Long absence, new reviews coming soon...

Sorry I've been gone for awhile, I'll try to counter it by posting more over the next week or so...coming then:
Hitman: Blood Money review, Soltrio Solitaire Review (XBLA), and a review for Overlord. Thanks for all your patience, and enjoy!

Tenchu Z - Gameplay trailer

Just uploaded this on youtube...enjoy!

More progress, reviews, news

Again, sorry to have been gone for so long, but now the summer has begun. More updates coming soon, but for now:

TENCHU Z REVIEW-

Tenchu Z is an action/stealth ninja game with a long (50 mission) campaign and online co-op. The majority of the missions are simple "assassinate-the-leader" types, but there is also some, more varied, missions. They include: collect the items, meet the informant, etc. All are alike, in that they incorporate the "Stealth Kill" attack, which basically means you can score a one-hit kill, if you can remain unseen and unheard for long enough.

Online co-op is essentially just the campaign, but with up to 3 other ninjas. Progress here is not saved, and the only achievements that can be earned in this mode are the "X Number of Stealth Kills Achieved" ones. So, the only reason most will want to try this is for some online fun with friends.

A highlight of the campaign is the Ninja Village, and more specifically, the Store. In the Store, you can buy anything from ninja outfits, to skills, to items such as land mines or shuriken. I think the best part of the store, however, is the level of character customization it allows. As you earn more and more money, you can watch as your ninja goes from a simple-clothed fighter to an elaborately dressed master assassin. (pic of my ninja coming soon)

GRAPHICS: 7/10

SOUND: 8/10

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

REPLAY VALUE: 8/10

OVERALL: 8.7/10

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Coming soon....Crackdown review, Cloning Clyde review, Hitman: Blood Money review, and Prey review.

DiRT coming soon, more progress

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, but I've been busy with other stuff. Now, back on track again:
The off-road racer DiRT is coming very soon(June 12th). Online looks great, with 100 player matches. Should be fun. More news on DiRT to come.

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Tons of achievements and overall gaming progress since my last post. I'm nearly done with BulletWitch on the normal difficulty, nearly done with Just Cause overall, and only have to finish a few more NBA Street Homecourt tournaments.
I also re-rented Hitman: Blood Money. Review to come soon.

Fuzion Frenzy 2- Review

My prizes from the Xbox Reward Old Spice Challenge came yesterday, Fuzion Frenzy 2 in it. While not great, it's still a good game since it was completely free.
Single player- consists of three modes, though the only real difference is the number of mini-games required to win.
Multiplayer- the same as single player, just with less than 3 A.I. opponents.
Graphics- could have used more work. Textures aren't good enough to be 360-worthy, and people all look like stereotypical future humans. (weird hair, bright jumpsuit)
Sound- Eugh. Blandly synthesized "future" music, and now the DJ...he is horrible. A voice from hell and an annoying appearance as well.
Graphics- 6/10
Sound- 6/10
Overall- 6.5/10

Reviews Galore!

Three recent purchases, one new rental, four new reviews...

Since there are so many, I'll try to keep the actual reviews as short as possible, but by still getting the hightlights. Enjoy!

Eragon-

A next-gen version of LOTR: Return of the King. So, what's different? In/out anytime local co-op, better graphics, and a VERY easy game...even on the Hard difficulty. A good rental.

Graphics- 6/10

Sound- 6/10

Overall- 7/10

Legacy-

A great tactical/flight simulator, where you command a small fleet of ships against enemies. Great online multiplayer, and a decent campaign on the side. Graphics could use work, and William Shatner sounds VERY different, but a good game nonetheless.

Graphics-7/10

Sound- 8/10

Overall- 8/10

Homecourt-

A fun arcade-style street basketball game. Good single player "campaign", multiplayer fun as always. Great tricks, but the lack of Bobbito Garcia (the announcer- AKA DJ Cucumber Slice) drains alot from the gameplay.

Graphics- 8/10

Sound- 7.5/10

Overall- 8.5/10

Spider-Man 3-

Good Spider-Man action. You can swing around New York and have fun webbing villains and stopiing crimes. If you liked Spider-Man 2 on Xbox, you'll love this. Only problems are a wonky camera, Toby Maguire sounding very weird, and not much plot.

Graphics- 8/10

Sound- 7.5-10

Overall- 8.3/10

Well, there they are...short as can be! If you still have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me, leave a comment, or message me on Xbox Live.

Also, my prizes from Xbox Rewards arrived today- meaning a new game, Fuzion Frenzy 2, arrived. Review to follow once I've played a bit more.

Coming Soon...

Star Trek Legacy- I ordered it from eBay, and it just came today. I had rented it last December but wasn't impressed. It seems better now, but I'll need more time to play before I write the review. Should be up by the end of this week.
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NBA Street: Homecourt- eBay again. The seller came up with some lousy excuse that his order of games were "seized by U.S. customs" for unknown reasons, but they said it was shipped out on Saturday. Should come this week, and I'll write its review then.
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Spider-Man 3- I was caught up in the SM3 hype, so I went to EB Games and bought this. Definitely a good purchase, but nothing brilliant here. Review to come.

F.E.A.R. Review- Gears of War It's Not

Enter F.E.A.R.: a first person shooter like none I've ever played. That takes alot from a game, and F.E.A.R. delivers it all with few, if any mistakes. This review will focus mainly on the multiplayer, because I wouldn't want to spoil any of the plot.

"Gears of War It's Not". What I mean by that, is not that this is any worse of a game. Sure, Gears has better graphics and some online co-op, but F.E.A.R. has the rest.

The main mode I play is Team Deathmatch, on the map "Campus" (screenshots to come as soon as my HDTV is plugged in). The gameplay is incredibly simple, yet outrageously fun. There is great weapons placement on every map, as well as good places to snipe, capture, or hide.

The graphics and sound are amazing. They blend together to create an eerie mix that will keep you on edge. Stereo or surround sound recommended.

Last but not least, there are 2 more important factors: physics and weapons. Everything bounces around when hit very realistically, and location and enviromental damage is wonderfully done. The weapons, while standard, are fun to use, with one exception (I hate that Sniper rifle).

Overall, F.E.A.R. is outstanding. Slo-mo looks and feels great, as does this great horror game.

Sound: 9/10
Graphics: 9.2/10
Multiplayer: 9.5/10
Replay Value: 9.5/10

Overall Score: 9.4/10

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A Heavy Armor and his squad of Replica Soldiers.

F.E.A.R. is full of horror-movie style cutscenes.

Note: This review is not yet complete. I will update it with screenshots, achievements, and possibly a gameplay vid.