Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes

Hey guys! Sorry about the delay on this one, there just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes. So I figured it would help me to plan out the next few weeks. Today will be Lego Batman 2, followed by Sleeping Dogs next Sunay, Darksiders 2 after that, and finally New Super Mario Bros. on the 3DS. So now I have no (planning-related) reasons for not putting up reviews. On with the show!

STORY
Lego Batman 2 begins at Gotham City's "Man of the Year" ceremony, where Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor are in the running for the titular award. As Mr Wayne goes to accept the prestigious title, a large group of Batman's rogues gallery crash the party.
Witnessing the chaos that the Joker and his gang are able to cause, Luthor hatches a plan, and proceeds to break the recently incarcerated (again) Joker from Arkham Asylum for a caper involving kryptonite, a bat-gadget breaking gun, and the presidential election.

Unlike most Lego games, Lego Batman 2 isn't based off a previous story, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. The original story is the perfect fit for the lego games; it's light-hearted and fun for the whole family (that's not to say that the "older kids" won't love it too).

PRESENTATION
Gotham City is recreated stunningly in lego, as are a large cast of DC characters, both heroes and villains. They're all equally cool and the animations add to the already large amount of charm in the game.

This game is also unique among Lego titles, in that it is the first fully voiced Lego game. And it really works in it's favour. I mean, yes, the old games had their own charm, but alot of that still exists. The slapstick humour remains, but the voice work is just right, especially the grumbly voice for Batman, and in particular, Clancy Brown's stuck-up Lex Luthor.

The music is also fantastic, pulling tunes straight from Batman and Batman Returns, as well as John Williams' Score from Superman, played specifically for when Superman takes off to soar in the sky. It's a massive fan service, and I for one fanboyed a little when I first heard it.

GAMEPLAY
Lego Batman 2 is exactly what you loved about every other Lego game. Tight platforming, easy-to-pick-up yet still fun combat and light puzzle solving.
The puzzle solving, as-per-usual, revolves around having the right character for the job. Sometimes this means being able to use Robin's acrobatic suit to reach higher places, using Batman's strength suit to blow up special objects or using Superman's heat vision to manipulate gold items. It's still the same sort of gameplay as it ever is, but with a few new powers added in for good measure. It helps things stay interesting.

Outside of the main story, there's a whole open Gotham to explore, filled with goodies for the intrepid adventurer. From new heroes and villains, to "cheat" options, to vehicles; there are alot of collectibles. And studs. Lots of studs. I mean, what else are you going to pay for all of these collectibles with?

As far as the story missions go, however, there's not a whole lot of variations. There's the occasionally an on rails vehicle section, but that's it.

REPLAYABILITY
As I mentioned earlier, Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes has a lot of collectibles, on top of all of Gotham to explore. You can find vehicles, fight supervillains, save civillians, find gold bricks. There's a hell of a lot to do in Lego Gotham. Then theres the ability to just take your favourite characters for a spin. Want to play co-op and race the flash and Superman (flying) down the street? Go for it. It's Lego in it's purest form, when you're making fun for yourself.

OVERVIEW
So everything new that Lego Batman 2 does (The voice acting, Original Story, and On-rails vehicle secions) all do alot to put it past the previous titles in the franchise. However, the lack of variety found in previous games caries over here as well. That said, the good definitely outweighs the bad, with a huge cast of heroes and villains, and an obscenely large amount of collectibles to... uh... collect, keeping you busy for hours on end.

If you're a fan of the Lego games, this is a must have for your collection. If not, then there's no better game to get in on the series with.

So next week, it's Sleeping Dogs. See you next time!

Spec Ops: The Line

Well, Ive been off for a week (I think), and that was because I was in Canberra, and didn't really have the time or patience to be bothered with uploading a review in that time frame. So this time, I wanted to post about a game that really surprised me; Spec Ops: The Line. At first glance, this is your standard 3rd person cover based military shooter. Pretty standard, right? But things get crazy quite quickly, as I'll explain soon.

STORY
As the game begins, we learn of a disaster that has brought the city of Dubai to the edge of annihilation; gargantuan sandstorms that cut through metal and block Dubai off from any outside support. Colonel John Konrad volunteers himself and the 33rd Battalion for whatever relief effort can be given (which would be little, considering the extreme conditions in Dubai). Not long after volunteering, Konrad and the 33rd desert the US Army, when they are ordered to abandon Dubai.

You play as Delta Operator Walker who, along with teammates Adams and Lugo, are sent to investigate the state of Konrad and any Survivors, and radio for extraction. But what they find sends them further down the rabbit-hole.

The game's story starts as normal as any other military shooter, you and your squad (complete with wise-cracks and military lingo) go in to find what they're after and have every intention of leaving when they're done. But as they further disobey orders, things get strange and stranger (for a military shooter, I mean). There's an influx of misleading information fed to the player, along with a lot of correct information, making it difficult to decipher who the bad guys are here. And as the game goes forward, the tension and hostility within your squad might just have you convinced that your men aren't so great themselves.

I'm not going to spoil too much, as this is a story you really have to experience for yourselves. Just know that I've never had an issue with putting down an enemy in a game before. This game made me pause for quite a while. Just saying.

PRESENTATION
Spec Ops: The Line isn't the best looking game. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about it, it just doesn't stand up (graphically speaking) with other games (I.E. Mass Effect 3). However, there's a surprising amount of variety in the colour that you'll see during your adventure in Dubai. And everything is so bright! Yes, it's set in the desert-like city of Ruined Dubai, but it never looks boring.

The voice acting is also pretty good, with Nolan North contributing the emotion fuelled orders of Walker (the Player character), and the rest of the cast deliever equally emotional performances (with Tron providing his voice for Colonel Konrad. No really. Tron).
The 80's american rock track's heard throughout the game give the game a similar tone to Apocalypse Now, which the game lightly borrows from (as well as Heart of Darkness). Otherwise, the game's music is somewhat forgettable.

GAMEPLAY
In a word, I'd describe Spec Ops' gameplay as Average. It all works quite well, with some slight variations on the standard cover-based shooter, as well as some issues that are still easy to ignore.
The shooting is all very solid, and the guns feel like there's a decent weight behind them. Sticking to cover can get a bit annoying when you have to leave it in a hurry, but it's not a huge glaring issue. For the most part, cover still works quite well.
Among the things that work quite well is the usage of turrets. While this happens in a lot of games, this is the first instance I can remember of being able to duck whilst firing from one.

On top of that, there's a neat little gimmick involving sand. While in a gunfight, you're sometimes able to shoot out skylights that dump tonnes of sand on your enemies. This is cool, but it's not used often enough to make it anything more than a gimmick. There's also the occasional sandstorm, adding some more challenge to the standard shootout.

One last thing that doesn't quite sit ell with me, are the melee attacks. They don't feel particularly strong, and there's not a whole lot of use for them. That said, however, the occasional execution is pretty cool (though I doubt you'll feel like doing them as the story progresses).

The enemy types are varied enough to keep things interesting, and the majority of the gameplay is fun enough to play (if only because it doesn't stray too far from the cover based shooter path).

REPLAYABILITY
Now there is a multiplayer aspect of Spec Ops, but I haven't found the time to play it. However, as far as the Single-Player goes, there are branching paths to pick different situations as well as intel items that give players more info on the situation at hand. That said, even without that stuff, I'd feel inclined to play this over and over again, for the fantastic story.

OVERVIEW
So Spec Ops: The Line is a really interesting thing: a game that takes the standard conventions of a military shooter (the violent setting, the cliched squadmates) and turns them on thier head (by dealing with the affects battle has on the surrounding population, but more importantly how the horrors of combat affect the minds of the ones perpetrating them).
The gameplay is quite good, despite some minor issues, and the voice acting lends some highly suitable emotion to the unique story. This game is one that could pass under the radar, but it's also the sort of thing that I know gamers like myself truly HUNGER FOR. So if you enjoy a fantastic narrative that could only be told through the medium of video game, I think you need to at least try this game. Hell, I recommend a purchase.

Next week, it's Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes. See you next time!

The Amazing Spiderman

So I generally have a major rule when it comes to movie to game adaptations: they're generally all pretty shit, and don't require a review to let people know how they fare. But Superhero movies, Spiderman in particular, seem to fare a little better than most. So does this hold true for this year's reboot's game? Allow me to explain.

STORY
The Amazing Spiderman is a direct follow-up to the movie (which is currently in theatres now), and it does it's best to not spoil too much (though certain details do get spoiled quite early on). Without wanting to spoil things too much; following the destruction that Curt Connors, as the Lizard, wreaked upon New York, Oscorp has decided to get rid of all the research and experiments that were related to his mutant disaster.
However, in the process of this research/evidence destruction, a breakout occurs, and multiple Human-Animal cross species subjects escape into the city, infecting the population and waiting for Spiderman to come kick their butts.

I just have to say, the story isn't the best thing that this game has going for it. It's a reasonable excuse to swing around the city, but beyond that, it's a lot of red herrings and bad choices by Spidey.

PRESENTATION
As far as the visuals go, this game is a mixed bag. The general graphics are pretty pedestrian, whereas Spiderman's animations are really fluid. The camera is also a mixed bag; in stealth sections (which are heavy in ceiling crawling) the camera is just another enemy to fight with. However, while free swinging through the city, the camera is one of the best things. Having anchored the camera closely behind Spiderman, the feeling of momentum and speed is quite realistic.

The voice acting fares quite well; Spiderman maintains his smartass personality, and many of his enemies sound exactly how they should. On the subject of the audio, the music is quite heroic sounding, and fits the free-swinging gameplay perfectly. Otherwise, it's generally quite forgettable.

GAMEPLAY
Here's the thing with Superhero games these days: they will always, whether they like it or not, be compared to the Batman Arkham series of games. And The Amazing Spiderman game will probably invite those comparisons more than most. You see, aside from the best part of the game (which I'll continue to gush about later) the majority of the game is made of stealth and combat gameplay.

Now, a lot of games feature these sorts of gameplay, but few copy Batman AC as much as this. Occasionally, Spidey will be dropped in a room with armed thugs (whom he can't take on face to face). This means that he'll have to silently take down everyone in the room before he can proceed. Unlike Batman, however, there is no strategy or variety in how you achieve this. Spidey just crawls along the ceiling, and can perform all his takedowns from there; using his web retreat to hide in a dark corner in case he reveals himself.

The combat also takes pointers from Arkham City, as there are no set combos, just a button for attacks, a button for counters and an evasion button. Sound familiar? Problem is, it isn't quite as fluid as the game it's clearly trying to ape, and there isn't much variety in the way of takedown animations.

Ok, so I've gotten stuck into Amazing Spidey pretty hard, but at the end of the day I did enjoy this game. Now, there's one major reason that this was fun for me. Web Swinging. It's a small thing, but considering that most of your time will be spent in the overworld, swinging between missions and grabbing collectibles, it makes a huge difference. This is the best that web-slinging has felt since Spiderman 2.
The combat and stealth are like sub-par copies of the Arkham games, but this mode of transport makes the experience wholly worthwhile.

REPLAYABILITY
Ok, if I was going to base this on the fun of the missions, or the great story, there'd be nearly no reason to play this over and over. But then the collectibles hit. There's a number of different collectibles to find, but the major one is 700 comic book pages. Yes. 700. Have fun with that. If not for the fantastic web swinging, this would just be tedious.

OVERVIEW
This is not the best game you'll play this year. It's not the best superhero game yet either. Hell, it's not even the best Spiderman game, but it is as close to that Spiderman 2 gold than it has ever been since that game. It's honestly the most fun just traversing a sandbox that I've had in a long time, and alot of the side quests are fun, even if the main aren't much to talk about. Is it worth a buy? If you like Spidey, then yes. If not, I'd say it's worth a rent at the very least.

Next week, I either go Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes, or Spec Ops: The Line.

Lollipop Chainsaw

So I finally got around to finishing Lollipop Chainsaw this week, having bought and finished numerous games between originally getting it, and now. I think that says a lot about LC, in and of itself, but I'd hate to leave the review at that, so allow me to elaborate.

STORY
Lollipop Chainsaw tells the tale of Juliet Starling, your everyday, unassuming teenage cheerleader. Except, she isn't. Despite the ditsy, uber-happy demeanour of our heroine, Juliet is actually a monster hunter, a hunter of zombies to be more exact. And on this particular day, her birthday, a Zombie outbreak has begun at San Romero High (get it?) and it's up to her to stop it.

Ok, so the story isn't great. It's reason enough to go from place to place chopping up the 5 zombie lords of Rock n Roll with a rainbow blazing chainsaw, but it's not going to make you think at all. The best thing about it is certainly the characters. Juliet is ditsy, but also speaks in a highly confident manner. She's says a lot of really funny things, and the crude humour really works in the games favour.
But, by far, the best character of the game is Nick. Despite being a severed head, he really is the most normal character you'll see. And his reactions to these messed up circumstances offer some of the biggest laughs in the game.

PRESENTATION
This game probably won't win any awards for graphics, but for what it's worth, Lollipop Chainsaw doesn't look bad. It's visual style fits well with the game's personality, it's bright and colourful, and just a little bit weird. What caught my eye most of all was the visual effects used during combat, most of the zombie's blood is replaced by rainbows, stars and love hearts, adding to that kooky vibe.

The game's soundtrack is equally as kooky, with heavy metal and rock tracks being mixed with unbearably catchy tunes such as "Mickey" (Toni Basil) and "Lollipop" (The Chordettes) and like the visuals, it's not the best thing ever, but damned if it doesn't fit the game perfectly.

The voice acting, again, isn't great but fits the personality of this game so well. Michael Rossenbaum (Of Smallville fame) brings the surprisingly normal (severed head) Nick to life, with some really fantastic deadpan lines. Tara Strong (Harley Quinn in Arkham City) brings some extra kooky from her last big video game role and kicks it in to gear as Juliet. All the Zombie lords have their own personality, and their respective voice actors (including Michael Rooker and Shawnee Smith) bring them to (un)life.

As I said, however, none of these things are really great. The soundtrack is unusual, and really love-it or hate-it, the voice acting is generally quite good (though not award winning), and while the visuals work nicely, they could use some more work. But yea, let's call it ever-so-slightly above average.

GAMEPLAY
Now here's where Lollipop Chainsaw let me down. I don't mean to spoil it so early in the segment, but there it is. Lollipop Chainsaw is a fairly standard hack 'n slash game, with a long list of issues.

While button presses are quite responsive, there's just not enough variety to keep most people interested. Yes, there are more combos to unlock, but generally, there's not much to differentiate them from each other. I mean, yes, the animations are different, but there's very little benefit with mixing up combos. At all. It makes most of the combo unlocking seem highly unimportant.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the combat is, in fact, the lack of feedback that what you're doing is working. I mean, there are a few satisfying moves (like the dropkick) that you can clearly see affects the zombie horde. But the majority of moves seem to just glance of your opponents, even the heavier of attacks.

And finally, there's just not much in the way of variation. There are a couple of mini-games that are hit or miss, Zombie basketball is about the only real highlight I can think of.
There is one level that's quite full of variety, and that's the video game level of all things (HOW META!!), but the other 5/6ths of the game are just really quite bland (gameplay-wise).

REPLAYABILITY
So, at the end of each level, the game grades you on how well you did; how long it took you, how well you performed in combat, how many retries you needed, etc. There are also online ranking boards if you feel the need to compare yourself with other online zombie hunters.
There are also fellow students to go back and save, should you miss any the first time through. It unlocks the best possible ending, so there's that.

OVERVIEW
Lollipop Chainsaw is, in a way, one of my least favourite types of game. Everything just meshes so well, the visual design, the soundtrack, the voice acting and the quirky story; everything (while not amazing) compliments everything else. Until we reach the gameplay. It's all just very bland, with very little visceral feedback, despite the potential (I mean, you're chainsawing zombies!).
The lack of variety is just another reason why playing this game felt more like a chore than anything, despite the awesome, out there vibes that penetrate every inch of this game.

So, if you're not above playing a game for everything but the gameplay, this game would do for you. I just think that if you're going to shell out such an unreasonable amount for a brand new game in the first place, the gameplay should at least be satisfying. (And if you're wondering, a brand new game in Australia these days costs upwards of $80). Definitely a rent first.

Next week, I'll be reviewing The Amazing Spiderman. YAY! See you next time!

Dragon's Dogma

So I have a few options for reviews in the coming weeks; Lollipop Chainsaw, The Amazing Spiderman (a movie game, I know, heaven forbid) and Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes are among the selections. However I've had Dragon's Dogma lined up for some time now, and I feel like it's a game that I need to let people know about, so here we go!

STORY
Dragon's Dogma begins in the peaceful village of Cassardis, where the player character lives out his/her days as an unsuspecting fisherman/woman. One day, however, a Dragon soars through an opening in the sky. As it tears through Cassardis, it approaches the player character and refers to them as "the chosen one", then proceeds to consume their heart.

Waking up later, it's explained that the player is "The Arisen", a powerful being who is destined to track down this Dragon and kill it, retrieving his/her heart in the process.

The narrative sort of meanders for a while until the last third, where things get really crazy. Some far out things happen, and the twist that begins the games new game + is a wtf moment that works surprisingly well in marrying gameplay to story. Aside from the final third revelations, the story is fairly average, with little to keep you on target.

PRESENTATION
For the most part, Dragon's Dogma looks pretty good. The graphics aren't great, but it's pretty colourful, the animations are smooth and visceral, and there's a lot of variety when it comes to character visuals and monster types.

The voice acting isn't bad, but it's not stellar at all. And the dialogue is difficult to focus on, if only because it's all of a medieval fashion. It's easy enough to follow, but can get pretty old pretty fast.

And finally, the music is a mix between orchestral and modern, with intense electric guitar underlining the main menu and your standard fantasy fare providing the backbone of most of your in-game travel time.

GAMEPLAY
Dragon's Dogma is an Action RPG in the best sense of the genre. There are 3 classes to choose from (Fighter, Rogue and Mage), 3 advanced vocations (Warrior, Strider and Sorceror), and 3 hybrid vocations, (Mystic Knight, Assassin and Magic Archer), and they each have their own advantages and disadvantages (for example, the Rogue-ish classes provide high damage output, but have lower defense).

The character creator is really quite extensive, allowing you to make an old lady dwarf, or a Taylor Lautner look-alike, or even a carbon copy of yourself. It's all do-able, and you get to create yourself and your main companion, so you're encouraged to experiment.

The combat is quite enjoyable, with a simple combo system that can be somewhat extended via upgrades. On top of that, special moves can also be acquired, which help to spice things up a bit. But what I always come back to when talking to others about the game's combat, is the Shadow of the Colossus style combat when facing larger creatures.
Having the ability to climb over beasts to assault their weak spots is useful, and always kept me on the edge of my seat, as I managed my character's stamina and position.

The game's almost-open world is fairly large, but feels really restrictive at some points. The biggest downfall is often that there is no quick travel, even to areas that you've walked to before. Alot of the time that you'll spend in this game will be spent travelling, which is a shame, because with less travel time, more quests could have been added in.

Also not working in it's favour is the inventory system, which takes far too long to navigate, and is far too easy to fill, with surprisingly little amounts of items weighing your character down immensely.

All of that said, however, the crappy inventory and restrictive feeling open world aren't enough to detract from the epic combat, or the amazing amount of personalization, in both gameplay and character appearance.

REPLAYABILITY
Dragon's Dogma is a great game if you like replayability, if only because the New Game plus feature allows you to try a new approach to the game without having to redo all the levelling. Other than the opportunity to try new approaches, not a whole lot changes with NG+.

OVERVIEW
Dragon's Dogma has it's fair share of pros and cons, but luckily, the epic combat and high level of customization definitely outweighs the awful inventory and the meh open world. The story isn't fantastic, but the holy shit moments near the end more than make up for it (in my view at least).
So do I recommend Dragon's Dogma? Hell yes I do. At the very least, it's worth a purchase for the damn good combat.

Next week, it'll be one of the above mentioned games (that I said at the start).

DLC Doubleshot

Welcome to the first ever DLC doubleshot on Tophat Gamer! Not the first ever DLC review I've done, but the first one that had to of them, so that's something. This week, I'll give you guys a brief summary of two different pieces of DLC, and my thoughts on them. For this, I have Batman Arkham City and Skyrim DLC for examination.

BATMAN: Arkham City- Harley Quinn's Revenge

STORY
Due to the nature of the DLC, major Spoilers for Arkham City are inbound. Don't say I didn't warn you.
So Harley Quinn's revenge begins after the shocking ending to Arkham City. The Joker is gone, and Harley Quinn is in a standoff with police inside his old hideout. Batman has gone missing after going in to save some cops, and no one knows if he's alive, or what state of mind he's in.

So, it goes without saying that the ending to Arkham City left alot of people with more questions than answers. Harley Quinn's revenge answers one of those questions (quelling any ideas of the possible sequel that many gamers had in their minds) quite clearly, but anything regarding Wayne's current mental condition is ignored and pushed aside. Leaving HQ's revenge, I found that not a lot of questions had really been resolved, which I found quite disappointing. The story itself is not a bad one, it just doesn't provide much closure.

GAMEPLAY AND PRESENTATION
So alot of this DLC actually puts players under the hood of Robin (currently Tim Drake)in search of his missing mentor. Gamers who have had access to the Robin challenge maps previously will know that he plays quite differently to the Dark Knight. With his own range of gadgets and abilities, Robin is a nice change of pace and play style, but I found that there wasn't really enough of him for my liking. The game seems almost anxious to throw you back into the cowl of the bat.

Combat and Predator sections are just as smooth as they ever were, with Robin's animations looking as brutal as B-man's, while adding a little acrobatic flair to his takedowns.
The area of exploration isn't a lot, but theres a certain depressing look that gives it it's own new character after it was owned by the Joker.

IS IT WORTH YOUR MONEY
If you loved Batman: Arkham City, then chances are, you've already got this DLC. If for some reason you've been tossing up over whether or not you need it, I'd tell you that it's a fun little experience that ends too quickly and doesn't provide the closure that you're probably looking for. On the other hand though, I'd give anything to play around as Robin some more, so if you're in for that, then this is a definite YES.
If that's not enough for you, then I'd consider how much you enjoyed the original game. If you need more Batman AC, but can't bear to play the campaign again, then this might be for you as well.

SKYRIM: DAWNGUARD

STORY
Skyrim's Dawnguard expansion follows a battle between a group of Vampire Lords, and the fabled Dawnguard, a group of warriors sworn to defend Tamriel from vampires. In this questline, you get to choose who you side with, and ultimately, you get to decide how the world is affected by this conflict.

After experiencing quite a few questlines in Skyrim, I can safely say that this one definitely has some more interesting characters than most. On top of that, the background's of the vampires and dawnguard are interesting to say the least, and we all know how much the elder scrolls games love to give us history lessons at a moments notice.
This is probably the best vampire related thing you will see this year.

GAMEPLAY AND PRESENTATION
As with most DLC, Dawnguard doesn't do a whole lot to change up the look of the game, for the most part. It adds new characters, new creatures and a few new locations as well. Two in particular will stand out, for being particularly good, and bad. The Forgotten Vale looks pretty cool, offering a mystical snowy landscape filled with crazy variants on normal creatures and other sweet stuff. The soul Cairn on the other hand is very bland and overly blue/purple.

On the gameplay front, however, Dawnguard adds a whole lot of new crap. Crossbows, new enemies, a new form for vampires, and new skill trees for werewolves and vampires individually. Needless to say, the formerly boring "specialties" are now looking much more inviting. Lycanthropy has never been so fun. Add to this the recent patch updates of new killcams and horseback combat and you have a few reasons to head back to the tundra of Skyrim.

IS IT WORTH YOUR MONEY
Ok, short answer, YES. Dawnguard adds at least 5 hours onto the already packed game, but it also adds a plethora of cool things to see, do and steal. Plus they finally added a service to change your appearance. Yay!
If you like the elder scrolls, this is most definitely worth the 15 or so dollars you'll pay for it. I highly recommend it.

OVERVIEW
So if you had both games and only enough money for one of these DLC packs, which would I recommend? Well, the obvious choice is Skyrim: Dawnguard. While Harley Quinn's revenge is good, Dawnguard just adds so much more on top of the already fantastic base game. The Arkham City DLC just adds more of the same. Granted, Arkham City was near perfect, but when you pay 15-20 dollars for more game, you want a little extra, don't you?
Both are good, but Dawnguard is definitely worth more. To me, at least.

Next Sunday, it's Dragons Dogma. Finally. See you next time!

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Second one for the night, go me! So yea, a little side note: I was excited to use Kinect for this. It attempted suicide by jumping off my TV for trying to use it. So here we go!

STORY
After a bomb goes off in Nicaragua, costing the lives of one of the Ghost Teams, a second team is sent to track down the weapons origin, nd eliminate any threats along the way. This operation leads the team across Nigeria, Russia, Norway and Pakistan, in hopes of stopping any other bombs being transported or used.

The team is made up of Ghost Leader, Pepper, 30K and Kozak (whom the player controls). This is a fairly standard story when it comes to modern war games. The characters are somewhat interesting, each with their own personality traits, but they're nothing we haven't seen before. Theres the smartass, the hardass leader and.... that's about it. It'll honestly get quite difficult to tell who's who, as their faces are covered and they don't sound that distinct, but it isn't all that important.

The story is a decent enough reason to get players going on a world wide bomb hunt, and it all makes enough sense to sound plausible.

PRESENTATION
The game is a mixed bag when it comes to visuals. The landscapes all look quite fantastic, but when it comes to facial graphics, they look pretty half-assed. Luckily, the protagonists' faces aren't shown often, but when they are, they're cringeworthy.

Animations on the other hand look smooth and visceral, bringing home the point of these characters being the most well trained, awesome soldiers in the country.

The sound effects are really good too, with alot of the gunshots sounding almost as brilliant as Battlefield's. And on a final note, the particle effects look really good too, particularly in an early level where a dust storm hit's the Ghosts' operation.

GAMEPLAY
While the game is a mixed bag as far as story and presentaion go, the gameplay aspect is almost as good as 3rd person shooters get. The controls, for the most part work, and are well thought out. The use of two different zoom functions can be a little jarring at first, but having a 3rd person zoom, then a 1st person iron-sights zoom is surprisingly useful.

Along with the standard (but very well polished) cover-based combat, Ghost Recon hands the player some near future gadgets, and you feel like a mix between a soldier and friggin Batman. They're all quite cool and serve a purpose as well.

The gameplay never really strays far from the squad based tactical arena, but when it does, it just doesn't feel right. A lot of the game depends on having your squadmates, and that formula works.

And on that note, controlling your teammates works suprisingly well, and when you aren't controlling them they're actually quite competant. Score one for the NPC brigade!

REPLAYABILITY
The single player campaign features a co-op mode, and a number of different challenges to complete, ranging from weapon challenges to the ghost challenges (which are based on your accuracy, detection rating and your kill rate).
There is a multiplayer, but it's honestly not that stunning. Try it, but the singleplayer is at least enough to keep most players engaged.

OVERVIEW
Ok, so this game looks suprisingly bad in some areas, quite good in other areas, and the gameplay is slick and fun. Theres a decent amount of variety when different gadgets are employed, but when the game strays too far from the standard formula, it feels a touch too different.
Do I recommend this? Yes. Highly. It's a game where stealth actually seems to work for once, and the NPC Companions are capable during gameplay. For that alone, it's worth a look. But past this, it's a solid game. So yea, check it out.