Review - Assassin's Creed 2

Platform: Xbox 360
Spoiler Danger Low

The Good
+ Assassin's tombs
+ Truth puzzles
+ One of the best soundtracks in years
+ A slam-bang ending

The Bad
- Ezio is a boring character
- Not enough Desmond parts
- Where are my timed attacks?!

Assassin's Creed 2 Trailer

Here we go! Bask in the Renaissance-era Italy and drool a bit as we all look forward to playing this one closer to the end of the year.

More Video Game Joy

While we have to wait for next year for Mass Effect 2, there are several other HUGE video games getting released this fall. First up is Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to the best selling shooter of all time. It certainly ranks as the best first person shooter in my book. The epic moments are unparalleled in gaming history. And MW2 promises to show us even more. It's developed by the same folks who started the Call of Duty franchise and did the original Modern Warfare game, Infinity Ward. Speaking of Call of Duty, the franchise used to be good... that is until certain other developers started making the games and adding Nazi zombies and other junk. Anyway, Infinity Ward seems to have moved completely to the far superior Modern Warfare franchise. Check out the demo of the game. Keep in mind that all of this is in-game footage and it's all player controlled. These are not cut scenes. This game can't come fast enough.

Modern Warfare 2 at IGN.com

Second up is the other BioWare game called Dragon Age: Origins. Unlike the other Origins we've experienced this year (*cough* Wolverine *cough*), this, I can almost guarantee you, will be great. I mean, come on, it's BioWare!! They're the same folks who make Mass Effect! Check out the trailer here too.

More Dragon Age: Origins Info

While we're at the video game trailers thing, check out Assassin's Creed 2, which takes place during the Italian Renaissance.

Assassin's Creed II at IGN.com

Oh, and I stumbled across these direct feeds of the Mass Effect 2 demo. Revel in their glory. Note the detailed lighting and better graphics. Smooth framerates. Evolved score. Good god, I cannot wait for this game. Drooooooool.

More Mass Effect 2 News & Previews

Mass Effect 2 at IGN.com

More Mass Effect 2 Info

More Mass Effect 2 News & Previews

Mass Effect 2 at IGN.com

I would like to end this blog by expressing my undying love for BioWare and the amazing games they produce. :-)

Assassin's Creed II

IGN has announced that Assassin's Creed II is coming to my beloved 360 THIS YEAR! It won't be until late this year (read: Christmas time or so), but this is still great news. I am still pumped about what happened at the end of AC, so I can't wait to see where that goes in the sequel. 

The announcement trailer is posted below. The game takes place during the Italian Renaissance, but it adds the twist of the assassin and his impact on the course of the Renaissance. This has a ton of potential to be just great from a storyline standpoint. Check it out.

More Assassin's Creed II News & Previews

Assassin's Creed 2

The evening was supposed to be fun, exciting, out of the house. Yet, here I am, dinking away in front of the computer. Yay for failed plans. 

Anyway, epic news. IGN has posted the Assassin's Creed 2 teaser trailer. Now, unlike the Mass Effect 2 trailer, this doesn't tell you anything about the game, it's pretty much an "Assassin's have been here throughout history" montage. That being said, it IS damn cool, and it shows that one of the games I'm looking forward to this year is definitely on its way. So, for your viewing pleasure, I give you the teaser trailer (epic drums here).

More Assassin's Creed 2 Info

Video Games of 2009

My last post was about movies that are coming out soon, today I'm talking video games. It looks to be a good year for the video games - heck, it already has been a great year with Resident Evil 5 still sitting in my 360. Let's take a look (in no particular order).

• Halo 3: ODST - It's Halo, what else do I need to say? Plus, unlike Halo Wars, it is being scored by Marty O'Donnell, the genius behind the soundtracks from the Halo Trilogy.
  
  
  
  
• Prototype - Sandbox world with a main character who can't remember his past and can run as fast as a car on the freeway. What's not to love?
• Wolfenstein - My personal favorite Nazi zombie shooter is back for the first time since the original XBox. That was a masterpiece, so I can't wait to see what this holds.
• Dragon Age: Origins - One of my favorite game developers of all time (BioWare) brings some fantasy RPG style to the 360. BioWare also made my until-recently-favorite game on the 360, Mass Effect, so I have nothing but lofty expectations for this game.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum - It's Batman, it's the Joker, it's intensity in a game. This is being touted as being a superhero game unlike any we've ever played, so it's a shoo-in for this list.
• Bioshock 2 - Bioshock ranks as the second best FPS on the 360. It had one hell of a twisted story and depraved characters, and it all built up to one of the most jaw-dropping revelations in video game history. I expect nothing less from Bioshock 2. 
  
  
  
  
• Mass Effect 2 - Though this isn't slated for release until early 2010 (which probably means Christmas 2010), it still makes the list. As the sequel to my second favorite 360 game, there is nothing that will come between me and owning this game on midnight whichever day it ends up coming out. Just from the teaser trailer, I guarantee you this game will be EPIC!!!
• Modern Warfare 2 - This game seems to be ditching the Call of Duty moniker for just Modern Warfare. That's fitting considering the less-than-cool direction CoD 5 took. Call of Duty 4 is the best FPS I have ever played - it included some of the most gripping cinematic moments (yes, better than Bioshock's) in the history of video games. The story was great, the action was heart pumping and white knuckled... but there were these moments in the game that dragged you to the edge of your seat with bug eyes and no conscious awareness of anything else going on around you that made the game something special. The level Shock and Awe will live forever in my memory as the single most startling and one of the most heart-wrenching scenes to cross the pixels of my TV. Can the sequel be better? This game is being developed by Infinity Ward, the same company behind CoD4 (though not the same one that brutalized CoD5), so I believe it can.
  
  
  
  
• I Am Alive - Very little is known about this game, but check out the coverage - it looks like it's got plenty of potential.
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - This has been on Ubisoft's plate for quite a while. I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous Splinter Cell games, but this one looks entertaining. 
• Tekken 6 - My favorite fighting game franchise is no longer a PS exclusive, and I couldn't be happier. Thoughts of beating face with King in glorious HD have me all giddy in anticipation of this release.
• Assassin's Creed 2 - Yet another Ubisoft title, the original game made me love platforming like Prince of Persia just never could. The story was topsy-turvey, and the end left me scooping my jaw off the floor. I can not wait until the sequel to show me what happened after the earth-shattering end to the first one. 
• Borderlands - This looks to be an entertaining FPS RPG (two of my favorite genres, mixed!). There are a rumored 650,000 weapons in this game!! WOW! Plus, add in my new favorite video game feature - cooperative play - and you have the makings of a winner.
• Alpha Protocol - This game is loosely defined as an action espionage RPG. Seems to be in the same vein as Mass Effect, but the previews indicate there will be tougher choices with more impact. Seems like my kind of game.
  
  
  
  
• The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf - The Witcher, an action RPG, was a smash hit on the PC, and the developers are talking about a brand new combat engine specifically designed for the console. This could be really good.
• Alan Wake - I have a friend who's been hyping the crap outta this game since he first heard of it. He's convinced that this will finally be the game to justify that 360 purchase he made. To that, I say, "Play Resident Evil 5", but this looks pretty darned good too.
• Splatterhouse - The return of one of the most blood-tastic games ever made. This time it comes in splashy HD. Should be fun.
• Aliens: Colonial Marines - This game is based off the Alien movie franchise. That means it could be either really great or it could suck some major butt. 
• Halo 3: Mythic Map Pack - It's not a game, but it IS more maps for Halo 3. What more do I need?