Video Game Ratings Discussion

Hello again everyone. Last time we spoke, I ranted on about having way too many systems to choose from for us to game on. This time, I wanted to take a second and through up our thoughts on video game violence since that's become the big thing lately.

First off, I wrote a paper a few years ago, if I can ever find the files, I'll post a copy of it on here, but it was a long (10 page or so) paper, detailing out video game violence and some solutions to keep the sensitive kiddy eyes away from it.

Now into the discussion. As has been said in any article that isn't from a major news outlet, video game violence has NEVER been connected to real life violence. I recently read a story about a teenager in New Mexico who when nuts and killed his family. The kid talked about how he loved "violent" games. The article immediately said there was a correlation. However, there is no link that has been studied that connects playing hours of Call of Duty to murdering a bunch of real people. That being said, I can see a critics point of view that says these psychos play violent games all the time. Personally, I'd like to see a little bit more study into it. But, I'm also interested to see what an "official" definition of violent games would be. Would it be any first person shooter, even the ones that aren't rated for mature audiences? Would Street Fighter qualify on the same level as Mortal Kombat? Would 007 Legends be as terrible as Call of Duty? These are some questions that we need to consider when talking about these violent games.

I don't think that "violent" games, whatever that category falls under, need to be outlawed. I think that the ratings system needs to be enforced. There was talk a couple years ago of fines being issued to stores and individuals who sell Mature rated games to people who are underage. This is a great idea! This will help to keep the store clerks from allowing the players who are too young to buy the games themselves. Another point is to make sure that if the parent is buying the game for their kid (I work retail, you can often tell when this is happening) that they understand that the game is rated "M" for mature, (Or 16 and 18 if you live in the countries that use the PEGI system) then their child who is probably between twelve and fifteen shouldn't play the game. When that point gets reached, the parent should be held responsible for making sure that their child can understand the difference between reality and fantasy.

The ESRB is the ratings board for the USA. The ratings are very simple to understand, and I plan on breaking them down in just a bit for everyone. ESRB ratings are displayed on the front of every game case carried in your local stores. On the bottom left corner in a black and white box, there will be a giant solid black letter signifying what the game is rated. On the back of the cases, on the bottom right, is a description of why the game is rated what it is. If you think that your child can handle Blood and Gore, Violence, Strong Language, then buy it. If you think they can't, then you probably shouldn't. I've found an easy way to understand game ratings is to relate them to movie ratings. Now, a quick summary of the ESRB rating system compared against the MPAA system for rating movies. I'm using ESRB because living in the USA, that is the system I'm most familiar with.

"E" stands for Everyone 6 and up, stuff in this game can be related to what you would find in a "G" rated movie. Generally has nothing objectionable in it. Pokemon is an "E" rated game series.

"E10" stands for Everyone 10 and up,  similar to a "PG" rated movie, so still pretty much kid friendly, not really any kind of language or blood and guts, maybe a bit of action. LEGO Harry Potter falls under this category.

"T" stands for Teens 13 and up. This is your basic "PG-13" rating if it were a movie. Some blood, language, gun fire, maybe some partial nudity and light drug or alcohol use. May want to check this out before buying it for your child, just to be safe. The Uncharted Series are under this rating.

"M" stands for Mature players 17 and up. This is your "R" rated movie. A simple way to judge whether or not you would want your child playing this is to ask if you want them to watch an "R" rated movie. Blood and gore, violence, moderate to strong language, dismemberment, nudity, drug and alcohol use, or anything else goes with these. Parents should definitely do research before getting these for their kids. This would be your Call of Duty, Halo, and Assassin's Creed type games.

"AO" stands for Adults Only, 18 and up. Basically an "NC-17" movie. These games tend to only be available on the internet for computers. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo do not allow them on their consoles. These are generally heavily involved with sex, and some extreme super violence that would make the Saw franchise look like Barney and Friends. These are pretty hard to come by, and pretty much impossible on a console game. I actually don't know any games rated AO. Shows you guys how rare they are.

So, there it is, plain as day for anyone who isn't already aware of what these ratings mean. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you probably already know all of this. Do all of us who are involved in the gaming world a favor, and make sure people are aware of these ratings. It's amazing how many people aren't. As I said towards the top of this post, the problem doesn't revolve around the content of the games, the problem is that parents need to make sure that their kids are playing things that are appropriate for their child's age. That's not to say that not following the system will screw up your kids, I played Perfect Dark when I was ten, but I was also well aware of what was reality and what wasn't. Share this article with someone who isn't familiar with game ratings. Education people! That's how we are going to keep games from turning into scapegoats! See you online!

An Opinion on Gaming Systems

I'm sitting here listening to music stream from my PS3 and a thought occurred. We are sitting on a very delicate situation for old, seasoned gamers such as those of us here at GWB, and a potentially very confusing situation for gamers freshly entering the market of buying their own systems. There are a surprising amount of consoles and handhelds that are on the market currently, or being developed to be released in the very near future. I'm gonna go into a little detail, but the TL-DR version, is to read into things and make knowledgeable purchases for your systems. Don't fall for gimmicks.

Back in the early to mid '90s there were a frightening number of gaming devices on the market. The NES, the SNES, the Genesis (1, 2, and 3), the SegaCD, the Sega Saturn, the 3do, the list goes on. The problem with these was over saturation, and lack of a defining super game for the systems save for Sega and Nintendo. We are seeing a similar situation developing now. The public is currently free to buy a Wii-U, Wii, PS3, 360, PSP, Vita, DS, and a 3DS. All of these systems are being supported. (The Wii and PSP not so much as they used to be really) This coming year, we are expecting to see the next Xbox, the PS4, the Ouya, the Steam Box, iPads and iPhones, and several handheld devices that are Android powered. This puts developers in a very difficult situation with deciding on what platforms to make games.

The Wii, DS, and PSP are all dying systems. The development of newer games has slowed drastically, though the systems still sell fairly well. The DS may have been dealt it's death blow by Nintendo's recent announcement Pokemon X and Y coming only to the 3DS with some awesome looking new graphical direction. The fact of the matter is, even with these systems on the way out, there's still an enormous amount of choices for the gamers of today to partake in.

I see a problem where a developer may look at a game and decide that they have the team to make it for all available platforms thus splintering a team into many small parts, each one needing separate managers to be able to keep track of all the information and reporting to the creative director who is going to have to make changes to each specific game based on the needs of each system. Hypothetically, if a developer were to take this approach, they would need to have at least seven different versions of their game. While each version would fundamentally be the same, they would all have to be coded differently, take different controls, and be coded to run properly within the limitations of each system. Conversely, if a developer decides to make games for one particular system, in the vein of a second party developer, they run a strong risk of limiting their earning potential.

Competition is a key factor in any kind of business, but with an industry like the video game industry, too much competition can be a poison. Each system needs to make sure that people have a reason to buy their system that is above and beyond what the competition has to offer. For example, PS3 has free online, access to Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and several other video services. It also has a built in Blu-Ray player, which isn't as important now as it was a few years ago. The Xbox on the other hand offers a pay to play online service, but has many more video, music, and social services to offer if you do decide to pay. PS3 has many more exclusive games that come to it, but that is in part due to Sony outright owning twelve or so studios. Microsoft cannot keep up with the amount of exclusive games that Sony has, but it does offer a much better online experience.

Every system has their fanboys, but the fact of the matter is, without something to set all of these individual systems apart from the others, consumers are going to become confused and apathetic towards purchasing a new system. Another issue with that is that if nobody buys the hardware, the companies making the hardware will have a hard time staying afloat unless they have several other interests such as Microsoft and Windows, or Sony and TVs. 

I'm sitting in my chair right now surrounded by all kinds of technology. I have my PS3 running, my 360 is off, my Wii is in standby, my 3DS is on the charger, and so is my Android phone. Whenever I decide I'm going to purchase a game, I have to sit and think about what system I'm buying it for. Although, I generally don't buy games for my phone, I tend to stick to the free ones there. These kind of decisions are sometimes difficult because I have a different number of controllers for each system so I need to decide what system that I would prefer to play the (potential) multiplayer portion of each game on. I know that later on this year I'm going to probably have to make a choice as to buying the next PlayStation or the next Xbox. I still haven't managed to get enough cash around to get a Wii-U yet, but that's another system I want to get my hands on, which will give me another set of options on what system to buy the games for.

I'm not trying to be an alarmist. I do not think that the Android based handhelds, the Ouya, or the Steam Box will cause a lot of issue with consumers. The Steam Box will be bought by people who have a steam account, but are looking for some different ways to play their games. The Ouya will be bought by people looking for something cheap to be able to play games on their TVs. Finally, the Android based handhelds will come and go by the by due to the 3DS and the Vita. However, these things that as consumers we should all probably be aware of. Make sure you know your system before you buy it. Do some basic research on Google. Knowledge is power, and money is not an infinite resource for most of us. Just some things for everyone to think on. If you have any thoughts, please don't hesitate to comment below, I'd like to see what you guys think. See you online.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Review (PS3)

Call of Duty has released this year’s installment. I took last year off, after I rented Modern Warfare 3 and was wholeheartedly disappointed in the game for being very cut and paste from the first two Modern Warfare games. I did enjoy Black Ops two years ago, so I had some hope for Black Ops 2. I have been thoroughly impressed with what developer Treyarch has been able to do with the franchise.

Treyarch has been able to pull off some impressive feats in the graphics department. I have not had any kind of slowdowns at all while playing Black Ops 2. There are some moments where things get a little muddy and blurred together, but overall, the game is pretty good looking. It’s not as good as Medal of Honor: Warfighter, but I can safely say that Black Ops 2 plays much better than it looks. During the cutscenes for the campaign, there are some impressive visuals going on. The close up facial animations and movements are very lifelike, and they help to bring some depth to some characters that I would normally not care about at all.  Environments in both campaign and multiplayer look very crisp and smooth. As I said before, there are times, like in all COD games where things get a little muddled together and lost in all the chaos, but the game overall looks very good.

The sound quality is great, just like it always is. The voice track is layered very well over top of the action, and I could almost always hear my allies speaking to me during the campaign. Guns sound like guns, and footsteps can be heard clearly. Voice acting was executed very well, with all of the characters sounding great. If you can get over the incredible amount of swearing, the voices aren’t too bad.

The gameplay is what Call Of Duty has always been known for, and Black Ops 2 does not disappoint at all. Controls are very tight and super responsive. Shooting is spot on, with very minimal hit detection issues, like I’ve noticed in the past.

Lets talk about the campaign mode a bit. Black Ops 2 is set both in the mid to late ‘80s and in the year 2025.  The game flips between these two time periods usually alternating between them. This can be a little jarring and does make the story a bit rough at times. The missions are paced very well, and offer some pretty cool semi-plausible tech that could come up in the next ten years.  The campaign mode has a moderately decent story that had me pulled in from the beginning. The near future setting helped draw in my attention, because I kept thinking that this what I was playing could one day happen. A fun change that was added to the campaign was the ability to customize your loadout before missions. This helped me play more to my style, instead of going with what they gave me and it is a great system. The only complaint that I have about the campaign is that there are secondary missions called Strike Force missions. These put you in control of a battlefield in a mild RTS type game where you can take direct control of any of your combatants on the field and beat objectives. These missions are optional, but do affect your ending depending on how well you do in them. I did not fare so well, and suffered the consequences. A final campaign note; Treyarch has included multiple endings depending on what objectives and conditions are met, so there are reasons to go back and replay the game. All in all, I thought that the campaign was very well done and thought that there was a lot of work put into it.

Moving on to the multiplayer function of the game, the multiplayer is split into two modes, multiplayer, and Zombies. We’ll hit the actually multiplayer function first. Matchmaking is quick and easy, with only some minor bugs on the server side of the PS3, such as trying to balance the teams, when there are already the maximum players and they’re split evenly. I have not noticed any lag, and only a few minor graphical glitches. Overall, the multiplayer modes are standard FPS fare, and they do what they’re supposed to do. Team Deathmatch is still my preferred mode, but Kill Confirmed (Where you pick up dogtags to earn points) is a nice diversion. Headquarters, Domination, and Search and Destroy are all back again as well. The maps are very well designed; with very little moment-to-moment when I wasn’t sure if an enemy was going to be coming up behind me. There are many pathways, and the levels don’t feel overly cluttered or too open. Treyarch put in a lot of work on designing the levels and they did a fantastic job. The create-a-class system has been changed since the last time I played a COD game, and it’s a great change. The system is called “Pick 10” and you literally pick ten things to use.  You can split these up however you want, score streaks don’t matter, and they just let you have fun with it. I made a class that had six perks and no guns or grenades. I made another class where I had two primary weapons, one with three attachments, and no grenades. They let you truly design your class the way that you want to. This system is probably one of the best things that Treyarch could have done to the Call of Duty franchise and I hope to see it utilized in other iterations. Another area worth noting is that the weapon attachments are unlocked by using your weapon, as is the camo for the weapons. Guns level up independently from the player, so if you want to get that Hybrid Optic sight for your weapon, you’re going to have to work for it and use that gun. As the player levels up they’re awarded Unlock Tokens to use to unlock new weapons, perks, and equipment, letting you choose whether or not you want to get something or save up for something better.

I didn’t get into the Zombies mode as much as I could have, though there have been some huge changes here too. First and foremost, there is technically only one map. It is split into four sections that the teams must travel around in to unlock various bonuses, weapons, and gadgets. Players load up into a bus and move to a different section. The whole thing makes it feel more like a first-person adventure game instead of a chaotic, team-based survival scramble. Each area offers different landscapes to explore, and there is a LOT to find. This iteration of zombies is pretty great so far, and I’m interested to see what Treyarch has in mind to expand it.

I’m going to be completely honest here. I thoroughly enjoyed Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Treyarch has done some things to the series that desperately needed done. I will safely say that this is the best Call of Duty I’ve played in a very long time, maybe since the original Modern Warfare. Infinity Ward or whoever is making the next game needs to take note of what Treyarch has done and continue the momentum. I recommend Black Ops 2 to anyone who is looking for a fantastic shooter game and award a 9/10. See you online..

WWE '13 Review (PS3)

Another year has come and gone and another WWE game has been released.  This year’s iteration focuses very heavily on the groundbreaking Attitude Era of the WWE. Things have been changed as always, but the thing to remember here, is that this is a wrestling game. If you aren’t a fan of wrestling, you will not like this game, and vice versa. WWE ’13 is a solid entry into a great franchise and is continuing in THQ’s focus on making changes for the better.

First off, at the time of this review, there is a major game breaking bug with the Universe Mode of WWE ’13. Using a created arena will cause any changes you make to matches to make the game not load. We are playing on the PS3, so I’m not sure if this is a issue for all platforms, but it is a deal breaker for us on PS3.

The graphics for WWE ’13 are the best that the series has ever presented. The digital representations of the wrestlers are as true to their real life counter parts as they’ve ever been. The Attitude Era stars look and move exactly like they did fifteen years ago. The crowds look and move much more realistically than they ever have, and with correct placement of the WWE logo my wife glanced at the TV and asked if I was watching Raw. Arenas are faithfully recreated completely, and the classic arenas bring back some nostalgia that makes me feel like I’m back in the mid to late ‘90s again. Animations are fairly fluid, with moves flowing easily from one into the next. There are some hitches in the hit detection and some of the weapon physics are questionable at times. There is the occasional moment when out of nowhere a chair that was on the ground will fly across the screen for no reason.

The sound in the game is pretty good. Hits sound like they should, slamming down onto the mat sounds right, the crowd is hit or miss however. THQ used samples from actual live crowds to try and recreate the atmosphere of being at a live WWE event. Wrestler entrance music is pulled straight from reality. The announcers both ring announcer and commentary teams sound great. When using custom entrance music though, the ring announcer will be nearly impossible to hear due to some audio mixing issues. The commentary during the matches is better than previous years, but is still obnoxious at times, and tends to call what is happening just before it finishes happening, but these are minor complaints.

The gameplay has been refined further from WWE ’12 making one of the best simulated wrestling games ever created.  Controls are still easy to learn, but difficult to master, with reversals being mapped to one button again instead of two. The controls are also very tight and responsive. Animations are fluid and moves flow very well. There are environmental finishers and match specific finishers that each superstar can preform. There are numerous match types to play ranging from a simple one on one match to a sixteen man King of the Ring tournament to an inferno match. The big focus this year again is on the Attitude Era. WWE ’13 does away with the standard Road to WrestleMania mode from the past few games and has the players play through decisive moments in the Attitude Era. This mode has quite a few different unlocks providing you get all of the historical bonus objectives in each event. Attitude Era mode provides a great bit of nostalgia for those of us that lived through it, and for younger fans of WWE helps give them some history for one of the most important time periods for the WWE. WWE Universe mode is back for those who want to go through and manage every aspect of the WWE. Rosters, shows, and matches are all available to be changed at the whim of the player. If you want to add a new show with the old Attitude Era stars, you can. Feel like deleting Monday Night Raw from the schedule, do it. Universe mode allows the player to customize the WWE in any way they want to. Several trophies(achievements) are tied into the Universe mode, so you should at least work through it a little bit.

WWE ’13 proves to be another solid entry into the WWE game franchise. There aren’t as many changes as last year, but there have been numerous refinements. Once they get their bugs ironed out, this game will be fantastic. I advise checking this out if you’re a wrestling fan. WWE ’13 beats it’s way to a nice 8/10. As always, See You Online.

Edit: Since publication, a patch has been released to fix the freezing issue, however all of your previous save data is corrupted and unusable including Universe, Create-an-Anything, and from surface appearances the progress made on Attitude Era mode. So....yeah…

Pokemon Black/White 2 Review (DS)

Pokemon is back for another romp in the Unova region. The first numbered sequels ever to grace the Pokemon world bring with them a number of changes that makes an experience in a world you've probably already played through seem new and exciting. There are enough changes made to these games to make a playthrough very worthwhile.

The first major change was that the map has been added to. There are quite a few new areas to discover and explore through. Players are given the option to pick from the same set of starters as the first Black and White games. Black 2/White 2 are set two years after the first games, so the world has changed a bit. Some areas have been altered or new places to visit have been added to them, such as the Castelia Sewers in Castelia City. Two new gyms have been added, and two have been removed, with the other ones receiving a makeover in order to keep familiar players from getting through them too easily.

The Pokedex has been updated as well. There are now 300 monsters to catch right from the start, making Black 2/White 2 (Hereby referred to as BW2) the games with the largest regional Pokedex ever. The online features are very functional. The Global Trade System is a fantastic way to get Pokemon from all over the world that may not be available in the games.

Graphically speaking, BW2 look amazing for DS games. Nintendo really pulled out the stops to make the environments pull the players in. The camera angle adjusts from time to time to bring some focus to the environments or to emphasize the scope of wherever you may be. Offering an occasional sweeping vista, or a zoomed out shot while crossing a bridge. Everything runs smoothly, and the sprites look just like they should. Sprites look like they should, and move very well through the environments. The various Pokemon look fantastic and really pop on the screen. The added environments and modifications to familiar places help to keep the sense of exploration fresh. Route Four for instance, used to be a desert wasteland, now it's a semi-developed suburb between Nimbasa City and Castelia City. There are quite a few new cities and caves to visit through too, so make sure you're exploring everywhere.

The sound design is exactly what you would expect for a Pokemon game. Digitized audio tracks that are a couple minutes long and loop endlessly until you leave the area, Digitized monster cries during battle and interaction with them. No voice acting, just beeps and simplicity.

When playing a main series Pokemon most players know what they're getting into. Get a starter, go to different areas of the map, catch and train various monsters, beat the area gym and move on to the next one. Players end at the Elite Four and the Pokemon League Champion and upon victory become the champion themselves and are free to explore the world. There is a new starting area, which helps to really drive home the point that BW2 are not the same as the original games. Some areas are locked off until you become the League Champion, which is great, and allows you something to do after you beat the game. The story is pretty standard fare, nothing really remarkable comes from it. The expanded map and Pokedex allow the player a LOT more catching and exploring opportunities than in previous games.

Other than the standard catch/train/battle mechanics, there are some new additions to the formula. Pokestar Studios allows you to make short movies with your monsters and see how you do with an "audience". The Battle Subway returns, as does the music theater. There are a few more new additions like Join Avenue that allow the construction of shops and upgrade them depending on how social of a Pokemon player you may be.

All in all, Pokemon Black and White 2 are a fully realized version of what Pokemon should be on the DS. The developers put in a lot of work to make sure that these games keep the same mechanics in a similar land, but offered enough changes to make adopters not feel like they've played this exact game before with a few mild adjustments. Pokemon Black and White 2 have earned a perfect 10/10. See You Online.

NBA 2k13 Review (PS3)

NBA 2K13 Review (Sorry it's a little late guys, been having some issues)

2K Sports is back with the newest installment of their critically acclaimed NBA simulation series, NBA 2K13.  Widely considered the top franchise for sports simulation, NBA 2K is sure not to disappoint.  This year’s installment includes a very special guest on the creative staff, Brooklyn Nets partial owner and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who takes on the role of Executive Producer.  For the first time in 2 years, “His Airness” himself, Michael Jordan is not featured on the cover, but the Chicago Bulls are still represented with former MVP Derrick Rose sharing cover duty with Los Angeles Clippers’ forward Blake Griffin and the 2 time reigning NBA Scoring Champion Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  This changing of the cover coupled with Jay-Z’s involvement points to a game that takes a step away from the tradition of your father’s NBA and into the modern day league.  However, if you are a basketball purist who longs for the days before “super teams,” there are more than 30 classic NBA teams to choose from in addition to the 1992 Team USA squad, more commonly known as “The Dream Team.”  Also included is the 2012 Team USA version of the Olympics from the London Games so you can settle once and for all which team was truly the better group of stars.

NBA 2K13 keeps gameplay relatively the same as in previous installations with a few minor tweaks.  This year not only does the right analog stick control shooting, but it can also control dribbling at the same time.  This is a major change in the gameplay experience because in previous years the stick could dribble or shoot.  Now you still have a wide range of dribble moves and fake outs that can be performed with various gyrations of the stick but once you hold down L2, the shot stick is activated allowing the user to execute many advanced shots not available by simply pressing square (although that is still an option).  Another addition to gameplay is “Signature Abilities” that certain stars and role players can posses.  These are things such as Kendrick Perkins being a “brick wall” and making it tougher for the opposition to drive to the hoop when he is in the paint or “floor general” that is attributed to many point guards that increases the offensive skills of teammates in the game with him.  There is even an ability possessed by players like Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant that allows their game to become elevated in the fourth quarter.  These abilities are a welcomed addition to the way the game plays as it gives a more authentic feel to what you are accustomed to watching.

The popular My Player Mode from years past remains but is vastly different.  In addition to My Player, there is now a My Career that goes hand in hand with it.  These modes no longer focus simply on your player’s career on the court, but off the court as well.  Money has been replaced with Virtual Currency, or VC for short, which takes away some from the authenticity of the mode.  VC can also be earned from playing exhibition mode games and can be used in My Player, which again makes the whole experience less realistic.  The VC is used to purchase things such as game arrival suits, clothes to wear during Blacktop Mode, and gameday accessories (yes, if you want something as small as a headband you are going to have to fork out VC for it).  New features in this mode include having to choose between a sponsorship from Nike or Air Jordan (granted this happens after a mere 5 games) as well as meetings with the organization’s General Manager as frequently as you would like to discuss an array of topics.  This adds a sense of realism to the mode that it desperately needs.  The realism of the mode has sadly not been improved on otherwise.  As a mid-first round pick you are still gracing the cover of magazines and billboards before you even rack up time as a starter and you are idolized as the savior of a franchise even though you are a rookie bench player (think if Tim Tebow played basketball).  In keeping with EA Sports’ Madden NFL 13 which has Twitter in its career mode, NBA 2K13 has “social media,” an off brand Twitter that allows you to accrue a plethora of followers from current NBA players and legends to celebrities such as Pauly D and Justin Bieber (yes, the Beibs found a way into the game and can even be played as on the Celebrity Team).  These followers are gained by performing various tasks during your career.  For instance, if you nail a certain number of 3 pointers in a single game, Steve Kerr will follow you or if you dish out enough dimes, Magic Johnson will become a fan.  Overall the My Player/ My Career experience is fun, if not completely realistic.

I had an open mind about presentation going in with Jay-Z on board.  The 2K series is well known as one of the best, if not the best, sports simulation game available.  I was curious as to what Jay-Z would bring to the table.  The presentation definitely has a hip-hop flair to it with the visual designs that include volume bars and speakers.  There are stylistic lines during the Sprint Halftime Report and even on the score in the lower right hand of the games.  While this gives the game a more modern, youthful feel, it takes away from the authenticity of the experience.  It has no effect on the gameplay, but the television style graphics were a nice touch in years past.  The commentating crew returns this year and is once again top-notch.  If you were to close your eyes (while someone else is playing, I wouldn’t suggest doing this during one of your games) it sounds as if the game is a television broadcast with the laughter and jokes as well as statistics that are spewed out when necessary.  The in game audio is arguably the best for any sports game out.  The soundtrack has a definite Brooklyn feel to it with many songs referencing the borough and the numerous Jay-Z tracks present.  The soundtrack is not bad, but it is not what I expect with a basketball game.  One minute you are listening to Run This Town by Jay-Z and the next you are hit with Viva La Vida by Coldplay.  Some of the tracks left me scratching my head, but overall, you get used to it.

My experience with NBA 2K13 was overall positive.  The gameplay and commentating are once again this year unrivaled for any sports game on the market and are improving with every new installation.   My Player and My Career are enjoyable if not entirely realistic.  And with Jay-Z on board the 2K Team swaps out television style visuals for a more modern look and a soundtrack that could be slightly biased towards the new look Nets.  Overall the game was well worth the buy.  I gave it an 8.5/10.

Borderlands 2 (ps3) review

First off, let me say that I am typing this up on my phone so bear with me for spelling errors and such.

Borderlands was a good game. Solid gameplay and good graphics, minus some issues with the graphics engine and a story that might as well have not been there kept the game from living up to my hopes. Borderlands 2 fixes most of these issues and leaves the players with a more complete game that feels a lot like what the first one should have been.

The graphics are an upgraded version of the previous game's engine. There are major texture loading issues, especially while driving or changing chracter skins. With this being the.second game in the series with these issues, I'm beginning to think that it's an engine issue, not a programmer issue. The art style fits the game very well, with characters popping out a bit more in the environments. There are also some very sharp looking environments and sections of the.world to look at and explore through.

The sounds don't really need much said about them. The characters are voiced well, and there is a good bit of dialogue to listen too. It is well written and moderately funny. I particularly enjoyed the lead villain in the early game, he had several very good lines. Guns have a nice pop when fired, though jumping more than once or twice in a row makes your character sound a bit like they're in an adult situation if you get my drift.

 Short bit about the story. There actually is one this time, complete with double crosses, twists, turns, and predictability. The story is fun and does have a good group of characters involved, including some familiar faces from the first game. I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that this story line will not be winning any awards, but it's still way better than the last one.

 The gameplay is identical to the last game. Get a gun, kill things/complete missions and get shiny new equipment. This game focuses heavily on what loot is dropped by the enemies. There are millions of weapons to choose from and a major satisfaction is finding the gun that fits you. I have found a sniper rifle that I.absolutely love, outside of Borderlands 2 I do not use snipers so it's an interesting change of pace for myself. The enemy AI has been upgraded making your enemies much smarter than they used to be. I noticed quite a few times where the enemies would take cover while I was aiming at them, or split off into smaller groups to try and flank me during a firefight. There have been some moderate tweaks to the level up system and a persistent challenge system that helps give you goals to work towards while playing. The skill trees are still broken up into three parts, however each one is considerably different than the others, offering more options for things to spend skill points on. Focusing your points into one tree can make your character a specialized badass, while spreading them out over two or three trees can make them into an average murder machine. I found with my Commando that I was leaning towards spending points in the column for my turret, giving it more time on the field, rocket pods, and specialized ammo. Other options would have given me more health, more ammo capacity, faster reloads, and things along those lines. So, the game helps you tailor your character to your play style a little bit more. The persistent challenge, or Badass Ranking is a system that carries over all of your characters. As you complete challenges which range from dealing X damage with this type of weapon to kill X number of a certain enemy, you gain Badass Ranks, which convert to coins. You spend these coins on very small upgrades, 1% or less than 1% to various stats, such as Max Health and Gun Damage. These carry over all of your characters on your profile and help give you a little boost in online multiplayer. The online game is just like the single player, except with friends or strangers helping you. The difficulty scales depending on how many players there are, and the more people that are playing, the better the loot that drops. That said, the loot is not for everyone, it's first come first served, so if you are playing with strangers this can be a serious problem.

All in all, I've heartily enjoyed Borderlands 2. I played through some of the first one and felt no need to try and make it to the end to see what happened, because there wasn't any kind of pull for me to get there. Borderlands 2 has fixed that, and brought the series a little farther in terms of what can be done with a game like this. I'm awarding an 8.5/10 to Borderlands 2. See You Online.