Consortium

It's a solid RPG based shooter, but expect nothing more. CCP has done an average job at converting the universe of EVE into a massive F2P shooter known as DUST 514. Core mechanics are present in the game: Strafing, grenade cooking, aiming down sights, and sprinting. This game also introduces an RPG like element in the game so players can spend Skill Points earned during battles into skills like Weaponry, which gives access to better handheld weapons like Assault Rifles or Mass Drivers (Grenade launchers.) Or maybe the player would like to start wrecking the battlefield in a more menacing way, speccing into tanks. Or maybe the player is one of those selfless kind and ops to spec into medical gear to revive and heal teammates. The skill system gives you a blank canvas and says, "well, how the hell do you wanna play this game? You wanna snipe while having an active scanner to find and call out enemies or do you wanna be in a Heavy Suit mowing down baddies? Well?" The choice the game gives you on how to play this game is...dare I say... astronomical. It does not contort to class based shooting, i.e. medics, snipers, heavies, but rather, it conforms to more of a hybrid shooter. It all sounds good on paper... however the premise ultimately falls flat. Skill Points is VERY hard to obtain in this game. Playing a game only nets you around 6 thousand skill points a game, assuming your on top of your game and the game lasts less than 15 minutes. Oh yeah, the matches here are very, very long. (but it wont be if your kicking ass) But being on top of your game means you would have to beat all the explosive BS and cheapness associated with this game along with the unfair matchmaking for new players. Yes thats right, oft times you will end up going against people 10x stronger than you and thats done of purpose, there is no custom search for equal skill level in this game. it just throws you into a random match and says welcome to New Eden. Speaking of new Eden, the maps in this game are a fresh of breath **** first. As you continually play this game (if your a masochist) you'll notice that maps are just recycled over and over with no real good chokepoint spots or memorable locations, it's just ultimately bland. I wont even go over balance issues, you can go check out their forums for that. Again, while this is free to play, there are a massive amount of bugs still present in this game. It's playable, but expect nothing more than just a RPG Shooter, cause thats exactly what it sounds like, nothing more, nothing less.

Games like these reminds me of the arcade days, where friendly competition and quarters dominated the days. Only this time, friendly competition isn't so friendly, and ****'t really hold much value here since its free to play. The skill needed to play this game has been reduced thanks to all new Critical Art moves, which are invincible moves that can turn the tide of battle. This allows casuals to finally sink in the game mechanics while standing a chance against veteran players of the series. Unfortunately, while the intentions were good, the promise falls short, as the moves its self (while able to be blocked and punished easily) breaks a certain core mechanic of the game: Frame data. The move does away with a lot of combo strings by some characters, thus limiting the characters effectiveness overall. You will oft find matches where players just wait it out for someone to throw a move out only to eat a face full of red particles and light effects. Tekken has always been about rewarding defensive and patient play, however the game has become too much about defense in my opinion. The addition of RPG like stats to a fighting game is a nice addition. The ability to stat into your type of gameplay suits the game well, people who like to get up close and personal more oft than not tend to spec into Power. Those that like to wait until the opponent messes up might end up speccing into Endurance. This is a sort of meta game that has been introduced to the series, and I like it so far. Other than that, its a solid game, and I think the game is deserving of its price: Free.

Ah, Nexon, the king of all that is F2P MMORPGS. Dungeon Fighter is a very unique 2D beat em up fighting game that looks a lot like street fighter, but with 3D movement mechanics and very indepth classes. The class system is one of the main highlights to this game. You can graduate to a sub class, then graduate again to specialize that specialization. Simply put, you can play as over 35 classes in this game- all of which are completely unique and well thought out. The artwork is beautiful and the combat system is fluid and amazing. PvP could use some rebalancing issues, but that is always present in any fighting game. Currently, this game is on a dead run, meaning they haven't recieved content for awhile. This game does everything right as an MMO and is a definite try. It's completely under the radar, so people, please try it.

A very solid fighter with a rich cast of diverse characters. But here is the catch- no story. Let me repeat myself- there is little to no story in this installment which is very disappointing. Project Soul has also taken the liberty of "killing" off more than 3 characters and replacing them with clones that supposedly come out of nowhere, and the story more doesn't explain it. I am very disappointed that the story was almost non existent, because you have this world where swords don't kill in one hit, (supposedly blunt swords? What?) and characters that have a very rich history with themselves and each other character in the game. It's almost like a Lord of the Rings gold mine. But alas, they fail to capitalize on it- giving us a lackluster and unlikable main character, and a cheesy story line with what could possibly be an incest ending (Sorry Project Soul.) Now the multiplayer. It is very solid and up to date like the previous mechanics, save for a little more tweaks and differences from the previous iterations. The inclusion of a "meter" made famous by popular 2D fighters, allows you to pull of various moves called Brave Edges or a super attack. It is well executed, however is not completely balanced for all characters. Some characters have good Brave Edges, while most don't. Soul Calibur 5 is great in that it is not too complicated to learn, but also very technical when it comes to pro-gaming. The netcode is a definite step-up than the previous Soul Calibur, allowing for more smooth matches. Overall, the package is solid, but there are many areas it lacks in. Global Colosseum is fresh and so is CaS, but the lack of sotrymode can be a turnoff for some. If your an Offline gamer, stay away. This game is all about the multiplayer and customization it seems.

To take on the task of bringing a MOBA from PC to Console is a very daunting task. Fortunately, Monolith gets it right. Lord of the Rings is a fantastic universe filled with lore and characters that stand out from the rest- I personally think making a MOBA out of this was a great idea, since you can visually imagine the characters themselves. For example, Beregond, he would obviously be a warrior type where as elven mages like Galadriel would be support. This works in their favor pretty well, and is executed very well. The graphics are very good for what it is, although I will say the Menu Interface is very intimidating at first, feeling clunky and slightly messy. The gameplay is very solid and easy to get a hang of while actually being more in-depth and more than meets the eye. Like any other MOBA, teamwork is key to victories, is teamwork is evident here like in LoL. However I will say that GoME is a MOBA in it's own right and should not be compared to LoL or Dota. There are (unfortunately) lag issues and disconnects that are common even to this day. It can mean the difference between getting hooked or not playing this game at all because it really does become annoying and bothersome. There are also micro-transaction characters you can buy- but why? The characters you can buy with in-game currency are just as good (if not, actually better) than the ones you pay for. Also, survival for $3.99? No thanks. I came to play a MOBA, not a dungeon survival- but I will say it is a nice breath of fresh air. Survival should be free. Overall, Monolith gets it right. The gameplay (if it doesn't lag) is super fun and very in depth WHILE being user-friendly (Seriously, a new person can be just as good as a regular) and very lore-filled. If it were not for the lag issues, and the $1.99 per character that is not as good as the rest, it would be a solid 9 or 10.

I'd be lying if I said GoW Judgement was a bad game, but i'd also be lying if I said it's better than its predecessors- because it isn't. Has Gears of War finally turned its last rotation? The game is the standard you-know-and-love 3rd person visceral shooter that does and offers things right that other shooters can't. The story is beautiful and made me like Baird a little more (But hes still an egotistical A-hole,) the game play is fluid, and two (I think) new modes put into multiplayer that I think are a breath of fresh air, but I do see it getting boring sometime soon. ...But what else? That's pretty much it. Other than that, it offers nothing more than the standard a la carte which is pretty disappointing considering the fact that I am a GoW fan. Instead, they opted to take out two things that really got me into GoW in the first place: DBNO, and Locusts. DBNO was so unique in this type of game that other game could not simply do. In the first place, your not supposed to die or get shot, but DBNO gave you that unique fear of getting humiliated- that part is just gone now. Now it just feels like an arcade shoot-em-up with visceral features in it. Another is Locusts- they are gone in **** yeah, kinda sad. Overall, I wouldn't say its a bad game, but its not the best either. They did put thought into balancing which I feel is fine right now, (Save for the sawed off- I still hate that thing) and I think they did a good job. I wouldn't recommend it to any casual shooter- they may end up disappointed, so only hardcore gears need apply.