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InFamous 2
Game Reviews

InFamous 2 Review

Gary Smith5 Comments

The end of Sucker Punch's 2009 smash hit InFamous let everyone know that a sequel was coming because when the first one was over, you knew that everything you as Cole had just went through was in preparation for a much larger battle to come: a battle against the Beast. You don't have to wait long to battle the Beast either, as you'll fight him during the first few minutes of the game. Cole, even with his powers, is still not strong enough to take down the monster and flees with Zeke and new pal…

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Tom Clancys HAWX
Game Reviews

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. Review

Gary Smith1 Comment

Hello all and welcome to another edition of The Backlog.  Tonight I will be talking about Tom Clancy’s journey into the world aerial combat. Our story begins as United States Air Force pilot Captain Scott Mitchell in 2014.  You and your High Altitude Warfare Xperimental squadron are sent to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to provide air support for “Ghost” team(ie. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2) in the city.  The Air Force soon decides to end the program, and Mitchell and his pilot…

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Ken Griffery Jr Baseball
Game Reviews

Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. Review

Gary Smith2 Comments

Released in 1998, this is the only sports game (other than NCAA Football 2006) that has ever truly kept me coming back for more. How much more? Well, I played a full season every year until 2010...  twelve years.  So the answer to the question is, A LOT more. This incarnation of Griffey baseball wasn't as wacky as the SNES games that carried his name, but the gameplay was as good as ever and it featured real baseball players and not simply made up guys. It featured a level of realism and ease of…

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BioShock
Game Reviews

Bioshock Review

Gary Smith3 Comments

Hello and welcome back for another edition of The Backlog.  Tonight we’ll be taking a look at the first Bioshock.  So without any further adieu… Our story begins as Jack aboard a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean.  The plane suddenly begins a rapid descent and crashes into the water(and right in the middle of a good cigar, damnit).  Naturally, you are the only survivor and must swim to the nearby lighthouse.  Inside the lighthouse, we ride a bathysphere down to the underwater city of Rapture…

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Mass Effect 2
Game Reviews

Mass Effect 2 Review

Gary Smith5 Comments

When the first Mass Effect game came out I had neither a PC that could handle it nor an Xbox 360, and so I missed out on it. When this one, Mass Effect 2, came out I still had neither a PC that could handle it nor an Xbox 360, and so I assumed that once again I'd miss out on it. But as luck would have it, Mass Effect 2 arrived on Playstation 3 almost one full year later on January 18, 2011. After playing through the demo that was released on PSN, I immediately pre-ordered the game. Finally…

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Undead Nightmare
Game Reviews

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Review

Gary Smith5 Comments

Undead Nightmare really is something special. Priced at $10, or 800 Microsoft Points, on PSN and Xbox LIVE, it's the kind of DLC that even the most anti-DLC person can get behind. It features additional multiplayer modes, but even more importantly a stand-alone single player campaign that will last you roughly six to eight hours depending on your play style. It's so well done and so well polished, that Rockstar released it as a retail game packed with the other DLC content for Red Dead…

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LA Noire
Game Reviews

L.A. Noire Review

Gary Smith11 Comments

This review may contain spoilers. This is going to be a hard review to write, especially with trying not to include spoilers (the warning is there for a reason though). If you read my quick thoughts on the game after spending a few hours with it Tuesday, then you know what I initially thought of the game. I loved it; it was fresh and different, and the world was beautiful. Now that I've finished the main story, I'm not exactly feeling the same way. Exploring 1947 Los Angeles is still an absolute…

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Enslaved
Game Reviews

Enslaved – Odyssey To The West Review

Gary Smith5 Comments

Enslaved is a rarity in this day and age. It's a new IP, it completely leaves out any form of multiplayer, and it's strictly a linear experience. This all results in one of the best single player games out there thanks to a masterfully crafted story, beautiful cinematics and atmosphere, some really exciting sequences of gameplay, and some well developed combat. You play as Monkey, and you have a sidekick whose abilities you can control named Trip. In the beginning, it seems like it is going to…

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Mass Effect
Game Reviews

Mass Effect Review

Gary Smith3 Comments

What can I say about Mass Effect?  For those that haven’t played it before, it is one of the best gaming experiences you can have.  For those that have played it, it’s still one of the best gaming experiences you can have. Our journey begins as Commander Shephard, or your own custom made character if you choose to go that route, and the crew of the Normandy being sent to Eden Prime to assist in securing and recovering an artifact of an ancient, extinct alien race, the Protheans.  As you can…

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Portal 2
Game Reviews

Portal 2 Review

Gary Smith2 Comments

Reviewer's Note: I am reviewing the Playstation 3 version of the game, which I got after the attack on the Playstation Network. As such, I have been unable to link the game to my Steam account or connect to PSN to play the online co-op. Therefore, this review does not factor any of the Steam features or the online play. This review is purely based on the single player campaign.  Once PSN service is restored and I spend enough time testing the online features, I may revise and update the review…

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InFamous
Game Reviews

InFamous Review

Gary Smith11 Comments

I'm not a comic book fan and don't particularly care for superhero stuff at all. Despite hearing great things about InFamous, it never really appealed to me as something I'd want to buy. When I finally got a Playstation 3, it came bundled with two games: Killzone 2 and InFamous. In addition to those two games, I also got plenty of other PS3 games at the same time. I played InFamous very little; I tried it out and was routinely getting killed without even seeing where the enemies were at. It was…

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The Saboteur
Game Reviews

The Saboteur Review

Gary Smith1 Comment

The Saboteur is a World War 2 game, yet one that isn't boring and worn out. Instead of being a first person shooter reliving the same battles again and again, Saboteur is a third person shooter taking place in Nazi occupied Paris, France. Instead of being a member of one of the Allied military's, you play as a mechanic turned race car driver named Sean Devlin, who joins the resistance against the Nazi's for reasons motivated by revenge. During the course of exacting your revenge against the evil…

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Lair Review
Game Reviews

Lair Review

PatriotPaine

Lair has an interesting story and some fun moments, but frustrating motion controls and uneven mission design keep it from taking flight. Two out of five stars.

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Game Reviews

Mafia II Review

Gary Smith3 Comments

Mafia II has a great story and impressive attention to detail, but a hollow open world, weak melee, and PS3 freezing issues keep it from being more. Three out of five.

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Killzone 2 Review
Game Reviews

Killzone 2 Review

Gary Smith1 Comment

Killzone 2 is one of the PS3's best exclusives — a brutal campaign, impressive visuals, and multiplayer that means business. Here's our review.

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Game Reviews

Red Dead Redemption Review

Gary Smith3 Comments

Red Dead Redemption is the best open-world game ever made. Here's why it's still a five out of five exalted masterpiece more than a decade later.

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Game Reviews

Just Cause 2 Review

Gary Smith2 Comments

Just Cause 2 has a terrible story and a lifeless world, but none of that matters when blowing stuff up is this much fun. Here's our PS3 review.

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Frogger Returns Review
Game Reviews

Frogger Returns Review

Gary Smith2 Comments

Frogger Returns is a $5 Wii download that delivers exactly what it promises — classic Frogger gameplay at the right price. Here's our full review.

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WWE All Stars Review
Game Reviews

WWE All Stars Review

Gary Smith1 Comment

THQ's arcade-style WWE All Stars is the best wrestling game since WWF No Mercy, with a loaded roster, tight controls, and online play that actually works.

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