Metal Gear series is one of the most popular and influential series made by Konami and Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear series was released on wide variety of platforms like MSX2, NES, PS1, GBC, GC, PC, Mobile, PSP...

Metal Gear series are based around mechs, more precisely a walking tanks with capability to launch ICBMs anywhere in the world and they were called "Metal Gear", trough series Metal Gears are important part of the series and our main characters deal with them. Kojima designed Metal Gear as an fictional weapon.

Hideo Kojima was interested into illustration, he wrote stories with 400 pages, he was interested in movies and he wanted to be a film director. He played games on Famicon and decided to join video game industry while his decision shocked his colleagues, he applied to various companies and was rejected ultil he applied to Konami. He was sent to MSX home computer division in position of designer and "planner".

Kojima´s gameplay ideas were rejected since he had lack of familiarity with programming and was repeatedly snubbed for his failures in the first couple of years at Konami. Afterwards he got a chance to work on Penguin Adventures as "assistant director" and vastly improving it over its predecessor.

After Penguin Adventures he was developing his first game called Lost Warld, but Kojima´s superiors rejected his game. Kojima was asked to work on Metal Gear, because of limitations the game was not possible as an action shooter and he decided to turn it into a stealh oriented game, it was released on MSX2 and later on NES in 1987. NES version was considerably diffrient, in 1990 it was ported to Commodore 64 and PC MS-DOS with some improvements while still being true to MSX2 version of Metal Gear.

Hideo Kojima developed numerous games like Snatcher and Policenauts. Kojima participated in development of every Metal Gear game except unofficial sequel called Snakes Revenge. Development of Metal Gear Solid started as Metal Gear 3 and it was suppose to be released on 3DO, it was changed to PlayStation since 3DO was in decline and because Konami and Kojima leaned towards recently released PlayStation. Kojima thought that Metal Gear 1 and 2 were not well know so he decided to use word "Solid" over number 3 to indicate this was the third game, also because it was decided to turn it into a 3D game rather than being a 2D. Development of Metal Gear Solid was started in mid-1995...

Kojima wanted to make the best possible game for PlayStation, he was dedicated to create a masterpiece, a true work of art. He and the development team had aimed for realism and accuracy, they were educated by Huntington Beach SWAT with demonstrations of tactics, explosives, vehicles and weapons. Kojima wanted some features like hiding bodies, dynamic soundtracks, greater interaction with object in Metal Gear Solid and even thought it was not implemented in MGS it was implemented in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty.

Metal Gear Solid has a great and complex storyline, alot of turn and twists, uncovering the truth.. Solid Snake gots "invited" by Colonel, trought briefing you found out about situation on Moses Island and about  renegade Next-Gen Special Forces. You are sent to infiltrate the base, rescue DARPA chief, acquire information and possibly eliminate threat, the terrorists demand remains of the Big Boss or they will launch ICBM in next 18 hours. You found out from DARPA chief that you can stop the launch and that Metal Gear Rex is in the base, he suddenly dies and as you get out you find yourself at the trigger of a woman disguised as a guard.

Eventually you found out that Liquid Snake is your sibling brother, you and all genetically and nano modified soldiers are infected with a strain of FOXDIE that could kill anytime. In short, the storyline is a true masterpiece as the rest of the game and it has great cutscenes that can easily suck you in...

Gameplay of Metal Gear Solid is improved to its predecessors, since its MGS is in 3D you can go first person to see what is in front of you, hide inside boxes, cameras turn 90° left and right, mines, traps... Its true to its predecessors and it adds and improves features. The details of MGS is absolutely stunning, animations are smooth, great effects, soundtracks give right felling and wibe for each situation... Controls are great, easy to remember, the camera is great and with option of going into first person view you can see further.

Metal Gear Solid has couple of version including a PC port and a remake called Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes for GameCube. GameCube version introduced various improvements and implementation of features from Sons Of Liberty that was originally to be implemented in Metal Gear Solid. Twin Snakes represents everything what Hideo Kojima wanted in PlayStation version.

Overall you need to have it, you will have a blast and ride of your life. Every gamer should have one, its a work of art and check predecessors and sequels, they are great as this one. Seriously... Get it... NOW!

(10/10) It is worth every single cent, it would be criminally to own it and not play it at all...

Tekken series is one of the most famous and iconic series for Arcades and Playstation consoles made by Namco (Rigde Races, Time Crisis, Soul Calibur series, etc... Founded in 1955,its one of the most creative game companies in the 90-is)

Tekken 3 can be considered as the best Tekken in the series compared to its predecessors and successors. First Tekken was released in 1994, just one year after Virtua Fighters by Sega´s studio AM 2 and designed by legendary Yu Suzuki. Virtua Fighter relatively influenced Tekken series and its development as it was also a 3D fighting game. Dont b#$ch about it...

Released in 1998 Tekken 3 folows the core fighting system and concept from its predecessors, it brings many improvements as smoother animations when you give a smackdown to your opponents, vastly improved graphic details to see little details on character models with nice bloody ends by Yoshimitsu with his katana, great soundtracks that fits each character perfectly... 15 new characters  or 17 in Playstation version. There are two mini-games: Tekken Force: You need to pass stages as fast as possible and beat mini-bosses at the end while time is running out, you can get more time by beating opponents... Beach Volleyball: Kick the ball and if it falls to the ground behind the opponent it damages him and you can do direct damage with special moves.

Storyline: King of the Iron Fist Tournament 3 is started by Heihachi Mishima that established Tekken Force paramilitary organization, as Ogre devastates Heihachi´s squadron of Tekken Force that were searching ancient temples in Mexico. As Heihachi Mishima witnessed the power of Ogre when he arrived and decided to start KIFT3 and lure him and try to harness his power. In meantime Ogre kills most characters from previous Tekken games and joins the KIFT competition that is only launched/started as a trap for him(Ogre). We all know how it ends as Jin kicks the c##p out of Ogre and gaining his powers... Tekken 3 cutscene´s are well made, beatifull with some funny twists and turns that makes you laugh.

Tekken 3 is faster than its predecessors, better sidesteps for better dodging the attacks,  lower realistic jumps with fighting in the air is more controllable, more ways to evade tackles and stuns with better juggles and more combos. The music gives you eargasm when you are fighting, since Tekken 3 is more dynamic the fights are great and gives you decent challenge even on easy most noticeably against Heihachi while Ogre hard but as True Ogre is a piece of cake sadly when you defeat his semi-human form except on higher difficulties...

Tekken Force is a challenge mode where you need to pass stages as fast as possible since time running out, beat opponents and mini-bosses to earn more time... If you lose then you are back at first stage,you can replenish your health with chicken meat and if you do so you get insulted: Chicken...! (Oh how ironic... *sarcasm* *cough* *cough*)

Beach Volleyball: Its simple, you kick the ball to land behind your opponent and deal damagge or you can direct kick with a special kick/move towards your opponent and deal damage when hit also your opponent can do counter-attack like you can... If it touch the ground behind your characters it will deal damage. Its fun to play, hopefully you will like it too...




I enjoyed Tekken 3 when I was a kid especially. My favorite characters were Jin, Yoshimitsu, Hwoarang and Law because of their style of fighting while smacking the AI, your friend(or dad) even thought its not fun when you got a smackdown from your sister even thought she rarely played it... It results in overall fail for me.

9/10 (If you can buy the original CD or on PSN just buy it because this game deserve a lighter wallet/credit card)

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker HD fills in some missing puzzle pieces in the Metal Gear Solid series. The game was originally made for the PSP, but was converted into HD for the PlayStation 3 and they couldn't have done a better job with it. Peace Walker isn't the best Metal Gear Solid game, but that definitely doesn't mean it's not a great game because it is!

Peace Walker is set in Costa Rica in November 1974, four years after the events of Portable Ops and a decade after the events of Snake Eater. The main protagonist, Naked Snake (Big Boss), runs a mercenary unit at "Mother Base" which serves as the main menu for the game. Mother Base eventually becomes known as Outer Heaven as the game progresses. From there, you can access all the features of Peace Walker which includes: Delivery, Outer Ops, Recruit, R&D, Staff, Versus Ops, Metal Gear, Database, and Trade. All of these aren't available at the start of the game, but instead are unlocked as you progress through the game.

The story in Peace Walker is just as good as any other Metal Gear Solid game believe it or not. Kojima and his staff did a fantastic job at continuing Big Boss's life after the events of previous games. The 3.71 GB file size may lead you to believe that the game is rather short, but you would be wrong to think so. Just the main ops alone can be a rather lengthy play-through especially without skipping cut-scenes. Along with that there are a lot of extra ops you can play through as well. However, some of the length of the game comes from having to go through the Mission Selector menu instead of continuously playing throughout.

One of the best additions that Peace Walker includes that has never before been seen in any other Metal Gear Solid game is its co-operative mode. After completing the first mission, you will then be able to play each mission with a friend or random people online. Most of the missions only allow 2 players, but the battle missions allow up to 4 players. The co-operative is definitely this titles selling-point in my opinion because it can provide endless amounts of fun.

With the co-operative and versus modes, Peace Walker has great re-playability allowing endless hours of fun. Although the graphics aren't the best, it does have a story that will keep you attached to the characters and retain your interest. If you are a Metal Gear Solid fan, or just want an all around great game, I would recommend picking up Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker HD Edition for $19.99 on the PlayStation Store.

8/10 (This game is great! Aside from very few flaws, it is more than what you would expect from a game of this size. Recommended.)

Spark manages to release a new game for the Next-Gen consoles In hopes of standing out above all other titles. But does Legendary live up to its convenient title? Did Spark develop a game that could win back their former popularity? This reviewer thinks they could have, if they had only tried a bit harder...

By the time I'm done writing this review I'd have successfully cracked my head open against the wall and splattered my brains out all over the floor. Reason being is that writing this review has driven me madly insane, mainly because after playing Legendary I was torn between either admiring the beautiful scenarios and ideas behind the game or puking out gobs of hatred at its retro gameplay style. I really hate to say this because Legendary looked like it could be a very good game if given the time and effort but FUCK ME for not saying that developer Spark really needs to get on the ball! If you’re hoping to make a game that’s going to stand out above all the other titles then maybe you should do a bit of homework before swinging your penis about in an obnoxious manor! It's upsetting and disappointing and quite frankly I think it's safe to say that after I'm finished with this review I'm going to start writing a news article about this issue!

Getting back to the review, Legendary is an eight month old game developed by"Spark", a developer that was well known in its time after releasing the console version remake of Call of Duty for the PS2 and Xbox systems. Anyway, In Legendary you play the role of an art thief named Charles Deckard who is hired by a secret organization to steal Pandora's Box from a Museum set in New York City. Instead, his curiosity gets the best of him and he ends up opening the box, unleashing its power throughout the world and bringing about what looks like the end of the world as we know it. Being responsible for this global disaster, Deckard decides to take it upon himself to find a way to reverse the effects of Pandora's Box and save our modern civilization from complete and utter destruction. That's a pretty noble thing to do considering he's a THIEF.

Let’s go ahead and get the good part of this review out of the way. When I first played Legendary I was impressed. Really, I was. The beginning of the game really pulled me in and I couldn't rip myself away. The game supplied an action packed experience right from the start and I really got into it. Spark did very well in flexing the "Shock and Awe" factor of the apocalyptic events that take place. I was truly captivated by the stunning display of Gryphons flying through the City of New York and reeking havoc in the streets because not only did it look surreal, it also looked like allot of effort went into making this almost elegant display of destruction and mayhem, not to mention the intense and fitting sound track that playing in the back ground really helped improve these experiences.

Now comes the bad part of the review. Though Legendary’s graphics and the environments seemed elegant and masterful, the gameplay didn't do the game ANY justice. The controls seemed decent enough, but moving about the environment felt retro and the way you progressed through each level made it feel like the game developers took pointers from a mediocre old-school FPS game, constantly waiting for a scripted trigger to open another linier path that you must follow. Aiming was rather bothersome since the x-axis revolved slower than the y-axis, and aiming down the sights was even worse because your aim sensitivity seemed to accelerate. Jumping was a bitch and a half since your character couldn't seem to jump more that six inches off the ground, making it hard for you to jump over obstacles that you need to get over before continuing with the game. What’s worse is that the game seems to taunt you by placing an obstacles on the ground that look like you can jump over them, but you can’t seems to jump high enough. This issue is already noticeable at the start when you try to jump over a bench that can easily be cleared, but can't because you were supposed to jump over a small collection of rocks right next to it. That's a pretty stupid thing to do to the players if you ask me, but the level design is where it gets really bad.

Level design was decent, but in most cases half-assed in the since that any minor imperfection found along the floor was considered an "obstacle" to the player. One scenario that best demonstrates this issue is when you finally exit the Museum and reach the congested streets of New York. A beam of light from Pandora's Box shoots through the roof of the museum and opens a portal in the sky, causing a shock wave to pass through the city, creating a massive earthquake that sends everything in the streets flying a good six to eight feet into the air and creating massive tremors in its wake that begin destroying the road beneath you. As this is happening there's so much chaos going on around you that the game distracts you from looking at where you're going, much like a child in a candy shop looking around at all the amazing assortments of colorful candy. As I was moving about the streets in awe, I soon found myself stuck. When I looked down to see what was obstructing my path I saw a very rude chunk of asphalt on the ground in front of me. It was only 2 inches high and for some reason my character just couldn’t merely step over it. This frustrated me beyond any form of reason and I found myself asking, “Why is a two inch chunk of rock stopping my progression!?”. This, Spark, is what we call "LAZINESS"! You could have easily had the character step over this small obstruction, but no, instead it acts as a wall instead! If you're too lazy to do that at least have the common decency to make my character TRIP OVER IT instead of forcing me to look away from this spectacular scene of events just to jump over it!

NPCs were another aspect of the game that made me wince in pain. There are only four other characters in this game that seem to be as equally important as you are, and everyone else just seems to die the second you see them. This frustrated the hell out of me because the character design that went into some of these NPCs seemed like wasted effort since none of them ever survive. There were several NPC characters that looked interesting enough to have a back story and possibly a longer life span. Perhaps even lend a helping hand without sacrificing themselves. I mean, at first it was understandable when civilians are getting slaughtered in the beginning since the scenario was “every man for himself”, but once you start receiving help from allies I think that’s a perfect time to make the NPCs less “pussy-like” and more “badass”. There are several cut scenes that show off a variety of good looking NPCs that look as though they’re going to be key characters that help you through the game, but then the game thwarts that warm hearted feeling of friendship with the “most pathetic way to die, EVER” trigger that kills everyone around you. For a moment there I thought I was playing HALO since you were the only person left standing after every encounter with the enemy. What ticks me off more is when after everyone around you dies, more allies suddenly appear out of nowhere just to get slaughtered in the same manor. This was a total let down since there didn’t seem to be any connection with you and your fellow man, and because of this, the player is left not giving a rats ass if your allies die or not since they have no significant importance, thus defeating the purpose of having them come to your aid in the first place since the game makes you out to be a fucking one man army.

(I happened to take a liking to this particular NPC when I first saw him, thinking he was going to be some type of badass commando who will stand back-to-back with you when the shit hits the fan. Sadly he died not five minutes after this screenshot. R.I.P. NPC # 15709. We hardly knew ye…)

In my opinion, Spark needs to get with the program, as should all game developers, less they want more reviews like this one. Developer Spark seems to be falling behind in the world of next-gen gaming and honestly it's a disappointment because Legendary could have been so much more than what it is now, not to mention the game was rather short. I'm not actually sure if this is a good or bad thing at this point what with all the imperfections I've pointed out but the fact that there's a cliffhanger at the end makes me fear the coming of a sequel. If Spark would be willing to take this game and remake it, taking the time and effort to smooth out all the imperfections, Legendary might actually live up to its name and win a few awards. Until that happens, Legendary remains a very poorly made game.

Though Legendary was impressive when it comes to graphics and environments, the gameplay just dragged it down completely. I must say though that the idea and story behind it somewhat compensates for it’s errors, though not entirely. Legendary receives a 4 out of 10.

Score: 4-- Below Average (4's can sometimes look good, but only in the right light. They have few good points, but the imperfections are blatant. Not the worst games, but can be difficult to recommend to anyone except your little sister.)

I can't say that I'm a hater of games. On the contrary, I happen to love games of almost any kind. I just have some likes and dislikes just like any other hairless mutation of a monkey we call "Human". That being said, Stormrise is a newly released RTS game developed by "The Creative Assembly" and published by the ever so loved yet sadly still dying "SEGA" company. The game was advertized via the internet, and was advertized quite well I must say. The sales pitch was that this game allows you to fight in the front lines with your troops as you lead them into an epic futuristic battle for humanity. Developers also promised that this game would make you experience an RTS game never seen before, stating that "Stormrise is the first truly 3D, next-gen RTS that, via the 3rd person camera perspective, putting you directly into the action." They also promised that "No other RTS game combines this level of immersion and emotional intensity with the scale and depth of a strategy game." I was already excited about this game, what with the coming of Tom Clancy's End War that changed my experience of RTS gaming. I figured this game might surely be worthy of competition. Alas, after watching an amazing and compelling introduction and finally being brought to the tutorial stage, I soon found out that I had purchased a game with nothing more than a great big stiffy for itself.

Stormrise is an RTS game set up in a distant future where you play the role of "Commander Geary", a soldier who was put into Cryostasis after a seemingly Apocalyptic global disaster that almost destroyed Earth. People who were less fortunate were left to die in the ruined cities of the world. Some who survive the destruction mutated into beings called "the Sai" and are now declaring war on the humans for what they did to them. You, as the hero, happen to be woken by the Echelon forces (the seemingly last remnants of humanity) some time after the war had already begun, and are now given the responsibility of leading your forces to victory.

Now that we have the story out of the way, lets get down to the game itself. Though the game seems to have a compelling storyline, I can't seem to get any further into it due to the fact that more of the story is revealed as you play, and because gameplay was so incredibly bad I ended up dropping my controller, ejecting the game from my system and fighting the urge to chuck $50.00 worth of CD out the window. Yes I regret to say that I was deceived into buying a game that doesn't live up to its praise.

If it's your first time playing Stormrise, the game will not take you to a title screen or main menu. Instead, Stormrise will do you the favor of launching you right into the game. I thought this was very convenient because I'm the kind of guy that likes to cut through the red tape and get right to the point. Once done with the introduction movie that somewhat brings you up to speed with current events, you're brought to a tutorial stage which introduces you to the controls. This is where I started to loose hope in its gameplay value.

When I first started playing the game, I was reminded of Full Spectrum Warrior where the third person camera is fixated on the selected squad and the squad commander. This was a nice touch to the RTS experience because it puts you right in the fight, and with the random commentary you hear from your troops, it almost adds to the realistic vision of war. As you begin to learn the controls, you also learn that you can send some units, like Enforcers, behind cover, and other units such as Infiltrators onto higher platforms to utilize the effectiveness of their sniper rifles. The interactive environment did seem rather nice, but it was only until later in the game when I found out that cover doesn't make a difference in your unit's survival. No, I found out that an Enforcer squad gets slaughtered in the same manor as if it were standing out in the open. There didn't seem to be an significant defensive gain in having your troops hide behind cover and it seemed the only defensive ability they had was using their Riot Shields much like the ones used in Command & Conquer Red Alert 3. At least in Stormrise, your Enforcers have the common sense to shoot back even with their shields drawn. The only issue with using the shields is that once you pull them out, you can't give that unit a move order, otherwise they'll put the shields away and make themselves vulnerable again.

Another Issue I encountered was Unit Selection System. In most conventional RTS games, you're allowed a free roaming camera with a birds eye view of the battlefield that can often be pivoted, rotated and zoomed to the players needs in order to view the battlefield and his units. Because you're view is limited to only following your selected unit, it looked as though it would be rather difficult to select another unit that might be outside your view range. "Not so fast!" said the tutorial level as it introduced me to the new "Whip Select" feature that allows you to select individual units via the icons they have hovering over their squads, making them visible to you throughout the battlefield where ever they may be. That was reassuring for a moment, but once the fighting started I found it a bit difficult to get used to constantly having to switch between individual units just to give them a move order, and at times it gets rather frustrating not being able to select multiple units at once so that you can give them all the same move order.

What makes this experience worse is that Stormrise doesn't have a Unit Cap, so there’s no restrictions on making as many units as you want. This invites the old-style Command & Conquer strategy of swarming your enemies into submission, but after deploying ten or fifteen units on the field, it becomes very difficult to whip select through the cluster-fuck of icons that are displayed on your screen and actually be able to select the unit you want to command.

Here's a perfect example: On the first mission (yes, the first level of the game after the tutorial) after I had created a warp portal to deploy my troops into battle, I decided that strength in numbers would be a good plan, and so I proceeded to max out my production cap of ten Enforcer Squads and began strategically spreading them out in defensive positions. After all that was finally done, the Sai attacked. I saw that my Enforcer Squads were dying rather quickly so I tried Whip Selecting to my hero character who was in a powerful mech-suit that was capable of standing up to the few Sai Raiders that were slaughtering my men, but instead of selecting my hero character, the whip select tool selected the long lost forgotten Enforcer squad that was on the other side of the map, and because the only way to select your units was to use your whip select tool I eventually grew furious with the game and almost immediately after fifteen minutes of playing turned off my system and picked up a book for once in my game infested life.

After I cooled off and had a nice snack or two, I decided to give the game another chance. At this point the only thing that was aggravating me was the unit selection process and how it was so bothersome because it was unorganized and almost impossible to work with. After looking through the control settings and finding out that you can group units together, I decided to try and play through a quick skirmish to see if this would help my Gameplay Experience. Sadly it didn't help enough. The grouping system only allows you to group 3 units together, and you can't choose which units to group together either. No sir, the grouping system only takes your selected unit, and groups them with two other units adjacent to them. Now this may help reduce the clutter of unit icons on your screen, but after a while you find yourself back at square one after creating ten to twenty groups. Trying to navigate these groups is even harder due to the fact that almost every map in this game was created with confined and cramped environments, which is a shame because if There's one thing I liked from this whole game, it would be the amount of details, textures and graphics that went into it. Unfortunately though this isn't a beauty pageant it's a GAME REVIEW, for a VIDEO GAME that's supposed to generate FUN but instead causes FRUSTRAION and SELF DESTRUCTION.
I think, however, there is an easy solution for this unit selection problem:

1.) Add in a Unit cap

and

2.) have a "Unit Card" selection laid out on the HUD so that it would be easier to pick out the units you wish to command much like in Tom Clancy's End War

On that note, for gods sake "Creative Assembly"! I know you were trying to be original but you've made the game look so much like Tom Clancy's End War that you might as well have used the HUD elements from the game as well! Then and only then can I honestly say that you could have made something worthy of RTS console gaming!

In playing this game, I felt that the Game developers wanted to make a stunning and thrilling RTS game, which is fine because they did very well in making a gripping story, but they just couldn't seem to grasp the RTS Factor. That saddens me because it had all the right ingredients. It was just missing two specific factors that would make it a great RTS game: Strategy and Gameplay. I wouldn't say the game was a complete waste, but when you get right down to it, it just didn't live up to its potential.

Stromrise in my experience receives a 2 out of 10.

Score: 2 -- Bad (2's may have potential, but it is furiously devoured by glitches, design flaws or a plethora or other issues. If you squint and look hard enough, you may find a tiny morsel of fun left on the carcass.)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. If only there were words to describe this game. Your mind will be blown to pieces from start to end, and you will have no choice but to agree with me that it is above superior in every concept known to man. There really is no need of writing a review for such a stunning game, but I feel as if someone can create a masterpiece such as this, I can return the favor by all the compliments I have stored.

May I start off this review by saying, if you haven’t already played this game, or previous ones, SHAME ON YOU! Even if shooters aren’t your type, the Metal Gear Solid series are games I think nobody should never even think of passing by. Go ahead and read on if you aren’t already convinced by my words said so far.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Developer: Kojima Productions

Publisher: Konami

Released: June 12, 2008

MSRP: $59.99

Jacob Rollin

As I said, Metal Gear Solid 4 is above superior in every concept. The gameplay, the music, the story, the graphics, everything… The gameplay in MGS4 is very unique and is different than most games played today. The creators managed to find a great way to fit all of Snake’s actions into 14 buttons (amount of buttons on PS3 controller.) From diving, to crouching, to laying on the ground, to rolling, to standing back up, to choking, to slitting a PMC soldiers throat, and to all the other moves Snake is capable of, it all actually works out great in a really simple controller setup.

MGS4 also has some of the greatest music ever written for a game. Starting from MGS1, the music was great and since then, it has only gotten even better. It fits the game so well, that instead of actually hearing the music, it brings out the emotions in which the game is trying to get out. The music varies from different styles such as energetic, sadness, happiness, and so on. My final word on the tunes of this game are that they are much better fitting and emotional than any movie, tv show, or anything I have seen before.

I have to say… Hideo Kojima is the greatest that ever lived in story telling. The final chapter in Solid Snake’s mission clears up all the small gaps in the story of the entire Metal Gear Solid series. Everything may start off to seem confusing, but by the completion of MGS4, all of your questions will be answered and you will notice how smoothly everything fits into place. It will feel as if you are very, very close to the characters in the game, and you will know every single detail about them. By knowing who these characters are, the game just sucks your concentration from “I’m playing a video game,” to “This is my final mission.”

Playing previous games in this series will make the story even more enjoyable. The reason being because Snake has flashbacks from previous games throughout MGS4 and the return of an old island that MGS fans will be sure to remember.

The graphics. Simply amazing, mind boggling, what ever describes the utmost word saying that something is awesome. The look is something never before seen in a game and will amaze you to every extent. In most games, you will see a trailer, but when getting to see the game in action, you find out its not exactly what you have been shown. Metal Gear Solid 4 is different. What you see in the trailers or cut scenes is pretty much exactly what you get when controlling Snake throughout his mission.

Overall, MGS4 is filled with action, comedy, sadness, and happiness. The action is very intense and fun. Every little thing you do only gets better the next time you try it. And yes, I said it… Comedy. There are parts in this game that will make you laugh, however, there are parts that could possibly make you cry. Afterwards, happiness will work its way back up and the action will continue.

Nowadays, multiplayer is a big part of every game released. This game has you covered… The battles are intense, the gameplay is great, the graphics are astonishing. What more could you ask for in an online experience? Jumping from the story to online is almost like playing a whole new game. There are numerous maps and game modes to choose from and plenty of room for customization of your character.

Still on the subject of online play, the reward point trade shop that Konami has setup allows you to go in and spend points on new gear and clothing that you may be interested in. Along side with that, there is an online shop were you can find expansions that include new maps and playable characters (Meryl, Johnny, Raiden, Vamp, etc.) Getting these expansions boosts the maximum fun level of playing online a lot.

I know that all of this is coming from a HUGE Metal Gear Solid fan, but I’ve seen others who were new to the series, MGS4 being their first MGS game played, and they loved it as much as I. Sure they may not have gotten to enjoy the story behind the game as much as I did, but every other part just blew their minds.

Not only Metal Gear Solid 4, but all of the games in the series are games that just can’t be passed by because of their greatness it has brought to the world. Needless to say, I think this will by far be almost anyone’s favorite game of all time. Hardly any room left for improvement, this game is one of the best must buys in our days. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots receives an 10 out of 10.

Score: 10 – Flawless (10's demonstrate the most amount of fun you can have without the need to change your pants. They are amazing in every aspect. No faults. If anything could make Chuck Norris shed a tear, it would be this game.)

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to get my hands on Flower and was able to play a couple “chapters.” Sadly, I was unable to play through the entire experience at that time. To my delight, though (thanks J-Roll), I have been able to once again get my hands on the game a couple days ago, and here’s my review.

Flower is not a game about collecting points, gaining levels, or filling aliens with lead. More or less, it is a game where the player defines their own unique experience. If you don’t want to have objectives, you don’t have to. If you don’t like having a story-driven plotline, it doesn’t exist. With very few elements of a typical game, what makes Flower an actual game? Read on to find out.

Flower (PlayStation Network)
Developer: thatgamecompany
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Released: January 12, 2009
MSRP: $9.99

Kris Nguyen

Flower does more than entertain or amuse. It stimulates one’s senses to get an emotional response. It can quickly and easily take a person away from stress and tension into a world of relaxation, color, and sublime subtlety. The experience can be called divine.

One of the most remarkable features of the game is its presentation. Flower’s visuals are truly a work of art and do everything they can to entice the player and draw them into each chapter on an emotional level. The earliest scenes are blissful and leave your imagination to run wild. You start in giant open environments with a minimal amount of scenery to distract you. You will fly around vast fields of grass in which there may be no less than 800 gazillion blades of grass at once which all move realistically with every gust of wind. The further you venture into the game, the gloomier the environment becomes, uncovering man-made objects such as twisted metal and wind turbines.

Speaking of wind, what better way to control a flower petal than by harnessing the power of wind itself? There is no better way! Each level begins by having a gust of wind blow a petal off a flower out of an apartment window and into the playable environment. You control the wind by tilting the controller, causing it to go in any direction you could imagine. If you don’t like floating in one spot all day, you can press and hold any button to blow wind (accelerate).

Once you become familiar with movement you can dig deeper into the game’s themed levels blossoming flowers to collect a petal from them which adds to your cluster. When you are ready to advance the plot, you must complete very simplistic tasks like lighting a hay bail or collecting a certain number of blue petals. Some levels are slow and allow you to drift leisurely around while others force you to move at high speeds through a windy valley.

Unlike other games that try to tack on non-engaging motion control schemes, Flower has a very fluent feel and will always react the way you want it to. As you gather your flower petals, you won’t encounter any problems. A major part of that is how you hold the controller. Instead of holding it in a standard position, you hold it horizontally.

One could probably argue that a game built around motion controls would be experimental. In Flower’s case, that is entirely untrue. The game was built from the ground up for it and is very well sculpted.

Flower has goals and boundaries. Petals that need gathered are denoted with a luminescent sphere around them that easily catch your eye. Although you can fly around forever, you won’t be able to roam anywhere you want. If you approach the “edge” of a level, the wind is taken from your control to force the flurry of petals back within the boundaries.

When you’ve exhausted an area of petals to collect, you’ll be granted access to new areas within a level. Between some levels, you’ll be forced to be carried on wind, very much on rails, although still allowing you to collect petals scattered around. Some of the harder to reach petals even reveal scenery which appears immediately in the solemn environments. They also affect the outlook of the game.

Flower tells a story. It has a silent narrative that you get to be a part of shaping. It’s hard to pretend to know exactly what the designers want you to feel; however there is definitely an overarching theme. There’s obviously room for your own interpretation of it, but Flower is still a game about a petal-gathering soldier defending yourself from darkness and protecting the utopian city you’ve become familiar with.

Flower is a simple game. It has a mixture of experimental elements such as roaming around, an interpretive narrative, and relaxing design. The music is even generated by your actions!

I only had one issue with this game and it’s still trivial. It is incredibly short. By short, I mean a couple hours max if you don’t try to collect everything. If you were to do that, you could probably spend several more hours playing it. There is replay value as the game is very calming and can be played through again to gather everything and earn all the trophies (there are 14).

Flower is an amazing game that I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for a new game to download from the Playstation Store. The visuals are delightfully attractive while maintaining a stylized look. if you are looking for a new experience unlike anything seen in games prior to this, then you shouldn’t hesitate in purchasing this title.

Score: 10 -- Flawless (10's demonstrate the most amount of fun you can have without the need to change your pants. They are amazing in every aspect. No faults. If anything could make Chuck Norris shed a tear, it would be this game.)

First, I’d like to clarify that the reason I’m posting a movie metareview is to WARN you of seeing this movie. No, I haven’t seen it myself, and I usually don’t look to much into movie opinions, it seems that the Street Fighter movie isn’t worth seeing. “It was one of the greatest unintentional comedies of our generation." – Joystiq.

• AMCtv.com: "I much prefer the flamboyant badness of the '94 flick to the attractive, even-keeled mediocrity of this one. Jean-Claude Van Damme's stock just rose considerably."
• WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) (-5/5): "As a fan of the video game series, I can honestly say that this is hands down one of the worst films I have ever seen. Chris Klein is so bad that he made the movie a comedy."
• IGN Movies (1.5/5): "It may not be as gaudy or goofy as its predecessor, but it's far more boring and banal. It's a videogame adaptation that loses sight of what made the game popular to begin with: it was fun."

[Joystiq]