Slowly carrying on my series of reviews we have: StarCraft 2!!

Well, you had to see this one coming.... so, how did the long-awaited RTS sequel fare?

Actual review's here, as always feel free to thumbs up if you like it. :P

STARCRAFT 2: WINGS OF LIBERTY

GAMEPLAY, 4/5
+ Incredible variety in single-player campaign
+ Mission Archives logs achievements, difficulties, and best times
- Revisiting missions seems broken, and achievements are currently glitched
- Controls don't always feel spot-on (spacebar behavior, unit selection, etc.)

GRAPHICS, 5/5
+ Able to run on an surprisingly wide range of machines
+ Substitutes a high polygon count for lush details and special effects
+ On one mission atop a geostationary platform, you can actually see the planet rotating below, as it should… kudos

SOUND, 4/5
+ Music feels instantly nostalgic
o Voice acting is average
- Some might argue the sequel takes the 'rednecks in space' theme a little too far

STORY, 3/5
+ Expands on the hybrid story arc
- Story pulls its punches, presumably for the 2 expansions
- Terrible use of 'deus ex machina'

MULTIPLAYER, 5/5
+ An updated Battle.net finally does away with the "command line-esque" actions
+ Excellent ranking system allows players to battle similarly-skilled opponents

BIGGEST GRIPES
The story starts off painfully slow, and never really finds its stride. A large bulk of the campaign is spent on get-rich-quick schemes, petty raids against the Dominion, or the babysitting of a single group of colonists. Meanwhile (supposedly), the return of the Swarm plunges the Koprulu Sector back into a bloody interspecies war that you never really play a part in, at least until the last handful of missions.

By the 10th mission of the original StarCraft, I had uncovered a dirty Confederate secret, overthrown a government, witnessed a betrayal, and started my own rebellion. By the 10th mission here, I…. to be honest, I'm not really sure what I had accomplished.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite the shortcomings of the single-player campaign (in terms of the storyline), the missions themselves are absolutely sick in terms of their variety and the ways they force you approach obstacles. It'll be a blast to see how Blizzard tops this in the expansions, provided they remember to progress the story this time.

The multiplayer experience looks pretty solid already, and with Blizzard's history of excellent patches and the inevitable flood of community UMS maps to come, you can be sure this game will entertain for years.

Might as well get started now.

OVERALL: 8.5

Finally, my second review (after Force Unleashed)!

Actual review's here... feel free to thumbs up if you like it.

KINGDOM HEARTS II

Gameplay - 4/5
+ Added ability to hotkey potions/ethers
+ Reaction commands and drive forms vary combat
+ Superb camera control and lock-on
+ Sephiroth :D
- Way too easy at times

Graphics - 5/5
+ Sharp and vibrant
+ Animation is flawless
+ Pre-rendered cutscenes are the best you can find

Sound - 5/5
+ Voice acting is top-notch
+ Musical score is moody and epic

Story - 5/5
+ Roxas and Riku's stories will make your head spin
+ Nice backstory on Ansem and his apprentices
+ Ending is truly perfect

Biggest Gripes:
The first time I played through this game, I beat it without being forced to learn a considerable amount of Sora's abilities. The combat system SE gives you is flexible and powerful, but they don't really make you use half as much as they should, even on Proud Mode.

Final Thoughts:
A risk-taking sequel that pulls it off with flying colors, this may easily be the best action-RPG ever made. Hoping for a true console sequel as soon as possible, handheld/mobile games just don't cut it.

OVERALL: 9.5

So I decided to start a series of reviews! First up: Force Unleashed.

Actual review's here... feel free to thumbs up if you like it. :P

STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED

Gameplay - 3/5
+ Good variety of combos and force powers
+ Nice finishing-move system
- Absolutely no creative boss fights to use these great abilities on (see "wasted potential")

Graphics - 5/5
+ Looks incredible, especially in HD
+ Fits in perfectly with the Star Wars universe

Sound - 4/5
+ Good music, decent voice acting
- Very little new material

Story - 3/5
+ Interesting premise, nice buildup
- Nonsensical plot twist, anticlimactic ending (see "wasted potential, pt. 2")

Biggest Gripes:
This could be such an incredible game! Why did they rush it?!

Final Thoughts:
I have to give the menus props for being well-organized and making it really easy to upgrade force powers/unlock new combos. The lightsaber customization is nice, too.

Unfortunately, there's loading screens to get to the menu, and even between menus. Really?! Motherf*cker, nothing's perfect in this game...

I wouldn't recommend getting this game unless you're A) a complete Star Wars nerd, B) you're really bored and need a new action game for your 360, or C) the price drops to $20 or lower, at which point it's probably worth a spin.

Considering the potential that this game has, though, I'd definitely keep an eye out for a sequel, this is really not a terrible start for a new franchise (within a franchise). Too bad the story leaves no room for a sequel...

OVERALL: 7.5