Since this blog is going to be long, I'm going to skip the usual opening paragraphs, and get right to it.

Purchases:

Playstation 3: Dark Sector - $65 (I only paid $55 on pick-up, as $10 was put down for reserve)

Now playing:

Playstation 3: Dark Sector, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Condemned 2, Rock Band

Nintendo Wii: Wii Sports

Xbox 360: Project Gotham Racing 4

Sony PSP: GTA: Vice City Stories

Impressions:

For the sake of saving space, I won't go into any of these games' back story. I'll just give some detail, say what I think about each game, and whether or not I recommend buying said game. Also, even though all of these impressions are fairly long, believe it or not, I shortened them in the interest in keeping this blog semi-readable.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Some have called it a sequel, and some have called it a glorified expansion, either way, Vegas 2 is the premiere tactical shooter on the market. You simply cannot find a better game of this type. Lets explore the changes/additions to Vegas 2:

The graphics, while not amazing by any stretch, have received a nice cleansing, and by that I mean the game looks cleaner, smoother, a little more colorful, and it just looks more polished. The frame rate issues that some reviewers have said exist in the PS3 version have yet to be seen by my eyes. Perhaps this is another unjust knock against the PS3, or I just haven't witnessed it, but whatever the case may be, I haven't noticed it. An occasional hitch when several grenades are going off is present, rarely, but other then that, it runs great. Overall, Vegas 2 may not be a graphical showcase, but it's more then adequate.

Vegas 2 didn't just receive a slight, though much needed makeover, but the persistent elite creation found in the original game's multiplayer has thankfully made it's way over to the single player. Before you set off into a war against the terrorists, you're tasked with creating your character's look, as well as outfitting him/her with armor, clothes, accessories, and weaponry. If you have the PSeye (or Vision Cam on the 360) you can use it to take a picture of your face for use in the game. This is great, though I chose not to use it after finding out that you cannot customize your character as thoroughly while using your own face as you can without. Still, it's a cool feature, and you will chuckle every now and then when you see yourself in the game.

One of Vegas 2's best new features is the ability to sprint. I can't tell you how useful this has been in quickly getting from cover to cover, getting out of the way of grenades, charging the enemy, etc. The ability to sprint really changes things up, and speeds up a somewhat slow-paced game. No longer do you have to walk at the blazing speed of a snail, even as your life hangs in the balance. I'll tell you, as much as I love the original Vegas, it's hard to play it after Vegas 2 allows you to run.

A much welcome addition to the single player is that you earn experience points by racking up kills, giving you points for headshots, kills through cover, having your team score kills, long range kills, close range kills, kills with grenades, and more, and it adds a tremendous sense of accomplishment as you rack up the points. You'll see yourself going about missions in different ways just to score points and rank up in level, which unlocks new weapons, armor, and accessories. Really, this is a great add, and it really adds to the replay value. Also, if you have a save from the original Vegas, the game will recognize your progress and award you points based on your Vegas 1 save.

Also, in regards to the single player, I did marathon it and beat it, and I have to say that I found it far more enjoyable then the first. The level layouts were great, taking great advantage of the new sprint ability, and I felt Vegas 2's levels allowed for better teamwork. There's some twists and turns in the story, some great battles, and all in all, it was highly enjoyable, and I can't wait to bump the difficulty up to 'realistic' and give it another go.

Aside from all of the above, Vegas 2 doesn't stop there. It adds a few more very useful abilities, such as the ability to thermal scan an area from overhead to reveal enemies, order a teammate to throw a grenade or smoke grenade, and the ability to shoot enemies hidden by cover if the cover is thin.

I don't know how people can look at all of these additions and tweaks, and act like this game isn't a true sequel. To me, it very much is, and what they've added and changed has benefited this game greatly. Besides, what could they have done without drastically changing the tried and true Vegas formula? The game already played great, and with these additions and changes, the already great Vegas formula inches even closer to perfection.

Do I recommend this? If you're a fan of this type of game, then hell freakin' yeah! You get an incredibly solid game with a great single player, online co-op, online terrorist hunt, lots of online modes to play, and weapons, armor and accessories to unlock. There is a tremendous amount of content here, and if you're into this styIe of game, this is $60 very well spent. I'm still playing the original Vegas which was released in November 2006 (Vegas 1 on 360), and given the fact that the sequel is even better, this game has extremely long legs.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot - Let me warn you - if you're someone who gets freaked out easily, you should probably pass this game up. Condemned 2 makes you feel uneasy, it heightens your senses, and makes you feel jittery when turning every corner. It's pretty unnerving to be walking in the dark, alone, and hear a coked-up freak running on the floor above you. You can hear his footsteps get louder and quieter as he gets closer or further, and you can hear him laughing like the psychopath that he is.

That's one of Condemned 2's best traits - it's audio. Sounds are very sharp, clear, and distinct. The audio does a tremendous amount of the leg work in regards to the atmosphere. It really pulls you in, and encourages you to crank the volume to hear the laughing, footsteps, blood splattering, melee weapon impact, gun fire, etc.

The graphics in Condemned may not be stunning, but the use of the graphics make them excellent. What I mean is that the shadows, the lighting and particle effects, and the overall look of the game does a hell of a good job at conveying it's world to you. This world is dark, gritty, creepy, and moody, and when you combine the game's excellent effects and atmosphere with the superb sound work, you will be very engrossed in this game's world.

The combat is fantastic in this game. Each trigger controls an arm, and while you might be freaked out enough to furiously hit the buttons, don't. See, this game isn't about button mashing, no, it takes more finesse and timing to really cause damage. You will have to learn the timing of your swings, as well as the timing of blocking if you wish to survive. If you don't, you will die. Simple as that. The combat might seem difficult for a little while, but stick with it. It's worth it. It's so brutal, so satisfying, and so....impactfull, and I honestly can't think of a game that captures melee combat so well.

It's not just about scares and brutality in Condemned 2, you actually have to use your brain in this game. There is a good bit of detective work that needs done. Example: you'll come across a body later in the game, and it's up to you to figure out who this person is, and how they died. You'll have to choose the correct tools to solve the mystery, and you'll really have to scout the area using these tools to find out what happened. Believe me, this is really fun, and it's a nice change of pace from the combat. It's really interesting to use your tools and your brain to figure it out. The game will grade you, so you'll really want to do your best.

I could go on, but I don't want to give anything else away. Suffice to say that this game is creepy as hell, and very brutal, but it's also interesting because of it's story and detective work.

Do I recommend this game? Depends. The first thing you must ask yourself is how much scare can you take? If you're in the mood for a good scare, then you're on your way. Next, does the idea of using your brain to solve a few mysteries sound intriguing? Good, now how about bashing the **** out of some drug addict's face for getting in your face?

All in all it's an excellent game, and if you're looking for a good single player game that will scare you, challenge you, and make you think a bit, then go for it. It's not terribly long, and the online play is decent at best. If you have the cash lying around and you're in need of a good single player game, go for it. Don't buy it if you're looking for the next big thing in multiplayer, but for single player gaming, it's among the best of it's type in a long while.

Dark Sector - Ok, you all know I was big-time excited for this game, and I'm glad to say that Dark Sector not only matched my expectations, but far exceeded them. In an attempt to not spoil anything, I'm not going to go too deep into the game's story or characters. Stuff like this should be discovered on your own.

As for how it plays, it plays awesome. To give you an idea, it's plays very similar to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Gears of War, in that it's played from a third person perspective, the aim view is over your shoulder, you take cover, and pop-in and out to shoot. Taking cover and shooting is great, but Dark Sector adds a whole other element to it, and that's the oh so awesome Glaive.

You'll throw this Glaive for various reasons, such as breaking locks on doors, smashing crates, picking up loose items around the world, but more importantly (and fun) is throwing it at an enemy. Throwing it at an enemy yields very satisfying results as you watch a head, an arm, a leg, and even torsos fly through the game world. It's extremely satisfying, especially when you begin to power up the Glaive. See, initially the Glaive is strong, but you won't be shredding foes up immediately, but don't worry. It doesn't take long to start the massacre.

The graphics are very, very good in Dark Sector. While there are a few low-res textures to be found (what game doesn't have this?) the whole of Dark Sector is extremely attractive. Very sharp textures, amazing rain effects, excellent lighting and shadows, character models, fire and electricity effects, great gore....it all looks awesome.

Dark Sector also features excellent sound and music. Music fits the mood, the drops of rain sound great, explosions are good, and enemies scream so convincingly that you just know that you caused them endless pain. Watching them run from me screaming in agony, and then get cut in half by my Glaive just seconds before they reach salvation behind cover gives me a great feeling inside.

Also, if you stun an enemy, charge him and you can deliver an awesome finishing maneuver. These range from simple snapping of necks, to stabbing a foe in the chest with the Glaive, or even slicing someone vertically from the waist up with the Glaive. Very nice.

All in all, Dark Sector does a great job at making you feel powerful, while still putting you in tough battles, which could lead to your death. The game has an interesting story, brutal combat, amazing graphics, great atmosphere, and everything else to make this a more then worthy buy for me. I haven't beat the game yet, though I'm very close, and while it may not be the longest game in history I know I'll be coming back again. And again, and definitely again.

Do I recommend it? Depends. If you have $60 and you're looking for a great single player game with great gameplay, and you don't mind games not being overly long, go for it. Especially if you are someone who enjoys playing games a couple of times over. The online isn't the best, so if you're looking for a great online game, you should probably look elsewhere, say Vegas 2?

Dark Sector is fantastic, and to be honest, is my favorite game of Q1. Believe me that's saying something, seeing as '08 has been stacked with quality games such as Burnout Paradise, Devil May Cry 4, Condemned 2, Army of Two, and Vegas 2. It's very satisfying to play, and seeing as I'm a fan of brutal combat, blood and gore, and replaying my games several times, Dark Sector is worth every penny to me.

Now excuse me. I'm gonna wear my Dark Sector hat, and go cut some limbs off.

Phewwww....

Ok, my finger tips are getting blisters, so I'm done. I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to blog this week, but I snagged a tiny bit of time to get it up. I must admit that I'm not terribly happy with how my impressions on these games came out, as I don't feel they lived up to my usual standards, but given the work I'm doing, and how long this blog is, that's all you're gonna get.

I was thinking about breaking this up into smaller blogs during the week, but I really don't have the time to do that. So, if those impressions didn't do it for you, or you have some questions about each game, leave me a question and I'll answer it.

Also, I know I missed some blogs this week, and again, I apologize. The end of March is nearing, which means April -the worst month of the year for me- is days away, and I'll probably miss a few more blogs for the next few weeks. I'll try and catch up, believe me.

Take care, thanks for reading, and, oh, by the way, only a month left until GTAIV....!

*dies*

- Daniel