Like its title this game has brought down every other game I was playing before I even realized it.

First, the obvious; The Saboteur is one sexy game. From its Sin City-like use of black-and-white to the cabaret girls that put GTA IV to shame this game will definitely stand out in a crowd.

A lot has been said about The Saboteur in comparison to other games. First it is definitely a classic sandbox game in the style of Grand Theft Auto and although it lacks the staggering number of mini-games it does have a couple. Gunplay is pretty standard 3rd person shooter in the style of Uncharted with a working cover mechanic. The protagonist, Sean Devlin, possesses the climbing ability of Altair and can use pounded Nazi uniforms as disguise a la Prototype.

All in all that sounds pretty incredible, like a super-sandbox game, but what The Saboteur lacks is polish and what that means is the gunplay is a little rough around the edges and bullets lose their potency at longer range. The driving, while not as unwieldy as GTA IV, feels stiff and requires you to adapt. Although Sean can climb he does so with rapid button pushes instead of fluid ascension. All this can be attributed to Pandemic's imminent shut down and the holiday deadline enforced by EA, which is a shame because if this game about an Irish saboteur could have been released on the ultimately appropriate Saint Patrick's Day then it would have surely scored much higher on Metacritic.

But despite all this The Saboteur will take you by surprise. It manages to rock even with the handicaps its been dealt. The game world is immersive and large and the mechanics work well. Enemy AI is tenacious and they will move to flank your last known position. Their vehicular skills are such that it's actually easier to escape them on foot and if they've been alerted to your presence you'll find no safe quarter on rooftops. At a Level 5 Alert there's nowhere safe in Paris but every other Alert Level can be escaped by simply stepping outside the search radius if you can manage to break their pursuit.

The character of Sean Devlin is devilishly likeable. A pure caricature of an Irish tough guy you'll find him cracking wise whenever he's not cracking Nazi skulls. He's a hard drinking, hard fighting, ladies man who smokes like a truck and regenerates like Wolverine... and good thing that, since he can soak a good amount of bullets during an alert.

Standing and fighting with the Gerries isn't advisable. Much like Red Faction: Guerilla you need to hit your target and get out. Even in the'freed' sections of the city you must remember; Paris is still occupied and if you cause enough of a ruckus you'll have practically the entire Wehrmacht to deal with. To aid our hero he is capable of donning disguises that are competent at a distance. Since he's only wearing the shirt and caps and keep his original pants you can't expect to pass a close inspection but it is entirely possible to do even the most complicated missions entirely incognito.

The add-on (included in a new purchase) The Midnight Show opens up a lot of 'blue' content, rendering some very nice toplessness and adding another mini-game. It also adds 4 burlesque shows, 3 solos and 1 3-girl show. Don't be fooled, the 3-girl is the worst of the offerings, but the singles are easily hotter than GTA IV's strip club scenes... and despite bearing actual nudity they are much more tasteful as well.

Overall The Saboteur will blow your socks off if you give it the chance. It may pale next to the games whose elements it borrows but it does a lot with what it has. Others may see a lackluster effort in Pandemic's swan song but if you scratch a little beneath the surface you'll realize they did the absolute best with what little time they had... and we all benefit from it.

Graphics: 8 - The characters are modeled well and the use of color is brilliant. Don't expect hyper-realism but they get the job done.

Music: 9 - An era-appropriate soundtrack really sets the mood and the voice work is well done, despite some modernization of speech.

Gameplay: 8 - The game's mechanics, while seeming a little stiff at first, turn out just fine after you get into it and you can find yourself in some pretty exhilarating situations.

Replayability: 7.5 - There are over 1300 freeplay targets to hit. I dare you to hit them all in one go.

Style: Umpteen-billion - This game is a beautiful, sexy beast.

So; do you like horror? What do you consider scary? Is it the buckets-o-blood American Slasher film or the more subtle "Holy-f*ck-what-was-that!?!?!" Japanese horror? What about a blend of both... in game form?

Meet Corpse Party. The honest-to-Jesus most disturbing game I've stumbled on to in YEARS. In fact this game has all the potential to scare the bejesus OUT of you. (See the bejesus over there, shivering in the corner?) All this from a PSP game with 16 bit graphics created originally in RPG Maker. Yeah, didn't see THAT coming.

The"How WIll You Die" bit ain't kidding. You've got 9 characters to try and keep alive and you will NOT succeed. This game features an unbelievable 37, that's THIRTY-SEVEN different endings, and from what I'm gathering MOST of them are horrible. So how does a 16 bit, top-down old school RPG-like game managed so many scares? It's all about ambiance... and FREAKY use of sound.

For those of you who aren't into Fuse here's a snippit of what I posted earlier: "So, I'm playing Corpse Party with my headphones on at work. It's a creepy part; a black spirit just tried to kill me and I narrowly escape to safety... just then it seems like my partner at work says RIGHT over my shoulder "KOROSHITEDAYO!!!!"  I nearly jumped out of my seat. It wasn't my partner at all... it was the game via the headphones; whispering ONLY in my right ear the Japanese: "I'm going to KILL you!" Scared the sh!t out of me!"

Yeah, it's like that.

Near immediately Corpse Party creates an atmosphere of unease. The story is sort of typical horror fare; kids staying late in school telling ghost stories suddenly find themselves IN one, but this time they've divided into 'closed spaces'. They're all in the same haunted inter-dimensional school, but just not in the same dimension. They can affect each other's realities in subtle ways though that compel you to check and recheck areas to see if you can notice the differences... and sometimes you will have to notice at peril of your life.

Corpse Party likes to test the sanity of its characters, and in the process it can push the player as well. This game BEGS to be played ALONE, in a DARK room, and (most importantly) with HEADPHONES. The sound design is phenominal and you'll waste it on the regular PSP or VIta speakers. You NEED headphones. Presently Corpse Party is a PSN-ONLY game and if you still have a PSP or if you have a Vita you can hardly afford to pass this one up. This is one of the most original games in terms of narrative you can stumble across AND, more importantly, it's scary as hell.

- Take one part GTA: San Andreas, Mix in two parts Batman: Arkham Asylum/City, a half a cup of Assassin's Creed, add a half-gallon of pure awesome, bake at 200 miles per hour, and then season with Grade A Violence to taste. Sound fantastic...? it is. Sleeping Dogs looks dated, sure. This should have come out two years ago, but don't let that stop you... this is Game of the Year material.

- Meet Wei Shen. Until he was 10 years old he grew up in Triad territory so he has roots in the community. Then his mother moved the family to San Francisco to try and break his older sister's growing drug habit. Now he's back in Hong Kong, and back in his old stomping grounds. It doesn't take him long to find trouble with the police and, through that trouble, hook back up with his childhood friends; all Triad members now. There's just one catch: Wei Shen is a cop... deep under cover in a gang that routinely uses meat cleavers to deal with rats.

- Fortunatly for Wei, and luckily for the player, Wei Shen was trained by frickking Batman! Using a fighting system obviously inspired by Arkham Asylum, Wei Shen can literally beat the sh!t out of just about anyone (and his 6 best friends) that he encounters! Batman admittedly has a most forgiving Counter Attack, you really have to time Wei's right, but that's the basic move: Square, Square, Square, Square; Hold Square. Then Triangle whenever an enemy behind you glows red. The similarity is striking but, oh, how beautiful it is when it works. What Wei adds to the system is the ability to use nearly anything in his environment to cripple, de-tooth, and flat out kill his opponents in some of the most "Daaaaaaaayuuum!" moments you've encounted since 2005's PS2 hit: The Punisher. (The one with the gory interrogations!)

- The San Andreas elements shine through in the vast open world of Hong Kong, complete with a plethora of clothing shops to dress Wei in, including some that offer benefits to Combat or Defense. Wei has the ability to carjack pretty much any vehicle he comes across (I've seen motorcycles to buses to boats so far) and can even do it while they're moving. Yes, in a moment of pure awesome Wei can dive from one speeding vehicle to another and commandeer it! The Food system in place in a new approach too; in addition to restoring health outright you must eat food to start Wei's health regeneration! It means that in between whipping bad guy butt you're desperately seeking a noodle shop! Also worthy of note are the sodas that boost Wei's martial arts damage, the herbal tea that boosts his defense, and the escorts that boost his Face meter. (More on that soon.) All of these stat boosts are relatively long-lasting, are unaffected by sleep, and are clearly displayed so you can't miss em.

- You can't just be a ground level Triad Enforcer thuglette and expect to pull off the snazzy awesome right away; no you have to build Face. Face is the measure of how well you are known... your reputation, and you earn it by helping the people your gang are supposed to protect... and by kicking ass. As I said earlier the escorts, located at any one of dozens of Massage Parlors, will give you a significant boost to this meter so it 'pays' to patronize. Increase your Face meter during a fight and your enemies will visibly recoil, sometimes even flee from you. As you become more well-known you'll have access to cooler clothing options as well. It's all about the Rep, and the faster you master the Martial Arts system (and especially the more violent grapple moves) the quicker you'll rise.

- Speaking of the violent grapple moves... they ROCK. Some items in the environment will glow red when you seize an enemy in a grapple move. Simply move the enemy to the area and hit grapple again. In addition to that you can grapple and enemy and then dash into anything; wall, railing, car... doesn't matter, and enjoy the brutality that follows. A variety of weapons are available as well (6 hours in and I haven't even gotten to guns yet) as well as running attacks. Speaking of running a very Assassin's Creed-like parkour system is in place, although it does require an additional timed button press to keep from falling on your face. Wei isn't as infallible as Altair or Ezio but that's alright; he's move believable. Also more believable is that if you take a few shots in a fight expect your clothes to become blood-stained... and stay that way until you change.

- Every open-world game has collectables. Some are crappy, but not Sleeping Dogs. Collectables come in two forms: the Health Shrine which restores health, and the more lucrative Lockboxes. Lockboxes are good collectables for 2 reasons: First they contain money or clothing items, Second they are guarded. Wanna beat some ass? Track down a lockbox, but beware... these guys love their lockboxes and they will beat you with a tire iron to keep it! Some are unlocked, others can be hacked via Wei's cell phone; something he can also do with CCTV cameras to spy on Triad locations.

- As an undercover cop Wei is forced to walk a thin line between the Police and the Triads. This is measured in points for both. Earning Triad points is pretty easy; do their missions and kick a lot of ass. Police points can be earned by doing missions for the police but also through safe driving practices and not causing property damage. The points can be spent in separate trees that unlock more of Wei's abilities. Early rewards include increased defense and damage for martial arts on the Triad side and weapons disarm and slim jim car unlocks for the Police. This dichotemy will also play a part in the story of the game: can Wei's loyalty remain true to the police or will he come to consider the Triads his brothers?

- Overall Sleeping Dogs is panning out to be everything I was hoping it would be. Voice acting is excellent, the action is superb. The only gripes I can come up with are the driving is a little arcadey and that the graphics are a bit dated but you can blame Activision for that; if they hadn't canceled the game for its lack of competitive multiplayer (and the inevitable monetization that accompanies that) then this would have been True Crime: Hong Kong two years ago! Suits me though; this game is distilled awesome and it's even better because Activision failed to grasp that a single player game can still be worthwhile in this modern era of Modern Warfare.

On August 30th, 2010 I picked up my pre-order of Valkyria Chronicles II; the entire reason I bought my PSP. Now, a year and 24 days later... 154 hours, 29 minutes, and 12 seconds in-game time later, I have finished it. I clocked in with level 36 across the board except for shocktroopers who made it to level 37. At 154 and a half hours VC II ranks as the LONGEST single-player campaign that I ever completed. Why take so long to finish a game with an estimated 30 hour single player story? Simple: it took me that long to have a 'complete' squad; that is a squad with an even variety of maxed out units, one of each type.

- VC II tells the story of Lanseal Academy's (C)lass G; nicknamed the Big Damn Brotherhood in my game (No 'Heroes' in the titles???) Traditionally the lowest scoring (C)lass G was often where the hopeless misfits wound up. When our story opens Gallia is once again in the throes of war. The Archduchess' revelation [spoiler] That she's actually a member of the Darcsen minority instead of Valkyrian royalty [/spoiler] at the end of the original game sparked a rebellion led by Gallian aristocratic family House Gassenarl fomented on the racial superiority of ethnic Gallians versus the Darcsen minority. Due to the compulsory military service required of all Gallian citizens and Lanseal's own (rather unbelievable) policy of sending cadets to fight in times of national emergency, (C)lass G finds themselves in a year-and-three month long struggle against rebel forces.

-Starring perpetual goof-off and eternal optimist Avan Hardins VC II gives a LOT more story time to supporting characters than its predecessor did! Unlike the original VC, which featured a limited set of its characters for face time in cut scenes, II allows each of them a personal story that plays out in three parts before culminating in a special mission. You also see a much broader variety of faces in the cut scenes, including speaking roles. Packing an unbelievable amount of content VC II dwarfs the first game, telling the story of (C)lass G's struggle on a grand canvas. II brings back old favorites as well, with special appearances by Welkin, Alicia, and Edy (among others) and even offers a generous amount of Squad 7 as playable characters in the game; Marina, Selvaria, Faldio, Jann... even Isara makes an appearance as a playable character among a veritable trove of others.

- So the burning question is how does II stack up against I? After all SEGA broke a million hearts by exiling this sequel to the PSP; was it worth it? In order to determine this let's break it down piece by piece:

Graphics

-- VC II departs from its origins by adopting a much more anime look; even going so far as to have full-anime cutscenes from time to time. While this was well done, and still managed to retain a semblance of the original 'canvas painting' look of the original, I must go with the original in terms of graphical comparison. Not out of a failing of II, but just the sheer beauty of the look of the original was something unforgettable and unique.

-- In game the two are much closer but the loss of the 'watercolor' effect is still evident. It's nothing too distracting, and after a while you will not notice it, but I still yearn for a look closer to the original.

Music and Voicework

-- Herein lies the biggest difference. While musically the games are in complete harmony, II neglected to include the original Japanese voiceover; instead offering the somewhat-goofy English dub. By no means unacceptable, the dub nevertheless detracted from the otherwise serious tone set by the initial entry in the series. This was not only a disappointment to hardcore purists, like myself, but also bewildering considering the vast amount of content included in the game. It baffles the mind as to why SEGA made the decision to leave this element out. They had the English script, the game has English subtitles; why leave out the original Japanese?

Gameplay and Story

-- Gameplay is pretty much what you'll remember from the original. The exceptional, dare I say, revolutionary battle system returns in all its glory; augmented only by the smaller maps and the existence of camps. While initially disappointing, the camps do add a whole new element of strategy and those that can use them well will have no trouble scoring an A rank on each and every single mission. Story-wise VC II once more falls into the shadow of its predecessor. Not because the tale was any less grand, but because it was less epic. While a far longer story it was hobbled somewhat by the fact that no one can die unlike the original. This gave the overall story a less serious tone that gave the impression that they were toning it down from the bittersweet war story told by the original; almost like an R rated movie getting a PG 13 sequel. The sense of invulnerability and the cockiness of the characters in general do take you out of the whole 'war' experience and the romantic hook is never fully set, leaving VC II much more of an anime-like action/comedy rather than the serious drama of the first game.

Replayability

-- Ok, here is where VC II kicks a ton of ass. The sheer number of missions offered, combined by the vast amount of squad mates you accrue, multiplied by the individual stories that accompany them equals an almost endless supply of stuff to do. As a completionist I did pretty much everything I could do before taking the final mission, except grind the final 14 levels across the 5 different base (c)lasses, and I was floored by the number of missions that unlocked after the completion of the main story! This is on top of the DLC available on PSN and the plethora of (C)lassmate and Paid (in game money) missions. All combined you could theoretically play VC II for the better part of two years on a regular basis without ever 'starting over'. Combining this with VC II's PSP portability and you have the ultimate way to pass time while waiting on your doctor's appointment or what have you.

Final Thoughts

-- As a total package VC II really shouldn't be missed; neither by fans of the original nor by any other PSP owner who wants to get a ton of great content for their money. While it lacks the full charm of the original Valkyria Chronicles, VC II shines with its own blue light and, as my example shows, can keep you entertained for hundreds of hours.

A new stage, exclusive to the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros., tasks players with battling Pac-Man's ghosts as well as each other.

Director Masuhiro Sakurai writes about the new stage on the Miiverse, "If you eat 100 Pac-Dots, Power Pellets will appear in your color. If you eat a Power Pellet, the [ghosts] will become vulnerable and you can defeat them just by touching them. An important point is that the monsters will become vulnerable only on your screen, which means that they can still damage your opponents!! This is one of the unique game features only possible in the 3DS version."

Pac-Man was announced as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. last month at E3.

For more on Super Smash Bros., check out the newest Pokémon fighters, some more details about the inclusion of the Miis, reveals of Luigi's final smash, a Lumiose City stage, a new Animal Crossing stage, Diddy Kong, the Mother Brain assist trophy, the Waluigi assist trophy,Lucario, Zelda, the Skull Kid, Marth, Sonic, a redesigned Ray Gun, and the 3DS Mii Plaza.

You can also check out our time with the game at E3 with the Wii Fit Trainer and Greninja.

[Source: Super Smash Bros., Miiverse]

This is a list of all video game consoles ever, I  believe. I didn't make this a youtuber named furrynick did.(sorry guys I couldn't get the link to work so I will post all of them

The History Of Video Game Consoles 1972-2014

Magnavox Odyssey, 1972

Sanussi, 1974

Odyssey 100, 1975

odyssey 200, 1975

Pong, 1975

APF tv fun, 1976

Wonder Wizard, 1976

Telestar, 1976

Fair Child, Channel F, 1976

Telestar classic, 1976

Odyssey 300, 1976

Odyssey 400, 1976

Super Pong 4, 1976

Super Pong, 1976

Odyssey 500, 1976

Super Pong 10, 1976

Binatone, 1976

Game Brain, 1977

Telstar Ranger, 1977

Studio 2, 1977

Video Pinball, 1977

APF TV Fun 405, 1977

Stunt Cycle, 1977

Telstar Combat, 1977

Telstar alpha, 1977

Atari video pinball,1977

Odyssey 2000, 1977

Odyssey 3000, 1977

Odyssey 4000, 1977(damn Odyssey made a LOT of stuff in '77)

And now, ladies(wait there are women on this site?) and gentlemen, the first big console that people know.... the Atari 2600!!!, 1977

Coleco Telstar Colormatic, 1977

TV Game 6, 1977(Nintendo's first console)

Odyssey 2100,(FINALLY its) 1978

Telstar Colotron, 1978

Telstar Arcade, 1978

Bally Arcade, 1978

Telstar Marksmen, 1978

Odyssey 2, 1978

Coleco Telstar Gemini, 1978

APF MP 1000, 1978

TV-Game 15, 1978

Racing 112, 1978

VC 4000,1978

Channel F System 2, 1979

Intellivision, 1979

Super Vision 8000, 1979

Atari 400, 1979

Super Video Arcade, 1979

Color TV Block Breaker, 1979

Videomaster Star Chess, 1979

Computer TV Game, 1980

Color TV Multi Spiel 4041,1980

VTECH Creativision, 1981

Cassestte Vision, 1981

Commodore 64, 1981

Arcadia-2001, 1982

Atari 2600 Darth Vader(yeah I don't understand either), 1982

Coleco Vision, 1982

Adventure Vision, 1982

Vectrex, 1982

Atari 5200, 1982

Coleco Gemini, 1982

Black Point, 1982

Intellivision 2, 1982

Video Pac G7200, 1983

Sega SG-1000, 1983

Famicom, 1983

Cassette Vision JR., 1983

Casio PV-1000, 1983

Compact Vision TV-boy, 1983

Zemmix MXS CPC-50, 1984

Sega SG 1000 2, 1984

Super Cassette Vision, 1984

RDI-Halcyon, 1985

Zemmix Superboy, 1985

THE FREAKIN' NES PEOPLE, 1985

INTV System 3, 1985

Sega Mark 3, 1985

Atari 7800, 1986

Atari 2600 Junior, 1986

Sega Master System, 1986

Twin Famicom, 1986

Zemmix  V CPC-51, 1986

PC Engine(how is this even a console right? It has the word PC in the name!!!) 1987

Action Max, 1987

Atari XE, 1987

Super CD Rom 2, 1988(time-wise were halfway there.)

Sega Genesis, 1989

PC Engine Core Grafx, 1989

Super Grafx, 1989

Turbo Grafx 16, 1989

PC Engine Shuttle, 1989

Sharp Famicom Titler, 1989

Sega Master System 2, 1990

Neo Geo, 1990

Turbo Grafx CD Add-On, 1990

Commore 64, 1990

Amstrad GX 4000, 1990

Zemmix Super V, 1990

Super Famicom, 1990

PC Engine Core Grafx 2, 1991

the Best console ever!!!! Phillips CD-i, 1991

SNES FTW, 1991

Zemmix Turbo, 1991

Turbo Duo, 1991

Sega CD, 1991

Dendy JR., 1992

Wonder Mega, 1992

Sega Pico, 1992

FM Town's Marty, 1993

NES Model 2, 1993

Amiga CD 32, 1992

Pioneer LaserActive, 1993

Panasonic Real 3DO, 1993

Atari Jaguar, 1994(I think this was the last Atari Console)

AIWA Mega CD, 1994

Sega Mega Jet, 1994

Nec PC-FX, 1994

Sega Genesis 2,1994

Gold STar 3DO, 1994

Sega CD Model 2, 1994

PC Engine Duo FX, 1994

JVC X'EYE, 1994

Sega 32X, 1994

Sega CD X, 1994

Neo Geo CD, 1994

Sega Master System 3, 1994

Sanyo 3DO, 1994

Playdia, 1994

Nintendo Satellaview, 1995

Casio Loopy, 1995

Atari Jaguar CD, 1995

Apple Pippin, 1995

Sega Saturn, 1995

THE GOD-FARSAKEN MONSTROSITY THAT IS THE VIRTUAL BOY!!!!, 1995

Panasonic FC-10, 1995

Thank got for the Playstation, 1995

Super ACAN, 1995

Super TV Boy, 1995

The glory the is the N64, 1996

SNES Model 2, 1997

Sega Genesis 3, 1998

Sega Dreamcast, 1999

Playstation Slim, 2000

Playstation 2, 2000

Nintendo Gamecube, 2001

Xbox is awesome, 2001

Panasonic Q, 2001

Nintendo IQUE, 2003

Sony PSX, 2003

XaviX Port, 2004

Playstation 2 Slim, 2004

Atari Flashback, 2004

FC Twin, 2005

Atari Flashback 2, 2005

Generation Nex, 2005

Game Wave, 2005

The badass Xbox 360, 2005

Yobo FC3 Plus, 2006

Hyper Scan, 2006

EVO, 2006

That angel of a console the PS3, 2006

Nintendo Wii, 2006

 Nintendo Vii(What even is this thing?), 2007

MiWi(China), 2007

Retro Duo, 2008

Retron, 2009

PS3 Slim, 2009

Sega Genesis Firecore, 2009

Retron 2, 2009

Zeebo, 2009

Master System Revolution, 2009

Gen-X, 2009

Sega Zone, 2010

Xbox 360 Slim, 2010

Atari Flashback 3, 2011

Eedoo CT510, 2012

Retron 3, 2012

Wii Mini, 2012

Wii U, 2012

Neo Geo X, 2012

Atari Flashback 4, 2013

the(giggle) Ouya, 2013

Super Retro Trio 3, 2013

Genesis Deluxe, 2013

The prettiest console ever the PS4, 2013

Gamestick, 2013

The next gen fighter the Xbox One!!!, 2013

Xi3 Piston, 2013

Mojo, 2013

Gamepop(?), 2013

Retron 5, 2014

The steam machine was on the list but it hasn't been released and it is unknown for sure whether it will release in 2014.

That's it!!! 40 plus years of consoles. Sorry for any mistakes or errors in the list. I hope you enjoyed this.

MiWi(China), 2007

Evolve is preparing to enter into a closed alpha and a recent tweet from developer Turtle Rock's community manager could be your ticket in.

Jess Damerst tweeted out the link and password which you see below.

http://t.co/xEKhmPVNsB password: happyhunting referral: JoinTheHunt :D pic.twitter.com/7n0GvqQm6L

— Jess Damerst (@DamJess) July 3, 2014

The site asks you to fill out a survey of your computer capabilities (the alpha is only for PC players, right now) as well as a few other innocuous questions. Completing the form doesn't guarantee your entry into Evolve's alpha, but it lets Turtle Rock know you are interested.

We awarded Evolve our Best in Show award at E3 this year, so you know it's one we're excited about.

For more on Evolve, click the banner below to see all our features from when the game was on our cover.

[Source: @DamJess]

Our Take
As a huge Left 4 Dead fan, I can't wait for the opportunity to spend more time with Evolve. I am also excited the general gaming public will get a chance to experience it early, too.

Agitha was a small player in Twilight Princess, but in Hyrule Warriors, she is a powerful force to be reckoned with.

We already knew Agitha would be part of the Hyrule Warriors cast, but the trailer below offers the first footage of her in action. You will see her using her parasol to attack enemies, but she can also summon gigantic beetles and fairy wings to further assist her in battle.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

For more on Hyrule Warriors, check out trailers for Link wielding the Master Sword and the Fire Rod, Zelda, and Impa. For more, check out our hands-on impressions from E3, an interview with the team, and the title's E3 trailer. You can also find our feature gathering the confirmed cast of the game by heading here.

Hyrule Warriors will be out on September 26 on Wii U.

[Source: Koei Tecmo on YouTube]

Publisher Aksys has announced plans to bring BlazBlue: Battle Cards to North American iOS devices.

The game is developed by North American developer Alliance Digital Media, making it the first BlazBlue game to be created outside of Japan. Each player chooses one of 12 fighters and battles against another player using an assortment of attacks and special moves. The game's art is based on the recently released fighter BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, which is what you see pictured above.

The game will release this fall and will include six fighters with the option to purchase the other six.

[Source: Siliconera (2)]

Our Take
I'm not sure how well BlazBlue will function outside of its fighting game roots, but the fighting genre certainly seems like it has the potential to be suited to a card game translation. We are currently in the middle of a digital card game renaissance, so Aksys is certainly striking while the iron is hot.

It's been almost a month since E3, but one of the dominating stories of this year's show was a trend towards 2015 release dates. More time until release just gives me more time to outline what I hope to see from my most anticipated games. First up is one of my favorite franchises of all time, "Mass Effect." BioWare showed off little more than rendered concept art, leaving me with a lot of space to play.

Clean Up The Animations

Unlike some of the internet's more vocal players, I don't have a lot of strong issues with what BioWare does - despite what some rather cynical people suggest, they generally make games worth playing. I do feel there's room for BioWare to improve though. One of the biggest areas the "Mass Effect" series, and all of BioWare really, can improve on moving forward is in animation. BioWare's games have always been a bit wonky in the animation department, and when they didn't have a lot of stellar competition, the studio rode narrative waves to a place where a few animation missteps didn't really matter. With games like "The Last of Us" and "L.A. Noire" pushing boundaries, passable animation isn't really enough to get by in the AAA market today.

When even giant open-world games like "Grand Theft Auto V" and "Assassin's Creed IV" are chock full of fairly spot on custom animations for all of their different scenes, it's time for BioWare and "Mass Effect" to catch up. When characters sit on benches, it would be nice to see them actually sit instead of float a few inches above the surface. When characters come into contact with each other, it would be nice to see the characters not make odd independent motions - something unfortunately present in the "Dragon Age Inquisition" E3 trailer.

It's the little stuff where a new "Mass Effect" game will set itself apart from BioWare's previous offerings, but before they get to those they need to shore up what might be the biggest hole in their presentation.

No More Giant Retcons

Retcons are a necessary part of creating multi-part narratives, and more things fit into the category than many people realize. Small things like introducing the Batarians in "Mass Effect 2," or creating Nyreen to stand as the only female Turian players see for the Omega DLC are retcons - not in the changes they implement, but because BioWare wants us to believe they've actually been there all along. If your favorite RPG series adds in a mysterious, secluded race only discovered in a sequel, it's probably a retcon.

"Mass Effect," however, has an exceptionally large number of big-time retcons for a series so heavily reliant upon game-to-game continuity.The biggest was the complete shift in narrative focus around the time of Drew Karpyshyn's departure to work on "Star Wars: The Old Republic." While Karpyshyn maintains a fair bit of skepticism regarding how staying might have changed things, "Mass Effect 2's" ending wasn't altered by the game's Arrival DLC until after he left. Casey Hudson seemed to suggest many changes were implemented after "Mass Effect 3's" script leaked, but I'm skeptical as to how much. Changing the entire plot because a small fraction of the audience decided to ruin it for themselves doesn't seem feasible for such a large, expensive game.

As a fan of the series who, after playing the games multiple times, has caught a lot of the inconsistencies, it sounds like a great idea for the scribes at BioWare to map out a large narrative skeleton beforehand - even if they don't plan to use all of it. They should be looking to trim narrative elements instead of change them this time around.

Take The Dragon Age: Origins and Inquisition Approach To Created Characters

The character creation systems of "Mass Effect" are by no means bad, face import bugs aside, but for a new game they really should take advantage of everything the "Mass Effect" universe has to offer. The longevity of "Dragon Age: Origns" can be very tightly linked to the wealth of different content it provided when creating characters. I personally played through the main game four times, and the "Dragon Age: Awakening" expansion twice. Each time I played a completely different style, and got a different story with a different character.

"Dragon Age: Inquisition" seems ready to right the ship, with BioWare further expanding into its universe of unique, interesting races. "Mass Effect" got away with only including a single playable species from its bevy of aliens because the story was about Shepard, and playing as Shepard became one of the defining moments of the last generation of consoles. Iconic as the trilogy was, a new "Mass Effect" risks feeling stale if humans are the only species available for players to embody moving forward.

"Mass Effect" started as a game about the scrappy new human kids on the block, and ended with a united galactic community - it's time for BioWare to stretch their legs. I want to create a badass turian like Nyreen, and play as her instead of just watching her pop up as I make my way through a mission. I want to fill the shoes of a Krogan or sneak around as a member of the Salarian STG. I want to do some smuggling on Omega, raid vaults like Kasumi or pound the pavement as part of C-Sec like Garrus did. I love commander Shepard, but I have no interest in playing that role when there's so many better opportunities to tell a story.

Don't Beat People Over The Head With Choices

This one is pretty simple: no more color coded choices and moral alignment. Anyone who has played "Mass Effect" knows what it feels like to be tugged in a certain direction because of paragon or renegade options. A lot of people, myself included, reached the end of "Mass Effect 3" to find a small sliver of paragon or renegade points preventing them from taking advantage of the game's final alignment specific dialogue option. Although on the surface the paragon and renegade system seems good, it does more to influence the players' choices than it probably should. It's hard to avoid choosing options the game is shouting at you pick and rewarding you for taking.

Older BioWare games got along just fine without strict moral alignment, and I'd love to see the new "Mass Effect" adopt a system similar to "Dragon Age." No one on the other side of the galaxy is going to know I gunned down a slaver in a warehouse on a small deserted moon, but maybe one of my party members takes exception to how nonchalantly I decided to pull the trigger. BioWare games are about people, but "Mass Effect's" morality system always excluded those closest to the Commander.

Better Customization

I harped on this same issue in regards to the armor of "Dragon Age," but as a whole the "Dragon Age" series puts "Mass Effect" to shame in terms of customization. In the original "Mass Effect," players could choose different sets of armor, but couldn't actually change its appearance; in a lot of cases, that meant rolling around in some ugly half camo-print armor just to avoid getting blown away. "Mass Effect 2" made the armor look better, but gave players very few options to change it. The best out of all of the options came with "Mass Effect 3," but I found even that was a little bit wanting. As with "Dragon Age" I'd like to control how I look and what buffs my armor gives me, independent of each other. I don't want to look like a space bug to get a faster shield recharge or roll around in a conversation ruining visor to gain 10 percent better sniper rifle stability.

I'd also like to have the opportunity to actually customize my ship. Let me change what it looks like, let me upgrade it, let me decide which rooms are used for what. The series is no longer bound by the constraints of the Normandy, and as iconic as the ship was, the concept of a single unchanging vessel should hit the road along with the human-only narrative.

Support Mods

There are good reasons why the original "Mass Effect" trilogy didn't really support mods. The series is inexorably tied to importing saves, and pulling models reliant upon custom textures and items into a new game is nearly impossible - "Mass Effect 3" even had some trouble importing models from the first game. It's something "Dragon Age" got away with because players imported the state of their world and not individual characters. Implementing mod support is a monumental challenge for a series like "Mass Effect," but it greatly improved the "Dragon Age" series and could do the same for "Mass Effect."

In the original "Dragon Age," mods customized party members, expanded character creation and fixed a handful of more common bugs and balancing issues. Mods in "Dragon Age II" also fixed a lot of the game's major issues, upgraded its lackluster textures and made a handful of tweaks to bring items and areas into line with the series' previously established lore. My third and fourth time through the games wouldn't have been nearly as interesting without mods, and I'm almost certain the same could be said for "Mass Effect."

People are going to mod the game anyways, so it would be nice to see BioWare make modding "Mass Effect" as easy as modding "Dragon Age." Modders shouldn't have to cobble together a program to patch the game when modding in "Dragon Age" is as easy as copying a file.

After appearing in both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, Cullen is returning to make an appearance in the upcoming Inquisition.

Cullen has devoted half of his life to the Templar Order, proving his worth to the Inquisition thanks to his show of leadership and integrity in previous calamities, like the mage-templar conflict that tore Kirkwall apart. In his profile on the Dragon Age: Inquisition website, it reads, "Cullen is through waiting for others to act, and he's determined that the Inquisition will make a difference for the people of Thedas."

For more on Cullen head here and here.

Cullen: Advisor to the Inquisition. Get a quick introduction here: http://t.co/L2p2lTX5ja#DAIpic.twitter.com/OOgljNDyyN

— Dragon Age (@dragonage) July 4, 2014

The whole world's falling apart, and he won't sit by and watch that happen. Meet Cullen: http://t.co/WWizF5EenB#DAIpic.twitter.com/8BPdQff1Y7

— Dragon Age (@dragonage) July 5, 2014

For some additional images of Cullen, check out the gallery below.

For more on Dragon Age: Inquisition, click the banner below. You can also head here and here to see the latest trailer for the game, and here to learn about the return of Leliana.

[Source: @dragonage, (2), Dragon Age, (2)]

We don't know much about what's next for Gears of War, but a recent tweet from the actor who plays Augustus "Cole Train" Cole, hints that his character may be involved.

"@MistaPeerez: @lesterspeight have you gotten a call about a new gears? You have to reprise your role! #whoobaby" "Yup!"

— Lester Speight (@lesterspeight) July 4, 2014

Lester Speight played Cole in Gears of War, its two sequels, and its prequel Judgment. In the tweet you see above, a fan asked Speight if he had received a call about the new Gears, to which he simply replied, "Yup!"

We know developer Black Tusk Studios is working on a new Gears title after Microsoft acquired the rights from Epic Games, and studio manager Rod Fergusson recently jokingly teased the image you see below, but other than that, what's in store for the next Gears game is still pretty much a mystery. We included the game on our list of titles we expected to see at E3 this year, and were surprised to see absent.

[Source: @lesterspeight, via CVG]

Our Take
Speight's tweet is light on details, not even offering much worth getting excited about. With so little known about the next Gears of War, however, even this tiny little morsel is interesting. If Speight is returning as Cole, one assumption we can make is the the next Gears probably won't be a reboot with all new characters and actors. Hopefully we'll learn more soon.

Video games often take the player to far away worlds or alternate universes. But how do video games approach portraying the United States? As video games are part of a global culture they can provide perspective on the United States from people and game makers outside of it. Whether or not these games and their views of the United States actually portray the reality of what the United States and its people are, or whether they revel completely in exploring an “alternate” take on America, these video games can still provide entertainment. And that is, after all, a very American value. So here, with special Guest Blogger Pat Riot, is a Fourth of July look at the Top Five video game portrayals of America:

5. Bioshock (series): Nothing is more American than creating a warped view of ideas one disagrees with (according to cable news show hosts who call those who disagree with them“un-American” at least), so with that the Bioshock series comes in at number five. I guess even the underwater ruins and floating dystopias of Objectivist philosophy and fringe religious movements are easier to discuss than the realities of over sixty years of the effects resulting from the things you believe in being put to practice in the inner city, yeah?

4. Mario (series): He is a blue-collar guy who with his bro topples the forces of evil, repeatedly saves the world, gets a hot blonde babe and makes bank collecting gold coins on the way: Mario is America foreign policy and the American Dream all rolled into one pudgy plumber. He enjoys the simpler things in life like go-karting and piloting a submarine during a crazy weekend bender where he had too many‘shrooms and met some crazy girl named Daisy who he don’t call no more because hey, she didn’t want him to take care of her plumbing anyways. Forget her bro. We all know Nintendo did anyways.

3. Metal Gear Solid 2: So what we commonly refer to as “reality” may perhaps more accurately referred to as a“simulation” created by media and business and politics, and should this simulation become distorted and reality seen for what it really is, metaphorically a beached (metal) whale helplessly marooned at the nexus of Wall Street and Times Square, then even the President of the United States will take up arms against us. Only Hideo Kajima could metaphorically describe the abuses of power by the office of the President and the Justice Department, NSA, and IRS through having a naked pretty-boy do naked cartwheels. Bravo, sir. Bravo.

2. Senran Kagura (series): The ladies of Senran Kagura are made in Japan, but they are All-American girls if pop culture for the previous half-century is anything to go by. Youth Culture is worshipped and a driving force of the economy. We give teenagers the right to drive and to decide democracy. There are also few things more prolific in American culture than sex and violence, and Senran Kagura mixes both all in the name of pandering to the lowest common denominator for the dollar of the common man (or woman. Boobs don’t discriminate!) The only reason this didn’t take the top rank is because even though nothing probably speaks to American culture more strongly than this it is my list and thus I’ll indulge in a little bit of personal taste. To hell with putting something with no taste at the top of the list! Also, 3D>2D and the girls of the series are (alas) only 2D……

1. Earthbound: “In Eagle Town, we don’t take too kindly to Modern Art.” I’m sooooo gonna sell bumper stickers of this outside the contemporary arts center----

Oh wait, here comes Guile. Sorry, Earthbound. Nothing is more American than Guile. You’d best just go home, and be a family man, Ness!

Each game is different, with their own set of intriguing, or downrite annoying, protagonists that you control to save the day, save a princess, rule the world, whatever you wish to do. I went through my catalogue of games, and figured out which of these souls I liked better than others.

25.Mario (Various Nintendo games featuring Mario)

Who doesn't love a little Italian plumber saving a kingdom of mushrooms, one adventure at a time. From being paper, to saing a vacation island with a talking hydro pump, to even saving his home by traeling to space, the little plumber deserves credit for each new and unique adventure of a lifetime.

24. Jimmy Hopkins (Bully)

Who knew being a bully tot he school cliques (including the bullies themselves) would be so entertaining. Being the exile of each section of the school, the bald punk sets out to gain glory of ruling over the school. Destroying the boundaries of each clique, one wedgie at a time.

23. Sgt. Wilhelmina "Billie" Church (Clive Barker's Jericho)

From her blood mage abilities to the bada** sword she carries, she was one of the more interesting characters in the game. While she is not the main character, you can control her at any point during the game. Unlike the others, she provides the perfect mix of sword and gunplay for combat.

22. Isaac Clark (Dead Space series)

While setting out on a simple mission to repair a ship, Mr Clark encounters horrors beyond his belief. He struggles throughout the shokcing reveals about the fate of his friends, his wife, and his sanity. When he escapes the horror, he returns once more to the pain from before. Enduring more than any huan should, he retains respect for surviving this long.

21. Naughty (Naughty Bear)

He's so cute, and cuddly, and fluffy, and wielding a freaking machete. After grieving for himself for not being invited to the other teddy bears' birthday party, Naughty takes it in his own hands to get revenge on the heartless toys that wronged him. One “accident” at a time.

20. Ellis (Left 4 Dead 2)

While he is one of four playable characters in the game, Ellis remains a personal favorite. The backwoods hick rambles on about his adventures with his crazy stories about his pre-apocalypse friends.

19.  Bigby Wolf (the Wolf Among Us)

“Oh Grandma, what nice abs you have.” Former Red Riding Hood wolf Bigby Wolf retains the title of Sheriff in the Fabletown. The former wolf takes it upon himself to set out to discover who is murdering Fables within their home among the humans. Uncovering more than he bargained for, the hairy beast has the compassion, or ruthlessness, required to run the town.

18. Overlord (Overlord series)

Why take the time to save the land when you can use your little army of adorably cute and heinous gremlins to take over the world? Whilst the minions take the starring role of the game, the Overlord provides the ruling (and somewhat, order) to the capture of the land.

17. Revan (Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic)

You are the Sith Lord him(hr)self. Choosing to either redeem their actions by stopping their former protege, or by uniting to take over the galaxy once more, the choice is yours.

16. Thomas (Thomas Was Alone)

Thomas has no words. No real movement. Only the body of a rectangle jumping through a computer system. With brilliant narrating by the narrator, the tiny rectangle shows his stuff as he sets out to discover his purpose, and goal for himself and his new friends.

15. Agent 47 (hitman series)

There's more to a clone than just being a simple assassin. Agent 47 goes through game after game, doing nothing but the dirty work for his employers. Once being ordered to betray his best friend, he sets out revenge on the people who ordered the mark. Providing depth and some humanity to the silent assassin.

14 Monkey (Enslaved)

Monkey is the typical loner character. He wants nothing to do with people, as they want to do nothing with him. Being forced to help a young prison escapee int eh post apocalyptic world, he struggles along to help protect her.

13. Banjo (banjo-Kazooie series)

If you thought taking honey from a bear was a tupid move, taking a trouser and backpack wearing bear's sister was even worse. The witch ruling over his simple home gets her sweet end. Twice.

12. Master Chief (Halo series)

As if being a space marine was easy. The last Spartan unit uses his every minute to count towards protecting humanity against the covenant and flood, preventing the use of the Halo rings.Whilst nearly every single one of his comrades and allies have perished, Chief has achieveved the simplist of goals; survival

11.Nathan Drake (uncharted series)

The wise cracking, ladies man, treasure hunter strikes several times. With his urge for finding treasure, the quick witted hunter sets out on several expeditions. Leading to some very entertaining (and shocking) reveals about his past.

10. Ethan Mars (Heavy Rain)

Going through several losses within his life, father Ethan Mars sets out to find his missing son, who has been kidnapped by a serial killer. With the help of a journalist, he sets out to uncover the person who kidnapped his son. Before the Origami killer strikes again.

9. Frank West (Dead Rising)

“I've covered wars you know” will not necessarily come in handy for what's in store. A simple story scoop turns into a nightmare for photographer Frank West. Becoming trapped in a zombie infested mall, Mr West has 72 hours to escape. And uncover the truth in the process.

8. The President Of The United States (Saints Row series)

Going from a simple thug in a gang, to the leader of the gang ridding the pests from his turf, to controlling an entirely new city, and then becoming the president of the United States Of America, protecting us from an alien invasion. The once thug gives the performance of a lifetime, saving the day by destroying one alien with a giant purple penetrator at a time.

7. Nick Ramos (Dead Rising 3)

Nick doesn't match the typical Dead Rising protagonist. He's not overly cocky, doesn't appear to be brave or willing to do what he wants. Even accidentally calling a woman fat causing her to attempt to kill him. He struggles through trying to figure out what's so special about his tattoo, and trying to rescue the surprise girl of his dreams.

6. Commander Shepard (Mass Effect trilogy)

Savior of the galaxy a simple punk with noble goals, or a rogue renegade that is ruthless to the core. There is no one way to define what Shepard will be.

5. Lee Everette (the Walking Dead)

With the typical spew of protagonists, Lee breaks the mold. His devotion to redeeming himself by protecting a helpless child he comes across. While his personality can change throughout different lay styles of the game, he accomplishes his goal of protecting the once helpless little girl.

4. Sora (Kingdom Hearts series)

Loose, upbeat, friendly, and caring, are just a few simple words to describe the true wielder of the Keyblade. After escaping the destruction of his homeworld, he must set out with the company of two unusual companions, to find his friends. And save the worlds from being engulfed by darkness forever.

3. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

No more pyramid breasts. The latest reboot of the Tomb Raider series introduces a unique look into the back story of the famed treasure hunter. She provides a new look into her humanity as she attempts to rescue her friends from the island that won't let them escape.

2. Clementine (The Walking Dead)

Once fully trained by Lee Everett on how to survive the new world, Clementine sets out on her own to unspeakable horrors no child should endure. She captures the spirit of a strong woman in a scared child's body perfectly, being a saint to her fellow survivors, or a ruthless force not to be reckoned with.

1. Crypto (Destroy All Humans! series)

Not many protagonist are actually antagonists tot he world. And Crypto is the epitome of an antagonist. Not giving a crap about the lives of humanity, Crypto has his fun. While Destroying all humans in the process, being stranded on the horrible world called Earth

A new trailer for Halo: The Master Chief collection ignores its namesake in favor our good friend and surprise protagonist, the Arbiter.

The trailer released in honor of RTX, the Rooster Teeth expo, which is happening over the course of the weekend. You can check out the trailer below which concentrates on Halo 2. The Master Chief Collection will include Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4 all in one package for the Xbox One. For more on the game, head here for its E3 announcement and here for some screens comparing the original Halo 2 with the update.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

[Source: Halo on YouTube]

Divinity: Original Sin, a Kickstarted classic turn-based RPG, is developer Larian Studios' fastest selling title.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Larian boss Swen Vincke shared some of the game's success. "We're very happy about it. And to be honest we didn't expect it. We thought it was going to do well but not this well," Vincke said. Vincke also said that the feedback the team gained from putting the game up as an early access title was invaluable saying it was worth its weight in gold.

Right now, the studio is working on adding new content to the game saying the game isn't complete, but as far as its next game goes, the team does not have anything planned at the moment.

For more on Divinity: Original Sin, head here to see our Test Chamber for the game. Make sure to keep an eye out for our review of the game, which should be posting soon.

[Via: Eurogamer]

Our Take
Larian Studios has dabbled in RTS and third-person action RPGs with its Divinity franchise, but it sounds like it found the sweet spot with Original Sin. I'm glad to see the Kickstarter success story become launched success story, as well.

World War I, and the time it took place in, has always been an intriguing but unfortunately overlooked period in our world's history. It was the first time that every able bodied man and woman from every country on the planet was either compelled or forced to take part in an event that would forever alter the relationships between nations and the people that lived within their borders. When reading letters and manuscripts left over from that period, one can tell that no one that took part in the war was really willing to enter the conflict, as opposed to wars like World War II where a sense of nationalism welled up in hopes of putting out the spreading Nazi flames. Men went to war because they were scared, and staying home meant losing everything they loved including the women who had to fill their societal shoes in their absence. Valiant Hearts: The Great War, captures these feelings, and the events that spurred them, masterfully.

When the tale begins Emile, and his son-in-law Karl, are drug away from their lives by an impending wave of death and doom. Karl, because of his German descent was exiled, and Emile, because of duty, and the will to protect his distraught daughter and grandson. From the introduction alone, and the way that it's presented to the player, one can tell right away that Valiant Hearts has no interest in providing the traditional World War shoot-em-up experience traditional found in the Gaming Industry. From beginning to end, the player is exploring. Exploring the muddy, bloody trenches of the Great War, the panicked streets of Paris, and most of all exploring the effects of this massive event through the lives of its down-trodden characters.

Valiant Hearts is a beautiful game both visually and from a narrative perspective. The rolling and passive hills of the French countryside, and the flaming plumes of destroyed buildings look hand drawn, and each setting seems to have been tirelessly constructed and drawn up to service the solemn story being told, without giving way to grotesque imagery. It's cartoonish, and at times silly, but joyously so, so as to alleviate the somberness of the overall narrative. Falling in line with the colorful and gorgeous artwork, is the games main antagonist, Baron Von Dorf, who is of course a caricature that evokes memories of Snidely Whiplash in both his mannerisms, and actions. Some might be put off by his cartoonish villainy, but despite his demeanor, the man really has some atrocious actions, and proves to both be detestable and humorous.

While Von Dorf is clearly implemented as comic relief, the four main characters that the player controls are certainly not. Each has a compelling motive in the war of some sort, and none have feelings that are straightforward. Even Freddie, who could be described as having one of the most cliché motives (vengeance), is revealed to be more psychologically torn than one might have previously thought. Of the bunch, players are likely to relate most to characters like the aforementioned Emile, a humble and pleasant farmer, who has no desire to fight in the war or kill and displays a somewhat tired and weary gait, and Anna, a war nurse, called into action by love for a family member and the will to help the men giving their lives and bodies to the conflict.

As far as gameplay goes, it's a fairly linear game, but attractively so. You're shuttled from one event to the next, as you overcome obstacles that some might mistakenly call puzzles (you see, they aren't really complex enough to be classified as such). That particular gameplay curve, which has you finding items in the environment to progress the narrative is completely in service of the tale being told, and this is a wonderful attribute because the player isn't weighted down by frustration and distracted by the narrative at hand.

Further complimenting Valiant Hearts' gameplay and narrative is its beautiful soundtrack. While pieces like"Can Can" during a fun little car chase through the streets of Paris services the game from a comic relief perspective, the majority of the soundtrack is somber, and reflective. A piano is heard throughout the games duration, and much like the games weightier moments, refuses to be bombastic. Valiant Hearts' soundtrack does nothing but compliment the tone, and setting in a stunningly beautiful manner, and not even the games sometimes hammy narrator can detract from its overall effect on the game.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War, doesn't concern itself with convoluted plot twists, or contrived story telling points, and thankfully stays away from the shower of bullets that war gaming has become over the years. It tells a story of loss, and reward, and even though the game could easily wonder off in to gorey and dark territory, its beautiful artwork reigns it in just enough to leave an impact without any unnecessary scarring. By the time the Valiant Hearts' story came to a close, and the player is subjected to a grimly ironic, yet hopeful ending, you know that Ubisoft has released something unique. Is it an experience for everyone? Certainly not. The pacing might be too slow for some, and the subtlety of the plot will likely disappoint players looking for something meatier. If looking for a heartfealt, and exploratory look at The Great War, however, no wrong could be done by playing this game.