Master Chief’s first-person shooting trilogy has come to a close, but the real-time strategy battle for the universe won’t begin until this Xbox 360 exclusive hits the ground. The events of this overhead tactical epic occur over 20 years before John-117′s video game adventures get rolling, but you’ll command lots of familiar UNSC and Covenant assets, including crowds of Warthog-driving Spartans, who haven’t yet had their numbers decimated, and fleets of Banshees and Wraiths. There are also brand new units that you’ve never seen before, like the airborne UNSC Vulture missile fortress, and you can recruit a friend to help you double-team the crafty A.I. crowds.

RTS console games are often viewed with caution, thanks to the lack of a mouse, but Halo War’s entire command system is built from the ground up, with the Xbox 360 controller in mind. Whether you send ground troops to take control of Forerunner outposts, carpet bomb a line of invaders, or blast enemies from orbit, the streamlined handling should make all those hours of living room command as intuitive as possible.

Aliens Colonial Marines

The Aliens gaming franchise has gone down the tube much like Sigourney Weaver’s acting career. There is hope, however, as the upcoming first-person shooter release Aliens: Colonial Marines should give the series the jolt it needs to once again rise to prominence. Here’s why.

4. Marine Tough

The marines that you’ll be using throughout the game aren’t just random, cookie cutter soldiers. They all have their own unique skills and personalities and react to different situations just like a real soldier would. Out of the 12 you can comprise your team of four; some are more likely to panic than others but may wield more powerful guns.

3. Not Your Average FPS

Aliens: Colonial Marines takes a different approach than other first-person shooters in how it plays out. Instead of being one long, continuous story, Aliens is broken down into three different acts with each one containing a certain amount of levels.

2. Blowing off Face-huggers

Sega’s new Aliens game will be bringing back many of the standard weapons from earlier installments in the series as well as adding new guns, too. Players will have flamethrowers, mounted guns, pulse rifles, grenade launchers, and more at their disposal.

1. Allies in Alien-killing

The online version of Colonial Marines will allow people to play through the campaign with their friends in teams of four. What’s cool about this is that players can enter the game or leave it without disrupting anything or forcing the team to go back into some type of lobby.

Alpha Protocol

When Jason Bourne came along, he showed that the world of espionage isn’t all about sipping martinis, sleeping with tons of women, and Judo-chopping your enemies, which rules out three of James Bond’s favorite hobbies. But Sega seems to think there can be a link between the two and has cooked up their own secret agent in Michael Thorton, who is refined enough to attend dinner parties yet brutal enough to take down entire crime syndicates.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Alpha Protocol is that it’s billed as a role-playing game. One might expect this since Obsidian is the developer and they’ve been responsible for such hits as Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights II. The obvious twist in Alpha Protocol is that it’s pretty much the first of its kind as a modern day, espionage RPG. Players will take Thorton from a novice spy to one capable of outsmarting his former CIA employers and uncovering the truth behind why he’s being hunted.

Even though this is an RPG, there will still be plenty of action involved. Players can make Thorton beat on his enemies with close combat moves or they can also blow them away with guns and other cool gadgets. But they’ll want to be careful as different actions will affect the ending of the game. If you’re sick of your dialogue-heavy RPGs always set in space, this game will be well worth the wait.

BackBreaker

We’ve all seen sophisticated physics engines shred simulated vehicles like tin foil, but imagine applying that same processing power to two charging gorillas on the gridiron. Instead of running those meatheads into each other and watching one of a handful of canned and repetitive tackle animations, Backbreaker’s Euphoria engine conjures up dynamic collisions that are both realistic and bone-jarring.

The players populating this football upstart won’t be modeled on real NFL superstars (due to EA’s continued exclusivity) but every one will house a complex collection of simulated flesh, bone, and protection. The result? Just as you’re unlikely to see the exact same circumstances unfold in any two televised games, so does Backbreaker promise to make every down a unique experience. Better yet, the same physics system could just as easily showcase epic wrecks of contorted limbs that even the game’s designers couldn’t have foreseen.

Few details are available about the rest of the game’s components, but we do know the developers hope to immerse fans in the tense atmosphere of on-the-field decision-making, from the quarterback’s desperate search for a receiver to a tackler’s quest to put him on the ground by any means necessary. Besides, even if Backbreaker proves too ambitious for its own good, the added competition should help to improve everyone’s game.

Borderlands

Borderlands turns you loose on the hostile backwater planet of Pandora to find your fortune and the location of a mysterious alien “Vault.” Gameplay mixes first-person shooting with the leveling and skill development of an RPG, but developing and customizing three character classes is just the beginning.

Much has been made of Borderlands’s claim that it contains more than half a million different weapons, but more impressive than sheer quantity is the inventive variety of this arsenal. Rather than simply spawn firearms with better stats and new skins, the loot system fabricates wild and wonderful new weapons from a diverse library of component parts and modifications. Whether you fire huge explosive shells, sticky goo, or some oddity of your own creation is up to you.

Even the environment itself is constantly changing. A procedural system that changes around the location of enemy encampments, strategically valuable buildings, and ambush points promises that even regions you’ve visited in previous expeditions will offer fresh challenges, whether you’re hoofing it alone or tearing up the terrain in a customizable vehicle with three friends.

Borderlands makes some pretty big promises, but Gearbox’s track record and early glimpses of the frenzied action give us the high hopes to match.

Brutal Legend

Tim Schafer’s past credits include Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his latest project features a comically offbeat premise. When heavy-metal roadie Eddie Riggs, voiced by none other than Jack Black, bleeds onto a cursed belt buckle, he and his black mane are whisked away to a fantastic demon-filled landscape yanked straight off a 1980s hard rock album cover. There he must rescue Ophelia, a true gothic babe in the music-video mold, who’s been kidnapped by an evil bassist.

You’ll tear through local nasties with a giant battle axe, cast magical spells with your Flying V guitar, lead a hopelessly emo human resistance against the pointy-tailed multitudes, and grind gears in a bitchin’ hot rod. This guitar hero’s adventure will blend intense third-person action-adventure with an affectionate tongue-in-cheek parody of heavy metal culture, and your army will grow with every victory as defeated foes join the throng at your back.

Everything about Br?tal Legend screams loving tribute, from the voice-over participation of legends like Lemmy Kilmister and Rob Halford, to ancillary characters like the Headbangers and Fire Barons. Melee combat, unapologetic high drama, and self-conscious rock posturing might sound like an unlikely mix for a modern video game, but the final product of that unholy union is bound to be one of a kind.

Bionic Commando

Back in the late 1980s, when the NES ruled the world of console gaming with an iron fist, Bionic Commando became one of the early hits for the system. In those days, the simple acts of beating on Nazis and using a bionic arm were more than enough to produce a best-selling video game. Now, 20 years later, Bionic Commando is making a return to consoles, but this time it will be in 3D. Here’s a look at some of the aspects of this new 3D world.

4. Armed and (More) Dangerous

The old Bionic Commando relied heavily on the usage of the hero’s mechanical arm. It allowed players to swing from one platform to another and avoid falling in pits. And even though the new rendition is in 3D, players will still use the arm quite often. People can aim the arm in the direction they wish to swing and even use it to pick up objects and hurl them at foes.

3. Arm-Slinging

As with many other 3D games, Bionic Commando is going to have a huge city for players to explore. Similar to some of the Spider-Man games, players will be swinging through the city with their arm and have the freedom to go where they want to. Much of the action, however, will take players to specific areas, such as a lush tropical jungle.

2. Ammo Commando

Using the Bionic Commando’s guns is just like pretty much every other 3D shooter out there. Weapons such as the tarantula (rocket launcher) and machine gun will feel very similar to most other 3D games. Swinging kicks and attacks round out the hand-to-hand combat.

1. Making the Jump

The old Bionic Commando literally had no hops as players had to use the arm to cross every gap. But the upgraded 3D commando is different in that he will actually be able to jump, which will make life a lot easier for players this time around.

The Lost and Damned features a new protagonist, Johnny Klebitz, who is a member of Liberty City’s biker gang The Lost, a gang which is featured in several missions throughout the course of Grand Theft Auto IV. Dan Houser, vice president of creative development at Rockstar Games, claims the episode will show “a different side of Liberty City”.Jeronimo Barrera, Vice President of Product Development for Rockstar Games, has said that the episodes are experiments because they are not sure that there are enough users with access to online content on the Xbox 360.Take-Two Interactive’s Chief Financial Officer, Lainie Goldstein revealed that Microsoft was paying a total of $50 million for the first two episodes.

Synopsis

The Lost and Damned follows the story of Johnny Klebitz, a member of the motorcycle gang “The Lost” based in Alderney, a state adjacent to Liberty City. Johnny is the vice-president of the gang and is currently in charge while their leader, Billy Grey, is in rehab. In his time as leader, Johnny has pursued truces and civil relationships with the other motorcycle gangs, believing it most beneficial for the gang and an opportunity to maximise profits in drug deals, but Billy is soon released and resorts to his violent tactics, believing that slaughtering their enemies is the way forward. Johnny and Billy clash over the leadership and direction of the gang, while having to defend themselves from attacks by rival gangs, such as the “Angels of Death.”

At several points throughout the course of the game, the story intertwines with events from Grand Theft Auto IV and are seen and played out from Johnny’s perspective.

Gameplay changes and additions

The Lost and Damned features much of the same gameplay as Grand Theft Auto IV. Additions to the game include new weapons, such as a grenade launcher, pipe bombs and sawn-off and automatic shotguns; new vehicles such as Johnny’s exclusive motorcycle, which cannot be replaced when stolen or destroyed.

Story

In time line, Killzone 2 follows Killzone: Liberation, and Killzone, and appears to take place entirely on Helghan, the home-world of the Helghast who invaded an Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) colony in previous Killzone installments. Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA is taking the fight to the enemy’s home world of Helghan. The ISA goal is direct: capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. Assuming the role of Sev, a battle-hardened veteran and a member of the special forces unit known as Legion go on a mission to take out the Helghast threat. For Sev and his squad, the invasion of Helghan is just the beginning. During the invasion of Helghan, Sev’s unit is deployed behind enemy lines to assist the main invasion force. Tasked with securing the enemy capital of Pyrrhus, the team quickly discovers that the Helghast are a more formidable enemy on their home planet. Not only have they adjusted to Helghan’s hostile conditions, they have also harnessed a source of power they can now use against the ISA – the very planet on which they live. A barren, unforgiving world, Helghan provides a ready defense with thick, acidic air, dust clouds, and violent surgical lightning storms. Sev discovers his squad is not just fighting enemy forces – their fiercest opponent may be the planet itself

Plot

The game is set 5 years after the end of Saints Row.The protagonist barely survived a boat explosion devised by former 3rd Street Saints members, and was wasted away in a dingy prison hospital, in a trauma-induced coma. Meanwhile, the 3rd Street Saints have fallen apart, Johnny has been captured by police and awaits the electric chair, Troy has become Chief of Police and Julius has abandoned his gang and is determined to live the quiet life. Lin is dead, and Dex is missing and has not been seen by anybody. It is unknown whether he is alive or not. Three new gangs control Stilwater, who have some secret alliance with the Ultor Corporation. After this time, the protagonist wakes up and meets a Hispanic fellow inmate, who recognizes the protagonist and helps him/her escape from prison. In a bloody prison break, the protagonist and the Hispanic friend find a speedboat, and successfully escape from the island. They arrive in Stilwater, only to find that it has been completely revolutionised. As the protagonist settles in, he finds that his old friend Johnny is on death row. The protagonist helps Johnny escape his courtroom precession and the Hispanic inmate introduces them to his friends, who are very willing to work under the protagonist and rebuild the “New” Saints.

The Saints now operate underneath an abandoned hotel, determined to rise against the key factions that have since set out to eliminate them forever.

Location

Over the years, Stilwater has grown rapidly. Ultor Unlimited is a citywide corporation that has supposedly helped clean the streets of Stilwater, and has expanded the city at its own expense. Stilwater, according to Ultor, has been turned into an “urban utopia”, with many dilapidated sections of the city rebuilt. The Saints Row area, for example, was reconstructed and a booming commercial industry now stands there. Six new above-ground, and four new below-ground districts will be seen in the new Stilwater, and some new projects located around the city include a graveyard, trailer park, university, marina and a nuclear power plant. The land also features many underground segments- enormous caves, which attract tourists from all around. A prison island has also surfaced off the coast of Stilwater, completely isolated from the world, very similar to Alcatraz Island. A hidden sex cave has been rumoured to inhabit in Stilwater, and it is stated that the player may find a sex doll there and use it for a weapon. Expansion is seen in the far-west of Stilwater, which includes a trailer park, and an expansion to the Suburbs district. The new Stilwater is said to be 150% of the size it was in Saints Row.

Gameplay

The game will include additional weather effects. Pedestrians will be much more responsive to both environmental stimuli (such as opening umbrellas at the sign of rain) to possibly crowding around someone that has just been shot, allowing the player to use the distraction to get away. Alternatively, the player can attempt to use other characters in the game as human shields, and can either kill the person with a headshot, or throw them away. Saints Row was well-noted for its dark humour, and such has returned in Saints Row 2. It has also been stated that the police force will no longer use spike strips, instead relying on tactics and firepower to subdue the enemy. Car physics have been stated to be majorly improved from those seen in Saints Row. Crashing, braking, turning etc has developed, with use of the rebooted physics engine. Also, it has been revealed that the entire map in Stilwater will be revealed, except for the shops. There are roughly seventy shops to explore, and it has also been revealed that shops may be bought, allowing the player to gain income. Once the player buys an entire chain of shops, billboards around the city will have his face appearing on it.

Gangs and characters

With the extinction of the Carnales, Vice Kings, and Westside Rollerz gangs, three new gangs have surfaced around Stilwater. The Brotherhood of Stilwater, Ronin, and Sons of Samedi have taken over the city determined to make sure the Saints never rebirth again. The 3rd Street Saints are refounded by the protagonist, and a large corporation threatens to extinct them long before they build themselves up again. According to Volition’s Greg Donovan, the gangs will feel more unique than they did in Saints Row. In an interview with TotalVideoGames.com, Donovan said that You’re going to know which gangs you’re fighting at the time, and you’ll have to change strategies when fighting one gang against another.

3rd Street Saints

The only surviving gang from the old days of Stilwater, the 3rd Street Saints once held an iron grip on the city until the protagonist, the gang’s main enforcer, was put into a prison hospital as a result of a boat explosion, which left then-mayoral candidate and his colleagues dead. After the protagonist successfully escapes from Stilwater, with the help of Carlos, he interrupts a court procession to free Johnny Gat from certain death, under charge of murder. Carlos then introduces Phil, Anna and Shaundi, who agree to join the Saints in their rise for power.

Ultor Unlimited

Ultor Corporation is a large corporation founded and run by businessman Dane Vogel. Over the years, Ultor has helped rebuild a broken Stilwater, spending millions in an attempt to replenish the city. Stilwater PD has been sold to Ultor, and the entire police force is owned by the corporation. Ultor is said to be a corrupted network, with contacts between the three main gangs in power in Saints Row 2, as an attempt to completely wipe out the 3rd Street Saints.

The name Ultor was first seen in Volition Inc’s first-person shooter Red Faction. Also, Ultor Arena and Ultor sunglasses were seen in Saints Row as well as banners for the company.

Brotherhood of Stilwater

The Brotherhood are a biker gang. Wearing red, the Brotherhood have been described as the most aggressive and difficult gang in the game. Based upon the Aryan Brotherhood, the Brotherhood specialise in destruction and violence. Headed by muscular brute Maero, the Brotherhood are the most feared gang in Stilwater. Matt is Maero’s personal tattoo artist and lieutenant, and Donnie, former Roller mechaninc, has joined the Brotherhood, desperate for power and revenge against the protagonist, as he believes it the protagonist’s fault that Lin has died. It is said that the Brotherhood have connections with former Los Carnales members, a Columbian drug running gang wiped out in Saints Row.

Sons of Samedi

The Sons of Samedi are a Caribbean voodoo gang. Gang members dress in green outfits and jewellery, and specialise in drug pushing. The gang chief has been seen as a mysterious, Mafioso-style mobster, dressed in a white business suit and smoking cigars. Baron Samedi is the Vodou Loa of death, and the namesake behind the gang.

Ronin

The Ronin are a Japanese-based gang. Dressed in yellow, the Ronin specialise in gambling and prostitution rackets. Headed by three unnamed men, the Ronin are supposed to be based around Chinatown in Stilwater. In Japanese, ronin translates as a samurai whose leader has been banished or killed.

Features

Saints Row 2 is an improvement compared to Saints Row. The already in-depth customisation options that were seen in Saints Row have been developed even further. Content in the game is also much more broad, with many new options in gameplay available to the player.

Character customization

Character customization has expanded since the original game, with the option of playing as a female character. You can also customize how your character walks, talks and holds their weapon. Personal modifications eg age, height, weight etc can also be changed. A new feature in the game is a taunting system; the player can insult and incite the people of Stilwater.

Gang and crib customization

In Saints Row 2, the player can own nine cribs from various locations around Stilwater. The player does not buy cribs, but instead unlocks them throughout the game. The 3rd Street Saints can hang out at these locations. The player can upgrade them in various ways. There are three preset designs; cheap, classy, and ultra-modern. Aside from this, the player may also buy bars, strip poles, sofas, TVs etc. Also, the player can modify their gang here. The player can choose a Gang Sign and a gang tag for their gang, similar to the taunting system. Also, the player can change the gang’s ‘style’ eg 80s, gangster, sport, prephop, pimps ‘n hos.

Weapons

Many old weapons from Saints Row will be appearing in the game, however several new weapons will be included in Saints Row 2. Dual-wielding has also been introduced on submachine guns and handguns. Some new weapons in Saints Row 2 are chainsaws, flamethrowers, katanas, stun guns and shock pads. Satchel charges are introduced, and can stick to walls, vehicles and even people The player can now pick up and use objects from the environment as melee weapons.

Vehicles

Saints Row 2 offers many new vehicle types. Originally, these were planned for Saints Row, but developers stated that they did not add these to the game because of lack of time. Boats and jet-skis can be driven around the water. Helicopters and planes are also introduced into the game. Additionally, these helicopters and planes are equipped with parachutes. Many new land-based vehicles are introduced, as well. Monster trucks and motorcycles can be driven through the streets of Stilwater. Also included are moon buggies and skateboards.Vehicle customization will remain the same, except perhaps with slightly more detail. It has been confirmed that the player has the ability to tune the performance of their car.

Respect system

Saints Row 2 will feature two different gameplay modes aside from the main storyline; activities and diversions, and a point system that ties in with Respect.

Activities were first seen in Saints Row, illegal actions like street racing, drug trafficking etc for earning money, and also Respect, in-game currency used to progress through the storyline. Saints Row 2 includes a number of new activities, and also previous activities which appeared in Saints Row. However, original activities have been touched slightly, making them different then they originally were in Saints Row. Activities will now span out over six levels, instead of the eight that were seen in the first game, and can also only be found twice in the game, instead of three. Developers did not want the players to think activities as a treadmill in progressing in the game, and thus activities have apparently been toned down.

Diversions are mini-activities in the Saints Row world, which can be performed any time, any where. Diversions involve the player carry out small actions eg pulling stunts in vehicles, BASE jumping, racing and killing people in unique ways. Minor criminal misbehaviours also count as diversions, taking hostages, hijacking vehicles, theft etc.

The point system has been updated in Saints Row 2. The player can earn points through customisation which can increase the percentage of respect in Saints Row 2. James Tsai, Volition Inc lead designer, stated in an interview with the United People of Saints Row: Players can earn respect by completing activities. This method was present in SR1 as well. In SR2, players can also earn respect by discovering and successfully executing diversions. Diversions are a special type of gameplay – they are cool things to do that are hidden in the world, left for the player to discover. We have also tied-in a “points” system to respect. As you upgrade your vehicles, clothes, and cribs during the game, you can earn “points”. These points act as a respect modifier and will increase the % of respect you earn. Similarly, you will be able to recruit more powerful homies as your overall respect level increases.

Multiplayer

Saints Row 2 includes the addition of a co-op mode, allowing players to converse in the storyline from beginning to end over either Online play or through a system link. Not much information has been released about Saints Row 2 in regards to multiplayer, but it is said from designers that it will be similar to the old game, GameSpot reported that in regards to the multiplayer aspects of the game, Volition and THQ have “learned a lot from the first game and won’t be making any of the same mistakes again”.

Gameplay

The demo at the Game Developers Conference indicated that much of the core gameplay elements that were central to Gears of War (a third-person game that has a heavy emphasis on using protective cover rather than “run and gun” style game play) would be present in the sequel.

John DiMaggio, the voice actor of the game’s main character, Marcus Fenix, confirmed to IGN that players would be able to fight the large Brumaks in Gears of War 2. He also revealed there will be a deeper story with new characters, new weapons, and new enemies.The game will also include the ability for a player to duel with an AI or human opponent when both use the chainsaw attachment of the Lancer rifle, as seen in the 2008 Game Developer’s Conference promotional video, later confirmed in informal interviews with developers and a Game Informer preview.Epic released a gameplay video which revealed the player may now use “downed” enemies as shields. Bleszinski confirmed also that players who have been injured can crawl, as a final desperate attempt at life. Players would tap the ‘A’ Button to crawl faster etc. The level of blood and gore will also be increased, for example, when the player is close to death, wherever he moves there will be trails of blood behind him etc. This is the same for enemies, and the opponents who’ve been used as a meat shield. There will also be more ways to kill an opponent, such as punching them while they are downed, using the the sniper as a sledgehammer, or using the torque bow as an axe.

The cover story in the May 2008 issue of Game Informer revealed several new gameplay features. Players can now play on individual co-op play settings. One player may, for instance, play on Casual while the teammate plays on Hardcore. A “communal combat system” will adapt to give a player at a lower difficulty an equivalently fair challenge at the player at higher difficulty. The player will be able to maintain multiple save files that work with the drop-in/drop-out co-op features. There will also be a fourth difficulty level that is a level below Casual; senior producer Rod Fergusson admitted that — for the first game — “We overshot on [the Casual] difficulty and a game that was a little harder than we intended.” Some of the Xbox Live achievements can be completed through both play in single player and multiplayer mode, such as achieving 1,000 headshots. New enemy creatures are planned on being added, including one described by Cliff Bleszinski as one “that [makes] the Brumak look like a baby panda bear.”In a developer’s video, Cliff Bleszinski stated that Gears of War 2 would feature “drop in and out” co-op in the campaign.

The collection of COG tags has been expanded to include the collection of story-based items such as personal letters and medical records, and a “war journal” will track which collectibles have been found and where missing ones can be located. The cut-scenes will also use the better facial rendering technology of the Epic engine, and will use more dramatic angles for the conversation, as well as using a video screen on Jack (the all-purpose robot used by Dom) to talk with their commanders “face-to-face.”

New weapons have been announced as well as the return of weapons from the previous game. The accuracy, function, and power of several weapons has been altered, and all grenades can now be used as mines by placing them on walls or floors, and will detonate when approached by enemies. In addition, players can now be knocked over by the concussive force of a nearby detonating grenade.Cliff Bleszinski has also announced that there will be more vehicle missions in the campaign than before, such as the Centaur Tank which Cliff describes as a “tank with monster truck wheels.”

Multiplayer

Gears of Wars 2 features an upgraded multiplayer mode that will allow up to ten users to simultaneously play.X360 magazine reported that Gears of War 2 will contain at least three online multiplayer modes, called “Guardian,” “Wingman,” and “Submission.” “Guardian” is essentially a modified version of “Assassination” from the original Gears of War, but allows players to continue fighting until the leader has been killed.”Wingman” splits all ten players into five teams of two, where both members of a team play as the same character.”Submission,” formerly known as “Meat Flag,” is a version of capture the flag in which players attempt to “down” an enemy controlled by the game’s AI and move its body to their team’s base to earn points.A Halo-like matchmaking system will be utilized for the online multiplayer.

Cameras in the multiplayer modes have also been improved significantly. Rather than static views from different points on a map, the new Battle Cam allows players to pan around a map as the camera focuses on areas of intense fighting, and the Ghost Cam allows a player to roam freely around a map. A photo mode will also be featured, with each photo taken by a player rated on the amount of action in the shot.

Regarding multiplayer-specific achievements, certain achievements such as getting a defined number of kills with a weapon have been altered. For example, to get an achievement which requires 500 kills with a weapon or 500 headshots, only the first kill or headshot made by a player in a given multplayer match will count towards the achievement. Cliff Bleszinski mentioned that this change was to emphasize the objectives of a multiplayer mode.

Plot

Gears of War 2 takes place six months after the detonation of the Lightmass Bomb at the end of the first game. Though most of the Locust Horde was destroyed, the explosion also caused much of the liquid Imulsion underground to vaporize, causing a fatal disease called “Rust Lung” to spread among the diminished human population. While the humans dealt with their casualties, the surviving Locust found a way to build huge sinkholes under the remaining human strongholds. The once impenetrable Jacinto Plateau, one of the last remaining refuges for humans, is showing signs that the same fate awaits it. In order to stop the fall of Jacinto, Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, and a new Delta Squad spearhead the counterattack against the Locust.Senior Producer Rod Fergusson says “In order to save Jacinto, they (the COG) have no choice but to take the war to the locust.”Comic writer Josh Ortega says “The stakes are raised. This is humanity’s last stand. Everything is at risk. Nothing is safe.”

Characters

Returning characters will include Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago and other characters and adversaries from the first game, as well as Cole and Baird. Lead designer Cliffy Bleszinski has also confirmed that the character Carmine will be returning, but did not reveal how or in what capacity as Carmine was seemingly killed off in the original Gears of War.The game will also introduce several characters; among these are Chairman Prescott, the near dictatorial military leader of COG, Tai Kaliso, “a spiritual and meditative warrior from a tradition of honor bound fighters,” and Dizzy, a former Stranded who joined the COG in order to keep his family safe. Dominic’s wife Maria will also make an appearance, and Dominic’s search for her will play an important part in the story.

[ youtube = http://youtube.com/watch?v=6yMwniG9NuM&feature=related]

Story

The player takes on the role of Baldur, one of the Aesir. In the ancient past, the Norse gods truly existed in the form of cybernetically enhanced humans. Baldur, son of Odin, is one of these gods and it is his duty to protect the human race from an onslaught of an advancing machine presence determined to eradicate all human life.

In Too Human, the story chronicles the ongoing struggle between cybernetic Norse gods, the invading machine presence and mortal men. The story features many Norse gods and characters from Norse mythology including Thor, Loki, Odin, Heimdall, Freyja, and Mimir. The story features Yggdrasil, the tree of life, as a gateway to an alternate world known as Cyberspace that is accessed through the advanced technology of the Norse gods.

The machine presence in Too Human has a sinister purpose that is ironic when considered against the actions of the Norse gods. The human gods are using cybernetic implants to supplement their own abilities, thus becoming more machine. Conversely, the advancing machine army is harvesting human blood and limbs in an attempt to become more human.

Silicon Knights is reluctant to reveal the story details due to the game’s high budget and story driven gameplay. Despite this, a message is contained in the runes on the officially released box art for the game, reading ‘Machine Of God Of Man Of Machine’.

One of the major themes of Too Human is the extent of cybernetic upgrades that the gods use. In their battles against the approaching mechanical armies, the gods must continually enhance themselves through upgrading their cybernetics to keep up with their opponents, thus they become increasingly similar to their machine adversaries. Baldur, the title character is viewed by the other Norse gods as being insufficiently enhanced, thus “too human”.

Influences

In addition to Norse Mythology, Too Human is also influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote a book by the name of Human, All Too Human. A Nietzsche quotation, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn’t become one himself,” is shown in the beginning of a teaser trailer for the game. The same quote was also used in the introduction movie of the PC roleplaying game Baldur’s Gate.

Gameplay

Too Human is a third-person action adventure role-playing game mixing elements of games like Devil May Cry and Diablo. It features twitch gameplay in the form of fast paced melee and ranged combat while also maintaining RPG elements including skill tree progression and dungeon crawling.

As a third-person action adventure game, Too Human features two notable features which are melee combat being controlled dynamically off the right analogue stick (much like Capcom’s Monster Hunter series) and a camera system that is controlled by AI. The right analogue stick controlled combat removes the issues of three dimensional depth perception during combat while the AI controlled camera system allows for a cinematic experience while also being an aid to the story telling.

The RPG elements of Too Human include its story, different selectable classes, customizable weapons, armor and cybernetics, skill tree progression and item hunting. Too Human has 15 weapon classes, including two-handed swords, hammers, polearms, pistols, rifles, lasers, dual wielded one-handed swords and staves. The character is able to customize their armor in terms of color and its effectiveness against certain forms of attacks while also being able to swap armor sets. This game features skill trees unique to all the various classes that can be customized to the player’s liking, this combined with the fact that it also includes item hunting like Diablo greatly increases the replayability of Too Human. As part of a planned trilogy this game features a leveling system which allows the player to progress from level 1 to 50 in the first game, then continue on to the second game with the same character and level up from level 50-100, and in the third the character levels from 100-150.

In Too Human, Baldur and all the other so called “gods” use cybernetics to make them more than human. These cybernetics can increase the strength, speed and abilities of the characters using them. One of these upgrades includes the ability to have a spider as part of your armor that can separate from you and fight for you. A major theme of the game is Baldur’s reluctance to use the cybernetic implants to their full extent and as such is “Too Human”.

Too Human will feature online play similar to Phantasy Star Online which will allow two players to connect over Xbox Live for cooperative play.This includes a drop in/out system so people can join you no matter where you or they are up to in the game. It is expected that co-op players will be able to take advantage of class combinations to defeat difficult enemies and gather rare items. The media releases of gameplay footage have shown an increasing emphasis on teamwork and cooperative gameplay.

Classes

There are 5 classes available in Too Human with more to be added in downloadable content. Each of these classes have their own direction in the skill tree although this can be changed by the player to produce unique classes. Similar to the skill trees of Diablo II, a player cannot max out all the stats of their character, however, players will be allowed to ‘re-spec’ ala World of Warcraft in order to allow players to get the most out of their character, without having to create a new iteration of the same class.

The 5 classes are the following:

• Bioengineer

The archetype healer.

• Commando

A long-distance fighter.

• Champion

The most ‘balanced’ class.

• Defender

A heavy damage taker.

• Berserker

The offensive character.

A world-exclusive first-look of the game appeared in the January edition of the Official Xbox Magazine. One of the biggest announcements is that Logan Keller, the lead character from the previous game, has been removed in favor of having the player create his own character to play through the campaign. The player instead assumes the role of “Bishop”, a member of the Rainbow squad with a great deal more experience and who is more deeply involved in the story.

The game, billed as “part sequel, part prequel”, has events that run both before and concurrently to the story of Logan Keller and continue after where the first game concluded.In addition to the ability to customize a character in multiplayer, the player can now customize Bishop, Vegas 2′s new protagonist. In single-player, the developers claim to have vastly improved teammate AI, so that now teammates cover each other as they advance. There are also several new commands, for example, the ability of a teammate to throw a grenade at a specific point.

Gameplay

New features include an enhanced version of the “Persistent Elite Creation” system. Players can now customize their character. Where in the first game, the player could only customize the multiplayer character, in this game there is only 1 character for single player and multiplayer game modes. This further shows itself in the fact that experience points are now achieved through all the game modes, online as well as offline, whereas in the first game, XP was only obtained by playing the online multiplayer game modes. There is a new sprint button that allows players to weave in and out of cover at a quicker pace, the pace and stamina are contingent upon the players armor level.

The campaign focuses on the seedier side of Las Vegas, with more outdoor combat and daytime missions. Also, certain missions see a real-time day/night cycle. Certain kinds of cover can be penetrated by weapons-fire, and parts of the environment are destructible. Rather than two difficulty modes, the game has three.

ACES

An additional system implemented in the game is the “Advanced Combat Enhancement and Specialization” or ACES, where players will be rewarded with different weapons based on tactics used in the game. The ACES system is divided into three parts: Marksman, Assault, and Close-Quarter Battle. Certain kills the player makes are organized into one of these three categories and scored based upon how the kill was performed (a headshot would count towards Marksmanship, killing an enemy with an explosive would count towards Assault, and killing an enemy at close quarters would count towards CQB). By getting a high enough score in a category, the player unlocks a specific item for that category; for example, the Assault category might reward the player with a new type of assault rifle, while the Marksmanship category might reward the player with a new type of sniper rifle. With the new upcoming “Fan Pack” downloaded content and update, 80 more ACES levels are added. For every ACES level after 20, the player gets a reward of 5,000 online experience points.

Synopsis

Setting

The setting for the game initially begins in Pic des Pyréneés, France, though the story promptly moves five years forward to Las Vegas, United States of America on July 2, 2010, the same day of Logan Keller’s arrival to Las Vegas in Rainbow Six: Vegas. Terrorists have seized control of Las Vegas to instill widespread panic in both the public as well as law enforcement agencies, such as the National Security Agency, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Rainbow, as well as local SWAT. As the plot unfolds, however, the setting moves away from Las Vegas to other places, such as a small town in Nevada, unlike in the first Rainbow Six: Vegas, which was mainly in Las Vegas.

Characters

• Bishop

Bishop is the main protagonist that the player controls throughout the events of Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. His/her appearance and gender vary, depending on the intended look by the player. He/she is a high-ranking veteran of the Rainbow organization, and is an instructor at the organization’s training academy when the game first begins.

• Knight

If co-op mode is enabled, Knight accompanies Bishop on missions, whose appearance also varies depending on how the player desires him/her to look. His role, however, is limited as merely a co-op player, and unlike some games, such as Gears of War and Halo 3, Knight is not critical to the single player campaign’s story, as elaborated on the Eurogamer review. Playing as Knight also allows the player to unlock co-op achievements.

• Gabriel Nowak

The game’s main antagonist, a traitorous former Rainbow operative revealed as a mole in Rainbow Six: Vegas. Though cunning and ambitious, Nowak’s gung-ho recklessness earns him the disrespect of fellow teammates, ultimately leading to Bishop passing him up for promotion in favor of Logan, which therefore leads to Nowak betraying the Rainbow organization with the assistance of big-time terrorist ringleaders. Nowak betrays more Rainbow operatives in Vegas 2, mainly by posing falsely as an NSA agent, helping Bishop along the way for some of the campaign while actually putting Bishop in a state of danger, in order to kill him/her, which fails. Bishop eventually kills him in a final showdown at a villa in Costa Rica.

• Logan Keller

The main protagonist in Rainbow Six: Vegas, Keller is seen in the opening level of the game. Keller demonstrates a formidable sense of close-quarters combat (CQB), with realistic analyses of certain hostage situations and how to eliminate the opposition in an effective and concise manner. He is later seen after Bishop’s showdown with Nowak at the end of the game.

• Jung Park

The Korean electronics and recon specialist of Rainbow Six: Vegas, Park returns as one of the men Bishop leads.

• Michael Walters

The British heavy weapons and demolitions expert of Rainbow Six: Vegas, Walters returns as one of the men Bishop leads.

• Ding Chavez

Chavez, formerly Rainbow’s main team leader, and current “Six” (radio code for commander) as of Rainbow Six: Lockdown. In the first level, he is seen in-person, whereas throughout the rest of the game the player can only see him on the cross-com video.

• “Lieutenant Monroe”

Monroe (first name not given) is the negotiator in the first level of the game. He is killed when Gabriel Nowak, one of the men under Bishop’s leadership, breaks formation and opens fire on a terrorist, causing the terrorist to shoot Monroe in panic.

• Sharon Judd

The intelligence officer of Bishop’s team, Judd’s role is much like Joanna Torres’ role in Vegas 1. She supplies on-the-site intelligence to Bishop, but she is later wounded by a terrorist sniper.

• Gary Kenyon

Gary Kenyon serves as the helicopter pilot of Team Rainbow. As a veteran pilot of both the New Zealand and British Royal Air Force, Gary’s flight skills are impressive. The team depends on Gary as he skillfully maneuvers them into terrorist hotspots.

Plot

The game begins in 2005, one year before the bioterrorist events of Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. Rainbow deploys Bishop to a science observatory in Píc des Pyreneés, France for an operation in which EU hostages must be rescued. Under his leadership are Logan Keller and Gabriel Nowak; Nowak and Keller have recently joined Rainbow, according to Ding Chavez/Six, who refers to them as recruits.

Monroe, the negotiator, plans to talk to the terrorists in-person, effectively distracting their attention while Rainbow’s Alpha and Bravo teams on the operation get into place. Bishop, who is in control of Bravo, takes Keller and Nowak to their assigned position and waits for Alpha to get in place. However, before Alpha arrives, Nowak exclaims ‘Fuck it,’ and fires prematurely. Bishop is then forced to fire onto the terrorists, but Monroe is killed by collateral gunfire from the terrorists who panicked when Nowak first opened fire.

Six then radios in, giving Bishop Alpha’s sit-rep, but Bishop responds by saying that the situation “…is over, but Monroe is dead. We need to talk.” Nowak attempts to apologize for what he has done, but Bishop retorts back, “Not now!” In the PC and Xbox 360 versions, Bishop responds differently, saying “Save it. We’ll have a talk later.”

Six then tells Bishop that there are terrorists scrambling to escape and that Bishop needs to neutralize them. He also informs Bishop that there is a bomb that needs to be defused. When Bishop arrives, Nowak is assigned to defuse the bomb, and per Nowak’s request, Bishop and Keller distance themselves to give Nowak “space” to work with. The bomb is successfully defused, but terrorists open fire on Nowak. Nowak falls, and starts to scream helplessly into the radio, particularly “I knew this would happen! Don’t leave me here! I knew this would happen, damn it!” Bishop assures him that they are not leaving him behind. Rainbow operatives from Alpha team then arrive and quell the situation, getting Nowak to his feet, just as the level ends.

The game then moves five years forward to July 2, 2010, at 6:27 P.M. local time, in Las Vegas. Bishop is now in a helicopter with Jung Park, electronics specialist, and Michael Walters, demolitions expert. Six contacts Bishop via secure satellite video, effectively giving Bishop a sit-rep of what operation is to come: Miguel and Alvarez Cabreros, two human traffickers (“people smugglers”) have suddenly come in interest of taking up small arms trafficking and even more recently, chemical weapons. Though Rainbow and the National Security Agency (NSA) seem certain that the Cabreros brothers are running the operation for the opposition, they both want Bishop’s (new) team to investigate the matter firsthand. Six informs Bishop that Logan Keller is running a separate operation down in Mexico, implying that Keller’s operation is an event that occurs during the first game, Rainbow Six: Vegas.

Bishop, Park, and Walters finally set foot on ground and make their way into the warehouse that the NSA believes the Cabreros brothers are running their operation from. Following a failed attempt to save Neville, an undercover NSA agent whose cover is blown, Bishop and his team fight through a plethora of terrorists into another warehouse, where they find Hispanic hostages held at gunpoint by more terrorists.

After a quick rescue, Bishop is ordered by a Rainbow coordinator (Sharon) to board the same helicopter he inserted into the warehouse district with, a modified Eurocopter Panther, which goes to a recreational facility where the Cabrero’s chemical weapons have shown up. Upon reaching the facility and securing the area, Walters searches the stash where the chemical bombs are presumed to be located. Not finding them, Bishop decides as team leader that the team has the responsibility to save the people of a Las Vegas sports stadium from a bioterrorist attack.

Bishop and his squadmates, however, get to the presumed bomb site, the stadium, too late. The bomb goes off, just as Walters attempts to break through the door to the stadium. He blames himself for not saving the trapped hostages, but Bishop accepts full responsibility, saying “I made the call. We have a mission to save people.”

Sharon Judd, the on-site intelligence officer (similar to Joanna Torres’ role in Rainbow Six: Vegas) then notifies Bishop that he and his team need to catch the younger Cabrero brother, Miguel, who has disguised himself as a hazmat official and escaped the area. In a chase for Miguel, Bishop eliminates all of the terrorists protecting him, leaving Miguel vulnerable to on-the-spot interrogation, specifically as to what happened to the second bioterrorist bomb. The brother at first denies any knowledge of the bomb, but after Michael aims his gun at him and Bishop threatens to tell his brother Alvarez that he betrayed their plan, Miguel confesses the location (albeit vague description), but immediately draws a pistol to shoot Bishop, who is forced to shoot before Miguel could kill him.

An important hostage is then saved by Walters at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Here, Bishop learns from Sharon that the other bomb is located on a train headed towards a high-density populated area of Las Vegas. Bishop heads over to the train, though Walters is unable to defuse the bomb. Sharon cleverly suggests to Walters that the bomb can be detonated, just not in a civilian area, ultimately fulfilling both NSA Deputy Director Lawrence’s order to “get rid of the bomb” as well as Six (Ding Chavez)’s order, “Rainbow’s ultimate objective is to protect civilians.”

Bishop then heads over to an upscale Las Vegas penthouse, where the last bomb is located, though two disastrous things happen: First, just before landing, a terrorist sniper shoots Sharon Judd, wounding her. Second, after landing, Bishop doesn’t reach the bomb in time, leaving Echo team to die from a close-contact explosion by the bomb. Both were due to the NSA agent’s inadequate intelligence of the situation.

In an ensuing casino battle with terrorists, Bishop rescues many civilian hostages, leading to a revelation that there is yet another bomb held in a Chinese theater, protected by highly armed terrorists. Walters successfully defuses the bomb. Rushing to the roof for extraction the team is yet again assaulted, in the aftermath of the firefight, Bishop is then contacted stating Logan’s team has been captured in Mexico and Park and Walters are to be his replacements (start of Rainbow Six: Vegas), and for Bishop to return to base.

On the roof the NSA agent joins Bishop in the helicopter at extraction saying that Alvarez has been spotted in an airstrip in the desert, and that because Alvarez is responsible for the bombing of several Las Vegas hotspots (e.g. casino, hotel, convention center, stadium, train station), Alvarez is too dangerous to let escape. Not letting Alvarez have the chance to escape, Bishop rushes over to confront Alvarez personally.

The helicopters arrive at an oil-refinery close to the airstrips position. But due to heavy resistance at the airstrip, Bishop is forced to make his way down from the oil-refinery. He is dropped in on a roof of a gas station while the NSA agent is dropped in a different location to provide Bishop with intelligence on the surrounding situation. Bishop is then forced to fight alone, making his way through the refinery and into an abandoned train-yard. When Bishop finally reaches the refinery’s airstrip, the NSA agent is revealed to be Gabriel Nowak, who shoots and kills Alvarez. He then insults Bishop before terrorists attempt to kill him. With the help of Bishop’s helicopter pilot from earlier, Bishop escapes.

Six orders Bishop to stand down, however, Bishop, Jung, and Walters follow Gabriel to a Costa Rican villa. After more fighting, Logan and other Rainbow operatives arrive to assist Bishop’s team. Gabriel insults Bishop throughout the level, before revealing that he was going to sell information about all Rainbow operatives to terrorists. Bishop then goes to face Gabriel alone; however, an attack helicopter and more of Gabriel’s terrorists attack. Bishop manages to trick the helicopter into radioing for assistance, which lets Joanna Torres, Keller’s intelligence officer, target the helicopter and shoot it down. Finally, Gabriel and Bishop meet face to face, with Gabriel gloating that he outsmarted all of Rainbow, and arguing that Bishop should have let him fix his own mistakes including what happened in France and that all he ever was in Rainbow was Bishop’s Fuck Up. Gabriel draws his gun forcing Bishop to shoot first with his pistol, while Logan and the other Rainbow operatives arrive. Six berates Bishop for disobeying a direct order, but offers him the position as deputy director of Rainbow at Hartford, Connecticut.

Discrepancies

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is the first game not to adhere to the standard storyline of the Rainbow Six video game series. Notably, in Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield, which took place in 2006, John Clark held the title of Rainbow Six, though in Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (flashback in 2005), Ding Chavez carries the title of Rainbow Six.Previous Rainbow Six games also did not have the presence of a drill instructor, as is manifested into Bishop’s role in Vegas 2. In previous games, either Ding Chavez or any member of Rainbow could act as a team leader.

Gabriel Nowak appears in the first Rainbow Six: Vegas as a traitor who is “rescued” by Logan at the fictional Dante’s Casino, yet this is less than an hour after Bishop discovered Gabriel’s true affiliation in Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 at the fictional Oil Refinery in the deserts of Nevada. Travel time between Las Vegas and the deserts of Nevada in Vegas 2 took well over three hours, yet traveling back for Nowak took less than 60 minutes. In addition, even after Gabriel reveals himself as a traitor to Bishop, his treachery inexplicably remains unknown to the rest of Rainbow Six as Gabriel is then able to return to Dante’s Casino and be rescued by Logan who still thinks him loyal to Rainbow.

Gameplay

The player controls a tribe consisting of infantry, ranged troops and cavalry. Initially, the player’s warband (army) consists of only a few basic spearmen named Yaripon but as the game progresses more units, greater warriors and more powerful weapons can be obtained. The army is commanded by beating rhythm combos on four different talking drums each mapped to one of the PSP’s four control buttons (‘Pata’, ‘Pon’, ‘Chaka’ and ‘Don’ to Square, Circle, Triangle and X respectively). Different combos tells the player’s group of Patapons to do various things such as advance, attack, and defend. Keeping the rhythm going and not missing a beat puts the army in Fever mode, which increases its combat abilities.

The game and story is unfolded through a number of missions of increasing difficulty. As the player progresses, new opponents are introduced and more drum rhythms are unlocked. Between missions, new troops can be spawned by spending currency called ka-ching and various resources obtained during the missions to create stronger Patapon troops. Throughout the game a player can also edit troop formations and acquire new weapons to equip their Patapons.

Story

The Patapon were a flourishing people until they were defeated by the evil Zigoton tribe. The player takes the role of their god and uses sacred war drums to direct the Patapon tribe to take back their land. As the story progresses, the Patapon also embark on a journey to Earthend to look upon “IT,” a sacred object whose appearance and purpose is unknown to the tribe. The enemy of the Patapon tribe is the evil Zigoton Empire, a powerful tribe of circular creatures with red irises (as opposed to the white-irised Patapon) that have oppressed the Patapon since their fall from power. After fighting various battles against the Zigotons, guardian creatures such as dragons, giant worms, golems, and the ultimate evil known as Gorl, the Patapon come to Earthend (the ocean) and see the rising sun, which they assume to be “IT”. However, unfulfilled by the anticlimactic end of their journey, they come to the conclusion that “IT” is, in fact, not the sun and to realize their destiny they must cross the ocean and continue their quest. The final scene shows the Patapon and Zigoton tribes working together to build an ark to cross the ocean.

Units

There are various types of Patapon that can be integrated into the player’s army that are unlocked throughout the course of the game. While there are 6 unit types in the game, only 3 squads, each comprised of a single unit type, can be included in an army at any given time. This makes unit selection and formation a key strategy aspect of the game.

The Zigoton army is a direct parallel to the Patapon army and are named in an identical fashion, e.g. a Zigoton Kibapon is called a Kibaton.

• Hatapon – This Patapon is the first one available to the game, and functions to hold the army together. Holds high the Patapon banner. His death results in mission failure. Hata (旗) means “flag” in Japanese.
• Yaripon – Spear-Throwing Patapon. This is the initial unit type given to the player to control, and is useful for both hunting and fighting. Their fever attack is a jumping spear throw that greatly increases the distance of the projectile while avoiding many enemy attacks. A Yaripon squad consists of 6 Yaripon. Yari (槍) means “spear” in Japanese.
• Tatepon – Axe-Wielding Patapon. These Patapon are equipped with axes and shields and are primarily melee fighters. They are useless while hunting, as their attack range is negligible at best and scares off prey. Tatepons are arguably the best defense Patapon units, as their shields can protect the entire army from projectile attack. While in fever mode, their shields increase in size and provide better protection. A Tatepon squad consists of 6 Tatepon. Tate (盾) means “shield” in Japanese.
• Yumipon – Archer Patapon. These Patapon have the largest attack range in the game (wind can increase and decrease the range of their attack depending on which way it is blowing) and are always placed in back of any army. While they are extremely effective and can rain down arrows on enemies from afar, they are vulnerable to fire. While in fever mode, they shoot three arrows every attack instead of one. A Yumipon squad consists of 6 Yumipon. Yumi (弓) means “bow” in Japanese.
• Kibapon – Cavalry Patapon. Equipped with horses and halberds, Kibapons deal heavy damage and knock back enemy troops. While relatively useless normally, they become faster and push back enemies with great power when in fever mode. They should only be used by a skilled player. A Kibapon Squad consists of 3 Kibapon. Kiba (騎馬) means “horse-rider” in Japanese
• Dekapon – Mace-Wielding Patapon. These monstrous brutes are extremely large and bulky, and as a result do massive damage to their targets. Unfortunately, Dekapons are extremely slow, which tempers their awesome might. While in fever mode, Dekapon have a ground pound attack that stuns enemies. A Dekapon squad consists of 3 Dekapon. Dekai (でかい) means “gargantuan” in Japanese.
• Megapon – Horn Playing Patapon. Megapons are by far the oddest unit in the game. They are taller than most other Patapons, and carry around massive horns. To attack, they play their horns and the sound waves that are projected take on physical form, flying at the enemy and causing damage. Megapons have a variety of attacks, but the two most utilized are a standard wave of 3 blue notes that bounce off of and around the enemy, causing ricochet damage, and a massive red note only used during fever mode that hits multiple times causing massive damage. A Megapon squad consists of 3 Megapon. Their name may be based on ‘megaphone’.

• Upgradeable Units – During the ‘birthing’ phase at mater the Tree of Life, players can use different combinations of ‘ka-ching’ and raw materials they gathered during individual hunting missions, mini-games, and other means. Higher quality or rare ingredients coupled with higher ‘ka-ching’ costs results in higher quality base units. An example would be pairing ‘succulent’ meat along with ‘cherry blossom’ instead of ‘cafeteria’ meat and ‘wood branch’. This is not discussed, nor combinations given in the included game manual, but players can experiment for discovery.

Brawl‘s roster of Nintendo characters has grown in number from that of Super Smash Bros. Melee, and is the first in the series to feature third-party characters.Like its predecessors, Brawl is a departure from traditional fighting games, notably in its simplified move commands and emphasis on ring outs over knockouts. It includes a more extensive single-player mode than its predecessors, known as The Subspace Emissary (SSE). This mode is a plot-driven, side-scrolling beat ‘em up featuring computer-generated cut scenes and playable characters from the game. The game also supports multiplayer battles with up to four combatants, and is the first game of its franchise to feature online battles via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

The game was met with generally positive reviews,with critics praising the game’s entertainment value, despite issues relating to Brawl‘s loading times and graphics.The game’s musical score was composed through a collaboration between 38 renowned video game composers,and was lauded for its representation of different generations in gaming history.It received an aggregate review score of 94% on Metacritic and 93.3% on Game Rankings.Brawl has sold a total of 4.85 million units as of March 31, 2008.

Gameplay

Following its predecessors, Brawl uses a battle system unlike that of typical fighting games. Players can choose from a large selection of characters, controlling them as they fight on various stages, each attempting to knock their opponents off the screen. Instead of using health bars, percentage displays are employed, which begin on 0%, but increase as the characters take damage. As a character’s percentage increases, the character flies farther back when hit. When a character is knocked beyond a stage’s boundary and disappears from the screen, the character loses either a life or a point depending on the mode of play. Brawl includes a function which allows players to create profiles with personalized button configurations for each control method along with their chosen username.

The characters fight each other using a variety of attacks. Each move is executed with the press of a button in conjunction with a tilt of the control stick or a press of the D-pad, depending on the mode of control. In addition to basic attacks, characters have access to more powerful moves, known as smash attacks. Each character has four unique moves, which often cause effects besides damage to an opponent. The game introduces the ability to perform character-specific super attacks, referred to as “Final Smash” moves. Significantly more powerful than regular attacks, these moves have a wide variety of effects that range from nearly unavoidable blasts to temporary transformations. These abilities may be performed upon destroying a Smash Ball, an item bearing the Smash Bros. logo.

Characters can use items ranging from projectiles to melee weapons; each has a different effect on the characters around it. Although many items have returned from previous Super Smash Bros. games, new ones have been introduced as well. Some returning items have been modified, changing their appearance and function.Two varieties of items, Assist Trophies and Poké Balls,temporarily summon guest characters and Pokémon, respectively, that aid the summoner. They cannot be controlled by players and are usually invincible.

Group

In addition to the standard multiplayer mode, Brawl features other multiplayer modes and options in Group mode. Special Melee from the previous game returns as Special Brawl. In this mode, players are able to battle in matches using special rules for a greater level of customization. Whereas previously standard options such as “Giant Melee” or “Invisible Melee” were limited to one feature per match, players may now select multiple options for a single match.Another returning game type, Tourney mode (formerly Tournament mode), enables players to create an elimination-based tournament with a large number of CPU or human opponents.The “Rotation” feature has been introduced in Brawl, which allows up to 16 players to compete in sequence by switching out winners or losers after each round.

Solo

Like its predecessors, Super Smash Bros. Brawl includes various modes of play from the previous game designed for a single player. In Classic Mode, the player goes through a number of randomly generated matches, although there is a specific order of appearance for each series. Each match features an arena or opponent from a particular series, such as The Legend of Zelda or Pokémon. Several matches have a unique battle condition, such as a metal opponent or a two-on-two team battle.Similar to Classic Mode are All Star Mode and Boss Battles, but the player has only one life to defeat all of the playable characters and bosses, respectively.

Brawl contains Events, which are matches with predetermined battle conditions. These conditions include defeating opponents within a time limit or reaching a specific goal. New to the mode, each of the sixty-two Events has three difficulties, with a high score recorded for each.In addition to the normal set of forty-one Events played with a single player, a smaller set of twenty-one two-player Events is included.

Brawl also features objective-oriented minigames in Stadium Mode. Returning from the two previous games is the “Target Smash!” minigame, in which the player must break ten targets as quickly as possible. Additionally, items scattered across the stage are available for use.In Home-Run Contest, the player must beat Sandbag to inflict as much damage as possible in ten seconds, then strike it with a Home-Run Bat. Updated from Melee, all Stadium Mode minigames feature cooperative or competitive multiplayer.

Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a new Adventure Mode titled “The Subspace Emissary” (SSE). This mode features unique character storylines along with numerous side-scrolling levels and multiple bosses to fight, as well as cut scenes explaining the storyline. SSE introduces a group of antagonists called the Subspace Army, who are led by the Ancient Minister. Some of these enemy characters appeared in previous Nintendo video games, such as Petey Piranha from the Mario series and a squadron of R.O.B.s based on classic Nintendo hardware. SSE boasts a number of original enemies, such as the Roader, a robotic unicycle; the Bytan, a one-eyed, ball-like creature which can replicate itself if left alone; and the Primid, enemies that fight with a variety of weapons.Though primarily a single-player mode, cooperative multiplayer is available. This mode features a power-up mechanism in the form of collectible stickers that can be applied to the base of the player’s character trophies.

Unlike other game modes, SSE has a team system for the characters, with a limited choice of characters at the beginning of the mode. Others join the team as the game progresses, while some characters may leave the team temporarily.Most characters start off with their own teams, but the teams merge occasionally until they become a unified team by the end of the game. Once one character loses a life, another character on the team can take his or her place until the stock count, of which each stage has a set number, depletes.

Sakurai claimed that this mode would be more “fleshed out” than the single-player modes in previous Smash Bros. titles.Shigeru Miyamoto has explained that Sakurai always wanted to have a deep single-player game, but he wanted Sakurai to focus more on the multiplayer aspects in the previous titles since there were already many single-player games of this kind. Both were possible with the development time allotted for Brawl.To construct a plotline for the mode, Sakurai enlisted the help of Kazushige Nojima, a scenario writer known for his work on the Final Fantasy series.

Plot

The mode begins as Mario and Kirby fight on a stadium located in the Smash Bros. world. The Ancient Minister and his Subspace Army appear and detonate a Subspace Bomb, which transports the stadium into Subspace, an alternate dimension where the Subspace Army reside. The Ancient Minister’s advance prompts the heroes to team up and attempt to repel the enemy, while villains harvest the power of the allied characters by converting them into trophies.

The Ancient Minister is revealed as a subordinate to Ganondorf, who is under orders from Master Hand to draw the world into Subspace. The Ancient Minister’s true identity is found to be that of the Master R.O.B. unit, who rebels against his superiors to join the allied characters. The allied heroes enter Subspace, where they find that R.O.B., Ganondorf, and even Master Hand were all being manipulated by a higher being, known only as “Tabuu.” Tabuu releases a power blast which transforms all the protagonists into trophies; although a select few (Luigi and Ness) are revived by brooches that were attached to them by King Dedede earlier in the story. They work together to revive the other characters scattered across Subspace and make their way through a great maze where Tabuu is located. Following an ambush by Sonic the Hedgehog, the allies ultimately defeat Tabuu and save the Smash Bros. universe.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Brawl allows players to play against distant opponents via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.Online multiplayer games can be played either with registered friends or with randomly selected participants. Additionally, players can converse with up to four phrases that are preset by the player, which appear as speech bubbles when activated. These names and phrases are not displayed in random-player matches. The Spectator mode allows players to watch matches being played between other players, and bet on the outcome using coins earned within the game, with the winner earning a jackpot of coins.

Snapshots may be taken during battles or in certain other modes, which can later be sent to friends or submitted to Nintendo. Video replay footage can be captured in specific game modes, including Brawl and Target Smash! modes, and sent to friends in the same manner.

Vault

Returning from Melee are trophies, statuettes of video game characters and objects that give brief histories or descriptions of their subjects.A mini-game, the Coin Launcher, replaces the lottery machine from Melee as the primary method of obtaining trophies. The Coin Launcher is a machine that uses coins as projectiles to shoot trophies and counter incoming dangers such as missiles.Coins can also be used to bet on the victor of online battles via Spectator Mode.Trophies unavailable in Coin Launcher mode are obtained by using an item called the Trophy Stand on weakened enemy characters and bosses within The Subspace Emissary. Trophies obtained in this manner may contain information on the backstory of the Subspace Emissary.

In addition to trophies, players can now collect stickers of video game artwork.Players can place stickers and trophies onto virtual backgrounds and record snapshots, which can be sent to other players via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.Stickers can be applied to characters to power up their abilities during The Subspace Emissary.

Other stickers or trophies which cannot be collected through the Coin Launcher mini-game, Subspace Emissary, or Vs. matches can be unlocked from the Challenges menu, an interactive display which catalogs unlocked features and items in gridded windows. Once a window has been broken and its contents are unlocked, horizontally adjacent windows display the conditions necessary to unlock them.

Brawl contains demo versions of classic Nintendo titles, known as Masterpieces, allowing players to experience defining moments of the characters’ pasts such as Link’s major success story in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.These titles use Virtual Console technology to emulate classic hardware. The demos have time constraints ranging from thirty seconds to five minutes, and some use save data to allow the player to play a certain scenario or level.Along with the Masterpieces comes the inclusion of the Chronicles section, a library of previous Nintendo titles which lists games either made or published by Nintendo on all of its systems. New titles will appear when certain characters, trophies, or stickers related to the game are unlocked.

Playable characters

Brawl allows the player to select between 35 characters. Some can transform into alternate forms, with different move sets and play styles. Some are new, but others return from Melee—in some cases updated or refined, either in appearance, fighting capabilities, or both. For example, Link and Fox have adopted designs from more recent titles, while Samus has gained the ability to change into a new form, “Zero Suit Samus”.

Some previously represented series have had more characters added to Brawl. Diddy Kong from the Donkey Kong series and Ike from the Fire Emblem series make their first appearance in the Smash Bros. series. Other newcomers are the first to represent their series. These include characters such as Pit, representing the Kid Icarus series for the first time since the 1991 Game Boy game Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, and Wario, from Nintendo’s WarioWare series and an occasional antagonist of Mario’s. Solid Snake, the main protagonist of Konami’s Metal Gear franchise, and Sonic the Hedgehog from Nintendo’s former rival Sega are the first third-party characters to appear in a Super Smash Bros. game.

Gameplay

Ninja Gaiden II keeps most of the core elements of its predecessor, Ninja Gaiden. Protagonist Ryu Hayabusa (voiced by Josh Keaton) engages the world in a third person over-the-shoulder perspective, beginning the game with basic, low-level abilities and weapons that can be upgraded as he progresses by discovering or buying items. Ryu can interact with the game environment by running along and jumping off walls, swinging from pole to pole, or running across water. Unlike its predecessor, which used a city designated as a hub, Ryu travels around the world, ranging from New York, Tokyo, the familiar Hayabusa Village, the Aqua Capital (with an environment similar to the canals of Venice), and regions of non-human origins, such as the Northern Purgatory, Lifeblood Shrine and Niflheim in a progressive stage-by-stage setting, reminiscent of the style of the original Ninja Gaiden platformers. Aside from fighting enemies, Ryu will need to find keys and solve puzzles in the various environments, so as to progress through the game.

In-game cut scenes serves as the narrative to the story, and dragon busts can be used to save player progress, permitting gameplay to be resumed at a later time. Certain busts enable the player to record films of gameplay and upload the videos onto Xbox LIVE for users to download and watch. Ninja Gaiden II uses the same scoring system, based on the player’s speed in clearing encounters, the number of kills achieved, the number of unused magic spells (or ninpos) remaining at the end, and the amount of essence collected. Players can compare their scores on online ranking boards.

The Story Mode for Ninja Gaiden II consists of four difficulties: Path Of The Acolyte being the easiest, followed by Path Of The Warrior, Path Of The Mentor, and Path Of The Master Ninja being the hardest.

Combat system

Ninja Gaiden II’s new combat system allows Ryu to dismember his enemies, severing their limbs and tearing their bodies apart. Compared to Ninja Gaiden, the sequel contains more gore and graphic violence. Dismemberment will weaken or immobilize an enemy, depending on if an arm or leg is severed, but not necessarily kill them. In fact, an injured enemy will be prone to use suicide tactics such as pinning you down and planting an incendiary shuriken on you, forcing the player to quickly finish off his opponents using new, brutal Obliteration Techniques before they can get the upper hand.This new mechanic can also be triggered in the presence of boss characters.

Aside from his standard melee techniques, Ryu can absorb nearby essences in combat. These colored globes of energy are released from the bodies of slain enemies, and absorbed into Ryu’s body when he comes into proximity with them. Essences have an important role towards general gameplay, acting to heal Ryu, restore his ki, or increase his cash. However, the player can cause Ryu to deliberately draw in essences, which can then be used to unleash powerful attacks known as Ultimate Techniques. For Ryu’s defense, Ryu can stand still and attempt to block attacks, though enemies can break his guard, leaving him vulnerable to attack, or dodge by dashing away in a maneuver called “reverse wind”.

Ryu will use his signature Dragon Sword in combat, but new weapons, such as the Eclipse Scythe, Blade Tonfas, Kusari-gama and the Falcon’s Talons, will allow the player more variety in enemy encounters. Ryu’s new magical spells, in the form of ninpos, includes the Art of Phoenix Flames and the Art of Piercing Void. However, previous weapons and ninpo from Ninja Gaiden will return, in the form of the Lunar Staff and the Vigoorian Flails. The returning Windmill Shuriken and bow, renamed the Fiend’s Bane Bow, can now draw in essences like all of Ryu’s melee weapons.

Story

Six months after Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, master blacksmith Muramasa is setting up shop in Tokyo. A CIA agent named Sonia enters the place and asks for Ryu Hayabusa’s whereabouts, until members of the Black Spider Ninja Clan attack the shop and kidnap her. Enter the Dragon Ninja Ryu, who fails to stop Sonia’s kidnapping and makes haste around the Tokyo skyscrapers and rescues the agent, who informs him of an attack on the Hayabusa Village by the Black Spider Ninjas, who wish to steal the Demon Statue they possess and protect. Ryu returns to his home and finds his father, Joe Hayabusa dueling with Genshin, leader of the Black Spider Ninja Clan. Unfortunately, the Demon Statue is taken away by Queen of the Greater Fiends and the Ruler of Blood, Elizébet, and Joe urges his son to retrieve the statue at all costs. Ryu travels around the world with Sonia, in pursuit of Elizébet and the Demon Statue, while encountering legions of Black Spider Ninjas, Fiends and three other Greater Fiends: Alexei, the Graceful Ruler of Lightning; Volf, the Invincible Ruler of Storms; and Zedonius, the Malevolent Ruler of Flame.

Ryu tracks Elizébet down to South America, who offers the Demon Statue to Infernal High Priest Dagra Dai, in order to resurrect the ancient Archfiend, Vazdah. Elizébet duels with Ryu and he defeats her, but Elizébet proclaims her return. An overlooking Genshin explains the Archfiend will emerge from Mount Fuji back in Japan and states that is the place where Ryu shall die. Ryu returns home, cautioning Sonia not to follow him. As Ryu overlooks the fire-brimming Mount Fuji, Ayane enters with the Eye of the Dragon, a gift from Joe Hayabusa, and Ryu equips the relic onto his Dragon Sword, forming the True Dragon Sword again. Heading to the mountain’s summit, Ryu finds Genshin waiting for him at the crater’s entrance and the two ninjas fight to the death. Genshin falls and Ryu leaps into Mount Fuji.

Ryu fights past hordes of Fiends and singlehandedly defeats Alexei, Volf and Zedonius, and rescues a captured Sonia. Even a resurrected Genshin returns, transformed into a Fiend, but Ryu easily dispatches him. The mortally wounded Genshin hands him the cursed Blade of the Archfiend to use, and dies without regret for having allied with the Fiends. A furious Elizébet appears, and chastises the Black Spider Ninja for losing, even with his power and Ryu finishes her off, claiming the overlord had more to live for than she ever will. Traveling deeper into the mountain, Ryu confronts Dagra Dai, who is nearly finished with the Archfiend’s resurrection. Ryu confronts Dagra Dai, defeating him. As a last resort, the Infernal High Priest offers his life to Vazdah, and the Archfiend is reborn. Ryu takes down the monstrosity and heads to the surface with Sonia, but a drop of his blood from an open wound accidentally spills on the fiend and revitalizes Vazdah, who ascends to the summit in its true form. Amidst an erupting Mount Fuji, Ryu squares off with the Archfiend in a climatic duel to decide humanity’s fate and wins.

In a post-credits scene, amongst a field with countless number of blades embedded into the ground, Ryu plants Genshin’s Blade of the Archfiend into the ground and bows in respect for the Black Spider Ninja. The Dragon Ninja takes one last look before taking off into the fog.

The retcon story is then continued by the NES series: Ninja Gaiden (NES), Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom.

Characters

Humans

Ryu Hayabusa

Joe Hayabusa

The father of Ryu Hayabusa, Joe has returned from training in distant lands to resume his duties as the leader of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan, only to be injured in one of his many battles against the forces of evil. He lays in rest at his home in the Castle of the Dragon, unaware that the evil shadow of the Black Spider Ninja Clan slowly descends upon the Hayabusa Village. He is voiced by Keone Young.

Genshin

Overlord of the Black Spider Ninja Clan, Genshin’s lust for power is matched only by his hatred of the Dragon lineage. Hoping to gain an upper hand in the struggle for ninja superiority, Genshin enters into an uneasy allegiance with the Fiends. He will stop at nothing to destroy Ryu and put an end to their clans’ centuries-old feud once and for all. He is voiced by Neil Kaplan.

Sonia

A CIA agent, Sonia is searching for Ryu to help him stop the Black Spider Ninja Clan from obtaining the Demon Statue, posessed by the Hayabusa Ninja Clan, to resurrect the Archfiend. She is voiced by Kari Wahlgren.

Muramasa

A legendary blacksmith, Muramasa returns from Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword to aid Ryu by providing weapons, items and upgrades in person or via statues of himself. Muramasa himself is aware of the events surrounding the Archfiend and personally joins the fight against the Black Spider Ninja Clan and the Fiends. Despite his old age, Muramasa is shown to be a master swordsman who can dispatch a group of ninjas with no harm to himself. He is voiced by Paul Eiding.

Fiends

Elizébet

The Ruler of Blood and Queen of the Greater Fiends, Elizébet is tasked with retrieving an important ancient artifact from the ancestral Hayabusa Village, setting into motion the events that threatens the very existence of mankind. Her name and title suggests she is derived from Elizabeth Bathory, also known as the “Blood Queen”. She is voiced by Grey DeLisle.

Volf

The Ruler of Storms and one of the Four Greater Fiends, Volf is a vicious, four-armed warrior who seeks an opponent worthy of himself. He and his Lycanthrope underlings have taken over the canal-lined streets of the tranquil Aqua Capital, as he sits on his throne in the castle above, waiting for the one who can defeat him. In his battles with Ryu, he wields a large two-handed scythe. He is voiced by Daran Norris.

Alexei

The Ruler of Lightning and one of the Four Greater Fiends, Alexei’s hatred for humankind knows no bounds. He has taken the city of New York in his evil grasp and waits perched atop the Statue of Liberty, challenging Ryu Hayabusa to come and face him. He is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.

Zedonius

The Ruler of Flame and one of the four Greater Fiends, Zedonius has nothing but contempt for human life, often addressing them as “apes” and “monkeys”. He descends upon the capital of a once-great military superpower, threatening humanity with an ultimatum: submit to the will of the Fiends or die. Ryu must ascend the city’s clock tower to put an end to his fearsome reign. According to Zedonius, it was he who bestowed the gift of fire upon humans centuries ago. He is voiced by Steven Blum.

Dagra Dai

Originally a human philosopher, Dagra Dai gazed into the eyes of the Archfiend Vazdah and became a Fiend himself. Now known as the Infernal High Priest, he has taken leadership of the Greater Fiends and waits patiently for the Demon Statue he needs to resurrect the Archfiend. He is voiced by Peter Renaday.

Vazdah

One of the ancient and calamitous Archfiends, Vazdah and its Greater Fiends were sealed beneath the earth by the Dragons millenia ago. Now, with the aid of its servant Dagra Dai, the destructive creature stirs beneath sacred Mount Fuji. In-game texts suggest Vazdah is somehow related to Vigoor.