Metal Gear Solid 3:  Snake Eater was a huge success.  Because of this, an expanded version was released, Metal Gear Solid 3:  Subsistence.  This version is packed with extras!

There are so many new features I don’t know where to start.  First off Metal Gear Solid 3:  Subsistence includes Snake Eater along with the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear:  Solid Snake.  The game play and story is relatively the same.  Snake still uses stealth and deadly weapons to get the job done.  This includes hiding in boxes, covering himself with camouflage and snaking through grass, sneaking past guards, etc.  Weapons include:  guns, rocket launchers, and of course… close quarters combat (CQC).

Next, there are tons of multiplayer modes available online.  Death match and team death match are quite fun.  Capture involves a game like capture the flag, only with a frog piggy bank.  There is also Sneaking Mission where 1 player plays as Snake and 7 play as guardians of a particular item.  Snake has to get the item without being caught by the others.  Lastly, there is Cargo Rescue.  One team must protect and deliver cargo while the other team tries to destroy it.

Some other extras include new levels in the mini game:  Snake vs. Monkey.  There is also a Dual Mode that allows you to battle all of the bosses.  Finally, you can watch all of the game’s movies in the Demo Theater Mode and you can watch some “special” scenes in The Secret Theater.

A new third person view camera is one of the biggest changes as it makes the game quite easier.  No longer must you stop and look around before proceeding.  You can now see your entire surroundings.  The control configuration is still the same as it has been in all of the previous Metal Gears.

The graphics are excellent to look at and the environments are quite detailed.  The soundtrack is also engaging.  Voice acting is superb and the dialogue is actually pretty funny sometimes… if you pay attention.

Metal Gear Solid 3:  Subsistence is available on Playstation 2.  Up to 8 people can play it online.  The game has an ESRB rating of M for mature.  This is because it contains intense violence, sexual themes, blood, gore, and language.  This means you little “kiddies” out there can’t play it without the permission of mommy and daddy.

If you liked True Crime:  Streets of L.A. Then get ready for the next installment, True Crime:  New York City.  This second installment features a new character with an attitude and a reason for it!

You play as Marcus Reed.  Marcus is a former criminal that turned to a rogue cop.  Marcus abuses his cop authority to hunt down the person responsible for murdering his mentor.  While doing this, Marcus cleans up the streets of New York City.  Undercover, Marcus gets involved in gangs, murders, crooks, and his past.

True Crime is a free roaming action game that allows you to go about New York City as you please.  You can enter all shops and buildings, travel all streets, ride the subways, and visit various landmarks.  You may follow the actual storyline or take on numerous side missions.  It is quite similar to Grand Theft Auto, but much more engrossing!

You have the option of playing as a good cop or as a bad cop.  The good Marcus arrests the baddies, turns in evidence, and keeps the peace.  The bad Marcus kills everyone, steals and sells the evidence, and extorts shop owners.  Which path will you choose?  As you move through the game, the decisions you make affect how the city changes around you.

Marcus will find himself in trouble many times.  He will often need a weapon.  It’s a good thing that you can use almost anything in your environment as a weapon, such as:  pots, pans, bats, stoves, chairs, and even a dead chicken.  Of course, police weapons are also available.  Not to mention swords, grenade launchers, flame throwers, and your bare fists.  You will also engage in high speed shootouts aboard various vehicles.

True Crime has one of the best musical scores.  The voice acting coincides with it perfectly as well.  The controls are a bit slow, but the highly detailed graphics and the dramatic storyline more than makes up for it.

True Crime:  New York City is available on Gamecube, XBOX, and Playstation 2.  It has an ESRB rating of M for Mature.  This is because it features:  blood, gore, use of drugs, intense violence, strong language, and strong sexual content.  This game is not available for minors to purchase without the help of mommy and daddy.  If you have trouble with the game, there is a strategy guide available. 

Innovativeness and ingenuity are two words that many video game developers seem to leave out of their vocabularies when working on games. Most studios stick to time proven methods and concepts that produce near carbon copies of past games. Granted, these game are fun to play, but after a while this age old process of making games ends up making these titles boring and unappealing. For this reason, it is necessary to honor a developer who can step in and successfully develop a game that breaks through these overused boundaries and instead makes for itself a new path for making its game. This is where Shadow of the Colossus enters.

Sony Computer Entertainment has produced what can only be considered one of the most unique and artistic games ever created with Shadow of the Colossus. It is truly amazing that while most developers think all original ideas have already been used up, Sony has found a way to make a game that is unparalleled and unprecedented. But enough of the formalities, let’s discuss why this game is so truly amazing in its own right.

The premise of the game is rather simple: mythical giants, the colossi, roam the earth. Due to the circumstances, which indeed are rather bare in Shadow of the Colossus, the hero of the game, a young man, must proceed to dispatch 16 colossi surrounding a temple where he has brought his dead love. According to the game, this is the only way by which the hero can save his love and bring her back to him. Strangely enough, this is basically all you ever learn of the storyline in the game, but it is really all you ever need to know.

From there the character proceeds out into the barren world to fulfill his task. What he is presented with is one of the most beautiful and artistic worlds ever to present itself in a video game. Shadow of the Colossus offers a beautiful world that has been perfectly designed with beautiful scenery on a massive level. While special effects tend to be bare, the artistry and beautiful environments still make the game a gem in graphical terms.

As far as the gameplay itself, it can indeed be considered rather repetitive. The character never levels up and his inventory is basically unchanging. He embarks on his trusty steed armed only with a simple sword and a bow and arrow, which he’ll keep until the quest is complete. From the temple, the character journeys into the massive, barren world in search of each colossi. One by one, the character must combat and defeat each of the sixteen colossi, return to the temple, and proceed to journey out and dispatch the next one.

There are no enemies in between, and overall, the game is rather empty save for the massive enemies that tower hundreds of feet above the character and shake the earth with each step. The musical score coincides with this perfectly, offering no music in between the battles. The only sounds that accompany the character are the sounds of the wind and of the water, contributing to the barren, empty feeling of the game.

However, empty is not a word that can be used once the battle has begun. From there, the true beauty of the game begins. The musical score, a delightful one, kicks in and motivates the player to defeat the massive creature that is present. The game centers around these colossi battles, since they really are the only things that ever happen in the game, and each one is different and equally as challenging. Each colossi must be defeated in a unique way and each looks and acts differently. Some fly, some plod around on the ground, some are bigger than others, and each attempts to kill the hero in different ways. For this reason, each colossi requires creative thinking to kill it. The battles are incredibly challenging, to say the least, and can be downright frustrating at times as the player tries to figure out how to defeat each colossi.

While this might seem repetitive and boring, this design is actually the true beauty of the game. The game floods players with innovativeness and artistry that can’t be found in any other game. It’s simplicity in design yet the fact that it requires so much thought to defeat each colossi make it one of the most fun and challenging games that has ever been designed and created. Granted, there could have been a few more things thrown in to improve the game in many gamers minds, the fact remains that Shadow of the Colossus is simply one of the most fun and impressive games ever made and ever gamer should try it out.

If you are looking for a game that will care you to death then you should give Condemned:  Criminal Origins a try.   Condemned is a first person action game that is sure to make your skin crawl.

You play the game as FBI agent Ethan Thomas.  Ethan is on the hunt for a serial killer in order to clear his own name of crimes he didn’t commit.  Ethan uses forensic tools to find clues that lead him to the serial killer.  His tools help him find DNA, chemical and biological compounds, detect gases, and other things.

If this sounds like a typical walk in the park, you are wrong.  Each area you travel to is full of deranged and psychotic people.  These people will attack you, hurt you, and try to kill you.  Worst yet, these people are smart and quite good at getting to you. You will constantly have to defend yourself.

There are firearms in the game.  However, more than likely you will use fast paced melee combat against these foes.  Condemned features the new Havoc 3.0 physics engine.  This allows you to pick up any object and use it as a weapon.  You will often find yourself using anything you see to protect yourself.  Shovels and pipes are always welcomed.  The melee combat that you engage in makes for a very gory and bloody game.  It is truly sickening.

It is hard to describe the game play.  It moves at a very slow, yet frightening pace.  Sometimes you have to venture down a dark and foreboding street.  Other times you have to travel down a creepy stairway into a basement.  Each corner you turn is going to bring some sort of terror into your mind. 

The music is very creepy to listen too.  It keeps you on edge throughout the game.  The spooky graphics add to the frightening feeling as well.  The voice acting is clear and easy to understand.  Lastly, the controls are easy to figure out.

Condemned is available on the XBOX 360.  The ESRB rating is M for mature.  This is because it features blood, gore, strong language, and intense violence.