Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale

I have been waiting for this game for some time. And I love it. It is similar to Super Smash Bros, but features a new scoring system and obviously contains some of the most popular Sony characters.

The first thing you should think about is if you have both a PS3 and a Vita. If you have both then I suggest getting the Cross Buy. If you buy the PS3 version, then you will get the Vita version for free to download. A great deal if you ask me.

The next thing is that the game has cross save. If you play on the console the data can transfer to the Vita and visa-versa. Pretty unique feature and useful for travel.

Pros

• Cross Buy and Cross Play
• Contains 20 unique characters from the start of the Playstation up till now
• Customization for characters from the taunts, the victory songs, to the clothing
• Online mode contains custom matches and ranked matches.
• Invite friends to fight and have a 2nd player with you with another controller

Con

• Absence of some popular characters, like Crash Bandicoot, and Nathan Hale. Though there is going to be DLC featuring more characters
• Trophies can't cross over. Though the save data can be transferred, you have to earn the trophies on both systems separately.

Overall, the game is an interesting fighting game that is a great choice for Sony fans. I suggest anyone who is interested in a good game for the PS3 or Vita to get this game. I would give this game a rating of 7.5 out of 10.

Black Ops Declassified & Burning Skies Share Similar Problems

On Tuesday November13, Call of Duty Black Ops Declassified was released. I was debating whether or not to get the game, but after hearing some news, I am not quite sure.

I love Call of Duty and I have a Vita; so I thought that would be a good combination. However, I have seen video reviews, and gameplay of both the multiplayer and campaign. I was quite surprised that the game had a poor score.

The interesting thing is that the game was developed by Nihilistic Software, the same group that did Resistance Burning Skies. And what was even more surprising was the reasons Black Ops Declassified did poorly were the same reasons Burning Skies did poorly as well. This questions if Nihilistic knows how to make a good game?

The problems include...

• Uninteresting campaign mode
• Poor AI
• Difficult control mechanics
• Lack of features in multiplayer
• Connectivity issues

These reasons plague both games. Both games should be great considering that both series are well-known to the public. But Nihilistic dropped the value of the games with this poor titles.

After this, I think I wouldn't Black Ops Declassified. If it's almost the same experience as Burning Skies, then what is the point? I just hope that there is a second chance for both series, then maybe the PS Vita can actually get more attention.

Resident Evil 6

3 years have passed since RE5 and now RE6 has arrived. After playing the game for about a month. I can say Resident Evil 6 is one unique game. There are hits and misses within the game, and I will go over what I find.

Here is a list of some improvements in RE6:

• Combat Mechanics- The controls for shooting has greatly improved. Now you can actually move while firing and reload while moving. Equipping weapons is a lot easier now since you can cycle the weapons on the d-pad, as well as the grenades and first aid spray.

• Melee System- The added melee system gives new innovative ways to fight against the zombies and J'avo. As opposed to having to stun enemies to go into melee in previous games, you can actually go into fights only using melee.

• 4 Player Co-op- While RE5 introduced us with the co-op system, RE6 took it a step further. There are now moments in the campaign where up to 4 players will fight together in a situation. I like how the game crosses over with two different campaigns and connect to other players who are near the same point in the game.

• Agent Hunt Mode- This is a new mode that is quite creative. Players can play as the very enemies you fought. Like the same way as 4 player co-op, the game will find points where people are playing and throw you into a game and fight against the human players. Every enemy has different moves and I especially think has good replay value.

• Multiple Campaigns- The game contains 4 unique campaigns each with a new feeling and genre, as if taking former games and combining them into a big game. Leon's campaign focuses more on the survival horror; almost a similar feeling as RE2. Chris's campaign has an action feel like RE5. Jake's campaign has the constant struggles of a returning enemy like RE3. And Ada has the sneaky feeling like RE4.

• New Characters- As much as it is to have famous Resident Evil characters return, it was good to see fresh new faces. The new characters have their motives to fight in this struggle against the enemy and I love it. My favorite is Jake. He is the son of Wesker and in a way shows the Wesker bloodline still running in the series.

With all these improvements, you would think it's a great and perfect game. However, there are flaws that I should address.

• Inventory Menu- People complained that it was difficult to use the menu in RE5 and that it should be fixed. And unfortunately the inventory is the same in RE6. The problem is that it is in real time and you have to rush your way through the menus to accomplish your task. I have heard people wishing to have the same menu like RE4. But in my opinion the real time menu makes the fear more realistic and doesn't break the mood.

• Inventory Space- Another problem with the inventory is there so few spaces. With all the weapons you will accumulate and ammo, you will occasionally find yourself max out with ammo and have to drop some of your gear to give more room for other equipment.

• Unable to Share Weapons- In RE5 it was fun to exchange weapons with your partner and that really makes you feel like a team. In RE6, you are stuck with the weapons you got. In each campaign, there are a set of weapons that both characters will get. However, if you want to share the default weapons, you will find it impossible. This makes the teamwork seem limited.

• Skill Points- The new currency is skill points. They are used to buy upgrades for the character and even infinite ammo. There are upgrades for the campaign, Mercenaries, and Agent Hunt. The problem is most skills are way too expensive, even more so than RE5. And unfortunately there is no fast way to farm skill points except going through chapters again.

• Co-op AI- If you are playing the game single player, then you will be using the traditional AI partner. And unfortunately, the AI is the same as in RE5. There will be times where your partner will most likely get in your way. And even though there are more commands, most of the time, the AI partner doesn't follow them.

•  Storyline- Not to say the story of the game is completely bad, but it seems to repeat ideas from previous games. I find the story not to be original. And also, the villains don't seem to have the dark tone like Wesker. I think the story should have ended with Wesker's death. But instead they have to reveal a weak story that shouldn't  be necessary.

In the end the game seemed to focus on quality instead of quality. The game is pact with so much content, but it is flawed with problems. Is as though Capcom fixed some problems from Resident Evil 5, but created new problems for Resident Evil 6. Either way, the game has good value and is worth trying it out.

PS3 Super Slim

I have seen the new model of the PS3 and I got to say, "Huh". It has been years since the release of the slim PS3 and now we get something that is more compact. But the question is, is it worth it?

There are some unique benefits to the Super Slim. Some would even agree what I think.

• Size and weight- Six years have past since the original PS3. You remember how massive and bulky they were. They were as big as a blender and as heavy as a cement block. Sony has made an improvement with the first slim model. The size and weight were slightly reduced. However, with this new model it is almost having the old PS2 weight and size. Comparing the Super Slim with the fat PS3, you will see and feel a big difference.

• Disc tray- The system is now a top loader. At first, you will think it's a downgrade in technology. But really think about it. You don't have to turn on the console to insert the disc. And in the long run, if you happen to get YLOD, getting the disc is A LOT easier.

• HDD- Right now the Super Slim has different hard drives. You can get a 12 GB model, (but who really wants that), or a 500 GB model. Obviously 500 GB is a lot to handle and with that much space, you won't have to worry of having a full HDD for a long time.

However, there are some downsides to the new PS3.

• Appearance- The new PS3 doesn't really look like a high advance console. In a way it reminds you of the slim version of the PS2. The grill texture on the top of the console makes it feel cheap. Almost wondering if the tray would hold its own.

• Non-compatible for PS2 games- The real question was if this new PS3 can play PS2 games and sad to say, the answer is still no. I believe having PS2 backwards compatibility was the greatest feature for a PS3. You never had to lug out a PS2 to play PS2 games. The original PS3s played everything. However, since the release of the slim and other models of the fat PS3s, this feature has be dropped. Even after six years, PS3s still have NO PS2 BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY.

• No other accessories- Sure there are bundles for the new system, but what about buying the default package. Even with this new PS3, in the box still lies the same cables, controller, and instruction manuals. Why don't they package together an HDMI cable or a headset? that would make this new PS3 more worthy.

After all of this, I have concluded that while the new PS3s are more compact and easy to carry, there is nothing new to offer to the PS3 community. If you already have a PS3, just stay with the one you have. There is no need to go out to get the Super Slim. However, if you never had a PS3 and want to get one, I would say go for it.

Resistance Burning Skies

I just got the latest game, "Resistance Burning Skies". The game is considered one of the greatest for a Vita game. In my opinion it is more of a average game. Not good, not bad.

The campaign is decent. There is an interesting storyline involving the beginning of the invasion of the Chimera in the USA. However I must say the game is pretty short. At average, the game only takes at most 2.5 hours to complete the game. There are some extra stuff you can do to buy more time. You can, as always, find intel. There are pieces of intel that are scattered all over the game. Oddly, it is not necessary to get a trophy like in previous games. You can also search for Grey Tech. These are small cubes that can give you upgrades for your weapons. The game's difficulty is another factor for controversy. The game is easy. Even on the hardest difficulty, the game is still manageable, compared to the console versions. I think the reason for this, will have to be that it is still hard to control the character and use the Vita.

The trophies in the game are not a lot. In total there are only 25. And for the most part they are all easy. Mostly involving defeating bosses, completing levels, and racking up kills. I was surprised to see that neither the intel or Superhuman mode was not needed to get a trophy, or even to upgrade all weapons to the max.

Multiplayer is the next thing you will find in the game. I have to say, it needs work. There is no way to just have a game with you and your friend. The connectivity is a main problem. Half the time I get disconnected. Even if I am right next to the modem, I still get disconnected. The game modes are not a lot. There is only, Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, and Survival. Sad that there was no objective based games like Capture the Flag or Meltdown. The gameplay itself is the same as the campaign. I have noticed a few weapons that really need balancing. The shotgun is murder. Also for once, I have experience a bug in the game. Apparently there is a spawning bug, where you are somewhere else in the map and players are just killing you to gain points.

The game itself is average and average at best. I would say this game would be great to buy when the price drops to 20 or 30 dollars. If you are a huge Resistance fan, then buy this game, but maybe when there are more updates.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Trophy Update

Yesterday the patch for Metal Gear Solid 4 came out. And with this patch, the game got trophies, as the fans have requested for years. Also The patch got rid of the menu for Metal Gear Online and any of its components.

The first question you are probably going to ask is can our old data be used for the game. And let me tell you that yes and no. You can still use any of your old data to play the game, however you will not get any trophies. You have to start from scratch and play the game from the beginning. It sucks, I know. If you got everything it past gameplays, you will have to throw those out. I got to say that is a big kick to the crotch by Konami.

The trophies themselves are relatively easy, if you played the game before. Although there may be some that require you to think outside the box more. For the most part all of the trophies can be awarded with in one or two gameplays. However, one specific trophy requires you to obtain all iPod songs in the game. And what makes this long, is that one of the songs can only be obtained by collecting all 40 emblems in the game. With all that, It is said you will need to beat the game at least 8 times. That is a lot. To make it worst, One of the emblems, "Chicken", one of the requirements is to rack up a total of 35 hours in the game.

The good thing I can say is that, after 4 years, there are a lot of guides out there to help you get songs, flashbacks, guns, and emblems. Also, there is an option now to install the game on to your hard drive, but you will need over 9 GBs. In my case, I am running low in space and I'm not going to waste the last few GBs for a game.

I am not saying that I hate these trophies, but Konami should have allowed us to use our old data, this would have made this game a lot easier. This is going to be time consuming. The bad thing is that at this point, there are great titles coming out soon like Tekken Tag 2, Resident Evil 6, and Sony All Stars. In my opinion, Konami should have thought this plan out better.

Steel Battalion

I don't own a 360 or a Kinect to play the game, but I have seen other people play the game or seen other reviews. Steel Battalion is a mech fighting war game based off of World War II. The game combines the controller and the Kinect itself to play.

There are plenty of good things about the game. One thing is the great graphics and scenes. The graphics are amazing and makes the experience life-like. Another great thing is the characters. The Characters have there own personalities and makes it feel as though you are with an actual team instead of those non-talking players that do nothing. The team actual works with you to accomplish missions. The interesting thing is if any of your teammates dies, they are dead for good and you get a replacement. And the replacement has his own personalities. The combat itself is top notch. The fighting is so realistic almost like being in a machine. You see actual damage in your mech, like blood, cracked windows, and holes.

Here is the bad news. No matter what they threw in or how well they made it, you WILL find difficulty playing this game. I have tried the Kinect and I think it is a fun device to support the 360 and its controller. However, it shouldn't replace the controller. I don't know why they would make a game that uses an inaccurate motion sensing device, when the game is based on precised controls. I have seen people play this game and said it was near impossible to play. At times you will be fighting the Kinect. Your character will be doing jumbling arm motions and pressing every button except the one you want.

The game would be a success if they went back to the controller that contain 40 buttons and levers. That controller looked so interesting. The game could have gotten a great score if they made massive changes. There is no point in making a well detailed and great looking game when it is unplayable to 99% of the players. The hope for this game is a massive update and patches, but something tells me there won't be. We will have to see.

Modern Warfare 3 Classes

The classes in Modern Warfare 3 are very unique. There is huge variety of set ups you can do to customize and make useful for gameplay. I have noticed that the classes are the same as those from the previous Modern Warfare. Some of the guns have carried over and even some of the perks are the same. However, even with this repeat, I find the game still excellent.

When it comes to the right class set up, there are a few factors to keep in mind.

1. Be familiar with the guns, perks, and equipment. Test out all of them and decide for yourself which ones suit you the best.
2. Be familiar with the maps. Depending on which map you play in, you should customize classes that go well. In small maps, work on classes that focus on close combat. In large maps, focus on long range fire fights.
3. Think on the spot. Not everything is going to go as plan and that is why you should always carry a plan B.
4. Enemies. It is hard to determine what enemies will do, so you might have to do things that you wouldn't normally do. It's unpredictable to know where or what enemies might do.

With that kept in mind creating classes can sometimes be difficult. The best thing you can do is create a variety of classes that can work in different situations. Don't focus on one type of weapon. Also do not rely too much on your equipment. Since most of your equipment is only useful once every spawn, you are going to spend more time gunning. When it comes to your strike packages, pick streaks that you know you can get to. If you a not a great player, then don't focus on high streaks. It's better to get many low streaks than to risk dying from getting a high streak that may be easily destroyed.

I am not trying to discourge people into playing the game, but keep in mind of how you perform and what to expect. If you don't want to keep dying so much, then maybe it's time to change up a class.

Modern Warfare 3 class Q&A

PS3 vs 360

There are many of discussions over which system is better. This battle over the consoles has been going on for the last six years. So far, there hasn't been an official answer which is better, and I really don't think there will ever be one. I believe the PS3 shows to be a true system with a lot of potential. But, the 360 seems to continually dominate the competition with its games.

For people who want a PS3, then give yourself a pat on the back. I think A PS3 is a good choice. The system contains many features making it almost a personal computer and the t.v. the monitor. Here are some of my reasons the PS3 is better.

1. The first that comes to mind is graphics. Anyone can agree that the PS3 has better graphics. Comparing the games from both consoles, I see that though they look similar, the PS3 seems to look more smoother. For example, on Call of Duty, the PS3 seems to have a slightly better texture on characters.
2. Another reason is the fact that PS3 uses Blu-ray discs. The 360 still uses DVD discs, so some games will have to be put on multiple discs. Blu-rays can store a lot more data than DVDs. You won't have to worry about keeping to many discs together.
3. Another good reason is the web browsing. The PS3 can go on the Internet and explore sites like Google or Youtube. The 360 unfortunately doesn't have web browsing.
4. The money within the systems is better for the PS3. Microsoft points seem great at first, but in the long run, they make no sense. The points don't seem to convert at all when you are in different countries. Comparing points and dollars, there is not an even ratio. Having US dollars is easier to comprehend.
5. The system failure is not as high as the 360. The chance of you getting a YLOD is not as likely as getting RROD.
6. The best thing that the PS3 has is free online. The 360 has online that requires you to pay $50 a year. PS3 users can have free online. I admit that online on the PS3 is more laggy, but when it comes to free, who complains.

People who like a 360, then go for it. I am more familiar to PS3, but I admit there are some things that 360 does better than PS3. Here are my reasons.

1. The cost of the 360 is less than the PS3. You can get a 120GB PS3 for $250. While I have seen a 120GB 360 for only $200.
2. The 360 has more supplies than the PS3. The PS3 only has the bare minimum. It has the component cables, the power cable, and the controller. The 360 has component cables as well as the HD cables. Also they have a headset.
3. The appearance is great. As the PS3 models went up, the appearance looks more old and doesn't look too great. The 360 seems to be better in this department. The system went from a big ugly gray look to a slim shinny black finish.
4. The gadgets and apps are better on the 360. The system has similar apps like the PS3, but some apps are only available to the 360. Also the gadgets that go along with the 360 seem to do a better job than a PS3. The Kinetic seems to change the way 360 plays.
5. Of course the games. 360 has better exclusives that drew in more popularity than PS3 games. The best game for the 360 is now and forever be "Halo".

With these reasons, there are some good possibilities why one would get a PS3 or 360. You may ask which system should you get, and my answer is, get the one that suits you the best. Weigh the pros and cons with the systems and decide which kind of gamer you are. If you like to experience good quality with many features, go for the PS3. If you are a hardcore gamer that likes accessories to support its games, go with the 360.

Game Capture HD

If you always wanted to do some gameplay recording, but always find it hard to do, then the answer is right here. Last December, AVerMedia has released a new and easier way of recording gameplay. This device is called "Game Capture HD".

The device may not seem like much at first, but it really does the job. The small device captures live video of what you see on the television and allows you to store it and transfer the data easily. The device can record live video feed as well as take screen shots from your game. The system either uses a USB flash drive or an internal hard drive to save data. It is recommended to stick with USB since they are usually inexpensive. I have an 8GB flash that only cost about $15 and it is able to hold up to at least an hour of video.

The set up is simple. There is even an instruction manual to help you set it up, step by step. The device can be used for all the leading generation consoles right now. It works on the 360, PS3, and Wii. The settings to configure the device is a snap. You can customize the quality, the power usage, and even upgrade the device when needed. The best part is that there is no need for some overpriced software to use it. Or no need to have a laptop nearby to record, which that is a blessing.

Another unique thing is that the device also comes with a remote. The remote has all the functions on it and only needs 2 triple A batteries. The remote is so useful, so that there is no need to be right next to the device when you are done recording.

Also there is a playback feature. You can actually go back and replay the last clip. Even navigating through the other clips is simple. You can also delete clips you don't want while you are in the content manager.

And of course, this device has great quality. It records in HD. It can go as high as 1080i. The amazing thing, is that even at that quality, it doesn't take much time to transfer data.

After you do all the recordings, you can copy all the data from the storage to your computer and work from that point on. The only negative I see is that the format is in AVI. If you don't have a video editing software that supports that format, then you might have to convert it. Or in my case, stick with the Windows Live Movie Maker. That place does a great job with videos with AVI.

Overall, this device shows to have true potential. There are some decent recording devices out there, but usually they are too expensive to afford or they are just way too complicated. "Game Capture HD" seems to be a better choice, and for only $150 this device is worth every penny.

Modern Warfare 3 Opinion

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is so far the latest FPS shooter, and I must say it is great. I 'm not saying that it is the greatest COD in the franchise, but there is a lot of uniqueness with in this game.

The game carries the same mechanics as Modern Warfare 2, and it is great. I love the story; it gives a epic end to the series and has some awesome and sad moments mixed in. I love the new weapons. Some are old and some are recreations from the previous games. The story is so compelling that it makes you get in depth with the characters and almost makes it feels as if you are a part of the story. I even enjoy the graphics and the detail they took for this game.

The only downside I could see with the story, was the fact that you switch to many playable characters that there doesn't seem to be a real connection to some of the characters. And surprisingly there was no epilogue mission like there has been it the past games, making it feel as though the gme gets cut off.

The Spec Ops mode is back and is better than ever. I love how they made it easier to team up with other people through the server. I like the variety of missions and how teamwork was sometimes essential. I also enjoy the survival mode. That was a real unique edition to the game. Getting through endless waves is fun.

The downside is that there are not that many missions as in the last game. When it comes to the survival mode, it is fun for a while, but gets stale pretty fast. It feels like playing the game again. If there could have been enemies, weapons, or maps specifically made for the mode, then it would have impressed me more. Also I don't really like the fact that you have to level up to get better stuff. and when you are playing via split screen, the partner is stuck at level 1.

The multiplayer is the heart of this game. I like the same physics and mechanics in the game. I love joining the games and dominating. I also enjoy the new modes that they have. I think it is neat to include the split screen in the mix. I love the new class set up and the feature of the Strike Packages and point systems.

However, I found the game to be more of an updated version of Modern Warfare 2. The classes and perks seemed to have been similar. I know that Infinity Ward was trying to go for a balanced approach for this game, which it works half of the time. And makes the game less fun for the other half. Having a revenge spawn system seemed great, but in the long run, it gets annoying. Having enemies spawnning near you makes it hard to rack up killstreaks. Also having maps almost equal in terrain gets boring. I wish they could have mixed it up and make maps like in MW2.

All in all, the game delivers a great form of entertainment. I think if they could have added in more of the players opinions for the game, it could have been better. I just think that since a new COD comes out every year, it is hard to get to attatch to the game, because the next game is always around the corner. Modern Warfare 3 is a great game for the meantime until Black Ops 2 hits stores this year. Let's just hope that this new COD will be better than ever.