DBZ is pretty huge and it is easily one of the greatest  franchises out there.  The anime was revolutionary, the manga was excellent, and the movies were intense. Despite those successes, DBZ is especially known to have incredible fighting games. I dare say that the games surpass the anime in epicness. This game got a lot of hype as the next Budokai Tenkaichi or Raging Blast. That’s a lot of hype to have on it’s back, but if anyone can do it…it is DBZ.

Well, I will start out with the biggest factor that was hyped for this game. 4 player fighting action! The battle scenes can get really chaotic and that’s in a good way. You have 4 fighters on each side which makes for a fun environment. Now, its time to get into the negative side of this. The game put so much emphasis into this that it destroyed the game’s chances of reaching Raging Blast or Budokai Tenkaichi level. The best part of DBZ is playing with friends and really testing your limits. Unfortunately, Battle of Z only has two real modes. Story Mode and Online Battle Mode. That is the crushing negative which keeps on coming. Not having any extra modes like Survival, Local Vs Mode, and Time Attack Mode is basically unheard of. Unfortunately, local multiplayer is starting to get rare as more and more games head to the world of online gaming. I love playing online, but its no excuse eliminate the local aspect.

One consequence of this is the fact that the game doesn’t have much in the way of replay value. Once you beat the game, that’s basically it! The online battle system is a little like Brawl’s. There’s not as much stakes or depth as in War For Cybertron or Tron. It’s fun, but not something that you’ll be playing a whole lot. You’re essentially done with the game at that point and it’s time to go and play the old ones. Hmmmm…

As far as the graphics are concerned, the game is decent. They had to limit them to an extent because of how much action is on the screen. I’d say that it’s harsh to compare them to PS2 games because the graphics are still good. It may not be the best PS3 game in this area, but it’s definitely good enough to be considered solid. The energy attacks can definitely be fun to see from afar as it strikes an opponent.

The soundtrack is a little on the repetitious side. There aren’t a large variety of tunes, but the ones that we do get are pretty good. The themes are typically suitable for this game and you’ll hear them unless a lot of action is currently happening on the field.

The actual gameplay can be a little hit or miss. There are a lot less combos and attacks in this one than the usual installments. Each character really has one finishing string of attacks, but you can change it up by using a power attack or an energy blast. The fighting can get a little repetitive as you’ll find yourself using the same combo a few hundred times through the course of the game. That’s the miss part that may deter many.

I’m pretty fine with it because I’m a repetitious player. I’m the type of guy that will use the same combos in advanced games like Tekken and Marvel Vs Capcom. Once I find a combo that I like, I make sure to keep on using it. I may have to disguise it by starting off with other combos and chain attacks, but I’ll make sure to get back to it. I mainly stuck to playing as Goku and Sage Mode Goku. Sage Mode Goku has a really good power attack that I would spam over and over again. I did a lot of KOing in wifi battles.

Ultimate attacks aren’t really a factor as you’ll never be able to use it in a real fight. It takes about 3-5 minutes to charge up the attack and you’re completely vulnerable to attack. The Ultimate technique instantly destroys all enemies on the field and the battle is over, but it’s not worth it. The move is riskier than Exodia and the chances aren’t very good for your success. Only a handful of characters have an Ultimate Attack anyway so you may not come across it. (Aside from a mandatory Story Mode battle)

Beyond that, you’ll typically have enough energy to throw in a Kamehameha or two. So, the battles are pretty fun. The gameplay may not be the greatest out there, but it’s still DBZ and that’s enough to make anyone want to play. We’ve got a good amount of characters to use and they can also be customized. Increased attack, defense, etc.

PS3 trophies can’t really be a negative since they’re optional, but I can’t say that I’m a fan of some of them. A few trophies require that online strangers agree to help you as you form a specific group. Without boosting, it’s very hard to get this. You can ask them through the microphone and hope for success…but you still have to win the round. Those kind of trophies should not be in the game! Still, this doesn’t affect the overall score.

The story mode now covers the complete DBZ saga while also including many of the movies. This includes the new Battle of Gods film that came out recently. It’s a pretty difficult mission since you have to defeat those two fighters after defeating a few movie villains and Hirudegarn. Unfortunately, story mode covers a lot…and yet it doesn’t do it very clearly. You will know what is happening from the manga, anime, and other video games, but you may get lost from this one. You’ll understand the basic plot, but they skip a whole lot and include scenes that don’t really make sense. You just know that the villains are evil and that they will do anything to realize their ambitions.

A positive for the game can be the fact that it can get pretty difficult towards the end. Unless you’ve customized well, you’ll find that defeating the Bills level is nearly impossible. Tough DBZ games can be nearly impossible traditionally, but this battle style helps to make that a reality through team deaths.

Ally deaths is a feature that I skimmed over so I’ll go into it now. Instead of dying when your health bar fades, you just have a number of lives like a Mario game. How many lives your team gets depends on who your partners are. For example, Broly may have one retry while Krillin would get three. To make up for this, Krillin is a lot weaker than Broly, but it’s effectively 4 fighters against two. In this case, Krillin may be the way to go. So, during a battle you’ll want to protect your allies as you fight. There will be a timer that will give you a few seconds to save your partner before your team loses a life.

I may not have listed a lot of positives, but the game still gets a solid 8/10. You may wonder why the game would get such a high rating. Well, in part it’s because of the franchise. The fact that the game is about DBZ and that we get to relive the storylines is always fun. The gameplay may not be 5 star material, but it’s pretty great. When looking at it without comparisons; I can definitely say that it’s a good way to play. The game may have its holes, but it doesn’t take away from the good aspects of it. If I’d never played the other DBZ games, then who knows…maybe this could have gotten a 9. It’s one of those hypotheticals that is interesting to think about.

Overall, DBZ definitely experimented with the formula a lot in this game. Like Ultimate Tenkaichi, this game would be a disappointment if one thought of it as the next BT game. The new style of gameplay and lack of replay value were not good ideas. Story Mode was watered down and I’m not a huge fan of the online gameplay. I do like the idea of a 4 player battle royale, but without a console like the Gamecube where we had 4 slots right off the bat, it’s tough to really make use of this feature. Still, the first game is usually the trial version so I’m sure that a sequel would work out many of these issues. This is still DBZ and I recommend it if you like a good action game. Maybe not at the standard retail price. Wait until the price goes down and then snap it up! You won’t regret getting the next big DBZ title! I don’t have the platinum for it yet, but I got most of the trophies and in a way, that helps to fix the lack or replay value.

Overall 8/10

Ratchet and Clank is easily one of Sony’s best game series and I have to admit that it does defeat the other two big ones. (Sly and Jak) Don’t get me wrong, Sly and Jak are solid gaming series, but Ratchet and Clank is just so much fun. I love the whole weapon leveling up system and the plot is always a lot of fun. This game was also on the PSP so it’s a lot shorter than the average game in the series, but was it still able to live up to the older games?

The plot is pretty simple as a little girl asks Ratchet to do “Heroic stuff” so that she can take pics and show them to her friends. It’s such a noble request that Ratchet takes her up on it and he takes on a lot of robots. Unfortunately, the little girl isn’t actually human and she is prepared to take over the world with an army. Ratchet and Clank must embark on their most dangerous quest yet as they quickly go into action. It’s too bad for Ratchet since he had been enjoying such a nice vacation. Captain Quark also has a subplot where he wants to find out the truth about his parents! Get ready for an “I’m your FATHER!” plot twist coming up!

The game is very easy to get into and you’ll find yourself hooked immediately. I ended up playing it for much longer than I had planned when I first played the game because I could not tear myself away. (I had received other games and wanted to beat some of them first which is why I didn’t have time for this one) Even if you have not played a Ratchet and Clank game for a while, you will quickly remember how epic Ratchet can be. He’s still one of the better main characters out there.

He starts out the game in an epic fashion as he is relaxing on the beach. He quickly goes into hero mode when the little girl appears and he proves that he hasn’t lost any of his skill. He has a “Rage” moment once he finds out that he’s been cloned and the scene is pretty epic. It reminded me of Jak’s big change from game 1 to game 2. Ratchet goes back to his lighthearted nature again, but the moment is not something that he will forget. Ratchet doesn’t seem to mind “Crossing the line” as much as other protagonists, but perhaps he is kidding at times. He definitely loves to mess with Captain Quark and his methods usually lead to the galaxy being saved.

Of course, Ratchet does have help from Clank. I’ve always found Clank to be a much better sidekick than Daxter, but Bentley may still be the best. Clank has his cool mecha titan mode which enables him to fight some pretty tough customers. His boss battle on land is fun because it definitely has a Godzilla feeling to it. He always speaks in a monotone voice which makes Clank easy to root for and he always gives the job his best. He may have had an epic fail moment when he short circuited due to a virus, but he looks pretty good beyond that scene. He’s a good companion for Ratchet on his adventures.

Captain Quark is the third main character and while he is not playable, he has a big impact on the game. The plot twist about who is parents were may be pretty emotional for fans and you almost feel bad for him as he keeps on falling for the villain’s tricks. His character design also makes his scenes pretty funny and he’s definitely one of the better characters in the franchise. I dare say that this may have been his best appearance yet.

I won’t go too in depth about the little girl because her plot twist is intriguing. Ratchet takes a shot at her when she first shows her true colors, but beyond that..she seemed to have the edge. In a true fight, Ratchet would definitely win, but they never get to have that match. The true main villain shows up at the very end and he’s intense. He can be a little generic, but he admits this and doesn’t try to hide it. He just wants to beat people up and take names. Soon, he will conquer the galaxy!

One of the big positives of the Ratchet and Clank series is how original it can be. In one level, we get to go into Ratchet’s dream world and it’s very intense. Captain Quark’s have buzz saws and they aren’t afraid to use them. We also see a flower that grows Quark’s head and you can use it as a bomb. The whole level is very trippy and also very awesome. The whole game could have been on that level and it still would have been awesome.

Now, let’s not mistake gimmicks for talent. The levels may have had their quirks, but they were not a walk in the park. The game shouldn’t be too challenging because you have a solid array of weapons and gadgets at one’s disposal, but the final boss’s final phase is pretty tricky. He has a barrier that protects him for about half of his life bar and it keeps on regenerating after you break it. That’s why the first half of the fight is a lot tougher than the second half. During the second half, he has no barriers so you can just keep on firing at him. The main reason why the boss fight can be tricky is the fact that you’ll definitely run out of ammo. I tried to keep on refilling it, but that costs a lot of money for the rockets and laser tracer so I just had to keep on upgrading and leveling up until I could win. The boss battle took me several tries and a lot of play time. I would have beaten the game at least 1-2 hours sooner if not for that fight. Still, it is great to see the game make a tough final boss. Final bosses should always be challenging so that you can truly feel at peace when you defeat it.

The animation holds up pretty well on the PS2. It may not be spectacular, but it’s very good and will suffice. Captain Quark is awesome to behold with the animation and they did a great job on the dream sequence. I definitely give the animation a thumbs up and it does not hold the game back.

The array of weapons may be pretty small in this game, but they are fun to use. I obtained 9 of them and they were mostly cool. The Laser Blaster is my favorite weapon and while it does not deal a great amount of damage, it’s really fun to spam. The Incinerator is also a solid weapon and easily one of the most deadly. The Shock Rockets are a lot of fun since they home in on the enemy and also deal a lot of damage. The Suck Cannon lives up to its name and it’s the worst weapon in the game. There’s no point to it and I definitely wouldn’t use it. The Stealth Scope Gun (Close to the name anyway) is good, but hard to use in actual combat. There’s a long range cannon that is good once you have fully upgraded it, but the damage output is pretty low. The Laser weapon is pretty good, but also hard to use in a fight and you get it right before the end of the game so you won’t have much time to use it. One weapon lets you send out mini Clanks to get the opponent, but I didn’t find those to be very useful. There is also an Acid Grenade attack, but I don’t see why you would use it. All in all, the weapons are solid for the most part and I highly recommend the Laser Blasters and the Rockets!

Overall, this was a very good addition to the Ratchet and Clank series. It may not have been quite a match for Deadlocked, but it’s still an incredible game. The fact that you can beat it in a few hours may be a little disappointing, but these games always have a substantial amount of replay value. Collecting weapons, skill points, gadgets, etc. There will be plenty for you to do after Story Mode. There is also a very solid multiplayer mode where you can fight others with the incredible battle style. It’s like playing Star Fox Assault. You are definitely getting a lot of bang for your buck! Ratchet was portrayed perfectly and he also made sure to mention the R.Y.N.O. when the villain claimed that nothing could beat intelligence. Ratchet sure showed him eh? Nothing can stop the R.Y.N.O.! I look forward to playing the next game in the series and finally starting its PS3 run. I highly recommend this game and you will greatly enjoy it. There aren’t any real flaws in this game.

Overall 8/10

Street Fighter X Tekken got a lot of hype when the game was first announced. Two of the biggest fighting series in the world would be fighting it out on the big screen! Who could resist such an awesome game in theory right? Well, it was a little underwhelming in certain aspects of the game, but the gameplay lives up and that’s the important thing….right!?

Well, let’s go back to the amazing hype before the game came out for a little longer. They actually released cinematic episodes to increase the hype and boy were they awesome. I could barely believe my eyes as I saw Ryu getting completely annihilated by Kazuya and also had to take a step back when Bison challenged Jin. I could finally see all of the big Tekken vs Street Fighter matches that fans had been dreaming about for years and it was in movie format. The cinematic episodes had pretty awesome animation and it was a perfect way to hype up the game although it was a bit of a mixed bag.

The flip side of this was that it hinted at a story mode that wouldn’t actually happen in the game. It’s not uncommon for Capcom to do this since we’ve also got Marvel vs Capcom 3 in that regard, but it can still be sad. If you have enough money to make such awesome cutscenes, why not form a story line around them? (Smash Bros 3DS could also learn a thing or two from that, although there is still hope) Still, it can be forgiven since it’s still awesome to have cutscenes to watch on Youtube. What can’t really be forgiven is the extremely lazy Arcade Mode.

When you have a two vs two battle system, then you should unlock both endings in one shot or at least one ending. In this game, unless you are the correct pairings that the game wants you to be, you are basically toast. That was pretty disappointing since it’s sad to play through an Arcade Mode and not be rewarded with any cool cutscenes. There also isn’t a theatre mode which makes you wonder what the point of playing Arcade Mode is in the first place. You can only watch the cutscenes when you replay Arcade Mode and that can get old fast. That was a pretty big negative for the game, but I guess that means that I’ll just need to ditch Arcade Mode and focus on the other choices.

One thing that you’ll be able to appreciate is the fact that the game is pretty difficult. Mission Mode is insanely hard and you’ll really want to have a lot of Street Fighter knowledge before you begin the battles that will change everything. Trial Mode is also pretty tricky if you’re not familiar with the correct buttons to use in Street Fighter. They do a bad job of translating the symbols into the PS3 controller scheme. Since every character has a lot of trials, there should still be plenty for you to do and it’ll keep you busy for a while.

The most important part of a game is always the gameplay so….how did this one fare? I’d say that it’s essentially Street Fighter style, but a little quicker like the Capcom Vs games. It’s fun to see how the Tekken characters fare in SF style and they’re pretty cool. This game also has the Pandora mode which sacrifices your life so that your partner can gain unimaginable power! It’s not a technique that I recommend since it’s highly risky, but the payoff can be pretty good as well. 2 on 2 is always fun because you can use team combos and use strategy to plan on how to fight your opponents. Switching out is the key to success!

The soundtrack is pretty forgettable, but it’s all right. While you’re fighting, the soundtrack will seem to be pretty good. You just won’t have any recollection of it once you are done playing. The stages are all right, but they seem to be lacking in variety. They aren’t exactly the next Tatsunoko vs Capcom in that regard.

The character roster is pretty good as well although this leads to a negative. First of all, it’s awesome to see Pac Man and the truly original Mega Man back in action. These guys practically invented the gaming industry and to see them in a modern fighting game brings tears to my eyes. It’s pretty disappointing that Pac Man uses a robot to fight in this version, but I guess that we can’t win them all. Cole MacGrath is also present in the game and his thunder abilities can be pretty fun to use.

The problem is the fact that a lot of the characters who are on the screen can’t even be used. You have to buy them as a DLC pack and that’s pretty disappointing. On disc DLC is even worse than regular DLC because you have to see them every time that you head to a character select menu. They shouldn’t be on the disc if you have to actually buy them.

Not counting the cinematic episodes, the graphics are only decently good. I’d say that Tekken 6 actually looked better in pure animation as this one just seems a little grainy or unfocused. There’s something about the game that just doesn’t look right and I intend to find out what it is! Considering that it’s a pretty modern PS3 game, the graphics definitely don’t impress me and I believe that they could have put more of an effort into that. Graphics aren’t immensely important, but it’s still fun to have good graphics.

Overall, this is a pretty good fighting game as long as you are getting it as a fighting game. You can’t really expect anything from the Arcade Mode and Trial Mode isn’t very interesting. Mission Mode is insanely hard, but definitely fun to play until you defeat the opponents. In pure gameplay, the game is a lot of fun and you’re bound to love it. Air combos are still epic and your tag combos can come in handy as well. The best part is still the fact that you can go online and challenge opponents to ultimate battles of skill and precision!

Overall 8/10

Tekken has always been a pretty solid franchise and the battle style is fun. Kicks are a big part of a battle since they do so much damage and you may find yourself completely ignoring the punch combos. Tekken 4 and 5 also had fun arcade mode stories for the most part and they’re just fun overall. Could the final game in the main series end the series on a high note? (Until Tekken 7 comes out someday)

Unlike the previous games, Tekken 6 has an actual story mode aside from the Arcade Mode intros/endings. We follow a guy named Lars who has lost his memory and meets up with the android known as Alisa. Lars seems to be a good guy deep down and he’s ready to stop Kazuya and Jin from destroying the world through their fighting. He seems to be pretty outmatched as he’s just a human right? Well, a plot twist helps the fights make more sense as we realize that Lars actually has a lot of latent power. While teaming up with Alisa, he also seeks to restore his lost memories and find out who he really is. Looks like he has a busy day ahead of him!

The story mode is pretty fun and it has a cinematic feeling to it. There are several cutscenes that are full blown cutscenes while others are just retro text boxes. In the story mode, we get to see Jin take on nearly all of the main characters and Lars proves that he’s one of the cooler Tekken characters. He takes everything in stride and he’s definitely a powerful fighter.

Alisa is a decent character, but unfortunately..the fact that she is an android holds her back as it does for most androids. Androids usually have that moment where they lost their free will and must obey their creator. This happens to Alisa and she isn’t really able to fight it so that hurts her character development. I wasn’t a huge fan of her in the movie either. She has a lot of potential and she’s a powerful fighter, but she needs to strengthen her mind.

Jin Kazama is a very changed man and you can’t really call him the main character anymore. He now rules the Mishima Zaibatsu and he has been completely corrupted. Was it the Devil Gene or did he just turn to the dark side so that he could get enough power to destroy Kazuya? Either way, Jin is now completely evil and it doesn’t look like he will be turning back to the side of light. Just look at the cinematic trailer for Street Fighter X Tekken! (Jin is still trying to protect his friends, but while being the head of the Tekken Force and destroying all who oppose him)

Remember the whole, “I’m your FATHER!” line from Star Wars? Well, that basically comes into play with Kazuya, who happens to be Jin’s father. In this game you could say that he’s the character to root for, but he’s really the mastermind of another organization named G Corporation. He seems to think that he’s the only one left who can really oppose Jin and he gets ready to take him down in the tournament! He’s a pretty solid character and he can definitely give Jin a solid fight.

Azazel is the true final boss of the game and he’s one of the stronger opponents that the Tekken fighters have ever come across. He is the ultimate evil and once the negative energies of the world start to come out, he revives! This may have been Jin’s excuse for acting evil, but I’m afraid that it’s not a very good one. Azazel is definitely a pretty awesome opponent and he’s ready to judge humanity. He’s also a pretty tough boss so you’ll definitely want to block as much as you can.

This is a fighting game so I’m not really going to go into depth about all of the characters since there are so many of them. NANCY is a really cool kaiju/robot creature and is a pretty nifty secret boss. I can’t really say that I care for Eddy or the old man, but other characters like Nina, Asuka, Leo, Yoshimitsu, and Bryan are still solid characters. Tekken has a pretty interesting array of characters and I find them all to be pretty interesting for the most part. They are much better than the average fighting game cast like Street Fighter, Dead Or Alive, Virtua Fighter, etc. They’re no Smash Bros or J Stars Victory Vs, but those really shouldn’t count.

The animation is pretty solid and the music helps to make the whole game feel very modern and techno. It’s one of the main reasons why I really like the PS3. Everything feels so high tech on the console and aside from the Gamecube, it’s easily the greatest console of all time. Tekken 6 plays very smoothly and the gameplay is as good as ever. There is a lot to do in the game since you have arcade mode for all characters and a story mode as well. We’ve also got Survival Mode, Time Attack Mode, and the wonders of Wifi! You’ll likely be spending a lot of time online since it’s always fun to challenge other people and see how you stack up. It’s another reason why I love the fact that the PS3 can support online wifi so that you can play to your heart’s content.

You can also customize your character for Story Mode and it can be a gamechanger. I forgot to upgrade until the final levels and it definitely makes a world of difference. Of course, you can try doing the levels without upgrading, but I can guarantee that it’ll be very difficult. It would be a great feat for your gaming skills though so it is worth a shot.

Overall, this is an excellent fighting game. They made sure to increase the character count and added a lot of modes for replay value. The fighting style alone will keep you entertained for a very long time. The music is solid and I can’t really think of any bad things that hurt the game. This one basically got everything right and had a pretty cool opening cutscene as well. The trophies aren’t very unreasonable in this game and I’m happy to say that I got the Platinum! Lars is also a very solid addition to the franchise and I look forward to seeing him in future installments. I highly recommend this game to all fighting fans or people who are looking for a solid plot.

Overall 8/10

All right, I’ve been on a Madden roll lately! Madden 10 was definitely one of the weaker additions to the franchise, but Madden 2012 was one of the best ones that I’ve played in a while. I figured that Madden 2011 was the bridge between the two games and I’m happy to say that I was right. It’s a solid game that was much better than 2010, but not quite at 2012’s level.

The gameplay speed is decently good. There is no longer a button to sprint with so the game is all about tactical awareness. You want to make sure that you know where you are going and that you have great reflexes at the ready. Running the ball works pretty well with this new style and it’s definitely a blast to try and out think the defender. Stiff arms work to an extent, but you must time them well and it’s still a matter of chance. I don’t typically any other techniques as I barrel into the opponent for epic yardage.

Passing the ball is one area where this game made dramatic improvements. When you throw a bullet pass, you can definitely tell that you’re throwing it with a lot of speed. The throws are very quick so it’s harder for the defender to jump in front and grab the ball before your frozen player can catch it. Throwing long balls is still pretty tricky as the defender has all of the time in the world to grab an easy pick. If your guy is wide open then you’ll be okay, but otherwise I don’t recommend the deep bombs.

For once, I can also mention that the defense has improved. I’ve been fine with playing defense in all of the Madden games and I typically aim for sacks. In this game, you can finally go for interceptions as it’s a lot easier than usual. It can still be tough and your player may not always do what you want him to do, but it’s fun to try.

One criticism about the defense would be the tackling aspect. When you’re going for a sack and try for a quick dive, you player will just fall on his face. The “dive” barely covers any distance and your player will be walking with the amazing speed of lead. In this game, you’re much better off trying to just barrel into your opponent and maybe even get a fumble out of it.

Oh yes! I have to mention the new Fumble Battles! I really do not like these and they’re just not that fun. When a player fumbles, you have the chance to get it back by hitting the required buttons a lot of times and beat the computer. The computer is really good at this and will typically win. I just don’t like that this occurs for just about all fumbles. Not every fumble should be a big battle. I also think that it could have been handled in a much better way.

Punting and kicking are pretty good as well. The meter simplifies things and makes it easy enough to kick a nice field goal. I like to go for it on 4th downs, but if it’s a serious game then I definitely want to be prepared to go for the game winning field goal. One tip that I would give is to make sure that the Accel clock is off. It takes the fun out of parts of the game since it skips seconds for you.

Animation and graphic wise, this game is about the same as the others. Either you’re a fan of it or you’ll think that it looks dated. I’ve enjoyed the animation for all of the Madden games since 2002 so I’d say that this one definitely looks good. There are definitely more animations to sift through before a game, but if you stick around and watch them, the game becomes even more realistic.

Overall, this is definitely a solid football game. It’s easily one of the better Madden games and for the most part, I’d say that the game got everything right. It’s a game that will keep you entertained for dozens and dozens of hours and you’ll never run out of things to do. The franchise mode looks as sleek as ever and you’ll feel like you’re in a real season! I’d highly recommend buying this Madden or going for 2012. Either way, you’re in for some epic football action!

Overall 8/10

Bakugan has spawned several video games in the past and I am proud to say that I own them all. I did not review the first game as it was before I started reviewing games, but it was great. The second game had a very solid battle style, but I deducted points since it was so short. Finally, we have this one. The gameplay is completely different from the previous installments, which could definitely pose a problem. Was the game fun anyway? I suppose that it’s time for us to find out!

You play as an original character who looks very similar to the guy from the first game. I like to think that it’s the same guy, but that would present some plot problems. Nonetheless, he becomes a pretty good character by the end of the game, but never becomes as exciting as the hero of the first game. The main character uses Drago and the game starts you off with a bang! Dan has challenged you to a brawl and he’s using Maxus Drago, the ultimate Bakugan monster. Things go haywire and the main character is sent to an alternate dimension!

The characters have the same personalities, but they seem to be a lot weaker. Dan has no idea who Maxus Drago is and he just uses the standard version. The Vexos have been attacking the planet and they’ve kidnapped/taken control of nearly every monster. Drago escapes and the main character uses him to fight the villains. Will one monster be enough to stop everyone else?

The other characters aren’t able to help in this battle since the Vexos have created a way to make them unable to brawl. Dan and friends can only watch as the main character takes on legions of villains by himself. Will the main character be able to defeat them all, or is it a lost cause already?

The actual story mode is pretty short and you’ll probably finish it in under 4 hours. This game definitely wasn’t created for its length, but that’s a small downer. I won’t be taking major points off for that since the content that’s in the game is really fun. The actual story mode never drags on and while the graphics aren’t the greatest, the character designs are good. The villains are fairly uninteresting although Spectra isn’t bad. At least he had a cool design to back him up.

Let’s get into the gameplay, which is the meat of the game. The gameplay is definitely similar to the classic DBZ BT series, but with giant monsters. You’re in complete 3D environments and you knock the opponents out with solid combos and energy blasts. One critical part of the battle is the blocking factor. You can usually block in a fighting game, but Bakugan takes it to the next level. You can block just about any attack and quickly start your counter.

Why do we care? Well, this really means that you’ve got to stay alert at all times. When two fighters are taking random swings at each other, there can be many different block/counters in a single barrage. Your reflexes need to be in top shape to handle this. The concept was definitely risky, but I’d say that it payed off. It makes the battles a little more exciting. Each Kaiju monster gets two cards to help him out during the fight. Usually, you’ll have some sort of energy blast and a large combo, or a barrier. Once you’ve built up enough energy, you can go ahead and use the card. They aren’t a huge factor, but they can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

The game has many positives, but replay value may be an issue. The gameplay is awesome so you’ll always have fun through multiplayer, but if you’re playing by yourself, then it may get old. The A.I. isn’t especially difficult and there really isn’t anything to do once you’ve gotten all of the items in Story Mode. You’ll eventually come to the point where there’s really no reason to play. Replay Value may hurt the game a little, but multiplayer is the important part.

I definitely have a soft spot for the Bakugan franchise. With this game out of the way, I only have one game in the series that I need to play. The first three games were very good so the fourth will have big shoes to fill. Considering that it’s a Bakugan game, I doubt that it will present much of a problem. The soundtrack for this game is pretty good and while it’s not up to par with the first one, it’s definitely good enough. I’d highly recommend buying this one as soon as you can. It may not last you as long as a Final Fantasy game, but it’s just so fun that you need to play it. Such a great experience just can’t be missed when the price isn’t even so high. I enjoyed the game so much that I even went and got the Platinum!

Overall 8/10

It is now time for the Madden 2012 review! As I hinted in my Madden 2010 review, Madden 2012 definitely improves and brings things closer to the good ole GC era. I don’t own Madden 2011 yet so I do not know if it’s a bridge that started the uphill battle, but once I buy that game, you can expect a review for it as well.

For once, let’s just skip to the main part of the gameplay right away. Immediately you can see a huge difference in the game. The gameplay is a lot quicker and everything seems to flow a lot better. The controls can still be a little delicate; you must move in a straight line and be careful not to turn the joy stick or your character will start to stutter and slow down. That being said, there are ways to quickly turn and dodge defenders, but it’s a learning process. I’ll take the speed and precision over the slowness that Madden 2010 presented any day!

The passing game is also improved and deep balls are a little easier to command. They still aren’t exceptionally easy, but they’ll do. It’s always a risk since the defender may decide to jump up and grab an easy pick, but the risk is part of the fun right? I found it easiest to throw down the middle to the tight end, as he was usually open and it’s hard to mess up such an easy play. There are fewer things that can go wrong in this case.

The running game is definitely more enjoyable as well. It can still be risky to use outside pitches, but they’re more fun to use now that the running back is fast again. Quarterback scrambles are also fun and if you play your cards right, you’ll net some pretty large gains. The way I see it, a running play usually won’t get you more than a few yards, but it’s still worth it for that rare occurrence where you break free for 20+ yards. It’s all about barreling into the defensive line until they give way. You can think of it as an endurance battle!

Kicking the ball is still relatively easy, which is definitely a good thing. I am confident with kicks from 30 yards and under but once we hit 40, I will definitely have a tough time getting the goal. The animation is still pretty solid and while it’s not very different from Madden 2010, you can still tell that the animation is better in this game.

I may as well dedicate a few lines to the music. I’ve never played a sports game where I thought that the music was incredible and this one is no exception. While playing the game, you won’t even care what the music is. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget that there is music playing at all. I wouldn’t say that the music is awful, but it is sub par. As I mentioned earlier, this is the case with just about every sports game so I’ve come to expect it.

There are still other modes to play, like making your own character in Superstar mode. I personally don’t really use them as Franchise Mode is the only one that I really care about. I hope that they add minicamp mode again someday, perhaps in Madden 2013. It’s the only other mode that I would just play around with for a long time. Franchise mode is great but some things can take a while though, thanks to the long loading times if you want to skip the Preseason. Still, you can’t go wrong with Franchise mode, as it’s a great way to feel like you’re really in the NFL. Now if only they could figure out how to do this with PSN, a whole league would be epic. Something like Fantasy Football, but with actual games. It would be tough to set up, but also pretty awesome.

I definitely recommend getting this game since it’s the best next gen Madden game that I’ve played so far. I can safely say that Madden 2009 and 2010 don’t hold a candle to this one. This is a great way to get into the sport and also a way to have fun during Football season. Play as your favorite team and enter the new season. The gameplay is exciting as always and thanks to Franchise mode, there is a lot to do. Even without Franchise mode, you could find yourself playing this game for dozens and dozens of hours to come.

Overall 8/10

Street Fighter is a very popular fighting game series that has earned quite a large fan base over the years. Some would argue that the games even top the Mario games, but that’s a debate for another time. I have played several Street Fighter games in the past, but this is the first mainstream one that I have owned. Was it spectacular?

The intro is pretty good and we’ve definitely got a lot of good animation going. The intros for each character’s arcade mode is pretty good as well. It feels like a nice anime episode that you may have caught on TV. The character’s also get their own endings although Ryu’s may seem a little depressing for some.

The gameplay is definitely the main reason that people have come to play the game. (Along with the nice multiplayer options) The gameplay is pretty solid and I can see why the game has so many fans. Mastering all of the combos can definitely take a while and even then, it’s hard to stay consistent. One wrong turn on the control stick and you’ll be using a completely different attack. I must say that I love the challenge! Of course, good ole button mashing will still take you pretty far. I’ve nearly won 50 online battles using this technique and also classic mind games. (Setting someone up with a Hadoken and then using an Uppercut!) The best part is that luck isn’t a factor in this game. (Very minimally at most) If you lose, you just have to accept the fact that you never stood a chance.

There is also a Challenge Mode in the game, but I wouldn’t say that it’s my favorite. I don’t really like the way that they went about creating it. There are only 100 challenges, but since each challenge is several rounds long, it’ll take you a very long time. I did a few challenges myself, but I don’t really have the time to finish them all at the moment.

The online battles can definitely be fun. You can make a match or join one. They even have tournaments where you can really test your skills! They keep track of your online records, but you don’t get to see your opponent’s while you’re battling. I think that I would have liked that option, but it doesn’t matter very much. The player data that they keep for you in the main menu is pretty useful and while it could be a little more in depth, (Like how much Ultra combos you’ve used) it is good enough. Play time is always the most important thing anyway.

The graphics are pretty good. I wouldn’t call them groundbreaking or anything, but they suffice. While they can’t hold a candle to other PS3 games like Soul Calibur V and FFXIII-2, they are still solid. The trophies for this game aren’t insanely hard either, although you may still find yourself in a jam a few times. (All Medal types, 100 wins, Completing all challenges)

This is a game that I would definitely recommend. If you’re a fan of fighting games that require technique and don’t really have any gimmicks, then this is your game. The character selection is pretty good and there are over 15 characters. Around 20-30 I believe, but I decided not to go and check. One very solid thing about this game is the amount of replay value. There is plenty to do in this game and you could find yourself playing it for dozens of hours.

Overall 8/10

Soul Calibur has always been a cool fighting series. There is a lot more sword fighting than other fighting series. (Street Fighter, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, etc) I’ve always been a big fan of swords and I think that it’s a cooler way of fighting. Prior to this game, I’d only owned Soul Calibur II. (Link FTW!) Could this game continue the epic legacy?

Well, this game has an actual story mode, which was a great addition. The game is 20 chapters long which is like playing Arcade Mode three times. That’s not too bad and the game took me 2:30 to complete. Of course, that’s counting the good ole days of Vs. Mode and ranking up in Quick Battle mode. This game feels really modern which is something that I’ve always liked about PS3. The games always seem to be much higher tech than the other consoles. I mean, just look at MVC3, FFXIII-2, Bakugan, etc. They all have really vibrant colors and the gameplay is nice and fluid.

One interesting thing about Story Mode is that the game takes place several years after the last few games. So, you will recognize some of the characters, but they’re definitely older than we remember. The story mode follows Patroklos (The son of Sophita) as he journeys to find his sister, Pyrrha. He realizes that the man he was serving had just been using him to further his own ends. Patroklos escapes and finds the Soul Calibur. Unfortunately, his sister has turned into a Malfested. Can Patroklos save her, or will he have to make the “Ultimate Sacrifice!”. While you play as Patroklos for most of the levels, Pyrrha is also playable for a couple of battles. Her lines are pretty unique when she wins and you may not even be able to tell that she just won. Her Malfested form is pretty cool and helped the series to get to new heights in terms of power. Nightmare is also epic, even though he’s currently using a decently unlikable character. I dare say that Nightmare’s design grows more and more epic as the games go on.

Aside from the story mode, there are a lot of other modes to play. We have the Legendary Souls mode. It’s essentially a Boss Battle mode and while it may be pretty quick, these guys have a lot of skill. I wouldn’t underestimate them if I were you! We’ve also got the traditional Quick Battle mode which will help you with trophies and give a nice boost to your record.

Let’s not forget about the realm of online gaming! You can challenge others and improve your online record. Unlike Brawl, your record in Wifi is public and you won’t be forgetting that anytime soon. It adds more incentive to the battles and really makes you give it your all. Just watch out for Rage Quitters!

The Trophies for this game aren’t outrageous and you should be able to get most of them in no time. This game has a lot of replay value and the battle style never gets old. Not everyone will agree that it beats Tekken and SF, but I’d say that it does. There are so many ways to approach a fight and it’s fun using your tactics. Ezio is the guest character in this game, but I can’t say that he’s nearly as fun as Link was.

One thing that I should definitely mention is the Character Customizer. Soul Calibur is known to have the best one and I’ve seen people make characters that resemble Link, Mario, and even Bass EXE! I’m definitely going to give that a shot at some point and it sounds fun. You could almost buy the game for this reason alone. Think of it as a console version of Mugen! There’s no end to the possibilities and it’s definitely fun to play around with.

The character roster may not be huge in this game, but it’s big enough. 28 is a solid number and then we have the custom characters which increases it by a lot. The stage count is also impressive and I’m glad that they added a solid number of them. Having a good amount of stages is nearly as important as having a lot of characters so that we get variety.

Overall, this is a solid game that is definitely worth your money. The game brings a whole new level of excitement to the franchise and you will feel every blow. There is enough content here so that you can keep playing it for a long time. Getting to level 99 is a long, but not tedious journey. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series and I hope that it comes soon.

Overall 8/10