With trusty Michael and Jung at my side, I blasted my way through the second coming of Rainbow Six Vegas and it was everything I hoped it would be.  

I made a female character this time, and loved the script enhancements!  I was even referred to as "Peach" once which gave me a girly giggle.  If you played the first, then you know its just an all around good game.  Equipment is awesome, game play is great, graphics are stellar, and the story is a blast.  There is a 3rd difficulty level added - I played through the middle one and aside from a couple of tough spots in the last 2 chapters it was pretty straight forward.

The ACES system (Advanced Combat Enhancement and Specialization), which unlocks specialty items for the levels of different tactics (Marksman, Assault, and Close Quarter) was really pretty cool.   I easily landed in the Marksman category, I think that means I’m too chicken for hand to hand combat. 

Part Deux puts the observatory in the past and sends Logan after that wicked Irina and you and your team head to Vegas on a hunt for uber terrorist, Avalrez.  The story has a fun plot twist towards the back end and all in all in it’s a super fun ride.   Along with the online play after your done campaigning, the terrorists hunt are way fun and this time you get to keep your boys Jung and Michael with you.  There are lots of maps and options for the hunts and good point ops for us chievewhores.

Thumbs up all the way, peeps.  If you haven’t checked it out yet, I strongly recommend it.  Its way up there on the must play list.

As a side note, some entertaining in game advertising in the casino, including Trojan.  Although upcoming games and movies, and Dodge get most of the visibility. 

Kiss Kiss,

Dawngrrl Gametart

The more I see, hear, and read about LucasArts Star Wars: The Force Unleashed the more excited I get for the highly anticipated all major platform release on Sept 16th.  There are 2 big reasons I see gamers piddling by the front door for it: the tech & the tale!

• The Tech

Two major players, DMM and Euphoria, jump in and shake hands with Havoc physics to team up an play a balls to the wall contest of game realism. 

Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) from Pixelux Entertainment is taking us to new environment heights.  We reached the concept of destructible environments and moved into their realistic physics by which materials have natural behavioral properties; glass shatters, liquid spills, concrete crumbles, etc.  

Euphoria by NaturalMotion.  A behavioral simulation that adds unpredictability and the uniqueness of realistic chance! How your character moves is not scripted, there is no key frame animation!  It’s done on the fly in a simulation engine making it will be different every time.  Adapting to experience and changing the nature of your character’s interactions and responses gives a truly fresh gaming experience, every time you play. 

• The Tale

To be frank, I’ve had one major problem with the infamous and beloved sixtology.  Both Luke and Anakin were, quite simply, whiney bitches.  That aspect notwithstanding, it’s an epic adventure that every person, child and adult alike can easily get absorbed by, and this tween sounds equally as exciting! 

Somewhere between episode III and IV, the continuation of the prequel released after the 2 sequels to the original which turns out is a sequel itself *whew*, the dark Sith Lord trained a secret apprentice, and I do mean secret; he doesn’t even have a name! This mysterious guy travels from chewy’s Kashyyyk to Raxus Prime and Felucia, with his droid pal Proxy, a proto holodroid.  Throw in a beguiling Juno, the imperial pilot, and characters like Maris the token padawanian hotness, Jedi Mastress Shaak Ti, and General Rahm Kota and take them all through a great dark destiny and a hunt for a rogue Jedi!  mmmm had me at hello, you did…mmmm!

The trailers look AWESOME!   Some of the force actions are so fly they match some of the all time best game moves.  Take me to the Dark side!

Kiss Kiss,

Dawngrrl Gametart

Watch my first episode of DemoZ! A regular Vidcast that reviews game demos currently available to download from XBOXLive. This week, I look at movie based games, including: Ironman, Kungfu Panda, and The Bourne Conspiracy. Currently accepting all forms of feedback.

Demoz - Episode 1: 360 game titles available on Xboxlive

Gamer geeks BEWARE: gaming goodness is on the horizon!  Start saving your duckets and start working on your gimme-game-time-honey excuse list!  Super virtual sportage is coming our way including a couple titles I have been jonesing over since word first hit the street.  5 games in 5 weeks - in order of Dawngrrls uncontrollable excitement:

 NUMBER 1

Shut Up!!  When I first heard the rumor that NG2 was set to hit the 360, I almost pee’d my gamer girl panties!  Inarguably one of my all time favorite games was Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PS3.  I hated that it didn’t release on the 360 and I am quite certain that it, at least in part, led to my interest in The Devil May Cry, which had some similar styles.   I may have to slip in some vacation days for some alone time with Ryu.   I remember the pain Alma put me through in the ninth level.  Floozy.  Oh my god I can’t wait.

Ninja Gaiden II   Release Date: Jun 3, 2008

 NUMBER 2

If you skipped the Start Wars Lego series, stop.  Seriously, stop whatever your doing, right now, go to your favorite retail or game trade hot spot and pick it up.  This game was so much fun!  Instant playability, super cool character trade off, beloved story, totally RAD use of the force, and you can play it while the kids are still awake…!   You cant say that for many of our favorite titles these days that send us to the darkest hidden recesses of our homes to play the blood and gore in private.  Top this kick ass example of the bitchenness of Lego Games with the in kind and super timely release of Indiana Jones and its GOTTA BE some fine times on the controller!  Rock on with Harrison and get Bouffed (shea lebouf) with the new big screen Indiana Jones and pick up Lego IJ just 2 weeks later.  Okie dokie Doggy Daddy?

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Release Date: Jun 3, 2008

 NUMBER 3

Here is the reality: Lost Planet was way overlooked in the accolade department, and though this is not a sequel as much as a rewrite from the original: the game was definitely good enough to send me to the store at the end of the month for new content, new environments, perspectives, 3 new single player modes, and an ass load of new achievements for the achievement whores (ahem…not me…obviously.) 

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition Release Date: May 27, 2008

 NUMBER 4

The fascination with renegade warfare continues in the newly vamped Battlefield version designed for prime time console action!  Bad Company brings the cutting edge destructible environments and tracing missiles; massive military mayhem (24 multi max); Conquest will be a free download after release. “I’m a soldier not a damn movie star..!”

Battlefield: Bad Company Release Date: June 23, 2008

 NUMBER 5

We see big screen blockbusters hit the game release boards and we start yawning, if we stop and take notice at all, right?  Every once in a while one comes along that rubs you the right way and gives you a good time. Maybe the powers that govern our virtual movie/game desires are listening.  I played a couple of demos and think we have a potential buy.  Its fast paced action just like the movies and follows the storyline pretty well.  The melee / action scheme felt a little clunky; of course part of that is adapting to the controls.   Shooting has a good feel to it, and despite the cheap ass looking reticle, the graphics look fly.  It may very well be like the one you had a great time with but didn’t want to admit it to anybody.  One of those surprise buys that keeps you up till 3am staring deep into each others eyes for a little hanky panky away from the tried and true.  I guess we’ll see! 

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy Release Date: June 3, 2008 and its promising. 

Kiss Kiss,

Dawngrrl Gametart

Before you make the decision to go down into the trenches of FPS purgatory and submit yourself to repeated skill mocking, constant belittling defeat, and gut wrenching failure, know this: the Deep & Hard achievement is only 90 (if you already completed hardened difficulty then you get zippo), 40 points for Ultimatum and 40 more for The 4th Horseman.  That’s 170 points for in exchange for many hours of your precious life, heaps of frustration, and the cost of replacing any broken controllers.  Point is, don’t do it for achievements, do it for the satisfaction of beating one the hardest games in history. 

Before my miraculous completion of Call of Duty 4 of Veteran difficulty level, Boy Genius said; “Wow, Dawngrrl, I’ve never seen you so committed to anything!”  Fear of commitment aside, hewas right.  I had been in the war room for about 2 days yelping profanities with every breath, and death!  The good news is this:  I never commit to anything that’s not worth it.  The value of the experience was the experience itself, not the points nor the fame and fortune (gamer bragging rights)that followed my gaming success.   They did a bang up job on CoD4, and even in its most frustrating moments, the play is fly enough to not only keep you going, but enough to leave you feeling disappointed that its over, again. 

Knock it out peeps, and if you manage Mile High, you’ve got a beer (or other random beverage of your choice) coming on me. 

Kiss Kiss,

Dawngrrl Gametart