Sup guys? I just received my e-mail with my passcode to get into the SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta. Downloading the beta as I'm writing this and, well, I'm pretty excited. I've played all the SOCOMs on the PS2 and was a huge fan of the series.

I was able to get into the public beta by pre-ordering the game at Gamestop. Is anyone else on here gonna be on the public beta?? If so let me know and post your PSN ID and maybe we can hook up online.

I actually got to play Confrontation back in July at E3, and from what I've played its a badass game so far. There were a few glitches and bugs that I noticed, but hopefully they've already resolved those issues for the public beta. Well, I'll be back later to give some impressions on the beta. HOOOOLLLLLAAAAAA

This is strictly for writing sample purposes. I'd like to get a few thoughts and comments on m review. Thanks!



With 20 years of gaming in the Metal Gear series, it was tough to see the series come to an end, but what a beautiful ending it was. Because I wasn’t the biggest Metal Gear Solid fan back when it hit the Playstaion, I really didn’t play through much of the series. That’s why it was even harder for me to except the ending; I just fell in love with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and its astonishing story.

I played through most of Metal Gear Solid, half way through Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and I didn’t even touch Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. But even without playing all the previous installments, I still felt attached to this game. Hideo Kojima’s incredible and passionate story and plotline really hit my soft spot and made it really hard for me to put this game down.


As far as gameplay goes, its just on par with how good MGS4’s story is. From what I’ve played in the past MGS games, MGS4’s control scheme is by far the best in the series. Although you now control an older Solid Snake, he’s as fluid and sneakier than ever. And speaking of being sneaky, the CQC (close quarters combat) controls seem to be a bit awkward at times. Sometimes when you’re trying to grab an enemy, it won’t really work like you want it to, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be putting PMCs to sleep like you were their momma. Hugging on to walls, rolling, crouching and crawling is done with a simple press of a button, and the aim on your gun is almost always on point. Although Snake is able to hug on to walls and duck behind cover, the game lacks a true cover system in which you can peek out and aim. With so many games out now using a cover system, I didn’t understand why Kojima Productions couldn’t implement one into MGS4.

It’s incredibly easy to switch through your weapons, items and gear during a firefight, and speaking of gear, MGS4 introduces a few new equipment items such as the OctoCamo, the Solid Eye and the Metal Gear Mk. II. The OctoCamo gives Snake the ability to mimic his surrounding and hide from enemies. By hugging on to a wall or lying on the ground, Snake will take on the same color of his surrounding, making him almost invisible to his enemies.

Not only does the Solid Eye include night vision and binoculars, it gives Snake a whole lot of help with item data (you can tell what’s in an item box), enemy data and a Baseline Map. The Baseline Map is a visual map that displays the “sense” given off by enemies or other moving objects. The Solid Eye is a great way to detect where enemies are, but be careful not to over do it, or else the battery will run out on it and you’ll have to put it away for a while.

The Metal Gear Mk. II is probably the most inventive piece of gear in the game. The Mk. II was created by Otacon to help Snake during his mission by using it as a scout, collecting items and delivering electric shock attacks to enemies. Say you wanted to scope out the area ahead, just use the Mk. II’s stealth camo and you’ll be able to control it to see where enemies are. It’s a very useful way of getting an advantage over your enemies.

The biggest difference in gameplay between MGS4 and its predecessors is that in this game you don’t necessarily have to be sneaky all the time. Although the game does encourage a stealthier approach, it also occasionally encourages a run-and-gun approach, making it easy to get caught up in just mowing your enemies down. I tried to be as stealthy as I could when I played, but I still racked up quite a number of kills. Killing enemies this time around was just so much more effective than in previous games, so I don’t blame anyone for not being as stealthy as they should. It’s nice that you can play both ways and the freedom to choose how you want to play is much better than being forced to play just one way.

Of course, Solid Snake isn’t Solid Snake without a complete arsenal behind him. With enough weapons in the game for an army to carry, Snake has plenty of different guns to choose from in MGS4. Early on in the game, you’ll meet Drebin, a gun launderer, and he’ll then become available at anytime to purchase and upgrade weapons from. Using Drebin points (the in-game currency to buy and upgrade weapons), you’ll be able to purchase weapons at anytime, even during a boss fight, and can customize most weapons with suppressers, mounts, etc.

This is one of the best things in the game because it makes Snakes’s missions friendlier than ever. You’ll have complete access to more guns, ammunition, grenades, etc. at all times. Well, that is if you have the Drebin points to buy them. And getting Drebin points is pretty easy. Just pick up any weapons you see laying around, and if you’ve already got that gun, you’ll get accredited with Drebin points for it. You also get more Drebin points for how well you do in combat, how many kills you get and also by watching flashbacks during cut-scenes and mission briefings.

Speaking of cut-scenes and mission briefings, MGS4 has some of the longest cut-scenes I’ve ever witnessed in a game. It took me about 20 hours to complete MGS4 on Solid Normal mode, and I swear it seemed half the game was just cut-scenes. Okay, I was exaggerating about that much, but there’s a whole lot of dialogue in the game. Some of the mission briefings go on for almost half an hour. But for the most part I really didn’t mind most of the cut-scenes and dialogue, first because they were some of the nicest cinematic I’ve seen in a game, and second, they really helped with understanding the game’s story and learning about what happened in previous games.

One of my favorite things about the game is how it goes through the entire MGS storyline, so you know what is actually going on. This is especially helpful for someone like me who hasn’t played all the previous installments. The game goes from talking about the earliest parts of the MGS story from the Philosophers, to the Patriots, to Big Boss and all the way up to the hero of the game, Solid Snake. If it weren’t for all of the mission briefings, cut-scenes and flashbacks, I would’ve had a bunch of trouble keeping up with what the hell was going on in Guns of the Patriots.

Packed in along with MGS4 is Metal Gear Online, a full multiplayer online game where you can play with up to 16 players on five different maps. Before you hop online you’ll have to create a player and also create a Konami ID that will be attached to that created player. Once online you’ll be able to enter a number of different lobbies and play from a few different games including Free-For-All, Team Deathmatch and a sneaking mission, in which one player is Solid Snake and both teams are after him. There is also a Clan creation option, but it doesn’t become available until you get to a level 3 ranks, which is roughly 20 hours of online gameplay. The game also notes that there will be tons of downloadable content to come in the future, so watch out for new maps sometime soon.


Everything from the characters, to weapons and down to the environments are extremely detailed and finely textured. From the worn-torn unnamed Middle Eastern city and to the icy Shadow Moses Island, all the environments in the game are absolutely beautiful. I honestly can’t think of one major graphical issue in MGS4. There maybe a little bit of a framerate drop during huge explosions, but other than that nothing much. I mean with an eight-minute installation period when you first pop the game in and installation periods in between acts, you should expect the best graphics the PS3 can offer. Even the smallest of details like water drops on the camera and dust kicking up when Snake hits the ground, make the game that much more wonderful. As I mentioned earlier about the cut-scenes, they truly are some of the best ones I’ve seen in a game. Even though many of them were long as hell, I didn’t mind watching them because they looked so good. The character models and animations are top notch. Even in the mist of combat, you’ll notice Snake, or “Old” Snake, grab his lower back when he’s in pain. The game is undeniably one of the best looking games ever.


All I can say about the music in this game is “wow”. The soundtrack is one of the most beautiful I’ve heard from a game, keeping up with the likes of games like Final Fantasy. The song “Love Theme” is easily one of the best songs in the game, and from what I’ve heard, one of the best songs in all of the series. Sometimes during the game I would just sit there and listen to the song, while it’s harmony and melody just take over my feelings. Another cool thing about MGS4’s music is the option of listening to your Ipod, which plays songs from all the different games in the MGS series. Besides the beautiful music, Snake and every other character also sound great during the game, showcasing a wonderful dialogue.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an absolutely wonderful and great game. There are two things that I really liked in this game that separate if from others in the series. The first thing is how in-depth the story is. Not only does the game tell its own story, it also goes into so much about the past games and helps put the entire story together. I think this was a very important part of the game, because without it many of us would have been lost, at least I would have been. The story of Metal Gear is a really confusing one, but for how exhilarating it is, it’s totally worth going through the cut-scenes and mission briefings to find out what’s really going on.

The other thing I absolutely loved about MGS4 is how you can choose how you want to play. No longer are you forced into just sneaking around and being stealthy the entire time. MGS4 really allows players to take action and take the killing approach if they really feel like it. Get to a point where you’re tired of sneaking around? Just go ahead and go on a killing spree. I promise you’ll still make it to the next part of the game. It’s this kind of freedom that gives players their own choice of how they want to play.


I’m going to get straight to the point here. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the best game on the Playstaion 3, hands down. If you don’t have a PS3 yet, this is your number one excuse to finally get one. Not only is this game a masterpiece and one of the best games of the year, its arguably one of the best games ever created. It’s sad to see the series come to an end, and even sadder to see the story of a great legend like Solid Snake come to end. It’s even harder for me, because I just fell in love with this game. I’m hoping for a fifth installment, but if not, it looks like I might have to go back and play some of the past titles. With an incredible and in-depth story, action packed gameplay, gorgeous graphics and a thrilling online game, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a phenomenal game and a must own for any gamer.

Score: 9.8

This is strictly for writing sample purposes and I'd like to get a few thoughts and comments on my writing. Thanks!



Man, I remember coming home straight from school everyday just to make sure I didn’t miss the latest episode of Dragonball Z. And if there was a chance I was going to miss it, I made sure my mom recorded it for me. That’s how bad I was into it. I mean I knew the story was about 20 years old, but I was only about 14 or 15 then and it was brand new to me. I was a huge fan of Dragonball Z, but as I grew up I lost touch of the series. That’s why I was happy to play the latest game about the popular anime series, Dragonball Z Burst Limit.


Being the first DBZ game on the next-gen consoles, Dragonball Z Burst Limit is surprisingly a pretty decent fighting game and if you’re a DBZ fan, it’s an even better one. The game’s story mode, the Z Chronicles, recaps the major fighting scenes and sagas from the DBZ series, but sadly the Buu Saga is nonexistent. You’ll still go through the Saiyan Saga, Frieza Saga and Cell Saga, unlocking characters and arenas as you go along. However, if you haven’t watched the anime series before or played any of the previous DBZ games, you might be a little confused with the story because not every scene from the series is described in the Z Chronicles.

Honestly, Burst Limit is not much different from DBZ’s last-gen fighting games, the Budokai series. Much of the controls and fighting mechanics feel somewhat the same, other than the enhancements that come with a next-gen console, such as looks and fluidity. The controls are pretty basic with two attack buttons, a defense button, a Ki attack button and a transform button. You can easily get away with just using the attack buttons to fight and pull of combos, but the real trick to this game is using your defense and teleportation to get an advantage on your opponent. But to pull of a barrage of combos or to perform a successful teleportation, your timing must be perfect. Using your Ki attacks is also vital, but make sure you keep a close watch on your Ki energy so that you have enough to pull off any Super or Ultimate Attacks, both of which can easily turn the tide of a battle. Ki energy is also used to pull of Aura Actions, which are powerful moves that only require one bar of Ki to perform.

One of my favorite things about Dragonball Z is all the different characters and their unique personalities. It’s always hard for me to choose what character to play as because I like most of them and I like most of their fighting styles as well. Each character in the game has their own different set of attacks and special moves, such as the Kamehameha or the Special Beam Cannon. Just like in the anime series, the characters in Burst Limit have all their same unique moves to use in the game. They’ve also got the same abilities to transform, for example into a Super Saiyan or in Frieza or Cell’s case, another body transformation. Once you’re Ki energy is at it’s max, you’ll be able to transform, which will make your character much stronger.

The biggest difference in Burst Limit compared to the Budokai games is the introduction of Drama Pieces. These nonskippable cut-scenes occur randomly during battles and help you during a fight whether it’s giving you a boost in health or giving you some extra defense. Although they tend to slow things down a pit, Drama Pieces are cool because they coincide with the story that is going on. During the Z Chronicles, Drama Pieces can’t be turned off, but during Versus Mode they can be. However, if you decide to keep them on during Versus Mode, you can actually choose which Drama Pieces you want during battle. I’d recommend at least one Drama Piece to aid in health and one that sends out a partner to help.

Other than the Z Chronicles Mode and the Versus Mode, there’s also an Online Mode in which you can take your fight over the Internets. There are the usual quick match and custom match options, but I found it much easier to create my own room and wait for an opponent to come to you. Once you hook up with an online opponent you’ll then choose a character, a set of Drama Pieces (if turned on) and then what battle stage to fight on. When I played online I didn’t feel much lag at all, but I did find out that I wasn’t the best in this game. The first online match I played, I got my ass handed to me. And the second one wasn’t much better. If you’re going to play online, be prepared and know how to execute all maneuvers properly and don’t forget about defense and teleporting.

Quite honestly, Dragonball Z has never looked as good as it does in Burst Limit. Goku and the gang have never looked so good before. The characters are extremely colored and detailed. The environments are straight from the anime series but actually look better in the game. I do however wish there were more destructible environments, because the Budokai games had some and the show itself definitely had a lot. The Super and Ultimate Attacks look so awesome, especially the Kamehameha attack, which is my personal favorite. The beautifully rendered DBZ world is just fabulous to look at and Burst Limit has all the bright and fancy colors the anime series was known for.


As a huge fan of the anime series, I was worried about how the characters would sound like in Burst Limit. But in all honesty, there was no need to worry as all of the characters voice over work very well. Most of them sound just like they sound in the anime series, except for a few stale conversations that seem to have been a little too scripted. Not only did they sound scripted, but not much of it was emotional at all. That was what I liked so much about watching the show, I felt attached to the some of the characters, but Burst Limit doesn’t give me that same feeling. The music, however, fits perfectly and sounds just like something you would hear in the show.


Dragonball Z Burst Limit is a solid fighter, indeed. For it’s debut on the next-gen consoles it does a great job with graphics and much of it’s gameplay, but my main problem with the game is its lack of attention to its storyline. The Z Chronicles does a great job of summarizing the main fighting scenes throughout the Saiyan, Frieza and Cell Sagas, but leaves out too much detail in between the fights. It would have been nicer to see a little bit more effort from Dimps to have implemented more fights and cut-scenes to the game just so the story would make more sense to all gamers. Because the way they have it setup is just for DBZ fans that already know the story line really well. Oh, and it would have been a hell of a lot more awesome if they would have added to Buu Saga too.

Overall, Dragonball Z Burst Limit is a solid fighting game, keeping up with the likes of the Naruto games for sure. However, there could have been a lot more done to separate Burst Limit from the likes of its Budokai predecessors. I just felt that there was a lack of innovation in Burst Limit and more could have been done to make it a better game. But still, the one thing they got right was to make DBZ fans happy because it’s an excellent game for them. On the other hand, if you’re not a major DBZ fan and are looking for a more in-depth fighting game look elsewhere. I can definitely see a sequel coming in the future; I just hope they put more innovation into it and please, for the love of DBZ fans, include the Buu Saga. I don’t think it’ll be that difficult.

Score: 7.2