The battle within finally begins. Final Fantasy XIII captures the true nature of story-telling in the pages of gameplay that make up the masterpiece of the narrative. Final Fantasy XIII ensorcells players into a world of action, heart-ache, and a contrasting dichotomy of good vs. evil which furthers the nurture and attention that an elegant storyline requires. The struggles make us forlorn to the protagonist, the themes make us feel alive within the world, and the form and mood of the storyline allow us to experience something on an entirely new level. Final Fantasy XIII uplifts the senses in its linear outline through encapsulating the audience in a RPG with lightning gameplay that shocks us into the reality, unforgettable storyline which grasps our hearts, a diverse cast with personalities that are a wonder to discover, and presenting a unique piece of art designed with Fabula Nova Crystallis in mind after a long wait which was well deserved. Final Fantasy XIII brings form of emotional tenacity that is tangible every minute within the world of Cocoon, and action that engages the audience through every plot-twist woven through drama.  Final Fantasy XIII acquiesces a form of gameplay that is both linear and exceptional, achieving a level of respect in the name of the Final Fantasy series.

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Battlefield: Bad Company was a premiere shooter that marked the entry of DICE into the first-person shooter series category designed for consoles exclusively on June 23^rd, 2008. Bad Company offered singleplayer, a decent online offering of 24 players from the native 64 from Battlefield’s 1 and 2, and provided a venue for console shooter fans to play if they did not fancy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on Nov 7^th, 2007. Bad Company offered a markedly watered down version similar to elements of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in terms of multiplayer minus the ranks and perks system.   Not surprisingly enough, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a sequel that uses the same formula and delivers on what the first title came close to doing itself: being a game with an unoriginal storyline of revenge and profit centered on repetitive gameplay and missions structure, while capitalizing on the online warfare craze with bland online elements revolving around statistic aficionados that find an all too endless joy in the clunky destruction engine of the environment’s flawed realistic scope.

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Aliens vs. Predator showed a lot of promise during its creative façade with developer Rebellion. The balance between different characters seemed to be shaping up nicely and improving on the core concepts from the film, but ultimately Aliens vs. Predator has failed to deliver by providing a bland singleplayer campaign, and a decent multiplayer offering.  Aliens vs. Predator features three campaigns that give fans a look into all three types of species and thereby offers different types of play. Regardless, Aliens vs. Predator depends too much on the nostalgia of the previous titles to create a form of withstanding entertainment other than the sheer fact of controlling aliens of predators. While certain moments of the game are interesting, the game has too many prominent defects from gameplay design, to mission compatibility that is short-lived and receding fun. Miserably so, while gliding along the walls as an alien sees a short-lived joy, Rebellion’s newest addition in the franchise relies on recycled elements that disregard the game in its entirety.

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1968 has never been so cold and the water never this damp. Awaken as Subject Delta in 2K Marin’s BioShock 2, the sequel to BioShock that introduces the gaming world to an unraveling Dystopia in which philosophical individualism and seeping autocracy haunts the flooded corridors. BioShock 2 takes a very daring road to build upon the exotic backdrop of BioShock in which a plane crash lands the Protagonist Jack Ryan to the mysterious underwater world of Rapture. 2K Marin valiantly creates a new and recognizable atmosphere into a completely different storyline that evokes the responses through totalitarian dictatorship, improved gameplay based upon similar game interface as BioShock, and furthered incredible variety when it comes to the chills and haunting images that Rapture exudes. BioShock 2 furthers improvements and shooter mechanics beyond the first one and continues to up the par with a multiplayer mode from Digital Extremes. While something about the atmosphere, however, is not quite on par with the first title as things seem all too familiar and lose their substance that made the microscopicity of the original so daring, BioShock 2 still creates an atmosphere that is engaging and still very much provoking.  BioShock 2 incontestably creates an atmosphere that is prominent regardless of the familiarity that veteran players might feel and new players might not completely believe.

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For years I have waited to save the galaxy once again. For years, I Commander Shepard, have been alone and now is the time to make my glorious return to the Intergalactic Stellar System. BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 might be another game in the trilogy of the saga, but it reminds us that beautifully superb video games are possible as part of a bigger adventure. BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 brings the space action back once again to allow players to experience a role-playing action-adventure title never before experienced since Mass Effect or Dragon Age: Origins. With beautiful overarching stories with multiple plotlines, a trenchant role-playing dialogue system, suitable combat gameplay, and moreover characters which are truly believable with voice acting to suite every colloquy in pure harmony. Mass Effect 2 redefines the space galaxy as Mass Effect did before it and incomparably changes the scale and customization by an even more magnificent sight.

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WhatIfGaming - Game Of The Year 2009 Awards

It is with proud pleasure that we ask all of you to join us to celebrate the 11th year anniversary of our WhatIfGaming and read all about the video game industry’s most exceptional and gratified 2009 titles specially chosen by us here again this year. Similar to the previous year, WhatIfGaming is first to give out Game of the Year Awards this year. We just rolled out the red carpet and the winners for 2009 are here with us live!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to our beloved millions of WhatIfGaming readers (this means you)! See you all in 2010.

When the words ‘game’ and ‘World War II’ are mentioned in the same sentence, everyone has a stock image of a first person shooter storming the beaches of Normandy. The Saboteur deviates from this redundant, tired look and lets you feel like a small part of a more rewarding cause. Rather than being a soldier, the gun-for-hire aspect gives the player a greater sense of accomplishment which works exceptionally well during the harrowing scene of one of the most brutal times in recent history.

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The dead have risen to seek the blood of those that precede their rotting flesh. On June 1, 2009, Valve Software officially announced the birth of Left 4 Dead 2, sequel to the premiere horror 28 Days Later inspired Left 4 Dead. Valve Software created an exceedingly decent title with Left 4 Dead despite the issues of repetition and no story arc back in November of 2008, and seeks to improve upon various aspects left unfinished. Left 4 Dead 2 is the aegis to Valve and their ambition to create an extremely unique experience that has never been accomplished prior to the Left 4 Dead series, bringing horror and survival together to form a whole new definition in the realm of cooperative gaming action. Uniting a mysterious player and three other unsuspecting and horrified friends together, Left 4 Dead 2 makes sure players are at the edge of their seats not knowing what to expect next, making sure players use their eyes and ears to their fullest degree in order to survive the horrific zombie onslaught. Try not to blink or it may be your last breath.

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Come from the rooftops, steadfastly swift direction at night, let your blades be the serene guide. As an assassin you will learn: truth is written in blood. Assassin’s Creed I abashed players worldwide by allowing them to explore the political depth of war and intrigue through the eyes Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, an assassin dedicated to a group interested in shifting the pace of The Crusades in a war against the Christian Orthodox Templars. Unfortunately, repetitive gameplay combined with a poor set of voice acting contributed to the fall of Assassin’s Creed I as a mediocre title with no variety. Ubisoft is marked with unfaltering dedication and persevering power when it comes to Assassin’s Creed II. Assassin’s Creed II completely alters the perception of the prequel, providing stunning gameplay, brilliant voice acting, and most importantly than the former: a medley of variety that is badly needed for any game to be a success. Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II heralds a vivacity unseen of the Assassin’s Creed saga, and pronounces an unwavering view of the life and struggle of what it takes to defend the honor of family in Renaissance Italy.

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It has been two years since Infinity Ward has let the giant known as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare loose. Once Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare had been released from its cage, and was able to flex its massive guns, it had quickly taken over the First Person Shooter genre and had sold the most number of any action titles at the time. Fast forward to present day and Infinity Ward has catapulted us into the future of Modern Warfare. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has become exhausted from all the flexing in the last two years, and because people have found the creature’s weak spots, Infinity Ward has decided to release an evolved and more enhanced creature that goes by the name: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Beautiful environments, a real modern warfare grasp that enscorcels any shooting buff and delivers a realistic combat feel that allows Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to once again take over, and to show the audience what true war means.

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Escape into a world of boundless proportions as a Grey Warden in Thedas, contributing to the last known legendary order of guardians that exists to this day in BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins. Dragon Age: Origins marks the awakening of BioWare into the realm of dark fantasy epic tales and vernacular of a world so lively and capturing. Abilities, skills, specializations and over hundreds of talents and spells in a massive world creates a unique and stimulating invigoration despite whatever small problems present itself in Dragon Age: Origins. Made to excel at a new realized façade, Dragon Age: Origins represents the modern re-chimera of the party based fantasy role-playing fame, filled with an staggering storyline and fused with an unforgettable world with interesting characters and hundreds of quests, creating a long to be remembered title in the mark of video game history.

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