DLC

The three most hated/loved letters in all of video gaming. DLC. At times great, but mostly trash. The basic definition of DLC is downloadable content, something that is added onto a previously existing game that you already have. Some is free but most involve purchase of a usual cost of about $10 on an average. Some DLC is just extra characters, weapons and maps, while others are new missions, while others add whole new levels and change things drastically.

In games like Halo, or Call of Duty, most of the time, the DLC is a map pack, or maybe new weapons. The trouble with this, is that not everybody will buy it, and that can make the community a little disjointed when some people have maps and others don't. The same goes for DLC drop weapons. If you buy weapons and somebody doesn't, you generally have the advantage over the ones who haven't. This forces people to buy the new weapons as well as maps. In something like League of Legends, you can download new characters. While some will most likely be overpowered, most of the game devs take time and effort into making sure they are not broken or unbalanced and that they will cater to the people who like to play as them. But, why not just put in those extra characters in the first place when you buy them in stores? It wouldn't be too difficult to make Freddie Crouger's character from Soul Caliber before release date? If it's a long (and I mean really long) running game like LOL and eventually, you feel like rewarding the players, then make new characters. 

Most of the time though, devs tell you about the DLC they are going to make and then don't actually let you get it on the disc without another purchase or a pre-order. It makes sense that devs might want to reward fan loyalty with Pre-order bonuses, but when you don't pre-order a game that comes: "with early access to the next drop off" you feel a little ticked off. If they're making something which they plan to be in the game from the beginning, then why not just give it to us? Oh, that's right...money. If a game has been out for a while and developers feel like they can make something new and interesting for the player, then sure, DLC could be cool, but most of the time it feels like a money grabbing ploy against your wallet. 

And most DLC's are short anyway. Most of the time, reviews criticise DLC for being short or unpolished. Take most Mass Effect DLC. Short and probably not all that worthwhile. Even Batman's "Harley Quinn's Revenge" DLC could have been much better as it was fun, but short and didn't really add anything new to the experience of Arkham City.

The absolute best DLC comes from some of the best minds out there. Valve's TF2 comes out with lots of updates frequently as well as things like Maan vs Machine which is free. Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption got Undead Nightmare which was a long, well crafted and cheap add on to RDR that really made the future of DLC look bright. But most likely, DLC will remain a cheap way to con cash.

The Amazing Spider-Man review

Ta-Daaa!!

With Spider-Man getting a reboot with the new movie, there is of course an inevitable move tie-in game. But here's the thing, it doesn't suck. Beenox has had a while to develop this and although it doesn't come away with a full cartridge of webbing, it serves to impress both gamers and fans.

For starters, the game is a mixed bag graphically. Character models are a bit off for everyone but Spider-Man and the quality of the texture isn't fantastic. This is a bit of a contrast to Shattered Dimensions, which makes me a little sad, but in the end, it's merely annoying. The city of New York is absolutely amazing graphically though, with it feeling like a living, breathing city more than any other Spider-Man game. Swinging through the sky is also great. The camera is pulled close to Spider-Man giving you a huge sense of vertigo as he dives off tall buildings and swings himself away with his trademark web. Amazing. As for the story telling, well it's decent. The story is well written and does some pretty shocking things for the narrative, but I have an issue with the way it's told. Every cutscene is just one continuous shot. I don't know why, but I absolutely hate it when games do this. All I want to do when this storytelling technique is used is move around and get back to the game. Still, it's forgivable. The loading times are actually pretty obnoxious though...

The gameplay is a pretty big mix. Most time will be spent swinging around in Manhatten as the web slinger, running up buildings and collecting comic book pages. Swinging is the most fun thing to do in the game, no question. You always feel like Spider-Man when traversing Manhatten, and thanks to the new "Web-Rush" feature, you can slow down time and point Spider-Man towards a direction and land with precession, something you always saw him do in the movies and TV shows but could never do in a game until now. Manhatten is littered with little comic book pages to collect, which I swear to god is more addictive than gambling (not that I do such a thing outside Super Mario 64 <ahem>) And best of all, they unlock actual comics.

Don't look behind you...

When fighting as Spider-Man, you will notice...the fact that they completely took the Batman fighting system and used it in their game. It works for Spider-Man and is actually harder to get the higher combos than it is Batman, but the combat isn't as deep. The true fun from Batman lay in trying to get a perfect run without taking any damage and working out when to use what move and such. Spider-Man's fighting is simpler (not as deep) and while it is harder (you will die more) that's only because enemies do so much damage. It is still thrilling to see Spider-Man beat up thugs and you'll never tire of it. The stealth gameplay is what was really surprising. When faced with heavily armed foes, you'll sneak about the shadows using his acrobatic abilities and wall crawling to silently take out the guards. This is really fun and you'll feel like the web slinger himself as you sneak about, picking off enemies. The only time this feels clunky is when upside down on the ceiling. You can hardly control the way you look and are forced to use web retreat to return to a wall. What really makes the stealth fun is that these guys will search the walls for you with torches. This adds an element of stress as the enemies can actually find and beat you, forcing you to stay on your toes. (I was playing on hard the whole time)

The boss fights against the cross species are fun, but really easy compared to the rest of the game, while the boss battles in the open are amazing and some of the best bosses ever made in video games. You feel like a total swinging around as Spider-Man fighting giant flying robots. Ah, my childhood dreams realised!

The Amazing Spider-Man makes you feel like Spider-Man, but at the same time, some of the indoor levels leave a little to be desired and the side missions are a little repetitive and they aren't random like in Spider-Man 2. This means the game isn't perfect, but it's still fun, especially if you're a Spider-Man fan, and who isn't?

Mass Effect 3 Review

Oh god...this....this game is truly amazing. One of the greatest games of all time, period. No game has ever stirred up the same feeling that Mass Effect 3 has. 

Mass Effect 3 takes the story from your last two games and uses it to continue the universe you've built. This is easily one of the best features of the game, as you feel as though what you've done really affects the world and that all the decisions you made actually mattered (note: I downloaded the extended cut before beating the game) The story needless to say is masterful, finally bringing all your efforts all you've fought for into one, final climactic struggle for survival. The characters a fantastic. If they survived the story of the previous two games; then you will see a lot of familiar faces, but if not, you will love the new characters (except for a few) and literally fall in love with them. The crafters of this game have put time and effort into making this script and setting feel closer to that of a Hollywood blockbuster (the good kind) rather than a video game. 

Sometimes, you'll forget you're playing a game while you sit back and watch an epic cutscene play out, or have a conversation with a character. And this all looks great thanks to the powerful game engine, making everything look fantastic with few exceptions. A graphical glitch and the occasional poor lip syncing might throw some of the illusion away, but that's forgivable since Mass Effect 3 is so good, you won't really care. The voice direction is also great with the amazing Jennifer Hale reprising fem-shep (she is in everything!), Seth Green as Joker (Scotti Evil from Austin Powers) and Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man (Uncle Ben from Amazing Spider-Man as well as numerous others) The other actors are also super impressive with great lines and moments.

The gameplay brings back the great shooting mechanics from ME2 and adds in more layers of RPG like modding weapons and armour back into the mix, bringing back some of the depth that was lost from the transition from ME1 to ME2. Luckily, there are a greater selection of weapons to choose from as well as the levelling system becoming more complex and useful. Some of the scenarios you'll find yourself in do more than just entertain, you really do feel a part of the action with some great back drops and moments in the story. The game will often change on the fly where a new threat might pop up and you'll have to deal with it as well as your mission. But the biggest device in ME3 is the choice making system. Being forced to make choices constantly means that you're experience will end up differently than the other person who you're forced to live with...uh...

Anyhoo, the gameplay is fantastic, even though I found the armour to be useless (I never used it) And the game just has so many big moments that you'll just be amazed at how well everything comes together. The combat is always fresh as you'll be tasked with different missions and have to fight interesting and varied bunch of enemies. One things that they've brought back from ME1 is having one super powerful enemy as well as several of the smaller grunts. Super fun times will be had playing dis gaem! :-)

Now, the ending...
oooohhhhh bbbooooyyy
Now, most people blindly say: Whhhaaoooror de ending sucks cos the internet says it does!

And let me tell you, they're sort of right. The original ending (without the extended cut) is pretty terrible. It looks like it's about to wrap up the story nicely while showing you the consequences of what you've done tie into the game's final hurrah...except it doesn't. It just abruptly ends. Like, immediately, right when you think that your choices are about to matter. With the extended cut however, you are pretty much safe. This ending inspires, it truly does. It shows you the true consequences of what went down during your journey and you truly feel great when it's done. Mass Effect 3 is also the game that has taken the most emotion from me ever, nearly to tears (not quite though...it's not Toy Story 3, or Marley and Me) and it was a blast to play through.

Pick up ME1 and begin the greatest gaming trilogy of our time if you haven't already. If you have, then pick ME3 up and get ready for the ride of a lifetime. Mass Effect 3: one of the best games ever made.

Go, go Normandy Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!