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

_____________________________________________________________

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.

_____________________________________________________________________

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.
_____________________________________________________________________

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.
_____________________________________________________________________

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

___________________________________________________________________

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.

F.E.A.R. (purchase) and Eets: Chowdown (Review)

I just bought F.E.A.R. So far, so good. I'll post the review as soon as I get a chance to play it some more.

___________________________________________________________________

One of the most original games I have played yet. You indirectly control Eets, the main character. You cannot control him directly, so for each level you must place items in his way to help him avoid obstacles and reach his objectice (a golden puzzle piece, one in every one of the 123 levels). There is also a secondary mode, which is like Geometry Wars, but better. Overall, a decent game with plenty of fun and a great mini-game.

Overall- 7.5/10

NBA Street Homecourt

I recently bought NBA Street Homecourt on eBay. It should arrive shortly. Review to follow.

More gaming and MORE new releases

After some more time playing The Godfather, I finally cracked all 100 safes for the achievement. Now only 2 more and then I'll be at 100%.

_____________________________________________________________________

This May looks like a good month for releases. To name just a few, Spider-Man 3, Two Worlds, Mass Effect, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and Shrek the Third are all due to release in may (according to IGN.com).

Guitar Hero II Review

I'll try to keep this review as short as possible, simply because it must be bought, or at least rented by everyone. Your controller is a guitar, and notes move across the screen. You press the colored "Fret buttons" and strum the bar, and it plays the note. Simple and addictive.

So, why have I taken over a week to write this review? Because all that time, I've been playing it in all of my free time. Some may doubt a game with a weird controller, no online play, and a short "campaign", but believe me, Guitar Hero II is worth it. Rent it...buy it...enjoy it.

Graphics: Not the highlight here, but decent- 8/10

Sound: The main event, masterfully executed. Great songs and quality- 10/10

Replay Value: This has me most worried, but with tons of unlockables and more downloadable content on the way, should keep me busy for a while- 9/10

Overall: 9.5/10

________________________________________________________

Achievements: (courtesy of Xbox360Achievements.org)

100K Club
10 GS
Get 100,000 points in a song

200K Club
10 GS
Get 200,000 points in a song

300K Club
30 GS
Get 300,000 points in a song

400K Club
30 GS
Get 400,000 points in a song

Champagne Room V.I.P.
30 GS
Get 500,000 points in a song

Roadie
10 GS
Unlock Rat Cellar

New Kid
10 GS
Unlock Blackout Bar

Young Gun
10 GS
Unlock RedOctane Club

Axe Grinder
10 GS
Unlock Rock City Theater

Shredder
10 GS
Unlock Vans Warped Tour

Rock Star
10 GS
Unlock Harmonix Arena

Guitar Hero
10 GS
Unlock Stonehenge

Dimebag Darrell Award
10 GS
Get a 100 note streak

Eddie Van Halen Award
30 GS
Get a 500 note streak

Yngwie Malmsteen Award
30 GS
Get a 1000 note streak

Easy Tour Champ
10 GS
Beat the Easy tour

Medium Tour Champ
30 GS
Beat the Medium tour

Hard Tour Champ
30 GS
Beat the Hard tour

Expert Tour Champ
30 GS
Beat the Expert tour

Sandbox Hero Award
30 GS
Earn five stars on all songs in the Easy tour

Most Likely to Succeed Award
30 GS
Earn five stars on all songs in the Medium tour

Guitarmaggedon Award
30 GS
Earn five stars on all songs in the Hard tour

Start a Real Band Already Award
30 GS
Earn five stars on all songs in the Expert tour

Rock School Grad
10 GS
Complete all tutorials

Scoremonger Award
10 GS
Get an 8x multiplier

Perfectionist Award
30 GS
Get 100% notes hit on a song

Rock Snob Award
10 GS
Refuse to play an encore

Long Road Ahead Award
10 GS
Fail a song on Easy

Hendrix Award
10 GS
Beat a song with lefty flip on

Teacher's Pet Award
10 GS
Practice three different songs

Saturday Morning Award
10 GS
Beat Trogdor and Thunder Horse

Kick the Bucket Award
30 GS
Beat Jordan on Expert

Gear Head Award
30 GS
Buy all guitars

Fanatical Completionist Award
30 GS
Buy all guitar finishes

Record Collector Award
10 GS
Buy all songs

Life of the Party Award
10 GS
Buy all characters

Fashion Plate Award
10 GS
Buy all outfits

Extra Credit Award
10 GS
View the credits

Big Spender Award
10 GS
Spend $10,000 at the store

Scenester Award
10 GS
Beat all the unlock songs

Joan & Lita Award
30 GS
Get a 100 note streak in Cooperative

Joe & Steven Award
30 GS
Get a 500 note streak in Cooperative

Keef & Mick Award
30 GS
Get a 1000 note streak in Cooperative

Lennon & McCartney Award
10 GS
Get an 8x streak in Cooperative

Page & Plant Award
30 GS
Get 100% notes hit on a song in Cooperative

200K Pair
30 GS
Get 200,000 points on a song in Cooperative

400K Pair
30 GS
Get 400,000 points on a song in Cooperative

600K Pair
30 GS
Get 600,000 points on a song in Cooperative

800K Pair
30 GS
Get 800,000 points on a song in Cooperative

Millionaire Pair
30 GS
Get 1,000,000 points on a song in Cooperative

Guitar Hero II Today!

Guitar Hero II is out today, so hopefully my Circuit City won't sell out before I get there. Review to follow.

More gaming and some new releases

This Tuesday, April 3, Guitar Hero II will be released. It already got an "outstanding" review from IGN, and it looks pretty good. I'll likely pick it up the day it arrives. Another incentive to get it is Circuit City's bonus offer: but the game, get a 1600 Marketplace Point card free. Not bad at all...
___________________________________________________________________

Yesterday, I played more of the Godfather and earned another achievement: Win All Prize Fights (25GS). So, now I have 35/38 and 725/835. Now just Respect Level 50, All 100 Film Reels, and Crack All Safes and I'll be 100%.

Superman Returns Review

Lot's of left over birthday money, so I went out and got Superman Returns. I had played the demo a lot because I enjoyed the Superman sandbox feel of it. You can fly all over Metropolis with more freedom than ever before. Superman Returns, while fun, is a decent game at best because it suffers some graphical glitches and problems that EA should know by now to fix.

The Powers

As Superman, you have all his powers. You can fly, lift heavy objects, use heat/ice vision, and have super strength. Not all are well-made though. For example, if you lift up a street light and smack a civillian with it, you'd expect them to go flying or crumble under the force of the blow. Not so here. They'll fall over, then simply get up and run away. Huh?!

Not so "Super" graphics

C'mon EA. You're super rich, and it's the next-gen. Are good graphics too much to ask for? Average at best.

Overall, Superman Returns is a decent, worthwhile purchase. Expect plenty of old-school superhero fun, but with the glitches and sub-par graphics we've come to expect from EA.

Graphics: 6/10

Gameplay: 7.8/10

Sound/music: 8/10

Overall: 7.7/10

___________________________________________________________________

Achievements: (courtesy of Xbox360Achievements.com)

Hero of Metropolis
200 GS
Complete All Metro Events And Mini-Games

Armageddon Averted
30 GS
Complete Level 01: Meteor Storm

Mr. What's-his-name
50 GS
Complete All Mini-Games

You Am Bizarro!
20 GS
Complete The Bizarro Mini-Game

Super Sonic
20 GS
Finished All Fast Flyer Mini-Games

Mr. Whiskers
50 GS
Find All Kittens

Souped-Up Superman
30 GS
Obtain All 15 Power-Ups

Frequent Flyer
30 GS
Travel For 10,000 Miles

Roadside Assistance
30 GS
Pick Up 100 Cars Throughout The Game

The Greatest Day
30 GS
Play A Total Of 12 Hours

Heavy Lifting
30 GS
Lift 10,000 Tons Throughout The Game

Secret Achievements


Warworld
50 GS
Visited and Dominated Warworld

Twisted
100 GS
Saved Metropolis from the rampaging tornado.

The Mongul Hordes
100 GS
Vanquished Mongul once again.

Me aM savE yOU!
100 GS
By you is Bizarro not undefeated!

Metallo Mastered
100 GS
Stopped Metallo in the name of justice.

Versatile Fighter
30 GS
Perform 99 fighting combos.

Not that Super
0 GS
Entered a cheat code in a desperate plea for help.

___________________________________________________________________

Cheats:

Code:
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Y, X
Enter code:
Fortress of Solitude
Effect:
God Mode

Code:
Left, Y, Right, X, Down, Y, Up, Down, X, Y, X
Enter code:
Fortress of Solitude
Effect:
All Powerups

Code:
Left, Up, Right, Down, Y, X, Y, Up, Right, X
Enter code:
Fortress of Solitude
Effect:
All Unlockables

Code:
Y Right Y Right, Up, Left, Right, Y
Enter code:
Fortress of Solitude
Effect:
Infinite City Health

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Review

Just went out and bought GRAW 2...first off, I'll start by saying it's much more fun than GRAW was. There are more, better modes, more Co-op stuff, skin edits, weapons, maps, everything. A favorite (so far) of mine is "Helicopter Hunt", a game where all the players team up to battle increasingly difficult waves of attack helicopters.

The campaign, like in GRAW 1, has a cheesy "Yay America" storyline, which I won't even attempt to recount. It is more fun this time around though. I started off on "Elevated Risk" (hard mode) and got through the first level slowly, but by only dying once. The levels are better because they don't all take place in the same boring urban setting. Some are in mountainous areas, and they are actually fun. Your squad is much smarter than before, and they can perform more actions. For example, I took a hit, so my health was yellow. I ordered the squad medic over, and he healed me back to green. One button, one simple way to heal.

Now for the multiplayer. A noticable difference is how you can be "downed", ALA Gears of War. You then wait for a teammate to come heal you, like Gears of War. Unlike Gears of War, there are PLENTY of multiplayer game modes. To name a few, there are Co-op missions, Helicopter Hunt, Firefight, CTF, Territories, Base Defend, Team Elimination, and standard Elimination. Plenty of modes should help to keep this one fresh for a long, long time.

Graphics: 8.9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replay Value: 5/10 (Campaign) - 9.5/10 (Multiplayer)
Overall: 9.4/10
____________________________________________________

Achievements: (courtesy of Xbox360Achievements.com)


Station (Co-op 1) Perfect
20 GS
Complete Co-op Campaign Mission without failing an objective, no respawns, on default or hard

The Cut (Co-op 2) Perfect
20 GS
Complete Co-op Campaign Mission without failing an objective, no respawns, on default or hard

Locks (Co-op 3) Perfect
20 GS
Complete Co-op Campaign Mission without failing an objective, no respawns, on default or hard

Caldera (Co-op 4) Perfect
20 GS
Complete Co-op Campaign Mission without failing an objective, no respawns, on default or hard

Outpost (Co-op 5) Perfect
20 GS
Complete Co-op Campaign Mission without failing an objective, no respawns, on default or hard

Hideout (Co-op 6) Perfect
20 GS
Complete Co-op Campaign Mission without failing an objective, no respawns, on default or hard

Perfect Co-op Campaign
40 GS
Complete all Co-op Campaign Missions without failing an objective, no respawns, on default or hard

Team Veteran
25 GS
Win 30 Team matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Solo Veteran
25 GS
Win 10 Solo matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Co-op Veteran
25 GS
Win 30 Co-op matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Ultimate Defender
40 GS
Win a 60 minute Co-op Defend match on any map

Helo Hunter
20 GS
Shoot down 20 helicopters in the Helicopter Hunt game type

Demo Expert
20 GS
Plant 10 demo charges in Team Mission matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Combat Medic
25 GS
Heal 10 teammates wounded by enemy fire in a multiplayer match with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Team MVP
15 GS
Lead your team in kills in a Team match with at least 5 gamertags on your team

Team All-Star
35 GS
Lead your team in kills in 10 Team matches with at least 5 gamertags on your team

Enforcer
20 GS
Eliminate 5 different human opponents in 30 seconds with at least 10 gamertags in the room

Threatening
10 GS
Get a total of 50 kills in Team or Solo matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Dangerous
15 GS
Get a total of 150 kills in Team or Solo matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Lethal
20 GS
Get a total of 300 kills in Team or Solo matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Ruthless
25 GS
Get a total of 500 kills in Team or Solo matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Sniper Expert
20 GS
Get a total of 100 sniper rifle kills in Team or Solo matches with at least 5 gamertags in the room

Single Player Master
50 GS
Unlock all other 'Single player mode' achievements to unlock the 'Single player Master' achievement

Tutorial Walkthrough
5 GS
Complete the whole tutorial at least once

Challenge 1 Complete
10 GS
Complete the first tutorial challenge with the highest appreciation

Challenge 2 Complete
10 GS
Complete the second tutorial challenge with the highest appreciation

Challenge 3 Complete
10 GS
Complete the third tutorial challenge with the highest appreciation

Challenge 4 Complete
10 GS
Complete the fourth tutorial challenge with the highest appreciation

Mission accomplished
30 GS
Complete all the secondary objectives in 'Campaign mode' or in 'Quick Mission mode'

Act 1 Complete (low risk)
10 GS
Complete campaign Act 1 in 'low risk' or higher

Act 2 Complete (low risk)
15 GS
Complete campaign Act 2 in 'low risk' or higher

Act 3 Complete (low risk)
20 GS
Complete campaign Act 3 in 'low risk' or higher

Act 1 Complete (guarded risk)
20 GS
Complete campaign Act 1 in 'guarded risk' or higher

Act 2 Complete (guarded risk)
25 GS
Complete campaign Act 2 in 'guarded risk' or higher

Act 3 Complete (guarded risk)
30 GS
Complete campaign Act 3 in 'guarded risk' or higher

Act 1 Complete (elevated risk)
30 GS
Complete campaign Act 1 in 'elevated risk'

Act 2 Complete (elevated risk)
35 GS
Complete campaign Act 2 in 'elevated risk'

Act 3 Complete (elevated risk)
40 GS
Complete campaign Act 3 in 'elevated risk'

Bull's eye (Quick mission)
30 GS
Finish a mission with a 100% accuracy statistic

Iron man (Quick mission)
30 GS
Finish a mission without being hit

Team 'ELITE' (Quick mission)
30 GS
Finish a mission with no team mates wounded and +50% enemies killed by them

Hawk's eye (Quick mission)
30 GS
Finish a mission with all your intels acquired while out of combat

Predator (Quick mission)
30 GS
Finish a mission with all fights engaged by you

New Arcade Purchase/Review- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released on the arcade today, so naturally I trialed it. There was one thing I noticed as I went to download it: this game takes up a little over 90 MB, meaning it's the first ever arcade game to break the previous limit of 50 MB. As I loaded up and played SOTN for the first time, I was not disappointed.

This arcade game appears to have something others lack completely: a plot. There are cutscenes, messages, and conversations that all occur throughout the game. Graphics are nice (creepy looking, which is a good thing when done right), musical score is excellent, and gameplay seems like it'll be VERY long. So, my only complaint is the inability to save from anywhere. I've gotten pretty far in so far, but have not yet found a savepoint, meaning I'll have to start from scratch again tomorrow. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it'd be nice if I could save whereever I want.

Overall rating: 9/10

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night releases tomorrow, XboxRewards, and some BulletWitch fun!

Castlevania: SOTN will hit the arcade tomorrow for 800 points. Looks like a good game, I'll definitely trial it at least and see how it is. Review to follow here.

___________________________________________________________________

The downloadable XboxRewards are now available! I logged into their website earlier, and there were the codes for my level 3 gamerpic, 200 MS points, and Contra game. Too bad I already own it. If anyone has an Uno code and would like to trade for Contra, send me a message through my xbox live profile and we'll work something out.

___________________________________________________________________

Now on Act 4 in BulletWitch, and it's getting tougher. Enemies come in packs and more frequently. Now up to a part near the middle/end, where you exit the bridge onto a construction area swarming with Geists and a trigger-happy Giant. If he doesn't kill me, the snipers do.

Earth Defense Force 2017: Release Tomorrow

Earth Defense Force 2017 releases tomorrow, and it looks pretty good so far (seems to be a futuristic Sci-Fi third person shooter...what's not to like?). I'll wait for reactions or reviews, then consider a rental or purchase. In the meantime, I'll be downloading and playing a G.R.A.W. 2 multiplayer demo to see if it's a buy.

The Godfather: The Game Review

I now have the Godfather DVD Box Set, the movie soundtrack, and gamer pic, so I recently decided on 2 more additions to my Godfather collection. I changed my gamertag from Mr Darke to Don Corleone 72, and decided to buy The Godfather: The Game. I had rented it previously and nearly beat it, but I bought it anyway to replay it (it was so much fun the first time). So, here is my review:

The Godfather: The Game is an open, GTA-style sandbox game. Taking place in the early 1900's New York, you start off as an unknown "Outsider" and rise through the Corleone family ranks, going through such positions as "Enforcer", "Soldier", "Capo" (caporegime), "Underboss", "Don", and finally "Don of NYC". You have some excellent character customization options, such as facial features, hair, and clothes.

There are several ways to play this game. There are different mission types, such as Favors, Family (or "Story" missions), and Contract Hits. You can also go around taking over rival family shops by clever use of intimidation, collecting Film Reels to unlock clips from the movie, rob banks, and crack safes. There is also the Mob War feature, which begins when you target members of a rival family. You can end this by bribing an FBI agent, or by bombing a store controlled by that family.

So now I've gone over basic gameplay, here are the mechanics. Graphics are decent for any other game, but perfect for this kind. I'll try and add some screenshots soon to show what I mean.

Sound is excellent. The Godfather soundtrack is used, voice acting is good, and weapons fire is accurate. In other words, perfection.

Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Replay Value: 9.5/10

Overall: 9.3/10

___________________________________________________________________

Achievements: (courtesy of Xbox360Achievements.com)

First Sign of Respect
5 GS
Reach Respect Level 10

Gaining Respect
10 GS
Reach Respect Level 20

Making an Impression
15 GS
Reach Respect Level 30

Demanding Respect
20 GS
Reach Respect Level 40

Jack of All Trades
25 GS
Reach Respect Level 45

Public Enemy Number One
50 GS
Reach Respect Level 50

Assassin
10 GS
Earn 5 Execution Styles

Petty Theft
10 GS
Crack 10 Safes

Negotiator
5 GS
Bribe a Police Chief

Smuggler
10 GS
Hijack 10 Racket Trucks

Real Estate Investor
10 GS
Purchase a Safehouse

Bodyguard
10 GS
Hire a Crew Member

Earner
10 GS
Extort 10 Businesses

Enforcer
10 GS
Take Over 5 Rackets

Arms Dealer
10 GS
Purchase a Firearm Upgrade

Forced Entry
10 GS
Heist a Bank

Demolitions Expert
10 GS
Bomb a Business

Knockout King
15 GS
Win a Prize Fight

Entrepreneur
15 GS
Collect 10 Film Reels

Neighborhood Control
20 GS
Take Over a Neighborhood

For the Family
25 GS
Complete ALL Missions

Contract Killer
25 GS
Complete ALL Hits

Service Provider
25 GS
Complete ALL Favors

Diplomat
20 GS
Help ALL Merchants

Total Domination
50 GS
Extort ALL Businesses

Front Man
50 GS
Take Over ALL Fronts

No More Narcotics
30 GS
Bomb ALL Drug Rackets

Warehouse Wrecker
30 GS
Seize ALL Warehouses

Transport Takedown
30 GS
Seize ALL Transport Hubs

Rival Family Elimination
40 GS
Destroy ALL Rival Compounds

Real Estate Mogul
20 GS
Purchase/Own ALL Safehouses

Bank Robber
10 GS
Heist ALL Banks Once

Heavyweight Champ
25 GS
Win ALL Prize Fights

Safecracker
30 GS
Crack ALL Safes

The Don
25 GS
Reach Don Rank

Don of NYC
50 GS
Reach Don of NYC Rank

Executioner
40 GS
Complete ALL Execution Styles

Debt Collector
30 GS
Collect ALL 100 Film Reels

Recent XboxLive Arcade Purchases- Upcoming games

Recently I bought 2 new games for the Xbox Live arcade: Aliend Hominid HD and Worms. Both are fun, but Worms is a bit better.

Alien Hominid HD- Funny but good graphics, decent gameplay, but the steep difficulty brings down the score. 8.2/10

Worms- the best arcade game to date, Worms has it all: online multiplayer, local play, and an actual campaign. 9.3/10

___________________________________________________________________

I've been considering a new game lately, mainly since I need some good multiplayer fun. I've been looking at G.R.A.W. 2, Crackdown, and F.E.A.R., but so far the first looks the best. More info to come.

BulletWitch Review

I recently bought BulletWitch since I'd seen some cool video's for it online. The big review sites didn't like it too much though:

IGN: 4/10

Gamepro: 1.5/5 (3/10)

Gamespot: 5.5/10

G4: 3/5 (6/10)

GameSpy: 2.5/5 (5/10)

Gameshark: C+

Gamezone: 5/10

Anyway, you get the idea. BulletWitch wasn't too well received here in its Western release. I bought it, expecting it to be a short, easy, decent game that would help to pass my time before the bigger and better games arrived. It was better than I'd thought, but not amazing.

I'm now about half-way done, and it's been great. BulletWitch is a third person shooter with 2 main things: guns and magic. It overall feels like Lost Planet, just with no snow, worse graphics, and cooler weapons.

BulletWitch takes place in 2012-2013, and it depicts the near-future Earth on the verge of "Humanity's Dusk", or the end of all life. Various apocolyptic events (earthquakes, uncurable viruses, war, and armies of undead/demons) have appeared worldwide, resulting in the Earth's current population of under 1 billion. Now, at the end of the world, the Bullet Witch (named Alicia) appears to save the day.

BulletWitch is an overall very good-great game with great music, cool plot, good gameplay, but below average graphics. It is still worth a purchase or at LEAST a rental to see if you'll like it. If you can't find it to rent, I'd advise watching some gameplay vids.

Graphics: 5/10

Gameplay: 8/10

Replay Value: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

___________________________________________________________________

Achievements: (courtesy of Xbox360Achievements.org)

Stage 1 Cleared.
10 GP
Unlock by beating stage 1 in any difficulty mode.

Stage 2 Cleared.
10 GP
Unlock by beating stage 2 in any difficulty mode.

Stage 3 Cleared.
10 GP
Unlock by beating stage 3 in any difficulty mode.

Stage 4 Cleared.
10 GP
Unlock by beating stage 4 in any difficulty mode.

Stage 5 Cleared.
10 GP
Unlock by beating stage 5 in any difficulty mode.

Stage 6 Cleared.
10 GP
Unlock by beating stage 6 in any difficulty mode.

EASY Difficulty Mode Cleared.
50 GP
Unlock by beating all stages in EASY mode.

NORMAL Difficulty Mode Cleared.
100 GP
Unlock by beating all stages in NORMAL mode.

HARD Difficulty Mode Cleared.
150 GP
Unlock by beating all stages in HARD mode.

Secret Achievements


CHAOS Difficulty Mode Cleared
250 GP
All stages were beat in CHAOS mode

HELL Difficulty Mode Cleared
1 GP
All stages were beat in HELL mode.

Total Play Time of 15 Hours
99 GP
Game was played for over 15 hours

All Stages Cleared
140 GP
All stages were beat in some difficulty mode.

Full Power-Up Completed
150 GP
All in-game power-up elements were collected

3/16/07- First Post

Hi all, and welcome to my blog. Here I'll talk about video games, including reviews, trailers, upcoming games, game progress, etc. I hope to have the second post up later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,
Don Corleone 72 (Zach)