Review
Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games includes events such as Alpine Skiing (Giant Slalom, Slalom, Downhill and Super G), Sledding (Two-Man Bobsleigh, Luge Singles and Skeleton), Freestyle skiing (Aerials and Ski Cross), Snowboarding (Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross), Ski Jumping (Individual Large Hill), and Speed Skating (500 m Short track speed skating and 1500 m Short track speed skating). In addition to that, the game also includes 30 different challenges spread over all the events which can be unlocked as the game progresses according to when the user completes the tasks. Among the nations represented include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United States. Critics have viewed the Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games as a fairly straightforward video game that allows players to create a playlist of events or even play them one at a time. In terms of gameplay, the Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games incorporates a first-person camera angle for every event in the game, making it more realistic as you’ll be able to hear their breath inside the helmet while downhill skiing, the motion blur effect ramped up and even a colour filter seen over the environment to make it seem like you’re looking through goggles. However, critics have also pointed out that Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games does not embody any soul behind any of the required actions, making it pointless to do anything beyond the few minutes that the event lasts. Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games also includes an online mode that helps extend the life span of the gameplay together with the fairly lengthy set of challenges which are separated across three mountains which symbolizes varying levels of difficulty. In the online gameplay mode, up to four players are allowed to join up and compete in a one-off event or a series of events, allowing for medal tallying in the game to help give meaning to the subsequent events. In terms of visuals, Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games features player models which are reasonably well-detailed and are able to move naturally enough for the relatively limited number of animations while the first-person view does a good job of raising the bar set by other Olympic games. Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games maintains a consistent framerate although the textures could see an improvement given the limited architecture and geometry in any given level.

“Although Vancouver 2010 is vastly improved from Beijing 2008, it is ultimately lacking in many key areas. It’s still more fun to watch the real lugers do their thing than take part in this shallow digital representation.” (GameSpot, 2009)

“Street Fighter IV will welcome you with open arms, whether you’re a lapsed fan concerned that you’ve been out of the loop for too long or you’re dipping your toes for the first time. Amazing presentation, intricate and enjoyable fighting gameplay, and long-term appeal with online play make this a must-have. Street Fighter IV is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of the fighting genre in this generation.” (GameSpot, 2009)

“As far as the fighters go, all returning fighters from the original game will have their original ultra combos in addition to one more. One general thing to note about the new ultra combos is that they’re a lot more specific to defense or offense than the originals. As a result, you may find that the new ultras require some getting used to in order to effectively weave them into your style of play. Now for the specifics on the moves and characters:” (GameSpot, 2009)

Review
In contrast with both its predecessors, Street Fighter Alpha 3 totally discards the “Manual” and “Auto” modes by offering players three different playing styles known as “isms”. This includes the standard playing style, A-ism (or Z-ism in Japan) that was based on previous Alpha games in which the player has three-level Super Combo gauge with access to several Super Combo moves, X-ism which is a simple style based on Super Street Fighter II Turbo in which the player has a single level Super Combo gauge and access to a single but powerful Super Combo move, and V-ism (or variable style) that allows the player to perform custom combos similar to the ones in Street Fighter Alpha 2. There is also another new addition in the game in the form of a Guard Power Gauge which depletes each time the player blocks. When the gauge is completely depleted, the player will remain vulnerable for an attack. As for its character roster, Street Fighter Alpha 3 retains all 10 of its main characters including Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie (Nash in Japan), Ken, Guy, Birdie, Sodom, Adon, Rose and Sagat. Besides that, the main boss character featured in the original game, M. Bison remains as the main Antagonist with the addition of two new boss characters, Juni and Juli who are both the female bodyguards of M. Bison. In addition to that, Street Fighter Alpha 2 also sees the introduction of seven new characters, including E. Honda, Blanka and Vega (Balrog in Japan) who made their first appearances in Street Fighter II, Cammy from Super Street Fighter II, Cody from Final Fight, Karin from Street Fighter: Sakura Ganbaru, and R. Mika who is making her first appearance. R.Mika is portrayed as a Japanese female wrestler who idolizes Zangief, Karin, and Cody. Some critics have the opinion that Street Fighter Alpha 3 is one of the most popular game series in the history of video games as it has superb timing, control and character design as well as unbelievable special moves. Street Fighter Alpha 3 is said to be very similar to the II series although it does sport a significantly different animation style that makes it look more like Darkstalkers. In terms of gameplay, Street Fighter Alpha 3 incorporates an arcade mode that is essentially your standard tournament mode that pits you against CPU opponents around the world as you make your way to the final confrontation with perennial end-boss M. Bison. In addition to that, there is also a versus mode in which your standard one-on-one competitions take place, as well as a training mode that allows you to practice your special moves and combos against a customizable artificial intelligence opponent.

“The game’s graphical prowess and arcade-perfect gameplay combined with its cache of bonus modes makes Street Fighter Alpha 3 the latest standard for 2D excellence…” (GameSpot, 2009)

Review
In Army of Two: The 40th Day, players play as Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem who are combatant partners who must fight to survive and prevail over invading forces that have taken over Shanghai, China in a terrorist attack. The duo is assisted by their handler Alice Murray. In terms of game play, Army of Two: The 40th Day sees an improvement to its predecessor with further enhancements such as being able to feign surrender in order to outflank the enemy, using human shields, and automated covering. Besides that, it also features more refined controls which only require one button for any particular action as well as melee that has been mapped to a face button and the ability to rifle through weapons using only one hand. Not only that, there will also be a sprint function in the game. In addition to that, the game also incorporates a more responsive and intelligent partner AI that allows the player to direct their partner into performing specific actions such as stealth kills or feigning surrender. Compared to its predecessor, Army of Two: The 40th Day features more weapons and upgrades including interchangeable upgrades between weapons such as the addition of the barrel of one assault rifle to another, as well as new camouflage schemes to match the new options. Besides that, the game also allows for weapons to be obtained from downed enemies, thus increasing the player’s arsenal to four weapons. In addition to that, the bullets fired will also be able to penetrate weaker materials such as wood and sheet metal. However, certain weapons can only be unlocked by morality moments which consist between both good and bad outcomes. Additional weapon parts can also be obtained in the game levels for free either by searching armoured boxes or by simply exploring. Army of Two: The 40th Day is said to feel like a cross between two movies; Bad Boys and 2012, as it is essentially an interactive disaster movie because there is something blowing up or crumbling down around you every five minutes, providing an adrenaline rush as you fight through enemies or just survive what’s thrown at you. Army of Two: The 40th Day takes place in Shanghai, China over the course of a few days, unlike its predecessor which spanned over several years and included different regions of the world. However, the combatant partners are now back but running missions for their own private military corporation, TransWorld Operations. After taking on an easy contract that involved killing a few guards, handling a few objectives, the duo find themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack aftermath, with buildings blown up and aircraft falling from the skies. The game capitalizes on its co-op play that feels more natural on both the single player mode and the multi player mode. It features fast paced action that does not seem to slow down even in the middle of a cutscene.

“Army of Two: The 40th Day is a very appealing shooter, and it looks great to boot. Diverse, ruined environments, cool enemy equipment designs, and nice animation touches make the action that much more lively. It has its fair share of issues,and you’ll spend most of the game not knowing why buildings are falling and men are shooting at you. But there’s a lot of fun to be had in both the campaign and the online multiplayer. With entertaining action, great visuals, surprising replay value, and the ability to play rock-paper-scissors while standing over the corpses of your enemies, The 40th Day is a fun way for shooter fans to start off 2010.” (GameSpot, 2009)

Review
Street Fighter Alpha 2 retains most of the new features which were originally introduced in its predecessor, Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams, such as the three-level Super Combo gauge, Alpha Counters, Air Blocking and Fall Breaking. However, there is a main new addition in the game in the form of the Custom Combo system (known as the Original Combo in Japan) that replaces the Chain Combos from its predecessor. Not only that, each character also has two Alpha Counters instead of just one, including one that can be performed with a kick button and another with a punch button. As for its character roster, Street Fighter Alpha 2 retains all 10 of its main characters including Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie (Nash in Japan), Ken, Guy, Birdie, Sodom, Adon, Rose and Sagat. Besides that, the three boss characters featured in the original game, of which appear as the final opponent in the single-player mode consisting of M. Bison, Akuma and even the relatively new secret character called Dan remain. On the contrary, Street Fighter Alpha 2 also features five new additional characters, extending the selectable roster to 18. The new characters include Zangief and Dhalsim which both made their first appearance in Street Fighter II, Gen from the original Street Fighter, Rolento from Final Fight, and Sakura which is an all new character, portrayed as a school girl who idolizes Ryu and emulates his techniques. Not only that, Street Fighter Alpha 2 also features an alternate version of Chun-Li in her Street Fighter II outfit as a hidden character, as well as Shin Akuma who is a more powerful version of Akuma who appears as a secret computer-controlled opponent in the single player mode. In ther US version, there is an addition of three hidden characters including Evil Ryu (an alternate version of Ryu who uses the same power as Akuma), as well as extra versions of Zangief and Dhalsim as their counterparts from Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (including the omission of gameplay features such as super moves and air blocking. Some critics have the opinion that Street Fighter Alpha 2 is one of the most popular game series in the history of video games as it has superb timing, control and character design as well as unbelievable special moves. Street Fighter Alpha 2 is said to be very similar to the II series although it does sport a significantly different animation style that makes it look more like Darkstalkers. In terms of gameplay, Street Fighter Alpha 2 incorporates an arcade mode that is essentially your standard tournament mode that pits you against CPU opponents around the world as you make your way to the final confrontation with perennial end-boss M. Bison. In addition to that, there is also a versus mode in which your standard one-on-one competitions take place, as well as a training mode that allows you to practice your special moves and combos against a customizable artificial intelligence opponent.

“Street Fighter Alpha 2 ups the ante on the prequel to the Street Fighter saga with 18 fighters and several new options, including high and low Alpha counters as well as more moves and combos for each character. In addition, the second title launches the Custom Combo system which lets players use up a super meter to perform devastating multi-hit combos.” (IGN, 2009)

“If you’re interested in spending the extra $20 on the Collector’s Edition, you’re getting a fair amount of stuff for the money. Everything comes in a straight-forward cardboard box with images of different characters on the sides. There are two game cases packed within, as well as a plastic shell for the figure.” (IGN, 2009)

Introduction
The game “Battlefield 1943” was developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and it was published by Electronic Arts which was for the Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation network using a digital download which is similar to the game “Battlefield Heroes”. The game “Battlefield 1943” is an online multiplayer video game of the World War II and it is a first-person shooting game. This game take place only in the Pacific Theater of Operations of the World War II.

Gameplay
The game “Battlefield 1943” characteristicsthe Frostbite Engine for its ecological damage. It will only features the series’s signature Conquest Mode. The game only characteristics only three classes which are Infantryman, Rifleman, and Scout. Infantryman will be armed with a Type 100 submachine gun or a Thompson submachine gun and provided with a recoilless rifle, handheld grenades, and a wrench which is usedfor both melee and for repairing vehicles. Rifleman will be ared with a Type 5 or an M1 Garand, and provided with rifle grenades, handhled grenades, and a bayonet. Scout will be armed with a karabiner 98k Rifle or a Springfield, a Nambu pistol or a Colt M1911, a Katana sword or Ka-Bar combat knife, and remote explosives. Every class has an infinite supply of ammunation but explosive weapons takes atleast a few seconds to load. This game has the same regenerating health system as in the games of “Call Of Duty Series” or “Halo Series”. There are four types of vehicles in this game. Every team’s base has two one-man fighter aircraft with Zeros for the Imperial Army and the F4U Corsairs for the USMC. Every team can capture a furthur base in the classic maps which hold another airplane. In each airplane, there is a machine gun that can shoot down other airplanes or strafe ground troops. The airplanes can also drop bombs. Tanks can have room for two players. First a driver who use a tank round and a coaxial machine gun. Second is a passenger who can use a machine gun. The tank ara all medium size M4 Sherman and Type 97 Chi-Ha. The fast ground vehicles are the USMC’s jeep and the IJN’s Type 95 recon car which are provided with a machine gun and can hold up to three palyers. The landing crafts are provided with machine guns and can hold up to six players acrooss water. The players can also summon air raids which calls in three aircraft that can be used to bomb an area of a map. But the main plan of those air raids is tho destroy the enemy vehicles and kill infantry. This gives a great benefit to the player controlling the air raid as they can see every other players on the map which include the enemies and they can also inform their team comrades where the enmies are. Regardless of providing an obvious benefit, these three planes can be shot down by the fighter aircraft and anti-air guns, or it can just reduce the amount of bombs that the air raid will drop. By using the AA guns, it can be used destroy the enemy fighter aircraft too. The differences in the weapons between teams are purely creative.

Overview
The game “Battlefield 1943” casts players as either the United States Marine Corps (USMC) or the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) with up to 24 players on the three classic Battlefield maps which are Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima. After each players have reached more than 43 milion kills, their personal console versions will receive access to an additional Caral Sea map. As for the PC version, it will have the map available on the release of the game.Accessibility and value were the main reasons the game went digital as opposed to a retail launch, accordingly to the game’s development team.

I love that we can download great looking first-person shooters that support 24 players online these days. Battlefield 1943 is an impressive package that sets a new standard for digital titles. You won’t find anything new in terms of gameplay, but the seven-year old Battlefield formula remains a lot of fun today. This is a streamlined game that does one thing and does it well: online multiplayer battles. If that’s your thing this is one of the best times you’ll have on PlayStation Network this summer.
(ps3.ign.com, 2009)

Characters
The game “G.I.Joe: The Rise Of Cobra” have a lot of the various characters which include Commando, Heavy Weapons, and Soldier. Commando can do well at close range but not at a far range. Heavy Weapons have suprising shooting skills but they can only do it best from a far distance range. Soldier have the balance between both Commando and Heavy Weapons. The player can either play as a G.I.Joe characters or as a Cobra characters. In the G.I.Joe characters, there are 12 characters that the player can play but in the Cobra characters, there are only 4 characters that the player can play. In the 12 characters of G.I.Joe, there is Agent Helix who is the G.I.Joe’s Commando, there is Backblast who is the G.I.Joe’s Heavy Weapons, there is Beachhead who is the G.I.Joe’s Soldier, there is Duke who is the G.I.Joe’s Soldier too, there is Gung-Ho who is the G.I.Joe’s Soldier too, there is Flash who is the G.I.Joe’s Heavy Weapons too, there is Heavy Duty who is the G.I.Joe’s Heavy Weapons too, there is Kamakura who is the G.I.Joe’s Commando, there is Ripcord who is the G.I.Joe’s Soldier, there is Scarlett who is the G.I.Joe’s Commando, there is Shipwreck who is the G.I.Joe’s Soldier, and there is Snake Eyes who is the G.I.Joe’s Commando. As for the 4 characters of the Cobra, the player can play as Baroness who is the Cobra’s Commando, there is Destro who is the Cobra’s Heavy Weapons, there is Firefly who is the Cobra’s Soldier, and there is Storm Shadow who is the Cobra’s Commando. There will be an invulnerability power-up when the G.I. Joe character gains access to the Accelerator Armor. This would allowed them to be undamaged while attacking the Cobra’s troops and vehicles. However, the player will not be able to play as Breaker, Cobra Commander, Data Frame, Dial Tone, Dusty, General Hawk, Lift Ticket, M.A.R.S. Security Trooper or Black Viper, Recondo, Snowjob, Stalker, Tunnel Rat, and Wild Bill.

Gameplay
There will be an invulnerability power-up when the G.I. Joe character gains access to the Accelerator Armor. This would allowed them to be undamaged while attacking the Cobra’s troops and vehicles. The Accelerator Armor can also enhance the bearer’s physical skills, making it a destructive force, making them effectively invincible. The player will need to build the meter of the Accelerator Armor by taking down the enemies without taking damage and after that, the player will be able to activate the Accelerator Armor. Once the Accelerator Armor has been activate, it will allow the player to run faster, immunity to damage, and infinite special missile attacks. In the G.I.Joe’s game, there are three different level of difficulties. First is the Casual level, second is the Advanced level, and third is the Hardcore level. It will be best for the player to play all the three levels to unlock everything in the game.

As a fan of G.I. Joe, I expect a videogame version to make me feel like a Real American Hero. This didn’t come close. The gameplay is unexciting and the visuals uninspired. There are moments when I found myself enjoying G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but those moments didn’t last long. I wish I could give this a “Yo Joe!” but all I can manage is a “Yay, I’m done with this.”
(ps3.ign.com, 2009)

Reviews
Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams is set in a timeframe between the original Street Fighter and its sequel, Street Fighter II, and thus features the younger versions of established characters as well as characters from the original Street Fighter and Final Fight. Its character roster includes Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie (Nash in Japan), Ken, Guy, Birdie, Sodom, Adon, Rose and Sagat. Besides that, there are also three boss characters in the game, of which appear as the final opponent in the single-player mode, including M. Bison, Akuma and a secret character called Dan. However, players have the option of selecting all three characters by inputting a specific code for each. Some critics have the opinion that Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams is one of the most popular game series in the history of video games as it has superb timing, control and character design as well as unbelievable special moves. Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams is said to be very similar to the II series although it does sport a significantly different animation style that makes it look more like Darkstalkers. Besides that, Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams also inctroduces some new characters and new special moves called Super moves which are powered up by repeatedly landing blows on your opponent. Not only that, Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams also features an Alpha Counter which allows characters to reverse an attack with a quick counter strike after a block. In terms of gameplay, Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams incorporates an arcade mode that is essentially your standard tournament mode that pits you against CPU opponents around the world as you make your way to the final confrontation with perennial end-boss M. Bison. In addition to that, there is also a versus mode in which your standard one-on-one competitions take place, as well as a training mode that allows you to practice your special moves and combos against a customizable artificial intelligence opponent.

“Street Fighter Alpha looks like a solid, albeit bare bones, compilation that will be worth picking up when it hits. The Alpha series has come a long way, and the compilation is looking like a fine chronicle of that evolution. Plus it’s got Gem Fighter, so what’s not to love? Alpha fans or fighting aficionados who may not have followed the series as closely as they should have will definitely want to keep an eye out for the game when it ships later this year.” (GameSpot, 2009)