Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Metacritic Rating: 91/100
Copies Sold: 3 million (As of September 2011)
Release Date: September 2011

Much like its predecessors, Gears of War 3 is a third-person shooter that places a high emphasis on the use of squad and cover tactics and strategies in combat. The player is able to carry four weapons: one set of grenades and one pistol as well as two additional weapons, each of which can be switched for other weapons that are in stockpiles throughout the game or which have been let go of by fallen enemies. There is a secondary fire mode feature that most weapons in the game possess, including the Lancer, the signature rifle of the game. This features a chainsaw bayonet that can slice enemies through when used at close range. All weapons ammunition can be reloaded by the player. The player can use an “active reload” that is designated by a small-sized cursor that moves above the HUD or heads-up display. When players hit their control buttons the cursor will appear in the section that is marked and the resulting reload will be faster and more powerful than if standard bullets were used. If the button is depressed outside of this region, however, the weapon will temporarily jam and the player will be left vulnerable throughout this time. Conversely, players can opt to use the active reload which essentially reloads weapons at the standard pace. Players can even, at times, opt to carry heavier weapons such a gatling guns or mortars. These weapons, however, will ultimately slow the player’s pace as long as they are being carried.

Players can take a measured amount of damage from enemy fire when in combat. This fills up a red “crimson omen” on the heads-up display and denotes the player’s health. As the player continues to remain out of the line of fire, the “crimson omen” will dissipate. When too much damage is taken by the player, the player can go down but can be brought back up by a comrade during a short “bleed out”. Alternatively, the player can die. If the game is being played at a superior difficulty level, however, the player will instantly die after extensive damage has occurred. Enemies can use execution moves to kill players during “bleed-out” periods. Additionally, head shots and explosives can instantly kill players without “bleed-out” periods. Enemies can be similarly be used by players to “bleed-out” as well. Players and their enemies and allies alike can use almost every structure to find cover. They can fire blind bullets from behind these structures or lean out in order to aim and take shots. Players are also able to switch rapidly to close by structures or walls or jump over cover that is lower than their starting position in a forward rush. Some forms of cover within Gears of War 3 can additionally be destroyed when impacted by a substantial amount of damage, which can ultimately provide tactical advantages when enticing enemies to come out from their hiding places.

The ability to tag opponents is a feature that is new to Gears of War 3. With this feature computer-controlled allies will focus their fire on the enemies that have been marked while human allies are additionally made aware of the locations of marked enemies on the HUD. Weapons and ammunition can now also be traded among allies throughout the battle.

The player is able to maintain an experience level throughout all modes of the game. Experience is gained through kills, making special types of kills, aiding and reviving teammates and through competitive modes and campaigns. Earning new levels will unlock the use of special weapons and character skins when the game is played in multiplayer mode.

Marcus Fenix and the COG forces were set to eliminate Jacinto Plateau in Gears of War 2, which was the only remaining major city on planet Sera following the Emergence Day arrival of the Locust seventeen years past. Creatures that have mutated as the result of exposure to Imulsion, an energetic liquid, the Locust and their tunnels were necessary to destroy in order to reduce the spread of Lambent.

Sales

During its launch week, Gears of War 3 sold in excess of 3 million copies. The sales for Gears of War 3 were higher than the first two games in the series.

As of September 27, 2011 more than $1 billion has been grossed by the Gears of War franchise.

Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: First person shooter
Metacritic Rating: 83/100
Copies Sold: 3 million (As of September 2009)
Release Date: September 2009

A new shooter has been released. It is Halo 3: ODST. In this game, players explore and open-ended environment. The setting takes place in Africa, in the fictional town of New-Mombasa. When it comes to gameplay, Halo 3: ODST resembles earlier titles. There is one prominent difference, however. The player never assumes the role of Master Chief, the main protagonist in the world of Halo 3. Instead, gamers control a variety of ODST, which are basically soldiers. These soldiers do not have the same abilities as Master Chief, as they are unable to jump fast, survive large drops or fire two weapons at one time. Players also lose the ability to take advantage of Master Chief’s special energy shield. Instead, players must use a special recharging mechanic. If one of the ODSTs get hurt, the screen turns red and the player’s overall stamina goes down. If he or she continues to receive damage, the player will start to lose health. If the player runs out of health, they will die. At that point, the game has to be restarted from the last checkpoint. To avoid such consequences, players should pick up medical packs. They will restore small portions of the ODST’s health. Also, if you learn how to use properly use the VSR mode, you will be able to know when enemies are coming. This will give you time to prepare for an attack. In addition, the VSR mode can also give you clues to all of the power-ups and other important items in the area.

Halo 3: OSDT also comes with a campaign mode. It can be played by oneself or cooperatively with three or fewer players. The premise of the mode is to figure out what happened to the character’s teammates. He must collect different pieces of evidence to come to these conclusions. These mini campaigns can be played in whatever order the player desires.

Multiplayer Mode

The multiplayer mode available in Halo 3: ODST comes on a separate DVD. It comes with 21 different maps and 3 bonus ones. These bonus maps are related to the game’s achievements. If that is not enough, there is a map editor. This will allow players to create their own customized levels. By doing this, the game does not stop with what the designers originally wanted. Players can keep the game going indefinitely based on their own creations.

There is also Firefight, another cooperative game within Halo 3: ODST. Players have to fight very difficult enemies in a “survival” environment. Firefight can be played with up to 3 gamers, but they must use the System Link to connect their consoles. If a player is using Xbox Live, they will have to play using a splitscreen mode. As for the gameplay, all of the players are given a shared pool of 7 lives. All of these lives get replenished at the end of 5 rounds. But the hard part involves maintaining at least one life, especially considering the “skull” system. These are modifiers that either improve or handicap a character. For example, if a player gets a “Catch” skull, enemies will throw more grenades. The first 3 rounds all have their own skills. When players get to the fourth level, all of the skulls are activated. In addition, gamers must be able to survive for a full minute. If they get hit even once, then they have to start all over.

Since its release, Halo 3: ODST became very successful, one of the best-selling games for the Xbox 360. The critics gave the game very positive reviews, as they were impressed with its atmosphere and cut scenes. However, they had mixed opinions on the game’s price. They felt that even with all the extras, the main campaign was just too short to warrant the $60 cost. Nevertheless, Halo 3: ODST sold very well in 2009. Over 3 million copies were sold. This should be enough of a clue as to whether or not Halo 3: ODST is worth the money.

Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: First person shooter
Metacritic Rating: 91/100
Copies Sold: 4.7 million (As of September 2011)
Release Date: September 2010

Halo: Reach assigns players roles as shooters mostly from the a first-person point of view. Each player is given a role in the Noble Six and assigned to do battle against a collective of aliens called the Covenant. Players have roles known as supersoldiers, and the basic game play resembles that of Halo: Combat Evolved. Each character has an energy shield that can be recharged and that deflects fire from the enemy. Hits cause the shield to deplete and the player to lose health. A zero health score causes the game to reset from a saved point, and the player can replenish with health packs located throughout each game level.

Equipment use is a bit different in Halo: Reach than in some previous versions. Single-use weapons from Halo 3 are a thing of the past. This kind of equipment had only temporary defensive and offensive advantages. The weapons in Reach can be reused and have lasting armor abilities that a character can keep until he or she replaces them. These upgraded capabilities include sprints, jet-packs, and camouflage. An added armor lock feature freezes the character but also gives him/her temporary invincibility. Previous Halo weapons have also gotten upgrades in this game version, and new ones also fill a range of roles in combat.

Multiplayer Capabilities

Halo: Reach allows for gamers to compete against one another with the Xbox’s split screen feature. They can also use the Xbox Live service as well as local networks. The standard Reach multiplayer modes include Capture the Flag and Slayer. Other game types are first introduced in Reach; these include the Headhunter feature. It works by one player dropping skulls for others to find and use for accumulating more points. Teams playing the Stockpile feature collect a number of flags that are designated neutral. Keeping these flags at capture checkpoints translates into higher scores.

The Generator game type pits three elite members of the Covenant versus three Halo human supersoldiers. These six players then swap roles after each round of combat. The Invasion game mode pits three groups of two fighters each against one another. This kind of combat entails Elite Covenants versus Spartans. The Elites fight for dominance over certain territories and try to disable the shield that protects a core of navigation. After they are able to disable the shield, they then have to move the core to a dropshipping feature. The Spartans’ entire mission is to prevent this from happening. More equipment and geographic area becomes available as the game keeps going.

Firefight is a Halo game type in which players vie for survival in an increasingly difficult set of enemy battles. The number and type of foes can be customized according to preferences. A team of Elites can also be controlled by a set of players to prevent Spartan scoring. Other game modes such as Generator Defense can also be played in Firefight.

Forge is a specialized editor in Halo: reach that allows players to make various edits they prefer. They can change the maps of multiplayers and modify a vast empty player map called the Forge World. Weapons, spawn points, and other specialty items can be added to this editor as well.

Halo: Reach has made a record $200 million in sales soon after its initial release. This figure surpasses that of other Halo versions. The strong sales suggest that recent slow video game sales could pick up in the near future. This game also sold about $350 million worth of related merchandise during the first two weeks of release. Most countries saw Reach move to the top of the Xbox 360 sales charts within a relatively brief time period. Figures from the NPD Group estimate that Halo: Reach sold about 3.3 million units in North America during the first month of release. The only other games to do as well are Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3 for the generation of consoles that include PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360. Reach also became the third best selling game of 2010 after Madden NFL and and Call of Duty: Black Ops. As of September 2011, Reach has sold about 4.7 million copies.

Reach has also done well in the UK, reaching the fifth-best game launch in this particular sales region. It bypassed Halo 3 by about 20,000 sales units by the first week. Reach become the second best seller in the UK during its second week, right after the race game F1 2010. It remained the top seller in North America during this time. Halo reach had a strong start in Japan but leveled off in sales fairly quickly. It began with 44,413 units sold, less than Halo 3′s 61,143 sales figures within the first week of release.

Halo: Reach Trailer

Developer: Lionhead Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action RPG/Sandbox
Metacritic Rating: 89/100
Copies Sold: 3.5 million (As of March 11, 2010)
Release Date: November 2010

Fable II is a third installment in this role-playing (RPG) game series for the Xbox 360 game console. It follows the same premises as the Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters games. Just as with the previous two games, Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead Studios are the companies behind the publishing and development. Although Fable II was announced in late 2006, it was not actually released until 2008. Another Game of the Year special edition pack was later released in 2009, consisting of a Fable compilation and two extra content packs ready to be downloaded.

The fictional setting of Fable II is the land of Albion, and this segment takes place 500 years after the happenings of the original Fable game. The historical setting recalls that of the Enlightenment era, with larger cities and castles replacing smaller towns and villages. Players have more options in terms of their characters’ gender and sexuality in this Fable version. They are also free to chose liaisons and marriage with other players of their choice. Many of the main ideas come from the game’s creative director Peter Molyneux.

A few key differences can be found in Fable II. The Hero’s Guild is no longer there since Jack of Blade’s defeat, and Albion is in a period of relative peace and safety. Due to noticeable corruption, the common people eventually rebelled against and finally deposed the Hero’s Guild. Once their true practices were discovered, the Heroes had outlived their usefulness. War is now fought with sophisticated weapons such as firearms. Many of the early Fable cities have grown, and Albion’s previous medieval beliefs and practices have been replaced by the scientific ideas of the Enlightenment.

Fable II features a smaller number of locations, although each is broader in scope and detail. The Hook Coast and Witchwood Islands are no longer accessible to any players; the same applies to the Northern Waste. Players often make references to a land called Samarkand, although they never actually travel to this location. Each player begins his or her childhood in the slums of Bowerstone before growing up in a Bower Lake camp.

Players in Fable II have a good deal of freedom as far as where they can travel and when during their lifetimes. None has a set quest to fulfill, and many changes can happen over time. Quests can be chosen and changed as different players see fit. The game takes place over the course of a player’s life from childhood to adulthood, so both people and circumstances keep evolving. One example is the option to destroy or help a certain trade post that could later grow into a prosperous town. Trading and commerce in these camps can have a good deal of economic impact. Just as in real life, these kinds of decisions can greatly affect future happenings.

With the one exception of the Tattered Spire, players have the options of buying any available property in Fable II. Any building they enter is potentially up for sale. Players who buy certain property sometimes gain access to more available quests. Businesses, stalls, and homes can be either bought or rented. A business potentially creates income for the player who owns it, and this money accumulates every five minutes of game play. Income increases according to the given town’s economy, the business quality, and the shop owner’s opinion. Higher opinions lead to more sales and better status within the shop’s given community.

Even when the game console is powered off, players who charge rent will still see increases the next time they turn on Fable II. Owners who pay visits to their own shops also increase their earnings as well as their goods’ quality. Players who earn enough are also able to purchase and furnish their own homes in the game. Buying certain property will also grant the owner a specific title in some cases. Players who buy all of the property in one town become mayors for instance. Higher titles such queen or king come with accumulating large land holdings. Those who keep rent prices low gain statuses of Pure rather than Corrupt.

Fable II also has an intricate set of landscape features, such as trees animated with individual leaves that move along the same patterns as real ones. The landscape also features roughly 15 million poppy flowers. These details have been carefully rendered with the laws of physics for the most realistic effect.

This game was the overall best seller in the U.S. soon after its release in 2008. About 790,000 copies sold within this short time frame, and around 3.5 million have sold as of March 2010. The game looks to be holding steady as a top-selling RPG for the Xbox 360 console.

Fable II Trailer

Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Metacritic Rating: 93/100
Copies Sold: 5 million (As of May 7 2009)
Release Date: November 2008

Designed by Cliff Bleszinski for Epic Games, Gears of War 2 is designed to create a third-person shooter experience. Microsoft has picked up the game, and it’s predecessor, to publish on the XBOX 360 platform and was released in November of 2008 in North America, with a Japanese release following in July of 2009. In Gears of War 2, comic book author Joshua Ortega contributes to the saga by creating a plot, and the technical aspects of the game are enhanced thanks to the Unreal Engine 3 game engine.

Starting where the earlier version left off, Gears of War 2 continues the battle between the COG and the Locust horde as they attack, hoping to sink the floating cities of planet Sera. The Delta Squad ventures into the city, lead by Sgt. Marcus Fenix, as they prepare to defend Sera against the Locust assault. The primary mission of the game places the player in control of Sgt. Fenix, with the two player version adding in Fenix’s comrade Dominic Santiago. Gears of War 2 also allows new multi-player missions that pit five man teams against Locust attacks and a “Horde” mission in which five person teams must destroy growing Locust hordes that are stronger each time. The ability to used a dead enemy as protection, known as a “meatshield” and brief “chainsaw duels” are popular among players who enjoy the gorier aspects of the game.

The initial North American release of Gears of War 2 saw sales of more than two million copies with sales climbing to more than four million in just eight weeks. The record sales of the game earned Gears of War 2 the title of seventh best selling game of the year 2009, and the game received numerous awards from industry and media sources. Gears of War 2 was more popular than it’s predecessor, largely thanks to improved game play and new multi-player options. With the release of the third installment of Gears of War and sales of games and merchandise- including a limited edition XBOX console- soaring, the game has established itself as one of the most popular video game sagas ever released.

Gears of War 2 Trailer

Developer: Good Science Studio
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Adventure/Sports
Metacritic Rating: 61/100
Copies Sold: 10 million
Release Date: November 2010

Kinect Adventures was introduced to the gaming world in southern California in 2010 at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. This title uses the Kinect motion camera for Xbox 360 and was designed by engineers working for Good Science Studio for Microsoft Game Studies. This is the first title produced by Good Science. The game includes five minigames and is offered as a pack-in title.

All games have multiplayer capability and each takes approximately three minutes to place. Full body motion game play features photo capture on the RGB camera with the images saved in digital format. Users may view the photos in game or upload them to Kinectshare.com. Photos can be downloaded to any computer or shared through popular social networking websites. When used in two player mode, games are cooperative with the exception of Reflex Ridge which allows players to compete against one another.

Players must complete a number of tasks to earn as many adventure pins as they can during each minigame. Medals are awarded to players based on rank with bronze requiring the least number of pins and platinum requiring the most. The game has a story mode setting that allows the player to progress based on the medals earned while playing each minigame. Players dodge, kick and jump in exciting locations. Gaming action involves riding whitewater rapids, navigating a mountain top obstacle course, underwater diving exploration and floating around in outer space.

Since Kinect Adventures is included with the Kinect sensor unit, it has a number of features that users will find helpful in calibrating the Kinect sensor. Proper sensor set up ensures that gamers have the best gaming experience when using Kinect.

With 10 million Kinect units sold to date, Kinect Adventures is now ranked as the third highest selling game for the Xbox 360 gaming console. Halo 3 holds the number spot and Call of Duty: Black Ops is ranked second.

Kinect Adventures Trailer