SSX For PS3 Review

SSX For PS3 Review

If there was ever a game for which I was truly excited, it's this one!

This review is about SSX which was released on February 27th 2012 in North America.  Snowboarding games have pretty much been dead for a while now. There hasn't really been any games that really stood out like SSX 3 did back in '03. SSX 2012 is here to change all of that.

SSX 2012 brings back the characters we grew to love in SSX 3 like Zoe, Elise, Mac, Kaori, and new additions like Alex. The story of this game is that badboy Griff is trying to be the first to descend all of the 9 deadly decents of the world. Team SSX doesn't want that to happen so your mission is to do it before Griff does.

Like SSX 3, this game is packed with an impressive soundtrack featuring new artists, like Foster The People. And if ever you get tired of the in-game music, there's even a possibility of creating your own soundtrack with songs on your PS3. And what's even more awesome, is that the game will remix your songs like it did with in-game songs in SSX 3.

What's missing though is split-screen. There's no possibility of playing with your buddy on the same television. I'm guessing that the folks at EA Sports put all of their effort on multiplayer rather than split-screen.

This game is insanely fast-paced and will keep you coming back with the online global events happening often.

I award this game a 8.5/10.

Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition For PS3 Review

Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition For PS3 Review

This franchise has been around for quite some time now. The first resident evil game dates back from 1996! This review is about Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition. To be honest, yes it is worth it to get the Gold Edition. You'll end up paying maybe 5-10$ more, but in the end it's worth it. Besides, you can pretty much buy this game for about 25-30$ new. What's so awesome about this game is that you can play the whole game in co-op mode with your friend online. The downside is that you can only play 2 people at a time when playing in co-op mode. There is however a versus mode where you can play with more people at once.

Will this game please long-time fans? I'm not so sure. You pretty much have to play this game with the mindset that this is a horror game, not a traditional Resident Evil game. In older Resident Evil games, you were up against zombies. In this game, you're up against people who don't really look like zombies. This games copies elements from Uncharted, like finding treasures and whatnot, and there's nothing nice to say about the shooting and covering issues.

Another negative issue is that the main story mode is roughly short. That's why I highly suggest getting the Gold Edition, because there's a lot more to do when you're done with the main story mode.

For its stunning graphics and the nice addition of online co-op mode, I give this game a 8/10!

NBA 2K11 For PS3 Review

NBA 2K11 For PS3 Review

If you're still a basketball fan despite everything that's happened this season with the strike and whatnot, then you definitely need to check out this title. As its cover suggests, you're able to play as Michael Jordan throughout key moments in his memorable career. If that doesn't interest you, let me say that there is plenty more to do.

You can play a quick game, play an entire season, go straight to the playoffs, you can practice your moves. If that's not enough, there's also online play (online available until April 2012 though), NBA Blacktop which includes Slam Dunk contests, 3 pts shootouts and games of 21 against either the computer of vs a friend.

Are you planning on playing vs a friend who's never played the game before? No problem! You can even adjust the score like let's say, give him a 20 pts head start?

This game is filled with options and the presentation is stellar. True NBA fans will definitely appreciate every little detail.

On the down side, and let me tell you, there aren't really any besides this one; I find the game to be quite hard. I didn't try the lowest level of difficulty yet, but I'm only one after the rookie level. And I have yet to win a game. Maybe I need to practice more, or better yet, maybe I better stop picking the Toronto Raptors, because like in real life they are not very good in this game.

I give this game a solid 8.5/10!

Yoostar 2 For PS3 Review

Yoostar 2 For PS3 Review

Has this ever happened to you? You see a commercial for a game and it looks awesome, but when you bring it home and start playing it, you are incredibly disappointed? This is exactly what happened when I tried this game. In the commercial for Yoostar 2, the group of people are playing the game in their living room, without any green screen at all. They even have their couch, frames on the wall, etc. Nowhere on the box does it say to use a green screen or to buy a specific type of light for better lighting. I tried to play this game, had to re-arrange my furniture, and even then, the game was far from perfect. I don't know if this game is better on the Xbox 360 with the kinect, and I really hope it is. The game does come with 80 scenes, right out of the box and with hundreds more to download on the Playstation Network, it makes it interesting. But if you're not willing to spend extra money on a green screen and lighting, then this game definitely isn't for you. This is a very good example of false advertising.

For the concept, I give this game a 5/10.

Uncharted 3 For PS3 Review

Uncharted 3 For PS3 Review

Before I start my review, just so you know, I've only played this game for about 2-3 hours so far, so my review might change when I complete it. I had such high hopes for this one, as I read the reviews all across the web. The lowest score was 8/10 I think. So in this game, Nathan Drake returns for another adventure. We also see Sully and Chloe. What really disappointed me was the dark lit scenes. A lot of times you're in the dark and you can't see anything. For those of you who have been fans since the beginning, the same music is played in the menu when you start the game. It can get pretty annoying. Perhaps it's time they change their song? The booklet that comes with the game is about 20 pages long (both French and English are in the same booklet) and it's in black and white.

The game introduces new characters, Charlie Cutter and Katherine Marlowe. It's nice and all that this game can be played in 3D, but c'mon, not everyone has a 3D television, am I right? What's new in this 3rd installment is the ability to do co-op missions. Multi-player returns but with new twists, as it's now easier to get cash, even if you're not very good, or having a bad day.

So until now, for what I've seen, I give this game a 7.5/10 (keep in mind my score might change as I play it some more.)

Singstar For PS3 Review

Singstar For PS3 Review

Have you ever wanted to sing along your favorite tracks, while watching the music video at the same time? Singstar is the perfect game to do just that. It's a karaoke genre game that allows you to sing your heart out, and if you feel like it, you can even upload your performance onto the Playstation Network (either the audio, or video, if you own a Playstation Eye. What's great about this game is that you can view other member's performances and rate them. This game is packed with great tracks such as "Loser" by Beck, "Toxic" by Britney Spears, "Let's Dance" by David Bowie, "Hey Ya!" by Outkast, "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M. and lots more.

If you ever feel like you want to add tracks to your game, then you can do so via the game's online store. Thousands of additional songs are available!

If you enjoy playing karaoke games, then this game definitely is for you.

For its originality, I award this game with a 8/10.

Uncharted 2 For PS3 Review

Uncharted 2 For PS3 Review

For those of you who've been fans since Uncharted 1, then you know like me that there is a Uncharted 3 coming out November 1st. This review is about Uncharted 2 Among Thieves. The technological advancements since Uncharted 1 are incredible. I remember playing Uncharted 1 when it came out and I was thinking to myself that this was an amazing game, especially visually. But Naughty Dog really outdid themselves once again with Uncharted 2. The graphics are even more pretty in this game. And the way that the camera follows our hero sometimes almost feels too perfect.

The game starts with our hero Nathan Drake in a train that's about to fall off a cliff, hanging by a thread. Nathan must make his way to the top, before the whole thing falls below.

The controls take about 30 minutes to get used to if you're new to console gaming, and about 20 if you're a console guru. Did I mention that you can play this game online with as many as 10 players? The online maps vary between small and large. Sometimes the maps used online can be a little too big, but if you're playing with 10 players, it won't really matter.

If you want to get this game for cheap, then now's the time because you can buy the Game Of The Year Edition for about $30.

I award this game with a 9/10

Gran Turismo 5 For PS3 Review

Gran Turismo 5 For PS3 Review

This series has been around for a while. The first Gran Turismo game came out in 1997 on the Playstation 1 console and featured over 140 cars. Gran Turismo 2 came out in 1999 and featured over 500 cars. Finally Gran Turismo 5 came out in 2010 and featured over 1000 cars. At least that's what the box claims. In all reality, the game features about 20% premium cars (premium cars are vehicules which can be driven from inside the cockpit with the wheel, dashboard, etc). Of the 1000 cars, about 100 of them are Nissan, 100 of them are Mazda. And what can I say about the Nissan Skylines car variations. On paper the car list may seem impressive, but with all the duplicates

and variations, the number of cars dramatically drops down.

The visuals are pretty though. Very realistic. The menus are typical Gran Turismo style and races take ages to load (that's if you decide to drop most of the Bluray disc content onto your hard drive), if you do not, may as well take a shower while the race loads.

The creator of Gran Turismo has always been a perfectionist. The PS3 has been with us for a while now, and it took quite some time to finally get our hands on this much anticipated race simulator.

After a long wait, you can finally play Gran Turismo online with up to 16 players.

Gran Turismo is far from being a finished game. And for that reason I give this game a 6.5/10

Mod Nation Racers For PS3 Review

Mod Nation Racers For PS3 Review

Ever played Mario Kart 64 and thought - how cool would it be to create my own tracks?  Well with Mod Nation Racers your dream has become a reality!  What's even more awesome is that you can share your creations online with other players like you!  But that's not all!  You can also create you own character.  If you ever played the game Little Big Planet, then you know that creativity has no limit.  But how's the game besides the creation aspect?  It plays real good, like any kart game would.  The concept is similar to Mario Kart, you still have the choice to play nice or pick up items to throw at your competition.  And there's also the power-up option, if you gather 3 of the same items, then the outcome will be more powerful.  Let's say you picked up a turbo and you pickup 2 more.  The outcome of that would create a vortex which would help you get closer to the people in front of you.

If you're someone who has lots of ideas or if your creative side wants to come out, then you'll love the creation mode.  However, if you're like me and you're too lazy to create things, then the racing aspect will still keep you playing this one.

I award this game with a 7.5/10

Dead Island For PS3 Review

Dead Island For PS3 Review

Dead Island is not your typical zombie survival game.  I mean, sure there are zombies everywhere, but what's interesting about Dead Island is the fact that it's an open world environment.  Take a game like Fallout 3 and add zombies, and you've got Dead Island.  What's interesting about this game is that you can create your own weapons by combining items you find along the way.  For example, if you have a baseball bat, and some nails, combine the two, and you've got yourself a more powerful weapon than before.

But where the game really shines is multiplayer.  You can play co-op missions with up to 3 of your friends online.

The visuals are pretty, though the character animation could use some work.  Sometimes the character animation is so bad that you laugh about it.  Sound effects in this game will keep you on edge.  It's the kind of game that begs you to crank the volume up.  Besides, it's better to hear everything around you, don't you think?

One thing that I'm disappointed with is the fact that you can't play multiplayer locally.  You have to play it on the Playstation Network.  It's not a big thing though.

For the fear factor, its pretty graphics and the overall atmosphere, I give Dead Island 7/10

Fallout 3 For PS3 Review

Fallout 3 For PS3 Review

Let me just start this review by saying that I've never played The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion.  So I won't be comparing the 2 games.  From what I've heard from the people who did play Elder Scrolls, this game is similar for its open world gameplay.  Even better is the fact that there are hardly any loading screens.  The storyline of this game is pretty enticing.  You've been living inside a vault after a nuclear war was declared in 2077.  The story takes place in the year 2277, 200 years after the war.  The scenery is amazing to the eyes and its open world gameplay might scare you a bit, since you are not required to follow any guidelines.  You are free to be nice to the people you meet, or not.  The choices you make will have effects though, positive or negative.

The controls are pretty easy to get used to.  What's really great is the V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System).  It slows down the game and gives you options as to where you want to shoot your enemy.  This is highly effective when you're out of health.

Now the bad part of the game.  I won't sugarcoat it, it gets buggy at times.  I've heard of people who had to completely restart the game because they were caught between rocks, walls or terrain.  I've had my PS3 freeze at times, but not enough to take me away from the game.  This game will take you hours and hours to finish it 100%.  I've already put in about 40-50 hours and have yet to finish every side missions.

With all this said, Fallout 3 isn't a perfect game.  What may have happened is that the publisher probably wanted to rush this game out, despite knowing that there were still bugs to deal with.  It's unfortunate because I'm sure that the fans would have preferred to wait a bit longer and get a better game.

Despite the bugs, I'm giving Fallout 3 a solid 8.5/10