KEVIN RIVAS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Rated M

With Heavy Rain, developer Quantic Dream defines a new genre within the well-established video game market. In an industry filled with first-person shooters, strategy games, racers, and MMORPGs, the PS3-exclusive takes on a new type of gameplay that can only be described as an intensely interactive drama. The developers are taking a risk with their storytelling-style engagement, but it’s definitely a risk worth taking.

Presentation & Storyline
Heavy Rain focuses heavily on its storytelling as the backbone to the game. The developers have brought a superb storyline that truly engages the player in all depths of the game. The game offers a truly unique experience for every player. Heavy Rain doesn’t follow just one story that is usually standard in games. The game takes pride in providing players with multiple experiences where no two are ever alike.

Without giving too much away, Heavy Rain revolves around solving the Origami Killer case through the perspectives of four key characters. The game is segmented into scenes involving these characters and their interactions based on the player’s decisions.

Heavy Rain plays out like a movie, where the ensemble cast gets to play out each of their parts in solving the mystery of a series of kidnappings and murders. Intense doesn’t begin to describe the action and drama that literally has the player on the edge of their seat.

The game isn’t without its flaws. For a game that relies heavily on storyline, Heavy Rain does have noticeably unusual moments of strange line delivery from the voice actors. However, this is rare and he game has some of the best voice acting heard in any game to date.

Another issue also lies in the spotty graphical presentation of the game. Certain objects are rendered right before the player on screen. The game also has an overall playtime of about eight hours or shorter, depending on the decisions made. Finally, the game starts off at a slow pace, but truly picks up and never lets the player go until the gratifying or displeasing conclusion (based on all the player’s decisions throughout the game).

Gameplay
With decision-making as the advancement mechanism within the game, Heavy Rain is most reminiscent of the classic game “Dragon’s Lair” mixed with “God of War”. Just like “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, the game offers a unique experience that varies from player to player.

What makes the gameplay stand out is that every decision made, whether big or small, causes a butterfly effect throughout the entire game. Many of these decisions are made with a clearly laid out control scheme. The control mechanic includes the player slowly moving the joystick, holding down a series of buttons, and button smashing. The player executes these movements in a well-timed manner in order to progress.

Progress is also unique to the gameplay. Not following the usual failure model of a “Game Over”, Heavy Rain plays from start to end. Regardless of whether a decision takes one of the characters out of the game, the storyline still continues. Considering the intensity of the many situations in the game, the player will find much use for the pause button to contemplate choices that will change the experience entirely.

Conclusion
Once is not enough to fully immerse yourself in the entirety of Heavy Rain’s world. Especially considering the usual eight-hour experience, Heavy Rain is worth playing multiple times in order to witness the more than twenty-two endings reported.

There are many concerns with players feeling that Heavy Rain may not be the game for them. It’s comes with a strong recommendation, though. Heavy Rain is not one to be missed by any movie lover who wishes to truly feel the influence of their decisions.

Frank Minichini
Staff Writer

I literally stayed up all night just waiting to download this from Direct2Drive.com, which by the way is offering a deal with this game for a limited time. If you purchase the game through Direct2Drive.com or Steam you get the original Bioshock for free. The moment I saw this deal, I whipped out my wallet and purchased the bundle pack and got my free copy of Bioshock. (The deal now offers a discounted rate, not free.)
Now, should you play Bioshock prior to playing this game? Most definitely, as I think 2K Games supported this deal through Steam and D2D to have players understand the true story of the Bioshock universe.

Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to the original game, however the most obvious aspect of the game is you are a Big Daddy Delta model, a human bound to an atmospheric diving suit. If you remember from the original game, you get to wear a Big Daddy suit and have to protect little sisters for a small portion near the end.
This time around you still must choose to either protect the little sisters or harvest them, but can protect them from the start. Believe it or not, as Big Daddy you still get to destroy other Big Daddies, as well as a new challenger, the Big Sister.
The Big Sister is annoying in my opinion as it makes a loud screeching sound as it appears before you. The Big Sister is just like the Big Daddy but a wee bit stronger. New splicers have also been introduced in Bioshock 2, most notably a hulking splicer similar to the “tank” from Left 4 Dead. Hacking has been simplified; instead of playing the “Pipe Dream” mini-game, you stop a needle on an odometer that moves back and forth and has to be stopped on a certain spot.
Also, the Big Daddy drill is by far the most awesome new weapon addition, that’s all I can say. Although there is the rivet gun and remote hack darts, they don’t even compare.

Story
The story revolves around a Big Daddy bound to protecting a little sister during Rapture’s prime. The little sister’s name is Eleanor Lamb; her mother, Sophia Lamb, is an evil scientist. She uses a special plasmid on you to make you obey her commands and she forces you to shoot yourself in the head so she can have her daughter back. Then flash forward ten years; you wake up in the same area confused. You pick up audio logs as you explore, and find out that Sophia Lamb has an evil scheme to turn Rapture into an alleged utopia, so you must go after Eleanor and save her.

Controls
Word to the wise, certain key binds have been changed, players may feel uncomfortable playing with the new key binds, they could be changed back to the original Bioshock settings manually though.
Sadly, as of now, I haven’t seen an option for the player to use an Xbox 360 controller, a patch may be available in the future. But hopefully the reader will agree, the best way to play an FPS is using the keyboard and mouse.

Graphics
I played the PC version (a great decision by the way), using an ATI Raedon HD 4890 video card, and needless to say, the graphics are awesome! After watching FMV intro and delving into the actual gameplay, you would think you are still watching the FMV intro. That’s how good it was, possibly better.

Soundtrack
The game’s soundtrack adds a pleasant, thrilling, and suspenseful theme to it, making you feel like you’re a part of Rapture. The best of it is displayed in the loading screens between stages; they play old music in the background as if it were the 1950’s or 40’s or 30’s.

Muliplayer Mode
Unlike the first game, this one has a multiplayer mode. An interesting aspect of this mode includes having a plain menu screen where you point and click to add upgrades and such. You are warped to a special multiplayer map where you are in your apartment, collecting upgrades and such before you depart to a match. I haven’t played far into this mode as I’m still upgrading my rank (I’m on rank 2 as I write this review). You can choose your own splicer, and the game matches are very similar to those of other multiplayer games. (i.e. Last one standing, free for all, capture the flag, tag, etc.)
You can set traps on vending machines so that if other players use it they explode. Turrets and other non-mobile enemies are present as well.

Finally
On the PC version of Bioshock 2, the DRM (Digital Rights Management) scheme has struck again as it forces the use of Games for Windows to keep track of your save games; you can’t save without it. Rumors over 2K forums claim that for users playing the  pirated version of this game, certain features will eventually be disabled making, the game virtually unplayable. I believe this as Batman Arkham Asylum had this feature put in with their DRM scheme.
So, should you buy it?
Yes, most definitely, 2K Games worked very hard on this title, and I think if you show your support by purchasing this game it will make a difference. Plus it is an excellent addition to the Bioshock universe.
8.5 out of 10 Little Sisters

After the release of the original Mass Effect, its sequel has been one of the most anticipated games of the year, and with good reason. Everything that made its predecessor great has survived in its action-packed successor. BioWare, the developer of Mass Effect 2, has once again surpassed every industry standard and probably set a few new ones as well. If you enjoyed the original, you will not be disappointed.

Once again you find yourself in the hardened military boots of Commander Shepard,  still in command of your impressive ship, the Normandy, and have been tasked with rooting out leftover Geth (sentient robots with a penchant for wanton destruction) from the original game. After you saved the entire galaxy from imminent destruction in Mass Effect 1, you would think Shepard would at least get a vacation, maybe a bonus, but I suppose being hero of the universe doesn’t come with many perks.

I am always impressed by the stunning visuals that game developers throw at you to induce a visual cortex orgasm. I was also quite happy when I saw that the graphics of ME2 made a seamless transition from its original counterpart. BioWare did such an amazing job the first time that any improvements they needed to make were subtle enough to make it feel like you were playing the same game. This is exactly what a sequel should be, and what most developers fail to accomplish.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the near impeccable voice acting. The original had voice acting of an unprecedented quality, and BioWare has only improved upon it. You run across a lot fewer situations where Shepard will simply leave an important conversation with a nonchalant “Cya guys later!” Every interaction feels real, and as always, you have total control over what your character says. I often find exactly what I wanted to say among the responses you can choose from. It’s rewarding when you feel like you are actively participating, rather than choosing a set of unclear, unemotional responses.

However, one of the major complaints about the first Mass Effect was the lack of intelligence displayed by your party members. Thankfully, it appears the AI for your companions has had an overhaul. Even early in the game you can execute some fairly precise combination attacks with your team. It is also much easier to direct your team to certain locations, or to attack certain targets than it used to be. It makes me want to keep my team alive, instead of leaving them to die in a back alley.

When BioWare announced that decisions you made in Mass Effect 1 could carry over to Mass Effect 2, it made me a little nervous. It seemed almost infeasible to create such an expansive tree of decisions and have it play any sort of integral part in the second game.

I’ll be honest with you, if you do not enjoy story-driven games, Mass Effect 2 is most likely not for you. It is a game that relies heavily on plot, using action and combat mostly to support the narrative. Likewise, if you thoroughly enjoyed the original game, Mass Effect 2 will be more than worth the money. With the newly created Cerberus Network, which has a similar feel to the Xbox Live Marketplace, you will never be desperate for new content. If you are looking for a game to get you through the tedium of weekends at NJIT, then you must buy this game.

Andrew Harrison can be reached at ah56@njit.edu

In what is the latest release for Call of Duty series developer Infinity Ward, Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) is a great achievement that improves on the already stellar aspects of the first Modern Warfare. The first direct sequel in a series that previously only dealt with discontinuous stories on the frontlines in WWII, MW2 continues the setting of modern and authentic warfare, and is every bit as compelling as the original.

There are 3 different modes in the game: the Single-player storyline, Spec Op missions, and multiplayer. The storyline continues 5 years after the events of Modern Warfare 1, circa 2016. Despite the U.S. and U.K.’s victory over Russian Ultranationalist leader Imran Zakhaev in the Second Russian Civil War, the war culminates with ultranationalist forces taking over the Russian Federation.

Tensions are at an all-time high and as U.S. General Shepard bluntly puts it “…today frontlines are history…The war rages everywhere…” Things take a turn for the worse when Vladimir Makarov, who was one of Zakhaev’s top lieutenants, stages a bloody false flag attack on Russia, leading to all out war.

Players command 4 different players throughout the story, from locations like Afghanistan, to Washington D.C., and must battle to repel the forces of Russia, Makarov, and more.

Despite the single player’s relatively short length, it is a very fun and solid experience that hits all the important points of FPS campaign modes. The action is fast, the script is intense, and the different missions have plenty of variety. The story carries enough of a unique blend of authenticity and show stopping moments to be better than your average FPS story.

If you don’t find storytelling to be your thing, the completely new Special Op mode provides 23 one-of-a-kind challenging missions to complete. Whether you are holding off dozens of enemy foot soldiers with a Predator drone, racing through mountains in Kazakhstan on a snow mobile, sneaking through the radioactive wasteland near Chernobyl, destroying all cars on a bridge, or eliminating 10 heavily armored Juggernauts using just explosives and a knife, there is no shortage of excitement to be found.

The only problem is that there are not more of them, but achieving all 69 stars in this mode will take plenty of time, and you are always encouraged to reduce your completion time for each mission. Co-op is available both online and in person for Special Ops, which not only makes some of the missions easier, but adds the of fun that comes with playing with another person.

Finally, there is MW 2’s multiplayer. Considered to be one of the centerpieces of the first Modern Warfare, the multiplayer here continues the excellent tradition of bringing variety, competitiveness, and depth into the picture, while still being a blast to play.

The different multiplayer modes combine a variety of team and individual deathmatchs, and objective based games. Like MW1, there is a system of perks, experience, and levels where new classes, weapons, and abilities can be unlocked. Although there have been accusations of balancing issues as well as some outrageous glitches and exploits, this reviewer has found no significant problems while playing online. Overall, while the experience is not highly differentiated from MW1, the new features, weapons, and maps make it all more than worth it.

While no major innovation or ground is broken in Modern Warfare 2, and some might consider it a bit too similar to the first game, it remains an excellent FPS with enough value and memorable moments. It is well worth playing for fans of the Call of Duty series and of FPS’s in general.

All 3 game modes deliver very well, and there is enough value present to keep gamers busy for a long time, at least until Treyarch releases its Vietnam Call of Duty game in November this year.

9.5 out of 10