Massive Nerd

Let's face it, if you haven't bought Mass Effect 2 by now, it's not because you're waiting on my review.

Don't look at me like that.

I want to write it, so you're going to read it.

At the time of this writing, I'm somewhere around halfway through the game. I've heard reports of the total playtime being between 20 and 50 hours, based upon how much you do. Judging by the fact that I'm already sitting at around 20 hours, I guess I know which end of that scale I fall on.

I'll give the "tl;dr" version first. Mass Effect 2 isn't perfect, but it's damn close. The few minor flaws are more than outweighed by everything the game does right. Each individual element may not hit spot-on, but the total package is one of the best games I have ever played.

Technically, the game is nearly the best available. The music is so fantastic, I almost want to buy the soundtrack. BioWare, once again, has delivered the best voice acting you'll ever find. Graphically, the game is gorgeous, but but not without its faults. Just like the first game, ME2 uses the Unreal Engine 3, though with an extra 2 years of development time. All the problems present in the first game are gone. There's no more texture pop-in and the shadows aren't as butt-ugly. Unreal Engine 3 renders "ugly" things really well. The Krogan, Turians, Batarians, Salarians, all the truly "alien" races look phenomenal, as well as the "used" areas of the game. The pretty, clean-lined sci-fi areas are beautiful and wonderfully lit, but they lack the detail and polish of the more realistic areas. The humans and "prettier" races just seem a bit off. Whether a limitation of the engine or BioWare's programming, the faces just don't seem right. The combat animations are perfect, but for some reason, Shepard's out-of-combat movement looks like he belongs in the Special Olympics.

Again, it's not perfect, but it's so good that it doesn't detract from the overall game.

BioWare is the best in the business at writing stories. ME2's scope is so grand, it's almost too much to wrap my mind around. BioWare has not created a story, not a world. They've created an entire universe. The planets, the races, everything meshes together. I'm sure if I spent a weekend reading through the Codex, I would be further amazed at the amount of detail. With all the groundwork laid in the first game, ME2 better develops the individual characters. Every member of your crew has feelings and a reason for being there. They have good and bad qualities, as well as real issues. Each crew member has their own side mission that really expands the character. The only issue I have here is that the side missions are too easy to acquire. I'd rather see them as part of the dialog progression, much like in Dragon Age: Origins.

Shepard is pure win this time around. He's focused on the mission. So much so that, occasionally, the "neutral" responses will result in Renegade points. The dialog interrupt system is fun. At certain points in conversations, you can pull a trigger to interrupt the scene with either a Paragon or Renegade response. It gives the player more control over the story interaction and adds a bit of fun to the dialog segments. The characters are more animated during conversations, as well. They will get up, walk around and otherwise physically react to the conversation. The only odd part is everyone having to "reset" back to their original positions for the next dialog thread.

Gameplay has been discussed to death many times over. Some people call it "dumbing down" while others "streamlining." Some lament the loss of some RPG elements in favor of more of a pure shooter. Honestly, I'm entirely in favor of the changes. The shooting in the first game was a bit clunky and the action was slowed down with the constant menu diving. In ME2, it's pure action, and smooth as can be.

The equipment customization is done almost exclusively between missions. I have two of the special armors, the Blood Dragon and Collector sets, but I'm not even using them. Customizing Shepard's standard N7 armor is too much fun. Finding new pieces for weapon damage or shield strength, deciding which to use and making my Shepard unique is the highlight of the changes for me, thus far. Weapon customization is a bit of a mixed bag. You don't buy new weapons, but rather find new versions. Unfortunately, they're few and far between. Almost twenty hours in, I'm still using the starter Sniper Rifle and SMG. Researching weapon upgrades is a nice touch, but too linear for my taste. There's a standard progression you follow, with no choices to be made. The thought of choosing your weapon loadout, deciding between accuracy, damage or other effects would have been a great use of the system. As it is now, you definitely feel more powerful, but in a game that's all about choice, having such a large part of the game completely on-rails is a bit disappointing.

The best thing to come out of this system, though is it upgrades your entire crew all at once. Without having to maintain each individual character's equipment, you're free to choose whoever you want to bring with you for each mission. Fighting Blue Suns? Bring "Archangel" and Miranda. Blood Pack? Grunt and Mordin are a great team. ME2's combat is so reliant on weapon, ammo and skill choices, that this feature is vital to strategic gameplay. And you better have a strategy. Enemies are no joke. I've noticed my Infiltrator has far less survivability that in the first game. Proper skill usage and cover management are vital to success. At first, I was unsure about the new "heat sink" system, but now I see it helps balance the game. My Infiltrator used the Sniper Rifle almost exclusively in Mass Effect. Only getting ten shots without having to find some more clips makes me save that powerful weapon for when I really need it. It's a big shift and takes some time to get used to, but it leads to a better game, in my opinion.

Then there's the planet scanning. Nobody likes planet scanning. You need to scan the surface of every planet you come across, searching for resources if you want to research upgrades. This takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R. While more realistic and less annoying than the old Mako segments, it's not necessarily better. That said, I've found a few ways to make it more bearable. First, make sure to research the Scanner Upgrade ASAP. Then, instead of holding down the scan button, click it while moving the reticle. You'll get a quick scan of the surface, and still catch the major deposits, which is all you really should be looking for. It's a waste of time and probes to search for every tiny deposit. With this method, I can take a planet from "Rich" to "Depleted" in 2-3 minutes. I could do without the system altogether, but I've at least found a way to make it reasonable.

At the end of the day, Mass Effect 2 is just a brilliant game. The whole truly is more than the sum of its parts. It's more of a shooter than an RPG at this point, but that's irrelevant. It's fun, it's engaging and it tells a great story.

Tuesday marks the launch of one of my most anticipated games ever: Mass Effect 2.

Normally, I'm not one to be drawn into hype all that much. For months, I've been in a "media lockout," ignoring all videos, screenshots, etc. When I started replaying the first game, I lifted the ban, and wow. I pulled up some of the Class Reveal trailers and fell in love. The one that changed the game from "anticipated" to "HOLY CRAP COME OUT NOW" was the Sentinel trailer:



It's not the class, itself. The Sentinel really doesn't do it for me. The GRAPHICS on that Tech Armor just completely blew me away. Of course, the game as a whole is mesmerizing, but that one little effect put me over the edge. Since then, I've been devouring anything I can get my hands on, as my friends and unfortunate Twitter followers can attest.

So, looking ahead, what are some features and changes of Mass Effect 2 that I'm interested in?

Ammo

Not really "ammo." Like the previous game, basic weapon ammo is unlimited. There are special ammo types that you can use, much like the first game, but this time around, they actually matter. Incendiary burns through armor, Disruptor eats enemy Shields and Cryo can freeze foes. Additionally, BioWare has added in an exhaustible "clip" system. Instead of overheating and shutting down, weapons this time around will use consumable Heat Sinks. This adds a slightly more tactical approach to gameplay. These Heat Sinks will supposedly be plentiful, but still limited.

Travel

I haven't looked much into the story to avoid potential spoilers, so this is mostly conjecture. BioWare has shown that the Normandy will consume fuel this time around when exploring the galaxy. I have two theories on why. One, Shepard and crew are operating "off the grid" and want to avoid the Relay System. Two, they're operating so far outside Citadel space for some missions, that there simply are no Relays. Either way, this gives the player decisions to make. Do you go to Planet A or B? Perhaps you simply can't do both at this point in the game. What do you stand to gain/lose from your decision?

Additionally, due to fan complaints, they have scrapped the Mako. I didn't have any issues with the Mako itself the first time around. I found the designed Mako segments on the primary missions to be a fun change of pace. However, the topography of the uncharted planets made exploration in the Mako a chore. This time, you land in a shuttle directly at your objective. They have added a new exploration vehicle, the Hammerhead, which will be available, as well as several missions using it, as free DLC shortly after the game's launch. (More on this later)

Crew

BioWare is taking a very Dragon Age-ish approach to your crew. You can choose whether or not to recruit crew members. Additionally, your choices will influence their opinions of you and you will often have to choose sides between one crew member and another. The roster of potential squadmates has expanded from six to ten. (eleven counting the Free DLC character) All (living) characters from the first game return, some as recruitable, some as NPCs.

Upgrades

Instead of picking up new weapons and parts from fallen foes, Mass Effect 2 takes a different approach. You will have to collect designs and resources and choose which upgrades you would like to research. Again, this gives the player choices, which are the core of this game. Focus on one weapon type or upgrade across the board? You can also upgrade the Normandy, and you better if you want even the slightest chance of living through to see the third game.

DLC

Mass Effect came out in the early days of DLC. It was fun, but lacking. Mass Effect 2 jumps in feet-first. Before moving on, a word of sanity. ME2 was essentially complete several months ago. The game has taken time to pass Microsoft Certification, print, package and ship. So, Day 1 DLC is not stuff they purposely left out of the game, rather new content they've been working on since they finished it. ME2 is using a new feature called the Cerberus Network. Every new copy of the game, digital and physical, comes with a Cerberus Network Access Card. Gamers who buy pre-owned can purchase their own access for $15. This is a great way to work around the money lost through the pre-owned and pirate markets. I'm all for developers getting paid for their work. What's the big deal? All Cerberus Network DLC is FREE. This includes the already-announced Hammerhead vehicle and eleventh crew member, Zaeed. Of course, the game will also offer paid DLC, presumably in the form of additional missions and expansions.

Progression

I played through Mass Effect twice, taking wildly different paths. I'm going to break down some of the differences which may or may not carry over.

Sam Shepard was a Renegade Infiltrator. Max Shepard was a Paragon Soldier. Both played on Normal difficulty, with Sam reaching Level 50 and Max Level 52.

(Cookies to whoever gets the joke here)

**SPOILER WARNING if you're one of the three people yet to play the first game**

Squad: Sam used Wrex and Liara, while Max used Kaidan and Garrus. These decisions will likely mean nothing in ME2, though they influenced other decisions I made in the game.

Survival: Sam let Wrex live, as he was a valuable member of his squad and chose to sacrifice Kaidan. Max also let Wrex live, being a nice guy and all, and chose to sacrifice Ashley, as he was using Kaidan as an active squadmate.

Romance: Sam was too much of a jerk for the ladies, while Max charmed his way into Liara's heart.

Sidequests: Sam explored every planet in the galaxy, in an attempt to get the Asari Ally Achievement after inadvertently screwing up the early-game sequencing required. Max did everything that came his way, but didn't waste time exploring on his own. Conversely, with his slow-ass running and the jacked-up layout of the Citadel, Sam missed some of the sidequests there because of the excessive Rapid Transit use, while Max took his time and completed everything he could find.

Interactions: Sam knocked out the biased reporter, supported the Terra Firma party and ignored poor Conrad. Max put up with the reporter and got screwed, declined the Terra Firma party and was exceptionally nice to Conrad. Sam exterminated the Rachni Queen, while Max let her live. There are several other smaller decisions that escape me at the moment.

Endgame: Sam sacrificed the Council, while Max saved them. It's been so long that I forget exactly who Sam chose for the Human seat on the Council, though I believe they both chose Captain Anderson.

So?

At the end of the day, it would appear BioWare has crafted the most engrossing storytelling experience I've ever seen. In many games, you're given decisions that affect the game, but don't have too much lasting effect. No matter how much of a jerk you are, you still end up saving the world in Dragon Age: Origins. The only difference is how you go about it. In Mass Effect 2, Shepard could fail if you make bad decisions. Crew members, even Shepard himself/herself could die, and likely will. Your choices can and will shape the story of the game.

Mass Effect 2 will likely be one of the best games of the year, and could end up being one of the best of the generation. As I've said before, I won't believe something is impossible until BioWare tells me it is.

Fight for the Lost

Well, I suppose there's good news. Publishers didn't release so many games in 2009 that I have no hope of playing them all. (I think there's still a few 2008 titles missing from my shelf)

The BAD news is that it's because they were all delayed until 2010.

I have the first few months planned out. I'm firmly in the world of Ferelden until late January, when Mass Effect 2 comes out. Hopefully I'll get my fill of that by March, when the much-anticipated Final Fantasy XIII finally comes out.

The rest of the year is wide-open, though. I'm looking closely at several titles:

Bioshock 2
Bayonetta
Darksiders
Dragon Quest IX
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Transformers: War for Cybertron

This will also probably be the year I finally pick up a PS3. I'm very interested in Heavy Rain and White Knight Chronicles.

Of course, I HAVE to bring the Massive back sometime soon. I'll likely be splitting my time between two games this year.

Cataclysm looks to be fixing many of the problems I currently have with WoW. Additionally, I will DEFINITELY be playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. I MAY even sneak into Final Fantasy XIV a bit on the weekends if my girlfriend decides to move on from FFXI.

Are there any big games I missed that you're looking forward to, reader?

What were my games of the year?

Keep in mind, these are only the best of the games I played.

3: Dragon Age: Origins

No game of the year list, in ANY year, would be complete without a listing from BioWare. They are the best at what they do, and DA:O is the best of what they've done. Now, this ranking is based upon my playing the Xbox 360 version. With lesser graphics and controls (with tuned-down difficulty to compensate for the less intuitive interface), it only merits #3 on my list. Perhaps I would rank it higher if I played the PC version.

2: Persona 4

Okay, I'm cheating a bit on this one. TECHNICALLY, P4 came out last year. However, it released so late in the year, it was left off most lists for 2008. As such, I'm ranking it this year. I've previously written about the game. Bottom line: I'm still playing it ten months later.

1: Modern Warfare 2

I always catch a lot of crap from the internet when I say this is the best game I played all year. I think some people just naturally hate anything that's popular. Though, don't you think there's a REASON things are popular to begin with? The first Modern Warfare reinvented what is expected from a shooter. Much like, Half Life, Halo and Goldeneye before it, Modern Warfare did things that no other shooter did at the time.

Modern Warfare 2 has the same incredible multiplayer DESIGN as the first. Any popular game is going to be filled with jerks that ruin it, but the gameplay itself is some of the best competitive multiplayer I've ever seen, with a plethora of game modes and an almost endless supply of weapon and equipment combinations. You can play whatever game you want, HOWEVER you want. On top of this, Infinity Ward has added the Special Ops mode. This two-player cooperative mode pits you and a friend against an amazing variety of missions. Stealth, assault, defense, escort, driving, flying, name it and it's here. It's not just run-and-gun, though. Tactics and communication are the keys to victory. This alone makes Modern Warfare 2 the best multiplayer game of the year.

In case you haven't heard, Modern Warfare 2 offers a robust Campaign mode, as well. Plenty of games have a good story. MW2's story may be a bit convoluted, but it's pretty good, especially by shooter standards. Yes, there are shooters with better stories, but not many. I will say two things about the story. First, it moves at a very quick pace, advancing the missions structure perfectly. Each mission is just long enough to be fulfilling, without becoming boring. Second, I cared. The way the story is told, the way it interjected me into the story, the events it forced me to live through, it all combined to make me care. I didn't just want to SEE what happened next, I wanted to DO it. By the end of the game, I HATED the villain so much that I actually CHEERED at the end.

So yes, for offering some of the best gameplay I've ever experienced, and one of the most emotionally engrossing stories, Modern Warfare 2 is my game of the year.

With the year dwindling away, I thought I'd take a look at what went well and what... didn't.

Wins

3: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Name the last good Batman game. Go on, I dare you. Anyone? Bueller? Right. Arkham is the first Batman game in, let's just say, ever to even be playable. Not content to just make a FUNCTIONAL game, Rocksteady Studios went and made a GOOD one. Not only did they make it GOOD, they made it RIGHT. Bringing in Kevin Conroy, Mark Hammill and almost the entire voice cast from Batman: The Animated Series was a brilliant move. This wasn't just a bunch of guys making a game, it was a bunch of fans creating a labor of love. I hope for a similar treatment on Transformers: War for Cybertron. The developers have already said they can't have Optimus Prime without Peter Cullen.

2: Modern Warfare 2

Anyone who listened to my segment on For the Lore knows that I LOVE this game. I applaud Infinity Ward's risk-taking. Story-wise, this is perhaps the most immersive game I've ever played.

1: New IPs

2009 is the best year in recent memory for new IPs in games. Brutal Legend, Borderlands, Dragon Age, Shadow Complex and Torchlight are all properties I look forward to spending more time with in the years to come.

Losses

3: WoW failing in China

Blizzard can survive without the income from the Chinese market. However, there are LOTS of people in China who want to play games. This is income that many smaller (and I'm using that term relatively) companies rely on to help turn a profit. Not being able to reach a deal in China could cause some borderline-successful games to fail down the road.

2: Aion

Despite what many have said, I STILL think Aion is a fun game, and I would still be playing if I weren't dedicating my time to other pursuits currently. That being said, it looks like the game is on its way to a slow death here in America, joining the ranks of Warhammer, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Age of Conan and many others as games that just cannon exist in the current WoW-centric MMO market.

1: Console Inequality

Modern Warfare 2 and Borderlands are horribly undersupported on PC. Dragon Age's console versions are inferior to the PC version. Differences in graphics and controls are to be expected. However, removing features, slow content, lack of support and dumbing down features for a "lesser" audience? That's not good business. Release an equal product or hand the ports off to a company that will. In today's market, game companies cannot afford to alienate large portions of their fans.

It's no secret that I've been anxiously anticipating Brutal Legend.

Many of you out there may be a little dissuaded by the negative reviews popping up online. Is it a bad game? No. Is it a Game of the Year contender? Not likely. Many reviewers are giving it a 1-point Schafer Bonus.

Here's what you need to know about the game:

The demo is a bit misleading. Playing it may lead you to believe that the game is a Heavy metal Legend of Zelda. This is true, to a point. After the initial missions, the game transitions into strategy gameplay.

No, it's not Halo Wars. It's very LIGHT strategy. You capture objectives, pull up a quick menu selecting units to build, point them in the general direction of the enemy and unleash Hell. You're not some omnipotent overseer, you've got to get in there and mix it up yourself.

Check out the multiplayer trailer for the game:



If that seems fun to you, then you have nothing to worry about. It's action with small strategic elements added in. Check out this article by Tim Schafer himself discussing the Strategy battles.

The next major concern is the length.

Yes, you CAN beat the game in one sitting. The missions are very short, some taking only 5 or 10 minutes, with only about 20-ish of them to complete. However, there is MUCH more to do. Free Bound Serpents for stat boosts. Seek out Legends for an AWESOME look into the game's lore. Unearth Buried Metal to expand your soundtrack.

I can relate it to Assassin's Creed. AC was a fantastic game, but COULD be very short, 5 or 6 hours. However, the more you put into the game, the more you got out of it. The more story you experienced, the more fun you had.

Personally, I've invested about 5 hours into the game, and I'm a little under half "Complete." I see this as reasonable. Sorry kids, this isn't the 90s. 10 hours is about average for a non-RPG these days. I finished Modern Warfare's Campaign in one awesome sitting, and never held that against the game.

One thing made me feel like a total idiot. The game constantly bombards you with hints. After 5 hours, apparently I still need to be reminded how to use Nitro while driving. So, when I came across my first Bound Serpents and Legends, and the game DIDN'T tell me how to unlock them, I assumed that meant I couldn't do it yet. I tried a couple attacks just for the heck of it, and went about my business.

So, just so you don't make the same mistake I did:

Bound Serpents: Pyro Attack (Hold X/Square)
Legends: Earthshaker (X+A/Square+X)

Also, for the Powerslide (Press X/Square while running), you're not actually RUNNING until you click the Left Stick.

Gameplay aside, the game is amazing. The world is brilliantly crafted. The writing is top-notch, and the voice work is some of the best I've seen, especially considering many of the actors are musicians. Even Ozzy and Lemmy's work is professional quality.

Bottom Line

Pass on the game if you don't like the strategy aspect.

Pass on the game if you're not into metal. Seriously, this game isn't for you.

Rent the game if you're the type of gamer that just wants to play through the story.

Buy the game if you love the music and just want to play a great game, regardless of length.

This past weekend, I finished Ultimate Alliance 2 on Legendary difficult. It was... not easy. So, I though I'd share some tips.

First of all, and this SHOULD be a given, make sure you choose the opposite side for your second playthrough. You cannot unlock all the attributes for most of the characters until you've played both sides.

Group composition is key. You can't just roll into Legendary with whoever you want, as opposed to earlier difficulties. My team:

Thor: You need a "tank" character. You should control this character as much as possible, as the AI will tend to home in on you. Thing, Hulk, Juggernaut and even Luke Cage or Ms Marvel are all viable options, but I love me some Thor. Aside from the God of Thunder being my favorite comic character, he's a beast in this game. His Mjolnir Strike is a great way to rush in to a group of foes and deal a nice bit of damage to them all, as well as getting the heck out of there if you're low on health. Mighty Swipe is, pardon the pun, godly. At max level, I was dealing over 1000 damage with each swing.

Iron Fist: He's fairly indispensable. He's the only character in the game with a heal. Low on health and out of Tokens? Switch to Iron Fist and throw out a few heals. Protip: hitting Block as soon as the heal goes off will cancel the animation, allowing you to spam heals twice as fast. Additionally, he has one of the best radials in the game. He's a bit weak defensively, so leave him to the AI unless you need the heals.

Songbird: You need a ranged attacker to back you up. Jean Grey and Storm are also good choices, but Songbird is a beast. Her Decibel Barrage will clear out the weaker enemies, while Shatter Scream will annihilate more powerful enemies. The thing that makes these three ladies my choice for ranged attacker is their Fusions. They each have a Fusion-boosting attribute, as well as high Teamwork stats.

Wolverine: This last slot is open to whoever you'd like. The only requirement is to have SOMEBODY who can perform a Targeted Fusion with your Ranged character, since almost any combination with Thor and Iron Fist will be Guided. I chose Wolverine because my best options for Songbird were him, Spiderman and Venom.

Granted, this is not the ONLY possible combination, just my suggestion.

With my team, I would use Songbird on solo bosses. Using her Targeted Fusion with Wolverine whenever possible, and keeping Shatter Scream going as much as possible, while still maintaining a safe range. For bosses with minions, I'd stick to Thor, since Songbird is fragile. Just Mighty Swipe away, and switch to Songbird to quickly use Fusions.

Equip Stamina Boosts! Especially Reserves IV, which you get from defeating Titanium Man on Legendary. This DOUBLES your Stamina, essentially allowing you to IGNORE melee attacks.

Level up as quickly as possible. Equip Experience Gain Boosts. Get those stats and Attributes up there before the real hard stuff hits.

The biggest tip is to finish your Simulator missions BEFORE starting Legendary. You have almost no hope of earning Gold Medals after.

Anybody else out there have strategies to share?

It's no secret. I love comic books. I love video games. When you get chocolate in my peanut butter, I'm in nerdvana.

I absolutely LOVED X-Men Legends. X-Men Legends 2, not so much. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance falls somewhere in the middle.

Ultimate Alliance 2 beats them all. What put this game and the first Legends title at the top of the list? Character switching. In a game with such an amazingly diverse cast, you want to try out and use as many characters as possible. The second Legends and UA1 both penalized you for switching. Your "bench" players did not gain any experience, leaving your team seriously underpowered when you swapped in a new member.

Not so in UA2. I loved being able to switch members on the fly, tweaking my lineup for the mission at hand.

The game follows the Secret War and Civil War storylines fairly closely to a point, then it splits off on its own insane tangent, to give everyone a happy ending. Yes, much like the Civil War comics, you must choose a side. I won't get into too much story detail, but you basically have to pick between Captain America and Iron Man, who find each other on opposite sides of the conflict.

Choosing Captain America's Anti-Registration side gives you exclusive access to Luke Cage and Iron Fist, while Iron Man's Pro-Registration gives Mr. Fantastic and Songbird. WHICH SUCKS! Well, for me, at least. I love the B-List heroes, and Iron fist, as well as the old-school Thunderbolts like Songbird are near the top of the list. Not being able to have them on the same team hurts. However, starting a New Game+ allows you to use the full roster, regardless which side you choose. Yes, you can cause a paradox by having Captain America fight himself.

Which leads me to one of the negative points of the game. Currently, you can only start a New Game+ on the highest difficulty setting. This doesn't bother me, as I have no interest in playing through the lower difficulties with a fully pimped-out party. However, many players don't like this. Additionally, there are some glitches to be found, but nothing terrible. More annoying than game-breaking.

Another thing that gets on my nerves a bit is the Alternate Costumes. In previous games, characters had 3 alts to unlock. In UA2, each character only has one, due to development constraints. Which is fine, as long as they're all worth it. Some like Spider Man, Storm and Gambit are awesome. However, the Secret War and Ultimate alts for some characters are just disappointing.

WTB yellow silk shirt and tiara for Power Man.

All in all, the game is FUN. There's tons of nods to the comics to keep fans interested, while still being accessible enough for non-fans. The game has TONS of playtime, between the 2 story paths, simulation missions and unlockables.

Some character recommendations:

Luke Cage: Very underrated. A great "tank" character in the early game. Can take a beating while dishing out respectable damage.
Ms Marvel: Her energy absorption powers make her nearly invulnerable to some enemies.
Iron Fist: Made of win. Great power damage, and the only character in the game with a group heal. Almost essential for higher difficulties.
Wolverine/Deadpool: Characters with regenerating health make Legendary a little easier.
Green Goblin: His glider is almost unstoppable. Learn to master it.
Jean Grey: Remember the end of the third X-Men movie, where Jean just disintegrates everything? Yeah. Totally OP.

THOR: The God of Freaking Thunder. The game gets 10x more fun once you unlock him.

DLC Wishlist:

Hawkeye/Ronin
Moon Knight
Nova
Sentry
Ares
Hercules

Every fall, we gamers get buried under a flood of A+ titles. Some deal with this by buying EVERYTHING. I take a slightly more... frugal approach.

I separate my games into "BUY" and "WANT" Last year my "BUY" list consisted of Fallout 3, GH: World Tour and Wrath of the Lich King. My "WANT" list was populated with titles like Prince of Persia, Dead Space and Fable II, a list I have only recently completed checking off. I'll look for the "WANT" titles around, and pick them up when I find a good deal. The rest of my time is spent playing the "BUY" games.

What's on this year's BUY list?

Borderlands
Modern Warfare 2

And the WANTs?

Brutal Legend
Assassin's Creed 2
Persona (PSP)
Dragon Age: Origins
Lost Planet 2

That's a tough list to swallow, especially with titles like BioShock 2, Darksiders and Mass Effect 2 waiting just around the corner.

But still not BRUTAL.

What makes the list BRUTAL?

Last week, I downloaded the Brutal Legend demo. I'll just say one, simple thing. METAL ****ING LIVES, BITCHES.

That thing got thrown on the BUY list overnight, probably bumping Borderlands to a WANT, since they come out around the same time.

If you have a 360 or PSP, definitely give the demo a try. COMPLETELY sold me in a matter of minutes. The entire time, I had the biggest smile on my face.

In celebration of Tim Schafer's tribute to all things awesome, I have started a Countdown to Rocktober 13th on Blip and Twitter. Every day, I'm selecting some choice metal to make love to your earholes.

Apparently, there's some sort of lawsuit over the term "Rocktober" and Activision is shutting down Double Fine's usage of the term, but screw that. Metal ain't about following rules.

I'm not much of a game downloader. I think Xbox Live Arcade is cool and all, but very few games catch my interest.

My goal for the next couple of weekends was to finish off a couple outstanding games before Ultimate Alliance 2 comes out on Sept. 15th, and the following deluge of 4th Quarter games.

Imagine my surprise when I found myself dropping 1200 Points on Shadow Complex. After reading a few reviews and watching some videos, I COULD NOT pass this game up.

For the Microsoft-Universe equivalent of $15, you're getting a better game than many $60 ones.

Shadow Complex is a side-scrolling action game in the vein of Metroid and the post-Symphony of the Night Castlevania games. The focus is on exploration and searching out upgrades for your character. You upgrade your weapon for more damage, you find special weapons that open up new parts of the map and you pick up health and ammo upgrades, as well as some nifty unlockables.

Combat is fun, effective and simple. Point your right analog stick at something you want dead, and pull the trigger. Targeting is a bit wonky when aiming at enemies in the background (it's pseudo-3D) but it doesn't detract from the overall play. The most fun aspect of the game is finding new and creative ways to take out enemies. Sneak up and knock them out or throw them off a ledge, knock a robot off the ceiling to blow them up, electrocute them by shooting out power conduits and almost anything you can imagine.

If you're dedicated and just blow through, you can complete the game in about 3 hours or so. However, exploring every nook and cranny of the map, finding the hidden items and overall enjoying what the game has to offer will clock in at around 10 hours or so. Add in multiple playthroughs for fun challenges and the mission-based Proving Grounds, and you're getting a lot of game for your buck.

I cannot recommend this game enough, and my friends are sick of me talking about it, so go get it!

This weekend, I finished Prince of Persia. I'm a longtime fan of the series. I LOVED Sands of Time. The sequels... not so much.

The latest version has all the stuff I loved about Sands, minus a few bits. Running and jumping all over the place never gets old. I did, however, miss the deathtraps. Having Elika there to save your dumb ass every time you jump into an abyss is fine by me. It allowed me to take some leaps of faith I otherwise would not have attempted.

In the last generation, as fun as the platforming was, I despised the combat. No matter how they tried to pretty it up, it was just annoying. This game, they decided to just scrap it all. Very little combat to be had, and I didn't miss it one bit.

The ending was a slap in the face. Big cliffhanger screaming "PAY FOR THE DLC!" Nope, not happening.

Much like Assassin's Creed, Achievements are a blast. An easy 500-600 points just playing through. Another 200-300 for some fun stuff. Other companies can learn from Ubisoft.

All in all, a very fun game. Short, you can play through it in a solid weekend. Very repetitive, you must run through each environment 2 or 3 times. If you don't mind a fun game with a minimal amount of combat, and can find it for a good price, definitely pick it up.

Secondly, Dead Space.

Holy CRAP, Dead Space.

I never got into Resident Evil. Indeterminate blobs resembling zombies are not scary. At best, I'd label it "startling." Silent Hill, while a much better game, to me, was more "creepy" and "disturbing."

Dead Space is freaking TERRIFYING.

Modern day graphics allow for a very spooky atmosphere. The lighting effects play tricks on your eyes. Every shadow could potentially hide a Necromorph.

The sound will keep you up at night.

Mutant babies. With tentacles. Not. Right.

At one point, I stepped out of an elevator and saw an enemy run around the next corner. I spent the next several minutes staring at my map, looking for an alternate route. I did NOT want to go around that corner.

After playing through the first couple chapters, a small moth flew at me in the bathroom. I almost fell into the freaking tub. Yes, I will admit it. I have not been this scared of ANYTHING since I watched the first Halloween as a boy.

Additionally, big props to the devs for making a game with no HUD that is still perfectly playable. Everything important is represented on your character. Menus and video communications are holographically projected right in front of Isacc, for a very seamless play experience.

Don't WAIT for a good deal on this one. It's easily available for 30 bucks or less, and is easily worth MORE than that.