Gears of War 2

Available on the Xbox 360, Gears of War 2 was one of the most anticipated games to be released in 2008. Released on 07/11/08, GOW2 continues the story of humanity's battle against the Horde.

Being the second installment, the story continues following the COG squads battle to save the human race one more time. You play as the lead team member Marcus Phoenix, who through out this endless battle, discovers more about the enemy he has to fight.

Since it was announced in February I've been waiting with bated breath for it to be released. I watched all the trailers and booked the day off work so I could spend the whole day with my beloved GOW2. Once I broke the seal and placed the game in my 360 I held my breath and prayed that it won't be a uber naff game while it was loading. So the million dollar question was 'Would I be disappointed?' and the answer is...hell no!

From the moment I started playing, I was able to submerse myself into the game just as much as the first GOW. I played it through on the co-op mode and I loved every second of it. The controls are exactly the same so you can go straight into the action but if your feeling a little rusty you can always go through the in-game training mode. With this second installment, the game has now developed more of a background story by looking into fellow team member Dominic Santiago and his long search for his wife Maria. I thought it was a perfect touch to the game since it was not over played and it didn't take anything away from the main story or the intense action. New enemies such as the Grinder, Bloodmounts and Kantus to defeat, GOW2 has definitely not lost its edge.

Multi player has had a few extra touches where it now allows there to be five-on-five teams to play the vast new maps. With the addition of eight multi player modes such as Submission, which is a new take on 'capture the flag', where the flag is a hostile stranded.

As you can probably guess from my review I really enjoyed GOW 2. The story was interesting and the game play really sucked you into the action. But, I must admit, there was a small gap that wasn't completely filled by the second installment. Yes it was everything I wanted, yes it had the hardcore action plus the soft centre of the Doms story but I did hope that I would of had more answers about the actual story. 'Why was Marcus sent to prison', 'where exactly did the Horde come from' an so on an so forth...but I guess I have to wait until the third installment. I give GOW 2 a good ol' 4 out of 5!

Up coming post!

Its been a while since I've added anything to this blog for I've been uber busy playing my lovely games!

With Professor Layton and the Curious Village for the DS and playing my classic games such as Crazy Taxi on the PS2, I've been a very busy bee...so keep your eyes peeled for the next blog which will be for....Gears of War 2!

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was released 26/10/07 on the Nintendon Wii with the rating of 12+ on the PEGI certificate. As many of you may already know, Metroid 3 was a long awaited conclusion of bounty hunter Samus Aran and her latest space adventures. For those who doesn't, let me give you a very brief flash back. Samus Aran is a bounty hunter who helps the Galactic Federation to fight against the Space Pirates and the deadly energy sucking aliens, Metroids. Armed with her cybernetic suit which holds an array of advance technology such as a deadly arm cannon and can help her to morph into a ball, Samus has been battling against these space threats since 1986.

The Metroid series has been adapted onto all but one Nintendo console which was the Nintendo 64. During that time there have been various adventures which slot into a various timeline which tells of the untold stories between her many assignments. This particular installment is the final part of the series which started on the Game Cube. Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes were (to myself anyway) greatly anticipated since there was nothing to satisfy the Metroid taste buds on the N64. The three part sequel introduced Samus to the untapped source called Phazon. This deadly source had the power to not only enhance the power of the Space Pirates and their various weaponry but also to corrupt planets. This highly volitile substance which Samus is trying to steam ends up in 'corrupting' the heroine, which should of proven fatal but gives her the power fight fire with fire. As the final installment in this epic battle, you get to find out if Samus is able to save the galaxy one last time.

For myself and for many Metroid fans, the third part was greatly anticipated for it gave us all the chance to finish the fight which started on the Cube. A main attribute of the Cube version remains which is the first person view from Samus helmet which displaies various weaponry and energy status. Different visors such as the Scan Visor and the new Command Visor, which allows you to send commands to your ship cna be used when the minus button (-) is pressed. With the dual control pad of the remote and the nunchuck, the Wii was able to give the players the chance to physically interact with Samus and her various surroundings. The remote allows you to pull, push, twist and turn locks and items so you can progress, while the nunchuck not only has the analogue to control Samus movements, but by flicking the nunchuck it allows you grab onto ceiling hooks or enemies shields with her grapple hook.


So the question is what do i think? I did have really high expectations for this final segment since Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes both worked well as a stand alone and part of a sequel. As I turned on my Wii I was ready and prepared to put in the very long hours and to pay attention to the many twists, heartache and triumph that I usually go through. So just guess how disappointed I was when I did not get what I expected. Now don't get me wrong, there were twists and there was turns and a really interesting, such as the fight inspired by the Lord of the Rings (now that was AWESOME!), but it felt that the game could of been that little bit longer. The usual formula of having to go and collect the items you once had but lost from fleeing from the space station that decided to self destruct did or having the choice to toggle between which weapon you think could destroy the Space Pirates that little bit quicker, was taken out and that did leave me deflated. Having one singular weapon did have its advantages for you was able to just blast your way through instead of standing there shooting for a good few minutes before realising that you should be using the Wave beam and not your Light beam and it was graphically pleasing, but I did expect alot more.

I will always be a die hard Samus fan...but this just didn't really do it for me. So I give Metroid 3: Corruption 2 out of 5.

Review: Elite Beat Agents

Elite Beat Agent released on 13/07/07 for the Nintendon DS is a dance game which scores how well you can follow the rhythm of the track. Based on the very popular Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan released in Japan and the US, you play as an agent who helps those who are in a dilemma by boosting their moral though the power of dance.

When I began playing EBA I was hesitant that it would not live up to I've come to expect with a dance game but it was like any other dance game I've played. Granted the main difference is that your using a stylus rather than your feet, I still got the same rush as if I had been jumping around.


The song is divided into sections which you need to clear in order to complete the level. Do well in each section and you see the character prosper and achieve their goal, but if you finish each section on a poor rating, your character will have to suffer the consequences.

You have a life meter, something which is common with dance games, that needs to stay full or in the yellow safe zone in order to clear each section of the song so you can progress to the end of the level. Going below the yellow section and into the red danger zone is a massive no no for it allows you to fail that particular section and potentially fail the whole song.

Something which makes this game different is the 'hit markers', 'slide marker' and the 'spinning disc' which you need to interact with in order to complete a level. The different markers worked in the same way as stepping on the directional arrows, where timing is everything. 'Hit markers' would appear in numerical order, telling you which one to hit first. To help you follow the beat there is a shrinking ring which begins to close in on the marker in question. As soon as it looks like its going to overlap, tap the marker. The closer the ring gets to the edge of the circle the more points you get.

When it comes to slide markers you follow what looks like a beach ball along a track until it reaches the end with your stylus. You have to get to the end and keeping up with the ball to get a good score. Taking you stylus off before you get to the end makes you loose energy, allowing you to fall into the danger zone.

The 'spin marker' is usually the last thing you do before you can end the song. Unlike the other markers where you need to hit it at a certain time all you need to do is turn the circle marker either clock or anti clockwise. By doing this you fill up an energy meter which is at either side of the spinner. Filling the meter completely not only allows you to get maximum points but to also get bonus points which can make a huge difference to your final score.

The mix of different songs, including Madonna's Material Girl, David Bowie Let's Dance, plus bonus songs which you can unlock including various difficulties which you get from progressing through the different levels keeps the game fresh and appealing to everyone. The mix of songs work very well with the cartoon animation and highly amusing story lines.

I give EBA the Urban Female Gamer score of 3 out of 5!

Hellooooooooooooooooo Fellow Gamers!

Hi eveyrone...Welcome to my blog!

This I hope will be the first of the many blogs that I hope to post about games, games and more games. Every two weeks, there will be a review for the random games I own and buy, spanning from retro titles to brand spanking new beauties. Many of the titles I'll be reviewing will be for the following consoles: SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), N64, Nintendo Cube, Wii, Nintendo DS and XBOX 360.
So keep your eyes for open for the upcoming review which shall be posted very very soon!


P.S. Sorry, no Playstation 3 reviews as of yet...but watch this space!