Call of Duty: Ghost

Call of Duty: Ghosts ( http://www.callofduty.com/ghosts ) is an upcoming "first-person shooter" video game from Activision to be the tenth main installment in the Call of Duty series, and the sixth developed by Infinity Ward. The game is to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on November 5, 2013.
Ghosts will also be the first Call of Duty game available on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as launch titles for both consoles on November 15, 2013 and November 22, 2013.

In the campaign gameplay the player will assume the role of a character dressed in a military Ghost uniform known only as Hesh. However, Infinity Ward's executive producer Mark Rubin has stated that Hesh is not the character's final name and is just a place holder until the studio can come up with a better name.

On February 7, 2013, Activision confirmed that a new Call of Duty game was in development and would be released Q4, 2013. The publisher expects to sell fewer copies than the series' previous entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops II on seventh generation consoles (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) due to the transition to next-generation consoles.

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Call of Duty has always been a violent game. It allows the players to play in the mindset of military officials. You go around killing all of your opponents with an arsenal of weapons. However violent the game is, it still has an ESRB rating of Mature. Parents should be more knowledgeable about the ratings on video games before letting their children play such intense games. If children are brought up correctly video games will not change the way the child acts.

For Justice!

Batman: Arkham Origins is developed by Warner Bros. Games Montréal and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and Microsoft Windows. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the successor to the 2011 video game Batman: Arkham City, and the third installment in the Batman: Arkham series. It was released worldwide on October 25, 2013

Arkham Origins moved development away from series creators Rocksteady Studios, and is written by Corey May and Dooma Wendschuh. The game's main storyline is set five years before that of 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum and follows a younger and less refined Batman who has a bounty placed on his head by crime lord Black Mask, drawing eight of the world's greatest assassins to Gotham City on Christmas Eve. The game is presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on Batman's combat and stealth abilities, detective skills, and gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration. Arkham Origins is the first game in the series to feature multiplayer gameplay.

While this game allows the player to violently bring down assassins, it is only rated T for teen. Players can used Batman's variety of skills to end his opponents, making Batman look dangerous. However Batman has always been for justice. He protects the people of Gotham as a hobby. Making Batman one of the greatest heroes of all.

To Infinity and... Beyond: Two Souls

Beyond: Two Souls is an interactive drama action-adventure video game for the PlayStation 3 console, developed by French developer Quantic Dream. Quantic Dream CEO David Cage first announced Beyond: Two Souls at Sony's press conference at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2012. It was recently released on October 8, 2013 in North America. It stars actors Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe.

The game is told in a nonlinear narrative, skipping back and forth between three points in the main character's life. The main plot of the story deals with a girl that has a strange psychic connection with a mysterious entity named Aiden. The plot has several different endings depending on what the player chooses to do throughout the game. 

Beyond: Two Souls was received with mixed reactions. Getting it an average score of 72%. It got criticism for being too passive, not rewarding, and a muddy plot. Though the game has gotten a lot of bad reviews, a lot of fans have still decided to stick with it and give it a chance.

Gotta Catch 'em All!

Pokemon X and Y are the latest installment of the Pokemon game franchise. Pokemon is a role-playing game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3ds. It is the first installment of the sixth generation of the main series of Pokemon games. It is also the first game of this handheld series to be rendered in polygonal 3D graphics.

Pokemon X and Y is filled with adventure and presented in a third person point of view. The player controls a young trainer who goes on a quest to catch Pokemon and battle other trainers. By defeating other Pokemon your own Pokemon will grow and get stronger. Players are also able to play and battle their friends through the 3ds's connective feature. 

This Pokemon X and Y was a surprise for many Pokemon fans. It was a surprise because the sixth generation of Pokemon came out a lot quicker than expected. Pokemon X and Y has brought about a lot of new things to the series. Pokemon fans can rejoice in horde battles, mega evolutions, and super training. Pokemon X and Y sold over 1.26 million copies in Japan making it the most reserved game title in the region. 

As for me, I just want to the the very best like no one ever was. I'm going to catch 'em all!

Another Year, Another Madden

Madden 25 is an American Football sports video game, based on the National football League and published by EA Sports. It was released in late August 2013 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. It was named Madden 25 instead of Madden 14 (after the year, as previous Madden games had) to celebrate it's 25th anniversary in the series.

In the game players can own their own football team. You can move your teams to other cities. Madden 25 has improved the running factor in the game, which in turn has made the game a lot smoother. Just like in previous Madden games you can still choose the plays and the runs. One difference is that you can stop running in Madden 25. In previous games you would run into other people or players. Another improvement of Madden 25 is that the graphics only seem to get better every year. Madden 25 has gotten a lot of mixed reviews.

If people say that video games influence children, does Madden 25 influence children to play professional football? Most kids who play Madden 25 are probably more willing to stay inside and play games and relax in the comforts of the house. So if Madden 25 doesn't influence kids to play football, why should we conclude that other games such as Call of Duty, Need for Speed, or GTA V cause kids to be violent.

GTA V? Who even plays Grand Theft Auto, anymore?

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) was released on September 17, 2013 for the Playstation3 and Xbox 360. It is the 15th title in the GTA series and the first one to be released since 2008. GTA V was a highly anticipated game before it's release. It broke industry sales records by earning $800 million on the first day of its release, and $1 billion in its first 3 days of release, making GTA V the fastest selling entertainment product in history. 

GTA V is played from a third-person perspective in an open world environment, which allows the player to interact with the game world at their own pace. The game is set within a fictional state that is based off Southern California. The single-player story is based off of three player-controlled protagonists whom the player can switch between, and it follows their efforts to plan and execute six large heists to gain wealth for themselves. An online mode is included that can allow 16 players to play together and collaborate in order to achieve certain goals.

All in all the game received very high ratings from game magazines and critics. But the game also got a lot of bad publicity because of the violence that was involved. News media and politicians are always quick to blame video games for violence. However people don't think to judge whether or not the parents themselves have took the time to raise the child correctly. If a child has been taught what is right and wrong, a game will not be an influence on the child's behavior.

Welcome to my Blog

Welcome to my blog! My name is Narima Hassan. I am a senior here at Bowie State University, majoring in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. I do not, however, plan on using my degree in the near future. My aspiration is to become an Air Traffic Controller. And my hobby is to play video games.

With that being said, my blog will be about video games. I will critique video games, and discuss how misguided people seem to be about the influence of violence from video games. In the upcoming months there will be plenty of video game releases so I'll have plenty to critique and blog about. I hope you will enjoy reading what the GEEK in me has to say!