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Borderlands 2 is a exciting loot fest to enjoy with your friends, and then some. BL2 brought out some things I would never expect nor imagine with what it showed us at E3.

Borderlands 2 is exactly what you would want out of a Borderlands game - over the top and GUNS GUNS GUNS. You have weapon variety that is exciting and fresh. You have enemies that are scary as hell to entertaining as hell. But Borderlands 2 hides something that I would have not asked for, nor expected from its game - its a damn good RPG.

I was suprised to find that character skill trees are deep and engaging, with much room for experimentation. Much like the emotional appearence of the Bordlerands 2 characters, their skills define them and change how you play your class. For example, my Mechromancer can't manually reload unless I want to lose anarchy stacks, which increase my damage. This applies for every character, which has its own interesting playstyle and role.

If I had a complaint about the game, it would be that the story is not good. While the characters might be hilarious and are definatley interesting, the "plot twists" and progression aspect aren't that cool. With the adventure that you are on, it is easy to lose track and forget your purpose for the adventure.

Might I also add that the missions are fun?!?!!?! They are just like the skill trees - fresh and exciting. While you get the occasional fetch, you will also find great missions backed by humourous settings and backstory.

Borderlands 2 exceeded my expectations. I not only got an over the top experience, but a very in depth and methodical one. Considering the low prices this game constantly gets thanks to good old Gaben, this game is a blast with a couple of friends.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the main game we point the finger at when we look at the negative aspects of Call of Duty, and rightfully so. Before I delve deeper, I would like to start out by addressing the controversy between Call of Duty and Battlefield. While I do prefer Battlefield, I do NOT despise the COD franchise. I had moderate enjoyment with Call of Duty 4, and a blast with Black Ops 2. However, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is easily my least favorite in the franchise. Without further ado, lets dive in.

What does Modern Warfare 2 do wrong? The first place is the campaign. While the story was decent in the game, it was a big disapointment. To no suprise, it is a linear corridoor shooter, as you mow up enemies and stop evil Russian men. Nothing new here, and there is no motivation to play the campaign. The only REAL motive I can think of is if you took alot of enjoyment in COD 4 campaign, and want to see what happens to your favorite characters in the franchise.

Next we have Spec Ops, which is a spectacular addition to the game. The minigames are superb in this game with great level design, and is a blast with friends. I took alot of enjoyment holding off enemies, mostly due to the replayabilty and freedom of this gamemode, in contrast to the Campaign, which forces you to put rockets on certain targets.

Finally we have the multiplayer, the heart and soul of the game. And let me tell you, is it horrid. This is not because the game is not "realistic" enough - come on, we are in an arcade shooter. It is because mechanics are bad. Yes, they gel well, and the game doesn't feel clunky, but they are just flat out bad design choices. The first issue is create-a-class, which looks very dynamic at first, but essentially boils down to a handful of gun and attachment combos that are overpowered. This makes gunplay boil down not to skill, reaction time, or map knowledge - but who has the best overpowered gun. Same goes for perks and deathstreaks. I would have much more enjoyment in making a class, and finding a setup that suits my playstyle, in contrast to this game.The game also has no emphasis on teamwork, mostly due in part to killstreaks that cater completely towards racking up more kills. Not to mention, hacking in this game is horrid - but that is a whole 'nother story within itself.

To conclude, Spec Ops is not worth purchasing this game. While it is fun while it lasts, you will be forced into multiplayer, which is terrible. The games' mechanics only allow a handful of good classes, and that is the only way to do well in the game. Combined with a lack of emphasis on teamwork, the game becomes a muddled mess more than a competitive arcade shooter. If you want the best experience possible, I would highly reccomend picking up Black Ops 2, which fixes many of the problems addressed above.

Crysis is a very interesting game. Not only is it the beggining to the famous Cyrisis franchise by Crytek, but it is easily one of the best in the franchise. While the mythos is interesting, characters aren't so much. The character development is not there, and there is really not connection to your fellow soldiers. The only thing exciting thing about your unit is your badass leader, Prophet, who makes stellar explosions thanks to the Cryengine. The Cryengine is one of the best engines in the gaming world, hands down. Crysis is hyped for its graphics, and it sure is delivered. The island you are on in the game is gorgeous! The grass, water, huts, military FOBS, and alien ships are spectacular, and make you not only drawn into the world, but make you want to destroy it.

When it comes to gunplay in the game, Crysis does a good job. You can really feel the meatyness of the guns through the sounds, as well as the models. In addition, the gunplay is great. One gripe with the game's mechanics, however, is the stealth. Stealth is VERY touchy, and sadly is not very useful. This is a shame, because the map is very open in most parts. Variety type also suffers in the game. You essentially have two enemy types - Korean soldiers and aliens. While they look good at first, they lose their "wow" factor after fighting so many.

In addition to singleplayer, Crysis also has a multiplayer. I can't really comment on this too much, for there is a very small community for the MP. The games I got into were very, VERY small, and didn't utilize all of the componets of the game.

In conclusion, Crysis is hands down the best game in the franchise. This game did it right, balancing story, visuals, and game mechanics. While Crysis is slightly inferior visually to Crysis 2 and 3, it host much better gameplay mechanics and strays away from linearity (giving a semi-non linear level design). If you can deal with the dead multiplayer, broken stealth, and boring story, this is the best game to test your hardware, and is not at all just a technical showcase.

Torchlight II is a spectical. Sent out as a response to the evergrowing Diablo III, Torchlight II not only improves on its predacessor, but comes to the forefront in the hack and slash adventure. Though, like EVERY game, it is not perfect. Torchlight II suffers from issues that could have vastly improved the game.

When you get into the universe of Torchligh, you are welcomed to a rather beautiful steampunk and "cartoony" world (as much as I hate describing an art style with that word). When I use my abilities in a blaze of assorted colors, it is wonderful.
The art style in this game contrasts a lot hack and slash / dungeon crawlers out there, like Diablo II, Diablo III and Path of Exile.

There are four playable classes in the game, all with dynamic and unique abilites. However, there is not much room for experimentation with skill trees, mostly due to the fact that you have to use an exploit to get around this feature. WIth all the skills usable in this game, it is a damn shame you can't have more freedom. Another feature is the pet system, which is essentially your ♥♥♥♥♥. Put a ton of stuff in his inventory to sell, or send him on a shopping spree! The loot tables in the game are also great. Torchlight II disregards the grindyness of Diablo III, and makes you want to get to the next level, or get new loot! The amount of great stuff that drops is spectacular, and I am so pleased when I defeat a boss to chant, "LOOT! LOOT! LOOT!" Not to mention, the end game is pretty good, with an option to go to the Mapworks, an area in which you can purchase dungeons, and go adventuring through them. OR, you can continue your experience with NG+.

However, I did not care whatsoever for the story of Torchlight II. Generic, mythical story with uninteresting characters. Enough said. And honestly, who cares? That is not what you play the game for.

Torchlight II is a real spectical - a great change to the formula of Diablo III. Torchlight strays away from making these games a job, and rather a fun game with enough strategy to be challenging. Not only that, but levels are interesting, varied, and creative. Beyond that, Torchlight II is available at $20, where as Diablo III is priced at $60! You will never get a deal like this anywhere else. Did I also mention if you don't like game mechanics, textures, etc, there is a great modding community? That should be enough of a steal for gamers.

I enjoyed the time I had with Mirrors Edge. While it manages to pull of a beautifully fluent free running and combat system that tie greatly into the world, it does have its host of problems.

The first thing I saw in Mirror's Edge was the controls. At first, I was hard on the idea that these controls sucked, and that they needed alot of tweaking. However, I learned quickly the game had a curve to it, and got passed the controls. When I finally got good at basic movements, I became absorbed in the world. The towering skyscrapers, colorful rooftops as well as the very dark secrets that were hid in this utopian masquerade. Cool right? Yes. However, it is really hard for me to appreciate the mythos of the game beyond its scenery, and beautiful scoring. This was because the story was god awful. Riddled with messy , sloppy, cheezy, and otherwise worthless dialouge, there was no way I was going to give two ♥♥♥♥♥ about the sister to sister relationship in the story. And to put the icing on the cake, I was utterly displeased with the ending. You will know when you get there.

Completely disregarding the story, the freerunning in the game was spectacular. With many ways to run on rooftops and build up momentum, I was very much envigorated when I pulled off the perfect string of moves. The blur on the sides of the screen when momentum building is a very amazing feeling. Then came the combat. For reasons I can not understand, people hated the combat in the game. And I agree and disagree at the same time. While pulling off ninja moves on a guard was fitting for the missons, the gunplay was stale. This could have easily been avoided by making weapons more sleek and getting rid of the heavy guns. It really brought me out of all the agility in the game when I lugging around a huge ass M249. So for Mirrors Edge 2, please keep the gunplay; but make it exciting! Make me feel like a badass when I finally get the gun out of the guards hands and run away from the firefight.

There is also one other problem in the game, and that was the Runner's Vision. While artisticly this was cool, I felt as a game mechanic I did not like this. However, this really comes down to personal preference. I personally thought Runner's Vision held my hand throughout the game, highlighting where I should go next. Being chased from rooftop to rooftop by guards is not very fun when you know exactly where to go - I want to have to think fast to move to my objective! This mechanic can only be turned off on the hardest difficulty too, which is a shame. However, this is totally up to you on what you want out of Mirror's Edge.

To conclude, Mirrors Edge is a great game. Free running is a wonderful time, and stringing together the perfect combo is simply rewarding as hell. The combat, while it can be vastly improved, is a good concept. And Runner's Vision is totally up to personal prefrence. The world is spectacular too, really putting a "POW" into the scenery with all its spectacular and vibrant color, while appropiatley contrasting the darkness that lies within the utopian universe. I really wish I could care more for the politics in this game, but the story is just too boring and dull for me to care! Characters are generic and unexciting, not to mention the cutscenes look like an All State commercial. But overall, this game is a gem, and the parkour is hands down the best I have ever been able to experience.

Saints Row: The Third does something very bold. It somewhat gives the bird to games that are forcefully too gritty, and take themselves way too seriously. At the same time, it uses its bold characteristics for a very unique experience, and being able to do it all with a friend. May I warn you, if you are a big fan of Saints Row 2, you will NOT like this game. This game has major differences from its predacessor, and if you want an improved SR2 experience, you will not find it here.

The game really takes violence, humor and fun to a whole new level that GTA5 did not. Saints Row The Third is over the top, and if you are looking for a winding storyline, you will not find it here. However, when I played with friends, I had an amazing time. Saints Row's mechanics promote ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ around, and having a multiplayer option to do so is awesome! Dildo bats, airships, dildo bats, destroying cars with dildo bats, lazers, dildo bats, taking over the city, and dildo bats. However, when you are done with the main storyline and causing mayhem, things can get a little bit boring at times. Saints Row is definaltey a one time experience. One other gripe I have with the game is the pacing. Once you unlock certain abilities through leveling up, opposition is exteremly easy - but hey, you may not want that out of a game. Lastly, the character creator is a steal! It was wonderful, and really allows you to be as badass, or absurd, as you want.

Saints Row: The Third gives the bird to the new "gritty-serious-serious" games out right now, by not taking itself seriously and providing utter laughs and mayhem. However, the rediculousness of the game can hinder some of its mechanics at times, but it is really all about what YOU want out of Saints Row: The Third.