The main topics we touched on this week include the Modern Warfare 2 hacker fiasco, Sony introducing a subscription plan for PSN, and the Spike Video Game Awards nominations for Game Of The Year.

Shout outs to the best rapper alive Bangs for our outro music.

Do not miss this episode.

P.S If you win a code please check your email because you will need to click a confirmation link to receive a code. If you do not click the link a new winner will be chosen to take your place. You have been warned.

Incase you forgot what The Koalition is about, then we’re going to remind you. Below is a little story/description all about The Koalition’s goals and achievements.

The Koalition is a video game site targeting the hiphop & urban community. Providing new perspective for the consumer as well as the game makers. The Koalition has become the authority in hiphop and video games from experience in game journalism, passion for music, and social networking.

The Koalition has quickly become the dominant urban voice in gaming, With features on top site/publications such as Kotaku, ThisIs50, GamePro, Shade45, Complex, 2Dopeboyz, Konsole Kingz and even collaborations with Xbox Live. The Koalition was also the 2009 Black Weblog Award winner for best technology site/blog.

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REMEMBER THIS IS THE PC VERSION, DO NOT ENTER IF YOU DONT HAVE A PC THAT CAN RUN THE GAME>

Campaign & Gameplay:

Modern Warfare 2 takes place 5 years after the events of the original game. By now the efforts of the United States Marines against terrorism have fallen significantly short allowing the Ultranationalists to seize command and control over Russia. The main protagonist of the game is Vladimir Makarov, a former lieutenant who now gets his kicks by setting up several terror attacks throughout the globe. You begin the game from the perspective of U.S. Army Ranger Private Joseph Allen stationed in Afghanistan during an intense war. Just as in the previous game, you gradually shift command of up to five different characters at specified points and times in the story. While the aspect of having intertwined storylines adds to the core plot, the execution of this technique fails to offer a complete campaign experience. There are several loose ends that aren’t fully examined and give the impression that these explanations were purposely left out for Modern Warfare 3. An example of this theory comes within the controversial airport level, which by now has created a media frenzy. In this scene you assume the control of Private Allen while being undercover and lead by Makarov in a shooting spree at a nearby Airport. While the inclusion of this scene brings to light intense issues and suggests discussion on the topic of terrorism, it fails to serve justice to the culprits involved. As you progress through the game there is never a final confrontation between Makarov, which is a big reason why this level stands out. In traditional cinema it is always believed that sooner or later the villain gets what’s coming to him and unfortunately that’s not the case in this story. Likewise, there is also curiosity left over as to what happened to the characters of other units that you play in. One can argue that single player campaign shouldn’t be the focus of any COD game, but with a hot topic such as terrorism you can’t help but want to see a definitive resolution to the conflict. Add in the fact that this mode will only take you 5 hours to complete and you’ll feel as through there is still plenty more that could have been explored to lengthen the overall experience.

When it comes to gameplay, Modern Warfare 2 continues to shine in this department. The control mechanism is easy to get used to and is intuitive enough that even someone who has never played a cod game will be right at home with this one. You’ll easily be guided through each objective by the use of a numbered checkpoint system over a traditional map. The added military talk personnel adds to the effectiveness of capturing quality sound that keeps the environments real and engaging. An array of weapons from assault rifles, to duel wielding pistols is at your disposal and keeps the gunplay highly enjoyable and rewarding. The A.I. within the campaign is a bit dulled down even at the highest difficulty level. It’s worth noting that you’ll find the steepest challenge once you decide to play against competitors online. The graphics are also vastly improved which ranks this entry in the series a step above the original. The best display of this notion is expressed by the many locales you visit throughout the campaign including Washington D.C. and Rio De Janeiro to name a few. Even the amount of damage you can inflict upon each stage is impressive. You can tell Infinity Ward wanted to create the world on a much more grander scale and they should be applauded for there efforts this time around. Once you finish the campaign mode, you’ll be given the option to play the new Spec Ops Mode. This is a mode that allows you to play through several missions and challenges either by yourself or cooperatively with a friend. The inclusion of this feature adds further value to the package by encouraging you to replay every mission until you have successful captured all 69 stars.

Multiplayer Madness:

Modern Warfare 2’s bread and butter remains in the highly competitive online multiplayer experience. Just as in the previous entry in the series, you have the ability to create customizable classes by choosing your primary and secondary weapons, special grenades, tactical perks like Air Strikes, and improved combat techniques. Every time you play through a match you gain points based upon your individual performace. These points are then used to not only raise your player ranking but also to unlock upgraded weapons and attacks that you can use in any given match. The overall system is insanely balanced in the sense that there are always ways to counter attacks with the improved Killstreak options. There is also the ability to change Callsigns, emblems, and clan titles in the pre-match lobby to create a deeper sense of authenticity. The package contains a total of 15 multiplayer maps with the promise of more to drop in spring of 2010. There are also several match types to choose from like Free-For-All and Team Deathmatch. My only complaint about the mode is that until you unlock the ability to choose your respawn destination, you’ll find yourself dead in the middle of multiple shootouts. Certain maps offer places to hide while others lack the range of options necessary to get the upper hand on your opponents. For example, the airport terminal map is one stage that constantly keeps you highly susceptible to high death counts. Many will argue that these instances will force you to step up your gaming aesthetics when going online. Overall, the multiplayer mode is highly addictive and one of the most engaging reasons for high replayability.

Final Verdict:

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 does an excellent job of portraying the harsh realities of war in our society. When compared to other First person shooters, it sticks to the core roots of gameplay that made the first one a hit. This concept doesn’t make it revolutionary but instead just keep things as expected. While the campaign needs a deeper sense of completion to fully convey the message, its clear that Infinity Ward has gotten people thinking about the delicate issues of terrorism as it relates to our everyday lives. The Spec Ops and Multiplayer Modes offer a meaty package that is sure to own your nights for hours on end. Ultimately if you were a diehard fan of the original Modern Warfare, then chances are you don’t need a more compelling reason to pick up this game. However, if you are considering making this your first venture into the series then I recommend this is one war you don’t want to miss.

Despite being over 20 years old, the core game design hasn’t changed. Once again Bowser has orchestrated the kidnapping of Princess Peach and it’s up to Mario to put put his plumbing duties aside and rescue her. His journey will take him through 8 distinctive worlds where he’ll have to traverse through jungles, tropical islands, deserts and even the beyond the clouds. With each new world comes new enemies and a new challenge but unfortunately none of the worlds feel as unique as say, the Giant World from Super Mario Bros. 3. Every world on Mario Bros. Wii feels like a rehash of locations from the previous games and you’ll probably be able to predict what several of the upcoming worlds are going to be like before you even reach them. The Ice World is still slippery, the Desert World still contains pits of quick sand and surprise, surprise the final world still features Lava and erupting volcanos. Nintendo played it very safe with the creation of this game and the overall experience suffers for it, the only significant new feature they’ve added is the brand new 2-4 player co-op and competitive modes.

Taking a page from LittleBigPlanet’s book, players now have the opportunity to play through the entire game with up to 3 friends as Luigi, Yellow Toad and/or Blue Toad who all control exactly the same as Mario. Unlike LittleBigPlanet you won’t find any level creation tools or online modes here but as an overall experience Mario Bros. Wii is leaps ahead of Media Molecule’s cash-cow. The best thing about multi-player Mario is you have the opportunity to both assist and screw over your fellow players at will. If you’re a genuinely nice person you can lift your buddy above your head to help them reach high areas, you can share objects with them and when they die and reappear on-screen inside of a bubble you can burst it to allow them to rejoin the game. However if you’re anything like me you could instead choose to throw them down pits, stomp on their heads to obstruct their jumps, collect all the items for yourself even If you don’t need them and when they die leave them to float around aimlessly inside of their bubble until you complete the level.

If you’re like me then you should jump straight in to the Coin Battle mode where you’re object is to collect more coins than your opponent(s), as long as you and the people you’re playing won’t get butt-hurt if someone throws you down a pit just to for a laugh you can’t help but have fun here. As you can imagine the more people you’re playing with, the more hectic the game becomes but it never gets hard to keep track of what’s going on. If players are too far away of each other the screen pans out to give you all a better view, If one person goes up a beanstalk or down a pipe you all end up there with them and the game doesn’t end unless each player has lost all of their lives or every one is in a bubble at the same time. The single player campaign can also be completed with up to 4 friends and there’s even a Free Play Mode where you can select a playlist of your favorite levels and play them in sequence.

As fun as multiplayer can be I think it’s safe to assume that most players won’t have a friend to play with for the majority of the game so the crux of this title has to it’s single player offering. Many gamers have expressed fears that the heavy emphasis on family-friendly multiplayer will somehow dilute the solo experience especially since each of the levels were designed to accommodate up to 4 players but I can honestly say that not once during my entire play-through did I feel that the solo campaign had been compromised in any way.

Don’t let the TV ads fool you, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is definitely hardcore and one of the most difficult Mario games to date. Thankfully 1up’s are easy to attain and the age-old 99 lives exploit still works. If you do happen to come across that one stage that you just can’t seem to beat you’ll be pleased to know that Nintendo have included a Super Guide feature which essentially plays the level for you. If you die 8 consecutive times on any level a green item block will appear in the game world, activating that block will run a video of Luigi playing through the level on your behalf after-which you can simply move on to the next one. The inclusion of this feature caused quiet an uproar amongst the Nintendo community as they felt it was yet another case of Nintendo games being dumbed down to cater for a more casual audience but I don’t see what any of the fuss is about. The feature is optional and it provides a way for everyone to finish and continually enjoy the game regardless of their age or skill-level.

One thing fans can be happy about is the return of Yoshi, who makes an appearance in a select few levels. Yoshi has the ability to swallow enemies, float for a few seconds and save Mario from plummeting to his death by ejecting him off of his back. Unlike Super Mario World, Yoshi can only be used on the specific levels he’s found in and once that level has been completed he gets left behind. Mario should be just fine without him though because as well as the usual Mushrooms, Stars and Fire Flowers, Mario also has some all new items to see him through his quest. The most useful of which are Propeller Hats which, by shaking the Wii remote, rockets him up in to the air and allows him to float back down gently. Other new items include the enemy-freezing Ice Flowers and a Penguin Suits which are pretty much the same as Ice Flowers but also enables Mario to swim faster and slide on his stomach. Any of the items available in the game can be won and subsequently added to your Items List by entering red Toad Huts located on the map screen, once an item is in your Items List you can pre-select it before you enter any of the levels to give yourself an advantage right from the start.  As well as serving as a hub to all of the levels the map screen also hints to hidden paths and shortcuts which only become available once you find a secret exit in a near-by level.

Each of the worlds contain a Fortress and a Castle (placed mid-way through, and at the end of each world respectively) both of which cap-off with a boss flights against one of the 7 Koopa Kids who have been missing from the Nintendo universe for far too long. Some worlds also feature tricky Ghost Houses and Air Ships which are a welcome returns from previous Mario titles and enemies even patrol portions of the map screen forcing you to engage in a battle ala the Hammer Brothers in Super Mario Bros. 3. Playing the game with the Wii remote held sideways feels right as does tilting it to control moving platforms but I could have done without having to shake the remote to make Mario perform a spin jump or pick up items. You have the option to connect a nun-chuk if you crave inaccurate analog controls but no other peripherial is supported.

If you have nostalgia for the Mario games of yester-year there are plenty of things in Mario Bros. Wii that are guaranteed to make you smile. The music, the enemies, the flag posts, the Koopa Kids, Yoshi, air ships, the list goes on. The release of the New Super Mario Bros. on DS just a few ago dampens the excitement a new 2D Mario game should have Mario Bros. Wii is an excellent, excellent title with a tremendous ammount of replay value. The lack of originality, Classic Controller support, online play and a level editor are unfortunate oversights but hopefully Nintendo will address these issues and take cues from Media Molecule for a sequel. Regardless, as it stands this is an essential Wii purchase that will hopefully replace Wii Sports as the “must play” title during family gatherings. Buy. This. Now.

The conclusion of Ratchet & Clank’s “Future” arc is finally upon us and if like me you’ve been waiting two years to discover what Clank’s fate it will come with a huge sigh of relief. If you’re new to the series or missed out on R&C’s previous PS3 adventures (including  the downloadable Quest For Booty) don’t worry, A Crack In Time does a fine job bringing you up to speed on the story whist the game is secretly installing. The final moments of 2007’s Tools Of Destruction saw Clank being “kidnapped” by mysterious Zoni creatures and the entirety of A Crack In Time revolves around reuniting the pair, thwarting Dr. Nefarious latest plans and discovering the answers to questions which has been present since the series debut in 2002.

The developers at Insomniac have done a great job separating both Ratchet and his robot buddy Clank’s individual campaigns and hopping between them serves as an excellent way to break up the pace and keep the game feeling fresh from the moment it starts until the end credits roll. For the majority of this action-packed adventure you’ll be playing as Ratchet, a weapon-toting rodent on a mission to rescue his best friend. The Ratchet sections focus primarily on platforming and combat with a few environmental puzzles thrown in every now and again. Initially you’ll start the campaign with nothing more than a simple blaster but as you progress and collect bolts you’ll have the opportunity to purchase additional weapons from venders scattered across the universe. Furthermore each weapon can be leveled up simply by using them and collecting Weapon Packs allows you to customize some of them to your liking. Eventually you’ll be heading in to huge battles armed with everything from a sniper rifle to a disco ball which emits strobe-lighting and funky music, forcing near-by enemies to break out their best dance moves even while you continue to shoot them. Ratchet also has some new weapons to choose from including a Sonic-Eruptor which sends out deadly sound waves but unfortunately none of these quiet as unique or impressive as the selection available in Tools Of Destruction.

A Crack In Time humor has also been slightly downgraded from the previous two games. The storyline is handled far more seriously this time around and the cast of robots the over-excited main protagonist aren’t a patch on the knuckle-headed pirates who Ratchet & Clank were previously up against. Everything else in A Crack In Time is a vast improvement over its predecessors, especially the exploring the galaxy which previously was nothing more than a map screen and lengthy loading process. Now you have direct control of your ship and you are free to explore the solar system shooting down enemies, taking on side missions and visiting planets to collect bolts and upgrades for your ship or weapons.

While Ratchet’s motivation is very self-serving, Clank’s quest is far more extravagant as he’s out to save the entire universe. Without giving too much of the story away it involves Dr. Nefarious attempting to gain access the Great Clock located in the exact center of the universe (give or take 50-feet), accessing the Clock will allow him to travel through time like a young Michael J. Fox however doing so could rip apart the very fabric of the universe. Clank is the only one who gain access to the Clock, hence the reason Nefarious had him kidnapped in the first place, but early on he manages to escape from his imprisonment and a journey of self-discovery ensues. The Clank section are a direct contrast to Ratchet’s and instead of mindless shooting you’re required to solve brain-bending puzzles. Standing on time portals allows Clank to record his actions and have a duplicate of himself carry them out, essentially putting himself in two places at once. Thing start off relatively easy with simple “use clone to stand on door switch” puzzles but eventually you’ll have to organize and manage up for four versions of yourself and have them all work in tandem. These sections are among the best in the game and they’re spaced out appropriately to avoid them from becoming repetitive. In terms of combat Clank carries around a large time-rewinding staff which can be used to melee enemies, deflect projectiles and repair damaged objects. Clank can also throw time orbs to slow down enemies and moving platforms, granting him access to perviously unreachable areas.

Graphically A Crack In Time is on-par with Tools Of Destruction and it runs at a solid 60fps through-out regardless of how many enemies, explosions or bolts are being displayed screen. The voice work is as excellent as ever and some parts of dialogue will literally have you laughing out loud. A few minor gripes come courtesy of games not-so-perfect camera system and Ratchet’s automatic lock-on feature which sometimes has you aiming at non-threatening enemies in the distance rather than the guy standing right in front of you. Like I said these are minor gripes which appear infrequently and the game offers 3 different camera types to help combat both these issues.

As it stands A Crack In Time is a excellent title and one of the best platformers ever made, at this point R&C just may be Mario’s closest competitors for the King Of Platformers crown. If you choose to avoid all the side missions you can probably blow through the campaign in a little over 7 hours and with no online component other than leader boards some may feel this isn’t worth a $60 purchase but trust me the fun-factor alone justifies every penny. If you own a PS3 this is an essential game to add to your collection.

Tracklist
01. Eminem – Till I Collapse
02. Puff Daddy – Victory
03. Nas – Black Republican
04. S.A.S – In The Army
05. Sheek Louch – Mighty D-Block
06. Wu-Tang Clan – Triumph
07. Jedi Mind Tricks – Battle Cry
08. Royce Da 5′9″ – Gun Harmonizing
09. Fort Minor – Remember The Name
10. Eminem – Like Toy Soldiers
11. G-Unit – Casualties Of War
12. Canibus – Draft Me
13. Lloyd Banks – Warrior
14. Sheek Louch – We At War
15. 50 Cent – Crime Wave
16. Lupe Fiasco – Little Weapon
17. G-Unit – Salute U
18. Chamillionaire – The Evening News
19. Ghostface Killah – Dogs Of War
20. Eminem – Mosh

The aptly titled “Triumph” sees the quick witted emcee flexing his lyrical prowess over Dave Sitek’s probing, horn-infused beatbreak. Southern veteran Bun B joins Wale on “Mirrors” as the twosome wax poetics on those individuals who choose to “fake it ’till they make it”. The emo record that appears to be prerequisite for hip hop albums nowadays comes in the form of “90210″ as Wale touches on females with cocaine addictions and those that suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia. Great idea, but flawed execution bring down the record, however.

“Diary” comes as a refreshing opposing viewpoint of women from “90210″ as Wale pens a heartfelt letter to his lady, a woman having a hard time opening up her heart after many failed relationships while the refreshing Marsha Ambrosius glides over The Sleepwalkers’ dreamy backdrop. “TV in The Radio” sees Wale teaming up with K’naan for a quick lyrical blitzkrieg with the latter effortlessly delivering arguably “the” verse of the entire album as well as providing hook duties. The haunting “Contemplate” sees Wale at his darkest aided by Rihanna’s echoing coos contemplating what exactly is his “place” in hip hop before uniting with Roc Nation signees Melanie Fiona & J.Cole on the soulful “Beautiful Bliss”, the smooth, feel good jam of the album.

Producer Best Kept Secret contributes two gems to the project in the form of “Shades” and “Prescription”. The former sees Wale aided by arguably the premier go-to songstress for hook duties as Chrisette Michele provides her nostalgic croons while Wale sincerely recounts issues with colorism he suffered during his childhood, jealous of those with skin lighter than his. The mellow “Prescription” brings Wale’s hyperactive debut to a firm conclusion as the DMV’s frontman searches for just the right “medicine” that hip hop has desperately been in search of.

Critiquing this album can easily find reviewers between a rock and a hard place. It is commonly looked down upon to feature so many artists on an album (especially a debut) as it takes the attention off of the artist whose project it is in the first place. While many features work (Jazmine Sullivan, Bun B), some are out of place (Gucci Mane) and some even overshadow that of Wale’s, specifically J.Cole’s toe-tagging of “Beautiful Bliss” and the desolate wasteland K’naan leaves “TV in The Radio” in. Another issue that proves problematic is the inaccurate sequencing that Attention: Deficit suffers from. On the bright side, there is a little something sprinkled here for everyone: feel good joints, social commentary, potential singles and self-reflection for the man himself. There are alot of great records presented, but Attention Deficit (as a whole) appears to be a water-down carbon copy of the Wale that fans fell in love with, the MC talent who was once inspired by Seinfield to craft a mixtape about “nothing”.

Apologies for the lack of The Co-Op Podcast but we will be back on a weekly rotation soon enough.

On This Episode
- Joe Danger footage + Interview
- Ruthless plays God Of War 3
- Heavy Rain Footage
- Interview with Split Second game director
- Plus more

Notes:
- The video is around 22 minutes
- There’s a point where it says ruthless is playing gears, it’s supposed to be GOW, oops!

My first impression of the PS3 version of Tekken 6 was far from pleasant, after forcing me to update to Sony’s “optional” 3.01 firmware I then had to  sit and wait for the game to patch itself which altogether took roughly 20 minutes. Once I finally reached the main menu things didn’t get any better, as soon as it loaded I was bombarded with a wealth of information and unnecessary distractions that I quickly had to wrap my head around. On the left were the usual selections (Online Mode, Offline Mode, Gallery, Options etc.), on the the right was my “profile information” which displayed my won/lost ratio, my fight money and my report rank, while in the background a character from the game was moving around in his fight stance while tanks drove by behind him shooting and causing mulitple explosions. This was by far one of the most clunky main menus I have ever seen and navigating through it was a pain until I learned where everything was.

Once I entered the Arcade mode and saw the huge array of fighters my heart began to warm-up. There are over 40 characters available from the start including 6 all new combatants. Arcade mode in itself is a severe disappointment though, forcing you to fight against a seemingly unbeatable robot, an overpowered Jin Kazama and a cheap, larger than life final boss. If you do manage to make it through this torture-fest your sense of accomplishment will be instantly shot down as the credits roll as soon as the final match is over without even so much as a “Congratulations”. Another reason why you may not want to bother with the Arcade mode is the fact that it is no longer the home of the games story, If you want justification as to why you’re going around punching people, robots, panda’s and kangaroos’ in the face you’ll have to consult the awful Scenario mode.

By now fans should be used to Namco’s failed attempts to inject third-person brawler modes in to Tekken games but usually these modes were considered mere extras and playing through the arcade mode provided you with the games story. However Tekken 6 takes the complete opposite approach and now the Scenario mode is the place to go if you want to learn what’s going on and unlock most of the titles achievements/trophies. Here you play as newcomer Lars Alexandersson fighting alongside an AI Controlled Alisa Bosconovitch, as a pair you run around uninspired 3D environments beating up hordes of enemies and collecting loot. I’m not going to waste time trying to explain the illogical, convoluted story but it involves Lars attempting to recover his memory and discover his roots. Early on in the campaign you can choose to play as any other character from the roster but whoever you chose will be replaced by Lars during the cut-scenes with no explanation what-so-ever which just serves to make the terrible story seem even more disjointed.

Like all good fighters Tekken 6 really comes to life when playing against other human opponents and you can choose to do so either locally or online. Local VS mode can be incredibly fun and the game does an excellent job accommodating for both newcomers and series veterans. As the button layout and move lists are relatively unchanged from previous installments I found myself able to jump in a whoop ass with no problems. Newbies will also find themselves pulling off several moves and basic combos simply by mashing on the four face buttons.  While this may sound like a bad thing, all bashing mashing can be countered using perry’s and well timed side-steps so if your girlfriend manages to beat you in a round or two you’ve only got yourself to blame. When you feel like you’re good enough to take on the world you literally can with the excellent online mode. But be warned, as the fighting system encourages you pummel your opponent while their defenceless via air juggles and ground attacks, playing online against skilled players can at times feel extremely unfair and one-sided. Also present are all the game modes you’ve come to expect, namely Survival, Time Trail, Team Battle and Practice. There is also a new Ghost Battle mode where you can fight endless streams of opponents to earn cash (used to customize your characters appearance) and quickly upgrade your rank from a Beginner to a Tekken God.

As long as you have a decent Internet connection or similarly skilled friend to play with Tekken 6 is a fantastic game but the disappointing single player offerings, terrible story and the re-use of animations and voice work from previous games in the series hurts the title overall. If you’re a Tekken fan you’re probably going to buy this game regardless of what any reviewer has to say but for everyone else I suggest you consider purchasing Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur IV, Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe or even Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection on the PSN before you put your money on the counter and take this game home.

Package Details:

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is part of a complete package that contains both The Lost and The Damned and The Ballad Of Gay Tony episodes on one disc.  The Lost and The Damned was the first DLC released for GTA IV back in February of this year. The recent release of The Ballad Of Gay Tony is the final episode in the three part series. This content is available exclusively for Xbox360 and can either be purchased separately for 1600 Microsoft points ($20) a piece or as a compilation disc for $40 respectively. Please note that if you do purchase the Episodes disc then you do not need the original GTA to playthrough both stories.

The Lost and The Damned:

The Lost and The Damned is a story that explores the turbulent lives of the members of a biker gang known as The Lost. You play the role of Johnny Klebitz, the unruly Vice President of the Biker club.  Your life begins to turn upside down when your head boss and club President Billy “ William” Grey returns after a brief stint in rehab. From there you constantly bump heads with him throughout the game, which accounts for a great deal of the missions and story elements you encounter. On the surface this content is reminiscent of the hit FX series Sons Of Anarchy because of its dark tone and excessive violence. The added film grain look provides an edgier glimpse into the shady underbelly that is Liberty City. Overall as a story the set pieces aren’t particularly strong but do enough to tie up the loose ends leftover in GTA IV.

In terms of gameplay, this title is very similar to GTA IV but with the ideal focus on building gang unity. After every intense gunfight that you and your crew win, everyone is instantly leveled up. This concept takes the meaning of “being hardened by war” to another level and will force you to think strategically when fighting. Another addition to the missions are the biker races you can participate in with rival gangs. If you get too close you’ll be able to melee your opponents with bats, therefore making it hard for them to successfully compete against you. Even the Clubhouse itself acts as a safe haven for you to play cards, participate in arm wrestling mini-game matches, and pay respect to your fallen comrades. The overall campaign mode can easily last up to 12 hours depending upon your desire to complete every side quest. Adding new modes like Witness Protection and Own The City have also bumped up the online features. Witness Protection splits players into two teams with one acting as officers transporting a witness to safety and the other as Lost club members aiming to take out that same witness at all costs. Own the City is more of a modified version of Turf War. Overall these modes are extremely fun to play and add replayability to the episode as a whole.

The Ballad Of Gay Tony:

The Ballad Of Gay Tony brings a fresh approach to the tried and true formula distinctly known as GTA. You play the role of Luis Lopez, a former army veteran/ex con turned Bodyguard and Business Associate of Anthony “Tony” Prince. Tony is a prominent Nightclub Owner of the most popular straight club, Maisonette 9, and its gay counterpart, Hercules. Things take a turn for the worse when Tony gets himself caught up in debt and therefore has Luis do favors as his form of repayment to his lenders. Luis also finds himself in a power struggle having to attend to the drug selling ways of his childhood friends Armando and Henrique, while also participating in cage fights to help his mother pay off her own debts she acquired from dealing with a loan shark. As a result the story becomes heavy on explosive battle encounters with the same playful side missions as GTA games of the past. It can easily be debated that this entry in the series could very well be the strongest based on the compelling characters. Yusef usually steals the show with his outlandish demeanor, while Luis’ mother has a softer side only wanting the best for her son. My only knock on it would be the lack of showing conflict when making choices. One of the reasons GTA IV stood out was because there where moments when Niko questioned the morality in doing certain actions. This not only gave the character further dimensionality but also emphasized a sense of humanity and forward thinking. When playing as Luis this isn’t quite as apparent as he only reacts to a situation without worrying about the consequences. I would be interested to see how these ideas are portrayed in future editions.

Again, the gameplay mechanics are similar to GTA IV but with a greater emphasis on offering improved cars and weapons. Some cars also carry nitro, which comes in handy when you need to outrun the cops. Overall, the drivers you deal with on the road are terrible and given that the same came be said about real life drivers today I believe this will force you to become better at maneuvering. In regards to weapons, the sticky bombs are used heavily to blow up trains, planes, cranes, and just about everything else. Likewise adding the p90 SMG offers superior gunplay when getting into intense gunfights. This comes in handy when you playthrough the dock smuggling mission where you and your friends are ambushed and have to shoot your way out. When it comes to having fun in Liberty City, you can do the same activities as before but with the addition of now managing clubs. This may appear to be a boring concept but what makes it fun is the inclusion of dancing mini-games and drinking games you can have with the locals. The dancing side games are time based and require you to sync Luis’ movements to the music. Successfully pull that task off and you’ll be rewarded with a tasteful sex scene between you and the woman you danced with at the nearest bathroom stall. While this definitely isn’t the kind of girl you want to bring home to momma, it can’t be denied that these comedic elements make for a fun experience. The campaign also clocks in at about 12+ hours of gameplay. Once you beat the game you have the ability to replay each mission to get a higher score. Achievement whores will find this beneficial because by doing so they can net themselves bonus points. My one criticism with the online play is the lack of modes. The Lost and the Damned made an attempt to offer new player experiences, while The Ballad Of Gay Tony recycled the same modes from GTA IV. Clearly the inclusion of maybe an online Cage Fighting championship mode, or dancing contest could have easily pushed this concept to a new level.

Final Verdict:

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City surpasses what the definition of value DLC really is. While most gamers will be quick to spend $60 on any game, its hard to deny that at the $40 price point this game offers more bang for your buck. If you have ever been a fan of the GTA franchise I would urge you to pick up this title. Maybe then and only then can you truly live the American Dream.

With the introduction of DJ Hero comes its own peripheral, the turntable and mixer. The turntable itself is fully rotatable for scratching and rewinds, and includes the three stream buttons right on top of the turntable. The button placement can be put on either the left or right side of the turntable, but having the buttons on the right makes it that much harder to play. Having the buttons themselves on top of the turntable might seem like a mistake initially, but as you develop your skill you’ll get used to it. The other half of the hardware is the mixer, which has the crossfader tab, effects dial, and the Euphoria (star power) button. Everything on the mixer works fine except the crossfader, which can take awhile to get used to. The crossfader tab doesn’t click in the middle making it difficult to know whether or not it’s actually in the middle. I’ve noticed while playing, the crossfade tab doesn’t necessarily have to be right in the middle for the game to recognize that. This also takes some getting used too. The entire piece of hardware itself is sturdy, well built, and no heavier than your Guitar Hero peripheral. It’s not a pretty design but it’ll get the job done.

DJ Hero returns to the simple roots of Guitar Hero single player, earn stars. As you earn stars for each song you complete, setlist, characters, turntables, clothing, and more will be awarded. There’s not really a career mode in DJ Hero. You simply play, do your best, and earn. Although, I would of enjoyed creating my own DJ, but I can’t complain when I get to play as Daft Punk. The only similarity DJ Hero’s gameplay has to Guitar Hero is that you push buttons. Things have changed with the addition of scratching and cross-fading. Scratching is easy enough to do. You simply hold the button, it shows on screen, and scratch on the turntable. Cross-fading for the most part is easy to learn but hard to master. When the fader shifts to the left, move the crossfader tab to the left. Same thing applies for the right side. DJ Hero uses a new and unique way to play and one that mimics what DJ’s do, somewhat. DJ Hero’s difficulty really all depends on which difficulty set you choose. The higher the difficulty the more the game requires you to do.

The one thing DJ Hero was expected to do right was the music and FreeStyleGames succeeds in offering a great soundtrack. The 93 mixes in DJ Hero are made up of 2 songs ranging from several genres of music like hip-hop, dance, pop, r&b, rock, and more. There’s so much variety in the music that it’ll be really easy to find something you like. Even the in-house DJ’s at FreeStyleGames did a great job with their mixes, as well as the more well known faces like Z-trip, Cut Chemist, DJ AM, etc. The only fault some of the music has is that there’s a couple of overused songs such as “Disturbia” by Rihanna and “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani. It really gets old when you have to hear Gwen Stefani proclaim that “This shit is bananas” in every mix that the track is featured on. If anything songs should be used only twice, once for the beat and once for the vocals.

One of the great things about rhythm based games is the fact that you can play with a group of friends. DJ Hero will catch your friends eyes, but you won’t find the same amount of fun like you do in other rhythm based games since DJ Hero is essentially a single player game. You can do local two player battles, but the only way to get another turntable peripheral at the time being is to buy another $120 set. You can also play 10 mixes by using your guitar. It works identical to Guitar Hero, but it really feels out of place for this game. If none of that interest you then you can battle it out online, although the game lacks multiplayer modes. All it has now is DJ Vs. DJ, who can get the better score. I don’t have any suggestions though, so for now DJ Vs. DJ is all I need.

DJ Hero probably won’t make you want to become real DJ, but playing one is fun. The $120 price tag might be something to consider if you’re low on cash, but if you’re even remotely interested in the DJ Hero experience the price point is an afterthought. DJ Hero lacks a few modes here and there, but the music and the new gameplay experience overshadows the negative. Activision, you have something great here with potential to grow, but I don’t want to see DJ Hero 2 in a couple months. Overall, the video game and hip-hop authority approves DJ Hero. Go buy it if your money is straight. Hell, Wii might even hook you up. *wink*

Also the Eurogamer Expo just went down here in London, so myself and Ruthless kid discussed our impressions from the event.

If you like cars, then you’ll end up loving them in Forza 3. There are over 400 cars in Forza 3 for you to tune, customize, and drive with. Most of your cars will be earned in Forza’s season mode or event play modes. Season mode allows you to have scheduled races in your calender, simple as that. Event play allows you to enter different racing events, depending on class, manufacturer, and so on. Both these modes will reward you with experience points and credits. The more experience points you have, the more discounts you can earn, which will help you save credits to buy a better car. Season and event play are pretty much the same, they both have you driving and earning cars which is what you’re here for.

If there’s anything Turn 10 should take pride on, it’s their gameplay and customizable features. Forza Motorsport 3 is a driving simulator, which might be a little to serious for the casual racing fan. But Forza 3 makes it easy for even the occasional racing player to jump in, with its customizable difficulty features. You can increase the AI difficulty, turn on and off anti-lock brakes or stability control, and more. Another addition to the racing gameplay is the new Rewind button (back button) which lets you rewind the race (in-game) in case you took a wrong turn or bumped into a car. This feature may sound like cheating and out of place in a game that is to be taken serious, but its a life saver when you crash into a wall on your last lap.

Like I said before, Forza 3 has over 400 cars available, with tons of parts available to improve the performance of your cars. Four hundred cars might be overkill for me, but people who strive to get them all will be in for a long ride, no pun intended. Every car I’ve driven in Forza 3 handles well, but if one doesn’t suit your driving style then you’ll have to tune it to your liking. If you can’t understand the tuning options then you can do a quick upgrade or buy someones tuning options online.

The cars drive great but if they don’t look great then what’s the point. Luckily, Turn 10 does a great job at making these vehicles look as beautiful in real life as they do in Forza 3. The cars are almost identical to their real life counterpart thanks to Turn 10’s attention to detail. The race tracks also look pretty good, definitely an upgrade from Forza 2. Forza 3 also sounds great, I’m not sure if the engine sounds are real or not, but they sound real enough. Every racing game needs music and Forza 3 has some not so good music, but you can hardly hear it while racing with the loud sounds of the engines and tires.

The main highlight of Forza 3 for me, is the online features. The amount and quality of the user-created content in Forza 3 is always amazing to see, I can spend minutes just window shopping in Forza 3’s auction house. You are now able to buy decal designs so now you can paste Master Chief on the hood of any car you like, that’s if you’re not one of the geniuses creating this content. Racing with other is still there, but with new online modes to increase the amount of fun. Drag races, drifting, and even Cat and Mouse modes make their debut in Forza 3, adding a new way to play with other friends.

Turn 10 has a strong appreciation for cars, and it shows once you go deep into Forza Motorsport 3. It can get overwhelming to a casual racing game player but Forza 3’s options lend a hand to get you by. If you like racing simulators then take a spin with Forza 3 because it’s better than its ever been. Turn 10 said Forza 3 would be the definitive racer of this generation, well it’s true, but maybe they should of added “so far” at the end of that quote.

Once you begin the demo you have the option of playing the campaign in either  single player or cooperative mode. The opening level that you play on is The Parish, the New Orleans themed setting first talked about with the announcement of the sequel. The gameplay experience is very similar to the original Left 4 Dead, but the addition of Melee weapons to your arsenal takes everything up a notch. You can string together several combos by using different melee weapons such as frying pans, and swords. These tools come in handy when faced with zombies who wear protective shield police attire. It’s also worth noting that the computer controlled partners are more helpful when starting out and can save and heal you more drastically if you take too much damage.

The A.I. is a little chaotic at times and becomes increasingly challenging when faced by hordes of enemies. There are also variations in zombies you face off against which include the Hunters and Smokers. Overall the experience is shaping up to be an addictive, fun game that will require strategy to survive as a group.

Please feel free to check out our video footage below as James and I  run through the demo. Leave your comments and let us know what you think. PEACE

After you watch the videos below why not go ahead and checkout the full opening cinematic for the game that leaked online HERE.