MineCraft Xbox 360 Edition Review

MineCraft is a sandbox survival game which was released in mid-November, 2011 for several computer systems, including PC and the Mac, and was later released for the mobile phone. The game has gained major popularity, and has amassed a very large fanbase. During early May in 2012, a version of MineCraft was released for the Xbox 360 for roughly twenty dollars, which is the main version that I am reviewing. In this article, I will discuss the game play mechanics, compare and contrast the PC version and the Xbox version, and will give it my personal rating using the ten-star system.

MineCraft doesn't have completely defined objective, but for the sake of explaining the game in this review, then I must state the fact that the game works in the manner of the player being able to build structures and mine resources and minerals from the earth. The player is able to build structures by collecting building materials by doing things such as cutting down trees with a hatchet mining cobblestone from underground, or even using blocks of dirt and gravel in case of emergency. The player can also mine things such as iron, gold and even diamonds, which can be used to create powerful armor and tools. The main tools of the game are pickaxes, hatchets, shovels, swords, and hoes. The better the pick, the better the ore that can be mined, and the better the hatchet, the faster the tree can be chopped. Hoes are used to prepare areas for planting crops, mainly wheat. Swords composed of different ore differ in damage. Therefore, a diamond sword is much more powerful than a wooden or stone sword. The types of ore in MineCraft include iron, gold, diamond, and obsidian. While obsidian is included in that list, it cannot be crafted into tools, and is instead used for building structures and even portals to an alternate dimension known as the Nether. The game's damage and health system is measured in the form of heart containers. While it is true that when many people think of the heart system as a measurement of health used primarily in Legend of Zelda, it is mainly just a general measurement of health that can be incorporated into essentially any game. The game's building system doesn't require blueprints for a structure, but instead allows the player to place blocks in any amount of height, length, width, or shape. Therefore, the game allows the player to build virtually any structure that they can think of.

While MineCraft is considered by many to be very enjoyable and very open to the player's building and crafting desires, there are a few notable differences between the Xbox 360 edition and the PC edition. For one thing, the Xbox 360 lacks the XP system that the Computer version has. In the PC version, the player is able to advance through multiple levels by collecting XP from mining ore and defeating monsters. The Xbox 360 edition also does not have the features of potion creating and enchanting weapons, a very useful and dynamic game play mechanic. However, the biggest pet peeve that many players have with the Xbox 360 edition is the fact that the crafting system is rather simplified. In the PC version, players are able to put minerals, tools, or any other items inside of a three square by three square crafting interface. By placing certain materials in certain squares, a picture of an item comes up in the "Result" square next to the crafting interface, therefore giving the game a "this plus this equals what?" feeling.

MY PERSONAL RATING: 8.75 / 10 stars

Halo: COMBAT EVOLVED Anniversary Achievements

Halo: COMBAT EVOLVED Anniversary was released on the exact date (September 15, 2011) of Halo's tenth anniversary. Aside from revamped graphics, achievements, and the addition of easter eggs, the game is essentially the same as the original Halo: COMBAT EVOLVED. In this article, I will be discussing the achievements, but other than that, I will not actually be reviewing the game itself.


There are forty-four (44) achievements in this game, with a total of 1000 GamerScore (GS).
Pillar of Autumn: Complelete the level "Pillar of Autumn" on any difficulty.                                           25GS

Halo: Complete the level "Halo" on any difficulty.                                                                                25GS

Truth and Reconciliation: Complete the level "Truth and Reconciliation" on any difficulty.                     25GS

The Silent Cartographer: Complete the level "The Silent Cartographer" on any difficulty.                      25GS

Assault on the Control Room: Complete the level "Assault on the Control room" on any difficulty.       25GS

343 Guilty Spark: Complete the level "343 Guilty Spark" on any difficulty.                                          25GS

The Library: Complete the level "The Library" on any difficulty.                                                           25GS

Two Betrayals: Complete the level "Two Betrayals" on any difficulty.                                                  25GS

Keyes: Complete the level "Keyes" on any difficulty.                                                                           25GS

The Maw: Complete the level "The Maw" on any difficulty.                                                                 25GS

Birth of a Spartan: Complete every level of the game on Normal Difficulty.                                          10GS

Believe in a Hero: Complete every level of the game on Heroic Difficulty.                                            20GS

Living Legend: Complete every level of the game on Legendary Difficulty.                                           50GS

Standard Operating Brocedure: Complete any level on Normal difficulty cooperatively.                       10GS

Brovershield: Complete any level on Heroic difficulty cooperatively.                                                    25GS

Bro Hammer: Complete any level on Legendary difficulty cooperatively.                                             50GS

Tsanta: Complete any level with at least three Skulls active on Heroic difficulty or higher.                     50GS

He's Unstoppable!: Complete any level on Heroic difficulty or higher without taking health damage.     20GS

Overshields are for Sissies: Complete "The Pillar of Autumn" on Legendary without picking up an overshield.                                                                                                                                         10GS

Walk it Off: Complete "The Pillar of Autumn" on Legendary without picking up a health kit.                25GS

No-Fly Zone: Destroy three of the four Banshees on "Halo" on any difficulty in a single play-through.  10GS

How Pedestrian: Complete the level "Halo" on any difficulty without entering a vehicle.                        25GS

Close Quarters Combat: Complete the level "Truth and Reconciliation" with at least four rounds left in you sniper rifle.                                                                                                                                        25GS

All According to Plan...: Kill all the enemies in the first encounter of "Truth and Reconciliation" without being detected.                                                                                                                                           10GS

Beachhead: Storm the beach of "The Silent Cartogropher" with no marine casualties on Heroic or Legendary.                                                                                                                                    10GS

Grenadier: Escape the map room in "The Silent Cartogropher" without firing a shot on Heroic or
Legendary.                                                                                                                                        25GS

I'll Be Taking That!: Pilot a Banshee on the level "Assault On The Control Room."                              25GS

Wraith Hunter: Destroy four Wraith tanks in "Assault On The Control Room" with the Scorpion tank in a single play.                                                                                                                                        10GS

This One's for Jenkins!: Kill 50 Flood Combat Forms on the level "343 Guilty Spark" on Heroic difficulty or higher.                                                                                                                                               10GS

Breaking Quarantine: Escape the Forerunner facility on the level "343 Guilty Spark" in 21 minutes or
less.                                                                                                                                                  25GS

That Just Happened: Complete the level "The Library" on Heroic difficulty or higher without dying.      10GS

Speed Reader: Complete the level "The Library" on Legendary difficulty in 30 minutes or less.            25GS

Look Out for the Little Guys: Complete the level "Two Betrayals" on Heroic difficulty or higher without killing any Grunts.                                                                                                                              10GS
Leave It Where It Lay: Complete the level "Two Betrayals"on Legendary difficulty without picking up a new weapon.                                                                                                                                            25GS

Popcorn.gif: Kill 100 Flood Infection Forms on the level "Keyes" on Heroic difficulty or higher.           25GS

Tying Up Loose Ends: Kill every Elite on the level "Keyes" on Heroic difficulty or above.                    10GS

This Side Up: Complete the Warthog ride on the level "The Maw" without being forcibly ejected from your vehicle.                                                                                                                                              10GS

Never Tell Me The Odds: Escape "The Maw" on Legendary with at least a minute left on the count
down.                                                                                                                                               25GS


I apoligize if you were expecting more of a guide on how to actually collect these Achievements, but perhaps I will post a future article that answers your question. Until next time, thank you.

Halo 4 News: Weapons

As those of you who follow the latest news concerning Halo 4 have probably heard, Halo: Waypoint released a video containing footage of some of the new and/or returning weapons in Halo 4 a couple of days ago. In this article, I will be identifying the weapons shown in the video, and I will also post a link to the video on Youtube.

Assault Rifle: This is a classic weapon in the Halo series, and is featured in literally every Halo game made. It is a simple, automatic gun that usually takes a little less than a whole clip to strip an opponent of their shields and finish them off.

Magnum: This is also a weapon that is commonly found in the game's series, but it never entirely became useful until it debuted yet again in Halo: Reach. The magnum in Halo 4 seems to work in the same manner that it did in Halo: Reach in the way that it fires faster and has a more concentrated reticle than the previous games' versions of magnums.

Battle Rifle: A weapon favored by many, this weapon has returned from Halo 3 after being left out in Halo 4. The battle rifle fires three bullets with every pull of the trigger, and not only is semi-automatic, but is great for getting a fairly quick kill with a headshot.

DMR: The DMR is similar to the battle rifle in both looks and usage. It is useful for headshots, but does not fire three bullets with one trigger pull, as the battle rifle does.

Rocket Launcher: This weapon is highly explosive, which can prove to be dangerous if you were to use it in close range. Not only does it only have four shots, the rocket launcher takes an extremely long time to reload. However, it's massive fire power still proves it to be a useful weapon in gaining the upper hand.

Shotgun: The shotgun is a close-ranged, semi-automatic weapon that can most certainly turn the tide on your opponents. At medium-long range, it does very little damage, but if you and/or your enemy is making a charge, then the shotgun will come in handy.

Sniper Rifle: This gun is essentially the most useful long-ranged weapon. It takes either two shots to the body or one shot to the head to kill an enemy. However, it has little ammo, so it would be best used when you're enemy doesn't notice you, and even then you want to use it slowly and carefully.

Detonator: The detonator is quite similar to the grenade launcher in Halo: Reach, however it is somewhat easier to aim, and is a bit more explosive. It works by firing a small grenade-like device near an enemy, and either you let the grenade go off by itself, or you can prematurely detonate it on your own.

SMG: This weapon was featured in both Halo 2 and Halo 3, and it returns yet again in Halo 4. The SMG is a type of machine gun that fires extremely fast. If concentrated on an enemy, then it will usually ensure the kill, but you must concentrate the reticle on the target and use every shot well, because each shot does extremely low damage.

Spartan Laser: The spartan laser is usually extremely rare on most maps, but if you are lucky enough to find it, then it will surely come in handy. This weapon fires a charged beam of plasma-like energy, and is so powerful that the beam can literally go right through multiple enemies at once with one shot.
Railgun: Personally, this weapon reminds me of the shotgun, but it's not because it's close ranged. The railgun fire medium-long range and fires an explosive charge of energy, which can even be used to destroy vehicles. The weapon also knocks you back a bit, reminding me of the way the shotgun works.

If anyone would like to see the new video of Halo 4's weaponry, then check the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGy03woehKQ

I would like to thank everyone for reading this article, and I hope you enjoy Halo: Waypoint's continuing stream of content concerning Halo 4.

Ratchet And Clank: Size Matters Review

Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters was released during february 13, 2007 in North America, and was the fifth chronological game in the Ratchet and Clank series. Unlike all of the earlier games in the series, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters was developed by High Impact Games, a company that spawned off of Insomniac Games (the original creator of the series) back in 2003. The game was first released for the PlayStation Portable (otherwise known as the PSP) and was later released for the PlayStation 2 in 2008. In this article, I will be explaining the basic storyline, discussing the notable game mechanics, stating any possible problems with the game, and will give it my personal rating using the ten-star system, as I always do in reviews.

The two main protagonists, Ratchet and Clank, are resting at the island resort on the tropical planet of Pokitaru after undergoing several harrowing adventures. A small girl named Luna appears and begins to take pictures of Ratchet and Clank, explaining that she is working on a project on "heros", as she calls them, that will be put into a report for her school newspaper. Luna then asks Ratchet and Clank run around a sort of excersize/training ground while she takes photgraphs of them in action. When they are finished, Ratchet and Clank meet up with their old friend Qwark, who explains that he wants to start looking for his long-lost family. Suddenly, a large dropship appears, and several mysterious and dangerous robots begin to chase Luna around the resort. When Ratchet and Clank finally catch up with the robots, they are kidnapping Luna and taking her back to their dropship. While they are flying away, Luna drops a strange, metal, spherical-shaped object. Upon examining the orb, Clank explains to Ratchet that it is an artifact from a mysterious race of creatures called Technomites. The Technomites are thought by most to be a children's story that parents would tell their kids to explain how technology works. However, this artifact not onyl proves their existence, it also contains coordinates to a strange jungle-like planet called Ryllus. Ratchet and Clank travel to Ryllus, and after searching for a while, they discover a temple. They use the strange object like a key, which contains a map leading to Luna, and possibly even a base for the Technomites. It appears that the Technomites were behind Luna's kidnapping in the first place, but if that's so, then why did they do it, and why does it seem like they are leading Ratchet and Clank straight to them?

There aren't many major game mechanics that distinguish Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters from most of the other Ratchet and Clank games, but there are a few that are, at the very least, notable. One such game mechanic that has changed is the "arena", as many call it. In many Ratchet and Clank games, there is an arena where Ratchet can fight special enemies for rewards such as large amounts of Bolts (the currency used in the game world) or items, such as weapons or armor. However, in Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, only Clank is playable in the arena, and instead of fighting enemies using direct combat, he participates in events such as battling in vehicles used for combat, or tossing around small robots called Gadgetbots. Another small change to the mechanics was the way the enemy-transformation weapon worked. In many Ratchet and Clank games, there was a type of weapon that could transform enemies into harmless farm animal. Usually, the enemies were transformed into sheep or ducks, but in Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, the enemies were transformed into cows. The last notable addition to the series' features was the option to race against NPC's on Skyboards (flying skateboards) through special stages.

Although Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters was, in my opinion, a fairly-good game, there were a few downsides that I thought that I should discuss, since they were worth mentioning. For one thing, the game was a tad bit too short, not that it was easy, but the progression through the story went by quite fast. Another problem was the fact that there were quite a few bugs/glitches. For example, the game oftentimes lagged both before and after it executed a quick autosave. Another problem was that occasionally you could fall through the ground and die. The last bug worth mentioning was the fact occasionally the details of the noninteractive scenery failed to appear, so at a specific angle, a wall on Ryllus would have an endless hole-like tunnel filled with clumps of what appeared to be gray matter.

MY RATING: 6.25 / 10 stars

Halo 4 Anticipation and Expectations

As many fans of the world-famous franchise Halo (created by Bungie a little over a decade ago) know, Halo 4 was announced at the previous E3 gaming convention with a video showing the main protagonist, Master Chief, escaping the exploding remains of the ship he had been sleeping on for four years. Many fans were, as expected, extremely excited by the idea of a new trilogy, as many fans had been asking. Bungie, inc. had always brought the fans their money's worth, but now, Bungie will not be presenting this new game themselves.

A couple years back, Bungie announced that they were "breaking off" of Microsoft, inc. and were going to work with Activision, inc. However, by doing this, they were going to leave the Halo project behind, leaving someone else to work on the project. These new developers of the project are part of a division of Microsoft that is partially formed of game developers from Bungie who chose to continue to work on the Halo project, as well as a handful of employees from Microsoft. This group of developers, who happened to be fans of Bungie and Halo, named their division "343 Industries", after one of the characters from the series. 343's first project was released on the tenth anniversary of the Halo franchise, which was the first Halo game for the Xbox, Halo: COMBAT EVOLVED with revamped graphics, as well as new achievements and the famous collection of skulls hidden throughout the game. This was possibly a way of showing the steadfast fans of Halo that they were still going to stick to the roots of the series, while at the same time innovating new ideas. However, with such a large project as Halo 4, some say that the new developers of the series will lead the game in a worthy direction, while others say that they own their respect
to the original developers. In this article, we will take a look at the latter side of the argument.

A few fans are reluctant to believe that 343 is able to give their players their money's worth with this new installation into the Halo franchise. These fans hold the utmost respect for games original developers, and they have a few reasons to believe so. First off is that the Halo project is extremely important in the ways of developing, due to the fact that each game has new innovations that continue to "blow the doubts out of the water" so to speak. This job of creating new innovations while sticking to the orginal roots is a challenging one, even for the franchises original creators. You see, when Bungie began to work on Halo 2, they quickly realized that they made an imbalance in the
innovation-to-originality ratio. The project became too big, and after the first month or two of work, they had to redo the first part of the project due to a programming error that made the game unable to be played on the Xbox console. Over time, Bungie continued to cut down on working on new ideas for the game. One major new idea that was incorporated into the game proved to be almost too big by itself. That innovation was the new work on the multiplayer, both offline and online. Bungie decided that they wanted to make the multiplayer maps just as creative and exciting as the maps in the campaign, but they ended up adopting a few maps from the campaign and incorporating them into the multiplayer rather than make entirely new maps. Another problem was getting the game online in the first place, due to the fact that it would require an immense amount of data shared between countlessw Xbox consoles. Eventually, though, Bungie managed to finish the project on a further deadline. Nevertheless, creating such a large and innovative new installation into the franchise will most likely be as challenging as Halo 2.

Welcome!

Welcome to my misc. game page, where I review and discuss games that don't go onto my RPG/MMORPG page. If you would like to read my journal, read other game reviews, or just see some basic info about myself, check out these links.
My main page: http://levimain.blogspot.com/
My RPG/MMORPG page: http://levirpg.blogspot.com/
My journal/diary entry page: http://levidiary.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!