Game Review (MLB 2K12 Demo - 360)

And now, 2K Sports is in its final year of exclusive rights to making MLB games on the 360. is MLB 2K12 the MLB game 360 gamers have been looking for?

Sadly, but unsurprisingly, no. MLB 2K12 is the same as 2K11 and beyond... The presentation remains the same. Care for a small list? The pop-up stats when players are on the mound or in the batter's box are still in the same bland design, the graphics remain pretty much below average, the crowd looks dreadful -- and they don't make much noise or move at all after a home run... the list goes on. It's not to say that this demo is terrible, but it's not giving me any reason to believe that MLB 2K12 will be the first GREAT game in the series. Maybe next year, baseball fans.

3.5/5

Game Review (Nexuiz - Xbox LIVE Arcade)

--This is not a full review, as I've only played the trial so far.--

I had no idea this game even existed today until I saw an advertisement on the XBL Dashboard. My friend downloaded it, and so I decided to as well. After playing for about 20 seconds, I was already impressed. Nexuiz (Pronounced Nexus) is a game that I'm glad to have downloaded. While the likes of Battlefield and Modern Warfare are all fine and good, there hasn't been a game like Nexuiz for a decent while now -- at least on the 360. When I first saw images for this game, I quickly thought of Halo, Quake, and Unreal Tournament. It turns out, Nexuiz was originally a Quake mod from several years back.

And a really good one at that, I guess. For $10, you're getting 9 maps (6 of which are TDM, 3 are CtF), several guns, over a HUNDRED power-ups, a bot-mode, and a rather refreshing experience in a game market that has been flooded with more modern military shooters recently. The only problem I have with Nexuiz, and it's the same that I have with every XBLA game... I'm just not sure how long the community will last. I suggest that if you're planning on buying, just buy now. Think about it. $10 for a game that you'll be able to have forever, or spend about that same amount to rent a game from Blockbuster for just a week. Even if you only play Nexuiz for a couple weeks, the playtime you get out of it will make it worth the $10 ... especially if you have a small squad of friends to play with.

As I said, I have a bad feeling that Nexuiz's online will be virtually dead in a month, but before that happens, do yourself a favor and get it. I think this game will be overlooked by many, and that's a shame. It may not be a ground-breaking game, but it's certainly one worth playing when you're growing a bit tired of others games you tend to play.

4/5

+: Great graphics; surprising depth -- especially for the $10 price; nice variety in maps.
-: More than likely will have nobody playing the game online by April.

*500th Blog Entry* Game Review (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Content Drop #3)

Now available for ELITE Premium members is the map "Overwatch". After "Liberation" and "Piazza", it is now the third content drop out of twenty for us Premium members.

If you watched any of the ELITE trailers, you'll have seen this map, as well as Black Box for March's map, but that's for next month's MW3 entry. "Overwatch" is a map that takes place on a currently-under-construction skyscraper that overlooks New York City. Does it sound a bit like "Highrise" to you? It did to me too. The bad news for fans of "Highrise" is that this map is really nothing like that map at all - it just shares the same location.

I'll admit, I haven't played this map much... maybe half a dozen full matches so far, with more to come, but I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how this map plays, and how it will play in the future. First of all, "Overwatch" looks great, just like Piazza and Liberation do, and it also looks better than "Highrise" did. There are a few different levels that you can walk up and down to, as well as a bunch of areas with long site lines, making assault rifles - or even snipers in certain places - a great choice for this map. But no worries, if you like to run with an SMG or a shotgun, there are plenty of areas around the map where you can use them effectively too -- just stay away from the sides of the maps.

Probably the biggest problem I have with "Overwatch" is that the spawns are completely terrible. I figured that any maps coming out at this point would have better spawn systems than the disc maps, but I was wrong. Still remains are the moments where you kill a guy, reload, he spawns 20 feet to your left or right, and kills you. I'm sorry, but there's something wrong with that.

Oh, and if you're wondering what the size of "Overwatch" is, I'd say it's a medium-large map. It seems small at first, but after exploring the levels of the map and running around it a little bit, it's surprisingly big, which leads me to believe that it'd most likely be excluded from Team Tactical game modes when the first map pack is released to non-ELITE members.

Compared to the first Content Drop, I'd say this one is better. Even though "Overwatch" is the lone drop this month, it's a better map than "Liberation", and maybe even "Piazza". "Liberation" strongly encourages sniping or a gun like the MK14 and "Piazza" wants you to use SMGs, while "Overwatch" is kind to users of any gun type.

This Content Drop is sort of disappointing, as I was really thinking "Overwatch" would be completely awesome. It's a good map and all, but I've been let down by IW yet again.

P.S. Where are the fucking Clan Operations? They add five more prestiges to the game (that don't even have new emblems, mind you.), but they don't bother getting a feature I paid for several months ago up and going.

3.75/5

TV Show Review (The Simpsons 500th Episode)

23 years later, The Simpsons has just finished airing its 500th episode on Fox. If you missed it, I'll give you a brief recap, as well as my opinion. Don't worry, I'll keep it short.

The general synopsis of "At Long Last Leave" (S23/E14) is basically that the Simpsons get banished from Springfield due to each family member's antics, and sent to a place called "The Outlands."

As most people know, whether they've seen each and every episode of the show or tuned in time-to-time just to see how the show's doing, The Simpsons has been sorely lacking any truly "great" episodes for several years now. I decided to watch "At Long Last Leave" not expecting a GREAT episode, but at least hoping to see a memorable one.

Well, I was let down. This 500th episode of The Simpsons is completely passable. Right out the gate, the episode is sluggish, and doesn't really pick up much at all until halfway through. Throughout the episode, there are maybe two or three jokes that didn't suck... but the majority of them were flat out bad. *SPOILER* The two jokes that I thought were decent were Wiggum's can of "Jerk-Off" and Homer getting his head stuck in the airplane turbine he had attached to the back of his ATV. *SPOILER OVER*

If it's any consolation outside of those two jokes, the show's intro was pretty cool, as it showed various (possibly all, it very well could have been.) couch gags starting from season one going forward.

"At Long Last Leave" is a mediocre episode, and while I'm disappointed in that, I'm certainly not surprised.

3.25/5

Game Review (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Content Drop #1 and 2)

The first content drop of many has come to Xbox LIVE for Call of Duty ELITE Premium Members. Infinity Ward has advertised it quite a bit (I saw advertisements all over YouTube for instance), and it got me pretty excited. This first content drop, as I'm sure you all know by now, contains just two maps: "Liberation" and "Piazza". There are no Spec Ops missions, guns, camos, or any other goodies in this content drop, just in case you're wondering.

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Liberation: Upon first screenshot, I immediately thought of Stadium from Black Ops, just because it looked similar. When actually playing the map though, it's completely unlike Stadium. Liberation takes place in what I suppose is supposed to be Central Park in New York... you can even see the Empire Stat Building in the background, for example. After seeing some early footage of this map, I was very impressed with how the map looked, but not exceptionally excited with how I was expecting the map to play out. And now, I know why, unfortunately. Liberation is pretty much a map for snipers only. Sure, there are a select few areas where assault rifles would beat a sniper rifle, but let's not kid anybody - this is a map for snipers, and if you play Team Deathmatch, you can expect nothing but a campfest.

After playing about four games of TDM on this map, that's all it was each and every time. Hell, I've hardly even gotten a chance to see the middle of this map just because it's about impossible to get through there without getting your head blown off. Other objective modes for Liberation are also rather disappointing. In a game mode like Capture the Flag, if your flag carrier dies, it's super simple for an enemy sniper to camp back and shoot anybody that's about to pick up the flag on your team. I really can't think of any one objective game mode that could be fun on this map... and if you wanted to get any enjoyment out of ANY objective mode, you'd sure as hell better have a tactical insertion in your class, because otherwise you'll be running a half mile to get to the enemy flag. Almost entirely just because of how the map looks, and not how it's played, I give Liberation a ... 3/5

Piazza: When I saw the previews for these maps before release, I was actually more excited for Liberation than Piazza. After playing Liberation, I was dissatisfied to say the least. In the initial video I saw for Piazza, I felt that from a distance it looked way too much like Favela. Fortunately for me, - Favela was one of my least favorite maps in MW3 - Piazza is nothing like Favela, and is also the exact polar opposite of what Liberation is as far as map design. While Liberation is quite possibly the largest map in Modern Warfare 3, Piazza is one of the smallest - not much longer than Dome, I don't think. If you didn't already know, it takes place at some town in Italy, right near the water. The landscape looks incredibly nice, and I really love the design of the map. But as you can see from my Liberation score, that's not what makes a good map.

Fortunately, Piazza looks great, and plays pretty decently too. While Liberation is a map that I feel is almost good for nothing, Piazza plays well in TDM, S&D, and CTF to name a few. Its small size make a shotgun (A.K.A. Striker) or SMG a necessity, while there are virtually no areas where a sniper or even assault rifle could win. Piazza is a very small map with several buildings, sets of stairs, and corners. The main problem I have with Piazza is the same that I tend to have with Dome - it can get very clusterfuck-ish, and you WILL be shot in the back/spawnkilled repeatedly if you're unlucky enough to have that happen (I didn't mention it in my review of Liberation, but the spawning in that map - even with it's gigantic size - is pretty poor as well from my early on experiences.). It's not a fantastic map by any means, but it is most certainly a better map all around than Liberation is. 3.75/5

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And that's that - the first Content Drop for MW3 reviewed. Disappointed by the scores? Did you play the maps yourself and not care for them much either? Yeah. I was extremely unhappy with these two maps. To be honest, I'd go as far as saying that this is the most disappointing content I've ever gotten from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. I sure hope Infinity Ward can 'wow' me next time, because if this Content Drop is a sign of things to come, I surely won't be happy.

3.25/5

How to Get Better at Modern Warfare 3

If you're frustrated of getting your ass handed to you in Modern Warfare 3, you've hopefully come to the right place to get that turned around.

1.) Learn the Maps: This shouldn't come as a surprise, because it's really important in any game you play to be familiar with it. When I say learn the maps, I don't mean just play them a million times over going to the same area of every map (Which is why camping will not help you.), but explore. I have over 3 days played now, and I STILL see some people hopping up in areas of maps I didn't know existed.

2.) Beat the Campaign/Spec Ops Missions on Veteran: While the Call of Duties have gotten considerably easier with each coming release, if you can beat the game on veteran, then you should be in decent shape online.

3.) Do Spec Ops Survival: Sort of similar to number two, but even more helpful, as the maps you play on are the same ones that are online. When doing Survival Mode, you're both learning the maps, and getting a fair amount of experience with different guns and perks in the game. Not to mention it's actually pretty fun and challenging, too.

4.) Choose Perks Wisely: If you're playing a game mode like S&D, I strongly recommend you use a perk like Dead Silence, as it's the most useful for the game type (Although Sit Rep is also useful in S&D), and to not use something like Scavenger, as it's completely worthless in that mode. I highly recommend you make game-mode specific classes if you play more than one.

5.) Change it Up: If you find yourself playing one game type, such as Team Deathmatch, stop. Playing other modes encourages you to explore different areas of maps, learn choke points, and if you have a headset or are playing with friends, it encourages team work. That is, if you care about winning. But I'd assume you do, which is why you're reading this in the first place.

6.) QUIT CAMPING/Go for the Objective: If you happen to be one of many players in the Modern Warfare 3 community that likes to sit in corners during the length of game play, you really need to stop. What this does is two things: First of all, you only become familiar with one or a couple spots of any particular map. Perhaps more importantly, go for the objective. There's nothing more frustrating than being in a match of Domination and having somebody on your team playing like it's Team Deathmatch. I.E., in it for the kills.

7.) Pick up Black Ops: When in doubt and nothing seems to be working, get Call of Duty: Black Ops. Black Ops has the mode I talked about earlier - Combat Training - which lets you play multiplayer maps by yourself against bots at a difficulty of your choosing. It's really the best way to train your thumbs.

Game Review (NFL Blitz Arcade - Xbox LIVE Arcade)

I was a huge fan of NFL Blitz 2000 on the N64, and seeing this on XBLA made it an instant-buy for me. In case you're wondering if it stacks up, the answer is yes. NFL Blitz games of old were great because they were high scoring, frantic, fast paced, and had a hefty amount of rubberbanding, which was both beneficial and not-so-very beneficial at times... but that's what made it Blitz.

All that should be said is that this game should be bought if you had any interest at all in past Blitz games. This game is what those games were and more (except for the late hits. Unfortunately, the NFL wouldn't let EA put them in the game. Bummer, right?). Blitz Arcade is a really worthwhile game if you're a fan of games that like to make you shake and nearly give you a heart attack - every game is close from beginning to end, and you'll likely find many of your games going to overtime.

While the subtractions of late hits is disappointing, the new features make up for the absence. There is now a Gauntlet mode, a la Mortal Kombat, that allows you to choose a team and go head-to-head against the A.I. until you get to the top. It's fun because there are boss modes in between real NFL teams that include the likes of cowboys, lions, and many more.

Another new mode, and perhaps my favorite, is what EA has in its most popular sports games now, and that's the whole card thing. You know, where you earn in-game currency (In this case, Blitz Bucks) to buy card packs to improve your team, team logos, banners, and even cheats -- albeit ones that are purely visual.

The graphics are pretty good for an arcade game, the game runs pretty smoothly, the commentary is funny (even if it can get a bit redundant at times), and the game is about as fun as ever. What I think will really make NFL Blitz Arcade worth going back to is its Blitz League mode (The one where you use Blitz Bucks to build a team). The thing I'm really worried about though with Blitz Arcade is that I don't know just how long the game will last.

I say that because the only way to get Blitz Bucks is to play online, and obviously, if no ones online, you won't be getting the currency, and so the Blitz League mode will die, leaving you to play with nobody but the A.I. Even if that does happen, Blitz Arcade is a measly 1200 MSP ($15), and you're more than likely going to get several hours of worth from this game... so do yourself a favor and get it.

+: Best Blitz since NFL Blitz 2000; pretty decent commentary; say good-bye to playing in the same; old generic stadium; new features are awesome.

-: As good as this game is, nothing will beat the original few games; As is a worry with any XBLA game, how long will there be an online community?

4.25/5

Game Review (Pokemon SoulSilver - DS)

Graphics: 4.5/5 It's nice to finally see Pokemon with 3D landscapes. The environments look much better, and the colors and attacks are much more pleasing to look at as well. Not the best looking game on the DS, but for what it is - a Pokemon game - it's well done.

Sound: 4.5/5 People can complain all they want about the 8-bit Pokemon cries, I like it due to its nostalgia. Hearing some of the cries, in particular the first generation Pokemon, flew me back 10+ years.

Fun: 5/5 Pokemon Ruby was the last Pokemon game I played on a regular basis. About 8 years later, I finally got this and am glad I did ... better late than never. Everything you loved about the past Pokemon games is in SoulSilver, with several little things added to make the experience just a little bit different from when you first played Silver. To make things even better, the Pokemon in this game can be traded over to Platinum/Diamond/Pearl or even Black or White. If you haven't played this game yet, now's the time.

5/5

7 Ways to Get Better at Mario Kart 7

So maybe you've just made the plunge in to Mario Kart 7 and it's your first title of the series, or you've been a fan of the series for a long time but just have never done that well. You've come to the right place if you want to get better at this game.

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1.) Drift!: This may just be the most important thing to do out of all of these steps - use your drift-boosts. How do you do this? It's really rather simple. Upon turns, move the left stick in the direction you're going and press the 'R' button on your 3DS. When you do this, your kart will slide. If you do this for a long enough period, your kart will have blue and then red flames. The difference between these two flames is simply that red gives you a longer boost. Regardless of whether or not you can get red on every turn (to be honest, you can't get one on most turns in this game), every little boost helps.

2.) Know the tracks: This should probably be common sense, but it has to be said. If you don't know the tracks and the short cuts and how to cut corners flawlessly, then you just aren't going to finish in a good position. Period.

3.) Use your items intelligently/Watch the bottom screen: If you're a long-time fan of the Mario Kart series, then you know that its notorious for catering the better items for those further back in the race. For instance, a person in 8th will get the lightning bolt or a blue shell, while the person in first will almost always get a banana/green shell/Tanooki tail. If you're in first place and have one of those three items, don't use them unless it's necessary - don't just plop bananas down behind you. It is much wiser to instead hold the 'L' button while you're racing, so that if a red shell is fired at you, you won't flip your kart. Also, it's easy to ignore the bottom screen when playing this game, but you should definitely keep an eye on it, particularly if you're in first place and you want to see if the guy in 2nd is about to put out can of red shell whoop-ass on you. Use my tips from this step, and he'll be screaming in frustration in no time.

4.) Collect coins: When playing online, I see very few people actually doing this. Not only does collecting coins help you unlock kart customization things, but your kart goes a little bit faster with every coin you get - so get as many as you can.

5.) Empty your load: If you happen to be in first place and a dreaded blue shell is headed your way, and you have items on you, drop them. When you do this, you can potentially wipe out any racers that would normally pass you had you not done it.

6.) Starting boost: If you're new to the series or just have a bad memory, there's a way to instantly put yourself ahead of the other racers. How? When the race is counting down (3..2..1..), halfway through 2, hold down 'A' until it says "GO!" What this will do is give you a shooting start. Be careful though - if you hold 'A' as soon as you see 2 or sooner, you'll start in the BACK of the pack.

7.) Acceleration: Last but certainly not least, this is the best thing you can do for yourself to improve your chances at winning. While you may be tempted to use the likes of heavyweights such as Bowser, Donkey Kong, or Wario, you should pick a lightweight racer like Lakitu, Toad, or Koopa, and optimize your kart for acceleration. While you may not like the idea of having low speed, the fact is, you don't need high speed in this game to be successful; basically just acceleration, and that only. The reason? Quick recovery. If you wipe out, you'll recover so quickly it's almost as if it never happened. If you're racing as a heavyweight though, you take forever trying to get yourself back up to speed.

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And there you have it. Trust me, if you follow these tips, you WILL finish at or near the top almost every single race. Of course, since this is Mario Kart, there will be times where a blue shell will strip victory from your hands literally feet from the finish line, but for the most part, these tips will help you immensely. Take it from me; I currently have a 252-24 record when racing online.

Happy racing!

Game Review (Super Mario 3D Land - Nintendo 3DS)

Graphics: 5/5 The graphics are bright, colorful, and smooth. The 3D effect not only looks great, but is actually MANDATORY for some sections during the game. Simply put, if you want the best looking game currently available on the 3DS, here you have it - it completely makes use of the 3DS's capabilities, and does it very well. It really blows my mind that such a tiny little cartridge can do what 3D Land does.

Sound: 4.5/5 Beside the fact that the music likes to loop a lot, like any other Mario game ever created, 3D Land has a really nice soundtrack. Surprised? Also, even the really minor sounds like Mario's "woo-hoo" and "hee-yah"s are nice... but you can't really expect anything less.

Fun: 5/5 Super Mario 3D Land is probably my favorite Mario platformer. While it won't take many long to go through all the worlds and "beat the game," you can always go back and get all three medallions on every section on every world to get a few nice unlocks that I won't bother to spoil for you. I don't generally recommend purchasing single-player only games (due to lack of replay value), but 3D Land is a game that just has to be experienced, and seen to believe. To be frank, anybody who is a naysayer of this game is either mentally retarded and/or has a brain tumor.

5/5

Game Review (Mario Kart 7 - Nintendo 3DS)

Graphics: 4.5/5 Just about the best looking game on the 3DS, and better looking than any Wii game, in my opinion. The tracks - both new and old - all look and play fantastically, and there aren't any I can think of at the top of my head I don't really enjoy... except maybe the Rainbow Road SNES track. Many people would probably call that one a classic, but I just don't care for it. Compared to the other tracks? To me, it's just really easy to overlook. The 3D in this game is also cool; while it doesn't necessarily help you with anything or give you an advantage, it's a new way to play Mario Kart, and I definitely recommend playing with the 3D on.

Sound: 4/5 Hit and miss, really. First off, I have to say, whoever they have doing Donkey Kong's voice ought to be fired... to say it's terrible would be an understatement. While mentioning the voices, it should be mentioned that they are extremely redundant. You'll hear Mario going "Wa-hoo!" "Yeah!" "Woo!" "Wa-hoo!" until you about snap your 3DS in half. On the plus side, the Retro Tracks' soundtracks bring back memories, so I naturally approve of that. While the new tracks have some decent soundtracks, there's nothing particularly memorable.

Fun: 4.5/5 Mario Kart 7 may not be drastically different from the recent Mario Karts, but it's still fun. The addition of the gliders and under-water moments are cool and interesting, but they don't change the game play much at all. Just about every single new track is worth playing over several times, and the Retro Tracks are incredibly fun, even if they were changed a bit to be Mario Kart 7-ish. The online features in this game are slightly improved from Mario Kart DS, but it's still not that deep. There are Communities, which are in a sense "clans," but it doesn't change much. The online play is still fun, even if there are blue shells a-plenty, and there are a few stats (Wins/losses, coins collected, VR rating). Mario Kart 7 may not be revolutionary, but it's still fun regardless. If you don't have a 3DS yet, you may's well buy one for this game alone.

4.5/5

Rock Band DLC Review Part XIX (May 2009)

Franz Ferdinand 01
"Smooth Criminal" Alien Ant Farm
"Blue Sky" and "Midnight Rider" The Allman Brothers Band
"Drain the Blood" The Distillers
"Naked Eye" Luscious Jackson
"Idealistic Types" and "The Banishment" Prong
Social Distortion 01
"Stricken" and "Stupify" Disturbed
"Black Friday" and "My Old School" Steely Dan
"Radio Radio" Elvis Costello
Alice Cooper 01
Taking Back Sunday 01
"Kids Don't Follow" The Replacements
Ministry 01
"She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" The Zombies
"Linger" The Cranberries

Simply put, an incredible month almost all the way through. I didn't realize until typing this up that there are a hell of a lot of "The"s this month. The Allman Brothers, The Distillers, The Replacements, The Zombies, and The Cranberries. Phew. ANYWAY - as I said, a great month. I could go through and say good things about a lot of these songs: Franz Ferdinand has a couple well-known tracks in their pack, "Smooth Criminal" is a pretty nice challenge on drums, Social Distortion is some quality old-school punk, Alice Cooper is a no-brainer despite a few live tracks, "She's Not There" is a classic. Most of what's here this month is gold.

Ftw of the month: Almost everything except...
Gtfo of the month: "Naked Eye", Steely Dan; only because... NO "REELIN' IN THE YEARS"? GTFO!
Avg of the month: 4.5/5

Rock Band DLC Review Part XVIII (April 2009)

After about a five month hiatus, I've finally decided to try and continue my review of Rock Band's DLC.

"New Slang" The Shins
"Warriors of Time" Black Tide
"Waking the Demon" Bullet for My Valentine
Toby Keith 01
Chinese Democracy by Guns 'n Roses
REO Speedwagon / Styx Tour '09
Hautewerk 01
Nothing's Shocking by Jane's Addiction

To be honest, I didn't get many songs from this month. I didn't get New Slang, Chinese Democracy, Hautewerk, or Nothing's Shocking. I did, however, get Warriors of Time, Waking the Demon, and most of the REO/Styx songs. April 2009's really an average month.. Warriors of Time and Waking the Demon both have some pretty sick guitar solos, and the Toby Keither pack provides a few decent country tunes. For me, the best thing from this month is the REO/Styx pack. Even though the Styx songs are re-records, the pack as a whole is fantastic on all instruments.

Ftw of the month: "Warriors of Time", "Waking the Demon", REO/Styx Pack
Gtfo of the month: Virtually everything else with the exception of a few Keith songs. Damn you, new GnR!
Avg of the month: 3.75/5

Game Review (Back to Karkand Map Pack for Battlefield 3)

For veterans of Battlefield 2, DICE and EA have finally released the Back to Karkand (B2K) map pack for the Xbox 360. Contained in this pack are four maps - Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island (2014), and Sharqi Peninsula, along with 10 weapons, and four new vehicles, for 1200 MSP ($15). If you're looking for an in-depth review, look elsewhere... I'm making this one brief.

Having never played Battlefield 2 before, these maps are all new to me, with the exception of Wake Island, which I played in Battlefield 1943 (Although that version looked quite different.) After a couple playthroughs on each map, I will say that all four maps are pretty good, and I'd assume most would agree. While the maps have very similar templates (I.E. Have similar colors), they are all laid out in quite different ways.

For the weapons, you don't have them available for use right away. Instead, you have to do Assignments for each gun. For instance, for the FAMAS, you need to get 10 revives, and 10 heals. As you look through the ten guns, you'll see that some will take much more time to unlock than others. While at first I thought it was pretty stupid to be forced to unlock guns in this fashion - I still think some of the things you have to do are a bit lame - it encourages you to play until you do unlock them all, and it will take the average player a decent bit of time to do so.

If that wasn't enough, there are a few new achievements added for you achievement whores, including one as simple as swimming in a pool on the Oman map, to getting a kill with a tank, a jet, and an assault rifle all in one life.

All-in-all, B2K is a pretty good map pack, and one that was much needed, as the 9 on-disc maps in Battlefield 3 were beginning to get a little stale. Although DICE/EA haven't put up DLC specific servers (which results in a lot of leaving matches when a disc map comes up following a DLC map), and while I'm mildly disappointed that the maps are colored similarly, they're fun to play, and the Assignments give reason to keep playing and unlocking the guns.

4/5

Food Review (W Burger from Wendy's)

I saw this on GrubGrade and was intrigued, so I went to Wendy's last night to try it out. The quickest way to describe this thing is that it's a double cheeseburger with Wendy's "secret sauce" on it.

In a word, unimpressed. The sauce didn't add much to the burger, despite there being a good amount of it on there, and the rest of the ingredients are on any other one at Wendy's. For $2.99 for the sandwich alone, I expected more. Something fairly unique, and something I'd try more than once... but there's nothing about this cheeseburger that's different from a single or a double, because like I said, the sauce is pointless. It's not terrible, but it's certainly "been there, done that."

3.5/5

Hardware Review (Turtle Beach MW3 Foxtrot Headset)

After going through several stock Microsoft headsets, I finally decided to get something a bit more durable - what I ended up getting is the Limited Edition Turtle Beach MW3 Foxtrot Headset.

Out of the box, I was pretty quickly satisfied with the design and the feel of it. It's well-made, yet lightweight. Hook-up is also quite simple, but if you need instructions, they're there for you. As this thing is wired, it doesn't take batteries; it simply plugs into one of the USB ports on your 360.(I recommend the one in the back, just because. Well. It's in the back.)

On the cord, there's a little box that allows you to adjust game sound, chat sound, toggle mute, adjust bass, and this thing that says "Expander" ... I'm ignorant as to what this thing is supposed to be, all I know is that when you turn it to on, you get a bit more static than when it's off, doing nothing from what I can tell other than lowering the audio quality. There's also a little 360 controller on the box, which is where you plug in the little included adapter cord, so you can talk to people over Xbox LIVE.

It's really quite incredible what a solid headset does for you - how much it changes the game. You really have to hear it to believe it. While this isn't the absolute best headset on the market, or the cheapest, it's not too bad at the price of about $100. While this headset doesn't have Dolby 7.1, it has "amplified stereo," as well as an awesome thing I mentioned above - the bass boost. This thing makes the headset all-the-more worth it. Turn this up, and any game you're playing instantly becomes better. In Call of Duty or Battlefield, every shot you fire from your gun rattles your eardrums ever-so nicely, as does a nice big explosion. Perhaps even better, is using this headset while playing Rock Band or the good ol' defunct DJ Hero - never has the music sounded so good. And of course, the bass just makes it better.

Another thing that's included with the Foxtrot Headset is "chat boost." The chat boost is a built-in thing that is supposed to adjust the volume in the people you're talking to's voice, to the sound in-game. While this is great in theory, I've had issues with it. While playing Modern Warfare 3, I had the game volume about 3/4 of the way up, and chat at half way. Seemingly randomly, the chat would suddenly get incredibly loud, so I'd turn it down. After doing so, it was so quiet, I couldn't hear anybody to talk. I had to do this over and over again, and it resulted in quite a bit of frustration. What I have noticed is that the lower your bass boost, the less likely this will happen. Regardless, it seems unavoidable if you're chatting with people, and it can be either a minor annoyance, or an ear-bleeding hell of an experience.

So... would I recommend this headset? Yes. Are there other and better, cheaper options? Yes. The main reason why I really prefer this headset to other Turtle Beaches, is that it just looks nice with its sleek design. I should also let you know that even though this says it's a Modern Warfare 3 headset, the only spot you can really sense that it's a Call of Duty headset is on the box on the cord, where it says Call of Duty MW3, and on the top of the headset itself, where it has Call of Duty pressed in. Overall, it's just aesthetically pleasing all-around, and the audio quality isn't too shabby either.

+: That brand new "out of the box" smell, solid sound quality, bass boost, looks pretty cool.

-: Cord is pretty freakishly long, the chat boost has its issues, may not be the best option for the price it is - shop around first.

4/5

3/1/12 UPDATE: Just a couple weeks ago, after having this headset for just about 2 months, it stopped working for no reason at all. I take care of my stuff, so it certainly wasn't because of throwing it around, dropping it, or anything like that. I just used it one day, and the sound coming out was really quiet and staticy. I went to return for a new pair, and found that they don't even sell Foxtrots anymore - at least not at Best Buy, apparently. I wound up settling with the Turtle Beach X12's (Which I'll be reviewing soon, most likely). As much as I originally liked the Foxtrot Headset because of its design, feel, and sound quality, I can't rate it very high now considering it only lasted me about 60 days. You may be thinking that I'm just incredibly unlucky, but this same thing also happened to one of my friends around the same time mine broke. Because of the lack of durability in the Foxtrot Headset, I'll now have to give them a...

2/5

Food Review (New Burger King Fries)

This isn't going to be a long review, because it doesn't NEED to be a long review. A couple weeks ago I decided to get Burger King, and saw that the fries seemed to be bigger than before. I didn't see any advertising for the fries, so I was pretty confused.

All there is to say is, if you liked the old BK fries, you'll like these ones. If you didn't like the old ones, you won't like these. Why? They taste exactly the same. The only difference here is the size.

Personally, I've always liked Burger King's fries, and have preferred them to any other fast food fries out there. I know, I'm a rare breed. If anything, I like these fries more than the previous version just because they are bigger. Unlike Wendy's change in fries, this change is a good one.

4.25/5

When they're fresh, they're glorious. When they're old, well. You know.

Food Review (Deluxe Cheeseburger, Mushroom and Swiss Burger, and Western BBQ Cheeseburger from Burger King)

These three $2 were put on the Burger King menu about a month or two ago. How are they? Well, let me start with the Deluxe Cheeseburger.

The Deluxe Cheeseburger to me just seems like BK's way of making their own Big Mac... and I actually like it. It's a typical burger with cheese, lettuce, onions, and pickles, with a Thousand Island-esque dressing. The difference between the sauce on this cheeseburger and the Big Mac though, is that this one seems to be a little sweeter, which wasn't too bad of an idea. I'd probably get it again.

Deluxe Cheeseburger: 4/5

The Mushroom and Swiss Burger is very, very average. What you've got here is a burger with Swiss cheese, topped with sauteed mushrooms, and BK's "grill sauce." I feel like this would taste a lot better if its sauce had less salt in it. The mushrooms are what you'd expect from a fast food place (not very flavorful and sort of rubbery), and that's all that you really get from this. As said, this hamburger would be better if it just had a little less salt in the grill sauce.

Mushroom and Swiss Burger: 3.5/5

Finally, the Western BBQ Cheeseburger. This one intrigued me most - not because it was at all a unique idea, but because I've always liked somewhat out-of-the-box burgers like this one. This one is just a hamburger with BBQ sauce, cheese, and onion rings... and it's good. It's nothing most people haven't had before, but it tastes alright, and that's really all that matters.

Western BBQ Cheeseburger: 4/5

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All three of these are pretty decent, but the thing is, $2 almost seems too much for these things. The size of these are about that of a Whopper Jr., to give you an idea, and it's not like there are little gold flakes on here that make these worth a dollar more than the Whopper Jr. But if you want something somewhat different at Burger King, try either the Deluxe Cheeseburger or the Western BBQ Cheeseburger... they're not too shabby.

Drink Review (Mountain Dew Green Game Fuel)

This past month, Activision reached a deal with Frito-Lay/Pepsi to get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on their products. In doing so, they also brought Game Fuel back for a limited time. The first Game Fuel being the one that was initially released for Halo 3, and then again for World of Warcraft. The second was this green version, which is described as "Dew with a Charge of Tropical Flavor."

At first smell, I didn't really care for it. To me it was kind of like the smell of regular Mountain Dew after you burp - so not very appetizing. I thought it would taste like it smells, and it doesn't really. The closest thing I can compare this tasting to is something like a mix of Mountain Dew and Sprite, with pineapple juice. If you can remember how Revolution tasted when it came out a couple years back, it reminds me of that mixed with Baja Blast from Taco Bell. It's not the most unique, best tasting Mountain Dew, but it's a pretty good one... if you have the option of this or the orange Game Fuel though, there's almost no reason to choose this one, unless you haven't had it before.

3.75/5

Game Review (Mario Kart!)

Yeah... just doing this because I can and I want to. I'm going to list all of the current Mario Karts in order of how much I liked them - least favorite to most favorite - and give each one a score, this time with percentages, so there aren't three way ties with scores. With Mario Kart 7 coming out in a couple weeks, why not? (Keep in mind I won't be reviewing the two arcade versions of the game.)

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6.) Mario Kart Wii: 79% That's correct. I'm giving the most recent version of Mario Kart a C+ rating. The reason for this is that it seems like in Mario Kart Wii, more-so than any version previous, really helps out n00bs. Essentially, this Mario Kart seems to take the least skill. It's still fun, and there is a pretty great collection of new and old tracks here, but this is the most frustrating Mario Kart of them all, as well as the oddest... the inclusion of mini-bikes sort of confused me, seeing as how the game is called Mario KART. Fortunately, they're out, and hopefully for good, in Mario Kart 7. Since it's been said that Mario Kart 7 is more like Wii than any other game in the series, I'm hesitant to get too excited for it. Time will tell.

5.) Super Mario Kart: 83% I really remember playing this game for the first time when I was about four or five years old at my cousin's house. He didn't seem to want me to play, so I mostly just remember watching, but the bit that I did play, and from what I watched, the game pretty much blew my mind back then. The really cool thing about this game is that, since it was the first Mario Kart, the game was mostly RACING. It seemed like there was less emphasis on the items, and that's what sort of sets this game apart from the others in the series. It's a bit aged now and feels a bit bland, but it remains a classic.

4.) Mario Kart Super Circuit: 84% I had no idea this game even existed until I randomly went in a Target when I was 12 and got it. Super Circuit got ridiculously high reviews on almost every website on the internet, and that surprised me. It's a pretty fun game, and a tiny step above Super Mario Kart to me, but Mario Kart just can't shine like it's supposed to with 2D landscapes, no matter how fun the game may be - it just feels dated, and at times it's nearly impossible to tell where you're going. Still, as with the original Mario Kart, there's no denying this game is fun, even if it's almost entirely in 2D.

3.) Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: 88% Although I owned a GameCube, and have always loved Mario Kart, for whatever reason, I never owned this game. I'm not sure why... I guess I was just a stupid child. Well. StupidER child. Anyway, I feel like Double Dash!! doesn't get the attention it deserves. At the time this game out- and actually even now, realizing it's a GameCube - I thought this was one of the best looking games released. The cartoony, smooth look, and how well the framerate held up was just one of many reasons I enjoyed this game. The whole two players per kart idea was and still is a pretty cool idea. In fact, I wish we had this option in Mario Karts even today - one of the best Karts ever.

2.) Mario Kart DS: 91% The first-time blend of new tracks with new I thought was a brilliant idea. Couple that with online play for the first time in Mario Kart's history, and Mario Kart DS was probably my favorite DS game, period. The game looked good, the frame rate held up, the online racing was surprisingly fun and minimally laggy, and as I brought up a bit ago, the 16-new, 16-old track idea was awesome. An insta-classic right here.

1.) Mario Kart 64: 93% And here I am, the only person in the world, that would ever say Mario Kart 64 was his/her favorite Mario Kart. Compared to Mario Kart DS in terms of gameplay, I should probably give that game the edge, but this game has a certain feel to it, and the nostalgia factor, that makes me give it top honors. It's pretty simple - 16 tracks, and 8 characters, all off the bat - nothing to unlock. No stats to track... but this game didn't need it. I couldn't tell you just how many hours I put into this game as a kid, but I'm sure as hell it was an embarrassingly high amount.