Having picked up some Microsoft moon money a couple weeks back, I wasn't sure what to buy (though I did highly consider Burnout DLC). After trying the trial, I decided on Shadow Complex.



Shadow Complex, as the official DToid review states, is freakin' fantastic. Having gotten 200 gamerscore on it after 2-3 days of playing, I can honestly say at 1,200 MS moon dollars, this game is a STEAL. My first play through was on Normal difficulty; getting all 100% of the map and items, I clocked in at a little bit over 10 hours. Mind you, I'm not good at Metroidvanias, but still. 10 hours. A buddy of mine who is a huge nut for Metroidvania's finished in just under 8 hours, so I wasn't far behind. Honestly, This is my favorite arcade game of all time!



As far as gameplay goes, Shadow Complex doesn't do anything to revolutionize the genre; however, it does have some nice little advantages to being 3D. Think of Shadow Complex being like LittleBigPlanet in a sense; all the enemies can be on different 'planes' in a sense, so you end up shooting at enemies in the background. It's also the only fault I found in the game; Sometimes, because of the way the aiming system is set up, you'll think you should be shooting someone, but you're not. Or, you have a guy across the room you wanna shoot first, but instead you end up capping some random bystander in the background. It's not very often that it happens to not work, but its annoying as shit when it doesn't. However, it also brings another nice aspect, being that there are 2-3 times during the game where you go into an 'FPS' mode, almost. For example, one of the boss battles is getting on a turret and blowing the shit up out of some mechanized walkers and a virtual fuckton of guys. It's so amazing.



The game offers a HUGE map to explore and conquer, and honestly has an intensely old-school feel to it. What I mean by that, is that there are a lot of areas that you can get to by 'alternative' methods. For example, if there's an area you technically shouldn't be able to reach because of a character limitation, by working your way around certain ways, and using your items to your advantage, you can sometimes reach them. It allows the newer players to search their hearts out for that item to get there, and the classic players to put their thinking caps on. All in all, I've played through Shadow Complex 4 times already, and even having 200 gamerscore on it, this is by far my favorite arcade game of all time. EVERYONE who liked ANY Metroid game EVER or Castlevania should try this, because it's mind blowingly good. I have no more fears about how 3D will work for Metroid: Other M.

[for you number fags: 11/10]

Multiplayer gaming has recently become a big stable in what makes games 'good' or 'bad' in the general publics view; for some games, it's a good thing, for others, it's a bad. You still get games that are exclusively single player, so it's only common that you would get games that are strictly multiplayer.

When you take a franchise like Battlefield, and want to add to it, you have a huge fan-base to deliver to, and they aren't the people you want to cross; which thankfully DiCE doesn't have to worry about. With their most recent multiplayer exclusive title, Battlefield 1943, they deliver a great package that really stands on it's own two legs. Well, when you can get into a game anyway. 1943 has very little to it, and seems to like the number 'three' a lot. There are 3 maps, 3 classes, and 3 different vehicles. However, if you think that having that little an amount of things is going to impair the experience, you're deeply mistaken. The FrostBite engine, which was also used for Battlefield: Bad Company, is back and we see the improvements they made for Bad Company 2 in this title. Buildings are tougher to destroy, but most of them can be fully decimated now. Really, if it has four walls and a ceiling, you can destroy it. (If anyone points out the Lighthouse on Iwo Jima, in my defense that has one wall.)



Honestly, gameplay is incredibly smooth. You can choose to fight as a riflemen, infantry, or sniper unit. Riflemen for mid-long range, infantry for CQC, and sniper for (obviously) LOOOONG range combat. Except, it doesn't really work how its intended. Over my massive amounts of play time since release, 90% of the time I've played riflemen, simply because its.. the most efficient. With an M1 Garand, you really can't go wrong. The accuracy is deadly, the recoil is easily swooned to the side, and the whole one-shot-at-a-time dealio with it actually works quite well for once. With a 3 bullet kill-range for it, I'm okay with that. The infantry units carry SMG's, which don't really do much. The reload time on them is a bit on the long side, and the fact of the matter is: they're just too damn inaccurate. You can literally put an entire clip into someone and have them not die. Of course, sometimes 3 bullets kills them, sometimes 20 doesn't. It's just a bugger to deal with and infantry just isnt useful for a whole lot of situations. The ones it IS useful for though, it works excellently. Besides, who plays Battlefield for the gunplay?

Plain and simple: the 3 vehicles fit the game excellently, and are freakin' awesome. All of them. You can choose to drive a jeep through your mortar-shot-pit filled field of death, you could also decide to blow some infantry to hell with a tank. Or you could take the high-road (quite literally) with a plane. Oh, and did I mention the planes have bombs you can drop? Yeah, it's awesome. The greatest thing about the vehicles though is, the classes are balanced with them perfectly. It doesn't matter if you're a sniper and you have a tank tailing you, or a riflemen with a plane trying to bomb you. You can destroy them very easily. Every class has a type of explosives meant for dealing out damage to vehicles; riflemen have grenade-launchers on their rifles, snipers carry around blocks of c4 that can be detonated whenever they feel like it, and infantry have rocket launchers. However, it should be noted that rocket launchers and grenade-launchers both have pitch affects on them (IE: over distance they curve towards the ground), so you need to actually think before shooting the things off. If you feel that the enemy has too much control of the sky though, feel free to jump on an anti-air gun. There are PLENTY of them across the maps, so really planes can be kept in check by units on the ground, and in the sky.



There're a couple of things I've noticed when playing though, that really stood out to me on a large scale; spawn areas, and air-strikes. On 2 of the 3 maps, both teams start off on a giant-ass battleship (AWESOME!) which have planes (AWESOME!) and infantry-boats (AWESOME!) on them. The boats have a whopping 6 seats per boat, and with 4 of them you can get quite the ground game on the maps. Your teams will move into an island (no inland maps, all are islands surrounded by ocean. Yes, awesome again) and capture all the points there (via Conquest, the classic BF gametype) and have to hold control of them. However, while on these battleships; you earn no points. Meaning, if you've got a pesky enemy plane dropping bombs on you while you spawn, he won't get any points for it. Which means, he won't try it again. However, this works both ways. You don't get points for killing enemies while in your spawn either, (sorry, snipers) so the game does encourage you to get inland and take the fight to the enemy. The other thing I've noticed, the air-strikes, is awesome. Basically, Each island has one base that both teams will constantly fight for, because of one reason; it has the air-raid room. It's a small little indestructible building that you can use to call in 3 fighter-pilots that will drop bombs anywhere on the map; the catch is, planes can shoot down the bombers (not difficult in the slightest, surprisingly), A.A. guns affect them, and infantry can take them down as well (if they have the accuracy). Another thing is, you really have to think about it, because there's a two minute spawn cycle on it, which results in people 'camping' the area.

Battlefield 1943 is a game that you can't play by yourself. It begs to be played with a team effort; I can't tell you how many games me and a single other buddy have been able to turn around, just by working together. It's such a blast playing with friends, and you can really have some amazing fun with it. With a 4th air-only map coming whenever the system community of your choice gets 43 million kills, you can be sure there's more fun to be had then what's already here: which is a hell of a lot. This game out-shines every other XBLA/PSN game I can think of, and for $15, it's a steal. If you like FPS, if you like Battlefield, if you even like games that require you to think in a manner where you look at the big picture instead of the small one, you owe it to yourself to buy this game as soon as you can.



I can't help but feel that DiCE will release DLC for this one somewhere down the line, and even if they don't, this game will last you. The trophies/achievements will come easily with time, as they're more about working as a team, and doing stunts that you would do anyway (jumping out of a plane, parachuting into an enemy base, and ripping them a new one. That's everyones dream in reality), there really ISN'T an excuse to not own this. The only true flaw, is that it's TOO popular. Server's were iffy for a couple days, but they've added more, and will continue to. If you have to, wait a week, then buy it. Whatever you do, make sure to pick this one up somewhere down the line, because as for WW2 shooters; this is as good as they get.

Due to all the shit Examiner.com c-blogs recently, I did some matlockery for you guys. You can hate one of our very own editors for this shit; Matthew motherfucking Razak.

His blog on Dtoid, look at his picture if you will.

Mother fucker.

So, not really matlockery to the highest degree. But, Matt, your articles are interesting, and you're an editor here. Somewhat. Don't ruin our cblogs by telling your friends to post their shitty blogs here. >:|

Well, I think it's just about time some DToiders get a look at my setup. Forgive me, my room is a mess, and on top of that, I only have a cell phone to take pictures with. I cried.



First off, we have the ghetto setup. That's a storage bin, with a Guitar Hero 2 box on it for a table. I'm awesome, I know. That's also my 2 most precious items; the PS3 (Henceforth named Sexy McShigglefix), and Rudolph. Not the 360. Because that thing sounds like a jet engine. Rudolph fucking sings. It's incredible.



Not mine, but that's what it does. It's incredible.



This is the setup for my SNES, and N64 (which isn't in the picture, my mom's playing it). That's a tiiiiiny 13 inch tv. But it has a vcr, so we're cool. Also, in the background is my stereo.



This man is my hero. I don't give a shit if he isn't survivorman. He's fucking Bear Grylls.



This is where the games and accessories go. In the drawers. What? I have a closet for my clothes, i needed the space for games!



This is where I sleep. Oh, and some of my stuff. My PSP slim, and DS phat. Do note, that I have a slim psp, and a fat one. And a DS lite and DS phat. The third handheld is a Dell Axim X51, basically a pocketpc. Nifty for some weird ass indy games or emulators. I also have the Twilight Princess collectors Sword/Shield set. It's bad ass. Before you think to ask, yes. Those are pokemon sheets. And Yes. That is indeed a Zelda pillow. :]



Some more of my stuff. Gold carts for both NES Zelda's, as well as a Gold cart for Ocarina of Time, and the holographic cart for Majora's Mask. Yes, That's an ocarina. I got the Zelda sweatband at hot topic, like. 5 years ago. That's my old GBC (still works to this day), and pokemon crystal is in the back.



This is my true pride and joy right here. This is my monitor. I use it for gaming on PS3/360, and most importantly, PC. My pc's in the back, but you can see it does things very cutely. 22 inches, and I love all 22 of 'em.



Just showing some DToid love here. <3 Don't think that this is all of my stuff though. I've got a lot more, but I need to reorganize a lot before I can show it ALL off. So expect another post for that stuff whenever. :)

For the record;
XBox Live: ZServ
Steam ID: ZServ
PSN: ZServ

I'm pretty linear. And Don't worry, I don't watch tv on the 13 incher. I've got a 27 inch SD for cable tv.

"IM SCREWED.
SCREWED SCREWED SCREWED.
CMON DAMMIT I NEED MORE SUN.
GOD DAMMIT! SHIT!"

These are the general 4 phrases I've been hearing, for close to two hours now. Two hours ago, I presented a game to my mother; who has never been big on gaming. The game in question? Popcap's Plants Vs. Zombies, of course!



To get the record straight, my mom doesn't hate gaming, very much the opposite. She just can't do it. Her reflexes are near non-existant. She can play games, just not many. Turn-based RPG's, and point-n-click adventures. She prefers the latter. I decided Plants Vs. Zombies would be perfect for her, because there isn't a whole lot to keep track of, but it does require some reflex, and makes you think on your feet at times. When I had her start, she wasn't too sure if she'd enjoy it, but soon enough she would find herself enjoying a goofy smile. As she watched her peashooters spit peas at zombie after zombie, her wall-nuts go from happy-go-lucky nuts to depressive broken down shells, she became more and more focused on ridding her yard of those awful zombies.



After two and a half hours, she's become fairly addicted to it. I think it's safe to say that Plants Vs. Zombies may just be the best game of all time. It's got plants, zombies, it will makes you laugh, cry, and maybe. Just maybe. Learn a little something about yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Home Depot to buy life-fucking-saving plants, because I refuse to let the damn zombies have my brain.

He dedicated a video to me.


I'm scared. hold me :[