Combat in Dragon Age is very similar to Neverwinter Nights, with activated abilities, sustained abilities, and a very easy spell casting system. Pausing to switch between party members to select their abilities or spells is something you’ll find yourself doing quite frequently. You can also edit their default combat style to your liking, even telling your mage to heal your main character when your health is below a certain percentage(which is extremely helpful when you don’t want your main character dying).

Creating potions, poisons, and enchanting objects in Dragon Age is extremely simple. Creating a potion or posion is as simple as finding a place that sells the recipe for a poison or potion that you want and purchasing it. After you have the recipe for it, you just need the ingredients. There’s no “chance of failure” or anything annoying like that. So creating a ton of potions for your party is not only easy but relatively cheap. When you want to enchant an object, you are only required to have 2 items. An item to enchant, and a rune to enchant the selected item. After that you go to a certain dwarf at your campsite and you’re in business. It seems like this part of the game is more tailered to fit a casual style of gameplay, but in the best way possible.

Each origin story is different in Dragon Age, from a high class dwarf, to a lower class elf. All stories are very specific and you will be treated differently throughout your time in Fereldan based on your origins. You will find yourself with a rather large party if you play your cards right, but pleasing every party member is a task in itself. Each companion has an approval rating of you, which you can see under their inventory screen. This rating is effected by many things, the choices you make while being with them, the way you talk to them, and even the chance to give them gifts. The ability to give a companion character a gift really makes the approval system a lot easier, so after giving a few alchoholic beverages to a dwarf in your party, you’ll be best friends in no time.

There are a few bugs in the game however that really got to me. If you are obsessed with graphics you will notice a few low res textures when you’re playing on the highest setting, Bioware confesses that a few of the low resolution textures were mixed into the high setting folder. The combat, even when playing on easy was pretty difficult at first. I found myself dying quite a bit. Bioware since has released a patch to make the easy and medium difficulties more balanced.

After playing through the game twice already, the replay value isn’t as high as I thought it would be. Each beginning story is great and very different, but the way you are treated by others isn’t different enough for me. Every time you begin the game, you will eventually become a grey warden and fight for the salvation of Fereldan. In the end Dragon Age: Origins brings a healthy dose of story with great voice acting and cinimatics to a genre of generally poorly written by other game developers. It’s easy enough to follow for a casual player, but there’s enough side quests and secret items to keep the hardcore gamers interested. You would be foolish to pass up this amazing RPG title.

So what’s going to be new for MH? What’s the news? What’s going to happen for MH in 2010?

First let’s talk about the success of the Mangahunter Forums:

Mangahunter forums have launched September 2009 and has continued to grow with members joining the MH Clan. Ofcourse the people who are helping out taking MH to the top and being rewarded. Join the MH forum and let’s continue growing this unique community! We now have over 2500 members and 12000 posts, which is a big forum that is only 3 months old.

In other news we promise you that MH will continue it’s daily streak of news, reviews and previews hopefully we will not be on break again!

First thing you will notice about Left 4 Dead 2 is how amazing and visually stunning it is! You will be in total awe of the realistic gore graphics and how you can shoot through a zombie and right into the other side of the map. The water effects are also amazing especially with hurricane type weather.  The sound combinations make you actually feel as if you’re in a world infested with zombies in southern United States. The musical que when an event is activated or hoards of zombies are coming also gives a great movie like feeling to the game. One of the best aspects about this part is when you’re facing one of the biggest and toughest zombies. The Tank dramatic music will begin to play, making the battle that more thrilling.

Now if the graphics and sound alone weren’t enough to make you run out the house and buy the game, then the game play would. The game play, put simply is awesome in all game modes. Sure it may be a bit hard at times, but it’s still extremely fun, even when losing. There are five game modes, single player, campaign, versus mode, scavenger mode and survival mode. Every game mode has its own unique way of making the game fun in a new way. The game modes most like would be single player and campaign which is the same thing although in Campaign you can play with real players and single player you play with bots. In Versus mode you go through the campaign mode, but you have enemy players as the special infected zombies and after you’ve had your chance to play as a survive you, then you get to play as a special infected zombie. The newest special infected in this are the spitters, the chargers and the jockeys. The spitter will spit acid, the charger slams players into walls and the jockey jumps on the heads of players and leads them into danger. You also play as the original infected the boom, the hunter and the smoker.  The boom pukes and attracts normal zombies, the hunter pins down and rips them apart, and the smoker pulls them back with his real long tongue and the tank who uses brute force.

In the Survival Mode you and 3 other friends must survive as long as possible against a never ending wave of zombies and special infected. In the last game mode scavenger mode is where you must gather gas tanks to fill up the objective with while the zombie team fights to stop you. You must get 16 gas cans for a perfect score and prevent the enemy team from getting 16 gas cans.  There are three rounds of this and the best of the three will win.

Left 4 Dead 2 in all is one of the greatest games of this year and probably the next year. It has amazing graphics, sound, multiplayer and game play it’s everything the original Left 4 Dead should have been. If you haven’t already gotten then go out and get it now! It is just that good and is by far the best co-op game out there currently and probably ever.  That is why it is getting a perfect score of 5 out of 5!

So lets get to the good stuff, Insomniac has included: Rocket Boots, Time bending(control), and last but certainly not least, also my favorite-more puzzle’s and inclusion of deeper puzzle gameplay similar to the critically acclaimed Braid, that’s available on XBLA and PSN. Now enough of Braid and more R&C!

Pros

• Improved graphics that are beautiful
• Great story
• Improvements to the last two installments
• Great controls
• Wonderful Level Design
• Puzzles that are challenging

Cons

• The puzzles can be confusing after a while(To beginners)
• It ends

THE STORY

This adventure takes you on a long and fun ride to find your friend Clank, who is missing and his great friend Ratchet is on his way. Continuing from the end of “Quest for Booty”, Clank has been abducted by the Zoni; that were being led by the evil Dr. Nefarious, who is planning on dicovering the secret of “The Great Clock” by accessing Clanks internal self. Luckily before he can, Clank is swiped yet again from the Zoni who figure out. Nafarious’s operating is then thwarted by the efforts of Ratchet and Captain Qwark. Nefarious escapes and sends in his troops to get Ratchet, while his robotic butler Lawrence is sent to find and retrieve Clank.

Hopefully I didnt spoil everything for the people who dont want to read the spoilers below

*SPOILERS*

Clank awakes to find himself at the Great Clock. Through devices that tap into his memory banks, Clank learns that the Great Clock was constructed by the scientist Orvus as a means to heal the universe caused through excessive time travel. A portion of Orvus still resides in Clank’s memory banks, put their when Clank was constructed by Orvus, so that one day Clank would be able to take up the mantle of keeper of the Great Clock with the help of the Zoni. Clank learns how to operate the clock through additional information in his memory banks, including brief contact with the Plumber. However, as Clank attempts to fix various time streams, the Clock is attacked by Lawrence, and Clank is captured.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Qwark keep ahead of Dr. Nefarious’ forces. They learn of “the exile” that is also fighting Nefarious, and trace the being down to another Lombax, General Alister Azimuth. Azimuth tells Ratchet he know of his parents, and that it was his fault that the Cragmite Emperor Percival Tachyon was able to come to power, having shared the Lombax’ technical genius with him. When the Lombaxes left for another universe, Azimuth was forced to stay behind. As Ratchet, Azimuth, and Qwark stay ahead of Nefarious’ troops, Azimuth informs Ratchet of the Great Clock, and that they may be able to use it to bring back the Lombaxes to this universe. After hearing of Clank’s capture, they are able to free the robot. The group launches a stealth mission aboard Nefarious’ base, but are eventually caught. Before launching Ratchet and Clank on an asteroid into deep space, Nefarious reveals that he plans to use the Great Clock to go back in time to foil the various heroes and allow he and other villians to rise to power. Ratchet and Clank’s asteroid crashes into a near-by planet though the two are safe. They find a ship and return back to Nefarious to face him again before he can reach the Clock. They are able to defeat him, with Nefarious apparently destroyed in the explosion of his own ship, while Lawrence takes the escape pod.

The group returns to the Great Clock, where Clank is ready to resume his duties. However, when Clank refuses to allow Azimuth to use the machine to bring back the Lombaxes, with Ratchet supporting him, Azimuth fires his weapon at Ratchet, knocking him over the edge of the Clock and apparently killing him. Clank locks himself in the Orvus chamber where the main Clock controls are located to prevent Azimuth from getting in, but then recalls the advice given to him by the Plumber, and uses the Clock to go back in time six minutes, where he is able to push Ratchet out of harm’s way from Azimuth’s gun. Azimuth uses the distraction to get into the Orvus chamber and fully activates the clock. As he and Ratchet fight, the chamber and Clock start to fall apart on them. Ratchet eventually gives the upper hand, and convinces Azimuth that the past is best left where it is. Azimuth sees the error of his ways and agrees, and stays behind to help stabilize the Clock long enough for Ratchet and Clank to make their escape before it explodes.

THE GRAPHICS

When I speak of the graphics for this game, I only have one word to say… AMAZING! Never have I seen such amazing graphics for an platformer in my life and I’m happy to see them in this game. I’m dead serious when I say in the first level as Ratchet, if you stand still you can actually see the hairs on Ratchets ears. Aside from the gorgeous graphics the level design is flawless and that should be expected from such a rich series as this one.

THE GAMEPLAY

The gameplay for this game is nothing less of exceptional and is a reason why this series has been critically acclaimed. The “qwarky” guns are very original and bring a funky mood to the series. The guns fare well and the customizations of the guns keep a fun fresh feeling to using them, instead of feeling like you have to use them. My favorite gun so far is most likely the the fan made “Spiral of Death”. The Chronosepter is also pretty fun and is … well, the key to the puzzle aspects of the game, but is also a very reliable weapon.

In the end, whether the rumors of this being the last Ratchet & Clank game is true or not, this is a great installment to the series and a great way to end a series(If the rumor is true). It’s pretty clear through my review of this game that it is just about perfect for its genre and therefore I’m awarding it a perfect score 5/5.

This last Thursday after a long wait, we have been gifted with a Naruto Shippuden Special! That’s right, TWO FULL EPISODES have been released. And here I will be reviewing these two episodes.

The first episode of the special, Naruto Shippuden Episode 135, mostly consists of flash-backs from Sasuke’s and Itachi’s past. It shows a lot of their childhood as well as a lot about how Itachi killed the whole clan. It reveals how all of this was started, from Sasuke being a normal boy to wanting no more than to avenge his clan, and kill his own brother.

After all the flash-backs, the battle begins. Itachi comes at Sasuke, who counters and ends up pinning him on the ground, pierced through the chest with his sword. Itachi, once again, admits that Sasuke has become strong. Sasuke begins to ask a question, at which point Itachi reveals his Genjutsu, and is still sitting on his chair. Sasuke, however, counters this by having a clone sneak behind Itachi and stab him again.

Now that he has Itachi stuck, with his sword pierced through him, he begins to ask a question again. Sasuke asks him who his partner is… He wants to know who the third Uchiha with Mangekyo Sharingan is. Itachi decides to reveal to him who the co-conspirator was, and tells him that it was indeed Uchiha Madara.

That just about sums up the first episode of this special… I know, right? Just a ton of freaking flash-backs, with a little bit of action at the end. The next episode, however, turns out to be a lot better.

Naruto Shippuden Episode 136 starts off right where 135 left off, where Sasuke finds out that Uchiha Madara is Itachi’s co-conspirator to the massacre of the clan. Sasuke has much disbelief at first: he does not believe that Madara could still be alive after so many years. Itachi then lectures Sasuke on how humans’ assumptions are usually wrong, and their reality is truly an illusion.

Sasuke then sees through another genjutsu and strikes with Chidori, barely missing Itachi’s head, claiming that his eye is not the same as before. He can see through Genjutsu. Itachi then speaks of Mangekyo Sharingan and how after much use, it causes blindness. Itachi also confirms that Uchiha Madara not only caused the Kyuubi’s attack on Konoha, and is also immortal.

Itachi then tells him that there is one last secret to the Mangekyo Sharingan. He tells Sasuke of Madara’s past, and his brother. We find out that Madara and his brother were the head of the clan, and both extremely powerful ninja. They were the first two to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi then tells Sasuke of Madara’s blindness which came from the use of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Itachi finally tells Sasuke how Madara obtained eternal light within his eyes: the eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He obtained it by… taking both of his brother’s eyes as his own. This reveals Itachi’s true (or untrue?!) plan: to steal Sasuke’s eyes.

Itachi claims that he shall surpass Madara, using Sasuke as his ‘new light’. Itachi goes mad and immediately goes for Sasuke’s eyes.

Lastly, Sasuke once again tells Itachi that his reality is death. They then have a ridiculously crazy battle in which they throw thousands of shurikens, deflecting eachother’s.

The episode ends with Itachi pinning Sasuke to a wall, gripping at his eye. Will Itachi get Sasuke’s eyes?! We’ll find out next thursday!

Be sure to tune in next week for the next review!

As their individual battles ensue, it seems each captain has a revelation at the same time. These Zampaktou are not trying to kill them, but only to stay their hand and delay them for some reason. Yorouchi is the first to see the reality.. Muramusa is after Ichigo. The Captains almost simultaneously head towards the stage that has been prepared. Well.. All except Kenpachi, who calmly states to the Zampaktou he is fighting that he’ll be staying right where he is and finishing the brawl.

Yorouchi is the first to reach the area and calls out, but it’s too late. Ichigo switched into his Hollow form and attacked with Heaven Shocking Lunar Fang. Muramusa’s taunt tactic worked. The explosion shakes the earth and the barrier over Yomamoto dissipates. Before the dust can settle the reality of the situation became clear, but it’s now too late for prevention. Their initial thoughts were wrong, it wasn’t Ichigo that Muramusa was after, only his power.

Yomamoto swiftly moves beside his captains as they stand confused. Muramusa tell them all how he staged the entire rebellion  including this battle with Ichigo,  just to achieve one goal.. to enter the Commander’s mind, and he succeeded. The Zampaktous that are present turn on Muramusa when hearing this, but an amazing flame wall appears, destroying them. The Commander tells the stunned captains this fire is Ryuujin Jakka. Muramusa laughs as he fades away in the flames mocking the Shinigami, stating they no longer stand a chance against him.

After he leaves Yomamoto tells the others that Muramusa is a unique Zampaktou that has a tapeworm ability. He absorbs into the other Zampaktou and can control them and their powers. Now he has Ryuujin Jakka within him. The Commander’s final words were “It is of the utmost importance that the 13 Protection Squads stop him”, then this episode ended.. This week gets 5 out of 5 for the climatic ending that actually gave us some answers. Looks like Byakuya wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

The new power ups include a penguin suit and a propeller suit, and a ice flower. The penguin allows you to swim easier and get traction on the ice, the propeller suit helps in reaching those high places and the ice flower allows you the ability to freeze enemies. The mushroom houses in this game are, 1up, where you shot your charater from a cannon at baloons to get 1ups. Power ups, it is a matching game where you match then power up but, don’t match the Bowser icons or its over. Then there is the star houses were you get super stars.  There are two different game controls, one is hold the wiimote in the classic position or using the nunchuck and wiimote combo. Sorry the classic controller is not supported because some moves are activated by shaking the wiimote. The old school gamer will enjoy using the wiimote alone as it has a familiar feel to it. If you would like to challenge yourself use the nunchuck it is hard to get the hang of but once you do you might enjoy the extra buttons it allows.

There is a single and multi-player mode, the single player mode is fun and exactly what you expect. With the multi-player mode this is the first Mario game to have a simultaneous game play. Up to four people can play which can get frustrating at times. People tend to get in the way at points in the game, some platforms are hard for two people to try and stand on and when you need that little extra room to run they get in the way. The game has a little pause when one of the characters dies, causing your character to stop and fall, if you can stay alive then you partner will come back allowing you to continue through the level. The multi-player is also extremely fun if you play with the right people. You can help each other reach higher places and pick one another up to get past those spots where it is hard for two or more people to make it. There is the addition of the super guide which will let the computer play through the level for you, this is only available in single player mode and is activated after the player fails to complete a level eight times. This is great for that younger gamer that dies a lot. Collecting star coins allows you to buy expert videos, including Super skills, infinite lives and how to complete alternate level finishes. There is not an online capability in this game so every one has to come over to play but there is the fun. In conclusion I would recommend this game to anyone that loves the Mario franchise or is just getting in to the Mario universe. It was a fun ride to play this game. It took me back to the simpler time in gaming history. This is a great game for the hard core gamers and casual gamers alike.  The game is fast paced and you can jump right in and start the mission to defeat King Koopa and the Koopa Kids. This is highly addictive and has the replay potential of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario world. I give New Super Mario Wii 5 out of 5 super stars. Have fun and game on.

This is a list of all the items that you will need. To answer the “Where” www.newegg.com will have all the required parts at very reasonable prices.

1.Computer Case
2.Power Supply
3.CPU
4.Motherboard
5.Hard Drive
6.Ram(Memory)
7.DVD/RW drive
8.Operating System (Windows 7)
9.Graphics Card (Optional if you want to play newer games)

Choosing your computer case.
If you’re like me, you will probably look for the cheapest mid tower black case that comes with a power supply. The rosewill R103A is such a case. Make sure you read the reviews after browsing for a your case(if looks are more important to you, this might up your price a bit). A budget case will cost you around $30 via newegg.

Power Supply
You may not need to buy a power supply if you buy a case that comes with one. But if you do I would recommend one with at least 400 watts of power and at least 2 SATA power connectors.

Choosing a Processor (CPU)
There’s will always be someone telling you that Intel is the way to go, or that AMD is the right choice. When it comes to a CPU there’s no “wrong” choice between the two. For this article I’m going to suggest that you get the 45nm 2.8 ghz Athlon X2. Not only because it’s a cheaper 45nm processor, but because AMD hardware(the Heatsinc and Fan) that is included is higher quality than even the more expensive Core 2 Duo’s for only $60. The socket type is AM3, all that means is that you will have to find a motherboard that has that same socket support. Now you are ready to search for a motherboard or mobo for short.

Choosing Your Motherboard
Considering that this is a budget build, we are going to choose a cheap motherboard with Socket AM3 support and DDR 2(800) Ram. One of the boards that supports this socket type and comes with an integrated graphics card is the Biostar MCP6P. This is a Micro ATX board, meaning that it only has one PCI Express 16x slot for a single graphics card to be added later. This board only costs $44.

Choosing a Hard Drive
A hard drive is a very important part of your computer, it stores everything you need on your computer. For this budget build I have selected a Western Digital Caviar Blue 250gb 7200 RPM Bare Drive. The 7200 number is the speed at which the drive spins (the faster the better).This hard drive will be large and fast enough for just about any user and only costs $45.

Choosing The RAM
Your RAM(Random Access Memory) is what your computer accesses at any give time to run programs and even the operating system. For this budget build I suggest to get 2GB of ram. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you have faster ram and you are on a budget, 2gb will be fine. The RAM needs to be compatable with the motherboard as well. The RAM needs to be either 533, 667, or 800 speed. For this build I’m going for 800 speed because it is faster. The Ram I selected is 2 1GB sticks of A-Data Ram for $50.

DVD Burner
This is a simple thing to choose. I’m going with one of the cheapest DVD burners the LG Black 22x burner. $29.

Operating System
While XP was a great operating system, I’ve found that Vista and 7 are far better. Windows 7 OEM will work great on this build(even with only 2gb of ram) and it will install very easily costing you only $105.

Now you have to make a choice. Do you want a dedicated graphics card or just use the integrated card on the motherboard. If you only use your PC for web browsing, DVD playback, and music then you won’t need the a dedicated card for the Nvidia 6100 integrated on the mobo will serve your day to day use just fine. Right now all the hardware I have picked out totals $360 for a working NEW PC. Now if you wanto to play games you will want a dedicated graphics card.

Graphics Card
When choosing a graphics card you have to take into consideration things like, how much size will this take up in my case, how much power will it use, will it play the latest games at playable framerates, or the classic is ATI or Nvidia better. For this article I am going to side yet again with AMD/ATI. The Saphire Radeon HD 4670 1gb (this is how much Visual Ram the card has) will serve a budget build very well. This card will also play new games at higher resolutions just fine. This card costs $75 so it’s a bit of a cash hog for a budget build, but if you are into gaming and you don’t want to spend a lot, just buy it already!

Alright, so I’ve laid out the blue prints for you to go ahead and order some computer parts to save yourself hundreds of dollars. This computer that you build will have windows 7, and enough power to play newer games for under $500. Now assembling this budget beast is a subject for a totally different article.

In a world of $60 games and multiple consoles to choose from we wish for a world that you could get all the features and all the games.

Nintendo and Sony never planned a merge, but it could have easily happened with a long-forgotten device, the SNES-CD. Nintendo has never had a disc add on that really caught on, and until the Gamecube, attempted 3 disk drives.

So around 1988 Nintendo asked aSony to help them make the SNES-CD, this said device would be like an upgrade to existing Super Nintendo consoles, and would pass the already existing Sega-CD features wise. It would make the Super Nintendo a 32-bit system, which is what the GBA is. So at the 1991 E3 at the time (the Consumer Electronics Show) the SNES-CD was going to be announced, Howard Lincoln, Nintendo’s chairman at the time, took the stage and announced that all plans to make the SNES-CD were canceled. Nintendo had read the contract again and found out most of the profits would be going to them.

Sony, shocked nearly dropped the plans of making the SNES-CD, but decided to use it as a base for a stand-alone console, we now know this as the Playstation. The Playstation was announced 5 months after the cancelation of the SNES-CD and a year later Nintendo and Sony reached an agreement that the Playstation would have SNES compatibility in 1992, in 1993 Sony dropped the idea because they wanted to target a new generation of graphics and hardware. And after that point the names slowly grew further away from each other.

The game offers 360 degrees of freedom, one single music played when not playing a mission (which fits the game well), voice messages of our co-pilot (such as “Let’s get out of here!” when the mission goals are satisfied or “Finish him off!” when an enemy chopper’s armor reaches a low level thanks to the player’s efforts) and mission control (such as “Return to base, mission’s over!” when mission goals are satisfied.), strafe movement for the chopper which greatly aids the pilot in evading enemy fire and missiles, upgradeable weaponry, customizable vehicle characteristics, various objectives to accomplish, and even more, all which are very good features of the game.

Enemies are various stationary defenses (like turrets, flak guns, autoguns and missile launchers), and enemy units (tanks, helicopters, infantry). As expected, the enemies get more  protected and dangerous with each phase.

As for objectives, they include extracting enemy scientists who offer intelligence data, rescuing prisoners of war (POWs), destroying various key hostile structures, deploying and extracting soldiers for various purposes (intelligence gathering, sabotage), rescuing the crews of shot down friendly helicopters, eliminating various tactically important enemy units on the ground, and finally capturing the enemy commander.

There are five missions (operations) each divided into 4 phases. Each operation takes place in a different location in the world (with different environments such as desert, snowy, raining, night operations), while each phase takes place in the same location, but different area.

Vehicle characteristics are customizable as the amount of armor, fuel capacity and speed of the vehicle can be set by the player. (If one of the characteristics is increased the other characteristics will be decreased accordingly, and vice versa.)

The tank and the chopper use fuel which if is not enough for completing the mission can be reloaded by flying or driving back to the home base, or by destroying structures and storage tanks, which if destroyed may leave powerups in their place which can be picked up by flying or driving over them. Powerups can be ammunition (for one of the available weapons), fuel, additional armor or medals. Armor status is also shown on the interface and can only be recovered by powerups.

Chopper weapons are the chain gun (with unlimited ammunition), dumb fire rockets, air to
ground homing missiles, air to air homing missiles, napalm bombs, and air strikes. Each of them
have three levels, each with increased effectiveness (for example firing more missiles or bombs at a time).

At the beginning only the level 1 chain gun and level 1 rockets are available, but by destroying enemy bunkers (and some other structures) medals can be earned, which can be spent on weapon upgrades. The player can also chose one of the three special weapons before the mission: Mega missiles (high power anti-armor missiles), super napalm bombs, and a highly destructive bomb.

Tank weapons are the chain gun, napalm bombs, shells and air strike, and special weapons are the power shells (penetrating low range shells), ground to air missiles and timed exploding land mines.

The game can also be played with a friend when choosing the tank, as the controls can be configured so one of you can drive the tank, while the other can aim the turret and fire at enemies.

Unfortunately it requires some search to find the shareware version which contains the first two operations and limited upgrades, and I haven’t found a trace of the registered version. With some luck you may find someone who sells it.

The game is one of the good retro games, offering simple fun action oriented gameplay. When you are in the mood to “blow up some stuff” you make the right choice by doing it in Seek and Destroy.

Yoruichi Sami, Kenpachi, Ichigo and several others have a plan and head into Maramusa’s hide out to rescue Yamamoto. As they start their journey inside, the Shinigami split up and all end up encountering Zampaktou. Kenpachi is ready for a fight and content when he encounters an advisory. Yoruichi sends Ichigo onward to get to the Commander and she stays behind to fight.

Ichigo follows the Rietsu and runs into Kazeshini, whom he eliminates for good this time. One of the most rebellious Zampaktou becomes sword form again, Ichigo then goes to the Commander. Before he realizes there is a shield he is burned by it. Ichigo prepares to try and strike through the barrier. This is where we leave off this week. Ichigo has not yet discovered the source of this seal, so next the 3 Zampaktou that hold Yamamoto captive will probably give him a surprise. Yoruichi and Kenpachi are sure to catch up and let’s hope Byakuya switches back to the Soul Society. This week gets a 4 out of 5 for giving us a glimpse of the plot. Let’s hope next week we see that Byakuya was faking his deception or maybe he will fight with Kenpachi again. Either way, hope for a conclusion to the Zampaktou rebellion.

A new era of gaming is beginning, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 at the head of the assembly.  Promised and expected to dominate its competitors with seamless interface and controls, strong story arcs and inconceivable gameplay, Modern Warfare 2 could do no wrong. Anyone and everyone had heard of the game and the hype brought with it was unprecedented to anything anyone had ever seen. Most criticised Infinity Ward and complained that there was no way they could create such a game to live up to what was being said about it. Fortunately, Infinity Ward not only stepped up to the plate like they did previously, but they nailed it out of the ballpark and delivered a game that has forged a new constraint for all games to meet.

The gameplay is grittier than ever, the story arc is compelling and addictive, and the success of what was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has been transferred, and improved for its successor. Infinity Ward set the bar immediately with a slick cinematic showcasing the legacy of Modern Warfare. Revolving around an encompassing storyline, this new Call of Duty installment has separated from the CoD norm and instead of trailing numerous plots, gamers will experience one story. Despite the change, the story will still be played through the perspectives of multiple military figures.

John “Soap” MacTavish is back – not as a playable character, but rather as an NPC. This time around Soap is the leader of an international group known as, “Task Force 141” whose purpose is to return and maintain political stability to Russia, which is again in threat of another terrorist invasion. Continuing upon the narrative developed for Modern Warfare, MacTavish guides players through series of callous missions; including an ice-climbing infiltration of a frozen Russian army base.

Modern Warfare 2 is by far the most diverse of the Call of Duty series, consisting of three main segments of gameplay. As always, single player gamers will have the option of playing through a remarkable campaign. Those more equipped for solo/co-op tactical missions will enjoy the new Special Ops mode. Lastly, Modern Warfare’s specialty, the breath-taking multiplayer mode everyone has come to embrace. With the addition of the Special Ops Mode, this game now has 3 completely different game types that depending upon your preferences, at least should suit your needs.

For the single player experience to have a noticeable difference from the previous game, Infinity Ward used a more advanced engine. It is evident how much of a difference the improved engine makes with the single player as you move along. Visually, Modern Warfare 2 takes a huge leap past what we have seen lately in FPS with beautiful cinematics, landscapes and terrain to bring gamers closer than ever to the reality of war. With the emphasis upon bringing the single player story and characters to life, Infinity Ward did shorten the campaign, and although it is still a reasonable length and does not lack inspiration, the shortened campaign (around 4-6 hours; depending on the difficulty) does subtract from the overall package. On top of it being such an engaging game, the story-telling of the game by Infinity Ward was weak, and was even overwhelming at points. Having no historic footing to work around, they needed to develop an interesting narrative that was easy to understand and follow. Unfortunately, the delivery wasn’t there, and the narrative fell short of the expectations set by fans.

Setting the bar right from the get-go is the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, the advanced effects of weapons and equipment, and the attention to the little details. The most conspicuous is the chatter of your fellow NPC’s (Artificial Intelligence) and how useful it can be in a game when utilised and developed correctly. If you’re comrade shouts, “Two tangos crouched behind the transport truck” you better believe them.

Although the campaign has its problems, the main issues found in the original game have all been eliminated. There are no more infinite waves of enemies charging at you over and over again. A permanent waypoint arrow is always there to guide you through the level and mission so you will never get lost. Despite the odd mishap between you and your allies, they generally will not block your way and will not walk in front of your crosshair.

Special Ops mode is an interesting combination of both tactical, stealth, and bloodthirsty massacre missions that are, basically, not quite multiplayer, but more social than single player – somewhere in between. Vaguely, it could even be related to Halo 3: ODST’s “Firefight” mode or Gears of War 2’s “Horde” mode. Naturally, despite them all being a mix of single player and multiplayer aspects, Special Ops is really a thing of its own.

Special Ops being something brand new, Infinity Ward had nothing to work off of. It was an experience that needed to be engaging- needed to rivet gamers. After playing just the first mission, you will be hooked. There is no doubt about it. This ingenious creation, having such diversity between each mission, enticing and quick sub-plots, and even some vehicular competitions is one of Modern Warfare 2’s strong points.

As expected, the multiplayer Infinity Ward has fashioned this time around has revolutionized the shooter scene. Amazing graphics seen in the single player have been transferred into the multiplayer games and not the signature we became accustomed to with the original game, is obvious in this game. Of course, not only has it been upgraded and improved with the advanced engine, they have even added an amazing amount of available customization options. Even going as far as adding custom kill streak options – some of them directly controllable.

When examining the game as a whole, it is such an engaging experience, visually and all, that there is no doubt it will be written off as one of the best, and most revolutionizing first-person shooters ever created. Even when picking Modern Warfare 2 apart with a vengeance, there are only some minor problems that barely even manage to cause a slight annoyance. The great innovations that have been developed easily make-up for the slight miss-ups, and even when compared against the hype it generated, Modern Warfare exceeded all expectations.

If you truly want to learn to draw manga then you’re in luck. The internet is full of tutorials for those with the patience to watch them. How to draw manga is the specialty of Manga University where you can download instructions on specific types of characters or just manga art in general. They have how to videos available for male or female characters along with anything else that you might need help with. The professional artists will guide you down the path to drawing unique manga art.

If you do a search on how to draw manga a wealth of sites will be at your disposal. Both Animecubed and Youtube have some great how to vids. There is a never ending list of books giving Manga techniques and step by step examples that you can mimic till you get the hang of it. There are tutorials, books and software available for beginner, moderate, advanced and professional artists.

There are so many unique manga and anime tools available that it is impossible not to find something to fit your needs. If pen and paper is not your thing, there are how to draw manga programs that make it possible for even a 5 year old to create powerful samurai’s, school girl superstar’s, or a cutesy little animal character. Manga Studio by Smithmicro is an excellent program to utilize but there is freeware available too. The possibilities are endless, so if you want to learn to draw manga you’ll only be limited by your imagination.

The beginning of Naruto Shippuden Episode 134 starts out with Pain anouncing that Jiraiya is no more. He also anounces that he is under orders from Madara to capture the nine tales. He also senses that another battle is near… But what battle is this he speaks of? We’ll find out soon enough…

The scene flashes over to Sasuke’s comrades, which, in Sasuke’s absense, are discussing that he might be in danger if he finds Itachi. They then decide to interfere and come after him. The scene then flashes to two of Naruto’s bunshin clones, who express unease about not being able to find Sasuke or any signs of him in the southern area of the forest. This, however, does not stop Naruto, as he tries even harder to find Sasuke, especially after being jested at by Kiba.

The scene next flashes to Sasuke, who appears to be in a very dark cave. A dark figure in the cave recognizes him, welcoming him. This figure turns out to be Itachi. Sasuke then has an emotional reaction, leading to flashbacks from their last encounter, where Sasuke was swatted like a fly as he attempted to use Chidori against Itachi. Sasuke reminds Itachi that he does not know Sasuke’s power and that his hate has made him grow much more powerful than Itachi can imagine.

Sasuke then attacks Itachi by swiftly appearing behind him and stabbing him through the back with a Chidori blade, which pins Itachi to the ceiling. Any normal mortal would have been killed by this attack, but Itachi is quite the exception. Itachi falls to the ground, and tells Sasuke that he has indeed become strong. Itachi then releases the bunshin clone into a flock of crows, and tells Sasuke to meet him at the Uchiha hideout, alone, so that they may finish their business there. Immediately after this, Sasuke’s comrades come into the cave. Sasuke is not happy with this, as he had told them not to interfere earlier on. They then speed towards the next destination: the Uchiha hideout.

The next scene shows Tobi sitting at the Valley of the End on top of Madara’s Statues head, mumbling about Sasuke. As Sasuke and his comrades are rushing, they sense chakra all around them. Sasuke says to ignore it, and they swiftly continue towards their destination. One of Naruto’s clones finds them and gets a Chidori to the chest. Sasuke is very annoyed and expresses that Naruto, as usual, continues to be a pest. Naruto then lets the rest of the group know that he found Sasuke, and they rush to the location.

Sasuke and his comrades then arrive at the Uchiha hideout, where they are welcomed by none other than Kisame of Akatsuki. He tells them that Sasuke must go alone, and that he has no intention of not killing anyone who disagrees with that. Sasuke then jumps past him, pursuing his final destination. After this, Suigetsu introduces himself to Kisame. They then have a wonderful brawl as Suigetsu pulls out his sword, much to the others’ unease.

The scene flashes to the Konoha Pursuit group, who then encounter Tobi. Tobi is in a very joke-able mood during this entire encounter, dodging their attacks and hitting them with leaves. It is odd that Tobi does nothing to actually hurt any of them, but they are unable to make the slightest scratch on him. Not only this, but Tobi does a great job in not letting them past that point, as to secure Sasuke’s battle with Itachi.

Overall, I’d say this was a pretty good episode. We finally get back to the original arc where Naruto and the Konoha pursuit team were chasing after Sasuke, as well as preparing for Sasuke’s battle with Itachi. Not only this but we have quite a bit of Akatsuki appearances throughout this episode. The last 5 episodes about Jiraiya were great, but it’s nice to get back to the original characters. Oh, and, RIP Jiraiya. You will be missed!

Tune in next week for Shippuden 135’s review!

The game starts off with you in a black empty void where the G-man appears in front of you and begins to talk to you in a cryptic tone. He explains to you the world has changed quite a bit since the events of Black Mesa.  Now Gordon being the right man in the wrong place will change the world once again whether it is good or bad. After which the G-Man tells you in a creepy tone “Rise and Shine. Wake up and smell the Ashes.”  And you soon find yourself teleported onto a train mysteriously with two other passengers who wonder how you got on and inform you that are headed to “City 17” which is controlled by an alien force called the Combine. The first thing you will notice is the people and the graphics are amazing and its almost looking at real people especially since you get a close up of the G-man’s face. You will be in awe for awhile at the graphics but as you step out of the train you will be distracted by a loud voice and a TV Screen. City 17’s administrator seems to be addressing everyone in the city as constantly, you see his image and him speaking everywhere you go at the train station you arrived at.

As you progress through the train station you will find that the Combine and the Civil Protection are very harsh and cruel to the citizen of City 17. You will also see this as you go through processing as you are randomly chosen to be interrogated for no reason and taken to a very grim looking room,  it looks as if you’re in deep trouble. When the person interrogating you turns out to be the Barney he quickly helps you escape as you can help the rebellion against the cruel combine rulers.

After these you will progress through the rest of the station where a cop will tell you to pick up a can that he knocked over. At this point you will see the stunningly realistic gravity  which is a big plus to the game and really fun to play around with the physics. Eventually you end up being cashed by the Combine and being saved by the lovely Alyx Vance, daughter of one of your co-workers that worked at Black Mesa like Barney.

As you progress through the game and get new weapons. You get one of the best weapons ever created called the gravity gun. This allows you to pick up and throw objects as a weapon making even the house hold toilet a deadly projectile. Half-Life 2 has a ton memorable moments and the storyline of half-life 2 is beyond epic and draw you within the game. One of the most notable aspects is this game is going through Ravenholm, a district within City 17 which has been engulfed by zombies and head crabs.

Half-Life 2 is one of the best games ever created and lives up to original game in all ground breaking aspects. This game is great for everyone and it is hard to find anyone to say anything negative about it. Half-Life 2 will be one of the greatest gaming experiences you have ever. That is why we are giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 everything from the storytelling to the physic within the game is perfect.

For those Naruto fan’s that would just love to see your favorite female ninja’s in something a little different, just do a search and your sure to find a variety of Manga Dress Up games featuring most the characters with extended styles. There are several that feature the Naruto couples and you can mix and match your own favorite companions. There are sites like The Doll palace that will allow you to basically build the character completely and then save your unique creation.

Most of these Manga dress up games are in a two dimensional flash format, so there are no downloads unless you just want to keep your figure. Some of these cute characters have the option to print, so you can dress them up Manga style then print them out and hang them on the wall, or give them to a friend.

Paper dolls were always very family friendly and even a child could enjoy dressing and redressing them for hours. The Manga dress up games go a step beyond the retro version by adding a variety of hairstyles, facial features and accessories that you can change with the click of a button. If you feel a bit old to be playing with dolls, consider this.. Have you ever wanted to create your own Manga avatar, but aren’t artistic enough to do it on your own? Well, these cyber doll sites have made it easy. You can easily save your character and create your personal avatar. It’s cheating, but no one will know unless you tell them.