Munitio MW3 Billets review

i happened to see these on sale at the local Best Buy, so i picked up a pair. (mine were marked down because they were a floor model or something.) now, why exactly did i get these? simple, really: i wanted to try a new brand; one that wasn't Skullcandy. the pair in question cost almost as much as two pairs of Skullcandy, so i figured that was a good sign right off the bat. (when it comes to headphones, i've noticed that when you buy cheaper, you really get what you pay for.)

taking off the white MW3 slip cover revealed a large black box. pulling the red ribbon to slide the headphones out revealed the headphones themselves in a foam card along with 9 extra rubber tips (affectionately referred to as "Silicone Hollow Points" to keep with the bullet theme). as pictured, the extra tips come in plain black, as well as a clear/green to keep with the MW3 colors. the actual earbuds are made from aluminum rather than plastic, which was an immediate plus to me. also, the ends of the headphones have green rings on them (where the primer would be on a real 9mm bullet).

as you can see, the place where the cord splits off to each earbud is inscribed with the MW3 logo with the Call of Duty logo on the other side. this is also a nice touch; the headphones don't scream "LOOK AT ME, I'M A MODERN WARFARE 3 MEGAFAN!!!!!1!!!11!" but still say "yeah, i like MW3." this is actually the only place on the headphones themselves that the game is mentioned.

now, for what headphones are really meant for: sound quality. out of all the pairs of headphones i've ever owned, these sound the best. by far. the bass is noticeable and you don't have to have the volume cranked up to hear it. in fact, the volume level i have on my iPod through my last pair of headphones had everyone around me hearing my music. with these, however, it's only me that hears it. speaking of volume, there's no in-line volume control like i was expecting. there's an in-line microphone and a button to control play/pause and phone calls if you have them hooked into your cell phone.

also included in the box was a carrying case, a warranty booklet, and a registration card (which i can't seem to get to work.) i was expecting the case to say MW3 on it somewhere, but it's just a plain black case. overall, i'm very pleased with these headphones. they seem to be extremely durable, and definitely worth the extra cost. in fact, the only thing i don't like about them is how stiff the play/pause button is. when i hit it twice to skip a song, it often just pauses (as if i only pushed the button once), but i suppose that might vary from pair to pair.

***RATING***- 5/5

Gears of War 3 Fenix Rising map pack review

i got this map pack when it was released (January 17th) but haven't bothered to use any of the new content until today. i suppose i've been distracted by MW3.

anyway, this pack features 5 maps from events in the life of Marcus Fenix: Academy, Anvil, Depths, Escalation, and The Slab. Academy is the campus of Oracle Academy, which Marcus' father Adam planned for him to attend. however, Marcus broke tradition and followed Dom into the COG army. Anvil is based off of the Anvil Gate fortress seen in Gears of War 3. (which is not where Marcus betrayed orders to save his father, that was some other battle.) Depths is a piece from the island Azura, where (if you somehow haven't finished Gears 3's campaign yet, major spoilers ahead. be warned) Marcus rescues Adam and in the process kills all the Locust and Lambent.

(spoiler free zone again)
Escalation is a map that's been in the Gears franchise since the beginning (or at least, Gears 1 on PC) so there's not much else to say about it. and, fans of the series will recognize The Slab as the prison that Dom breaks Marcus out of in the first Gears game.

Fenix Rising also comes with 4 new character skins: Recruit Clayton Carmine, Cole Train: Limited Edition, Savage Kantus: Limited Edition, and Savage Maurader. this is where the pack takes a nosedive. unless Clayton was in the same training as Marcus, i don't see any connection to Marcus' past like the maps have established. as those who played the beta know, Cole Train (or, Thrashball Cole) was originally exclusive to those who completed enough matches of the beta. i personally think Epic should've kept it that way. now, what makes this one different from the beta unlock? the Limted Edition character has blue pants rather than white ones, the blue ones also have a silver reflective stripe going down the side of each leg. that's it.

the Limited Edition Kantus model, is the only Savage Kantus i have so i don't have much to compare him to. i'd imagine there was also very small changes done to his armor or something, much like there was to Cole Train's. the Marauder is without a doubt the best character in this pack. his face is covered in bandages, except his mouth which has fangs sticking out of it. his skin also looks to be a bit rougher and more spiky than any other Locust thus far.

(i mean, look at it.)

overall, i'm somewhat disappointed with this pack. the maps are really great from what i've played of them so far, but the characters left a bit to be desired. half of them are just rehashes of already existing characters. at least the Horde Command pack gave some interesting character variations (such as Big Rig Dizzy). what really grinds my gears here is that those of us who did the work in the beta to unlock Cole Train for the retail version should be the only ones who get to have him, not just anybody with enough points for the pack. what's next, the beta-exclusive flaming weapon skins will be up for purchase? at least i'd still have my beta tester medal.

***RATING***- 3/5

Dark Adrenaline - Lacuna Coil review

Dark Adrenaline is undoubtedly not my most anticipated album release of 2012 (that honor goes to Van Halen's upcoming A Different Kind Of Truth), but nevertheless i was still happy to see some new stuff from Cristina and the boys.

the first two songs released, Trip The Darkness and Kill The Light, were nice previews for the album. Trip The Darkness got its own music video, whereas Kill The Light was simply released as a song on YouTube.

(the video for Trip The Darkness)

the band also covered a song by REM, Losing My Religion. as far as covers go it's a pretty good one. honestly, i'm not sure what else to say here. the album itself is actually pretty good. however, since i'm not much of a fan of theirs, i have next to no knowledge of their past material to compare this new release to. i'd say if you're a fan at all of Lacuna Coil, get this one.

***RATING***- 3.5/5

Gears of War: The Board Game review

(i might as well do a quick review of this while i have this tab open, so here goes:)

i must admit, i was pretty skeptical when i first heard that Gears of War was being ported to the old school board game. so, i picked it up, unpacked it, and looked at the monstrous pile of bits and pieces the box held. the game comes with a bunch of map tiles (this is the board, which is randomly put together each game by a deck of cards that controls which pieces are put down in what order), a large bag of figurines (which are my personal favorite out of the whole thing, they're extremely detailed little pieces), about 5 or 6 separate decks of cards: one to control the Locust AI (this is a strictly co-op game, for 1-4 players), black and red die to figure up the attack and defense values (respectively), a small mountain of tokens (symbolizing ammunition and grenade counts), and a good sized instruction manual; among other things.

like i said before, the board is made up of individual tiles which vary according to the mission you choose to play (the missions are based off Gears 1 & 2, perhaps there will be an expansion pack to cover the recent third Gears game) and are put together randomly each game by what order you draw the cards in. after the board is assembled, Locust enemies are spawned in the right locations (the specific ones based off the number of players), cards are distributed (each player has a hand of 6 cards, except the one playing as Marcus; they get up to 7), and the game begins.

remember when i said this would be a quick review? here's why: i've only gotten to play this game twice so far, both times ending in defeat. (the second time we made it farther.) it all boils down to the roll of the dice and lucky drawing of cards. i haven't even thought of trying the "Insane mode" rules, because the first mission (supposedly the easiest one of all) still has yet to be beaten. Insane is supposed to be just as masochistic as the console games are on that difficulty.

from what i've played of the game, it's just as fun as playing it with a controller. Horde mode even made its way here, but that'll have to wait also until the first mission is won. sorry if this review is a little lacking, this game is just so massive compared to any other board game i've ever played.

***RATING***- 5/5

(here's a picture of what the game actually looks like when it's being played. not sure which mission this is.)

Beyond Magnetic EP - Metallica review

ah, Metallica. what hasn't been said about them: they're but one of the founders of the thrash metal genre, also they've been called one of the biggest sellout bands of all time. their 2008 album Death Magnetic (fun fact: this was the first Metallica album i ever bought) was a welcome return to their thrash metal roots after the discography stains that were Metallica, Load, ReLoad, and St. Anger. this EP is a collection of 4 songs that didn't make it onto the final release of Death Magnetic: Hate Train, Just A Bullet Away, Hell and Back, and Rebel of Babylon.

Hate Train is an excellent way to kick off the EP, the song honestly reminds me of Ride The Lightning. and yet, i cannot help but to think of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory (because of his love of trains). totally unmetal thought, but i digress.

(just think of an evil Sheldon here)

Just A Bullet Away keeps the metal flowing, but now it's reminiscent of Master of Puppets. actually, it's like if Master and ...And Justice For All had a baby, this song would be that baby. i don't think i've ever headbanged to a song about putting a gun in your mouth and pulling the trigger. first time for everything, i suppose. also; this song just stops about 4 minutes in, a second or so of silence, then a slow interlude-type sound. oh, wait. it goes back to the starting sound. nevermind.

Hell and Back starts slowly, like the break in Just A Bullet Away, but it steadily picks up as the song plays. this one i can't place a similarity to any of Metallica's previous works on. it just kinda does it's own thing, i guess. i don't even know what else to say about it.

Rebel of Babylon is a tease. i was expecting a smooth, oh-so-sweet Metallica ballad somewhat like The Unforgiven I and III. (nobody likes The Unforgiven II so it doesn't count.) Rebel is also the longest song on the EP (total time 8:02), if you're keeping track. this is another song that i just don't know what to say about.

overall, Beyond Magnetic is pretty good as far as EP's go. if this is anything like what Metallica's upcoming studio album will sound like i am eagerly awaiting it's release. 

***RATING***- 4/5

Lamb of God - Resolution review

starting with a solid 10-second scream that sounds like one ripped out of a song by The Devil Wears Prada, i was unsure i had actually gotten Lamb of God's newest offering. however, Randy Blythe's soothing voice came in soon enough.

speaking of Randy's voice, it sounds so different on this album compared to their last release, 2009's Wrath. it has a much deeper sound to it, which kicks so much ass. when i heard the first single released, Ghost Walking, i thought they replaced him with a new vocalist. (side note: Randy has decided to do a fundraiser show with Cannabis Corpse to raise money for Cory Smoot's family. don't know who Cory Smoot is? Google it.)

back to Resolution: simply put, i strongly believe it's their hardest-hitting album to date. it sounds like good old Lamb of God, but with death metal vocals. it sounds awesome, the album art looks awesome. what else do i need to say?

***RATING***- 5/5