Review: Splinter Cell Conviction (360)

+'s

-a more action-based Splinter Cell

-does a good job making you feel like a predator

-controls are intuitive and tight

-weapon upgrade system keeps things fun (and it's great it works across all modes of play)

-Co-op campaign is fun for awhile

-'s

-single player campaign is very short (about 5 hours)

-story is tough to follow (in typical Tom Clancy fashion) and not very impactful

-graphics are pretty good in spots, and pretty bad in others

-not much reason to replay the game

Neutral

-still mostly a stealth based game. You will die if you play it otherwise.

Overall, the single player campaign was fun for a bit. The Co-op campaign was fun for awhile, but got very stale and monotonous very quickly. Few Tom Clancy games have truly been for me, and this is no exception. Definitely not a bad game, but also not one I can recommend.

Review: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (360)

+'s

-outstanding team based Multiplayer

-multiplayer has different classes, each with unlockables, and each one is fun to play as

-very solid graphics, and outstanding sound

-most buildings are completely destructible now

-improved controls from the original

-much fewer trash talking idiots than MW2 or Halo 3

-'s

-single player campaign is fun, but forgetful

-multiplayer needs even more unlockables (weapons, upgrades, etc.) as it is very addictive

Neutral

-Multiplayer is much different than MW2. The maps are HUGE in comparison with vehicles (tanks, helicopters, ATV's, and even UAV's) thrown in here and there

Overall, not as great a package as MW2 (but what is?), but the team-based multiplayer really shines. I just wish more of my friends would get into it. This is one I'll probably keep coming back to here and there for a long while.

Review: God of War III (PS3)

+'s

-it's another GOW

-probably the best production of any game I have played (cinematics are basically done in-game)

-graphics, sound, art style, are all fantastic-arguable the best this gen (pretty easy argument)

-controls are modified, but for the better (and it still feels like GOW)

-story is very good

- best use of items in the series yet

-incredibly violent actions, but also incredibly satisfying if you are familiar with the story

-'s

-the last in the trilogy

-some of the platforming mechanics and hit detection (especially on certain boss fights) could be polished more

Neutral

-This game won't change your mind about GOW. It's just bigger, better, more improved.

Overall, I don't know how action/adventures, specifically violent action adventures, can top this game. The production value is ridiculous, controls are mostly very responsive and tight, and there are tons of awesome moments. Currently I'm on my third playthrough (now on Titan mode) and there are other games to play. I just don't want to play anything else.

Failure Rate: XBOX 360

I'd have to look into the actual study more, but it's VERY interesting that the failure rate is still at 42% and 55% of owners who get a fixed/refurbished console have it fail again at least once.

Article is here.

Points Addict: 45,000

Tonight I passed 45K while playing Splinter Cell Conviction.