REVIEW: Fallout: New Vegas

"Video Gaming at Its Best"

Score: 10/10

Introduction
Fallout: New Vegas is the first sequel to Fallout 3. Fallout 3 was a game with two spiritual predecessors: the original Fallout series; from which this game inherited the apocalyptic, gloomy atmosphere, and some philosophical, moral themes, and in a smaller amount gameplay. The other spiritual predecessor was Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which drastically changed the gameplay of the original titles and added multiple dimensions to the already complex universe of Fallout. It was not only the gameplay which was “Oblivionesque”, the whole mood of the game had shifted. Even the traders in the game used the catch sentences of Oblivion. The game was ultimately a huge success- widely known as the game of the year in many circles, and praised by most of the critics and gamers. Only one circle disliked the game: the hard-core fans of the original titles, who thought this game had damaged the integrity of their favorite series. I need to establish, before venturing on to the rest of the article, that although I am a fan of the original titles, I found Fallout 3 an improvement of those great games, and I view it as a separate, autonomous entity, with a history of its own. This review is not the place to discuss the reason, but this is a premise that the writer holds. In this aspect; Fallout: New Vegas is at the same time the fourth game of Fallout series and the second game of a nameless franchise- a franchise with two games; related to other games but independent as well.

REVIEW: Call of Duty: Black Ops

Bottom Line: They Will Make It So Long They Can Milk It 

Score: 4/10

Now, now. For the first time in my life, I watched the report of a release of a game not on a game channel, but on BBC World. This is serious. This shows how big this series are now. And the report shows interesting scenes: people sleeping in the line, and that the game has broken every existing record upon its release. There were many celebrities in the line. The reporter asked them how much of a gamer they are. The answer? Not much. So let us ask ourselves: how many people in that long line are actually there for a video game? How many of them are serious gamers? Why are they there?

Because Call of Duty is no more a game series. It's a fad. It's a goldmine. And we should not look at it as a serious video game, if we do that, we will be disappointed. They will now only make it to earn money. And they will not bother with being creative. You cannot blame them; for Call of Duty is no more about integrity, but about business. When we can crap on two DVDs and millions are going to buy it, why should we worry about the quality of our crap? We won't eat vegetables and fruits to crap good quality crap. We eat everything and will get an explosive diarrhea, because it's our crap that they're paying for.

REVIEW: BioShock 2

Bottom Line: A game that should have come out in 2007.

Score: 7/10

Midway through the game, when you are learning to use your camera, which comes in handy in researching your enemies and upgrading your skills, your guide through the game, Augustus Sinclair, gives you this advice:

“Using that camera's a bit like telling a joke. Each time you tell it the same way it gets a little more stale, so you gotta change it up to keep it fresh.”

That's a very good advice. I believe game creators could use that advice as well, because making a game is like a joke as well, and if you tell it the same way for the second time, it won't feel as great as the first time, and you sure gotta change it to keep it fresh. Unfortunately, the developers of Bioshock 2 didn't heed their own advice. The gameplay is directly a copy of the first game. No, adding a multiplayer section doesn't justify using the single player gameplay of an older game. This is the fatal error of Bioshock 2. A game that could've easily been a masterpiece, but it's now only a very good game.