has yet to be fully implemented in terms of the titles and the controller interface’s interactivity.

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Humanity has faced incalculable odds since the Covenant fleet has attacked humanity’s primary defenses in space. The year is 2552; the world is still filled with disaster and soldiers dying to defend a sightless struggle to an end for honor, and courage to remember. The Covenant threat has loomed over New Mombasa on Earth, and provides a new worry for United Nations Space Command (UNSC) that overseas Reach, the central planet that is used as a headquarters. Reach stands at the foothold of annihilation of the human race and the struggle for humanity’s history to still remain a reality in the future. Halo: Reach provides an immense experience that highlights the constant struggle for survival and the prodigious actions of a soldier’s duty in the new world where alien invasion seems too familiar. Duty involves placing your life on the line in the unforgettable action of the frontlines, providing an insight to the unfolding tale that makes you believe sometimes the struggle is enduring, and believing in a team that can prevail.

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Ubisoft’s HAWX 2 premieres as the sequel to its predecessor HAWX and flies into action with immense combat battles, and tense interactions that provides a rewarding lively experience that is believable. Unfortunately, poor-quality textures in aerial shots combined with a poorly paced mission structure places HAWX 2 just short of soaring to the sky. As it soars at close-range, very few new elements are actually plausible enough to consider this a true and just sequel to the first title. While it has problems with the core gameplay and the lack of any real new additions, HAWX 2 still follows up to be a slightly improved title to the previous iteration.

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R.U.S.E.  brings a creative spin to the historic real time strategy based  genre, delivering an intense multiplayer experience, brilliant use of reconnaissance and a fascinating take on strategy that tests the players ability to control the battlefield. The competitive action is through the roof, but there are certainly some key problems with R.U.S.E that makes it rather surprising for a product of its price point.  The campaign is paced awkwardly, involving missions that are either too big or too small where it counts, the writing dialogue is sadly mediocre at best along with scaled and poor voice acting, and the mission structure design is sporadic and interrupts the action of the strategic element.  Despite all these chunks of problems, R.U.S.E. has notable gameplay elements that are decent, particularly  reconnaissance and intelligence.

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Vito Scaletta tells us a story that is historic and begins a renaissance in the depiction of a mobster experience through the rise and fall of an era from the early 40s to the late 50s. Vivification through the mood of the antiquated scene, storyline of an engrossing American Dream, and even the soundtrack of a harrowing tale gives rise to a haunting sense of gameplay experience that comes alive through the pages of a brilliant script by Daniel Vavra in Mafia II. This time, the Mid-20^th Century comes alive in an experience that teaches two decades a lesson driving action which is unparalleled to an adrenaline rush, and an engaging presence of the Mafia makes players believe they are in a changing world and with a new family to call their own. Despite all the good, there is plenty of bad through horribly developed hand-to-hand combat that borderlines on mediocre and leaves Mafia II a title which encourages those who want blood on their hands to want more. More than eight years after the original title released, Mafia II engenders a time where organized crime was difficult through the lives of the rags to riches members which took precedence in a cruel world where the strong exploit the weak through tools of trade, ties that bind, persuasion and will, but moreover keep that you earn. Mafia II is conspicuously making its debut and showing us that it has what it takes to be authentic and daring to be ruthless.

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