Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Review

Kid Safe: High                     Game Quality: Moderate

Genre: Action/Adventure

-          This game is identified by its action-based tone of gameplay that focuses on one or more characters being faced with a challenge and going on an adventure to solve it through puzzle solving, avoiding obstacles, and battling enemies with multiple forms of weapons and attacks.

Internet Requirements: Low

-          This game features no internet gameplay to speak of, restricting you only to single-player modes. Some extra content will be released for download from the internet at an undetermined point in the future to increase the available gameplay.

Story Summary: In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, you take the role of Starkiller, the ex-apprentice

of Darth Vader who raised him to become a Sith Lord with the intention of killing the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. In this title, it is unclear what happened to Starkiller; however it appears that he was killed and you are now playing as his clone who has been created by Vader to replace this loss. However, much to Vader's disliking, Starkiller is haunted by the memories of his past life and quickly turns on him, escaping from the training facility where he is being held; seeking to reunite with his previous allies and strike back against the man and the Empire that created him.

Kid Safe: High

-          Foul Language: Very Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 does not contain any observed instances of foul language.

-          Violence and Gore: Moderate

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 features a moderate amount of Violence and minimal scenes of blood and gore. As a Sith, your character uses lightsabers, a form of laser-sword that can slice cleanly through seemingly anything, as well as "force powers", that range from the ability to throw lightning and electrocute your enemies to the ability to pick them up and throw them without ever touching them. Players will fight Stormtroopers (humanoid enemies in robotic-looking white armor) and can use their lightsabers to slice off their legs, arms, and head; as well as the ability to stab through their chest and stomachs. These attacks do not, however, cause scenes of blood and gore and enemies are injured cleanly without viscera. Players can use "force powers" to elicit screams of fright and pain as they are thrown around or sounds of pain as they are electrocuted. Screams and explosions can be heard all throughout this title.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Very Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 does not contain any scenes of sexually-related content.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Very Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Does not contain any scenes of drug or alcohol usage.
 

             

Game Quality: Moderate

-          Graphics / Visuals: High

o   The graphics and visuals for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is of a generally high quality, however the game suffers from more than a couple of problems. Beginning with the positives, almost everything in this title is glorious to look at. Levels are well-designed and are multi-faceted, often having places that players can go that are not obvious, non-orthodox items that players can use to fight, and extremely interesting ways of navigating obstacles; not to mention the detail that has been put into the world around the level itself. Cloth flows almost realistically, something most games do not do properly. Likewise, the shadowing in this title is equally impressive and adds realistic depth to the world around you. Last, but not least, is concerning the facial animations in the cutscenes, which are comparable to games like Red Dead Redemption in their accuracy to human emotion and lip motion.

o   For the overall impressiveness of the visuals in Force Unleashed 2, the game suffers a frustrating number of glitches. The first, and most noticeable, is that every single time you strike an enemy with a lightsaber, the graphics will slow for roughly half of a second. While this doesn't sound like much, it's aggravating when attempting to do difficult attacks as you are unable to interpret when you need to hit buttons due to the lag in the gameplay. After that, there were several times when, while fighting a stormtrooper, the camera would suddenly lock onto him versus your character and literally follow him wherever he went; leaving you unable to see or control your character. At another time, I found myself hop ontop of a space ship to run across it and literally dropped into the graphics for the space ship, leaving my character sitting inside the programmer's wireframe graphic and literally unable to escape; forcing me to restart from an earlier point.

           

-          Audio: High

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 has a relatively high audio quality, featuring a rather impressive musical score as well as some pretty decent voice acting. To begin, this title continues the Star Wars tradition of having absolutely amazing music. This title features a full musical score comparable to the films with a song/tune for every scene that varies its pace and tempo on the tension of the moment.

o   The voice acting generally equally impressive and demonstrates the skill of many of the actors. The voice talents of Sam Witwer returns as "Starkiller" as well as Matt Sloan with a rather impressive re-mastering of James Earl Jones' rendition as "Darth Vader" and Tom Kane as an equally well-done "Yoda". Almost all of the voice actors nail their lines perfectly, expressing the proper amount of emotion to each scene to really carry their performance without the need of live actors.

o   All voice actors, except for one. Cully Fredricksen as "General Rahm Kota" suffers from a very mixed performance that truly retracts from the gameplay in such a way that it is distracting. While his performances in cutscenes are decent, his performances in the actual game are not. I'm not sure whether it is bad editing or bad acting, but almost every line he says while in gameplay sounds incredibly hollow and strange; with pronunciation placed on the wrong words and syllables and the emotions seeming all wrong. Generally, this wouldn't cause that much of a problem, except that you listen to him, quite literally, through almost the entire game; creating a massive audible distraction.

-          Gameplay / Playability: Moderate

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is an extremely mixed bag when it comes to gameplay, but we feel that it has a moderate level of quality. First off, there are multiple levels of difficulty that players may choose between to provide them whatever level of challenge suits them; allowing for mediocre players to enjoy the story without suffering and hardcore players to enjoy a challenge. Likewise, whether you played the original game or not, it will provide you full instructions on how to properly use all of your powers in almost every manner that might arise. Players are faced with a fair number of different challenges and puzzles that keeps most of the gameplay fun and engaging. Likewise, there is a host of different kinds of enemies that tend to be very inventive and have their own weaknesses and ways to battle them.

o   While the overall performance of the game is fun, they start to run into problems in the later half of the game. It seems like they ran out of ideas on how to properly handle the title. First, you are placed on a planet called Dagaboh in order to train and learn more about yourself, much like Luke Skywalker did in 5th and 6th film from the Star Wars movies. As a fan myself, my heart jumped at the opportunity to explore the caves and possibly fight my characters "worst fears and problems". What occurred was a one minute scene where you jump your character up onto the path next to your ship and run down it, only to go through several minutes of cutscene and just time skip to the next level without anymore than a one sentence explanation as to what happened. From there, the game attempts to build tension by simply throwing progressively more and more of previously seen enemies rather than coming up with anything new. Finally, the last boss battle with Darth Vader is probably the most boring thing sequence I have ever played; lasting 24 minutes of real time that consisted of the exact same sequence of three events repeated over and over and over as you slowly chip away at his health.
          

-          Dollar-Value: Low

o   Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 has a relatively low dollar-value due to poorly executed and incredibly short gameplay. To start, this game was only about 4 to 6 hours long for the single-player story mode; by far one of the shortest games I have played on the newer consoles. While players can also play challenge modes where they must complete a set gameplay "challenge", these will only last you so long and I found I had completed all of them in less than an hour. Not only that, but when you count the graphical glitches, audio frustrations, and absolutely atrocious gameplay problems later in the game; this title is not worth the $60USD price tag that is currently attached to it.

Recommendations

-          While the concept was good and the kid-friendliness was decent, the delivery was horrible. If you would like to enjoy a good Star Wars title, I can only heavily recommend the first Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. If you have already enjoyed this title, you might also try out titles like Ratchet and Clank or Jak and Daxter. If you are looking for an equally good and M-Rated title, Devil May Cry, Dante's Inferno, and God of War are also great choices.

Shift 2: Unleashed

Shift 2: Unleashed Review

Kid Safe: Very High                     Game Quality: Moderate

Genre: Racing Simulator

-          This game is characterized by the focus on racecar driving. Players will pilot a wide variety of different cars of all makes and models with a heavy focus on beating other vehicles in closed-track races. Street racing is not endorsed.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          Shift 2: Unleashed features a moderate amount of internet requirements in the form of online multiplayer. Players are able to engage in online races against other players using a variety of different vehicles. These races will actually build to the experience points and money available to the player in the Single Player Story Mode. It also features "Autolog" which allows players to share and compare their ranks in certain races.

Story Summary: In Shift 2: Unleashed, you take the role of an unnamed driver who is looking to make

his/her name in the world of professional racing. From there, you compete in a variety of different races on tracks and circuits from around the world in your attempt to become a world famous racecar driver. You will progressively unlock and be able to purchase a wide number of vehicles and tune them to your exact specifications to make your dreams possible.

Kid Safe: Very High

-          Foul Language: None

o   To the best of the reviewer's knowledge, Shift 2: Unleashed does not contain any amount of foul language.

-          Violence and Gore: Low

o   Shift 2: Unleashed features a low amount of violence and no amount of gore. As this is a racecar title, players are able to use their cars as a weapon against other drivers to impede or disable them. Players are able to slam their car into others in order to damage or destroy their opponents, although they are discouraged from doing so.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Very Low

o   Shift 2: Unleashed features a low amount of sexually-related content in the form of suggestive nudity. A number of women in the "pit crew" for your vehicle tend to wear low-cut tops that reveal a modest amount of cleavage.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: None

o   To the best of the reviewer's knowledge, Shift 2: Unleashed does not contain any amount of drug or alcohol usage.

             

Game Quality: Moderate

-          Graphics / Visuals: Very High

o   Shift 2: Unleashed features a very high amount of graphical and visual quality, particular in concerns of the vehicles your pilot and the options available while you are driving. So, given that last part probably sounds a bit confusing, allow me to explain. Shift 2 has put a phenomenal amount of effort into the viewpoints available while driving. Players are able to race with a "top-down view", i.e. looking down at the car on the track, a "hood view", i.e. looking at the road and everything in front of the car as though a camera were mounted on the hood of the vehicle, and a "cockpit view", i.e. simulating exactly what it would be like to be a driver in the cockpit of one of these racecars.

o   The cockpit view is the newest and most refined visual design and deserves certain mention due to the intense amount of work that was put into it. The visuals act as though a camera is literally strapped to the helmet of one of the drivers. A driver's head will bounce around lightly, be shaken violently in the instance of a crash, and even look over at passing drivers or up at the rear-view mirror to keep track of other drivers.

o   Aside from the cockpit view, an amazing amount of work was put into the vehicle details. Every vehicle of every dealership from Ford to BMW are recaptured in excellent detail, and Shift 2 wants to let you know it. You are able to literally go into "picture mode" that will allow you to zoom in, out, and all around to take digital photos of your favorite vehicles. Likewise, while I don't recommend doing it in the midst of a heavy race, players are able to admire their vehicle from quite literally every angle while they are racing about the track.

   

-          Audio: Moderate

o   Shift 2 really has a moderate amount of audio quality that is mixed between generally boring, repetitive sounds to awesome, exhilarating music. So, starting off with the good, Shift 2 has an absolutely incredible soundtrack. Ranging from a huge variety of artists with a primarily rock and roll edge, every song gets you pumped up and ready to take the next victory in your hands. Each one is there for you and really builds up your excitement for the next track you have to conquer, the next opponent you need to pass.

o   And that is where the problem lies. Given the fact that this is a racing game and there isn't a lot to build tension or emotion short of the music, there should be a lot MORE music in the game. Instead, players are only rewarded with the game's excellent soundtrack for a short time after they beat a race. However, while players are actually racing, the only thing that they have to listen to is the endless drone of engines, the occasional metal on metal bash of a severe car crash, and the uncommon chirps of information from your friend trying to help you into the industry. From there, there really isn't much. It's just dead sound with the hum of an engine.

-          Gameplay / Playability: Moderate

o   Shift 2's gameplay and playability is, to be frank, a real mixed bag. I wasn't quite sure how to rate this one. On the one side, the gameplay, for those that really know vehicles and racecars, is exceptional; probably some of the best that I have ever seen in a racing game. On the other side, the gameplay is just so in depth and so heavily detailed that your average user will not fully grasp or be able to enjoy.

o   So, to really explain what we mean by this, Shift 2: Unleashed covers just about everything I could think of when it comes to racecar driving. Players are, obviously, able to select and purchase their vehicle from any number of different makes and models. From there, they are able to upgrade and tune EVERYTHING on their vehicle, whether it be to get a newer and faster engine, maybe upgrade the rods and pistons in their block, tune the brake system, or even dictate just how much weight and air pressure is being set to each tire. Did any of that sound confusing to you? That's my point. This title is ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT for anyone who actually knows vehicles, covering just about every point they could ever want. Yet, for that exact point, your average player, esp. a younger gamer, will have absolutely no idea how to handle or build their vehicle.

o   To the game's credit, it does include recommendations on how to handle certain situations, provide you a recommended "track" (dictated by colored arrows) to follow while racing, and explanations on what each tune or upgrade will do to your vehicle, but it just isn't enough. A lot of my time was dedicated to pure trial, error, and consulting a Nascar-employed friend of mine. From there, it was just slowly trying to understand the game mechanics and praying that I didn't need to upgrade or tune anything on my car in order to get ahead.

          

-          Dollar-Value: Moderate

o   Overall, much like the gameplay and playability, Shift 2's dollar-value is just a mixed bag. If you are big into the racecar scene and really like racing vehicles, this game is worth absolutely every penny. You will get a huge amount of very sharp and detailed gameplay, hours upon hours and game time, and a wide variety of both vehicles and upgrades to explore. Yet, on the flip side, if you don't know a great deal about racecars or vehicles, you will probably find yourself left in the dust with nothing but ongoing frustration as you try and figure out how to make your car do what you want it to do. So, in short, if you like cars, definitely buy it! Likewise, if you don't know alot about cars, it's probably best to wait til this one has come down a bit more in price.

Recommendations

-          As Shift 2 has a high amount of Kid Friendly-ness, we do not need to recommend any games due to mature content. However, if you are looking for other racing simulators, we recommend just about any of the Need for Speed series, the Forza Motorsports series, or the Gran Turismo series. Note: Forza is exclusive to Xbox360, Gran Turismo is exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

Mass Effect 2

 Mass Effect 2 Review

Kid Safe: Low (2.5  / 10)                             Game Quality: Very High 9.0 / 10)

Genre: Third Person Shooter / Open World RPG

-          This game is characterized by the viewpoint and the weapons used in the title. In a third person shooter, you are looking over the shoulder of an individual that is armed with a variety of weapons. On top of this, players are able to explore a "world" where choice is everything; rather than providing a dead-set story that a player has to follow, they are provided a world that they can explore. Finally, as an RPG, or "Role Playing Game", players are given the ability to customize the appearance, weaponry, special skills, and abilities that their character uses in order to create a unique individual.

Internet Requirements: Low

-          Mass Effect 2 features relatively low internet requirements. While it does not offer any kind of multiplayer functionality or score-tracking service, this title does offer the ability for players to purchase and download additional content to get more gameplay out of this game.

Story Summary: In Mass Effect 2, you take the role of Commander Shepard, a former member of the

special forces group, the Specters. You pick up Shepard after he has been dead for two years following the surprise attack on his space-vessel, the Normandy, by an unknown enemy. Resurrected by a humans-extremist group known as Cerberus, who is lead by the enigmatic "Illusive Man", Shepard is called upon to investigate the disappearance of a number of human colonies on the fringe of known space. They don't care how you get it done, just do it. Players will then get to explore the entire universe with dozens, if not hundreds of planets; going anywhere they so desire and gaining friends along the way as they try and solve the mystery of the Collectors.

Kid Safe: Low (2.5 / 10)

-          Foul Language: High

o   Mass Effect 2 features a high amount of foul language in the form of the following words: "d*mn", "h*ll", "b*tch", "a*s", "f*ck", "p*ssy", "b*stard", "p*ss" and "f*ggot". These words are not commonly used except by a handful of certain characters, most of them tending to be of a rougher and unsavory nature. Two of the characters that commonly use cuss words are your ally "Jack" and your other ally "Grunt". They will commonly use foul language as a part of their regular speech patterns without any real reasoning during both cutscenes and gameplay. Most everyone else will usually only use foul language during scenes of extreme emotion, frustration, and anger.

-          Violence and Gore: High

o   Mass Effect 2 features a high amount of both violence and gore. To start off, as a third person shooter, players will be using a wide variety of weapons that include, but are not limited to, space-age pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, lasers, artillery cannons, assault robots, and more. Players will also be able to use a variety of other worldly powers such as fireballs, ice-powers, and telekinesis. Players will be fighting a number of different enemies that include human beings, human-like aliens, robots, and a variety of monstrous alien creatures. Enemies and individuals that players can attack are generally always hostile and attempting to attack and kill the player, however there are some situations during cutscenes where players might attack and execute innocent individuals if they are deciding to be evil.

o   When in combat, players will be encouraged to shoot and kill their enemies. Shooting an enemy will generally produce very little blood unless the enemy is shot in the face with a high powered weapon, such as a sniper rifle; this will result in a large red spray around the face area. Shooting an enemy will result on blood spraying on walls and items behind them. Occasionally, if using an explosive power like a fireball or an explosive weapon like a rocket launcher, the enemy will explode in a spray of red, sending chunks of flesh and gore in every direction; this is not overly common. When an enemy is killed, they will stop and slowly fall down rather realistically. Once dead, enemy bodies or gore (in the instance of a fatal explosion) will quickly dissipate and disappear, leaving no mess behind.

o   While exploring the galaxy, players will stumble upon a number of gory sights, although they are not overly common. While adventuring through several different derelict space stations and cities, players will stumble upon bodies laying here and there; however there are no obvious signs of pain, suffering, or injury. While exploring the Collector's space ship, players will find a massive heap of corpses that have been experimented on by this alien race. Yet again, while fighting through an enemy stronghold, players will find roughly a dozen corpses that are all covered by sheets that were used for medical experimentation.

o   There are also a number of slightly disturbing areas such as a room where there are claw marks on the wall from individuals who, while dying of a plague, tried to claw their way out. Likewise, another example includes a video that features a human-alien woman who, having barricaded herself in a room, is telling her daughter that she loves her just before the other creatures burst into the room to kill her and the screen goes blank.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: High

o   Mass Effect 2 features a high amount of sexually-related content in the form of both sexual reference as well as some minor sexual content and partial nudity. Starting off with sexual reference, there are a number of scenes and dialogues between characters that make note of sexual activity. When players are talking to other characters, they will have the option to, if friendly with them, lightly flirt back and forth. This flirting can make reference to several things including "letting off some steam" and "filling them up". There are also suggestive comments like "If this is just about sex, maybe you should ****ing say so." and "Oh my, she really is quite...flexible". Finally, there are also sexually related situations such as a mission where the captain of a ship which crash landed apparently killed or exiled all of the male crew members in order to keep the women as a harem.

o   As far as sexual content and nudity goes, let's start with nudity. First, allow me to establish that there is NOT any blatant nudity. The most players will see is underwear and lingerie. While exploring, players will occasionally venture into bars and exotic dance halls where they will see women dancing in partially revealing outfits which tend to reveal buttocks, but little else. Likewise, players are able to pursue romantic relationships with their allies which will result in sexually suggestive scenes. These scenes will show characters flirting, kissing, caressing, embracing, and partially disrobing; however these are not sexually explicit in any fashion, all characters are at least partially clothed with no blatant nudity, and after these initially scenes of intimacy, the cutscene will fade away and fast forward to the characters clothed and embracing on a bed. These scenes are generally more romantically focused than sexual and only one character has a truly "lustful" depiction: the character "Jack".

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Moderate

o   Mass Effect 2 features  a moderate amount of a drug and alcohol usage that takes place primarily through reference to illicit drugs and scenes of using tobacco and alcohol. Starting off with the references, there are several missions and discussions which concern drug use as well as the addiction to or trafficking thereof. There are also discussions in which characters make reference to having been on or using drugs; examples provided "The asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying" and "He had me so drugged up, I can't even remember what you said to me."

o   Aside from the illicit drug use, players will witness a fair share of tobacco usage, especially from one of the main characters; the Illusive Man. This individual, quite literally, is smoking a cigarette in every scene that you see him in. There are also a number of other characters throughout the game that are scene smoking cigarettes. The same is to be said about alcohol. Players will very often witness characters throughout the game drinking alcoholic beverages. If players wander into a bar in this title, they are often able to order drinks from the bartender. There is no obvious limit placed on the number of drinks they can order and doing so results in a slightly blurry and shaky screen for roughly a minute. Past that, drinking offers no ramifications, bad, good, or otherwise.

             

Game Quality: Very High (9.0 / 10)

-          Graphics / Visuals: High

o   Mass Effect 2 offers up a rather amazing experience that is visually very well done. To start off, one of this game's major strengths is its imagination and focus on varied environments. As you explore the galaxy, you will notice a wide variety of different places. Not only will you be walking the halls of human, alien, and robotic buildings and ships, you will also be exploring a number of alien planets, lost worlds, and crumbling ruins. Every planet and alien race has a very unique appearance and feel to their design and the worlds that you explore reflect this nicely. The galaxy feels fully realized and complete, filled to the brim with nooks and crannies that are just waiting to be explored.

o   The other notable visual experience in Mass Effect 2 is in the design of the characters. To start off, the game is very dialogue heavy, and players will very often be talking back and forth with other characters. The focus on facial features and expressions across the alien races are top notch and generally well done, offering up a multitude of realistic emotions and expressions. Likewise, the range of motions that characters exhibit while moving through the world is rather impressive. Not just counting stuff like running, strafing, turning, etc., characters will often react to things like flame and explosions, shying away from it realistically, and showing signs of unease and lack of balance.

o   The game's major visual issue comes in graphical glitches. There were several instances where characters would stop "walking" and suddenly just start hovering and floating, standing perfectly still. There was one comical example where one of my characters, Miranda, suddenly went stiff as a board and floated around me and the other character Jacob in a circle, almost like a mannequin orbiting a moon. Likewise, there were a number of other issues where I would walk over an invisible "break" in the graphics and suddenly get caught in places that I was not supposed to go. Examples include an instance where I was merely hovering over a massive hole in the ground or when I walked forward and suddenly walked "up" where I walked through the ceiling of the room I was in. These were uncommon, but an annoyance when I found them.

   

-          Audio: Very High

o   An all-star voice cast, high quality sound effects, and an excellent musical score make the audio in Mass Effect 2 a treat. Starting with voices, Adam Baldwin, Keith David, Seth Green, Martin Sheen, Quinton Flynn, and Phil LaMarr are just a few of the names that make this game a Grade-A hit. Every line is nailed, every inflection perfect, and every bit of dialogue truly carry this story driven game along. As for the music: again, top notch. With a wide variety of pieces that range from slow and calm to heavy and fast paced or soft and creepy, all of Mass Effect's music is specially craft just for the game and always sets the tone for whatever mood or action is going on at the time.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Mass Effect 2 has some of the most enjoyable gameplay to date with a pretty high level of playability. Starting off, as always, with playability. The game does a decent job in introducing all of the controls and functions that you will need to use. Introducing everything in a slow paced, action environment, the game progressively displays all of the control buttons that you need to know, followed up by when and how to use a variety of things like squad commands, special powers, medical kits, and more. Likewise, should you ever forget how to use any of these powers, or you just haven't used them for a while, the game will display a prompting telling you how to use said power or command during regular gameplay.

o   The one major problem with playability comes, again, from a number of glitches that I experienced. I'm not sure if this had something to do with the PC/Computer version of this title or what, but a couple of these glitches were incredibly frustrating because they forced me to reload the title. Falling back on the same examples. In an instance where I got stuck hovering over an open chasm for no apparent reason, the game would not allow me to leave. No matter what I tried to do, I could not go back onto solid land. Likewise, when I suddenly started hovering up to the ceiling, I was never able to get back down. These glitches forced me to start over at an earlier part of the game.

o   However, the gameplay is a much different story. If you are wanting a heavily story-driven title with a variety of things to do, this is the game for you. Obviously, as the genre implies, there is shooting; but that's just the half of it. Players will constantly be dealing with hundreds of different characters throughout the game. They get to decide how they want to be perceived...kind and caring or brutish and arrogant, strict and understanding or completely unforgiving. How you act towards others will progressively unlock different features, powers, and capabilities, not to mention a host of different possible endings to the game. Plus, as you explore, players will constantly be trying new and different activities such as hacking doors and consoles to unlock them, scanning and probing planets to harvest rare materials, bypassing security networks, upgrading weapons and equipment, wagering on alien monster fights, defending food stores from space monkeys using an artillery cannon, and so much more. Not to mention that every choice you made in the first mass effect will influence the entire world in Mass Effect 2. All of these features blend together seamlessly into an exceptional and enjoyable experience.

          

-          Dollar-Value: Very High

o   Overall, Mass Effect 2 has a very high dollar value. So long as you are ok with the mature themes that this game has to offer, this game has somewhere in the range of 30 to 40 hours minimum of gameplay. I would keep in mind that, while this is certainly not the most violent or suggestive game, the title may be less appealing to some younger players due to the incredibly heavy focus on story and dialogue. While it makes it an excellent choice for an older audience, the long periods of talking might bore a younger player. Nonetheless, given the game is quickly approaching bargain bin costs, this massive game and exceptional game is worth just about every penny.

Recommendations

-          Not too many games can really come close to the complexity of Mass Effect, however we do have one or two recommendations. If you are looking for a less mature rated title, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic would certainly be an excellent choice. Other, more mature rated titles, might include Alpha Protocol and Dragon Age Origins.

Dragon Age 2

Dragon Age 2 Review

Kid Safe: Low                     Game Quality: Very High

Genre: Open World Action/Adventure RPG

-          This game takes place where choice is everything. Rather than providing a set story that a player has to follow, they are provided a world that they can explore and do as they wish with a focus similar to an action movie. Likewise, as players adventure through this title they will find alternate means of completing their tasks including battles, negotiation, and puzzle solving. Finally, players are able to create and developer their own unique character based on the decisions they make.

Internet Requirements: Low

-          Dragon Age 2 has relatively low internet requirements due to the lack of any form of online-multiplayer options. However, like the game's predecessor, Dragon Age 2 will be offering additional content later on down the road that will be available for purchase and download via the internet.

Story Summary: In Dragon Age 2, you take the role of Hawke, a character whom you create and

develop while you lead him/her through the trials of living in a war-torn world. Escaping with only your lives, your story begins as you and your family are forced out of your home-city from a blight of monstrous creatures called "Darkspawn". Fleeing across the ocean to your family in a massive city known as Kirkwall, you find nothing but false promises and little hope. Now, you must make a name for yourself, decide your own path, and, over the course of 10 years, lead Hawke into becoming the Champion of the People.

 

Kid Safe: Low

-          Foul Language: Moderate

o   Dragon Age 2 features a moderate amount of foul language primarily in the form of words like "a*s", "b*stard", "s*it", and "b*tch". Players are also exposed to some crude and sexually related commentary; e.g "You don't have the balls for it." The language is ever-present in dialogue but depends on how the individual plays through the game and what characters they are exposed to as certain roguish characters have a higher tendency towards foul language than others.

-          Violence and Gore: High

o   Dragon Age 2 features a high amount of both violence as well as blood and gore. Beginning with notably violent content, players will use a variety of different weapons as well as magical abilities to fight, maim, and kill enemies. Examples of weapons include bows, crossbows, daggers, swords, maces, axes, and more. Examples of spells include fireballs, blasts of wind, sprays of ice, and more. Players will fight and kill human and humanoid individuals as well as fantastical monsters like dragons, spiders, golems, living shadows, and more.

o   The game can prove to be exceptionally gory in certain parts. While fighting, enemies will spray blood when they are hit. Likewise, when players kill an enemy, said character may can have a limb chopped off, be cut in half, be decapitated, and occasionally may explode into a spray of blood, gore, and body parts. After particularly gruesome fights, the battlefield may be littered with pools and sprays of blood as well as any number of bodies and body parts. Finally, players will be covered with blood from fighting and will often engage in dialogue with other characters completed splattered with the remnants of the fight.

o   Aside from the combat in the game, Dragon Age also features a number of violent scenes that take place during outside of battles. To start, you will often stumble across the remnants of other adventurers or slaves with bodies and corpses laying about here and there in caves and mines. On top of this, certain dialogues between characters can get rather nasty; e.g. a young woman who slashes her own wrist in order to use "blood magic", and, when a man asks you to end his life, you reach forward and simply cut his throat with a quick slash of your dagger.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: High

o   Dragon Age 2 features a high amount of sexually-related content with some nudity. To begin, as mentioned earlier, players will be exposed to sexually-related references and dialogue; e.g. "Sailing is like sex. Do it wrong, and it'll make you sick." "Sadly he didn't want my...services...either (in reference to prostitution)." These are common throughout dialogue, especially in the presence of certain characters or when players are sent on missions into or nearby the Brothel.

o   Dragon Age 2 also contains some amount of nudity. Primarily, the nudity is covered up and takes place in the form of excessive amounts of cleavage in low-cut tops or revealing outfits. However, there are certain female creatures called Desire Demons that you will fight of which are almost full nude, revealing bare female breasts and nipples.

o   Finally, players are able to engage in sexual acts with certain other characters from their group. By "romancing" a character and progressively building a relationship through helping, talking to, and connecting with, players are able to engage in sexual relations. No nudity is shown, however the two characters will often embrace and kiss heavily before the screen fades to black and skips to after the coitus, when everyone has once again dressed. It should be noted that these relations can take place in any fashion or sexual orientation, including male-to-male, female-to-female, and male-to-female relationships.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Moderate

o   Dragon Age 2 features a moderate amount of drug and alcohol usage which is predominately made up of alcohol consumption. Characters will occasionally make reference to the imbibing of alcohol, e.g. "You know, my friend disappeared once. Turns out he wasn't missing at all. He was under my bed drunk." Characters will also be shown drinking alcoholic beverages, e.g. a character Isabella is standing at a bar taking shots, a fight ensues which she quickly ends, and then goes back to taking shots. Finally, drunken characters will often act strangely, stagger, and slur their words during dialogue.

o   Aside from alcohol, the game also contains some drug references; however these references are to fictional drugs in the game. E.g. you meet a character, an ex-templar, who makes reference to need "the dust", i.e. "dwarf dust", which causes reactions and withdrawal symptoms similar to the usage of Methamphetamines.

             

Game Quality: Very High

-          Graphics / Visuals: High

o   Dragon Age 2 features a relatively high level of graphical and visual quality, primarily in their delivery of massive and interesting level designs. Probably one of the development team's greatest accomplishments was the creation of a fully realized city and surrounding world. As you or your player explores the city of Kirkwall and it's nearby areas, you will find dozens of locations that have been expertly imagined and pieced together. Just in the city, the change in scenery is drastic when you move from Lowtown (the slums) to Hightown (the nobles' district). Lowtown and all nearby areas look and feel like you would imagine: cramped, dirty, filled with people milling about trying to just make a meager living, beggers, trash, rows of houses and businesses and doors all trying just to sustain the overworked and under-privileged population. Likewise, Hightown is the exact opposite; lofty, well kept, designed and thought out, groomed, and showing no signs of the dilapidation or poverty of the lower city. These are just two examples of dozens of fully-imagined areas in the game that players can explore.

o   However, if there was one major thorn in Dragon Age's side, it would be the design of the characters themselves. Please don't get me wrong, many of them are very well designed and interesting to look out, however certain movements and expressions while speaking in dialogue or in the game's cutscenes are just...odd. They remind me almost of marionettes. Like puppets, many of them look pretty, however their movements and interactions with one another just looks and feels very clunky and unrealistic.

    

-          Audio: High

o   Much like it's graphical quality, Dragon Age 2 features a relatively high level of audio quality, particularly with its voice acting. Given the exceptionally heavy emphasis on story and dialogue, the masterful voices of Rebekah Staton, Brian Bloom, Jean Gilpin, Robin Downes, and dozens of other actors do everything to carry the player just where they need to be. The tone can be heavy, emotional, saddening, or light hearted. The dialogue can be serious, raunchy, and sometimes incredibly funny. Yet, every actor nails their lines 100% and adds real human weight to everything being said and experienced.

o   The quality doesn't stop there, with their masterwork moving into "ambient" noises. Footsteps echo and clank as you run in boots and softly bad along if you are bare-foot. If you walk through a crowded market, not only will you hear the chatter and calls of merchants and consumers, but the buzzing of flies, the calls of birds, the barking of dogs, and more; providing an intense feeling of life to the city. Not limited to little background noises, characters will also often have their own discussions aside from you. Your allies will regularly go back and forth about different things that they are thinking about or something they see or wondering about the opinions of the other; plus, the interactions are always different between every single character. This level of immersion really makes you feel as though you are traveling with other people, not just puppets with swords.

o   The last point, and what really denied a "very high" rating, was the matter of music in Dragon Age 2. I really developed a love-hate relationship with the music in this game. Sometimes, the game will burst up with a fanciful flare of dramatic symposium (i.e. awesome music out of nowhere). Other times, you will find yourself running around the city with nothing but your footsteps to keep you company. When the music is there, it's great, and when it's not there, it's noticeable. I really feel that they could have done more with the background pieces than they did. Otherwise, what is there is excellent.

-          Gameplay / Playability: Very High

o   To give you an idea about the quality of gameplay that Dragon Age 2 has to offer, allow me to explain my standard process of reviewing a game. Most often, I will find myself working on a singular title for a roughly a week. I start a game Wednesday and, most often, have fully worked through the title by the weekend and I use the remaining time to examine specific areas of the game. It is a largely systematic process focusing on the details of the game. With Dragon Age 2, I found myself actually feeling sad that I would have to stop playing it today so I could write the review because I have been having so much fun with it. It is probably one of the most enjoyable games to date.

o   First, with playability. Dragon Age 2 does just about everything right in making the game relatively easy to pick up and play. The combat is streamlined and incredibly easy to use, allowing someone to skillfully move from navigate through special abilities with a few simple buttons. Plus, the game has been designed to not punish you for poor performance, i.e. if your character is downed in a fight, you will automatically switch to another character and finish the fight as them with your original player-character resuscitating afterwards. All of this is taught and demonstrated at the start of the game where players get to experiment with the combat systems as it is and as it will be at the end of the game by doing a mock fight against Dark Spawn monsters.

o   As for gameplay, where do I begin? Players are able to explore a fully realized world complete with businesses, people, monsters, dungeons, treasures, and a complete lore about it all. I'm not kidding, there are dozens upon dozens of in-game books highlighting the history of the entire world. Each mission that you do reveals something new about that world and I always found myself searching for different ways to handle a situation. You aren't limited to "go here, beat up these guys", you have the opportunity to solve puzzles, gather information, and talk to different people to figure out just the right way to go about solving a problem. Plus, every decision you make over those years that you play result in different changes that will happen to the world around you; demonstrating your influence on how the world is shaped by your actions.

          

-          Dollar-Value: Very High

o   If you might not have guessed by now, Dragon Age 2 has a very high dollar-value if you are comfortable with the content that you or your gamer will be exposed to. The game offers an incredibly well-written, albeit adult-rated, story. I played for dozens and hours and found that Dragon Age 2 offers over 50 hours of solid gameplay. That's roughly 5 times more than almost every other game on the market with the exception of the games Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Plus, the story completely changes based on what kind of character you choose to play (warrior, wizard, or thief), as well as how you talk to people and how you approach certain situations; adding incredible replay value. I highly recommend picking up Dragon Age 2.

Recommendations

-          Probably the best recommendation, in comparison, would be Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; a slightly older Open World R.P.G. that actually does its' job right. While the game is M-rated, it is probably one of the most lax on the market and would be generally a good choice. Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas would also be good choices on the basis of gameplay, however these titles tend to have more adult-rated content.

Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 Review

Kid Safe: Very Low                     Game Quality: Very High

Genre: Survival Horror

-          This game features a focus on horror themes and attempting to escape the terror that has overtaken the situation. This game may contain situations that are scary for some players and scenes of intense blood and gore.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          Dead Space 2, while having an extensive single-player story campaign, features an impressive internet-based multiplayer aspect where players can play online with other individuals. Likewise, additional content will be released for this title sometime later on that will be sold (and downloaded) through the internet.

Story Summary: In Dead Space 2, you step back into the boots of survivor and engineer, Isaac Clark,

who, after the events of the first game. Now, waking up from a coma on the massive space-station, The Sprawl, you find yourself once again fighting for your life. You must battle both your own developing insanity along with the undead monstrosities that are quickly devouring the Sprawl as you attempt discover the truth behind what happened both to you and the residents of the brutally overtaken space-station.

Kid Safe: Very Low

-          Foul Language: High

o   Dead Space 2 features an extensive amount of foul language, primarily in the words "F*ck", "*S*it", "Motherf*cker", and "D*mn". These words are regularly encountered throughout the entire game in general dialogue, in text-based articles and journals, and in cutscenes between characters. Players are able to trigger a stream of profanity by punching or stomping the ground, which results in the main-character spewing frustrated curse-words. The language is constant throughout gameplay.

-          Violence and Gore: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   Dead Space 2 is, by far, the goriest and most violent game that we have reviewed to date. This title features an extensive amount of both violent scenes as well as depictions of blood, gore and viscera. To begin, the creatures and monsters that players must fight are constructed from the bodies of those that have been killed by others. The very first scene of this game consists of a person waking Isaac from his coma, only to have a creature sneak up behind him and impale him through the chest and head; resulting in the man transforming into a mutilated beast that attempts to murder and devour the main player. Every monster is constructed of the mutilated remains of one or more dead human beings.

o   Not only this, but the primary way to kill the monsters, named "Necromorphs", consists of dismembering the creatures. Players are encourage to use different weaponry to blow off the arms, legs and heads of both monsters and corpses to keep them from reanimating and attacking them. Should the monster/corpse not be initially attacking them, players are encourage to stomp on dead bodies to remove limbs such as the arms, legs, and head.

o   There are multiple scenes in which non-player characters are attacked and murdered, main of which are ripped limb from limb. One disturbing scene in particular features a mother who calls over a "Necromorph" infant and cradles it before the infant explodes and sprays gore and viscera across the entire room. The game also features a creature that desecrates the corpses of fallen human beings to transform them into beastly monsters.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Low

o   Dead Space 2 features a low amount of sexual content. While the game has no focus on sexually related activities and does not feature any inherent nudity, this title does feature one creature of particular note. Known as the "Spitter", featured in both single-player and multi-player modes, the creature is the monstrous remains of human female who is seen holding and squeezing her breasts with her human hands while she attacks players with the spiked limbs protruding from her back.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Low

o   Dead Space 2 does not feature any known instances of drug or alcohol usage. However, the game does make reference to individuals using medication overdose in order to take their own lives.

             

Game Quality: Very High

-          Graphics / Visuals: Very High

o   Dead Space 2 features an exceptionally high quality of graphics and visuals. First, to start with the positives, everything in the design of the game feels fully realized. As you walk, explore, fight, and occasionally break through the massive space-station that is The Sprawl, you find that the world around you is fully realized. You find yourself walking through a variety of districts, the majority of which that has been hand-picked and designed to provide the feeling that you are, in fact, walking through a space-station several generations old. Each level reveals decimated apartments and living quarters, shopping districts, engine and science labs, and even elementary schools. Each chapter of the story reveals more and more destruction across an entire city in space.

o   Not even this, but the graphical design for every level and structure is physically impressive to look at; even by today's standards. Almost every structure and creature appears realistically in front of you. Metal appears hard and smooth, blood splattered and dripping slowly runs down and cakes upon surfaces, and candles flicker against the darkened background of space. On top of this, every monster and creature you encounter is fully designed from the mutated body of one or more deceased individuals, creating entire range of beasts ranging from a standard "zombie-like" horror to a 15 foot tall monster constructed of the tied together pieces of different corpses.

o   The only complaint concerning this title's graphics are as follows: the remaining corpses. Respectfully, I know that this is a family-focused website, however since this is not a family-focused title, it seems legitimate to bring this up. While everything else seems fully realized and designed, the remnants do not. These "left-overs" appear as little more than graphical "dolls" that have just been painted over with a gory pallet and left to provide poorly-done atmosphere to a well-done game. While it does not overly distract from the title, it was rather annoying to me as a fan of survival-horror games.

           

-          Audio: Very High

o   If there is a single there that stands out with Dead Space 2, it is the absolutely excellent audio quality. While the music is perfect and helps to add to the atmosphere, the real kicker is in the truly-amazing ambient sound; it adds everything you need to the gameplay. Walking through any given hallway, you are prone to hear the soft tinkle of claws against metal as a creature runs through a vent or the pounding footfalls of someone running a floor above you. Or perhaps the overarching environment doesn't scare you; maybe it's just that which is directly around you. You will hear the screaming sobs of a woman trapped in her apartment or the heavy breathing and soft roaring of a creature slowly following you in the rafters overhead.

o   While this game does not feature an outstanding musical score, the soft instrumental accompaniment attributes to the scares the player feels. A violin, quickly gathering pace, scratches upon your nerves as you try and walk down a hallway. The sudden absence of all background noise, filled out by only the soft breathing and steady thumping of Isaac's heart, is more terrifying then any score could have provided. This game does EVERYTHING a title should with its ambient audio quality and I cannot think a single place where they have faulted.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Dead Space 2 features a relatively high quality of gameplay and playability. To begin with, the controls for this title are relatively simple and blend well into the gameplay. I very rarely found myself wondering what button performed what action as the lay-out was relatively simple to all other games of the genre. Likewise, for sequences of gameplay that were out of the norm, the controls were generally of a simple nature and quick and easy to pick up. Likewise, all of the gameplay is extremely varied in a manner that keeps each situation and chapter fresh.

o   One of the truly fascinating elements of gameplay that blew us away was how the cut-scenes and regular gameplay were constantly mixed and matched. The game seamlessly moves from the standard game to the character talking and interacting with irregular elements, such as main characters from the story or extreme situations versus the monsters, and then back again. A perfect example was a mind blowing sequence where Isaac slide down a collapsing tram line, fighting off necromorphs, only to be ejected and hang upside down by one foot fighting off a second onslaught of monsters.

o   However, while the controls are generally simple (very often exact in comparison to the original title), the game has this strange problem of not telling you what those controls ARE. The tutorial aspect is a bit slow on the uptake, often tending to drop you into scenes of extreme danger and then, while you are running for your life, popping up a small window telling you how to keep from being eviscerated. I won't deny that each action is explained eventually, it doesn't often help to find out that you can use certain items as weapons after having been mauled by an undead monster 5 times in a row before you find that information out.
          

-          Dollar-Value: High

o   Dead Space 2 has a relatively high dollar-value that is perpetuated by its well-rounded options and gameplay. To begin with, the game-experience is always kept exciting and new as new and interesting environments and elements are constantly introduced. Not only will players be fighting through the haunted corridors of The Sprawl, but they will be fighting the Necromorph threat upside down, inside, and even outside of the Sprawl in deep space; hurtling through the stars as you fight for your life against the gruesome beasts that the Necromorph infection has created in a 12 hour game.

o   That said, maybe fighting the infection on the Sprawl alone just isn't your calling. Maybe you want to have some friends along for the ride. This title features an extensive multi-player campaign akin to the Left 4 Dead series that can be played on the internet. This series allows individuals to play as both Humans and Necromorph monsters in 4 vs. 4 battles as the Human attempt to stop the outbreak. Players are even able to level up, similar to designs such as Call of Duty or Battlefield Bad Company.

o   The only downside to the above mentioned design is that the gameplay feels a bit roughly put together. While enjoyable, there are extreme balance issues that need to be fleshed out between the Necromorph monsters and the Sprawl security teams. While this is a relatively minor complaint in the scope of things, it affected gameplay strongly enough that I always debated whether I wanted to attempt to play multiplayer modes.

Recommendations

-          Sadly, we cannot think of a single survival horror game that has been rated lower that M by the ESRB rating system. However, as we have suggested in previous reviews, you may wish to take a look at the Resident Evil series. While this title involves blood, gore, and zombie-monsters, it is also one of the lightest horror titles on the market and offers a large number of available games.