All material from www.gamespot.com

As found on Gamespot
“Steve Fukuda and Zied Rieke reportedly tender resignations at Infinity Ward; lead environment artist Christ Cherubini, programmer Rayme Vinson also said to be out.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward has been beset by high-profile departures since Activision fired studio head Vince Zampella and game director Jason West in March. With another day comes another batch of resignations at the studio, as Kotaku reports that lead designers Steve Fukuda and Zied Rieke have both tendered their resignations.

 
It would appear as if Infinity Ward also needs to do a bit of respawning.

The departures are made all the more significant, considering Fukuda and Rieke were the only two remaining design leads on Modern Warfare 2, according to the game’s credits. Last week, multiplayer lead designer Todd Aldermann revealed his departure from the studio. Aldermann was joined by fellow design lead Mackey McCandlish earlier this week.

It doesn’t stop there, however. The gaming blog also reports that lead environment artist Chris Cherubini and programmer Rayme Vinson have also both departed Infinity Ward this week. According to Cherubini’s LinkedIn profile, the artist has been with the studio since August 2004 and contributed to Call of Duty 2 through Modern Warfare 2.”

Read Full Story at Gamespot.

Modern Warfare 2 is getting it’s first map pack on march 31st, and it seems the community is less thrilled about then ever. With all the terrible news going down with Activision it seems many are shifting away from MW2’s multi-player. With the announcement of this first map pack costing $15 even more people are deciding that MW2 is not worth it and are moving to other games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 which is proving to over throw MW2 at this point. With the players outraged by all of Activision’s underhanded moves it seems they are losing their fan base and losing money.

The Map pack includes 5 maps which seems like plenty of content at first but the community is outraged that their are only 3 new maps and 2 old imported ones from the original MW. The details of the Map pack are below.

The Stimulus Package delivers 5 additional action-packed multiplayer maps featuring a variety of locations: “Bailout,” a multi-level apartment complex; “Storm,” an open industrial park littered with heavy machinery; “Salvage,” a snowy junkyard fortified by stacked debris and crushed cars. Two legendary fan-favorites from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare return, including “Crash,” a war-torn urban environment; and “Overgrown,” which features a massive dry creek bed.

[9.0]

 

This is 1up’s Video review of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. I’m currently swamped with gaming to get done so instead of writing my own review which would be almost exactly similar to their review I decided I should just show the Video instead. Since the release of Battlefield there is now a strong contender to take on Modern Warfare so if your losing interest in MW2 as many of you might be then check out Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

So Toy Soldiers has come to Xboxlive and it’s shaping up to be one of the best arcade games of the year. If your into Tower Defense games or WWI then I recommend you check out the trailer below. The game features WWI-style units and war. Not only can you put your units on the field but you can also take control of them as well allowing for a lot of variety in game play.

[8.0]

 

Concept
Take one of the most amazing books ever written and make a game out of it.

Graphics
Nothing new here that hasnt been seen before but the visuals are eye pleasing and the framerate is always high. Walking through Hell is also a treat to be seen.

Sound
Weapons and battle sound great. The voice acting is OK nothing that wow’d me. All other environments fit their settings.

Playability
Plays like God of War which isn’t a bad thing. Combat is tight and puzzles are somewhat challenging.

Entertainment
Not a bad game if your looking for some action. Dante’s offers up some good fun but for a short time so the game is worth a rent.

The Summary
The story goes by quickly in the beginning and before you know it your fighting Death himself and traveling through hell. About 10-20 minutes  pass and your already in Hell with Scythe in hand and ready to chop through the various enemies hell has to offer. You secondary or main weapon if you prefer is your Cross which also acts as a ranged attack. Combat will involve stringing together combos with your scythe and cross as well blocking, dodging, or counter-attacking your enemies. Some bigger enemies will give you the options of performing a finishing move in which your Punish or Absolve your enemies. This acts as a sorta moral type element which leads to the games “leveling” system. You have 2 different skill trees, one for being unholy(punishing) and one for being holy(absolving) and the more points you get in each tree the more moves you can unlock and purchase via the souls you collect from combat or drinking fountains which would be considered the games “chests”. There are various things to search for throughout your stay in hell such as Beatrice Stones, Silver, and Relics. Relics will add a small amount or the variety to the game and let you equip Dante to fit your playing style. Relics can increase the damage spells do or even how long your combos can go and the relics themselves can be upgraded to increase effectiveness.

The story of Dante’s will be delivered to you mostly through your read cross stitched across your chest via cartoon like story telling. Some cut scenes will take place and are quite gorgeous to watch and that is the far superior way to experience Dante’s story.

All in all Dante’s has just enough fun and action for about a weekend but if your a bigger fan of the game then theirs some replay value to be had with higher difficulties and the Gates of Hell survival mode that is unlocked after the game has been beaten once.

Final Fantasy 13 is dropping Tuesday next week and if your as big on RPGs and me then you’ll have to pick it up. Most of you are already aware as to what final fantasy is but for those who aren’t you best get out from under that rock your living under and check it out. Here is a trailer of Final Fantasy XIII. It’s kinda old so don’t mind the fact that it says coming 2009 cause they changed the date to march 9th 2010 months ago.

New video from Bungie with a first look at the Halo: Reach Multiplayer, Check it out if you haven’t already!

[9.0]

Concept
Take one of the greatest games ever made and further the game play and story.

Graphics
Top notch environments, Unique art style, and amazing textures blended with great lighting effects come together to make Bioshock 2 sparkle.

Sound
The voice work is grade A. When exploring the environments the music is an errie score mixed with sounds off in the distance and when in combat the music is appropriate for the action.

Playability
Everything from gunplay to hacking is sharp as can be.

Entertainment
Another great story to  get sucked into, and playing as a big daddy guarentees some action.

The Good
Great story, Beautifully atomspheric environments, Sharp and improved combat, Plenty to explore.

The Bad
The multiplayer could be better, There is no back tracking to previous levels in the game, A lot of the game is the same as the first Bioshock.

The Summary
Rapture was a dangerous place in the original Bioshock. Now we are 10 years in the future and things have been going downhill since. One of the biggest changes this time around is that you are no longer an outsider struggling through an unknown world with little clue as to whats happening. This time around you are a Big Daddy and not just any big daddy, your the original big daddy. Your dilemma is that a sinister cult leader known as Lamb is now in control of rapture and has your little sister. You yourself will die if you cannot be reunited with her in a certain amount of time. Apart from the story that I’d rather not spoil for you their has been a number of improvements this time around. Combat is a prime example and thankfully this time around you can dual wield plasmids and guns at the same time. The old hacking system has been removed and replaced with a real-time system so you can hack on the fly but this also makes you vulnerable to splicers or even the machines your hacking. This time around your equipped with more moral choices to make then the first and they can come at a cost. In the original Bioshock gathering adam and your moral choices consisted of what you did with the little sisters. This time around the little sisters are a different story. You still must battle and defeat their big daddy before you can deal with them but this time around you have the choice to adopt then as your own. When you adopt a little sister, much like they do while walking around, you have the option to go around and harvest adam with them. Doing so involves defending your little sister and yourself from the hordes of enemies looking to score some adam. After you have finished with your gathering you have the options to deal with the little sister as you did in the first game. This time it won’t come without consequence. Very powerful new foes known as the Big Sisters are in charge of maintaining the new rapture run by Lamb and messing with the little sisters is guaranteed to get one of these sisters angry at you.

New with Bioshock 2 is multiplayer. While its not the next Halo or Call of Duty there is still some fun to be had playing it. Similar to Call of duty you earn reward such as gun, plasmids, and perks as you rank up through the ranking system. This also allows you to create classes known as load-outs. At the beginning of the match your prompted to choose your load-outs and then your off to playing multiplayer types that you’ve come to expect with multiplayer games such as deathmatches and capture the flag.

All in all this time around Bioshock 2 has lost some the magic that made the original so memorable. Most of the game is noticeably familiar to veterans of the original but that doesn’t exclude it from being a great game. Numerous additions to the game, mostly good, have made Bioshock 2 yet another great game and a must play for fans of the original Bioshock.

[9.25]

Borderlands
2K Games
Gearbox Software
Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter/RPG
Release: Oct 20, 2009
ESRB: Mature

Concept
Take the shooting mechanics of games like Call of Duty and blend them together with exciting role-playing game elements such as leveling up and endless looting. 

Graphics
The visuals may not please everyone as Borderlands was meant to have a very unique art style which is outstanding. You won’t find state of the art graphics here but rest assured the graphics and art style fit the game perfectly. 

Sound
Voice work fits the characters and enemies just right. Environment music is usually relaxing but gets more intense as the action does. 

Playability
Perfect shooter elements come together with the rpg elements to make one of the most unique and fun experiences on the market. 

Entertainment
Endless looting and gun combinations ensures plenty of reason to continue exploring hours after the storyline has ended. Played alone its an experience but Borderlands played cooperatively will be sure to please any coop enthusiast and is by far one of the best 4 player cooperative games to date. 

The Good
RPG elements make for character customization, Gun generator ensures thousands of unique guns, plenty of quests to take on, 4 player co-op(online support), Amazing environments to explore, great art style. 

The Bad
Occasional glitches can occur, The split screen mode has a weird inventory screen, The storyline has little plot to it. 

It’s astonishing that a game like this has never came to be until now. Shooting mechanics mixed perfectly with rpg elements has come together to make something no other game has and does it with a hilarious sense of humor to boot. There are many aspects of Borderlands that set it apart from other games out there. For starters its a role-playing shooter, almost a whole new genre in its self. With 4 classes to choose from their is just enough variety to please just about anyone. Hunters take the role of long range shooting while Berserkers get up close and personal with shotguns and even their own fists. The Siren is a ninja in the sense and she uses light but quick weapons and has the ability to Phasewalk which lets you become invisible to enemies and run incredibly fast allowing for great tactical advantages. The Soldier is a well rounded character with the ability to throw out a support turret to assist your team and even has the ability to heal team mates. Aside from the main story of borderlands which has you searching for a legendary alien vault their is hundreds of side quests to take up to keep you entertained for hours. If the questing doesn’t do it for you then one of the biggest strong points of borderlands, the Looting, should do the trick. Borderlands engine allows for hundreds of thousands of guns to be created randomly and inserted into the game as if the developers made it themselves. Their are several aspects of all guns that will have you making tough decisions as to which gun you should use and ensures plenty of variety to fit all gunplay styles. Do you swap out you SMG shooting fire bullets for a Shotgun that shoots acid? These are the kinda decisions you’ll be forced to make throughout your play time. What so great about the random weapon generations is that when you believe your weapon just cant get any better the truth of the matter is that their is always something better to be found allowing for hours of searching. Other random generations include grenade mods, Class mods, and Shields which act as the games “armor”. 

While Borderlands is missing  a lot of things and doesn’t feel like each element of the game is to its fullest, the elements that did make it to the game are amazing in their own sense and are sure to make Borderlands one of the most entertaining game for months maybe even years to come. 

Let me give a huge shout out to the gaming community. Welcome to Reviewed Games! A new site I created to review games and share gaming knowledge to all as well as create a place where fans of gaming can stop by to give their 2 cents a various game reviews and gaming topics. As of now Reviewed Games is not a huge company or anything so don’t expect to see ever game on earth reviewed here. Reviews will be focused around games that I or one of my other reviewers have played. Most of which are high anticipated titles so don’t expect to see garbage games being reviewed. So feel free to request reviews or information on any types of games. Keep in mind that this site is just starting out so don’t expect every gaming related topic to be found here just yet. I will be working to get up to par with other sites so that your visit to reviewed games will be an enjoyable one. Cheers!