I'm still helping my brother complete the campaign on Lost Planet 2. Since he bought the game we're playing on his profile, which is fair. I can't help but feel like I'm missing out somewhat though seeing all the unlock's we've earned on his game, then having to return to mine. Anyway, Lost Planet 2 is a very hardcore game. I am going to say it is more hardcore than the first because it encourages players to think highly of other players who sacrifice their live to the game and poorly of those who don't.

The game really is about learning the secrets of the game. It is one of the few titles where I've had to check back to the instruction manual because there are no helps in game. There are a few hints here and there, but even in the original you had a instruction sheet show up when entering a new VS. Once you've learned things, there are some really neat stuff. Special attacks and a way to combine VS's are a couple of cool ones I've discovered. Once you've learned all the campaign secrets, you're rewarded by easily killing you way through the levels. At that point it feels good, really good, like acing a test you've really studied for. The problem is that all the time leading up to that point felt like studying for a very difficult test. A test that contains information that will never help you out in real life.So the game is starting to grow on me, but the frustrating parts are still frustrating. If Lost Planet 2 were a school teacher, it would smack your hands with a ruler ever time you answered a question wrong. And it would purposely pick on you when it thought you wouldn't know the answer.

One thing that bothers me are the other player reviews. I know most people who check them are people who own the game and enjoy it, but I'm still upset that people voted my review down. There are so many real problems with the game that make it difficult, read impossible, to recommend. What I find amazing are all the people who are dropping 9.5s and 10s. I've probably played the game for over 40 hours now and have almost completed the Extreme mode. Don't tell me that I didn't give it a chance or that I don't understand the controls. The game is designed to be unapproachable and frustrating to new players and that is not a good way to make a game!

Anyway, I unlocked the title "Hardcore to the Max!" while playing today. I though it was pretty fitting for the game so I'm using it now. I know a lot of older games, like original Mega Man games, required this much dedication to enjoy, but I personally hoped gaming had move past that phase. Maybe every developer besides Capcom has. What do you think? Does it make up for the trouble if the game is better once you've learned it secrets? I know a lot of people wont put up with that frustration. From a design standpoint, I'm going to say NO, but from a personal standpoint, I'll say YES. I had a lot of fun playing LP2 today and think the entire $60 purchase was justified.

Lost Planet 2 is a game with a lot of cool parts, but they don't come together to make a great new game. The game keeps up the traditions of the first by including mechs and monsters and more that make the franchise unique and enjoyable. The co-op and character customizations are new and should have made this game a clear-cut winner over the first, but just about every aspect of the game is flawed and frustrating in some way.

The campaign mode is long and can be enjoyable. The game was designed to be played with friends and this introduces problems. Local co-op works with the sacrifice of the game's resolution, however the online setup for finding a game is terrible. You can only join a match if you've completed to that point in the game. Also, if you join a match in progress, you can only join between missions. This often leaves you sitting in the lobby for over 10 mins.

Another problem with multiple people in the campaign is that you share respawns. If you have one particularly terrible player, they can easily eat through all your lives and force the entire team to restart the chapter. Which points out another problem, the game only checkpoints at each chapter. While most players will be able to make it through a whole chapter on normal and easy without much trouble, it really hurts when you're right at the end of a difficult portion and the game sends you back to over 30 mins of play ago.

Additional problems with multiplayer campaign revolve around the time reqired to play. A chapter can take over an hour to complete and finding four random people to stick through beginning to end is very difficult. It is even worse if you join and the host decides to drop out, because you're kicked out and have to restart the chapter.

It is possible to try the campaign on your own. To me, this has been more enjoyable, but there are still some flaws. The AI of team-mates is terrible. They will occasionally surprise you with a helpful move, but don't expect them to complete any objectives. Most of the time, you're completely on your own. This is a problem because bosses and other enemies are designed to absorb damage from 4 human players and their health does not scale back for someone playing solo. It is possible to still win, but it is often boring to spend minutes on end shooting the same boss in the same weak spot. Of course the lack of checkpoints still comes into play and when you almost had a boss down just to get killed and have to restart, now, an hour back, it makes it very difficult to continue playing.

The greatest thing to dislike about the game is one particular train level. You'll be knocked off the stage so much, and have to restart so much, and have to watch the stupid unskippable cutscene so much, that you'll hate it. My personal opinion is that the entire level should have been cut, and the boss portion of the stage left to stand on its on.

The online competitive multiplayer doesn't fair much better than the campaign. The level design is pulled from the campaign and doesn't focus on the things that make Lost Planet unique. Most stages require very little use of the grapple and weapons are always sparse. A big control problem is the inability to shoot while being shot. You can eventually get the hang of it, but it still doesn't make it fun. In the end, every kill bases or battle gauge based game reduces to spawn camping before its over and post grab matches just aren't fun. If you add to that the fact that every match has at least one person warping around from lag, you get the feeling what its like. Despite the success of the first title this game's flawed multiplayer is not worth your time.

In the end, you have a very pretty game with a lot of potential that just fell flat on its face. It feels like the developers just didn't care to polish the title, Despite repeated delays, the team behind Lost Planet 2 failed to address some of the games basic problems. Its sad too because Lost Planet is unique with some great graphics and super cool over-the-top bosses. As a fan of the first, I would discourage anyone from buying this game barring a major title update.

I'm not sure many people shared my anticipation for Lost Planet 2, but I have been wanting this game since before it was announced. Having said that, I ran out and got it on release day. After playing for about 3 hours, I feel like I have a good understanding of what the game is like.

Long story short, its like the first one with some slight improvements. For me, this is perfectly fine, but for people who were hoping the series would adapt for them, you're out of luck. It is what it is.

Currently I'm playing through on Normal with my brother. Since I'm playing the second player, I don't get the achievements (which I think is a little bogus). The main game on this title feels less like the campaign on the first and more like the multiplayer. I am pretty sure that is the idea, but I still think something was lost there. It feels really choppy, having a chapter broken into three missions instead of just playing straight through. Also, they somehow made the actual story worse, but my opinion has always been that the original would have been better without the story and I don't mind if its true on this one.

The game is actually very hard. I'm happy with that because I loved the first for this reason. Lost Planet is a modern Mega Man and the game doesn't take it easy on you. The goal is to recognize the patterns of the enemies and dodge their attacks while attacking yourself. Just like the first one, the objective is to not get hit. As long as you can do that you're golden. The co-op can actually make the game more difficult. Normally, it helps to have some extra guns on your side, but since a whole team shares extra lives, if one player on your team is terrible and dies constantly, all players will lose. Consequently, I am a little leery to try this game online with random players.

I haven't got to play the multiplayer yet, but from my experience so far, it will be as good as the first. The campaign mode and multiplayer are tied together really well. You play the same character in both and your levels and customizations all carry over. There are perks to unlock, and you can get them while playing through the story. Since you start with two very good perks it doesn't screw the game like Call of Duty. It might be a while before I get to try it, but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this one online.

Again, to summarize, the game is very similar to the first. Its disappointing that there weren't more improvements made in the way of the story, but for me co-op makes up for that easy. I don't think this game is for everyone though. You have to be willing to sit down for an hour or more to expect to progress in the campaign and the enemies repeatedly knocking you down for a cheap kill is frustrating for anyone. Still, if find the game rewarding. There isn't much as satisfying as shooting your way through 50+ enemies, all of which could kill you if not careful. Its crazy!

Since I've started working on 360s, I've learned a good deal about how they work and how to repair them. The most common problem on the 360 is the three red lights, RROD, and it is caused by heat disconnecting the motherboard from the CPU or GPU. The fat PS3s have a similar problem that is indicated by a yellow light followed by a flashing red light and 3 beeps, or YLOD. This is a short guide to explain some insider tips on how to deal with a 360 experiencing this problem.

The 360s problems all stem from the use of lead-free solder. Lead free solder has a lower melting point that normal lead based solder, but it is used in the 360 and many other devices because of US Government regulation on lead content in electronics. The 360's processor and graphics processor are both connected to the board by an array of small lead-free solder balls, the BGA. What happens is that as the system gets hot, these solder balls can melt and cross paths. When that happens, you get a Red Ring or an E74.

There are two fixes once you have that problem. The first is called a reflow and is simple and only requires a very small investment and about an hour of your time.

For info visit:

www.xboxslave.com

or on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/FixYourOwnXbox

You don't have to buy their kit, but if you're just doing one xbox it is worth the money. Otherwise here is a list of what you'll need:

1x T9 screwdriver

1x Philips Screwdrive

8x Size 10 machine screws

16x (maybe more depending on thickness) small nylon or rubber washers (size 10, like .4-.5 in diameter)

1x Themal Paste

1x liquid flux and pipette (optional)

If you follow the videos it should be pretty easy. Essential what you're doing is opening the xbox, removing the motherboard, removing the heat-syncs, cleaning off old themal paste, fluxing the processors (optional), re-attaching the heat-syncs, overheating the xbox, then putting it all back together. That is a reflow.

However, even if that is all done perfectly it is likely your red ring will return. Sometimes it comes back in a day, sometimes it takes 3 months, the reason it comes back is because that problems lead-free solder is still there. The real solution is a reball.

Reballing an Xbox 360 will take a bit more of an investment that just a reflow. While its possible to reball a system with little more than a heat gun, a soldering iron, and a steady hand, it isn't something I'd recommend. What a reball is, is removing the CPU and GPU from the board and cleaning off the troublesome lead-free solder and replacing it with normal leaded solder. You'll need solder balls (or paste), solder wick, soldering iron, sticky flux, BGA stencils, and it helps to have a professional reflow station. It also helps to have some practice because the BGA has to be exactly right or it wont work.

I'm not going to put up any more information on reballing. However, if you're going to pay someone to fix your xbox make sure that is what they're doing. If you want to get into it yourself, you can often find reflow stations used on ebay for cheap. Also, you can buy supplies at DinoDirect.com.

Finally, I'd like to recommend one additional product. The new Intercooler does a much better job at preventing a RROD. It has its own power supply so it will continue to cool down the system even after you turn in off. That prevents the repeated slow cooldown that normally wears down the solder. It isn't a must buy, but unlike the old intercoolers, the new ones actually do what they're supposed to.

I bought Mega Man 10, which is both weird and not weird for me. First, back in my SNES day, I loved Mega Man X and beat 1-3 in that series. I never did get around to playing to original Mega Man games until much later and I hated them all. The games are just too hard and offer little rewards for spending the time to master them. I promised myself I would not buy 10... and I broke that promise.

As a huge Capcom fan, I'm used to pattern memorizations. To me, Lost Planet is the epitome of Mega Man games. The bosses all move in a pattern and you have to learn how to best use the included weapons to beat them all while your health is continually falling. It was hard, but the game had infinite retries and I beat the majority of it on insane (maybe I'll go back and finish that someday). I bring this up because for me, Lost Planet was hard for all the right reasons, and Mega Man is hard for all the wrong ones.

This is why I hate Mega Man:

1. Lives- Why do we need lives anymore?

2. Pits- These wouldn't bother me if it weren't for the enemies that don't pop out until you jump by them, ensuring you fall to your death on your first run through the stage, if not your second third and fourth.

3. Spikes- They're everywhere... and they kill you. Why? I'm f'ing Mega Man! My feet, arms, head, are all made of metal. How are spikes a problem?

4. Infinitely respawning enemies- Leave them of screen for a second and they're back.

5. Stupidly hard final stages

Mega Man 10 doesn't bother me as much though. In fact, I think I really like it. Here is a list of reasons why I like Mega Man 10:

1. Easy mode- Its super easy and lets me experience the whole game in about an hour.

2. Shopping - If your having trouble you can just keep saving up screws and items

3. Bass DLC - He's so awesome!

Looking at the list doesn't seem to make up for the problems I have, but for some reason, this game feels a lot more enjoyable to me. I think it is because it has an easy mode. No... I know its mostly because of an easy mode! The easy mode lets you experience the game and gives you some inside information to prepare you for the much more difficult normal mode. Without that, normal feels like slaming your head on a brick wall.

Of course, if you're real hardcore, there is a hard mode to unlock. Oh, and the achievement for beating the game without taking damage. Good luck on those two.

I can't decide if I would give the game a 7.5 or an 8.0 in a review. Let's just say that I really like the game and think it is well worth the $10 price.

I'm one of those terrible Wii owners who only buy and play casual games like Wii Fit and Wii Sports. This weekend while playing Wii Fit again, I decided I wanted to go out and buy Wii Music. I went to a new specialty shop in town that has very good prices but they didn't have any copies of Wii Music. So, I bought The Conduit.

The Conduit is a game I looked to as the possible answer to the lack of quality core games on the Wii. When it came out, the hype died down fast and a lot of people accused the game of being bad. Well, after an about 3 hours of playing the single player, I agree with them completely. The game has good controls and terrible, boring, gameplay.

The big problem with the conduit is built around the "Arc" orb you carry around. The game forced you to use it on occasion to look for unlocks to doors or to find hidden items. Those are annoying, but the biggest crime are invisible mines. What I mean is invisible mines PLUS infinitely respawning enemies. This game uses all the worst gameplay mechanics that should have died out with the N64.

The controls are actually very good. If you could remove the stupid arc button they would be perfect. While by default, there doesn't seem to be much special, the customization options are extensive and with a little tweaking you'll be able to get something that works right for you. I wish other games, not just Wii game, would have these options.

The sad part of this game is that if the level design was better, then this could have been a good game. The graphics aren't exceptional and the weapons are still somewhat imbalanced, but those are both forgivable. The infinite enemy respawning and the stupid hidden mines ruin all of the possible fun in those portions, and searching for hidden unlock spots is NEVER fun.I haven't tried the multiplayer, but even if it is awesome it makes sense why this game didn't set the shooting game world on fire. It just isn't very good.

With my brother off School and me with a day off on Friday, I took out about 8 hours and grabbed every single star coin in NSMB Wii. After that extremely long stretch of work, what were we rewarded with? NOTHING! A BIG FAT HEAPING HEALPING OF NOTHING!You'd think they would include a world 10, an insane mode, backwards levels or something! It doesn't even change the ending.

If it weren't for our insistence on discovering all the secrets ourselves, that game wouldn't have lasted as long. Sure it was fun to play while we were going through it, but I wouldn't exactly call it satisfying. The game is too easy and too short for anyone who's played through any previous Mario game. For anyone who hasn't tried it yet, just rent it. You'll get all the fun out of the game at a fraction of the cost.

I let a friend borrow FFXIII even though I haven't completed it. I figured he would rush through it in a marathon session, but he seemed to get stuck at the end. So, I've been playing Shadowrun. If there were a contest to prove, I know I would rank as one of the top ten greatest players on that game. My brother would beat me out, but he's insane at just about every online shooter (I don't know why). The other players who are good at the game are somewhat annoying. Thats what I want to write about, a bit.

You would think that if you had a group of people who all knew they were exceptionally skilled at a game that they would want to play against each other in some sort of test of dominance, well... that isn't the case. These players, somewhat myself included, hate losing so much that they'll employ any tactic to win. While they aren't cheating, its things that are just wrong. They will target a specific player. They will clear bodies, preventing a player from returning to a round, even when they are ahead by a significant margin. They will run the artifact while ahead, knowing it is because they will not win in a normal fight. In some ways you would like to give props for them knowing what it takes to win, but seriously people, you're killing the fun of the game!

This actually causes another huge problem. Shadowrun is a very team-based game, so most players like to group up with other players, of similar skill level, to avoid being stuck without help. So what you have is a team of six people with godlike skills fighting six newbies, some who might be playing the game for the first time. Now, I do like winning, but when it is complete domination, I don't think that is much fun for anyone.

The real solution to this is to just stop playing Shadowrun. There is no way to fix the game's or the community's problems. Its too bad there is nothing comparable because if there was, I might jump ship. It is also incredibly difficult to give up something that I am so good at. Anyway, what do you think?

I bought it on launch day. I couldn't help but want it considering I was excited reading magazine articles about it before FF12 even launched. I picked up the PS3 version, though I strongly considered the 360 version (most of my friends have 360s).

Anyway, so far I like the game. From the introduction levels, I thought the game would be all style and no substance, but after playing a little more I don't think that is true. I am really enjoying the Paradigm Shift battle system. The game loads super fast too even without an install. Of course the visuals are just astounding!

Anyway, I bought the game by trading in Batman:AA, Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, Wolfenstien, and Prototype to Gamestop. I got $63 trade in credit so it didn't cost me any cash. I'm considering writing a blog about trade ins, but currently me free time is too full of actually playing the game I bought. So, let me know what you think.

Having a PS3 reminded me of its older smaller sibling, which I have always owned and neglected. Well, I decided to unlock its prison and let the PSP see daylight. I'm immediately reminded as to why I never use the thing, the game selection sucks!There are a few worthwhile titles here and there, but the current PSP library is either overpriced or outright terrible.

When the PSP came out in 2004, I was wowed. The graphics were impressive and the portable had 6 whole buttons! It was the best thing to happen to on-the-go gaming at the time. Now, there has been so much to happen and portable gaming has moved way beyond what the PSP can do. The DS has undergone a revision and has improved capabilities and touch controls, and the iPod Touch has become an impressive gaming device with a large selection of affordable games. I don't see how the PSP is supposed to be competitive anymore.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. I've never been a big on mobile gaming, but despite the PSPgo, I think the PSP is done. Still, I probably would be happy to buy a PSP2, if they came out with one. For now, I'll just stick with consoles. I know the DS is out there, but I don't like it either. Unlike the PSP though the DS is making tons of money for its company so it would be stupid to suuggest they abandon it (especially since the DSi does improve the hardware). I'm also waiting on that Microsoft portable, but I don't think we will ever see one. What do you think?