Thank you for your loyalty, support, and participation in the GamePro.com community. At noon on December 5, 2011, the U.S. version of GamePro online will shut down as an independent site. GamePro will become part of PCWorld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/gamepro) offering gaming news, reviews, and how-tos from the PCWorld team. Thank you to the entire GamePro staff for their hard work and dedication.

GamePro’s probably best known for the colorful pseudonyms its writers used and the cartoon-face icons that accompanied game reviews. The magazine helped established the voice of video game culture, giving players a place to read about the individuals and creative process that remained mysteries even as the games industry rose to pop culture prominence. Many talented critics and journalists have contributed to GamePro’s pages through the years and its death silences a significant outlet for those of us who care about video games and how they’re thought about.

World of Warcraft has been perched high atop the massively-multiplayer throne for seven years now, but is about to get its first serious dose of competition when the Electronic Arts-published Star Wars: The Old Republic launches. While it’s not really a shock to learn that some folks have already indicated that they’ll be leaving Azeroth for a galaxy far, far away, a new survey indicates that WoW could shed anywhere between 900,000 and 1.6M players when the lightsabers start swinging.

According to Develop, a survey of nearly 400 online WoW customers indicated about 50% of them planned to purchase The Old Republic. In light of those results, Lazard Capital Markets downgraded Activision Blizzard’s stock from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral.’

However, it’s worth noting that the very same survey indicated that 33% of WoW players said they’d re-subscribe to the game upon the release of the upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion. People love pandas.

The stock rating downgrade also follows the news that Wow’s subscriber base is down about 800,000 users in recent months, as well as news that majority shareholder Vivendi “shed thirty million of its shares in Activision Blizzard, reducing its stake to 60 per cent,” last week.

All this aside, World of WarCraft still has more than 10 million current subscribers.

Source: Shack News 

A once recognizable mascot for a thriving company, it appeared that Sonic was everywhere at one time. However, when Sega fell apart in the early 2000s it was hard to bring back Sonic into the limelight with a slue of disappointing releases. His games have been hit or miss since his redesign and haven’t brought back the feeling of what the blue hedgehog was all about. Sonic Generations is now trying together bridge the old with the new and the result is a game that finally brings us the speed and character of an old friend.

You may have noticed these days that the recent Sonic games have come with the most ridiculous plots and Generations takes this to a whole new level but with some charm and humor. Two generations of Sonic’s are pulled together thanks to the will of an unknown evil force causing a dimensional void threatening the fabric of space and time. Rather then build a central Hub with automatic level increases and straightforward plot devices, Sonic Generations gives you a world, with no shortage in fan service, with plenty of side attractions along the way. While you still have to advance in a linear fashion the story does give you an opportunity for variety allowing you to break off from the main objectives. You may find yourself feeling nostalgic for old time Sonic fans, like myself, as all of the 9 zones are based on levels from previous games and broken into two acts.

The first act is tailored after the classic 2D Sonic games and the second act plays off the more modern style in the 3D view. Before you move forward it should also be noted that you’d be able to switch between the old classic Sonic and the new modern Sonic at the press of a button. What’s fun about this experience is seeing how a classic map like Green Hill Zone looks in this modern age and vice versa in its 2D form. While the game leaves more to be desired, unfortunately you’ll have to shell out a few more dollars for the upcoming DLC for more zones. As you progress through the main stage, challenge rooms unlock that are set within existing zones and put your skills to the test in a variety of ways from buzzer beaters, to medal hunting and more. While it is mandatory to complete a couple of these challenges to progress, if you don’t like a certain challenge you can simply pick a different one.

The game should take you no longer then 5 or 6 hours in one sitting, but if you venture off to complete everything you can bet you’ll double that play time. There are two additional online modes; one is 30-second trial, which challenges players to see how fast you can complete a level in 30 seconds. The second mode is Ranging Attack, which challenges you to gain the best score and time on each level. Both modes support online leaderboards as well to track your online progress. I found myself enjoying the 30-second trial, as it gave you a chance to test your skill and add more to the replayability factor.

Some of the problems that have plagued recent Sonic releases were uninspired level design and unresponsive controls. Sonic Generations manages to address these issues by combining the nostalgic feel of the previous Sonic games and merging them into the modern age and they look beautiful. What we are presented with are levels that fill you with a sense of speed and minimal headaches. Of course, it’s not perfect; there are still instances of cheap deaths and overall frustrating challenges.  But what’s here is a positive experience and doesn’t take away from enjoying the speed of the blue hedgehog. While the modern stages are aesthetically pleasing, it’s the classic stages that steal the show. The physics feel just right and Sonic feels just as he did back in the Genesis days. While it’s great that the speed is improved, sometimes it causes problems that you’re moving to fast through the level. At some points I noticed that you could easily find yourself trapped in corners if you use up the boost meter. Finally what you may find yourself having a problem with is switching between retro and modern Sonic as in the boss fights you’ll find it’s harder to take advantage of the controls. However, what you’re left with in the grand scheme of things is simple controls that you can easily enjoy and tag along for the ride, which is all you can ask for.

Bottom Line: It appears that Sega has finally learned from its mistakes and has created a true Sonic game that everyone can enjoy. The game hits home on many levels from the nostalgic days to the modern age to introduce new fans to the blue hedgehog. While it’s on the short side, the essential fundamentals are here and it’s a game where fun can be had on a rainy afternoon and that’s all you can really ask for.

I’ve already posted about why the video games industry should do away with review scores and now I’m here to talk about why we should keep them. The industry as a whole has always been about providing gamers the best game possible on the platform of their choice. In this generation and economy we find ourselves giving a more critical eye to games then ever before. Games have increased in retail prices at $60 a pop and have bigger budgets then anyone would ever imagine 20 years ago. They are also turning into a more cinematic age and we find ourselves turning to our media and so called “games journalist” to sit back, play the game and rate the game to see if it is worth our hard earned money. If we got rid of review scores all together, the industry probably wouldn’t know what to do with itself if all there was is a wall of text as a review.

What we see is only a handful of sites (including yours truly) that do not use review scores. We all believe that the current ratings scale is hurting the industry and the industry places too much emphasis on the individual scores from each outlet. However, how can the video games industry benefit from the use of a review score? Video games can certainly benefit from using the entirety of the review scale. These days it looks like review scores aren’t going below a 6.0/10. If publications were to consistently use their grading scale, and the entire scale mind you, there wouldn’t be so much controversy or backlash among Internet folks. Nothing hits this point home then when Gamespot awards a 7.5 to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Although no matter how you slice it, there will always be someone waiting to complain or dissect why your review sucks and why your score should be higher or lower. It shouldn’t deter you from moving on to the next to review and experience more that the video games industry has to offer. “There is something for everyone” as the saying goes.

Grading a game should not feel like hard work. If you build a proper case and present your facts and findings in a professional manner, the score should reflect that. Review scores can work on paper. You don’t have to eliminate them completely to prove a point, otherwise as a publication you’ll find yourself trying to gain success in readership and only one blog has shown to be successful at that is that of Kotaku. While some readers will be lazy and simply scroll over your review just to read the score, they’ll at least still be taking into consideration the points and issues you raise to back up your score. They may not agree with it, but you are making your case and can argue their points if they find something they disagree with. When you have smaller blogs such as ours, it becomes imperative to gain any sort of advantage you can in the industry to make your voice heard and recognized.

In order to gain success you will have to conform to what’s been in place since the video games industry has exploded. This can be achieved in many ways whether its by being different and grading your reviews on a harsher scale or modifying what’s already there and making it your own to stand out. You could add in a “pros” and “cons” section to add into your review thus lessening the impact of what would just be a score. You shouldn’t just remove review scores all together; because then you make it harder on writers to make their case if all you have is a summary at the end of your review as well as making public relations companies confused. Having a score makes it easier for PR companies to present this to publishers and developers alike, so they will be in contact with you more frequently. If you’re looking to gain trust and consistent contact, using scores may be the only way you could do that if you’re a rising blog looking to make it or break it especially on the Internet where everyone thinks their a critic. In essence, you could use the 1 – 10 rating scale in a variety of ways. You could add in a description and do away with the point increments, and just keep a whole value.

Point increments just simply make things a bit to complicated since you’ll have your review judged just as harshly. Assigning whole values makes things easier for everyone and makes the discussion afterwards more interesting. Clinging to an idea thinking it will catch will most likely not be effective in the long run. If you open yourself up to what’s there and make it your own, you can get your message across and find yourself having more success.  You don’t have to change overnight, but if you work at it you can be successful. Review scores can be used as a starting point for any up and coming publication to make it their own and allow your fellow staff to feel comfortable where they are writing and enjoy their work without shooting themselves in the foot by sticking to one end all be all philosophy.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are at it again. Yes. Again. Are they ever happy?

On Monday, the controversial organization issued a press release attacking iconic Nintendo mascot Mario for wearing a ‘Tanooki’ suit in his latest adventure, the Nintendo 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land, which hit shelves on Sunday.

“Tanooki may be just a “suit” in Mario games, but by wearing the skin of an animal, Mario is sending the message that it’s OK to wear fur,” PETA says.

The raccoon-like suit, which grants Mario the ability to glide across the screen, has been a part of the franchise since first appearing as a power-up in 1988′s Super Mario Bros. 3.  In the new game, Mario acquires the suit not by doing something lousy to a Tanooki, but by snagging a Super Leaf. PETA firmly believes this encourages animal abuse (somehow).

“Tanukis are real-life raccoon dogs who are beaten and, as PETA’s undercover exposés show, often skinned alive for their fur,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “This winter, everyone can give raccoon dogs and other fabulous animals a 1-UP by keeping our wardrobes fur-free.”

To help prove their point, PETA has even commissioned a crude parody video game called ”Super Tanooki Skin 2D” in which players try to re-capture their skin from a flying Mario (Warning: Kind of disturbing, and totally not fun.)

It’s just the latest in a long line of PETA game complaints. In 2008 they went after Cooking Mama for not being a vegetarian, while just last year they parodied challenging downloadable platform hit Super Meat Boy for starring a piece of raw meat.

Nintendo has yet to comment, though we’re pretty sure it will sound like a lot of face-palming.

Many media outlets from blogs to professional outlets have some sort of rating scale for their reviews. Publishers release games early to these outlets to give them an ample amount of time to conjure their thoughts and post their reviews around the game’s launch date. These reviews often come with a review “score” usually something along the lines of a 1- 10 rating scale.

This is where we get to a moment where readers generally seem to just look at the score not the actual content of the review. We’re going to look at this argument with the idea that the video game industry could easily do away with the “scale” of grading a game. A game in this day in age has everything from a story, characters, gameplay, multiplayer and all sorts of features to be taken into account when judging a game. If the video games industry were to do away with a grading scale, words would then be judged on the review. This becomes important because it not only judges reviewers integrity but their facts and content. It would take away the useless and baseless argument over “why game X got a better score then game Y” when each game is different.

If a reviewer can clearly state in their review why the game lacks or excels in certain areas and provide a well thought-out review without adding a score, more power to them. If you add a score to that review, people generally will simply gloss over your review, look at the score and then comment and criticize your review score if you are different then the rest of your fellow outlets without looking at your reasons for backing up that score. People have become to obsess wondering what this particular outlets score is going to be or what grade a new title will receive.

Games should not be automatically guaranteed any kind of score right out of the gate no matter what the “journalist” or publisher dictates. It appears from the way triple a titles have been “graded” scores don’t seem to go below a 6/10. If we got rid of review scores all together, readers will undoubtedly be concentrated more on the effort put in the review. “Journalists” would then be judged to a higher degree and there would be a greater amount of quality and not quantity within the industry. Publishers and developers also need to realize that they shouldn’t concentrate so much on the idea that they need to make a game as best they can so they can earn a certain score among the media. They should be concentrating on making the best game they could possibly pull together and gamers should be excited for a new game and not the “score” of the game.

Featuring an original score, Sumthing Else Music Works has released Saints Row: The Third- soundtrack which was produced and composed by Malcolm Kirby Jr. Here is a little about Malcolm and his inspiration for the soundtrack from the press release. Saints Row: The Third is out now.

Composer Malcolm Kirby Jr. “I am a huge fan of both Saints Row and Saints Row 2 so when the opportunity came to score Saints Row: The Third I was ecstatic. Saints Row: The Third is such an insane game and everything is just pushing it way over the top. This type of thinking and attitude definitely influenced the diverse nature of the score/soundtrack.”

As a prolific live musician Malcolm Kirby Jr. has performed and recorded with artists such as The Campbell Brothers, Fred Wesley, Lenny Castro, Kenny Wollesen, Tommy Campbell, The Respect Sextet, Steve Gadd, John Medeski, Terrence Howard, Will Bernard and many others. In addition to performing worldwide, Malcolm Kirby Jr. has composed music for the films “Cop Out”, “The Love Guru”, “Brooklyn’s Finest”, TV shows such as “CSI”, “Numb3rs”, “Pimp My Ride”, “Medium”, “Law and Order” as well as video games.

Malcolm Kirby Jr. describes the different music styles heard in Saints Row: The Third, “Each gang has its own theme and the textural characteristics are completely different for each, ranging from menacing orchestral to gangster hip hop to heavy metal. I think the biggest challenge was coming up with themes of completely different textural styles and making them still feel related and unified in the context of the game which was also the most enjoyable aspect of scoring Saints Row: The Third. Volition and THQ have such an amazing vision for this game and it is truly an honor working with them.”

Assassins Creed Revelations and Halo: Combat Anniversary highlights our release schedule this week with Assassins Creed: Reveltionas releasing on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with the PC version delayed until November 29th, 2011. Here are some other releases headed to store shelves.

Xbox 360: Kung Fu High Impact, Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat, Pictionary: Ultimate Edition, Rapala for Kinect, Halo: Reach — Anniverary Map Pack, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL, uDraw Studio: Instant Artist, Need for Speed: The Run, Jurassic Park: The Game, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Saints Row: The Third, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Rayman Origins, Kinect: Disneyland Adventures

PlayStation 3:  LittleBigPlanet 2: Special Edition, Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, Pictionary: Ultimate Edition, Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL, uDraw Studio: Instant Artist, Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest,   Need for Speed: The Run, Jurassic Park: The Game, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Saints Row: The Third, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Rayman Origins, BurgerTime World Tour

Nintendo Wii: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012, Zumba Fitness 2, uDraw Studio: Instant Artist, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL, Fishing Resort, Need for Speed: The Run, Rayman Origins, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

PC: Magicka Collection, Rochard, XIII Lost Identity, Need for Speed: The Run, Jurassic Park: The Game, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Saints Row: The Third, Rayman Origins

3DS: Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy, Super Mario 3D Land, Shinobi, Need for Speed: The Run

Do you find yourself asking this year; do I want more Call of Duty? If you have played any of the Call of Duty games before, especially Modern Warfare, then some of you will overwhelmingly say “of course!” Even if you’ve kept up with the series up until now, there will also be some of you that might be asking yourself if you want more. But if you’re on the fence about the idea of jumping in now, it might be wise to know that Modern Warfare 3 has new maps, modes, and new options. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel or make any changes to what’s already there; though it does make some smart additions some will come to appreciate. However, if you’ve finally reached your limit on scripted campaign storylines and a particular type of multiplayer, than none of those changes are going to pull you back in.

There’s still more to it about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and we’re going to start with the game’s single player campaign. It clocks in at a short 5 hours, with the action taking place only moments after the conclusion of Modern Warfare 2 released back in 2009 with Soap in bad shape and Captain Price rushing him to safety to revive him. Task Force 141 has been completely disowned by the government, though that doesn’t stop them from hunting down Russian terrorist Markarov. Meanwhile the war that Markarov started thanks to the attack on the Russian airport in MW2 is in full swing with American forces attempting to keep Russian armies at bay and away from American soil. You mostly end up switching between Price’s group, American forces and other characters when appropriate.

The first act of the game is your re-introduction to the characters and story as soon as the first explosion hits. Afterwards the game doesn’t settle down and one of the big problems is that there is so much going on in between and in the story that you can get lost. All I remember after finishing the game was how many times I killed a bunch of dudes with either a machinegun, or vehicle torrent or how many times I died. You spend a lot of the time as the passenger in a vehicle whether you’re controlling a mounted gun to hold off a position till a helicopter arrives, or jumping in said helicopter shooting down other helicopters or providing cover for your fellow soldiers. Other times the game forces you to follow another soldier who is marked with the word “follow” over his head. This of course isn’t that different from the previous games and from a gameplay perspective can sound pretty dull.

The interesting part, however, is that though it might not be fun to play, the narrative and nature of the script makes it fun to watch as the events unfold in front of you. You’ll find plenty of footage that was used for trailers and commercials. The engine certainly shows a bit of age, but Infinity Ward has managed to pump everything it can out of it to showcase new set pieces. You’ll be shown everything from monuments falling to pieces in front you, too a tank exploding as your sitting in it. The framerate is still one of the game’s bright spots and manages to be smooth and doesn’t show any lag. While the game might not win any awards for it’s writing or graphical environments, its overall story might be taken into account. If you’ve followed the adventures of Soap and Captain Price the ending does feel like everything is “wrapped up” and deals out that sense of closure.

After the credits roll, the game travels you right into the updated co-op friendly Special Ops mode returning from MW2. There are 16 new missions and each provides something different for solo play or with a friend. The mission pretty much compliment the missions found in the campaign from stealthy guiding resistance members to even fighting off waves of enemies in a juggernaut suit. Although each mission lasts only about 10 minutes each, you can get about hours of replayability out of it with each difficulty offering a better chance at gaining better rewards.

Spec Ops also offers a Survival mode also including more co-operative play and solo play as well. Survival places you against waves after waves if increasing difficult enemies in the same maps you find in online multiplayer. It’s also another great training ground for solo players looking to increase their skill level when they’re ready to tackle online multiplayer. As you progress you’ll be able to find hotspots to purchase items for your arsenal. You’ll still be able to pick up enemies weapons as you go of course. If you’re a social player, you’ll find Call of Duty Elite may be right up your alley. Call of Duty Elite adds in stat tracking features, weapon loadouts customizations on the go and the ability to share them with other players. Elite features stats across all previous Call of Duty games you’ve played as well as Modern Warfare 3. It comes in both free and subscription based forms, going for $49.99 USD for an entire year for the premium subscription. The premium subscription also includes monthly downloadable content for free along with virtual and real life prizes for participation in daily competitions. There is also Facebook integration for those with Facebook account to include your friends and post to Facebook.

In online multiplayer, gamers will find 16 maps coming on the disc, much larger then that of Battlefield 3. There are an excellent variety of maps to plant bombs, grab flags, as well as straightforward killing. A favorite match type is called Kill Confirmed. Here players will have to secure dog tags in order to score points and get credit for the kill for your team to reach match point. It’s a fun match type that is sure to eliminate campers seen in other modes like Team Deathmatch. Overall, the online multiplayer experience is close to lag free of course this is all dependent on your Internet connection. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes in both the standard edition and Hardened Editions (received for this review). The Hardened Edition comes in a slipcase and inside the collectible box are a field journal, Founder status as well as a Steel book collectible case for the game. You’ll also find Special Ops Avatar outfits for Male and Female avatars. Finally you have a premium subscription to Call of Duty Elite for the year.

Bottom Line: BUY IT! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel or make drastic changes, but as the saying goes “If it isn’t broke, don’t’ fix it”. There are certainly flaws to be found as you delve deeper into the game but it doesn’t break the foundation of what Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have built. The set pieces are fun to watch but the campaign will be difficult to get through and is short. Online multiplayer is as addictive as ever and you’ll find yourself wanting more as you keep playing. Replayability is strong here with Special Ops modes, varied multiplayer modes and co-operative play within it.

Did you ever think it wouldn’t? Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 which launched worldwide this past Tuesday has sold more then 6.5 million units in the US and UK alone in 24 hours.

It is estimated the game has a sell through of $400 million according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information. According to Microsoft, after just two days, the number of gamers playing simultaneously on Xbox ®  Live ® set a new peak concurrency record.

Separately, Activision announced this morning that in support and gratitude for the efforts of American servicemen and women, this Veterans Day it donated $3 million to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, public benefit corporation that seeks to provide job placement and training for veterans.  This latest donation will be added to the $2 million that Activision has already donated to the Endowment, which has provided more than $1.5 million in grants and scholarships to veterans’ organizations across the US since it was conceived by Bobby Kotick in November of 2009.

We have our copy of Modern Warfare 3 and you can expect our full review soon.

THQ has announced that the upcoming release of Saints Row: The Third will be getting a ‘Season Pass’ for its upcoming downloadable content. The season pass will set you back 1600 MSP/$20 and is a 15% discount on the regular price. It will include 3 mission packs and 1 content pack.

Genkibowl VII (January 2012)
The Wide World of Genki takes over Steelport for a sporting tradition totally and utterly unlike any other.

· Gangstas in Space (Winter 2012)
The Saints go intergalactic in this science-fiction misadventure.

· The Trouble With Clones (Spring 2012)
Copy-cat killing at its finest.

The pass also comes with Nyte Blayde pack which includes a new car, motorcycle, and a pair of outfits all under the influence of vampires.

Saints Row: The Third releases on Tuesday.

Via Joystiq

Looking forward to battling it out as either the epic Joker or Batman gangs in Gotham City Imposters? Warner Bros Games has officially revealed the release date.

The game will launch on January 10, 2012 on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Windows PC.

Sledgehammer Games’ Glen Schofield has taken to Twitter to ask Call of Duty fans to support Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3on Metacritic.

“I don’t usually do this but, if u like MW3 go 2 Metacritic.com & help our user score,” writes Schofield. “It’s suspiciously low. Be honest but help if u agree.”

Modern Warfare 3 is attracting a torrent of user scores of zero across all three platforms. The current user score (out of 10) is:

2.7 on Xbox 360
2.0 on PS3 and
1.5 on PC.

Ouch.

Blizzard’s World of Warcraft MMO has shed 1.1 million subscribers in the past six months, the developer has announced. As revealed in an investor call earlier today and reported by Massively, player numbers have fallen 10 per cent to 10.3 million compared to 11.4 million in May this year. CEO Mike Morhaime explained that most of that decline was seen in the East.

It’s been a year since the last major expansion, 2010′s Cataclysm, helped boost numbers. The next add-on, Mists of Pandaria, is yet to be dated.

It was good news on a company-wide level, though. Activision Blizzard saw profits for the quarter nearly triple from $51 million this time last year to $148 million.

Source: Eurogamer 

Today, Ubisoft confirmed what many probably already knew. Another Assassin’s Creed title is planned for 2012. Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot, reassured shareholders there would be plenty of Desmond in our lives.

“There will be another great full-fledged Assassin’s Creed title next year,” Guillemot said. “It will be another major release and we will be communicating more about it in the coming months.”

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will conclude Ezio and Altair’s story line. Assassin’s Creed 3, which I assume this next title will be, will focus on Desmond and his struggle to defeat the Templars in a modern day setting.

Revelations will be released on November 15th. Ready for more assassination goodness?

2 years after Uncharted 2: Among Thieves wowed us with spectacular set pieces, an unrivaled introduction and balanced gameplay, Naughty Dog has returned with Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Uncharted 3 brings the franchise full circle while reuniting characters, and story elements from the original title back in 2007. All of this while bridging together a fascinating origin story that looks deep into the history of our favorite hero and his partner in crime; Victor Sullivan.

Drake and “Sully,” continue the adventure and cross-deserts, seas, and continents to find “the Atlantis of the desert.” The script is written by series writer Amy Henning, and is funny and poignant. For the first time in the series, the people around Drake are beginning to question his motives and why he is doing what he’s doing. Are the risks and sacrifices worth the reward? This morality is what drive’s Uncharted 3’s overall story.  Nathan encounters a new type of enemy, himself. The story delves deeply into a narrative surrounding the character’s past and with a villain like Katherine Marlowe, the story goes even deeper turning corners that’ll leave you with your mouth gaping. Old friends return for a cameo and new ones are made as Drake finds that he’s being pushed to his limit.

Tombs are plundered, treasures exposed and discovered with enemies showing up moments later. “This is where the fun begins” as they say. In regards to your altercations with the enemy behind Marlowe, there’s no variety. Enemies spawn in random points often being unforgiving as soon as you begin the checkpoint. On top of this, they are not afraid to get in your face. If you’re close enough, enemies will engage in fisticuffs and you are powerless if you’re in a bad spot with enemy fire coming your way. Aiming is a bit of subjective point of view. The aiming in Uncharted 3 isn’t as ridiculous as everyone claims it is. Every person has a different perspective of how they play and some may encounter issues and some may not. I personally did not have any issues with the aiming in Uncharted 3. There were points during the game, however, where controlling Drake felt like a chore when you didn’t hit the right spot while platforming.

Yes, platforming is the main way to get around in the Uncharted world. There are various locations you’ll find from tombs to cities and caves that require climbing. The platforming is well designed, however, if you don’t hit the right spot at the direction Naughty Dog is pointing you in you will fall to your death. It should be noted that the platforming seems to have been taking by the way side for more shooting sequences. I did feel like I encountered more firefights then in previous titles, like in Uncharted 2 for example.  It was more of a feeling like run to this point, shoot these guys, run again, shoot some more guys…etc. The improved melee system was a great addition to the overall gameplay design; however, it feels like there should have been more puzzles. There were fewer tombs this time around when you consider the overarching story, so that may have played a factor. Drake’s isn’t searching for a simple piece of lost treasure this time around.

The game is beautiful; there is no doubt about that. Naughty Dog continues to impress in its artistic vision for the series. Colors are vibrant and varied; lighting is as realistic as it is relevant. There is something to be said when you find a game that truly takes itself seriously. The production values are staggering and with the stunning voice cast, you’ll swear you’re watching a new Indiana Jones adventure. Nolan North once again continues to give us a hell of a performance as Nathan Drake and applause all around for the rest of the cast as well. There seems to be no stone left behind when you dissect Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Everything is here to give you a cinematic experience that you’ll be left with wanting more when the game ends. The ending by the way actually comes in a blink of an eye.

Uncharted 3 comes with a host of modes for online multiplayer.  First things first is that with every new copy of Uncharted 3 gamers will have to enter an Online Pass in order to access the MP content. Afterwards, what you’ll find is every bit of customization you can imagine. If you choose to stick with a custom character, you can outfit him with different color skins, faces, weapon loadouts, weapon skins, kickback rewards, and the list go on. You’ll start off with a basic cash amount and as you play more matches you’ll earn more cash to spend on your character. There is a level up system as well so you’ll see what rank you are at when looking at the Leaderboards. Other modes include online co-operative play where you are given a few missions to test your skill and work together. Within the online multiplayer you’ll find match types like Team Deathmatch, Free for All, and more treasure seeking modes where you must find the treasure before the other team.

Bottom Line: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception isn’t perfect by any means. There are a few flaws that will take away the immersion factor at times.  However, when you look at the overall picture, this latest installment in the series is merely a stepping-stone in Naught Dog’s continued success. The only real disappointing thing to remember is that we’ll have to wait for another 2 years before the next game.

See it streamed live via Youtube. If you’re in the UK and can’t make it to tonight’s midnight launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, then you can head on over to Youtube to watch a live stream. Here is some information so you can be informed of the event.

The high voltage action kicks off on Monday 7^th November at 7pm as guests arrive on the ‘green’ carpet. Three dedicated roaming crews, hosted by well-known TV presenter Rick Edwards, Graeme Boyd aka @AceyBongos from Xbox LIVE^®  and YouTube super user DaveyBoyz, will stream a wealth of content including:

-          Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward developer interviews
-          Content from No.1 selling UK artist, Example
-          Celebrity interviews
-          Live coverage of the pan-European Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Championship powered by Xbox Live
-          Live coverage of the pan-European celebrity multiplayer tournament
-          Interviews with UK MP team Infinity- runners up from the CODXP global competition
-          Live link ups with Berlin and Paris launch events
-          Midnight store opening coverage with all the fans

You can check out the live stream over at this link here: http://www.youtube.com/codmw3launch

While Back To Karkand isn’t arriving until December, DICE decided to throw a new trailer our way to help us visualize what it will be like to compete and play on some classic Battlefield maps.

If you purchased the Limited Edition of Battlefield 3 at release, you’ll get these maps at no extra charge which also include 10 new weapons and 4 new maps.

2k Sports announced today that the new cover guy for next years MLB 2k12 release is Detroit Tigers pitcher, Justin Verlander.

Justin Verlander is a leading candidate for the Cy Young Award as well as the American League MVP after this past season.

“It’s a dream come true to be on the cover of Major League Baseball 2K12,” said Verlander, who pitched the second no-hitter of his career this season. “I’ve worked closely with 2K Sports on the MLB 2K series since 2007, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue my relationship with such a great baseball game.”

Only the thirteenth pitcher in baseball history to throw multiple no-hitters and the first Detroit Tiger to win 20 games since 1991, Verlander pitched the Tigers to an AL Central title and into the 2011 American League Championship Series. Verlander is favored to win the American League Cy Young Award for pitching excellence during the 2011 season, and could even become the first pitcher since 1992 to win the Most Valuable Player Award.

MLB 2k12 will release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and PC.

Ubisoft has sent us a new trailer showing of the latest tracks that you’ll find in the upcoming release of The Black Eyed Peas Experience for Xbox 360 Kinect and Nintendo Wii. You can help name the tracks on the games Facebook page or on Twitter with #BEPEXPERIENCE.

The Black Eyed Peas Experience will launch on November 10, 2011.