The Warriors Review

The Warriors - 8.1

Based on the 1979 cult-classic film, The Warriors brings the same tension, excitement, and overall gangster feeling the movie brought twenty-seven years ago. But it's different this time around. Rockstar created a storyline before the movie takes place, which is 80% of the game. Can this game live up to the movie? Read this review to find out.

Graphics - 7.2

The graphics are one of the few dissapointments in The Warriors, as well as one of the strong points. The character models are less that okay (especially the mouths), and the way they move is a little glitchy. That being said, their are many things that are well done in the graphics department. One of them being the environment. Every single piece of the area you move around in provides an excellent feel to the game, making you seem you're in the New York Ghetto. Another great addition is the tags. For those of you who don't know, tags are a gang's mark, usually made with spraypaint. These were taken from the movie, as well as some new ones from actual Painters.

Sound - 7.9

Most of the music is taken from the movie, but in certain parts in the game, you'll hear more soundtracks from the radio and so forth. Speaking of radios, the radio station host has a great voice, which is close to the movie's. The voice-overs are hard to judge. Some are over-exaggerated terrible, and some are great, but for the most part they're okay. One thing that really can tick a gamer off are the special-effects. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think wood sometimes makes a metallic sound. And lastly, for those who have seen the movie, I've reserved a few sentences for the famous "Warriors, come out to play-ay!" phrase that is hardly known as of now. The voice for Luther (the character who says it) is extremely well done. You have to hear it to believe it.

Gameplay - 9.4

The gameplay is where this game shines and proves to you that graphics don't matter. It's a seasoned brawler with lots of ways to dispatch of your enemy. There's also a River City Ransom-like game you can unlock after completing the story mode of the game. Along with the brawling, you can steal car radios, break into stores, tag over enemy tags, and more. There's barely any words to describe how good the gameplay is, so I'm gonna call it fantastic. Again, Rockstar shines with it's gameplay.

All in all, the game is amazing. The characters are memorable, and this game should be a buy.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One Review

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One - 8.6

So the greatest WWII franchise has been back for some time now: on the PC, XBOX 360, and the current-gen systems, which is what we'll be discussing today. Sure, Call of Duty 2 is better, but for those of us who don't want to spend $400 on an XBOX 360 or $1,000 upgrading our PC, this will suffice.

Graphics - 8.1

Be warned, ye fanboy bastards, for this game is not as glamorous as Call of Duty 2, but for the current-gen, this is pretty damn slick. The texture models are good, the terrains are great, and when you're invading Normandy for the hundreth time, you'll love it like you first played it. But almost every level is Normandy in this game, for the bullets wizzing by, the planes zooming overhead, and all the things you've come to expect from WWII shooters is here. Just better. The only real dissapointment from the graphics are the tanks. You'd think they'd be better, but no. They had to make one of the greatest things about life a let-down. The weapons and other things look great as well.

Sound - 8.5

The sound is phenominal. Where to begin? The weapons firing have been recorded by the sound teams at Treyarch and Activision, so you get an authentic sound experience. The music in general is great. When a key member in your unit dies (usually in a cinematic phase), you get some sad music with bullets flying all around you. It kind of makes you want to kick some ass and get some revenge. Other music is subpar. The voice-overs were well-done, but some voices may seem a little bit too strange for war. I'm talking Vin Deisel weird. But overall, the v/o's are great.

Gameplay - 9.2

The gameplay is, by far, the best aspect of this game. Like the first Call of Duty and Call of Duty 2, the gameplay is top-notch. As always, you can aim through your gun as if you were holding it, which is the way you always should aim, lest you would want thyself to be thy owned by Nazi bastards. What's there else to say about it? Easy controls, extremely fun gameplay, provides a decent challenge. The only con about it is that it's short. The story's also good.

It's a solid title. Pick it up.

A Look Back on Movies and Games: 2005

Ah, the big 05. Sure, there were tragedies and such, but what about the movies and games of the year? I'll tell you my opinion. Sit the f*** down and shut the hell up.

Movies

In my opinion, 05 was a slow year for movies. Sure, there were some great movies like Spiderman 2, which contained a phrase that will be quoted for years to come (With great power comes great responsibility), and The Wedding Crashers, but overall there weren't that many good movies. Another man would tell me to go f*** myself, to which I reply the same thing, but think about it. Was Batman Returns really that good? Hell no. And then we had such s*** as Charlie and the Choclate Factory, Elektra, Aeon Flux, Stealth, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Doom, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, The Dukes of Hazzard, and worst of all Supercross: The Movie. Do we deserve this crap? Hell no, I say to you. This is sorta like the 70's. Slow movie process, but great movies are to be found.

Video Games

Like movies, 05 was a slow year for games. There's only two exceptions. 2005 had no great games that stand out, but games started to pick up in Winter (this was also the time when the 360 was released and had a supply shortage). Some titles really stand out: like Resident Evil 4, Battlefield 2, Civilization IV, The Warriors, and Ninja Gaiden: Black. But do we need s*** like Charlie and the Choclate Factory, Chicago Enforcer, King Kong (DS), and hundreds more? Overall, Call of Duty 2 was the best of this s***-tastic year.

Thank you, goodnight!

Soulcalibur III Review

Soulcalibur III - 8.5

The extremely well-done series is back, and it's got even more random crap packed inside. You might ask, What the hell? Well, I'll explain it here.

Graphics - 9.2

The graphics are one of the first things you'll notice. Right off the bat, you have to give Namco credit for the water. It looks photo-realistic, and you'll find yourself staring at the water, and not caring about the match. The characters are also well done. From the boobs jiggling almost as much as the DOA chicks', to the weapons, to the special effects, everything is perfect. The only con is an occasional framerate slowdown.

Sound - 7.8

One of the worst things ever that can take it's toll in a video game is bad voice-overs. This game has a lot of these. Some are okay, but most just make you wanna take Soul Edge and shove it up your character's ass (or something else, if your character is a girl). The greatest thing about this game in the sound department is the music. Great scores and amazing sound effects save the game from Sound Hell.

Gameplay - 8.7

As always the fighting is intense, and long-time fans of the series will find that it's harder this time around. There are plenty of characters, and a character creation mode where you can create your own personal whore. There are more modes this time, some which just seem pointless. Chronicles of the Sword tries to take a crack at mixing genres (strategy and fighting), and it turns out as a sad result. All in all, it's oldschool Soulcalibur at it's best.

In conclusion, pick this game up. Multiplayer is a blast, and online is great. Just like the last two, the third in the series is amazing. Buy it. Now.