Starting with this installment, I’ll be reviewing various demos and full version games.Demo Review: Dragon Age 2
March 2011
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Electronic Art
Console(s): PS3/Xbox 360
ESRB rating: M

Let me get this off of my back, as good as I thought Dragon Age Origins was, I didn’t care for the combat as much.
With that out of the way, hardcore Dragon Age fans might want to buy this little gem.
At the start of the demo, you are able to choose a gender and one of the following classes for Hawk, your player avatar: a warrior, mage, or a rogue.
After choosing your class, the story starts with some guy being interrogated by some guild who talks about the events that happened to your character. Hawk and his/her allies are chased by creatures called the Blight.
The game has the usual high-quality voice work and dialog that many Bioware games are known for with a Mass Effect-styled radial dialog system, which makes conversing with your companions engaging, even for a demo.
For the review, I downloaded both the PS3 and Xbox360 versions of the demo using a SDTV (standard definition TV). Both versions look on par with each other.
Comparisons aside, the graphical detail looks very good, with good lip syncing, high quality resolution on the character models, and a slightly stylized art style that greatly compliments the game overall.
In terms of the game play, unlike Dragon Age Origins, DA 2 has full real-time combat.
Those worried that this game play change would’ve made DA 2’s combat too hectic for its strategic style of play can be assured that despite its real-time combat, it never feels too fast-paced for more strategic players.
The one major complaint in the demo was the lack of a “lock-on targeting” feature.
Granted, its auto-targeting generally works well most of the time when you’re not surrounded by a large number of enemies.
Overall, I had a blast playing the demo and can’t wait to buy the full game.
4.5/5.0 (GREAT)

+ Good battle system,
combat isn’t too fast or
slow
+ Art style is easy on the
eyes
? Lacks a lock-on system
for combat

Demo Review: Mortal Kombat
March 2011
Developer: NetherRelm Studios
Publisher: WB Interactive
Console(s): PS3/Xbox 360
ESRB rating: M

In the past, most of the MK games were more for the casual gamer in mind. This one, henceforth referred to as MK9, plays more like a hardcore “tournament-style” fighter like Street Fighter and Blazblue, and it’s awesome.
After downloading the demo, I decide to first try out Scorpion for the tournament ladder mode, and the first thing noticed was the fighting was surprisingly fluid; in some of the older MK titles such as MK: Deadly Alliance and Armageddon, the fighting felt very stiff to me.
Anyway, another gameplay change that I noticed was how you can combo into using special attacks.
On the bottom of the screen there a gold bar, for right now I’ll call it a Combo Bar, that has the following tiers in this order: Super Special (for launching powered-up versions of you special attack), Combo Breaker (for breaking an opponent’s combo with a well-time press of the guard button), and the X-Ray attack (more on that later.)
It fills up whenever you attack, even if they don’t land. When your Combo Bar is full, you can use your X-Ray attack, which will put your opponent in a world of hurt while showing all of the fractured bones and muscles in X-Ray vision.
Even how you start your “Fatality” is different, and easier. The Fatalities I’ve tried with Scorpion and Johnny Cage were bloody and humorously over-the-top. I just wish that Kung Lao was on the demo.
The A.I. is not as aggressive as I would have hope, even on the harder difficulties, it’s good enough for players trying to get used to the demo.
As far as graphics go, they’re nothing to brag about, but aren’t hideous either.
Throughout each match, you and your opponent will be covered in blood, bruises, and clothes degradation.
Overall, this is a surprisingly excellent game demo. And unlike many other demos, you can play music stored on your PS3 harddrive (only the PS3 demo was available at this time.)
I would close on this by saying some cheesy MK phases, but I’ll let you, the reader, do that for me while I preorder this game.
Also, yes you can punch any of the fighters in the crotch as Johnny Cage, regardless of gender.

5.0/5.0 (MASTERPIECE)

+ Deep kombat system
+ Hilarious Fatalities
+ Custom Soundtrack
Support
? Graphics and background
music isn’t anything to
write home about
? The A.I . is a bit of a push
over