No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Review

The Good

* Remarkably fun and interactive combat system
* Excellent use of motion controls
* Plenty of side jobs and minigames to keep you entertained
* Story, characters, and world ooze with style
* Some of the best graphics on the Wii.

The Bad

* Camera troubles ruin the fun
* Assassins aren't very well fleshed out.

In the bizarre metropolis of Santa Destroy, duels to the death are broadcast on television, and an entire economy has sprung up around the business of taking lives. No More Heroes 2 is a satirical, irreverent, and bloody tale of revenge set in a world gone mad. Like its predecessor, No More Heroes, Desperate Struggle deals with one man's rise to the top of an assassin leaderboard and focuses on his insane battles with a kooky cast of villains. However, it does so in a much more streamlined manner--the Grand Theft Auto-like open world and the ranked battle entrance fees have been removed, eliminating almost all of the tedium that plagued No More Heroes. With a raucously fun and brutal beat-'em-up combat system, a collection of enjoyable retro minigames, and a thoroughly entertaining story, No More Heroes 2 is a worthy follow-up to one of the most entertaining bloodbaths to be found on the Nintendo Wii.

Glastonbury, let's punk!

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Travis Touchdown is the Crownless King. Three years ago, the anime nerd and professional-wrestling aficionado purchased a beam katana on the Internet, fought his way up to the top of the United Assassin Association's rankings ladder, and simply walked away. He has become a legend in the underworld, and partly because of his story, the murder-for-hire business has exploded and gone mainstream. When his best pal is murdered in retaliation for Travis' killing spree, he returns to the UAA in order to seek vengeance on the man responsible, who coincidentally happens to be its number-one-ranked killer. Helping him out along the way are old friends, such as the beautiful UAA agent Sylvia, the deadly swordswoman Shinobu, and his twin brother and on-again, off-again rival Henry.

Much like its predecessor, No More Heroes 2 consists chiefly of magnificently violent and over-the-top bloody combat. If the idea of wielding a sword in a Wii game conjures uncomfortable thoughts of nonstop controller waggling, rest assured that this is not the case. Travis swings his totally-not-a-lightsaber at a press of the A button, and after you've sufficiently weakened an enemy, you can split him in twain--causing a morbidly amusing cloud of blood and dollar bills to rain down--by swinging your controller in the direction indicated onscreen. Alternatively, Travis can execute one of 13 different wrestling moves learned over the course of the game to finish off a stunned enemy in a slightly higher-concept and less-bloody manner.

Darth Maul she may not be, but don't be fooled by her cuteness.

No matter how you choose to destroy your foes, each execution causes a roulette wheel at the bottom of the screen to spin, and if three slots line up, Travis activates one of his darkside powers. By shouting aloud ridiculous attack names such as "strawberry on the shortcake" or "cranberry chocolate sundae," he can perform superpowered feats such as slowing down time for his enemies or temporarily transforming into a tiger. But even if you aren't lucky enough to hit it big with a jackpot, you can manually activate a new hyperspeed attack mode whenever you top off your ecstasy gauge, which fills as you dish out pain and empties as you receive it. Other changes include the ability to shake your remote when running for a slow-but-powerful slash, and the surprisingly effective option of using a Classic Controller to play through the entire game without motion controls.



By far the highlight of No More Heroes 2 are its eccentric duels with rival assassins. To earn the right to battle them, Travis must carve his way through their domains and their armies of hapless goons. After you make a game-saving restroom stop, the assassins reveal themselves in bizarre, spectacular ways, and the heat is on. Whether you're fighting the hip-hop dancing leader of a religious cult or an adorable but deadly coed with a double-sided beam sword flute, the battles are fun, challenging, and unique. Perhaps most intriguing about the assassins are the elegant locales that serve as their arenas: a dilapidated haunted house, a grassy plain between the realms of life and death, and an eclipsing, setting sun all serve as backdrops of battle and inject extra personality into the duels. This is important, because the assassins--while wild and crazy--often lack personalities and, with few exceptions, are poorly or not at all fleshed out. Though the story is centered on Travis' quest for vengeance, a bit more characterization of his archenemies would have been appreciated. Finally, it's worth pointing out that though there are now 50 rankings in the UAA, group fights and other circumstances out of your control reduce the number of bosses you encounter to 15.

Minigames let you man the meat, grab the coconuts, get your hands on transforming magical girls, and more!

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No More Heroes 2 features a much more streamlined method of navigating Santa Destroy than the original game--you simply pick where you want to go on the map and you're there. Ranked matches also no longer require entrance fees, which means that if you want to go directly from one fight into the next to keep the action going, you can. Working side jobs is still a necessity, though, if you want to stay abreast of Dr. Naomi's latest weapons technology, update Travis' punk couture, or work out to increase your max health and damage output. This time around, you earn cash through simple and delightful 2D retro games by performing tasks such as exterminating bugs, delivering pizzas, and collecting trash in space. These fully featured but nonetheless brief minigames are a great way to relax in between murder sprees, but if you prefer an aside that's a bit more "hands on," you can always hunt down the goons directly responsible for Travis' best friend's death. As intriguing as this may sound, the revenge missions are ultimately disappointing--they're simply timed deathmatches, and the hit men fight and act no differently than the average thug, which is a huge missed opportunity for more nutty villainy.

Desperate Struggle utilizes a highly stylized, cel-shaded look that delivers some of the most striking graphics that the Nintendo Wii has to offer. Even in the midst of a bloody massacre, the action unfolds smoothly and without stutter. The game's greatest weakness, however, lies in its camera system. Though you can lock on to enemies and it's easy to reset the camera, it all too often doesn't know where to look, and things aren't much better in the handful of nonstandard sequences during which you're given direct control over it. On the positive side, Desperate Struggle includes an all-star voice cast, from the lovable and gleefully self-aware Travis to the sexy French siren Sylvia to the Irish badass Henry and beyond. Accompanying the great vocal performances is a wicked, eclectic soundtrack full of catchy punk and rock songs, fantastic retro themes, and brilliant parodies of cliche anime music.

The quest to make Travis look even more ridiculous continues.

Despite a couple of key shortcomings, such as a poor camera system and a general lack of rival assassin characterization, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is an overall improvement upon its predecessor. This greatly streamlined game throws out the tedium of the original, and a host of smart changes to the side jobs make even plumbing fun and rewarding. While an average play-through will last you 10 to 12 hours, you can easily put in more time by searching for all of the hidden collectibles, by earning enough cash to complete Travis' wardrobe set, and by replaying boss battles for low clear times in the unlockable Deathmatch mode. Whether you're yearning for a fun and violent Wii action game or simply want to live out a secret Star Wars fantasy of duel-wielding laser swords, No More Heroes 2 is the game for you.
By Lark Anderson, GameSpot

2004 Yamaha YZF-R1 - United Way

2004 Yamaha YZF-R1 - United Way
An R1 Bridges The Custom Divide.
September, 2009
By Justin Fivella
Photography by John Zamora
2004 Yamaha Yzf R1 With Model

Hot Road Rides In The Spotlight
Not long ago the streetbike scene was split; On one end you had the go-fast replicas that performed well but looked stock, and on the other you had the bling machines that looked great but were better left parked.

Thankfully though, with the help of riders like Morgan Recchia the gap is finally being bridged. "I wanted to build a show bike that would appeal to all types of riders-from the bike night custom scene to the full-on racer enthusiasts," Recchia said.

And build a win-all bike he did. Starting with a 2004 Yamaha R1, Recchia wasted little time in hittin' the high notes. The plastics were given a graphical treatment and then blanketed with some shine. They even received a 3M clear bra treatment to keep 'em immaculate for years-and the result is red hot.

When it came time to make the bark match the bite the motor was massaged with some high-comp, oversized JE pistons and a ported head that allowed the 1051cc mill to pound out some extra ponies at the wheel. As you'd expect, a Power Commander III, velocity stacks and a custom exhaust were also utilized to maximize the moving motivation.
2004 Yamaha Yzf R1 Front

Since straight-line performance is only half the battle, Recchia added hlins suspension on either end as well as a custom magnesium swingarm to pinpoint the ideal geometry. To help this red rocket hold a tight line some Two Brothers adjustable clip-ons and a Roland Sands triple clamp were also called into play.

In the end, the R1 strikes a healthy balance between performance and poise, and Recchia admits he puts both to the test on a regular basis, "Most customs are trailer queens, but this one has seen many knee dragging weekends and will continue to see many more."

2004 Yamaha YZF-R1
Front End: hlins fork internals, Two Brothers Racing clip-ons, Roland Sands triple clamp, Galfer Wave rotors and lines, GPR stabilizer

Rear End: hlins shock, magnesium swingarm

Motor: JE Pistons (1051cc), ported head, Power Commander III, Quickshifter, race harness, K&N air filter, velocity stacks, high velocity fuel pump, iridium plugs, AFAM sprocket kit, DID ERV chain, throttle kit, custom exhaust

Paint: Rock and Roll Paintworks, JRT Designs

Accessories: Gilles rearsets and chain adjusters, LED kit and strobes, HID, integrated taillight, CRG levers and bar-end mirrors, Zero Gravity windscreen, Supermoto axle sliders, Probolt dress-up kit, quick-release fasteners, Targa fender eliminator

Owner: Morgan Recchia

2002 Suzuki Hayabusa - Skin Deep

2002 Suzuki Hayabusa - Skin Deep
Ed Hardy-inspires the of a modded bod.

WORDS AND PICS: JOHN ZAMORA
MODEL: MONICA RENEE
WARDROBE: NEW WEST DESIGNS
MAKE UP: LIZA MACAWILI
September, 2009
2002 Suzuki Hayabusa Lead

Much like tattoos, the custom Hayabusa has been both admired and feared. In years past, mainstream sportbike riders considered fitting an oversized rear tire nothing short of blasphemy. Over time it slowly grew more popular and eventually gained social acceptance. And we'll be damned if fat tired customs aren't as commonplace as a celebrity with some skin art.

One man who was influential in the Hayabusa's aftermarket development is Ricky Monjaraz, a SoCal dude who's deep in the scene. He's been making aftermarket parts since he was kid, and when his dad created RIS Designs in the early 1990s it solidified Ricky's calling.

After years of carving out his spot it was no coincidence that the Ed Hardy crew looked to him for help when building a promotional bike.
2002 Suzuki Hayabusa With Model
"I chose a haybusa but decided...

read full caption
2002 Suzuki Hayabusa With Model
"I chose a haybusa but decided to give it an all-new look."

"Ed Hardy Motorsports asked if we could build a bike to showcase some new parts, so I chose a Hayabusa but decided to give it an all-new look."

When it came time to lay color over the highly customized Canni Design bodywork, RIS enlisted the help of the airbrush kings at H2O Cycles. H2O's owner, Louis Grasse, explained: "I wanted the opportunity to show off some of our freehand work. We used a sticker only as an outside guide for the design but the rest was freehand airbrush. It turned out to be a total of 65 hours of airbrushing."

Originally, RIS said that we would have about two weeks to finish the job before an upcoming show. We actually had about seven days!"

The combination of the new custom skins with updated ink not only made the bike socially elegant, but also gave a rebirth to an aging design. Now the 'Busa looks as much at home in the window of a trendy boutique as it would in front of a dingy tattoo parlor on the wrong side of the tracks.

As with all things non-traditional, some sportbike purists will probably shun the new finish, but in the end it's a motorcycle like this that will bring custom sportbikes to a higher level of public awareness.

Don Ed Hardy
You've seen the flashy hats and t-shirts, but who is the guy behind the designs?

Don Ed Hardy is one of America's most celebrated tattoo artists, and was mentored by none other than the legendary Sailor Jerry.

His unique mixture of numerous styles has landed him worldwide fame, and now even a clothing line and motorcycle parts were created in his honor.
2002 Suzuki Hayabusa Right View 2002 Suzuki Hayabusa Gas Cap 2002 Suzuki Hayabusa Grips

2002 Suzuki Hayabusa
Front end: Performance Machine "Torque" wheel and rotors, Pirelli Diablo tire

Rear end: Performance Machine "Torque" wheel, Pirelli Diablo tire, 6-inch-over swingarm with 240mm tire, Tricky air ride, Galfer Wave rotor and lines, Regina chain

Motor: K&N air filter, Brock's Performance Alien exhaust, Power Commander

Paint: Paul Wong at H20 Cycles (www.h20cycles.com)

Polish/chrome: RIS Designs

Bodywork: Canni Designs (www.cannidesign.com)

Accessories: RIS Designs clear clutch cover, flame levers, adjustable kickstand, clear stator cover, foot pegs, fork caps, fairing spikes, clear gas cap, flame clutch and brake levers, chain guard, front rotor inserts, grips, mirror block-offs, brake and clutch reservoirs, front tank cover, rear caliper bracket, Drastik Plastix LEDs, Street Racer Parts gauges, Grip Ace switch system

Owner: Ricky Monjaraz

gambar modifikasi motor

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

The Good

* Exciting and well-designed dungeons
* Controlling phantoms is fun and adds new depth to the series
* Lengthy story with plenty of side quests
* Innovative boss fights
* Frantic multiplayer.

The Bad

* Not too challenging.

There is something immensely appealing about the simple act of blowing your train's horn in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. You'll find yourself making the classic "toot-toot" sound often as you travel around the world of Hyrule, reveling in the way it makes your inner 10-year-old kid giggle with glee. Playing Spirit Tracks brings up similar feelings; it's fun and familiar, basking you in the nostalgia of the Zelda series' well-trodden gameplay formulas while adding enough changes to make it feel exciting again. And while its look will undoubtedly bring up comparisons with 2007's superb Phantom Hourglass, Link's new adventure does away with its predecessor's repetitiveness and pacing issues, making Spirit Tracks the superior of the two Zelda games available on Nintendo's handheld console.

You'll find plenty of new yet familiar scenarios in Spirit Tracks.

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It not just an art style that Spirit Tracks shares with Phantom Hourglass. This new game is a sequel, and while, you'll play as a new Link, several familiar faces from the 2007 game make an appearance in Spirit Tracks (some as direct descendants of old characters and some as older versions of their Phantom Hourglass selves). Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after the events of Phantom Hourglass, and the land of Hyrule is in peril. The demon king Malladus is stirring, threatening to break free from the Tower of Spirits (his prison for the last century) and throw off the chains that have kept him suppressed. These chains are actually the game's Spirit Tracks, a series of lines crisscrossing the world that the inhabitants of Hyrule have been using to drive their trains on. Young Link starts the game as a newly graduated engineer, off to see Princess Zelda and gain his official train driver's qualification. Once there, Zelda confides to Link her fear that Malladus may be on the rise and urges him to take her to the Tower of Spirits so they can both investigate. But before they reach the tower, they are attacked. The tower then breaks into several pieces, and the evil Chancellor Cole and his sidekick Byrne steal Zelda's body for use as the resurrected Malladus' new body. Zelda's spirit remains, however, becoming Link's guide as he strives to prevent the demon king's rise and to reunite his beloved princess back with her physical form.

It's certainly a first for the series for Zelda to die (for all intents and purposes) right at the start of the game and for her spirit to join you for the rest of the adventure, but it's not the only new addition. As well as being a Na'vi-like fairy companion for Link, Zelda can take control of phantoms, which are heavily armed guardians of the Tower of Spirits (and who players of Phantom Hourglass will remember as the near-invincible soldiers guarding the Ocean Temple). You can control both Link and the Zelda-possessed phantoms, and it's this new play mechanic that invigorates the tried-and-true Zelda formula. Similar in concept to the domination rod in Twilight Princess, Zelda-phantoms will dutifully accompany Link as he explores the tower, but you can also assign them specific paths by tracing a line on the DS's touchpad, or even get them to activate switches, carry items, or attack enemies. The cooperative puzzles you'll need Zelda-phantoms for start off quite simply--getting their invincible frames to block a column of fire so you can move Link past, for example, or hitching a ride on their shields to traverse lava pits--but by the end of the game they'll get increasingly complex and will require you to use different types of phantoms (each with its own special abilities, such as being able to roll through obstacles, carry fiery swords, or warp around levels) to solve problems. Even more tricky are several boss battles that require you to control a Zelda-phantom and Link. These fights are tense and exciting, requiring fast reflexes as you're forced to quickly switch between the two characters to find an opponent's weak points.

The princess becomes your constant companion..

You can control only Link and Zelda in the Tower of Spirits, an area you'll have to visit several times to gain new maps that open up spirit tracks to different parts of the gameworld. Phantom Hourglass veterans who are worried that the Tower of Spirits is simply another name for the annoying Ocean Temple in that earlier game needn't fear; while you'll make multiple trips to the Tower of Spirits, the repetition and the time limits of the Ocean Temple have been done away with. You won't ever need to repeat the same levels. Outside of the Tower of Spirits and its dual Link-Zelda mechanic, Spirit Tracks plays similarly to most other adventures in the series. You'll venture into a multilevel dungeon, obtain a new weapon, and then use that new weapon to defeat a powerful boss creature at the end of that dungeon. Many of Link's weapons will be familiar to series veterans, including favorites such as the boomerang, the bow, and bombs. There are new weapons, too, including a hookshot-like whip, which Link can use to latch onto beams to swing across chasms Indiana Jones-style, and a special wand that can erect walls of sand.

Such adherence to formula may be the undoing of lesser games, but consistently clever level design and the tricky-but-never-cheap puzzles in Spirit Tracks mean the game is a winning experience at all times. Though the game doesn't stray far from what made the Zelda series great, you'll still feel a palpable thrill when you figure out the way to get that final dungeon key or use your newly found weapon to take down an initially intimidating boss. The game itself is not too difficult--there are only a few puzzles in the final two dungeons that may get you stuck--but the problems you'll have to solve are almost all uniformly engaging and make creative use of Link's abilities and weapons.



What's also surprisingly engaging is riding your train around on the spirit tracks covering Hyrule. You would think that having fixed railway lines to travel on would make moving from location to location boring, but the game throws enough variety at you to make most trips interesting. As well as using your train's horn to scare away livestock clogging up the tracks or using your cannon to blast away roving enemies, you'll have to contend with demon trains cruising the tracks. You'll need to plan ahead to avoid these enemies, keeping a close eye on your map and switching lines when necessary to make sure you don't end up on a collision course. Crashing into one of these enemies is the biggest negative of riding a train in Hyrule. You'll become familiar with the crushing feeling of inevitability that comes when you've made a mistake switching lines and are forced to simply wait until the collision. And every hit sends you right back to where you started your trip, resulting in a fair bit of repetition.

You have to plan ahead to avoid other trains on the tracks.

Driving the train is easy: You have three speeds to switch between using a lever on the right of the touch screen, as well as a rope for the horn, which you can pull at any time (toot-toot!). The rest of the game's controls are similarly simple and intuitive, with the touch screen and stylus used for all movement and actions. You simply hold the stylus on the screen to move Link and tap or slash on enemies to attack. It was a winning control scheme two years ago when used in Phantom Hourglass, and it has lost none of its positives today. The DS's microphone gets another workout this time around, though. You can use it as a weapon by blowing into it to send a gust of wind at enemies, and you need to use it to play the spirit flute. You'll learn several songs that you can play on the ocarina-like instrument throughout the course of your adventure, with each song having special effects, such as healing you in dungeons and unveiling hidden chests.

Side quests aside, Spirit Tracks features more than 14 hours of play in the main story, but there's plenty to do outside of trying to stop Malladus. As in most Zelda games, there are plenty of hidden secrets and chests to track down, and many are inaccessible until later in the game when you've unlocked all of Link's weapons. The train is also used in several of Spirit Tracks' side quests. You'll be asked to use your train to ferry fussy passengers, move livestock from town to town, and even hunt down and capture cute rabbits for relocation to a bunny sanctuary. Your rewards for these tasks range from extra hearts to whole new sections of Spirit Tracks, leading to previously inaccessible areas and even more hidden goodies.

The game also comes with a fun four-player competitive mode which, in a plus, can be played by using one game cartridge and the DS' download play mode. It's a pretty simple set-up--you and three other players race around single-level dungeons trying to grab as many force gems before the timer runs out. Dying--either by getting hit by a roaming Phantom or falling victim to an environmental hazard such as lava or a deep pit--will cause you to drop some of your collected gems, which your competitors can then swoop up. And while you won't be able to use your weapons, you can cause mischief to your fellow players in other interesting ways. If a Phantom is chasing you, for example, running past another player will cause the Phantom to switch their brutal attention onto them instead. You can also activate switches to open trapdoors which, if timed correctly, can send your competitors hurtling to their doom, allowing you to pick up their hard-earned gems. Multiplayer games--especially with a full complement of players--are usually hectic and lots of fun as you scramble to grief other players in order to steal their gems. But with only six maps available, multiplayer is more an interesting little distraction rather than a fully-fledged time sink.

Using Zelda-phantoms adds a whole new dimension to the Zelda formula.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks hasn't improved markedly on the visuals seen in Phantom Hourglass, which isn't a problem considering that the first game looked great on the DS. Spirit Tracks is just as impressive, with the colorful world containing a surprising amount of detail to help bring the land of Hyrule to life. This game has an abundance of charm, from the endearing conversations you'll have with Zelda, to the many kooky and interesting personalities you'll come across and even the varied enemies. And while there's no dialogue in the game, aside from some grunts and squeals, the audio is impressive, with a tuneful soundtrack mixing seamlessly with classic sounds from the Zelda series' history (including that familiar yet still triumphant trill when you open chests).

You'll find plenty that's familiar in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, but the inclusion of new mechanics, such as controlling both Link and Zelda, and the simple joy of driving the train lift this game above being just another Zelda adventure. This game is a top-notch adventure, and whether this is your first or 15th time in Hyrule, Spirit Tracks is a must-play.
By Randolph Ramsay, GameSpot

inFamous

The Good

* Moving around the city is easy and exciting
* Fast combat with a variety of awesome powers
* Engrossing story with interesting characters
* Powerful moral choices
* Great pacing and lots of different mission types.

The Bad

* A variety of both gameplay and visual glitches.

Imagine waking up one day and finding yourself in the middle of a burning crater, destroyed buildings and dead people everywhere. You soon learn that you are no longer like other humans. Electricity courses through your body, endowing you with superpowers and, by extension, the power to control the fates of those around you. Will you become a noble hero, striving to bring peace to a city in ruins? Or will you lash out in anger, crushing the weak humans who are no longer your equals? In Infamous, the choice is yours. These moral dilemmas intertwine your fate with that of the city, but it's the amazing freedom that makes this experience so incredible. From unleashing electrical blasts to corral your enemies, to scaling the highest skyscrapers with finesse and ease, Infamous lets you seamlessly control the powered-up hero you've always wanted to be. The buggy visuals and gameplay glitches can't quite live up to the excellent action, but the overall experience crushes these small problems like so many petty criminals. It's not easy being a superhero, but it is an absolute blast.

Just look at that agility.

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A powerful bomb has exploded in Empire City, bringing the thriving island metropolis to its knees. Gangs now rule the streets, causing cops and citizens alike to cower in fear, and a deadly pandemic has forced the government to quarantine the whole area. At the center of the cataclysmic blast is Cole, an ordinary bicycle messenger. Of course, he isn't so ordinary anymore. The explosion killed thousands and leveled buildings like they were fragile card houses, but it gave him superpowers. Cole can shoot lightning bolts from his fingertips and withstand an inordinate amount of punishment, so he is the one who must track down the bombers and bring order to the city. The story is rooted firmly in typical comic-book struggles, but the characters are so well developed, the problems so believable, that the deeper you plunge into the conspiracy the more fascinating it gets. As the story pushes you toward the chilling conclusion, you'll become completely immersed in this universe. The cutscenes add to this impact, employing stylish, animated illustrations that would be equally at home in a comic-book.

However, the story is not just a static tale of vengeance and betrayal. You have a choice in how it plays out, which gives you a strong connection to the events, sucking you further into the world. Whenever Cole is faced with a moral decision, the action pauses and Cole spells out his thoughts to you. Should he let the hungry citizens eat the government-delivered food, or scare them off and take it all for his friends? The abrupt stop in the action lacks the immediate impact that a more organic choice would have given, but it makes you face the consequences head on, forcing you to consider both sides of the coin before brashly rushing in. The problems are often black and white, presenting a clear path toward being a superhero or villain, but there are a few twists to the classic formula that make the problems feel much more authentic. There isn't always an obvious good or evil route, so you'll have to put yourself in Cole's shoes, decide how you want the situation to play out, and live with the consequences--both in how the story plays out and in the look of the city itself.

Don't mess with the guy with superpowers. Lesson learned.

Empire City is split into three large islands, and by the end of the game, you'll be able to travel across the whole city, jumping into missions or on top of buildings without restrictions. Moving around the city feels almost perfect, given that the ease of climbing and leaping makes the whole world burst with possibilities. You can easily grab on to windows, pipes, and other fixtures on the outside of buildings, which makes climbs from the dirty streets to the breezy rooftop quick and painless. There's a slight stickiness to Cole's leaps, so when you jump close to objects that you can grab, you'll be pulled into their path. This simple mechanic makes sliding along thin wires or bouncing across tiny posts incredibly fun, letting you worry more about where you want to go rather than how you're going to get there. As you progress through the game, you unlock the ability to glide through the air and grind railroad tracks, which makes the already dynamic movement even more freeing. The whole system is so immediately satisfying that it's possible to get lost in this huge metropolis for hours, joyfully dashing across towering buildings, skating along railroad tracks, and shimmying up lampposts.

Although leaping from building to building is a blast on its own, there are worthwhile goodies hidden around the city that give you a tangible reason to explore every nook and cranny. There are 350 blast shards scattered in all sorts of odd places, and collecting them gives you the ability to store more electricity, which means that you have even more power with which to zap enemies and innocent bystanders. There are also drop points scattered across the three islands that give important details about the events that unfolded before the bomb changed everything. To find these hidden items, you need only tap L3 and they will appear on your radar, eliminating the frustration of having to hunt down hundreds of collectables. However, it's when you start tracking down these items that a slight problem with the movement crops up. The stickiness of your jumps is great when you're sprinting across rooftops, but it makes landing in precise locations rather tricky. Cole latches on to everything near him, so trying to drop down a story to nab a tucked-away shard can be trying at times. The benefit of being pulled into every climbable object far outweighs this slight annoyance, but it can be grating when you just want to grab a tiny ledge and Cole's sticky fingers won't obey.



The combat is as seamless and enjoyable as the exploration, which keeps the action consistently thrilling. You start with a standard electrical blast that subdues citizens and criminals rather quickly, but you unlock even more powerful tricks throughout the game, which keeps the combat varied and intense. Sticky grenades, high-powered rockets, and an impressive shockwave blast can all be integrated into your normal fight routine with ease, which makes it possible to exterminate your foes in creative and sadistic ways. The controls for the combat are spot-on, ensuring that you can never blame the game if you miss a headshot or accidentally zap a friendly doctor instead of a crazed gunman. As you complete missions and kill enemies, you earn experience points, which are used to upgrade your already impressive abilities. Although the core moves don't differ drastically between good and evil characters, the upgrades throw in some interesting twists. For instance, as a good guy, Cole can use his grenades to handcuff weaker enemies to the ground, whereas his evil side can split grenades into multiple parts, creating more potent blasts.

Cole always travels in style, even in cutscenes.

Though you have superstrength and the ability to conduct electricity, this game isn't a cakewalk. Whether you're good or evil, the city is overflowing with enemies, which forces you to be alert even when walking casually down the street. Bad guys perch atop buildings armed with high-powered sniper rifles and rocket launchers, and they are crack shots with plenty of ammunition. If you're not careful, you will die often, but the difficulty never seems unfair. The versatile combat system lets you attack the hostiles in a number of unique ways. For instance, in one mission, you must bombard a specific building. You can move in slowly, taking out the surrounding villains as meticulously as possible and clearing an open path to unleash your destructive power. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can grind a nearby railroad track, toss handfuls of grenades and missiles as you glide by, and destroy your mark without bothering with the surrounding humans. The versatility of the fights combined with a forgiving checkpoint system ensure that, even when the odds are stacked against you, there is always a way to weather the storm.

The missions are as varied as the ways in which you can approach them. There are quests that focus on exploration, pure combat, careful tracking, deft platforming, escorting important people, and various combinations thereof. The most rousing is an intense battle in a prison courtyard. Powerful enemies swarm from all sides, filling the screen with fire and explosions. You toss grenades and missiles into the fray, conjure shockwaves to slow down the onslaught, and then slink behind cover to take a breather. It's intense and thrilling, cleverly mixing every element of the game into a superb blend of chaos and fun. The side missions provide an interesting respite from the exhilarating main missions, giving you bite-sized tasks that clean up sections of the city when you finish them. Certain side missions force you to choose between two morally aligned tasks. Completing the good one will make the evil one unavailable, and vice versa. Not only are these missions satisfying, but they further reinforce your moral standing and make the two sides of the karmic coin feel unique.

Cole's good guy act of the day: making sewers enjoyable.

The visuals cannot quite match the thrilling combat and amazing exploration, but they do a fine job of bringing this chaotic city to life. Cole is nicely detailed and impressively animated; he leaps and climbs with silky-smooth moves. The lighting is also quite well done. During some missions, Cole must enter the sewers to power up darkened districts of the city, and these sections are stunning. The light dances against the murky water and dank walls, creating an eerie yet inviting view of the slinkiest place in the city. Fire is also brilliantly realized, which makes it a joy to cause cars and toxic barrels to combust. Not everything looks so good, though. The other characters don't have the same believable animation as Cole, which makes the in-game cutscenes feel pretty sloppy. The buildings and roads have a hazy look, and textures jarringly pop in as you quickly leap across the city. There are also a number of graphical glitches. Cole will walk through railings and other solid objects all too often, the frame rate struggles when the screen is brimming with effects, and there are far too many jagged edges.

Empire City may not be the prettiest place, but what it lacks in stunning beauty it makes up for in pure entertainment. One of the most remarkable aspects of Infamous is how it continually improves throughout the quest. The pacing is excellent. It doles out new abilities, introduces powerful story twists, and concocts exhilarating missions at a steady rate, which means the game never loses steam during the course of the lengthy adventure. And when the credits finally roll, you'll just want to keep playing, to see what the other morality choices reveal and to squeeze every ounce of entertainment from this amazing world. Infamous is an exhilarating and incredibly fun open-world game.

Borderlands

The Good

* Satisfying gunplay
* Tons of weapons, shields, and helpful items
* Four unique and equally fun-to-play characters
* Distinct, appealing artistic style
* Great system of rewards.

The Bad

* Online issues at launch, including broken Friends list functionality
* Lonelier, slower-paced for a solo player
* Massively unsatisfying "climax"
* Lackluster loot sharing system.

On the hostile, bandit-ridden planet of Pandora, there is one thing that draws off-world attention: The Vault. This mysterious alien structure is rumored to hold treasures of fantastic power and wealth, and so it attracts fortune-seeking corporations and individuals alike. In Borderlands, you are one such individual, but the satisfaction of unlocking the Vault's secrets pales in comparison to the rollicking good time you'll have on your way there. Borderlands is all about the journey, not the destination, and like most trips, this one is much better when you have some friends along for the ride. Solo players can still have a good time, because the bloody and entertaining combat is paired well with rewarding loot and engaging experience systems. But Pandora is a lonely place for a solitary mercenary, and lone wolves will find the pace deliberate and the friendly characters too few and far between. Those who take advantage of the two-player split-screen mode or four-player online cooperative mode will experience the game as it's meant to be played, though PlayStation 3 owners will have a tougher time of it. Getting into a public online game is problematic, and it's next to impossible to invite anyone from your friends list to join you. Yet the core experience still satisfies, and the pleasing rhythm of killing enemies, gathering loot, and cashing in is punctuated by fighting bosses, completing quests, and leveling up. As a solo merc, this rhythm is slow and methodical, but as a team, the pace quickens to an invigorating clip and pretty soon you've spent hours having a riotously rewarding time.

Whether in a vehicle or on foot, killing dudes in Borderlands is just plain fun.

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The world of Pandora has a dusty, run-down feel, yet it manages to be vibrant and eye-catching at the same time. The art style features black-line borders and a colorful palette that give the game a not-quite-comic, not-quite-cel-shaded look. It takes some getting used to, and occasional jaggies and slow-to-load textures reflect its less-than-perfect technical execution. Yet what Borderlands lacks in precision it more than makes up for in style, and hours into the game you'll still be appreciating the thoughtful design touches that bring this world to life. Though the different environments occasionally feel too similar, there is enough distinct detail to keep them from blurring together. Your vanquished enemies also do their part to keep things visually interesting by dying in a variety of gruesome and entertaining ways. Bodies explode, limbs fly off, and burning enemies occasionally disintegrate from the ground up until only the mask of their face is left hanging in midair. It sounds (and is a bit) horrifying, but when the mask drops comically to the floor and finally burns up, don't bother stifling that chuckle. The art design resonates well with Borderlands' irreverent sense of humor, and the game is playful without feeling too goofy.

You travel through this world as one of four characters, each with a unique look and attitude. You don't really get to appreciate the character designs if you play solo because you have no AI teammates, but you do hear frequent quips that give you a little bit of character-specific flavor. The most important difference between characters is the action skill, which is a special ability that can give you an edge in combat. The Hunter can release a vicious bird of prey; the Soldier can throw down an automatic turret flanked by shields; the Siren can turn invisible and speedy, damaging all enemies in the vicinity; and the Berserker flies into a damage-resistant rage and delivers brutal punches to his enemies. You unlock these abilities after playing for a short while, and not only are they all fun to use, but each one can be customized in a couple of strategically distinct ways. You can tweak and upgrade your ability by investing skill points in appropriate skills. So, for example, upgrading the Hunter's bird of prey not only can increase the amount of damage it does, but can make it attack multiple targets, steal health from them, slow them down for easy sniping, and cause them to drop more loot. Expanding your action skill makes you more deadly in combat, and it's one of the most rewarding parts of leveling up. Killing enemies, finishing quests, and completing in-game bonus challenges earn you experience points, which in turn earn you a new level. Leveling up boosts your overall fortitude and grants you a precious skill point to use however you see fit.

You can also spend your skill points on other improvements, and each character has three different skill trees that highlight different tactics and abilities. So the Soldier can essentially become the team medic by developing the skills that allow him to shoot teammates to regenerate their health and that make his turret create a healing radius. Or he could choose to become more deadly, increasing his turret damage and combat rifle performance. Though your weapon proficiency improves based on how much you use a given weapon type, different characters have skills that favor different types of guns, so it's to your advantage to play to your character's strengths. The Berserker can certainly become proficient with the sniper rifle, but his melee-focused action skill and preference for rocket launchers make him a better choice for wading into the fray. Though the branching skill trees offer intriguing ways to specialize, your initial character choice has the biggest impact on how you'll go through the game. Fortunately, each character is fun and deadly in his own way, so you can't choose poorly, and you'll probably want to experience what each one has to offer. Playing cooperatively allows you to enjoy and benefit from the other characters' abilities, something you don't get to appreciate when playing solo, unless you start a new game.

This guy isn't nearly as scary when you have three other mercs backing you up.

Expanding your abilities and leveling up is one of the main ways that Borderlands consistently rewards you. Loot is another. Loot can be found in containers, dropped by enemies, or given to you as a quest reward. It includes money, ammo, shields, mods that boost and alter your grenades, mods that boost your skills, and, of course, guns. Guns are classified in familiar categories: pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, combat rifles, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and so on. Each class feels distinct, and the shooting mechanics are well tuned and satisfying, which makes it fun to blast baddies. Base damage, clip size, fire rate, accuracy, and bullet spread are just some of the variables within each class, and some guns have more exotic features, like bladed pistols that increase melee damage or a shotgun that also shoots rockets. They can also do elemental damage, which comes in a variety of flavors that put a special kind of hurt on and can even do damage over time. Equip an incendiary gun if you want to burn flesh, or a corrosive gun if you want to deal extra damage to creatures with tough hides.

You will come across a huge number of guns in your travels, though most are only good for selling back to the many vending machines around Pandora. However, you will continually find better guns throughout your journey, and because a sweet gun or awesome shield could be be found on the remains of any human or animal and in any inanimate storage container, you'll spend a lot of time searching and picking things up. There is a lot of stuff to pick up in Borderlands, and it can be a bit unsettling when you realize just how much of the game you might have to spend looking down at the ground, pressing a button to grab your loot. Initially, it feels like you're looking down and pressing a button far too often. But as you progress, you'll become a more proficient loot-grabber, and you won't be bothered by the action. You'll even grow to love the sight of a battlefield littered with the tiny towers of light that seem to proclaim, "Grab me!" Watching your loot fly towards you and hearing it lodge in your inventory is satisfying, though there is another kink in the works. You can hold the reload button to pick up all the ammo and money nearby (something you'll want to do often), but if you hold the button while looking at a gun, you'll immediately equip it. This can cause you to equip some bogus guns if you're not careful, but this is quickly remedied and rarely too bothersome. You can compare guns within your inventory, and if you've used up your limited space, you can check the specs on a fallen gun easily and drop one from your inventory if you like.

Corrosive skag spit vs. incendiary sniper rounds.

Unfortunately, dropping items is also the only way you can give them to your teammates, and there's no way to exchange ammo or money. If teammates are using the same type of gun, this can lead to some problematic ammo shortages, which is another reason to play to your character's strengths. This can also lead to disputes over who gets that fancy new shotgun, so it's best to have a gentleman's agreement in place over how to handle these issues. Borderlands allows you to resolve disputes by melee attacking a friendly player and challenging him to a duel. If your teammate melees you back, a colored dome pops up and the two of you fight to the death. The loser doesn't actually die, just loses some health, and there's no way to put a wager on the match, so the victor doesn't necessarily receive the spoils. As long as you're playing with a respectful group, you should be able to avoid loot-hoggers and the like, but it's still a bit disappointing that there isn't a better way to pool and equally distribute your collective resources.

Even more disappointing are the serious online issues that plague the PS3 version. After waiting for slow-to-load menus and enduring possible lock-ups, you can get into a public match and play at a good connection speed. However, inviting players from your friends list into a game is nearly impossible, because the game inexplicably populates the "Invite Friends" window with a small, random fraction of your friends who may not even be online. Not being able to play with your buddies is a big problem, and anyone hoping not to play solo is resigned to the luck of the draw. When you do manage to join up with other players, Borderlands does a good job of adjusting enemy difficulty to accommodate you, though the larger the level gap, the easier it will be for higher level players, and the tougher it will be for lower level players. It's worth noting that the story-related missions--that is, the ones you have to perform in sequence--reflect the host's progress, and players who are behind the host may not get credit for completing certain missions.

Having some friends on your side makes things a lot more pleasant, given that about 99 percent of life on Pandora is your enemy. Human enemies range from bandits that are smart enough to wear shields and take cover to psychos that light themselves on fire and sprint toward you, screaming about rending your flesh from your bones. The local wildlife is universally hostile and includes skags (toothy dog-beasts), spiderants (armored insect monsters), rakks (raggedy death bats), and scythids (wriggling prehistoric grubs). Every type of enemy appears in various incarnations, ranging from young and weak to badass and on fire. These variations are generated anew during each encounter, so even when you kill a clutch of enemies in that same gully for the fourth time, it will be a different bad-guy loadout. You'll fight hundreds of each enemy type throughout the game, and the fact that groups are varied goes a long way toward staving off repetition. The two-seater vehicles also offer some locomotive variety, and many of the areas are much more fun to traverse on four wheels than on two legs. You can conjure the lone vehicle type from the many Catch-a-Ride stations. The touchy handling takes some getting used to, and you can run into some exaggerated physics problems when crashing into rocks. However, there's nothing quite like vehicular homicide to stave off bandit-killing fatigue. In or out of a vehicle, the simple act of killing enemies is pretty fun, and since you're constantly reaping loot and experience rewards, even repeated encounters have some incentive attached to them.

The crisp inventory screen makes managing guns, shields, and other items quick and easy..

The combined incentives of killing enemies, gathering loot, cashing in, and leveling up are the main driving forces in Borderlands. The various quests you undertake cover a good variety of motivations, but most follow the pattern mentioned in the previous sentence. The 1 percent of life on Pandora that isn't your enemy will often have quests for you, though only a handful of characters are voice-acted. Of these, there are a few standouts, including the bumpkin car-rental mogul and the borderline sociopathic archaeologist, but for the most part Borderlands offers precious little in the way of non-player character contact. This makes playing solo a lonely experience. Though the action is still satisfying and the world is still interesting, solo players will have a slower-paced adventure in which the flashes of comedy also serve to underscore how sparse those flashes are. The main story is thin and the final encounter is pointless and thoroughly unsatisfying, so anyone hoping Borderlands will deliver a climactic conclusion is almost certainly going to be disappointed.

After you uncover the secrets of the Vault, you are once again set loose into Pandora, where you are free to quest on and remember why you enjoyed your previous hours with the game. Borderlands has tens of hours of quests to fulfill, and you'll likely find yourself enticed back to explore new skills, find new guns, and kill more enemies. Though the core action doesn't change drastically over the course of the game, it is woven together in such a way that once it ensnares you, you'll want nothing more than to plunge into Pandora at any chance you get. Combat is satisfying, and upgrading your skills and equipment is engaging. The constant stream of loot and experience is rewarding, and sharing it with some friends makes the experience that much richer and more exciting. Alas, PS3 owners will have to wait for a fix in order to fight alongside their friends. Despite this upsetting issue, Pandora is still a great planet to visit if you want to shoot some stuff and reap the rewards.