Just finished Mass Effect 2 (360) on Normal. OMG OMG OMG, so awesome. The end was just pure epicness and very well done. Puts other RPGs to shame, imo. Anyways, the game made a lot of drastic improvements over the original. The RPG aspects have been toned down making way for a more streamlines interface and shooter mechanic. Some might like it, some might not. Personally, I didn't mind the changes even though I missed some stuff from ME1.

Anyways, the graphics are gorgeous without any of the technical issues of the first game. NO texture pop-in and NO screentearing. Very impressive considering the amount of detail with the characters and locations. The faces for everyone is incredibly life-like and realistic. But it somehow avoids the uncanny valley which was a feat in of itself. Everyone is very well designed with a lot of care. There were some weird anomalies at times like odd clipping and framerate hitches for some in-game cutscenes with a ton of action but nothing that's glaring. This is a BEAUTIFUL game. Even the loading screens were well designed and reflect where you're going. The music is just as amazing as the first game and captures the same feel as the first game.

The real winners here are the voice actors and script. Bioware does it again. When it comes to voice actors, they're still king. EVERYONE is excellent or outstanding. Not a bad one in the bunch. And the script for all the characters are fully developed and include alot of nice surprises. I really have to give all the voice actors props for their performances. Soooo goood.

One VERY important thing I must advise you is to complete ME1 before you play this game. When you import your Shephard not only do you get alot of extra stuff for your character, but everything that happened to him/her actually influences how people treat you. Also, everyone that you helped in ME1's main quest or sidequests actually make cameos! And they actually remember how you treated them. It was a nice surprise and very cool to see this happen. I assume if you didn't import your guy, you're missing out on these nuggets of additional gameplay and story.

Anyways, great game. Very addictive just like the original. All the annoying stuff like the inventory etc has been fixed. But I do have to admit that I miss the Mako stuff. F the haters. Must buy, must play, must whatever! GET IT! :D

New Pick-Ups:

The Saboteur (360), Mass Effect 2 LE (360) and Tatsunoko VS Capcom (Wii)

Raiden IV (360), Glory of Heracles (DS) and Professor Layton 2 (DS)

Bungie for Haiti T-shirt

FFXIII LE OST

Finished Bayonetta (360) with the full 1,000 points today. Awesome game and just a wonderful experience. The story is ridiculous and fun, the gameplay is super fast and smooth, and finally the music is just great to listen to. If you like games like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, then this game will satisfy all your senses. The Normal mode is great for DMC players while the Hard mode felt alot like the Ninja Gaiden games. So much fun, one of the best action games I've played recently. It's very addictive and replayable. Bayonetta is a great strong character even with all her sexiness. It's a nice change of pace from the sausage-fest that's invaded the DMC series.

I also love all the Capcom, SEGA and other video game references throughout the game. Very sneaky. Fans of Kamiya's previous Capcom games will know what to look for. Some of it is pretty funny. Anyways, Kamiya has done it again! Highly recommended! :D

Some new pick-ups:

Bayonetta: Climax Edition (PS3) + Gun Replica - I wanted the LE but it's only available overseas so I had to get the inferior PS3 port since it's region-free. Why is it inferior? Go check reviews, all the issues are listed. Anyways, I guess i'll go for the Platinum on this next week or something. ;) Btw, the gun replica is alright. Paint job is pretty sloppy so that was disappointing, but the artbook is pretty nice.

Sorry for the lack of posts. I haven't felt like blogging much lately. I've been posting more in http://twitter.com/likchanso follow me there if you're interested. Here are some new games and movies I got recently. I'll probably save my pick-ups for my figures in a future post when I'm bored. I'm also trying to catch up with my backlog and play the new releases but I haven't had a chance to post my impressions yet.

Got:
Bayonetta (360) - Amazing game from what I played so far. FUNFUNFUN.
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (PS3) - Don't care for this game but I got it for like $13 new with my BB Reward Zone GC during the sale.

Lair (PS3) - Yea, I wanted this for some reason, lol.
Generation Kill (BD)

Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos LE (PSP) - No comment. ^^;;;

District 9 and Inglourious Basterds (BD)

Got alot of stuff this month but I'll post the Black Friday stuff first along with some other stuff I got on sale on Cyber Monday. Btw, I've been addicted to Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer! Soooo good and frustrating sometimes, hehe...

I didn't find too many great deals I wanted this year, sorta disappointed but I guess that's the way it goes.

Got:
Lots of great Blu-ray sales from Amazon. Some arrived pretty late since Amazon was probably selling a ton of them. Did I go overboard? :3

Games!

A portable HDD.

Impulse buy cuz this was dirt cheap...lol.

Finished Dragon Age Origins (360) over the weekend. I played as a Human Noble and it was a blast. I was a good guy so I think I got a good ending and everyone was my ally. Very satisfying ending for me. The writing is superb and the voice acting is even more impressive. They got a lot of the same actors from Uncharted 2 which was kinda cool. I'm just really impressed with how developed the world is and how much thought was put into all my party members and NPCs. I don't think I need to say more other than this is a must play and one of my fave RPGs in this generation. I plan on playing as the other origins when I have time. It should be interesting to see how the world unfolds when I choose different dialogue options. Btw, this game probably has the longest credits roll in gaming history. Soooo many people were involved, wow... :D

Also finished Assassin's Creed 2 (360) this week. What an amazing experience. Ubisoft really improved upon everything over the original and thensome. I loved the original AC and this sequel beats it in both gameplay and story. The story actually unfolds in a similar way to the GTA franchise except with better pacing. Ezio is a really likeable guy and his story is way more developed than Altair's.

Speaking of AC1, AC2 is a direct sequel in every sense of the word. The game literally opens up with the final shot from the first game. It's pretty cool for us AC1 fans cuz AC1's cliffhanger ending is instantly resolved. Yay. There's also a ton of callbacks and information that AC1 fans will enjoy. I think if you didn't play or finish AC1, you might be missing out on a few bits of information and names that pop up. AC2 stands well on its own but people who played AC1 will definitely appreciate the story and revelations way more. And boy, the revelations are awesome.

The gameplay is incredibly addictive as one mission just keeps popping up after another. There's also a diverse amount of sidequests that kept me playing. The combat is also very satisfying and incredibly fun since you can switch weapons and upgrade your armor/outfits. The final armor looks pretty damn sessy. The collectables also make sense and actually help you and affect the main game. They're no longer simply achievement/trophy hunter type stuff. It's all really well implemented. I'm only two achievements away from getting the full 1000. :)

But not everything was perfect, the game has some minor glitches which happened a few times. They're not game-breaking stuff but they're somewhat distracting. The game also has some janky facial animation for a few characters (Lucy has it worst), but most are fine. These minor issues probably kept this game from beating Batman: AA and Uncharted 2 from my personal GOTY. But overall, this was an amazing experience with a lot of fun conspiracy stuff and the world is really well done. Must play for everyone (including people who didn't like AC1). Loved it.

I also just got God of War Collection (PS3) and I'm playing it to see all the enhancements. Looks pretty damn good. I haven't played it in a long time so there are many things that surprised me. Still awesome and still fun. I'll probably have more detailed impressions when I dig into GoW2 in the collection after I beat GoW1 all over again. Oh yea, lotsa boobies too, lol...

Some stuff.

Got:
Nintendo Club Platinum Gift - I chose the Mario hat. Very nice quality.

Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition (360) - Yea, I got it...

Assassin's Creed 2 Master Edition (360) - The tin case is even LARGER than AC1's LE. Geez... Nice design though.

Box and contents.

More games and movies.

Star Trek LE (BD) - Statue is very nice. Completely metal and quite heavy.

Box and contents.

And finally...

Diablo III!!!! Well, not really...it's a statue of the Barbarian. Sculpt is detailed and paint job is superb. Awesome quality.

Box and statue with normal head.

The Sideshow Exclusive head. Badass...

Been playing Dragon Age Origins (360) and it's AWESOME. Great story with a TON of dialogue options and great voice acting. The amount of content is pretty incredible. There are a ton of choices to be made, lots of sidequests to complete and a lot of optional stuff to find. I'm really impressed with how much time I spent with this game so far. There is so much to do and some sidequests lead right into another. Soooo addictive! I also found that my party members are fully fleshed out people with a lot of personality and backstory. They're very complex and hard to figure out which adds to the realism to the story. I'm amazed how much info each character reveals as you learn more about them. They all have a quirk or twist that you don't really expect the first time you meet them. Very well written.

Even secondary characters and NPCs have their own stories to tell. I was quite surprised at how much I learned about a NPC in a short amount of time. When you're doing sidequests for some of them, there are some genuine emotional spots that surprised me. I also found a lot of humor in some other characters that were unexpected. All these colorful characters make exploring the world very enjoyable.

Anyways, can't wait to finish it and play a different type of character to see what happens. If you like Bioware RPGs like KoToR or Mass Effect with a high fantasy setting, this is a definite must play. Love love love.

Oh yea, I took a break from Dragon Age to play Modern Warfare 2 (360). I beat the game in Hardened mode in two sittings. I could've finished it in one sitting but I had work the next day so you know. Great game with a ton of shocking moments. It may seem a bit much at times but I liked it. The controversial level that was mentioned was definitely disturbing to me. I didn't enjoy playing it but I didn't find it offensive at all. It was important for the story and it made sense. Infinity Ward definitely took a chance with this one.

Btw, I suggest you play the first Modern Warfare before digging into the campaign for MW2. Why? Because the stories are directly linked with returning characters and some call backs to the first game. If you don't know who Soap is then you should definitely play MW1 NOW. Besides, MW1 was awesome so why deny yourself greatness?

Anyways, Hardened mode in the sequel was way easier than the first game simply because there are no more infinite spawning enemies anymore. I died a lot less but it was still tough and frustrating in spots. The campaign was very satisfying and well worth playing through for the twists and turns. I haven't tried the multi or Spec Ops modes yet but I will try them when I finish Dragon Age. Must play!

New stuff for the second half of October. I already finished some of these games if you check my blog daily. ;)

Got:
Uncharted 2 (PS3) - Such an amazing experience.
Brutal Legend (360) - Great story, okay gameplay.

Uncharted 2 LEs (PS3) - Special thanks to Pete D. for the UK version and my other contact for the Aussie version. :D

Tekken 6 Wireless Stick Bundles (PS360) - Gamestop.com didn't ship my preorder bonuses. I had to call to get replacements. They're not here yet as of this post. The one pictured was from a local Gamestop. The guy gave me one simply because I asked. Best B&M Gamestop in my area.
Forza Motorsport 3 LE (360) - Great game.
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time (PS3) - I need to play the previous two first, lol.

Transformers 2 (BD) - The one with the IMAX scenes. Best cover out of all of them too, imo.

PS3 Charger - Definitely needed one.

Dead Space and Halo ODST figures

Finished Brutal Legend (360) on Normal over the weekend. This may be my least favorite game from Tim Shafer. I've loved every game he's done even with their flaws, but something about Brutal Legend didn't hit that note for me (pun not intended). I'll have to side with people who complained about the gameplay. The whole game felt clunky and wasn't much fun to play. On the other hand, the story and characters were great. I also loved the world it's based in. And even though I'm not a huge fan of metal music, I was enjoying the music in this game quite a lot. Anyways, I'm just gonna list my impressions.

Liked:
-Characters - Very likeable cast with lots of personality.
-Humor - Lots of funny moments.
-Designs - Love the character designs.
-World - Interesting motif and very unique.
-Music - Pretty solid soundtrack.

Disliked:
-Sidequests - Repetitive and boring.
-RTS section - I love RTS games but this was clunky and frustrating. Should've been more streamlined or not included at all. Not fun at all.
-Audio loops - The characters repeat the same lines over an over again in the open world. Also, certain long conversations actually repeat themselves in less than 5 seconds. What the?
-Graphical issues - Some framerate issues here and there and minor popup.

Overall, I found the game alright. It was enjoyable simply because the characters and writing was so good. I kept playing for the story and not the gameplay. I would've liked it if they fleshed out the story more because it goes by pretty fast and made the overall game pretty short. There were some moments that felt like they didn't flow that well. For example, I found the characters talking about something that wasn't mentioned before in the main story later in the game.

This made me think I was missing some important backstory info because I skipped most of the secondary stuff. Which reminds me that they also relegated some very cool backstory for the world to these Legendary statues that you need to find to unlock them. BIG mistake because they added a lot to the story. I wish they made these things easier to find or made them story-related in some way during my first playthrough. I didn't bother finding them until I was near the end of the game cuz I had no clue what they did. Btw, I only found two so far and I'm looking forward to finding the rest soon.

Anyways, recommended for Shafer and Metal fans, but I think everyone else should give it a rental at least.

Also started playing Demon's Souls (PS3) after I finished Brutal Legend. Good news is I managed to beat the infamous 1-1 level on my first try with no problems. I killed Phalanx without too much trouble. I didn't face the issues most people had complained about in various podcasts. BUT, after I passed that, I'm pretty much stuck in level grinding mode right now. The rest of the game ramps up in difficulty quite a bit. For some reason, I'm pretty addicted to trying to get my character up to a point where I can take on more guys without too much trouble.

Great graphics, stellar voice acting and tough enemies definitely make this a dungeon crawl winner. It's very moody and works on many levels. Anyways, I might update again when I make some more progress. But for now, it's been an interesting (and punishing) experience.

I completed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) on Normal mode last night. WOWOWOWOW. What an awesome adventure. Everything you've heard is true. This is one of the best games this year! The production values are through the roof. Uncharted 2 basically takes everything that was good from the first Uncharted and ramps it up ten-fold.

The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. I found myself staring at the locations and examining everything. The water effects are some of the finest I've ever seen. The lighting and explosion effects are top notch as well. But Naughty Dog really improved the character models substantially. If you thought the first Uncharted was good looking, the sequel does it even better. The faces have much more detailed textures and they animate even more realistically. There are tons of subtle facial animations when you're watching the in-game cutscenes. The motion capture and acting is also incredibly well done. When you're playing the game, Drake and his buddies responds to everything around him which adds to the realism and immersive nature of the game.

The audio is equally impressive. I played with the 7.1 LPCM option and it's FANTASTIC. Very nice surround effects with lots of ambient noise all around me. The voice acting is pure excellence. If you loved the first game's voice performances, the sequel does it even better. Everyone is perfect including all the goons and grunts you face. They should win an award because without such amazing voice work, I don't think I would've enjoyed the story as much. Btw, the music is also amazing. It's a beautiful soundtrack with lots of really nice ambient tracks. It's on par with any movie out there, imo.

The story isn't entirely original and there are some twists that I can see coming from a mile away, but the way the story unfolds is very well paced with some action-packed moments. Naughty Dog faithfully captured the feel and epic nature of those old adventure serials and the Indiana Jones movies perfectly. All the characters are likeable and their interactions are fun to watch. It's a superb script with plenty of well written dialogue. The characters feel real and you really care about them. Uncharted 2 is a true epic that even movie fans will enjoy. It's that damn good! I loved it.

Finally, the gameplay. Everything has been improved over the original. The melee combat is actually fun this time and easy to pull off. There are a TON of various animations depending on the environment and how you approach an enemy. The stealth attacks are also fun to watch and execute too.The gunplay is more fair as well. Enemies no longer soak up a bunch of bullets anymore like in the first game. They actually die with a few shots but I did notice that headshots are a bit wonky with most semi-automatic guns. Anyways, I had so much fun with the combat that I wish Naughty Dog could somehow implement these fixes to the first game so I would want to replay that game with the improvements from the sequel. Oh well. The exploration is just as good as the first one so if you loved it in the first game, you'll enjoy it just as much here.

Btw, I did encounter a few bugs/glitches which isn't a big deal. One time, Drake fell into the middle of a wooden platform which forced me to restart a checkpoint cuz I could not escape. I also encountered a graphical glitch when I was on a train and the rest of the location didn't load out for 5 seconds so the train was running on the water which was funny looking. And the worst was when my game froze so I had to turn off my PS3 to reboot the game. Weird stuff but they didn't dampen my enjoyment. They only happened once each so it's probably just a fluke.

Overall, Uncharted 2 is a must play for anyone who likes a good action-adventure game. The story is great, the characters are excellent and the gameplay is fun. If you loved the first game, this one is even better. It's awesome from start to finish. Great job Naughty Dog! I want a sequel already! :D