smbrian62386

Here's a thoughtful question: Why do we play games? Hopefully your answer was "because they're fun!". And honestly, deep down, that is truly the essence of gaming. Haters be all, "THIS GAME **** CAUSE YOU HAVE TO PAY MONEY TO WIN." The simple counter to that is no, no you don't. Can you pay money to gratify your insatiable insecurities of winning right away? Yeah, it's possible. But that makes you a pathetic person who desperately needs more than this game in his or her life. With that thought, I can't think of a better way to introduce a positively fun and engaging game than Hearthstone. The layout, sound, and visuals right off the bat immerse you into this world of electronic card gaming. The Innkeeper tutors you through several practice sessions, where you'll learn the basics. He'll helpfully give you hints along your Hearthstone journey, never really leaving you hanging. As you practice against the CPU, or play against online strangers or friends, you'll unlock loads of various cards by leveling up your character (and characters can also be unlocked when you beat them). The arena for battling is designed superbly, complete with flashy graphics and sounds, making you feel either satisfied after destroying a minion, or devastated for witnessing your own minion's casualty. It captures both feelings well. If I can pinpoint an exceptional feature, it would be the sound. It's subtle excellence and quirkiness throughout the game capture the atmosphere Blizzard has created within the WoW universe perfectly. I've just started picking up on the silly one liners and sayings from various minions, and they're hilarious! Attention to detail not only includes sound, but every other aspect of this game (and sound is a big one). Stylized graphics and staunch animations include many details most people overlook, but still have that subtle added effect to make the game so darn fun to play. Downside? Not as many modes as you'd think. Practice, ranked or casual play, and the arena make up the game modes. Super fun, but still... Something a little more would've been nice. Added fun and depth include the deck and card creator, which you could spend literally hours pouring over to perfect the most epic deck. This game is free, fun, and deep without spending a dime. Yeah, there's micro-transactions for the instant gratifiers. But you seriously don't need that to have fun and win, as long as you work at it. And isn't that where the fun truly lies anyway?

There's really not a lot of flaws to find in this game, and I'm stretching to even point out the ones I did "find". Sure, we could go with the whole "GTA RIP OFF!!" nonsense, but let's be honest here: Sleeping Dogs doesn't hide the fact that it borrows heavily from the successful sandbox pioneer. Every sandbox game does. So let's skip that whole tripe and move on to deeper issues, and then let's talk about why I gave this game a solid 9. For those of you who haven't picked up in what this game is about, it's fairly simple: Undercover cop with a shady past gets in over his head with Hong Kong's Triad gangs and chaos ensues. Wei Chen, the main character, is a solid fellow that I find myself rooting for throughout, and keeps things interesting with his little known past that pops up every once in awhile. He has a lot of depth, and that's a much needed factor when it comes to sandbox storylines. The gameplay is very GTA influenced, with cars ready to steal, guns ready to blaze, and odd jobs ready to be accomplished. Now, moving on to the flaws (before I dive into anything else), as minute and nitpicky as it may seem, the fun and deep combat has some issues. While I enjoy it's Batman Arkham style gameplay, it doesn't flow as well. It feels slightly janky and somewhat unpolished. There are also graphical nit picks like characters arms and legs protruding through walls and that usual thing. Even the slow as molasses cursor for your map is kind of annoying. They couldn't make that slightly speedier? (If these are the only flaws I can find, than that's a good sign) Despite those little nitpicky finds, this game is a remarkable play. It's graphics are lush, pretty, and detailed. The vehicle designs are outstanding. The city is large and full of things to look out for and do. The elements, like water and rain, are very well done. The sounds and voice acting are spot on and seamless, which is a triumph for sound editors to hear. The gameplay is fun and rewarding, and dare I say, outdoes any of it's sandbox counterparts. While the combat, as I said above, has its flaws, it's still fun to play, especially with an upgrade system that boosts your skills. The gunplay is a blast, like something out of a John Woo movie. The story is solid enough, although it had its weak moments. The game offers a buffet of things to do and lots of ways to earn money and skill points. Lastly, Sleeping Dogs offers one of the best vehicle control you've ever played in a game like this. Its fast, smooth, easy to control, and of course amazingly fun. Add elements like multi directional ramming, shooting out the window (John Woo style), bailing out at full speed, and hijacking other cars, and you've won me over lickity split. Honestly, there's so much right with this game and so few things wrong, that it saddens me to know it didn't get the hype it deserved. I would urge you to try this game out.

Mark of the NInja does 3 things : 1. Defines what a sneak side scroller should be 2. Defines what a ninja game should be 3. Defines what an ANIMATED side scroller should be 1 To start, if you're not a fan of sneak, hide in the shadows games, than you're better off ignoring this game all together rather than giving it a bad review because it doesn't suit your "tastes". Simple as that. However, if you love or favor sneak games, you will love this game. I've never played a more fluid, fun, well rounded hide-in-the-shadows side scroller in... well ever. The people at Klei Entertainment have perfected this somewhat obscure genre. Stealth kills? Yep. Sneak past guards and hide in the shadows? (Like a true ninja) Absolutely. Utilize various tools and gadgets to gain tactical advantage? Yes. Everything you'd except from a 10 out of 10 game. 2. Getting onto the ninja aspect of the game, I would dare to wager that this experience exceeds that of any ninja based side scroller, ever. And even the majority of 3D ninja games. Why? It, again, perfects everything that a ninja game should be. Stealth kills, dodging guards, traps, pitfalls, hiding in the shadows... it has it all. I've never felt more like a bad ass ninja than in this game. The fluidity of the gameplay is unparalleled, and seamlessly ties together action, stealth, and skill. The controls are easy to pick up, due to it's relatively easy button scheme and helpful on screen tips and indicators. The most fun I had was being able to unlock costumes and upgrade your arsenal, which enhances the gameplay incredibly. The levels are well thought out and built for maximum re-playability. Going for achievements is fun, and trying to complete every objective is a well rewarded goal. One con I have about this game is the story is not outstanding, although still decent. It had some welcome twist and turns, but the overall story is just not that memorable. 3. Lastly, the animation is gorgeous. It's smooth, fluid, and paints the whole game together in a beautiful art style that sadly is not used very often. The cut scenes are a welcome animated experience, and some scenes use some pretty obscure artistic styles that pop to the eye, and give the game a more artistic feel (mainly the end of the game). More games need this kind of animated style. The sound effects and music are utilized well, and create a ninja game you can really immerse yourself into. Seriously, there's a lot to love about this game, especially if ninjas or sneak based games are up your alley. And if not, give this game a try anyway and you might just become a convert. This is side scrolling gameplay and animation at it's best.

First things first: if you loved the story mode in the previous Soul Calibur games, you will most likely hate this game with the passion of a thousand suns. If you were like me, however, and thought the story mode was neat, but found the replay value in it's other modes, you will most likely like this game. Cons The story is laughable, short, and rushed. That's not good. And even while this isn't a defining factor to me, it ruins the overall quality of the game. The biggest wtf for me was the zero explanation of the new characters aside from Sophitia's kids. They're never explained and there's no story to go along with them whatsoever. Lame. Also, there's a lack of arcade modes, like survival and (drum roll) TEAM DEATH MATCH. Seriously, Namco? That was the main mode I would always go back to in previous entries, but no more. Again, lame. Pros Gameplay is smooth, fast, and furious, which quickly brought back memories of SCII (which in my opinion is the best installment of the series). Graphics are gorgeous and lovely. Stages have different levels to them (about time!). Online Mode is fun and addicting, and if you have a fast connection, there's virtually no lag this time. Quick Battle is a neat addition, although will likely get old after awhile. Training mode doesn't hold your hand through it, but who cares? It has many options within it that give you ample opportunities to learn a character. The guest characters rival the best in all the series, with Assassins Creed's Ezio and Devil Jin through creation mode. Speaking of... Creation Mode is straight up amaze balls. I could lose myself for hours on end tinkering around with the buffet of items and options available. True, this time around it doesn't offer any different styles, outside of devil Jin. That's really the only let down. However, if you have even a remotely small creative side, prepare yourself: this mode is addicting. In fact, I dare you to think of any movie, video game, or comic character and try to create them. You'll likely be able to. That's how vast this editor is. The added bonus of editing a main character's colors and overall costume is nice too, but the real fun is starting from the ground up. This might be the best feature in this game. All that being said, is this the best Soul Calibur yet? No. The lack of a solid story mode shouldn't persuade you to not get it though, because it's worth a look, especially now at a retail price of $20.