When the Terminator Salvation movie was announced no one expected a game to follow (that’s called sarcasm).  Like most gamers we tend to not buy into a lot movie games due to constant disappointment from the gaming industry.  Though there have been a couple of decent games that were adaptation from movies; however a lot of these titles never live up to the standards.  I must say X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a good pick up for those who have a fear of movie to games titles.  Terminator Salvation was a title that I kept my eyes on since it was announced.  I watched every trailer and gameplay video that was put out on different websites.  From what I’ve seen it gave me the impression that this game was probably going to be a decent title.  When I picked up Terminator Salvation and sat down to play it I was anxious to see what the developers of this game had to offer.  Once I started playing I notice the Main Menu was very simple and easy to navigate. There was no Xbox Live menu, which means no Online Co-op!  I was very disappointed about this.  When will these game developers realize that the future of gaming is moving towards online multiplayer games?  This is where they can win over gamers by putting out the best multiplayer games.

I started a new game and I was put right into a decent cut scene that I pretty much already seen on the Internet but hey.  Once the game started I was impressed with the graphics in this game. The player models look very sharp and few good details stood out.  The character models reminded me of Left 4 Dead characters but with a little more details.  The character you play as “John Connor” moves very smooth and fluid.  Once I started getting use to the cover system I must say it makes the game very enjoyable.  The controls in this game is simple and basic, you don’t have to bust your brain remembering what buttons do what.  In the case of some games that  you play where this lame AI is the bane of your exsistence; Salvation shines through in this department.   The game AI is quite capable; they will flank you and attack the weakest of your teammate.  Your teammates are very smart and helpful, and will not leave you hanging.   You won’t have to worry about to many of those “Damn it what are you doing Dom!!!” moments here. Your computer partner will never leave you hanging to fend for yourself.  In some parts of the game you will see where this game could of use some improvement graphically and physics wise.  Terminator Salvation is not a bad title, but yet it is not going to be a classic title either.  I would suggest renting this title for two reasons:

1.  You’re a die-hard Terminator fan that wants a quick thrill. 
2. It is not a long game and the replay value won’t make you want to come back for more.

A lot of sites gave decent reviews for this game and some even bashed it badly, but I say rent it and give it a try. But is it worthy of a $60.00 purchase? NO!

Graphics= 8
Pros: Graphics is good and some nice visual effects, some nice cut-scenes.
Cons: A lot of graphical tearing and stuttering.

Sound= 7
Pros: Good sound effects and decent voice acting, also nice to hear the Terminator score that we are all familiar with.
Cons: Could be a little better.

Gameplay= 7
Pros: Great cover system that will make the game fun to play.
Cons: Aiming could be a little annoying sometimes.

Replay Value= 5
Opinion: This game could have been saved if the Co-op was online and not just offline. The story is very short and I don’t think you will want to go through it more than twice the most.

Overall Score: 7

Popularity: 1% [?]

My first time playing SoulCalibur on the Dreamcast I immediately fell in love with this franchise and always been a big fan of the series. The last time I played SoulCalibur was on my XBox and was really looking forward to the Next-Gen version since the birth of the XBox 360 and the PS3. So I finally got my copy of SoulCalibur IV and was anxious to play this new Masterpiece. Now as I mentioned in my last review of Army of Two I am a big presentation fan when it comes to video games because for me I love seeing good cinematic and cut-scenes. I was immediately blown away by the opening movie for SoulCalibur IV that lasted at least a good 3-4 minutes that had me drooling out my mouthpiece, SWEET!

After the opening sequence I immediately played around with the menu to see what goodies, and extras there was and I must say I was very impressed with it. There were some really cool extras that I won’t give away, let’s just say I never thought they would have put that in there. Being that I haven’t played SoulCalibur in a while I went into the training mode to brush up a little on my fighting skills and the one thing that impress me is they give you the option to train in so may ways that can definitely help you in combat against the computer or against a human opponent.

Once I got the hang of it I decided to go to the Arcade mode and try playing against the computer. I picked Yoda as my first fighter just to see how he was implemented into the game and boy the graphics that was put into this game is visually an eye orgasm lol. Once the match started I couldn’t help but to notice how the details in Yoda’s character stands out; from his hair, down to every wrinkle in his face. And of course for most Star Wars fans you will love hearing the Light Saber make the sound effect we all love when it’s swung. The stages are beautifully done and love the details that they put into the stages when enemies are hitting the ground and debris gets tossed everywhere.

Another thing you are gonna love is the ability it create your character and edit other fighters. This will keep you playing SoulCalibur IV with the feel of having your character become the ultimate fighter. I created a character that looks pretty much looks like Altair from Assassin’s Creed and I was impressed how they allow you to create your dream character, good stuff Namco!

Now as far as playing SoulCalibur IV you will not have a hard time learning to play or getting your skills back in this game. The controls are simple and very easy to execute once you get the hang of it. I was able to get my groove back just playing a couple matches and I became the master of the Apprentice *yeah come see me online!* lol. The online for SoulCalibur is good when you get the combat in this game down. I will advise you to not go online unless you are really ready because you will not be happy getting your butt kicked by someone who put a lot more time learning his characters strengths.

So if you are planning on getting SoulCalibur IV don’t hesitate at all, this game is awesome! Hopefully we’ll be seeing some downloadable content in the future for SoulCalibur IV for both consoles that will be worth waiting for. I also believe that Kratos from God of War is a character that will be available for the PS3 version so let’s keep our fingers crossed. So here’s how I rated SoulCalibur IV.

Graphics= 9
Pros: Great visuals on characters and environments, along with cut-scenes.
Cons: No being able to see Darth Vader in the Xbox 360 version lol.

Sound= 8
Pros: Good sound effects of weapons clashing, especially the Light Sabers, characters voice over are also done well.
Cons: Not being able to hear Darth Vader’s cool voice and the way he breathes in the XBox 360 version lol.

Gameplay= 9
Pros: Great combat and sweet grab moves, the Critical finishes give it an extra touch.
Cons: Some people might think the character story is a bit short but I think this game give you enough and not too much to bore you because we all know that some fighting game can get boring really quick.

Replay Value= 8
Opinion: With the online and the amount of characters available, not to mention the downloadable content to come, SoulCalibur IV will be in your rotation for months to come.

Overall Rating= 8.5

Popularity: 1% [?]