Rating: 7.5 Out of 10

May Contain Spoilers

Resident Evil 5’s 2nd DLC titled Desperate Escape has been released and since I got the first one, I figure I might as well get the second one. The DLC is 5 dollars and shows the events that transpired after Chris and Sheva saved Jill, how she managed to meet with Josh Stone, and how they grabbed a chopper to rescue you. A new area will be open to you when you meet up, the harbor at which the boat was docked. You will travel through this harbor that ends up being like a mini fortress full of old foes that you will encounter. Chainsaws, Axes, Snipers, Gatling Guns for everyone! There will a lot of enemies to kill in this DLC that feel like they just keep coming no matter what you do. It adds some more of the helpless feeling making your escape…well, desperate. Depending on the difficulty, it can take around 1 to 2 hours to complete.

You will be getting some new achievements with this DLC as well as some new characters for Mercenaries: Reunion. You will receive Rebecca Chambers and Josh Stone for free. The reunion mode is the same as the original mode but with different characters. You can also now buy Heavy Warrior Chris and Business Sheva character pack if you would like. Each with their own moves and weapons, but the same maps still apply.

Overall, I like this DLC more so than the Lost in Nightmares. I feel like this action packed sequence brings back the Resident Evil 4 days a bit. You don’t need Lost in Nightmares to play this one so you can buy them in any order. If you like Resident Evil 5 though, chances are you will want both. I recommend this one over Lost in Nightmares.

Pros:

+ New Achievements and Cheap

+ New Area, New Characters / Mode

+ Gives you a helpless feeling

Cons:

- Short

- You can’t save

Extras:

# Resident Evil 5 Cheat Codes

# Resident Evil 5 Trophies

# Resident Evil 5 Review

# Resident Evil 5 DLC: Lost in Nightmares Review

Rating: 9 Out of 10

BioShock 2 has reached the surface and I finally got a chance to check it out. This game has you in control of the a Prototype Big Daddy that expands upon the world of Rapture. Sofia Lamb is now in control of the underwater city, creating the Rapture family and teaching a new set of morals that Ryan was against. You were linked with one Little Sister named Eleanor which for one reason or another sit well with Sofia. Now 10 years later from that event, you are awake into the known Rapture that you have come to know and love. The game has expanded on its moral quandaries with improved combat mechanics. The game also has a great atmosphere and is really creepy. Lastly, there is a new multiplayer mode that is a prologue to the events that made Rapture erupt in a civil war between Atlas and Ryan. There were some problems though as the story was not as good as BioShock 1 and it all seems a bit too familiar for old fans of the series. Overall though, this a fun game and a great sequel. Granted it may be not as good as the original, it still expands into the Rapture universe and immerses you into the underwater world that you have come to enjoy. If you liked the first game, you should try out the second.

Pros:

+ Expanded set of moral quandaries

+ Story expands upon the world of Rapture

+ Fantastically atmospheric and creepy

+ Improved combat mechanics

+ Fun and engaging multiplayer

Cons:

- Less memorable story than BioShock

- A bit too familiar for fans of its precursor

Extras:

# BioShock 2 Cheat Codes

# BioShock 2 Achievements

Rating: 7.5 Out of 10

May Contain Spoilers

The 2nd piece of DLC for Assassin’s Creed II titled Bonfire of the Vanities is now out. This fills in the last missing chapter in the Assassin’s Creed II story, Chapter 13. Again, the DLC will load automatically once you load into your game. It will start right where the previous one ended. Savonarola has the Apple and now controls all of Florence. It is up to Ezio to stop the madness he is causing and to recover the Apple before it is too late.

The DLC has 10 missions where as the last one only had 6. You also get a new district in Florence to explore and get viewpoints for and a new spring jump ability. The DLC is also very cheap. However, the 10 missions are very repetitive as all you do is go to each location and assassinate one of Savonarola’s lieutenants until they are all eliminated, assassinate Savonarola, retrieve the Apple, the end. Although there are more missions in this DLC, it still feels short. Overall though, if you want to get that last piece of the story, then I recommend you get it.

Pros:

+ New Spring Jump Ability

+ New District in Florence

+ Cheap

+ Fills in last missing piece of story

Cons:

- Short

- Repetitive

- No Achievements

Extras:

# Assassin’s Creed II Cheat Codes

# Assassin’s Creed II Achievements

# Assassin’s Creed II Review

# Assassin’s Creed II DLC: Battle of Forli Review

Rating: 9 Out of 10

Heavy Rain is probably one of the most unique games for the PS3 as it is an interactive drama. You play as 4 characters trying to track down the identity of the Origami Killer, a mass murderer who kidnaps little boys, drowns them in rain water, and leaves a piece of origami in their hands. This game plays out like a movie in which most of the actions are controlled by you; you determine the end game. The story is a very engaging one that you will not want to put down until you solve the mystery. I will tell you right now that the introduction / first few levels will make you feel bad for Ethan Mars, one of the characters you play as. It reminded me of the first few minutes of the movie Up. The controls for the game have you walk around and then perform various action commands in a cinematic feel that convey drama and tension. The visual representation of the environments and people are amazing and the audio is very compelling and draws you into these characters. However, there are some tech issues like a very off chance of skipping, audio cutting out, etc. Also I think the movement controls could have been improved. I do not think you had to press R2 to walk everywhere. Overall, this is a very immerse, unique experience for the Playstation 3 and I recommend it for everyone. You will not be disappointed.

Pros:

+ Powerful and emotionally engaging narrative

+ Story continually adapts to your actions

+ Unique controls convey drama and tension

+ Highly detailed characters and environments

+ Stirring soundtrack

Cons:

- Technical issues break immersion

- Poor movement controls

Extras:

# Heavy Rain Cheat Codes

# Heavy Rain Trophies

Rating: 8.5 Out of 10

May Contain Spoilers

The 3rd DLC has been released for Borderlands titled The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. You enter the new area via the fast transport to T-Bone Junction. This is where you will start your new adventure where you will run into Moxxi from the Underdome, Scooter, Marcus Kincaid, and the new friend Athena. You have been put on the wanted list by Atlas, Athena has as well. She proposes a deal to take down Atlas’ main vault at Fort Knoxx, and you accept. This DLC is more open than previous areas in Borderlands where there are main highways and barren wastelands. You will traverse these highways to a dry lakebed, a prison, an armory, and the redlight district. You will go through main and optional missions facing mechs, jetpack mercenaries, sentries, and ninjas to reach your overall goal of a person who hates his job, General Knoxx.

The DLC adds a lot of new stuff to the table. First off, the level cap is raised from Level 50 to 61. Next, there is a new vehicle titled Monster that you can run around in. Then, not only is there a new area, but brand new enemies to destroy. If that wasn’t enough, there is even more weapons and items to collect. I am pretty sure everything in this DLC is new. Oh ya, did I mention new achievements? Anyways, this is a very solid DLC that adds a lot of game time to the series and a lot of funny dialogue. Scooter and Moxxi get some more air time and let me just say that I had no idea that they were related. Or that Shank was Moxxi’s second husband she mentioned previously.

The only complaints I had with the DLC is the fact that you have to drive a lot in this DLC. To me, this is a big problem as I felt that I was driving more than I was shooting. Also the whole prison jump thing ended up being a pain for me as I either wasn’t high enough, or caught an edge that made me do it all over again. You will also feel that you are doing a lot of backtracking as the map is really all in a big circle. Overall though, this is a great DLC and anything that has new everything and a raised level cap is always worth it.

Pros:

+ Raised Level Cap to 61

+ New Content everywhere

+ Funny dialogue

Cons:

- Why must I drive everywhere!?

- Backtracking…not fun

- Loot Midgets…scare me

Extras:

# Borderlands Cheat Codes

# Borderlands Achievements

# Borderlands Review

# Borderlands DLC: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned Review

# Borderlands DLC: Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot Review

Rating: 6.5 Out of 10

May Contain Spoilers

So Resident Evil 5 finally gets some DLC but is it worth it? The answer is truly up to you, because I am not sure yet. This DLC is 5 dollars and recaps the flashback of Jill and Chris going into Spencer’s Mansion to obtain intel about Wesker. The mansion has a very big resemblance to the mansion in Raccoon City. This is trying to take the game back to where it started, showing first person when going through doors and similar areas to represent a nostalgia of the past. You start out in the lobby, you solve a few puzzles, get a few passwords, and move on to the prison in the lower level. A new evil lurks within this prison…but he will be the only enemy you will ever face in this DLC. There will be more than one of them…but that is the only one. (Besides the guys laying on the floor that jump up at you to halt your progress. They don’t count though.) So you eventually go through all the areas around the mansion until you end up in the study where you face Wesker for a bit. Lastly ending with the daring rescue of Jill jumping out the window with Wesker to save Chris. Overall, it will take you 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete this.

Besides the new enemy, environment, and expansion on the RE5 story, you get some new achievements, and the mercenaries reunion mode. The reunion mode is the same as the original mode but with different characters. There is a costume pack out right now that gets you Fairy Tale Sheva and Warrior Chris, but since you buy Lost in Nightmares, they give you Excella and Barry Burton. Each with their own moves and weapons, but the same maps still apply.

Overall, I like the idea of expanding the areas, but for something that is 5 dollars, it is very short, very easy, and I am not sure if it is worth it yet. Maybe Desperate Escape will prove differently.

Pros:

+ New Achievements, New Mercenaries Mode, New Area, New Enemy

+ Expansion on RE5 Story

+ Cheap

Cons:

- Easy

- Short

- You can’t save?

Extras:

# Resident Evil 5 Cheat Codes

# Resident Evil 5 Trophies

# Resident Evil 5 Review

# Resident Evil 5 DLC: Desperate Escape Review

Resident Evil 5 DLC:

The first DLC episode for Resident Evil 5, Lost in Nightmares, is now available on the marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points. With it comes five new achievements for an extra 100 gamerscore. Do bear in mind, this content will be available in the “Gold” edition of the game out March 9th in the US and the 12th in Europe. It will be coupled with the full original game and all of the DLC, including the second episode, Desperate Escape, which is due on the marketplace March 3rd.

Also available: a new costume pack featuring Chris’ Heavy Metal getup and Sheeva’s Business attire for 160 MSP, the full title on Games on Demand for $29.99, and a free addition of new figurines to your collection of characters like Barry and Rebecca.

Assassin’s Creed II DLC:

Bonfire of the Vanities sees Ezio return to Florence, to meet up with Machiavelli who tells you that the mad monk has used the apple to seize control of nine influential citizens, who you’ll presumably have to stab in the eyes with your concealed daggers.

As well as Bonfire of the Vanities touching down tomorrow, Ubi just tweeted that you’ll also be able to get your hands on “3 Templar Secret Locations.“

The three locations coming tomorrow are: Pallazo Medici, Santa Maria del Frari and Arsenal Shipyard. (These were the codes that came with the game depending on whether you bought the collector’s edition or you bought it from a Best Buy vs. a Gamestop)

Whilst Bonfire of Vanities can be purchased alone for 320 Microsoft points, these three locations can be added to the package for an extra 200 points.

No word on what they are or whether you can buy them separately, just know there’s more DLC coming tomorrow.

Rating: 7 Out of 10

May Contain Spoilers

The Battle of Forli is the first DLC for Assassin’s Creed II. This DLC is specifically Memory 12 of the fragmented memories that you could not obtain from before. The DLC starts as soon as you load your game. You will be taken to the loading screen where your friends piece together the fragmented data. Ezio and the gang take a look at the Apple and discuss how it must not fall into the wrong hands. They believe that Forli is the best stronghold for that. When they arrive in Forli you are reintroduced to Caterina Sforza who is now in charge of Forli after having her husband killed. However, the city has been taken siege by the same assassins that helped Caterina; these are the Orsi Brothers. Your job is to retake Forli, eliminate the brothers, and keep the Apple protected.

You start out infiltrating the castle and then slowly working your way to the palace where Caterina’s family is. You must protect her and Machiavelli all the way to the palace and then help them retake the palace without them dying. Luckily there health bars regenerate after each cinematic. After the palace is taken Caterina realizes that 2 of her children are taken. You must rescue them from the Orsi Brothers and kill them. In the end it will lead up to the next DLC.

The DLC adds some new story elements that help the story along and the DLC is only 320 MSP. However, the DLC is very short, only giving you an hour of gameplay and there are no new achievements for the DLC. Lastly, they put the flying machine in Forli…no whether that is a good thing or bad thing, is something I will leave up to you.

Pros:

+ Adds some story that helps fill the void

+ Flying Machine in Forli

+ Cheap

Cons:

- No Achievements

- Very Short

- Flying Machine in Forli

Extras:

# Assassin’s Creed II Cheat Codes

# Assassin’s Creed II Achievements

# Assassin’s Creed II Review

# Assassin’s Creed II DLC: Bonfire of the Vanities Review

Rating: 9.5 Out of 10

Mass Effect 2 has arrived and let me be clear that it is everything that you want for a Mass Effect sequel plus more. The introduction sequence alone is totally worth it and draws you in. The game has excellent dialogue and voice action from a list of very popular actors and actresses. The art design and graphics are also to be applauded for very life like aliens that can leave you in awe. They have rid themselves of the inventory system and the bland level designs. You now gather research equipment that improves your weapons and skills and the levels are all designed differently. The leveling system has also been modified to support an easier action packed experience that has a max level of 30 instead of 60. Lastly, the shoot and cover system has also been improved as well as the UI to provide an easier experience. Everything has been improved no matter what the situation is. However, the only problem I really had with this game is the scanning of planets. You scan the planets for the material to upgrade weapons, shields, armor, etc, but the only problem with that is that it is super slow and the planets have big areas to cover. Overall, if you liked the first Mass Effect and you are just interested in a third person shooter then I highly recommend you play this game. It is 2 discs and will guarantee you a lot of play time.

Pros:

+ Great cast of interesting and diverse characters

+ Excellent dialogue and voice acting

+ Fantastic art design with a strong sense of identity

+ Solid shooting mechanics make for exciting encounters

+ Level design makes every mission feel fresh

Cons:

- Scanning planets can get tedious

Extras:

# Mass Effect 2 Cheat Codes

# Mass Effect 2 Achievements

Importing Characters from Mass Effect 1:

Bioware has made it easy for you to transfer your character to Mass Effect 2. When you start a new game, there will an option to import a Mass Effect 1 character. The character save file is when you beat the Mass Effect 1 game but is hidden from your hard drive so even if you deleted your save file, it is still located there. You will see the characters listed in which you beat the game and the main statistics of that character.

If you continue further, you will see the pivotal moments of the game and the decisions you made for them. Did you save the council? Who did you pick as an ambassador? Did Wrex surive Virmire? Who sacrificed themselves on Virmire? Not only that, but the side quest characters also reprise their roles and the decisions you made. Ada Wong the reporter? How about the other reporter that made you look bad? Another cool aspect is the love interests where you the person you affiliated with is still around, will you stay loyal to your love interest or move on to Jacob / Miranda?

You also get some bonuses for importing a level 60 character. You will get money, raised to level 5, money, materials, as well as some Paragon / Renegade boosts. You can change your appearance, your class, everything but whether your male or female.

Rating: 7 Out of 10

May Contain Spoilers

Mothership Zeta is the final piece of DLC for Fallout 3. You start this DLC off like all of the others, you get a radio transmission. The transmission states that you have to investigate a crashed alien ship. When you reach the ship, a beam of light takes you and the next thing you know, you are on an operating table in an alien vessel. You awake in a jail cell with a cellmate that helps plan an escape with you. You later free more humans on the ship and form a resistance. Your objectives are really straight forward and that is to disable key components of the alien ship and to take command of it to get back home.

This DLC has an interesting new environment to explore with some cool new guns, perks, and achievements to go with it. Also it is very fun to watch the alien heads splatter. However, this DLC focuses on Fallout’s shooting like Operation Anchorage did, contains poor storytelling, and lastly has lame mission objectives. An example being is go to the cryo lab, blow up the reactor. Next, go to the hangar, blow up the reactor, etc. I want to say the only interesting aspect was at the end where you control the alien ship’s laser to attack another alien ship. Overall, this will help you get to 30 but it is just a little better than Operation Anchorage was.

Pros:

+ Interesting new environment to explore

+ Blowing up aliens’ heads looks great

+ Some cool new guns to play with

Cons:

- Focuses on Fallout 3’s awkward shooting

- Boring mission objectives

- Poor storytelling

Extras:

# Fallout 3 Cheat Codes

# Fallout 3 Achievements

# Fallout 3 Review

# Fallout 3 DLC: Operation Anchorage Review

# Fallout 3 DLC: The Pitt Review

# Fallout 3 DLC: Broken Steel Review

# Fallout 3 DLC: Point Lookout Review