Team Fortress 2: Still a more revolutionary FPS than Mainstreams?

TF2 Still Maintaining High-Player Number Since Release

     After almost 5 years since it's release date, Valve's infamous cult-classic FPS still maintains almost 100,000 players daily on it's now free-to-play servers. With add-ons still being put into the in-game store for small purchases this fan favorite is still staying strong through it's years. Why might you ask? Well let's dive into the game's core mechanics that make this more addicting and slightly more fun than the mainstream FPS' like Call of Duty or Halo.

Class System, Balance and Rewards

     Now i'm not going to down either franchise, I personally still play a lot of Call of Duty and pushed to SR 100 until I got bored with Halo 4. Both franchises have there pros and cons. However I recently re-sparked my interest in Team Fortress 2 because of it being free to play. I formerly owned "The Orange Box" for the Xbox 360 some time ago and whenever I looked for a match in Team Fortress 2 there was hardly anyone playing it. Now playing it through Steam I absolutely love it and here's why.

Fast-Paced Action

     With the nine available (and customizable) classes available I seem to enjoy mostly playing as the "Scout" and "Heavy". Seemingly because TF2 is so quick to throw you into the chaos and you need your reflexes ready to dominate the competition. Call Of Duty allows you more customization with all your weapon types and perks and what not but  you can overhaul yourself in almost every title to give yourself a sometimes unfair advantage. TF2 there's balance in the action in your teams.Halo 4 isn't as fast paced either and is more about precision to get your job done.

Reward System

     Now in Halo 4 by ranking up and completing commendations you acquire more and more Armor Permutations but there's always been a limit to how many you can get. I found myself disappointed by SR 94 because most of the perms were just altered one's of most that I already acquired. Call of Duty there's weapon skins, which only in Black Ops 2 you didn't lose after going into Prestige Mode. Team Fortress 2 you are sporadically rewarded with customization items for each class and are rewarded more as you acquire achievements (did I mention there's over 400 Steam achievements for TF2?). The best part about this is there's no limit to what you can acquire. More and more items are added to the in-game store excluding the one's already in-game. The best part about the rewards system is you can break down any reward you have to build an even better customization item and on top of it all you can join "Trade Servers" to trade your in-game items with other players.

Final Thought

     Team Fortess 2 is a gem lost in a sea of generic FPS'. Although it still has a booming fanbase and is populated almost 24/7 by players I still believe it to be the type of game that most, if it was not a digital download, would probably keep the game lost somewhere in their attic. With an awesome reward and class system along with over 100 Achievements, I give Team Fortress 2 and 8.8/10.
     Team Fortress 2 is available for free digital download on Steam and is also included with "The Orange Box".

DmC: Vergil's Downfall DLC Review

A New Combat Style and Story for a Fan Favorite

     After finishing DmC: Devil May Cry you're left with a handful of questions. I won't spoil the ending but the Vergil's Downfall DLC is a storyline that follows Dante's brother Vergil on his personal journey for power after the ending of DmC. This plot is far more darker than DmC's and has a new combat style as you play as Vergil through his quest.

New Enemies, New Combat, New Bosses

     I'm going to dive right into gameplay as I don't want to spoil any plot points for anyone who has not yet played through DmC nor want spoilers for Vergil's Downfall. Playing as Vergil you no longer have the resources you did as Dante although you maintain the same gameplay characteristics as you did in DmC. Instead of Rebellion you now weild the katana Yamato, and with that you now have a more precise and swift combat style. You do not acquire any other weapons in the game but you acquire powers. Your Yamato eventually acquires a "Demon" and "Angelic" mode somewhat like how you had Demon and Angelic weapons with Dante. These are for combat as well as level progression purposes. You don't acquire Devil Trigger until further into the story and with Devil Trigger you gain a clone that mimics your movements as you fight and can even fight on it's own.

     With this new DLC comes some but very few new enemies and one new boss. The boss is called the "Imprisoner" and all you need to do to defeat it is avoid its attacks and hack and slash it until it dies. Typical boss fight.

Plot and Progression

     Leveling up Vergil's abilities is done just as it was in Downfall's counterpart. Acquire experience to get a level-up to spend on Vergil's abilities.

     The storyline does well to explain what went on following DmC with Vergil. That's truly the core reason to purchase this DLC. The soundtrack is bland and includes only generic fighting music and the environments do not change with the exception of the final boss fight. The story is deep and is a depressing story about, well, Vergil's Downfall. 

Final Thoughts

     I truly enjoyed my multiple playthroughs of Vergil's Downfall. Unlike DmC you don't really unlock any costumes except one for Vergil which was disappointing but to the general public this DLC can be viewed has very flawed. The repetitive environments, bland music and lack of new enemies stroke the playthrough the wrong way as well as the lack of including Vergil in the Bloody Palace. I give Vergil's Downfall a 7.2/10. Hopefully if there is another DLC for DmC it will take in what went wrong with Downfall and improve itself.
     I think that getting a chance to play as Vergil again was great, but it's just an opinion. One Paranoid Gamer's opinion.
     Vergil's Downfall is available for purchase for $9 on the Playstation Network and PC, and for 720 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 Marketplace.

Call of Duty Black Ops II Uprising DLC Review

Treyarch Not Quitting Yet

     With the recent announcement of Call of Duty: Ghosts, you would expect the recent installment in the Call of Duty franchise to slowly deteriorate but that isn't the case with Black Ops 2. Coming back with a kick the new Uprising downloadable content is bringing players of the franchise a fresh new look on the famous Zombies career and some new maps along with visiting a Black Ops classic, Uprising refreshes Black Ops 2's current standings among FPS'.

Zombies Picks Up Some True Talent

     With the addition of new maps, Uprising adds in a new map for Treyarch's well known Zombie mode. Taking place in Alcatraz Prison (In San Francisco Bay California) this new map adds some new gameplay elements as well as some very well known voice acting.

     Famous Hollywood actors and voice actors Ray Liotta,  Michael Madsen, Chazz Palminteri and Joe Pantoliano pick up as the main characters in the new mode "Mob of The Dead". This game mode follows mobsters Billy Handsome (Liotta), Michael 'Finn' O'Leary (Madsen), Salvatore Delucca (Palminteri) and Al Arlington (Pantoliano) as they try to escape the sporadically zombified Alcatraz Prison by following a plan scattered over their cell block after killing a prison guard. This plan requires building a plane on the roof out of 5 items scattered in Alcatraz that leads them to being shot down by lightening on to the Golden Gate Bridge. 

     Mob of the Dead also includes the musical talent of Johnny Cash, the theme being "Rusty Cage" by the deceased artist.

"Mob of the Dead" Gameplay

     Mob of the Dead includes the regular gameplay mechanics of Zombie mode (Perks, Score System, etc.). However a new mechanic was implemented called "Afterlife". You get a taste of this new death mechanic at the beginning of every match. You're a blue entity that can use a type of shock ability to turn on power for vending machines, doors, and map mechanics. Also you can use this to teleport zombies (mainly that is used to get them away from your body when your down but can also be used to get Zombies away from allies). This new mechanic is used to further your progess in the game. An example of this is using Afterlife to reach a normally unreachable area of the map to power a pulley to lower the "Warden's Key" to further access parts of the map. However Treyarch did make the system balanced as you only have a certain amount of time before you die in Afterlife.
     The progression system for Mob of the Dead is unique as well. In maps such as "TranZit" your only feel for progression was more weapons, easter eggs and turning on power. In Mob of the Dead there is more of a feeling of accomplishment as you further go into the prison and eventually reach the construction of the plane. As you can only reach the Pack-a-Punch machine by using the plane to reach the Bridge so there's that constant need to progress (Each time you return to the prison from the Bridge by using Afterlife you must acquire five fuel tanks to power the plane again to return). Also with the inclusion of some new weapons there is even more of a feeling of accomplishment when you acquire these unlockable weapons. However along with progression comes consequence. There is now boss waves that spawn a Zombie known as "The Ward" which is a Zombie that can only be killed by headshots. This hulking enemy can truly strike an adrenaline rush in players as it stomps around violently vibrating your controller and making the screen tremor repeatedly every step it takes. Another element that requires some form of group effort.
     I personally enjoy Mob of the Dead to it's full extent. With the new elements in it's gameplay there is more of a feel for cooperation among playing with random people in a Public Match and the voice acting is incredible. On one occasion of playing this with Randoms we had reached a point where we accidentally split up. We had directed each other to group back up and managed to get the remaining fuels to refuel the plane to reach the bridge before gathering back up by guiding each other to the spawns for the fuel. That feeling of accomplishment with your team mates truly feel rewarding when you get that great gun and begin slaughtering Zombies together. Now for the new maps for Multiplayer.

Revisiting an Old Favorite and New Flames

     Uprising comes equipped with four new maps for Black Ops 2's online multiplayer. These maps include Encore, Vertigo, Magma and Studio. Most notably is the map "Studio". This map is a remake of the original Black Ops map "Firing Range". This map isn't yet well known for this purpose but it can be used for Machinima with its few green screen areas.

     The map "Magma" is a small city or town in Japan near a volcano that recently erupted. There's areas of lava hazards that if touched lead to immediate death in-game.

     "Encore" takes place in London after a music festival and is an extremely asymmetrical map and at times, at least from my experience, can be very irritating to navigate as there isn't truly any memorable landmarks to realize where you are.

     "Vertigo" takes place in the skies of India atop a skyscraper. This map is somewhat symmetrical with two common hotspots for firefights in and outside of the building on the map.

Final Thoughts

     With Mob of The Dead being the highlight of this newest DLC for Black Ops 2 and the four 

new maps being important (but not as much as Zombies, lol), the $15 price tag is well worth it. I give this DLC a 9/1o. The only true flaws lying in the Encore map, at least in my opinion. But it's just an opinion, One Paranoid Gamer's opinion.

      Black Ops 2's "Uprising" is currently available on the Xbox 360 Marketplace for 1200 Microsoft Points and the Playstation Network for $15. No Current Release Date for Wii U.