“Sleeping Dogs: Nightmare in North Point” is now available for XBOX Live and PlayStation Network. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

“Sleeping Dogs” fans looking to get back on the streets of China will be proud to know that an expansion pack released by Square Enix will allow them to do so, only this time the streets are infested with ghosts, ghouls and zombies.

The story of “Sleeping Dogs: Nightmare in North Point” illustrates Detective Wei Shen coming back from seeing a horror movie with his date. While joking about the idea of Jiang Shi Chinese ghosts, one suddenly appears and captures Wei’s girlfriend. It’s now up to him to track down this mysterious ghost who goes by the name of Smiley Cat, to get her back.

The expansion pack brings back some familiar faces throughout the story, including one deceased friend who keeps popping up only to talk about food.

The story is meant to be a Halloween-themed spoof rather than a horrifying game, but the overall presentation is lacking.

The spooky change in Hong Kong’s atmosphere does a good job of portraying a bad comedic horror flick. The streets are littered with pedestrians who have turned evil and attack Shen at any time and cars will randomly blow up as he rides out into the streets.

On the downside, players will be strictly limited to the starting city of North Point, despite the huge map that fans are familiar with and the few missions and side quests that are in this expansion are repetitive and familiar.

As for the story, the intro starts off clunky without much build up. The plot line is so simple that it seems like it was thrown in to give players an excuse to exercise demons via Kung Fu beat downs. The monster-slaying adventure only lasts for a couple hours and will ultimately leave players wanting more.

“Sleeping Dogs: Nightmare in North Point” could have been longer with better effort put into the story, but fighting these new enemies in a Halloween version of Hong Kong is still a lot of fun. The expansion pack does have its shortcomings, but with the downloadable content costing less than $5, players will find it hard to complain.

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Downloadable content offers add-ons to games that have already released. If done right, DLC offers elements that got scrapped or weren’t thought of yet during the original production. It can range from a patch that give games new levels and modes to a simple fix of a glitch and the prices varying between under $1 to more than $50.

While all this sounds great on paper, there always seems to be a select few of game publishers that want to take advantage of the situation.

Among the gaming community, DLC has now been dubbed as disc-locked content because of its trend to companies urging developers to make an entire game, lock away 30 percent of its content that’s already on the disc and hold it for later release as DLC add-on.

Capcom has become the biggest offender of this because of its release of the franchise cross brand fighting game titled “Street Fighter X Tekken.” The company held back 12 characters and a huge set of costumes so it could release them at a later date for $20 and make players wait weeks to pay for it.

Many other companies continue to do the same and has become popular for them to offer downloadable content for fans who pre-order games. Games like the Square-Enix’s “Sleeping Dogs” offered different costumes and weapons for download depending on where you pre-order the game while “Persona 4 Arena,” released by Atlus, offered character accessories.

However, what gamers are getting is a code to unlock said content and not the content itself.

Now, the newest trend in DLC is the Online Pass, in which gamers who buy a game used or borrow it from a friend would have to pay an additional fee — around $10 — just to access its online content.

This is like saying that if someone wants to buy a used car, they would have to pay a road fee to drive it anywhere. It can be argued that companies are hurt by the reselling of their games, but it didn’t seem to be an issue before online accessibility.

With more video games becoming downloadable, these companies are given higher control. In the future, gaming fans may not even own the video games at all, rather they would be renting them for a set amount of time. They won’t be able to lend them out to anyone and may not even be able to complete it more than once without paying extra.

Call it extreme, but it’s highly possible.

Gamers are slowly owning less of the product that they are spending their hard-earned money on. Fortunately, Internet standards aren’t quite there yet in terms of speed to make this a viable option, but this doesn’t mean that gaming fans should ease their minds just yet.

The online gaming scene may still be in it’s infancy, but it won’t stop companies from experimenting with what they can and can’t get away with. Now is the time to speak out and put an end to this if fans want to own a video game again.

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“Okami HD” is now available for the PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

“Okami” is an adventure game based on Shinto religion. Players take the role of a goddess named Amaterasu as she takes on the form of a wolf. Like Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda” series, players will run around towns helping people out, then go into dungeons to gain new items and abilities.

Players will strive to gain the 13 celestial brush techniques in order to defeat the numerous bosses that impede Amateratsu’s path.

The art style, which utilizes life-like visuals of Asian sumi-e brush painting, is the most memorable aspect of the game. With its luscious colors and black inky outlines, it’s hard not to stop from time to time just to admire the surroundings of each level.

Small details such as colorful plants growing on pathways really help to immerse the player in this mythical world. Not only have these gorgeous graphics been re-done but the frame-rate has also increased and allow the smooth animations in “Okami HD” to shine.

The Celestial Brush is one of the most original aspects of Okami. Drawing from their ink reservoir, players can stop the action, open a canvas and draw brush strokes that will allow Amateratsu to do different things. Fights can be stopped during mid battle and a slash stroke can be drawn to finish off an enemy. Players can also draw a circle to call upon wind to solve a puzzle.

Although these strokes can be easily done with a normal controller, “Okami HD” allows the use of the PlayStation Move peripherals as well. With Move, the hand motions make the drawings feel more realistic.

Besides the addition of trophies and Move support, there hasn’t been any new content added.

“Okami HD” has amazing visuals and smoother gameplay that will charm new and old fans of the franchise.

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“XCOM: Enemy Unknown” is now available for XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The original 1994 PC release of “UFO: Enemy Unknown” was lauded for its brutal difficulty, in-depth customization and high replay value.

“XCOM: Enemy Unknown,” the developers at Firaxis Games latest edition, looked to recapture the charm by improving the enemy A.I. and game-play elements that would complement an original style.

It puts players in the role of the commander of a global project to defend Earth from an unknown alien menace.

Game play is divided between tactical and squad-based missions and a “geo-scape” view in which resources and research projects must be managed. Smart planning in all three modes are critical to success.

Much of a player’s game time will be contributed to fighting aliens in the turn-based tactical missions mode. Gamers are in charge of commanding four to six squad members that are selected from a pool of soldiers at the beginning of the mission.

Each member can gain abilities and improve ranking by killing aliens and surviving missions. Customizing strategy for these squads in every battle also proves to be a satisfying challenge.

Despite being a turn-based shooting game, each battle feels fluid and will have players returning to the field even after an agonizing loss.

Part of what makes it so addicting is its difficulty. Players are rarely given the upper hand since the alien A.I. has the ability to exploit any strategic flaw.

As a player’s squad level increases and gains access to new technology, the aliens introduce powerful species and equipment to keep them alert. Unless gamers take the initiative to strategically plan ahead, they will be outnumbered.

In the “geo-scape” mode, players are tasked with managing Earth’s resources. The games near-future settings portray Earth divided into 16 countries and each one must be placated in order for it to continue to throw money at its project.

While losing battles does not constitute a game-over, losing countries does. The constant, high-stakes balancing act of where and when to send a satellite to one country or investigate an abduction site in another is almost as tense and satisfying as the battles.

The game does have a couple of minor flaws. The camera is limited and sometimes hard to work with when exploring the guts of an alien ship or bombed-out building.

There are also some minor line of sight issues that may have squad members inexplicably firing directly at a wall when it looks like they have a clear shot.

Neither of these problems are game breaking, but they do stand out in an otherwise polished game.

Overall, “XCOM: Enemy Unknown” is a fantastic game given the tight, balanced, addictive battles and strategic game elements, which make it a must have for any gamer looking for something refreshing.

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NBA2K13 is now available for PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

As executive producer Jay-Z welcomes players to 2K Sports’ NBA2K13 with his coined phrase “Allow me to re-introduce myself,” gamers will immediately notice the amount of time and effort developers devoted to enhance the game, making tighter changes to how it looks and feels on the court.

Since its inception, the NBA 2K series has used an isomotion dribbling system that requires movement be made with the left analog stick, while advanced moves — like crossovers and dribble penetration — are made by combining the left stick and pulling the right triggers of the controller. The right stick would therefore be free to use to control dunks and lay-ups.

This year, the configuration has been reversed to give the game a more responsive, easy-to-control dribbling system that gives the game a real-life experience on the hardwood.

The game has made more crossovers, spin moves, inside-out dribbles and hesitation moves, executed with precision. Players who feel that these moves can change the course of a game will take comfort in knowing that its vital to a players stamina and determines successful execution.

Another significant upgrade was made to on-ball defense. In past years, the offensive player had the advantage in almost every phase of the game. This year, the defenders are quicker on their feet, given their ability to stay on the offensive player and deny driving and passing lanes.

The passing game has been re-invented to allow more realistic passes. Players can now precisely pass the ball down the court in hopes of taking advantage of a team that is out of position.

The addition of the bounce pass button will aid gamers in their ability to make a pass at the right time by threading it between a defender while on a fast break.

The broadcast crew — Kevin Harlan, Steve Kerr and Clark Kellogg — is worth the price of the game alone. Harlan does a play-by-play analysis, while Kerr and Kellogg provide insightful basketball information throughout the game.

Gamers and sports fans who have always wondered who would win between the 1992 Dream Team and the 2012 Olympic Team can finally settle the argument in exhibition mode as both are available to play against each other.

Overall, the 2K series has outdone itself with NBA2K13 with enhanced gameplay adjustments that will satisfy old and new sports simulation gamers.

arts@thedailycougar.com.

“FIFA 13′” is now available for PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Common

Inspired by soccer player Lionel Messi, EA Sports has released “FIFA 13,” a soccer simulation game that aims to evolve ball control, physical play and artificial intelligence that allows gamers to experience all of the drama and excitement of a real-life soccer game.

The most notable changes made is the ability to battle for possession and position across the entire field. This unique feature can change the course of the game by allowing players to precisely take possession of the ball or create more opportunities to score a goal.

An offensive minded gamer will enjoy this feature because it will allow them to face up an opponent and attack while having complete control to pass the ball in any direction, dodge tackles, shield the ball and hold off defenders longer.

Defensive minded gamers should be relieved that the critical mistakes that the computer often makes on defense are few and far between. The improved play of the artificial intelligence will allow players to breathe easier and know that if the defender is in position, they will do their best to make a play on the ball.

“FIFA 13’” has also evolved set plays to allow individuals to create innovative and unpredictable free kicks using their most talented athletes. Gamers can now position up to three players over the ball and have one or all of them attempt to kick the ball. This opens the door for more creative passing options and innovative free kicks.

On the defensive end, the gamer has the ability to counter by adding or subtracting athletes to the wall, creed forward or send them to block the shot.

“FIFA 13’” has also improved the way users view the game by paying close attention to detail when creating the look and feel of it. From the definition of the grass to the three-dimensional survey of the 40,000 fans in the stadium.

Gamers will contribute hours during the complimentary and competitive online mode and will also be looking forward to unlocking all of their favorite team jerseys by preforming well during campaign mode.

As an added touch to an already brilliant presentation, team statistics are changed throughout the day as the actual soccer season continues. Players will have to think hard about choosing their teams, considering that the unique traits and personality in the game mirror their real life counterparts.

Overall “FIFA 13’” has raised the bar for the look and feel of simulation sport games, something that many players will enjoy.

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“Tokyo Jungle” is now available for PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The PlayStation 3 hasn’t seen the same localization of strange Japanese titles that its predecessors have, but developer Crispy’s has returned a measure of wackiness to Sony’s premier console with the release of “Tokyo Jungle” on the PlayStation Network.

“Tokyo Jungle” is set nearly 10 years in the future after a mysterious cataclysm caused humans to disappear from the face of the earth, leaving animals, both wild and domestic, to fend for themselves in the streets of Tokyo. Players take on the role of more than 50 different species, ranging from rabbits to lions, in side-scrolling arcade action.

The meat of the game is survival mode. Each animal must eat, fight, flee and mate in order to live. The focus on survival keeps the action moving at a frantic pace as multiple timers are running and conditions constantly change.

Surprisingly, the constant threat of death rarely proves frustrating as Crispy’s has fine-tuned the various elements into a challenging and satisfying whole. Players will also find that each play-through is rewarded with increased statistics, new animals and costume items within the story mode to ensure that no trip through the jungle is the same.

Story mode is split into episodes that present a series of obstacles for one specific animal to overcome. For example, a deer must find its mother or a Pomeranian must establish a home and find a mate. Episodes differ in task and species but each feels empty compared to survival mode.

While the survival mode can be fun, it also becomes repetitive. Each animal plays too similarly to others for the game to stay fresh throughout multiple sessions.

Costume unlocks go a long way toward providing impetus to keep playing, but since many costume pieces provide little to make wolves and porcupines look hilarious in silly hats and shoes, there isn’t much reason to pursue it.

These minor kinks can be overlooked, but the ill use of the camera angles marks the game’s major flaw. Animals in this game rely heavily on stealth to hunt prey and avoid predators. The camera is fixed in a side-scrolling view to the player-controlled animal, which makes seeing what direction prey is facing impossible until it comes into view.

Despite the repetitiveness and flawed camera, “Tokyo Jungle” is a fresh and fun title that can be played individually or cooperatively. At $15 it’s a bit high for a simple title, but players will find that even when the novelty wears off, they’ll keep coming back to the jungle.

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“Borderlands 2″ is now available for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Over the years, games have failed to rehash old formulas with new elements, but the rekindled partnership between 2K Sports and Gearbox Studios brings forth a fantastic sequel to a beloved space western-themed adventure.

Borderlands 2 is a freshly innovative role-playing first-person shooter that takes all of its specialties and enhances on what made the first game an immediate success among hardcore gamers.

Many players will be familiar with the attributes that made the first Borderlands a deep and addictive gaming experience. However, new gamers will be happy to find themselves right at home as they play as one of the four Vault Hunters.

Not much is new with the story, players still take on the role of a treasure hunter on the lawless planet of Pandora, but there’s more emphasis on stopping the villain than finding the treasure this time around.

In addition to the refined leveling system, maxing out three expansive skill trees filled with perks that enhance the Vault Hunters in combat adds an intriguing value to the gameplay.

Players will also constantly improve by exchanging coins for additional permanent character bonuses.

The real star here, as with the previous game, is the random-loot generation. Especially when dealing with weapons, the seemingly endless combination of visual elements and gun stats will keep gamers addicted to that Christmas morning-esque feeling when looting the chests scattered around Pandora.

The planet feels a lot livelier this time around with new and old characters that players will meet throughout the main quest.

The character dialogue, which features a crude sense of humor and superb voice acting, makes for some stand-out material in the landscape of the gaming industry.

The “drop in, drop out” co-op gives players a boost in challenge depending on the number of roaming Vault Hunters. Feral creatures and human psychopaths will be much harder for you to take down, but the weapons and shields dropped from enemies will increase in quality and rarity.

The game is a great way for players to spend hours of their free time and the replay value in the “New Game Plus” mode will allow players to experience it with other Vault Hunters.

Aside from the occasional graphical glitch and the sometimes-difficult vehicle controls, this sandbox game offers so much content that it allows for its highs to overshadow the lows.

Overall, Borderlands 2 has successfully kept its form and made the franchise better than before.

TTT2 is now available for XBOX 360 and PS3. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

While there’s a vast number of fighting games on the market — some with characters shooting fireballs out of their hands and others hosting brawls inside a high school — Namco’s most beloved fighting franchise always held their own record for maintaining their level of style and gameplay.

As a sequel to the 1999 title that boomed in the arcades around the country, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 goes back to double-team roots. Players can expect new tag team possibilities and intricate fighting mechanics that require practice to master.

TTT2 welcomes players to a 50-character roster, grand scale stages, and a marvelous in-game soundtrack that is slightly reminiscent to Tekken 3.

Fluid character animations and graphics remain flawless. Namco also adds a nice touch with character interaction and realistic stage environments. In some stages, characters fighting in the rain will look wet and if they land in the mud or onto the dirty, dusty pavement, players can expect their fighters looking grimy throughout the round.

Players must use essential launching and bound attacks followed by tag combos if they want to walk away with a victory.

With the press of the tag button, players can switch between the two characters of the team at any time. The “Tag Assault” option allows for both team members to be on the same screen by pressing and holding down the tag button. This action allows for the incoming tagged fighter to automatically execute a launching attack to the opponent, opening up the door for players to deliver a punishing attack.

If all this sounds confusing, the “Fight Lab” mode serves as a very goofy, yet educational tutorial. Throughout five levels, players will take the role of Combot, a mechanical fighting machine capable of mimicking the other fighters’ move set. This mode will teach new players fundamental fighting mechanics and the importance of performing and strategizing the tag system.

Despite the help that “Fight Lab” brings, dedicated players will likely spend most of their time using the practice mode to hone their skills considering the many options that can be set.

Arcade mode, time attack mode, survival, and ghost battle are great ways to jump right into the action. Up to four players can battle it out in versus mode, making this title a great party game as well as a great co-op experience.

TTT2 is loaded with extra content. Players will be able to customize their favorite characters after earning prize money in Ghost mode. Namco’s “World Tekken Federation” website helps the gaming community find partners and check their stats.

TTT2 is a fun game, but much of the fighting mechanics may prove to be a breaking point for newer players. The overall showcase of presentation and content is solid and players who urge to reach a tournament level of gameplay should make the practice mode their best friend.

arts@thedailycougar.com

“Madden NFL 13″ has arrived for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and while the series has garnered a reputation for making small, questionable changes in newer versions, EA Sports’ effort to do more this time around is clear.

Some fans believe the only real changes are the new rookies and updated rosters via trade or free agency. However, those who have continued to support the series through the years can attest that the last game has slowly evolved to become more challenging.

In the past, “Madden” has allowed players to score easily by scrambling around the backfield with the quarterback and throwing the ball 75 yards across the field on the quarterback’s back leg to a receiver. This time around the defensive line is stronger, offering more difficulty in getting toward the end zone.

Another addition to the game, running backs are unable to pivot 360 degrees on a dime to prevent being tackled or simply break the ankles of a defender — all with the swivel of a joystick.

By preventing these game changes, unrealistic moves on the field have allowed the developers to bring a futuristic look and feel to the game. The modified layout of the menu screen allows easier access and navigation. The creators have also taken a page out of the “NBA2K” series by going into more depth with the players, coaches and gameplay. For gamers who are big on changing jerseys or want to revert back to the yester years of the game, Nike has provided every uniform teams have worn throughout their franchise history.

“Madden” has also improved passing mechanics by allowing complete control of the quarterbacks’ passes. One can now put the ball behind, below or in front of a receiver with the evolution of precision passer. The game has also allowed for smoother transition from quarterback to receiver and complete control of the receiver by slowing the game down while the player is attempting to make a user catch.

The gameplay has also changed the way the game is presented after two years of hearing Gus Johnson and Chris Collinsworth’s play-by-play analysis. With 82 hours and 9,000 lines of commentary, Madden has switched to CBS commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, who call the action now. All through the interactions and comments during playtime, none of the lines are reused, allowing a more unique presentation during games.

Overall “Madden NFL 13” is a high-caliber sports game that many NFL enthusiasts will appreciate for years to come.

arts@thedailycougar.com

“Fist of the North Star” was a great manga series. Even the animated version was worth watching. However, its 1990 Game Boy adaptation is probably the most frustrating thing any two thumbs have ever experienced.

The player takes control of the main character, Kenshiro, or one of the ten baddies from the series: Heart, Shin, Jagi, Uighur, Souther, Raoh, Falco, Han, Hyou and Kaioh. Don’t know who any of these names are? That’s fine, even fans of the manga wouldn’t be able to tell one character sprite from another.

The object of the game is simple enough: pick a fighter, then savagely beat your way through the other ten. And by savagely, I mean mash the same button over and over. Winning fights causes your character to level up (until you turn the game off, since there is no save function) and over time you can input codes to skip levels.

It may not sound so bad, but this isn’t Mortal Kombat or Tekken. All characters punch the exact same way, some jump and kick and most have disappointingly similar special moves (executed by simply holding down the A-button). Two non-jumping characters can attack via sliding across the screen like they’re on roller blades, made unintentionally funny by the fact that they look to weigh over 300 lbs.

The music clashed with the monotonous percussion that occurred anytime anyone hit anything. Fist to face? Percussion. Leg to shin? Percussion. Special-attack to torso? Percussion. This was almost as bad the background images, which had little to no depth, although they looked better than the character sprites hopping around like characters from a Kabuki theater.

Most people would chalk these issues up to the fact that the game was a low-quality rush job meant for fans only. Yet those who actually liked Fist of the North Star have the most reason to loath this waste of plastic and metal.

In the Fist of the North Star series, Kenshiro fought enemies via secret pressure points in the human body, which usually resulted in explosive decapitation. The intricately detailed internal hemorrhages at the end of fight scenes were in fact the best part of the series.

Now, imagine you’ve seen quality hand-drawn gratuitous violence, and come across a video game version of said gratuity. But instead of Saving Private Ryan meets Street Fighter, you get cookie cutter characters, mediocre gameplay, no blood and absolutely no gore.

The game was so repetitive and unoriginal, it made my Game Boy feel like one of those cheaply manufactured low-tech handheld gadgets sold at dollar stores. By all means, find a nice copy of Fist of the North Star in manga form, but under no circumstances attempt to locate or play this horrible excuse for electronic entertainment.

The tactical squad, third-person shooter is all about teamwork, and video game publisher Ubisoft takes it to a higher level with “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier” for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“Future Soldier” combines tactical military combat with advanced technological gadgets.

Using these high-tech gadgets and special camouflage, the four man military team of Ghosts set out to seize a Russian threat known as Raven’s Rock. This alliterative antagonist is apparently responsible for causing terror in a few third world countries and the slaying of some of the protagonist men.

The story throughout the campaign mode is nonsensical and hardly interesting.

One member in your squad serves as comic relief, but the other three are nearly irrelevant as characters.

There are not any redeeming qualities about any of them, and cutscenes try — but ultimately fail — to squeeze a tear out of the player.

Luckily, the game’s landscapes are gorgeous. From tropics of Bolivia to the snowy mountains of Russia, “Future Soldier” pops out at you.

Enemy character models are pale in comparison, though. You’ll find that the game spawns many doppelgangers throughout, but merely add in a couple glitches and then you’ll see that the graphical presentation is far from perfect.

Throughout the story, players take turns using stealth to their advantage and make noises while engaging in heavily laden gunfights.

Players will be able to throw out sensors to get a number of surrounding enemies, even ones behind walls.

Using the drones can give you an overhead scan of targets and can also pass through small vents and disable machinery.

The optical camouflage — your best gadget — can make you completely invisible and is a nice touch to the interactivity, but firing your weapon or moving too fast can disable that magic and leave you vulnerable.

With the Synch Shot ability, up to four enemies can be marked for a hugely satisfying swooping sniper shot, and when marking and ordering shots among your team, your shot triggers a slow-motion action sequence.

You can tag enemies for your teammates using Focus Fire and lessen the pressure when things get nasty.

The downside is that you cannot directly control any of your teammates. The AI can also put you in a tough spot if you are reckless, but stealth smart players may feel that enemies are a walk in the park, making the campaign too easy.

The online multiplayer mode pushes teamwork as well. You can jump right into one of four multiplayer modes and try your luck at being a one-man show, but you will seldom get very far.

Luckily, the game readily gives you the option to form squads with you and your friends online. You can take on the scout, rifleman or engineer classes and level them up during matches and by completing objectives.

From holding down resupply spots to compromising VIP targets, completing objectives gives your team the upper hand.

The online mode is deep and exciting, but Ubisoft’s server issues can abruptly end the game and cause all your progress to go to waste.

Ghost Recon has had its hit and misses, and “Future Soldier” seems to land right in the middle. You can spend a lot of time on this game given the extra campaign challenges and the “Guerilla” mode, but the game could have been greater had there been more development time.

The glitches and the blandness of the game taint the experience. If you do not care about graphic setbacks, this is probably the best third-person squad-based shooter game currently out.

However, it is far from being the best all-around shooter that players have seen or will see this year.

arts@thedailycougar.com

When Final Fantasy XIII released a year ago, Square Enix had plenty of media criticism to deal with and just about every harsh comment that fans could dig up were thrown at them, citing atrocious linearity in the storyline and boring character development.

They’ve taken a step back and approached Final Fantasy XIII-2 with the intention of addressing all these problems, making the weak aspects of the previous game better and making the highest points even higher.

In the most basic explanation possible, the story takes place three years after Final Fantasy XIII. Lightning, the main heroine from the previous game, has supposedly been missing, trapped inside a place known as Valhalla and profusely in a battle with the main antagonist, Caius.

Lightning sends out a mysterious boy named Noel to find her younger sister, Serah, who eventually believes Noel’s story of Lightning being alive and sets out on a journey to find her. All along the way, the two travel in and out of different gates that lead to different parts of the world during different time eras.

The character development still suffers and it seems that some of their actions throughout the game are without real cause.

The story, however, isn’t very long. So unless players plan on completing all of the side quests, they are likely to get through the game in about a week.

The game does a splendid job in its overall visual and musical presentation.

The graphics have been noticeably improved with a greater use of brighter colors and landscape throughout various time levels in the game.

The audio is a brilliantly executed aspect of the presentation with the experimentation of different styles of music, such as jazz, rock and dance playing during the right moments at the right time.

The musical soundtrack is satisfying and could possibly be one of the most interesting Final Fantasy soundtracks to date.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 also excels in tying its time travel theme into the game play.

The choices you make in the game can greatly effect what you’ll encounter in the future. However, players will find themselves going back and forth between various levels of the game to play through a level again using “close gate” – essentially a redo button.

It allows for better choices in the dialogue options or a chance to trigger an event that unlocks something else in another level.

Once you learn the ability to throw Mog, Serah’s trusty moogle sidekick, you’ll find it rewarding to go back to areas that have treasures and items you couldn’t reach before and get them.

The linearity of XIII is finally absent, so players will be free to wander off and choose where they go and how they play towards the end of the storyline.

The battle and level up system is one of the greatest points of the game. The Paradigm shifts and Crystarium system returns with a few minor tweaks and an added bonus as well.

In addition to switching a party member’s job class on the fly, players will also be able to capture different types of monsters in the game and add them to their party – yes, even a Chocobo can be added to your party if you can find one.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to take direct control of these monsters as you would with Noel and Serah, but you will have the option to trigger their special attack known as “Feral Link.”

What’s really neat and new about battles is that the game automatically switches to another character when the one that you’re controlling dies.

Instead of engaging with monsters that run amok on the field to start a battle, enemies will randomly pop up out of nowhere to start a fight with you, but you have the option to try and run away from them if you can. It’s a notorious trait of the Final Fantasy series.

Most of the battles feel very watered down in terms of difficulty. The battle, as well as the entire game itself, seems very easy to get through if you know what you’re doing. Gamers seeking an even tougher challenge this time around might be slightly disappointed.

Despite the off-putting 25 hours of storyline and poor character utilization, Final Fantasy XIII-2 has definitely tackled the mishaps of its predecessor and was able to sharply improve on them.

Final Fantasy XII-2 is a step in the right direction and should be able to satisfy both the fans of Final Fantasy games and gamers who are just looking for something new to enjoy.

arts@thedailycougar.com

There’s also a new Survival mode, which seems to be a cross between the popular Nazi Zombies mode first introduced in “World at War” and “Black Ops” as well as Horde mode from the “Gears of War” series.

In Survival mode, gamers start off with basic weapons and equipment, which become progressively deadlier. Players have the option of upgrading their arsenal in order to be better prepared for the next round. Of course, this mode shines when playing with a friend.

In terms of the game’s competitive online multiplayer, nearly all the problems that were prevalent in “Black Ops” and “Modern Warfare 2” are gone in “Modern Warfare 3”.

The currency system is the most notable change — players no longer have to save money in order to purchase weapon upgrades or buy contract missions.

Everything is entirely level based — from ranking to specific weapons, equipment and perks.

The killstreaks formerly used to gain advantages over opponents have been revamped into Strike Packages and can be earned in three different ways.

You can earn Assault rewards by racking up kills in a single spawn, while Support rewards are gained by getting kills even after you’ve been taken out and respawned.

Specialist rewards are similar to Assault rewards, only this time players are rewarded with special perks that help your performance in the heat of battle.

Strike Packages offer a great way to rack up points for newer gamers and gives them a fighting chance to take on even the most experienced “Call of Duty” players.

Regarding specific weapon upgrades, repetitive use of the same weapon will earn the player improved gun parts and attachments that can be used to further enhance gameplay.

The more you use and upgrade a certain pistol or favorite assault and sniper rifles, the more gamers will be able to customize them.

But that’s not all — in addition to the usual modes that you would come to expect out of the multiplayer experience, two new modes join the fray: Kill Confirmed and Team Defender.

Team Defender plays like an innovative version of hot potato combined with capture the flag.

One player must hold onto a flag for as long as they can in order to score points for his or her entire team.

Your teammates are able to collect the dog tags of defeated opponents, which opens the door for more cohesive gameplay.

Another upside of the online aspect is that the annoying glitches and unscrupulous hackings are also absent.

In “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3”, everyone seems to play with the same server latency (or lack thereof), and the matchmaking does a splendid job of finding players within a similar ranking range.

There is an Internet-based stat-tracking “Call of Duty: Elite” system that offers a play-by-play look at your online performance.

This social networking attachment does a decent job of keeping in-depth records of past plays, while offering a higher level of convenience for drawing out some strategy.

Server capacity and speed may bring about second thoughts as to whether or not using this feature is worth it.

Hate it or love it, players have to respect the fact that “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” is impressive in terms of how well it plays.

Gamers will be addicted to the online mode’s leveling system and may find that Survival and Spec-Ops missions can keep you incredibly busy.

Believe the hype.

arts@thedailycougar.com

‘Battlefield 3’ allows you to take control of tanks, Jeeps and jets. The single-player mode takes the backseat to more interactive multiplayer and co-op modes. However, it falls short to ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’, which was released on Tuesday. | EA Games

It’s clear that Electronic Arts is sticking its neck out and showing its spirit of competition against Acitivision’s juggernaut title “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3”, but with the lackluster single-player campaign mode and a seemingly fun but short lived online multiplayer mode, “Battlefield 3” falls short of the competition.

Indeed, the story and gameplay in the single player campaign mode is disturbingly boring and nonsensical. Players take on the role of Sergeant Blackburn, a Marine who is being interrogated by the CIA after being accused of being a traitor.

Throughout the single-player mode, you’ll be able to play through all of Blackburn’s flashbacks as he tries to clear his name. Despite having a somewhat interesting plot, players will find a disconnection with all of the characters in the story — and confusion as to what’s supposed to be going on in the story itself.

While the sound effects are an exquisite touch in terms of how the Dolby Sound system in the game compliments gunfire and explosions, the entire single player campaign is neither engaging nor thrilling because it follows a common formula for the first-person shooter.

The tanks and jet plane missions are refreshing, but the control mechanics hold it back from being phenomenal — players might find that maneuvering takes some getting used to. It’ll be hard to enjoy blowing up enemy buildings and tanks when you’re trying to figure out which way to aim or trying to back out of a stuck area.

The single-player campaign mode is more likely to be ignored by most “Battlefield” fans because the game really shines in multiplayer and co-op experiences.

Like the single-player mode, the co-op mode is introduced for the first time in this game, which allows you to play several levels with a friend and unlock weapons and perks for the multiplayer online mode. These levels are no easy feat and require a lot of teamwork, which in the end offers some value of accomplishment in unveiling new features for online matches.

Multiplayer mode offers a variety of ways to play. Conquest, Rush, Squad Deathmatch, Squad Rush, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag are all there. In addition to combat on foot, players will be able to take control of tanks, fighter jets and Jeeps. There are a total of 12 open-ended maps for multiplayer mode, but you have the option to play in one map for various modes.

The biggest downside of the whole scenario is that “Battlefield 3” is competing against the recently-released “Modern Warfare 3” — something that EA might not have thought all the way through. Had they released “Battlefield 3” at another time, it probably would have received better reception from gamers across the nation, but that isn’t the case.

“Battlefield 3” is a good first-person shooter game in its own right by offering a full-fledged online multiplayer mode in a way that has never been done before. However, it falls short in the quality of the campaign mode, which inevitably makes the game feel incomplete.

With “Modern Warfare 3” already in the hands of gamers everywhere, it looks like the 15 minutes of fame for “Battlefield 3” have run out.

arts@thedailycougar.com

The game, which is a sequel to “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” was developed by Rocksteady Studios and delivers one of the best DC Comics games ever made, bar none.

From the moment the disk loads, players are immediately immersed in a world where chaos is an understatement. After protesting against the idea of Mayor Sharp allowing Arkham City to be turned into an enormous prison for criminals and political leaders who opposed the agenda, Bruce Wayne finds himself captured and thrown into the city, as ordered by Hugo Strange who oversees the operation of the entire city.

After finding out that Strange is in the know about the Dark Knight’s dirty little secret, Wayne has a pretty simple plan to carry out: Find Strange, defeat Strange, and save Gotham.

He’ll have to find his way through the mean streets filled with foes on every corner and go through handful of his archenemies, new and old.

Visually, “Arkham City” is a strikingly beautiful game from top to bottom. The gothic and dark visuals compliment the closed off, criminal infested wasteland that players will be thrown into.

The buildings, alleyways, subway stations, underground sewers and dozens of other locations in the city are all brilliantly constructed and mesh well with the entire theme of the game’s setting.

Rocksteady nails the added details when it comes to the wear-and-tear of the Dark Knights suit when he has to get rough with the bad guys. Several villains take a giant overhaul in terms of the way they are designed, but they are still recognizable and don’t stray far away from what Batman fans are used to seeing.

“Arkham City” is an open-world game in comparison to its predecessor, “Arkham Asylum”, so players will be able to reach and glide through all aspects of the entire city rather than being stuck in one place throughout the whole game.

With the exception of Lucious Fox and Scarecrow, every character that has ever been in the Batman comics or movies is in Arkham City’s Campaign mode.

From the allies to the antagonists, hard-core Batman fans and casual players alike will rejoice when many of the main characters, such as The Joker, Penguin, Alfred, Robin, and Harley Quinn, take center stage and make appearances in the game. There are also characters taken from Arkham Asylum and smaller characters from the comics that make their way into this dazzling masterpiece, a decision on Rocksteady’s part that’s sure to make everyone happy.

The voice acting is spot on. Actors such as Mark Hamil (Joker), Kevin Conroy (Batman) and others have all played a part in adding that extra flair — a sharp voicing performance that connects with the design and animation of their characters in the game.

Even the voice acting of the street thugs is interesting; therefore none of the characters in the game come off as a nuisance or flat out boring.

Many of the characters in the game don’t get much attention in terms of how often you’re able to interact with them. While the main antagonists and allies are recurring throughout, some players might find other characters that they like, and wish they’d be given a little more spotlight.

The game offers a “new game plus” feature, which gives you a second go around in the game and a chance to go back and see what you missed. Batman can even track certain parts of the game by marking them so they appear on the map, which makes landmarks easier to find.

This is a concept seen in most role-playing and action games, but the replay value here is always rewarding, especially for a game that offers so much that it will literally take weeks, even months, of play time to see everything. Other than that, most of side quests don’t stray too far from the main story.

Players will find themselves killing two birds with one stone as they complete certain side quests and the main parts of the story at the same time.

Once the game starts, players will be thrown into this world of chaos and you, being Batman, are forced to adjust to the environment and find out what’s going on with little to no help.

Players will be able to level up Batman’s suit armor, upgrade his move-set used in combat and enhance his gadgets, all of which can make the Dark Knight much more powerful.

Throughout the entire game, playing as the masked vigilante feels authentic and true to form.

Who else but the Dark Knight could glide through an entire city latching and pulling up onto skyscraper buildings, hack-locked doors, scan crime scenes using infrared detective vision and beat thugs, villains and psychopaths to within an inch of their lives? In addition to all the abilities that have been tweaked or carried over from “Arkham Asylum”, there are also an assortment of gadgets that makes a triumphant return to Batman’s arsenal, ranging from the bat claw to an explosive gel which can be used to spray on breakable walls and objects in order to blow them up.

Batman’s library of tools grows larger as you collect them through various tasks along the way. Each time you engage in hand-to-hand combat with several street thugs at one time, the shakedown will always feel like a different fight scene. There is one button to attack and one to dodge and counter, plus the ability to use your grapple claw to disarm and trip enemies is a nice touch. This was present in “Arkham Asylum”, but the feel of it seems more fluid and less frustrating this time around. As players utilize these buttons correctly and keep a smooth pace, Batman can deliver three blows to one thug, jump over to kick the next, snatch away the weapon from another and pull him over for a powerful, finishing lariat blow to the neck.

Boss battles are very entertaining, but some feel short and not so sweet. Most of them are long and fun enough to savor the action, as Batman is forced to use several tactics as well as utilize his gadgets to take down archenemies, big and small. For other boss battles, they just feel too easy and dull.

Running around in circles, dodging projectiles from the enemy and striking when the time is right is a template we see too often in other games, and in those battles, it really does disconnect from the atmospheric grace that Rocksteady has already put it’s players in.

Overall, “Arkham City” comes through with flying colors, and with a bunch of other highly anticipated games set to release in time for the holidays, it’s safe to say that this game will be very hard to top.

There are no perfect games and there probably never will be, however, be assured that “Batman: Arkham City” comes dangerously close.

arts@thedailycougar.com

The story progresses in the narrative style reminiscent to that of the film “The Princess Bride.”

One of Hawke’s former companions, the dwarven rogue Varric, is forced to tell the story of the Champion of Kirkwall to the Seeker of the Chantry, Cassandra. The story and gameplay will occasionally be interrupted by the Seeker when Varric’s tale becomes a little too fantastical for her liking and the scene changes.

How the story progresses depends on the decisions made by the player.

The gameplay is similar to most RPGs as players take on quests and run a number of errands. The quests are varied and enjoyable. The game is put into three different acts that are spread out through several years, with the main plot staying hidden until the last act.

It can be a little disheartening to realize that the majority of the quests that Hawke and his/her companions are completing are only side quests, but that feeling is easily overshadowed by how fun most of the quests actually are. There is a short quest back into the Fade, as well as a battle with a High Dragon that brings the player back to fighting Flemeth from Origins.

The companion quests are especially fun. One particular standout from the game is when Hawke has to help Aveline, the captain of the guard, to overcome her anxiety and a bad date in order to win the heart of her fellow guardsman.

Gamers who completed Origins and its expansion, Awakening, will be pleased to know that their save can be imported. There are a few character cameos and NPCs that will make reference to the Hero of Ferelden and its monarch.

The battle system favors an action based style with fast paced, real-time fighting and less emphasis on the tactical decisions.

Origins had a bit of wait time for spells and the combat system gave players the feeling that the damage was put to chance with dice rolls. But with Dragon Age 2, Hawke can become a powerful mage, rogue or warrior that fights with immediacy.

Combat begins slowly with only a few spells or abilities, which leaves the player hitting the attack button repeatedly until their abilities and talents recharge. But after leveling a bit, Hawke can decimate the battlefield with his/her powers.

However, when the difficulty is cranked up to Nightmare, there is still plenty of room for a tactical experience. The player will have to customize Hawke’s and his/her companion’s abilities, talents and item usage to ensure survival.

The areas in the game are gorgeously rendered, but are limited in number — they tally into a little over 10.

The mountains of Sundermount are beautiful, with images that are reminiscent of the forests of Ferelden from Origins. The more dreary places of Kirkwall, such as the impoverished Darktown, can be tolerated, thanks to the interesting quests and character interactions.

On a side note, I found myself navigating using the mini-map in the corner of the screen rather than watching my character traverse the actual city streets of Kirkwall.

The character models are more polished and look even better than they did in Origins. The voice acting is top notch and the soundtrack is both stirring and epic. The companions are just as compelling if not more so than the companions from Origins, and character development throughout the plot is deeper in this sequel than in the previous game.

As mentioned before, the actual main plot seems to take a backseat until the last act. In fact, without giving away any spoilers, it can be said that there are two plots being told in the game.

There are several moments in the game that foreshadow something even more sinister than the forces fought in climatic ending of Varric’s story. Hopefully, these hints will be the focus of another game in the future.

All in all, Dragon Age 2 is a great Bioware game and one that any RPG fans should add to their collection.

The first and most easily notable feature is just how gorgeous the game looks. The way the characters move and the environment was all carefully crafted to mimic the feel of the animated series. The animation is very smooth, and there is no lagging despite several characters on the screen fighting at the same time.

The game offers two different modes from the start, versus and adventure mode. Versus is just like it sounds, allowing players to battle, whether they’re in the same room or across the Internet. Only a small number of fighters are available upon starting but more will unlock through fighting matches and/or playing through adventure mode.

Adventure mode is the game’s single-player version of the animated series’ story. The player can explore the environment for items and do side quests as they continue the story. It is clear that the narrative was created for fans of the show, as the game takes place in the middle of the story with little explanation of what happened in the past and thus losing the significance of some of the scenes taking place. The large cast, each with their own story and powers, can be hard to keep up with. The game also shifts into the points of view of different characters as the story continues in an attempt to better explain the story.

Fighting is the meat of the game and although the controls are easy to learn, mastering them can be quite difficult. The shoulder buttons handle blocking and the joystick is used for movement. The four face buttons make up the jumping, short-range, long-range, and charge chakra commands. Chakra is small bar underneath the life bar, and is used in special techniques. Charging it enables the character to power up the commands mapped on the other face buttons or to execute a powerful technique that is unique to each character. Each character also has a variety of items to use via the direction pad and support characters to call out, giving the player additional options.

Boss characters, spread throughout adventure mode, add much variety than just simply fighting through each match. Players are challenged to input button sequences as the fight boils to the climax and they are rewarded with scenes of intense action.

Overall, this is a game that was made for the fans of “Naruto” and it may be the best one released so far. It has a fair chance to attract the attention of those that like fighting games and it certainly doesn’t lack in terms of graphics.

After a few minutes of awkward searching, I found the Airstream — which is covered in Mario, Yoshi and other characters — and made my way inside. Nintendo isn’t known for their lackluster press meets, and they carried on the tradition quite well; the trailer was stuffed with Wiis and three new Midnight Blue DSi XLs, all running different games. After calmly explaining that yes, I did know how to use a Wii, the press agent and I fired up the new Wii Party game.

If you’ve ever played “Mario Party” (and let’s face it, if you’re reading this, you have) then you know exactly what to expect from “Wii Party.” Instead of Nintendo characters you use a Mii, and there are a few slight differences — when you win a mini-game, you get to roll bonus dice — but overall, it’s exactly what you’d expect. It’s a good time, especially because some of the games use the Wiimote in new ways; one has you hiding the remote somewhere, while another plays a new version of hot potato. You can pick up Wii Party now — it was released Oct. 3.

Kirby fans, rejoice, as your fluffy pink god is coming back for another game. “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” dropped on the Wii Oct. 17, and it’s just as weird as it looks. Don’t worry, though; the game is great. Although the whole yarn thing looks like a gimmick at first, the developers did a great job fully fleshing the mechanics out, and it shows.

Kirby can pull zippers down to open up new parts of the level, swing on buttons to reach high platforms and transform into almost anything — including a fire truck, a tank and a spaceship. There’s also a two-player mode, where the second player takes the place of Kirby’s new teammate Prince Fluff. It’s a solid game, and anyone who is a Kirby fan should take note.

Anybody who follows Disney at all should know that the company is hard at work on “Epic Mickey.” The game is coming along nicely — in fact, it’s shaping up to be one of the best games to come from Disney Interactive in quite some time.

You take the shoes of Mickey Mouse in an entirely new narrative that deals with a lot of skeletons from Disney’s animated closet. The game will be available Nov. 30.

Keep your eyes peeled for more gaming news and reviews coming up soon. If you have any suggestions on upcoming games to review, let me know in the comments.