#5 - Run Lola Run

This one I saw years and years ago.  It was brought home from the video store(which was pretty strange, considering the local video store rarely got anything less than blockbuster hits) and I watched it, and quite enjoyed this one.  It's about Lola, a girl who receives a phone call from a boyfriend who had apparently lost a bunch of money that belonged to a gangster of some sort.  The idea is that she has 20 minutes to get the money(somehow) and bring it to him before the gangster kills him.  The movie is a big collaboration of possible outcomes all involving her running the entire time.  Don't fret, it sounds a lot better than I explain it.

#4 - Reservoir Dogs

I saw this film only 5 or 6 years ago, unfortunately I wasn't able to see it closer to it's release in the early 90's because of the severe limitations of my local video store.  Nonetheless, it is a great flick with a fantastic director(Tarantino) so you really can't go wrong seeing this one.  It is pretty much a robbery movie with a twist.  A group of guys get a job robbing a store from a pretty reputable gangster and end up getting screwed over by one of the robbers who is an undercover cop.  Most of the robbers get away, and the rest of the movie is them talking and going over the heist - trying to figure out who the rat is.

#3 - Snatch

Probably Guy Ritchie's best work, Snatch is still pretty unknown to the masses.  While I saw it when it was released in 2000, to this day I know a lot of movie buffs who have only heard of this masterpiece, and have hardly attempted to see it.  With stars like Brad Pitt, Jason Statham and Benicio Del Toro - it was surprising how this film wasn't properly appreciated.  The movie follows several plots involving different heists and scams which eventually culminate in a perfect conclusion, classic Guy Ritchie style.

#2 - Pulp Fiction

Going back to Tarantino again, Pulp Fiction is arguably one of his biggest hits.  Though the movie wasn't an instant hit, over time it has turned into a cult phenomenon.  Unfortunately though, there are still quite a few people who haven't seen this gem of a movie.  With headliners like Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson, this movie is exactly what you'd expect from talent like that.  The movie is about a few different plots which end up crossing paths on more than one occasion.  From a fixed boxing match that ends up un-fixed to a mysterious briefcase... this movie is just great.

#1 - A Clockwork Orange

Finally down to #1, the place goes to Stanley Kubrick's magnum opus - A Clockwork Orange.  This movie is simply great, from top to bottom.  It follows a boy who is a pretty bad seed, and when I say bad... I mean bad.  He has no problem with some ultraviolence, actually, he quite enjoys it.  Through the story he is thrown in jail and subjected to some, lets say, unconventional reform treatment involving one of his favorite composers - Ludwig Von Beethoven.  I won't say any more, but if you haven't seen it - you must to see it.

Back - Platinum Mesh Cloak

Chest - Conqueror's Siegebreaker Breastplate

Feet - Spiked Deathdealers

Ring 1 - Titanium Earthguard Ring

Ring 2 - Signet of the Impregnable Fortress

Neck - Shard of the Crystal Forest

Trinket 1 - Essence of Gossamer

Trinket 2 - Bubbling Brightbrew Charm

Hands - Gauntlets of the Royal watch

Bracers - Bracers of Dalaran's Parapets

Shoulders - Valorous Dreadnaught Pauldrons

Head - Conqueror's Siegebreaker Greathelm

Legs - Wyrmguard Legplates

Belt - Indestructible Plate Girdle

Shield - Crygil's Discarded Plate Panel

Weapon - Red Sword of Courage

Ranged - Armor Plated Combat Shotgun

Gameplay:

Playing Damnation feels like I'm playing a half-assed version of a game that tried to be Tomb Raider and Gears of War at the same time... but came up short on both counts.  The game has you climbing buildings parkour style, which was fun for about a minute - until I realized that the entire game revolves around you climbing forever, and then maybe getting a chance to kill some enemies.  Oh, don't let me forget the enemies.  This game has possibly the WORST combat in any shooter I've ever played.  It's one of those games where your bullets travel so slow that you can actually watch them travel and miss the target... usually because he decided to move.  It wouldn't be hard, the gun fired but the bullet didn't get there for 2 seconds.  It would be okay to have awful weapons if the enemies weren't hard, but NO.  They tried to make it like Gears, so the enemies take a beating before they go down.  This means that you will spend over half of your time that isn't spent climbing - looking for ammo.

Controls:

The most important thing about a game is how the controls are handled.  In this game, they aren't too bad, but they aren't good either.  Like most 3rd person shooters these days, the D-pad selects your weapon and the LT zooms you in.  Unfortunately for us, you HAVE to zoom in to even fire your gun!  These controls during combat left so much to be desired for me.  The biggest problem besides not being able to shoot from the hip is the fact that you can't take cover.  Even when crouching behind something, you still take hits.  The climbing controls were also mediocre, but manageable.

Graphics:

Lets start by saying this: Damnation does not belong on the xBox 360, or any next-gen console whatsoever.  It has graphics that hardly rival the Playstation 2, even during cutscenes.  Final Fantasy for the PS1 has better graphics, and I'm not just being a negative nancy.  They used the unreal engine 3, so you KNOW it had potential to be nice to look at.  For example, lets take a quick comparison:

First we have Bioshock, it was released in December of 2007 using the Unreal Engine 3.

Next we have a clip from Damnation multiplayer.  It was released in May of 2009 using the Unreal Engine 3.

Notice the difference?  Me too - I think I made my point.

Until next time, folks.  I should have a killer game up for review.  It goes by the name of Red Faction: Guerilla.

Controls:

The controls feel fluid, the moves and combos come together very easily.  It is easy to do striking moves, easy to execute submissions and a quick takedown.  The only problemI have with this game, and this is a big one, was the submissions.  They are nearly impossible to apply to a computer player if their stamina isn't 95% of the way down.  I was looking forward to first round flash submissions like they showed in the game previews, that is not the case.  To submit the CPU, you have to wear them down so much that I'd accidentily get a KO nearly every time.  When online, this is not an issue - it is MUCH easier to submit other players.

Graphics:

The graphics in this game are just fantastic.  When you hit someone hard enough, a wound may split open and get worse as you wear on that part of their face.  If you hit their body enough, it will look just like they are internally bleeding - turning a deep purple color.  You can even get your opponent's blood on your own character if their cut rubs up against you during a ground exchange.  After a full match, the ring floor is usually covered in blood and sweat.  It does a great job of giving you the full UFC experience.

Storyline:

Huh?  There can be a storyline in a sports game?  Yes!  UFC 2009 Undisputed comes with a full career mode that will actually end with them forcing you into retirement.  As your career wears on, you go through training camps, sparring and regular workouts.  You can level up your fighter's statistics, point allocation and skills with each.  After a while it gets very old, I wish I could just skip through it all and have my points automatically spent without me doing any of it, but that's just me being lazy.

Pros:

• Decent roster
• Good graphics
• Good controls
• Entertaining gameplay w/ replay value

Cons:

• Horrible submission difficulty vs. CPU
• TOO MANY / FREQUENT LOADING SCREENS!

Well, those are my thoughts on this game.  I'll be playing this one for a long time, I can tell you that.  Though it only has two flaws, they are pretty huge.  I'll hope for an update from THQ through DLC.  This one is a for-sure buy for any UFC fan, and a pretty entertaining play for a casual gamer.

I usually object to people being purists about things.  People who think certain types of games aren't the 'real' game.  People who only use Windows, only use Mac or only use Linux because they think it's the only way to do things.  I really don't approve of any of it, except in this case.  What Sony did to Star Wars Galaxies is unforgivable, and the only true form of the game that remains is in SWGEmu.

The game is in an Alpha state.  This means that features aren't in the game yet, and it is in the initial testing phases for things that they keep adding.  Beta is a whole new ballpark.  It is when the game is basically how it will be in the launch state, pre-bug removal.  Once bugs are sorted out and the game runs clean and clear, it can be released.  We are in late Alpha, I can feel Beta coming on soon.

Now back to the testing.  The team over there is really fantastic, and they've been working really hard to bring us what we have so far.  They give pretty frequent updates, have a great bug-reporting system and stay true to SWG.  Right now the game is in a pretty stable state, most professions are in and being tested - the ones that aren't in are a simple few.  Most of the game features are in and being tweaked, one feature of note that isn't implemented is player housing - but neither is Architect... so that makes sense.

So far I am very pleased with how the game is turning out.  They're not only putting the game back to how it was pre-CU, they're fixing all the bugs that Sony somehow overlooked.  Rubberbanding is nearly extinct, as well as several bugs involving watching entertainers.  The message boards already have over 71,000 members and growing.  I can feel this game being much more popular than the Sony version.

In the future I plan on making more and more posts about the testing process and my experiences with it.  Check back for updates and more information about the SWGEmu project, and don't forget to visit their website here.

1. Travel the world
2. Become fluent 5 different languages:
   1. Mandarin
   2. German
   3. French
   4. Portuguese
   5. Russian
3. Publish a book
4. Visit the grave of Mississippi John Hurt
5. Buy a sailboat
6. Go SCUBA diving in the Great Barrier Reef
7. Buy and fully restore a 1970 Chevy Nova
8. Eat at Goodfella's in Brooklyn, New York
9. Start a successful business
10. Have no regrets

As I started up single-player mode, I got to watch all the storyline cinematics that you usually give up when playing online.  They are great, the graphics in this game are just fantastic.  It also has tons of features that require the second character(or second player) to do.  Some doors are too tough to open by yourself, or sometimes an enemy will grab you and you need the other person to kick them off.

Controls.  We all know controls make or break a game.  Personally, I've loved all of the RE control schemes.  RE4 introduced the newer style of 3rd-person, with the laser sight aiming system.  I also really like how they made it so you can run by pressing the A button, or you can just press in on the left control stick.  The new way of selecting weapons without having to enter the pause or inventory screen is great as well.

As far as the storyling is considered, it's pretty good.  I haven't beat the game yet, but from what I've seen... it's better than the RE4 story.  I may be biased because I prefer Chris Redfield to Leon, but I think 5 did a much better job putting you in the mood.

I would give this game 4.75 out of 5 stars.  It wasn't perfect, there was a few glitches and small gameplay errors.  The game is a vast improvement over RE4, which I felt had quite a bit more problems.  Despite RE5's errors, the game was a great addition to the series, and I bet it'll get even better through multiplayer and downloadable content.

1. Some way to make a colony, town or civilization.
2. Easy to select units and select specific units via hot-key.
3. Fun combat.
4. Interesting unit abilities

Halo Wars nails 3/4 of these, which is pretty good.  In my opinion, the only RTS that hits all of them is Age of Empires III, which is also made by Ensemble Studios.  Halo Wars has very fun combat, each unit has two abilities(Regular attack and a special attack) and it's very easy to select all units, local units and specific units.

The storyline in Halo Wars is very strong.  It is a prequel to the original Halo game, set in 2531 - 20 years before the first game.  The first few missions in the campaign mode are all about securing a base and then laying siege on nearby Covenant forces.  If you've read my previous review, you know that I'm not much for giving away much about a game's story.  So that's where I'll leave it, just trust that the storyline is very in-depth and captures nearly every detail of the Halo universe.

In terms of replayability, Halo Wars is jam-packed with it.  Since it's an RTS game, the skirmish and multiplayer modes give unlimited hours of play.  I'm sure Micro$oft will try to milk Halo Wars for all that it's worth with downloadable content and xBox Live events involving the game.

I'm still not finished with the game, but so far I'm very content with it.  It isn't as advanced as some RTS players would like, not as much action as FPS players generally like... but it's a good game.  It handles the storyline very well, the gameplay is fun and easy to learn and you can play it long after you've beat the campaign with online gameplay.  There isn't much more you could ask for in a game.