Dead Space 2: Outbreak Map Pack Releasing Soon

Releasing over Xbox LIVE Marketplace on May 31st and June 3rd on PlayStation Store, the "Outbreak Map Pack" will be the first Multiplayer DLC released for Dead Space 2.

Two new maps will be contained therein, The Academy and The Concourse, and what's even more interesting is the cost of this add-on. Free.

I suppose EA is trying to boost the the player base for the Multiplayer side of Dead Space 2, but still, must not complain about free DLC!

You can read the full announcement on the game's Facebook page here.

Update: EA's official site has a news post with a brief description of each map as a well as a screenshot, and you can check that out right here.

Gears of War 3 Campaign Trailer Teaser

No, that's not a teaser of the Campaign I'm talking about, it's a teaser trailer for the trailer teasing about the Campaign. You following me? No? Then check out the official Gears of War 3 Campaign Trailer Teaser trailer here or below.



The full trailer will be released on Sat. May 28th and will be broadcast during the Champions League Final Match world wide, and during Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs on TNT in the US. You'll also be able to check out the trailer on Facebook.

Full details can be found here.

So there you have it, a teaser trailer for a teaser trailer. As Marcus would say, "Hugh..."

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den (PC) Release Date

At long last, BioShock 2: Minerva's Den will finally be released for the PC. It will be available on Games for Windows Marketplace on Tues. May 31st for 800 Microsoft Points ($11.60).

I was very impressed with BioShock 2: Minerva's Den, and presently hold it as the prime example of single player DLC done right. Its quality was so high that it's almost, _almost_, like a real expansion set of old. For those interested you can read my review of the Xbox 360 version here.

In all honesty, out of all the DLC out there this is one of the only ones I would ever recommend at full cost, and I do hope we see more quality content like this released in the future. Or better yet, real expansion sets with a nice serving of single player and multiplayer content. It won't happen, but one can certainly dream.

Mass Effect Genesis Now Available on Xbox 360 and PC

For those unaware, Mass Effect was never released on the PlayStation 3, so when the sequel was released this past January for that console BioWare teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to create an interactive comic book that summarizes the first game's key plot and also allows the viewers to make the key decisions that would affect their upcoming Mass Effect 2 playthrough.

For those who only picked up the sequel on the Xbox 360 or PC and never played the first game or want to play as another Shepard and can't be bothered to play through the original again, that same interactive comic, entitled Mass Effect Genesis, is now available for both platforms.

The catch: It'll run you 320 Microsoft or BioWare Points. That's $4.64 for those keeping score at home.

Now considering that you can already play Mass Effect 2 no problem from scratch, and the game just defaults to a Renegade Shepard with corresponding past choices which is apparently the canonical story line as shown in the novels, I'm quite surprised that this is premium DLC.

Mass Effect 2 has been out for approximately 16 months now, and most people have moved on and for anyone worried about starting a new Shepard for Mass Effect 3, apparently all versions of that game will ship with an interactive comic for the first two games, so past playthroughs are more or less a non-issue.

So really, it's rather insulting that EA has deemed it necessary to charge for a BS little add-on like this, especially when you can buy Mass Effect (Xbox 360) for $29.99 or less at retail, and $19.99 (US) or less for the PC.

I'd say save your cash for a real add-on of sorts, or buy the full first game and enjoy a great 40 hour RPG experience.

For those still interested in the comic, you can watch it, for free, below.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 6

The sixth episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is out, and it can be viewed here or below.



This is my second favourite episode to date, right behind Cage's. My major gripe though: Raiden wasn't exactly the most impressive god, now was he.

Duke Nukem Forever Demo Release Date

A fully playable demo of Duke Nukem Forever will be available on Fri. Jun. 3rd for First Access Club members. In English, this means you'd need a code from the Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition or by pre-ordering a copy of Duke Nukem Forever at participating retailers.

To find out which retailers are offering said code in your country, check the official announcement here. So here in Canada, you'd need to pre-order at EB Games only (which I assume would also mean GameStop, but you'd need to check).

You can also check out another important message from Gearbox Software below.



From what I understand, this First Access Club is all advanced access and the demo will be available to all in the coming weeks, but I don't have this confirmed.

Gears of War 3 Limited and Epic Editions Revealed, "Wicked Workshop" ViDoc

Earlier this week, Epic Games unveiled the Limited and Epic Editions of Gears of War 3.

The Gears of War 3: Limited Edition includes:

- A replica Octus Award Display Box with an Octus Service Medal that contains a downloadable token for an Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character
- A COG Flag
- Personal items and documents of Adam Fenix

The Gears of War 3: Epic Edition includes everything from the Limited Edition, but also:

- A Marcus Fenix Statue
- The Art and Design of Gears of War (Art Book)
- Infected Omen Weapon Pack, which is an alternate Skin pack for several weapons in Multiplayer.

The Limited Edition will retail for $79.99 (US) and the Epic Edition will retail for $149.99 (US). You can read the release with full details right here.

A new ViDoc has also been released which previews the very cool Marcus Fenix statue amongst other things. Entitled "Wicked Workshop," you can check it out below.



Everything looks quite nice, however I expect I'll be picking up the standard edition of the game. For the Epic Edition, I simply can't justify $149.99 (US) for any collector's edition, since that's the cost of a whole other retail game.

I would be interested in the Limited Edition if it came with an art book or making of DVD, however I'm personally not interested in random collectibles to display that'll only collect dust later.

Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360) Review

When it launched in October 2008, Dead Space took me by complete surprise. I had not been following the game through development and gained interest via the enthusiasm of a friend and co-worker, and I'm glad he convinced me to pick the title up. Packed with atmosphere, tension, and horror, Dead Space was an exceptional survival experience the likes of which I hadn't experienced in years.

Now, just over two years later the sequel is available and Isaac Clarke returns. Set three years after the unfortunate fate of the Ishimura, Isaac now finds himself committed to psychiatric care on the medical facilities of the Sprawl, a massive space station on one of the moons of Saturn. Though Isaac survived the horrific events of the first game, he now suffers from dementia and disturbing visions and hallucinations of Nicole, his dead girlfriend.

The game begins with Frank (the protagonist of Dead Space: Ignition), freeing Isaac from his cell during a Necromorph outbreak that's consuming this part of the station. Soon on his own, Isaac must escape, fend for himself, and attempt to piece together just what's going on while battling his own delusions. While the game has many high points, I consider the story telling and atmosphere to be the peak of these. Simply put, Dead Space 2 has excellent story telling for a survival horror game.

Unlike the original title, Isaac now speaks which fleshes out his character so much more and allows for real relations to form between himself and other survivors, enhancing the drama and the tension. There's a greater sense of urgency in Dead Space 2, mingling nicely with the dread prevalent in the enemy encounters, and by game's end you really end up feeling for Issac and everything he's gone through.

You're very rarely taking on masses of enemies at a time, though there are such situations. Often times Necromorphs will pop up when you least expect them and the developers tease you with freaky noises, lighting failures, and other such psychological events. While it may sounds generic, believe me it's all beautifully executed and if you're anything like me, you'll be playing most of the game standing up. Spread out over 15 Chapters and two discs, Dead Space 2 keeps this wonderful progression going strongly until the very last few Chapters. For some odd reason the developers abandon the clever enemy encounters typical of the series and simply resort to tossing large groups or infinite spawning enemies at you, and while the story telling remains exceptionally strong through to the climax, the last gameplay sequences suffer from this odd design shift.

To further enhance the storytelling method, the game doesn't feature traditional cutscenes and quickly transitions to in-game cinematic and gameplay seamlessly. This works wonders for immersing the player and keeping them sucked into the moment providing a truly wonderful cinematic quality to the game. On occasion though it's not perfectly clear that a cutscene has transitioned back to gameplay, and you end up dying due to lack of action. This got frustrating on occasion but in truth, it's a minor gripe.

The majority of the great gameplay mechanics from the original game return, some tweaked, some the same, and some massively overhauled. With respect to Isaac's R.I.G., the Inventory, Objectives, and Logs are just as you remember them, but the hard-to-understand map is now gone. Instead, Isaac not only has his Locator to guide him to his next objective, but you can actually toggle your Locator to show you the nearest Save Point, Store, and Work Bench. This is a fantastic enhancement that really makes navigating your environment all the easier.

Zero gravity, a well advertised and executed mechanic in the original game, returns but in a rather different form. You no longer move from wall to wall, looking at a surface and hitting "Y" to jump to it, you now click to Left Stick to begin floating. You can then use the Left Stick to move or essentially fly around zero gravity environments. The Left Bumper activates a handy speed boost and the Right Bumper re-centres Isaac in case you get confused about which way is up. While this new method of free floating zero gravity certainly works and there's some great situational-based sequences built around them, I must confess I miss the more puzzle oriented and disorienting method of the original game's zero gravity.

All the weapons from the first game return and can still be upgraded at the Work Bench via Power Nodes (and the Plasma Cutter is still an exceptional weapon) and several new armaments are available for dismembering fun. I personally really liked the Detonator, essentially a grenade launcher that launches a proximity mine, with Alt Fire deactivating any undetonated mines. The Seeker Rifle is a sniper rifle that does high damage and its Alt Fire is a zoomed in mode that can enhance damage when upgraded, and the Javelin Gun is another sniper-based weapon that allows you to impale targets knocking them away and sticking them to walls, and it's Alt Fire releases an electrical charge that'll fry nearby enemies as well.

And there are enemies aplenty in Dead Space 2, with the majority of the Necromorphs from the first game re-appearing along with some new and unpleasant baddies. The Pack is a swarm of children turned space-zombie that attempt to, well, swarm Isaac. There's also the Puker, a new form of Necromorph that spits a corrosive bile which not only damages you, but also prevents you from running while it lasts allowing other enemies to more easily finish you off. The Cyst is a stationary enemy that responds to motion and launches some kind of organic explosive on anything that gets close; friend or foe it seems. There's more enemies, of course, and some rather spectacular boss fights to challenge Isaac as he attempts to survive but I don't want to ruin all the surprises and scares coming your way.

With all this stacked against you, thankfully you'll have no issues controlling Isaac. Aside from the above mentioned changes to zero g combat, the Controller layout is almost identical to the first game's. The few changes include: Reloading is now on "X" and can be performed without aiming. "Y" no longer has anything to do with Inventory and instead uses a Stasis Pack and when Aiming, fires Stasis. Such minor improvements go well with the flow of the game and make things even simpler.

Visually, the game looks lovely. Character models are crisp, clean, and detailed. The texture quality on the Xbox 360's hardware shows its age a bit during close ups, but it's nothing that'll take away from the experience. The game's strong use of lightening not only helps to cover this up but also heightens the atmosphere and tension remarkably well. Dead Space 2 is dark, but not horribly so. The sound scape is as brilliant as in the original. It's hard to believe after one game just how iconic the basic sound effects have become. From the locked door chime to navigating menus and your Inventory to firing your Plasma Cutter, all the little sounds scream Dead Space. Oh, and then there's the superb voice acting as well. Seriously, top notch all the way.

Now, Dead Space 2 also features a Multiplayer mode which, in all honesty, I haven't tried nor do I expect to at this point. Pitting a Sprawl Security Team against a team of Necromorphs, it's apparently in the spirit of Left 4 Dead's Multiplayer, a game which I'm not a fan of. In addition, none of my friends are playing Dead Space 2's Multiplayer and none of the game's 50 Achievements are Multiplayer based. Personally I'd rather load up Halo: Reach or something for my Multiplayer fix, and I look at the fact that Dead Space 2 has a Multiplayer mode as a bonus. You will need to activate it with an online pass though that's included with new copies of the game. If you buy used, you'd need to pay extra for online activation, but this would only come into play if you want to use the game's Mutliplayer features.

Despite my lack of interest in the game's Multipalyer, its single player content boasts strong replay value. My first foray through the Sprawl on Normal difficulty took me just over 16 hours, so I can hardly complain about play time. You can then begin a new game from scratch or use the New Game + feature which allows you to take your Isaac Clarke into another game, and all your items will be available to you at the first Store. In a New Game + playthrough you'll also come across new Schematics for even better suits to help Isaac along, and you'll actually need to use New Game + to unlock a few of the game's Achievements.

Completing the game on any difficulty also unlocks the Hardcore Difficulty, which is something I hope to attempt someday. Why won't I be giving it a try right now? Well, you must start Hardcore from scratch, there is no New Game + option for it, and it's the same general difficulty level as Survivor, the game's second hardest difficulty. The catch with Hardcore? You can only save a grand total of three times per game and there are no Checkpoints. This means you'll need to play for hours and hours without dying, and if you get unlucky, well, you'll be starting a good while back.

Such a difficulty requires quite the time commitment and while I want to attempt it, I sadly don't have that kind of spare time right now, but I look forward to when I do!

Dead Space 2 is a positively excellent experience and a great new title to kick of 2011 with. Full of great story telling, atmosphere, and replayability, along with a simple Multiplayer mode to boot, the game is well worth your time and attention and is already a strong contender for Game of the Year. Like its predecessor there is no reason why I wouldn't recommend Dead Space 2 to anyone as it's a masterpiece of survival horror, and I do hope you get to play and enjoy this excellent title.

Gears of War 3 Beta Impressions

Roughly 15 years ago when I first began playing team-based competitive multiplayer in online games, I learned very quickly that I lack team coordination and strategy. Against a well coordinated team, this simply means that I suck, and things certainly haven't changed in the present.

Put me in a 1v1 real time strategy game, and all your bases will belong to me. Put me in a first person shooter free for all, and I will hold my own. Put me in a team-based game like the Gears of War 3 Beta that's just wrapping up, and I'll get a Retro Lancer bayonet up my butt consistently in every match.

I came into the Gears of War 3 Beta at the end of its third week, and I've only played about a dozen games, so this truly is an impressions article and not a be all end all judgement of what we can expect with the retail game this Fall.

I mainly played with a Party of Friends in Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and a few Capture the Leader matches. In Team Death Match your team starts with a pool of lives and you keep respawning until the pool is gone. King of the Hill is as you'd expect it and Capture the Leader requires you to down and then hold on to the opposing teams Leader to rack up points. Torque Bow Tag was also added in right at the Beta's end.

In addition to the tried and true franchise weapons that make a return, new weapons are added to the fray. The Sawed-off Shotgun and Retro Lancer you can begin with and were extremely common in all the games I played. The Sawed-off Shotgun is a double barrel weapon that will be an instant kill if you land the shot, but if you miss you need to reload which will likely result in your own death. The Retro Lancer is a Lancer from the Pendulum Wars era and is less accurate at long distances and has a traditional bayonet that you can charge and spear enemies with for a great kill animation.

New power weapons I was repeatedly killed with was the Oneshot, a super Sniper Rifle that can fire through cover and will kill you with a single blast, and the Digger, a weapon that launches a Grenade that burrows underground to pop up on a target, blasting them to bits. There's also a new Incendiary Grenade that burns up targets real well.

As you continue to play you earn Ribbons which are similar in concept to Medals found in Halo: Reach, and completing matches, earning Ribbons, and killing enemies with specific weapons unlocks new playable Multiplayer Characters (you start off only being able to select Marcus and Dom and a Drone and Savage Grenadier respectably), new Weapons Skins (such as a Flaming look to some of your guns, or an Urban look which is a grey and white camo painting), and Executions.

Unlike previous titles, you can't perform a weapon's execution animation right out of the box, you need to unlock them. When you begin, Curb Stomping is what you've got (now by pressing "Y." "X" picks up downed enemies as a Meat Shield), but by doing well with your favourite weapons you'll be knocking off heads like golf balls in good time.

The new maps were well detailed and laid out. I played in Thrashball and Trenches a lot, had the odd match in Checkout, and one King of the Hill game in Old Town, which I really liked the look of. Visually speaking the Beta looked good. I didn't notice the major overhaul in texture quality and detail that was apparent from Gears of War to Gears of War 2, but the game is by no means poor looking. Environmental effects are also back, as seen by the random dust storm that kicks up and kills all visibility in Trenches. The Beta's audio is also up to the standard we've come to expect from Gears of War.

One great thing added in the Beta that was notably absent from Gears of War 2, aside from dedicated servers (which are now in!) is drop in and drop out play. Start searching for a match and you'll be popped into a game in progress. Leave, and a bot will take your place so the team isn't down a man. This'll be great for more casual players looking for a quick fix after work or what-not.

Some game mechanic tweaks include holding "X" to pick up a weapon or additional ammo, and if you find yourself taking cover with an opponent on the other side of the same object, you can vault over and instantly knock them down granting you a huge advantage. The Mortar also seems to be able to fire more like a regular heavy weapon now, as I know I was killed a few times by a non-traditional Mortar shot. Holding down "LB" also doesn't just show you the location of your teammates with pop-ups, it shows you their outline so you can see them clearly and you'll also see the icons for the locations of power weapons. If you happen to be the Leader in a game of Capture the Leader, you'll also see where the opposing team is, allowing you to properly coordinate your forces.

Overall, what was in the Gears of War 3 Beta was fast paced and very competitive, and multiplayer enthusiasts are going to be in for a treat when the full game launches this September. For me, I'm really looking forward to the Campaign, Horde, and Beast Mode. My poor bottom will thank me later for avoiding the competitive arenas.

Now, before I sign off, some of the Beta unlocks will carry over into the retail game this Fall. Flaming Weapon Skins, for example, and the Cole Train Character and Gold Retro Lancer if you managed to unlock them for Retail. In order to have them unlock though, you must not delete your Beta's save game file! If you do, you're out of luck. To make sure you don't delete the wrong file, read over Epic Game's post here.

Diablo III Followers Revealed

A far cry from the simple but useful (after a few patches) Hirelings of Diablo II, Blizzard Entertainment has revealed Followers, new story-based companions with personalities, stats, and skills whom players can encounter and journey with in their upcoming action-RPG, Diablo III.

For full details on Followers, including a description on who each of the three are and how they function in relation to the player character, step right this way.

You can also view a video showcasing these handy sidekicks here or below.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 5

The 5th episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, entitled "Kitana & Mileena, Part 2," is now available and can be viewed here or below.



Not bad. Not amazing, but not bad. Now bring on Scorpion and Sub-Zero!

Mortal Kombat Kollection Coming Later This Year

Well this is some welcome nostalgic news. Later this year (I've seen conflicting windows of Summer and Fall), Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be releasing the Mortal Kombat Kollection to Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Priced at 800 Microsoft Points, the collection will include arcade ports of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

While I already own the now discontinued Xbox 360 version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, I believe this will be the other two titles' first appearance on the platform, and it'll be the first time I've owned them in roughly 14 years. For Mortal Kombat, I actually only owned the Nintendo Game Boy version so I look forward to a real arcade port of the game. Mortal Kombat II I owned on the Nintendo Game Boy and later on my Super Nintendo Entertainment System, however being my favourite title in the franchise I'll be happy to own it again.

I do wonder how the Achievements will work and if each game will have its own twelve Achievements. If so, I wonder if Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3's will be the same as those of the previous Xbox LIVE Arcade version and if so, will they need to be earned again or not. Only time will tell.

Story first spotted on TeamXbox here, and there's also an article on USATODAY stating it'll also be released over the PlayStation Network, which makes sense.

Update: The official press release can be read on the official Mortal Kombat forums here. In brief, the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection will be released on Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC, and the PlayStation Network late summer for 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99 (US) on the PlayStation Network.

While these will be faithful ports of the arcade originals, online play, leaderboards, and Achievements/Trophies will all be featured, though of course that's rather standard fair for any classic title today.

Mass Effect 3 Officially Delayed, New Screenshots

It's official, Mass Effect 3 has been delayed. Originally announced for a holiday 2011 release, the game will now launch in the first quarter of 2012. You can check out the full details on the main page of Mass Effect 2's site here.

Honestly, this doesn't surprise me at all given development times today and such a quick turnaround time seemed rather ambitious. I'm also glad the game isn't being rushed just to cash in for the Christmas season.

Two new screenshots for Mass Effect 3 have also been released, and you can find them on the official Mass Effect media page here, and ActionTrip is hosting even more screenshots here.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 4

The fourth episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, entitled "Kitana and Mileena, Part 1" is out and you can check it out here or below.



Not bad, though I wasn't a fan of the look of Baraka. I didn't overly mind the anime sequences tossed in, but I hope those aren't going to be overused for the rest of the episodes. Baby Mileena was also rather creepy. Like Dead Space 2 creepy.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 3

The third episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is up and can be viewed here or below.



As someone who works in the television production industry, I find I can really appreciate this one. My only major gripe is the censored swearing which really breaks the flow of the piece, but otherwise it's entertaining and my favourite episode thus far.

Mass Effect 3 Screenshots

The first two screenshots for Mass Effect 3 have been released, and Action Trip his hosting them right here.

Surprisingly, they look exactly like Mass Effect 2, which really isn't a bad thing since that game looks solid and BioWare isn't doing any massive engine overhauls this time around.

The lighting does look better and shadows seem more pronounced though.

Duke Nukem Forever "Come Get Some" Trailer Uncensored

Last week, the latest trailer for Duke Nukem Forever was released. Entitled "Come Get Some," you can check it out below.



Warning: The above is an uncensored trailer and shows fake, in-game nipples for about a second that will horribly corrupt your soul by looking at them. Won't someone please think of the children and all that other overprotective jazz.

New The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Screenshots

Eight new screenshots have been released for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and they're being hosted at ActionTrip. You can check them out right here.

I really like the look of the creatures and environments, though I confess that human character models are taking on that "plastic" look that's becoming quite common in the industry today.

Still, the game's looking very nice! Oh and look, it's Shelob!

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den Completed for the 2nd Time

Brilliant, simply brilliant. BioShock 2: Minerva's Den is the best single player DLC I've ever played, and I truly wish other developers and publishers would take notice of the value of this content. It truly is just short of being a proper expansion set.

I played through on Hard this time around and Harvested every Little Sister. Even on my second playthrough, "Minerva's Den" still took me about 10 hours to complete and it truly was harder on Hard, especially the early game when you're weak. Preserving ammo and using security against your enemies is the name of the game and the scarcity of resources in "Minerva's Den" is better accomplished here than in any other entry in the franchise.

One large mistake I made was trying to Gather Adam too early, which simply allowed the Spider Splicers and Fiery Brute Splicers to chew me up. I had to be patient and wait until I had collected some better weapons to create defences for my Little Sisters. I also only stuck to the Plasmids offered by Default and didn't buy anything new, though I did upgrade them, and I did purchase a lot of Tonics.

Weapon wise I really stuck to the Drill, Ion Laser (and used all the ammo this time), and I made great use of the Spear Gun this time.

The story of "Minerva's Den" is what I truly found most captivating. Such a sad and wonderful narrative with such a great twist, and one that surprisingly doesn't seem altered by your own actions towards the Little Sisters, a first for the franchise as well.

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den left me with such a good impression that I eagerly await going through it one last time, which I'm hoping to do in the next few months.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy - Episodes 1 and 2

Remember this live action film based on Mortal Kombat? Well it looks like they've gone ahead and made some shorts after all.

Entitled Mortal Kombat: Legacy, the first episode can be viewed here and below.



The second episode can be viewed here or, to bypass account creation, here.

Both episodes aren't too bad at all.

Source Code Review

About a week and a half ago I checked out Source Code, which is actually the first film I've seen in theatres for roughly six months. The film opens as Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) awakens to find himself aboard a train in Chicago instead of on deployment in Afghanistan. What's even crazier is that he's apparently not himself, but rather a school teacher named Sean who's friends with another passenger, the lovely Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan).

Then the train goes boom and Stevens awakens inside some kind of capsule receiving instructions from Captain Colleen Goodwin. You see, Stevens is part of a special project called Source Code in which he's able to go back into the memories of this school teacher named Sean and live out the last 8 minutes of his life. The train has already exploded as part of a terrorist attack and Stevens needs to find who the bomber is before an even larger attack destroys all of Chicago.

Need me to explain that a little more? Basically Source Code kind of reminds me of a cross between The Matrix and Train 48. Anyone remember Train 48? Well the whole Source Code process leaves Stevens regularly disoriented, so he has to keep going back over and over again, being exploded again and again, to try and find who this bomber is. And while he does so, he gets to know the "regulars" of this train trip, who in many respects reminded me of the goofy cast of Train 48. There's the hotshot deal-making guy, the eastern business man, the nerdy college kid, etc.

Oh, and remember how I said that Stevens could only live out this teacher's memory for the last 8 minutes of that teacher's life? Well the film regularly breaks this convention as many of the things Stevens would do in each instance would take longer than 8 minutes. That, combined with the fact that he was able to leave the train and experience things this teacher hadn't and clearly couldn't have known about really worked well at killing my suspension of disbelief. These extra experiences are explained later on, rather unsatisfactorily might I add, but I suppose it technically works. Technically.

What also irked me was how fake the drama and tension of the film were. The whole time the actors are working on how crucial time is, how much is at stake to find this bomber and how Stevens must complete his mission _now_, but it all came across as too forced. Don't just tell me how important things are, show me. Lure me in with additional pieces of information to flesh out the world and the setting and don't just keep showing me non-8 minute 8 minute clips of Stevens messing up on the train.

Let's also not forget about his budding relationship with Christina, which also isn't believable as they end up living out a lie. And by the time the third act hits one's suspension of disbelief really goes out the window as what seemed forced at first now just doesn't work within the confines of the film's own narrative.

As I'm sure you can gather, Source Code didn't do it for me. While it certainly has some entertaining moments and some genuinely funny bits, the whole film is an excellent concept that was poorly executed and leaves a rather unsatisfied taste in one's mouth. At least it's a relatively short film by today's standards weighing in at 94 minutes, which makes sense considering how little the plot really has to run on.

If you haven't seen Source Code in theatres yet, I recommend you hold off until it hits your local TV service. While it's entertaining for an evening, it's honestly not worth the price of admission at any theatre.

Halo: Reach Completed for the 4th Time

Just now, I completed Halo: Reach for the 4th time, my second on Heroic. This also marks the conclusion of my Halo franchise playthrough where I went through all six titles in a row; my first time doing so.

Halo: Reach may be a prequel, but it's Bungie's swan song to the franchise and is the definitive Halo experience, the sum of nine years worth of experience creating Halo games. Since I've just played through every single Halo title over the last six weeks, I can see clearly how each title has improved (or not) on what's come before, and for the most part Halo: Reach really does show the sum of all it predecessors.

Aside from being the most beautiful and visually stunning title of the franchise, Halo: Reach showcases a key piece of Halo lore that we've all heard and read about since the franchise began: The Fall of Reach. I still consider it a great shame that Bungie saw fit to retcon nine years of canon, however on its own merits Halo: Reach has a solid storyline punctuated by an exceptional soundtrack.

One of the biggest additions to the franchise is Armour Abilities, replacing the Equipment introduced in Halo 3, and the most important and staple Armour Ability introduced is, without a doubt, Sprint. Welcome to 2003 Bungie! Seriously though, Sprint was sorely missing from the franchise and should certainly have been included in Halo 3 onwards, but better late than never.

Actually, Sprint helped to make the overall experience easier as you could now do something you never could before: If you found yourself in a bad situation, you could hall ass out of there! This simple concept prevents one from loading their last Checkpoint dozens of times, but sadly it also shows one of the key flaws and disappointments of Halo: Reach's Campaign, something I just experienced in full on the final Chapter of the game: lack of flexibility.

One thing I adored about Halo 2, and have yet to see equaled in any game on any platform since, was the flexibility in which the player could approach any linear situation. The weapons you chose to use, or not, greatly affected how the upcoming battles would handle, but most choices would lead to doable situations; the design and balance was excellent. In Halo: Reach, however, should you choose the wrong weapons or Armour Ability for a situation you will have an awful time.

In Chapter X, I made the mistake of taking Hologram with the intent of experimenting and having fun against the AI. Instead I was met with significant frustration in several key parts. My frustration became so great I finally decided to start using the noob combo (Plasma Pistol and precision weapon) just to get past some more challenging battles, which unto itself soured the experience for me.

Another odd dichotomy with Halo: Reach is the AI. The enemy AI is the best I've experienced in any game period, and the Elites are wonderfully challenging opponents. Your friendly AI, however, is stupid. It's the worst friendly AI in the franchise and I can't believe how hard Bungie dropped the ball on that one.

AI allies, such as Army Troopers, don't always fire, take a while to hop on vehicles, or simply won't hop on at all. Your Spartan allies are quite lucky that they're invulnerable, because they'd be useless otherwise. Horrible and sloppy friendly AI, and even the Arbiter from Halo 3, who spent a good amount of time unconscious or on fire from my own Flamethrower, was more useful.

Now, having said that, the individual battles are generally great. While the massive vehicle battles found in Halo 3, such as taking on two Scarabs at a time, are absent, Bungie created grand infantry battles throughout on a scale not seen in the franchise before. While the incompetent friendly AI can hurt these, the enemy AI and level design more than make up for that short coming and ensures the player will have a great time, minus some ridiculous sections that require a fair bit of profanity to prevail in.

The Halo franchise as a whole is a great experience, and no serious shooter fan should miss it. Featuring a great military sci-fi story, interesting characters, and innovative game design in several of the titles, there's a solid reason why Halo has shaped a lot of gaming today: it's simply a great collection of games.

And Halo: Reach, despite some flaws, is a great addition to and conclusion to Bungie's work on this epic franchise.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Screenshots

Several new screenshots for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have been released, and they can be viewed along with other media on the official Media page here.

The game is looking great, and is quickly moving to my must-have-on-launch-day category!

Xbox 360 to Get New Disc Format

It appears the Xbox 360 will be getting compatibility with a new disc format in the next System Update.

As is often the case with such large updates, Xbox is offering a Preview to allow select gamers to beta test it. This Preview is open to US residents only, I'm afraid (and sign ups are now closed), however those selected will get a free copy of Halo: Reach in the new disc format.

More details as they develop, and you can read the full details on Major Nelson's blog here.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival Trailer and Hackett Character Page

The final DLC for Mass Effect 2, entitled "Arrival," was released earlier this week, and for those interested you can check out the trailer below.



Fan favourite Admiral Hackett also makes a return, and we finally get to see what he looks like. BioWare has added a character page for him, which you can view right here.

Halo 3: ODST Completed for the 5th Time

I wrapped up Halo 3: ODST for the 5th time today, and unlike a lot of other gamers I really enjoyed exploring New Mombasa at night. The city's not quite a Bethesda wide-open world, of course, but it's still quite the interesting way to explore and to play Halo. I also really like how Bungie went about telling the game's story.

In my opinion, the playable flashbacks worked well. They let Bungie not just tell, but rather show us a larger story and they also allowed us to get to know each member of the squad better. I personally felt attachment to them in a way that's lacking in, say Halo: Reach, and of course, these ODST's had some solid voice acting. Be it the compassionate Dutch, the smart-mouthed Romeo, or satirical Buck, I really cared for this lost squad in a very short amount of time.

Gameplay-wise, I still missed a Sprint option, but being a quasi-expansion I suppose I can't complain too much about its absence. VISR mode is certainly very cool and brings a new tactical element into play, and the inclusion of an actual map to help you navigate, a first for a Halo FPS, was another welcome addition.

In combat, at least as the Rookie, I tinkered more with the Submachine Gun this time around and found it quite adequate, but I still oft found myself falling back on the Covenant Carbine. I didn't bother with a Mongoose and engaged most hostiles along the way on foot, and while the random encounters were fun I do wish there was more of them. For an occupied city, New Mombasa did feel a bit empty.

I also wish that I could have re-hunted for all of the Audio Logs. Saddie's Story is an excellent companion tale and another unique innovation that Halo 3: ODST brings to the franchise, and searching for them was a big part of the original playthrough's exploration. Since they start already pre-loaded to your HUD in a new game, allowing you to listen to them at any time, you really are just moving from beacon to beacon, which reduces the Campaign's overall playtime.

Overall those this is a minor complaints, and the only real con to Halo 3: ODST, aside from the fact that it was overpriced at launch, was that even though you're not a Spartan, you're still a Spartan. Stamina functions too much like Shields, you can still flip vehicles, board, rip turrets off and run with them (faster than a Spartan) and use heavy weapons like the Gravity Hammer which really doesn't make sense. These are things that only Spartans should be able to do, and while I understand that gameplay and keeping the familiar are important to an existing customer base, I think Bungie could have worked a bit harder here to help make you feel like a normal human and not a super solider.

That aside however, I really enjoyed my playthrough of Halo 3: ODST and the solid urban romp it allowed. In many respects it innovated far more than its predecessor, and provided a more unique and memorable storytelling and gameplay experience. While not perfect and certainly not a game of the year, Halo 3: ODST is a great Halo experience and was far too underrated by critics and fans alike.

Kratos in the PlayStation 3 version of Mortal Kombat

Most of you have probably heard by now that Kratos will be an exclusive character in the PlayStation 3 version of Mortal Kombat, which sounds like a perfect blend of franchises to me.

The God of War himself fits perfectly into the brutal fighting franchise, as clearly shown by the below gameplay video.



Seriously now, that's absolutely awesome and a great bonus for PlayStation 3 owners. There's also a great video on the PlayStation Blog where Ed Boon and Stig Asmussen (director for God of War III) discuss the marriage of the two franchises, and you can check that out below.



For fun, I tried thinking of an Xbox 360 exclusive character that could work well for that platform's version of the game, and I honestly came up short. Not because the Xbox 360 lacks quality exclusives or characters, but because they're exclusive franchises are primarily sci-fi or shooters and they simply wouldn't mesh as well.

Duke Nukem Forever Offiically Delayed Again

As if any of you are really surprised. I'd call this ironic, but really, what more can be said. No, really.



Okay, I confess, I had a good laugh over this as it's all just one big joke anyway. At least Gearbox Software realizes this and plays up to it. So June 14th it is then, but I still want to try a demo first.

Halo Wars Completed for the 6th Time

Now two thirds of the way through the franchise, I've completed Halo Wars for the 6th time. Obviously the odd title out, Halo Wars is a real time strategy game instead of a first person shooter and it's set over 21 years prior to the rest of the franchise. This gave Ensemble Studios plenty of creative freedom when crafting the Campaign's story and it was great to see them incorporate many elements of the expanded universe.

While sadly there is no Covenant Campaign, the UNSC-based missions are well designed and possess a great deal of variety that keeps things fresh and enjoyable for the player. Taking the skills I've learned from Multiplayer into the Campaign, I actually found it easier on Heroic this time, but certainly not in a negative way.

The game's Cinematics, in traditional RTS fashion, are of excellent quality and help flesh out the core story as well as provide the Covenant's perspective on things. It is too bad that the Arbiter himself never appears in-Campaign, but at least he can be used in both Skirmish and Multiplayer.

Visually the game looks excellent for a console RTS, and the voice acting is solid and the sound effects are pure Halo. The soundtrack is exceptional, with the music clearly drawing upon what's come before but giving it its own unique flavour that works for the RTS genre. Of course what Ensemble Studios should really be praised for is the game's controls.

Simple and intuitive, Halo Wars is just so easy to control given the limitations of a Controller. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement, far from it, but at no point during the Campaign was I ever left fumbling to try and make things work, to manage my units or queue up production.

Halo Wars really adds a great breath of fresh air to the franchise, innovates for its platform, but certainly retains the core Halo feeling all the way. It provides a unique look at the Halo universe and shows the potential should 343 Industries decide to branch out to more than just the FPS genre.

And with that, in the years to come, I greatly hope we get to see a Halo Wars 2.

Halo 3 Completed for the 7th Time

Lucky seven. Last Sunday, I completed Halo 3 for the seventh time and completed my second straight playthrough of the Halo Trilogy; something I haven't done since early 2008.

While I never had a major problem with Halo 3's Campaign, I did consider it the lesser of the franchise due to its lack of innovation and neglect of the Elites, but I must say that I greatly enjoyed this playthrough and actually found that its story flowed quite well from Halo 2's.

I also found myself far more forgiving of the game's graphics, and while I always disagreed with the general critics' hate-on for the game's visuals, there's no question that Halo 3 is a good looking game for a console 2007 release and anyone saying it looks just like Halo 2 is ignorantly biased. I even managed not mind Johnson's character model, which originally had me cringe when I first saw it three and a half years ago.

On this playthrough I really tinkered with the Magnum and found new respect for the gun, making the beginning of Sierra 117 not too bad after all. Personally, I consider the first Chapter of Halo 3 to be one of the weakest levels in the franchise, as it's the first in franchise history to start you in a relatively open area but you're noticeably lacking a scoped weapon. And while I have no issue with the Assault Rifle, I found myself dumping it for the Battle Rifle with a Magnum as back-up, and later on using a Shotgun in the Magnum's place.

The Shotgun actually works remarkably well on Brutes, who sadly are far easier to defeat than their tough Halo 2 counterparts. Hunters and even the Flood fall into this same category, but the game's level design and various scenarios provide a solid amount of variety and fun to keep you entertained.

I also never noticed before, but the friendly AI did seem to take a step backward over Halo 2 (while enemy AI still remained strong) and I greatly wish the Arbiter was a more effective AI ally, though at least Bungie addressed the quality of primary AI allies in future titles. Too bad the same can't be said for general friendly AI, which took yet another step back in Halo: Reach.

While I was disappointed by the lack of Sprint in Halo 2, I simply can't understand why it wasn't included here. As a 2007 release, there's no reason that I can see as to why Bungie couldn't add it in, and so many deaths are needlessly caused simply because you can't move fast enough to get to cover. While they did add Equipment, allowing things like Bubble Shields, Deployable Cover, and Regeneraters to add to one's survivability, I still didn't like their implementation and rarely used them. Armour Abilities truly are far more useful and intuitive than Equipment.

Another thing I found interesting this playthrough was that some battles which caused me no end of grief years ago were a breeze, but other battles I once found easy had me expanding my vocabulary of profanities. The final Warthog escape at game's end, for example, used to take me several tries, but this playthrough I got it in one. The large battle at the end of Chapter VII where you take on dual Scarabs, it was never a problem before but took me about twenty bloody tries this time! Extremely frustrating.

Overall however, this playthrough of Halo 3 was a grand experience and more enjoyable than any prior. In fact I enjoyed myself so much that I really feel like taking the game for yet another spin very soon, if only to see what different ways I can approach the different battles Bungie has crafted for the player. For the most part it felt like a larger, prettier, and more detailed Halo 2, and sometimes not re-inventing the wheel is a solid path for a sequel to take.

Halo: Reach "Defiant to the End" Video

As part of the marketing campaign for the Halo: Reach "Defiant Map Pack," Halo Waypoint has released a new video entitled "Defiant to the End." This video highlights the inspirations behind the Map Pack's three new multiplayer maps, most of which were taken right from the expanded universe.

For example, "Condemned" takes place on Orbital Station Gamma, the same station in which John and Linda infiltrate in the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach to purge one remaining navigational database.

"Highlands" takes place at a former Spartan-II training facility and features the crashed Pelican that Fred and the rest of Red Team ditched before it crash landed during Halo: First Strike.

Check out the full video below.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival Details

Details for the final DLC for Mass Effect 2 have been released. Called "Arrival," Commander Shepard and crew must rescue a missing undercover agent trapped in Batarian space who has evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion.

Sporting three new Achievements and new research, the DLC add-on will be released for the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 on Tues. Mar. 29th and cost 560 Microsoft Points, 560 BioWare Points, or $6.99, depending on the platform you're looking to pick it up on.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival will also feature Admiral Hackett, voiced by Lance Henriksen.

Batman: Arkham City Debut Gameplay Trailer

One of my most anticipated games, the debut gameplay trailer for Batman: Arkham City speaks for itself.



An excellent trailer that really has me pumped to play the game. I loved the atmosphere and combat shown, save for the "ground pound" that Batman does in one of his landings.

The Dark Knight can do many things, but I don't buy creating a shockwave on hitting the ground. Unless he has BatGas, and I don't mean of the nerve variety.

BioShock 2: Protector Trials Available on PC

On Mon. Mar. 14th, the "Protector Trials" were officially released for the PC version of BioShock 2, and what's more is they're free!

While not the greatest DLC add-on ever released (you can read my review of the Xbox 360 version here), you can't argue with that price tag so go ahead and give them a try.

A small patch was also released for the PC version fixing some minor bugs, and you'll be prompted to download it the first time you start up BioShock 2 after March 14th.

For full details, you can read the official announcement at the Cult of Rapture here.

2K Games is still working on the PC version of "Minerva's Den," which will be a premium add-on.

Batman: Arkham City Release Date Revealed

The Dark Knight returns this Fall in the sequel to the excellent Batman: Arkham Asylum. One of my personal favourite games from 2010, Batman: Arkham City will be a day one purchase for me, and the game will release to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 18th.

Excellent news everyone, and you can check out the official announcement on the Batman: Arkham City Facebook page here.

Halo: Reach - Behind the Scenes "Defiant Map Pack"

Halo Waypoint has released a new ViDoc detailing their development process of the upcoming Halo: Reach "Defiant Map Pack."



While I still can not justify paying anywhere near this cost for multiplayer maps, I must confess the maps do look beautiful and creatively speaking, it sounds like 343 Industries has their heads screwed on straight. Personally, I really like the nods to the expanded universe, and that expanded universe is something 343 Industries has been doing well in supporting.

In terms of actual Halo games, however, we still need to see what 343 Industries can do to truly support the franchise, and I suspect we'll need to wait a while longer for that test to come.

Halo 2 Completed for the 9th Time

Or is that 10th time? I honestly don't recall but suffice it to say, I've played the game a lot and it's easily my favourite in the trilogy and the entire franchise. With a far more elaborate storyline, stronger character development, and innovative gameplay, Halo 2 is still an exceptional game by modern standards.

For a 2004 console release, Halo 2 was, in my opinion, better than any other shooter on any platform released that year. Vehicle boarding and dual wielding were great additions that really opened up far more options to the player, and the friend and foe AI is still solid over six years later. All of the elements combined to give player-choice that simply isn't possible in most other shooters, even modern shooters released in 2011.

The weapons you choose to take, the vehicles you choose to use or not, and the way the AI handles any given situation allowed for the linear levels to have continual non-linear encounters and it took me several playthroughs to start finding that the same battle in the same level was starting to play out the same way.

Don't believe me, go play "Outskirts" or "Metropolis" and try using the Battle Rifle and an Energy Sword, then go through again using dual SMGs and a Rocket Launcher. Take the Ghost instead of the Warthog or on "Metropolis" forget the Scorpion and use the battered Warthog off to the side or better yet, cross that bridge on foot. Heck, steal a Wraith or a Banshee or none of the above, and you'll see how these linear levels and battles aren't. Overall the outcome is the same but how you get there will be different depending on what you choose to do, and few games offer such variety, even in the Halo franchise itself.

Truly, Bungie should be praised for their level design, AI, and weapons/vehicle balance. My only true major gripes with Halo 2 are the lack of a Sprint option and the Checkpoint save system. As a 2004 release, I was disappointed that Sprint simply wasn't in the game as you're still rather slow for a cybernetically enhanced super solider. In fact, most times you'll be loading up your last Checkpoint because you couldn't hightail it out of a bad situation back into cover fast enough. And the problem with the Checkpoint-only save system is that you're often forced to re-eliminate those dozen enemies you just took the time to take out, and depending on the situation you'll need to do this multiple times. A quick save option could easily have been put on the "Back" button, but like most console shooters we're denied this basic function.

I personally really enjoyed the storyline and the expansion of the Covenant and their motives, and the Arbiter is one of my favourite game characters. I don't understand all the players who found the story confusing, and it's really pretty easy to follow provided you're actually paying attention, and the game is far more cinematic than most offerings of its time.

I did encounter the ghosting emulation bug on my Xbox 360, which was a shame, but the higher resolution and reduced texture pop-in made this inconvenience minor.

Now it's on to Halo 3, and to finish the fight.