Champions of Norrath

Sony Online Entertainment’s newest console addition to the EverQuest universe is impressive indeed. In fact, the amount of content Champions of Norrath offers is almost too much of a good thing (if that’s even possible).

Developed by Snowblind Studios, the company behind the original Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath offers up the deepest dungeon crawling experience in the console universe to date.

Champions‘ list of features reads like a perfect recipe for success. There are five playable character classes each with a wide variety of customization, including the ability to name your own avatar. All the dungeons in the game, save the city hubs that connect the whole world together, are randomly generated so that each and every time you play the game the experience is different. There are more than 10,000 randomly generated items in the game, and players can even modify them to create their own unique items. The list, as they say, goes on and on.

But perhaps the biggest and best piece of the Champions puzzle is the fact that the game can be played online with friends. Using the Network Adapter, PlayStation 2 gamers can take Champions online to explore and level up their characters. In fact, the game has three different difficulty settings so that you can play it again with your leveled-up avatars.

This title can be played offline as well. In fact, you can insert or remove your character from an adventure any time you want. Play with three friends at Jimmy’s house, and when his mom kicks you out for being a deviant, you can download your character to a memory card, and then continue playing with different players online.

All told, Champions of Norrath is a very compelling dungeon crawler. The ability to play online definitely makes it a standout in the sea of recent releases in the genre. However, the game isn’t perfect. At times, it bogs down from the sheer amount of content it offers. Sometimes I felt like I almost had too many items to wade through or too many pointless dungeons to clear.

These simple complaints aside, if you love leveling up and searching for the latest and greatest weapon for your characters, you really can’t go wrong with Champions of Norrath. It’s a solid game that gets even better if you have the ability to go online and set out on adventures with other players from around the world.

Concept:
Use the EverQuest license to create an all-encompassing dungeon crawler

Graphics:
The graphics and effects are top-notch in the genre

Sound:
Obviously done by someone who has watched The Lord Of The Rings too many times (and that’s a good thing)

Playability:
It’s all about the hack n’ slash, however the battles still manage to be fairly challenging

Entertainment:
If you love dungeons and finding items, you can’t go wrong here

Replay:
High

Rated: 8.75 out of 10
Editor: Andy McNamara
Issue: February 2004

2nd Opinion:
With four-player online play, and the original Dark Alliance team fueling the development fires, you’d think that Champions of Norrath would be an easy pick over Dark Alliance II. As it turns out, both games excel in different ways and are equally rewarding. Norrath‘s greatest strength is its ability to make gamers come back for more. Both the online and single-player components have legs. With random dungeon generation, three difficulty settings (which require higher level characters), and over 10,000 items, there’s more than enough content here. While both games play very similarly, Dark Alliance II edges out Norrath with little additions along the lines of dual-wielding and sprinting. Norrath is better suited for players who seek extensive multiplayer, whereas Dark Alliance II is the perfect fit for those who simply want a polished adventure to play through once.

Rated: 8.5 out of 10
Editor: Andrew Reiner

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Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Building on the success of both LEGO Star Wars “block-buster” videogames, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga enables families to play through the events of all six Star Wars movies in one videogame for the first time ever.

Features:

• Families can commemorate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars by playing through the events of all six Star Wars movies in one videogame for the first time ever.
• Solve puzzles that encourage creative thinking through the use of teamwork and unique building situations only possible in a LEGO galaxy far, far away.
• Adds new levels, new characters, and new features to the fun, creativity, and tongue-in-cheek humor that made LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game and LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy such huge hits.
• New levels, such as Episode II’s never-before-played high-speed pursuit of bounty-hunter Zam Wessell, further complete the entire Star Wars story.
• New playable characters like Watto, Zam Wessell, Boss Nass, and more bring the total count to over 160.
• The upgraded Character Customizer includes all Prequel Trilogy characters for the first time, while also expanding its customization options well beyond those in LEGO Star Wars II, for millions more possibilities. Create cross-Trilogy mash-up characters like Han Windu and Lando Amidala.
• New game features include enhanced Force powers, new power-ups, and a new Challenge mode.
• Levels from the original LEGO Star Wars are revamped to meet the gameplay evolutions of LEGO Star Wars II.
• Xbox 360 enhancement: the LEGO Star Wars premiere of online two-player co-op lets families play together from anywhere in the world for the first time.
• Xbox 360 enhancement: new high-resolution LEGO models and characters, along with new environment graphics and special effects, create visuals unparalleled by any other LEGO galaxy far, far away.

Army of Two: The 40th Day

Army of Two: The 40th Day is a third-person shooter based in groundbreaking cooperative gameplay functionality. Sequel to the 2008 game of the same name, and featuring series heroes, Rios and Salem, in this new iteration players have a bigger playbook of features and a new arsenal of co-op moves that either player can perform at any time, opening up fresh strategies in the face of overwhelming odds. In addition, the game features advanced weapon customization and upgrade systems, as well as four explosive online multiplayer modes, each focused on unique cooperative play.

Story
Set a few years after the events of the original Army of Two game, Army of Two: The 40th Day features the continuing adventures of millitary contractors Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem. With the help of Alice Murray, their mission coordinator, they now run their own paramilitary business, known as TransWorld Operations (TWO). Working what seems to be a routine mission in Shanghai they find themselves surrounded by a force of competing private military contractors intent on running amok in the city. Will Rios and Salem survive? Will they be able to make a few bucks off a bad situation? All they have is each other to rely on.

Gameplay
As with the original Army of Two, and as the name of the series implies, gameplay in Army of Two: The 40th Day revolves around co-op combat tactics necessary to survive specific and general combat situations. Players can team up with an AI companion in single player mode or a human friend in two-player co-op. Co-op tactics are made aware to the player in what is known as the co-op playbook. Unlike the original game, which in some instances limited the use of some tactics to certain situations, in The 40th Day, players have access to all tactics. Implementing these against opponents revolves around the game’s “Aggro” system, tallied in the heads-up-display (HUD) and which measures the amount of attention a team member draws from opponents for certain tactics, leaving the other team member in various states of freedom to launch coordinated attacks as chosen. In addition to this change, players are also faced with moral dilemmas in the game, including choices presented to one of the players on a team that the other must bear the consequences of, as well as the decision as to deal with and/or defend civilian non-player characters (NPCs), who can be killed in the game.

Multiplayer Modes
In addition to its single player campaign, Army of Two: The 40th Day offers a robust, region-free, multiplayer experience that provides an array of unique features for up to 12 players at a time. This experience consists of four modes, including, three brand-new modes that provide a variety of objectives for partners to battle over. The four modes are:

• Co-op Deathmatch – An intense battle of survival between up to six two-player partnerships. Only by mastering teamwork and partnership skills will players earn the most points and come out on top.
• Control – Sets players partnerships as TWO or FDI rival faction members as they aim to capture strategic locations in the city. Work with your partner and faction to control the most points within the time limit.
• Warzone – Is an all-out objective-based battle between TWO and FDI forces. Complete the most Destruction, Assassination, VIP, and Infiltration missions with your partner and faction to crush the opposition and win.
• Extraction – Pits a team of four players against a series of unique enemy waves as they move from point to point in the ruined city. Players must strategize as a unified team to combat the different forces of the 40th Day Initiative while trying to get out alive. Extraction is a bonus mode that will be available for free one month after Army of Two: The 40th Day is released, or at launch for players who pre-ordered.

Weapons Customization
Army of Two: The 40th Day features the most advanced weapons customization ever seen in a video game. Using money earned in-game for your contracting duties you can adapt your arsenal and firepower to fit the obstacles you face. With malleable attributes like handling, accuracy, ammunition capacity, and power, coupled with a huge variety of parts and the ability to make customizations at any time in the game, the possibilities and impact you can make through customization are virtually limitless.

Key Game Features

• The Best Co-op Experience with All-New Moves and Tactics – Army of Two: The 40th Day has been built from the ground up with a focus on an incredible cooperative experience. The result is a bigger, better, more organic and immersive co-op experience that lets you put your best two-man tactics to use whenever and wherever you want.
• An Epic Story – A carefully orchestrated series of mysterious catastrophes is dragging Shanghai, China to the brink of ruin, and now the Army of Two must fight their way through ravaged city districts as they try to beat the odds and uncover the secret of the 40th Day.
• Explosive Game Modes Focused on Unique Co-op Play – Take your partner online in explosive multiplayer modes, each focused on unique cooperative play. Or strategize in the four-player co-op Extraction bonus mode and take on a series of intense enemy waves as you move from point to point through the ruined city.
• 12-player Multiplayer Support – Game supports up to 12 players in online modes.
• Advanced Weapons Customization – Change your weapon in the heat of battle and adapt your firepower to the situation.

Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to the best-selling and critically-acclaimed co-op multiplayer smash from Valve, creators of the Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike game properties. With multiple multiplayer options both on and offline, extensive AI custom functionality, four character options, new melee weapons and more, Left 4 Dead 2 promises to become one of 2009′s best games on the Xbox 360 platform and set a new benchmark for co-op centric action games.

Story
Left 4 Dead 2 is set at roughly the same time as the original – just after the outbreak that turned most of the population into various zombie mutants. Players assume the role of four new “Survivors,” each with their own personality and new dialog. The game leads these “Survivors” through the southeastern region of the US – from Savannah, Georgia through the bayou country, and climaxing in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Gameplay
Just as with the original Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 is a first-person shooter which pits players against hordes of zombie-like enemies. As you would expect in a scenario where you are regularly surrounded by masses of the undead, it is very good thing to have plenty of help, as well as weapons at your disposal, and Left 4 Dead 2 has players covered on both accounts. The game features several multiplayer options including 2-8 player online and offline (via system link) support in several modes seen in the first game, including Campaign, Versus, and Survival, as well as the new Scavenge Mode. This new multiplayer option tasks players, in the role of survivors to find a limited number of fuel canisters hidden in a level in order to keep their individual generators going, while other players in the role of the infected try to stop them. In addition the game features very strong co-op play support, with 2-player support locally and 2-4 player support online.

The game features a wealth of melee weapons and additional items handy for battling enemies up-close and personal. Along with melee weapons seen in the first game, players can look forward to wielding new weapons like axes, chainsaws, frying pans, etc. Firearms are also available, but seeing as zombie fighting usually requires a little elbow grease, melee weapons are the mainstay. In addition, players can carry other useful items, including a variety of throwing weapons and several different kinds of support items, like flashlights to startle enemies and light the way in dark environments and healing items like first aid kit and defibrillator kits.

Customize with AI Director 2.0
Introducing the AI Director 2.0, Left 4 Dead 2‘s dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players’ performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played.

Key Features

• Quality Co-op Gameplay – Left 4 Dead 2 features quality next generation co-op action gaming from the makers of Half-life, Portal, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike.
• AI Director 2.0 – Advanced technology dubbed “The AI Director” drives Left 4 Dead’s unique gameplay – customizing enemy population, effects, and music, based upon the players’ performance. Left 4 Dead 2 features “AI Director 2.0,” which expands the Director’s ability to customize level layout, world objects, weather, and lighting to reflect different times of day.
• New Melee Weapons – Put a whole slew of melee weapons including axes, chainsaws, frying pans and baseball bats to use which allow you to get up close with the zombies.
• Meet “The Survivors” – The game features four different survivors, a new storyline and new dialog.
• More Game – On day one, Left 4 Dead 2 features more co-operative campaigns, more campaigns and maps for the versus game modes than the original Left 4 Dead did, plus support for Survival Mode right out of the box.
• Xbox LIVE Co-op Support – Along with the usual achievement points, Xbox LIVE stats, rankings, and other support drives collaborative play.

Army of Two: The 40th Day

Army of Two: The 40th Day is a third-person shooter based in groundbreaking cooperative gameplay functionality. Sequel to the 2008 game of the same name, and featuring series heroes, Rios and Salem, in this new iteration players have a bigger playbook of features and a new arsenal of co-op moves that either player can perform at any time, opening up fresh strategies in the face of overwhelming odds. In addition, the game features advanced weapon customization and upgrade systems, as well as four explosive online multiplayer modes, each focused on unique cooperative play.

Story
Set a few years after the events of the original Army of Two game, Army of Two: The 40th Day features the continuing adventures of millitary contractors Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem. With the help of Alice Murray, their mission coordinator, they now run their own paramilitary business, known as TransWorld Operations (TWO). Working what seems to be a routine mission in Shanghai they find themselves surrounded by a force of competing private military contractors intent on running amok in the city. Will Rios and Salem survive? Will they be able to make a few bucks off a bad situation? All they have is each other to rely on.

Gameplay
As with the original Army of Two, and as the name of the series implies, gameplay in Army of Two: The 40th Day revolves around co-op combat tactics necessary to survive specific and general combat situations. Players can team up with an AI companion in single player mode or a human friend in two-player co-op. Co-op tactics are made aware to the player in what is known as the co-op playbook. Unlike the original game, which in some instances limited the use of some tactics to certain situations, in The 40th Day, players have access to all tactics. Implementing these against opponents revolves around the game’s “Aggro” system, tallied in the heads-up-display (HUD) and which measures the amount of attention a team member draws from opponents for certain tactics, leaving the other team member in various states of freedom to launch coordinated attacks as chosen. In addition to this change, players are also faced with moral dilemmas in the game, including choices presented to one of the players on a team that the other must bear the consequences of, as well as the decision as to deal with and/or defend civilian non-player characters (NPCs), who can be killed in the game.

Multiplayer Modes
In addition to its single player campaign, Army of Two: The 40th Day offers a robust, region-free, multiplayer experience that provides an array of unique features for up to 12 players at a time. This experience consists of four modes, including, three brand-new modes that provide a variety of objectives for partners to battle over. The four modes are:

* Co-op Deathmatch – An intense battle of survival between up to six two-player partnerships. Only by mastering teamwork and partnership skills will players earn the most points and come out on top.
* Control – Sets players partnerships as TWO or FDI rival faction members as they aim to capture strategic locations in the city. Work with your partner and faction to control the most points within the time limit.
* Warzone – Is an all-out objective-based battle between TWO and FDI forces. Complete the most Destruction, Assassination, VIP, and Infiltration missions with your partner and faction to crush the opposition and win.
* Extraction – Pits a team of four players against a series of unique enemy waves as they move from point to point in the ruined city. Players must strategize as a unified team to combat the different forces of the 40th Day Initiative while trying to get out alive. Extraction is a bonus mode that will be available for free one month after Army of Two: The 40th Day is released, or at launch for players who pre-ordered.

Weapons Customization
Army of Two: The 40th Day features the most advanced weapons customization ever seen in a video game. Using money earned in-game for your contracting duties you can adapt your arsenal and firepower to fit the obstacles you face. With malleable attributes like handling, accuracy, ammunition capacity, and power, coupled with a huge variety of parts and the ability to make customizations at any time in the game, the possibilities and impact you can make through customization are virtually limitless.

Key Game Features

* The Best Co-op Experience with All-New Moves and Tactics – Army of Two: The 40th Day has been built from the ground up with a focus on an incredible cooperative experience. The result is a bigger, better, more organic and immersive co-op experience that lets you put your best two-man tactics to use whenever and wherever you want.
* An Epic Story – A carefully orchestrated series of mysterious catastrophes is dragging Shanghai, China to the brink of ruin, and now the Army of Two must fight their way through ravaged city districts as they try to beat the odds and uncover the secret of the 40th Day.
* Explosive Game Modes Focused on Unique Co-op Play – Take your partner online in explosive multiplayer modes, each focused on unique cooperative play. Or strategize in the four-player co-op Extraction bonus mode and take on a series of intense enemy waves as you move from point to point through the ruined city.
* 12-player Multiplayer Support - Game supports up to 12 players in online modes.
* Advanced Weapons Customization – Change your weapon in the heat of battle and adapt your firepower to the situation.

Product Description
The Army of TWO is back! A carefully orchestrated series of mysterious catastrophes is dragging Shanghai, China to the brink of ruin, and now the Army of Two must fight their way through ravaged city districts as they try to beat the odds and uncover the secret of the Fortieth Day.