Another year, another bunch of games 2011 was packed to the brim. Here’s what was good.

Best Action/Adventure Game- Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 was a great way to start off the year, everything was improved over the first in every aspect and has done a lot of work to establish a dead space universe full of back story and interesting tidbits.

Best Fighting Game- Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat my not be MY favorite game but it definitely deserves to be fighting game of the year with the amount of content for any range of player whether they be casual or tournament level. I should also add that Mortal Kombat has the best story of any fighting game.

Best Shooter Game- Resistance 3

I like modern day shooters I really do but I can really get behind a game like Resistance 3 it reminds me of half-life (having access to all weapons at once and health bars) it’s a refreshing change of pace to most shooters out now and can really throw you for a loop if you rush in guns a blazin’

Best Multi-Player Game- Dead Island

Despite it’s glitches Dead Island is some of the best times I have ever had with my friends on XBOX Live especially when everybody freaks out at the exact same time or when you completely ditch your friend while he is attacked by a never ending flow of zombies…….sorry Miles.

Best Story- Deus Ex: Human Revolution 

Deus Ex’s story is one that really made think a lot about trans humanism and the thought of when to we get to the point where we have no humanity thanks to our own doing. I should also add………what a great ending.

Best Voice Acting- Batman: Arkham City

To be quite honest there really was no bad voice acting this year. Batman was just above everyone else pretty much…..everyone was good and Troy Baker did Two-Face (my favorite Batman Villian) a lot of justice I hope Warner keeps him around for further Two Face jobs. Also showed the Nolan North has a great vocal range (He voiced The Penguin by the way)

Best Downloadable Game- Moon Diver

I love a game like Strider so I was all over this game once I worked up the courage to spend money on it. Even though it carries a big price tag if you have been aching for a new Strider this is about as close as we’ll get for now, plus it’s co-op.

2011′s Game Of The Year- Deus Ex: Human Revolution 

Most expect Skyrim or Arkham City, but Deus Ex really stuck with me throughout the year. I loved everything the story, setting and gameplay, all things nailed. If I had anything negative to say about this game it would be that the story doesn’t pick up until late in the game. So if you haven’t checked this one out please do so.

Of course, I went home that day  replicated the bomb trap and decided to find flaws in it and while it didn’t have many it could still be beaten. Later I heard that NRS was patching it out, to which I thought maybe it could be nerfed a bit make so the grab can be broken like a normal grab or more frames to break and…….they ended up taking it out completely………..and still made his command grab (the start of his bomb trap) able to be broken in 10 frames (correct me if wrong) to which I thought “what was the point”. Really what was the point of nerfing the command grab if the bomb trap is gone anyway but whatever I got over it and just continued playing the game. I should also mention that the first MK patch was actually pretty good and fixed a lot of the bugs (Which NRS does do a pretty good job on, so bravo) so overall I wasn’t totally annoyed it only messed with a few things but it overall it was pretty good (though I’m still split on whether or not reptile deserved a severe damage but hey look at Chris G).

So I continued to play Mortal Kombat for the time being and continued to enjoy it……………and then it got a second balance patch, I thought once again are they fixing bugs or what? turns out it was yet another balance patch with them messing with characters. The only I’ll ever say that is broken in a fighting game is block strings like the one Kabal had and many others and I’m happy that NRS fixed those but as far as damage and combos they need to lay off. I’m sick of seeing really awesome combos that just get nerfed because some scrub called it cheap. Ok, I’m going to stop blabbing (for real this time) and get down to it I DON’T like that NRS (That’s Netherrealm Studios) patches this game as much as they do WHY? I like trying to figure out my why around stuff without developers fixing it for me so what if Kung Lao is broken start coming up with Anti Kung Lao strategies Kung Lao is good but we’ll never know if he was really broken since NRS patched him all up. That’s my ultimate gripe right now with NRS they don’t let things play out, Guy A will do a big fancy combo, Guy B (who is a big fucking scrub) will get pissed off and say it’s too cheap and needs to be patched and since scrubs feel they shouldn’t have to play a certain they will never get better and always lose but since NRS is patching things now it seems the scrubs might have their day. I still think NRS needs to patch game breaking bugs and glitches but as for the game and it’s combos I think NRS should consider a balance patch every 6 months at the earliest let stuff play out collect REAL feed back by letting it build up over time rather than the knee jerk reactions.

In closing, all this stuff is just my opinion but if guys think I might be wrong let me know and tell me why in the comments or if feel I should touch upon a certain topic I look forward to hearing your feed back. Thanks!

To be honest, I’m not sure exactly how to console my fellow fans. As I said, I can’t help but feel like this could possibly be the end of an era. The series has been around for 24 years, and it’s had its ups and downs, like any other series.  However, the fact that it seems it’s been pushed to the wayside so many times in just this past year alone seems like bad news all around.

I’d like to be clear that this isn’t a “call to action” against Capcom, or some sort of piece of hate mail. Does it suck that Legends 3 was dropped like a stone? Yeah. Do longtime fans of the series have reason to be upset, angry, and let down? Definitely. The way the fans are reacting to this is starting to get downright embarrassing, though.

I don’t know how true or not the reports of from Comic-con were the other day, of Seth Killian being punched in the face by an irate fan, or that people were being turned away from Capcom’s booth at the mere mention of Mega Man. The amount of foolish spam in their chat room during their UMvC3 stream was pretty shameful, however. I, myself, am still fuming about this a bit, but I’d like to think I’ve been slightly more mature about this. Threats against the staffers of Capcom-Unity? Rumors of cyber attacks planned against their site and the company? Just stop, everyone. Stop.

No amount of bitching or backlash will get us Legends 3. There are constructive ways of going about this, as some people have shown. There are some petitions to show that there IS still an interest in the series. Granted, petitions don’t always work out that well, but we can at least show Capcom that we want this sequel that we’ve waited over ten years for. Even Hiroshi Matsuyama, CEO of CyberConnect2 (currently developing Asura’s Wrath, and whose past works include the .hack games and the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series) expressed interest reviving the Legends 3 project. CyberConnect2 is a very talented studio and their past works attest to the quality of their product; I for one would not object to them working on MML3.

This is where the fans come in again. For those who agree that CC2 would be right for the job, we need to let both CC2 AND Capcom know this. I can’t make any guarantee that it absolutely will happen, but we need some kind of spark to reignite that flame of hope for the future of Mega Man. There is a Facebook group 100,000 Strong for Bringing Back Mega Man Legends 3, as well as the petition I mentioned earlier. If the fans can stay civil and keep their efforts organized, maybe this’ll happen. Again, I certainly cannot make any guarantees, but we still need to keep the hope alive.

The game begins with you, Chell, being awoken from what is presumed to be some sort of cold sleep/stasis facility by a curious little robot named Wheatley. From its design, it’s readily apparent that you are still within the confines of the Aperture Labs. Wheatley breaks you out of confinement and the adventure begins. Time hasn’t been too kind to the portions of the lab that you destroyed, with tons of overgrowth and structures littered about the old testchambers. The REAL fun begins when you and Wheatley (well.. mostly Wheatley) unwittingly awaken an old friend and trouble starts brewing.

The first parts of the game are mostly a retread. You’ll probably find yourself saying “..well, I did this in the first game already, just not in a devastated testchamber.” However, I believe these areas were included more for new players to get a hang of the mechanics of the portal gun and possible obstacles. When you start getting to the new stuff, you’ll see that there’s all manner of new tools at Aperture’s disposal.

Some of the puzzles this time around border on dastardly, I might go as far as to say fiendishly clever. There’s quite a number of head-scratchers to be had as you make your way through the game, but the feeling you get after solving them is oh-so-gratifying. Ranging from spring boards that send you sailing through the air, to laser beams, and even gels that affect your movement, the combination in which these obstacles are presented is intelligent and cunning.

The length of the game is quite astounding. I was afraid, for being a full-retail release, that it might come up short given the structure of the first game, but I was pleasantly surprised. The single player mode even leads into the co-op campaign, which has a story, characters, and mind-boggling puzzles of its own.

The co-op campaign consists of about 35 testchambers where you and a friend assume the roles of the robots ATLAS and P-Body. Many of these tests rely very heavily on timing, much more so than in the single-player mode. My friend and I found ourselves cursing the talent of Valve’s level designers, but also applauding the ingenuity of their complexity.

I really think the only complaint I have with the game is how the targeting reticule on the portal gun was changed. It now lights up to show which color portals are currently active, rather than lighting up when you cursor over a portal-able, for lack of a better word, surface. Partway through the game, this started to not really bother me as much since certain walls and floors usually had cues on where it would be best to place portals.

In conclusion, Portal 2 is all-around a fantastic game and well worth playing. It has splendidly-designed puzzles, a great soundtrack, an oddly compelling plot, the tongue-in-cheek humor from the first game, and the new co-op mode to keep you coming back for more.  If you liked the first game, you’ll love this one.

Debuting today is a new Retrospective series entitled “Games that don’t actually suck”

With the new Mortal Kombat game on it’s way this is a game I’d like to shed some light on. Ever since it’s release MK vs DC has been the black sheep of all the MK games, hardcore fans dismiss it as a complete failure and most of the time act like it never exists. I’m known to be a lot less harsh when it comes to new and interesting ideas so of course I decided to check it out, I picked it up on release day and popped it in the PS3 and man…….it was a lot of fun. One thing to quickly notice is that this game unlike all MK games is rated T, why is that? Well, having the DC heroes die horrible and gory deaths is kinda not what WB wanted Boon and Co. to make because of one (two) reason(s) since kids as young as 13 will be playing this seeing Superman getting torn in half is not a very pretty sight (if it is to you, you are a very sick man) the other important reason is because you want your characters represented in the best way possible and seeing Batman’s ripped from his shoulders would not really do him any justice. I guess what I am trying to say is, Superman and Batman have been around for years and are loved by children and adults watching those characters die very graphic deaths can really mess you up if you have an attachment to that character, in Mortal Kombat we grew up watching those guys brutally kill each other so it’s really ok if they get fucked up.

The Reaction

When this game was announced a lot of people thought is fake, I did too, when it was officially announced I was very excited. The biggest thing about this game was that it had DC characters fighting MK characters, the second biggest thing was that it was going to have a T rating, with that Boon pretty much ripped a huge fart in a room full of people and ran, the fans were furious vowing to never to pick up this “trash” and already deemed the game unworthy while the very few understanding fans (Me and a couple of other guys) waited to see what was going to happen next. Up until it’s release there was nothing, but burning hatred for this game, it was unbelievable, I thought as far as gameplay was concerned it looked great if not, better than all previous MK’s, then I remembered I was on the internet and all people complained about was no blood, no purchase I felt that just because this game was bloodless (it had blood actually)  shouldn’t have an impact on gameplay what so ever, Once again the internet.

The Release

The game is finally out, I pop that sucker in the PS3 and boy…………it’s a lot of fun. It is the best of all the MK’s in the game play department by far, the story mode is kinda cool (the story is very so-so but, I’m not expecting Oscar quality screen writing) and you know what the main problem with the game is?…………….not enough fun extras, no cool alt costumes and no Krypt type deal with fun little extras. Other than that the game is pretty solid and I bet you’re wondering, ” How well did this game do?” Well I’ll tell ya, pretty damn good, It got some pretty damn solid reviews (7 and 8 style baby) it was one of Midways best selling titles since 2002 the game went on to sell 1.9 million units (not bad) and was Gamefly’s 6th most rented game of 2009.

My Thoughts

First thing have to get out of the way, people that tell me this game isn’t brutal, all I have to say is this

I’m pretty sure Sub-Zero is JUST FINE. One thing I have to say just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there, meaning that just because there isn’t any blood doesn’t make it any less violent.

Second off, no Marvel would have also not allowed their characters to be brutally murdered so stop saying “If they did Marvel it would be way better, Marvel would have allowed Midway to have extreme gore.” because honestly, and I try not to be mean when I wrote this little blogs, but you guys are very stupid and just blindly hate DC just because you like Marvel so shut the fuck up (please).

In conclusion, I’m happy the game sold well I thought Midway had a lot of guts to try something new and different, I hope to see a sequel sometime down the road using the new MK engine and more DC heroes than the first.

Best Voice Actor

Rob Wiethoff as John Marston

Once again Rockstar casts unknown actors who are not only good but, so unknown that the actor can never overshadow the character. There is something about Rob as John Marston  that makes me feel like he had been voicing the character for years before even recording a single line of dialog, some of the best stuff I have ever heard.

Best Voice Actress

Colleen Clinkenbeard as Mistress Ropes

Out of any voice this year this one stood out the most If you haven’t heard it before try to think what would happen if Eleanor Roosevelt became a Super Villain and that is Mistress Ropes.

Best Wii game

Donkey Kong Country Returns

This one was actually hard because the Wii had a lot of good games this year, this one I felt took it only because I wasn’t sold on this game at first. After I picked it up for myself I realized I only had one gripe (the controls as usual) everything else about though was really impressive, from time to time I just like to play something that’s simple…….

Best PS3 game

Nothing…..NOTHING!?!?!?!

That’s right nothing PS3 was just dead this year (I didn’t like GOW3, 3D Dot Game Heroes and I don’t really play Gran Turismo)

Best Xbox 360 game

Alan Wake

I’m sure a lot of people forgot about this bad boy, Alan Wake was some of the best stuff to come out on anything last year, the story is great for someone as crazy as me and the world of Alan Wake is incredibly deep with almost every character having a vast backstory behind them. If you have a 360 you must buy this.

Best PSP game

God of War Ghosts of Sparda

This game is a fine example of what the PSP is capable of if you are a fan of gow do yourself a favor and pick this up.

Best Nintendo DS game

Was Kingdom Hearts 359/2 days last year? well shit nothing once again ( I can’t play everything which is why I have John)

Best Shooter

Vanquish

There is only one man who is Japanese and can make a good shooter and that man is Shinji Mikami. By putting his own unique spin on the shooter genre and having the setting include bad action movie cliches, with little funny gags thrown into each level Vanquish was definitely something I will continue to support in the name of Japanese developers who want to make shooters.

Best Action

Darksiders

I love a game that is simple and brutal something that Darksiders nails perfectly if you felt God of War III was disappointing this was the game that you go to to make all the pain go away.

Best Adventure

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

This was a nice surprise, the journey is filled with fun and sadness and in the end something weird happens but, you understand it and it doesn’t freak you out. Enslaved is a hard game to explain, everybody knows it’s based on the old Chinese story but, did you know anyone who read in time for the game or even read it at all? I’ll tell you right now, play the game and be surprised.

Best Fighting

Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All Stars

only 3 fighting game this year but, Tastucap was the clear winner. First off, it came to America and second off it added shit, no straight port  or nothing and it’s a shame that MvC3 will kill the TvC scene as soon as it comes out play this as much as you can.

Character of the Year

John Marston

Explaining how much of a great character Marston is would just take too long go play Red Dead and find out why he is easily my favorite and for  those who have played it, I know right !!!

Game of the Year

Red Dead Redemption

Yeah yeah, you probably seen this win game of the year like a million time already if you are wondering why then you haven’t actually played and if you have played it and still don’t like it well then that’s just you.

That’s my list for 2010 I wanted to do a lot more with my list but, work and other things took up too much time and I just wanted to get this out before it was too late. If you wanted to know what I thought of any other games not listed above just ask in the comments and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

The categories are:

Xbox 360 GOTY

PS3 GOTY

WII GOTY

Best Voice Actor/Actoress

Best co-op game

Best Co-op experience

Best single-player experience

Funniest moment

Worst games

Best Developer

Best Publisher

Best DL game

Best multi-player

I’ll also add some misc. stuff as well for fun. See ya in a week.

Fuck you Eco-Boxes and thank you for ruining all my games.

Reasons DMC4 was good

-New Character

-Good combat system

Reasons it was bad

-Dante (I’ll explain)

-Stupid ass board games

-too many difficulties a lot of them dumb

After DMC4 what can you really do? Same characters new setting? What would Dante fight? Have another bad story?

Yeah, I know actions games don’t get a ton of praise for the story but, seriously you can’t just make 5 games all about fighting at some point you have to talk about it. DMC 3 was a prequel but, what the hell did that do to the back story really? It never really said much about Dante’s past (other than him being a huge cunt/tool) and then DMC 4 used the same Dante only he was a lot less of a tool (not by much). Another thing about Dante, HE’S TOO POWERFUL no really That’s the whole reason for Nero, Dante is just too good now. He just swoops in kills everything then leaves, never once is he in peril of being killed it’s like Golden age Superman it’s kinda “whatever” after a while you never really feel that Dante is in danger at any point in time. Back to Nero, Nero was a good thing that happened in DMC 4, one of the only reasons DMC4 had a little suspense because, of Nero being really weak compared to Dante but, we all eventually that they’ll just make Nero stupid powerful soon.

So with all that, this DmC reboot should be a nice breathe of fresh air to the series and like a lot of people  should you have to play this game before passing judgment. So what if it doesn’t look like Dante, it’s reboot he’s not suppose to look the same and if Ninja Theory (the developer) buckle under fan pressure and change the design back to old Dante I will lose some respect for them just as I did with Sucker Punch and the whole Infamous 2 thing( look it up)

Marvel vs Capcom 3 has announced many more characters since I last posted about it and so far this game is on the right track . Here are the characters who have shown some interest

Wesker- Looking good right now, super fast teleport reminds me of Zero so I’m sure Wesker might be a pro level character

Viewtiful Joe- admit it, VJ SUCKED in TvC the work you put in to be good with him is just not worth it in the end, they gave him and uppercut move and made his super ten times better with some better Defense to boot.

Thor- Dangerously powerful upclose with command throws that do monster damage keep this mother fucker away.

Super Skrull- Looking real good right can combo off his throw and has amazing reach and power I’m loving it (I got it at Ross)

Now for some characters that don’t really click with me yet,

X-23- Rush down characters seem to have it tough in a game like MvC3 don’t know how feel about her yet……….

Deadpool- he seems really funny to use but, I doubt we’ll see him in a lot of tourneys but, who knows

Chun-li- Can she still hang with the rest of the characters? Who knows MvC3 is way different so she might actually have a shot

Tron Bonne- She actully might be good, I just hate fighting her……..lol but, really will her old tatics work in this game?