League of Legends

Game Info:

Developer:

-Riot Games

Publisher:

-Riot Games

-Garena

-Tencent Holdings Ltd

Staff:

Producers:

-Steven Snow

-Travis George

Designers:

-Steve Feak “Guinsoo” (The designer of the original DotA Map)

-Rob Garret

-Christina Norman

Artists:

-Edmundo Sanchez

-Troy Adam

-Jay Davies

Age Rating:

-T for Teen

Platforms:

-Microsoft Windows

Genre:

-MOBA or DotA or Action RTS

System Requirements:

http://gamereq.blogspot.ro/2011/11/league-of-legends-system-requirements.html

General:

League of Legends was created around the DotA idea. What the genre offers is usually two teams competing  two destroy one another’s main bases whilst fighting numerous obstacles such as the Champions(The character you control), Minions (Computer Controlled Soldiers) and Turrets (Damaging you if you come close to them). The team that gets to destroy the other team’s Nexus(Main Base) first is the winner. Whilst in the game you can collect gold by killing minions or other enemy Champions.

Multiplayer:

Being an only multiplayer game, I will only cover this part of the game. League of Legends offers matches in the form of sessions and in the different types of game modes, some of the game modes include a standard 5v5 or 3v3 Player versus Player action, which is the classic game mode to be picked out, but you can also choose the Co-Op VS AI game type which, implied by the name is the standard game mode but you will get to train against CPU controlled champions. Also other game modes which are available are Dominion or Custom Mode, and to break those down easily, Dominion is the standard mode but players receive faster leveling up and faster money-earning, on the other hand Dominion involves a basic “Domination” concept, players get to capture the enemies checkpoints which in this game mode are represented by turrets, the ones which hold the points the longest win. Custom though, is what most other games call “Private Match”, a custom game is a session which can be viewed in the custom game list and can be joinable.

Another important game type is Ranked mode ,this game type can only be playable by players with maximum level (lvl 30). Ranked Mode is a classic game type but the teams are arranged, as the Ranked Team Leader gets to choose his own team or group of 5 players (to make it understandable this is what a Guild or a Clan would be in other games of such type). The scores recorded in the Ranked Game Mode directly reflects onto the game’s Ranked Leaderboard.

Maps:

I know such thing as maps should not be involved in the General Description of the Multiplayer part of the game, but in League of Legends maps are not commonly produced and are very important to gameplay.

A map in LoL is called a Field of Justice and is composed of either 3 or 2 lanes (Top-Mid-Bottom) each of these lanes has an amount of turrets serving as obstacles and aid to the players of both teams (this meaning both teams have their own turrets), of course periodically minions, as I explained in the “General” part of the review , spawn on these lanes and attack each other trying to reach one another’s Main Base(Nexus). The Fields of Justice also have 4 Inhibitors (2 on each team) if an Inhibitor is destroyed more powerful super-minions spawn. On top of the lanes the maps also consist of a Jungle area which is filled with Neutral NPC Monsters that both teams can kill in order to farm for gold or EXP, some of these monsters have buffs which are immediately transferred to their killer, these buffs help you in battle for a limited amount of time.

Menus and Perks:

IP and RP:

Influence Points (IP) or Riot Points (RP) are in game currencies which can be used to buy champions, skins or Runes.

Influence Points can be earned according to your Skill, after finishing a Normal match of LoL you will earn an amount of IP which afterwards you will be able to use in the client store, the more you win and play matches, the more you will earn IP and will be able to purchase all of the above.

Riot Points are not earned but bought through micro-transactions (real money through Credit Card or Pay Pal) from the League of Legends Store, being a Free to Play , the game earns part of its income by selling these special points with which you can purchase Skins for your Champions or Champions.

Masteries:

Masteries are points which influence your gameplay in the form of a perk, which means that they improve your gameplay and give you advantages when you start the game. These points are earned once you level up, having 30 levels available you only are capable to hold 30 of them whether they be Defensive, Offensive or Utility.  

Runes:

Runes are similar to Masteries but only on the Perk point of view, they help you in-game but by improving your stats as you start the match. One type of rune could help you by increasing your attack damage while another could help you by reducing your skill’s cooldown and helping you cast them quicker.

There is a limited number of runes you can have, but you may buy more Rune Pages, runes are only purchasable through Influence Points to make it fair for people that do not invest their money into the game.

 Graphics & Sound:

League of Legends’ Graphics are stunning in the way they act and react with user interference.

Graphical design is cel shading which means it is artsy and has a more story-like look than a realistic one, this is not something bad, but on the contrary, it improves the playability and it makes it look more enjoyable. The particles and the textures set to a very high quality are amazing and even if you play this game at lower settings you will still get to enjoy a really wonderful world and environment that League of Legends has to offer. The design of the Champions is also great and each and one of them have their unique look that adds personality and awesomeness to them.

In the same category, the sound  is just as wonderful, from the soundtrack to the simple voices and effects are all amazing. The voices of the characters really suit them and go very well with their look, the jokes are well made and the taunts and battle cries as well. The effects of the skills sound smooth and violent depending on the skill but even so go pretty well with the animations of those skills.

All in all, the sound and graphics are very polished and good quality which is a great plus for this game.

Verdict:

The bottom line and my sincere opinion is that the game is amazing. But the thing is that it is difficult for many people to agree with me because this game is a very rare genre and even though a few million people play it, I unfortunately have to say it is not easy to get used to if you are a beginner because the community is not very welcoming and you can even get banned for the reason that you are unskilled, which most of the time is not very fair as some players can be new to the game.

I personally, have played quite a lot of  LoL and I am in love with the game but I had my fair share of yelling at, getting reported or other stereotypical “kid gamer” treatment.

But with all those community problems aside the game itself is wonderful once you get to understand it better, in my case it did not take very long considering I had played DotA on the original Warcraft 3,and even though I was not as good at that than I am at LoL it was still the same type of experience that I got to live.

Anyways my final opinion and recommendation is that all of you who saw the game before and did not play it, should, and if you did play it and did not enjoy it, then you should give it another try because chances are the more you play it the more you will get to understand the concept.

 

Battlefield 3

Game Info:
Developer:
Digital Illusions CE
Publisher:
Electronic Arts
Age Rating:
ESRB: M for Mature
PEGI: 16
Platforms:
Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, iOS
Genre:
First Person Shooter, Action
System Requirements:
System Requirements here...
Campaign:
The single player campaign is set in the year 2014 in the Iraqi/Iranian border. The campaign is quite linear with a few exciting moments and no actual skill is needed to complete it efficiently. The only ways you can die is if you do not pay attention and some guy pops out the corner and stabs or shoots you in the face. The single player is ok... but just ok, and while the Frostbite 2 engine gives it a gorgeous look it is nothing but a pretty and short addition to the game.It’s not a setback but with the hype that was built up to this game I was expecting something more spectacular.Also the campaign is short and when I say short... I mean ... you can play it in a sitting. Now if you play it on the easier difficulties it can get up to 5-6 hours or so, the higher difficulties on the other hand, might prolong that.
Multiplayer :
Multiplayer is the essential part in Battlefield 3 and is composed of a variety of modes, maps and game types. The maps do not come in great number but their size compensates for it and in a mode such as Conquest one BF3 map is the equivalent to 4-5 maps in any other FPS. The multiplayer mode has many unlockables that include: weapons, specs, gadgets, attachments, vehicle specs etc... The weapons are unlocked by leveling up a kit, such as Assault or Engineer, and one of these kits could take up to 100 hours of gameplay to unlock every single item from it. Each kit consists of a wide range of weapons wich you must level up in order to unlock attachments. Moreover you also have a player rank which you will level up by getting experience points, each of these levels grants new weapons, camos and other unlockables.
Overall the multiplayer experience of Battlefield 3 is great, and you can make it even better by squading up with your buddies online and having a good time capturing bases, shooting enemies and re-creating a stunning online battlefield.

Graphics and Sound:
The graphics are amazing, whether you’re playing on the PS3 or the Xbox 360, graphics are impressive. But to top the Xbox 360 and PS3 graphics you want to play on the PC, the graphics on the PC are amazing and they are a few times better then the ones on console. The Frostbite engine is now better then ever with its 2nd version and it has been very much improved. I mean if you compare it to the franchise’s previous titles the improvements are noticeable. Battlefield has been known over the years to be able to create an amazing atmosphere to the player and Battlefield 3 is no exception. When you play you will hear everything from the player’s footsteps and battle calls to pieces of walls crumbling on the ground and the dust flowing around in heavily deserted maps.

The visual realism of this game is immense and it really does make you feel like in a war zone.
Verdict:
Anyways, the bottom line is that Battlefield is a great game and my personal opinion is that it is the best first person shooter of the year. The multiplayer is brilliant and the Frostbite 2 engine makes your experience so much better. Although the single-player is a poor side of the game it was not catastrophic and the game was just worth my money even if I just payed for the multiplayer.
This title is worth getting and no matter what platform you own,PS3, Xbox360 or PC it is an item that you must have in your game collection.

John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)

          John Marston is the outlaw protagonist of Red Dead Redemption, Marston is looking to lead a good life and set things straight but the government is preventing him to do so…

The government kidnaps Marston’s family forcing him tot heir dirty work by killing his gang members.

John Marston was born in 1873. His mother was a prostitute who died during childbirth, his father was a Scottish immigrant that died of unknown reasons, also he was blinded in a bar fight.

At the age of 8, John was sent to an orphanage after his father’s death. Later, at the age of 17, John was “adopted” by Dutch Van der Linde, the gang leader, that taught him how to read, write, shoot and survive.

Later… at the beginning of the game, in 1906, John Marston gets seriously wounded in a bank robbery with his gang. He gets abandoned by the members of his gang and so he decides to quit the outlaw lifestyle and buys a ranch along with his wife, Abigail Marston and his son, Jack Marston.

He also had a daughter that died of unknown causes as it is mentioned in the game.

After tons of attempts of reformation, Marston is still seen as an outlaw in the eyes of the government, which leads to terrible events...

Marston is a terrific gunslinger and in-game he will face tons of opponents which will be defeated by his shooting skills.

John is a great man that knows how to struggle and survive this wild life of his, and even though he was an outlaw his heart is good.

Red Dead Redemption’s John Marston has been nominated and has won the “Character of the Year,Show,Event etc…”

This unlike others is a true character that you can get attached to while paying a good quality Video Game. 

 

by Cristian Popa

Red Dead Redemption Review (by Cristian Popa)

Game Info: Red Dead Redemption puts you in the shoes of former outlaw John Marston.

John Marston is looking to set things straight in his name, live a normal life and save his family, he was raised by an outlaw gang created by Dutch van der Linde that killed and stole from the rich and gave to the poor.
Marston's wife and child are kept hostage by the government which forces him to do their dirty work by killing former gang members including Dutch van Der Linde.

In-game you will be able to complete the missions issued by the game but will also be able to do side missions, bounty hunting missions, and normal cowboy activities such as,dueling people the old western style, hunting, riding horses etc...

The game will have you experience a brand-new engine of video-games and you will feel not like a gamer but like a cowboy. During the course of the game you will also get to discover new lands, buy weapons , clothes, horses, and shoot A LOT of people.
I could go on and on about the content in the game but I could miss a lot of things that are just as fantastic as the ones I cited now.
It's an open-world game and anything is possible that is how incredible Red Dead Redemption is.

Red Dead Redemption is a karma game, and what I mean by that is that it lets you choose either you want to be an outlaw or a "good guy", both roads lead to the same ending of the game but if you will choose to be an outlaw there are several consequences, and if you choose to be good you will pay less for items, receive gifts, recognition and fame. Even though both paths lead to fame and fortune I would advise being a "good guy". The gameplay is phenomenal, the action is entertaining, the environment is extraordinary, and the game is just a treat for the eyes.
          Now.. for people that think that it is just GTA in the wild west, they are sadly mistaking, this game is unique in any way, sure it is an open-world sandbox game but the game is not to be compared to GTA or any other Rockstar game.
Another good thing in this game is the outstanding protagonist, Jack Marston, he is a really cool guy with a great personality, he is strong and he does everything possible to reach his goal. Even though he was an outlaw, he is a good guy, period. The Game is said to be the sequel to 2004,Red Dead Revolver but I don't think that game has anything to do with Red Dead Redemption.


The Multiplayer is a standard leveling up process with a maximum of 50 levels, you get to unlock guns, knives, explosives and other items and mounts.
Even when you get bored of the single player which is never-ending, you can get a taste of the multiplayer which plays the same. You still get to explore things you get several types of game types all starting with a showdown and also you get this new concept called free roam. Free Roam is this open-world lobby which you can roam with your buddies, form posses and perform gang hideouts and earn XP.
It is a fun concept that should guarantee you a lot of hours of game time after you finish the campaign.
If you bought this game for the multiplayer,you will not be pleased but if you bought it for the single-player then you will be very happy. The small bugs in this game are the price to pay but they are minor ... it is only a small matter of time that you get used to them.




Genre:

• Open-world, sandbox, third-person shooter.

Publisher:

• Rockstar Games

Developer:

• Rockstar San Diego

• Rockstar North

Release Date:

May 18, 2010 May 21, 2010

Rating:

• M for Mature

• 18+

Metronic-Gamers Opinion:
   The game is one of my personal favorites and is full of excitement, it keeps you on your toes and is simply beautiful graphic-wise. Red Dead Redemption excels at many thing in the gaming world and industry.
I have never played a game that I got more attached to since my gaming "life" started.
This game is worth getting, just because it is fun. It gets dramatic, passionate, and challenging, I'm sure you won't get bored with it, because of the constant side missions, missions, cowboy activities, mini games and plenty of things that I can't even mention.
Red Dead is just awesome and it is never too late to get.

My score is 10/10 and I think that RDR deserves this.


Thanks for reading my review :) I appreciate it and I put a lot of hard work into writing these :).

Let's talk about Modern Warfare 3 (Metronic-Gamers)

Uncharted 2:Among Thieves

Game Info:Uncharted 2 is an only Playstation 3 game and sequel to the wildly popular Uncharted:Drake's Fortune from 2007.The Game won Game of the Year awards for the year of 2009 from IGN,Game Informer,Joystiq,AIAS,Eurogamer,Giant Bomb,X-Play,Chice Awards, and the Spike Video Game Awards(A lot). The story is about Nathan Drake... a ''treasure hunter'' and is looking for the secret entrance to Shambala, a world full of treasures, that Marco Polo knew about and left a key after dying.Marco Polo spent 20 years in the court of the Mongolian emperor and then left with over six hundred people in his crew. When in Persia, Marco Polo remained with only one ship from the total of 14 at his departure and eighteen passengers - it is said that, that was the moment he lost the key but Marco Polo never revealed what had happened.
During in-game experiance Drake gets to carry one-handed weapons, such as Pistols, or two-handed weapons, such as Assault Rifles or Grenade Launchers.You will get grenades and ammo as you advance further in-game. During the game you will have to beat Lazarevic at finding the treasure of Shambala. Along the journey you will be accompanied by Victor "Sully" Sullivan, Elena Fischer and Chloe Frazer(for a period of time), you will also be helped by Harry Flynn in the beginning of the game but some surprising events will change some thing in the course of the game.The game keeps you on your toes and is a of excitement filled with puzzles and action.There is a multiplayer involved in this game unlike the first one in the franchise.during multiplayer you will get different weapons of choice during matchmaking. The level system is implemented with exp and everything... In the multiplayer, players will get skins of the single-player characters with whom they can play as.Matchmaking options are diverse with different game types like, Deathmatch , Capture the Treasure and others...

Genre: Action-adventure,Platformer,Third-person shooter

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Naughty Dog

Release Date(s):

• ^NA October 13, 2009

• ^AUS October 15, 2009

• ^EU October 16, 2009

Platforms: Playstation 3

Metronic-Gamers Opinion: I think that the game is simply awesome. It still is today in 2011 one of the best looking games on the market, graphically speaking.Uncharted has great gameplay and the plot is just so captivating that you can't let the controller down for hours when you pop it in your PS3.Uncharted 2 just puts you right in the action of a treasure hunter and is just a lot of excitement. I own the game and it is a beauty and symbol of gaming that you must have in your game collection if you are a PS3 owner. It is a game for both casual and hardcore gamers and it will please everyone that plays it. I also think that Uncharted is one of the games that really makes you want to own a PS3 just for that. Xbox 360 users can be jealous of the graphic system of this game and engine it runs on... It is unique and worth palying at least once in your short meaning-less gaming life! :D If you don't have it now in 2011 then you will miss a lot on it when Uncharted 3 will be released at the end of this year. The game in my opinion has no flaws! Friggin Perfect :) So.. my verdict is...

BUY THIS GAME! :)
A GOLD MEDAL FROM METRONIC-GAMERS 10/10.

Review By Cristian Popa (Metronic)

Call Of Duty:Black Ops review

Game Info:Call Of Duty: Black Ops is the 7th game of the CoD series, it is based on the Cold War and it is said to be a sequel of the Call Of Duty: World At War. It is a huge success speaking in terms of business and sells, it sold over 7 million copies in the first 24h from its release.. it beat the worldwide record of its predecessor  
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 who sold with about 2.4 -2.5 million copies. The campaign is about special forces foot-soldiers that you may play as, various ones that is, they have unique characteristics and voices...
The campaign mode has various special effects and cinematic upgrades which are better or worst depending from what side you see it and of course from every people's opinion.
Although it is not graphically improved it is changed from MW2 you can feel the changes and the gameplay and storyline is significantly improved.. let's say. The multiplayer is still the best part of the game, you will feel drastic changes now that the CoD points are inserted.
The CoD points are a system of currency with which you can buy parts,face paints,perks,weapons,equipment etc... In this game you may customize your character your weapon and you can definitely feel that a class is yours and you feel unique using your weapon and class :) There are new killstreaks, such as the Chopper that you may control yourself or the attack dogs. A ''new'' mode has been inserted in the game which we have seen in CoD 5.. The Zombie mode which is now available online and 2 players split-screen.. Oh and also you may play multiplayer split-screen on the PlayStation Network.

Genre: First Person Shooter

Publisher: Activision


Developer: Treyarch


Release Dates: 

• ^WW November 9, 2010

• ^JP November 18, 2010

Video Gameplay:

Platforms: PC, PS3,X360, NDS, Wii


Prices: Europe 70$-110$    America: 50$-60$       My Country of residence:100$



Metronic-Gamers Opinion: I really think the game is great I've played it and I hope I will have it soon. Honestly, the animations are fantastic the campaign the zombies and especially the multiplayer. I love it, it's my
it's my favourite game. I sincerely think it is better than MW2 and the only thing I displease are a few bugs which are minor. Other than that you should definitely buy the game it is a must-own for the PS3 owners and the Xbox360 too but I haven't played it on Xbox. My final verdict:

By Cristian Metronic Popa :D