ModNation Racers

 

When Little Big Planet brought us the “Play, Create, Share" idea to the PS3, I was literally blown away by this concept. Being able to use the same tools as the creators to create your own levels from scratch was very awesome but then the concept of being able to share your creation with others and seeing how they tweak it was literally mind blowing!

But now this little known company called United Front Games comes along and offers us the same plate but with Kart racing, where you can create your own karts, tracks, and racers and then easily share your creations online with the community.

As you can see by the video the gameplay is wicked. The customization with this game is unlimited. Most of the parts,props etc are unlocked during career gameplay. Building a racer and car can literally take hours if you want as,size,shape,color,face,body type for racer and cars are huge. All of which the developers have made pretty user friendly  and the track builder is much the same as well.They made it easy to pick up but still deep enough for those of us that require some brain engagement. So far, MNR has surpassed the 1 million mark on mods created by users, all different, all unique. That's impressive. This game is by far in a class of it's own and I beg you to pick it up and give it a whirl as you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Civilization V: Addictiveness at its finest

It's been said that the signs of a truly great game are addictiveness and loss of time. This game has this and more. It's the marriage breaker, the time taker and the fist maker.

I picked this game up a few few weeks ago and immediately after install and game start, this sucker had literally stolen 3 hours from me in seconds flat, or so it seemed to me anyways. Now, I've played pretty much all the Civilizations and it has always impressed me with its balance of game play and intrigue. Hard to imagine that Mr Sid could just on keeping rolling this game along and not fumble somewhere along the line. Nope. Even at number 5 it still continues to impress and awe me. For those of you familiar with Civilization IV or Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, this game is like an old cherished friend with new stories to tell.

For those of you unfamiliar, Civilization V places you as the leader of one of several playable nations,America,Arabia,Aztecs,Babylon,China,Egypt,England,France,Germany,Greece,India,Iroquois,Japan,Mongolia,Ottoman,Persia,Rome,Russia,Siam and Songhai, and starts you out in 4000 BC with nothing more than a settler to build your first city with and a single warrior unit. From there, you must work to build a civilization, winning by means of conquest, science, culture, or diplomacy.

This time around, they've improved the grid to Hexagon based and it works surprisingly well. Whatever nation you decide to assume, you start out with 1 little Hex and work out from there with your 1 settler and 1 warrior. I know, sounds intimidating but just because this is a turn-based game, it doesn't mean it won't move fast. You quickly build  city buildings, roads, trade routes, armies and the occasional diplomacy with neighbouring factions. And like I said at the beginning, it quickly turns ridiculously addicting once you've established you territories as the hunger for lands is in you now and all must be consumed, Mwuhahaha!

But remember, this game advances through the ages, 4000 BC through to Golden Ages and the modern age. So don't bring a Pikeman to a B52 bomber fight.

Overall graphics are amazing and runs pretty good on just a duo core with mid range ATI cards. Controls are pretty similar to the rest of the Civs and the learning curve on this one is pretty lean. So don't be afraid to pick this one up and give it a try folks. But if you have little time, family or friends, well...they might not see you for awhile. Enjoy my friends Enjoy.

Call of Duty Black Ops

The Hype surrounding this game was unbelievable before it's release. Does it live up to it? Yes, very much so!

Gameplay  is solid, very solid. Black Ops is a sequel to Treyarch's previous Call of Duty, World at War. At the beginning of the game, you will be wondering what is going on, but you will understand later. Basically, there is this creepy, faceless interrogator guy who asks you a bunch of questions and you play through Mason's( main character) memories. You will visit various places throughout the globe.My fav was Vietnam.Graphics are amazing, they have set the bar again. Basic controls are R1 to shoot, L1 to aim just like the previous CODs.Although the Single player campaign is only about 10 hours long, it is the best I've ever played. Depth, story and graphics that made my jaw drop.Worth 30 dollars right there, the other 30 is in the next paragraph.

Multiplayer is definetely where it's at in this game though as it has me thoroughly addicted for the last week!
There is a new element in this COD that adds a lot more depth. They are called COD points. You use them to buy weapons, perks etc. You get them by participating in matches ie: Team Death Match, Mercenary,Domination etc . This makes the game more intense and fun as the customization is huge in this game. You can customize guns,face paint, put clan emblems on your gun, get different camos for your gun,create a unique clan emblem, this list goes on.  The last mode is zombie mode. This fun  mode returns from World at War. It is 2-4 player co-op and it requires a lot of teamwork,A mic doesn't hurt either.

All in all, this game is frickin awesome! I haven't been this addicted to multiplayer in a game since Killzone 2. If you haven't got it yet, go get it.  It's worth the 60 bucks and you won't be disappointed .