Raiden as a character has divided fans of the franchise for many years since his debut. Before Metal gear solid: Rising, when he was revealed to be the protagonist of MGS2, replacing the established and popular Solid Snake, many fans were upset and angered. It didn't help that he reportedly came across as whiney and juvenile, his generic pretty boy appearance in stark contrast to the gruff and able Solid Snake fans had come to love.

However, Raiden returned in MGS4 as a non-playable character, and instantly took the gaming world by storm. Free from the burden of carrying the game on his shoulders and with a reinvented persona which saw him more mature and deadly, Raiden played a pivotal role in the story and his action scenes were easily the best in the game. He had gone from being the joke of the franchise to stealing the show. Now he is set to return to main man duties in Metal gear Solid: Rising.

Little is known about this title so far, with the teaser trailer only offering a brief glimpse of gameplay. However, Metal Gear Solid: Rising did showcase an interesting quirk which allows Raiden to enter a 'bullet-time' like mode, wherein you can plot the course of his sword slashes and therefore make for some interesting (and gory) attack methods.

Some fear that Raiden is not meant to lead a game, and that his recent successful return is owed to the fleeting quality of his appearances. That said, his reinvented character, along with the impressive looking teaser trailer, is beginning to douse the fears of many. Metal Gear Solid: Rising could mark the advent of one of gaming's greatest spin-offs!

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Red Dead Redemption is a sandbox title, wherein you inhabit an open world and are principally free to discover it as you like. The plot follows John Marston, a former outlaw who's blackmailed by the government to seek out his past gang members and spread further legislation and order throughout the frontier.

Red Dead Redemption

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $59.99

Amazon Price: $56.54

Apart from the principle story, there is loads for players to do. Gamers can hunt for meals, play games of poker, take extra jobs and be a part of stakeouts, to call but a few. The title additionally incorporates a morality system much like such games as Fable, wherein your deeds will impact your fame and cause strangers to react accordingly. Red Dead Redemption makes in depth use of period accurate weapons and even different breeds of horses. The validity of the game is what has won it such high praise.

Free world games are becoming much loved within the videogame society, and with Red Dead Redemption it is easy to see why. Gamers can immerse themselves in an enormous and interactive world, free to play precisely as they see fit. Add in thrilling gunplay and a deep storyline, and you're set to join the love of Red Dead Redemption.

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You need only play the new version to get the answer. Super Street Fighter 4 has improved upon the original in every way, which is quite a compliment considering the original is considered a near perfect Beat Em Up. Most importantly, the sequel brings an additional 10 new fighters to the competition, bringing the tally to a whopping 35 characters. The slim roster was a sore point for many when considering the original, but that has been fixed with a great range of fighters.

Super Street Fighter IV

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $39.99

Amazon Price: $35.54

Of the 10 new combatants, 2 are completely new while the other 8 have featured in past Capcom titles. Juri and Hakan are the new fighters for Super Street Fighter 4, and offer a diverse style of play. The sadistic yet seductive Juri, a Tae Kwon Do master, offers a speedy and combo-heavy approach. Hakan, conversely, is a comedic Turkish oil wrestler, specialising in grapples and heavy hitting in the same vein as Zangief. The rest of the newcomers include fan favourites Ibuki, Cody and Dudley.

However, new fighters isn't the only thing Super Street Fighter 4 brings to the table. The online mode has been augmented dramatically, featuring the 'endless battle' mode allowing friends to have continuous battles, along with replay modes and clearer layouts. The nostalgic bonus rounds from past entries make a return, and a range of new stages have been included for good measure.

Understandably, some may think it cheeky to bring out a sequel less than a year since the original and expect players to shell out again. Fear not though, Super Street Fighter 4 comes at a reduced price, and is definitely worth the purchase. The range of new fighters bring a whole new dynamic to the gameplay, and all other features have been improved dramatically. This is the icing on the cake of one of the best fighters in years, and Capcom are fully justified with this amazing offering.

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Resonance of Fate revolves around a future civilisation which is crumbling into chaos. Vast cities are being poisoned whilst the aristocratic upper classes do nothing to help, and you command three characters fighting for justice. Gameplay revolves exclusively around gun battles, and as you progress further your firearms can be customized and augmented.

The combat system employed throughout Resonance of Fate has divided audiences. Initially, it is quite unforgiving and piles a lot of information onto the player at once, making it all seem quite difficult when starting out. However, commit a few solid hours to mastering it and the result is an intricate and dynamic system displaying balletic gun battles.

Resonance of Fate

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $59.99

Amazon Price: $47.77

Graphically, the game is impressive to look at and provides a detailed steampunk style world. The characters are pretty in a generic anime way, although the ongoing 'boutique' feature, which allows you to customize your characters appearance throughout Resonance of Fate, is a great addition.

Overall, this is a great addition to the JRPG genre. It takes a risk with the age old combat system and, whilst the result won't be to everyone's taste, it is a commendable effort. It looks great and crucially includes the favourite RPG elements such as towns and NPC interaction, which have been curiously missing in other recent high profile offerings. If you're a fan of JRPGs with an individual twist, give Resonance of Fate a try.

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The story follows Dante as he journeys through the various circles of hell on a quest to rescue his beloved Beatrice. But as he ventures deeper into the Inferno, darker secrets are revealed and the truth about his quest comes to light. Dante must battle his way through using Death's scythe, which he took from the spectre having defeated him in single combat!

Now, let's get this out of the way early- the Dante's Inferno video game has been accused of being a rip off of the God of War series, to the point at which the combat system is supposedly almost identical. Well, this is really dependent on your point of view. God of War certainly didn't begin the hack and slash genre, it just does it best, and thus all subsequent games will be measured against it. If a game can come close to emulating God of War, surely that's a good thing?

And the Dante's Inferno videogame is doubtless its own master. The combat system is actually an intricately fashioned tree of possibilities as you employ Dante's two methods of attack; his scythe and holy cross. These weapons can both be levelled up as you progress through hell. Dante will come across lost souls in both combat and non-combat situations, and the player can choose to either punish or absolve them. This will level up either weapon correspondingly.

Hell itself has been nicely designed, and there are definitely echoes of EA's earlier horror offering- Dead Space. The landscape is teeming with writhing damned, impaled prisoners and rivers of blood, whilst the different circles will offer their own slant on things. Journeying through Lust will unveil mutated phallic symbols and darkly seductive enemies, whilst Greed will display unfortunates encased in gold.

Dante's Inferno Divine Edition

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $39.99

Amazon Price: $34.98

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Originally designed to be an improved version of the Xbox Halo franchise entry Halo 3, the notion was dropped, Bungie stating they would redesign and improve the quality of the Halo 3 designs. Harking back to the Halo: Combat Evolved concept ideas, this effectively means the new weapon, armour and covenant designs in Halo: Reach will deviate greatly from prior entries but uphold the ethos of the Xbox Halo franchise.

Hinting that Bungie will not cap the Xbox Halo franchise without a bang, the producers are looking to dramatically increase the graphical quality of all gaming areas, even including the weaponry. This clearly required Bungie to create a fresh new engine in Halo: Reach, with the AI augmented and nudged to provide better support for the player as they battle the Covenant.

So after all these promises of fusing greatly refined graphics and improved AI and designs, will Bungie leave the Xbox Halo franchise with a bang and cement their reputation for producing the best FPS for the Xbox 360? The only way to find out is to grab a copy when it is released later this year!

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This announcement has brought with it many questions, some of which should be answered here. The very first thing to remember is this statement doesn't include Xbox 360 and games for that system. Only the original Xbox, and games released for that platform, will be affected by this. Microsoft assure game-players that the original Xbox Live cancellation was not made without consideration and that they are totally greatful to the gamers who have made Live the success it is.

The news is a bit of a downer to some gamers. Though greatly outdated and surpassed by the 360, the Xbox retains a strong cult popularity, with many of their games still being played by customers. The clear example here is Halo 2, which keeps a sizeable following on Xbox Live. However, being a game released on the original platform, it too will be affected by original Xbox Live cancellation.

And so why are Microsoft implementing original Xbox Live cancellation? To apply all resources and effort to the Xbox 360 and upcoming projects, the company are cancelling this feature. With promising features like Project Natal heading our way, Microsoft are set on applying all they've got into delivering the best they possibly can, and assure gamers that the final result will be worthwhile. The original Xbox Live cancellation is a shame for those involved, but the future holds grander things and Microsoft want to dedicate all efforts into delivering the excellent service they always have.

Microsoft are building upon the ability to play classic games online by developing the new Xbox 360 virtual arcade. The intention is to re-introduce certain titles which many older and sentimental game-players would like to revisit. Whilst a lot of those games may appear simplistic or maybe comical to the audience of today, Microsoft state that many are still awesome titles worth looking into.

Examples of the titles lined up for this feature include such classics as Rocket Knight, Centipede, Streets of Rage and even fan fave Asteroids. These games will mean absolutely everything to those players who grew up with them, and offer a nice aside to the bigger games of our day. The Xbox 360 virtual arcade even offers gamers their very own interactive arcade room. When a player buys one of these classic titles, they are able to place it anywhere in the arcade, and they even appear in the classic arcade machines!

Lastly, Microsoft's new feature is completely interactive, so gamers can ask their buddies to visit and play in their own arcade. Voice chat is included together with avatars, leaderboards, multiplayer features and more. In exchange for Microsoft points you are able to forge your very own Xbox 360 virtual arcade, and sample some classic games with your pals!

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Xbox 360 Project Natal is said to be available around the end of 2010, and Microsoft hope that the accessory will become a vital part of all existing Xbox consoles. They also confirm that this revolutionary technology will stretch the active life of the 360 considerably, and is, for all intents and purposes, a next-gen accessory.

The accessory includes a depth sensor coupled with an RGB camera, which hands the Xbox 360 Project Natal a 360 degree arc of recognition. The recognition is so cutting edge that even tiny facial expressions can be interpreted and converted on-screen. The range of recognition can also be extended or shortened as the gamer wishes, with the possibility of including surrounding objects like tables or cabinets.

Along with movement, the Xbox 360 Project Natal also has the ability to interpret sound. The multi-array microphone within can be employed to recognise sound and relay vocal information on the television. These elements mix to offer total interactivity between gamer and videogame.

As the technology employed to create both Natal and the titles it will interact with is reasonably unique, Microsoft have said that current Xbox 360 titles probably will not support Natal, and that a brand new range of titles are in progress. Some technical demos shown at E3 saw Space Invaders Extreme and Paint Party, a game in which pots of paint are manipulated by the gamer to paint canvasses.

Time will tell as to whether the Xbox 360 Project Natal will instill the awe Microsoft are looking for. Whilst the specs are clearly revolutionary and due to trump even the Wii's signature card, Microsoft need to announce more engaging titles to gain increased customer interest. With the right titles coupled with it, the Xbox 360 Project Natal could actually be the future of videogaming!

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Following the presentation of Xbox 360, Microsoft have produced 2 new versions : Xbox 360 Elite and Xbox 360 Arcade. Furthermore,  the Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro System was intended to be a limited edition, to be sold until stock was depleted. But as Microsoft later announced, Xbox 360 Pro should be available for consumers in the future indefinitely.

The Xbox 360 Pro is known under various titles, but the most typical ones are Xbox 360 premium and Xbox 360 Go Pro. It was actually an upgraded version of the then-current Xbox 360 Arcade. The Pro version includes a hybrid composite and component cable, the composite cable can be replaced with optical out features.

Xbox 360 pro will swiftly become a favourite device for those that have a lot of downloadable content to house. This model is enriched with a 60 GB hard drive ( removable ) which is added rather than the classic twenty GB disc drive. With Xbox 360 Pro gamers are guaranteed integration with original games for Xbox, and it can easily hold game data.

Starting Sep 2007, new editions were equipped with new motherboards, even more expansive than the Zephyr. this latest motherboard called Falcon houses sixty five - nm CPUs, which means that the full system stays cooler and less noisy.

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