First Impressions of Dragon Age II

Well guys I started Dragon Age II yesterday, and it's been a long time since I've seen a game get so much seething hate on the internet. To be fair, this is one of BioWare's lowest rated games on Metacritic, in the mid 80s (really a sign of their quality), but does it really deserve this kind of hate?

I played for many hours yesterday playing as a Female Mage, got through the first year of the game, have gotten 15 out of the 55 achievements and 140 out 1130 gamerscore on my 360. So I'm going to give a short post on my thoughts on the game so far.

Storywise, the game has a very interesting premise, which I've mentioned before, being a framing device with the dwarven companion Varric Tethras narrating the events of the 10 years and you playing as the main character Hawke during the events he narrates. It's something hasn't really been attempted before in terms of the interactivity.

I do feel like not much I've done has had incredible impact on the narration so far, but as I said I've only gotten through the first year out of ten, so I'll reserve my judgment on that until later. What I will not reserve judgment on are the characters which in typical BioWare fashion have been excellent so far. The motivations and personalities of the characters really shine and the rivalry that my character has with her brother feels real among the other relationships.

The characters are not quite as compelling as the ones in Mass Effect 2 (yet), but not many companies hit the same level as BioWare when it comes to character development and relationships and they are still holding onto that level of quality now.



Gameplay-wise, Dragon Age II definitely feels streamlined compared to its predecessor, just like Mass Effect 2 did compared to its predecessor. While I feel that it made Mass Effect 2 better than the first game in almost every way, in the case of Dragon Age II I feel it's been kind of a mixed bag.

The combat is fast-paced and fun. But unless I'm playing on the harder difficulties I don't feel the need to use tactics as much and pressing 'A' over and over for one basic attack can get a little old, however it doesn't ruin the great combat especially once I started learning more spells (also PC owners can just auto-attack).

So far the game is much smaller in terms of environment variety than Origins. So far, I've spent almost all my time in the City of Kirkwall. To be fair, this does fit the story very well but after the varied environments of Origins, I was hoping to be able to branch out a little bit more. I'm still trying to decide if sacrificing that variety for the story was worth it and I'll make my decision when I write the review.



Like I said during my impressions on the demo, Dragon Age II does not make a big graphical overhaul on its predecessor. I'm sure the PC version looks superior, but on the consoles there isn't much difference between II and Origins. After how beautiful and grand Mass Effect 2 looked on the 360, I kind of wish they had done a bit more of an overhaul.

That said, I've seen more emotion in the faces than I did in Origins and while the environments in DAII aren't that varied, they are very well-constructed and look great.

When it comes to voice-acting you'll be hard-pressed to find a company better than BioWare in that department. And it's really damn good. The voice of Varric Tethras, Brian Bloom, in particular has given a performance that I think will stand as one of the best of 2011 as long as he stays consistent, which is a good thing since he's both a companion and the narrator.



Despite all the hate Dragon Age II has been getting on the net, so far it's a well-designed and compelling game and I'm very anxious to see what happens next in the story of Marian Hawke. I'll be sure to put up my full review of the game when I finish and have a chance to try out the other classes and a male character. So keep an eye out for that.

Blizzard Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Retrospective

Blizzard is one of the greatest development studios of all time and anyone who has played any other games know why. Next to BioWare, Valve, and Rockstar I consider them to be one of the elite developers in the industry.

Blizzard was started in February 1991 and since then have created some of the most highly regarded and franchises in the industry. They are of course well-known for the MMO, World of Warcraft, but the Warcraft series extends far beyond that famous title. They are also behind the Diablo series, an action role-playing series started in 1996 (and I'm still waiting for Diablo 3).

They are also well-known for the StarCraft strategy games the first of which is one of the revolutionary titles in the Real-Time Strategy genre primarily for its use of separate factions. And it's expansion, Brood War, was also well-received. Many feel that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, released last year has arguably the best multiplayer experience imaginable.

And so as Blizzard has decided to officially mark its 20th anniversary with a retrospective, here's the link: Blizzard Retrospective.

And I say, happy anniversary Blizzard and thank you for 20 years of greatness and here's hoping for many more.

Sony Preparing to Sue Others over PS3 Hack

Hey guys, have you heard about the PS3 hack? If not then if you want an incredibly detailed description, please check somewhere else because I'm not incredibly technical with this kind of stuff.

The short version is that a guy named George Hotz found the PS3 root key and released it on the Internet. The root key basically figures out what can and cannot be run on the PS3 system meaning that if Sony just replaced it, there could be major problems with existing PS3 games. This also opened a big door to piracy on the console.

Sony is suing Hotz for infringement saying that while he may own the PS3, he accepted the legal terms that come with the PS3 that binds people to not hacking the console.

And do you know what? I don't have a problem with them suing him. I really don't know what side of the fence I am on this case but I do feel that Sony has some justification and that Hotz should, in turn, be able to defend himself.

However, Sony has stated their intentions to get the IPs of EVERY PERSON who visited this guy's site and watched his video about the PS3 hack and potentially sue them. *Big sigh before rant*

Okay Sony, I perfectly understand and respect your desire and right to protect your property, and that's why I feel that you have a right to sue Hotz, whether I agree with you or him. But, this is just stupid. Do people who watch full movies on YouTube or other sites get their IPs subpoenaed and potentially sued for watching a video on the Internet? Not in any case I've ever heard of.

Not to mention that anyone could have come across this video, hell while even looking up information on this story since it has been so widely reported by gaming journalists for over a month.

Look Sony, I like you guys. The original PlayStation was one of my first consoles and the PS2 stands as one of the greatest consoles in history, and despite a slow start and a few flaws still there, the PS3 has become an excellent console with an incredible and diverse library of exclusives from every conceivable genre. And like I said, I understand you're desire to protect the PS3 from hacking and piracy and that he broke the contract that you asked people to respect.

But, if it's true that you're planning on suing everyone who watched an internet video, you're getting pretty trigger happy with the lawsuit and for lack of a better word, kind of douchy.

Top 20 Metal Gear Solid Boss Fights (10-1)

Well we've gone through the first 10 out of 20 of the greatest boss fights of all time. So which ones are left and which are my favorites? Let's dive in.

#10. Vulcan Raven: Metal Gear Solid

When you see a guy wielding a freaking CHAINGUN, the best thing to do is crap your pants. Unless you're Solid Snake. We already kind of fought him when he piloted a tank and this time you fight him man-to-man. It can be both frustrating and awesome. Definitely one of the tougher fights in the game, it had you going through an enormous freezer room playing cat-n-mouse with this guy.

The key is setting traps, because using regular ammunition isn't going to cut it. Use C-4, using remote controlled missiles and even freakin Stinger missiles (how he doesn't die from a single stinger, I have no clue, best not to question it). This is probably the one point in the game that I can remember where using traps is practically required. If you can't adjust to that, good luck.

If you've stocked up on C-4, and remote controlled and Stinger missiles, and can sneak up on him, you're in for a great fight. If not, it can be incredibly frustrating but like the other tough fights, beating him will make you feel awesome and give you even more respect for the awesomeness that is Snake. Now all that's left is Metal Gear itself.

#9. Metal Gear RAY: Metal Gear Solid 4

We've fought Metal Gear models before, even a fleet of RAYs in Metal Gear Solid 2. So what makes this fight so special? Well YOU also get to pilot a Metal Gear model, REX from the first Solid game. After the nostalgia porn and reflection that you feel throughout Act 4, you get to see two Metal Gears FIGHT EACH OTHER! And you pilot one of them. It's as awesome as it sounds.

The fight is actually very well programmed and fits into the game surprisingly well. Again, the set-up is awesome. Act 4 was a mostly quiet chapter (not that I'm complaining because it was still awesome) so when you hear that rumble from the ocean and see RAY rise from the depths and realize what's about to happen, it's an amazing thought. Use machine guns, missiles, lasers, even melee combat between giant robots.

I'm really amazed at how fun the fight is despite the game being stealth-based. This is a fight, like many others in the series, that could have gone very wrong but Kojima and his team put together an incredibly enjoyable brawl, with a surprising amount of movement room despite how big they are. We've been taking down Metal Gears for over 20 years, but I don't think we ever expected to see two fight, especially with us piloting one.

#8. Crying Wolf: Metal Gear Solid 4

Just like Screaming Mantis, this was a callback to a fight from the original Solid game. Hell it's even fought in the exact same location as that fight. Just like that fight it's against a sniper (inside of a wolf mech-armor this time), only this time she's brought some friends with her. It also takes a few elements from the fight against The End (later on the list) such as tracking her movements.

The best part about doing this fight, is getting a non-lethal defeat on her without ever being seen by her minions. It takes patience and practice, but it's in the middle of a blizzard and if you use that to your advantage, you can do just that, and in a game that encourages that kind of play, it is immensely satisfying when you can achieve that.

The fight against Crying Wolf was intense, had a great environment, was nostalgic, and was also a little challenging (primarily if you were going for the no-kill and no-alerts route). It's a perfect fight for this list.

#7. Vamp: Metal Gear Solid 2

You will fight this guy a few times throughout the series, once in Metal Gear Solid 2 and once in Metal Gear Solid 4. Basically Vamp is Raiden's archenemy and they have a constant rivalry through those two games. The first time you fight him though is when you're playing as Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2.

Inside the Big Shell, Vamp waits near a pool of water that is so thick that if you go into it, you're dead. It kind of reminds me of the fight against Ocelot in the first Solid game yet Vamp is much more acrobatic and will throw knives. Those can also PIN YOUR SHADOW TO THE GROUND which also pins you (don't ask me, the Metal Gear franchise can be very goofy like that).

He is a tough son-of-a-bitch and it can very difficult to defeat him using tranquilizers. But when he goes down, it oh-so sweet to see him go under that water, yet he does come back. So he can fall into it (and goes down there quite often during the fight) but if you take one step in there, you sleep with the fishes. What a cheap bastard. Still a great, challenging fight that I feel often gets overlooked.

#6. Sniper Wolf: Metal Gear Solid

To be more accurate, this is the second time you fight her. This obviously the fight that the one against Crying Wolf in Metal Gear Solid 4 is a callback to. She's given you good reason to want to take her out, from shooting Meryl to capturing you, etc. And you had literally just defeated the Hind-D and took out an elevator so your adrenaline is likely running through the roof.

Unlike the first fight, which is actually pretty easy, this one can be pretty tough. If you're using the Sniper Rifle (and you probably are), you better have stocked up on Diazepam which allows you to hold your breath, otherwise hitting her is going to be a bitch. That's not to say that you have to use the sniper rifle. If you've got remote controlled missiles you can even use those.

The fight gives you a little flexibility with it which I liked, even though I usually use the sniper rifle. It all ends with probably one of the earliest examples of a developer creating real genuine sympathy for a boss after defeating them. It's a really a sad moment when Snake pulls the trigger on her. And it's a defining moment for Snake, Otacon, and their relationship. Character-wise it was great, and gameplay-wise it was great.

#5. Metal Gear REX/Liquid Snake: Metal Gear Solid

You can go ahead and say I'm cheating with this one but these two bosses need to be placed together. Even the video I'll put for it has them together. It starts with one of the largest bosses, gaming had ever seen at the time with fighting Metal Gear REX with your Stinger missiles. Hit it enough and a certain character will make a heroic sacrifice allowing you to fire the stingers at Liquid himself.

After defeating REX, it's time for the Cain and Abel story of the first Solid to come full circle. A hand-to-hand fight against Liquid on top of REX. He's got a few cheap moves but learn them and you can go nuts. You have three minutes before the base goes boom. Even after you deplete his health all the way, you still haven't beaten him, not until you knock him off of REX.

This fight had a great deal of emotion and power behind it because even with the research on genetics by Kojima, the Cain and Abel plot was set-up remarkably well and Cam Clarke, as hammy as he was as Liquid, made you really feel the hatred that he felt for his brother. It was excellent execution and it built itself to a phenomenal end boss fight (though you technically have to fight him again).

#4. The End: Metal Gear Solid 3

Making a boss fight that can last well over an hour is a very dangerous thing. But Kojima pulled it off by making one of the most intense and flat-out awesome fights imaginable. Who would have ever thought that a sniper duel against a man who's over a hundred years old would make for one of the greatest boss battles ever?

The fight takes place across 3 MAPS! It's a battle of endurance and tracking as you constantly need to be checking your stamina to make sure it will last you and hunt for food if you don't have any. At the same time you need to track him down and shoot him before he shoots you. But there's also many ways to deal with The End. You have an opportunity to shoot him early on, or you can save the game, move your PS2's internal clock ahead a week and find that he's died of old age.

Even with all the flexibility and fourth-wall breaking opportunities, nothing quite beats the test of endurance on Snake that the fight against The End brings with it. Sniping in video games, just doesn't get any better than it did with this fight.

#3. Psycho Mantis: Metal Gear Solid

Ah, Psycho Mantis. Quite possibly the most famous boss fight in the entire series and arguably the most creative and unique ever. No that is not an exaggeration. Back in 98, this fight was insanely groundbreaking and it broke the fourth wall in every way possible.

It starts with Mantis' awesome theme playing and him taking control of Meryl. Then he reads your memory card and rumbles your controller. Then during the fight itself, he cannot be hit (at least as far as I can tell). He will read Snake's mind, tell where he's going to shoot and dodge. The only way to beat him is by unplugging your controller and plugging it into the other socket (no that is not a joke). And of course he's constantly mind-controlling Meryl.

There had never been a fight like this back in the day. While we've seen fourth-wall breakage similar to this now, the same could not be said back in 1998 when Metal Gear Solid was released. It was a perfect display of how creative and remarkable Kojima was and that's why it takes the #3 spot.

WARNING: THE NEXT TWO ENTRIES HAVE MAJOR SPOILERS FOR METAL GEAR SOLID 3 AND METAL GEAR SOLID 4! IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED EITHER OF THEM DO NOT LOOK AT THE ENTRIES! Or do it, but don't blame me.

#2. Liquid Ocelot: Metal Gear Solid 4

 

The final boss of the console games (until Rising is released that is) and it is nostalgia porn at its finest. Ocelot as I said had become MAJOR character since his first appearance in Solid and all of Metal Gear Solid 4 was building up to this fight. Snake has just gone through the most hellish experience imaginable with the horrific walk through the microwave hallway.

And it comes to this, the top of the USS Missouri, a beautiful sunset in the background and music from all four of the console games in the background as the fight progresses, character movements match the games in question, and lifebars are taken from the respective game when the music from said game is in the background. Not only that, but it's a brutal fistfight. This is a fight where when you play, everytime one of them is hit, you will find yourself wincing.

Kojima knows how to pay respect to his franchise, hell an entire act in Metal Gear Solid 4 was devoted to the original Solid game, but this was about as awesome of a love letter to fans as you could imagine. As a loyal follower of this franchise, I salute Kojima's remarkable callback to every console game in the series. Thank you for this fight.

#1. The Boss: Metal Gear Solid 3

You will never feel more guilty about killing a character in a video game than you will after this fight. Not only is it an incredible, adrenaline-filled fight with arguably the biggest badass in the ENTIRE SERIES (and that's saying a lot) but it's got so much emotion behind it as she's Snake's (okay his father Big Boss) mentor and spiritual mother.

It starts with her driving the point home that there is no such thing as an enemy in absolute terms, something that the entire game was trying to say and the fight that followed made it arguably the most well delivered message of the entire series. She gives her entire history, showing how much she respects and cares for Snake and then gives him 10 minutes for the greatest fight of their life. And boy is it ever.

She is not a pushover in the slightest and you are probably going to get your ass handed to you quite a bit. You need to use everything that you've practiced in the game, your weaponry and your hand-to-hand combat if you want to have a chance at victory. When you do beat her, you'll feel like you're on top of the world.

For a minute at least, because then Kojima forces YOU to pull the trigger on her to kill her and if you don't tear up slightly here, you have no soul. It was an incredibly thoughtful decision to do that but it drives game's message home even further and as said before is probably the most guilty you'll ever feel after killing a video game character.

Not only is this the best fight in the series, it's a major contender for the greatest boss fight in history, and it further shows Kojima's mastery of that kind of craft as well as making us feel incredible emotion from video games (even if his stories can be incredibly hard to follow sometimes). I'm sorry Boss, I didn't want to but Kojima made me do it.

Top 20 Metal Gear Solid Boss Fights (20-11)

A little confession here. I posted this list on ScrewAttack.com a little over a year ago. But I felt it deserved to be brought here as my writing as definitely improved since then and there are a few position changes. So let's get started with Part 1.

What's one thing we think of when we think Metal Gear. Well actually a few things: it pioneered the stealth genre, ridiculously long cutscenes, among other things. But one thing that should come to mind are boss fights. You ask any loyal Metal Gear fan and they will tell you that there is probably no better franchise when it comes to boss fights. Seriously, there's a reason this is a Top 20 list.

I can't think of any other series where the fights are as consistently amazing as in this one. It's strange that a stealth series has some of the greatest adrenaline-packed encounters ever. Even the lowest bosses on this list would be considered awesome in most other games and ones not on here, are still really good. They are creative, action-packed, and just plain enjoyable. These all come from the console games of the Solid series. Not to say that they weren't great before that or on the PSP but the console games were the best. Needless to say all 20 of these are among the greatest boss encounters of ALL TIME!

So which 20 boss fights from this series are the best? Well strap yourselves in, because we're going to find out. NOTE: There are some spoilers ahead. So tread cautiously!

#20. Raging Raven: Metal Gear Solid 4

This is not an incredibly unique or creative boss fight, but it's just plain fun. The setting for it and the lead-up were outstanding. You were just in an awesome motorcycle chase sequence with this bitch flying after you through the streets of Eastern Europe. You're going to want some payback. Taking place in a church tower, she and mechanical fliers are constantly hounding you, firing missiles and her grenade launcher can be a pain in the ass.

But it's all right because you're Solid Snake (well Old Snake at this point), one of the biggest badasses ever. Every know and then they'll fire a complete barrage of missiles and you better keep on your toes. So you have to contend with both Raging Raven and constantly be shooting down the fliers she has with her and it is incredibly fun.

The second member of the four-member B&B Corps, she was an excellent lead-in to the two members who came after her, who we'll get into soon. It's also very long which makes it even more awesome when you finally triumph.

#19. Hind-D: Metal Gear Solid

The Hind-D boss fight in the first Solid game is exhilarating. Like the fight against Raging Raven, the set-up for this was outstanding. You had to rappel down a comm tower while Liquid Snake is firing at you from the helicopter. Get to the next comm tower, and find some Stingers and it's time for payback and what an awesome payback it is.

Fighting on top of a comm tower in Alaska, snow falling, dodging his machine guns and missiles while firing your stingers trying to get the Hind-D's health down is just as awesome as it sounds. One of the first fights in the game had you fighting a tank on foot, but this fight 1-upped that one in every way possible. First off it was being flown by the main villain. Secondly, he had used it to shoot down TWO F-16s by himself.

That knowledge and the set-up for this fight made it an incredibly enjoyable one and it's still absolutely awesome to this day. And three years later, its sequel bettered it, but we'll get into that one in a little bit.

#18. The Fear: Metal Gear Solid 3

Ah, Snake Eater, such an amazing game (okay well, all of these are). Using stealth camouflage, The Fear was kind of an annoying bastard. Just make sure you have the Thermal Goggles though and you'll be fine. The guy is constantly firing poison tipped arrows at you meaning that you have to either dodge the arrows, or constantly be healing the poison (hope you've got a lot of antidote).

There are a few ways to beat him. Of course you can kill him outright, or take away his stamina. His stealth camouflage constantly drains his stamina, so he always goes off to eat something to regain it. Throw something poisoned out and he'll eat that leaving him vulnerable to bullets or tranquilizers.

Just make sure to keep your eyes on the trees, as this guy is an obvious shout-out to Predator, and that's where he'll always be. A little strategy thrown in with the poisoned food and using your equipment correctly made this a fun showdown.

#17. The Harrier: Metal Gear Solid 2

The successor to the Hind-D fight in the first Solid game, the fight against the Harrier was just as awesome if not more so. And this time you had a little help. See, you don't play as Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2 (except the beginning) but as Raiden, but here Snake gives you a hand against this beast, firing grenades and throwing down Stinger missiles for you.

You need to keep a constant eye on your radar because this bastard can come right the hell out of know and plant a few high-caliber rounds into you. Thankfully just like in the first Solid your Stinger has lock-on capabilities allowing you to keep an eye on him.

This comes right after Raiden and Solidus Snake (the villain) meet up, and he immediately jumps into the harrier and the fight starts and like with the Hind-D, it is exhilarating. Metal Gear Solid 2 may not have been the most loved game in the series, but it still had some amazing boss fights, and this is one of them.

#16. The Sorrow: Metal Gear Solid 3

To say this boss fight is "untraditional" would be a massive understatement, even for this series. Some people may not even consider it a boss fight, as you really don't fight anything. See, the Sorrow is actually a spirit, who was killed years ago and he brings the ghosts of all the people you've killed in the game and has them attack you. You just have to dodge them. It's this break from tradition that I like about it though.

How the fight will go depends on how many people you've killed in the game. If you've just tranquilized everyone, only the bosses will come back making for a short trudge, but if you've been playing Rambo, then you're in for a long walk. And the ending require you to think outside of the box as well. When it ends, you will seemingly die. You need to take the revival pill, otherwise you will die. Are you given a hint about this? No, but Kojima expects his players to think outside of the box so it's cool.

There's really no other video game boss fight like it. And it actually fits into the game's theme about war and the fallacy of "enemies in absolute terms" that the game pushes quite well when you really think about it. The out-of-the box thinking also propels it up on this list.

#15. Solidus Snake: Metal Gear Solid 2

Like most of the other fights on this list, the setting and set-up for this fight were excellent. Sure, you may have listened to the most confusing conversation in video game history, but it painted the picture that while this guy had done horrible things, he still had good intentions, while at the same time giving you a good reason to kill him.

Sword fights are awesome but they can be poorly executed when out-of-genre. Not so here. Sure it's not Devil May Cry but it's still got functioning controls when you get them down and Solidus can be a tough son of a bitch the first time you fight him. And it takes place on the roof of Federal Hall in Manhattan which is actually quite symbolic when you think of the game's subtitle, Sons of Liberty, and remember that Solidus was once the President.

A fight that could have gone very wrong, but there's no such thing as "wrong" when it comes to Metal Gear boss fights and Kojima and his team gave it proper execution. A great fight to end out Metal Gear Solid 2 and also helped pave the road for the level in badass Raiden would take by Metal Gear Solid 4.

#14. Revolver Ocelot: Metal Gear Solid

Not necessarily the most difficult fight, but it did introduce one of the greatest Magnificent Bastards of all time and it was still fun, and the first boss fight of the Solid series with the jump to 3D (that right there deserves credit). With a hostage wired with C-4 in the middle of the room, you and he had to chase each other in a circle firing at each other constantly.

You also had to keep your eye on his ammo counter (hint: he's using a Colt Single Action Army revolver which has 6 rounds). He's definitely not very difficult nowadays but the first time I fought him was challenging and very enjoyable and while it's not as difficult now, it's still enjoyable.

Who would have thought that this character would become one of the most important characters in the series with this fight. Probably no one, but he did and the fight is memorable for that reason alone. The fight also ended with Ocelot getting his hand cut off by the next person on the list.

#13. Gray Fox: Metal Gear Solid

One of the coolest ninjas in video game history, this fight was fun especially because of the mystery behind the character and it made the aftermath and revelation of his identity even cooler for the people who had been able to play Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (which unfortunately not many people did).

This fight, like the others, had great set-up where you walk into a hallway and find the slaughtered remains of about a half-a-dozen soldiers. This fight also introduce Hal Emmerich aka Otacon, Snake's best friend throughout the series. One of the things that made this fight cool was that it was the first time that you were essentially required to use hand-to-hand combat in the game and it was really fun especially since Gray Fox had some REALLY damaging attacks.

A great callback to the MSX Metal Gear games, with a returning character and the introduction of a new character, great set-up and revelation, and the first use of hand-to-hand in the game, this fight was exciting and very interesting.

#12. The Fury: Metal Gear Solid 3

One of the toughest fights in all of Metal Gear Solid 3, The Fury is equipped with a jetpack and flamethrower, and he is fast, making him an especially annoying bastard. I hope you've REALLY stocked up on burn ointment because you are going to need it. This is the kind of cheap motherf*^ker who can turn what looks like a victory into a stunningly annoying defeat.

Still when you figure this guy out (his movement patterns, attacks, how to bait him) it is a very satisfying feeling when victory is nearing your grasp. Whether you use lethal weapons like the Shotgun or your Mk.22 for a tranquilizer stamina defeat, it is an awesome sense of overcoming an annoying piece of crap.

The Fury is incredibly tough and cheap but satisfying in more ways than one as he's also the last member of the Cobra Unit and knowing that will give you a great feeling. It's a long fight which again makes it that much more awesome when he's finally defeated.

#11. Screaming Mantis: Metal Gear Solid 4

The last member of the B&B Corps, a huge callback to another fight in the series (next part of the list) and the second-to-last boss fight in Metal Gear Solid 4, Screaming Mantis is a boss that you really need to know how to beat otherwise she's hopeless. Just like many of these other fights, Kojima wants you to think outside of the box.

First off, you constantly need to inject yourself with syringes to keep out of her control, or you'll never hit her and need to constantly knock Meryl out before Mantis forces her to shoot herself (again callback to another boss fight). Second, you need to shoot those dolls out of her hand and pick them up and use them against her. That's the only possible way to defeat her.

Like many great boss fights in the series, this one calls for you think differently than you normally would, and it can be very challenging the first time you attempt it and it's still challenging other times. It's an excellent fight that puts an end to B&B Corps signifying you're near the end, just not quite amazing enough for the Top 10.

Well, I'll be posting Part 2 tomorrow as we'll look at 10 fights that are contenders for the 10 greatest boss fights in history. Check back then.

Dragon Age II Demo Thoughts

A week from this Tuesday, BioWare will release the first of its three planned 2011 releases, Dragon Age II, the sequel to their critically acclaimed (like that's surprising) 2009 RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to download the demo that they put out for the game. So has it killed my anticipation or has it enhanced it?

I'm going to review this the same way I do my normal reviews, but of course keep in mind, this is just a demo and my thoughts may change when I play the full game.

STORY

For those of you who haven't been paying attention to news about Dragon Age II, the origin stories that you played through in Origins will be gone. You will play through as a human character who can be male or female. This human's name is Hawke.

Male Hawke and Lady Hawke

The story will be told in a very unique way that has, to my knowledge, never been attempted before. There's a framing device as a woman named Cassandra Pentaghast is interrogating a dwarf named Varric Tethras about "The Champion" aka Hawke. Varric is one of the companions and what you see in the game will be Varric's retelling of Hawke's tale and rise to power.

Varric Tethras

Cassandra Pentaghast

Framing devices like this have been done before in video games but I can't recall any where the story was fully interactive. The demo gives us the prologue showing Hawke's family fleeing Lothering as it's being destroyed by darkspawn (again play Origins if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about).

The prologue has gotten me VERY interested in seeing how this 10-year timeline will work and how the narration will be affected by the decisions that I make within the game. The writing was strong (big surprise *sarcasm*) and the characters were interesting.

GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN

When I first started playing Dragon Age II, I was really worried about the gameplay. The combat has been completely redone making it entirely real-time. I soon realized that everytime you want to do a basic attack, you have to press 'A' (on the 360 version at least). This really concerned me at first, but eventually I was having so much fun I didn't even think about it. When you really look at it, Dragon Age II has just as much depth as Origins, its combat is just faster. The tactics are still there and on harder difficulties will be MANDATORY.

The demo had all three classes available to play as with two playstyles for the warrior and rogue (only one for the mage). Each playstyle had different talents devoted to them and we'll definitely get more flexibility in the final product since we can't use the inventory in the demo.

Warrior, Rogue, or Mage?

The warrior's two playstyles were the two-handed sword and the sword-shield combo. These were probably my least favorite. They were fun and I'm definitely going to try them out, but they didn't quite hold up to the other classes and playstyles. The two-handed style focuses on heavy attacks while the shield style focuses on turning you into a wall that can essentially attack.

The rogue used bows which were fun and dual blades which plain KICKED ASS! When you're throwing 30 strikes every 15 seconds, a smile is going to come to your face. The bows, obviously, are based on different long-ranged attacks. The dual-bladed style will focus on quick strikes with one talent, for example, having you move quickly behind your opponent for a backstab.

But for my first playthrough, I'm probably going to go with the mage. First, from a gameplay standpoint, they are ridiculously fun to play. Raining fireballs from the sky (or CEILING), shooting a sheet of icicles at enemies, etc. was a blast. Just make sure to use your tougher party members to keep enemies off of you. From a story standpoint I'm curious to see the elements that will come up. In the Dragon Age universe, mages are generally despised, especially apostates (which Hawke is if a mage) and I'm curious how that will affect different relationships and story arcs.

Leveling up uses new talent trees and XP is given following the fights rather than right after killing each enemy. The character relationship system from Origins will also be done differently. Rather than being "approved of" or "disapproved of" it will use a "Friendship/Rivalry" system. Unfortunately in the demo I couldn't see any effects, but I have heard an example. If you have Friendship status with Varric, he will tell the story in a way that makes stronger, and with Rivalry it's the opposite.

Concern and worry over the gameplay waned very quickly and I have played the demo MANY times and have had fun every time. I'm anxious to see the depth behind the full game.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND

Graphically the game isn't a huge leap over Origins. Some have said that it looks graphically but I don't know where they got that idea. That said, it's not the best looking game from what I can see. The facial animations are a little improved and I know the designs have changed for the different races but there hasn't been too much change.

Soundwise, the sound effects are similar and while there's some new music tracks, I heard repeats from Origins many times. It's still good and was well-placed in the situations that they were in so I'm not complaining.

Now for voice-acting. I played as both Male and Lady Hawke. Male Hawke is voiced by Nicholas Boulton and Lady Hawke is voiced by Jo Wyatt. They're both good, but like with Mass Effect I've got to say, that I feel that the voice actress is superior. It's not quite the same margin as Jennifer Hale being superior to Mark Meer as Shepard, but I still feel that the voice actress won out in the end.

As for the rest of the voice acting, some of it was a little iffy but definitely good in the end. Three really stood out though. First is Brian Bloom who voices Varric who does an outstanding job at playing the storyteller fitting with his character's path as a Dwarven rogue. I don't know who voices Cassandra but she also does an incredible job from what I've heard, giving her character an attitude of seriousness, anger, and a hint of desperation along with it.

For me though, the one who most stood out was Kate Mulgrew (aka Captain Janeway) as Flemeth. Yes Flemeth from Origins is back. Mulgrew gives Flemeth the same quality voice acting as in the first game but is even more compelling in this. She gives a much more mysterious tone to her voice which only furthers her status as one of the most mysterious and intriguing characters in the series. I'm very interested to see what her role in the grand scheme of things is, especially after the Witch Hunt DLC from Origins.

Flemeth: The Witch of the Wilds and 2-Minute Show Stealer

CONCLUSION

Dragon Age II is shaping up to be a must own. From all my different playthroughs of the demo, I enjoyed myself immensely and am eager to see the rest of the game. Graphically it didn't improve much on Origins but the story is sure to be excellent (its BioWare), the gameplay was fun, and the voice acting, while having a few weakspots, was strong especially a few notable examples.

Dragon Age II will be released on March 8th, so pre-order your copy and enjoy seeing Fereldan again and the rise of Hawke.

Lots of News: TES Skyrim, Gears 3, and LA Noire, and Mortal Kombat

Well guys, lots of news today, mostly from stuff I didn't get into this week. Due to busyness, I'm pushing back my impressions on the Dragon Age II demo until tomorrow.

First up, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim got its first gameplay trailer a few days ago. Now I've made it no secret that I could not get into Oblivion, but this is still going to be a huge release and so I need to mention it. Also, the trailer really is freaking awesome. First off, it looks absolutely beautiful and the fact that the visuals are from in-game is quite shocking. It looks exciting and watching this trailer had given me the urge to give The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion another try before this game comes out. Maybe after I finish up with Dragon Age II, I'll give her another go.

Next up, we've got some Gears of War 3 news. The game now has an official release date. For those looking forward to Gears of War 3, the game will be released this year on September 20th in America and September 22nd in Japan. Epic Games also announced that for those who picked up the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm for the Gears of War 3 beta that was on it, the beta will begin sometime in mid-April. The lead designer, Cliff Bleszinski, has also said there will be other ways to get in on the beta.

Finally Epic Games also released the official box art for Gears of War 3. A GamesRadar article noted an interesting contrast that while the lighting for each cover's environment has brightened over the course of the three games, the mood shown by Marcus has gotten more hopeless.

Next up, we've got Rockstar's LA Noire. The game, which will be released on May 17th in North America and May 20th in Europe, has gotten its cover art and pre-order bonuses. Depending on who you pre-order from, you'll get different bonuses.

Pre-ordering from Gamestop will give you a bonus case titled "The Naked City" where you will look into what appears to be a suicide by a fashion model. Gamestop will also give you the The Badge Pursuit Challenge where you must locate 20 police badges for bonus including improving your character's abilities.

Pre-ordering from Amazon will give you the Broderick Detective Suit which gives your character better abilities in hand-to-hand combat and damage absorption. Pre-ordering from Best Buy will give you the Sharpshooter Detective Suit which increases your accuracy with pistols and rifles. Finally, pre-ordering from Wal-Mart will give you the bonus case "A Slip of the Tongue" in which you will investigate a car theft ring.

Of course, there's also the box art. Escapist criticized the box art as being uninspiring, mediocre, and bland but I like it. It fits the noir feel that Rockstar is attempting to achieve and the dichotomy in the color scheme showing a mysterious woman tinted blue, and a murder scene tinted red gives it vibrance. But what are your thoughts?

And finally, the lack of an R-18 rating (think Australia's equivalent of R-rated movie or M-rated game) for video games has given another casualty. Mortal Kombat has been refused classification by the Ratings Board in Australia, effectively barring it from retail stores and banning its sale in the country. It's still possible and legal to import it from other countries, but it's pretty sad that Australia refuses to give its mature and reasonable adults the option.

The Australian government was planning on discussing the matter of an R-18 rating for video games in March, but that has been postponed indefinitely, though they have said that it might be possible in July. Until then, Australians will have to either go without Mortal Kombat or be forced to pay extra money for an out of country import.



Well, that's all for today. I'm going to be busy for the rest of the day, so tomorrow I'll be putting up my thoughts on the Dragon Age II demo. Keeps yours eyes open for it.