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Well, it’s that time of year once again. Time for the game companies to trot out their biggest and brightest titles for the holiday spending benders. This year is no different from any other, with some top quality A list games hitting store shelves. This week, we’re looking at the hottest of the hot, just in time for you to throw down that holiday cash. These are the games that the hardcore have been waiting for, and for many, it’s about time. And it’s the most wonderful time of the year…

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, DOUBLE YOUR FUN…

scda.jpgFirst up is the Xbox 360 version of the newest Tom Clancy title SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT. Here, Sam Fisher is just about at the end of his rope; the heir to his title as “sneakiest spy around” has just fouled up in a mission and bit it, and Sam’s daughter has just died in a car crash. With nothing left to lose, Sam takes on some seriously dangerous escapades as he moonlights as a thug in prison and attempts to join the John Brown’s Army, a terrorist faction, all the while still keeping tabs with his associates at the NSA. As you progress through that game’s missions, you’ll have to keep and eye one which company holds you with the most trust. Lose it from either and it’s game over.

This plays out with some very interesting mission types. From escaping from prison to daylight missions where sneaking (for once) just isn’t an easy option, Sam really doesn’t have his work cut out for him. Capping off many of these missions are directed actions, where the decisions you make during crucial cinematics will play out into how the NSA or JBA view you as a trusted member. Shooting an innocent, making a quick decision while parachuting…it’s all there and it all counts.

The AI in this newest installment of the series seems a bit on the edgy side. While in previous efforts I’ve been able to sneak by nearly everyone with a minimal amount of trouble, here, even the slightest hair out of place and the baddies come a runnin’. Still, you’ve got a variety of new tricks up your sleeve, such as a small EMP devise attached to your pistol (to save on bullets for shooting out lights) and Sam now can swim too, pulling foes underwater for a murky wet death. Yeah, that sounds weird, but it’s cool to watch.

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And while each decision plays on which particular faction you’re trying to impress, you can generally keep in the sweet spot between good and bad based on your actions. Doing too many neck snappings and you’ll lose face with the NSA, so just play it nice for a bit…until the JSA gets suspicious and you’ll have to work the other angles. Depending on how much you play one side or the other affects the games three endings. This opens up a great deal of replayability, and should keep fans happy.

The multiplayer options, however, are a bit of a split deal. The two-player co-op is not as great as previous offerings, and doesn’t offer nearly as many cool gadgets or options for simultaneous play. The versus game, however, has been balanced a great deal from previous games, making it so that even newbies can have a fighting chance against folks familiar with the series, or even the newest title’s Spy Vs Mercenaries modes.

From what I understand, the regular Xbox version of the game is drastically different from the Xbox 360 version. Still, the 360 version is no slouch. While it isn’t my favorite in the series, it doesn’t suffer from “been there done that” as many sequels tend to do. It may be thin on story, but the multiple playing options and direct action sequences are a new kick to the familiar license.

One Gamer’s Opinion:
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FANTAS(Y)TIC

ffxii.jpgSo, after all these years, I finally get to play a FINAL FANTASY game. And sure, some fans may argue that XII may not be the one to start with, but it’s the newest, and seems to be the most hyped and most awaited, so here we go.

Taking a cue (so I’m told) from the worlds and battles of the online XI, this newest title starts out slow, but reveals an intricate slew of creative characters and plot developments, usually akin to series television. Just when you think you know who the main character is, 8 hours in to the game, it switches off to another. Hell, this game takes a good three hours just to get REALLY started, and while that may turn most RPG fans away, it’s something that all FF fans know to stick through. So I plodded on, and I’m thankful that I did.

Throughout the game’s enveloping storyline, you’ll learn of assassination plots, invasions, intrigue and more ups, downs and twists than a single season of 24. It begins with a young Prince perishing in battle on the eve of his wedding. The King of Dalmasca, wishing for peace against the militaristic Archadians, has agreed to sign a treaty allowing Archadia entrance and stay in Dalmasca so long as the war ends. Just as he’s about to sign, however, The King is double-crossed and assassinated and his daughter, the princess, kills herself as a result. Now, years later, Archadia occupies Dalmasca, after an apparent conquering. The cities inhabitants don’t take so kindly to this, including a young thief/shopworker named Vaan. The actions he sets in motion throughout the game will trigger events that make the gamer feel as though you’re merely one cog working the wheels of an entirely bigger story.

The game’s story is so expert presented, thanks to its expertly crafted CG cutscenes and impeccable voicework. Every character you meet along the way you’ll think you begin to understand, only to have a new and unusual change to then as the story progresses. It’s engaging, it’s fun, and it’s hard to stop. Thankfully, the game’s time moves along quite well thanks to its innovative battle system.

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While most reviewers have described it as a real-time fighting style, that’s not entirely true. What FFXII employs is more of a hybrid between real-time and turn-based battles, which allow the player to freely roam around the character and the environment, moving the camera in any way possible to get just about any angle on the combat. Through timed attacks, you r character can plot out their modes of aggression or retaliation. With the introduction of “Gambits”, you can even script how battles can take place by allowing for just about any variable. For example, you can have one character heal another automatically once their health reaches a certain level, then immediately attack the foe, or even have a series of magick and attack combinations. There are literally endless equations of possibilities for how your characters can act (and react) in battle.

What’s more, equipment, skills and magicks can be bought at any time. What motivates how you use them is a license system. As you battle, you gain license points which you spend, ironically enough, on license which allow you to use what you’ve gained. You can have the license, or you can have the item, but you must have BOTH to equip and use them. It sounds more complex that it really is (and the screen where the licenses are is quite daunting to look at) but it’s all fairly simple. Buy one license, and other possible ones appear, and you can plan out how you spend your points based on what opens up.

I don’t feel I’m doing a good job of describing the game, but I also don’t think that anyone truly can. The game is just a fantastic example of intricate storytelling, epic scope and scale, and innovative and intuitive battle and combat styles. The game looks great, sounds great, plays great, and, guess what, IS great. It’ll take up your time, it’ll take a while to get going, and just when you think you know where it’s leading, it takes you the other way, and every second is fantastic.

One Gamer’s Opinion:
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LET SLIP THE COGS OF WAR

gow.jpgWhen the Xbox 360 was announced, one title had gamers salivating in a most Pavlovian way, and they have continued to do so up until this title’s release. Thankfully, all that drool hasn’t been wasted, as this is a game truly deserving of a tubs worth of saliva. GEARS OF WAR has lived up to the hype, cut it up with a chainsaw, and stomped its skull into the curb, and walked away laughing at the non-believers.

First, let’s get the simple stuff out of the way: the game is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Everything you’ve seen should have prepared you for this, but actually playing the game you’ll be taken aback by the stunning architecture, the realistic facial models and the amazing look and tone of the atmosphere. Between the frenetic action of the gameplay, you’ll catch yourself taking moments just to spin the camera around and observe your surrounding before jumping back into the fray and coating the landscape with a fresh touch of crimson.

As far as how the game plays, that’s where the hype truly lives. As has been stated by many, this is no run and gun” adventure a la HALO. This is “stop and pop”, a game where you actively seek cover and most of the time end up firing blindly from safety, all the while working with your team to flank the enemy. It’s almost RAINBOW SIX meets HALO, but with a deeper sense of using the surroundings as much as possible to save your ass. Doing so is simple enough, just run up to cover and tap A and you’ll slam your broad back into whichever you come against; beat up car, downed pillar, etc. From there you use the A button to SWAT roll to another place of cover, dive to more shielding, jump over small cover and more, all on your way to advancing on the enemy and taking them down.

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The enemy is no slouch either. The Locust Horde has sprung up from the center of the planet Sera and laid waste to the entire world. As a COG (Coalition of Ordered Governments) Solider it’s up to you to send them back. These foes are wily, crazy, scary and smart. THEY will actively seek cover too. THEY will flank you, and THEY will do just about everything you do. And they are larger in mass and numbers, so you’ll feel a bit overwhelmed in almost every situation. This is why it’s important to bring a friend. GOW offers quite possibly the best two player co-op game around, be it on split screen, system link or Xbox Live, this game can’t be beat as far as team ups go. You’ll be constantly chatting away with your teammate as you flank the enemy, help each other out of low health situations, and come up against horror after subterranean horror. And in some cases you may split up and see each other across various paths, but you’ll always be working together against the same goal. Hell, if you’re playing the single player mission and you see a friend sign on, you can invite them to your game and they’ll appear automatically as your squadmate already in the game without any need to restart.

The weapons in GOW are plentiful and diverse, and while not many are exceptional, there are a few with some interesting features. Your main weapon has a killer bayonet…a chainsaw. Sneaking up behind the enemy and letting it rip into them is gory, horrific and satisfying. Likewise, the Hammer of Dawn is exacting in its killing style, but a difficult use. It puts a beacon on your targets and strikes down from the heavens with a searing beam of power…all you need is a clear shot and an open sky, and you can even direct the beam across multiple enemies as they flee for cover.

Versus games are variations of Deathmatch, but are never ending amounts of fun. And while the maximum number of players is 8 (four on four team setups) you won’t mind as different factions wage war against each other. There’s nothing more frightening than setting up a headshot with a sniper rifle, only to hear the rip of a chainsaw and turn around to have it buzzing into and your head slopping to the ground in a sickening thud.

The game is tough, and each difficulty only gets tougher. Hardcore is really HARDcore, and the enemy will be unrelenting in it’s desire to see you in a body bag. Insane is even worse, and only the strongest will survive this setting, so going in with a friend is strongly advised for that one. The game has truly lived up to and beyond all expectations, and while some areas aren’t wholly perfect (the overuse of the A button for many features will have you flipping around the stages and running into unnecessary shit as you get used to the controls) you’ll have a blast anyway. And frankly, it’s about time.

One Gamer’s Opinion:
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QUICKSHOT OF THE WEEK

fear.jpgI reviewed F.E.A.R. when it was released for the PC a year ago, and as it has now hit the Xbox 360, my opinion still stands: this is a frightening, well-paced game that just about any FPS fan should play. The plot (such as it is) of a Hannibal Lechter wannabe crossed with the supernatural and your “heightened senses” allowing for slow motion and super charged kung fu work exceptionally well here as before, though the repetitive backgrounds, though detailed, may bring some shooter nuts down a bit. Still, the 360 version boasts a new mode in “Instant Action” where players are dumped into a setting with a huge onslaught of enemies and must fight their way to the end. Scores are built on how many enemies killed and how quickly, how many health packs are used and stocked and more, and scores are uploaded to Xbox Live leaderboards, While most will argue about innovation in the title, one can’t deny it’s visceral appeal, and just about any fan of survival horror and first person shooters should give this jump-fest a shot. Its scares may be different than GOW’s, but are none the less worthwhile.

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One Gamer’s Opinion:
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And this brings us to the end of yet another week. Before I go, though, I just want to let you all know about a kick ass show out in New York. Now, this is not something I’d normally talk about in my column, but damnit, I love Evil Dead, and I can’t resist this:

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Also, in some online gaming news, Gametap will feature an exclusive version of MYST: URU in December. MYST ONLINE: URU LIVE is being prepped and ready for the holiday, and for $9.99 a month you can play it and around 700 other gaming classics, all streaming right from your computer. Also, for Xbox Live gamers who dug the single player demo of LOST PLANET from Capcom, they just announced that the multiplayer demo will be availble right around Thanksgiving. A tasty treat indeed.

Next week, I have a literal crapton of handheld titles to review for the holidays, including the newest GRAND THEFT AUTO, DEATH JR 2, the new TONY HAWK handheld game, CAPCOM CLASSICS RELOADED, POWERSTONE COLLECTION, SCARFACE on PSP and more. ‘Til then, friends…

THE GAME ON! RATING SYSTEM

 

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Kick-Ass, Right On, Okay, Eh, and Stinker (or Craptacular)

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