Sgt. James Heller was infected with the Blacklight virus in a subplot that was never revealed in the original title, but is the essential premise of the new title. 14 months have since passed by and New York is in a terrible condition than before. New York Zero is a quarantine base and the military is using Heller to hunt down Alex Mercer and kill him once and for all. This action itself leads from a viral destructive mayhem momentum to gameplay mechanics in the moves itself. Sadly, the real problem with storyline is not the actual cutscenes with narrative elements, but what Prototype 2 is missing: real dynamic variability when it comes to character and plot development. A lot of targets have no real background given to them, and a lot about Prototype 2 borrows too much from the same mechanics of flashback storytelling which leaves more to be desired.

Prototype 2’s gameplay staple focuses on a lot of combat and button mashing, but moves have been more streamlined than its predecessor to encourage moves that are fluid and easy as much as they are destructive. These powerful moves become stronger the more you have a chance to delve into the upgrade system which involves a system exactly identical to the last title which helps previous players accommodate easily to the new game’s upgrade system. Mission structure itself is a problem that blends together with storyline development which could have been so much more. The mission control objectives are straightforward A to B to C and the linearity of the system accounts for more of the actual gameplay portion than anything else. If Activision added more plot twists than before including gameplay elements that shifted and were more challenging, missions could be worthwhile in the carnage of it all. Of course, this comes at the paradoxical quality that the person with Blacklight viral components is vastly superior to any military force, so to claim the game is not challenging enough comes with its own statement of ridiculousness.

Prototype 2 largely bases itself on Prototype, but adds moves and fluidity that is more appreciated and that were desired by a large fanbase of Prototype. Even then, Prototype 2 has its issues but it also provides great action for the consumer that needs it the most: viral destruction.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City has officially made itself one of the worst Resident Evil titles I have come to play in a long time. Strong words for a title that deserves much more from a franchise that has set itself on the basis of atmospheric horror and mayhem. Terrible gameplay mechanics, a spotty online matchmaking system, and even a badly designed campaign storyline hardly add to the lack of things this title has to offer. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City could have had an element of shock and twist if done right, instead everything about this just gives a bad name to zombies worldwide.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City follows a bland introduction narrative of the outbreak in the view of Umbrella Security Service, those in charge of making sure that Umbrella’s name was not sullied in the process of the virus experiments. The storyline campaign is the weakest aspect of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. One would think that Capcom and developer Slant Six Games would create something noteworthy out of this, but the only thing that is clear from this is that Resident Evil 6 is the focus in terms of storyline, while Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is for quick money to fuel that project.

Regardless of a terrible storyline aspect, gameplay mechanics also play into the disappointing array of showmanship in developer efforts. Inventory slots are attributed to directional pad and ammo cannot be shared between a partner, which is rather odd and uninteresting in terms of survival. As players run across this short game of 12 levels, they soon find it is mostly just a corridor shooter in which the shooting is lackluster at best. Run and gun gameplay has always been a requested feature for main Resident Evil titles, but this one fails at doing that properly and makes us wonder if this is for the best that premiere Resident Evil titles do not feature run and gun. Either the developers cannot pull off run and gun, or are just too lazy to do it properly. In any case, if someone is bitten by the massive horde of terrible zombie A.I., they become a zombie which is definitely welcome, but then they run around frantically which feels more like a gimmick than anything. All of these disappointments can be summarized in a short paragraph, but their effects are long-lasting and nothing short of disappointing.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City’s versus mode besides the equally disappointing campaign cooperative mode carrying through short and terse single-player elements is another major disappointment. As if fighting zombies is not enough, players have to fight each other or race towards an objective for XP points that contribute towards better weapons and better abilities in multiplayer campaign or versus. The entire skill tree is badly worked out and the fact that it even exists for single-player cooperative campaign is confusing at best and ineffective. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City tries to provide something in a zombie game, but hardly does so.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is definitely the worst zombie title to be released in the franchise and dare we say one of the worst zombie titles we have come close to playing by a major publisher as Capcom. Hopefully, Resident Evil 6 will redeem Capcom as it truly seems Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was just a backburner title and nothing else.

Commander Shepard slowly walks away from the spaceport window in glory, called to the battlefield once more to finally end the Reaper threat and take back earth. BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 seemingly is introduced as the finale and the grand exit of Commander Shepard in the planned and conclusive Mass Effect trilogy, but nothing is preventing this series from saga potential in the future. An entire new weapon arsenal, an innovative new inventory system, and not to mention deeper pre-save variables in the RPG action narrative and adaptation to play styles has made Mass Effect 3 a game that far exceeds the reach of previous title of the series in some ways. In other ways, however, Mass Effect 3 keeps to a formula which is too similar in terms of combat and the in-between of the game’s narrative which is lackluster. While multiplayer is lacking to respects of originality in cooperative mode rewards and transitory elements, Mass Effect 3 includes multiplayer for the first time which is more than welcome even if relatively mediocre. Mass Effect 3 has encapsulated somewhat of a vision that takes the core elements of the original Mass Effect and infuses it with newer graphics and improved gameplay for a relatively decent Mass Effect experience but certainly not the one most people have been looking to for heavy improvements for a final title let alone a dialogue journey.

Mass Effect 3 carries on after the assault of the Reaper base from Mass Effect 2, where Shepard’s last words were of a continued struggle which was undying and imminent in what the Illusive Man stated as a “time of war.” As for the storyline itself, playing over 8 hours of Mass Effect 3 makes one thing immediately clear: there is less of a Gears of War with dialogue options spin given here, and Mass Effect 3 really does feel more branched than any of its predecessors in terms of a converges reasonably than just predetermined endings regardless of specific choices. While there are clearly still limitations to telling a predominantly linear story, there is more decided personality to Shepard with less dialogue options to choose from, which is perhaps the most disappointing Mass Effect 3 element. In previous titles, Shepard was anyone we made him but still held some core beliefs, now he seems more like a predetermined robot with cinematics in storyline. Mass Effect 3’s storyline is more improved regardless, and the play style of narrative gameplay eases the difficulty of combat so certain story lovers can focus more on story and less on hard rail-shooting combat.

Combat itself in Mass Effect 3 has little changed in core mechanics in comparison to the change that Mass Effect 2 made to the original Mass Effect. Inventory has been integrated into the GUI more fluidly which is great rather than constant stat-checking items and armor. The battlefield mechanics are sadly still similar to Gears of War, which while not a big burden in Mass Effect 2, is definitely dated here and now. Regardless, there is a fluidity that the combat has in terms of increased enemy Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) that is more improved from the past titles. Enemies are quicker to respond, and their coordination is faster. Weapons are largely improved with any class being able to yield any type of weapon with a moderate limit, and powers themselves are relatively the same but the skill tree is larger and more varied for Mass Effect 3 with more than Rank 4 powers in two variations of a specific skill. Nova, Lift, and Carnage are newer powers that have been added to mix up variety in the power skill tree.

Online aspects of Mass Effect 3 are the worst. Downloadable content (Day 1 DLC) is charged, which is rather disappointing despite Mass Effect 2’s initial DLC free models. EA’s Origin service for PC and Xbox 360 (reviewed on) is essentially stifling with bad lag and the whole Online Pass trend with consoles is something that seems like a market control to prevent people from playing a used game at its fullest. Multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 leaves little to say about it. Online cooperative mode involves simplistic objectives and is rather linear for the same type of mission. Players create new characters and there are leveling trees for weapons and powers which is a confusing mix as it involves having a character for multiplayer separate from the singleplayer. While this seems like a feasible idea, the result is a largely confusing and haphazard mix of two individual characters that split the uniformity of multiplayer to be optional and almost completely useless. Optional is a good thing, but useless is another thing entirely.

Exploration within Mass Effect 3 involves traveling around the solar system to unite allies for Earth’s recovery and this itself is grand on its own with the narrative tale. Space combat exploration, however, is one aspect people have been asking for repeated change and one that has been noted as stale at best and sadly while BioWare changed this they failed to largely change enough of Mass Effect 3 to make this aspect seem plausible of a $60 purchase. Graciously, they did not include too much vast amount of ship exploration and this is a relief but for a game in its third iteration, players are looking for a change that is realized and there does not seem to be a lot of it going on in terms of exploration.

Mass Effect 3 has done several things right in way of improving a formula that made the franchise so successful by adding more variables for a dynamic non-linear storyline, and better balancing out the elements of pacing in terms of storyline to combat and back. Sadly, there are just too many familiar elements after a long wait and they remain rather unoriginal from combat to a tack-on multiplayer cooperative element. What is worse is this: the dialogue is virtually nonexistent now. There are far too many few choices, and this seems like a Dragon Age 2 mediocrity all over. While this formula for the time had its pros and cons, it was exciting and fresh in Mass Effect 2 for a step up and beyond in terms of action. Mass Effect 3 tends to strictly adhere to elements of its past structure and also detract from what made them work, which essentially weaken it as a whole in terms of something newer or even similar. This does not even seem like Mass Effect. While the gameplay storyline elements are the only real aspects which have been improved in fluidity in terms of deliberate cutscenes and Shepard personality, the rest seems dwindled down and there needs to be more than slight tweaks to keep a title in the AAA category not to mention lesser dialogue options. While Mass Effect 3 is a runic title in some regards, it falters in other places that could have been much more. Commander Shepard departs from the windows of his spaceport valiantly in pursuit of regaining Earth and saving humanity once again in the universe of Mass Effect 3 which presents a world half-lit and half-dark.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is all about the search for Lightning in a journey through the vortex and magic of time and the consequences of fate. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is definitely one engaging RPG, but just comes off a little short in terms of its display of pure RPG elements that really elevate the gameplay to a whole other level. Decent action, and a lengthy and impressive storyline with more relaxed gameplay elements are incredibly effective, but something still seems missing in the long run with a heavily popular and anticipated title that could have been so much more.

Final Fantasy XIII-2’s storyline takes place shortly after the conclusion of Final Fantasy XIII, where Lightning is still in search for her sister Serah after she was placed in a crystalline prison. Lightning is locked away in a different realm outside of Valhalla, caught between a time struggle that she cannot escape and an enemy force of nature. The tale follows different protagonists Serah and Noel, with lesser focus on Lightning and former villain antagonist Caius. Noel heralds from a time in the future, where Cocoon has been shattered with the Pulse long before the events of the original title. When arriving in Valhalla and witnessing Lightning and Caius battle furiously, he manages to get whirled into the past where Serah resides, giving hope to the other protagonist of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Having witnessed what becomes of the world in this Final Fantasy iteration, Noel plans to change the future while Serah humbly just desperately clings to her sister’s memories and the realization of heart that she is and always will be alive, albeit in another time zone.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 sadly still focuses on one word: linearity. There are definite advancements in terms of the gameplay when it comes to time hopping nodes (which is padding at best) and some city-wide free exploration elements, but everything still feels rather restricted when it comes to the actual pacing of the elements. Gameplay wise, narrative fuses more seamlessly than ever, which is something that a lot of people can be thankful for, especially those people that spent $60 on the original game. Party system is relatively similar to the originator title in terms of its turn-based style, but there is more cohesiveness in terms of the moves and the reflectivity of how well they work off of each other. Regardless, Final Fantasy XIII-2 needs a lot more polish for a game that has so much potential and yet that which is never realized.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 does bring about a better and newer sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, and in many ways tries to stick to traditional elements without being overbearingly difficult, but there is the rub – it seems to come off hodgepodge in terms of its features. The wide consortium of various elements going on make it a confusing mixture for RPG players that naturally expect so much from such an established series, but sadly will leave players wanting a lot more for their dollar.

WhatIfGaming Game Of The Year 2011 Awards

The highway of our heart never ceases to the speed limit. Constantly becoming variable throughout the year, the speed of the thrills in newer titles and greater sequels have kept us seeing the wonders of a road that seems to be endless. Once again the highway creates memories which leaves us alone at the passenger seat of life looking out at the night sky of remembrance. Some of us have conquered the hype of ordinary titles, the injustices of mediocre talent, and those games which have shown a devotion to game design which is more about marketing than true gameplay throughout the year. Alas in the confines of these terrible titles, there are those which reaffirm the very nature of recognition and praise, those which dare immensely and conquer the year with their prowess.

It is with pleasure that we provide the millions of anticipated readers what they have been waiting for since the dawn of 2011: the video game industry’s most exceptional and gratified WhatIfGaming 2011 Game Of The Year Awards ceremony, presenting its official Game Of The Year awards before anyone else with a collective decision from industry experts and WhatIfGaming editors worldwide through its defined rigorous selection process which focuses on industry and developer recognition. The moment you all have been waiting for is finally here. Similar to the previous years, WhatIfGaming is first to give out Game of the Year Awards this year. See the Worst Game Of The Year and laugh at its shortcoming or weep for it, ponder about the cohesiveness of Best Script, or play through a title again to experience Best Voice Acting gone unnoticed by some.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to our beloved millions of WhatIfGaming readers! See you all in 2012.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations reveals everything in a storyline epic title of the year that took more than five years to complete. Ubisoft Montreal has kept the same action as its incredible predecessor from Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, the title which focused on the next adventure of Master Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Multiplayer action is still fast paced while a bit more refined, and the singleplayer campaign mode is just as adventurous and bloody. Regardless of these aspects, single-player mode does suffer from a few inherent flaws but manages to make a title that is quite possibly one of the best Assassin’s Creed titles to date. Altair Ibn-La’Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze show the world that being an assassin is just the beginning in what becomes a title all about revealing everything in the secrets of the Assassin order.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze is in Italy where we last left him after 1507 and killing the Borgia influence for good and solidifying the Brotherhood. He soon embarks  on a journey to Masyaf, Syria – the home of Altair Ibn-La’Ahad seeking more from the Piece of Eden. A conspiracy largely unfolds, and there begins another mystery. The storyline of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is unlike any other title in the series. Assassin’s Creed focused on Altair, while Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood focused on the Assassin order and the rise of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and the mystery of Altair while solidifying a brotherhood to kill Borgia. In Revelations, players finally play a storyline with the return of Altair and Ezio together, not to mention the animus-strapped Desmond Miles, a test subject taken hostage by modern day Templars and then consequently liberated in later titles. These 3 storyline arcs meet an apex and converge to a grandiose ending that is simply something which must be seen. The storyline dynamic is fused throughout cinematics which are more refined in real-time and lastly the gameplay where different anachronistic portions of the game fuse together like an abstract mystery novel.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations changes the formula that made Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed II encapsulating titles very slightly, hoping not to stray away too far into a confusing game. Some changes are small refined segments, whereas some in particular are overhauled segments of gameplay itself. These changes for a sequel are largely decent, but do come at a price. Button layout has been changed, which allows players to select a secondary weapon on the load out as as well as a primary weapon. This has undoubtedly been the number one most asked change by any fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, and it is simply a great boon that Ubisoft decided to finally include this with all the gameplay combat mechanics. Now Ezio can toss a bomb and attack at the same time, or throw knives and attack right away without causing a disconnect for a wheel-menu layout.  Weapons are largely the same and include guns, poison, and a new weapon called the hookblade. The hookblade is a new way for Ezio or Altair to reel in an enemy, creating for a more realistic environmental sense of danger. Bombs can now be crafted from ingredients, which are variable in their effects but not as necessarily effective or meaningful.  All of the weaponry changes and layout enhancements were helpful to Ubisoft in aiming to perfect the title. Den Defense is a mechanics change in the territories region of Constantinople, Newer territories now focus on reacquisition by generals. Once conquered, they are no longer incapable of being retaken. Territorial defense is a system Ubisoft included, and it feels more like a RTS than an actual function of the game that seems to be important or even meaningful. While still a rational inclusion (considering enemies do not run away forever), the territorial system of managing assassin’s to guard land holdings that Ezio has becomes a bit stale. Ubisoft could have excluded this and produced a more meaningful gameplay change with minor improvements, even if the title feels more similar to Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.. This is in no way deleterious, however, but with any new title people expect more changes for the better, not slightly detracting considering no title can ever be without the need for improvement.

Multiplayer within Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is delightfully fun and exciting. While leveling up back to level 50 might annoy some, this is standard with multiplayer games and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is definitely a more enthralling multiplayer experience in comparison to Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Various new modes such as Team Deathmatch and Artifact Assault (capture the flag type mode) have been added along with classical modes seeing improvements in gameplay. 2 Vs. 2 partner modes previously found in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is also part of the game dynamic but matchmaking has improved in connectivity. Multiplayer aspects of games in today’s landscape come with cooperative mode (which mind you WhatIfGaming has been urging developers to do since Halo 1 and Xbox 1), and a straightforward competitive mode or either of the two. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood came with an opening Templar CG and competitive/team-based objective modes. Abstergo Facility now has a storyline in multiplayer, and allows players to delve into the history of the Templars. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations answers the calls that many have wanted in the multiplayer aspect. Customization options include animation changes, taunts, designs, and more. The interface layout has been improved and streamlined to also include weapon sets. Gone is the GPS with a blue indicator for targets. Now, a picture appears of a target to assassinate, which will proceed to vary from latent to beating and flashing blue when closer to the target. Punching/Counter dynamic in terms of defense counter has finally finished the unfair timing between punches. Not only improving the animation lag, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations announced contested kills bonus which is earned when counter and kill occur at the same time, giving the stunner “Honorable Death.” This also effectively places a negative effect on a person that does a contested kill for 30 seconds, which is excellent for balancing the gameplay between respawn times. All of these kills and bloody massacres go towards new Abstergo credits, which are awarded to players to buy items from the Abstergo shop.  Assassin’s Creed: Revelations multiplayer is undoubtedly the best one in the series, and makes the game worth the purchase even if for multiplayer alone.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations comes with minute changes in the singleplayer adventure and a corpus of new features in multiplayer that makes for an assassin action adventure that is completely liberating to play. In contrast, Ubisoft Montreal has added Defense Den which is not the strongest of changes and actually serves to deter gameplay when an assassin is constantly out to defend his territories. Even with whatever changes, positive or negative, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations creates the same game in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood but refines it with better storyline direction, more plot twists but this time one with a definitive conclusion, and finally multiplayer with the most requested features to date. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations may have kept to the formula and tried to keep safe in its gameplay campaign design, but it still tells a tale that is worth the assassin name. Bloodshed, justice, and the convergence of historical lore brings Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and Desmond Files together in lustrum to create best Assassin’s Creed title to date.

Mountains start off as terrain regions of rock that accumulate a wealth of life, habitat, and moreover weather for ages to come. Tamriel’s mountains share their wisdom with the Elder Scrolls written on paper that can never be altered, and these Aedric Prophecies in return speak of these lands that hold unknown origin and magic in their existence. The mountains age with the times, and they see the struggles that make them the immutable forces of power and vast exploration beyond archaic and even a message for future prosperity. Whether through Morrowind or Oblivion, the mountains along with the lands have stood a test of time in man’s struggle for history and chronology. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim brings back the beauty of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and makes a world that is illustriously one of the most breathtaking environments ever created in 2011 for a video game. Through a profound development of customization, historical Elder archives of the Dragonborns, and a story to tell in all of its provincial lands, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim transports players into a medieval realm of Nordic refinement with the insatiable ceremoniousness of lands that are never forgotten and moreover so mysterious. Every abysm of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has adventure through limitless cultures brimming with the role of every person, whether it is by a grievous fire attack, a sharp but swift strike of the blade, or the devious subtlety in the stealth of a thief. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim opens a fairy tale in a video game title inspired by every Elder Scrolls title created, bringing back the last prophecy of one of the noble Elder Scrolls to life and effectively revealing to us the vast knowledge and truths revealed in the sacred pages of the Elder Scrolls themselves and the dragon language of the past.

Continuing from the Empire’s central province Cyrodiil, two hundred years come to pass and the dawn of the 4^th Era begins, seeing the new age of the 201^st year. The game sets open with a scene nearing a town, as the bold words of Skyrim adorn a simple road of an Imperial caravan with its prisoners. These prisoners essentially belong to the rebellion led by Ulfrid Stormcloak, the jarl of Windhelm that is accused of killing the high king of Skyrim in Soltitude and who is himself company to this morbid caravan. Among these prisoners is you, someone caught trying to cross the border into Skyrim. Conversations take place, and the dialogue is something Bethesda Softworks is ingenious with right from the inception of the storyline, giving players the gift of a game with as much depth in dialogue as storyline elements of plot and exposition aside in the rest of the game. Skyrim has been in utter civil unrest and disarray as the Nords essay to secede from the Empire while the rest of the province endures loyalty for the Empire. While everyone prepares for an execution in the town, and as you lay on the guillotine ready to hand over your head whilst smelling the newly carved blood of the previous rebel drying on the wooden engrains, a majestic dragon unleashes utter carnage on a town unwilling to burn but incapable of grasping the prophecy of the return of the Dragons. You soon escape and embark on a journey of discovery, exploration, customization, and the true gift in the nature of Akatosh’s blessing that leads to the Last Dragonborn.

The central identity of the player character is the most important aspect of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and comes in the form of 10 races to play: High Elves, Wood Elves, Orcs, Khajiit, Argonians, Bretons, Imperials, Nords, Redguards, or Dark Elves. Each race has its own defining characteristics that fit into not just appearance, but also special abilities. Khajiit can be sharp with their claws as felines while Elves are known for their magic prowess. Facial features can then be added on to each race from pre-built faces and bear to facial scars, war paints, or even eyeliner. Preset character face selections are definitely dated, but for Skyrim this is a very minute part of the game.  After the character selection is finished, players are familiarized with the combat and leveling gameplay design early on, within minutes of the game similar to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. A minimal HUD display along with a given option to completely omit Heads Up Display altogether under the settings menu takes hold as Health and Stamina are the primary heads up display markers. Pressing B/Circle on Xbox 360/Playstation 3 respectively enables a dynamic quick-access menu. Pushing left spins the screen to magic, right to inventory, up to statistics, and down for map. Items are comprised in 3D and can be viewed now through the inventory as this, which also gives useful stats in red/green identifiers. After the protagonist equips armor and weapons, these can be used in combat. Combat is straightforward but involves essentially weapons and armor sets that range from cloth materials to even steel for Imperial branded weapons and goods for the three central roles of play style: Warrior, Wizard, and Thief. To add a combat/magic benefit for weapons, players can utilize Guardian Stones across Skyrim, bearing the mark of the three Guardians each representing these three styles of play. Ranged weapons and melee weapons are later crafted in more superior quality through the use of town forges, with special customizations to varying types of weapons through blunt weapons to bladed. Bows, shields, axes, maces, and two-handed great swords and axes perform a strong arsenal. Armor is now combined but also more varied in the offerings, which gives a strong benefit to iron and steel renderings that are so notable for medieval armor. The armor and weapons go a long way. Without them, you can surely expect to see yourself in front of chaotic dragons, evil giants, and even angry hibernating bears during combat and without defense.

Combat for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are symbolized in unique ways, whether through quests or nonsensical killings in a town for notoriety, it comes wherever a player is. When attacked in combat with weapons at a critical point of their health, enemies face an execution which can be done in a similar slow-motion compared to Fallout 3. With such a scene of bloodshed for justice, weapons loadouts changed dramatically to include dual-wielding along with the placing of spells for wizards in each hand. The only one combat aspect which is terribly annoying is the lack of switching from weapons to magic and vice versa. Time and time again, wizards will see themselves running out of magicka, and switching to weapons with the menu screen is a climax breaker at times and can be disappointing, but the favorites menu does help in terms of connecting this quicker. Thankfully, Wizards and warriors have the extended benefit of having items that can further be enchanted that provide boosts such as more magicka regeneration, critical hits, making the enemy bleed, etc. to help in combat. Dragon Shouts are a part of combat that tie into the storyline, which is something we want to avoid detailing too much other than the fact that they are shouts that are gained by absorbing Dragon Souls, a combat reward that strengthens the player beyond anyone in Skyrim and possibly closer to the Dragonborn legacy. After enemies are naturally beaten, XP is gained for the 50-level leveling structure of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Each style is assigned their own constellation, paying homage to what is clearly the Nordic and Icelandic interpretation of the importance of stars as constellation depictions for future promises. Red indicates skills of the Warrior, blue as the skills of the Wizard, and lastly green for skills of the Thief. These gaming styles are dissevered into 6 skills each, effectively giving access to perk trees in addition to general skill customization, without the attribute points. These perks require the base skills to be at certain values, which the player can increase by focusing attacks utilizing certain aspects such as: Two-Handed, Destruction spells, Speech for Thief, and many more. Bethesda Softworks removes attribute points as well with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, though while not a hindrance in previous titles, serve more of a useful purpose better left out not integrated. Attribute points are essentially all types of skills which contribute to three main attributes: Magicka, Health, and Stamina, each of which represents the three styles of play of Warrior, Wizard, and Thief. These perks number more than 280 perks through styles such as Destruction, Archery, Speech, Sneak, etc. The numbers of choices are vast, and if anyone has never played a Bethsda Softworks title, they should know that certain skills affect certain parts of the game. Speech directly affects dialogue choices which are similar to Convince, Persuade, etc. options given in dialogue in places where someone with lower Speech abilities might not necessarily be able to be charming. The perks system and skills tree eliminates the discontinuity issues that were present in The Elder Scrolls IV classes system.  While some preferred having the level of classes along with races, and this certainly is more varied, the balance in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is specific.

Once all the identity is realized, and combat has been introduced, players are remitted into the most breath-taking open-world free roam experience of a lifetime through the most important feature of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Exploration. Loading screens are sadly long with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and do not seem to be worth the wait given the size of certain buildings/towns, but the reason for these constant load times remain unclear given what someone sees after the load. Despite this, the world carries on. The universe of Nirn has flourished a lot to offer through the adventures in Morrowind, and even onto Oblivion’s imperial workings. Exploration within The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim appears overwhelmingly resplendent in every direction and meaning of pulchritudinous. There are tundras, artic planes, and even rural countryside. You can see the towering mountains as you pass a riverbed; You can cut across the woods as birds fluster about the trees and the wind; You can look at the bright sky and see the level of cold in the mountain air or the deciduous forestry. Xbox 360 graphics do appear pixelated closer to objects, but not by a lot. PC users will be in for a real graphical experience with high resolution texture mods and naturally better graphical capabilities. The unraveling of the tales of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim reflects every Elder Scrolls title to date, being told in exclusive and new ways through context, books, or even the mere signs outside houses or landmarks. Throughout every town and even the vast wilderness, there are surprises in the enemy types and even the eerie relationship of the player to the land such as vampirism and more.  Every township is separated by this vast wilderness similar to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and each town has its own economy that can be invested in for goods, weapons, horses or even properties. The people create this economy, and the core of the gameplay is quest interactions with kings, commoners, strangers of the roads, and the unknown beings of the lands. Radiant A.I. and Radiant Story are the two systems that the Gamebryo engine uses to create The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Radiant A.I. is describe by Bethesda Softworks to give every A.I. their own unique personality, which is seen throughout the game but the repetition in the lack of unique faces on the NPCs is rather quite annoying similar to Fallout 3. This does not disrupt the gameplay at all when it comes to the quest designs. Radiant Story alters quests in a unique way, giving reason to multiple variables or choices to specific quests in comparison to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which did not base it off of statistics of the player in his/her current stages. Because of this, the quests are more fluid and seem realistic given that it utilizes the variables of the protagonist.   NPC dialogue is extensive when quests are given and moreover detailed along with supplemental information carefully scattered across the world. Dialogue problems do exist, however, when NPCs talk over one another as is the case with most of Bethesda Softworks titles such as Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Whatever reason it may be, whether technical or just bad coding, it does not harm gameplay aside from the points when a person gives out a quest and 4 people are talking over him. The quest journal helps to organize quests along with the map. This map can be used throughout travel, which features a mouse-like pointer across a landscape which is 3D and where the camera angle can be slightly shifted to outline quest markers and towns across the lands of the province. Throughout The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, no matter where you choose to go, there will always be unforgettable dialogue and numerous quests to partake in.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been an intensely anticipated title with an exceptional wait time that has been realized fully through visuals, gameplay, dialogue, and quests. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does have its problems in terms of dialogue technicalities, similar NPC faces, and irritatingly long loading times, but it offers a lot more than anything that is negative.  This is one title I had constantly been checking with Bethesda directly about since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and when it was announced, it was perhaps one of the most appeasing days for me as a critic and a fan of the series but also the most worrisome in sympathy for Bethesda Softworks and Zenimax Studios. At this same time, one could not help but dwell over the level of effort it would take to not only match what The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion had to offer, but be creative, successful, and more thoughtful about what worked and what did not. Rest assured, through providing even more of a strong historical lore of the Elder Scrolls and a world that seems so lively in a video game box, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has effectuated what its predecessor did and ingeniously clutched with it a renewed sense of memories for previous titles of the series and brought them back to life. I only look forward to the day when The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim becomes a title about nostalgia, and we are looking ahead to what the Elder Scrolls have yet to prophesize next.

Be careful what you wish for. Dreams are never equal, and sometimes they can turn out for better or worse. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception revives the fortune hunter experience that we have all been craving. Explosions, double-agendas, criminals, conspiracy, action, and adventure come as part of the third transmigration by Naughty Dog. All of these are normal to Nathan Drake, but to everyday non-adventurism people, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception gives us a chance to live the life of an adventurer who shows us discovery is never easy. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception creates a gem of an action adventure thriller that fans of anything enthusing and over the top will find solace in, whether it is through pulling a grenade clip from an enemy’s belt buckle, or smashing a bottle in an enemy’s face at a lowly-lit bar scene. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception has certain modes that lack excitement when it comes to the multiplayer cooperative gameplay, but these modes hardly hinder the experience that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception combines to make in an indelible package of extraordinary depth. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception takes anyone and makes them live and breathe the life of an adventurer, filled with dangers, explosions, and pitfalls for good measure. Regardless of whom you are, you can walk away feeling like an explorer of the times.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception gives players the idea that their heroic Nathan “Nate” Drake would be canvassing up a steep mountain, or being a problem for thugs on the Eastern border of an exotic country like Brazil. Nathan even might be taking a vacation at Hawaii whilst climbing the volcanoes. Instead, in a storyline direction that is uniquely adept at starting the narrative point at an anachronistic stage, Nathan is found in a bar drinking himself over. Something has clearly gone awry for our explorer, but nothing that can dampen his spirits for a new adventure. He soon finds himself back with Elena Fisher and Victor “Sully” Sullivan in the peregrination that leads to the benevolence of the Arabian Desert for the Atlantis of Sands. This naturally comes with its territory of danger, secret enemies, and moreover the struggle to stay alive without discovery alone. Locations such as London, Borneo, Monastery, Syria, Iram, and more send off our protagonists on a worldwide adventure of most importance and also serve as potential graves for other explorers. Discovery is clearly never easy, and the daring death-life game that Nathan Drake plays is one that is highlighted on every mission.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception’s gameplay is complementary to the other titles of the franchise with a few notable changes. Combat is more fluid, and animations aside, has its own surprises that we rather not ruin. In one case, the interaction between enemy types and Nathan has increased to where a grenade can be pulled from the waist of an enemy. Ammunition counts have increased and even the various weapon types have increased in terms up sheer number and variety. Guns aside, combat encounters allow for a multiple enemy takedown than the fight sequences from Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune or Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. This was undoubtedly one of the most requested features, while still keeping the unique camera angle of the fighting to an all-time close quarter’s sequence. Naughty Dog has effectively created an enticing combat system that is more than the point-and –shoot adventure that the Uncharted series makes a central aspect of gameplay. Climbing has returned and comes with the uniquely scripted animations that have been so memorable in the Uncharted series from the jungle regions or the plane sequence of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception clearly brings back everything anyone has ever loved in the Uncharted series while adding more storyline, gameplay hours, and finally an adventure that is so perfectly balanced through gameplay mechanics. After shooting and punching your way through a mission, players encounter unique puzzles that are central to archaic myth and secret areas that house a rare artifact. Like the Great Pyramids, every location has its share of puzzles and dangers. Most puzzles are equally as complex as previous titles, but do lack in terms of being anything memorable aside from having a small part to add to the game’s storyline itself. Naughty Dog needs to focus on making these puzzles as part of the levels and storyline rather than exclusively either for one or the other. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception’s gameplay is amazing at best and while there are problems with actual puzzling elements as being consequential, the adventure is none the greater.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception without a multiplayer would be fine for a singleplayer third-person action adventure as the storyline is not only longer than any previous title, but more exciting in the plateau of plot point vertebra. Multiplayer is split between cooperative and competitive modes. Cooperative only has two extremely amazing modes in Hunter and Adventure. Hunter forces four players to determine who is the pair of better fortune hunters or willing to put themselves in danger for treasure. Two players are hunters and the other two are enemy types along with A.I. that are meant to stop these hunters from getting all the treasure. This mode is fun as much as it is exciting creating a role reversal that allows players to play as the enemies one finds Nathan Drake punching into a wall. Adventure has the same underlying structure of Hunter mode but with a cooperative team that all work together against enemy A.I. This is definitely a fully cooperative mode than a competitive cooperative mix of Hunter. Arena is the last mode of the multiplayer cooperative series and is the same mode as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves with the same types of rounds (Gold, Rush, etc). For those that like to foil the plans of other players, there are four competitive modes that make a return from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: ‘Deathmatch’, ‘Three Team Deathmatch’, ‘Plunder’, ‘Harcore’, and ‘Free For All’. Player customization and weapon selection occurs through a XP money level ranking system, where the amount of money attributes to a players level and hence the in-game shopping amount he/she will have. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception multiplayer provides a mix of new and mostly traditional which is a bit disappointing creatively, but the adventure is there with the newer cooperative modes.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception provides a storyline that is just as memorable as the previous titles in the Uncharted series along with a multiplayer that focuses on the same core formula as its predecessor for a fun experience, even if that formula lacks newer creativity that one expects from a trilogy title. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception does what it sets out to do in its adventure to make sure everyone lives through the eyes of an adventurer and thinks with the quick reflexes of Nathan Drake in any and all dangers at beautiful locations, whether through the sands or the city of London. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception unlocks a visually enticing journey which is as long as it is interesting in the singleplayer adventure that is sure to be a classic given the amount of surprises that are composed ingeniously. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception hands the legacy of Sir Francis Drake to you for a brief time and leaves you with just that – the need for danger and adventure.

This night of Gotham has never seemed so blighted, congested with the echoes of Joker’s maniacal laugh as the world turns upside down with a semblance of ordered chaos. Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham City takes elements of Batman: Arkham Asylum and pushes it to a level which unfathomably creates one of the most heroic and daring licenses to make a name for itself in the video games industry through a sequel. The realm of licensed video game content has always seen its shares of abhorrent titles (Batman Begins in particular) or disastrous game to film transition rights. Batman faces the greatest challenge of his time, coupled with a level of combat that is smoother with its share of button mashing melee repetition. Through a rampageous contrast of the night’s wonders, Batman: Arkham City takes The Dark Knight’s veil of black justice with fervor, expanding it to a new definition through extraordinary free-roam and a storyline that is as memorable as the definition of a plot itself. Arkham City may just be the end for Batman, or at least the psychotic personalities within hope for this outcome to spill the blood of The Dark Knight.

Batman: Arkham Asylum left off with the Seven National Bank being robbed by mayor turned convict Harvey Dent, as Batman sped away in his jet towards Gotham City. Six months of night pass by, and there is a massive breakout from Arkham Asylum and a fire at Blackgate Prison. All of this adds a astriction to Gotham City that is quenched by mayoral administrator candidate Quincy Sharp, who dedicated himself to lead a series of campaign promotions implying that he kept the inmates at Akrham under control. On the eve of election decision night, Sharp is voted the mayor and proposes a resolute new step for the fate of Gotham City: He moves all the former inmates into nightmarish realm in which majestic buildings and landmarks have been defiled, consequently creating the walled-off district of Akrham City. TYGER, a private military gun-for-hire organization, are put in charge of the perimeter with a madman Hugo Strange as warden of the grounds. There is only one rule the city elects for these dangerous jail-loving fugitives: Do what you want, just do not try extrication. TYGER forces enforce this rule with use of firearms on anyone that attempts to escape the villain-filled denizens of Arkham City to try and create havoc on Gotham City itself. Sharp has an ulterior motive for not just the security of the city, but also the demise of the native Arkham City population itself through internal strife.  Deep in the chasm of the bleeding Arkham City, villains have started wars about property and niches for the environment, doing whatever pleases them and without remorse for the prison-city itself. Batman, aware of all of his surroundings and current world events, monitors Arkham City for months before swooping down from the dark and crushing anything that is ready to come oozing out recrudescent red onto Gotham City’s black. Having been caught by Hugo Strange who is well aware of his identity as Bruce Wayne, Batman must escape and seek justice in not only destroying what Arkham City is, but what it possibly means to those who seek an ulterior motive.

The concept of a free prison state is an interesting one, filled with opportunities and encounters with death at every edge of the city’s buildings. Zachary C. Ross clearly utilizes the city in terms of the dialogue direction and the Arkham City environmental ambiance is certainly there from what the masked villains say to even the story-arch of the bosses. This level of detail takes a brilliant turn with the gameplay movement mechanics themselves, using a cinematic blend with gameplay and actual cutscenes.   As already apparent with the game’s marketing, the major change in Batman: Arkham City is the world itself, being five times more expansive than the backtracking version of Akrham Asylum.  Movement/animation details are far from few, as Batman glides with more grace and can glide indefinitely, which is a tad bit annoying and impracticable but hardly hinders the true gameplay. Animations displace themselves into the combat with gadgetry and combat button attacks. Gadgets make an invigoration in Batman: Arkham City, creating a street-level justice Batman is known for. Sadly, the level of gadgetry is hardly as significant in comparison with anything Batman is seen to have in the comics or even the films at points, but there are a decent handful of gadgets with a newer Detective Vision. Detective Vision highlights enemies and objects, but more so at greater ranges. Explosive Gel makes a return along with a newly improved Line Launcher mechanic for stealth strategy, allowing Batman to cling onto helicopters for a view of the city below. Batarangs make a return in sonic, remote, and normal form. As for newer additions, there is the Cryptographic Sequencer paramount to hacking GCPD comms and crime alerts along with Riddler communications, smoke bombs, remote electric charge, and lastly a disruptor as a defensive weapon to disable enemies.

The central lack of balance with Batman: Arkham City comes into the composition of the elements. Aside from Batman, Catwoman is a playable character, fitting into the gameplay storyline between segments of Batman as a sort of interlude night-time justice spree. While she has a whip and move set with claws for more purpose, there seems to be a degraded level of fun when playing Catwoman in the natural unimportance of the character to the storyline symmetry. In terms of gadgets, there is a disconnect between gameplay and FreeFlow combat. While Rocksteady Studios focused on these gadgets, it did not create gadgets which are used significantly throughout combat or interconnected properly or even powerfully. Part of this major problem comes through gameplay design. While stealth or hardcore over-the-top action busting into Arkham City are gameplay strategies, neither are effective in truth. Enemy A.I. is the ultimate problem that downgrades literally the entire quality of the game, being crazily stupid – like Batman:Arkham Asylum – or too stupidly cautious when someone is taken down through stealth. Lead game designer Paul Crocker did focus on taking the environment of Arkham City and the various villains such as Two-Face, The Joker, Ra’s al Ghul, and many more in a unique direction from the best of the comic book past, and truly lead the team at Rocksteady Studios to create a storyline work of art that is blemished by combat. While art and dialogue are heavily portrayed as dominating factors, the lack of a unique combat structure without any repetition of button-mashing, a hideously defective A.I., and the limited usage of gadgets in creative ways become rather dull aside from the effervescent boss battles when Batman least expects them.

Creating one of the most comprehensive reviews of Batman: Arkham City is a daunting task. Playing the game for more than 65 hours undoubtedly speaks volumes about the exploration depth of Batman: Arkham City and the true volume of the title as a whole. It is enthralling and unrestrainedly ecstasizing. There are glaring problems with the game’s combat structure and balance despite no Batman: Arkham Asylum backtracking that definitely still prevents Batman: Arkham City from being the best title that it can possibly be, which is a shame that is truly realized when it comes to nonsensically punching the same stupid A.I. over and over with button mashers and some A.I. that pick up on stealth effects too frequently without any real indication to this. One thing is ultimately certain: Batman: Arkham City takes the crown from Batman: Arkham Asylum in terms of the best licensed Batman video game ever created, but the crown is in dire need of an amount of polish and fitting adjustments.

Battlefield 3 is the most anticipated first-person shooter game to be developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and the wait has been in the aptitude of extraordinary vain for Battlefield 2 hardcore fans of the series and lovers of fulfilling first-person shooters alike. Battlefield 3 does try to holster its weapon into the satchel of justice, particularly besides the realm of disappointment. There are guns, vehicles, multiplayer modes, and even a single-player storyline haphazardly thrown in for good measure but sadly all of these things create a sense of disillusionment; The level of action and intensity is bland with every shot no matter what mode considering most are hardly differentiated, and the vehicles along with the storyline prove the dimensional analysis that a video game can be beautiful visually and still play out with a mediocre thump. While Battlefield 3 will find its solace in the hands of those who enjoy bad company with a little thrill, it will find itself sooner in the comforting embrace of a bargain bin come December.

Battlefield 3 is solely about the multiplayer aspect, and this is very translucently focused on by EA DICE. Players set off in the US Marines faction as Staff Sergeant Henry “black” Blackburn of 1^st Recon, intermittently changing the protagonist per mission. Set in 2014, players fight off against the People’s Liberation and Resistance through a mission structure that has no real purpose or form. While EA DICE has added what can be perceived as a cinematic camera cue journey in the single-player mode, there is hardly any substance in a single-player with mission mechanics which are thrown together and appear to be very last minute in addendum.

Multiplayer has been stated by many EA DICE developers we have come in contact with to be influenced off of Battlefield 2, but it is very clear that there is a translational stage directly from Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Disparagingly, EA DICE did not stick to their roots and instead tried to create a title which aimed to be close quarters combat than huge scale battles. These close quarters fights whether on ground or in the air suffer from the overall gameplay design or lack thereof. While the PC version has 64-players, the console versions themselves are dwindled to a mere 24. Regardless, this was clearly a quality call from EA DICE to manage the online servers. Regardless of this fault, the true foibles in Battlefield 3 lay with not just the maps but also with class distribution. While less is more, Battlefield 3 is just too simplistic when it comes to its variety. The classes, while more streamlined, are generally weaker seem to dissuade the intensity of action. There are simply four classes: Assault, Recon, Support, and Engineer.  Assault classes carry a primary weapon such as the AK-47 or the M-16, Support class is an infused medic-like class with an ammo pack and light weapons usage, Engineer class dabbles in tank debauchery with SMAW or RPG-7, and lastly Recon carries a sniper rifle with laser designators to bring back more roles for prone annoyances and camping misfits.

After choosing one of the two factions, either U.S. Marine Corps or Russian Spetsnaz, players must make the generic decision of choosing one of these four classes to begin the battle which carries many problems in the road ahead. These four classes each are distributed into their own rewards classes based on XP gained after a match, which also attributes medals for the Battlelog profile. The modes themselves are not intuitive or creative, containing Squad Rush: base match team mode with no vehicles; Rush: base match team mode with vehicles; Team Deathmatch (no vehicles); Deathmatch (no vehicles); Conquest (flag takeover with vehicles). Clearly these reused and unintuitive modes aside come with not only the folly of a lack of creativity but also limited vehicle usage which cannot be purposeful despite reason. The reason there should be no vehicles in these modes is clear enough: not only are vehicles terrible to control and feel dreadful, but they serve no real purpose in the mode. Half of the time, tanks are too controlling for Rush or Conquest for ground-soldiers, while jet battles lack a finesse in terms of flight control and believability. While players can carry other soldiers on helicopters similar to the Battlefield 2 style, the importance of the transit degrades immensely considering the maps hardly require helicopter transport to the battle.

Battlefield 3 has only one true prize in terms of its gameplay or design, and this is the Frostbite 2 engine and Destruction 3.0. The visuals are unbelievably realistic and the color temperature of the scenes is believable in blue/white tone.  Unfortunately, most of the beauty is seen in the explosions of the unbalanced vehicle gameplay to ground action, where the explosions are at an all-time high. The console version looks decent, but the PC version is really for visuals (and hackers with aimbots).

Battlefield 3 showed a lot of promise in its development stages. EA DICE took on a heavy project on its shoulders when it termed the next Battlefield with a ‘3’ at the end, promising a long development cycle and undoubtedly fermenting a level of unaltered excitement from veterans and new gamers alike. While Battlefield 3 has amazing visuals, it provides the basic amount of warfare experience. Battlefield 3 thereby serves as a general disappointment in the veins of a mediocre warfare title that will soon find its covers in the bargain section of your nearest stores soon.