The Darkness

This game was reviewed on the 360; the PS3 version might differ in quality, but not content.

Jackie Estacado’s family runs, or actually is, the Italian mafia. On his 21st birthday, his “uncle” Paulie puts a price on his head. On this day he also inherits a deadly curse: the power to control the darkness itself, which has been passed down since his grandfather’s days. Using the powers, he manages to escape the initial attackers sent by Paulie, but he doesn’t stop there. Paulie constantly sends his goons after Jackie to try to kill him. Jackie’s family members encourage him to take Paulie down, especially after Paulie takes drastic measures to hurt him by killing someone who he holds very dear. While fighting with and against The Darkness power and trying to find Paulie to make him pay for what he has done, Jackie has to fight a war on two fronts; one with a human being and another against a power much greater than himself.

The game is a first person shooter that adds the “darkness” power into the gameplay mix. The Darkness are snake-looking beings that float behind you and come out to play when summoned and sometimes on their own. They have multiple powers that are slowly unlocked throughout the game. This Darkness adds a very useful ability for the fights in the game, but towards the end the powers get so strong that it makes the game too easy. The game show you how powerful The Darkness is, and how evil an enemy and ally it becomes.

The Darkness is almost an open world game, as you can explore the city at your own pace, but you really only have one main mission and two, maybe three side missions going on at a time. Sometimes I got lost in the city, but in the subway there is a nice little voice that gives me direction when I need it. You won’t be lost for long.

CONTENT:

The game got a Mature rating from the ESRB for strong language. And they weren’t lying. The game has countless amounts of the “F-bombs”, countless uses of Gods name in vain and many others. Every curse word in the book is used. I tried to count the cursing, and I was up to about thirty each when I lost the little paper I was counting on. There is no option to turn the cursing off, so I suggest that if you can’t handle that much cursing, or want to turn the volume off, stay away from this game.

The f-word is also used in a sexual context sometimes and there are some sexual comments made about the main character’s girlfriend. There is also  mention of marijuana and a lot of characters smoke cigarettes.

The game also was rated Mature for strong violence and blood and gore. The player uses the cursed Darkness powers in the game which powers itself up by eating the hearts of humans. So when you kill someone by either shooting them or having The Darkness shoot a spear through their head, you press A and one of the darkling snakes sweep down and rip the heart right out of the dead enemy, and sit there and chew on it right in front of you, making crunching and slurping noises. Sometimes, the two little darklings that are beside you fight over the heart, tearing it up. You will be doing this over and over again. By the end of the game, I had eaten 302 hearts total.

Blood is abundant in everything you do in the game: you shoot someone, blood spurts everywhere; you eat a heart, blood goes everywhere. The entire game is a blood bath. And you can’t avoid it, because there is no way to turn the blood off and you have to kill people in the game to beat it.

Jackie is also killing for the wrong reason: revenge. They killed someone he loves, and he goes crazy to kill everyone that he can until this makes him feel better, but it never does. He is very negative during the entire game and doesn’t care what he has to do.

The Darkness has a brilliant story and amazing voice acting. It has some problems with graphic glitches and slowdown, but for the most part it is a decent looking game. The story really will blow you away and the sound effects were done very well, but it is extremely dark and gritty with language and violence out the wazzu. I can’t recommend it to anyone under the age of 17, as the ESRB suggests. If you can handle the content, you’ll find a very good story that will certainly make you think by the end.

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Need For Speed Most Wanted

In this installment of the acclaimed Need For Speed series, you play as an anonymous protagonist, working his way up the ‘black list’ of skilled underground racers and evading cops on the way. Most Wanted will not disappoint fans of the series, and will appeal to casual gamers and hardcore racers alike, with its spot-on balance between realistic physics and arcade controls.

Story

You start off with a introductory phase of the game in which you are one of the best racers in Rockport City. To prove your skill, you race Razor, the unlikeable antagonist who is Number One on the blacklist, a rankings table of the fifteen best racers. However in the penultimate race, it is discovered that Razor has tampered with your car. You grind to a halt, and are promptly detained for illegal street racing.

Soon released, you discover street racing has moved on without you. With no car, your only option is to accept the assistance of Mia, who is later revealed only helped you in order to bet on you.

From here, the story is minimal, with only the odd cellphone call to remind you of the existence of anything outside of a car.

Gameplay

There are two main parts of the game: cop evasion and racing. They are seamlessly entwined, with cops often pursuing you during races.

The racing is a standard affair, with the arrow keys (or a joystick) controlling the car, with the option to play with automatic or manual shifting. The track is enclosed with translucent barriers, but a variety of short-cuts exist to give you the edge. There are various racing types, but they all have the same objective: get to the finish before your competitors or your allotted time.

You will commonly be evading police, and are required to meet milestones in the game regarding this. You will find yourself ramming them off the road, crushing them under scaffolding, and generally wreaking havoc.

Overall, the gameplay is well-executed and enjoyable, portraying a great sense of speed, but may get repetitive near the end of the game.

Graphics

The game’s visual quality is average by today’s standards, but still manages to look very pretty on the PC on higher settings, with highly-detailed car models.

Content

Destruction
As to be expected, there is much of the world that is destroyable. You can be expecting to destroy trash cans, road cones, smash through glass, and completely wreck many a car. This is not as concerning as the reasoning behind this, which brings me to my next category.

Lawlessness
The whole game is derived around breaking the law, with the ever pursuing police force a constant reminder of this. The actions you take in the game are extremely dangerous, and morally unjustifiable in the real world. Whether or not you are comfortable with this simulated lawlessness must be made decided prayerfully by the individual playing the game or their guardian.

Lyrics
The game is soundtracked by a mixture of hip-hop and rock, with most objectionable content censored. The worst lyrics include a few ‘OMG’s and some pessimistic viewpoints towards life. However, the focus is not on the music in the game, and any objectionable songs can be disabled in the settings of the game, so any negative influence is minimal.

Violence
Violence is almost non-existent, with only the odd push or shove in the cheesy cutscenes. As far as racing goes, although many a car will be smashed into, the drivers are nothing more than mannequins and no indication of injury is ever shown.

Scantily Clad Women / Adult Themes
Mia, who aids you throughout the game, will almost always be in tight clothing exposing the midriff, as are many female racers in their profiles. However suggestion is kept to a minimum, and this attire should only really be a problem for very young gamers. Their is the odd wolf-whistle at Mia from neutral characters in the game, but is portrayed in a negative light and should not offend.

Source: http://guide2games.org

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New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Before Mario went into 3D, turned paper-thin, threw parties or made that unforgettable trip to Isle Delfino, he was a platforming plumber on a mission. Well, the mission never changed, but the look of the games and the way they played changed. Before you knew it, the games weren’t even called Mario Bros. anymore. That changed when Nintendo decided that our red-capped hero should really go back to the old-school style of platforming fun in the aptly titled New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Plot

Like so many new Mario games, New Super Mario Bros. Wii begins with an invitation from a certain princess. This time there is actually an occasion for it. It’s Peach’s birthday and everyone is there to wish her well (and give her presents too). Mario and Luigi of course attend. It wouldn’t be a birthday party without cake either and sure enough one giant-sized piece of pastry rolls up right behind the lucky Peach. With her two favorite plumber brothers there and a cake big enough for five birthdays, what could possibly spoil a party like this? If you’re an avid Mario player, you’ll have the answer.

As expected, the cake is a gift from the Mushroom Kingdom’s number one troublemaker; Bowser, the mean and childish Koopa King. Bowser sends his Koopalings led by Bowser Jr. inside the cake to kidnap the princess. Their plan quite literally takes the cake as well; the little stinkers throw the cake on top of Peach and quickly cart it away with her inside it and flee in their airship. Now, Mario and Luigi must run, jump, swim, smash, and stomp their way through eight worlds to rescue the imperiled princess.

Gameplay

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a return to Mario’s old platforming days, so the action is set out in 2D worlds with some 3D characters, making this a 2.5D game, if you will. You can play this game with either a Wii Remote held sideways or with a Remote and Nunchuck. You also have the option of playing with several players or just one. If you pick the latter, you’ll play only Mario; with multiple players, you’ll also see Luigi and two Toads alongside you.

Each world takes place on a map where you can choose the level you want to play in and thus choose the route that you go through in each world. When you play a level, or course as they’re called, you just run for the flagpole at the end of the course and stomp on any enemies in your way. Hitting “?” blocks will often give you items to help you along the way.

All roads lead to two important buildings: the Fortress and the Castle. In both of these buildings, you will face one of the Koopalings. After you clear the Castle, you move on to the next world. If you want to replay a world or course, you are able to do so while on the map screen.

Offensive Content

Note: Some spoilers are present

Mild Cartoon Violence

Mario was never known for extreme violence in the old days, and this game follows in those footsteps. Mario jumps on his enemies and can throw fire and ice balls at them with a certain item. In the all cases, enemies usually fall off the screen. The Goomba, a walking mushroom of sorts, flattens out when you jump on it and then disappears, but otherwise, all the enemies just fall as I said. If Mario loses, he also just falls off the screen. Peach also has a giant cake thrown on top of her, but she’s shown to be unharmed later.

**************Spoilers***************

After the final showdown with Bowser, the Koopa King falls into a pool of lava. He’s shown to be knocked out but otherwise unharmed afterwards

**************Spoilers End***************

Fantasy Magic

One enemy you run into is a walking Koopa skeleton and another is a skeleton fish. At the end of each Castle, you’ll run into the familiar Magikoopa, a Koopa sorcerer. The Magikoopa will ride its broom over the battlefield and sparkles fall from the broom. The Koopalings themselves are also armed with magic wands that they use to make things appear to fight you with. All of that does count as spell casting, but the magic is also within the boundaries of fantasy.

Some of the worlds have haunted houses present and inside you’ll find, as expected, a bunch of ghosts known in the Mario world as Boos.

Mild Suggestive Content

At the end, Peach kisses Mario on the face. None of these are really offensive.

**************Spoilers***************

One male enemy dresses up as and pretends to be Princess Peach to try and fool you.

**************Spoilers End***************

Conclusion

I actually found this game a nice change from the usual Mario title. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a fan of the other titles and the RPG series’ trademark goofy humor. But the transition from that style back into Mario’s old-time platforming roots was surprisingly refreshing. I liked not having to wander aimlessly trying to raise my EXP or collect enough items to open the way to the next level. It was great to just rush through to the end just like the old days. Discerning Christians will also like this game for its lack of offensive content. True, there is some mild violence, some use of magic and a bit of odd, suggestive humor, but it’s not enough to completely ruin this fun and very light-hearted title. It’s a must for any Mario fan.

Source: http://guide2games.org

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Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook: Beginner's Guide to Playing and Getting a High Score

This a description of how Bejeweled Blitz, the Facebook game, works along with some tips on how to get a good score. You need that high score so you can beat your friends on the leaderboard!

Beginner's Guide to Earning High Scores on Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook

The funnest minute on Facebook has had some major changes in the past couple of months. If you've never played Belejewled Blitz, it's a quick, easy puzzle game and it's completely habit forming. Facebook games like this are an excellent way to ease into gaming online. If this wets your whistle you may want to try other free games like Evony or Gaia Online. The concept behind Bejeweled Blitz is simple enough. There are a bunch of colour coded gems on a board, you can choose one gem and move it up, down, left or right. If this creates a row of three or more of the same gem, the move will be completed and the row disappears. Everything above the row drops down and new gems drop from the top of the board. If no rows are created the gems go back to their original places and you hear a little 'dunk' sound telling you that your move didn't work. The more rows you make disappear the more points you get. Unlike Bejeweled 2 you only have one minute of play time per game. Every week the scores are reset and you start at zero again.

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The Bejeweled Blitz Competition

The game itself is addictive but what makes it more addictive is competing against your friends. My wife and I are constantly goading each other about Bejeweled Blitz. Whether PVP'ing in WoW, console gaming or playing Bejeweled Blitz, competing against your friends always brings a whole new aspect to a game.
A list of your friends who play Bejeweled Blitz shows up on the right of the game board along with their high scores for the week. Bejeweled Blitz also has medals you obtain by scoring multiples of 25000. There is a different medal for each interval. The game keeps track of how many times you get each type of medal. You can see how many times you, or any of your friends, have received a medal by clicking on the yellow stars in the friends list.

Smack Talk Your Friends - Facebook Bejeweled Blitz

Another fun aspect of Bejeweled Blitz is “Jewel Jab”. You can use this to post Bejeweled Blitz smack talk on the wall of anyone on your list by clicking on the blue diamond next to your friend's name. It opens a little message box called the Jewel Jabber where you can post either a personalized message or one of the pre-written messages on your friends wall with a playful cartoon gem. You can also choose which cartoon you want to send as a part of your smack talk message by using the arrows below the picture of the gem on the right.

Highscoring Moves

As I stated above the concept behind the game is pretty simple, but being good at it is not. You need good eyes and a fast mouse hand, but most of all you need a bucket load of luck. The way to the highest score is to have the game play itself. This happens when you make a move that makes a row disappear, which makes another row disappear and so on. In Bejeweled this is called a cascade. Since there is a speed bonus, the more gems that disappear in one move the more points you get. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can get bonuses for creating rows larger than three.

Flame Gems, Hyper Cubes And Multipliers

These three special gems were the only special bonus gems available in the beta version of the game, so you may be familiar with them. They are all still available in the new Bejeweled Blitz along with some new gems discussed on the next page,
Flame Gem
When you create a row of four, three of the gems disappear, one stays behind and looks like it is on fire. This one is now a “Flame Gem”, known as the “Power Gem” in previous additions of the game . When you create a row of three using the Flame Gem, it blows up some of the gems surrounding the row.

Bejeweled Blitz High Scores on Facebook

Flame Gems, Hyper Cubes and Multipliers continued

Hyper Cube

If you make a row of five you will create a “Hyper Cube”. With these, you simply choose any neighbouring gem and swap, all of that colour of gem on the playing board will blow up. You get points for each of them, so try and choose a gem with a lot of pieces on the board.

Multiplier Gem

Sometimes a “Multiplier Gem” will drop onto the game board. These drastically help you get a higher score, especially if you can get three or four of them in one game. Once you make a row with the multiplier gem, the points you receive from any future moves will be doubled. If you get another, the points will triple, and so on.

Star Gem

Two new bonuses were introduced, when the game came out of beta a couple of months ago, that drastically change the dynamic of the game.
Star Gem
The “Star Gem” can be create in one of two ways. The first way is to create an L shape or a T shape with five gems of the same colour. The second way is to create a star shape. This means that you will have a middle gem with the gems above, below, left and right all of the same colour. This can only be done in a cascade.
Once you have created a Star Gem, you can set it off by creating a row of three with it. Once a row is created it will shoot out a bolt of electricity, destroying all the gems in the horizontal row and vertical column that the Star Gem occupies.

Check out Part two in this series to learn about more of the new bonuses in Bejeweled Blitz and a list of tips and tricks to get you to a higher score.

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Beginner Game Guide to Restaurant City on Facebook

Restaurant City is one of the most popular games on Facebook. Find out everything you need to know to have the hottest restaurant in the city. This beginner game guide will show players how to earn more coins, gourmet points, and get ingredients for free. Learn extra tips and tricks also.

Restaurant City on Facebook

Restaurant City or RC as some refer to it is a very popular game on facebook. Developed by Playfish Restaurant City lets players enter a virtual world full of budding entrepreneurs taking a chance in the restaurant industry. The objective is to manage and grow your restaurant into one of the most successful diners on the block. Players are in total control of their restaurant layout, décor, staff, menu, and overall success. Facebook friends reside in your neighborhood and add to the gameplay. Send messages, trade ingredients, and have plenty of fun in a world where there is always something good to eat.

Coins & Gourmet Points

All players start out with a small plain restaurant, three wooden tables, chairs, and one working stove. The staff for beginners consists of your avatar and one friend of your choice. As you progress in the game your restaurant and staff will increase. At the top of the screen are your coin balance, Gourmet Points Meter, and your popularity rating. Much like in the real world it’s expensive to start and run a restaurant. Players earn coins by serving meals and drinks to customers. Picking up trash left behind by customers is another way to get coins. Players can visit other restaurants and pick up any trash they have laying around on the floor. Similar to Pet Society trees can also provide coins by clicking them.

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The Gourmet Points Meter monitors the amounts of gourmet points you’ve earned in order to level-up. Players receive gourmet points when customers are served or by completing various activities like picking up trash. The number next to the thumb icon in the corner of the screen is your popularity rating. The amount of customers you have coming into your restaurant greatly depends on this number. The higher your rating the busier your restaurant will be. A popularity rating of 50.0 is considered the best. Each time a customer leaves your restaurant satisfied or dissatisfied your rating changes. The key to RC success is to keep your popularity up.

Beware of the Hammer

At the bottom of your screen there is a hammer icon. This tab will open the RC store filled with items like wallpaper, tiles, tables, wall décor, and other accessories to design your restaurant. Although, it may be very tempting try to avoid going crazy in the decorating department. Buying marble floors will improve your restaurant’s appearance but it will not help you level up faster or increase your popularity. The Menu icon gives users the option to alternate the dishes being served, learn new recipes, and level up dishes. When you serve a dish that is leveled up the gourmet points earned is also increased. To level up any dish in Restaurant City you need the ingredients. Ingredients can be purchased by clicking the food icon also at the bottom of screen. The market only sells three fresh ingredients per day. Ingredients from the Ingredient Market are often expensive.

Ingredients in Restaurant City

There are several methods to get ingredients in Restaurant City for free. Every day when you check the mail icon at the bottom of the screen a Food Quiz is available. If you answer the multiple choice question correctly you earn one free ingredient. All questions are centered on food. Another method to snag ingredients is by visiting your friends’ restaurant. The first time you visit you earn another free ingredient. Adding new friends to your Restaurant City generates free ingredients. Check your neighborhood periodically. When a facebook friend joins RC their restaurant appears on your street and vice versa.
You can get ingredients by trading with your friends as well. A trading ingredients tab appears at the bottom of the screen when you visit friends. Players can swap ingredients that they have extra for the specific ones they need to level up a dish. When you reach level 16 in Restaurant City a plot in the garden outside is unlocked. You can grow fresh ingredients by clicking the plot. The plant that grows is chosen randomly but it’s a great way to gather more ingredients.

Keeping Your Employees Happy

In Restaurant City players can hire up to 9 employees as they progress. To keep your employees working their energy percentage must be managed. A green smiley face will appear above each avatar’s head. As it changes color your employee’s energy is decreasing. To restore energy players can give them a glass of water, an apple, banana, or sandwich. A glass of water restores 25% energy while a sandwich generates 100%. There is also an option that allows you to send your RC friends free food to feed employees. At any time you can rest or alternate your staff members by changing their status. A magnifying glass icon in the bottom corner of the screen will open a street with all of your neighbor’s avatars. Click them to hire. If you want to fire an employee it will cost you $200.

Restaurant City Tips & Tricks

• Re-arrange your table layout in a rectangular square with waiters in the center so they will use less energy walking to tables.
• Create a waiting area by lining up a row of chairs. Customers will sit and wait for an available table instead of quickly walking out decreasing your popularity score.
• When you want to close your restaurant click the hammer icon and move a chair, trophy or other heavy item in front of the door.
• Play Restaurant City every day to progress faster.
• Click the random street icon and visit other restaurants beyond your street. It’s a great way to gain design ideas and coins by picking trash.
• Wait until you’ve leveled up higher to pimp out your restaurant.
• Level up one dish at a time to earn gourmet points quicker.
• Buy an arcade machine for your restaurant. Every time a customer plays it you can earn six coins. It’s a great investment.

Source: http://www.brighthub.com

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Witcher 2 Xbox 360 port delayed until early 2012

The official story is vague. CEO Adam Kicinski in a press release he had this to say: “The extra time will allow us to polish the title to perfection, so that the game offers an ideally balanced, fantastic experience to gamers.” And then he went on to say this, “As the launch of the game approaches, we will be sharing more details how it will be released on Xbox 360. I trust that despite the release date shift, players will be satisfied with what we are planning for them.” It was riveting.


While we’re sure CD Projekt will be using the extra time to “polish” their game, it’s notable that the company has also been involved in recent legal disputes with Namco Bandai, the publisher that handled the PC version of Witcher 2. Namco Bandai claims that CD Projekt broke an agreement by allowing THQ publish the Xbox 360 version of the game. CD Projekt claims their agreement with Namco Bandai was specific to the PC version. While neither company came out and said that its feelings were hurt, the implication is clear.


If it’s the legalities that are bogging down the game’s release, we hope the issues are worked out soon. If not, we’re sorry for spreading rumors.
Aug 1, 2011

Source: http://www.gamesradar.com

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The 10 best PS2 games of 2005

By the time 2005 had rolled around, it looked like the beginning of the end for PS2. Critics started to refer to its once-impressive hardware as “aging,” and the Xbox 360 was gearing up to snatch away its crown and claim dominance over the next console generation. And because previous hardware cycles had lasted about five years, most assumed that the PS2’s days were numbered, and that the machine would be largely discarded once the PS3 finally hit.

Only now do we realize just how wrong we were to count the PS2 out so early. 10 years after its North American launch, it’s still getting games and moving units, if not exactly going strong. With the anniversary of that launch just around the corner, let’s take a look at the best of what we thought, at the time, would be the PS2’s final great year.

10. Devil May Cry 3

Roaring back from the disappointing sequel that was Devil May Cry 2, DMC3 gave fans a prequel starring a younger, wilder, more shirtless version of Dante who could use multiple fighting styles and clobber enemies with a deadly guitar. In addition to being a much better, more over-the-top game than DMC2 was, it also explored the relationship between half-demon Dante and his less good-natured (but better-dressed) brother, Vergil, as they battled over the fate of the monstrous Temen-ni-gru tower.
It was also balls-hard, to the point that its uncompromising difficulty – actually ratcheted up for the US version – was one of the primary criticisms leveled against it. It was a testament to just how amazing the game was, then, that so many stuck with it in spite of the punishment it put them through.

9. Gran Turismo 4

You may be asking why Gran Turismo 4 is on the list at all; wasn't one boring driving sim (GT3) enough? Well, here are five undeniable reasons GT4 was one of 2004’s best: Van Halen's Panama, more cars, even better graphics, driving missions, and this video:

8. Tekken 5

While a lot of people consider Tekken Tag Tournament to be the pinnacle of the series on PS2, Tekken 5 really deserves that accolade. A return to form for the series, Tekken 5 revised the unpopular changes that Tekken 4 had implemented, putting the focus back on juggle-heavy combos and removing the uneven levels of Tekken 4. This wasn’t a crazy departure so much as a refinement of the core elements that had made the franchise popular to begin with.
Tekken 5 wasn’t without its innovations, though; the game elaborated on the old Tekken Force sub-game with The Devil Within, a single player minigame that fleshed out Jin’s backstory. Tekken 5 was also the first game in which players could customize their characters with unlocked items, a feature that’s been taken to extremes in Tekken 6. Tekken 5’s fluid animation and detailed character models made a huge impact at the time, squeezing the PS2 hardware for all it was worth. Even by today’s harsh standards, Tekken 5’s graphics and, more importantly, gameplay hold up – and that’s the true sign of a classic.

Source: http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/news

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