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After having enough time pass for the hype from GTA 4 died down, the guys at Volition decided to drop the second installment of their Grand Theft Auto rip off, known as Saints Row 2.

The first Saints Row was halfway decent. It doesn’t rank anywhere near the top of my “favorite games list”, but it kept me occupied. There were alot of issues with that game. Saints Row 2 fixed a few of them, but still doesn’t make the cut in my eyes. I hated the fact that you were limited to cars, but apparently so did other people because Saints Row 2 introduced planes (complete with parachutes) and boats.

WOW! Planes and boats. You mean just like the ones in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas? That little game that is about as good as Saints Row 2, but was released back in 2004? It’s true they’ve added more options, but to be honest, they’re living in the past. Find something a little more innovative. No points there.

Maybe actual gameplay will make up for other things. Weapons…average ones you’d expect to see in a game of this genre. Another annoying little screw up is the camera angle. It’s pretty awkward at some parts and not fun at all when there’s alot of guys on you. To make matters even worse, there’s no lock on. Seriously? Isn’t that a necessity? Come on. A few other changes have been made to combat, but it’s not much more than grapple moves and being able to kick somebody in the balls.

I’m really wondering if the developers were rushed when they made this game.

One thing that Saints Row 2 nailed is the character himself. (Or herself)

Like the original, you can fully customize your character. The story is pretty fun and does a good job at keeping things fun.

Taking the game online can be surprisingly fun too although I have a feeling once the hype wears away, so will the fans.

Saints Row 2 is a game I’d say to just rent.

Overall, a 3.8 out of 5.

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After this review, I’ll have some new releases to pick from, but in the meantime, here’s the review for Turning Point: Fall Of Liberty.

This game had a hell of a lot of potential. It’s a historical fiction game which means that it’s based off of something that really happened. In this case, that base is World War II. I know, I know, Call Of Duty left this era behind, but the guys at Spark Unlimited refreshed the genre. The main piece of history the game revolves on regards the British Prime Minister at the time, Winston Churchill. They explain how Winston Churchill was hit by a taxi, but the only thing that happened to him was that he required a cane to walk.

The game proposes the question “What if Winston Churchill had died?” After they do so, you find out what happens. The answer is all hell breaks loose. Instead of Nazi German forces being contained in Europe, they overrun it and decide to attack North America. Their first target is New York City. (Of course) In an opening sequence we see the Statue Of Liberty getting blown up. (Of course, again.)

Your character is a regular construction worker (A “Joe the plumber” if you will) working on a building when Nazi paratroopers rain down from above. You have to get to the street and find out what’s going on.

Enough about the storyline, the game is a FPS and finds new ways to not suck, like introducing new weapons and practical uses for them. The game is really good and looks nice, but sometimes the levels can drag on. Much like Devil May Cry 4, you play the game for the cut scenes.

There’s no online play in the game, which really does limit it in a sense because the storyline is so long, your probably not going to want to play it again after you beat the game.

It’s a good game. I think it didn’t take off like it should have because of a bad release date among other things.

I’d give this game a 4 out of 5.

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A little late, but here’s last weeks review of Devil May Cry 4 for the XBOX 360.

Devil May Cry is a series which started way back when, on the original Playstation. To understand the fourth installment your going to need to catch up a little.

The main character of the franchise is a guy named Dante. Dante happens to be the son of the mega strong demon, Sparda. Sorry 300 fanatics, I said Sparda, with a “d”. Dante is half demon because of his father and mortal mother. He is a mercenary-like guy who takes “jobs” having to do with killing devils. He is sometimes found with his co-devil hunters named Trish and Lady.

Instead of having Dante go on some demon slaughtering adventure, the game starts out with you playing as somebody named Nero. He is the “rebel” character and he acts like it during the opening of the game where he’s being the “cool guy” by listening to his music during a religious congregation. The religion turns out to be a group of people who worship Sparda, Dante’s father, as a god.

There is a love interest character for Nero named Kyrie who is in this congregation and seems to be the only person who likes Nero. Everything’s fine, we’re listening to the pope looking guy preach when all of the sudden… crash! A character who shall not be named breaks through the stained glass ceiling, and falls in front of the pope. The mysterious man looks up at the pope, then pulls out a handy revolver and blows his head off.

The pope’s down and anarchy erupts.

I’ll stop there. The good thing about this game is that you don’t need the other ones to make sense of this one. You’ll only need to know the background stuff I’ve told you.

Let’s talk about the gameplay on this game. It’s really innovative. I love that you use a unique mix of swordplay and guns. This style of play makes it easy to string together some nasty combos on enemies.

You have other weapons besides guns and swords, like the “Devil Bringer”. The Devil Bringer is Nero’s arm, but it stretches out to grab far away enemies and draw them in for the kill.

The missions are fun, but can get very frustrating if you lose patience. I played the missions just to find out what would happen in the cutscene after it. It’s not that the levels don’t look nice, they’re just really time consuming.

The storyline ends up being worth it, but I wish everything could have flowed a little nicer.

You can tell by the box that this game is a made in Japan game with anime style characters. If your absolutely opposed to that kind of stuff, then have fun waiting for Saints Row 2 to come out. If you give the game a chance and play it with an open mind, I think you’ll like it. I know I did. I’d give it a rent if your looking for a game to keep you busy.

This game deserves a 4.6 out of 5.

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Hey guys,

Assassin’s Creed came out a few months ago, but I think it deserves a review. This one is by Ubisoft, specifically “Ubisoft Montreal.” These are the same guys responsible for the amazing Prince Of Persia series.

The storyline of the game is laid out right from the start. Although it may seem fuzzy during some parts, your character, Desmond Miles, has been kidnapped to serve as a guinea pig for a machine called the “Animus”. While in this device, Desmond’s DNA is probed for memories that his ancestors had.

What? I know, the plot isn’t the easiest to understand. What you need to know is that when your in the machine, you play as Desmond’s ancestor from the 12th century. This guy’s name is Altair and he is a genuine badass. Altair is an assassin and he has a slick and deadly way of getting things done.

You have swords, throwing knives, retractable hidden blades and a grappling ability. You carry out hit missions for a group your character belongs to. Picture Grand Theft Auto, but with swords and horses instead of cars. If you cause too much trouble, knights hunt you down. You can also use a variety of stealthy tactics to accomplish your mission.

The game is amazing at first, but after a while it starts to get repetitive. You kill somebody, you tell your boss about it, you get interrupted by those bad guys at the lab. You kill somebody, you tell your boss about it, you get interrupted again. This goes on for a very long time.

I don’t want to give away the ending, but just know you will be doing the same thing for a long time.

Another thing is the map. There are not too many new places to go to. Although the game is free roam-ish, there are those annoying invisible walls.

The game has so much potential when you start out, finally get used to the controls and getting into a groove, but unfortunately I don’t think this game delivers.

It is absolutely, 100% a rent, but I would not buy this game. A second rent might even be in order.

Once you do beat the game, you’re not going to want to replay it, so there is not too much of a replay value.

The hype for this game came and went for a reason.

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Hey guys,

As the title suggests, there is going to be a new Prince Of Persia game, which will be the fourth one with the “Prince Of Persia” title. (Not counting the original one from the 80s) I’m actually very excited for this one. I played 2 out of the last 3 “PoP” (Prince of Persia) games and those were some of my favorite games for the last generation.

I do have a few concerns…

First of all, it’s been a while since the last one came out and I’m wondering if they did that on purpose to try to have a “fresh start”. I’d hate to see Ubisoft throw aspects of the old game out the window.

Another thing is the setting. This game is supposed to be a prequel to Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time. With that said, I’m expecting the Dagger Of Time, which is a weapon which allows you to rewind events, in real time. Without that ability, there’s gonna have to be something amazing to compensate.

Also, I’m not entirely sure of the character himself. If it is the same prince who has appeared in the other games in the franchise that would be great, but to me it looks like a new guy. There’s also a replacement for Farah as “the ally”. I don’t have any problems with change, but my issue is they messed with a good thing.

I hope all the new ideas mesh well together and this game delivers. It would be a shame for this game to fall victim to the Prince Of Persia low sales curse. The series never seemed to get the recognition it deserved.

Since I mentioned Prince of Persia, I’ve got to remind you that there is a movie coming out sometime in the future starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the prince.

I’m gonna go see it, but the Sands Of Time and Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones fan in me is going to be critical. As much as I want to see that movie succeed too, I’m expecting something along the lines of The Mummy or The Scorpion King.

I guess we’ll see how correct I was… one day.

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Hello all,

This week, by popular demand, I’m reviewing Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution for the XBOX 360. The name itself might sound a little overwhelming, but luckily it doesn’t affect the game in any way. (Some lady I don’t know holding the game box —->)

This game is a little different than other games, mostly because it doesn’t have a storyline. It is very much like most games for the PC like Rise Of Nations, Generals, or Age Of Empires, which have you start with nothing and build a flourishing civilization from that. Despite the similarities to these classics, “Civ Rev” is a TBS game, or “turn based strategy.” That’s fancy talk for “You make a move, you turn ends, they make a move, their turn ends.”

You get to pick from a  list of civilizations which have their own representative. Some include the Ancient Egyptians have Cleopatra (I don’t know why though, I don’t like that choice) and my personal favorite, the Mongolians have Genghis Khan. You can live out your own histories with each unique civilization. Differences between them would be special units, like the Egyptians have camel units, or other bonuses, like starting out with a few resources.

The game plays like a big skirmish. You start in Ancient Times and advance to the Modern Era. The four ways you win are by either eliminating every other leader, getting the max amount of money, getting the max amount of culture or by getting the max amount of technology. One match may take a while, but there are many possibilities throughout the map.

Other features include “Great People” which are important people from history who show up to your city, Wonders of the World like the Pyramid or Oracle of Delphi. These wonders have their own special abilitiy which will benefit your campaign. There are a few other bonuses scattered throughout the game that I will pass over.

There is an online mode to this game, but keep in mind, one game may take more than an hour to finish.

If you don’t have alot of patience, I suggest looking for something else. If you like history, if you like killin’ people, if you like architecture, art or most importantly, a challenge, then pick this game up.

I give this game a 4.2 out of 5

Image by PlayStar Rocker via Flickr

Hey guys,

This week’s been a little dry as far as games go, (mostly due to the storm of new games in the near future) but I’ve still got your review needs covered. This weeks review is an oldie, but goodie for the PS2 (or XBOX) called: The Warriors.

This one’s by Rockstar Games, the same people who bring you the Grand Theft Auto series. The story goes that you want to join a local gang called… you guessed it, the Warriors. The first level has you being initiated into the gang by hazing. Gotta love Rockstar Games, right? Anyway, the first level also serves as a tutorial. You gain entry into the gang and then the story starts.

You, as mostly all of the Warriors at one point or another, are trying to make a name for yourselves as the toughest gang there is. Missions range from tagging a train to advertise your gang to fighting pimps in a disco. (It’s pretty diverse)

The gameplay is simple, yet addicting. The game plays in level format, but the levels are pretty open. Since the game is set somewhere in the 80s, gun fighting between gangs is non-existent. The lack of ammo enables a refreshing way to be a bad ass.

Even though this is a last generation game, the use of the environment is present. You can throw enemies into walls with some brutal headcrushing moves, pick up trash cans and smack your foe with it or, simply pick up a beer bottle to use against them. You can even knock guys hats off while ass whoopin’ then wear it yourself.

About halfway through the game something big happens that changes the game, but I won’t spoil it for you. Just think of the first half as “training” for what’s to come.

There is no online feature to the game, but the regular co-op is satisfying enough. I recommend teaming up with a buddy when playing this. The storyline takes you to some interesting places and has you meet unique characters along the way. It’s a fun ride. This pure fun gives the game a great replay value. The graphics aren’t outstanding, but they were good for the time.

The game was $20 for the PS2 the last time I checked and that’s really a steal. If you’re down to your last $20 and are thinking about buying this game, remember it’s from 2005 and after finishing your 360 game, you may think the graphics blow.

For what it’s worth and the experience I had with it, this game deserves a 4.9 out of 5.

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Hey everybody,

Welcome to Reviewnetwork!

I’ve been reviewing games for a while now and I’ve decided to share these reviews on a macro scale.

You’ll find that my reviews are straightforward and reliable.

I’ll be posting weekly reviews and will fill in the days inbetween with some chatter about anything tech related that I think is worth sharing.

Reviewnetwork is “user centered” which means I care about your opinions. Feedback is always welcomed.

Stay tuned as Reviewnetwork presses on into the future.

Keep Gaming,

Reviewnetwork