Game reviews

FFXIII-2: The cinema-quality role playing adventure

Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, Final Fantasy (FF) XIII-2 once again brings great game-play, cinematics and a plot line worthy of Hollywood. A welcome addition is the ability to have conquered monsters fight alongside your team, with the option to upgrade their abilities alongside the main character's. Strategy can be employed in a number of ways, and is necessary unless played on easy mode.

Where this iteration of the popular role playing game (RPG) series differs from previous titles is that it brings faster paced battles void of a turn-based system. Instead, throughout the battle, different modes of battling called "paradigm shift" allow battle commands and strategy changes in real time. Also of note is the ability to easily skip random battles and cut scenes.

This game could be improved to allow for more equipment upgrades for each character and an overall simpler skills upgrade system. Each time you load a saved game, a skippable cinematic plays catching players up on the storyline akin to a TV show.

Square-Enix got a lot of poor feedback for FF XIII and they have solved a lot of those issues in this sequel. With video games becoming more advanced and having larger budgets than ever, Square-Enix once again shows why they are one of the best. FF XIII-2 will please fans of the series and new role playing enthusiasts alike.

- Daniel Ostrowski

Soul Calibur V: Chicken Soup for the Fighter's Soul

Despite making some risky character changes that might alienate some long-time fans, Soul Calibur V ultimately manages to present both a strong, enjoyable fighting game and fix the abundant flaws introduced by its predecessor.

As far as gameplay goes, Soul Calibur V follows the typical Soul Calibur mechanics that have become refined and perfected over the years. Combat runs smoothly over interactive, innovative three-dimensional arenas that are easy to navigate with the series' signature "eight-way run" system, which allows for full manoeuvrability within the environments. The frustrating "critical finish" system of the fourth instalment is no more, and has been replaced with the much more balanced "Critical Edge" system, which introduces powerful — but not overpowered — ultimate attacks. Overall, combat is well done and the battle system is accessible enough to welcome new players, yet complex enough to challenge experienced players and keep them interested.

Character selection is immense as usual. Some veteran players may be distraught over the notable absence of some fan favourites, including Taki, Talim, Xianghua and Sophitia. However, the game makes up for this by introducing some very exciting new characters, the psychic Viola and the mysterious Z.W.E.I. being among the most intriguing.

The one area where the game lacks is the plot. Although the story mode is well-written and interesting, the game lacks the character-specific stories that have been a staple of the series. Instead of having the option to make every character the protagonist of their own unique story, as has been done in the past, peripheral characters are largely ignored, and the story becomes much more narrowly focused.

Overall, Soul Calibur V is an enjoyable, well-done fighting game that manages to fix

the flaws abundant in its predecessor, and act as a strong next step in the series that will

entertain and captivate players.

- Steven Greenwood

Arkham City: Danananananaaa-BATMANNN

Batman: Arkham City takes everything amazing from its predecessor and adds to it. The graphics are impeccable, both in the cut scenes and in regular game play. The game play is perfect. Fighting thugs forces you to actually plan out your attacks in many ways like throwing smoke or distracting them with a noise. You can essentially fly in the game by gliding and using your grapple gun, which is always fun. Plus, the sandbox style enormity of the map separates it from other single player games by allowing a freedom never really seen in superhero games. But, the best part of the game is where it actually makes you feel like you are Batman when you are faced with solving the puzzles that the game's multiple villains throw at you, most of which are actually pretty hard to figure out.

Although I am not usually one to play single player games because I find that they have a limited lifespan — whereas a multiplayer game can be played countless times with a different experience every time — Arkham City is a different story. The only single player games I've bought in recent memory were Star Wars: Force Unleashed, and Batman: Arkham Asylum. All of which were great except for one thing, I beat them the first time I picked up the controller, making me think I probably should have just rented.