Left 4 Dead Survival Mode

Hey guys, Mark here and today I shall be reviewing Left 4 Dead's new DLC. The best thing is that valve love us so much that we get it free. Now before you ask about the picture, I couldn't find any of the DLC but I'll look while I do the review just in case there are more =D

Basically the DLC is a new mode called survival where you must hold out for as long as you can with limited supplies against a never ending horde. This also contains all the special infected so expect a lot of teamwork protecting and being saved from the clutches of Hunters, Smokers and the general infected. The DLC has about 16 maps (can't say I've counted though) and most are sections from the campaign. There is also a "Last Stand" map where the players are in a lighthouse.

This mode is very addictive as you will often find yourself trying to beat your previous score, and it is really good to play with friends as well and tactics play a key role, for example you need to place fuel tanks where the zombies will be, and organize ammo runs when its hopefully safe. It can also be funny when the Tank spawns with his zombie buddies and beats the living hell outta your buddies.

Overall for free DLC the survival pack is a definite must have for any left 4 dead owner because it is different to the versus, and campaigns once you've done them, and is something different to play. It is great with the AI and with friends. Although I must say at time the AI can be very annoying. For example I had killed a lot of the zombies, then I slipped and fell off the roof (I needed a buddy to pull me up) and along comes Bill, who looks at me, helps me up then drops me and leaves me to get killed by the horde when he could have saved me. Damn it Bill!

Second Opinion

Yo guys its Josh! Not so long ago I went over to Marks and we played the Left 4 Dead survival DLC with are friend Bill via Xbox Live. Although your fellow survivors AI isn't up to much if you're playing with friends it can be a laugh watching the zombies mugging your AI companions. The best way to describe the DLC is to refer to the well known flash game Boxheads. Basically its you against a horde of never-ending zombies wanting your brains. Its important however to prepare booby traps for the zombies so you can set them on fire and what not. Although this will only give you a few extra seconds. The key to success is to find a place to camp that's near supplies but make sure the zombies can only get to from one area and be prepared. Unlike Mark and Bill when they camped in a room and the 50 odd zombies fell on them from the air duct! Stuff like that makes Valve games brilliant!

Picture From Sarcasticgamer.com

Resident Evil 5 Review

Hey guys, sorry for the late review (I've had a lot of stuff to do recently). But anyone who knows me would know that I love the Resident Evil series, and so I naturally got Resident evil 5. I also got the DLC and will be reviewing that as well.

In RE5 you play as Chris Redfield (Resident evil 1, Code veronica) and his new partner Sheva. That's right, there are two playable characters which makes the gaming experience much more enjoyable. They are sent to Africa. You soon find yourself fighting for your life though against infected Majini (the townspeople) The game plays very similar to Resident Evil 4 and the controls work very well on the 360 controller. I've heard some people complaining about the "Stop and Shoot" mechanic but frankly I love it, its what makes the game Resident evil, it's like Metroid without the morph ball (Weird analogy I know).

The game has a killer story though. It starts off very simple, find Irving, a mysterious guy who seems to run from you every time you see him (with the help of a mysterious masked character) However you soon find out much more about Chris' past (not gonna drop any spoilers) and an old foe of his returns (Resident Evil fans may know who he is) The gameplay works well, playing on your own is also fun as the AI is quite helpful but a human player is also fun. You do have to manage her ammo and guns as well though and you'll have to share your resources

The game itself is about the same length as RE4 and is split into 6 chapters. The game drops you in boss fights most of the time though, some original like U-8 (a giant spider like creation) to the... wait a minute, I swore I saw a giant boss monster in another resident evil game, and a giant fish monster...

Another good thing is that when your beat the game for the first time you unlock the 'Mercenaries' mode, which RE4 fans will be associated with I'm sure. Basically for those who don't know, you have a time limit to kill as many enemies as possible on a level, while collecting extra time, keeping combos going and trying to avoid or kill the boss monster in the level. It is very fun and now you can also play with Online Co-op with a friend and by beating levels you can unlock more and extra characters (10 total).

There is also Verses mode DLC out now for 400 Microsoft points (about £4.50) and the strange thing is that the mode download is only a couple of Megabytes big... almost as in the mode was already on the disc and you needed to unlock it...very strange eh? The mode itself is very enjoyable and it can be very fun fighting other people around the world and can really build up an adrenaline rush.

Anyway I could go on for ages about this game but I'm gonna stop now, It has a good story, mechanics, graphics and is very good, the only real downside is that some ideas seem just like RE4 and anyone who plays both games would probably agree with me.

Rating: A*

Pictures from cache.gawker.com

Gaming Diary: Mega Man 9

Hi Guys,

Right now I am sitting in my room with a Mega Man 9 guide trying to helplessly defeat the game. (It's Mark and Josh by the way) Josh downloaded it from the XBLA and I must say it is a pretty hardcore game. If you haven't noticed as this is a joint article I have made what I have got to say in bold and Mark in normal. To be honest I'll likely do more typing seeing as Mark is better than me!

Right now we just defeated Galaxy Man. When I say we, I mean Mark. I tried but epic-ally failed. I am quite good at platformers but this is a whole new level of hard....ness. I knew what to expect because I had got myself Mega Man 2 on the Wii Shop thing.

I have to say though this game is harder than any retro game I've played in a very long time, I must say as well it is very much like the early Mega Man games. The story is rather simple. Basically Dr. Wily has once again begged forgiveness, but then Dr.Lights' robots go mad and start creating havoc. Dr.Wily quickly comes out to say that he isn't involved in this plan saying that he has turned a new leaf. Megaman then goes out to clear Dr.Lights' name and defeat Dr.Wily once and for all (Well until Capcom feel a bit retro and make Mega Man 10).

This game is can be fast paced or slow, it all really depends on what your playing style is in games like this. The gameplay is simple, there are eight "Robot Masters" and you pick which one to attempt to battle, you then play through a side scrolling level shooting the evil robots. Or something that looks like a giant meatball. Well on Jewel Man's level anyway. I really think Capcom were quite creative with their enemy designs as well, I mean earlier on I found myself fighting a blue elephant that blew a giant pink ball at me... It was scary.

In this game you can also shop in between levels with the "Screws" you have collected (your sister is the shopkeeper by the way, you think she'd be a bit more generous in a situation where evil robots are attacking). What gets me is that you can only use you items once... Only once and they cost the Earth too. This game has NES 8-bit style graphics but was never actually released on the NES and its available for all three major consoles. And for all you guys saying gaming is getting easier then I think this game officially proves that not all of them are!

That's all we have to say about Mega Man 9 for now! Stayed tuned for are next update on what us guys are playing in Gaming Diary!

Signing out, Josh and Mark!

pictures from: http://saitonetwork.files.wordpress.com