Guitar Hero continues to re-define the music and gaming experience this Fall with the release of Guitar Hero 5. Featuring the best variety and biggest rock stars of today combined with classic rock anthems, Guitar Hero 5 is the latest installment of the world’s most popular music game. For the first time ever, players can customize the make-up of their band by rocking with any combination of instruments in-game: whether it be two guitars and two drums, or three guitars and a microphone, any combination is possible, allowing players to experience music their own way. Brand new, innovative, easy-to-use gameplay modes like Party Play and RockFest put fun, competition and control at center stage as fans tailor the Guitar Hero experience to match their personal style and interests. For extended hours of entertainment, downloadable content from Guitar Hero® World Tour will be compatible with the game and will automatically be updated to include all of the upgrades and enhancements of Guitar Hero 5.*

Guitar Hero 5 features the strongest, most varied set list to-date comprised of master tracks from 85 of the hottest bands of today and the biggest classic acts including; Kings of Leon, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Santana, Vampire Weekend, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, plus more than 25 artists from a variety of music genres that will be making their music video game debut.

“Guitar Hero is the music platform for today because it celebrates the social nature of music and brings fans closer to the music and artists they love while allowing them to share and discover music with their friends, family and online communities,” said Dan Rosensweig, president and chief executive officer of Guitar Hero.

Among the first-time-ever features of Guitar Hero 5 are: Party Play, where players can jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly; RockFest, a comprehensive competitive experience available featuring five new head-to-head modes playable online or in your living room; and the ability to play the entire set-list from the first time the game is turned on.

Guitar Hero 5 refines the player experience, enhances the art style and redesigns core features such as GHMusic StudioSM, making it the most accessible, fun-to-play and authentic experience for seasoned music gamers as well as first-time players. New innovations such as Band Moments, where bands are rewarded for hitting special note streams together and song challenges where gamers are tasked to play through a song a specific way, add a new competitive layer of excitement and accomplishment to the music rhythm genre.

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Developer

ESRB Rating Mature

Average Playtime 20 hours

Gamerscore 1000

Downloadable Content (None as of February, 20, 2010)

Konami Digital Entertainment Inc., today announced it will publish N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. This sequel, based on the all-action combat game Ninety-Nine Nights, will pick up the story where the original left off and take it to all new heights.

Set on a ravaged world, N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights invites the player to take on all comers in a series of spectacular battles. Players can enjoy the story from five different perspectives – including humans, elves and goblins – and are pitted against wave after wave of adversaries in the ultimate ‘last man standing’ free-for-all. Each of the species is given a specific back-story, which unfolds as the game progresses, while the various races also bring unique skills and abilities to the battle field.

At its heart, N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights is a vast combat title, with hundreds of enemy creatures on screen simultaneously. As the camera picks over the action, the player can use a wealth of easily effected combo attacks to carve a path through the enemy, and also use whatever weapons and items come to hand. At the end of each skirmish, players will then face a ‘Titanic Boss Battle’ against the champion of their current adversary, with players forced to move quickly and locate the well-hidden weak spots of these seemingly unstoppable behemoths.

N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights also has a stunning two-player co-op online mode, wherein player’s team up against the oncoming hordes, working together to expand their combo range to take out more enemy assailants at once. This two-player mode features online ranking boards detailing the most effective pairings across the globe.

N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights will be released in Spring 2010 and available for Xbox 360.

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Week ending 13 February 2010

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Bioshock 2 takes us back to the undersea city of Rapture ten years after the end of the first game. You play as a Big Daddy in search of his Little Sister, but not just any Big Daddy. You are the first ever created somehow brought back to life. As the original person to assume the role of the gigantic protector of the Little Sisters, progressing though the 8 massive levels of the game you come to realize that not only is there so much more to who you are, but that the main antagonist, Sofia Lamb, is also not what she seems. Lamb has been kidnapping young girls for years to supplement the aging Little Sister population. You’re ties to her and the Little Sister that you have come in search of becomes apparent as you play through the game.

2K Games spent the last few years expanding on the already spectacular city under the ocean. While none of Bioshock 2 takes place in the locations of the original Bioshock, the developers have done a great job carrying over the feel of the first game. The art deco environments look spectacular even through the entire city is in disarray. Whether you are walking around the slums of Pauper Drop or the supposed glamour of Fontaine Futuristics, you can’t help but wonder how Rapture would have looked in its glory days.

Not only were there new locations created for the sequel, but new enemies as well. All four of the Splicers are back as well as the Big Daddies. They have amped up a bit more on ADAM over the ten years making the Splicers a bit more formidable especially the Spider Splicers. Three new and very powerful enemies make their debut: Brute Splicers, Alpha Series, and Big Sisters. Brute Splicers are tanks with massive physical strength, the Alpha Series are the new Big Daddies without Little Sisters to worry about, and the Big Sisters are very powerful and fast opponents, which will attack without mercy.

The gameplay for Bioshock 2 is pretty much the same as the first game: instructions are given to you over the radio by allies for you to follow and separate exploration of the levels. Many of the missions given to you by your ally, Sinclair, have you disabling transmitters, defeating enemies, or simply finding ways to bypass obstacles. You will also hear from the little sister who is all grown up, Eleanor, on some objectives.

Taking over the role of a Big Daddy also gives you the abilities that gave many players so much trouble while fighting against the Big Daddies in the first Bioshock. You start with a drill and quickly earn the rivet gun. By the end of the game, you will also have a rocket launcher, machine gun, spear gun, and shotgun to choose from for fighting off the Splicers. The Power to the People stations makes a return appearance from the first Bioshock to enable up to 14 upgrades to your weapons. Each weapon can be upgraded up to three times. However, this time there are not enough stations to upgrade every weapon so you have to be wise about how you use the upgrades.

Researching and hacking are back as well. Instead of a one-shot film camera, you get a video camera to capture the bad guys in action to increase your damage against them and earn tonics. Hacking ammo, vending and health machines will ensure that you do not blow through the money you find too fast. Thankfully, the hacking mini game has changed. All you have to do is press a button when a moving needle passes over a green or blue section on a bar. Land on the white and you’ll get a shock losing some health; land on the red and an alarm will go off alerting security drones.

This wouldn’t be a Bioshock game without Plasmids. Those fantastic powers with names like Telekinesis, Incinerate, Winter Blast, Electro Bolt, Scout, and Decoy are back and as powerful as ever. Using Winter Blast to freeze and enemy before bashing his head in or Incinerate to fry off some health will help you fight your way through the game. While you don’t have to have every of the 11 Plasmid in order to advance through the levels, make sure Telekinesis, Incinerate, Winter Blast and Electro Bolt are in your inventory. They help immensely.

You can purchase and upgrade Plasmids with ADAM at the Gatherer Garden machines. ADAM can be obtained by either saving or harvesting the Little Sisters you encounter. However, there is a new twist: since you are Big Daddy, you can adopt the Little Sisters after you defeat the other Big Daddy protecting them. This way they can harvest ADAM from the dead for you. After they are finished, you’ll have the choice of saving the Little Sister or harvesting them. Be aware that whatever your choice is after you take care of the Little Sisters in each level you will have to face a Big Sister. Make sure you stuck up on ammo before she arrives.

Moral choices play a larger role this time around then they did in the last game. How you treat the Little Sisters and the “bosses” will influence how much ADAM you get and the ending. Remember that your decisions will influence Eleanor as well. She becomes instrumental at the end of the game.

The major difference between Bioshock 2 and Bioshock is the inclusion of multiplayer. There are 10 levels taken from the first Bioshock like Arcadia and the Medical Pavilion in which you can play Survival of the Fittest (deathmatch), Capture the Sister (capture the flag), ADAM Grab 9kill of the hill), and a few other play modes. The entire multiplayer experience is set in a time period before the fall of Rapture. You are a Splicer who tests the Plasmids and weapons you’ll earn as you level up on other Splicers and Big Daddies.

While you are originally a Splicer, you can find a suit that will turn you into a Big Daddy in most of the matches. You can also hack machines for ammo and eve as well as booby-trap them against other players. One of the more innovative aspects of the multiplayer is researching opponents that have been killed. After researching them, you gain a damage increase against them. This could mean the difference during a head-to-head fight.

I liked my return trip to Rapture. Being a Big Daddy was fun. The story was solid, but not as memorable as the first Bioshock. The environment, while gorgeous, wasn’t as shocking as the first time, but that may be because I was ready for it. Those who have not player Bioshock will probably get more from Bioshock 2, but overall I think it was a solid and fun, if not slightly predictable, sequel.

ESRB Rating: Mature          Avg. playtime: Story -10 hours          One-time playthrough Gamerscore: 760

Replay value: Story –Moderate; Multiplayer -High          Multiplayer: Yes

-Tim Fischer
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The story in the game is very simple; aliens are trying to take over your planet and you’re fighting back. As you go from level to level, you will encounter very different types of aliens that become hard to defeat and come in greater numbers. The boss battles get progressively harder, too. The story mode is the full story mode, including the Plutonium Pak, from the original computer game. XBLA didn’t jip us on the good story which was a big plus.

As for the online play, Duke Nukem 3D can get really intense. One of the biggest drawbacks of the online play is that you cannot pick what level or how many people you want to play. However, other platforms had more online game options like capture the flag and tag. For what Duke Nukem 3D has in the way of online play for the 360, it’s still pretty good if you can find enough people to play with online. This game also has and option for system link and online Co-OP

Overall, this is a very good XBLA game. Story mode is very good, but the online play could have been done better.

Genre: First-Person Shooter    Developer(s): 3D Realms (Apogee Software)    Publisher: Take-Two   Microsoft Points: 800

-Jesse Large

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The story mode in this game focuses on both the Casino Royale and the Quantum of Solace movies, which can get a little tricky to follow as the story jumps around a bit. They also added some extra gunfights and actions sequences not seen in the movies. You will fight from Italy to Miami  in this game while encountering a wide variety of levels. You even get to chase the bomb-maker though a city in Madagascar. One of the most unique aspects of the gameplay that I enjoyed about this title was during some of the video sequences you are able to control Bond as he fights some of the bosses. Your control is very limited, but as least you have some.

As for the online multiplayer, it’s the same as COD4.  Quantum of Solace supports 12 players online. Some of the different online matches that can be played are Bond Versus, Team Conflict, Golden Gun, and Conflict just to name a few. Several map paks are out for the game, which really bring a wide variety to the online playing field. Being how this is a 2008 game, there are still a lot of people playing this online.

There are many things that could have been done differently, but all in all, it’s an okay game. If you’re not looking for a great story then this would be a good online shooter to pass the time until the game you’re looking to buy comes out.

Developer: Treyarch  Publisher: Activision   ESRB: Teen   Genre: First Person Shooter

-Jesse Large

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The Passing

Left 4 Dead 2 “ The Passing”

Valve has revealed the first downloadable addition to Left 4 Dead 2, a new episode named “The Passing.” The campaign, set after the events of “Dead Center,” features a meet up between Ellis, Coach, Rochelle, and Nick and Bill, Francis, Zoey and Louis.

“The Passing” has new “uncommon common” infected type, new weapons (One Mele & One firearm) and a new challenge play mode. The new campaign will be survival based and have a versus and scavenge mode as well. There is also an unannounced new mode as well.

The new episode is “set in a small town in rural Georgia,” according to Valve’s release, keeping players in the role of Left 4 Dead 2’s cast “as they meet with the L4D1 characters.” Could “The Passing” offer 4-plus-4 cooperative multiplayer action, or are we just aiming too high?

Left 4 Dead 2’s “The Passing” is scheduled for release in “early spring” for the PC and Xbox 360. Pricing has not yet been announced.

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Bayonetta is a stylish action game made by SEGA and Hideki Kamiya. The main story surrounds a witch with powers that are extraordinary.  The enemies in the game are angelic and since you character is a witch, well you kind of see where this is going to go. The game itself is an all out action title with hordes of enemies to fight. There are many outlandish finishing moves which are graceful and awe-inspiring. This game has a pace and speed to it that you have to experience; we strongly recommend that you download the demo and try the game. This game is like Devil May Cry with a little Ninja Giaiden and some Afro Samurai mixed in. There is a commonality between these games that you can understand the similarities.  All in all Bayonetta is a good investment and I would recommend the game.

The combat mechanics and game play are stylish and immersive. Kamiya and his development team should be honored for this great game and their contributions to the industry.

The design and game graphics are very immersive and captivating. This game pushes the upper limits of the XBOX 360 and would be a great addition to any game collection. The audio and sound effects could have been thought out a little better. We think that the sound design for this game could have been more relevant to the genre.

The Bayonetta story is about the balance between lightness and darkness.  Long ago there were two clans, the lumen sages and the umbra witches. These two groups balanced out the light and darkness respectivly. The lumen aligned with the god of Paradiso and controlled the power of light. The Umbra channel their power from the demons of inferno, they watched over the power of the darkness.  There was a time when both clans had respect for each other, but a tragic event caused the two clans to enter into a war. At the end of this war the only one left standing was the Umbra witch: Bayonetta.

One of the most interesting things aspect of the story is how the two clans are portrayed. The Umbra witches are not intrinsically evil as much as they are important for the balance and order of the universe.  Basically, the synopsis of the game is it is about Bayonetta killing angelic hordes and legions. However, the feel of doing such things doesn’t make you feel evil or diabolical. This is what the life purpose of Bayonetta.

After playing through the game you will come to the conclusion that she is one of the coolest female characters.  The game highlights her sexuality at every opportunity possible moment.  There are some areas of the story that certainly do leave room for improvement, like the plot. The story is kind of all over the place and at times it feels like a loose translation from some Japanese manga story versus a well crafted interconnected sequence of storylines. Other games like Modern Warfare 2 and Mass Effect have a much better conceived storyline and perspective.

The combat system is that of any typical action game. The face buttons control punch, kick and fire.  The right trigger button controls causes Bayonetta to dodge in any direction. This is seriously an important feature to master when playing the game.

Learning the timing to dodge attacks is important. This will help your survivability and overall mastery of the game.  There is a feature called witch time and it is implemented very well. It enables the user of witch time to move Bayonetta at incredible speeds while your enemy is trapped in a sluggish modality.

Bayonetta also has some nasty tricks up her sleeve.  The witch can equip weapons on her hands and feet as well giving her a propensity for maximum damage. There are awesome weapons to discover going through this game like the, demonic katana, clawed gauntlets and ice skates. The glow from the katana is cool and the overall flexibility of the game is a joy to play. There are a mega amount of combos and at first they might seem overwhelming. It does take a few rounds of gameplay to settle on what would for your style of playing. Just pounding one button will work, however, not at the advanced levels.  My favorite types of attacks are the Torture attacks. Depending on the type of angle you use these kinds of attacks on will result in many different outcomes.  I also like summoning a Guillotine and pulverizing angelic opponents (just kidding, god forgive me).

The replayability of this game is very high as you earn halos to buy items and weapons at the ingame shop called “Gates of Hell”. There is plenty to buy in Bayonetta from the dealer Rodin, he is the demonic arms dealer. There are restorative lollipops and battle accessories that make sense of the combination moves in the game.

There is a far share of boss battles in the game as well. All of which are most entertaining. Bayonetta will not only face bosses that are her own size, but she’ll also go up against “Cardinal Virtues”, agents of Paradiso. These are agents that represent the most powerful extensions of divine will and authority.  These showdowns are not only entertaining, but also demonstrate Bayonetta’s amazing finishing moves. In some of these moves she summons the demons from inferno to end the battle. These climax events are similar to the attacks employed on lesser angles, but they occur on a much grander scale.

<Spoilers!!!!!!!*************************************************************>

It is very much worthwhile to point out that the final climatic moments of the game are very well worth all of the necessary achievement whoring.  I have played thousand of video games and I truly found the end boss battle extraordinary. By the closing sequences if you are not a advocate then you need a personality transplant.

I enjoyed my time with Bayonetta and would recommend the game to anyone who liked Devil may Cry, Ninja Giaden and or Dead Space.

Key Game Features:

• String together deadly combos and special attacks to bring down angelic enemies, including small minions and gigantic behemoths
• Rely on Scarborough Fair, a collection of four enchanted guns, plus shotguns, bazookas and fiery claws
• Retrieve a variety of other weapons from fallen enemies
• Fill up the Magic gauge and unleash your powers to banish enemies to hell
• Use linked combo attacks and Bayonetta’s hair to call demonic forces to your aid in battle
• Transform into a panther, bat or other life form depending on the circumstances
• Employ the Iron Maiden, Guillotine and other gruesome devices to finish off monstrous foes
• For 1 player

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The Bible’s Book of Revelations tells the story of the end of the modern world brought forth by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse with the breaking of seven seals, which then leads to a holy war between Heaven and Hell. Sounds like the making of a great video game.

Vigil Games has taken this prophecy and given it a twist: What if all but the last seal were broken and one of the Four Horsemen was blamed for the resulting war? Welcome to Darksiders. Human population 0.

You play as the character War, one of the Four Horsemen, who enforces the edicts of the Charred Counsel, a neutral body that pretty much sets the rules between Heaven and Hell. When the apocalypse occurs on Earth, angles and demons are fighting in the streets before War arrives without being summoned. This leads to the annihilation of the human race at the hands of one called the Destroyer.

After War returns to the Counsel he is blamed for the destruction and stripped of most of his power. He is then sent back to Earth a century later to avenge the premature war and the destruction of civilization. The Watcher, a sprite bonded to War by the Counsel, is sent with him to ensure that he follows the order. He also acts as a guide when you do not know exactly what to do next.

As you progress through the story you come to realize that things are not as they seem. Finding out who the Destroyer is and how to stop him is not necessarily as straight forward as you think. This is Heaven and Hell we are talking about. Things can not be taken at face value.

Darksiders is an action/adventure game (with some puzzle thrown in for good measure) in the same vein as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (exploration of different connect lands) and Devil May Cry (combo moves and purchasable upgrades). You progress though the levels earning back your strength and power by finding chests which contain items, defeating boss characters and using Volgrim, a vendor of items that can be purchased with the souls of defeated enemies and by selling 27 artifacts that are scattered throughout the world.

War can acquire powers through Volgrim. These four wrath abilities can be upgraded through Volgrim for a price. Blade geyser (ring of swords), immolation (fire) and affliction (poison) are all great for crowd control. The Forth wrath ability, stoneskin, increases durability and offensive damage.

Being that War is a being of rage and vengeance, he does come equipped with the means to smite his enemies. Chaoseater is War’s sword and only weapon at the start, but you can buy a scythe from Volgrim and find the Tremor Gauntlet while playing. All three weapons’ power can be increased up to four levels simple by using them to strike enemies. There are also enhancements that can be assigned to each weapon giving War abilities such as increased damage, more souls per kill, increased armor, and other talents.

Also be on the lookout for equipment that you will need to progress though the levels. There are a total of six pieces of gear that you will need to find. Two, the crossblade and Mercy, are weapons. The other four, the Abyssal Chain, Voidwalker, Earthcaller, and the Mask of Shadows, either help you to progress through levels or see objects that were hidden before. With every new piece of equipment you find you are going to want to go back to previous levels to see how the new ability helps you find chests.

Overall the game is what I would consider average. The story which is compelling at first, turns into the predictable “It’s all for the greater good” scenario, but if what you are looking for is a solid action game to occupy you for about 15 hours give Darksiders a shot.

ESRB Rating: Mature       Avg. playtime: 15-20 hours       One-time playthrough Gamerscore: 810       Replay value: Low       Multiplayer: No

-Tim Fischer

Managing Editor

Gamertag: porkroll1711

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