Level design and layouts are fluid and fast paced do not expect epic battlefield scenarios with mechanics being more focused on close quarters gang battles in the favelas of Brazil and the gritty streets of Jersey. The server’s operated very well for a day one launch migrating maps without repeat, and a voting system is implemented offering three maps for the player’s to choose from much like the Halo series. DLC content maps where released with retailer specific sales, but this does not affect lobbies due to those maps only being selectable at the multiplayer menu.

The character and weapon upgrade system initially unlocks at level four of gameplay with the first three levels offering standard load outs for each low level player. The load out you select is weight specific much like Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mechanic was earlier this year. The more gear you carry the less health and stamina will be regenerate. Support players that are going to be less mobile will want to select heavy load outs with heavy body armor, and ranged riles while players looking to run and gun will want to select light sub machine guns or pistols enabling them to roam the map with no stamina penalty. These light loads also have a more lasting effect on time spent in bullet time. Bullet time is only accessible by increasing you kill count, and it may be used as a defensive or offensive weapon. If you are rolling with your crew (Join the 360G crew through the Rock Star social club search 360GamerCast with an all types search) and enter bullet time all crew members in your area will also enter bullet time so you may take advantage of clearing entire opposing crews with only one member exhausting their meter. Conversely if you are retreating to you crew members providing covering fire you can enter bullet time so they may have a greater chance of providing you that saving grace.

Parties entering the lobby may be split up initially if you are joining an active game; however once the match has ended the servers did a great job of matching you with your crew upon entering the next match. This is by far the best multiplayer that Rock Star has produced, and that is why they have implemented the crew mechanics moving forward into Grand theft Auto V. Communication is crucial just like any other multiplayer game. The teams that coordinate and direct each other are going to be successful while those that just run and gun are going to suffer defeat after defeat.

The multiplayer does not come without faults with the most poignant being the kill cam that does not exist. While the kill cam in Call of Duty may be embarrassing at times seeing yourself being owned by twelve year old American brats. It is also educational by assisting you to find camping players and areas that you may exploit the future. This kill camera you only see your body being pumped full of lead as it falls to the ground in an elaborate mess. Also a few game glitches where experienced during our time in multiplayer. Once I dove into bullet time, and became trapped in the geometry of the level and was almost invisible. Enabling me to take out multiple opponents without them realizing I was there. Sure this problem will be remedied soon, but the kill cam issue will hopefully be addressed in GTAV.

Overall Max Payne’s multiplayer is more than I expected and look forward to checking out the remaining game modes with the 360GamerCast community. Private lobbies can be established and this is where I see the Multiplayer having the most legs in the community, but the crew vs. crew mechanic of open lobbies will be great fun as well. With the lack of current multiplayer titles Max Payne is sure to have staying power for the time being and with the Rock Star season pass being back in effect for Max Payne there are sure to be updated maps keeping it fresh for Rock Star’s loyal community.

7/10 Fresh Twist on multiplayer, good leveling mechanic, and better than expected experience

Thank You to INNSOMKNEEACK and Lord of Letterbox for joining me in multiplayer for this review.

MineCraft is a mystery from the outside, oldschool 16 bit graphic style and lack of game structure seems to either appeal to people instantly, or immediately send them running back to pown more “noobs” on Call of Duty. Not being a PC gamer the XBLA release was my first taste, and it was love at first crafting table for me. MineCraft is a different game for every player and that is a large part of the appeal. It is the antithesis of a community game. If you are not the creative type jump into a friends world and play practical jokes on them, if you are an artist craft awe inspiring 16 bit art, want to lend a friend a helpful had sculpting their world then be so kind. MineCraft offers endless possibilities outside just mining blocks and building.

The only downside to the release could be the initial netcode work that must be improved for stability and the price point. At 1600 Microsoft pointsthe casual consumer may not see enough appeal to make the investment, butthe market has already proven the price point was justified so those wanting to stand on the other side of the fence may have a long wait until Minecraft is reduced to the standard price point of 1200 points. The netcode or RAM problem the game is experiencing if hopefully just a growing pain. Latency issues are rampant in the 360G community on this title with the community being spread across the globe this issue may persist, but hopefully is improved over the coming months. Also the game had multiple complaints of freezing Xbox’s. I have experienced this issues more times than any Bethesda title has ever froze my console, and “one mans” opinion is that the poor little Xbox’s RAM just can’t handle the constant loading the MineCraft requires. Hopefully some behind the scenes addressing of these issues will clean the cat poo out of this sandbox, and offer a great experience that many of us now will not be able to do without.

If pure inspiration is the heart of MineCraft then cooperative play is its soul, and Myjonghave delivered by offering both online play and couch cooperative play that is lacking from almost all AAA titles of the past few years. Hearing fathers and sons play together and husbands and wives enjoying time together is what makes the MineCraft community a great addition to the XBLA marketplace, and the online multiplayer is fantastic as well community members that don’t share mutual game interest historically are coming together building and playing in this sandbox, and that is why gamers game this day in age. They want to find new friends to enjoy gaming together. Gone are the days of locking yourself away questing, cooperative play in where Minecraft spreads its wings and fly’s.

Combat in MineCraft while simple is varied at the same time both ranged and up close and personal combat are present, or may be disabled all together by setting your game world to a peaceful setting. The combat is always challenging enough that you will learn quickly to be afraid of the dark. Enemy AI will find any dark corner to close in of you at you shelter so well lit safe zones are required to stay safe through the night. Community leaderboards are present so you may compare you kill count to others on your friends list further the gamey nature of MineCraft. While those who just want to produce beautiful vistas, or 16 bit art can take advantage of the peaceful setting. Those looking for a risk and reward mechanic can set there worlds to an east, normal, or had difficulty. Knowing that a Creaper could ruin hours of work at any time is an added twist that some will find gratifying and others will find an exhaustive grind. You will not know where you fit in until you try the multiple settings.

MineCraft is a title for the entire family from young to old, new gamer to seasoned veteran all will find some form of enjoyment from this quality XBLA tile. If price is your only concern then the trial will more than likely not sell the game to you all you can do is put your trust in the words you read on the internet and the opinions from friends that you trust. It will only give back what you put in at the end, so if you are committed then make the investment if not then just be jealous of all your friends stories and hopefully that will be enough for you. Minecraft is exceedingly addictive so also be sure  you are well nourished and rested prior to a session, because if not you many end up like a Korean StarCraft player stewing in your own nappy ruining your Union Jack man blanket.

8/10 indie darling that has made the premier

The character’s populating the villages and surrounding areas are varied and complex. In Act II depending on the story arch you choose Geralt could end up partying the night away with a group of dwarves that love to downed their sorrows in mead, and discuss plowing the fairer sex of dwarf society. These are some of the funniest and most well-acted cut scenes in current console gaming. There may possibly be some G-spot hunting that occurs in certain scenes that many or may not be so well acted you need to go visit your Miss. in the other room, or force some of us to crack open the laptop…. No, No No, that would never happen… OK, back to it, yes the characters voice acting may be the only point of contention with AI design, but this seems to be the case with many developers that escaped to Eastern Europe for less expensive operating costs. Nevertheless CDProjekt has delivered a varied and wonderful cast to compliment Geralt on his quest.

Combat is refined and varied with four separate skill paths you many choose to craft your character around training, swordsmanship, alchemy, and magic are all present but with Witcher’s game play being focused, and story driven you do not have the time to max level your character as you would in a game like Skyrim. The swordsmanship tree seems to be the easiest to simplify brutal combat early in the game. Not to say that any of the other two main skill tress are lacking interesting gameplay; however a small investment in magic can yield huge bonuses to your combat mechanics. Withcer 2 may appear on the surface to be a button mashing dive into battle RPG; although if you practice this technique your copy will end up in Game faster than Duke Nukem did last year. Instead it is better to focus your battle tactics around pulling single foes into one on one combat, or setting traps to range your opponents. Crafting traps and armor enhancements are also key components to excelling at combat, and while this may all seem like a time suck and complicated once you get the hang of the menu, and the crafting mechanics it all becomes very organic near the end of the first chapter.

Some of the flaws in Witcher 2 are very evident from the beginning of the game. The map system if near impossible to understand even after spend hours with the game. I often found myself misguided even in the third and final chapter of the campaign. This is the same old flaw that many other RPG’s have suffered for years. With no floor system in the menus you have no idea if your objectives are above, or blow your current location making much of your time spent wandering aimlessly seeking your current quest objective. This could have been easily rectified by adding a quest reticle to the HUD; however with the Witcher being so heavily dependent upon not holding your hand this may have been an addition by subtraction scenario.  The menu system and crafting mechanic can also be a bit daunting all RPG’s need to simplify menus so that items may be compared easily without having to mash over details for every item in inventory. Many times you compare and see it is rated better overall, but the item you have equipped gives you a specific bonus that the new lacks. If all items, weapons, and armor where capable of equipping mods this would make an inventory system much more streamlined.

The Witcher 2 is no doubt one of the best PC to console ports that has migrated over to the Xbox 360 in this generation, and for that matter one of the better games released thus far in 2012. While it does not evolve the genre The Witcher does prove that games can succeed in being mature in nature while not segmenting the base of gamers. It may have been released at a poor time however with so many titles during the past twelve months focusing on the fantasy genre, but that is just my opinion since sword and shields have historically not been my genre of choice for blockbuster releases. If you have the patience for intense combat you are in for a fantastic story that is delivered via several different methods throughout what is sure to be an epic tale that will last your average gamer twenty-four plus hours of game time, and lasting memories of a great game that has crossed over to the mass market of console gaming.

9/10 great graphics, complex combat mechanics, mature story content

The Ferrari 458 Italia Racing Wheel is the first ever of its kind that is officially licensed by both Ferrari & Microsoft XBOX 360.  In addition to built-in controls for the Xbox 360, and a set of pedals, they’ve also included a Ferrari Manettino dial to modify in game options and features while mid race.  The wheel itself measures 11-inches in diameter, is coated in a non-slip rubber, has dual metal flappy paddle gear shifters and includes a “Bungee Cord” automatic centering system that provides resistance over a 270-degree angle.  And to complete the feature set, there are 8 action buttons, an Engine Start D-pad, an Xbox 360 Guide button and a connector for the Xbox 360 headset and microphone.

The wheel itself is easy to set up on any table. Unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend using it on your lap as it really needs to be connected to a table of some sort. I tested the wheel out on Forza 4, Test Drive 2, NFS Hot Pursuit and Midnight Club L.A and the wheel worked flawlessly on all those games but my only annoyance is the lack of rumble / force feedback. As a gamer who is used to my controller having a rumble when I’m slightly going of the track or turning my car hard this felt slightly dead to me. The wheel does a good job at offering resistance when you are turning it but I just feel that if you are going to purchase a wheel of this standard it should really have force feedback.

The wheel looks amazing and is a complete replica of a Ferrari 458 Italia Wheel and all the buttons do something. The engine start button actually works as a D-Pad and the gear paddles work like a dream.

I had some issues with the pedals at first as they do feel a little flimsy and there is no way of sticking them to the floor so sometimes when I take my foot off the accelerator to brake it sticks to my foot and the whole block comes up with it. I’m not a hardcore racer with wheels so my set up probably wasn’t ideal. The wheel was stuck to the table with the excellent bracket supplied whilst I was sitting on my sofa with pedals on the floor which isn’t the most comfortable experience but I still very much enjoy using the wheel with my racers from time to time.

Overall the Ferrari Italia Racing Wheel gives you a driving experience with a very sexy looking wheel at a good price but that price comes with the lack of force feedback which is a big seller for me. If you are racing on a budget then this is the wheel for you but if you can afford a little more for a wheel then I would recommend one with force feedback.

Rating 6/10

The wheel was supplied by Ideal0.co.uk and a link to the wheel can be found here http://www.idealo.co.uk/compare/2954122/thrustmaster-ferrari-458-italia-wheel.html

Operation Raccoon City suited and booted itself up for a March 23^rd release date, and sought to be pure fan service for early Resident Evil lore; however Slant Six studios forgot that looks are not everything. Operation Raccoon City has great character design for the Umbrella Operatives deployed in Raccoon City set to eradicate the dreaded T virus, devastating citizens converting them into rabid zombie hoards, and that is the only compliment I can extend. Inspiration behind the title was sound; tie in plot lines, offer fan service to a loved franchise, and tweak key Resident Evil game play for added depth and customization. I was sold from inception Raccoon City appeared to be a solid title in early 2012, what was delivered was a title with lazy game design, sloppy mechanics, repetitive gameplay, and generally an abysmal experience.

Character design must have taken the spotlight in early development. Lupo is the team lead for the ensemble of U.S.S. (Umbrella Security) sent to Raccoon City to lay waste to all that know of Umbrella’s involvement with the T-virus, and its circulation to the city’s population. All of the playable characters look great very detailed and vibrant this shows more in the female cast due to details being added by facial features lacking in the males due to their masks. All that work was wasted due to the fact that you rarely see much of your character. The dark third person gameplay does not accommodate a pause to appreciate the art assets put into character design. Instead what you notice are dark corridors cluttered by random cardboard boxes, or those wonderful green herbs that harken back to all Resident Evil titles.  

Level design is unstylish, bland, and illogical each encounter with the opposing Special Forces is set up behind cardboard boxes or rubble. These encounters are lazy and unvaried five to ten SpecOp soldiers are camped out waiting for you to arrive at the next check point…. They begin firing…. You kill all who stand in your way then, rinse and repeat. The hordes of zombies don’t offer much of a change either. They will either trigger a quick time sequence or randomly infect you with the T virus. Once infected you lose control of you character and are sitting on the sidelines until you co-op buddies dispatch you. Once you expire simply re-spawn at the next rally point your team reaches. This would all be fine if the levels where designed with defendable check points, or if the game was not so easy that there is no need for cover to begin with. Most battle sequences last mere seconds unless you run out of ammunition which happens very often. Your character has access to two weapons that may be upgraded from the menu via in game credits earned from round performance. Resident Evil’s design is most easily compared to SpecOps from Call of Duty. Each scenario is approximately 20 minutes, and gives the impression that you could complete every level without firing a single shot… Just run through the game collect your 20G per mission and return to your rental company would be my advice…    

Gun Play is very lose and inaccurate for a third person shooter. If you are accustomed to the tight responsive control Gears of War offers then stay as far away as possible from Resident Evil. There is no tactile response from controller to gun; Pin Ball FX offers more responsive controls than Raccoon City.  Ammunition restraints also are terrible your 150 rounds will last all of two minutes, and once they are depleted your second best option is run until you discover more, because you side arm pistol is about as useful as “tits on a bull”, and melee attacks do little to no damage against opposing soldiers; however seem to be the best option to beat back a zombie gangbang. You also gain some helpful equipment including grenades, infection resistance, and health supplements.

The repetitive game play is what drags Raccoon city down most at the time of writing this article I have yet to complete Raccoon City, but have had my fill from the three areas in the campaign, and about two hours in multiplayer. The campaign may be played with up to four online friends, and same may be said for the competitive multiplayer. Campaign is straight forward you play each mission through what could be a single player with AI experience or played cooperatively. During my time I left the lobby open for others to join two random players did, and one AI joined us. Other reviews have bashed the AI for being nothing more than a sprite on the screen, but from my time they seem quite helpful. Each time I needed a quick heal, or to be unzombiefied the AI was the first to offer assistance; however that is no surprise with the talent often discovered by open lobbies with random players.

Overall I could not recommend Resident Evil Raccoon City to anyone. One saving grace seems to be that the achievements pop often at the end of each encounter, and for events triggered through game play. Other than that Raccoon City is a major disappointment and should be avoided by most who were interested. If you are seeking a third person shooter try Gear of War 3 from last year or at a bargain pick up a copy of Ghost Recon Future Solider 2 to prepare yourself for the next title due for release later this summer. If you are dead set on a Resident Evil title for 2012 begin praying the Resident Evil 6 lives up to the previous excellent catalogue.

Resident Evil Raccoon City 5/10

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection was released by Kojima Productions, and it is a compilation of Metal Gear games containing Metal Gear Solid 2:Sons of Liberty (PS2), Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater(PS2), and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP) on two discs. Although these games remain faithful to the originals, it expands upon them in several ways such as: 720p, achievement support, and all three games run at a silky-smooth 60 fps. Something interesting to not for all the cheevo whores such as myself, the HD Collection has 2,000 gamerscore. 1,000 for Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater, and another 1,000 for Peace Walker. Though the achievements will take some work.

The Metal Gear Solid games are a 3rd person tactical espionage game where players must overcome their enemies by utilizing the environment, stealth, and brains. For those who’ve never played a Metal Gear Solid game, prepare yourself for long cutscenes that characterize the series. The longest cutscene in the game is roughly 20 minutes long. Another characteristic of the MGS games is the boss fights. Unlike most games, boss fights in MGS games require thought and make full use of what the player has learned throughout the game.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty tells the intermingled story of Snake and Raiden as they attempt to put a stop to special forces group Dead Cell (a myriad of super-human soldiers) from taking the United States apart. The plot, though nonsensical at times, is thought provoking and hits close to home in regards to censorship bill that are trying to be passed on the world today. What’s interesting about MGS2, is that it is second to last on the MGS timeline. The controls of the game are the most frustrating to learn, like most Metal Gear games, but mastery comes quickly. After an hour or so, players will be pulling off somersaults and head-shots in no time. My only gripe with MGS2 is the camera control, which offers hardly any control at all. Raiden and Snake are seen from a top-down isometric angle, which in a stealth game, can be annoying at times when enemies see you from off screen. The only redeeming factor about the camera is that one can enter first-person mode, but when doing so the player cannot move.

The shining star of the HD Collection is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Players assume control of Naked Snake, the father of Solid Snake, as they attempt to stop a rogue military unit from igniting nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States.The plot of Snake Eater truly rivals the plot of most films these days. Snake Eater truly tells a touching story. The key features added to this title are the stamina bar, camo index, and revised camera control (thank God). When your stamina is low, Snake vomits (leaving you open to attack), stomach growls (alerts enemies to your presence), and makes aiming difficult. To combat your growing hunger, Snake must scour the jungles in search of edible animals and plants. The camo index allows players to change their camouflage to better blend in their environment. A revised camera is the coup’de grace of the title which lets players finally control the camera from behind Snake as opposed to the usual top down, isometric camera angle. It’s also interesting to note that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater also contains the original MGS1 and MGS2: Snakes Revenge that were previously on the NES.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker can be found on disc two and although it was originally a handheld game, it is long! Peace Walker takes place after Snake Eater and has Snake defect from the US government and create his own private military company, the Soldiers Without Borders. Players play as Naked Snake once again, only this time in South America. What makes Peace Walker a completely different game than its predecessors is the recruitment mechanic. Using a tool given to Snake early on, you are able to abduct enemy soldiers and enlist them in your army allowing you to take control of them and use them on missions, to raise the moral of your army, design weapons and gadgets, or keep your army in good health. The game is a cross of Metal Gear Solid and Pokemon. Gameplay is broken down into missions where players are given a variety of different missions and are expected to reach that goal by any means necessary. This allows Peace Walker to be experienced in lovely bite-sized chunks. The game also pays homage to Monster Hunter and Assassin’s Creed. This game is also the only game to feature online multiplayer, though its nothing to write home about. Think a story mission with A.I controlled by a human being who wants to stop you from reaching your objective by being the biggest nuisance they can be.

There are only two faults to be found with this HD Collection. The first is the exclusion of the original Metal Gear Solid and the awful camera controls in MGS2. Other than that, not much else can be said negatively about the game, especially because of its price.

Whether you have fond memories of the Metal Gear Solid, or have never had a chance to pick up a copy of the game, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is a must-buy for fans and newcomers alike. For $39.99, this is a bargain and a must have for any collection.

9 out of 10

Written by AdventNick

Binary Domain is a 3rd person 1 player action shooter published by Sega and developed by Yakuza Studio (The team behind the yakuza series for the Playstation) Set in the not too distant future of 2080 where man & machine co-exist together, An incident is brought to the attention of the U.S government where a so called ‘Hollow Child’ (A Human Cyborg) reveals himself prompting the military to act & dispatch a ‘Rust Team’ (Covert Ops) to investigate Japan & the possible source of it’s origin.

You play Dan Marshall a member of the so called ‘Rust Team’ in this squad based shooter which has a few interesting gameplay mechanics up it’s sleeve, The 1st of which is the way you can communicate to your squad members via your Xbox headset, Apparently the games AI can recognise up to 6 different languages that include English & Japanese, Secondly the game uses a trust system for your selected team members whereby your squads opinion of you will vary depending on your actions, These happen at random moments throughout the game & also during combat (Shooting your team mates is not advised) Another good feature are the vending machines scattered around the stages which can be used to purchase items, character mods & weapon upgrades.

Currency in the game is earned in dispatching your foes in different ways (The more limbs you destroy the bigger the payout) Headshots in this game also reap the bonus of having the enemy turn against his own kind, The character mods (Nanomachines) give various bonuses ranging from being able to carry more medkits/grenades to increased health ect, These are all equipped via a 6×2 grid where each nanomachine will take up a set amount of spaces which differs with each character as they have separate abilities, Weapon upgrades on the other hand are level upgrades for improving damage/range/clip size & the like.

I personally really like this game, It has thoroughly surpassed my expectations and i have a feeling come the end of the year this will easily be in my top 10 of 2012, Joining the ranks of unsung hero’s of the 360 such as Enslaved/Singularity, Don’t get me wrong it does have a few faults (like most games) i found the whole speaking into the headset thing a bit unresponsive so i just went to using the buttons instead & it worked fine, Another thing is your squad has a tendency to sometimes walk in front of you while your firing on enemies (Makes you more careful in a fire fight) and yes they’ve included a few on-rails sections as well but thankfully they didn’t outstay their welcome & were quite enjoyable, Also it would have been nice if they’d included a campaign co-op feature, As with most level based A-B corridor shooters these days once you’ve got a ways through the level a boss will turn up at the end, These moments were one of the highlights of the game for me, Huge robotic spiders & other twisted bits of machinery turn up for you to take apart, I found the shooting in the game to feel satisfying & solid, Shooting chunks off robots feels great! The gears style cover system worked well, The story/cinematics helped suck me more & more into the characters & actually made me care about what happens to them (Most of them anyway) I even liked the touch that the native Japanese NPC’s actually speak in Japanese.

Now i know this game won’t be everyone’s cup of tea & probably won’t do as well as it should (Like most games) But i found this game to be a nicely polished title & possibly Sega’s best game in years, If you like 3rd person shooters with an anime inspired sci fi storyline you should like this game, And hell if you just like 3rd person shooters you should enjoy it too, This game does also have a Multiplayer aspect (I haven’t had much hands on with this portion of the game yet as i bought it for the single player) The usual gameplay modes are included, deathmatch, capture the flag, search & destroy, even a horde style ‘Invasion’ mode where groups of you fight to survive against waves of enemies, I will also add for all you cheevo hunters out there this game isn’t too stingy on dishing out a half decent score (560G) on my play through, The single player campaign is a nice length to boot 7-9 hours for a run through, I recommend you play or at least try this game (Demo on the marketplace) who knows you might enjoy it as much as i did 

8.5/10 (I know the .5 is a cop out but 9 seemed too high & 8 too low)

Written by Akatsuk1 Sw1tch

Syndicate is a reboot of the classic 1993 game made by Bullfrog productions on the Amiga which many people will fondly remember.

This reboot is a First person shooter with an emphasis on co-op play. The plot remains true to the original universe set in 2069 with the population all having Dart 6 chips imbedded into their brains which enables them to control the digital world around them. Personal Information and money is also facilitated with these chips but the syndicates that feed the data begin a war set on greed and corruption.

The Syndicate single player campaign can be summed up in very few words. Adrenaline pumping, Action packed, Futuristic, Gory.

Now that I have got all you FPS fans excited with those few words I shall whet your appetite some more.

The best way to describe Syndicate is to say it is Deus Ex on hardcore drugs. From start to finish it is non stop action and backs it up with a very well written story. You are an agent for EuroCorp, one of the many Corporations that run the world. The main stream population choose from one of these corporations to have a chip installed into their brain which gives them many benefits.

The plot revolves around industrial espionage at a grand scale with all the rival companies using agents to spy and steal information from each other. As is becoming more prevalent in the world today patent infringement is a big deal and in the world of Syndicate such infringements are usually dealt with by super human dudes wearing leather coats killing people with bug guns.

Gunplay looks and feels a lot like Crysis 2, its fast and fluid and any Call of Duty player would feel right at home playing this. (It really is one of the most smooth gunplay experiences I have ever had in an FPS) Every weapon has 2 fire modes and the addition of most guns having 2 scopes on the barrel is just super cool and does a great job at making you feel like a proper bad ass. The cover mechanic is good but I didn’t find myself making use of it too much. You crouch behind a barricade and you can use the left trigger to aim and pop out of cover to shoot the enemy which does come in handy in the bigger fire fights.

The chip in your brain gives you the ability to see everything in augmented reality and it’s a really good way to use as a hud. For example you see how much ammo you have left come up as an icon that pops out of your gun, every object you look at interacts with your chip and a brief description comes up which I think gives the game a great look and feel. All the futuristic locations are full of gorgeous detail and the flying vehicles give a pleasant reminder to the Blade Runner film.

Another cool thing about the chip in your brain is that it grants you super human like powers which give you the opportunity to breach other people’s chips. You get three powers to use and they can be upgraded as you progress through the game. The abilities are awesome and deadly and give you the power to make enemies commit suicide, give a shock so they drop to the floor in pain for a quick easy and kill or my favourite, making them kill their team mates. These powers run on adrenaline so once you have used one it will take lots of kills and time to fill up the bar to use them again.

Syndicate single player campaign is at the average length of around 8 hours on normal difficulty and didn’t really pose too much of a challenge until I hit the infrequent boss battles. As like many of the bigger enemies in the game most of the bosses will be invincible until you breach their chip to bring down the shield so you can cause damage. Many of these battles can be frustrating at times because at various intervals you will become overwhelmed by other enemies entering into the battle and with little cover you may find yourself redoing these battles a few times.

I can’t forget to mention the really good choice of sound track that has been put into Syndicate, it does a great job at setting the mood at the right times and when that beat kicks in you know its ass kicking time. (I really felt pumped up when the cool soundtrack kicked in)

As always with recent EA titles they have done a really good job with all aspects of the sound from the music to the sound effects of the weapons etc and if you haveTurtleBeachheadphones or a great surround sound system then make sure you crank the volume up to 11 (You won’t be disappointed)

Overall I had great fun with the Syndicate single player campaign which felt like an intense rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I would urge anyone who enjoys a far out story on corporate corruption set in the future to pick it up and I look forward to playing the co-op with the 360G community in the near future.

Score: 8/10

Notice to readers: At the time of writing I had no experience with the online coop portion of the game except in demos so a separate review for that portion of the game will follow as soon as the coop has been played in the full version.

This all sounds great if it wasn’t for those “Crazy Japanese”.Their inability to reflect western culture makes one wonder why do they even try. As a puzzle game alone Catherine would without a doubt not have garnered the praise it has received from major gaming outlets; however I am beginning to wonder with all these positive reviews did any of them actually complete the game? The story is a hotter mess than the Brittany Spears – K-Fed split up…Vincent has to be the most spineless character I have ever controlled with my duel sticks. He is such a tosser no woman let alone two would ever fall for this guy. When challenged you get the typical Japanese animation sweat rolling down his face, nervous tension forcing him into the closest men’s room from an irritable bowel apparently, and as we know perfuse sweating, and multiple trips to the loo attract the ladies…This lazy character design stretches to Katherine as well who could be described in one word sociopath. The game portrays her as callas,and pushy as if she was Vincent’s evil stepmother rather than his longtime girl, but this falls back onto the storytellers who cannot cram their culture into western characters. Catherine is portrayed as a carefree partier who wants to live life to the fullest while she is young. She is also the most fleshed out character in the game, and possibly the most accurate to what the rest of the world expects from a young American girl… The remainder of the cast if filled by Vincent’s bros who are easily forgettable, and a few key characters to the plot that work at the bar his group frequents.

Catherine’s plot can only receive a light glazing without spoiling the tale. Vincent has received an eight night sentence to roam his sub continence for his immoral ways lying, cheating, and not accepting his responsibilities as a man. This prison turns into a dark game of Jenga where he must repeatedly scale a puzzle of cubes to the beckoning light atop the structure facing him. His guilt manifesting itself as vindictive demons clawing at his feet as he attempts escape. This light/dark story mechanic has become increasingly prevalent in games over the past few years, and again being put to good use in Catherine. If a European or American team had written the dialogue I can see either crafting characters that would be likeable, and tie all of this Japanese nonsense together; however with that not being the case here the story is passable with no seat in reality. Catherine’s story is passable, and thank goodness can be bypassed thanks to Microsoft’s (B) button if not the great puzzles would be hard to wait for.

The well crafted and difficult puzzles in Catherine shine through the mess of a story. Difficulty is well scaled starting with the player just needing to make a few minor corrections to scale the fairly  straightforward puzzle, and gradually becoming an artful masterpiece of moves to progress a few stories of the tower. There seemed to be no right, or wrong way to tackle these puzzles making each attempt gratifying. You receive a great sense of accomplishment at each plateau Vincent reached until you crawl back into reality atop the nightmare. Each section of the game is broken down into 3-4 smaller timed puzzles with a boss stage following. These manifestations all have different environmental effects that they may unleash at anytime making the puzzle solution increasingly difficult to determine, sometimes narrowly reaching your goal before being impaled by your pursuer. The difficultly can become frustrating, but if you are up to the challenge the payoff is worth the wait just don’t expect the payoff to come in the form of (o)(o)….

Catherine has proved to be a success for Atlus becoming their bestselling title to date moving 200,000 copies in its first week on shelves in the US alone far surpassing the company’s loftiest goals. With this being quite a niche title you can only assume that the old moniker holds true “sex sells”. Nothing has been released in regard to a sequel, but with sales of that magnitude we can expect an encore performance from Catherine. Favorable reviews have been surfacing, but I feel the need to be a bit more critical. For a new gaming experience Catherine deserves high praise; however as an overarching game Catherine is lacking in appeal we as gamers have come to expect from blockbuster titles. Lacking interesting locations, and a nonsensical story Catherine is a pass for those not seeking to broaden their gaming horizons;however if you are in the market for a new genre Catherine may be up your alley. Also cheevo whores beware I spent 10 hours with Catherine completing a single play through, and came away with 165 points for my trouble. Catherine will not satisfy all those who are willing to test the waters, but those open-minded enough to give it a try will come away with a stimulating experience.

Verdict: 7/10 Fair for those with an open mind

Check out the video review.

Verdict 8/10