GEARS OF WAR 2

Yes we have all heard about how Gears Of War 2 is better than the first one but think about it Gears Of War 1 is what started it all. Epic came out with its original masterpiece November 6, 2007, also known as Emergence Day, a clever name which Epic made up for the release date.

When you first start the game you learn your characters name is Marcus Fenix, an imprisoned soldier who fought in the Pendulum Wars back in the day. I know this has been said many times in several different reviews but the graphics are incredible powered by the Unreal Engine, I have never seen a game who's graphics match Gears Of War, it is almost like playing in a cinematic scene the whole game. Ever pore on the face and buildings on the street look amazing, mainly due to the incredible in game lighting system.

The battle system is definitely a Gears Of War exclusive. The simple yet so awesome shoot and take cover system surprisingly work very well, with only needing the A button to throw your character into cover whether it be a broken down washing machine or a flaming car to protect yourself from incoming locust fire ( locust are the bad guys ). The only thing I found sort of annoying with this system is that when you are holding down A to Rhodee Run you can sometimes get stuck on walls or other cover.

The story is a simple but sweet, you Marcus Fenix and Captain Mitchel's squad Delta Squad constructed of, Dom Santiago, Gus Cole, Kim Mitchel, and Damon Baird must destroy the heart of Locust army. Though you will find yourself up against many different kinds of the Locust army, such as Boomers which are stronger than the average grunt with a rocket launcher for a gun, Wretches which are pretty much mutated dogs, Beserker which can only be killed with the almighty Hammer Of Dawn and eventually General RAAM, the Locust Queen's right hand man/monster.

There is not a large variety of weapons throughout the game, there is the Lancer, your main assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonette at the end ( you will figure out what the bayonette is for...), your standard pistol which you can replace with a magnum that can one shot enemies, shotgun for blowing enemies away at close range, frag grenades which you can plant on enemies or blow multiple Locust to pieces, Hammer Of Dawn is weapon which calls upon a laser from the sky and destroys anything in its path, smoke grenades for cover, Boomshot for a rocket launcher, Hammerburst which is the Locust main weapon, and the Long Shot for sniping enemies and pulling off a head shot or two.

Overall Gears Of War is the probably one of the best shooters out there if not the best with its superb visuals, intense game play, and a fairly cool story. Even if you beat it once, try playing it again but maybe this time it could be on a harder difficulty ( good luck with General Raam on Insane Mode ) or looking for collectibles ( Cog Tags ) but no matter how many times you play it, it will still fun which is hard to come by in a game these days

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Windows, and the Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment of the Call of Duty video game series, excluding expansion packs. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous games in the series and is instead set in modern times. The game is the first in the series to be rated Mature in North America. The title and game details were announced on April 25, 2007, and the game was released worldwide between November 6, 2007 and November 9, 2007. It became available on Steam on November 6, 2007 for pre-purchase, and was available to play on November 12, 2007.[11] It was released on September 26, 2008 for Mac OS X. The game was in development for two years. It uses a proprietary game engine that includes features such as true world-dynamic lightning, HDR lighting effects, dynamics shadows, and depth of field.

The story takes place in a fictional near-future, where a radical leader has staged a coup d'état in the Middle East, and an "Ultranationalist" movement has instigated a civil war in Russia. The events of the conflicts are seen from the perspectives of an American Marine and a British SAS commando, and are set in multiple locations, including the Middle East, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Prypiat, Ukraine. The multiplayer portion of the game features various game modes, and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons, weapon attachments, and camouflage schemes as they advance.



Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received considerable praise and has won numerous awards from gaming websites, including IGN's "Best Xbox 360 Game." It was the top-selling game worldwide for 2007, reaching over seven million copies as of January 2008.




Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter similar to previous games in the Call of Duty series but set in the present-day instead of World War II.

The game's move to modern warfare introduces new weapons and technology to the Call of Duty franchise, including the M4A1 carbine, the M203 grenade launcher, the AN/PEQ-2 Target Pointer for use in conjunction with night vision goggles, the MP5SD submachine gun, and the FGM-148 Javelin portable anti-tank guided missile.[13] The player gains access to these over the course of the game, but may only carry up to two weapons in addition to grenades. Weapons from fallen foes can be picked up to replace weapons in a player's arsenal. Players also have additional abilities, including a grenade launcher attachment, night-vision goggles, and the ability to call in airstrikes.[13]

The gameplay of Call of Duty 4 shares several features with previous iterations of the franchise. Once again, players fight alongside AI-controlled teammates. They help during the game's missions by providing cover fire, shooting down enemies, and clearing rooms for entry.

A character can be positioned in one of three stances: standing, kneeling, or prone; each affecting the character's rate of movement, accuracy, and stealth. Using cover helps the player avoid enemy fire or recover health after taking significant damage, as there are no armor or health powerups. When the character has taken damage, the edges of the screen glow red and the character's heartbeat increases. If the character stays out of fire, the character can recover. When the character is within the blast radius of a live grenade, a marker indicates the direction of the grenade, helping the player to either flee or toss it back to the enemy.


Similar to previous games in the series, the player takes on the role of various characters during a single-player campaign. The characters' involvement in the plot occurs simultaneously and overlaps the events in the game. As such, the player's perspective can change from one character to another between missions.
Each mission features a series of objectives; the player is led to each objective with the HUD, which marks its direction and distance. Some objectives require that the player arrives at a checkpoint, while other objectives require the player to eliminate enemies in a specified location, stand their ground to defend an objective, or plant explosive charges on an enemy installation. The player is often accompanied by friendly troops, who cannot be issued orders. Laptop computers containing enemy intelligence appear throughout the campaign, and can be collected to unlock game bonuses.
After the credits roll, a special epilogue mission is unlocked for play, featuring an anonymous four-man squad of SAS troops retrieving a VIP from terrorists who have hijacked an airliner. The SAS rescue the VIP and escape before the plane is destroyed.

Call of Duty: Gameplay

Call of Duty is similar in theme and gameplay to Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and like the latter includes various single player campaigns and missions. However, unlike Medal of Honor, the war is seen not just from the viewpoint of an American soldier but also from the viewpoint of British and Soviet soldiers.

The game is somewhat unusual in that throughout the single-player mode, the player is joined by computer-controlled allies who range in quantity from two infantrymen (in some of the British missions) to an entire regiment of tanks (in the Soviet missions). The computer-controlled allies will support the actual player during the missions (notable in this is the AI's effectiveness compared to other games like Medal of Honor). They also further the game's goal of providing an immersive and realistic experience; that is, soldiers in World War II were usually part of a larger group, as opposed to the "lone wolf" seen in video games such as Wolfenstein 3D. However, there are some missions where the player is alone.



The American campaign begins with Pvt. Joey Martin of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division parachuting into France as a pathfinder of the 101st Airborne Division on D-Day for the Battle of Normandy, echoing the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. The series continues with a night assault on the town of Sainte-Mère-Église after reuniting with his squadmates, a defense of the town against a counter attack by German Panzer units, a car chase through German lines, the Brécourt Manor Assault, and two special missions to rescue captured British officers.

The British campaign begins with Sgt. Jack Evans of the British 6th Airborne Division and Special Air Service, assisting in the capture of Pegasus Bridge, as seen in The Longest Day, sabotage the German battleship Tirpitz and ends with a sabotage mission of a V-2 rocket base. Evans also sabotages anti-air defenses single-handedly around the Eder Dam, in preparation for a follow up Dambusters Raid (Operation Chastise).

The Soviet campaign begins with the Battle of Stalingrad, first with weaponless scenes similar to the opening of Enemy at the Gates, a 2001 movie about the battle, then simulating close combat in an underground sewer system and a recreation of the battle for Pavlov's House through the eyes of Pvt. (later promoted to Sgt.) Alexei Ivanovich Voronin in the 13th Guards Rifle Division and 150th Rifle Division. The Soviet campaign continues with the liberation of Poland, followed by a role as a tank commander. The Soviet campaign ends as an infantry soldier in Berlin with the raising of the Soviet flag above the ruins of the Reichstag. After raising the Soviet flag, a short video of the aftermath of World War II is shown.

Actors Jason Statham and Giovanni Ribisi, as well as voice actor Steven Blum, provided voice-overs for the roles of Sgt. Waters (British), Pvt. Elder (American) and Cpt. Foley (American), respectively. Michael Giacchino, who previously worked on the Medal of Honor franchise, composed the soundtrack.

Call of Duty also featured "shellshock" (not to be confused with the psychological condition of the same name), where when the player is close to an explosion, his vision is blurred, the player and time moves slower, and sound is muffled.

Call of Duty

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine. This war game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. The game was published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward.[2] It was accompanied in September 2004 by an expansion pack, Call of Duty: United Offensive, which was produced by Activision, and developed by Gray Matter Interactive, with contributions from Pi Studios. The Mac OS X version of Call of Duty was ported by Aspyr Media. In late 2004, the N-Gage version was developed by Nokia and published by Activision. Other versions were released for PC, including Collector's Edition (with soundtrack and strategy guide), Game of the Year Edition (includes game updates), and the Deluxe Edition (which contains United Offensive expansion and soundtrack in the USA. In Europe the soundtrack is not included).

G.H.O.S.T. Chronicles

Ghost Chronicles: The Phantom of the Renaissance Fair takes you on an intriguing adventure to track a sinister ghost who is terrorizing the park.

This is a PC game where you will have to investigate a theme park about it being haunted. There is no need to worry though as the game does not involve you dressing up in old time costumes, getting your face painted and drinking ale from leather mugs in order to get down to the end of the mystery. You just have to look for many hidden objects and also solve some puzzles.
Things around the Spears Renaissance Faire have not been quite the same since the owners of the place died. Shortly after Robert’s wife Margaret died, he remarried and after he too died, his son was left to deal with his new mother Leah. This situation in itself would be difficult enough for the park, but there are also ghosts that are overunning the park. They are in no way malicious, a lot of them just want to restore the park to its lost glory, but they however do manage to scare off tourists. You have to now figure out what really is going on & save the park.

While investigating, you will visit many of the shops and attractions in the park. Some of them are the bakery, jeweler, jousting field, etc. At some of these places you will find hidden objects and at some puzzles. Some will even have both. In most cases, the final hidden object you find will give you an item that will help you solve another puzzle at other places in the park. There are various kind of puzzles. Simple ones include finding keys for doors and the more complex ones involve you choosing appropriate presents for a gnome to give his lady friend.
GHOST Cronicles is truly a beautifully done pc game that is smart too and accomodates a large number of different skill levels. But, still it is  fun even if you choose to play it for a second time. (If you play on easy the first time out, try playing on a harder difficulty and you will notice the huge difference). A fun minigame is the one in which you need to hunt hint fairies. You will revisit many scenes just to find hidden fairies you missed even if you do not actually need them. If you are looking for a game that offers a nice mix of hidden objects & puzzles then G.H.O.S.T. Cronicles is surely a pc game for you.

ALONE IN THE DARK

Ever heard of Wind Waker Syndrome? It's that point in an otherwise majestic game where, for reasons obvious to nobody with even a modicum of common sense, a single game mechanic of such staggeringly misjudged magnitude comes along that you immediately want to sling your console out the window, write a stern letter to your local MP then spend the rest of the afternoon sobbing in the corner of your room in silent, endless frustration.

Well, there's one of those in Alone in the Dark. Which is a shame because, for the first eight hours or so, Atari's rejuvenation of its classic survival horror franchise is one of the most excitingly ambitious, captivating game experiences we've played in a long time. Sure, where grand, original ideas are concerned, there are bound to be flaws – which Alone in the Dark has in spades – but it's hard to berate a game which, on a minute by minute basis, successfully manages to offer truly unique, beguiling and genuinely thrilling moments.

Mafia II

The storyline for Mafia 2 is a gritty drama and chronicles the rise of Vito Scaletta, the son of Sicilian immigrants. As the game progresses, Vito will join a crime family and become "a made man." The game will include multiple situations where the player can decide the outcome and their choice will lead to one of several different endings.


The story begins with the player character Vito returning home from world war II . Vito had joined the U.S. military as a way of avoiding jail time for a botched robbery. Vito reunites with his old friend, Joe Barbaro, and the two quickly embark upon a life of crime. Their criminal ascension starts with Mikey, a car mechanic who gets in a conflict with Joe. Mikey also needs a certain type of car to chop for parts, and will pay $400 for one that the police are not tailing. Soon enough, Vito, Joe, and Henry Tomasino (already a made man) find themselves battling with, for, against, and around three crime factions: the Falconi, Vinci and Clemente families.
The game will contain two hours of in-game cutscene. The original game, Mafia: The city of lost heaven, had a screenplay of 400 pages, opposed to the 700 pages of the sequel. Daniel Vavra, the writer and director of the original and the sequel, discussed the new angle of the game stating: "The old game was a tribute to gangster movies, a romantic vision. Mafia 2 is grittier, real, a darker world, and the effects are based in reality." The Official Playstation Magazine states: "A high body count is still promised in this tale set in a fictional city 'inspired by' New York of the 1940s and '50s, but those casualties will come the hard way -- through small-scale operations rather than mass firefights."

Mafia

The Mafia was first developed in Sicily in feudal times to protect the estates of landlords who were out of town. The word Mafia, derived from the Sicilian word, Mafioso, means family. Today, Mafia is a name which describes a loose association of criminal groups. These groups can be bound together by blood, oath or sworn secrecy. Many people had considered the Sicilian Mafia as the most ruthless mobsters of the twentieth century.

By the nineteenth century, the Mafia had become known as a network of criminal thugs that dominated the Sicilian countryside. Members of the Mafia were bound by Omerta. Omerta, an Italian word, stands for a strict code of conduct. The code include avoiding all contact or cooperation with authorities.

Death to Spies

Smersh is the Russian for "Death to Spies" and was the name of a set of counterintelligence departments in the Soviet Army formed during World War II. Their mission was to secure the rear of the active Red Army by arresting traitors, deserters, spies and criminal elements. During the war these agents became the main force combating the German intelligence service.

The game's main character is a captain in the 4th department of the Soviet counterintelligence service. He is a professional spy trained to execute dangerous operations on his own. During missions he will have to complete various tasks in the heart of enemy territory including stealing important documents, eliminating different enemy officers or high-ranking officials, kidnapping and sabotage.



Game missions are based on real historical events and operations which were executed by the military intelligence and counterintelligence during the war.