Pandemic is best known for their actions titles, especially for the Star Wars: Battle Front series as well as the zany humorous game Destroy All Humans! and recently has been the victim of termination by Electronic Arts. To some this comes as a major surprise considering the popularity associated with their games. No matter your views on Pandemic’s catalog it is saddening to see a company that had been with us for over a decade officially close it doors this past year.

With this in mind, the question is whether or not The Saboteur, Pandemic’s last stand, swan song, etc, is worth the purchase(or at the least a rent) seeing as the game is a combination of several games. With elements from the likes of Assassin’s Creed’s stealth and exploration, Grand Theft Auto’s open-world with varied missions, and the over abundance of Nazis seen not only in video games but over in Hollywood as well, it is understandable that many may be weary of yet another time consuming game with similar experiences. Though there are a few interesting and unique creative takes on these “genres” but are they enough to have the game stand on its own?

Developer: Pandemic Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Date of Release: December 8th 2009

Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Genre: Open-World-Action-Shooter-with-some-stealth-elements

Rated M for Mature

Graphics

One of the most interesting and daring aspects of the game is the use(or over-use) of putting most of the world in the beginning of the game in Black and White.  This creates amazing sequences of seeing the world change as you put life back into the lovely areas throughout France. It also is amazing to drive through an area that is drenched in the depressing Nazi-controlled black and white areas into the areas where the resistance(with your help of course) have made a stand while seeing things immediately begin to change. This also causes some problems as well  as some areas become too dark and can cause some major accidents when speeding through areas well over the speed limit(sorry French Pedestrians!)

Besides the lenient use of the absence of color is the portrayal of varied areas of France. Personally, I have not visited France…but after playing this game and being able to explore the world I’d love to put the money down for a first class ticket to the lovely country(if I had the money that is). The world is better explored in color though. Especially when driving or running through the country-side, especially the lovely wheat fields drenched in a lovely gold.

The architecture of the cities are also shown well in the game and really adds to the immersion of the game as a whole. Climbing the Eiffel Tower, or any of the several “sight-seeing” areas, are amazing as they give you a great view of much of the cities.

The textures are beautiful as well and I’m not only talking about the textured jubilees seen in the Montmartre clubs. The building’s textures as well as the models and vehicles all seem well made, however some of the lip-syncing is a bit off  and some of the animations could use a bit more tinkering, but overall it is a great pleasure to the eyes.

Story

Personally, I’m not a big fan of the story…or the presentation of said story. You play as a stereotypical drunk Irish men who loves women and cars…and playing pranks on people. Ok. Honestly…I don’t know if he actually loves playing pranks on people, but the reason that Sean Devlin is thrown into the group of French resistance fighters results from loosing a race with a dirty, cheating Nazi and then Sean deciding to play a nasty prank on Mr. Dierker.

There is a tad bit more to it, but I’d hate to spoil what little plot is presented in the game. Let’s just say it’s a bit too predictable and presented with a bit too much cheese. And of course wine(or at least alcohol) since our good ‘ol boy Sean loves him some alcohol…most likely prefers whiskey, but I digress.

Once he finds himself within the resistance you begin to notice the likeness with games similar to Grand Theft Auto. You get a mission, jump in a car(most likely hijacked), follow the way point, shoot some bad guys(or destroy some property), talk for a bit, rinse, and repeat.  Though, I won’t say the story is borderline brain-dead, I will say It doesn’t get too interesting till about half-way through where the predictability begins to subside.

Bottom line : the story is more of a filler till you can get back out on the streets to actually play the game…which brings me to the next section.

Gameplay

I love Grand Theft Auto, I loved Red Faction. The Saboteur is a mix of these two as well as a climbing mechanic from Assassin’s Creed and this is both a good and bad thing. I have yet to play Assassin’s Creed 2, but from what I’ve heard it is an improvement over the first…well the climbing aspect in this game seems to not have improved much over what it was influenced by. And at times…seems to add more issues to the game play. It really causes much frustration when trying to smash the A button to climb over a ledge when the entire Third Reich is trying to shoot your ass to pieces. It is also infuriating when a few glitches pop up every now and again when trying to tell the game WHERE you want to climb.

The shooting aspect of the game really has little fault from what I could tell…though much like games like Red Faction…the game really loves making you feel like a one-man army at some points…and others…like a drunk Irishman. The difficulty seems quite balanced for the most part, but every now and again a sharp drop/curve will appear as if the game is reminding you that you are not invincible. The varied amount of guns is nice, but really acts as a form of an RPG element where you are striving to earning enough money(the game’s form of currency is “contraband”) to buy the next best thing.

In order to earn the most contraband(besides playing missions) the game has several locations meant for you to blow the hell out of. Sadly, this fills like a half-baked version of what we saw in the recent Red Factiondestructible environments.  While it is IMMENSELY entertaining to rush in stealth to the nearest Nazi Tower/Building/Tank/etc. and wait till the c4 detonates and watch as all the Nazi become alert like little bees ready to sting a little Irishman…it still leaves room for the player wanting more destruction.

There is also the racing aspect of the game which brings in some breathing room when you have your fill of blowing and shooting the Nazi’s up you can do a few races with the sports cars you can earn in the game.  Of course the driving can’t really be compared to the likes of Gran Turismo or Project Gotham Racing, but it is at least fun and slightly rewarding.

Overall

I’d have to say this is a great last game to showcase the best Pandemic had to offer. Sadly, we won’t be able to see what else the studio had to offer. While there is much to improve on the game, it does a great job at blurring the lines in mixing up the several elements found in the many games I listed. I’d love to see a sequel that adresses these issues, perhaps set in a different time period though…

I’d love to see other games play with the idea of using black and white for an interesting atmosphere.  I feel this was a great and unique mechanic in The Saboteur, yet can’t help to complain that it could have used much improvement as far as gameplay and usage goes.

Pros and Cons

Pros

-Great Enviorment

-Great Gameplay – Use of different gaming elements

-Unique use of Black and White

- An open-world worth exploring

Cons

-Weak…weak story.

-The use of the different elements sometimes ends up in half-baked situations

-The Black and White mechanic also leads to some problems

The Save Factor

The game is still being sold for around  $50-60 depending on where you buy and what version you intend to purchase. After playing through the game I’d have to say the save factor is a bit below this asking price.

$40 seems a bit more reasonable, though  $45-50 seems reasonable for those who are major fans of the open-world genre.

When you ask a few Role Playing Game fans to make a list with the best Western RPGs(or even RPGs in general) of all time, you’d be hard pressed to find a group that won’t list at least a couple of Bioware games and even more so to find out that Baldur’s Gate isn’t on those lists.  Bioware has been one of the top dogs of the RPG genre in the western world since the late 90s with the release of such great titles as Baldur’s Gate I and II, Never Winter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Mass Effect and now Dragon Age : Origins.

But why should Dragon Age : Origins be included in that list? And where does it fall in order of greatness?

Developer: Bioware
Publisher: EA
Date of Release: November 03 2009
Platforms: PC, PS3, 360

Graphics

One of the major complaints against this game when it was first being shown was the graphics. While it isn’t as appealing as games like Mass Effect, Gears of War or any other game with graphical prowess, it does have a great aesthetic pleasing artistic direction. This is especially noticeable in Orzammar(the home of the dwarves) where great detail is seen in the structures of the entire underground city.

However…there are many areas that take a plunge in the graphics department and take the immersion away for a bit as you adjust from seeing the beauty of places like Orzammar to a valley of trees that appear to be made out of cardboard.

The models also aren’t as pristine as they could be with an engine with a little more oomf…though they aren’t the worst in existence as one quick look at Oblivion or Fallout 3 brings one back to reality to consider the models as–at least–OK.

Sounds/Ambiance/Dialog

Once you accept that graphics are taking a backseat in this game and are able to immerse yourself into the world of Ferelden you should notice how lovely the music and overall sound of the game is. This, along with the several stories, is where the game shines the most.

As with most Bioware games, the dialog and soundtrack is one of the best parts of the game. It helps immerse the player into the world and helps craft a wonderful tale that competes well with other role-playing games in the video game industry.  Especially since Tim Curry is a voice actor! Can’t compete with that!

In all seriousness, the soundtrack is one of the most enjoyable parts of the game and adds to the lovely fantasy setting. One in particular section, that at first is a bit odd, is when a certain character begins to sing…you’ll know what I’m talking about when you reach that part.

Plot

The plot is the main crux of any Bioware game and is the same for Dragon Age. It was touted as “DARK FANTASY!” in all of the ads(most likely pushed by EA…gotta love those guys!), however there is very little different in the plot department as far as the Fantasy genre is concerned. The elves are not as superior as they have in other works and there is an interesting take on the dwarven atmophere, but for the most part this is a fantasy game…take it or leave it.

Another great part of the plot and story is second part of the title: the origins. There are five origins and each takes about an hour and a half to complete which adds different(though small) outcomes to the overall story. This results in a few reactions from characters throughout the game and can cause a different ending to the game depending on your character’s background. However, there isn’t really a set ending for each origin

While it would be nice to have a bit more dept to this…it is unique as far as the many choices you make throughout the game when combined with your origins. This makes for a great role playing experience especially when you are tasked with deciding to side with your race on certain missions.

Without spoiling anything, I’d have to say there are some very unique and interesting choices throughout the game that may require at least some thought. Hopefully future Bioware titles will continue to improve on the choices and plot as there is always room for more tinkering.

The characters that are found throughout the game are also enjoyable to interact with…my favorite character overall being the witty and obnoxious fellow Grey Warden Alistar. Some may say he’s a bit whiny later on in the game and draw similarities with the likes of Kaiden or Carth from previous Bioware games, but I really don’t see the connection that clearly.

The romances are also a bit cliche and have little improved upon from previous Bioware games(all you have to do is buy them gifts for the most part), on the other hand, the dialog that is interchanged between your “lover” and your character can be quite sweet…if you are in the mood for gazing at the stars with a nice bottle of wine

*note*I dont remember seeing any wine except something next to some poorly textured cheese*note*

Gameplay

When I first began playing Dragon Age : Origins I did so on the Xbox 360, but I also bought it for the PC. Personally, as far as game play goes, I’d have to say I enjoy the tactical and top down game play that can only be found on the PC, however, the game works just as well for those of us who enjoy gaming on the consoles.

You can either enjoy the game as a pure action title and run and…slay?…enemies from behind you character. Or, you can play by pausing and choosing what each of your three party member’s actions will be. Or, you can use the games  ”tactics” menu and adjust how each of the games characters reacts in battle(for those of you familiar with Final Fantasy 12…I’ve been told this is similar to the system available in that game as well).

This leads to not very many flaws as far as game play goes…though there are a few instances of wonky AI and instances that can result in controller throwing…but for the most part it is quite an enjoyable experience.

Another point to be made is the leveling system…which is one downfall many past Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights fans may have as it seems many of the skills have been streamlined.

This wasn’t a major issue for me…as I enjoy the plot of my Rpgs rather than the leveling systems, yet it is a bit disappointing that this game was touted as the spiritual successor to Balder’s Gate and it has very little to compare to the game from what I can recall.

Overall

This game met many of my expectations despite the flaws and I’d say that it improves on many of the issues found in other Bioware titles, and there is still room to improve, but overall this game rests nicely with the other Bioware Soap-Opera, drama filled, role playing games.

The entire Origin take on the first part of the game creates a game that gives a freshness to the re-playability of  RPGs without having to go through the same prologue as well as the different choices that can be made in order to see new reactions from the several characters.

Pros and Cons

Pros

-Great Art Direction

-Lovely Sound Track

-Engaging and Immersive Storyline

-Thought Provoking Choices

-High Re-playability with the Origin Characters

-Immersive Dialog

Cons

-Poor Graphics in many parts of the game

-Cliche plot lines

-Cliche Romances

The Save Factor

I bought the game for $72 for the collectors edition on the xbox 360 and then $50 for the PC version and have to say…I have no regrets. With that said…the game can be found for $45 for the console versions on Amazon(and if you look hard enough you could find it for cheaper) and $40for the PC version. This game is definitely worth the price especially when considering that Bioware and EA have stated that have two years worth of DLC in the pipeline for the game(for those of you against DLC….there is plenty to be had in the main game!).

With all this in mind, I’d have to say the save factor for the game is $55 for RPG/Bioware fans and $40 for those with some interest in stepping into the RPG genre.

The trailer was part of the IGN Ultimate Video Game Gift Guide and it is quite lovely to watch! The trailer ends with a date for the FULL trailer to appear on XBox LIVE on December 22nd. I know I’ll be there…will you?

Recently I bought two hyped up Ipod Touch/Iphone game apps: Ravensword and Underworlds. I’m a huge Role Playing Game fan and I was quite excited to drop the 10 bucks combined for these two games . But, was it worth it?

Underworlds

Developer: Pixel Mine Inc.
Publisher: Pixel Mine
Date of Release: OCT 19 2009
Platforms: iPhone/Ipod Touch

Story/Presentation

Honestly, I could not really tell you the story as I was too busy skipping most of the dialog text in order to get on with the next quest. The few bits of information I did read included something about demons and hordes and monster taking over the world. Or something like that, and my bad ass self is the only person who is bad ass enough to take those fools down with my awesome gear along with the loot that I found.

This game is obviously a nod to the popular dungeon crawler Diablo and falls into the category of countless clones of the same game. But, is that such a bad thing?

You can see another similarity with the artwork as the placement of the HUD and overall art direction of Underworlds feels more like an add-on to Diablo and has very little to add to the genre of hack-n-slash.

Gameplay

To put it simply, this game is quite enjoyable and fun. You’ll begin the game with choosing whether you are a male or female and then your class. I chose a warrior as I wanted to make sure I could run in a room and not worry about how much of that blue liquidly-stuff I have on the right and focus on the red liquidly-stuff on the left. In case you’ve never played a hack-n-slash game, a rpg, or have no idea what the hell Diablo is, the red “stuff” is your health while the blue “stuff” is your mana.

Of course, the game also features varying special attacks you will be able to choose from as you attack more baddies and level up your character and then you WILL need to focus on both mana and health as well as focusing on what loot you need as just like Diablo you are only allowed a select few items at any given time.

Also worth mentioning is the touch screen, on aspect of the Iphone I’m not  a huge fan for, but for this game…it works.  On one side of the screen you move your character in any direction and on the other side you hit the “action” key which will either attack or open a door/chest/whatever. It works and that’s alot to say when there are many other games that just drive me UP THE WALL with their use of the touchscreen.

Overall

But…the game is fun! And will distract you for a few minutes at any given time. Whether you are waiting in the doctor’s office and need to play something for the next…hour or so…then here you go! This game is quite a little time waster for the price and while it looks too similar to Diablo, I found it didn’t bother me so much  as it’s quite a favorable nod to Diablo and gets the job done!

Pros/Cons

Pros

- Great Gameplay

- Lovely Art Direction

-Price

-Re-playbility thanks to the choices of classes and skills

Cons

-Story

-Nothing too unique

-A bit short

The Save Factor (explanation)

I really enjoyed this game and would suggest to fans of the genre to buy this game immediately! The game is well worth it at the price of $2.99 for action-rpg fans!

Ravensword

Developer: Chillingo Ltd
Publisher: Chillingo Ltd
Date of Release: Couldn’t Tell You
Platforms: iPhone/Ipod Touch

As soon as I bought this game and started it up, I was a bit stunned. Ravensword is the most graphically impressive Iphone games I’ve ever played and looks like it should be lighting my Ipod touch on fire! Sadly, this is as far as the positives go for me.

Story/Presenation

I did not get too far in the game to have a great grasp on the story, but what I did enjoy was the first mission included the most joked about aspect of many old rpgs…killing rats. Along with this is a nod to games such as Morrowind and Zelda, where exploring is a major part of the game and doing mundane quests(as well as the enjoyable “kill ‘em all” quests) for the inhabitants of this world.

The graphics, art direction, and dialog are the most positive aspects of this game. The story is a bit better than Underworlds, but at the same time it isn’t really memorable.

The story also feels more alive than Underworlds and I enjoyed trotting through the lands looking at the varying locations such as volcanic areas, snow covered fields, and the usual stunning forests. This game feels like it would be a decent Role Playing Game on the PC for around 10-15 dollars, however I did not enjoy a few other aspects to the game.

Gameplay

Yes, one of the most important part of any game is this game’s kryptonite. The controls for the touch screen are quite horrible and I’ve yet to get a grasp on it.

This also is made worse by the enemies AI. The game uses an approach similar to Underworlds with movement with a compass-like part of the screen to the left and then you press the screen to open doors and such. Since this game is a third person action/first person action you also need to use the screen for the camera.

One such instance that annoyed me to great lengths was when I tried to killed several goblins who seemed to know that the camera for this game was faulty and used it to their advantage. They would CIRCLE around me, having me try and circle along with them as they took stabs to my back. The touch screen for the Iphone(which works for other games) doesn’t seem to be that great for TP/FP camera uses, as I ended up dieing over and over until I was able to fight one-on-one with any creatures. This creates a Steep learning curve for the beginning of the game.

Horrible. Just horrible. And really ruined my first experience with the game.

Overall

While this Morrowind-esque title is lovely to look at, it really isn’t that lovely to play with. Of course, if you are a pro with the Iphone touch screen and have to real gripes with it, then I suppose you will enjoy this game, but, personally, I still enjoy my mouse and buttons.

Pros

- Lovely Graphics

-Great art direction and lively world

-Dialog and quests are enjoyable

Cons

- Gameplay, Controls are God-Awful

-Camera problems

-Wonky AI

The Save Factor(explanation)

The game has a starting price of $6.99 and I would only suggest this to those who are pros at the touch screen and have no problem practicing and perfecting their skills with the device through this game, however, from my experience the game would be a better value if it was dropped to about $3.99 as I really had a hard time getting into the game.

Since the release of Dragon Age : Origins we have been given character video after character video. Well, if Evil Chris Priestly is to believe(which I suppose we will have to believe him ) there will be quite a few big reveals this week.

Over at the Bioware forums…a random forum poster decided to ask if there would be any new info this week. Chris responded with, “Oh yeah, some pretty big reveals this week.”

When pressed for more information, he gave all the juicy information…except for a bit of a hint, for what he can’t even hint at, to occur on Thursday.

I can’t reveal what or who or where just yet, but I can say that (if all goes as planned) there is a character video, a class video and something I can’t even hint at until Thursday.

I’ll drop more hints about what/where/when, etc when I can. Stay tuned.

Tomorrow morning(today), at 10 am my time, I will reveal the name of the character video on our Mass Effect 2 Twitter feed “masseffect2″.

UPDATE :

Over at the Mass Effect 2 Tweet account another hint has emerged.

Mass Effect 2 hint time: Keep your eyes on Gamespot tomorrow for a new Miranda character video. See Gamespot tomorrow http://odvizt.xrt.me

Some new news for Mass Effect Fans! Elevators, Difficulty, and a second disc?

Over at the Bioware Forums, It has been announced that there will no longer be the same system used to move the player from one zone to another. The elevators will be replaced by loading screens. Personally, I had no problem with the elevators…as they were intereative and less boring then a simple loading screen. Yet, at the same time, the loading screens they did have in Mass Effect were pretty neat. So…more loading screens. Less Elevators. Suppose the masses will rejoice!

The elevators were made in ME1 so we didn’t have to show boring loading screens. However there were a lot of complaints, so we’ve gone back to loading screens and movies. We still have elevators in ME2, but you don’t wait inside them. We’ll cut to a loading screen instead.

We’ve tried to make the loading screen more interesting this time by adding interesting visuals and information.

The elevator conversations had some funny moments, but hopefully people will enjoy this new system better than the old one!

On another note. Mass Effect will come with two discs. I suppose this gives fodder to the sony fanboys to both poke fun at the 360 lover-boys and scream that Mass Effect 2 would obviously perform better on a single disc while promoting obesity by restricting any type of movement. Ok, that last point was a stretch…how many calories will you really burn by changing a disc?

Ok some details for you.

1 – Yes, there are 2 game discs for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions, both the Collector’s and standard editions.

2 – There is a 3rd disc with the Collector’s Edition. This is a movie DvD containing making of and other bonus information.

3 – The PC version is a standard install. You install the information from both discs and then play with 1 disc in the drive. No swapping.

4 – You can install the game to your Xbox 360 Hard Drive as long as you have enough memory to do so and have the correct disc in the drive when you play.

5 – Even though there is a disc swap, it occurs at a carefully planned place in the game (that does not interfere with gameplay) and is done once. You do not swap back and forth. 1 swap and then done.

6 – Why 2 discs? Answer: Because you cannot fit this much awesome on one disc.

Hope this helps.

Edit: Changed point 4 as I had the wrong info initially.

Anyways, another bit of news that comes from Destructoid, is that Mass Effect 2 may end up having a harder difficulty for the higher end choices. Insanity may actually be…insane? We shall see.

“Sometimes I think we’re pampering gamers too much,” says Mass Effect 2 producer Adrien Cho. “Just recently, a game like Demon’s Souls is fantastic because when you die, and you fail, it’s not because the game was cheap it’s usually because you didn’t do something properly.

“It goes back to that learning mechanism of ‘Well, I tried this — it didn’t work. I’m going to try something different.’ And I think that’s going to be something in Mass Effect 2, we don’t want it to be a cakewalk, you want a challenge.”

This past Friday, G4 showed an exclusive video showcasing the combat of Mass Effect 2.

Video Description: Get a look a the explosive combat in Mass Effect 2 in this exclusive video from BioWare and Electronic Arts. Shepard fights Husks, Scions, and Abominations with advanced weaponry.

Looks pretty interesting and quite different from the first game. Just hope the role-playing elements and dialog is still as great or better than the first game. Suppose, like Dragon Age, that EA will want to appeal to the casual-FPS-Audience and the loyal Bioware fans will just have to wait to hear more about the improvements from the first game, other than the combat.

Kotaku is hosting a Live Chat with lead designer Mike Laidlaw. I’ll be moderating the chat along with asking a few of my own questions!

It will be taking place Monday Nov. 2 at 3pm EST! Since it will be the day before Dragon Age : Origins releases, now is a great time to ask the questions that have been bothering you since its announcement.

If you have any suggestions on the type of questions you’d like me to ask Mike about the game be sure to leave and comment and hopefully I’ll see you guys there.

I have around one month and a few days left until my fifth semester of college ends. There is only one thing that stands in the way between me and my rightfully deserved A’s : Borderlands. Ok…well maybe that and my poor study habits. Nevertheless, Borderlands is making sure that this last month full of finals, 12 page papers, and study sessions will be filled of thoughts of what quests I’ve just finished and how soon will that lovely new ‘LEVEL UP!’ icon will flash across the screen.

Before I get started I want to get something out of the way, I would not classify this as a review per se. A preview would fit better or a Hey-Look-This-Is-How-Awesome-The-Game-Is! So far, I have only reached level 24 and have only accomplished to open the third area and have completed numerous quests.

Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K GAMES
Date of Release: October 20, 2009
Platforms: PS3/360/PC (played on 360)

Genre: RPS/RPG/FPS
Players: 1 (2 splitscreen. 4 Online Co-op)

Plot

Does this game have a Plot? Yes. Is the plot good? Well…I’d have to ask you to define what a ‘good’ plot. Let’s put it this way, if you only buy games for the plot, well…you might as well move on right now.

The plot, from my experience thus far, is just filling to give an excuse for why you are moving from point A to Point B.  There are, however, some great background information on the planet Pandora, which I wish would be expanded on a tad bit more. There are a few specific quests, that I won’t give too much information about, which gives the player some background on this desolate red-neck-filled planet.

Graphics

When the developers first decided to change the direction of the artwork and graphics they claimed that it was not cell-shaded. Many people may disagree and claim that it is indeed still cell-shaded. The developer’s, on the other hand, are specific in that it is “hand-drawn.”

Whatever the case may be, I enjoy the scenery and graphic-style that the game displays.  I do have a few issues however, at least on the 360 version that I’m playing. There seems to be incessant loading screens whenever I start the game or enter a new area. While this may be an exaggeration, they do seem to last forever.

On the bright side, news from Gearbox has come that a patch will be released for the consoles that will address this along with several other issues and Bugs.

Another point of the graphics, that can be considered in the positive light of things, are the many creative models of the NPC opponents, which include bandits and other terrestrial life, along with the many ‘friendly’ NPC quest givers. This also ties in with a negative with the plot, as I would love for the many characters of Borderlands to be expanded upon.

Gameplay

This is where the game shines and the reason behind the game consuming so much of my time. Many have described this game as the bay of the FPS genre and the RPG genre. The developers claim this game is a Role-playing-Shooter. Others have said it’s as if Diablo and DOOM(or any other or FPS) have been collided and stuffed into this tight little package.

While it is an understatement to say, “This game has much loot to gather,” comparing it to Diablo does not feel quite right. I feel it stands on its own two feet as a game that has taken the most addicting (not necessarily the best) of these two genres and created a game that would be best described as the Crack-Cocaine of gaming.

The game has four character classes: Mordecai (The hunter or sniper), Brick (the Tank), Roland (the soldier and the most well-rounded character), and Lilith (The rouge or Spy).  These characters each have their own specialization along with specific talents. This is where the RPG elements come out as each kill or completion of a quest nets you experience points which can be placed into a set of  three different fields under the character, each having seven different skills that boost your character into the ultimate killing machine.

The most addicting part of this game, I’ve found, is the way the game litters tons of guns around the world for you to pick up, which is the reason behind the Diablo comparisons. One part that I really enjoy the most is how, while shooting an array of bullets at an assortment of villains, the damage points rise up from the enemies telling me the amount of damage I am casting down on them. After a few have fallen to the ground the tantalizing LEVEL UP!  icon pops up in it’s lovely yellow font.

Another satisfying part of the game is the Co-Op. Though, I have only experience Co-Op with close friends and have not journeyed to play Online with others. The problem I have with this is having to share the loot with strangers online. I have heard of some people having issues with people grabbing whatever loot they can without the considerations of others. Though, if you have a few good friends on LIVE/PSN or on the PC then I HIGHLY recommend playing the game with friends instead of by yourself.

Conclusion

I still have much time to dedicate to this game before I believe I can have a complete opinion on the game; however, from what I’ve played of Borderlands I believe this game has more than warranted my purchase. The only true fault I can give it is the time it has consumed and how I fear that it may not only interfere with my studies but also with the other games releasing this Holiday season. Especially since there is a second play through that make the game not only harder but incorporates more loot.

But have no fear!….I’ll be sure to get through it eventually..

Pros/Cons

Pros

-Graphics are fantastic and make the landscape of Pandora utterly fascinating

-Gameplay is what makes this game. Addictive. Fun.

-Great combination of FPS elements along with RPG elements

-Great multiplayer

Cons

-While the multiplayer is fun, it could use some tweaking. (trading and loot needs some work).

-Plot could be stronger but really isn’t a complete let down.

-Graphics may be a turn off for some people

The Save Factor

With a starting price of $60 bucks I’d have to say it’s well worth the price.  It has been quite a while since a game that was this hyped met and excelled my expectations! If you wait for a price drop I guarantee it will only increase the already great value that you will get from this game.

Just watched a new video over at gamespot, which focuses on the new character, which hints at a total of 10 new characters(we’ve met Grunt and Thane), in the upcoming Mass Effect 2.

Have to say, it is a bit surprising to see this character in the mass effect universe. Reminds me of some grunt from the Aliens movies.
Te video also has another sneak peak at the Dragon armor that will be available to those of us who preorder Dragon Age: Origins come this November.