Resplendent

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Excellent plot and acting, though it's a shame they couldn't get Jeri Ryan. As far as I know, the Elite Force series is the only Trek incarnation as an FPS. Fortunately, they nkocked it out of the park with this one. It's wonderful getting to explore Voyager and be a part of their journey for a brief period. Yes, compared to today's high def graphics it looks ancient, but it still plays competently. I recommend it to any fans of the series, but it should appeal to anyone who loves sci-fi. The expansion (from what I recall) doesn't really add much to it, but getting to explore more of the ship is certainly a treat.

I can't even begin to count all of the hours I've spent playing and replaying this game over the years. It was the first RTS I experienced, and were it not as good as it is, may have turned me off of the genre. While the story isn't anything special, it is executed with care. The way each race's campaign ties together with the story threaded between them is wonderful. While the graphics are certainly dated, the game still holds up fairly well. Voice acting by original Trek actors and overall very fun gameplay make this a must-have for any Trek or even any RTS fan. Still waiting on Armada III, but I sadly I doubt we'll be seeing one.

It may be cliched with fairly unoriginal characters, but DA:O does almost everything right. The journey is so completely involved and compelling that one can't help but ignore the fact that this is the umpteenth time this story has been told. Giving the player this many options to play it out makes up for the generic villians- a true RPG incarnation if there ever was one. It has that "epic" feel to it that helps overcome what problems it has, in my experience matched only by Skyrim. The Ultimate Edition is a superb value, and even someone who is usually very averse to fantasy games like myself fell in love with Dragon Age. I highly recommend it.

Mass Effect is arguably the best single-player sci-fi game since Halo. The fact that it throws in RPG elements keeps it all the more enjoyable and replayable. Once you get used to the somewhat rigid controls, and once the story gets going, it's a thrilling game that you won't be able to put down. Getting to explore Shepard's relationships with his crewmates lets you really get to know them as distinct individuals. The histories of each planet were also wonderful to read. As with most games I love, the soundtrack leaves nothing to be desired. I've always felt music was just as important to any game or movie as the story, and Mass Effect's hits all the right notes. All fans of sci-fi should find this as brilliant as I did.

Continuing off AC2, Brotherhood adds some entertaining elements to the game while giving Desmond more to do in the present-day. If you liked AC2, this is a no brainer to pick up. Jasper Kyd's continued brilliance in composing soundtracks adds to the atmosphere in Rome. Gameplay is mostly similar to AC2- which I liked. Why change what works? The story is perhaps not quite as compelling as its predecessor's, but the way in which it works the factions and side quests into the main story keeps things interesting. Overall, I recommend it!

Not much to add here- a game every gamer should play at least once. A story, soundtrack, and experience to rival that of any other piece of fiction. Despite not really enjoying HL1's overall gameplay (and horribly dated graphics), HL2 more than makes up for it. Anyone who dismissed this game after having an unfavorable experience with its predecessor absolutely should give it a second look.

An entertaining, if frustrating game. The cartoonish environments are unique, though they quickly become repetitive. John de Lancie's performance delivers his usual wit, though the character still manages to lack personality. Professor Quadrangle is no GLaDOS. I did enjoy the game mechanics; they did have a Portal-esque planning-requirement when solving puzzles. I did find some puzzles were too lacking in direction, as if they hadn't been playtested enough (but I admit I may just be a bit of a dolt). The lack of a real conclusion was rather annoying, with the climax over before it really has a chance to begin. Don't expect nearly the level of polish and awe that you got with Portal. A somewhat overall repetitive environment and series of puzzles leaves the game feeling both too long and too short- as if the designers simply ran out of ideas and decided to add in more of the same until it met an arbitrary length requirement. Overall, QC is something to pick up on sale to kill some time.

Having played through, and for the most part- loving- the later Assassin's Creed games, I was really looking forward to seeing how the series started. Unfortunately, it seems there were some large growing pains with this first incarnation of the franchice. I have to agree with others who point out the repetitiveness of the missions once you get past the first three memories. The amount of time I have to spend synchronizing viewpoints and such just to unlock yet more-of-the-same types of missions is frankly exhausting. I can forgive the terrible combat controls and copy/paste generic NPC's everywhere, but **** can't at least keep me entertained and wanting to see what happens next, it's just not worth it. Also worth noting is how wooden and unemotional Altair sounds throughout most of the game. The "animus translation" excuse just isn't sufficient for him to feel very out of place when compared to almost any of the other characters, whose performances are much more realistic. The modern-day exposition concerning Lucy and Abstergo is worth getting to hear, but not nearly good enough to save the rest of the game from being tedious and uninteresting. If you're a die-hard AC fan, you'll probably want it in your collection. Whether or not you'll be able to finish it is another question entirely.

Continuing where Brotherhood left off, I was happy to get to spend more time learning about Desmond and fleshing him out as a character. Being able to wrap up Subject 16's story (which honestly was entirely peripheral in the first two AC2 games) was also enjoyable. Gameplay is just as solid as AC2 and Brotherhood, and there are far fewer issues with the camera this time around. Despite others' complaints about the den defense mini-game, I was able to avoid triggering it even once while completing the single player campaign. Ezio's story does feel less important that Desmond's this time, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you enjoy in the series. I was glad to learn more about what was going on in the present-day world, and the reasons for all of the events that had taken place in the previous games. The game also wraps up Altair's story, which frankly was more fun than actually playing through the first game. Things are wrapped up nicely for Ezio, though the love interest bit seems very tacked on, and somewhat out of character for him. Despite some minor flaws, Revelations is a great conclusion to the AC2 series of games. Looking forward to AC3.

If the score **** is an indication of how much of an impression it made on you, I think most would agree Portal ranks at the top. Writing comedy is hard, and finding such memorable and hilarious comedy in a video game is incredibly rare. The fact that Portal manages to contain just that, while being highly original and thought-provoking, demonstrates just what a work of genius it is. If any game can be held up as an example of art, this is it. Valve are the masters at creating compelling and immersive environments- and the setting of Aperture can easily feel real. GLaDOS is the perfect example of how fantastic writing and acting can create a beloved character. Portal is gaming at its finest- truly a genre-defining title, and one that will leave the player both wanting and satisfied at its conclusion.

A sequel worthy of the original. There's really nothing I can add that hasn't been said already. Melds a wonderful (if somewhat predictable) story with unforgettable characters and enthralling puzzles. Do yourself a huge favor and just get it.

AC2 has just about everything that the first game lacked. Ubisoft seems to have learned a lot from the many problems AC1 had. Despite issues with the camera changing its angle at the most inopportune time, resulting in several keyboard-smashing moments, the controls, combat and gameplay are infinitely more enjoyable than the first game. Ezio is a compelling character who we really get to know over the course of the game. Best of all, I was always kept wanting to see what would happen next in the story. The variety of missions keeps things interesting, and the soundtrack is simply incredible- one of the best in any game I've played. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a good story with substance and mystery.

Scoring this game is complicated for me. One the one hand, I will admit to it being a good time killer. But as a sequel to DA:O, which I absolutely loved, it falls completely flat. The story felt unimportant, several of the characters were just annoying, and the copy-paste maps were simply insulting to the player. If "epic adventure" is what you had in mind when you picked this up, you're going to be sorely disappointed. For $10 though, there are worse ways to kill several hours. Get it if you have absolutely nothing better to play, but prepare to end up wanting to strangle whoever green-lit DA2- truly a mistitled game if there ever was one.

First off, let me say I am a single-player gamer. As such, I have no idea how the multiplayer in Crysis 2 stacks up, so my score does not reflect it. Second, I am reviewing the PC version of Crysis 2. I donâ