Minecraft

Minecraft Review

      Kid Safe: Very High (9.5 / 10)    Game Quality: High (8.0 / 10)

Genre: Open World Creative

-          As an Open World Creative title, players are immersed in a large, open environment that they are able to explore and make their own. They are able to use a number of items in-game to create absolutely anything in their imagination. I like to compare the title to being in a virtual Lego world.

Internet Requirements: None to Very High

-          The internet requirements of this title are very heavily dependent on what video game system you are playing it on and how you want to play. If you are playing on a PC / Computer, you must have internet in order to download the game as well as any additional content you might wish to have. If you are playing on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, or PlayStation 4, you can purchase a retail copy of the disc or purchase and download it via the online store for your respective system; however any additional content must be purchased online for either version of the game. Players can also play the game single player offline without needing an internet connection, however we encourage players to enjoy this open world together via the internet, as more hands and minds build many fun things.

Story Summary:

-          To the best that we've ever identified, Minecraft does not have a single specific story. The game, instead, encourages creativity and the creation of your own legacy. Stranded on a desert beach in a vast world with nothing but your own two hands and your creativity, what will you do...?

Kid Safe: Very High (9.5 / 10)

-          Foul Language: None

o   Minecraft does not contain any observable usage of foul language. Players, characters, monsters, and creatures in-game do not speak but instead make very grunts, groans, and other non-lingual sounds.

o   Special Note: While playing online, players have a chat option available to them. Use discretion while letting your player online as they are able to send and receive foul language via the chat function.

-          Violence and Gore: Very Low

o   Minecraft contains a very limited amount of violence and no observable amounts of blood or gore. During the game, monsters like Zombies and Skeletons will come out at nighttime in order to attack the player if they are not sheltered from the elements. Players can defend themselves using crafted weapons such as swords or bow and arrows. When a player attacks these monsters, it's almost comparable to a Nerf baseball bat. The monster will essentially bounce off of the attack and, after several attacks, fall over and poof into smoke. Additionally, players can use these same weapons against non-enemies like farm animals in order to harvest meat for food. In the same manner, the creatures will bounce backward several times before falling over and poofing into smoke.

-          Sexually-Related Content: None

o   Minecraft does not contain any observable amount of sexually related content.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: None

o   Minecraft does not contain any observable amount of drug or alcohol usage.

o   Special Note: The PC / Computer version has a number of third-party modifications that players are able to download and install in order to add new items to the original version of Minecraft. While some modifications can be fun, it should be noted that it is highly likely that some third party's may have added drug or alcohol related items. These do not reflect the original game design by rather the creation of a secondary programmer.

             

Game Quality:  High (8.0 / 10)

-          Graphics / Visuals: Moderate

o   The Graphics and Visuals were something we had to ponder long and hard on how to review. The game itself does not like very graphically impressive compared to many modern-day titles that are on the video game market. However, to the developer's credits, the look and design is intentional, rather than from poor graphical design.

o   While the overall resolution may look unimpressive, the game was designed to be made up of "blocks", like virtual Legos. Whether it was the land, air, water, animals, people, etc...everything was built with this blocky design to coincide with the game play. It, in turn, allows players to pick up those different blocks and use them for whatever purpose they saw fit. Whether they want to build a castle, dig a hole, mine precious ores, fight monsters, or more, everything was created with this unique and simple visual style to make it coalesce.

o   On a secondary note, another reason that the game is "moderate" is because a large number of different modifications exist for every system to change the visual appearance of the game. The severity of the change depends entirely on the modification, however players are able to find, purchase, and/or download programs to perhaps give it a more realistic look, to add high texture quality, and even to change the appearance of creatures and players. Given the wide range of possibilities, we did not feel we could accurately represent and rate all of the options.

-          Audio: High

o   Minecraft features a simple but enjoyable audio experience. The game has a number of gentle instrumental pieces that play along quietly in the background of the game, filling in the quiet of wandering a deserted world. Additionally, the game features musical cues when players are near or around important areas such as underground "Fortresses" that alert them just in case they weren't aware they were near one of these treasure-troves. Monsters all have simplistic but recognizable sounds like the Creeper's "hiss" and the Zombie's "moan". While the game does not feature some over the top soundtrack accompanied with AAA voice actors, the game does exactly what it meant to do: provide simple and memorable audio to a simplistically enjoyable game design.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Minecraft features a High level of Gameplay and Playability that suffer only a little due to the lack of a physical tutorial. Interestingly enough, we had to go back and do further research regarding this because it turns out that Minecraft actually has different WAYS to play the game depending on whether you are playing on the PC / Computer or on a video game console like the Xbox or PlayStation.

o   So, regarding the tutorial, the game does exactly what we mentioned earlier: drops you on a desert island without any instructions or ideas on how to survive. The game offers an "Achievement" system in all versions that hint at an idea of what you should do, however no direct instructions as to how. Discovering is half the battle. Luckily, many people will figure out how to break apart trees and dirt and sand in the game and use them to their advantage. However, the question is raised "What do I do with these items?" Even better, the Xbox and PlayStation allow players to take craftable blocks and simply craft them by clicking on the item that they want to create. In the PC / Computer version, however, players need to know where to place certain items on a grid interface in order to create anything. So, sadly, Minecraft suffers from a lot of "How the heck do I do this?"

o   On the flipside, however, that's where the gameplay issues really stop. Once you know how to survive nighttime (trust me, it's a big problem on the first night or two) the world is your oyster. You are limited only by your imagination. Do you want to create a castle? Why not. Heck, make it a floating castle in the sky. With a rollercoaster. That goes underwater. And takes you through the underworld. And stops at your second upside down castle. That your friend has rigged with explosives so that when you hit the doorbell everything within 300 blocks explodes. Again, it's pretty much a Virtual Lego world. If you can dream it, you can do it.

   

-          Dollar-Value: Very High

o   As you might have guessed, Minecraft, due to its intense openness and availability, has an incredibly high dollar value. Ranging between $20 to $30 dollars, players will gain an exorbitant amount of replay-ability and fun. As we said before, the game is only limited by your imagination. I myself clocked almost 50 hours of gameplay just in the last week. During that time I created an underwater base with a functional airlock that has a greeenhouse inside that lets me grow wheat IN my underwater base. Oh, did I mention that I also had a mine where I found a massive abandoned fortress with treasures chests full of diamonds and gold? And that was me playing alone! So, if you have someone who likes being creative and has a strong imagination, this game is perfect for them.

Recommendations

-          Minecraft is truly one of a kind, however if you are looking for more creative titles, I would highly recommend a Minecraft-inspired game called "Terraria". 

 

Saints Row 2

 Saint's Row 2 Review

Kid Safe: Very Low (0.5  / 10)                             Game Quality: High 7.5 / 10)

Genre: Open World Action/Adventure

-          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.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          Saint's Row 2 features a moderate amount of internet requirements in the form of an online-multiplayer function. While this game can generally be enjoyed without the need for internet usage, it can certainly add to the fun. Players are able to enter into contests of skill in areas such as racing or city-destruction against others or they can play cooperatively with each other through the game's massive city.

Story Summary: In Saint's Row 2, players will take control of the leader of a street-gang known as the

"3rd Street Saints". Picking up roughly 5 years after the first game, player's wake in the bed of a Prison hospital ward after having been put in a coma by a devastating explosion at the end of the original title. There, players meet Carlos Mendoza, a young man with connections to the 3rd Street Saints who, upon realizing who the main-character is, leads you in a daring escape from Prison. Once returned to the your home city of Stilwater, players will lead the revolution as they gather gang members to the Saints, take over the territory of surrounding, rival street-gangs, and generally just cause chaos and destruction in any way they see fit.

Kid Safe: Very Low (0.5 / 10)

-          Foul Language: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   Saint's Row 2 features an exceptionally high amount of foul language in the form of the following words: "d*mn", "s*it", "a*s", "a*shole", "f*ck", "motherf*cker", "c*nt", "d*ck", "c*ck", "p*ss", "p*ssy", "b*tch", "h*ll", and "n*gger". All of these words are used frequently in dialogue between characters and in regular gameplay. "F*ck" is by far one of the most popular words coming out of everyone's mouth. This foul language is heard from most every character, often with little to no provocation or heightened emotions.

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

o   Saint's Row 2 features an incredibly large amount of violence with a moderate amount of blood and gore. Interestingly enough, the violence in this title is so over-played that, the majority of the time, it's almost comically unrealistic. Starting off with the basics, players will be fighting and attempting to kill other human beings. The majority of enemies include rival street gangs and officers of the law who, sadly, are generally treated only as another "group" that the Saints need to fight off. However, players are also able to and occasionally encourage to attack and kill regular pedestrians and civilians that are simply going about their lives. Players are able to attack and kill anyone at their own discretion.

o   In combat, players will be using a wide variety of firearms and weaponry that include, but are not limited to, pistols, shotguns, rifles, assault rifles, machine guns, sub-machine guns, grenades, plastique explosives, brass knuckles, Samurai swords, machetes, nightsticks, baseball bats, rocket launchers, cars, boats, helicopters and much, much more. When shooting at enemies, there is generally little to no blood, showing only an occasional splash of blood, unless they happen to hit said enemy in the head, which results in a massive spray of red blood.  When an enemy is killed by firearms, they simply collapse as though they were a ragdoll. Players are rewarded points for how effectively they dispatch their enemies including extra "respect points" for scoring headshots or using up-close-and-personal attacks like "Slice And Dice", where an enemy is hacked up using a Samurai Sword. Players are also able to take "human shields" and hold people at gun-point in front of them.

o   Unlike kills that are made through the usage of weapons and firearms, when a player hits/kills an individual using a vehicle, especially a vehicle moving at high speed, what little sense of realistic violence is gone. In what I can only think to describe as "Life-Sized dolls half-filled with helium", enemies and people who are hit by vehicles will be sent flying with the dullest of thuds against your hood, sending them hurtling dozens of feet into the air as if they weight nothing.

o   Finally, there are number of overly violent cut-scenes and implications throughout the city that are not directly associated with combat. One example of this includes a moment where, as "payment" for the losses to his gang, an individual approaches another  of his gang members and, using a machete, slowly carves off the man's ear; this leaves little more than a bleeding and gaping ear-hole. Another example includes a part of the game where, in an attempt to find a new gang hide-out, players will not only kill all of the homeless living in the abandoned building, but use the homeless individuals as impromptu weapons to break down the shanty-town. Afterwards, news reports are circulating that apparently most all of the homeless people in Stilwater were apparently killed in this assault.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: High

o   Saint's Row 2 features a high amount of sexually related content which takes place primarily in the form of sexual reference and implication, however it does not feature any explicit scenes of nudity or sexual conduct. Starting off, there is a pretty fair amount of partial nudity: this will occur either through provocative dress which will reveal an ample amount of both cleavage and buttocks or through "blurring". Blurring occurs when an individual is mostly or fully nude and genitalia would naturally be visible: the blurring serves to censor out any explicit visuals.

o   The game features a heavy amount of sexual implication without any explicit visuals. Examples include a "job" called "Escort" in which you are driving around a young woman who is presumably a prostitute and pick up a "John" along the way. From there, you must drive around for a certain amount of time while the "pleasure" meter continues to fill up while you attempt to avoid News vans that are following you. Another example includes an activity called "Ho-ing" in which players will go inside a building and will have to move the thumbsticks in a variety of way to perform different "moves" as the "pleasure" meter fills up. Lewd commentary and the sounds of women moaning can often be heard during both of these activities.

o   There are multiple locations of a sexual nature that you will visit throughout the game which include brothels and strip joints. Strip clubs will occasional feature women dancing erotically in lingerie. There are also a number of signs throughout the game world with sexual reference; some signs read "Peep Show" and "Tee and Aye".

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   Saint's Row 2 features a very high amount of both drug and alcohol usage. Starting off, there are a multitude of scenes where individuals can be seen smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and using illicit materials. Quite a few missions are actually focused around the acquisition and manufacturing of illegal drugs for the purpose of distribution and profit on the streets. There are scenes in which main characters are consuming alcoholic beverages in excess via a "beer bong" as well as smoking Marijuana cigarettes.

o   Players are also able to find and purchase Marijuana cigarettes in certain parts of the game and use them. Usage thereof will cause the players to become "high" and therefore suffer from a blurred screen effect to denote the drug's usage. There is also a mission called "Bad Trip" in which the players are captured and forcibly drugged by a rival gang, causing him to have incoherence, slurred speech, and a blurred screen effect.

             

Game Quality: High (7.5 / 10)

-          Graphics / Visuals: Moderate

o   The graphics and visuals for Saint's Row 2 are a bit of a mixed bag. Also, before I really address this, remember to take my words with a grain of salt. As a slightly older title, the visuals might not "stand out" as many of the games today and therefore might be judged a little harsher than ought; however I have attempted to be as forthcoming as possible in this department.

o   Starting off with the good, I have to really sing the praises of the game's development team for their excellent work in the design of the city, Stilwater. This city is not only massive, but split up into a huge number of different districts and interesting locations that are available to explore. Starting off in the ghetto that is 3rd Street, I will admit that I was instantly concerned I would be working through a run-down, overcrowded, and overall dirty looking city for the rest of the game. Much to my enjoyment, I was hugely mistaken. As I played, I not only got to explore fishing wharfs, university campuses, business districts, trailer parks, casinos and more, a large number of these locations featured buildings that I could simply walk up and walk into; a rather uncommon element for open world games because of the difficulty in designing so many houses and buildings. On top of this, the game had some pretty decent high-resolution textures for its time; not to mention that it also has one of the most well-rounded character developer I have seen to date, thereby giving you the ability to make some pretty believable looking character models.

o   Nonetheless, the game features plenty of issues as well. Saint's Row 2 has a pretty intense problem with glitching. One example of this includes a moment where, when getting out of my vehicle, I apparently walked over an invisible spring-board or something because my character was suddenly, and without warning, launched into orbit and died as he came falling back to earth. Further investigation into this matter revealed that this has happened on multiple occasions to other players. Other examples include a situation where an individual will "slide" from their seat, quite literally hovering away from a bar or table and then suddenly walk away as though they had been standing. Still more are situations of characters that get stuck in walls or in furniture, their body half hanging out of the graphic for the wall while they are running as though they weren't half made-of-wood. Finally, even more examples include matters of "touching", where a player will perform an action (let's use CPR for this example) on another character and not quite "touch them". Despite that, visually, we can see where the character's chest is to touch it, the game says there their chest is higher, resulting in the player character performing CPR roughly an inch or two ABOVE the other character's chest.

   

-          Audio: High

o   The audio and musical quality in Saint's Row 2 is actually pretty high with only a couple of exceptions. Getting right into it, probably the most notable and impressive aspect of the audio in this game is the music. While there isn't really any natural "background" music while you are playing, every vehicle has a radio, you will occasional find radios scattered throughout the world, you can find music shops around the city, and you can even access the radios through the game menu. These radios and music shops all feature a pretty large assortment of genres that range from the expected Rap and Rock to things like Classical, Easy Listening, Reggae, and more. Likewise, the majority of the artists are well recognized musicians that you would find on a real radio station. Some of these artists include My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Run-DMC, Mozart, A-Ha, DuranDuran, Avenged Sevenfold, and many more. Having real music that I know and love made this experience all the sweeter.

o   The voice acting, as far as it goes, is a kind of neither here nor there; generally depending more on the character. A number of characters have some pretty decent voice actors that know how to properly project their lines and emote their feelings, allowing the audience to appreciate and empathize with them. Likewise, other characters have the voice-acting capabilities of a gerbil. Luckily, the main majority of poor voice actors tend to be smaller pieces that fail to detract from the player's enjoyment of the game.

o   The sound effects throughout the game are generally the same where. There are a number of pieces that are not outstanding, but they are certainly done. The sounds for a number of different vehicles, crashes, etc. all fill this category. However, some stuff is just laughably silly. A good number of the firearms in this title sound like little more than pop-guns going off and don't really add any weight to the gun-play experience.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Now, on to everyone's very favorite category: gameplay and playability. Starting off, as always, with playability. Saint's Row 2 does a pretty decent job in trying to help players understand all of the finer details of its gameplay. Despite its slightly unconventional control scheme, Saint's Row takes all the steps to make sure players can use it. Starting with the basic movement and fighting mechanics, the game will progressively move away from simply telling players how to control their character and use missions to introduce different aspects of gameplay such as using different kinds of vehicles, weapons, and more. Whenever a new element of gameplay or game-mode is introduced, it is generally explained with a simple box telling you how to play and what buttons you need to push. Only occasionally did I run into an issue of not being sure how to handle a situation.

o   The gameplay is also one of the most varied to date. While players will obviously be able to follow the game's crime-focused story of hunting down and taking out rival gangs, there is so much more to it. Players, at any time, will be able to take part in any number of different activities that range to relatively simple stuff like racing or "chop shop, where they have to find and deliver certain vehicles, up to games like "Rampage", where they are granted unlimited ammunition and weapons and have to cause as much damage as they can. If they don't want to play in the real world, players can even go to their home and sit and play a game within a game in "Zombie Uprising", a zombie-title where players have to defeat wave after wave of the undead in progressively increased difficulty.

o   While the varied gameplay can be incredibly fun, there is one major issue: it is forced onto you. The game works off of a mechanic called the "Respect Meter". Every activity, job, diversion, and otherwise action that you do will progressively increase this "respect meter" based on how wild, crazy, or intimidating that action was. This could be all well and fine if said "respect meter" didn't have to be filled past a certain point to do the game's regular story missions. So, half the time you are trying to play through the game's story, you have to go out and do some other random activities just so you can get back to following the original missions. This is a more than frustrating mechanic that acts as a means of artificially increasing the game's play-time.

          

-          Dollar-Value: High

o   Overall, Saint's Row 2 actually has a pretty high dollar-value if you can get around the game's overly adult themes. Depending on the skill of your player and how quickly you can fill your "respect meter" and get back to doing the missions, the game can take a minimum of 20+ game hours. All in all, this is actually a pretty darn good value, especially since the game is already technically close to bargain-bin status due to its age. Plus, with the widely varied gameplay, there will always be something new and interesting for you to try out.

Recommendations

-          Sadly, there aren't really a large number of non-mature rated open world titles. The first recommendation that comes to mind would be the inFAMOUS franchise or Sly Cooper, which has certain similar elements. However, if you are alright with the mature rating, Grand Theft Auto will feature a similar, if slightly more serious, type of gameplay; Red Dead Redemption and Assassin's Creed would both be exceptional choices too.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Review

Kid Safe: Low                     Game Quality: High

Genre: Open World Action/Adventure

-          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.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          This game features a moderate amount of online content. To begin, this game is downloadable content that can be acquired through purchase on the internet; however a hard copy is also sold in stores. That aside, the game, just as with Red Dead Redemption before it, boasts a modest online multiplayer mode where individuals may play with others through the internet. It should be noted that the hard copy sold in stores boasts extra multiplayer content through the "Liars and Cheaters" and "Legends and Killers" content that is included on disc.

Story Summary: In Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, players once again hop into the well

worn boots of ex-outlaw John Marston, who we met in Red Dead Redemption. This title takes place during unaccounted time from the first title, roughly three quarters of the way through the main story. The game takes on a wonderful campy feel and generally embraces spooky pop-culture references like the "Haunted Mansion" at Disneyland and Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Opening on a stormy night on the frontier, we find that the dead have begun to rise from their graves to consume the living and that a plague is spreading through the civilizations of the Old West that is turning regular folk into cannibalistic monsters with a thirst for human flesh. As Marston, you adventure across the entire world from the original game, which has now taken on a spooky, undead twist. You are on a mission to not only protect the settlers of the old west and find out why the dead are rising but hopefully find a cure for your wife and son who have become infected monsters themselves.

 

Kid Safe: Low

-          Foul Language: Moderate

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare contains a moderate amount of Foul Language in the form of the following observed words: d*mn, s*it, h*ll, b*stard, and f*ck. It should be noted that this is a notable improvement to the "High" rating that Red Dead Redemption previously received, although I suppose it helps when the majority of characters that the player encounters are moaning and groaning monsters. While this title does feature some harsher language such as "f*ck", the cussing is kept to a rather impressive minimum given the horror element and the fact that an average individual would be screaming obscenities out of fear.

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

o   As would be expected with a zombie game, especially one from Rockstar studios, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare has a very high level of Violence and Gore. The majority of enemies that players will run into are zombies and therefore corpses; many of them appearing heavily wounded, rotten, and oozing puss, blood, and organs. Likewise, players will witness cannibalistic attacks where zombies will attack living human beings who will scream in pain as they are quite literally eaten, usually spraying blood and leaving a pool of blood beneath them. To Undead Nightmare's credit, these scenes are not overly graphic, as very often zombies are simply seen over their victims with red spray shooting out rather than gruesome scenes of torn flesh and sinew.

o   Players will also run into living humans that they can kill as well as characters that were well established as previously living in the first game. Players may kill any living human they find, however that is not many; likewise there are several characters throughout the world who have gone insane and will attack Marston, thus forcing players to kill them. Likewise, multiple characters from the previous games (the reviewer counted six in total) become infected and zombified, forcing Marston to kill them. Killing zombies must often be done by shooting them in the head, resulting in the zombie's skull exploding in a spray of blood and viscera.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Low

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare has relatively low sexually-related content with the exception of two points. The first item of note is that players will run into female zombies that are wearing corsets and lingerie; these items are non-revealing in terms of genitalia but are sexually suggestive. Secondly, there is a very odd (and unexplained) scene where there is a zombified prostitute that suggestively touches her body and rubs her breast when you approach her before running away hand in hand with another male zombie; this is the only zombie that ever shows this behavior.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Very Low

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare features a single observed instance of alcoholic consumption in which the Marshall pours Marston a shot of whiskey while they are talking. Not shocking giving most barkeeps are probably slavering beasts at this time.

             

Game Quality: High

-          Graphics / Visuals: High

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare makes up for some of its predecessor's faults and demonstrates a high level of visual and graphical quality. Using the already established landscapes from Red Dead Redemption, this title takes the already magnificent open-world of the Old West and repaints it for a more "spooky" setting. Whereas most of the original game was during bright, sunny days or moonlit, starry nights; Undead Nightmare has a far bleaker tone. The majority of the game seems to take place during dusk and night, with the occasional daybreak brightening the world; and the rolling hills and lands are almost always covered by a soft mist and fog that adds to the atmosphere of this game. Likewise, the horse mechanics return and are just as impressive as ever, boasting realistic equine movements which is rather uncommon in the current market. Finally, the subtle and realistic facial expressions continue to impress.

o   Sadly, Red Dead Redemption is still not without faults. We experienced several graphical glitches, most often with characters model. In one instance, we found that when you jump a certain distance from a ledge Marston will quite literally hover over to the ledge. In another instance we found a zombie that ran at us only to suddenly sink up to her waist into the ground graphics; snarling and eternally stuck. Likewise, while the facial expressions of characters are generally high quality, the lip synching still needs some works; as we experienced multiple situations where audio and graphics were not working together properly.

           

-          Audio: Very High

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare features a very high quality of audio and sound. To begin, Rob Wietoff returns as John Marston along with a fair number of the original voice cast to share their talents in Undead Nightmare. The voice acting is, once again, spot-on; with each character providing properly emotive delivery and really lending weight to the drastic situation. Likewise, the already established ambient qualities return; lending realistic quality to the sound of this game across the board with everything from thundering footsteps to the soft rustle of tumbleweeds across an empty town. Lastly, the already impressive music has been reworked for Undead Redemption; with composers having mixed previously "rustic" cowboy music and adding a pleasantly spooky edge to them.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare displays a relatively high quality of gameplay and playability. For those who never played the original Red Dead Redemption: the game immediately starts off by fully explaining almost all of the controls before ever sending you into the vast hordes of the undead; with the exception of three zombies that help you learn the basics of shooting and hog tying. From there, Undead Nightmare retains its previously impressive third-person shooting mode while adding additional weapons for players to try out. From there, players also are able to use their slow-motion shooting (called Dead Eye) more frequently than the original game in order to help them against the vast amount of zombies they will be facing. Finally, characters are able to create new items including Blunderbuss ammunition out of the pieces of their slain enemies.

o   Undead Nightmare does suffer from some gameplay difficulties. The first problem is that horse wrangling, something used to catch the exclusive Four Horses of the Apocalypse, is never explained; the game relying on the fact that you played the first iteration of the game. This is a large problem as horse wrangling is especially difficult with the Four Horses and takes multiple steps in order to complete. Secondly, the shooting system for Red Dead Redemption is built for medium to long range engagement and not for the hand-to-hand combat that the undead bring to the table. Occasionally the gunplay gets buggy and does not work properly due to this fact.
          

-          Dollar-Value: Downloadable Content - Very High / Hard Copy - Moderate

o   This might seem like a very strange split, so allow me to explain. The downloadable version of Undead Nightmare is only $10 U.S., for this you will be receiving approximately 6 to 8 hours of brand new story-mode gameplay as well as several new online gameplay modes for playing in multiplayer with other people around the world. This is a phenomenal value and many games are charging $50 or $60 for the same amount of content. However, if you are buying the hard copy from stores, this content will cost you $30 U.S. because of the added "Liars and Cheaters" and "Legends and Killers" expansions packs. This is not quite the same value as the "Legends and Killers" expansion adds extra characters and places for characters to go to in the multiplayer free roam and the "Liars and Cheaters" extra characters, locations to go to, the ability to play poker and liar's dice online, and a new game mode. Generally these will be of no use if you do not use the internet often and will only be useful if you play Red Dead Redemption multiplayer extensively.

Recommendations

-          Sadly, as previously mentioned, the Old West and Zombie related games both have issues producing any titles that are not M-rated. Good fallbacks still stand for now including games like "Resident Evil" for zombie games and "Infamous" for open-world games.

As always, should you have any questions or concerns., I continue to encourage you to contact us. I hope this guide has proved useful. Enjoy.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption Review

Kid Friendly: Very Low                Game Quality: High

Genre: Open World Action/Adventure

-          (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.)

           

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          (This game features a moderate amount of internet usage. While it does have a good deal of offline content that can be played without internet connection; this title also offers plenty of online content which includes a multiplayer-mode as well as extra levels and gameplay which may be bought and downloaded online.)

           

Story Summary: Red Dead Redemption is a breathtaking story of blood, violence, and redemption in the

 American Old West. The main character is John Marston, an ex-outlaw who has been

 captured and blackmailed by the newly formed FBI. With the agency holding his family

 hostage, Marston is forced to trek across the Old West to find his old gang mates and

 bring them to justice, dead or alive. On his journeys he meets a great number people;

 both equally savory and unsavory as he follows a trail of blood in an attempt to find

 peace.

Kid Safe: Very Low

-          Foul Language: High

o   This game features a large amount of foul language including f*ck, s*it, d*mn, c*nt, c*ck, and other words. Fascinatingly enough, the foul language does not often come from the main character, John Marston; who in fact very often presents himself in a very cordial and well-mannered fashion except when he is dealing with some of the more unsavory characters of the title. Instead, almost all of the foul language is found in the interactions with most of the other characters of the game; who generally are criminals, drunks, rapists, lunatics, etc.

-          Violence and Gore: High

o    This game features a great deal of violence and gore. Leaning towards realism, this game does not falter on many interactions that occurred in the American Old West. When playing this title, individuals will use firearms to shoot anyone they so choose in the world (however the story only focuses on killing criminals). These deaths will also reveal realistic sprays of blood followed by spasms and collapsing of a dead body. Aside from killing humans, an entire set of challenge levels encourage you to hunt, kill, and skin wild animals in the world; leaving their maimed bodies lying where they fell. Finally, there are some disturbing scenes where story-arc characters are brutally beaten and bloodied; namely a young woman by the name of Bonnie who, after being kidnapped from her home, is hung after been beaten and raped by a gang of men.

-          Sexually-Related Content: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   This game features a large variety of sexual content and nudity. There are multiple references to rape, sexual deviancy, sexual intercourse, as well as the presence of prostitutes in all towns. To begin, on more than several occasions, there will be discussion among criminals and the main characters about the forcible rape of women; one of the main examples being the previously mentioned Bonnie who was kidnapped from her home and found beaten and bloodied by a gang of men. Next, there are several references to bestiality (engaging in sexual activity with animals); one such example being a side mission you do for a gentleman who is missing his "lady". When you go to the location you find a young woman brushing a horse, only then do you find out the horse is the one the man is pining over. Upon returning the horse, you find out that he wishes to engage in bestiality with the mare; the young woman leaving you with the phrase "You probably don't want to watch what these two have planned together. Finally, there are blatant scenes of sexual intercourse; one such example showing a young man and woman, only half-clothed, having sex on a table; stopping when you walk in with the half-clothed woman running out.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: High

o   This game features a large amount of drug and alcohol usage. To begin, you may at anytime go to a bar or saloon in game and continue to imbibe alcohol. In doing so, your vision gets progressively more blurred and your character begins to stumble about, bump into people, and appear generally intoxicated. Eventually you will collapse and black out. On top of this, there are more than a couple cut scenes where your character is scene smoking cigarettes extensively.

Game Quality: High

-          Graphics / Visuals: Moderate

o   The graphics and visuals for this title are generally of very high quality. The game portrays a very realistic depiction of the desert including: blowing dusty winds, camouflaged animals running about in the brush, mountains off in the distance, the dirty, grainy look of a town that has been resting in a desert area, etc. Likewise, this title bolsters an impressive physics engine for all of the units and characters; allowing them to flow very realistically, rationing their weight here and there as they move around in the world. I would like to make a special note for the design of horses which, being an equestrian myself, acted rather and moved very much like real horses (something that is rarely done well in most games).

o   However, for as impressive as the graphics generally are, there are some rather sufficient flaws as well; as this game is absolutely riddled with glitches and errors that tend to effect gameplay. On one occasion I returned to my horse to find him floating in the air with his hitch as his only tether to the world, as though gravity were turned off. On yet another occasion, when picking up an individual up off the ground, they suddenly were stuck in the environment and my character was acting as if he was carrying something that wasn't there. Sadly, a large number of very similar stories have been reported across multiple gamers.

-          Audio: High

o   The audio, much like the graphics, are of a generally high quality. The music and sound add incredible ambiance to the gameplay, altering the mood of the scenes quite drastically. When traveling on horseback, the overbearing sound of hoof beats will be the primary sound with your partner's voice tapering up and down with it based on where he is riding in relation to you. Indeed, other times music will take over with a soft acoustic playing as you walk through town, only to be dominated suddenly by a quick and frantic tune as bandits stir up travel in the saloon in front of you. Not only this, but the game features recognized actors and voice actors including Kevin Glikmann, Spider Madison, and Ben Davis.

o   Once again however, like the graphics, this title suffers from audio glitches as well. These faults were generally only found in the voice acting and sound bites rather than the music. Occasionally a sound bite would break, causing an odd, audible squeaking or popping noise. Likewise, once or twice I watched as a character's lips moved and produced no sound, only to hear it a second later due to poor lip synching. Luckily, unlike the graphical difficulties, these were far and few between.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   This game tends to have a rather high playability that add to an intense and immersive feel to the game. To begin, the open world is absolutely huge, featuring one of the largest environments that Team Rockstar (the developers) have ever put into a title. This allows players the freedom to go to and explore an entirely fleshed out world with citizens, businesses, homes, families, and anything else they could imagine. On top of this, many cities feature mini-games that players can enjoy including poker, blackjack, liar's dice, horseshoes, and other such games. A player can literally burn hours just on these alone.

o   However, the open world is as much a blessing as a curse. Generally a player is expected to ride everywhere in the world in real-time, spending almost as much time trying to get to a mission or level as they do actually playing it. A player may even be deterred from playing solely due to the length of time it takes to get around and complete missions. While the game does offer two means of skipping this, the stagecoach and the fast travel system, it does nothing to encourage their usage. The stagecoach costs in-game money to spend. Likewise, I was never even made aware of the fast travel system by the game and had to be informed outside of the title by someone who found it by accident.

-          Dollar Value: High

o   All in all, this game is generally of a high dollar value. It offers a truly expansive world and story that can take well over 30 hours to complete if you only stick to the single player mission. From there, this title also offers a robust online experience where individuals may play online multiplayer with other players around the world and other battle each other several different modes. On top of this, the game already bolsters a list of new missions and levels that can be purchased and downloaded online to increase the amount of gameplay you have available. If you are alright with the intense amount of adult-oriented content and the occasional graphical glitch, this game features almost triple the amount of content than most games on the market for the same price.

Recommendations:

-          If the adult content is unacceptable, several other games may be right up your alley. If you are looking for a title with an intense, action oriented story, you may wish to check out Uncharted for the PS3. Likewise, Infamous bolsters a strong open-world environment with a superhero overtone. Sadly, the Old West has yet to be produced in a kid friendly manner and lacks any games under an M rating.

Finally, I apologize for the length of this review however the sheer size led to the size of the review
itself. It even caused me to rework the design of my reviews in several ways. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.