BillySOS

MW3 is a great experience three ways, campaign, spec ops and multiplayer. The gun mechanics have been enhanced but there are some issues which is why 10 is elusive. Also, the much hyped Elite service is simply not working. The campaign is medium length, took me 6 hours to complete and it was fun and challenging. Spec Ops missions and new survival mode are a blast. Multiplayer maps are fun, but here there are some noticeable flaws. Shotguns are underpowered with many requiring two shots for a kill and with slow reload, you are the one being killed. M16 is sadly underpowered and nearly useless. The worst of all is all the hackers and modders in the community. If you like COD, pick it up!

Battlefield 3 is a good game, but not a great game. The graphics are splendid with the frostbite engine if you install the layers. Battlefield 3 did not put forth the best campaign. There was clearly a lot of storyline taken from the Call of Duty series which was not coherent. With that said, the multiplayer experience is truly top notch. Want to fire an M4A1 with full auto, check, with three round burst, check, with single shot, check. Want to customize your load outs during a match, check. Want to fly a plane, drive a tank, be a chopper gunner, check. The multiplay experience is simply unmatched for big team games.

Uncharted 3 is a fantastic game. I gave it a 9 and not a 10 because although it is near perfect, it is not perfect. The cinematography, graphics and sound are second to none. The storyline is also fantastic. The multiplayer modes are varied and great fun with a good leveling system. I feel that the controls and the gunplay could be better, but other than that it is a great game. Kudos to Naughty Dog for not making it too easy or too difficult and for making it lengthly and exciting. Drake is back, and he's better than ever.

Gears of War 3 is an excellent cooperative campaign experience and also an excellent cooperative multiplayer experience. The key with this game is that whether you are sitting with a friend on the couch or playing with a few friends online, you can complete both the campaign and the various fantastic multiplayer experiences together. Not many games offer this type of experience. The graphics are better than previously, the gameplay much smoother. The multiplayer is light years ahead of what it used to be with modes like Horde vein immersive. The developer did a great job of combining your achievements from the campaign and the multiplayer together to level your player up. There are countless in game achievements that can be earned and things like weapon and character skins. Gears Of War 3 is a must have third person shooter for fans of the Gears series or newcomers alike.

I feel that this game is not quite as good as the Left For Dead series, but not quite as bad as Deadrising. The graphics are decent, the gameplay is fairly smooth, the option to do whatever missions you would like without too much of a time limit makes it feel more open ended. I have not played the multiplayer yet, but it does not seem to be promoted too much in the menus, you have too look hard to even figure out how to access the multiplayer instead of having it prominently displayed. If you are a zombies or undead fan, you will like this game, if not, probably not your top pick going into the gaming season.

I have played a good chunk of the campaign (in cooperative mode which is awesome) and a few hours of multiplayer. I have been a fan of the Resistance series since the beginning. The Campaign is excellent but not as good as Resistance Fall of Man, better in my opinion than Resistance 2. The multiplayer experience is unique and creative, but a step down, big step down from the awesome class teaming action in Resistance 2. I am not sure why Insomniac felt they had to change a good thing. With than said, this is a game that you will not want to miss if you are a fan of the Resistance series, but may not truly appreciate if you are new to the action. It seems strange to be without Hale for sure.

Annihilation is a great map pack for dedicated Black Ops players. If you are just a casual player, you probably do not need it. If you were getting burned out on COD it brings new life to the game. If you are a Zombies fan, it is a must purchase. I think the maps are excellent and have great sniping spots, Hazard being my favorite. Treyarch did a fantastic job of giving us a great group of maps, Annihilation contains a few of the best yet.

L.A. Noire is another Rockstar victory. If you are a fan of Red Dead Redemption and the Grand Theft Auto series, you will see the influences here. If you have played Mafia II and you liked it, Rockstar much improved on that concept and gameplay feel and expanded it with wide open world maps and outstanding sound and graphics. Marry all of this with a stats system that tracks your game achievements as well as Call of Duty and you will find a very enjoyable complete game. I find that this game is fun to play with another person as well discussing all of the clues and learning interrogation techniques. This game will be up for game of the year for sure. Congratulations Rockstar, thanks for giving us such a great experience and making a game that will take longer than a few hours to complete.

Escalation is a great experience. You have to hand it to Treyarch to actually listening to its customers and improving on an already robust map platform. People complain about the price, but to me this is more than just a map pack, it is better than some stand alone games because the experience is different than First Strike or the original map packs. It fits all players, campers, snipers, rushers, nube tubers, whatever is your flavor, you will find a home in Escalation. Great job Treyarch. Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, Stockpile are all winners and you can decide to play the edges of the map or the center. There is actually action on the edges unlike most maps where it is all concentrated in the center. Have fun!

Homefront has a decent but VERY short campaign just like Medal Of Honor. The gameplay is unique because as a resistance fighter you are always outmanned and usually outgunned. You spend a lot of time finding weapons and ammo which makes it more realistic. From a campaign standpoint it is entertaining albeit short. Graphics and sound are well behind COD or Battlefield, similar to the original Modern Warfare. The multiplayer has large maps but the feedback and gunplay are just average. This is a good game that could have been great if Treyarch made it! Worth a purchase though, especially if you have read the book.

The First Strike Map Pack is a must have for any frequent player of Call of Duty Black Ops. Treyarch did a great job of positioning the Domination Points and Demolition Points on the new maps as well. I find Domination to be best on Kowloon and Berlin Wall, Demolition to be best on Kowloon and Discovery. The Stadium Map gives you a little taste of Nuketown and is the place to go if you want to generate a lot of kills. If you are a Zombies player, you surely will not be unhappy with the new map there, and the soundtrack on the higher levels of play is awesome for sure. Is it expensive, maybe, is it worth it, for sure!

Call of Duty Black Ops has a rich and fun campaign. It is a step in the right direction from the prior COD series. Most of the low scores for this game result from multiplayer. The multiplayer is actually excellent and more difficult than the line up my kill streaks and nuke way. It is actually more frustrating for good COD players but better for novice and intermediate players since you will not get hammered with Pavelows and Tactical Nukes and Stopping Power Perks. **** Zombies is unbelievable and is very fun to play in multiplayer mode. Give this game a fair chance and you will love it!

Dead Rising 2 is a good game that could be a great game. One of the primary issues of the game is dealing with the clock because you are constantly looking for Zombrex and you have to get back and give it to her in the morning. Sometimes you are far a way and the map is huge and not always easy to get around. This puts a crimp on you just having fun and beating up zombies wearing different outfits and making unique weapons. They need to get rid of this time element. Also, the map needs the ability to insert a waypoint so you can find your way around. I find that you have to click the map on and off constantly to figure out where you are at. This wears on you over time. Overall a good game with great potential if they can fix these issues, but if you love busting zombies, this falls well short of the Left 4 Dead series.

This is probably one of the most misread games by critics that I have seen yet. Medal of Honor stays true to its objective of trying to bring the current Afghanistan conflict to your gaming console. The feel of the game is more realistic to actual combat engagement, which some will like, and others will think of the men and women that are protecting us now and cringe, that is the point. This game brings out some emotion in the player. There is some repetitiveness throughout the campaign and I agree that character development is limited, but still fun to play and well worth the money. The multiplayer campaign is very good but it is no COD Modern Warfare II. While this game is not a real challenger to COD Franchise, it is a decent game that any FPS fan should not miss.

Halo Reach is truly enjoyable. My son and I completed the campaign via split screen and enjoyed the pace, story, orchestral score and playability. The multiplayer in cooperative mode is fun as well, or for a challenge, try competitive multiplayer. Thanks for a great series Bungie!