From the Bay to Empire City.

On the first day of Christmas, my homie gave to me…one copy of Need for Speed: The Run. That was it, Christmas over at my house, no need for more. For 17 years, NFS has driven around the block and come back. So after numerous versions of Need for Speed, what's new this time around? Actually a lot! The Run is here to give you a run for your money.

The premise: A race from San Francisco to New York. Beat over 200 other drivers and the prize is yours. It’s one of the most clever and put-together editions of the NFS franchise. There’s an endless selection of cars to choose from and the scenery is pure badass, Undertaker “dead man walking” badass.



The story begins in dramatic fashion instantly. It’s much like watching some modern gangster movie. Protagonist Jack Rourke is hounded by the mob and left to die at a junkyard in Oakland? My man Jack is from the Bay?! Of course, this means he’s with the business, side-showing, hitting doughnuts, and ghost riding the whip. The race doesn’t start in Oakland, but it is nice to see my hometown in the East Bay getting some love.

Starting in the busy streets of downtown San Francisco, Rourke must escape the police, get out of the city, and pass some drivers along the way. It's non-stop action right from the jump. Hey look, it’s the Bay Bridge! Check it out, a BART train! Weaving in and out of traffic is intense and will keep you on the edge of your seat. EA Black Box did a tremendous, almost flawless, job with the impact engine and graphics design.

The higher the grade, the harder it is to give out. When I was shocked, overjoyed even, to realize that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was a fully-fledged title, complete with a hearty single-player campaign and a so-good-I-can't-believe-it-works multiplayer component, I knew it deserved the A. Now, Assassin's Creed: Revelations arrives, iterates, but somehow doesn't feel so fresh, breathtaking, or surprising. Is it a better game? Yes. Does it deserve an 'A' too? Well... let's find out while I write and you read.

Another year, another Assassin's Creed game from Ubisoft... the entirety of Ubisoft. It seems like every studio in the publisher's stables had its hands on Ezio's swan song and the start of something new in their sci-fi historical action series.

But let me make this clear: Assassin's Creed: Revelations is worth every single dollar it's asking for. There is more than $60 worth of content in its single-player campaign alone. Ezio Auditore fights against the Templars and Bysantines alike in Altaïr's former stomping grounds, Constantinople. You've got a brand new brotherhood to build up and a massive city to explore. Constantinople feels at once larger and more intimate than Rome, complete with templar strongholds, nooks, and crannies to explore.


Ezio is not without new tricks in his old age; what was that about dogs again? Players are given the hook blade immediately and will thank the weird alien, God people for the new traversal tool. Not only will it help players scale structures faster, it'll also allow them to use the ropes spread throughout the city to cover long distances at a much quicker pace.

Four years ago, a first-person shooter video game was released that had set an untouchable standard for its competitors. Moving on from its World War II era, the Call of Duty franchise decided to go with a different change of scenery. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare introduced modern weapons and equipment as well as incorporating new features like perks, killstreak rewards, and in-depth customizable classes, allowing FPS fans to create their own load-out based on their play style.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare completely revamped the popular series. Its success continued on into the sequel, Modern Warfare 2. New killstreak rewards were presented, maps were changed to focus on verticality, and additional options were given to further tweak classes. Continuing to meet the high expectations of a successful streak, however, is difficult to keep. Modern Warfare 3, the latest installment, exemplifies what happens when a series cannot always maintain an untouchable standard.



When you first started playing as Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish in CoD4, little did you know you would be on Death’s hit list as priority number one since you saved the world from terrorists repeatedly. Luckily, you met Captain John Price and, despite his questionable sanity at times, he has been a loyal friend. The both of you carried one epic bromance adventure in the last two CoD titles. In MW3, you won’t be dissatisfied with the storyline as it still contains that familiar CoD flair: slow-motion breaches, AC 130 gun fire, high-speed chases, and things that go boom all around you with amazing graphics.