REVIEW - Call of Juarez: The Cartel

Welcome to Los Angeles, where drug-related violence is rampant. Your welcome is warmed up when narcotics enforcement offices have been bombed, and you take the roleof law enforcers Ben McCall, Kimberly Evans, or Eddie Guerra, in attempt to put an end to the following felons by all means necessary. “By all means necessary” is the key phrase, as they utilize brutal and even crooked tactics in doing so.

Contrariwise to 2009's Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood's old Western scenario, The Cartel takes place in modern day, as you may have guessed. Having some knowledge of its predecessors, I was a tad confused as to why the series would take such a different direction in setting, aside from Ben McCall being related to the protagonists in previous games. Heck, he even dresses like he's from an 1800s Western flick. Despite my confusion, it interestingly differs from other recent shooters.

Before commencing the single-player campaign, you are given the option to choose between the three protagonists. This is a great idea, and it's executed well, due to the implementation of cooperative play. Disappointingly, however, the plot differs little from what character you choose, except for different voice actors and endings. This is a shame, because a lot could have been done to multiply the replay value of its sub-10 hour story. However, the beginning of each level acts as a lobby, allowing players to drop in and out of your game for cooperative play between the three characters.

The Cartel has a plethora of intense moments to experience in the campaign. You'll be ambushed by attack helicopters with limited cover, pursue a target on foot through waves of gang members, as well as sabotage a marijuana plant while making another gang take the heat. These scripted events are complimented with a “concentration mode” where the game slows down, giving the player the obvious upper-hand in precision in a firefight, and can be charged and activated by killing enemies. At first it felt like a gimmick, but it's put into good use in slow-motion room breaching sequences (a la modern Call of Duty games) later on. One gripe I had with the gameplay, however, was that explosions knock you over on your back, and it takes a few seconds to get up. It may not seem like a very big issue, but it can be very irritating when you're getting hit by several consecutive grenade explosions in the midst of an intense-enough firefight. As for controls, I have no complaints. The controls are tight with either a mouse/keyboard or gamepad setup. I personally am thankful for the subtle yet useful aim assist for gamepad users for those that prefer to hunt cartels from the convenience of a couch.

With great gameplay comes a solid multiplayer component. In Cartel's multiplayer, you choose to be a law enforcer or a criminal, whose sides have varying weapons and even different game lobbies depending on what team you choose. The lobbies even have practice shooting ranges, too! When the match finally begins, the game is split up into basic team deathmatch, and capture-the-flag-esque modes. Concentration mode is replaced with the ability to call in air support, and there's a partner system, in which players can pick a partner that will give and receive combat bonuses for being close to each other. On the downside, there's no host migration, so once the host of the game disconnects, the entire match ends. This is a small complaint, because overall, it is a fine addition for when it gets lonely playing single-player.

The Cartel is a fun game, but I'll admit, it takes a blow in the presentation and graphics department. Texture quality is unappealing, everything in the world has an ugly yellow tint, and as much as the gunplay feels good, the visual feedback from firing a weapon is stiff and less than desirable. On top of that, the HUD is very pixelated like something out of a classic PlayStation game, as if deliberately unappealing. The game doesn't look horrible, just don't expect awesome visuals. When it comes to sound, the voice acting is top-notch, believable, and engrossing. However, the game is also loaded with nasty F-bombs in nearly every other sentence in the dialogue. Excessive swearing usually doesn't bother me, but the profanity is so frequent that it sounds forced at times.

On a final note, I played through this game on OnLive, a cloud gaming service that allows you to stream video games from high-powered servers to play on any PC, Mac, TV, tablet, or smartphone. I haven't found any issues with the OnLive version of Call of Juarez. I highly recommend playing it on OnLive over any console or PC if you plan to pick this up.

STORY: 9
GAMEPLAY: 8
PRESENTATION: 5
REPLAY VALUE: 9

OVERALL: 7.75/10

The Latest and Greatest in the Free-to-Play World - Give Your Wallet Some Mercy!

It's no secret that this year is chock-full of new and upcoming game releases. Games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Max Payne 3, and the newly announced Assassin's Creed III are searing with anticipation, and they won't go easy on your wallet. Read on to discover the latest and greatest free-to-play games that will give your wallet a little mercy.

Rusty Hearts – Perfect World – Available Now

Launching in late 2011, Rusty Hearts is not your average MMORPG. It actually adopts the style of a beat-em-up, putting you in the arsenal of one of four (more of which are available for purchase at the in-game store) characters with unique fighting styles. Frantz specializes in swords and battle-axes, Angela is a witch with many devestating spells at her disposal, Natasha is a gun-toting warrior that conquers her foes with revolvers and muskets, and Tude uses hand-to-hand combat with deadly gauntlets.

During my still-going time with Rusty Hearts, I played as Tude, and enjoyed its Devil May Cry-style of attacking enemies to build up combos and acquiring increasingly better items along the way. Everything is done in real-time, making for some intense player-vs-player and player-versus-environment opportunities alike. Interestingly, the different characters will even include their own dialog during quests and conversation. I can easily recommend this game to those who are searching for the most action-oriented MMO there is.

Video from MMOHut's YouTube Channel

Check out Rusty Hearts!

Tribes: Ascend – Hi-Rez Studios – In Open Beta

The most popular shooters from the late 90s to early '00s almost never attempted to capture realism like games of today. Competitive multiplayer franchises like Quake and Unreal Tournament adopted a sci-fi setting, and, even in their latest editions, require swift reflexes with a mouse and keyboard.

In recent years, quite a few titles tried to capture the nostalgic feel of classic shooter gameplay, such as Duke Nukem: Forever, and the Serious Sam HD remakes. Tribes: Ascend will continue the classic shooter tradition with a few unique gameplay mechanics thrown into the same blender. One of them is flying with a jetpack, which is typical for a sci-fi setting, yet essential for outmaneuvering foes. Another addition is “skiing,” which you activate to gain speed and/or momentum for your jetpack by sliding on the game's vast and open maps.

Many gamers (such as myself) express deep sentiment about the twitch-shooter gameplay from years past. However, whatever frags your fancy, Tribes is a unique and enjoyable experience, that is certainly worth a try. Best of all, it won't cost you a dime to jump in.

Video from IGN's YouTube channel

Check out Tribes: Ascend!

Blacklight: Retribution – Perfect World – In Open Beta

Speaking of sci-fi shooters, another noteworthy frag-fest is Perfect World's Blacklight Retribution. Gameplay-wise, Retribution is relatively similar to Call of Duty, with its fast-paced combat and loads of tight corridors for camping your opponents. On the other hand, the game attempts to combat camping tactics, giving each player the ability to see through walls for a limited time. This way, players can flank their enemies, or even spot an incoming enemy ambush. Any player could be using this special view style at any time, so mindful players should always stay on their toes, especially when players score enough kills to summon a giant combat mech.

Blacklight's arsenal is quite remarkable, even in its Beta phase. A plethora of additional assault rifles, shotguns, and side arms can be at your disposal. That is, assuming you plan on using Perfect World's 'Zen' currency system, which is acquired with real money. You may be left out of some weapons if you don't wish yo pay real money, but, to be fair, it's how the fellas at Perfect World pay the bills.

Video from Machinima's YouTube channel

Check out Blacklight: Retribution!

Aion: Ascension – Ncsoft – Going F2P on April 11^th

I'll put it short and to the point; Aion is gorgeous. Launching in 2009, the game puts players into the celestial world of Atreia. As a winged Daeva, you must serve the good-spirited Elyos or the dark-hearted Asmodians in an ongoing battle on your homeland, or the strictly PvP Abyss area. The game runs on a modified version of the CryEngine, which powered beautiful first-person shooters such as Crysis. It certainly shows, too, with its amazingly detailed zones.

Aion is filled with juicy content for thirsty fans to sink their teeth into. Enemies and NPCs sport vividly unique style and personality, PvP and PvE combat alike is intense and keeps things interesting, the quest dialog fills the world with life and lore, and I'll say it; you're dead inside if Aion's magnificent musical score doesn't melt your heart.

Video from IGN's YouTube channel

Check out Aion!

I was not paid to write all this (I prefer to keep my soul as a video game journalist). I speak so passionately about Aion due to the fact that it's been around for a long while, and has had much time to grown and improve over the years. I'll keep a close watch on the other games in this article, and keep you all posted on how they grow and expand. Until then, check these games out! You may find yourself a new addiction.

Written by Andrew Pyle

Mass Hysterics - An Unbiased, Spoiler-free Analysis of the Controversy Surrounding Mass Effect 3's Ending

It's an understatement that the launch concluding BioWare's Mass Effect trilogy had fantastic hype behind it. With festivities such as midnight store openings, launch parties and even early copies being launched into space, Mass Effect veterans and newcomers alike were ecstatic to "Take Earth Back." For the most part, gamers and critics were raving over its intense combat, gripping story, and massive attention to detail in its universe. That is, until it had to end.

The issues players had were not so much that it ended, but how it ended. At the end of the game, Shepard is given a few choices, none of which change the generally analogous outcome of the conclusion. To elude from spoilers, that's everything that can be said. This left gamers heavily disappointed, and even perplexed about the fate of the player's accomplices. “Fans of the Mass Effect trilogy have put far too much time, effort, and money into the game to be abandoned with such a fate,” wrote the Facebook page for Retake Mass Effect 3 campaign. “Bioware desperately needs to resolve this issue.” Meanwhile, Internet stars, including YouTube's dcigs (also known as the “Angry Black Man”), have taken a comedic approach to the subject matter.

As popular as the demand is for an improved ending, some people believe that doing so would “deface the beauty of maintaining an artist's intended content.” In defense, fans noted the possibility of the new ending taking the form of an optional DLC, and players wouldn't be required to alter the original ending if they didn't so choose.

As of March 21st, BioWare has announced that development for a new ending is underway. However, the Retake ME3 campaign is far from finished. The fans plan to productively pressure the Mass Effect team (in ways that are not inflammatory) into making sure the incoming ending is worthwhile for their dedication.

So, what do YOU think? Sound-off in the comments below. As the administrator of Gamer's Respite, I respect all opinions, and so should everyone else.

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