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What is this I don’t even...

If you’re even tangentially involved in gaming, you likely heard at least something about Microsoft’s new system yesterday. Previously referred to as the Xbox 720, Nextbox, and Xbox Infinity by gamers, has now materialized as the Xbox One. Confused? I know I was, considering this is more like the Xbox 3 and we kind of already have an Xbox 1. However, that’s simply something we’ll have to get used to. What might be a little harder to swallow are the details about the system and the role it wants to play in your living room.

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Grinded Gears

It’s safe to say that the Gears of War franchise has safely secured its place in people’s minds as one of this generation’s most important franchises. Since the beginning, they’ve been innovating and refining the 3^rd person shooter genre, introducing things like the modern cover mechanic, and the extremely popular horde mode. 2011’s Gears of War 3 was the ending to the trilogy, and I felt like it ended the series properly. I finished the game satisfied with the story as well as the multiplayer, and I didn’t feel the need for another game. It’s not that I didn’t want the series to continue, but I expected a decent wait before the next iteration. It was hard for me to get excited for Gears of War: Judgment, a prequel starring the wise-cracking Baird. What could be done to improve upon Gears of War 3 less than two years later? Unfortunately, aside from a few changes in the overall formula, it’s apparent right away that developers People Can Fly couldn’t even answer that question.

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Game Over Man!

Unlike most reviewers, I feel like I had a unique perspective going into Gearbox’s Aliens: Colonial Marines. My fandom of the series only reaches back a few months, when friends recommended that I check out Alien and Aliens. While both movies were great, I didn’t really have the grasp on the series like most that grew up with the franchise. Also unlike most that went into this game, I didn’t have the chance to play it until after the backlash. Reports of the game being horrendous can be found everywhere, and while I agree to an extent, I feel that the majority of this game’s lackluster reception is due to the lofty expectations of diehard Aliens fans. However, nothing can stop Alien’s Colonial Marines from being a generic shooting experience that fell way below the standards of a great game.

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My Despair signifies Telltales Triumph.

With four episodes under Telltale’s belt, episode five was meant to cap off the season in an appropriate and satisfying fashion. Episode four left off with a huge cliffhanger that set a grim tone for this last episode. If anything, I was worried that the episode might not deliver. Endings are always a touchy subject (am I right, Mass Effect fans?). However, I was glad because Episode Five – No Time Left hit all of the marks that it was supposed to, and then some. 

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The douche bag sim you never knew you wanted.

I never expected to become so enamored with a game where you inhabit the body of the hugest douche bag to ever visit the South Pacific, but it happened.  After suffering through a fairly irritating opening sequence, you eventually find that you are free to explore the Rook Islands at whatever pace you desire.  In some of my early self-paced explorations, I decided to stealthily capture an enemy outpost.  Hiding in the bushes and taking stock of what foes lay within the compound, I heard the loud roar of a tiger that charged into the outpost and slaughtered everyone inside while my knife and gun remained completely unused.  I conquered that outpost by letting the game’s systems collide and work in my favor.  These types of situations happen continuously in Far Cry 3 and whether they were to my benefit or demise, it’s always a blast to witness.  It’s these interacting systems that make Far Cry 3 a special experience that is worth playing, despite the grating narrative.

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