Yep, it’s that time of the week where I spam–er…advertise my recently published articles. So, without any further delay, let’s get down to business.

Far Cry 2 Review

The following is an excerpt of my review of Far Cry 2

“Instead of developing the direct sequel to the landmark 2004 shooter Far Cry, Crytek moved on to bigger and better things with their recent PC-exclusive Crysis. To fill the void left in Crytek’s wake, Ubisoft took the reins of the Far Cry franchise and the challenge of developing the true sequel. As is common when a new developer takes over an existing franchise, skeptical gamers have wondered how it well it could fare. With an entirely new setting and more down to earth direction, Far Cry 2 has taken the series to new places, while still retaining much of what made the original so great.”

Justin McBride – Talk Xbox

Full Review

The Problem with Xbox Live DLC

Wow, I really seem to be bashing the hell out of the Xbox 360 with my recent editorials. This is an issue I’ve had problems with for a very long while. Microtransactions have become one of my most hated new trends in gaming today and not for the reasons everyone may think.

Check out the full article here or the N4G listing here.

Thanks everyone for checking out my latest Articles and let me know what you think!

If any of you have been on Xbox Live recently and seen me online, you’ve probably been seeing me play Far Cry 2 almost non stop for the past week or so. Well, as I noted in my last blog post, this is the next title on my to-review list. I just finished spending some last minute reviewing time with it a few minutes ago and I think I’m finally ready to finish the review.

But first, some impressions…

Far Cry 2 has a lot in common with its Xbox and PC predecessor. They both feature a large, open ended setting, allowing you to tackle missions however you like. Unlike the first, all of the science fiction elements of the first Far Cry have been removed (IE no more mutants or the Xbox version’s feral powers).

So, how is it? Well, let’s just say I’ve been enjoying myself quite a bit. The weapon variety is very impressive, the open world is almost impossibly large, dotted with small towns and even smaller guard outposts here and there, and the visuals…oh man. The visuals are absolutely gorgeous. I would even go as far to say that they’re in contention with Gears of War 2 and Uncharted: Drakes Fortune as the console graphics king of this generation (I say “console” graphics king because we all know nothing beats Crysis). This fictional portrayal of an African nation, deeply embroiled in a civil war that threatens tear the country apart has to be one of the best open worlds I’ve ever seen behind GTA IV’s Liberty City, but only just. I’ll save the raving about the visuals for the review but needless to say, I was very impressed.

Another aspect of the game that impressed me was the dynamic propagation of fire. This is a very realistic concept that many games have only tip-toed around. Fire in this game spreads quickly and burns everything in its path to a crisp, including enemy soldiers that are unfortunate enough to stand in its way. There have been times when I’ve merely thrown a Molotov cocktail into the middle of an enemy outpost and watched it go up in flames, taking every one of my enemies down in the process without me having to fire a shot. That’s how great a weapon fire can be in this game.

Enemy AI has been hit or miss in my experience. There are times in which they showcase some brilliant tactics such as setting up flanking maneuvers, throwing grenades to flush me out, utilizing stationary gun turrets when they could. And…there are other times where they make me think they’ve just gotten off of the short yellow bus. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been able to walk up next to an enemy soldier and stand there, right in front of his face before he recognized me as hostile and opened fire. There were times when I threw a grenade toward a vehicle I saw two guys running toward (they love using vehicles to take you down) and they got into the truck, suddenly realized how stupid they were and then (unsuccessfully) tried to scramble out before my grenade blew them to Kingdom Come.

Despite how alive and vibrant the game world is I couldn’t help but feel like there could have been more done to make it more entertaining to explore. After I got over the initial shock of how great the world around me looked, the will to explore wore thin. This isn’t Liberty City and there aren’t people and buildings to explore everywhere you look. There’s just miles and miles (literally) of open countryside. I still enjoyed myself for the most part but without some kind of fast travel option (aside from the bus stations generally situated in the four corners of the map) it made driving to and from mission locations a bit tedious.

Overall, I was impressed by Far Cry 2. Stay tuned for the full review, which will be posted on Talk Xbox very soon.

Pure Review

The following is but a short excerpt of my review of Pure, quite possibly one of the best ATV racing titles ever made.

“The extreme sports genre has always been one that empowers us to live our fantasies.  Pure is yet another in a long line of ATV racing titles that allows for just that. The talented team at Disney Interactive’s Black Rock Studio definitely had their work cut out for them when it came to making Pure stand out from the current crowd. That being said, it’s clear they’ve done a great job in that regard and have produced what is probably the best ATV racing game this generation.”

Justin McBride – Talk Xbox

Full Review

Nintendo Announces the DSi

“Nintendo announces a second redesign to its ever popular DS platform which features many enhancements and added features over the current DS Lite platform.”

Full Article

I’ve also got an editorial coming up that should be published on Talk Xbox tomorrow. When it’s published, I’ll post an update here. In addition, I have some editorial content planned for this site alone and you should see that as soon as I finish it, so of course, stay tuned. If you like what you saw above, spread the word! Digg it, tell your friends and, of course, let me know! I’m always happy to hear from folks who enjoy my work.

Here’s an excerpt of my review of Devil May Cry 4, one of the biggest releases of the new year.

 ”Devil May Cry 4 for the Xbox 360 is the first game in the series to appear on anything other than a Playstation platform. Because of this, first time players might not know what to expect. Those expecting a fairly standard action game are in for a big surprise when they witness Devil May Cry 4’s enormous emphasis on stylish, over-the-top action. They might be surprised to see Devil May Cry’s sarcastic, almost lighthearted take on a world plagued by demons. Because of this, Devil May Cry 4 is rather unique in the action/adventure genre. If this is something that excites you, dive in headfirst and prepare yourself for one hell of a ride.”

Justin McBride, Talk Xbox

Full Review