DmC Devil May Cry: Vergil’s Downfall DLC Review

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DMC Vergil Downfall

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: March 5, 2013

VD
Dante’s adventure in the slick, flashy, and downright gorgeous DmC Devil May Cry was an experience that completely reinvigorated the entire franchise. As awesome as Dante is, he is only half of the Nephilim lineage. Like Devil May Cry 3, we got to see glimpses of his twin brother Vergil but never got to play the other Son of Sparda until the expected re-release hit store shelves. DmC has a similar plan, but with much less waiting. Vergil’s Downfall comes to downloadable services for an odd price of $9 and even though Vergil isn’t as flexible as Dante, the blue-tinted brother is still a blast to play as.
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God of War: Ascension Review

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GOWA review

Platform: PS3
Release Date: March 12, 2013

Descension

God of War is essentially the perfect video game trilogy. The original God of War exploded onto the scene and forever changed action games, bringing a fast, brutal take on Greek mythology wrapped up in a compelling personal story. The sequel maintained this sturdy foundation, streamlined it, and simultaneously raised the bar and the stakes in almost every department. God of War III took these stakes established in God of War II, jacked them up to the stratosphere, and closed out the series in the most satisfying way possible. Concerning both the narrative and the gameplay, this trilogy refined mechanics and escalated the story in such a fantastic, well-paced method, mercilessly forcing it within the most memorable in gaming’s franchises.

From the climax that was God of War III, it’s only natural to wonder where to go from the literal top of Mount Olympus. God of War: Ascension aims to answer this with the most prequel-y of prequels, predating every other God of War title. Kratos is still a man, one enslaved for his past mistakes and Ascension attempts to tell the story of this particular side of Kratos. Even though it bears the prestigious God of War name, Ascension feels like a generic, halfway competent competitor rather than one of the founding fathers of the hack and slash genre.
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Crysis 3 Review (Second Opinion)

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crysis 3 review

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: February 19, 2013

suit malfunction
Blame the long generation or aversion to new IP, but trilogies have been one of the popular trends within these past few years. We’ve even seen trilogies within trilogies. The third time is rarely the charm in video games, since the mechanics have usually been refined and nearly perfected in the sequel and basically repeated for the final chapter. Although surprise isn’t par for the course for the trilogy-ending installment, these games are usually well-made, if maybe lateral steps considering the whole franchise. Crysis 3 does give a sense of surprise, but in the opposite of Crytek’s intention. Aside from the multiplayer, Crysis 3 fails to add any spice to the formula while simultaneously stepping back in a few key ways.
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Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington: The Infamy Review

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Tyranny of Washington

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: February 19, 2013

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Assassin’s Creed III sits confidently at the top of my list of favorite games from 2012. Between the story, new setting, and control enhancements, I just couldn’t stop visiting Colonial America in order to satiate my need to check off every possible item on my to-do list. Any DLC would have been reason enough to time travel right back in to ACIII, but the alternate history take on one of our own presidents was even more enticing. Washington’s turn to evil in this episodic “What if?” scenario provides a neat incentive for players to return to ACIII, but it’s just too bad that this first episode in the trilogy, The Infamy, didn’t spark much excitement outside of the idea.
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If I Was in Charge of… Assassin’s Creed

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Assassin's Creed 4

Sit down, take some deep breaths, and calm yourself; I’m mere seconds away from probably causing an implosion within your brain. Another Assassin’s Creed is set to release, starring the swashbuckling privateer assassin shown above. Shocking, right? A precedent hasn’t been set for such behavior. I mean, I’ve almost forgotten about this cash cow franchise Ubisoft continues to push out over and over again. Although slowly descending into sarcasm, my point stands. Assassin’s Creed continues to be a powerhouse of a franchise, outselling nearly every other game, so what is the problem? What is Ubisoft doing incorrectly with one of the most signature set of games in the generation? What would I, a mere gamer, do with such a coveted golden goose? Funny you should ask.
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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Review

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MGR_HD_Wallpaper_1080_2

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: February 19, 2013

fundatsu
After a brief tease and long period of silence, Kojima Productions’ Metal Gear Solid: Rising was dead in the water without any convenient nanomachines to resurrect it. Platinum Games, the collective oddballs behind the sexy and stripper-ific Bayonetta, received a lofty proposition from Kojima to bring this title back from the digital graveyard. And they did. Adding a stupid hybrid word to the title, dropping the Solid, and (mostly) purging the stealth framework that encompassed the failed game, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance supplements the Metal Gear franchise with an impressive hack and slash title, even through the minor mishaps.
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gravity rush platinum hunt

Platinum Hunt: Gravity Rush

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gravity rush platinum hunt

Difficulty: 4/10
Recommended guide: PS3Trophies.org

Platinum trophies, in the best situations, allow replay value in games that don’t otherwise have it. When I had finally gotten the last trophy in Gravity Rush, I noticed that it fell into that category. There just wasn’t much to actually do. Had it not been for a relatively easy list, Gravity Rush‘s skimpy content and lack of extra modes would have made this journey even more brief than initially expected.
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Crysis 3 Review

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Crysis 3 Review HeaderIt’s a Jungle Out There

Platforms: Xbox 360 (Reviewed),Playstation 3, PC
Release Date: February 19, 2013

New York is not the same. Gone is the concrete jungle of buildings and roads. In its place are trees and grass. Luscious green environments sprawled across the concrete which built the city itself. This is your playground.

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a silent killer with an affection of bows, Crysis 3 would be your game.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified Review

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black ops declassified

Platform: Playstation Vita
Release Date: November 13, 2012

black oops
The behemoth-like Call of Duty franchise usually entails a few things: a tight shooter, large setpieces, and record-shattering sales. The Vita could use all three of those things. Although not as dire as some sensationalists would like to point out, a shooter would benefit the Vita and a portable Call of Duty game is just about the best thing you could ask for. Beckoning to the call, Nihilistic Software created Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified, a game tailored to the Vita’s capabilities. Or at least, that’s what they told us. Declassified is an insulting pile of steamy trash that simultaneously spits on the exquisite Call of Duty name and almost sours the idea of a first-person shooter on the Vita.
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Dead Space 3 Review

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ds3 (3)

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: February 5, 2013

lost in space
The original Dead Space struck at the right time and place. Horror games were as scarce as ammo in Resident Evil 2 and Dead Space‘s passionate and heavily-influenced team over at Visceral brought forth a title that encapsulated fresh ideas within a familiar landscape rife with a deep lore. A direct sequel spawned, Dead Space 2, refining and practically perfecting the series’ mechanics and, even though thoroughly more of an action-heavy game, it never forgot it tension-filled roots. Both titles had a vision and executed on said vision. Such success has led to Dead Space 3, the latest installment in the franchise. With promises of co-op, cover shooting, and a newer, brighter setting, speculation ran rampant about what Dead Space 3 actually was at its core. Dead Space 3 simultaneously fumbles series’ staples and is a step back for the franchise as a whole.
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