“Call Of Duty, what’s that?” This is a phrase rarely heard in today’s world. Some things are easily forgotten in the age of iPods, internet, and smartphones. Like what’s the other Hilton sister’s name? Not the one who “fought” the release of her sex tape only to cash every paycheck from said tape with a smile, but the other one. See, easily forgotten. But Call Of Duty has become more than just a game it’s defined a new era in gaming.

When the first NES came out in the 80’s I was happy just to have someone come over to my house and take turns playing Super Mario Bros., even if that meant my juice and cookie supply would be greatly diminished for the week. Fast forward to 2012 and I not only have the ability to play anyone in the world via the internet, but I also get to keep ALL the juice and cookies to myself. To me Call Of Duty (COD) has set the standard for quality first person shooters, and quality online gameplay. Yes, their launch of the COD Elite for MW3 (Modern Warfare 3) didn’t go as smooth as they planned, but when you have that many rabid fans (millions upon millions I’m sure) desperate to dive into every inch of the game these problems will happen. COD like many games have to learn and adapt as they go along but there will always be hurdles to overcome. Even with all that I’d still rank COD MW3 as one of the best online experiences you can have.

You could easily play the main missions, beat the game, and set it aside for something else, but you’d be cheating yourself. The main mission is only 1/3 of the game. The online multiplayer and Spec Ops (Special Operations) portions of the game add more replay value, and I think most every game should be judged on replay value. For example I can beat Need For Speed in a week, and then what? I can trade it in for a fraction of the price I paid, or keep it in hopes of going back to secure an extra trophy or two which rarely happens. But with online gameplay you turn a predictable game into something new and fresh every time you logon. Another great part of COD MW3 is the Spec Ops. This may be my favorite part of the game. I’ll agree that there’s too many people yelling and making no sense while playing the multiplayer online (even though you can turn down the speaking volume to zero now. Another great feature of MW3) but with Spec Ops you can play alone or invite a friend to join you in a co-op format. As much as I love killing random people across the planet, it’s very refreshing to coordinate an assault with a friend in Spec Ops. It may not make the game any easier, but it certainly adds the local element that I can appreciate.

I don’t feel the need to explain the story here, but I assure you COD rarely disappoints. (If you care that much there’s about 40,000 other reviews that have been written on COD so Google it.) Some people will argue that Battlefield is the superior game, and I can’t argue with them as I’ve never played Battlefield (but if anyone reading this would like to submit a copy for me to review I’d be more than happy to compare the two…. Hint, hint) but both games seem very similar with guns, violence, blood, death, and mayhem. Five things every game needs.

My advice would be to buy COD MW3, and spend many, many hours with a controller in your hand. I’d draw the line at missing work and/or school or even standing outside in the cold for a midnight release (really, you people can’t wait until 10am the next morning when every retail store in the world opens?) but short of that I think the COD franchise is hands down one of the best and will continue to be for many years to come. Go ahead, buy a copy and you’ll see what the addiction is all about.

It amazes me how quickly Christmas and the video game season arrives every year. Somehow it always seems that I go from playing Madden all summer long to having to swim through a sea of amazing games that retailers love to put out just in time for the busy holiday season. Well played retailers, you really know how to empty a nerd… I mean man’s wallet before he gets a chance to shop for family or buy his weekly supply of alcohol.

This Christmas looks to be more of the same with Dead Island, Uncharted 3, Ace Combat 3, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Rage. Rage has had a ton of hype surrounding it due mostly to the fact that it’s from the developers of Quake and Doom. I can remember plenty of nights playing Doom on the family computer instead of doing homework, and I can’t say I regret it. In fact I remember more about Doom, and the other games I played than High School to be honest.

First off Rage looks amazing. The graphics are top notch, and in this day and age of HD and 3D anything less than amazing just doesn’t cut it. I mean would you spend all that money on a HD TV if our gaming consoles were still 16 bit? No. Well I hope not at least. Rage’s graphics are definitely a great first impression. But sadly graphics aren’t the only category I judge games on.

The story of Rage and it’s post apocalyptic setting is actually the best, and worst thing going for it. As I mentioned the graphics are great, but the story seems lacking in content. While Rage does feature some fun weapons it only masks the weak storyline. And honestly the entire time I played Rage I kept thinking about Borderlands 2. I applaud Rage, Borderlands, and the other growing RPG market of games because through them I feel I get the most use of the PS3’s on-line gaming (besides the beast that is Call Of Duty, but that’s a different story). Maybe it’s because Borderlands 2 is on the horizon, but Rage feels like Borderlands 1.5. With that being said if you loved Borderlands then Rage is an amazing game in between Borderlands releases.

In closing I would play Rage again because it provides hours of fun for my friends and I on-line, but as far as new and groundbreaking content Rage provides little on that front. With all the games hitting store this holiday season Rage should be on your list, but maybe in the middle somewhere.

But what do I know? I’m just another a-hole with an opinion. Play Rage and decide for yourself.

Ruckus' Rating: 3.5/5

On the heels of the release of Madden 11 it’s difficult to give a video game an honest chance without counting down the days to Madden. But I can truly say Singularity helped ease the days before the great Madden release. Maybe I’m just a sucker for games with a unique signature weapon, hell I enjoy mass destruction just as much as the next guy, and an amazing weapon can add a whole new exciting element in most cases. Just Cause 2 introduced a grappling hook that I was skeptical of at first but after a few hours it became a crucial piece of the game, and Grand Theft Auto 4 gave us the Jet Pack that I still crave for in most any game I play. (Hint, Hint GTA or any other game listening… bring back the Jet Pack!) Interestingly Singularity is no exception with their use of the Time Manipulation Device (aka TMD).

Singularity takes you to the island of Katorga-12. A long deserted island where numerous military experiments took place. One such experiment brings you to the island, the TMD. Once you find and equip the TMD the game takes on a whole new feeling. While all the weapons are fun, nothing compares to the TMD. Being able to age an enemy to dust (similar to the ending of Indiana Jones’ pursuit of the Holy Grail in The Last Crusade) with one touch of a button is pretty cool. As with most games you can also upgrade your weapons, even the TMD. But the TMD doesn’t work on every creature, so keeping an upgraded shotgun on your back isn’t such a bad idea.

Overall the game is pretty entertaining, and the use of the TMD is a fun, fresh idea. My only complaint would be that the game is a little short, a few good sessions and you’ll be done before you know it. One upside to the game is that there’s more than one ending, so based on your actions earlier in the game you can unlock one of several outcomes. I’d say this game is worth owning (especially after you’ve got a few season under your belt in Madden’s Franchise mode), but since the replay value is kind of low, and the online portion is mediocre at best, maybe you can catch it used and save a few dollars. Singularity gets 3.5 X’s out of 5.