The Button Presser

6/1/14 1:00PM |



Lifeline is the second downloadable piece of content for State of Decay and features some great new ways to enjoy the core SoD gameplay. First up is 'Rucks in Trucks', a much requested feature that allows you to add rucksacks to the back of vehicles allowing more items to be obtained in the world with less trips required to the dangerous zombie infested world from your home base shelter.

The second is a brand new map to explore alongside a new cast of survivors, including the soldiers which you're able to control, who can be leveled up like the original group of people.

Just like with main game, things start off rather quickly, although you begin Lifeline with some serious firepower. The new content comes with an array of new weapons to use against the undead and you're able to be a bit less stingy with your weapons as ammo is not as scarce as usual. Simply put, you're able to fire at will and deal some real damage as you set out to complete the core Lifeline missions.

I'll have more to say on the content with my written review, so look out for that soon!


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11/1/13 11:00AM |

I rented Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag for two days this week, and while I didn't play enough of it to provide a review, I still wanted to write a bit about my impressions of the game. 

I played it on Xbox 360, and was very impressed with what they've done to improve the AC formula from last year's title. As yearly titles go, Assassin's Creed is a series that I'm always interested in checking out, and one that seems to get better each time with every new release. 

The first thing I enjoyed about the beginnings of Black Flag is that it's quick to get you into the action. AC III was criticized for it's long start up which took around 5+ hours to really get into the heart of the game, but Black Flag take only a few minutes to throw you into the shoes of Edward Kenway, an aspiring pirate who is only out for gold and is very willing to spill blood to get more. 

He's a fairly agile pirate too, and can traverse the wilderness just like Connor could in AC III, as well as hunt animals and use their parts to craft new items or just sell and get some more coin.



Built as both a current and next-gen game, Black Flag looks really amazing on 360. I watched a few reviews of the game that showcased the next-gen versions, and was surprised that at least for now, the differences weren't that drastic -- although the bells and whistles were very nice from what I saw in video form from the PS4 version. 

If you can't grab the new consoles at launch, you'll still be getting a great looking current gen title to play.

If you enjoyed the Naval combat in AC III, you'll be right at home with Black Flag, and even if you didn't, there have been some great improvements to controlling ships and using cannons, so you won't have to repeat sections because of frustration with battling the camera and slow ship movement. 

Reviews say to expect around 40 hours of gameplay, and that's only from the campaign. I couldn't try multiplayer since I didn't have the Uplay pass, but that is actually ending, so Black Flag and future Ubisoft titles won't have a pass soon, so anyone can enjoy the online features of their games no matter if you're playing a used, borrowed or rented disc.

I'd like to pick up the game in the future, and will have a review when that time comes around. What I can say now though is that Black Flag is worth the look and looks to be another great addition to the AC series.



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6/5/13 11:30AM |

I think State of Decay might be one of the most impressive XBLA games I've played in terms of the size and scope of the game. What Undead Labs has been able to do with 1.8 GB of space while utilizing CryEngine 3 is pretty remarkable, and you don't really understand how everything comes together until you sit down and play for yourself.

Does State of Decay deserve to cost $20 alongside the block sensation that is Minecraft? The answer, at least in my opinion for the five hours I've already put into the game, is absolutely.

After the game finished downloading, I loaded it up, started a new game, and then took control of Marcus, the first of many characters you can control, granted they're in your community as a friend. There are no cut-scenes explaining the situation - you just begin to swing away at zombies alongside your camping buddy Ed. The game never stops to tell you what to do or how to play. You're just given quick tips and explanations on how things work - then the rest is up to you.

Wanna explore a bit for supplies? Go ahead. Wish to simply plow down the storyline missions? No problem. Of course, some things are heavily suggested to you, and usually they are pretty helpful, so the freedom is there but the game does ask that you check out some stuff, which is fine by me.

As of right now, I'm still hanging around the first real main base in town you're given access too, but as the number of survivors that I bring back increase, so does the amount of resources required to take care of them.

I've got 8 beds that people can use, but 11 people, so right now I've been focusing on finding resources that can help build more places for people to rest. I'm quickly learning that in this world, trying to simply survive the zombie out outbreak isn't going to be easy like other zombie games out there.

Plowing through this game in a weekend doesn't seem like the best way to review an experience like this, so I plan to have a review ready next week once I've put in some serious time with the game. So far though, this may really be the zombie game that we've been hoping for.
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After playing Mass Effect 3 for a couple of hours last night, its safe to say that the game game is everything I've been waiting for and more. The action is intense and plays more like a shooter than ever before, but still maintains the RPG elements – if you choose the play with this setting since you can play in three different ways. I've been reading articles about issues with character importing, but luckily I've haven't encountered this problem, but I do hope EA and Bioware fix it ASAP for players.

I still am amazed by the fact that I'm using a character I created all the way from Mass Effect 1, and get to continue his story into ME3. For right now, the shooting and dialogue are as good as they've ever been, and I can't wait to play more of it later today.


I've only played the online mode once so far, but I've you liked the multiplayer demo you get more of that in the full game, including the ability to use Microsoft points to buy packs as an alternate to saving up credits.

I hope to have a review in the coming weeks, so look out for that soon. I am Alive is out today too, so I may buy that and look to have a review up sometime.

I would say that I’m a pretty casual fan of Soul Calibur. I’ve played them all, racking up tons of hours in each game, and still currently own Soul Calibur IV. When Soul Calibur V came from Gamefly, I was pretty excited to check it out. After playing for a couple hours and completing the story mode, it’s safe to say that the soul still burns.

Visuals in the SC games have always been really nice, and V is no different. Characters are nicely detailed, and the background environments have some cool things going on. I actually almost lost a match once just because I was checking out the background. There’s only one special character this time around, but it’s Ezio so you can’t go wrong with him. In a weird way he fits the SC universe very nicely. He’s got some awesome attacks as well as speed, but you’ll have to get in close if you want to pull off his best moves.


Online mode works pretty well, with 6 players being allowed in a lobby this time, and while you wait to play, you can watch the current fighters battle and chat with others if you like.

I’m going to play a bit more before my review, but so far Soul Calibur V is just as good as the previous versions.

After a few hours of exploring Arkham City, its safe to say that RockSteady has outdone themselves. The freedom to glide and tackle missions at your leisure really allows you to play the game how you want too. As of right now, Batman Arkham City is fantastic!



As of right now, I've only done 9% of the story missions, and have tackled a few side-missions with about 70 and below percent done with each. They really mesh together so far, and are just as great as the main missions. Prior to starting the game, I downloaded the Catwoman pack as Kotaku recommended, and have played as her for a short bit. Compared to Batman, she is much faster and agile, so when switching between the two you can feel a change that's not just cosmetic.



So far, combat is just as good, if not better than Arkham Asylum, and the fantasic voice-acting still immerses you.

Overall, the game is really proving it was worth the wait. Look for my review in the near future!

From the moment the game began, I was instantly immersed in the world of L.A. Noire. Rockstar & Team Bondi have created something very engaging, with action still a-plenty, but includes a heavy and welcome influence on the investigation and adventure element of the game.



Currently, I've just been promoted to Homicide, and have been solving some gruesome murders that have taken place. What I like so far is the arrival to a crime scene, where you must be careful to survey the area and pick out all the pieces of evidence to help back your accusations when dealing with people of interest. The Motion Scaning technology really makes interviewing the people really engaging, and something that feels so real. You can literally determine if you're being lied to just by examining a person's face. I can't wait to play more of the game.



I've also done a few side-mission dispatch calls as well, and they all seem pretty interesting and varied. If you wanna go and shoot some bad guys, these calls are good to do that.

Overall, the game is really proving it was worth the wait. Look for my review in the near future!

Zombies FTW.

I've played a few hours of Dead Rising 2 so far, and I'm really impressed with all the tweaks they made to the original formula. The combo items are all varied and fun to use, and the sheer number of zombies roaming around makes things hectic while still being fun. Most of time with the game has been in Co-op mode too. Online play was surprisingly smooth, although for a while when my co-op partner would save, I would get removed from the session. It seemed to improve after an hour so, and since then I haven't been kicked out.



I also played a few matches in Terror is Reality, the game's competieve mode. In TIR your goal is too complete a task of minigames and rack up a nice score against three other players. There are 9 events, and usually one match will consist of 4 or 5 to compete in.

Campaign wise, I've haven't gotten too much into that since I want to level up some more, but once I get more speed to trek across Fortune City faster, I'll start the hectic case by case schedule the game demands.

So far Dead Rising 2 is great, and I can't wait to play more. Look out for a review in the near future!

The Epic Western from Rockstar is finally here! So far it feels like it was worth all the hype and my hour with the game has been pretty awesome. I played a little of the single player and met a few major characters to work for that are all pretty interesting. The controls feel solid and riding on a horse is smooth and fun. The visuals are great as well with a huge draw distance and basically everyplace you see you can go. Multiplayer free-roaming is awesome, and with friends to hang out with while in a posse and gaining Xp will probably lead to some late nights of gaming. Look out for a review in the near future!

The Halo Reach Beta officially Kicks off this coming Monday, but many websites out there had some codes to giveaway, and I was able to get one, so you can read my impressions below:




At least for now, I wasn't able to play Invasion, so I stuck mostly to Free For All and Grab bag, a team based playlist ranging from Team Slayer, Covie Slayer with Elites, and Capture the Flag which popped up a little too much for me. The Voting system is much better with 3 choices and one "None of the Above" to pick. You can change your vote at anytime time until voting ends. This makes it easier to enjoy the matches you want to play. Another cool feature is the Armor Customization. Pieces are bought using cR, or Credits you earn, and are all aesthetics only. I'm the Beta will only have a few, and pleny will be available for the Full game in the Fall. The new default controls felt weird at first, but a match or two later I was already used to them.

Overall the Beta is really impressive so far and once the 1.15 GB file is ready for download to everyone on Monday, I'm sure Invasion will be included.

I wanted to write this on Tuesday, but thanks to the freezing issues, I wasn't able to play that much. Now that I have spent a few hours with the game, I can safely say that Splinter Cell Conviction has been worth the wait so far.

I honestly haven't played that much of the singleplayer campaign, but the Deniable Ops Mode is a ton of fun. With or Without a friend, you can test your stealth skills in the various game modes that Conviction offers. The big gameplay element which is the Mark & Execute feature, really feels sweet when you use it, and it kinda reminds me of using V.A.T.S in Fallout 3.

I've read that the campaign isn't that long, so I'm hoping to write a review pretty soon for the game, so look out for that later.

So my initial play time with BioShock 2 consist of no single-player yet as I was very curious about hot the multiplayer turned out. After about an hour or so of playing a few matches, overall it seems really well put together.

ADAM serves as experience in the multiplayer and can be obtained in many different ways in order to level up and obtain more weapons, plasmids, and tonics. The game has many familiar multiplayer game-types with a BioShock spin to them. Capture the Sister has you locating the little sister in a map and transporting her while avoiding the other team. Pretty basic stuff except that a Big Daddy suit will randomly spawn in the map and really give the team who picks it up a definitive edge. I'm sure if it really belongs in objective game-types, but I'm sure tweaks can be made if the player feedback asks for it.



Out Now for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC

So Far on Mass Effect 2, Ive faced some tough choices and engaged in some pretty awesome action moments and this is only about five hours in. The elements that were bad in the original Mass Effect have all been addressed and improved. I'm gonna take my time with this game, but I hope to have a review in a timely manner, but you'll probably be playing the game as well, so you'll understand if I can't review this massive game in a week! So overall my first impressions with this game is that is feels very familiar and that is a definite plus since I really enjoyed the first game. Unless things change, Mass Effect 2 might be my first 5/5 Review of the year!

Darksiders is the kind of game that takes pieces of gameplay elements that we all know and this time it is mostly from adventures games like Zelda, and Action based games like God of War and Devil may Cry. I'm a few hours into the game, and it seems to do a pretty good job of mixing things up although the game leans more towards the combat then puzzle solving.

The Story so far is pretty neat, and I hope complete the game on Wednesday since that's when I have to take it back so look out for a review soon.

I picked this up for $39.99 yesterday (Holiday Sales FTW!), and so far I really enjoy the new features that Valve added for this game while keeping the great zombie formula they established with the first game. The new characters and melee combat are great, especially Ellis and the chainsaw, and the addition to the special infected are unique and fun to play as. With DLC down the line and more modes to play, hopefully this one keep me entertained for a while. Look out for a review soon once I'm able to complete the five campaigns. Wish me luck as I endure the Zombie Apocalypse once again!

I picked this game up last night after a little hesitation, but now I'm glad I did. When the original came out, I was so excited that I preordered and purchases the Limited Edition, only to find a game that looked great, but fell short of what I was expecting from it. All the repitive missions and transitions between Desmond and Altair bothered me after a few hours, but I still enjoyed the Game. Thankfully Ubisoft listened to the feedback, and almost all the problems with the first game have been addressed, and this sequel feels so much better.



While you'll still be checking out what is happening with Desmond Miles from time to time, most of the game so far has kept me in control of Ezio, another great assassin and great relative to Desmond like Altair. Ezio feels like a more developed character, with players starting out just learning the basics with him before events occur that lead to his new profession as an assassin in the Renaissance.

The controls are similar to the first game, but feel much better and more responsive, and the combat has greatly improved as well. The game is supposed to be around 18 hours, so look out for my review when I complete the game.

Wow. Ive only been playing Modern Warfare 2 for about an hour, and almost feel overwhelmed with all the action happening on screen. Infinity Ward has definitely done it again, and the action and story are definitely equal to what they did with COD4. The Graphics use the same engine as COD4, but thanks to a few new improvements and the nice 60fps, the game looks even better than COD4, which is really saying something.

There were about 300,000 people online when I tried multiplayer, but Ive been having some issues getting into games. I hope this is just a day one thing, because I really wanna play some Multiplayer! Spec ops is pretty awesome, and it feels like the great action moments from the single player are implemented into this mode. I only have about 6 stars, but I hope to gain some more if i can get a friend to play some spec ops with me. I hope to have a review sometime this week, so look out for that soon!

It's finally here! Rockstar seems to be going all out with their last announced Episode of GTA IV with the Ballad of Gay Tony. So far I have played a few missions as Luis and played around with some of the new features the episode brings. The Cheats are pretty awesome in this game as well, with one spawning the new weapons, and a few that enhance Luis' abilities.

After completing missions you get a percentage that rates your time and allows you to replay the mission if you chose to try and improve your percentage.

I haven't played around in the multiplayer yet, but it looks like a ton of fun so I'll try that out soon. I hope to have a review sometime next week after I finish one for Borderlands.

Having just hit the 2 hour mark into the game, I'm really enjoying the initial feel of Borderlands. I didn't have to adjust too many controller options and instantly went in and had a great feel for the combat. I chose to play as Mordecai for now, who specializes in long range combat and has the ability to use bloodwing, his pet bird that swoops down and attacks the enemies nearby.

So far I have found about 15 guns and each were varied in look and power. I'm about level 8 right now, so I'm struggling a little bit with some of the higher leveled enemies, but I wanted to take the risk to gain some quicker experience.

The Game looks great in motion, and the music really helps to immerse you into another great post apocalyptic universe that Pandora brings so far. Look out for a Full Review Soon. In the mean time, back to Borderlands!