Many of you have probably heard this by now--at least I hope you have. Do not buy any 2k Games DLC'S! I just wasted 10 bucks worth of Microsoft Points on Bioshock 2's Metro Pack, and it is unplayable. All 10 gamers in your lobby have to own the DLC for you to play it. Guess what? 95% don't, and there's no separatelobby for those who do. If ONE player-that's it--hasn't downloaded it, you can neverplay it, and thus also never get the DLC exclusive achievements.This isanother blatant attempt by2kto screw us gamers over, and it stops here. After months of complaints, the developers have continued to ignore us, so keep shouting louder and don't buy any 2k downloadable content until they get this fixed!

I'm sure some people are wondering why I give the majority of the games I review high scores. While I play good and mediocre games alike, I'll be frank. I'm focused on the standout ones. Ones that are a full head above the competition (or once ina while, a few miles below the rest) get priority, because these are the games people are the most interested in hearing about. Don't think I'm biased and have high opinions of any game on the market (I'm not an "E" for Effort kind of guy). So with that, back to some Bioshock 2 Multiplayer...Rebirth is within my grasp!:D

The whirlwind of careers is overwhelming, but one has to narrow down his focus to really begin to determine where he'll fit in in society. I am still open to many possibilities, but writing is my greatest strength and passion. So now I ask myself: Where do I begin? What specific jobs are available in this genre? I enjoy political science, videogames, and creative writing specifically, but how and where can I enter such fields. I understand that I have a good length of time to consider this, but, if you're reading this, where would you recommend I start? Novel Editor, Videogame Designer/Narrative Director, newspaper columnist? Help is appreciated.

This is it. The Bioshock 2 Complaint Finale. I know I could go on for about as long as it took 2k to make this game, but I'm keeping it short and sweet. Problem is, Bioshock 2 didn't keep its list of problems short or sweet, so after contemplating heavily about what one final topic I'd like to see fixed (or at least pick apart for kicks and giggles--what does that even mean?!), I've decided on....DAY 3, PROBLEM 3.

~ THE END ~

[SPOIL--I was gonna give you a spoiler alert, but if you still haven't completed the original Bioshock, then you don't deserve one.]

We invested about 15-20 hours in the first Bioshock and were all completely blown away till the last four minutes. Atlas, your chum with that persuasive Scottish accent is really a bad bald man named Fontaine who we thought had been dead. You find this out right after beating in your old man'shead (that would be Andrew Ryan) with his shiny new put-put set, and, by the way, you're two years old. Yes, this would constitute a WTF moment. But it was a good WTF moment. Well, we march right on up to Fontaine's headquarters, and discover himto bea mutated green dude who's obviously been shooting up a little too much on the ADAM. We were all thinking the same thing: epic....just one more fight and I can finally put down my controller and end this 24-hour marathon.

Well, remember how I said "the last four minutes"? This is how it breaks down: [Part 1]: Fight the end boss of the greatest story ever conceived (2 minutes)...[Part 2]: Listen to his monologue and watch as Little Sisters stab said boss to death (1 minute)...[Part 3]: Watch the final cutscene! (Ok fine, I lied, you get a thirty-second cutscene if you're bad, and a one minute one if you're good). But don't worry, all that hard work you did in saving every Little Sister in the game pays off: you raise them, pay for for their college, and then they all get married on the same day. And the evil ending...well, let's just say Ken Levine and his development crew were more evil than you were. You and an army of splicers rise to the surface, dice a few sailors, and take control of a bomb...in thirty seconds.Too bad your splicers can't tell the difference between ATOM and ADAM. Ok, so I'm being a little too hard, but this clearly left room for improvement.

So...we invested about 15-20 hours in the second Bioshock, and were all satisfied till the last six minutes. Yup, the cutscenes are now double their original minute lengths so you don't feel bad about the gaping whole where an end boss was supposed to be. I'll admit, a bare-chested Dr. Lamb hopped up on steroids and ADAM would have probably scarred me for life, but using Little Sisters to make water boil so you can escape in a pod does make me consider the option. All we're asking for is a little ingenuity! Good doesn't cut it in games like Bioshock. I want an endingthat's truly unforgettable, and so far, both of these pipe-swinging gameshaven't achieved that. (Yes, the drill isstill a pipe.)Maybe Bioshock Infinite can pull it off, or who knows, maybe Ken's got something up his sleave...like taking onspliced-upUncle Sam. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even fight some big ass eagle. May Ayn Rand have mercy on their souls.

Bioshock 2 was superb, but it clearly fell short of--ok enough, let's get to it. DAY 2, PROBLEM 2:

~ MORALITY ~

We'll give the devs credit, they've got such a twisted sense of morality, they'd fit well in Rapture. No, I don't mean the magically healing hand of your Big Daddy stroking little girls' foreheads to make sea slugs hiding in their bellies evaporate. No, we're talking about something different, something impossible, something that...the 2k team seemed to completely drop the ball on. What is it you ask? Well, you didn't but I'll tell you anyway: morality. This aspect of the game was no doubt improved over the original's: four endings (I'll say no more), increased Little Sister choices, and choosing whether or not to bash in the heads of a grouchy old jazz singer, a nasally-voiced perv, and a blob. Yeah...blob. The first two were nice if not shallow additions, but ole Gil screaming in that tube of his... Allow me to give you give you a parable. Bob works a scientist in a remote civilization. In his research, Bob makes people go crazy. Bob goes crazy. But before Bob goes crazy, he asks you (in his diary) to kill him no matter what he says once he goes completely insane. Well, surprise. Bob's gone so bat**** crazy he'd fit right in waiting in line for the midnight premier of Twilight.

You read the diary, and have the option of killing him (which is what he wanted). But Bob, now an evil mastermind blob in a tube, pleads for his life. A man chooses, a slave obeys, right? Wrong. Listen to his sane self and kill him and you get an evil ending with cloudy skies and floating bodies. Listen to the pyschopath floating in his own goo that's sending Rapture to hell and let him live, and... Sunshine and a sparkling ocean when you beat the game and a Little Sister that loves you! Now, replace 'Bob' with 'Gil', and you have Bioshock 2. The problem here is that this scenario completely blows away the game's credibility in handling moral choice. But don't worry, you get a nice little silver trophy for your Playstation screen entitled Savior to make you feel better for screwin' the poor guy over. Disagree? Well, then I guess I just have one final thing to say to you: Bob chose, you obeyed.

Bioshock 2 was superb, but it clearly fell short of epic. So, what went wrong? I'll break down one aspect a day that kept it from reaching gaming karma. So DAY 1, PROBLEM 1:

~ NO BOSS FIGHTS ~

The first had Dr. Steinman, Peach Wilkins, Andrew Ryan (sort of), and Frank Fontaine. The second installment had...oh, wait it didn't have boss fights. I mean, you're a BIG DADDY with the most spliced-up genetic system in the ocean and the most Rapture can throw at you is a handful a skinjobs and sure, the occasional Big Sister and Daddy? Probably should have thought of that before sticking it on the shelves. We'll give the developers some slack: there weren't as many potential characters to fight...so they should have at least made a few (no splicer-blob Gil fight!?) and at the very least allowed you to kick Sophia Lamb's ass around in some..."therapy". At the potentially most powerful part of the game, you fall on your face and don't break through the glass(hmm....look, a drill on my arm, but wait, no drill fuel, let's not use it) to grab that communist by the throat.You're Bioshock: at least give us the moral option of killing her. As good-ole Ryan would say (molding in his office with that club sticking out of his head--ya, he's not up to par these days) ,"Ken Levine chooses, 2k Marin obeys."

Several days ago, I formed a new Union which I had hoped would succeed. But my Union.....was betrayed by the weak. So I ask you my friend, ifyou were sent an invitation, wouldyou accept ordecline? We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us...Two days remain till my Union gets suspended for 30 days if no one else accepts, and two options with it: Either you will be a loyal, self-made man who values ingenuity and the passion of this Union...or you will side with the Altruistic Family and the groveling splicers that seek to destroy individualism. So on that note, farewell, or dasvadanye.

--From the Desk of Sukharevskaya

Expect some new reviews before this month is out--I'm playing through a variety of games right now to determine what's priority, so keep checking.

A most unfortunate event happened to me today, and if you don't believe it will happen to you if you follow my example, you're wrong. I had decided to place a very valuable game to me in my friend's hands over the summer. We've know each other for years now, and I figured it was time I placed more trust him as he had never proven otherwise. He was generous enough to return the favor by allowing me to borrow one of his games for a period of time, as well.

Before allowing either of us to take each other's games, however, I showed him both the boxes and the game discs to prove that both were in prestine condition. Over a month later,we meet and decide to trade back games. I give him his, which is practicallyas spotless as it was the day I took it, and he gives me mine. Since he trusted me and didn't check his game to make sure it was alright, I got guilted into doing the same and walked away.

It wasn't until an hour later that I checked it--that I was completely taken by surprise. The game disc itself had ringed scratches across its entire width, and while it still looked playable, I was deeply troubled. And then I checked the box...

He might as well not have returned it. Numerous dents were scattered across the front and back from what appeared to be pencil jabs--perhaps from his backpack, I don't know. The side had been partially crushed with a prominent dent and several bends. But how could he do this? Well, that's why that same hour I confronted him and let him know what had happened. I was not aggressive whatsoever, just inquistive, but he immediately took offense.

The only thing he could say was: "Don't even! Don't even!" He never asked to see the game to at least see the damage (I had it ready), and he not only denied any damage whatsoever but accused me of giving it to him in that condition....woah. He then went on to question how I had taken care of his game, but nothing improved from there on so I cut my loss and walked away to preserve the friendship.

I am writing this not to bash my friend, who I now know to exercise greater cautionaround, but to inform you of the dangers of mixing 'business' with friends. Don't be guilted into it, and don't be afraid to protect yourself. You look out for your best interests--he does not. So, fellow gamers, I wish you luck and may you be wise in all decisions.

I'll be upfront: I never enjoyed Grand Theft Auto. It just seemed too much like you were playing the role of a terrorist, and then there were the gratuitous sex scenes to top it off. Now, I know what you're thinking: How is Mafia 2 any better?! Sure you're still blowing things up, but the much needed air of 1940s America has added a more immersive and almost classy feel to it. Plus...there's no sex.

But truly, why am I looking forward to this game? If the developer videos and stage demos are anything to go by, Mafia 2 looks amazing: graphically, it surpasses or is at least on par with Assassin's Creed 2, the leading GTA-style game in visuals to date. The overall presentation comes together neately with the Frank Sinatra album playing in the background and the hundreds of pedestrians going about their daily lives. Simply put, the atmosphere immediately creates a positive mood in the player. The driving and shooting look engaging, if not thesomewhat unrefined, but I'm going in this game primarily to experience atime periodthat is long sincegone but is rarely touched by videogames. Unfortunately, while this game has extreme potential, I believe it will be either stunning or very dissapointing. We saw it happen withThe Godfather 2....Regardless, I'm hoping and expecting the former, so watch for my demo impressions when it comes out Tuesday, August 10th!