Devil May Cry

For review of the Vergil's Downfall DLC , click HERE

 Yet another DMC game is up for grabs . Well my initial reaction was yippee , Its time for some hack and slash ..But when they said it was a reboot of the game by a new developer , Ninja Theory I  expected it to be disappointing . What have you done  Capcom , I will always wonder . But still the game has a few highlights that makes it memorable and a real good experience , So lets plunge in .

Beauty of Limbo 

The story takes place in a real world which is nearer to our timeline within a city which is controlled by Mundus , a Demon Lord who hides the demons in a parallel  world called the Limbo . The concept of alternate dimension which is existing parallel to our world is beautifully shown . Hats off the idea behind that . And Limbo never had looked so beautiful and breadth taking . I mean we all would have come across Limbo in other games who had their own views of how it will be . Now Ninja Theory not only made it beautiful but also a little believable (i.e) at least according to the story line . Now tat really has to be appreciated .

Beauty of Limbo  2 - Bob's Lair

Dante gets a new look who looks like a sissy Girl , rather than the formidable , cool and stylish Demon Slayer that we know of .Although they have tried to provide the new Dante with the same character traits , hmmmmm ,  with his new looks it fails to hit the mark a little bit . He still has his ever favorite Sword ' The Rebellion ' and his guns ' Ebony and Ivory ' . The story is just a normal revenge slob where Dante and Vergil try to take down Mundus who was responsible for their mother's death , who was an angel and his father , a demon , to eternal banishment . So therefor the children who are born to them are Nephilim , Half Demon + Half Angel . And of course they are the only one who have the power to destroy Mundus , blah blah ..the Usual S**t ..

DreamRunner - This guy can slash you to bits 

Gameplay :: 

Crumbling Limbo

The hack and slash is the same as the previous versions . But Hard core fans of the genre will definitely feel the difference in the speed of the gameplay . DMC 3 was the best sword play game that ever came into time . I mean it was fast , really really fast . The way you juggle combos with heavy attacks , Guns and demon power etc were so awesome tat it made Gamers go crazy over it .
DMC 4 slowed down a little bit , but still the dramatic Cut scenes and the huge finishing moves that you get to execute when you battle a boss were immensely satisfying . I loved the game for the awesome cut scenes alone :D

Even though its still all there in this one , Something is lacking  . I mean the enemies were a little slow moving even in hard mode that you can easily dodge their attacks . I mean whats the fun in tat . Again I felt that the game has been dumbed to make even noobs play good :( .

The way everytime you get pushed into Limbo the world around completely changes is really cool to look and experience . An ordinary room in real world would look like a bottomless pit in Limbo ;-) cool huh . and Kat is the only person who can cross into the limbo because she is a psychic . World shifts and changes as you move on is really deadly to watch and experience  .

Beautiful Psychic KAt

Graphics :: 

Game looks beautiful but it doesn't tax your GPU that much any decent card is going to get you an average Frame rate . ( Mine was utilizing about only 34 - 40 % of GPU memory )Because The game is  a port of console version and there are no settings for you to tweak .But still you need a entry level card of this generation if you want your gameplay to be smooth without any lockups and slow downs .

Weapons ::

Be it DMC 1  , 2 , 3 and 4 the New weapons were never sparse . Well you start with your basic Sword Rebellion and Ebony and Ivory , and as you progress you get

a) Arbiter  ( Demon ):: 

A huge Axe which provides you huge stopping power again waves of enemies , especially powerful enemies with Shields . This huge smashing attack can break their shields into pieces . What is more cool is the way they need not be selected through weapons cycle  . All you need to do is to hold down your Right Trigger in your controller and Vola you can use the Arbiter , Release it and you immediately switch back to your Sword . Cool huh ;-) that was really impressive and New , I have to say.

Very useful to break down doors that can be smashed open only with the arbiter .

b ) Osiris ( Angel ):: 

The Osiris is nothing but a huge Scythe that can be used to provide round about attacks to dispel minions when they are around you completely . The way Dante handles it is really so cool to look . As you upgrade it can be used to cause a Whirl wind attack that can be used to slice through Veins that block your pathway .

c) Eryx ( Demon ) :

These are like the same ones Used by Kratos in GOW 3 where he gets it from his brother Hercules .
Its has very effective stopping power against charging Ravagers . Time it right and you can hurl the ravager away as it charges at you . But warning , It may be tricky to execute . But you can get easy style bonus with this . And also quite awesome in delivering killer Blows to Rage Spawn , Nastiest enemy you will ever come to face in this game .This is the one who was capable of hitting  me even with dodging and weakening me .

Its an important Power and is useful / Essential while battling Bob Barbars .

d) Aquila ( Angel ) :: 

Just like Agni and Rudra , the dual wielded blades from DMC 3 these are like huge shurikens which can be thrown like a Boomerang at enemies . Its very fast and can be very effective in taking down swarms of  enemies who are around you . The charged power of this one can be used to keep an enemy engaged while you concentrate and kill another and then going for the one whom you had engaged with a charge shot  , Bcos two at the same time can be very dangerous to your health as one may require a Angel Weapon to deal a hit and other may require a Demon weapon to make a dent .

e) Revenant and Kablooey : :

These are the other two guns you get in the game and allows you to cycle between all of them . Revenant has a style shot which looks so cool to see and can take down Younger Rages easily .

Kablooey is very hard to handle as it fires darts with explosives which explode only after you press a button  . Unless you press the button to explode you won t be able to fire another dart ..Sheesh !! Avoid it all cost ..

So tats it about weapons and lets get to ,

Upgrades & Unlocks 

Dante comes into the game with the double jump and basic attacks of Rebellion and his guns unlocked . And as you deliver stunning and stylish blows to your enemies the Style meter keeps track of your points and hits  .If your hit is too repetitive it will slowly start to decline . On the other hand if you juggle weapons and score hits by chaining combos it will go from Brutal to Anarchic to SS . You have to keep a high count in you style meter for you to get a decent average at the end of each level .

Limerick Criticizing new Dante

And of course based on the style meter you will get upgrade points which can be used to upgrade your weapon skills mostly . Dante's skills does not require any upgrade as it comes with everything . The only thing you can do is to collect Red Orbs as usual and use them to get a green vital star ( Although I am not sure with the difficulty so dumbed down you won t be needing it at all ) or you may use it to buy you an extra health bar .

Although keep in mind that the upgrade can be done only while starting the missions or with the help of Vitality statue that you may find in some recess of each level .

Limerick Criticizing new Dante Look :D

There are a lot of collectibles available in every mission that may itch and interest a compeltionist . Especially the collection of Bronze / Silver /Golden Keys which can be used to unlock Challenge Rooms in each level . Once you finish the challenge you will be awarded with a part of Star which when you collect and make a complete star can be used for increasing your life . This was really nice part in the game which i loved  . But some areas are really confounding , Bcos you will be able to see the key or the door but you won t have any clue as how to reach it . GoD!! its frustating .

Abilities :: 

Along wit the double jump you also have other abilities which can be performed with the help of your weapons

i ) Demon Pull  ::

As soon as you get the Arbiter you will be pulled off into a dream where you will be granted this power and an opportunity to practice it too .This can be used to pull environments and platforms to you . although it starts innocently easy at first , at the later stages it will get complicated . Useful while battling bosses .

ii) Angel Lift :: 

Exactly opposite of the demon Pull the Angel Lift pulls Dante to a glowing Blue point . Help in traversal around the broken world of Limbo .

Angel Lift Execution

iii ) Demon Power :: 

As usual the Demon Power gets Dante into Demon Mode for some amount of time where he can deal huge damage and becomes invincible . But compared to the older games this looks somewhat silly and odd .I can t put my finger on it  , but  nope I didn't like it .

Bosses :: 

First Boss -The Hunter

Boss Fights were always the best part of the DMC series. Because you get the awesome visuals and cutscenes at first and then then huge and dramatic Finishing moves which Dante performs with a Flourish . And I have to mention Nero who made an appearance in DMC 4 , who along with his Demon Hand had the best finishing and fight/ Brutal moves of all time . I really loved him .

Poison - who gives you Eryx Power 

So coming to Boss Fight in this DMC , I have to say that I was disappointed . Because for one , And as i have said before, they are too Damn easy to defeat . God I still remember the fight of DMC 4 Frog Boss and Final Boss fight where I had to fight like days and days to complete it . But here boss fights are so silly and easy and most of the time you wont feel as if you are doing anything at all . And the dramaticity was also not that effective  .When the slo mo camera starts and your heart leaps up in expectations only for it to fall back short when the cut scene ends bcos it was not what you were expecting at all . I don t even know how Capcom accepted this anyway .

Dante's  Twin Bro Vergil with Yamato 

Pro's ::

1. Experience the stark differentiation between the real world and Limbo . Limbo has never looked so beautiful and at the same time deadly .
2. The controls are easy to configure and looks so smooth when you get to execute on screen.
3.No big GPU required to run the game .
4. First time DMC fans / Beginners are going to love it for sure

Con's :: 

1. Game is too damn easy with missions too Short . Bosses too easy to kill.
2. No Dramatic Cutscenes for which DMC was famous for .
3. Gameplay is horribly slow when you compare to it the older versions of the game .
4. The upgrade system is such a joke because once upgraded it can also be removed and used for another upgrade ( I mean what the hell is tat ).
5. Dante looks a little girly :D

Overall:: 

A must play game for the beginners of DMC franchise but once again I reinforce that Hard core DMC fans are going to be awfully disappointed .

Rating : 7.8 / 10

Regards 

Ram 

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart : Jan 2013

Here is a resource to help you judge if a card is a good buy or not. The graphics card hierarchy chart groups graphics cards with similar overall performance levels into tiers. The top tier contains the highest-performing cards available and performance decreases as you go down the tiers from there.

You can use this hierarchy to compare the pricing between two cards, to see which one is a better deal, and also to determine if an upgrade is worthwhile. I don’t recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher. Otherwise, the upgrade is somewhat parallel and you may not notice a worthwhile difference in performance.

At the request of readers, I have added mobile graphics and integrated chipsets to the hierarchy chart. I want to make it clear that there is very little performance data available for these graphics solutions. While the discrete video cards in the chart are placed in tiers based on a lot of information, many of the mobile and integrated devices in the chart are guesstimates based on their specifications. At worst, I don’t think they’re more than one tier away from their actual performance, but this is something to keep in mind when considering mobile graphics chipsets.

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart
GeForce	Radeon	Intel
Discrete: GTX 690
Discrete: GTX 590	Discrete: HD 6990, 7970 GHz Ed.
Discrete: GTX 680	Discrete: HD 7970
Discrete: GTX 670	Discrete: HD 5970, 7950
Discrete: GTX 580, 660 Ti	Discrete: HD 7870 LE, 7870
Discrete: GTX 295, 480, 570, 660 Go (mobile): 680M	Discrete: HD 4870 X2, 6970, 7850 Mobility: 7970M
Discrete: GTX 470, 560 Ti, 560 Ti 448 Core	Discrete: HD 4850 X2, HD 5870, HD 6950 Mobility: 7950M
Discrete: GTX 560, 650 Ti Go (mobile): 580M	Discrete: HD 5850, HD 6870 Mobility: 6990M
Discrete: 9800 GX2, 285, 460 256-bit, 465 Go (mobile): 675M	Discrete: HD 6850, HD 7770 Mobility: 6900M
Discrete: GTX 260, 275, 280, 460 192-bit, 460 SE, 550 Ti, 560 SE, 650 Go (mobile): 570M, 670M	Discrete: HD 4870, 5770, 4890, 5830, 6770,  6790, 7750 Mobility: HD 5870, 6800M
Discrete: 8800 Ultra, 9800 GTX, 9800 GTX+, GTS 250, GTS 450 Go (mobile): 560M, 660M	Discrete: HD 3870 X2, 4850, 5750, 6750 Mobility: HD 4850, 5850, 7870M
Discrete: 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS 512 MB, GT 545 (GDDR5) Go (mobile): GTX 280M, 285M, 555M (GDDR5)	Discrete: HD 4770 Mobility: HD 4860, 7770M, 7850M
Discrete: 8800 GT 512 MB, 9800 GT, GT 545 (DDR3), GT 640 (DDR3) Go (mobile): 9800M GTX, GTX 260M (112), GTS 360M (GDDR5), 555M (DDR3)	Discrete: HD 4830, HD 5670, HD 6670 (GDDR5) Mobility: HD 5770, HD 5750, 6600M/6700M (GDDR5), 7750M
Discrete: 8800 GTS 640 MB, 9600 GT, GT 240 (GDDR5) Go (mobile): 9800M GTS, GTX 160M	Discrete: HD 2900 XT, HD 3870, HD 5570 (GDDR5), HD 6570 (GDDR5) Mobility: 6500M (GDDR5), 6600M/6700M (DDR3), 7730M
Discrete: 8800 GS, 9600 GSO, GT 240(DDR3) Go (mobile): GTX 260M (96), GTS 150M, GTS 360M (DDR3)	Discrete: HD 3850 512 MB, HD 4670, HD 5570 (DDR3), HD 6570 (DDR3), HD 6670 (DDR3) Mobility: HD 3870, HD 5730, HD 5650, 6500M (DDR3)
Discrete: 8800 GT 256 MB, 8800 GTS 320 MB, GT 440 GDDR5, GT 630 GDDR5 Go (mobile): 8800M	Discrete: HD 2900 PRO, HD 3850 256 MB, 5550 (GDDR5) Mobility: HD 3850
Discrete: 7950 GX2, GT 440 DDR3, GT 630DDR3	Discrete: X1950 XTX, HD 4650 (DDR3), 5550 (DDR3) Integrated: HD 7660D
Discrete: 7800 GTX 512, 7900 GTO, 7900 GTX, GT 430, GT 530 Go (mobile): 550M	Discrete: X1900 XT, X1950 XT, X1900 XTX
Discrete: 7800 GTX, 7900 GT, 7950 G, GT 220 (DDR3) Go (mobile): 525M, 540M	Discrete: X1800 XT, X1900 AIW, X1900 GT, X1950 Pro, HD 2900 GT, HD 5550 (DDR2) Integrated: HD 7560D
Discrete: 7800 GT, 7900 GS, 8600 GTS, 9500 GT (GDDR3), GT 220 (DDR2) Go (mobile): 7950 GTX	Discrete: X1800 XL, X1950 GT, HD 4650 (DDR2), HD 6450 Mobility: X1800 XT, HD 4650, HD 5165, 6400M Integrated: HD 6620G, 6550D, 7540D
Discrete: 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 8600 GS, 8600 GT (GDDR3), 9500 GT (DDR2) Go (mobile): 7800 GTX, 7900 GTX	Discrete: X800 XT (& PE), X850 XT (& PE), X1650 XT, X1800 GTO, HD 2600 XT, HD 3650 (DDR3), HD 3670 Mobility: X1900, 3670 Integrated: 6520G, 6530D, 7480D	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Discrete: 6800 GT, 6800 GS (PCIe), 8600 GT (DDR2), GT 520 Go (mobile): 7800, Go 7900 GS, 520M, 520MX	Discrete: X800 XL, X800 GTO2/GTO16, HD 2600 Pro, HD 3650 (DDR2), Mobility: X800 XT, HD 2600 XT, 3650 Integrated: 6410D, 6480G
Discrete: 6800 GS (AGP) Go (mobile): 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 8600M GT, 8700M GT, 410M	Discrete: X800 GTO 256 MB, X800 PRO, X850 Pro, X1650 GT Mobility: HD 2600 Integrated: 6370D, 6380G
Discrete: 6800, 7300 GT GDDR3, 7600 GS, 8600M GS Go (mobile): 6800, 7700	Discrete: X800, X800 GTO 128 MB, X1600 XT, X1650 Pro Mobility: X1800, HD 5145, HD 5470 (GDDR5)
Discrete: 6600 GT, 6800LE, 6800 XT, 7300 GT (DDR2), 8500 GT, 9400 GT Go (mobile): 7600 (128-bit)	Discrete: 9800 XT, X700 PRO, X800 GT, X800 SE, X1300 XT, X1600 PRO, HD 2400 XT, HD 4350, HD 4550, HD 5450 Mobility: X800, 3470, HD 5470 (DDR3), HD 5450, HD 5430, 6300M Integrated: HD 6310, HD 6320	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Discrete: FX 5900, FX 5900 Ultra, FX 5950 Ultra, 6600 (128-bit) Go (mobile): 6800 (128-bit) Integrated: 9300, 9400	Discrete: 9700, 9700 Pro, 9800, 9800 Pro, X700, X1300 Pro, X1550, HD 2400 Pro Mobility: X1450, X1600, X1700, 2400 XT, X2500, 3450 Integrated: HD 3200, HD 3300, HD 4200, HD 4250, HD 4290, HD 6250, HD 6290
Discrete: FX 5800 Ultra, FX 5900 XT Go (mobile): 6600, Go 7600 (64-bit)	Discrete: 9500 Pro, 9600 XT, 9800 Pro (128-bit), X600 XT, X1050 (128-bit) Mobility: 9800, X700, X1350, X1400, X2300, HD 2400	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Core i5-6x1), 2000
Discrete: 4 Ti 4600, 4 Ti 4800, FX 5700 Ultra, 6200, 8300, 8400 G, G 210, G 310 Go (mobile): 315M	Discrete: 9600 PRO, 9800 LE, X600 PRO, HD 2300 Mobility: 9700 (128-bit), X600, X1300 Integrated: Xpress 1250	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Corei3 5x0, Core i5-6x0)
Discrete: 4 Ti4200, 4 Ti4400, 4 Ti4800 SE, FX 5600 Ultra, FX 5700, 6600 (64-bit), 7300 GS, 8400M GS, 9300M G, 9300M GS	Discrete: 9500, 9550, 9600, X300, X1050 (64-bit) Mobility: 9600	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Pentium G)
Discrete: 3 Ti500, FX 5200 Ultra, FX 5600, FX 5700 LE, 6200 TC, 6600 LE, 7200 GS, 7300 LE Go (mobile): 5700, 8200M, 9200M GS, 9100 Integrated: 8200, 8300	Discrete: 8500, 9100, 9000 PRO, 9600 LE, X300 SE, X1150 Mobility 9700 (64-bit)	Integrated: GMA X4500
Discrete: 3, 3 Ti200, FX 5200 (128-bit), FX 5500, Go (mobile): 5600, 6200, 6400, 7200, 7300, 7400 (64-bit)	Discrete: 9000, 9200, 9250 Mobility: 9600 (64-bit), X300
Discrete: FX 5200 (64 bit) Go (mobile): 7200, 7400 (32-bit) Integrated: 6100, 6150, 7025, 7050	Discrete: 9200 SE Integrated: Xpress 200M, Xpress 1000, Xpress 1150	Integrated: GMA X3000, X3100, X3500
Discrete: 2 GTS, 4 MX 440, 2 Ultra, 2 Ti, 2 Ti 200	Discrete: 7500	Integrated: GMA 3000, 3100
Discrete: 256, 2 MX 200, 4 MX 420, 2 MX 400	Discrete: SDR, LE, DDR, 7000, 7200	Integrated: GMA 500, 900, 950
Discrete: Nvidia TNT	Discrete: Rage 128	Discrete: Intel 740

Source : Tom's Hardware

 

Regards 

Ram 

Hitman : Absolution

Hitman Absolution brings back the return of the most favorite Assassin of all time , Agent 47 . Released 6 yrs after its last title  Hitman : Blood Money  , the game picks of from a different story line where Diana , his handler for a long time has finally betrayed the ICA and has taken a girl as hostage who is vital for a research in ICA . Benjamin Travis forms the ICA again and provides the contract to take down Diana to Agent 47 and to get the girls safely back .

At the end of prologue Diana reveals that the Agency was using the girl as a lab rat and asks 47 to promise her to keep the girl safe . Thus begins your mission as you go rouge from the Agency and with help of a info guy named Birdie its up-to you to put a stop to Diana's abductors , Benjamin Travis and Dexter , a Gang Lord .

Gameplay has been immensely upgraded or should I say degraded (according to Hitman Series's Fans) . What made Hitman famous was the absolute stealth and ' know-how ' to play the game. Because the beauty of the game lay in the ways you need to think like an assassin . What should I do to cross this area unnoticed . How to kill a target with without using force etc . This absolute scheming of the player character , is what made Hitman an absolute beauty to reckon with . It all exists in Absolution too . But have been made damn easy . How, u ask ? , Well say hello to Instinct Talent of Agent 47  . They say in the beginning that Agent 47 is A veteran and hence as a result knows what he is doing . But since the player ( us)  needs to know what 47 is thinking , Instinct comes into play .

Instinct :: 

Its the best weapon that you will ever use in this game ,. Hell even more than your traditional and ever time favorite Dual SilverBallers or Garotte . Instinct allows you to blend in a group of people .for eg : In order to infiltrate a Greenhouse filled with Police , You can disguise yourself as a Gardner and walk in unnoticed . That is known and the coolest feature of Hitman. But be careful , bcos your fellow gardeners will get suspicious when they see a new guy whom they have never seen before . Here is where Instinct comes into play . Just as your suspicion meter increases use Instinct to blend in . This is shown by a dramatic slo-mo walk executed by 47 .But you will notice a Yellow bar that gets depleted every time when you use this . Only way to fill up your instinct bar again is to successfully finish of a checkpoint with max score or to get silent kills and increase your skill points for each check point . In easy level the Instinct gets regenerated automatically , if you neglect it from usage for some time . But as the difficulty level increases , the ability of Instinct to raise on its own decreases.

Instinct highlighting the patrol Path

Its also helpful in high lighting the paths of Guards who patrol , possible hiding / Dumping places , useful hints tat helps you in passing an area unnoticed . Most important usage of Instinct is the ability to spot useful substances that may help you . Like a poison bottle that can be dumped into Coffee or food to finish off a target . Take down a target without even approaching them like the above and you will get the skill point titled as ' SHADOW '.

Disguises ::

Another famous feature of the Hitman Series was the ability to disguise as anyone in order to gain access to secure sites or to go unnoticed into a facility without alerting anyone or using force . You can either takedown an enemy to get his clothes or you may search around and may come across a disguise that is just waiting for you to be picked up . But believe me these are found in the most unlikely places ever . But it really is cool to dress as anyone . Hell you can even dress up as a maid and pull off without getting noticed ..Ha :D .
I really loved the Scarecrow disguise you get to don in a field level . Its the absolute best :D

  

Assassin's Way :: 

Its like playing the game like the way , a true assassin would react and execute a mission . This can be tracked by a style meter that goes off in the top right hand corner . Everytime you kill someone who is not a target the style meter is going to reduce your points that allows you to unlock new techniques as you complete each mission . And thank god the game itself does that . No need to pull you hair out to decide which upgrade you should go for , Its good for once to have the option taken from us .Phew . So click on your Instinct and first find out what are the possible ways a Target can be taken down . Like a grill door which can be made to electrocute the guy who touches it , adding poison to food while dressed as the chef , or using a electric gun on a scientist who is actually working on improving it ? ( ironic) huh . Well that is truly the best part in the game . When all else fails you have always got your favorite Silverballers to fall back onto ;-)

Shooter Mechanics ::

Although Hitman's way is more silent and stealthy approach to finish off a target sometimes you will be forced into a corner where you will have no other option but to come out with a BANG!! . The game provides you with a huge arsenal of weapons that can be savaged from the guys you take down or by picking up guns in armory or kept hidden in closets . The same mechanic which was introduced in Splinter Cell : conviction and thus blasted the game from being a stealth one to excessive 3rd person shooter is present in Hitman series too . But here they call it with a different name . Instead of takedowns they have given the name as Point Shooting ,

Same as that of takedown, you will first mark the targets you are going to take down and then when you press a button , Agent 47 takes the enemies in his own personal style which is shown as a dramatic slo mo action fi scene . Unlike Takedowns , the enemies won t go down with a single hit . If you want that, better aim for their heads , but if you aim for their trunks then be sure to pump more lead into them to put them down forever .

A lot of heavy weapons can be found out through out the game . Hell !! if you want you can go for a round with them. But Assassins 's way of finishing off a level is much more satisfying .

Pro ' :: 

1. Once again don the suit of Black with Red Tie and get into the Role of the Deadliest Assassin of all times . This Guy never misses a target .
2. Stunning environmental effects and graphics , thanks to Nvidia's Phys X that will make playing the game such a beauty.
3. The game engine is so smooth that moving Agent 47 through out the game feels superb .
4. Get the satisfaction of taking down a target after hours of boiling over on how to execute it without getting detected . Remember : Patience is your only friend . Wait for it like a coiled Viper and strike when the opportunity arises .

Con's :: 

1. Instinct makes the game more easier than it was meant to be .
2. Environmental kills are  a total of 5 or 6 that gets repetitive after first 3 missions . They could have introduced more innovative ways of killing .
3. No epic Boss Fights ,especially the last level . If you are expecting a huge and satisfying  fight at the end of the game , you ought to be disappointed .

Overall ::  A must play game for everyone who had missed Hitman Series . But for Hardcore Hitman Fans, I won t recommend this as you are definitely going to come out disappointed .

Rating :: 8.5 /10

Regards
Ram

Limbo

 Released back some time ago especially for Xbox Live Arcade in July 2010 , LIMBO was praised as one of the best 2 D platformers that was ever made . The main beauty of the game is that there is zero Loading time , Game is completely small and controls are dead easy to accommodate and remember .

The game starts with a small boy waking up to a black and white forest and then trotting on . He comes upon a small girl plucking flowers there but as he approaches the figure vanishes . From then its starts with climbing , pulling levers , jumping across chasms etc , a journey to the end of the game where the boy finally gets to meet the girl that he sees in level 1 .

The beauty of the game which i loved so much is that the game when it got released as a port for PSN network and PC did not demand any huge configurations to make the game work . And the Installer was so small that you could easily get a digital copy of the game . From Level 1 , You will realize that this is not an action packed game but rather a puzzle solving game . Right from basic level puzzles where you have to use bear traps in order to escape from the claws of the huge gigantic spider that tries to pierce u with its legs to Pushing logs and jumping over dead bodies that are floating in the water in order to cross the puddle of water , the game has to be appreciated for its ingenuity .

The Mysterious girl that you meet in first level 

Because these puzzles are not going to test your patience like some game did . And there are no clues to give a hint as to what should be done next . All you have to do is just think a little and use a basic common sense to creak them and then proceed in the game  .. There is no saving option in the game , the game auto saves by itself and then picks up from where you left when you start the game again .

1. Spider Scare  :: 

This guy is the most villainous and big boss kind of thing that you ever get in this game . He is absolutely huge and lethal when it comes to piercing you with  his legs . All you have to do is to run fast as you can with your nimble legs and hope to out run him as this guy is slow like hell .

The way the spider slices into you with a slick snick is enough to give you jitters when you die ..Brrrr!! . And there comes a level where the spider actually captures you because you get stuck in the spidy Web trap . The spider crawls slowly  to ( Ahhhh !!  stay away you vile beast ) you and then wraps you up like a mummy in a web  . Now you have to hop around slowly until you find a way to get out of the web .The stage where you kill him brutally with Huge Rock falling on him is hugely satisfying that you will start shouting  " Die u F**K " :D ...

Death of the Hideous Beast

2. Magnetic Field :: 

This is the second upgrade in difficulty level  . Flicking on a switch will activate a small magnetic field initially but later on the field gets so powerful that it can lift you up too . The switches vary , Some may be switched on a for a infinite amount of time  while some on the other hand gets switched off on its own after a specific interval after you switch it on  . OMG , the things you can do with this is un imaginable . I never thought flicking on a switch and flicking it off can be used to in such innovative ways . Mind blowing .

Especially the level where you have to take a box from that side of a wall simply by turning it on and off and other level where the mag field is used to pull you sideways and upwards and you have to land on a solid base with out getting spliced in to pieces from the huge Spinning blades . Hat off to the ideology Man who was behind this .

3. White Glowing Nasty Worm that makes you a Zombie : : 

God this is the one real irritating things . Since the game takes place in a unknown world even the game developers didn't use any actual word to describe these things  . Thank god!! huh , Now a days its a routine to give descriptions about enemies and weapons that you carry that no gamer gives a shit !! but hell  , they do give it all the time . Well the worm actually doesn't do you any physical harm . but what it does is much more dangerous . It clings to the top of your head and forces you to move only in one direction . Now that may not sound Scary but in a world of black and white where your path is filled with chasms and Saw Wheels and lasers , timing is of essential in order to escape unscathed . This timing is the one tats affected hugely by this worm . The direction can be changed only by bright light . And the only way to remove this guys are to depend on some weird hanging NPC  ( Non player character )Mature Worms from the ceiling . When you jump to them they gobble up the worm and thus freeing you from the Curse .

Running in a direction uncontrolled and unstoppable

4. Electric Field :: 

These are electric lines that can be found on the grounds that when activated is capable of moving a trolley that can be used to ride in  . And here too the ingenious  way you have to time your jumps in order to cross them are remarkable like hell . Most of the time you have to time your jumps correctly and then escape from the current before it comes back on .

5. Water :: 

Being a small boy , u obviously cant swim . So if the water level is ever going to raise above your noise your character is going to die a slow and choking death . You use Crates or boats to jump on when the water level is raised deliberately by you in order to reach higher levels .

6. Levers :: 

Watch out whenever you come across Levers in your journey . Because once you pull it the entire topography is going to rotate and the ceiling would become your new ground . Quite cool when this happens . But be careful about where you are standing as a fall from greater height may break your head . And also keep a look out for falling crates or worse Boulders :D

7. Machine Guns :: 

These are alerted of your presence whenever you disturb the motion sensor Laser that they emit in a straight line towards the direction they are pointing too. Can make a mince meat of you in seconds , so make sure before you jump and dance before them that you have a alternative way planned before hand  .
























There are a overall of 40 levels in this game . But each level has single puzzle in it that when solved takes you to the next level . So depending upon how sharp you are and your basic common sense , you can finish off the game within one Hr or may extend it 4 Hrs . It depends on how you play it .

Pro's ::

1. Simple but attractive graphics that entirely pulls you into the depressing world of Limbo.
2. Simple controls with direction keys for moving the character and one key for Jump and another for action .
3 . Very small game , both in installer size as well as in gameplay level .
4. Innovative puzzles that makes you to scratch your brain out and when finally you figure it out , you will smack your head saying ' Now why didn't I think of that ' .

Con's :: 

1. The game World and environments with eerie sounds and lighting that , playing it continuously can some what depress you .
2. No hints for solving puzzles which can be very frustrating at some place that you may throw down your controller vowing that you are never ever going to play it again .
3. Zero Loading time and initialization time .

Overall :: A Game that must be played not only by Gamers but by everyone who is itching for puzzle solving  .

Rating : 9.3 / 10 

Regards 
Ram

Call of Duty : Black Ops 2

Another release of Treyarch and the story picks up and follows as a sequel to the Black ops which was released back in 2010 . Although the initial enthusiasm with which the game was expected and received in the gaming community was higher than ever , the game still failed to satisfy many of hardcore gamers and shockingly even its its own COD Fans ..Wat with the continuous failure of MW 2 and MW 3 (Although not many agree to tat point,   even though when they know tats the truth ...)Black ops 2 was supposed and hoped to be the return of the series back to its throne of the Best FPS Military shooter . But alarmingly it falls short .

The story picks is divided into two time zones , One that actually takes place during the actual Second Cold War ( 1986 to 1989 ) with Alex Mason and Woods taking point in going after a criminal who goes by the name of Menendez . And in the near future 2025 , where the JSOC team Member / Alex Mason's Son , David ' Section' Mason and his partner Harper go in to stop a Terrorist / revolutionary group tat goes by the name of 'Cordis Die' . Woods repeats anecdotes of his and Mason's encounter with Menendez . First time they have given of Multiple Story lines which gets selected by the options that the player chooses as he progresses through the game . Accordingly there are 4 possible ways that the game may end ,

1. If the player spares Menendez's life, completes all four Strike Force Missions, and both Chloe Lynch and Alex Mason survive the events of the game, the "best" ending will result. The player will have secured an alliance between China and the United States, ending the Second Cold War, Chloe's survival prevents Menendez's cyber attack from succeeding, and Mason's survival allows him to visit Frank Woods in retirement, reuniting with Section. The final scene shows Menendez in prison, watching a talk show with Jimmy Kimmel interviewing Chloe, getting enraged when Chloe Lynch insults him during the interview.

2. If Menendez is spared and Chloe survives, but Mason is killed in action, the Second Cold War will end and Menendez's cyber attack will fail, but Section will visit his father's grave with Woods and decides to retire from soldiering; Woods comments that his father would approve of the decision.

Harper

3. If Menendez is spared, Chloe is killed and Mason's fate is unresolved, Section will apprehend Menendez    and take him into custody. The cyber attack will succeed, allowing Menendez to escape. He kills Woods in the retirement home before visiting his sister's grave, dousing himself in gasoline, and readying a lit match.

4. If Menendez is killed, Chloe's fate is unresolved and Mason is killed, Section will visit his father's grave. Menendez's followers will riot when they learn of his assassination from a video Menendez programmed to post in that event, ending with a cut of the White House burning.

Raul Menendez

5. If Menendez is killed, Chloe's fate is unresolved and Mason lives, Section will kill Menendez before reuniting with his father at the retirement home, and Menendez's followers will riot as above

So tat the story part . No wcoming to the gameplay and Graphics . Lets take the Graphics first . 

GraPhics ::

The first word tat pops up in your mouth when you see this game is  "Shit it sucks " . Because after seeing titles like BF3 and Medal Of Honor Warfighter where the Graphics is the one part they have solely concentrated on , The Infinity Ward's 6 year old engine barely keeps up with the latest trends . It looks old and drab and even with all the eye candy enabled it looks like a game which was released way back in 2002 or 1999 .

Atleast the future session of the game looked good .But I seriously wonder , since because those were the gameplay which was actually show cased in E3 2012 . So I think developers concentrated more on them and eventually left out the other part of the levels .Sheesh !! talk about negligence huh :D. If you want to have  a look at decent level Graphics of this age then i suggest Hitman Absolution , Which is absolutely mind blowing . So anyway lest not stray of the topic, and coming back , the Technical Brilliance of the game clearly is outdated . If IW and Activision think of ever being in the race then they surely should concentrate more on their goods before loud mouthing to everyone.

Gameplay :: 

Strike Force Missions

The one thing that CALL of Duty was famous for are the Dramatic events which occur in the gameplay itself and not depending on cutscenes to bring out the cinematic style in games like other games of its genre did  . I mean Modern Warfare was famous for it . MW , MW 2 and MW 3 had a lot of epic moments in it . Like the scene where you alternate between giving command from satellite above and actually playing with the soldiers below at the same time and then again going up to give commands to your troops in order to make them invisible to the group tats patrolling the area .Even Black ops had its perks . The visuals had a new timbre and somber look to it tat actually added much more mystery and cinematicity of the game . Personally i loved it the most .Tats why I was so excited to hear about Black ops 2 . But....

Glide Mission 

This game alas !!! fails miserably to impress . I was expecting so much from it that when it finally came out I was hugely disappointed . Especially The Strike Force missions are so pathetic and Slow with Dumb A.I that gets killed easily and again its up to you ( The One Man Army ) to take care of everything ( yeah , tell me about it huh !! ) . The visuals also were a little boring and repetitive sometimes . And absolutely Zero Dramatic moments  :( Worst disappointment ever .


Weapons : : 

There are a lot of weapons that are available in the game and while loadout you are given an option to select the weapon of your choice or to go with the default load out . But seriously , you wont feel any difference between the guns at all .Its worse tat you had to reload all the guns so quickly tat you need to empty a full magazine to kill an enemy . Or if you are expert you can pull of headshots and thereby reducing the amount of reload necessary to complete a mission . No special weapons that are worth enough to be mentioned about , just the usual sort of weapons and grenades and Flash bangs .

Pro's :: 

1. Military Fanatic Gamers are going to crazy over all the cool stuff and gadgets that are available
2. The missions in the future are really cool especially the one where you and Harper swing from the mountains and then air Glide using Retractable wings to land at the enemy's line  and the level where you are asked to control a jet .
3.  Branching story line based on multiple events that the player gets to decide.

Jet Fly mission

Cons ::

1. Boring aim and shoot gameplay .
2. Zero Dramatic Gameplay moments .
3. Same old Sob Revenge Story , Nothing new there .
4. No actual connection between the players and the Player Character .
4. Stupid AI in Strike Force missions .
5. Poor Game Engine that makes you feel like you are playing a game that came centuries back  .

Overall :: Just another Army FPS shooter that can tease a Trigger Happy gamer's Appetite and hardcore COD fans . But apart from that a title that can be missed without any regret .

Rating :: 7.6 / 10 

Regards
Ram